#Ryan life is strange x reader

[l4venderia]

guys please I just started playing life is strange true colors and we need more Ryan Lucan fanfics I've read everything I'm dying out here

[2dmenenthusiast]

"I love you."

(Ryan Lucan x Gn!Reader)

Hey heeyyyy um disclaimer this one is DEPRESSING. I wrote this every time I felt a lil sad so like, I am basically pouring my soul out to yall lmaooo but I hope some of you find comfort in this fic if you relate at all, and remember that you are loved :)

Reblogs and feedback is always encouraged and appreciated!

Words: 3k

Summary: feeling lonely and cooped up in your apartment, you call Ryan in the middle of the night to help quiet the racing thoughts in your head.

Warnings: talks of depression, self-hate, anxiety, just a whole lotta sad, Ryan loves you so much

1:30

2:03

2:47

Your head lolled to the side as you checked the time again.

3:15

A groan left you, bringing your hands up and dragging your palms over your face. Exhaustion tugged at your eyelids, urging you to close them and doze off. But every time you tried, you just couldn’t. And you had tried everything. Counting sheep, drinking tea, watching some relaxing videos. Nothing seemed to work. Throwing the blankets off you, your bare feet touched the cold wood floor as you padded over to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water. You quickly felt bile rise up in your throat and choked the water down, spluttering out a cough and spitting into the sink. God, you felt like shit.

It had been like this for the past couple days. You’d stay cooped up in your small apartment, never going out unless it was for work, and you’d lay in bed, feeling like absolute shit for just laying around, but feeling too tired to do anything else. Tired, yes, considering the fact that you could barely catch more than three hours of sleep these past couple nights.

Tears of frustration sprung and you quickly wiped at your eyes, mentally scolding yourself for how silly you were being. Christ, some days you just felt like you were suffocating, like everything happening around you was just too much to deal with. And there were moments where you wished you could just sink into the floor, and never be seen or heard from again.

But not tonight.

The loneliness you felt was overwhelming, desperately wanting to reach out and talk to one of your friends, but feeling too ashamed to burden them with your frantic thoughts and shifting emotions. You knew they were worried about you. They would place their reassuring hands on your shoulder and give you that look, that single expression that always asked the same thing.

Are you okay?

And you’d give them that simple halfhearted smile, lips twitching up in a small effort to lie to them.

I’m okay.

With trembling hands, you searched for your phone on your bed and scrolled through your limited contacts, lip pulled between your teeth as you contemplated who to reach out to. You were hyper aware of the sound of your own heartbeat, and you tentatively pressed on Ryan’s name, thumbs hovering over the phone's keyboard. It felt like minutes had passed as you contemplated what to say, frantically typing a sentence before quickly deleting it, and typing up another one. You deleted it again, and again, and again. Nothing sounded right, and you were too worried about sounding desperate or clingy.

You eventually gave up and threw the phone on the bed with a frustrated sigh, crossing your arms over your chest and pacing back and forth.

He’s probably sleeping anyway.

But you couldn’t stop staring at your phone, the thing practically screaming at you to pick it back up. Your thoughts fought with one another, everything threatening to come spilling out all at once. Before you could scream out your frustration, you snatched your phone back up and jammed your thumb on the call button. You heard it ring, once, twice, and hung up before the third.

Fuck, what am I doing?

You pressed the call button again.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring—

You hung up.

“This is stupid. God, this is so fucking stupid!”

Taking a deep breath, you called him again, frantically tapping your foot and bringing the phone up to your ear.

Please pick up. Or don’t pick up. Either is fine. Fuck, do I want him to pick up? This is stupid, this is fucking stupid, I’m fucking stupid—

“Uh, hey?”

Your eyes widened at the sound of Ryan’s groggy voice, not believing that he actually answered, and you struggled to find your voice.

“You there—?”

“Hey! Um— sorry, I just… Did I wake you?”

There was a moment of silence on his end, and you knew that you had.

“No! No, I was just uh, reading. You know, nature stuff.”

You couldn’t help but grin at the thought of Ryan staying up this late just to read about plants and animals, as if he didn’t already know everything about them.

“Wow, sounds riveting.”

He chuckled, and the sound had your chest feeling warm. Neither of you said anything for a moment, not sure how to continue a conversation at almost three-thirty in the morning. You almost hung up, too embarrassed to admit why you called when you heard him clear his throat.

“Uh, is there a reason you called so late? Is everything okay?”

You spluttered for a moment, hand rubbing the back of your neck as heat uncomfortably crawled over your skin. “Y-Yeah! Yeah, everything’s fine. Just uh… you know.” You cringed at your awkward behavior, pressing the edge of the phone against your forehead. “Sorry, I— this was dumb, I shouldn’t have called. I’ll let you get back to sleep.”

“Wait, wait. Hold on.”

You sighed, sitting on the edge of your bed and playing with a loose thread on your blanket as you waited for him to continue. Great, now he was definitely going to know that something’s wrong.

“Hey, you know you can talk to me, right? Whatever’s bugging you, you can tell me.”

You and Ryan had been dating for the past five months, and while you undeniably felt more comfortable around him than you ever had another person, you had never let him see this side of you. This version of you where your brain was constantly on overdrive, overthinking every little thing, your breath always catching in your throat from the overwhelming anxiety that built up in the pit of your stomach. You felt like you were standing on the outside, looking down at yourself. And you loathed it. And while you wanted to confide in him, you felt like you couldn’t. Ryan was a constant positive in your life, and you didn’t want to muddy it up by letting your gloomy thoughts and feelings interfere.

But god, you were so tired. While you could usually power through it, the weight of the loneliness and frustration you felt was almost crushing, and your hand curled into a fist at your side as your jaw clenched painfully, the tears from earlier resurfacing.

“Um, c-can I see you? It’s okay if you don’t want to, I know it’s really late and you probably just wanna sleep. But I just- I didn’t know who else to call, a-and I know I’m probably just being stupid and—”

“Hey, you’re not stupid, okay? I’ll be over in a little bit.”

Your eyes slightly widened. “Really? Like I said, you really don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I want to. I want to see you.”

You bit down on your bottom lip, softly sniffling as you quickly wiped at your eyes, and you hoped that Ryan didn’t catch onto the fact that you were crying. “Okay.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in ten, alright?”

You hummed into the phone before hanging up, shoulders slumping as you placed your hand against your forehead.

It’s fine. Everythings fine.

Rifling through your drawers, you took out a pair of comfortable sweatpants and a loose fitted shirt, throwing Ryan’s flannel that he left at your place over it, and catching a small whiff of his scent. The familiar smell of the outdoors and amber was almost comforting, and you found yourself pressing your cheek into your shoulder to get a better smell. 

Ten minutes couldn’t have gone by fast enough, and you were racing down the steps of your apartment as soon as you saw the headlights of Ryan’s truck in front of your building, not wanting to spend another second without his presence. He was in the process of unbuckling his seatbelt when you threw open the door and hopped inside, slightly surprised at how frantic you were.

“Oh, I was gonna come up. I thought—”

“No. No, I just— I need to get out of there,” you muttered, slowly looking over at him and witnessing as he carefully examined you, a mix of confusion and concern in his gaze. “Can we just drive around for a little bit?”

He paused before nodding, putting his seatbelt back on and pulling out of the parking lot. The silence that settled between you wasn’t as awkward as you felt it would’ve been, but it still left you unsettled, your fingers fidgeting as you wracked your brain for something to say. As you opened your mouth to finally speak, your thoughts were cut off when Ryan reached over and lightly tugged at the sleeve of his flannel, sending you a small smile.

“You know, I was wondering where this went.” His hand slid down your arm, intertwining his fingers with yours and giving your hand a gentle squeeze.

You flustered at his touch, head leaning back as your body slumped down in the seat. “Hey, I didn’t steal it this time. You left it. As well as one of your shirts, and your toothbrush. I think I have some of your underwear in my laundry basket.”

“Oh, come on. Like there isn’t an entire drawer I cleaned out specifically for your things back at my place.”

“Wow, a whole drawer? You really know how to spoil someone, Lucan.”

He just glared at you while you sent a large grin his way. His hand moved to your thigh, pitching the area under your knee that had you squealing and shifting away from him, frantically slapping his arm.

“Hey— Ow! You’re gonna make me crash,” he laughed, no longer pinching your flesh, but his hand remained, thumb stroking back and forth over your thigh.

You hummed, leaning towards Ryan and resting against the center console, eyes trained on his face. There was always something about him that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. His voice, his touch. Hell, Steph told you once that you looked like some lovesick fool when she caught you mindlessly staring at him. How couldn’t you, though?

Ryan cast a quick glance at you, lightly squeezing your thigh. “Whatchya lookin’ at, hm?”

You smiled. ”You.”

“Oh, yeah? Is my face that interesting?”

“Mhm. You’re pretty.”

His eyes widened a fraction as his face visibly flushed, and you couldn't help but laugh as he awkwardly cleared his throat, hand squeezing the wheel.

“I, uh… Glad you think so.”

“Oh, I know so.”

He scoffed and shook his head, your hand fondly resting over his. It was moments like this that you were grateful for. Where you could forget your burdens, even if for only a second. Ryan’s presence was always a fast-acting cure for when you felt like this. Numb and rotten. Like you wanted to crawl out of your own skin because every sensation feels so fucking wrong and uncomfortable. But it was tolerable with him at your side.

The silence in the truck was almost deafening, the ringing in your ears getting increasingly louder as the seconds went by. You were anxious to turn on the radio, flicking the knob and—

Oh, you’re shitting me.

“For the love of god, please tell me I’m not actually hearing this right now,” you said, voice on the verge of laughter as your hand dragged over your eyes.

You could hear Ryan sigh over the melodic chirping coming from the radio, and he reached over to shut it off. “You remember what I do for a living, right?”

“Oh, I can guarantee with almost a hundred percent certainty that you were not listening to that for your job,” you laughed, throwing your head back against the seat.

“And so what if I wasn’t, huh?”

Your laughter died down into quiet giggles, and you leaned over the center console to press a quick kiss to Ryan’s scruffy cheek. “Well, I think it’s cute. Even if it is a bit dorky.”

He swiftly grabbed your hand when you pulled away, tangling your fingers and bringing the back of your hand to his lips. The action sent a tingling down from your fingertips, through your arm, and right into your chest. It was almost overwhelming how he made you feel sometimes. He touched you so gently, looked at you like you were the only person in the world. And you loved him with every breath you were worth.

Closing your eyes, you leaned your head back and listened to Ryan fiddle with the radio until he tuned in to a local station, a gentle melody you think you might’ve heard twice before overtaking the silence in the truck. You could hear him humming along after a moment, the deepness of his voice reverberating in your ears and sending pleasant waves washing over you. You didn’t need him to say anything or try to reassure you with positive words or gestures. He didn’t have to spend his time expressing his love for you in any physical or emotional ways, despite his overbearing want to. No, his presence next to you was comfort enough. To just know that he was within arms reach, his touch and his comfort readily available, that was more than enough.

Your eyes cracked open, and the headlights illuminated a lone road you’ve been on many times before.The overwhelming want to go somewhere different was ever present in your mind. Familiarity was always something you could cherish. The same street signs, the same buildings, the same people waving at you as you walked the same path to work. And you couldn’t deny that Haven has always and will always be your home. But, you desired change. Craved it in the most desperate way. 

You longed for different sights, the unfamiliarity of a brand new space. You wanted to learn the names of new streets, be able to barely make out the faces of people you’ve just met. Go to a recently opened cafe and try to pick out what your regular favorite would be. The mundanity of it all seemed unreachable almost. Like a life somewhere else would be forever unattainable and would remain as remnants of a dream in your clouded mind.

You felt trapped. Your tiny apartment was your safe space and your prison, this town you loved so dearly something you could never escape from. You were stagnant— stuck. With life moving at a snail's pace, and going by all too quickly at the same time. Yet, you remained. This place remained. This same, complacent existence.

“Have you ever thought of leaving Haven, Ryan?” Your voice sounded almost unfamiliar to you, so used to just sitting in idle silence.

He huffed out a breath, glancing at you and shrugging. “Can’t say I’ve put much thought into it. Why? In the mood for a little road trip?”

You know he meant it as a joke, maybe he thought you were joking. But, he had no clue the weight of reality his words held. Because yes, you would leave Haven right now if he wanted to. You’d tell him to stop the truck only when it ran out of gas so you both could get far away. But you knew Ryan would never agree to that. 

This was his home. 

The place he grew up, where all his fondest and saddest memories were shared.

He would never leave them behind.

“Hey.” He squeezed your hand. “Where do you keep going, hm? What’s goin’ on in that head of yours?”

“A lot, I guess. Feels like someone else is in there screaming at me right now.”

A pregnant pause, and then—

“Anything I can do to quiet it?”

Your bottom lip sucked between your teeth, biting down hard until the skin tingled as your eyes burned with tears. Fingers curling around Ryan’s hand, your nails lightly dug into his skin in some lame attempt to ground yourself, to keep yourself from vomiting your guts out in his truck. A silent tear rolled down your cheek, and you felt the car shift whilst he pulled over.

“Hey, hey.”

There were hands on your face, gently tugging to get you to look at the man beside you. He was gentle, far more than you deserved as his thumbs wiped away the wetness on your skin, and you wanted nothing more than to hide away. You pulled out of his grip and leaned forward, burying your head into his neck and sliding your arms around his waist under his flannel coat. His warmth seeped into your clothes and settled deep in your bones, your tears wetting his shirt and his hands rubbing up and down your back.

You could spend hours like this, crying your soul out in the front of his truck as he held you. It was painfully blissful, like the hurt didn’t matter because he was here to ease it.

“Tell me what to do. Tell me how to make it better.”

You shook your head, arms tightening around him as your heart lodged itself in your throat. He was so fucking nice. So caring and considerate. It made you want to scream, because when was the last time someone made you feel like this? Made you feel so overwhelmingly valued and loved? He had given himself so selflessly to you, and you were ready to throw yourself at his feet in return.

“Just this. This is enough.” you muttered, and he pressed his lips into your hair.

“I love you, you know?”

You did know. How could you not with the countless ways he constantly showed it?

“You deserve to be loved.”

A quiet whimper escaped your throat, and you only burrowed further into him,  arms tightening around his middle.

“You sound so sure of that,” you said, voice weak and shaky. Fuck, you felt so pathetic.

He muttered your name, gently pushing you back so he could hold your face and brush his thumbs over your tear stained cheeks. You leaned into his warmth, and a part of you wondered if this was real. If he was real. You were almost sure if you pinched yourself, you would wake up in your cold bed, and reality would be so much worse than your blissful dreams where Ryan Lucan was the center of them all.

If it was a dream, you never wanted to wake up.

“I’ve never met someone who gives so much of themselves without needing anything in return. You are the most caring, selfless, amazing person I’ve ever met. And I care so much about you.”

The praise and reassuring words were so unfamiliar, you almost didn’t believe it. But this was Ryan, and he would never lie to you. So, maybe he was just a bit delusional.

“I don’t know if any of that is true,” you said around a wet chuckle, trying to get your tears under control.

Ryan shook his head. “It’s facts. Don’t ever doubt how much you mean to me.”

You took a breath, pulling your face out of his hands so you could wipe at your eyes. Somehow, he always knew what to say to make you feel better, even if it only lasted for a moment. The comfort was welcome. Needed. Craved. And Ryan’s love for you, something he swore to you more times than you can remember, was enough to mend how broken you felt. Most days, you felt like you were being cut in half, and he was here to help put you back together. Like he was your other half to make you feel whole again.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” you said, a sad smile playing on your lips.

“Ryan shook his head. “Pretty sure you have that backwards.”

You chuckled, and the warmth of his hand enveloped your own.

“I love you.”

Your thoughts are quiet, and you look up at him with misty eyes.

“I love you, too.”

[bigfan-fanfic]

A Former Park Ranger and a Full Moon (Gender Neutral!Reader x Ryan Lucan)

Ryan Lucan with a cuddly werewolf s/o

body horror trigger with a transformation description - very short

"Are you sure you wanna stay tonight?"

"Of course! I wouldn't leave you now." Ryan chuckles. "Especially not now that we know you won't hurt me."

You sigh and kiss him, instinctively pushing your face into his neck and inhaling, the honey-and-citrus smell of his aftershave filling your nose.

"I would never hurt you."

"I know that," he answers easily. "But you have to admit, there's a difference between knowing that academically and having a six foot wolf looking at you."

"Fine. Point taken."

Ryan doesn't use his old forest cabin very much anymore, since he stopped being a park ranger after Gabe.

But it became a perfect cover for you each full moon. Because what's more natural than an outdoorsy man like Ryan taking you out camping once a month or so?

Besides, lately the wolf in you has become much more clingy. In the first times Ryan went out with you, you'd avoid him all night in wolf form, hunting and returning just before you reverted to your natural form.

But lately the wolf likes being around Ryan.

Maybe it comes from some kind of instinct to be around Ryan in your human life - like the wolf recognizes him as a mate of sorts.

But that also sounds like something out of a very raunchy fanfic and you'd like not to have it in your head when you turn.

"Do you think you'll be hungry tonight?" Ryan wonders. There's a freezer of meat at the cabin he can let thaw to feed you with so that you don't have to hunt and risk alerting some kind of environmental watch to your presence.

Maybe that's why the wolf has become so docile. Is your boyfriend literally domesticating you?

"I think I'll be okay." you mumble. Ryan smiles.

"We're almost there, hon."

He's practically carrying you into the cabin when you get there - the change is imminent.

"I think I see some whiskers already." Ryan chuckles, playfully sweeping his finger along your cheek before setting you down on the cushion.

You give a huge yawn and he grins, gently pulling a blanket over you and locking the door he couldn't before with his hands full of you.

The change is rapid, but not instant. Just long enough for him to hear the unpleasant sound of muscle and bone popping and rearranging and altering and re-fusing until the giant wolf take up most of the room.

"Hey, bud." Ryan chuckles, kneeling down and letting your wolf nuzzle him and smell the honey-and-citrus. It chuffs and nearly knocks him over to scent more and then playfully licks his face.

Ryan's pinned down but tries not to act like it, smacking your flank to get you to move off of him.

The wolf doesn't let him out of its sight, even when it rests its head on its paws and settles in the middle of the room. The moment he goes towards the kitchen, the wolf lets out a warning growl and pads over to keep watch.

Ryan just chuckles and quickly grinds up some meat with high antioxidant herbs that a wolf in the wild would probably consume for digestion - another benefit of having a former park ranger boyfriend as a wolf is that he's well aware of a natural wolf diet.

But once you've eaten and he's made something quick for himself, he finally hunkers down, stripping down to moisture wicking compression shorts and lying on the couch.

He gives a sigh. "Alright. Have at it."

The wolf gives a deep, sonorous bark and rears up, placing itself atop him and burying its snout in his neck.

He's able to wriggle his arms out so he can rub the wolf and not be fully trapped, but he's still pinned under dense fur and a huge animal, hence the compression shorts - it gets hot and sweaty under a wolf very quickly.

The wolf falls asleep fast, comforted by good food and being in close proximity to Ryan.

Ryan knows that you'll be restless and active tomorrow - unused energy from the wolf translating back over, but it's all worth it the moment you change back.

Because suddenly the dense fur and heavy weight is gone and he's cuddling his very human love, and happy for the more familiar weight and feel.

And you just look at him with so much love when you wake up human that he kisses you deeply and professes his love as though it were the first time all over again.

One of these full moons, your transformation may end with a ring...

[ruewrote]

𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡.

↪︎ chloe price

↪︎ warren graham

↪︎ steph gingrich

↪︎ ryan lucan

↪︎ alex chen

↪︎ rachel amber

[anticipatecrime]

'𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚' 𝙧𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙭 𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙊𝘾 | chapter i

𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮: ex-drummer of a band, ronan finds himself not knowing where to go, but when his aunt eleanor lethe invites him to haven springs, he says fuck it, and moves into the lethe flowers shop. he's excited yet scared for his fresh start as a trans guy in a small town. 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨: 1.5k 𝙖/𝙣:keep watching lis true colours playthroughs and getting myself attached to ryan. i'm using this to dig myself out of a writing grave💀 had a very popular tumblr fanfic account almost two years ago.. i'm welcoming myself back woo! enjoy this because theres no ryan fics.

he watched the scenery go by, trying to fight the boredom, as his eyes almost shut. the trees, the mountains, the wildlife.. it wasn’t doing it for him anymore. after more than forty hours, it stops being as beautiful and intriguing as it once was.

the only thing actually distracting him from his lack of enthusiasm was his music. he did slight movements side to side. god he loved music, even moreso loved the violent femmes.

‘when i’m out walkin’, i strut my stuff man im so strung out’

‘i’m high as a kite, i just might stop to check you out’ instantly, he was infront of a crowd again, his air drumsticks became real ones and the crowd was cheering, bouncing up and down to the sound of his band. everyone seemed to be on a buzz, just enjoying themselves.

he missed that feeling, he missed performing with his band, but.. theres no way he could go back, especially with what happened his ex, aka the bassist.

he shook his head, and took his headphones off. ��no reason to think about the past, when we’re constantly in the future’ he thought, continuing to look out the window.

he hoped in anticipation that he would arrive to his destination soon. the bus felt oddly cramped, even though there was only himself on it. maybe three stops ago the last people got off. young hipsters who reeked of marijuana.

suddenly, ronan was pulled out of his thoughts when the breaks of the bus were slammed, and his glasses were launched off his eyes. ‘jesus’ he thought, scrambling to pick them back up.

“sorry kid! these breaks are so unstable, got stuck at the last minute.”

“its uh, okay?” he replied, finally realizing where he was. it was a two day, six bus journey, but finally ronan arrived in haven springs. and thank fuck for that.

he grabbed his luggage, and began rolling it off the bus, sending a smile and wave to the bus driver. "have a good one!"

"you too! enjoy the small town culture." he said, before closing the doors and moving forward.

"wow.. a frest start." he hummed, looking forward to seeing his aunt eleanor, probably his only family member that wasn't deceased or estranged. he was lucky to have her as such a supportive person in his life.

she supported him when he came out as trans, then gay, when he dropped out of law school and focused on music instead, when he moved away from his biological mother and when he needed a place to stay. It was like this woman was his guardian angel.

now, he just needed to find where she was. She offered him one of the spare offices in the flower shop.

he started walking forwards, and his jaw dropped in awe, shocked at the beautiful stone bridge infront of him. It was decorated with beautiful flowers and vines.

it looks so different but the vibe is the same, he can remember being about five years old here, visiting his aunt for the weekend. he got to see the spring festival, play with some of the other kids here, he vaguely remembers a few people from here. crazy to think the last time he was here was in 2001.

he strolls along, making sure to take in every building, every person who glances at him.

unexpectedly, an arm was around him. He turns, seeing someone unfamiliar. "hi? do i know you?"

"no you do not." a girl with red glasses chuckles kindly. "but i know you! ronan, right? awesome to meet you."

"nice to meet you too.. random person." his eyes narrowed.

"oh my god, sorry!" she laughs. "i'm alex!"

"alex what are you-" another voice chims in. "oh, sick."

"anyways, i'm alex chen, this is steph, welcome to haven springs!"

"thanks." he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling so uncomfortable at the sudden social presence. alex grabbed onto stephs hand, and they took a step back together.

"sorry, we just don't get new people often. i understand how it feels to be bombarded with welcomes, i was the new person before you i guess." alex took a deep breath, thinking about her first day here, and everything that happened.

"eleanor posted about you arriving today, so don't be shocked if more people come up to you, i'll try to calm them down a bit. in the meantime, do you want us to guide you to eleanor's shop?" she offered.

"oh uh, sure!"

the walk was fairly silent, and it was only making things more awkward. "so.. tell me about the other townspeople?" he suggested, with a shrug of his shoulder.

"well there's not too many people are age, other than ryan, and uh hector." steph begins to whisper. "he uh, really likes his dog chrissy, one time he lost her and started listening to breakup songs."

"hey, i'd be sad too if i lost my dog.. maybe not breakup song sad but still!" he snickered. "also, riley's off to college right?"

"yeah, she's going to be visiting this summer though." alex adds in.

"i remember ryan, he's 3 years older than me, i remember his dad making him play dragons with me."

"that reminds me, are you all caught up with everything that's happened in the past two years?" alex questions, curiously.

ronan grimaces. "yeah, hard to miss on the news, even from a different state. i was thinking about saying something earlier but i didn't want to take down the mood. i'm really sorry for everything that happened to you alex, but you're so strong and i can't believe everything you uncovered."

alex pauses in her step and looks at ronans aura. it was a light blue tint. she breaths in, and out, not knowing what to say. steph notices, and takes over.

"we're here!" she announces. "eleanor will be somewhere in there, when you're done getting used to the town, there's a welcome party down at the black lantern for you."

he glances to alex, mouthing an apology, before smiling. "okay, i'll see you guys there, then?"

"yes you will." steph confirmed, before her and alex left towards the record shop.

'time to see eleanor' he thought, nervously. the one person that has always supported him. what if she doesn't feel the same as she once did?

he pushes the door handle, causing the bell to ring. "RONAN!" she exclaims, running towards the boy. "oh how i've missed you." the older woman hugs him tight. "i'm sorry for everything that's happened."

ronan exhaled shakily, trying not to get too emotional on his first day. "it's okay, it's all in the past now." he reassured her, not wanting to upset eleanor more.

she breaks away from him and gives a warming smile. "i'm so happy you're here. i had ryan help furnish your room, since i'm not used to decorating."

"oh? thank you." he smiled. "how is he? still a nerd about nature?"

"oh honey, he's a park ranger now." eleanor says, making the two giggle. "very into birds."

"i expected nothing less from him." ronan shrugs, beginning to walk around the shop.

eleanor pauses for a moment, before smiling again. "but he's a very great guy ya'know, he's looking forward to seeing you again."

"oh geez.." he mumbled, rubbing his hands together anxiously. hearing that made him nervous. 'he's looking forward to seeing you again.'

ronan only started transitioning 5 years ago, and came out 4 years ago. ryans version of him is much different then how he is now. it would be like meeting a completely different person.

"don't worry about anything okay darling? i didn't tell anyone that you were transgender other than people who knew you before. all i said on myblock was that my nephew was moving here."

"thank you eleanor, it really means a lot." he smiled.

"oh oh, i'm sorry, let me help you with those." she rolled one of the suitcases towards the back. "follow me when you're ready!"

ronan looked around at all the flowers and plants. there was lilies, roses, sunflowers, orchids and so many more. it smelled like natural perfume. he's always loved flowers, fantasized about getting them one day. he huffed, and rolled his eyes at his own thoughts, and took off towards the back.

he passed one closed door before seeing an open door, most likely his. he took a step in and was in awe, it looked perfect for his stay. it almost reminded him of his teenage bedroom, but if it was in a cottage. "i remember some of the bands you were messaging me about, so i thought what else would be better to put on the walls then posters."

ronan reached over and hugged her once more. "this is too much, im so grateful to have you, thank you."

"it's no problem dear." she smiled brightly. "here, i'll leave you to settle in, i'll be working just down the hall in the office. if you finish unpacking before the welcome party, don't feel shy, go explore and make friends!"

"i'll try." he sighed, as eleanor shut the bedroom door.

he stood for a moment, trying to catch his breath. 'finally.. peace and quiet'

ronan began unpacking his bags. he had two rolling suitcases, a duffle bag, and a tote bag. it was a lot of luggage to carry around on six buses but it was necessary. he also had some other items coming in the mail, like his drum kit and guitar.

he started with the first suitcase, pulling out essential items like toothpaste, toothbrush, menstrual products, a variety of soaps, some candles. then it started getting into the little nicknacks. some being stuff he picked up on his travels, others just things that have memories attached to them.

after putting his toiletries in the bathroom, and the nicknacks on the blank shelves above his desk and bed, he started sorting through his clothing. he put piles of clothes into the closet, and a few extra things into the drawers under his bed.

to say ronan was exhausted, was an understatement. he just traveled through four states in roughly two days, met a bunch of people on his way, and in haven, and had to unpack as his first chore.

he took off his glasses before he collapsed onto the bed, the comforter a dark navy plaid, with black sheets. "can't believe i'm back here after all this time." he breathed.

now he just has to get through the rest of the day, and he'll be fine. right?

a/n: thank you for reading the first chapter of out of state, plenty more to come :) also i'd love to have anons if anyone would want to be an anon

[grapejuicestyless]

Wishes Do Come True

JJ Maybank x fem!reader

Summery: It was just a legend, something out in place to make people believe in something that couldn’t be true. But when fate has its way, JJ learns that sometimes, wishes do come true. CONTAINS SEASON 4 SPOILERS!!!

Ryan shot the gun first. He shot it because Ward was charging at him, his teeth bared and his arms spread wide. How fitting that he would go out as a somewhat decent father, a man who took three bullets and threw himself over a cliff to save his daughter and her Pogue best friends.

JJ remembers the feeling of the earth bending beneath his feet as he practically sprinted over to the edge, looking down past his feet to see where the Kook and the henchman lay. JJ thought it was strange, how someone could be so crumpled up, he knew bones weren’t made to bend that way, so seeing the way his body twisted made him a little sick.

He can hear Sarahs soft cries and echoing hiccups clearly, how Kiara seemed to grab onto herself to steady her breathing. He remembers seeing how tightly John B’s arms were woven around Sarah’s body, as if he were afraid she would jump next, as if her body could save his. There was no saving that, as sick as it was.

But what he really remembers, is the softness of her voice calling out for him, the way her voice shook like it was hard to get out. Only then did the sounds of his friends stop ringing in his ears, and through some champagne party effect, he could focus in on just the quietness of her. Only then did he realize as he tried to wrap his arm around thin air that she wasn’t at the ledge.

A stray bullet, it’s a funny thing. The shots fire, four, the last four bullets the man has, and only three reach the sacrificial lamb. The last one reaches one of the seven targets behind it.

Her hands shook over her upper stomach, gripping her skin just below her ribs. Even with a shaky focus, he could see the tint of red beginning to seep past her once light blue nails, now chipped and digging into the cloth of her shirt.

“JJ, I…I don’t…” She stumbled forward, her eyes flickering from his to some distant thing over his shoulder. She could barely focus her vision. He remembers the weight of her head hitting his shoulder as he caught her, the feeling of an extra warmth seeping into his own clothes, something wet and sticky that shouldn’t be drenching the two of them, but was.

“No, no, no. Come on cupcake, come on.” He gritted his teeth, trying to hold her up, but his need to keep her up was wavering at the look of agony on her face. She laid in his lap, his hand holding hers as they both pressed down on the wound, though, it was no use because they had no way home, and the nearest hospital wasn’t for miles. They had no idea where to even begin to search for one in the middle of all the greenery.

JJ rambled in a panic, a habit he’d always done, but she couldn’t make sense of it anymore. Her hearing was fuzzy and her vision came in and out in waves of darkness. She tried to look at her friends, but her eyes wouldn’t tear themselves away from her best friend’s face.

She had just gotten him, their love was still brand new, discovered on an island they were sure they would never find again. It was barely a month since they had shared a kiss under the stars, one both had been dreaming of for years. They went back and forth for what felt like centuries and now none of it mattered, because JJ was holding his love in his arms as she helplessly spat up blood and tried to focus on the blue of his eyes and not the tears on his face.

“It’s gonna be okay, you just gotta fight, you can fight. You fucking…” JJ broke out into a bitter laugh, one he didn’t mean as his palms messily wiped away the blood that trickled down her jaw. Red smeared everywhere, sticking to every crease in his skin. It burned, and so he kept smiling because his laughter, as disingenuous as it was, brought a weak smile to her face. “You saved my life, when I fell off that boat. You kept me alive, and I’m gonna keep you alive, so don’t give up on me.”

The sight of the tears finally spilling from her pretty eyes would forever haunt JJ, because he knew as her chest caved in against his lap, that the pain was too great to make her stay and suffer through, when they both knew she was as good as dead as soon as the gun was fired.

“It doesn’t hurt so bad anymore.” She had told him weakly, the initial throbbing turning into an intense burning, a mix of the powder and the blood that pooled around her, soaking his skin through his pants.

“N-no, come on baby…baby, cupcake, please.” He pleaded. “I love you, please.”

Her ears seemed to clear at his heavy confession, and a sweet smile, the sweet smile he had fallen for back in the third grade, graced her pretty, tired face one last time.

“I love you JJ.” She promised, blinking back the tears. Somehow, she found the strength to lift his hand from her wound and press her bloodied lips to his sticky palm.

He had to watch the way her eyes fluttered shut, one last choked breath that sounded similar to what Pope would later explain as death rattle breathing, escaped her mouth, and that sweet little smile faded into nothing as she laid dead in her best friends arms.

JJ was never quite the same after that. He still loved his friends, he was still reckless and loud and impulsive, but he seemed to do it all for her.

When they won their money finally, he thought of all the things he would’ve bought for her, all the beaches they could’ve surfed across. When he finally found a place to call home, he placed her pillow on her side of his bed, fluffed it up for her and swore some nights he could feel her head resting on his heavy chest.

He thought of how much she would have loved Poguelandia 2.0. It was bittersweet to see the flag because all he could think of was their first kiss under the white flag that waved proudly above them.

He missed their matching P4L stick and pokes, he hated that he had to look at his forever and know it no longer matched with anyone. He hated that everyone else around him had someone to lean on, a lover to come home to, when he knew he would never be able to love again. But most importantly, he hated how young she was. She was only nineteen.

John B told him it wasn’t about the time we had with those we have lost, but what we make of it, but JJ was too angry to care. He didn’t care, it was easy for John B to say when he had lost a best friend, but JJ had lost so much more.

He wore her charm bracelet on his wrist, even though it was tight and caused a lot of noise. He loved the charms on them because they were old and made of clay and they matched his rings and necklace. She made them when they were ten because they were too young for their tattoos.

He swore to never go after treasure again, he couldn’t risk it, but with the promise of a singular wish, JJ followed along like a duckling to Morocco, blood on his shirt and a new father to betray him.

“You know, they say the crown grants a wish.” Kiara broke the silence between them in the heat one day, looking up at the sky to avoid the awkwardness of eye contact. She didn’t have to ask to know he would wish for her back in a heartbeat, but she did anyway because truthfully she liked the way JJ talked about her. It made her feel like her best friend was still alive.

“Yeah?” JJ scoffed with a smirk. “What would you wish for?” He asked, leaning over the unstable ledge, bricks dusty and the cement breaking apart. It wobbled under his forearms.

“I’m not saying I believe it but…I’d wish to go back in time maybe. I’d try not to rush into everything.” She said calmly, her eyes finding JJ’s.

“What about you?” She asked softly, and JJ hummed.

“The thing about wishes is, they don’t come true if you say them.” Kiara laughed breathily at his words.

“Yeah?” She questioned for confirmation.

“Yeah.” He breathed out. “And I really want this one to come true.”

That phrase, “be careful what you wish for,” was made for people like JJ Maybank.

There’s this old game called “Monkeys Paw” that Y/n and JJ both loved when they were younger. One person would make a wish, and the goal of the game was to make that person regret that wish.

They would stay up for hours laughing about it.

If JJ wished for a pizza, the pizza was poisoned. If Y/n wanted a dog, it was rabid. They’d spend hours at a time waking up the neighbors just laughing at how outrageous they could make the faults.

Now that they were older, and now that Y/n was gone, JJ seemed to forget about the rules of the game.

He stumbled back, all air caught in his throat. He lost the crown, and he’d lost his girl, and now, here his biological father was with a knife twisted deep into his abdomen, pulling it out with a sickening crunch.

Kiara pleaded for him to keep fighting, her hands on the wound in a way that reminded him of the way he desperately pressed against Y/n’s all those weeks ago. Her cries were just as desperate, and they were just as fuzzy.

JJ now felt thankful he let her go peacefully, because living through the pain was insufferable, and he knew it would have been cruel to make her fight it any longer.

He cried a little, but he wasn’t sad. No, he was happy, even as Kiara screamed for Pope and John B, begging for help that would do no good because just like his precious Y/n, there was no way home and no help in sight.

He let out a hiccup, and his eyes focused on her brown ones as his vision cleared for a moment, the sting turning into a familiar burn.

“Kie, I never told you my wish.” He smiled, and she shook her head.

“No, Jayj, come on, you gotta fight it. I can’t lose you too.” She pleaded, and it was like he wasn’t even listening as he kept choking out words.

“I already got what I wished for.” He smiled.

All he ever wanted was a home, and though every sacred place he ever had to call that were short lived and destroyed, he had found it in the people who loved him, and the people he loved.

JJ wished for so much more than anyone thought, and he’d gotten all of it.

He had you at one point, and he was eternally grateful for every hug he ever received from your loving arms. He had Pope and John B, who made him laugh like no one else ever could, his ribs sore and his stomach shaking. Kiara and Sarah kept him grounded. He was grateful for how much they cared, how safe he felt around them. He knew he would miss his best friends more than anything else, he would miss them like family, because thats what they were.

The Pogues were his family, and his family was his home.

JJ wished for one last thing with the crown as the darkness took him. He slipped away from his body, his head lulling to the side as Kiara shook him, but he wasn’t there anymore, and he wasn’t afraid because there she was.

Kneeling beside Kiara and she didn’t even know, there she was, her sweet smile and her pretty eyes. She was holding both Kiara’s hand, and his hand, nothing more than wind to them on the ground, but now JJ could see her, and now he could hold her.

“Y/n? Cupcake?” He breathed out with a smile, the luckiest man in the world, even if his toes didn’t physically touch the dirt or the sand anymore.

“Jay…” She smiled back, a sweet sound falling past her lips, and it was simply half of his name.

As his arms wrapped around her tightly, his nose buried into her shoulder. It felt good to know that he would never have to let her go again, and that someday, his friends would have the same pleasure of holding him again too.

JJ’s wish had been a little greedy, because in addition to what he was already granted, he wished to be with Y/n again.

He guess he never really specified how but hey, wishes really do come true.

[gyumibear]

˗ˏˋ STUPID CUPID ˎˊ˗

“cupid, what you do to me….” | stupid cupid — nct dream

synopsis ── after your latest forum fails miserably, you’re almost out of an extracurricular! that is, until a mysterious account going by the name “cupid” brings you just the thing you need to fix your reputation: park wonbin, radio show host and your longtime crush. with the help of cupid, wonbin suddenly falls head over heels in love with you! you’d expect for this to be a good thing right? but no! everyone’s starting to notice how strange wonbin’s acting and now it’s up to you to figure out how and if you can get wonbin back to normal before anyone finds out what you’ve done. especially because “cupid” has disappeared… stupid cupid.

pairing — campus crush!park wonbin x journalist!reader

genre — smau + written. romcom. suggestive. love spell au. college au. angst. “strangers” to lovers.

warnings — hella swearing + crude humor (kys jokes). mentions/illusions to: food/sex/alcohol consumption. fighting (physical and verbal). mind control (what cupid does is essentially brainwashing). light jealous and possessive behaviors. use of pictures of yn but only for reference. everyone makes fun of each other a lot, but not maliciously. yn is a manga reader so spoilers for jjk, csm, the summer hikaru died & black butler. more warnings in the actual chapters, but please always lmk (!!) if i missed something. keep in mind: this story doesn’t describe the idols in real life and is written by a blk person so aave will be used.

playlist — stupid cupid nct dream. mutual butterflies ryan trey. don’t get mad wayv. cosmic red velvet. one kiss riize. love language hibiki. off the record ive. 2nite p1harmony.

notes — the taglist is open! (26/50) updates every saturday! creds to the respective artists for the graphics used! please consider reblogging or replying with your thoughts on each chapter!! it means the world to me but i appreciate spam likes too! you can join the taglist by replying to THIS post. asks will be deleted sorry </3… it’s just easier to manage for me.

profiles ── hate91.1 | public forum mods | specialz

act one let me monopolize that heart…

ᯓᡣ𐭩 ONE ── this week’s forum

ᯓᡣ𐭩 TWO ── nobody wants wonbin

ᯓᡣ𐭩 THREE ── chat… am i cooked?

ᯓᡣ𐭩 FOUR ── tell her the truth

ᯓᡣ𐭩 FIVE ── party ready!

ᯓᡣ𐭩 SIX ── byob (bring your own baby)

ᯓᡣ𐭩 SEVEN ──

ᯓᡣ𐭩 EIGHT ──

ᯓᡣ𐭩 NINE ──

ᯓᡣ𐭩 TEN ──

act two girl you got me crazy…

to be added…!

additional notes ── ah sunny back again with another smau! yippee!! um, i don’t have much to say except hii if you’re new round these parts.. i hope y’all enjoy because i worked hard and i hope this doesn’t flop? i’ll be sad. pleek.. pleek…?

early taglist ── @onlyhyunjin @pxnklover @glorism @nujeskz @soheendo @starwonb1n

2024 © GYUMIBEAR. do not repost, modify, or translate my work onto other social media sites.

[eyelambspider]

𝟎𝟐. 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐲𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚 || 𝐊ö𝐧𝐢𝐠

Day Two of Kink/Creeptober! Here is a list of my prompts & event terms!

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 : könig x gn!reader 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 : The two of you were sent in the dead of night to check up on a supposedly vacated enemy facility. Strange reports and sightings of men had worried KorTac, they couldn't afford to have someone occupy the space. Turns out, the scary Colonel hates 'supernatural' stuff. 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 2.4 k 𝐚/𝐧 : shane & ryan duo ifykyk 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 : fluff? funny/comedy?, horror, mentions of guns, swearing, reader is sarcastic, cryptid (mothman appearance :)

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐎 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆.

You groaned softly. An exaggerated sound that made the Colonel hit your shoulder with the butt of his gun.

"Keep quiet, there may be enemies," he scolded you quietly, having to glance down at you with those disapproving eyes of his. The two of you had just barely touched the door and you were already complaining.

"This fucking sucks and you know it," you whispered back harshly. The two of you chose a respective side of the metal door to stand against. Lowering your guns only for a moment to finally lower the night vision goggles onto your faces.

König only grumbled again, muttering curses and German under his breath like he liked to do when you pissed him off. A sound that made you huff in response to him.

He acted like you were the irrational one. But the fact was: Every thermal scan of the facility reported nothing. And the old building was monitored day and night since local reports came in of 'shadows in the window'. No one on watch duty reported seeing anyone or anything come in or out of the doors. Any of them.

This was bullshit. It just sounded like a squatter to you, but the Austrian Colonel—who you had been paired with to double check the situation personally—was all protocol.

"Don't," he warned, turning his head towards you and pointing a gloved finger His night vision goggles already peering back at you through the darkness. You didn't even need to say it for him to know what you were thinking.

So you didn't, waving your hands up in sarcastic surrendering gesture, strapping your own goggles to your head with a huff. Waiting for him to take the lead then.

So he did, opening the metal door quietly. An actual wonder for how rusted the hinges were. You had to give it to him at least- König was a good fucking soldier. Just... this whole mission felt like a damned excessive ghost chase. Yes, there could be enemy presence back in the facility... but there was a better chance of seeing a rat scurrying around.

König led the way through the darkness, your eyes on the green light casted from his back. The night vision working perfectly. Watching his back and peering around for any sign of life.

The facility was some sort of old textile factory, or you supposed, was one back in the industrial era.

The roof was beginning to cave in, water dripping over concrete and metal railings, rusting everything in its path. Long ivy's crawling up the walls. Only remnants of dust and the occasional scrap of fabric had been left since KorTac had cleared it out over a year ago. It was a wonder you didn't see some sort of zombie wandering around making little clicking noises.

An amused sound slipped from your lips and König stopped dead in his tracks in front of you. Standing up straight, merely glancing over his shoulder in warning. The green glint of his goggles giving you a look that said 'Keep quiet.'

Yeah, yeah. You waved his concern off. There was a job to do despite protests.

The two of you continued on quietly, stalking through the darkness, sweeping the first floor with little to no problems. Guns held close, strapped to your vests and held tightly. The green ghoulish glow of your visor reflecting everything back to you in an eerie way. But nothing seemed out of place. No activity, not even a sound besides the crystal clear clink of water dripping from somewhere overhead.

König reached a hand up to his right ear, speaking quietly into his ear piece. "First floor clear." His voice, echoed softly into your own comm link.

"Continue to secure the building," a tired voice spoke back from the base. Operators watching the small sweep from the cameras on the left side of both of your helmets. Seeing what you both saw, hearing nothing except the staticky feedback through their screens.

Protocol.

With the first floor cleared, the second one seemed like it would go without a hitch too. There was no sound except the soft huffs of your breathing and the rustling of military uniforms as you both continued down the decrepit hallways. Up the rickety metal stairs, the two of you cringing as it groaned and tapped under the weight. Boots on metal, guns clutched a bit closer now that the two of you were making noise. Just a little bit more alert than a few seconds prior.

It was like the air had suddenly changed. No shift that the operators back at base could see, but König could feel it on his skin. Goosebumps prickling up his pale neck as he finally reached the crest of the staircase.

When he stopped, you waited patiently for the Colonel to move. Through the visor, all you could see was him standing there, clutching his gun and looking acute around as if something was wrong. Nothing you could tell though, no matter how much you tried to follow his eyes.

Left to right, there was only the pitch black hallways filled with faded paperwork and offices. It was so quiet in fact, you could probably hear a pin drop from down the hall.

"Colonel," you whispered almost imperceptibly, waiting for his move.

He seemed to tense as soon as the sound left your mouth, but he stayed firm. Only able to see his back and the hand he lifted up, finally signaling you to keep following him with a curt wave.

You got out of the stairwell, the pair of you moving more cautiously. The air swarming with uncertainty as König stopped at the corner, peaking around just to tense up at what he saw. The sound of his gun clinking in his hands as he squeezed it.

It made you tense too, readying your gun and holding the sight close to your eye.

König didn't say anything, just stood frozen with his back against the wall. His chest rising and falling a bit more obviously than it had been a moment ago.

"Colonel! What is it?" you whispered, almost frustrated. Never in all your years of working with him, had he ever frozen.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" you whispered again, a bit more loudly before he grabbed your bicep to stop you. Squeezing so hard it made you grit your teeth.

If he wasn't going to move, then you were.

You shuffled quickly around him, your side brushing his front as he stood there. And despite him still trying to stop you, you peaked around the corner, gun at the ready.

"What the-?"

There were little flecks of fine... dust? floating around the end of the hallway. Glittering and reflecting back into your visor, green and a bit... odd.

You stepped out from around the corner and began walking curiously towards it. Only a step out before König tried to stop you again. "Halt um Gottes Willen!" he whispered, trying to grasp at you before he stopped, as if the corner had an invisible barrier he would not cross.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" You whispered back, turning to glance over your shoulder at him.

When he had nothing to say, you sighed and continued on without him.

He tried to call out your name to stop you, watching as your form began to go deeper and deeper towards the swirling flecks.

You lowered your gun curiously as the little cloud of dust enveloped you, swirling around from the disturbance. There, on the wall was a dark smear, as if someone had wiped the finest ash over it. You reached a gloved hand out, only to stop when König scolded you again from down the hall.

"Bist du verdammt dumm? Don't you dare touch that!" he ordered, but the quiver in his voice betrayed him.

"Come over here and stop me," you called back, finding yourself smirking at that. "We have a fucking mission," you reminded him. The two of you quietly shouting in the hall now. "Its protocol to sweep the area. Now get your ass over here!" you waved, trying to coax him out.

He couldn't argue and you both knew it. The building had to be checked, and despite his gut telling him otherwise, he rounded the corner and made his way towards you slowly. So tense he seemed to be moving mechanically.

You took your glove off finally and tucked it into your vest, running your fingers through the inky smear. You gasped quietly, rubbing the fine dust between your fingers. It was the softest thing you'd ever felt. And the strange material flaked off your skin, becoming a part of the little cloud that surrounded you.

What the hell was it? Just dust?

König finally came up next to you, watching over your shoulder with the same bad feeling in his stomach.

That's when the soft sound of scuttling startled the both of you.

Your gun shot up and König nearly jumped out of his skin. The two of your looking up in comical sync just in time to watch a shadowy figure crawl along the ceiling and disappear down the corridor in an instant.

"Was zum Teufel!" König yelped, a cold shudder running through his body like lightning.

You kept your aim forward, gun trained now towards the ceiling. The sight only enticing you to take a step further and investigate whatever the fuck that was.

"Stop! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" König was now visibly shaking, not even clutching his rifle anymore, instead reaching out to stop you. There was no doubt he could just throw you over his shoulder and get the two of you out in less than a minute.

"I'm going to clear the area," you said in confidence, like it was the most obvious answer you'd ever given.

The more you moved towards the darkness, the more König tried to stop you, his hands clamping down on your shoulder to swing you around the other way.

"Stop! I said stop! Halt! You damned lunatic!"

"Colonel!" You hissed, stepping towards him before he even had a chance to grab you. "This is a fucking mission, pull yourself together," you reminded him. Yet, he still looked like a damned deer in the headlights, trembling, and too afraid to move in the darkness. Glancing at you with a nervous uncertainty.

Then, he watched as a smirk slowly began to spread over your lips. The green-glow of the night vision making you look more like the imp he envisioned you to be in the moment.

"Colonel? Are you... scared?"

He didn't like your tone, and his grip tightened into a white knuckle grip on his rifle.

He was fucking terrified.

"Come on," you huffed, relaxing as you led the way down the hall, following after the shadowy form. And fuck if König was going to be left alone with that thing roaming around the building.

With you leading the way, the two of you stalked through the next hall. König's breathing was coming out in short puffs, and although it felt like his legs struggled to bend, he followed anxiously. The small flecks in the air getting denser, more frequent the further you went into the building.

The roof was still leaking, but the tip of your gun traced a particular drop. More viscous and stringy than water, dripping down from the ceiling in a long gossamer strand, forming a bubbly puddle on the floor. It-It looked like spit.

Another deep fluttering sound emanated deep from the last room in the hallway. Something clattering to the ground with a resounding boom. Your gun instinctively pointed towards the noise.

"Gott im Himmel erbarme dich..."

The muttered sounds of German had you quickly glancing over your shoulder. König was dead frozen, his gun rattling in his hands, unable to move further, only shaking his head back and forth as if he couldn't believe it.

"Are you... Are you praying?!" You asked quietly, mind torn between disbelief that the man who dominated in warfare was fucking cowering behind you and the animal that was in the room.

You turned to König, putting a hand on his shoulder, your eyes still pointed cautiously towards the door.

"König, you're almost seven foot tall and have the biggest gun I've ever seen in your hands," you began quietly, trying to smack some soft words to reassurance into his head. "You'll be fine."

Even though he nodded, his legs still had that tremor in them.

This was reality, you told yourself, nothing but a fucking raccoon or stupid flock of pigeons fumbling around in the dark. The boogeyman didn't exist.

You lifted a hand to your ear, pressing the piece to speak quietly, relaying back to base. "Going in, hold."

"Copy Bravo."

König couldn't even protest, the words, nothing but German-English gibberish tumbling out of his mouth. Watching in sheer horror as you continued on, his feet moving on their own accord to stand behind you. To afraid to be left behind, too afraid to leave you behind.

Once you made it to the withering doorframe, König held his breath, feeling like icy had shot through his veins as you rounded the corner sharply.

In an instant of horror, your eyes landed on it, shuffling in the corner of the dark office. Fuzzy like a blot of ink, writing against the breeze that hushed through the broken window and picked up the tattered curtains.

Soft kissy sounds came from it, and the thing wrung its neck to glance at you. Green orbs, as big as your head peered back through the night vision goggles locked onto your eyes. Its massive wings, like sails, fluttered like a military drone. Goosebumps lurched down both of your bodies as it dropped from the ceiling and stood up so tall that it hunched to fit the room.

Before you could see anymore, you turned on your heel and ran, grabbing König's arm to get his ass moving. "FUCK THAT!"

Only screams filled the quiet room back at base, the operators watching in collective confusion as the pair of you ran for your lives in a blur of sheer hysteria.

[blairboo]

IDWT$

Noah Sebastian x Fem! Reader

Summary: When your boyfriend is a fighter, and takes you to one of his fights, which he betrays you, are you going to seek help from his opponent?

Warnings: Fights, blood, betrayal, bruises, pain

Word Count: 2k

---

Fights.

That's what my life became after I started dating Ryan. He had been fighting since he was 14, grew up in this world, and I knew that very well when I started dating him. Ryan had always been very clear about showing me that this was his life.

But then, he never let me go to any of his fights. He said it was a dangerous place for me. I never doubted that, especially on the days Ryan came back, simply broken. But I sensed there was another reason why he never wanted me to go with him. He was jealous and hated to see me near other men, and I knew that where he fought, there were only men.

It had been a few weeks since his last fight. Ryan wasn’t a weak or inexperienced fighter; he grew up doing this. But in his last fight, he lost. He didn’t want to tell me who the other fighter was, which I found strange, considering every time he fought, I always knew who his opponent was.

Today, he was going to fight again against the man he lost to. Ryan seemed confident, saying he wouldn’t lose this time. I always believed in him. Ryan wasn’t a vengeful person, but after his last fight, it seemed like he wanted revenge on the guy who had raised his hand instead of Ryan.

I found myself sitting in the living room while Ryan packed his bag to head to the Glass House, his fight gym. He grew up there and had been the best and most evolved fighter in the gym.

“I want you to come today.” I turned my head in his direction to make sure I heard him right.

“What?” I had been dating Ryan for three years, and he had never let me go to his fights. Why now?

“I want you to come to my fight today.” He came towards me and took my hands.

“Are you sure? I know you don’t like me going there,” I asked hesitantly.

“Absolutely. I want you to see me beat the crap out of that jerk from the last fight.” He had a frightening smile on his face.

I gave him a weak smile and went to our room to get ready. I wasn’t quite sure what to wear since I had never been to the place or seen how people dressed there, but I opted for black leggings and a white shirt with a jacket over it. It seemed comfortable.

I went back down to the living room, and Ryan was already ready with his bag slung over his shoulder. When his gaze met mine, I couldn’t decipher whether he liked my outfit or not, but he didn’t say anything and opened the door, extending his hand for us to leave.

Ryan was always a gentleman with me, but there was something in his behavior that bothered me a lot. His jealousy irritated me. He never let me be near other men, and if it happened, he would probably yell at me once we got home, telling me I didn’t need to be so friendly with men. And how much that annoyed me.

❦

The drive to the gym was calm and silent, just the music on the radio playing and the raindrops falling on the car. Ryan parked and got out, telling me to wait for him to grab the umbrella, and I looked at the place in front of me.

Upheaval Underground.

What the heck was this?

“Are you going to just stand there?” Ryan looked at me angrily while holding the umbrella.

I got out of the car, positioning myself under the umbrella as we walked towards the entrance of the venue.

We headed to the entrance, where there were many people drinking around the arena, and red lights flashing. A voice over the loudspeaker announced that the fights would start in 20 minutes. Ryan took my hand and led us inside. The place smelled of alcohol, smoke, and weed.

“I need to get ready for the fight; I’ll put you in the balcony, you’ll be able to see well.” Ryan pulled me through the doors of the arena.

❦

It had been 15 minutes since Ryan left, and I was looking down at where some fights were already happening. This was definitely not the kind of thing I was used to; there was a lot of blood and shouting in the ring.

As time passed, the fight ended, and I knew it was Ryan’s turn to fight. For a moment, I felt apprehensive. I had never seen one of his fights, and anxiety was building inside me.

A voice over the loudspeaker announced Ryan’s entrance into the ring. He was wearing black fight shorts, and his gloves were red. The look on his face was confident.

I looked around as people shouted Ryan's name; he seemed like a big celebrity.

The voice announced the entry of the other fighter in the ring.

“And now, my fight lovers, we have Noah Davis against Ryan Miller in the ring, two beasts, but only one will walk away with the belt tonight,” the voice said again over the speakers.

Noah Davis.

Who was he?

Noah entered the ring wearing a black cloak over his face, and his gloves were black. He was tall and in good shape, and then he took off the cloak.

I thought Ryan was handsome until I saw him.

“Focus; you’re watching your boyfriend fight,” the voices in my head warned me.

A loud whistle declared the start of the fight, and until then, the two of them just circled the ring, staring each other down.

Then Ryan tried to throw the first punch at Noah, which he missed.

Noah retaliated with a punch to Ryan's face and a kick to the side of his thigh. Ryan staggered a bit but quickly landed a punch.

The fight continued, fists and kicks flying everywhere. There was blood on the ring floor, and I began to feel nauseous. I lowered my head and could only hear the people shouting and the sounds of punches.

My head started to spin, and I could feel nausea creeping in. I needed help. My hand reached for a water bottle I had brought with me, and when I found it, I quickly brought it to my lips, drinking as if I were stranded in the desert for 30 days. At least it relieved the nausea I was feeling.

❦

The final whistle of the fight snapped me out of my thoughts, and I lifted my head to see Ryan lying on the floor, surrounded by paramedics, while the referee raised Noah’s hand and another man put a belt around Noah's waist.

Ryan had lost.

Noah rubbed his hand on the belt in circles while shouting words to the people around him.

“ i’m the fucking king!” he shout out

His eyes scanned the crowd until they found mine.

He paused for a moment, continued to stare at me, and gave me a playful smile.

Realizing what I was doing, I quickly left the area and went to look for Ryan. I needed to know if he was okay.

I walked the concrete hallways, searching for someone who could help me and tell me where Ryan was. I arrived at a room where no one was present, but I could hear voices behind a closed curtain.

I moved closer to the curtain, and the voices sounded like moaning.

I pulled the curtain aside.

Ryan was sitting on the stretcher, with several cuts on his face, and there was a nurse with her lab coat open, sitting on his lap.

“What the hell is this?” I screamed furiously at the both of them.

Ryan’s eyes looked at me with what I could only describe as desperation.

“I swear it’s not what it looks like; I can explain,” he tried, but his words and nothing were the same thing to me.

He tried to stand up, but the woman on his lap didn’t move.

I looked at him again.

“I’ll make sure to thank Noah for beating your ass,” I turned on my heels and walked toward the door.

I heard my name being shouted several times, but I continued without looking back.

I stepped out of the room and leaned against the wall.

“Problems in paradise, huh?” a voice came from beside me. I couldn’t see who it was; tears of anger burned in my eyes.

I wiped my eyes and looked in the direction of the voice.

Noah.

He was leaning against the wall, just wearing his fight shorts.

“I’m not interested in your victory story,” I rolled my eyes.

“That guy in there with my girlfriend; is he your boyfriend?” Noah asked, a slight smile on his face.

“I guess so.” I wasn’t interested in continuing the topic.

My boyfriend cheated on me with the girlfriend of the guy he just lost a fight to.

Wow, how ironic.

“Come on, I can help you get out of here,” he extended his hand to me.

“I’m not interested in leaving with the guy who just beat my ex-boyfriend,” I turned and continued toward the other exit.

“Come on, the woman in there was my girlfriend too. If you let me, I can help you forget about this. Besides, you’re not leaving here alone; well, at least not without being harassed.” His voice was playful, but I didn’t know the place, much less who the people who frequented it were.

Noah still had his hand extended to me, which I gratefully took.

Ryan had cheated on me, and he definitely deserved this.

❦

Noah led us out of the arena, where many people were gathered, and the rain had stopped, so there were definitely many more people than when I arrived.

“How did you come?” he asked.

“My car,” I pointed in the direction where my car was parked.

I even wondered how Ryan would get home, but that was now his problem. Screw it.

A voice behind me made Noah clench his fists.

“What’s this, Noah? You were just with that blonde and now you're with another?” a man approached, placing one hand on my back.

Noah stepped in front of the man.

“Don’t touch her,” his voice had changed; it was no longer soft but filled with anger.

“What’s up, man? We can take turns.” The man had a smile on his face.

The next sound I heard was Noah's fist making contact with the man’s face, and soon the place exploded into shouts, with punches and kicks flying everywhere.

I looked around and saw no way out, and I felt a tight grip on my arm.

Noah was holding my wrist tightly, trying to pull me out of that fight.

And then…

I felt a pain on the right side of my head and something burning in my ribs.

The pain was agonizing.

I felt two hands gripping the sides of my face.

Everything went black.

---

**NOAH POV**

I looked at the woman lying on my bed. Her face was bruised, and there was a deep cut on her ribs.

She was so beautiful.

I started to wonder when I decided to bring my opponent's girlfriend to my house.

Well, now she was an ex-girlfriend.

I ran my fingers along her face down to the scar on her left shoulder.

With a quick movement, the woman grabbed my hand and pulled it away from her scar.

“Don’t touch me,” she backed away.

I still didn’t know her name.

“I’m just trying to help you,” I raised my hands in surrender.

She seemed to be scanning me, looking at everything around her.

“Where am I?” she looked at me suspiciously.

“I’ll tell you, but only if you tell me your name,” I thought it was a fair trade.

She just stared at me.

No response.

---

Hellooo Everyone!!

So I decided to post earlier the story, so I really hope that you enjoy this.

Idk if this deserves an part 2, but lmk if you all want it

Thank you!

TAG LIST

@foliosgirl

Blair👾

[paradiseprincesss]

Omg hi!!! I absolutely LOVED espresso it's so cute!! Would you be open to doing some major fluff with Jim (delinquent season)? Thanks so much!!!!

CPR - jim (delinquent season) x reader

hello lovely anon! THANK YOU! that means so much to me i appreciate your kind words! and yes, of course, we love love LOVE jim over here - he is criminally underrated. he's dreamy.

summary: after a shitty, messy, and rough divorce, jim is hesitant to love again - but he falls for a younger woman who changes his mind, and teaches him how to love again.

word count: 2.1k

warnings: so there is a large age gap (everyone is of legal age, jim is in his mid forties, reader is just described as 'in college,' so take that how you will), kissing, swearing, divorce, jim's employed as a professor but the reader isn't his student! other than that, no warnings just fluff lol

we don't chose who we fall in love with - at least, that's what jim always thought, and that's what he told himself.

jim never pictured himself to be the type of guy to date a younger woman, he always thought it was a little strange actually because what would someone his age have in common with someone roughly 20 years younger than him?

well, more than he thought.

he didn't intend on falling in love with you. he just...did. jim met you through a friend of his, weirdly enough. he had just finalized his divorce with his ex-wife, which was messy and screwed his perception of love up quite a bit - anyone would feel that way after finding out that their spouse of over a decade was having an affair.

so yeah, jim had some issues revolving around love.

with that being said, when an old college buddy of his (who he talked to a few times a year at most through facebook or text, and occasionally over the phone) had rung him up about how he had moved back to ireland and was having some old friends over for dinner just for old times sake, he figured sure, he'd go since he had nothing better to do.

fast forward to a week later, he showed up in his usual attire - casual slacks and sweater - and was greeted by a handful of his old college friends. jim couldn't lie - it was nostalgic, and frankly, kind of refreshing to be out socializing and living life again after his divorce. it had been a good 6 months since the divorce, and he was honestly feeling good for once.

"jim, hey!" his old college roommate, dan, greeted him at the door. "come on in, we're just having some beers in the living room, the games gonna be on soon."

the night went well, jim got to catch up with his old buddies from his college days, and they spent the evening drinking beers and fussing over the game on tv.

"so, i heard 'bout the ex-wife. hey, i'm sorry, man." another old acquaintance of his, ryan, had said to him.

jim laughed lightly, "s'alright. shit happens, i guess." to which all the other men just murmured and agreed with.

the conversations flowed well, and honestly - it felt good to rant about his ex-wife with some old buddies, and openly talk about his divorce like this - what she did was fucked up. he felt like he needed to and should be able to vent, too.

as the men were busy shouting at the tv, beers in hand, a softer voice called out, "dad?" and jim's buddy dan looked over his shoulder to see his daughter, standing in the doorway of the living room with a small smile.

jim looked away from the game momentarily, out of curiosity - and good god did his heart stop when he did. he was aware that dan had a daughter in college and he knew of her name, but he didn't realize how beautiful she was. the two of them locked eyes for a split second, and he looked away slightly embarrassed.

he didn't really know why he was embarrassed, it's not like he was doing anything shameful or wrong - but finding your friends daughter who was still a college student when he was in his forties was definitely wrong in a sense, well- to a certain degree.

"oh, hey sweetie, i didn't even realize you were still up." dan says to his daughter.

"it's only..." you pause, checking your phone, "half past eight, dad. plus, i'm stuck on this stupid essay my professor assigned to us yesterday." you laugh softly - lightheartedly, and jim felt his heart skip a few beats.

"oh, that's no good," dan says, "jim's a professor, i'm sure he won't mind if you asked him a few questions - maybe he can help you." your dad shrugs, looking at jim and then focusing back on the game.

you blush slightly, and you knew your dad was just being friendly and trying to be helpful - but suggesting you get his older (and really attractive!) friend who just so happened to be a professor to help you with your essay seemed...well, it was like one of those storylines you'd see in a movie, or a book...or something.

"um, dad, i'm sure jim doesn't want to step away from watching the game to help with homework-" you start to say, but in a moment of confidence (and a little alcohol), jim cut you off with a gentle tone.

"no- no, it's no worries, really. i was going to get up and grab another pint anyways." he says, getting up to go to the kitchen. you just walk with him into the kitchen, somewhat at a loss for words.

you get a better look at him under the dimmed kitchen lights, and you could already feel yourself getting nervous in his presence. you never found any of your dads friends attractive before - but jim, well, he was different.

the salt and pepper hair was...really hot. and god, those eyes. those glacier coloured eyes; you barely had a chance to even meet the man and somehow he had you in a chokehold before you spoke more than just a few sentences to each other.

"so," he broke the silence, "watcha studying?"

you quietly told him what you were majoring in, and he nodded, smiling at you softly, "well, i don't teach that particular subject or major - but i'll try and help you out regardless."

you retuned the small smile, "y-yeah, okay. cool."

for the next hour or so, the two of you sat closely next to one another at the dining table, your textbooks and papers sprawled out in front of you, with the doc you were writing open on your laptop. he helped you structure your essay and the two of you were about 80% done with it - that was until he requested that you turn back the page of your textbook.

"wait, go back to page 116 i think it says something about that at the bottom of the page." he tells you, reaching out to turn the pages back in the textbook. however, you also reached to turn the page back - causing the both of your hands to touch, to swiftly brush against each other.

with a small blush, you quickly pull back, still nervous. "sorry."

he laughs softly, shaking his head, "no need to be sorry."

taking a deep breath, you respond, "sorry- sorry, i keep saying sorry-"

"you okay?" he offers a gentle smile, and you felt your heart start racing a million miles per minute. you weren't one to get easily flustered like this - you never got this nervous, certainly not around guys your own age, at least.

jim didn't know why - but he felt the same way. however, he tried to play it cool. he had been on a few dates with a few different women here and there post divorce, but all of them were dead ends. however, with you, it almost felt like he had known you for a lifetime even though he had only just met you.

"yeah, just..." you trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words again. he looked at you with an expression that you couldn't quite read, and his gaze flickered to your lips - then back to your face. "just what?" he whispers to you, and you felt yourself drowning in his impossibly blue eyes.

suddenly, you felt his gentle hand on your thigh, and your breath hitched as he whispered to you again. "just what?"

"just kiss me." you whisper back, and with that, his hands were gently coming up to cup your face, and he kissed you softly.

you'd never kissed someone so much older than you before, and the thought of it made your head dizzy. after a moment, the both of you pulled away from the kiss, but his hand remained on your face.

"is it...is it strange if i ask you if i could take you out to dinner sometime?" he asks quietly, and you felt your cheeks heat up at the question.

"not at all, i'd love that." you smile at him.

again, falling in love wasn't part of the plan, but jim didn't really have a choice when it came to you. it just happened so naturally.

"sweetheart?' you hear his voice call out softly and the sound of the door closing, and you turn around to see him coming home from work - god, you loved when he wore his little sweaters with the sleeves rolled up half way - it really got you going.

"baby, hi." you greet him softly, bundled up in a blanket on the couch of his living room. "how was work?"

he slumps down beside you, pulling you into him softly with a sigh, kissing the top of your head. "it was alright, finished teaching my lecture earlier than expected so that was good." he tells you, voice gentle and tone loving.

"mm, well i'm glad to have you home early." you tell him sweetly, pulling him into a chaste kiss.

"what would you like for dinner, sweetheart?" he asks you, and you shrug, "jim, you worked all day, you don't have to make dinner it's fine." to which he shook his head and insisted, "how about some pasta?"

"jim," you whine softly, "you're so cute, i love you."

"i love you too, honey." he says, kissing you again.

after the date you two had, things just seemed to flow effortlessly. you'd never been with an older man before - and he was so very attentive to your every need, every want, every boundary you had - he took things slow with you, never ever pressuring you into anything.

now, six months later, you and jim had been dating for a few months, while you were still adjusting to dating someone roughly 20 years your senior - it was something you wouldn't change.

jim felt the same way - things were different with you. being with a younger woman was fun, it was new. you taught him things as much as he taught you things. with his ex-wife, there was no trust. no real love. no meaning to life, even though the two of them had kids together, it didn't change the fact that he always felt like he was married to someone he didn't know - a stranger.

you weren't a stranger, though - no, you were quite the opposite to him. you made him feel at home, you were his home. he often found himself wondering where he'd be if you weren't by his side. probably gone, he thinks.

after dinner and a steamy shower together, the two of you laid in his bed together, your head on his chest and his arms holding you in a warm embrace.

"...i want you to meet my kids." he suddenly tells you, and you turn your head to look up at him with love in your eyes, "yeah?" you whisper, causing him to whisper back a quiet "yeah" back to you.

he softly takes your hand and intertwines it with his own, a content sigh leaving his lips. "would you ever want to get married again?" you ask quietly - not even sure why you felt the sudden urge to ask that, but you did anyway.

he was quiet for a moment.

jim never thought he would re-marry, in fact, he didn't even think he'd ever find someone that he would want to marry after his ex-wife. but that was before he found you.

"i wouldn't ask you to meet my kids if i didn't plan on marrying you." he finally says, pulling you even closer. your breath hitched when he confessed that, and you felt yourself blushing a little too. "you mean that?" you ask him, to which he squeezed your hand.

"you made me love again - i sound corny, but i'm dead serious. i was at the end, then you came into my life... you made me feel like there was life worth living."

"oh, jim," you whisper, a little breathless at his continuous admissions about how much he loved you, "you're my everything."

he looked at you with admiration, and smiled softly at you. you were his everything, too. he often wondered if you knew that. if you knew how much he adored you. in a world where he felt like nobody understood him - you did. you were the only one he ever confided in.

your love fixed all his pain, your love fixed his heart - and you didn't even know. you didn't even know how much you were fixing a heart that you didn't break.

he felt like he was revived in a sense - brought back to life from the dead. brought back from his inevitable death of a marriage that had minced his heart. but now, things were different because he had you.

and you - you were the only thing that could jumpstart his flatlining heart again - like CPR.

[bihanarms]

Unveiled Passion (Johnny Cage x Fem!Reader OS)

sum up: okay, I just watched 'Crazy, Stupid, Love,' and as I was observing how Ryan Gosling was with Emma Stone, I couldn't stop myself from picturing Johnny as him. So, it's inspired by the movie, sweeties! Hope you'll like it :p

warnings: mention of smut but not explicit

Damn, I'm so tired..

Exhaustion weighed heavily on (Y/N) like a burden, every step she took in her apartment felt laborious. The day had been a succession of intense battles, vicious attacks, and precise maneuvers alongside Liu Kang and the other champions he had gathered. Since the day he had knocked on her door with that determined gleam in his eyes, her life had taken an irrevocable turn.

The apartment provided an oasis of tranquility amidst the chaos of their mission. She dropped her weapons bag with a sigh of relief onto the couch. Each joint seemed to protest as her body reminded her of the countless blows she had endured to protect the realms. The soft glow of the lamps cast a soothing light around the room, creating a comforting ambiance.

(Y/N)'s steady breath blended with the apartment's silence. Ever since she had joined the god of fire and the other champions, moments of quiet had become rare. But despite the overwhelming fatigue, a profound sense of satisfaction lingered within her. She recalled how she had hidden her powers for years, working in a mundane office, leading a life that seemed ordinary on the surface. And now, here she was, a fighter in an epic battle to save the realms.

She had found a family among these champions, a unity forged in the fires of fierce battles and the sharing of colossal burdens. She had established quite good relationships with each of them, sensing extraordinary souls within them, and that was true even for someone like Johnny Cage for exemple.

And, it hasn't always been the case, his arrogance and oversized ego had tested (Y/N)'s patience more than once. A weary sigh escaped her lips as she reminisced about their past interactions, a hint of frustration evident in her gaze, now heavy with fatigue. Despite the transcendent stakes of their mission, Johnny always found a way to tease and provoke, as if perpetually playing his own role in an action movie. His persistent attempts to flirt, accompanied by clichéd and crude phrases, had become a predictable routine.

She had known him from before all this, as they were both from Earthrealm. He was a well-known actor she had seen on television many times before the current events. He exuded undeniable charm, and she couldn't deny that, but his way of being... God. And since they had been brought together by Liu Kang and she had met him in person, she had discovered that he was the same man in real life as he was on television. So despite his appealing physique, she wondered how he could attract so many women with such a cheesy personality.

But, as mentioned earlier, she had come to appreciate everyone, including him, and well to be honest, that had happened just a few days ago. Something truly strange had unfolded between them during a mission. Beyond the intense battle she had fought, Johnny had saved her when she was on the brink of imminent death, throwing himself in front of the enemy to shield her. It was an entirely ordinary act of camaraderie in their shared struggle, but what had followed had disrupted the equilibrium of her feelings.

When he had approached her while she lay on the ground, whispering, Thank God, I was so afraid of losing you, He had said those words with an unexpectedly sincere tone. It wasn't one of his usual charming lines he tossed around at regular intervals, nor was it one of his arrogant provocations. His tone had been laden with genuine concern, his gaze expressing an unusual sincerity. She had never heard him speak to her in this manner before.

And since that day, a new side of Johnny Cage had revealed itself to her, causing a deep disturbance within her. The question swirled in her mind: was she attracted to him? The notion was hard to digest. How could she, in the span of a day, a split second, due to a simple gaze, undergo such a transformation in her feelings towards him?

Not to mention that over the past few days, even the most insignificant jokes that escaped Johnny's lips managed to draw a smile on (Y/N)'s face. And he couldn't overlook this phenomenon. He had started teasing her more, throwing jabs more frequently, a behavior that caught her off guard. She relished in this playful interaction more than she would admit, even to herself. It was a feeling she secretly loathed cherishing.

That evening, he even had the audacity to invite her out to a bar, suggesting they should "relax for a moment, just the two of them." His words had struck a chord, sending a shiver of anticipation down her spine. When he made the proposition, she felt her heart race, but she masked her unease by raising her chin and appraising him from head to toe, adopting a semi-stern tone.

.

"Come with me tonight, (Y/N), it's going to be fun," he had said, a taunting smirk on his lips.

"No, sir, I'm not really the type to go out, especially not by your side," she retorted, although deep within herself, she secretly wished to say yes.

He had countered playfully, "You're lying to yourself, my dear. Well, too bad for you, I'll send you a picture anyway so you can see what you're missing!" accompanied by a mischievous wink.

"Whatever..."

.

Why had she turned down his invitation, even though deep down, a part of her wanted to accept? Simply because she still wasn't ready to admit that she might be attracted to him. Moreover, a glimmer of fear crept in whenever she considered the possibility of emotionally engaging with such a charming man, a true heartbreaker.

.

Bip

.

The shrill sound of the phone abruptly interrupted the apartment's tranquility. Who could it be at this hour? Let me be...

Her pulse quickened as she saw the message display on the screen: a message from Johnny Cage. A part of her had anticipated that he would be behind this unexpected interruption. She unlocked the phone and read the words typed by his teasing hand:

"You're missing out on a hell of a night, babe."

A mixture of exasperation and amusement tickled her nerves. With agile fingers, she opened the photo attached to the message. Of course, it was him, always true to his signature sunglasses, his face sporting a wide grin as his right hand proudly displayed a middle finger. That stupid man... A smile crept onto the young woman's lips, but it quickly faded when she noticed two female silhouettes in the background. Two women, dressed in form-fitting dresses, their charms on display... they were absolutely stunning.

A sharp pang formed in her belly. Wait, am I jealous? She was surprised by her own mind's instinctive reaction. But the truth lay there, lurking in the corner of her consciousness. She couldn't deny the jealousy that had awakened within her. The mental image of Johnny charming these women, his cliché-laden pickup lines making them laugh, them succumbing to his charm with disconcerting ease, all of it swirled in her mind.

.

Bip

.

A new message, this time from Johnny. Meet me at Angel Share, 5 Second Street, in case you change your mind.

A deep sigh escaped her lips. Damn right, I'm going to change my mind, you'll see. With determined steps, she headed to her wardrobe, picking an elegant dress and a matching pair of heels. She had decided to brush off all this inner confusion, to enjoy the evening, whether she wanted to or not. With one final check in the mirror, she left her apartment, ready to face what awaited her.

.

"And that's how I saved the world, ladies!"

A mixture of joyful laughter erupted from the two blondes sharing a table with the actor. Compliments followed:

"Wow, you're truly amazing, Johnny..."

"I know, sweetheart, I know..." he concluded, punctuating his words with a playful wink. The music was in full swing, the walls of the bar vibrating to the rhythm of upbeat sounds. People danced, laughed heartily, and the atmosphere was at its peak. An exhilarating feeling electrified the air, infusing each of the participants.

Suddenly, the entrance door swung open forcefully, revealing a tall figure. The newcomer's eyes immediately fixed on the international cinema star, Johnny Cage. Intrigued by the noise and movement, Johnny swiftly turned towards the source of disruption. Between the effects of alcohol and the distance, he struggled to discern who stood at the club's entrance. However, the silhouette was approaching rapidly, and in an instinctive move, he removed his sunglasses to see more clearly.

"(Y/N!)" he exclaimed with joy, "I knew you couldn't resist the urge to come to me—"

"Shut your dumb mouth, Cage."

Without hesitation, (Y/N) took Johnny's face in her hands and pressed her lips against his in a passionate kiss. This audacity caught Johnny off guard, his eyes widening momentarily.

However, his surprise didn't last, as he soon responded to the kiss with growing intensity. His hands slid from (Y/N)'s face down to the small of her back, pulling her closer to his own body.

A thrill of electricity ran down (Y/N)'s spine as Johnny deepened the kiss. Their lips danced in an intoxicating rhythm, forging a sensory connection between them. The curious glances and murmurs of surprise among the other patrons seemed distant as they got lost in this exchange.

When they finally pulled apart, their breaths mingling, Johnny's mischievous smile bore a different glint, one that was softer, more genuine. (Y/N) gazed at him, revealing a vulnerability she hadn't anticipated.

"I think you should take me to your place."

"Uh, yeah... yeah, I think you're right, let's do that."

.

Once at Johnny's, the atmosphere subtly changed. A grand mansion that was clearly comfortable, imbued with a laid-back ambiance, and all these items? Damn, he even had a pool in his living room. (Y/N) looked around, absorbing the details of the place while trying to gather her thoughts. Johnny, on the other hand, had gone straight to the bar, determined to create a pause in the buzz that had arisen.

"So," he said with a teasing smile, "how about a few cocktails to start?"

(Y/N) nodded, feeling that it was exactly what she needed. Johnny got to work, skillfully mixing the ingredients with an ease that suggested he had done this more than once. Soon, two colorful glasses were placed in front of them. The young woman appeared much more nervous and less self-assured now that she was alone with her comrade in arms.

"Here you go, beautiful," he declared, handing her the glass.

They clinked glasses, their gazes briefly meeting before their lips touched the edge of the glasses.

(Y/N) quickly felt the warmth of the cocktail slide into her veins. She could feel the tensions easing, her mind gradually relaxing. As she took another sip, she could sense Johnny's gaze on her, silently observing her with curiosity.

Without hesitation, she lifted her glass and downed it in one go. Johnny's expression shifted from amusement to surprise, though he forced himself to maintain an impassive demeanor.

"That, my dear, is what I call a good start," he commented with a smirk, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "So, are you going to give me some explanations?"

"Explanations about what?" (Y/N) replied, her voice slightly nervous.

A teasing smile danced on his lips. "I think you know very well, sweetheart, or do I have to draw you a diagram of how you threw yourself at me a few minutes ago?" he retorted, a mix of mischief and challenge in his gaze.

She let out a nervous laugh, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I didn't exactly 'throw myself' at you," she said, trying to regain her composure despite her nervousness.

Johnny approached her with confident and assured steps. A playful smile still lingered on his face. "Hm, really?" he quipped with a teasing tone.

The young woman instinctively took a few steps back, her eyes sparkling with both amusement and nervousness. Then, she took a deep breath and began to speak, slightly stuttering but determined. "Okay, I know I seemed very confident at the bar when I rushed over to kiss you, but now that we're alone, I'm much more nervous about the idea of sleeping with you."

Johnny's smile slightly faded at her words. "Sleeping with me?" he repeated, his eyebrows raising slightly. "Who said we were going to sleep together?" He looked at her for a moment, then a light chuckle escaped his lips.

"Oh, come on, I know very well!" she exclaimed playfully, feeling the effects of alcohol allowing her to speak her mind freely. "Isn't that what you do with all those girls? You bring them home, have a few cocktails, and end up sleeping together in the pool, for instance?"

Johnny blinked, surprised by (Y/N)'s audacious remark. Then, he let out a genuine laugh, evidently appreciating her straightforwardness. "Well, yes, if that's what you want but-" he was about to say, but was abruptly cut off by (Y/N)'s assured and determined voice.

"Take off your shirt."

His eyebrows raised slightly in a mix of surprise and amusement as she didn't seem to shy away from anything, and her proposition was quite unexpected. He stared at her for a moment, unsure of what he should do.

"What? Seriously, just out of the blue like that?" he asked, a teasing smile still playing on his lips.

"Yes," she replied without hesitation, her determined tone showing that she was set on seeing this through.

Johnny chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Well, you're not afraid to speak your mind, that's for sure."

(Y/N) didn't back down, her captivating gaze still holding his. "I've always wanted to know if it's real or just Photoshop in your movies," she explained with a mischievous smile.

The actor looked at her, his eyes slightly widened, impressed by her audacity and carefree attitude. He hesitated for a moment, then with a theatrical shrug, he started unbuttoning his shirt, gradually revealing his tanned skin.

She fixed her gaze on every movement, her eyes lighting up with undeniable fascination. When he finally took off his shirt, revealing his chiseled muscles and athletic physique, she felt her breath catch slightly.

"Wow, is this for real?" she murmured, her voice filled with surprise and admiration.

A teasing laugh escaped Johnny's lips as he raised an eyebrow, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "Do you want to touch to check?"

(Y/N) bit her lip, feeling her cheeks grow warmer. "No, I'm good," she replied with a mix of embarrassment and amusement.

He ran a hand through his hair, displaying a smirk. "Can I put my shirt back on?" he asked, slightly embarrassed and taken aback by the turn of events.

"No," she replied again without hesitation. "So, what's the next step?"

Johnny was caught off guard by this question, his confidence momentarily shaken. He was used to bringing women home, but it had never taken this turn before. His thoughts raced, looking for something to suggest that could match the moment.

Suddenly, (Y/N) had a mischievous smile. "I have an idea," she announced, taking Johnny by surprise. Before he could react, she lightly pushed him, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the pool.

The cold water seized him, the shock making him burst into laughter. He emerged from the water, shaking his head to get rid of the excess water. "Well, that was unexpected."

She laughed along, feeling the alcohol rise to her head but enjoying the effect it had on her. She didn't care about anything anymore, and no worries occupied her mind. She took a risk by pushing him into the water, but it seemed like the perfect thing to do in that moment.

Johnny spread his arms theatrically. "You managed to wet these super expensive pants I was wearing," he complained with a laugh.

(Y/N) teased him, raising an eyebrow. "Who cares? I'm sure you have enough money to buy 50 more like these," she replied before bursting into laughter again.

A playful smile stretched across the young man lips. "Well, since that's the case..." He suddenly stood up in the water, letting a cascade of water fall onto (Y/N) in the process.

She let out a small cry of surprise, but instead of getting angry, she burst into laughter, finding herself soaked from head to toe. The peals of laughter were contagious, filling the air with lightness and complicity.

Then, without further ado, she began to remove her top, revealing her bra underneath. Johnny's eyes slightly widened as he looked at her, marveling at the beauty of her body. Damn, this woman...

(Y/N) didn't seem to care that she was now in her underwear, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Without hesitation, she jumped into the water next to Johnny, splashing him once more.

.

But then the atmosphere suddenly changed as Johnny boldly approached the young woman, his gaze determined. As he neared her face, (Y/N) felt her heart begin to beat nervously again. Fuck, is he going to kiss me again ?

"It's okay, beautiful, let yourself go, don't overthink it," Johnny began in a soft voice, his hand gently gripping her arm to draw her closer to his body. His hands then slid to her hips, his grip firm but gentle. "Trust me, I know you want it as much as I do."

Charmed by Johnny's smooth voice, (Y/N) allowed herself to be swept away, getting lost in a kiss even more passionate than the previous one. Their lips met with a palpable intensity, their breaths mingling in the tension-filled air.

The kiss was scorching, filled with desire and curiosity, as if they were seeking to explore every corner of their mutual emotions. Their bodies seemed to naturally align, their hands wandering with growing confidence, exploring every contour and curve.

As their lips finally parted, (Y/N) gazed intensely at Johnny. "You also feel more than just a one-night stand thing, right? Be honest " she asked in a soft voice, laden with emotion.

Johnny got lost in (Y/N)'s eyes, feeling his own heart beating just as strongly. All his Hollywood-forged arrogance had disappeared at this moment as he lost himself in her sincere gaze. The atmosphere became much more serious, a palpable tension enveloping the room.

"Yes, sweatheart, don't be afraid, I feel it too," he replied calmly and authentically.

A smile of relief spread across (Y/N)'s face, doubts and worries seemingly dissipating. Johnny continued, his tone carrying a touching sincerity. "Now, come here."

They kissed again with renewed fervor, passion and desire merging in every movement of their lips. (Y/N) let her hands roam all over Johnny's body, exploring his skin and the feeling of his muscles beneath her fingers. Meanwhile, Johnny slowly lowered his hands, placing them on (Y/N)'s hips before sliding them down to gently grasp her ass cheeks.

Their bodies were close, each touch electrifying their skin and intensifying their mutual desire. They lost themselves in each other, their hands and lips communicating a multitude of emotions and sensations. The sexual tension between them was palpable, and as their hands ventured further, they knew that this night would be the beginning of a deep and passionate connection.

[pugh-bug]

No.42 Chapter 5

Art Donaldson x reader slow burn friends to lovers

As always I hope you enjoy! 🍉✨ My taglist is always open

Part 4

——————————————————————

‘Pass me the sauce now bitch!’

Patrick responded by throwing a pillow at your head. Mature.

‘You’d never talk to Art like that.’ He looked amused for a moment, a smirk brewing as his eyes darted from Art’s face to yours. The three of you were eye deep in miso sauce, spring rolls and pad thai - Art’s treat. It was almost strange, seeing Art eat take out in your cosy flat knowing he probably had a maid growing up. You’d once heard Liam say Art’s parents place was obnoxiously bigger than even Tashi Duncan’s, as if you needed further convincing of his affluence.

Still, he was settled. He seemed it. He always thanked you for washing up or tidying, if he wasn’t offering or doing it himself, as if he was content with living lesser than his other peers. Of course they all had maids for the sort of things you and Patrick did, or pretended to do on lazy days, but Art never announced judgement. Besides his constant bantering with Patrick and the occasional dig at you for not being too sporty, Art was always pleasant. Pleasant or impressively good at bottling things in.

‘That’s because Y/N,’ Art raised his eyebrow at Patrick’s smirking face. ‘Actually has manners, she just doesn’t waste them on you.’ The pair beamed at each other, as they always did when they were ‘arguing’ over you. It was almost expected for you now, owed even. You loved it.

——————————————————————

‘I don’t get this movie, why’s it just talking?’

You’d decided to put ‘When Harry Met Sally’ on as a break from the constant tennis. The background drum of your life had become the incessant whacking of tennis balls, if it didn’t make Art so content you’d have quickly deleted SkySports.

Patrick half watched half texted his now ex girlfriend back, to your dismay. It wasn’t long before he’d finished his food, shovelling it in like an animal as always, and announced he was going to bed. He ruffled your hair in his brotherly way before returning to his room. The door had barely closed before Art paused the movie from his spot on the floor.

‘Do you agree?’

You looked down at Art’s inquisitive face and the charming face of 80s Meg Ryan, knowing what he meant. Harry had just made his ‘men and women can’t be friends’ speech. You shoved the blanket off your hot legs to escape the extra heat and settled into your couch position comfortably.

‘Do you see me fucking Pat?’

Art grinned widely, almost boyishly, at your remark. You noticed he seemed to get almost giddy whenever you were a little crude, like you both intimidated and entertained him simultaneously. He hung his head, still smiling, before shaking it. ‘No but just - just tell me. I wanna know what you really think.’

No man ever wanted to know how you really thought more than Art. He’d asked you more about your beliefs and emotions than a reporter on the cusp of ‘making it big’. You seemed almost to be his scoop, his challenge, his big win but you wondered what would happen when you ran out of answers.

He was waiting for you to speak. Eager. You cast your mind back to all of your past male friendships, the times they hit on you unexpectedly or bullied you to ‘flirt’ or worst of all: told you they’d never seen you as a friend at all. That one always hurt. Most of those friendships had hurt and most of them had left Patrick waving the ‘not all men’ flag proudly as he stood victorious. The last man standing. Your last good, platonic best friend.

‘You can ask all you want Donaldson, I don’t see Patrick that way.’

He wasn’t completely satisfied with your answer, or he made sure he wasn’t just to encourage his own bad behaviour.

‘Not once? You’re telling me you two never had too much to drink or got dared? Not even spin the bottle when you were like 14?’

‘Sorry to disappoint.’

He looked elated and horrified all at once. The man was desperate and for a moment you couldn’t tell if he was devastated more for Patrick or for you.

‘What made you turn the poor guy down?’

Oh. For Patrick.

‘What makes you so sure he asked me out? Didn’t you watch the movie?’

Art finished his last spring roll, shaking his head. ‘I watched the movie that said ‘men and women can’t be friends’ a hundred times.’ He crossed his legs, his baggy t shirt exposing his collarbone. Ashamed as you were, you couldn’t deny the urge you had to just bite and kiss him. That made your following question all the more ironic.

‘So you don’t think men and women can just be friends?’

You made sure to ask it in such a way that implied he was wrong, foolish for believing something so immature despite your very thoughts proving him right.

‘I think if she’s attracted to guys and he likes girls it can’t ever be just a friendship. Sorry.’

‘Hmm.’

You listened to the sad sound of Patrick’s fan fighting for its life against the heatwave. Every time you and Art had a moment of silence the whir of the fan provided ambience.

‘You wanna wash up?’ Art asked, as if he was offering a special treat of some kind and not your least favourite task of all time.

‘Not even a little bit.’

That was when he did it, what until that point only Patrick had been honoured enough to do, he ruffled your hair. A small gesture? Absolutely. One you’d forget? Unlikely.

Once Art was elbow deep in washing up liquid he asked you a question he’d been longing to ask you for days. Did you enjoy living with him?

‘Of course I do.’ You couldn’t help but scoff at his question. Was he truly that insecure? Still, you revelled in messing with him a little - just for fun. ‘I’m happy for Pat, he always wanted a boyfriend to move in. He finally committed.’ That earned you a splash of noodle water to the face. A long pause followed, one that lead you to believe it was time for bed.

‘I am grateful,’ Art sighed, his voice low and his eyes down. ‘I know I could have asked my parents to get me my own place but …’ You watched him stop scrubbing the plate in his hand all together, his eyes unfocused. ‘I don’t like being alone.’

With his back to you, Art stacked the pots with intense precision. You weren’t sure what to say except:

‘Who does?’

Chapter 6

Masterlist

Taglist: @gatorgirl007 @imblushingrn @soy-garbage

[bigfan-fanfic]

Meddle, Just a Little (Male!Reader x Ryan Lucan)

How about a fic where Alex, being the empath she is, immediately recognizes that the new guy in town and Ryan are so obviously into each other and also that they're both useless and need a nudge in the right direction...or maybe a shove.

"You do know how stupid it is to try and lie to me about your feelings, right?"

"I'm not- I'm not lying, Alex. I'm not in love."

"I'm not even an empath and I can see that's a lie." Steph butts in.

Ryan sighs. "Look, I'm not denying that I have a crush, but... we don't even know anything about each other. And... people like me don't just... go in, guns blazing."

"Weren't you literally a park ranger? Isn't that what you did?"

Ryan scoffs, and Steph lightly punches his arm.

"I'm just saying - if you don't take any risk, you don't get any reward."

"She's right. You gotta live a little, Ryan." Alex chirps, leaning her head against Steph's shoulder.

"And that's my cue to head on home." Ryan smirks.

"Much appreciated, Mr. Lucan." Steph giggles as Alex nuzzles against her neck. "Just remember - cute moments like this could be yours for the low low price of actually making a move!"

"Goodnight, Steph. Alex."

Alex smiles softly at Steph once Ryan actually leaves. "We're gonna have to meddle, aren't we?"

"I'll leave the meddling to you, o smooth one."

"Wow, you're just full of sweet-talk today..."

And so begins Alex's campaign of subtle manipulation.

First off, she makes polite conversation with you, and since she and Steph co-run the record store and live above the bar Ryan took over after the mess with Typhon, she's not far from either you or Ryan, since the Black Lantern is a pretty good place to hang out and get food.

And it's clear to her immediately, that whenever Ryan is near, your emotions spike with a thrill of excitement and nervousness.

So she dives deeper, and quickly asks Ryan if he would mind if you joined them all on Game Night, and amidst glares at her, he says he would not.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I... totally told Charlotte I would take Ethan to the premiere of that movie! That movie he wants to see."

Steph is no actor, and very transparently adds, "And I have to go with you. Because... I'm the chaperone."

You chuckle. "Isn't Alex an adult?"

"Yeah, but you give her chocolate and she goes crazy!"

Alex raises an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Uh, feel free to hang out! It's a short movie, we can be back later-"

"But not too short, you know."

You sigh as they leave. "I'm sorry they roped you into this."

Ryan smiles. "They really don't leave well enough alone, do they?"

"I mean, I let slip one little time that I have a crush on you and they do this!"

Ryan freezes. "Well... I was under the impression that they did this because I had a crush on you."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I was gonna get around to actually asking you out." you say lamely. "It's just..."

"It's scary to put yourself out there. Even today."

"Yeah. Exactly."

Ryan chuckles. "Well... I hate to let them get away with it, but it might not be such a bad idea to go downstairs? Get a bite to eat together?"

You grin. "We can always get them back some other time."

He offers you his arm. "I figured I was crushing on you for a reason."

[ruewrote]

𝑅𝑈𝐸𝑊𝑅𝑂𝑇𝐸'𝑆 𝑁𝐴𝑉𝐼𝐺𝐴𝑇𝐼𝑂𝑁.

hi, im ruby! 18. she/her. this is my blog for fics.

[ ABOUT THIS BLOG ]

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MASTERLISTS:

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@ruerecs is my fic rec blog

[supercriminalbean]

Fight Club. Part 2

Aaron Hotchner x Male!Reader

Summary: The reader gets closer to exposing the unsubs that ruined his life, but does his team find out?

Warning: Dark fic. Torture, cutting, blood, fighting, death, abuse, kidnapping, swearing, drugs, unsub violence, bad eatting habits, bad self care, scars, angst. This whole fic is just dark and strange the ask it self is amazing and may help you know if this is something you can handle. (Any other warnings let me know xx)

Words: 6.7k

A/N: Check out part one here!!I suggest reading part one to understand this. Next part post next week also tagging thoes I think interested thanking you for the love 💜🖤💜🖤

Part one. Part three. Part four.

Tagging thoes that seem interesed or asked: @xweirdo101x @alecmores @yn-addams @winter-world @xdark-acadamiax @rexspersonalhell

If you wish to untagged let me know xx if you wish to be tagged let know 💜💜

PART TWO

You're sharing a room with Hotch, the hotel doesn’t have enough room so somehow you're sharing with the boss. While he’s having a shower, you quickly go through your files, finding the one on Ryan. Reading through it as you hide the other files once more, wishing you could also hide the guilty feelings with all the information you aren’t sharing with your team. 

“I thought you left all the files behind” Aaron sighs as he looks at you sitting up on the bed, leaning against the wall. You look up sheepishly at him, so far in your own mind you never heard the bathroom door open. 

“I did, this is Ryans” You admit, doing your best to keep your eyes off the water sliding down his neck as he dries his hair, a small knowing smirk sliding onto his lips. 

“Right of course you have that” Aaron chuckles softly before sitting down on his own bed.

“And you're not surprised?” Raising an eyebrow up at him, a smirk of your own playing on your lips. 

“It's you, I’ve learnt to not be surprised with this case” He sends you a cheeky smile before holding his hand out. “Let me read through it while you go shower”

“Is that an order bossman?” Sending him a teasing smile as you stand up, passing over the file.

“It's normally the only way you listen to me” He laughs softly, one you haven’t heard in a long time. Smiling lightly as you pass him the file before grabbing your towel and heading into the bathroom.

~~~

You manage to fall asleep for a few hours, before waking up from another nightmare. Shooting forward in bed, breathing quickly and shallow as you look around the room, reminding yourself where you are. Your eyes land on Aaron and notice just how peaceful he looks as he sleeps. Taking some deep breaths to calm yourself down you listen to his soft snores, smiling lightly at the comforting sounds. After you have calmed down you check the time, it's now four am. You have three hours before the team has to be at the precinct and two hours before Aaron wakes up. Quietly you get up, grabbing your bag as you head into the bathroom to change and pack a small bag you will need for the day before sneaking out of the room. 

Seven o’clock rolls around quickly and Hotch is waiting for the team to arrive. He was expecting you to be here when he first woke up and noticed your bed empty but you weren’t. He has an uneasy feeling in his gut but he’s hoping he’s wrong, maybe you went for a run and will be walking in with the team any minute. 

“Morning Hotch” JJ is the first to walk into the room, holding two cups of coffee, handing him one just as the rest of the team minus you walks in.

“Thanks JJ” He forces a small smile before looking through his team searching for you. “(Y/n) Isn’t with you” He sighs as he sets his cup down, the team's faces fall.

“No we thought he was with you already” Morgan responds, watching Hotch with concern, glancing at Reid as he walks past them and towards the map on the board.

“I woke up and he was gone already, I was hoping he was here but no one has seen him” Hotch informs them, keeping the disappointment and anger from his voice. He should have seen this coming.

“There's a boxing gym around the corner” Reid speaks up and just like that the tension in the room disappears. 

“Of course there is,” Rossi smirks, shaking his head, grabbing the car keys from the table.

“Morgan go get him” Hotch orders, making Morgan tenses up.

“Do you think that's a good idea?” Morgan questions, not entirely looking forward to getting a black eye. 

“Go, and make up with him” Hotch huffs before turning away from him, not catching Emily's comment about having ice on stand-by.

~~~

You lost track of time as you let your anger out on the boxing bag, your music blurring through your headphones. You had done a work out before moving onto the bag and now you don’t want to stop, finding comfort in letting yourself go. While punching away on the bag it suddenly stops moving, arms wrapping around it pulling it away from you. Glancing up at the person behind you, you slide your headphones off, taking some deep breath to try and catch your breathing. 

“Morgan, hey”

“How long have you been here?” Morgan stares at you with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

“Um I went for a run before getting here so around five ish” Shrugging your shoulders as you take the gloves off, your fingers all red and aching. 

“Jesus kid, It's seven am, you have been in here since five” Morgan sighs softly looking up at you with sympathy. “You can’t keep doing this to yourself”

“I’m not doing anything” You deny as you start wiping down the equipment and start putting it away.

“Bullshit, you might think your a mystery but your not” 

“Oh then what am I, Morgan?” You stare up at him as you come to a stop. 

“You're in pain, you clearly haven’t dealt with the trauma you have so you hide it, hoping it will go away, news flash kid it won’t” Morgan speaks firmly, but looking at you with kindness something that somehow makes you uncomfortable. You quickly look away from him as his words sink in, having to fix your mask that had slipped away, replacing it with a joking smile.

“Are you trying to get me to punch you again Derek?” Derek, you barely call him that, that's how he knows his words touched you.

“No, that hurt” He laughs deeply, smiling widely at you.

“Oh that was just a warning shot, if I really wanted to hurt you, you would have been on the ground” You laugh along with him, as you head towards the changing room as he goes to wait for you.

“Wait kid” He calls for you, waiting until you turn to him to continue. “You can keep pushing us away, but we aren’t going anyway”

Your smile falters at his words, you don’t believe him. Everyone always leaves you once it becomes too much. 

‘Thanks Morgan” You fake a smile as you walk to the changing room leaving behind a worried Derek.

~~~

Once you are freshly showered and dressed you head out, climbing into the SUV where Morgan is waiting for you. You hold your jacket in your lap, normally you would be wearing it already, but Morgan has already seen your arms before so you find trying to hide them this morning useless. 

“So how mad is Hotch that I’m late?” Flicking a small smile at Morgan as he starts driving. 

“I think he’s just relieved that you didn’t take off to investigate something by yourself,” Morgan chuckles, glancing at you, his eyes flickering down to your arms. Normally you're always wearing a jacket or blazer or just about to cover up your arms, even in summertime. He has seen your bare arms maybe four times over the past three years, and he doesn’t blame you for covering up he just wishes you didn’t feel like you had to when it comes to the team. Your arms are covered in scars, deep ones that look like they never truly healed properly, some scars are in shapes of letters and patterns. Derek may never know what you went through or who did it to you, but one day he hopes you talk to someone about it because whatever you went through you clearly haven’t healed from it. His eyes flicker down to your right upper arm where a tattoo sits. 

“You got inked?” Derek smiles vulgarly as he looks back to the road.

“Oh yeah I got it a few months ago” Shrugging as you remember just how difficult the appointment was, the tattoo artist was kind and lovely giving you plenty of breaks when her touching got to be too much. 

“What does it say?” Derek smiles a bit more as he pulls up outside the precinct, looking back at your tombstone tattoo.

“My last words: Well that didn’t work” Chuckling softly as you smirk at Derek, an amused look over his face.

“You think that's what your last words will be?”

“Oh definitely” 

~~~

The day goes by with Rossi, JJ and Emily taking the jet to Ohio, where Ryan last was and according to Garcia about four other victims that she has identified in the videos. Morgan, Hotch and Garica work together to go through the videos and look for anything in the background to help narrow down where the unsubs could be. Meanwhile you and Reid work on the geographic profile, which is going seemingly well. 

“This abandoned shed is in their comfort zone Reid” You argue once more.

“They don’t have a comfort zone yet (Y/l)” Reid groans, arguing with you again. “They keep travelling the country, they have a comfort zone in each state”

“Fine you can think this, but right here” You stab your finger aggressively against the map. “This is in one of their comfort zones we need to check it out”

“It's too small to house anything!” Reid raises his voice, which you respond with a deadly glare.

“No shit dumbass, but I don’t think they are above ground” Scoffing at him as you see the wheels in his mind spinning. 

“That might make sense”

“Of course it makes sense” You take a sharp deep breath. “Look at the videos we have, there is only artificial lighting, everything looks dark and they are clearly in a swimming pool” Your voice gets louder and a dangerous edge comes to it. Reid’s eyebrows narrow as he stares at you.

“Swimming pools can be underground, so much space and no one would hear a thing no would ever know someone or anyone is down there” You keep arguing, a dark look emerging in your eyes once more. 

“So you think that could be the entrance way?” 

“Yes!” You almost scream at him. You know it's underground, you remember sprinting up those stairs and entering a tiny little shed before leaving it forever.

“We should tell Hotch” Reid nods at you before walking out. 

~~~

You shouldn’t be doing this, you really shouldn’t be. But you don’t care because as soon as Reid is out of the room you grab the car keys and walk towards the SUV, climbing inside. Your mind is spinning as you place your hands on the steering wheel, the car remains shut off. You stare at the road ahead of you, your mind begging you to go and find the place by yourself, but you can’t betray your team like that. A sharp knock on the window makes you jump before glaring at the man on the other side. Soon the door opens and Hotch is standing on the other side looking furious. 

“I didn’t technically leave so I shouldn’t be in trouble” You reason staring back at him. 

“Were you going to?” It was an honest question, because Aaron couldn’t tell what was going through your mind.

“Unsure” Sighing, leaning your head back, resting it on the headrest.

“Come back inside, please” Aaron eyes scan over you, noticing the furstate burning inside of you. 

“I can’t, I need a break” Groaning as you look at him, your eyes pleading for some time. Without another word Hotch climbs into the car with you.

“Then drive” He gives you a vague smile, one that you return before turning the car on and driving off.

You drive in silence for a little while, enjoying the quietness. You drive for a while, heading out of town.

“So Reid showed us what you found and told us what you think but why don’t you tell me why you think they are underground?” His voice is kind as he speaks, wanting to hear your ideas.

“Well there is so much more space, and you can go undetected, no one would hear them, you could scream so loud and no one would hear you. Plus there are so many abandoned underground swimming pools and halls, somebody thought they would take off but it became an issue once some started collapsing so they closed them down” Your eyes stay focused on the road and not on the memories playing in your mind. How you first discover you were trapped underground, you and Ryan were playing around and somehow got into a locked door and found a dodgy staircase that led somewhere. It was perfect for the escape plan.

“So do you have a list?” Hotch notices the far away look you have on, the way your hands tighten on the wheel as you drive. 

“Of course I do” Smirking at him, as you open your mouth to inform him of some information you stumbled onto last month. 

“Fuck Aaron” You scream loudly slamming the breaks on but your to late. 

~~~

Morgan is the first out of the car, showing the officer in charge his badge before sprinting over to Hotch who is sitting on the back of the ambulance. Reid lets him go ahead, deciding to investigate the car crash instead. 

“Hotch what the hell happened?” Morgan asks, his eyes widening at the stitches across his boss's forehead. 

“We were ambushed, I was knocked unconscious, and when I came to (Y/n) was gone” Hotch groans, half in pain and half annoyed at himself.

“So they know we are onto them” Morgan huffs, holding his hand out to stop Hotch who is getting to his feet. “Hotch, sit back down” 

“I can’t we need to go and find him” Hotch ignores the dizziness he feels as he stumbles to his feet. He only cares about finding you. Morgan places a firm hand on Aaron's shoulder and pushes him back down. 

“No, you need to go to hospital and get properly checked out, me and Reid are on this and the others are already on their way back” Morgan informs him, watching Aaron closely. He can tell Aaron is thinking deeply trying to put things together.

“Can you tell me about the car?” Morgan asks, hoping a small task can help focus his mind again.

“It was silver, I saw it for a quick second but then It hit straight into us” Hotch groans rubbing his hand, just wishing the throbbing would stop. 

“Okay that's something, you go to the hospital and I will ring if we find something” Morgan states his eyes narrowing when Hotch goes to argue. “We have a narrow time frame Hotch, us worrying about you isn’t going to help us find him, don’t argue with me” Morgan snaps, taking some breaths doing his best to keep in control.

“Fine,” Hotch sighs, finally giving in. “But the second you know something”

“I will call, now go” Morgan demands, stepping back from the ambulance as Hotch climbs in and the doors shut.

~~~

Hours seem to drag by, Morgan and Reid are at the precinct on the phone with Garcia all three of them bouncing ideas between them, waiting for the rest of the team to get back.

“But I don’t get why they would leave Hotch behind?” Garcia ask, sighing deeply as she leans against her desk, trying not to fall into the pit of fear of anxiety surrounding her.

“He wasn’t their main target, (Y/n) has been investigating them for months” Reid replies, looking over his map.

“Or longer” Derek supplies, staring daggers at the wall. His anger coming to light, he’s scared of what is happening to you but he knows he can’t allow himself to worry so he turns it into anger once more. 

“You think he lied about when he started looking into this?” Garcia's eyes widened as she asks. 

“He knew Ryan may have been there, whos to say he hasn’t been looking into this for a long time” Derek sighs, his head popping up as the door opens, JJ and Emily walking in.

“Please tell me we have a lead?” JJ requires as she sits down next to Reid, passing the boys some coffee.

“Nothing yet” Reid smiles gratefully at her as he takes his cup.

“Where's mum and dad?” Morgan asks, looking at Emily.

“Rossi took Hotch back to the hotel to change, they should be back soon” Emily sips her own coffee before grabbing the crime scene photos of the car crash and starts looking through them.

“Where were they going?” Emily looks up at them, her heart racing. She can only guess what is happening to (Y/n) right now, and that is something she doesn’t wish to picture. 

“No idea, (Y/L) said he needed a break so Hotch went with him” Derek supplies.

“I thought he could have been heading to this abandoned shed he thought could have been important but he was going in the wrong direction” Reid answer, pointing at the map as he does so.

“So what is in the direction they were heading in?” JJ asks, looking over the map.

“As far as I can tell, nothing” Reid groans, sipping on his coffee. 

“Baby girl have you found anything on where they could be hiding yet?” Derek turns his attention to the lady on the phone.

“Not yet, but I'm searching” She answers while analysing the photos and videos on her screens.

“Alright while keep us updated Garcia” Emily holds back a groan as speaks, dread filling inside her as the door swings wide open and Hotch storms inside. 

~~~

“We might have something” Rossi announces as he follows Hotch inside. Both of them carrying a big stack of files each, some looking old and tatted. Setting them down in front of the team, Aaron keeps one firmly in his grasp.

“We found these in (Y/n) to-go bag, they go back years even before they joined the BAU” Hotch informs them, his jaw clenching shut. 

“Holy shit” Emily eyes widen as she opens one of them, the file has three different people inside them, piled with information of their last whereabouts, age, and home life.

“There's about 20 of them here” JJ gulps, flicking through it. “Why didn’t they tell us sooner”

“This is…alot” Morgan glanced up at the rage filled eyes of his boss.

“Garcia, go into (Y/L) personal file” Hotch stares at the phone, his voice growing cold as he goes to confirm his suspicions.

“Um yes sir” Garcia's voice grows softer as she types away, gaining access. “What am I looking for?”

“He has a sealed file, unseal it” Hotch orders, crossing his arms.

“But it's a sealed file” Her voice is barely audible as she stares at it, feeling frozen.

“Garcia!” Hotch snaps at her, his jaw clenching even tighter.

“Okay” Tears spring to her eyes as she hacks away, feeling guilty as she invades your privacy. The room doubles in tension as it grows silent, the only sound is Penelope tapping away. 

“Im in.. holy shit” Garcia breaks the silence, her hands falling away from the keyboard as her screen fills with more icky knowledge. 

“Penelope, what is it?” JJ asks, leaning forward, her heart skipping beats.

“I'm sending you the file now.. But it's not good” Tears slides down her cheeks as she sends them the files, scrolling past the gruesome photos of you.

Morgan grabs the laptop, screening the file on the tv for everyone to see. The team's hearts all drop as the photos of you fill the screen.

“Thats..thats (Y/n)?” Emily stares in terror at the photo of you in a hospital gown, posing for photos. You look to be about twenty in that photo, you seem to be all bones and muscles, except you are covered in cuts and bruises. There's almost not one part of your skin that's not covered in an old scar or a new one. The look of horror and numbness is pressed into your eyes, you're covered in dirt and grime, dried blood all over you. 

‘A young unname man was found on the edge of riverstone, he seems to be sensitive to light and touch. He has trouble understanding a lot of words and doesn’t seem to know how to read or write. He doesn’t understand where he is or what alot of basic things are. He is skittish and afraid, keeps yelling for someone called Victor and Ryan. The FBI has been contacted and an Agent Jason Gideon from the behavioural analysis unit is on his way. This young man has yet to tell us his name or his age.’

The File is full of more information, but nothing regarding what happened to (Y/n) or how they were found. 

“Gideon was on the case” Morgan states, swallowing thickly as what happened to you finally starts setting in.

“I'll be back” Dave declares before pulling out his phone as he leaves the room.

“Why didn’t he tell us?” Garcia's broken voice breaks through the phone, bringing everyone back to the room.

“He didn’t want us to know” Reid speaks slowly, quietly as he processes it.

“We could have helped… we are family” JJ has to take a deep breath, tears threatening to fall.

“He's never had a family before” Emily rubs her hand softly over JJ's shoulder, doing her best to keep herself together as well.

“We need to go through all his files and notes, we need to know everything he knows” Hotch finally speaks up, he knows he should comfort his team but he can’t find it in himself to do that. He knew you had it rough, but he just wishes you could have told him, you came to him for help and that's all he has ever wanted to do. No matter how bad it is.

“Do you..” Garcia has to stop herself, taking a deep breath before trying again. “He knew they video them while fighting, do you think his videos are still up?” Her question brings the team to silence again, no one wants to find them yet let alone watch and analyse them. 

~~~

“Guys” Rossi calls their attention as he walks back in, phone in hand. He settles down between Morganand Emily putting the phone on speaker before setting it down.

“Jason, are you still there?” Dave asks, bringing the team's attention quickly to the phone.

“Still here, It's been a while I wish this was under better circumstances” Gideons voice floats through the phone, bringing the team to have mixed emotions at this moment.

“So do we, but you were on (Y/n) case?” Hotch speaks up, finally taking a seat. 

“I was, I'm surprised but happy to hear he did indeed make it to become an agent. When I first met him, he was different, he was terrified of everything. He used violence as a normal way of life, someone touched him, even if it was briefly he was ready to attack. He didn’t understand what a hospital was, and he differently preferred women over men” Gideon informs them quickly, remembering how only female nurses were allowed to touch him, making him assume it was a male unsub. 

“He still hates touch” JJ sighs, just imagining how scared you must have been.

“Do you know how long he was there?” Derek taps away at the table as he asks, he doesn’t want to know but he must ask.

“He never said, but I came to the conclusion he was really young, maybe around 6, he never knew his proper age we came up with around age 20” Gideon rubs his forehead as he speaks, this is a case he could never really get over. “I worked with him for years, even after his case closed, he didn’t have anyone so we bonded. We even decided when his birth date would be, because he couldn’t even remember it.”

“He was there for about 14 years?” Dave's heart drops, god it could be longer and no one on this team knew. 

“Yes around about” Gideon conforms.

“Did he ever tell you what happened to him?” Hotch asks, checking his watch. It's been 7 hours since they took you back.

“Nothing with details, he told me they used to train so he could become strong enough to fight. He told me no one ever lasts long, he is the one that lasted the longest, him and his friend Ryan.”

“Ryan, how did they meet?” Emily's eyes shoot open. Gideon goes quiet for a little bit, before finally answering.

“Something you should know first, the unsubs running the place would give them other names and change them a lot. (Y/n) told me his old name was Juptier, and Ryan's name was Victor. (Y/n) was told to go and recruit some boys one day, someone dropped him off at a boxing gym for boys his age, he thinks he was about ten at the time. He went for a few months and got close to a boy named Ryan they became friends” Gideon stops for a breather before continuing. “A few years later Ryan went missing and It must have been the same unsubs, but here's the thing it wasn’t the first time (Y/n) was ordered to do this, but he told me this was the only time he felt guilty about it when he meet Ryan” 

The room falls silent as the team takes this information on board, the unsubs are using the boys to recruit more boys, thats fucked.

“How did he escape?” Reid asks, his throat tightening up at what (Y/n) has been through.

“Him and Ryan somehow managed to keep each other sane enough at points and planned an escape plan. They tried to get out together but Ryan got caught and (Y/n) was too scared to go back for him. (Y/n) refused to tell me much more from that.”

“We think they could be being held underground, did (Y/l) mention anything like that to you?” Hotch asks, his cheating tightening up at the thought of you being hurt.

“Nothing like that, sorry Hotch” Gideon sighs, he's glad the young boy he once knew made something of his life and joined his old team.

“Okay well thanks Jason” Dave sighs, looking around at the scared, empty, afraid looks on his team's face.

“If there's anything else I can do, let me know” Soon the line goes dead and no one speaks, soaking in the information.

~~~

“Alright, I need half of us to go back to the hotel and get some rest” Hotch declares, regaining everyone's attention. “Dave, Reid and Prentiss I want you three to go get some sleep and in the morning, Reid I want you to get a map of this town from ten to twenty years ago, see what has changed. Dave, Emily you two will go to the crash site as soon as the sun comes up” Hotch orders, small agreements and nods come from the agents as they get up and make their way out. 

“Garcia” Hotch calls out, softening his voice as he turns to the phone.

“Yes boss?” She replies, stretching her fingers ready to keep searching. 

“Go home, get some rest”

“What no, I’ll be too far away from my computers if you need me” She argues back immediately.

“You need rest, this is not a debate” Hotch holds back a huff, he knows how she goes when someone she loves is in trouble.

“But Hotch,” Garcia grumbles, going to argue.

“There's a blanket and pillow under my desk, get some sleep in my office baby girl” Morgan pipes up, knowing that's the best arrangement that can be made with his stubborn girl.

“Fine, but the second—”

“The second we need you we will ring now go to sleep” JJ cuts her off, smiling softly at the phone.

“Fine goodnight, I love you all” Penelope's stubborn voice fills the phone before she hangs up. 

“What’s the plan boss?” Morgan sips his coffee turning to Aaron.

“JJ, can you go through these files, make a list of all these names, put them in order of when they were taken and see if any of them knew each other, run them through the missing person reports” Hotch orders, turning to her. 

“Got it” She nods as she pulls out her laptop grabbing a file to start on.

“Morgan” Hotch takes a deep breath, hating what they have to do next.

“We are going to find his videos” Morgan's eyes shut briefly, mentally preparing himself.

“Yeah” Hotch agrees, grabbing the laptop, clicking onto the previous link.

~~~

Groaning softly in pain as you pull yourself into a sitting position, trying to move your hands behind your back. Your eyes flutter open when you realise they are immobile, hiss quietly as a bright light shines down at you altering you to your surroundings. You seem to be tied to a chair, a bright light and a camera facing you. You do your best to look around, but you don’t have to, you know where you are. You’re back where it all began, back in the swimming pool of death. The smell of dried old dirty blood mixed with fresh bleach fills your nose making your skin crawl, you promised yourself you would never turn back into that thing you used to be. You keep searching around the room looking for a way out, you know deep down it's useless, there's no escape. A rough ‘Ahem’ echoes through the room, redirectioning your eyes, glancing over to the only other light source in the room, right by the door. She even so slowly makes her way out of the darkness making her presence known. Beside her stood the man of your nightmares, the one you refuse to think of even with this investigation. 

“You fuckers” You hiss violently at them, they make it to the edge of the pool before stopping, looking down at you with sickening grins. 

“Oh Jupiter, you thought you could leave us?” Her sickening sweet voice fills your ears once more. Your stomach flips making you want to hurl as he chuckles beside her.

“I’m not letting you get away with this” Glaring up at them as you do your best to calm the rage stirring awake inside you. 

 “Oh darling boy, you think we would ever let you get us?” His laugh booms around the room. “You never had us, we gave you enough over the years to come back to us, so you could find your way home” His fake caring smile yanks at your heart, it's all you wanted to see as a kid. All you wanted was his approval, wanted him to be proud of your achievements and be proud to have you around. You now know it's wrong, but what's even worse is, you still crave his approval.

“This isn’t the end” You argue, fighting in your restraints. 

“Oh but it is, Jupiter” She can’t help but giggle at you, your body on fire when she calls you that again. “We won, you are never getting out of here alive”

“My team—” Glaring up at her, before he regains your attention.

“Your team already left, they don’t want anything to do with you” He looks at you pointedly, a knowing smirk in his eyes.

“Bullshit!” You scream at him. No, he has to be lying to you, they wouldn’t leave you. Would they?

“Oh honey, they did and we have proof” She smirks joyfully at you, before he jumps down into the pool with you. 

“Careful old man, might break a knee” You scoff up at him, which results in a strong slap across the face. A chuckle slips out from you, glaring up at him.  “Oh now the fun begins” 

“You sadistic bastard”

“Oh you have no idea” 

~~~

The morning comes by slowly, when Dave walks into the precinct he notices JJ curl up in a chair fast asleep and Morgan and Hotch both asleep on the couch. Sigh softly as he looks around, the team was working themself to the bone once more just trying to find any lead. Everyone knew deep down that this case wasn’t going to have a happy ending, all they can hope for is that they get you out alive. Before even if you live, you might not stay around on the team, you have already broken so many FBI rules and laws it may be impossible for you to continue working with them. But Dave also can’t help notice the effort this case is taking more of a toll on Aaron than anyone else, and he can’t help but wonder why. This isn’t the first time he has assumed there is something between them, and the last time he asked Aaron his head was nearly taken off with his defensiveness. Dave let it be, because the following week and those two didn’t speak a word to each other and a coldness loomed between them. Dave knows with you missing he would have to keep a close eye on Aaron and make sure he doesn’t go overboard. Moving slowly and quietly around the room, Rossi starts to clean up, moving all their empty glasses to the sink and putting all the files back into piles getting prepared to wake them up. But before he can, the door swings open and the three sleeping agents all shoot awake.

“Well good morning” Emily smirks at them all before making her way to JJ, handing her a coffee.

“Oh caffeine, I love you” JJ groans, taking a long sip closing her eyes. 

“Good sleep?” Reid smirks playfully at Morgan before handing him and Hotch some coffee.

“Great” Morgan grumbles before taking a sip. Hotch takes his with a small thanks before moving and sitting at the table, where Rossi joins him, getting ready to ask him something.

“What Dave?” Aaron huffs rubbing his forehead.

“You know you need—” Before Dave could continue, Hotch's phone rings.

“Its Garcia” Hotch announces before putting it on speaker. “Yeah Garcia, your on speaker”

“Sir” Her voice is full of dread, grabbing everyone's attention. 

“Garcia what is it?” His voice is sharp as he prepares for the worse.

“They just went live, I sent you the link just prepare yourself” Her voice trails off becoming wobbly. 

It's JJ that grabs the laptop, clicking on the link and casting it on the tv quickly. Everyone's face drops as they see the blood dripping from your face and the next words haunt them forever.

“So what they left me, I’m someone people leave. If my team doesn’t want to help me then they can go rot in hell” The words drip from you like venom, your heart breaking as the realisation of just how alone you truly are sinks in.

~~~

“Let's turn this into a show huh?” He kneels down behind you, his breath lingering on your neck.

“Go screw yourself” You sneer at him trying to lean out of his reach, you're too late. He wraps his hand around your neck, forcing you to stay still, aiming your face towards the camera. Next second you know the light turns red and you know its recording, your blood runs cold. You promised yourself this would never happen again, another promise you get to break.

“Say hi to the viewers darling boy” His breath lingers on your ear, before licking a stripe up your neck making you squirm and fight against him.

“Don’t!” You snap at him, fighting against the hand wrapped around your neck, making yourself choke.

“Don’t, oh don’t hurt me, oh please I’ll be good” He pouts mocking you, a cruel chuckle rumbles in his chest. He missed the way you would define him, he has been looking forward to breaking you again. “Oh I have so many plans for you” 

“Oh honey, here” She calls out to her partner, grabbing both of your attentions. She climbs into the pool, placing a small table and laptop down, the laptop has a chatroom up all ready. 

“Thank you love, leave it there and go check on the other boys and make sure Robin is ready” He licks his lips as he reads the chat messages, ideas on what he should do to you.

“You don’t want Victor?” Her charming smile makes your heart drop, Ryan you can’t fight Ryan, hell you can’t fight anyone!

“Not yet, not until we have broken him” He finally lets go of your neck, making his way to the other side of the pool grabbing something from the edge as she leaves.

“He’s still here?” Your voice breaks as you look at him, your body shaking already.

“Yes your little boyfriend is still here” His evil smirk makes you fall silent. “Don’t worry he got punished properly for helping you escape” 

“Don’t fuck touch him!” You try to stay quiet you know you should, he's trying to get under your skin and he’s winning.

“Too late little boy” He sighs before walking back over to you, kneeling down behind you, his hand in your hair yanking it backwards, sliding a knife underneath your chin. 

~~~

“Now how about we be polite and say hello to our viewers, and let's see if any of our older viewers remember you” His gruff voice brings you terror but you have had your whole life at being able to practise hiding it.

“Sup fuckers” Smirking at the camera, licking your lip teasingly. He lets go of your hair for a moment, before slapping you hard across the face, your head moves quickly slicing your neck lightly on the knife. A small amount of blood is brought to the surface, you bite your tongue to stay quite glaring at the camera with a powerful smirk. He moves the knife up to just below our eye, pressing just enough to dent the skin.

“Be polite, I taught you manners you ungrateful cunt” He growls loudly in your ear, before pulling his lips away from your body. “Tell them your name”

You don’t respond straight away, thinking over your answer. “(Y/n)” You stare daggers at the camera, bracing yourself for the pain. It comes quick, he slices the knife down your cheek, and it takes everything in you to only let out a deep breath. 

“Do not lie” His voice is full of anger, his pulse racing as he cuts into your skin again. “Tell them your name”

“(Y/n)” You push the name out through gritted teeth, shutting your eyes tightly to shut out the pain.

“Try again” He screams at you, slapping you painfully hard over the cts making you whimper.

“No” You argue, but he’s had enough. Moving the knife up to your ear, cutting it into your skin moving it slowly downwards towards your eye.

“Again!”

“(Y/n)! My name is (Y/N) (Y/L)” You scream at him, a scream full of pain, your eyes shooing open landing on the camera, begging for help. 

“Fucking barstard” He grumbles, dropping the knife. “You know I was trying to stop this, you might not understand but I love you, you are my kid, I wouldn’t hurt you like this but enough is enough” He snaps at you, pulling out some papers from his pocket. “You don’t believe me that your team would leave you but here's the proof this was taken last night, just hours after we took you back” His voice softens at the end as he shows you the photographs. Rossi, Morgan and Hotch board the jet, your heart breaks as you see it, Hotch has stitches on his head due to the crash you guess. You can feel your world around your crumble, you thought they cared about you, what a bunch of lies. How many times had Aaron held you in his arms telling you the team was grateful you were there, or the amount of times Penelope and Reid would drag you to movie nights. What about Morgan and Rossi just the other day when they both told you they would always be there for you. What fucking liars they are. You take a few deep breaths before glaring up at him, fixing your mask. 

“So what they left me, I’m someone people leave. If my team doesn’t want to help me then they can go rot in hell” The words drip from you like venom, your heart breaking as the realisation of just how alone you truly are sinks in.

[newobsessionweekly]

Hello how are you? Could you make a request for Evan Buckley, based on Those Eyes of New West from Buck's perspective, please? Buck thinks that way about his girlfriend as if every event in his life leads to her and when he sees her he knows that she is the person he wants to be with for the rest of his life. ✨

Those eyes

Main masterlist | 9-1-1 masterlist

Evan “Buck” Buckley x female!reader

Fandom: 911

Summary: Buck loves everything about you and he wants you to be his forever.

A/n: It’s a looong one. I don’t know if it’s what you had in mind, but I hope you like it just as much as I do! It’s the first one so far based on a song, and I just loved the process. Also I found a new favourite song. Hope you enjoy it! Not edited or proofread. Posting it on my way to work, can’t wait till I get home.

Requested: Yes

Words: 3.8k

Requests are open for Buck / Eddie!

Gif not mine, credits to the owner!

The sound of sirens wiling through the streets and the moon's light hugging Los Angeles passes by Buck as he stares at the ceiling. Eddie rolls up the hoses, Hen and Chimney check medical supplies, every single one of them walking around Buck and giving him strange looks. He was just staring blankly at nothing in particular, with a dumb smile on his face, ignoring everyone else.

When we're out in a crowd laughing loud

And nobody knows why

You and Buck have been together through it all, the good times and the bad, and your love has only grown stronger with each passing day. As Buck looks around the crowded room, he can't help but feel grateful that he is there, surrounded by his family, with the love of his life — as he said multiple times.

Buck can't take his eyes off of you, and he knows that he was the luckiest man in the world to have you by his side. He found breathtaking how you always managed to look so beautiful in everything. He took his time to admire you, dressed in your comfiest clothes, something so simple, looking like an angel as you wait impatiently for Bobby's delicious dinner.

He loves that you're giving all to the person in front of you. He loves how you stay engaged in the conversation until the person has finished talking. He loves that you try to make everyone special, one by one. He loves everything about you. But above all, he loves to piss you off more than anything and now he's bored.

He kicks your foot under the table to get your attention, but you are too caught up in your conversation with Athena and Hen about some skincare products Buck is too clueless about. He kicks your foot again, but you just wave it off, not paying attention.

“Hey, you!” Buck shouts from his seat as every eyes are on him. But you know it's for you.

Buck is looking around, trying so hard no to laugh as everyone give him strange looks. He knows you'd understand the joke, as only the two of you knew about that. It's something he always does when he's bored.

“Yes, Ryan?” you accentuate on the wrong name as Eddie's and Hen's eye meet.

“Oh, nothing… Sophia!” Buck looks around to meet everyone's confused faces and the both of you burst into laughter.

Your laugh is so contagious, all heads are turned in your direction, giving you smiles. You and Buck are laughing at your inside jokes that no one except you two understand, everyone else in the firehouse giving you looks.

“The dumb and the dumber are back in town!” Bobby jokes as he passes by, making his way through the kitchen to serve the dinner.

Buck's belly aches from all the laughter, watching your eyes spark with joy. Once all the laughter fades away, and you made your way to help Bobby, Buck leans on, his elbows resting against the table and his eyes run up and down your body. You still have a big smile on your face as you helpCap prepare the salad. He never understood how you were so happy helping everyone with their boring chores, but he loved that about you.

You are always ready to jump and help everyone in need. You always done that with a smile and never complain when there's something you can't do. Actually, there's nothing you can't do. If there's a thing that's not working out right from the first time, you'd try again and again until you do it perfectly. If there's anything too heavy for you to lift, you gather all your strength or you roll it down in its place. And Buck finds it mesmerising.

“Ok now I'm confused.” Chimney says, scanning each of you. “Your second name is Ryan?” he asks.

“No, no, it's some inside joke this jerk likes to bring up when he's bored,” you explain patiently, as every eye lands on you. Buck's heart is beating faster as he is now admiring your smiled that never stopped reaching your eyes.

“Buck called me ‘hey you' for two weeks when we started dating because he forgot my name!” you speak as you set the bowl down and take your seat, this time next to Buck. “And I thought it was his cute way of greeting me. But it wasn't just that. It was also ‘hey you, pass me the salt' or ‘hey you, what about dinner tonight'–“

“She was so annoyed that I kept calling her that, one day she just shouted ‘hey you, jerk, I have a name, it's y/n'. “ Buck imitates you voice at the end, causing laughter from everyone around.

“Yeah, so after three weeks he finally learned my name!”

“I thought you said two?” Hen raises her eyebrow at you.

“Yeah, one week he kept calling me Taylor."

When we're lost at a club, getting drunk

And you give me that smile

You and your boyfriend were everywhere together. Lunch at the firehouse? No problem, you there helping Bobby cook. A small gathering at Athena's? You're there, holding Buck's hand as you beat everyone's asses at poker. Night out with the 118 at their favourite club? You're there, ordering another round for the whole table.

Everyone laughs at your trying to untangle your tongue to tie a simple sentence. Buck knows you are drunk, but he is nothing better than you. You give up soon after that, moving your hand, waving off any thoughts. Buck watches you from his seat, leaning back in his chair as you made your way to the dance floor with May.

He loves how you get along so well with his team. He loves how you wind your way into both Bobby and Athena's affection, they look after you like you were their kid too. He loves how you and May are already best friends. He loves everything about you.

He never lost your sight, watching your every move. How your favourite dress hugs your curves in all the right places, how your hair is now messy, but you don't gave a damn about it. How you dance and sing along with your favourite songs.

He never felt this way. He never felt like his heart was going to pop up from his chest every time you look at him. He never felt so secure and confident when he was around a woman until he met you. He never had a safe space, until you came along. He never felt listened, until you listened to him.

You caught Buck's eyes from the crowd, giving him a bright smile. He never understood how your smile could reach your eyes every time you look at him. He never understood how you could be so angelic with your make up all stretched out over your face and you throat flooded with alcohol.

He loves your smile more than anything in this world. Buck is certain the room just light up when your lips curve in such a beautiful way. But he knows that smile, it was one dedicated only to him.

Eddie was the only one sober then and played Uber for the rest of the team. It was one of yours and Buck's favourite nights. Where you two danced together and kissed on the middle of the dance floor. Where he took your hand and held it even after you reached Eddie's car.

Going home in the back of a car

And your hand touches mine

Eddie drove you home that night. It was one of the earliest nights where you and your boyfriend spend together in your shared apartment. 

Buck holds your hand gently, afraid it was going to break with just a touch. You are so fragile to him, so pure, that is he’d let himself squeeze your hand too tightly, you’d be gone with just a blink. But isn’t about squeezing your hand. 

You rest your head on his shoulder, playing around with your fingers, as the car rolled down the LA’s streets. 

The familiar warmth of your hand in his, sent shivers down his spine. He never felt like this before. He never felt like he belonged to someone. He never felt like he had someone to care about him so much. 

He gaze at you, taking in every detail of your beautiful face. Your eyes are bright and shiny, like two stars in the night sky. Your hair is silky and smooth, cascading down like a waterfall. Buck can't help but smile at the sight of you. 

He holds you close in his arms, like he didn’t want you to slip away between his fingers. As you were drove through the city streets, Buck can't help but held his thoughts in one place. You are not only his best friend, but his rock and his soulmate also. He can’t imagine what he would do without you. He can't imagine a life without you in it. It just feels impossible, and he must fight to stay it that way. 

When we're done making love

And you look up and give me those eyes

You were both laying in bed, your head on his chest as his hand relentlessly stroke up and down your body. Sheets tangled around you, a testament to your passion, feet tie up on one another as you gaze blankly at the wall, trying to catch your breath.

Buck had a really long shift, his thoughts rumbling through all the people he saved and the ones he couldn’t. He blamed himself for the loss, again and again. The burden of not running in that burning building ate him alive — he should’ve fought for the people inside, he should’ve run in there and carry one by one out — but he stayed outside, in the safe zone. His thoughts back then were consumed by you — how you’d feel if something happened to him, how you’d feel if he didn’t come back from that place. He always do come back, that’s what Buck does, but this time he followed Bobby’s orders to stay away for his and other people’s safety.

But the blame fade away when your nose touches his neck, lips together placing kisses up and down his chest. He feels grateful now for coming back home in one piece. So he can feel your touch again. So he can trace the shape of your body, the shape of your curves his hands memorised by now.

The walls of his house were adorned with photos of your memories, and the soft glow of the bedside lamp illuminated the space in a warm, comforting light.

When you look up at him, his heart skipped a beat and his mouth run dry. He didn’t understand how much he could love you, it is unmeasurable. Every time he comes home, he forgets about everything. Suddenly, he’s another person, he’s not the Buck that save people, he’s the Buck that need you to save him from his thoughts. He’s not the Buck that’s strong to face the flames or falling buildings, he’s the Buck that’s soft, sensitive, fragile when he’s around you.

He loves your unwavering support through all the chaos that came with his job as a firefighter. You are his rock, his safe haven in a world that could be so unpredictable.

It was a moment of pure bliss, and Buck knew he never wanted it to end. Your cheeks were flushed from your moment of passion, and your lips were swollen from his kisses. You are the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, he thought to himself.

Buck pulled you closer to him, feeling your warmth against his skin. He whispered sweet nothings in your ear, things now can’t remember word by word, but you smiled at him, your eyes twinkling with joy.

“Why you looking at me like that?” Buck asks, raising his eyebrows in your direction.

“Like what?” you stretch your body into his arms and wrap your arms behind his neck.

“Like I'm the only person in the world who matters” he responded, kissing the top of your head before looking straight into your eyes. They were the windows to your soul —as he always said — filled with love, kindness,and he was lost in them every time he looked at you.

When you call me at night while you're out

Getting drunk with your friends

Buck sat on the couch in the firehouse, scrolling down his phone, looking at nothing in particular. He glanced at the clock on the wall that was pointing already past midnight when his phone shakes in his hand. He knew exactly who was calling him at this hour. Buck felt a mixture of concern and gratitude as he picked up the phone.

"Hey," he said, clearing his throat.

"Hi, Buck," you said, your voice slurring slightly. "I'm sorry to call you so late, but I just wanted to hear your voice."

Buck sighed, feeling a pang of guilt for being so short with you. He loved you more than anything, but tonight, he'd been feeling frustrated with this party and especially with you drinking. Especially he wasn’t there to protect you from anything that might or might not happen. He wanted you to be safe and responsible, he trusted you, but he didn't want to come off as controlling or overbearing.

"It's okay," he said, trying to sound more gentle. "What's going on?"

He is happy you called, reminding him you didn’t forget about him. Buck can hear the music loudly making its way through your phone, you were still at the party and it doesn’t sound like it’s going to end soon. Even though you’re there with your friends, finally being able to catch up with them after a long time, you still call him, just to hear his voice. And that’s the reason Buck’s heart dropped all the way to his stomach.

"Oh, just.. you know" you sighed. "We're having a good time, but I just miss you."

You have a quick wit and a sharp tongue, but also a softness that made Buck feel safe and loved. He closed his eyes and imagined you sitting next to him on the couch, your head on his shoulder. He could feel your warmth and sweet scent, a mixture of vanilla and jasmine.

"I miss you too, Y/N," Buck said, his voice softening. "I wish you were here with me."

you laughed, a happy sound that made Buck's heart soar.

"Me too," you chuckled. "But I'll come to the station later to say hi again."

"Okay," Buck said, smiling. "I'll be here when you get back."

Buck hung up the phone, sitting there for a moment, a dumb smile painted on his face. Despite your flaws and occasional recklessness, you are the one he wanted to spend his life with.

As he looked around the station, seeing everyone buzz around, he realized that he was happiest when he was with you. The walls seemed to close in on him when you were away, but when you were there, next to him, everything felt right.

Every "hi", every "bye", every "I love you" you've ever said

The sun shines brighter, the music is more than just an annoying song and the room smells like home every time you step inside — that’s what Buck thinks every time he sees you.

He noticed how “hi” was more than a greeting when it comes from you. It’s a love affirmation, it’s a word that announces joy coming right upon him, it’s a word screaming in his ear the bad times are over, the pain is gone, the thought are quiet.

Buck loves how you turn that simple word into countless phrases. That word also says it’s gonna be a great time when it’s accompanied by your silly jumping around. It also means the room will fill with love when you sing it in different childish ways. It also means you’re ready to wipe away Buck’s fears when you start kissing his face whispering “hi” whenever your lips touches his skin.

But the world is back in its grey tones when you leave the room. It was like a physical ache, a longing to be with you that Buck couldn't ignore.

But there was one thing in particular that always made Buck's heart skip a beat - the way you say "bie" to him. It isn’t just a goodbye, it is more than that. It is an “be safe”, whenever he opens the front door with his LAFD bag in one hand, the other one caressing yours. It is “I’ll see you later” when you leave the firehouse after a dinner with his team, both of you wanting to just be around each other for a little more. It is an “but I’ll miss you so much” whenever you just hold into him, pleading for him to not go just yet, asking for kisses over and over again to postpone the time you’d be away from each other.

It wasn’t just a goodbye, it was the sign announcing the storm would hit him right when you close the door, leaving him behind. It was a word he’s afraid to hear, not knowing if it’s the last thing you’d say to each other. It was the word he hated the most in this world, his fearing of abandonment kicking in. But it isn’t that bad when you say it, cause he knows too well for you it’s not a “good bye” but rather a “I’ll see you later”.

Whenever you said those three words, Buck felt like his heart would burst with joy. It wasn't just what you said, but the way you said it. Your voice would drop down to a whisper, your eyes would soften, and your lips would curve up into a small smile. It was like you were sharing a secret with him, one that only the two of you knew. Buck felt a rush of warmth every time you spoke those words to him.

But it isn’t just an “i love you”, it’s also “i care about you” every time he feels down. It’s also “i have your back” when he’s got a rough shift and he can’t take it anymore. It’s also “you’re my favourite person” when you’re tangled in bed, head on his shoulder, rambling about all the stupid things.

It isn’t just a love affirmation, it’s also the reassuring Buck feels every time hears those words. He knows you won’t leave him. It’s also the fact Buck’s sure he wants to spend the rest of his life beside you.

'Cause all of the small things that you do

Are what remind me why I fell for you

And when we're apart, and I'm missing you

I close my eyes and all I see is you

And the small things you do

Buck stood in the kitchen, nervously pacing back and forth as he prepared dinner. That was the night he had been waiting for. As he chopped vegetables and stirred the sauce, Buck couldn't help but think about all of the small things that you did that reminded him why he fell for you in the first place.

He loved the way you laughed at his jokes, even when they weren't funny. He loved the way you always put others first, even if it meant sacrificing your own needs. He loved the way you looked at him with those beautiful, sparkling eyes that seemed to see right into his soul. It is you, just the way you are, that made Buck fall in love with you over and over again.

As he put the finishing touches on dinner, Buck heard the sound of the front door opening — you were home. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves as he made his way to the living room.

You stood there, looking beautiful as always, your hair in soft waves and a smile on your face.

“Hi! Hello! Good evening, Buckaroo!” you smiled at him.

Jumping into his arms, all giggly, happy to be back home with him. Buck felt his heart skip a beat as he took your hand and led you to the dinner table.

“Hello to you too, love!” he curved his lips into a beautiful smile and opened your way to the table.

“Buck?” you gasped. “What’s this?”

“Know you had a long day. Thought it’d be nice to have dinner together.”

He wanted everything to be perfect for you and as you sat at the dinner table, Buck nervously fidgeted with his silverware.

You took a bite of the meal, a look of delight spreading across your face. "Buck, this is amazing! You outdid yourself this time."

Buck smiled, feeling a sense of pride. "I'm glad you like it. I wanted tonight to be special."

"Why's that?” you raised an eyebrow. “Something happened?"

"Actually, there is something I wanted to talk to you about.” Buck cleared his throat, feeling his heart race. “Bear with me, been practicing this speech for days.” he chuckled lightly and run circles around your hand. “You mean everything to me, you're my best friend, my partner, and the love of my life. Honestly. And I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy."

Your eyes widens as Buck places a small box on the table, right next to his hand that was holding yours tightly.

Tears filled your eyes as you looked at Buck. Feeling overwhelmed isn’t even describing the situation properly. "Buck…” you gasp for air once again before he comes by your side, hugging you from behind. You took the small box in your hands, looking at the small ring. Your smile was bright, lightning out the room with love and a warmth familiar feeling.

Buck slipped the ring onto your finger, feeling like the luckiest man in the world. "I love you so much, y/n. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

You leaned over to kiss him, feeling grateful for every moment you had spent together. "I love you, Buck. I can't wait to start our lives together."

It was a perfect night, and Buck knew that he had made the right decision. He was looking forward to spending the rest of his life with you, building a life full of love and happiness. You sat at the dinner table, holding hands and talking about the future until the candles throning on the table fully burned out.