#also i was technically a few minutes late for breakfast but they let me have it anyway

[morathor]

Not that long ago on Um, Actually, Mike Trapp and Brian David Gilbert had a talk about the New York breakfast sandwiches they missed, and Trapp said something about like, "Eggs and sausage and cheese, on a roll. It's gonna cost five dollars and it's gonna be incredible."

I'm in New York. Went to a random shop this morning. Got a five dollar breakast sandwich, on a roll. It was incredible. Thank you Mister Trapp.

[jezabelle9299]

Rise and Shine S.R x FEM! Reader

Overture- This is a part 2 of Morning Sunshine, which if you'd like to read you could do Here, but if you don't feel like doing that the gist is that these two are roommates on a long case (separate beds they're awkward enough without being under the same comforter), and when Spencer wakes up Reader is already up getting ready, so they decide to get breakfast together. But Spencer is very sleepy, and starts drifting off again.

CWs-Spencer falls down, but he's fine.

A/N- Someone actually requested this! It made me very happy and I would like to give that person a very small kiss on the nose. Also it's technically Halloween, so happy Halloween! I'm beginning to think I may not finish all of these before the end of the month (but I may die trying) Anyway, this is day 23, and if you'd like to read the other things I did this month you can do that here: October Writing Master List

You let Spencer sleep in an extra 15 minutes, long enough for you to finish your makeup– before trying to wake him up again. You agreed to get breakfast and coffee before the morning briefing, and if you were going to make it in time, he needed to start getting ready. 

“Hey Spencer?” You called out to him, and although you were only a few feet away, he didn’t respond. 

“Spence?” This time he only turned over in response, so you leaned over his bed to gently shake his shoulder, lowering your voice a little bit so as to not startle him. 

“Hey, come on, we gotta go if we’re going to make it to the briefing on time and still get breakfast on the way.” He turned his head towards you, sleepily grumbling a little bit. 

“5 more minutes Sunshine?” That he’d never called you before. He wasn’t very into nicknames outside of occasionally calling you and your colleagues by their last names. And you could see the very moment he recognized it in himself, his eyes shooting open, and him immediately sitting back up in bed. He registered your slightly shocked expression and threw the blankets off of himself. 

“Ah— I mean I— I’ll get ready now.”  He stumbled to get out of that bed so quickly, he didn’t even notice his leg caught in the sheets until he went tumbling to the floor. 

“Oh my god Spencer are you ok?” You rushed over to him, trying to pull the rest of the bedding off of him.

“Yeah-yep, I’m fine. How about I meet you in the lobby in like 10 minutes?” He spoke while still collecting himself from the floor. 

“Sure, I’ll see you then.” You gently closed the door behind you, and made your way down to the lobby to wait. Spencer however, spent the first minute screaming into a pillow because he was so mad at himself that he not only let the nickname he preferred to keep confined to his thoughts slip in front of you, but that he immediately fell down after. Like a baby deer learning to walk. 

When he came down to the lobby, his face was still as red as could be. But you didn’t say a word about what happened earlier, leading him with his cute little message bag to the cute little cafe down the street. You got your food and coffees, and then after the waitress made sure everything was ok, you decided you could now tease him just a little bit.

“So Sunshine, huh?” He almost choked on his coffee, and you felt just a little bit bad for bringing it up. 

“I’m so sorry about that, I wasn’t thinking– I didn’t mean to call you–that.”

“I didn’t think you liked nicknames.”

“Generally I don’t.”

“So what got me the honor of such a flattering one?”

“I don’t know, you’re just so warm? I guess?” Warm, bright, the light of his life— it was all semantics really.

“Aww, thank you. That’s really sweet, Spencer.” 

You took a glance at the clock on the wall, and realized you needed to be at the briefing in less than 20 minutes. Everyone on the team knew you were sharing a room so if you both turned up late, they’d have a field day. You could make it on time, but you raised your hand when the waitress walked by so you could get the check. 

“Oh the two people at that table already paid your tab. They said you were a very cute couple.” She said it in a way that was so sweet and genuine, you really weren’t sure who you were picturing when you looked towards the door, where the waitress had pointed. 

Yet there they were, Derek and Emily, smug as ever. Spencer followed your line of sight and all of the color drained from his face. They each gave you small waves before putting their sunglasses back on and walking out. 

“Alright, we’re getting made fun of this morning anyway, you might as well finish your coffee.” Spencer grumbled while picking up his own mug again.

[pal-blue--ash]

Nightmares One-Shot

Technically a one-shot? It's just about 1700 words head in hands

There's not a lot of dialogue, but it's alright

   Friede was awoken in the middle of the night to soft knocking on his door. Cap, also awoken by the sound, stretched and yawned big before hopping down. Friede yawned himself and rubbed his eye before getting out of bed. When he opened the door, he saw Liko standing on the other side, donning her pajamas and hugging Sprigatito. 

   “Liko. What’s wrong? It’s… the middle of the night.” Friede couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice. The young girl looked down, almost shamefully and it had Friede mentally kicking himself at making her feel ashamed. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not shaming you. I’m just worried. What’s wrong?” He knelt down to be a bit closer, though now he was below eye level. 

   The girl took a minute to respond, but when she did, Friede’s heart shattered at the weak and scared tone. “I… I had a nightmare…” The commander reached out to gently put a hand on her head. “Do you.. want to talk about it?” The girl shook her head and pulled Sprigatito closer so that her face was half buried in her fur. “I.. whenever I’d have nightmares at home, I’d sleep in bed with Mom and Dad… And I know you’re not Mom or Dad… but.. Can I sleep in here with you tonight..?” 

   The question took Friede off guard, mostly because she was asking him and not Mollie or Orla. The moment of hesitation had Liko backtracking. “Sorry.. It was a dumb question.. I’ll go back to bed..” Friede quickly reached out to gently grab her arm,” Hey, wait.. I wasn’t gonna say no. I was just surprised. You can sleep in here, that’s alright.” Liko relaxed and nodded before slipping into Friede’s cabin. 

   Walking back over to the bed, Friede yawned and laid against the wall, giving Liko enough room to lay down herself. Cap hopped up and laid on Friede again as the trio fell back asleep. In the morning, Liko felt warm, and all she could hear was deep breathing and the steady beat of a heart. Slowly blinking her eyes open, she found herself nestled against Friede’s chest, an arm wrapped around her loosely but protectively. 

   It gave her the weird but calming feeling of waking up between her parents at home. She slipped out of the bed before Friede even woke up, though the movement woke him. Cap yawned from his spot on the other side of Friede and stretched before getting up. The adult himself slowly roused, yellow eyes slowly fluttering open. The sunlight that leaked in indicated it was morning already. 

   The two stared at each other for a few moments before Friede whispered, though he had meant it to be a bit louder,” Hey.. Sleep alright?” The girl nodded and smiled. “Just fine. Thank you, Friede…” Smiling, the commander sat up and stretched his arms over his head. “Of course. I’m glad you trust me enough to come to me when you have a nightmare.” The girl flushed in embarrassment and smiled wide. “Of course I trust you.” 

   Friede swung his feet off the bed and made a shooing motion. “Go get ready for the day. I’ll meet you at breakfast.” The girl nodded and was out of the room and heading to her own with Sprigatito. Friede smiled and sat on the edge of his bed for a few more moments. “Of course, huh…” Cap climbed into his lap and looked up at him while questioning ‘Pikapi?’ which Friede smiled more and pet the Pikachu on the head. “Let me get dressed and we’ll head to breakfast.” 

   It was two weeks later that Friede was once again roused from sleep in the middle of the night. It wasn’t as late as last time, but it was still far too late for the kids to be up. With a small sigh, Friede got up, holding Cap who was somehow still asleep, and walked over to the door. “Another nightmare, Li-oh Roy. You alright?” He tried keeping his voice down so he didn’t wake Cap. “I… I had a bad dream and.. Liko told me you let her sleep in here… and that it was really good sleep…” 

   Friede sighed and smiled softly, cutting off the boy’s tired rambling. “Come on. Lay down.” He stepped aside enough to let the boy in before closing the door with a yawn. He laid in the same spot as before, leaned up against the wall with Cap cradled to his chest this time. Roy laid down facing away from Friede while Fuecoco curled up at his feet. The boy was asleep moments later. 

   Friede thought to himself how he ended up in the position that both kids under his supervision not only trusted him when they were vulnerable after a nightmare, but also felt comforted by him in those moments. He wasn’t complaining, he was really glad to be a source of comfort for them. Their lives were scary right now, and he couldn’t be happier to be that rock they needed. He just wondered when, and how, that came to be. 

   He eventually fell asleep himself. Though he woke up the next morning with Cap squished lightly between himself and Roy, his arm under the kid’s head. A small, tired smile crossed his face before he slowly sat up, trying not to rouse the boy or Cap. He stretched and looked out his window. It was barely day break, so he’d let Roy sleep a bit longer. No need to wake him so early on a day they had no plans. 

   As he got out of his bed and fully stretched, Cap woke up and hopped up on his shoulder. He smiled and scratched Cap on the head, right between his ears. “Hey Cap. Mind staying with him until he wakes up? I’m gonna check in on Murdock in the kitchen. See if I can help out with breakfast.” Cap nodded with a quiet ‘Pika’, not wanting to wake Roy. 

   After quickly, but quietly getting dressed, Friede was on his way to the kitchen, where he could hear Murdock humming and cooking. “Hey there, Friedad.” The teasing tone in Murdock’s voice was the only reason Friede even noticed what he’d said. His face burned as he stumbled over his words before finally,” I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

   Murdock’s full laughter filled the kitchen as he cooked. “Uh huh. Liko told me all about how she went to you after her nightmare. You’re such a dad. And you’re the only one who hasn’t noticed it.” Friede hummed and sat at the table, fingers tapping against it as the door opened and Roy came walking in, Fuecoco at his heels and Cap on his head. He yawned and rubbed his eye before settling next to Friede. 

   What he said was obviously not thought, but was the first thing Friede heard from the boy that morning and it had his heart fluttering in an odd, warm, and proud way. “Thanks, dad…” The words made Murdock laugh and toss Friede a knowing ‘told you so’ look which Friede promptly waved off and told Roy what he told Liko. “Of course. I’m glad you trust me enough to come to me.” 

   It was about a week later that yet another knock on his door caught his attention. This time, he wasn’t asleep yet. He was sitting at his desk, working to try and compile as much information about the Six Heroes as he could. Looking at the time, he sighed and stood up. Opening the door, he saw both Liko and Roy standing there. “Hey you two. Nightmare again?” Roy nodded but Liko shook her head. 

   “No? Then…” Friede trailed off, seeing Roy struggling to stay awake. “Just… having a bad night…” Liko whispered and looked down. “Okay. Well… I don’t think my bed’s gonna be big enough for all three of us. So why don’t we grab some pillows and blankets and set up upstairs?” The two kids nodded and the three set to collecting pillows and blankets before making their way upstairs to the main living area. 

   Friede did most of the setting up, seeing as Roy was struggling to stay awake and Liko was no better. Cap helped Friede best his tiny body could and soon all of them were piled into the makeshift bed. Friede laid between the two kids, Cap laying on his chest while Fuecoco and Sprigatito curled up at their feet. The two kids were out rather quick, though it took Friede a few minutes to quiet his mind enough to sleep. 

   In the morning, Friede was welcomed to a ping on his rotom phone and warmth surrounding him. Slowly blinking open his eyes, he noticed immediately why he was warm. Cap was sprawled on his chest, which was normal, but Roy joined Cap, laying half on Friede and Liko was curled up against his shoulder. Both arms were loosely wrapped around the two kids, protectively. Sprigatito and Fuecoco had at some point joined them and Sprigatito was curled on his stomach while Fuecoco was squished precariously between him and Roy. 

   Wriggling one arm from Roy, he checked his rotom phone to see a photo sent in the main group chat from Dot. It was a photo of all of them fast asleep, tagged with the caption ‘Friedad confirmed’. The words, and photo, had him sighing and laying his head back. He hadn’t dared move, not wanting to wake either of them, seeing how it was still really early in the morning. 

   He still didn’t know why the two trusted him that much, but it’d become somewhat of a pattern. Whenever either of them had a nightmare, or had a bad night, they asked to sleep with him, and he never had the heart to say no. The three of them sleeping out in the living area like this had only happened once more before Dot started joining. She never went to Friede alone, but she had joined the living room sleepovers from then on. 

   Friede couldn’t help but feel proud he became a source of comfort for the kids.

[clumsiestgiantess]

Part — what is this.. four of the ‘tiny in the cold’ story! (wow that’s a lot more than the oneshot I intended it to be; thanks for the support!) @entomolog-t it’s back!

[Alice’s pov]

My alarm clock buzzes obnoxiously to my left, but for once I’m not annoyed by it.  I need to get up; it’s exam day.  The exam starts… NOW!  “What?!  I-  Oh my god, I set the alarm for the time I needed to be there!  I’m going to be so late!”  Dashing through the house, I shove a blueberry muffin into my mouth, throw my coat on, grab my bag, and speed out the door.  Jabbing the elevator button every half a second, I practically pounce into the empty space once the doors open.  Thank goodness there was no one in here.  From the moment I step into the lobby, the rest of the trip is a blur.

My brain only finally starts working about a half-hour into testing.  Miraculously, they made an exception and let me in.  I’d blamed my lateness on the slick ice lining a few of the roads instead of my own confusion, and the proctor believed me.  I mean, technically it is the truth.  I was a bit slower coming here because of the ice, though not by much.

Thankfully, this is one of my easier exams.  Even with my grogginess, I have extra time to look through — and redo — the parts I’d done in my half-asleep mind.  I finish the edits with a mere minute to spare.  There are a few quick celebrations between me and a few of my friends who were also taking it, then I head back home.  One final down, four more to go.

My schedule from then on would be to rinse and repeat over the next few days — eat a meal, study, eat another meal, study, maybe sleep, then go back for another test.  When I go to bed that night, I double check that I changed the alarm to give me some time to actually get up.  

That next morning, I have enough time to eat breakfast and glance over my notes before heading back out to yet another exam.  It had snowed overnight, and I hurriedly brushed it off the windshield before heading out.  I actually made it here a bit early!  Maybe I can go see if Terri-  

“Wait!”  I flinch.  Who’s voice is that?  “Please!  I-”  The strange voice stops as abruptly as it started speaking.  Immediately, I turn in my seat, scanning the back for any sign of another person in here with me.  A tiny-sounding whine directs me to the floor.  “What the hell?”  There’s.. a small.. thing moving around down there, halfway tucked inside a beanie that I’d lost a while back.  “Am.. Am I hallucinating?  I can’t!” I yelp suddenly, remembering where I am, “I have exams; I can’t be hallucinating during exams!”  The little — very humanlike — thing collapses to the floor.  I knew I should’ve gone to bed earlier.  This isn’t real, right?  That’s a palm-sized person on the floor.  I rub a hand tiredly over my face and look again.  They’re still there.  “Holy shit.  You’re.. real.”

Leaning down over the console of the car, I twist myself around so I can see them better.  They’re shaking so badly.  “Are you alright?” I ask, worry beginning to gnaw at my stomach.  “How long have you been in my car?  You must be freezing!”  Their little head nods very slightly.  “Are you another person?”  They flinch, and I regret my last question.  Of course they’re a person.  They just spoke to me.  Quietly, their voice rasps out, barely audible.  “I’m a person.  Please don’t leave me out here again.  I- I don’t know if I’ll be able to survive this time.”

My stomach sinks horribly in my chest.  How long has he been stuck out here in the cold?  He’s so small; he’ll freeze so easily.  “O- Of course, yes; I won’t leave you in here to freeze!” I gasp.  “Do you mind if I.. umm.. pick you up?”  I don’t have time to try to warm him where he is on the floor.  I doubt he really needs the extra fright of me trying to handle him, especially because he already seems so desperate, but if I don’t leave soon, I’m going to be late twice in a row.  One time I can get away with, but twice and I’ll probably get in trouble, or worse, kicked out.

A tiny head shake — no, he wouldn’t mind it.  I let out a relieved breath.  I honestly have no idea what I would’ve done if he’d refused.  Leave him here?  Out of the question.  Pick him up anyway?  That would be horrible of me.  Give him the choice to either come with me or be left here?  That just sounds like a threat.  Thankfully he’s either willing enough — or desperate enough — to trust me.

Carefully, I reach down for him, sliding my fingers gently beneath him and guiding his tiny body into my hand.  He squirms against me as I tighten my grip slightly in order to lift him.  My heart skips a beat; his hands grip my finger tightly — shaking and icy cold.  Poor thing.  I wish I had more time to help you.  I lift him upright and slide back into my seat slowly so I don’t jostle him.  Hesitantly, he chances a glance up at me.  “I’m gonna keep you in my pocket, ok?” I ask, though I know it’s more like telling him what I’ll do with him than actually asking.  It hurts my heart in a strange way, recognizing that.  “I.. really don’t have time to deal with this right now, but you’ll be plenty warm there.  I’m so sorry, but I have to go.”  A quick apology will have to suffice until later.

Lowering him into my pocket and dropping him carefully onto the bottom, I reach for the door handle.  However, I flinch away from it as a cry tears through the car.  “It’s ok; you’re alright!  I’m not gonna-”  “It’s too hot!  I need something colder!  Please!  It burns!”  His cries get louder and more pained.  In an instant, I reach in to pull him out and he rushes for my fingers, clinging tightly to them.  I freeze, unsure if I should move with him so close.  “Th- Thank you,” I hear him gasp.  Still, I’m frozen.  What do I do if I can’t leave him in there?  He’s shaking so awfully against me.  His little body is almost drenched in sweat from struggling with the pain for so long.  Will he be alright?

“You’re.. you’re ok now?  Like that?” I ask worriedly.  He nods, face nearly pressed against my palm.  “Ok.  Try not to yell like that anymore unless it’s an emergency.  I don’t need to be kicked out of the testing room and searched.  Who knows what the punishment is for sneaking a tiny guy into the room, or what they’ll do with you for that matter.”  Now is really not the time to find a tiny person struggling for life, but I’ll do my best to help him.  If that means leaving the testing room on account of some fake ‘emergency’ to help him, then so be it.  I’d rather keep him alive over anything else.

Once I’m sure he’s comfortable, I step outside.  Every single movement I make becomes calculated with him in my pocket.  What if I walk too fast and hit him accidentally?  What if I sit down and crush him?  Did I put lotion on my hands this morning?  He’s sitting tucked right against my palm.  It would feel so cute if it wasn’t a literal tiny human sitting there.  My hands are peeling from the cold; is that the one with the torn skin or is that-  No, it’s this one.  My worries just start to fade as testing time officially starts and I focus on the questions in front of me instead of the ones in my head.

However, about an hour later, I feel light pressing against my fingers.  The tiny person’s hands shove at me until I move away.  Confused and worried, I take my hand out of my pocket and inconspicuously glance down.  His little face peers up at me and nods slightly, assuring me I’d done nothing wrong.  Oh, he’s probably warmed all the way up by now!  Returning to my work, I try not to dwell on anything.  Still, relief floods my system knowing that I’d saved him from what might’ve been the end of him.  He’ll be alright now.

Finishing the exam, I’m one of the first people out the door.  Finally, I can talk to my tiny stowaway.  Once I’m in the car again, I gently pull him out of my pocket and hold him out in the palm of my hand to get a good look at him.  As soon as I unfurl my fingers, he tucks himself into a tight ball — his heavy frightened breaths press against my palm.  “Hey, little guy?  I’m sorry about basically ignoring you earlier.  Finals are this week and I really need them to go well,” I try to explain.  “Are you alright?  You’re warmer than before; that’s good!  I hope my pocket wasn’t too claustrophobic for you.”

In small hesitant movements he gets up from his fetal position and sits on his knees on my palm, staring up at me with wide eyes.  It’s strange — his clothes seem to be hand-stitched — his hair mussed and tangled.  Bringing him just a little closer, I can count at least two different scars by just glancing over him.  How long has he been small for?  Did he shrink, or is he just.. something else entirely?

My thoughts are interrupted by his voice.  It’s much stronger now, and a lot clearer with him held up closer to my head.  There’s still a strange smallness about it that makes goosebumps dash along my arms.  “I- I’m ok,” he answers me.  I exhale in relief, and become entirely conscious of how the single breath ruffles his hair like a slight breeze.  “Thank goodness; I really hoped you weren’t beyond saving.  You were super cold when I found you, barely moving.  Speaking of which, why were you in my car to begin with?  And how in the world did you manage to shrink?”  Compared with his few words and tiny voice, I feel almost like I’m speaking over him talking so much, though it doesn’t seem like he has much to say.  The guy’s probably stunned enough by the scale of everything.

I watch his brows furrow in deep thought, and for a moment I believe he’ll tell me he didn’t even shrink.  Perhaps he was magic.  But if he is, wouldn’t he have been able to save himself?  “I.. don’t remember.  I can’t remember what happened before I shrank, but I’m definitely a human.  Just smaller.”  Oh.  Oh!  Oh no, poor thing.  He’s probably been stuck so small for so long because he doesn’t even know where he is!  No memories, stuck small, freezing weather — no wonder he was desperate for help.  And now he’s begging me just to see him as a fellow human.

“Of course you’re still human!  Being smaller won’t change that!” I assure him, inadvertently cupping my hand a bit closer around him.  “I promise I don’t mean you any harm; I just want to make sure you’re ok.  Come on, I’ll take you back to my place — get you something to eat.”  I reach to put him away, but pause.  “Oh, I’m Alice, by the way.  Do you.. remember your name?”  He looks frightened for a moment.  “I don’t really remember much.”  That’s horrifying!  Not even your own name?  I don’t say that, though.  He probably already knows.  “I can try to help you remember it, but if you can’t, I guess you can try out a new one for the time being.”  He nods, relief settling some of his features.  Placing him down in the cupholder beside me, I head for home.

The drive is horribly silent — which I can’t stand.  I know my little companion probably needs time to think through some things now that I’ve finally noticed him.  Why haven’t I noticed him before?  Has he been in my car for a while?  Realization dawned on me that he’d really have to be an excellent climber to be able to get in.  He’s so small that the space between the edge of the car door and the ground must be over twice his height.

“Soo..” I begin awkwardly, “I do have a question you might know the answer to.”  The little guy looks up at me, seemingly startled out of thought.  “How did you get in my car?”  His face pales, and he looks.. frightened?  “I.. I snuck in yesterday morning.”  “You climbed up all the way into my car?  Why?”  He turns guilty away from me, like I caught him in a lie.  But why would he lie about how he got in here?  “Uhh.. it was cold outside.  Your car was warmer.. at the time.”  Is he just embarrassed that he got stuck in here?  It must’ve been rather freezing when it snowed yesterday.  He.. could’ve died in here — alone!  I’d have found his body whenever I next went to clean out my car.

“Oh!  I locked you in here and then everything froze last night!  Poor thing!  I’m so sorry!  I wouldn’t have left you here like that if I’d known you were in the car!”  I feel so awful for believing he was trying to lie.  Poor little guy was probably just having a hard time talking about it.  The thought of his near-death while I wasn’t even there just occurred to me now, but he’d actually experienced the bitter cold that had likely come close to killing him.  Of course he’d be nervous thinking about it.

Trying to change the subject, I begin ranting about finals.  It’s the next thing on my mind I can think to talk about.  I make it all the way back to my apartment, then turn to my tiny passenger.  Flattening out my hand, I leave it gently on the center console right beside the cupholder he’s sitting in.  “Here, hop on and I’ll bring you inside,” I tell him, “Would you like something to eat?”  He nods, climbing up and sliding slowly and hesitantly into my palm.  Even if he’s been tiny for quite a while, getting picked up by someone so much bigger than you must be a crazy terrifying experience.  I slip him in my pocket as I step outside.  I can’t risk someone seeing him, it just.. feels wrong to flaunt him around in the open for people to ogle at.  He probably doesn’t want the attention drawn to himself anyway.

I let him out again when we’re safely behind the closed door of my apartment.  Gently, I set him on the counter by taking off my whole jacket and putting it down.  He’d been so frightened when I’d plucked him out of my pocket earlier, and I didn’t want to frighten him again.  Patiently, I wait for him to come out to the countertop.  “What would you like?” I ask kindly.  He glances around the room, then points to the pantry.  “What do you have in there?”  Shrugging, I wander over and peer in.  “Well, let’s see.. we have soup crackers, some cheese puffs, popcorn, mac and cheese — but I’d have to cook it first, obviously.  “Oh!  But I think you’ll like- ” Glancing back at the counter to see if he was interested in any of it, I find that he’s disappeared from view.  

“Hey, umm.. little guy?  Where’d you go?” I ask, stepping around the counter to the other side.  He’s not there, either.  I lift up my coat, but he’s still not there.  “Where- Where’d you go?!  This isn’t funny!  You can’t just disappear!”  Unless…  I gasp and quickly scan the floor.  Please don’t tell me he fell off.  I- If he fell…  “Hey!  Please come back!  I- I’m not that scary, am I?  Why’d you leave?  I don’t-”  I don’t understand; there’s not a trace of him on the floor or the counter.  “Come back!  Whatever it is you’re frightened of, I’ll change it!  Please don’t run off and get hurt somewhere!  If you want to take care of yourself, that’s fine!  Just.. please let me know so I don’t think something happened to you!”

Hours tick by as I scour the floor and countertops, searching for my little missing guest.  All the while I call out various comforting things, trying to convince him to at the very least let me know that he’s alive.  Still nothing.  I can’t find him, and something tells me he doesn’t want to be found.  By 4:00 in the morning, there’s still no answer, and I go to bed without one.  I try to go to sleep, but all I can do is lay down and stare at the ceiling trying to listen for the sounds of something small moving around.  Only at about 6:00 in the morning do I finally fall asleep for a good two hours before my alarm startles me awake.  At least I don’t have an exam today.  I just have to study.

I trudge down the hall to the kitchen and freeze.  He could still be on the floor somewhere.  Continuing my trek with much more caution than before, I make a bowl of cereal and sit down numbly.  I stare out at nothing in particular; thoughts jumble in my head.  My lack of sleep and my severe rise in anxiety combined to cause an awful feeling in my head.  My stomach also started to feel the effects, and I left the kitchen only a few spoonfuls of food fuller than I had when I walked in.

Studying didn’t help my mood much, but every time I took a break from it, my mind would wander back to the tiny person potentially wandering around my home, too scared to ask for help when he likely needed it.  Lunchtime came and went — I wasn’t hungry.  I tried studying again by watching a few videos my professor posted.  Those didn’t seem to make sense to me, and my anxiousness morphed into an ugly frustrated anger.  “No!  What?  How?!  I used the same formula and everything!  What the heck?!”  Crumpling my paper in a messy ball, I can already feel an angry scream building in my throat.

As quickly as my anger emerges, however; it fizzes out.  My scream comes out as a sob and I fall against my desk.  Nothing had gone right for me.  Finals week is the absolute worst week for my luck to run out.  “I’m gonna fail,” I whisper, “I can’t do this.  Why is everything going so wrong?  I just wanted to help him; why’d he run away?  I feel sick.  What if he’s hurt somewhere and can’t call for help?  What if he’s too scared to call for help?”  Tears fall down my face and sobs wrench out of my throat in gasps.  My empty stomach roils painfully as I cry.

“Alice!  It’s ok, I-”  At the sound of a voice too small to have come from any normal person, I whirl around in my seat, furiously rubbing my eyes so I could see through my tears.  I can’t find him on the floor, just like the night before, but I know I heard the tiny person I’d rescued.  “Hello?” I call into the seemingly empty room.  A voice responds.  “It’s.. It’s ok.  It’s me, the ‘little guy’.”  I gasp a relieved breath, then stand, peering around the room for where he might be.  His voice is so small I can’t tell where it’s coming from.  “You’re… alright?” There’s a long silence, then: “Yeah.”

“Oh thank god!”  I breathe fully for what feels like the first time in days.  “You made me so worried for you!  Are you hungry still?  I- I know you haven’t eaten in a while since you.. ran off when I tried to get something for you.”  I myself felt like I was starving.  I could only imagine what he might be feeling.  I’m kept waiting for a long time — so long that I’m afraid he’ll leave if I don’t say something.  Steadying my voice with another deep breath, I offer an apology.  “Look, I’m sorry I scared you off…  I don’t know what happened, but I’m willing to work with you to try and get your memories and your old life back.  I can’t imagine how terrifying it is to suddenly be so small, not even knowing how you got that way-”  “Stop.”

I do, though I’m scared of how hollow his voice sounds.  “That’s.. a lie.  I remember everything just fine.”  Has he given up on finding a way back to normal?  Does he remember something awful that he hasn’t told me?  No wonder it felt like he was lying to me.  “So.. you just didn’t want to tell me how you shrank?” I ask, a bit confused.  “No.. Alice, I- I never shrank.  I’ve always been this way.”  My mind goes blank for a moment.  “Y- Wh-  H-” I stutter, only half-words forming on my tongue.  “I’m not human, Alice.”

He’s…  He’s what?  Slowly, I approach the bookshelf in front of me — where I can hear his voice now that he’s spoken enough for me to locate it.  Kneeling on the floor, I gently bend down to peer beneath it.  I’d already checked all the shelves to no avail.  There’s a small crack in the baseboard of the wall behind the shelf.  “Is that why you left?” I ask softly, “I promised I wouldn’t hurt you.”  His voice becomes a bit harsher.  “You promised the tiny human me that you wouldn’t hurt me,” he corrects.  I blink confusedly, slowly connecting the dots.  “You thought I would go back on my word if I knew you were lying to me?  Or you just.. thought that I wouldn’t care because you’re not human?” 

But that’s awful!  Does he really think I would do that?  My distracted gaze flits back to the crack in the wall.  He’s there — standing in a position like he’s ready to flee at any sign of aggression, but he’s there.  “I promised you that I wouldn’t hurt you.  You.  No matter who or what you were.”  His expression shifts guiltily, and he glances away from me.  “I’m a bit upset you wanted to lie to me about… everything.  But I can’t be mad at you for being scared of me.  I won’t ask you to talk to me anymore if you don’t want to, but just know, I’m glad you’re alright.”

A small smile edges along his face as he turns back to me.  Carefully, the little.. person steps out of his hiding place.  “You- You really mean that?” He asks, “You don’t care that I’m not one of you?”  I exhale a tiny laugh and shake my head.  “Of course not, don’t be silly!  You’re safe here, I promise.  I understand if you want to go home, though.  You probably have others of your kind to get back to, and I’ve accidentally trapped you in my house.”  His steps falter and guilt briefly dashes across his face again.   “Well, about that…  I kind of.. live here.”  

Do I know anything about you?  As he relayed what really happened, it turns out I really don’t.  The only thing I do know about him that’s correct is the fact that he can fit in the palm of my hand, and of course the fact that he’d been freezing to death when I found him.  Beyond that, it’s like a whole new world just opened up to me.  I guess that makes sense, though.  He is an entirely different species, which is insane to think about.  I always thought we’d find human-intelligent beings on another planet before we ever found it here again.

“I actually did remember my name,” the little being — he told me he’s a borrower — confesses after talking to me about his life beneath my floors.  “It’s just.. not really a human-sounding one, so I couldn’t exactly give you it.  My name’s Fennel, but I mostly just go by Fen.”  “Fen?” I ask.  Well, it certainly isn’t a human-sounding name.  I offer Fen a bright smile.  “Nice to finally really meet you!  How long have you been living here.. with me?”  His eyes trail off in thought, “I moved in after you were already here, but you were still unpacking things, so I don’t think it was very far off from when you moved in, too.”  So we’ve been living here together the whole time?!

“Where were you living before?”  Fen shrugs, “Eh, another apartment in this building.  The new people were too loud, so I moved out.”  Wow, I wish I could’ve done that in my last apartment.  I had to wait for the lease to expire.  “I wish I could just pack up and slip into a new home whenever I have problems with the neighbors,” I tell him, mind already wandering to what I would do at his size, with his freedom.  

“It’s harder than it seems,” Fen sighs, “I have to rebuild a livable space for myself every time.”  Oh, right.  Maybe I wouldn’t want to be a borrower after all.  I sit back upright and my back cracks loudly as I do.  “Hey, if you don’t mind, can you maybe come out from beneath there?” I ask, “It hurts my back to try to bend all the way to the floor to look at you.”  

He’s hesitant, but Fen slowly makes his way over to the edge of the bookshelf.  When he finally steps out from beneath it, I gently lay my hand in front of him palm-up, like I had in the car when I took him inside.  “Can I hold you?  Please?”  This feels like a dream.  Did I even find you, or did I fall asleep trying to study?  To my relief, he gives me a slight nod.  I watch in awe as he climbs up onto my palm — hands and feet no bigger than a fingernail.  With Fen safely in my palm, I slowly and carefully lift him up to my face to ensure I’m really awake.  

Concern crunches my eyebrows together.  He has an empty fearful look, staring blankly through me with tensed muscles.  “Fen?”  His hands dart to his head, ducking beneath them for a tiny bit of safety.  “Are you ok?” I ask softly, “You look sick.  If this makes you uncomfortable, I can put you back down.  You didn’t have to get on.”  I can hear him breathing hard, but he stammers: “I- I’m alright.”  Shaking my head, I cup my other hand around him gently.  “You aren’t, though.  You’re shaking.”  With all the caution l can muster, I lower the pad of my finger against his chest.  Just as I thought, his breaths rise and fall heavily against my finger — even his heartbeat thunders rapidly against it.  He’s so.. delicate.  Sitting in my hand like that, I just can’t describe the feeling in any way besides tiny and fragile and alive.  

My eyes water in a sudden rush of relief, and I gently bring him to my chest, hugging his tiny form the best I can without crushing him.  I finally feel relieved for the first time that week.  “It’s alright now,” I exhale.  Holding him there, I can feel his breathing slow and he relaxes in my light grip.  Guiding him out in front of me again, I watch him curl up sleepily in my palm.  His back presses softly into my cupped fingers as he blearily looks up at me.  Awww, why does he have to look so cute like that?  I’m sure he’s exhausted.

Glancing around the room, I notice that one of the smaller blankets on my bed had fallen to the floor.  I scoop it up and place Fen down on my desk.  He stumbles off, and I have to quickly grab him and lower him down before he falls face-first on the wooden surface.  I bundle up the blanket so it’s reminiscent of a little mattress and pillow, then place it in the corner of my desk.  Fen sleepily trudges over and slides into it.  Checking to make sure he wouldn’t fall over the edge of my desk by blocking off the side with a book, I settle down and begin re-working the math problem that had gotten me so worked up earlier.   Just as I finish it, Fen rolls over in his makeshift bed and mumbles something quietly.  Get some sleep little guy; goodness knows you need it.  I need it too, but more than that, I need to eat.  After checking the problem against the key — I’d solved it correctly that time — I snuck off to the kitchen to make myself a quick meal before returning to my work.  With Fen sleeping on my desk, I had to plug in my headphones to listen to the videos, but that didn’t bother me much.  I had to stop yelling so much to avoid waking him, but I needed to calm myself down anyway.  It wasn’t long after finishing the worksheet that I fell asleep right there against my desk, with my tiny roommate sleeping soundly beside me.

[lindisworld]

Close || Matt Murdock x Reader

Summary - Soulmate Au! In which [Name] has Daredevil as a soulmate and Matt unwillingly wants [Name] in his life. However Fate does its job and always brings them together.

Chapter four.

Fresh smell of pancakes and bacon roamed the apartment, making its way into Karen’s nose. It took a few minutes for Karen to open her eyes, a throbbing headache following behind. She lets out a yawn, her hands rubbing her eyes. Karen felt a bit more relaxed and well rested than ever before, almost like she had an 8 hour sleep like every human should be getting. Instead of 5-6 hours per usual. Maybe less.

“I’m glad the smell of breakfast woke you up before I had to start hitting pans together to wake you up.” [Name] spoke from the kitchen as she flipped pancakes. 

“I’m glad you didn’t, what time is it?” Karen asks in a sleepy voice. She sat up and turned the direction of where [Name] was. “It’s 12 pm, technically we’re having brunch.” [Name] responds.

 “[Name]! I’m late to work!” Karen shot up from her spot, her sleepiness wearing away. “You could’ve woken me up.” Karen fumbled around the couch to find her phone, knowing Foggy would spam her with a large amount of messages and calls, only to find her phone on the kitchen table where [Name] was. 

“Karen, slow down. It’s alright, I answered the phone when Foggy called the first time.” [Name] reassured her, “I let him know you’ll be in late.” [Name] had woken up around 9,  she attempted several times to wake Karen up, she knew how serious Karen took her job from what she learned last night. Though her attempts failed as the blonde shushed her and continued her sleep like nothing. 

“I laid down an outfit for you in my room that I think you’d wear, there’s also an extra toothbrush and clean towel if you’d want to shower after breakfast.” [Name] said, gesturing Karen to come over to the kitchen at table where she brought empty two plates for each of them. 

“Alright so there’s bacon, pancakes, toast, and oatmeal. Grab whatever you like.” [Name] states, grabbing a handful of bacon, a side of pancakes and oatmeal, setting them on her plate. “You probably want this too.” A bottle of ibuprofen was placed in front of Karen. She pops the bottle open, letting two pills fall onto her palm before swallowing it. A gulp of orange juice soon follows, allowing the pills to go down with ease. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t have drank so much on a work day.” Karen mumbled and placed a couple of pancakes, bacon and a piece of toast on her plate. 

“I’m the owner of my business, there’s no need for me to go to work while hungover. I’m definitely taking a personal day.” [Name] states, munching on her food. 

“[Name], you should come to work with me.” Karen suggested.

“Perhaps I should, there’s nothing to do. You should fill me in on the case you’re working on, The Punisher. Seems interesting.” [Name] responds. Karen was a bit weary about letting [Name] know about The Punisher. It’s one thing hearing the information that’s out in the open, but it’s another thing knowing the reality of it and the truth. 

“You think the boys will appreciate if I brought them breakfast for lunch?” [Name] asks, grabbing a couple of containers to fit the rest of the food they couldn’t finish. “No, they would definitely appreciate it, especially Foggy.” Karen laughs. 

“I’ll take a quick shower and then we can head out, [Name].” Karen added and finished the remaining last piece of her food before she headed to the bathroom.

“Thank you so much for the food, [Name]! Here, I thought I would die out of starvation, that’d be a terrible way to go.” Foggy said, graciously grabbing the food containers from [Name]’s hand. Not even a second goes by, a pancake is already in his mouth.

”It smells very delicious, [Name]. Thank you for the food,” A pair of red lenses were looking at her direction, a smile plastered on Matt’s face. He opened the food container, the smell of pancakes and bacon filling the air around him. He couldn’t help but realize they were organic ingredients. 

“You’re welcome boys, if you don’t mind me I’ll be with Karen today. By the end of the day, I might be ready to become a lawyer.”

“We’ll gladly see to it, [Name].” Matt said.  

”I hope you go to school like we did, can’t skip out on those college years and bar exam.” Foggy laughed, “after that, you’ll be part of Nelson and Murdock in seven years.” 

“By then, we’ll have a bigger law firm and hopefully enough money to sustain the bills. You’ll get paid in money instead of home cooked meals, chickens or desserts.” Matt added.

“I’ll let you know what my plan is by the end of the day. Enjoy your meal guys.” [Name] said before following Karen to a nearby desk. She couldn’t help but notice tons of papers were piled on top of each other. She spotted an x-ray of a skull tucked behind a file. [Name] reached over and grabbed it, making sure the papers on top didn’t fall.

Upon further investigation, her eyes were drawn to the corner of the human skull - a missing fragment creating a gap in its structure. Her fingers traced over the surface of the picture. 

“Karen, what happened to this person?”  The question made her freeze up, Karen didn’t want to bring [Name] into the equation of who the Punisher is and how deep the story goes. Karen opened up her mouth but was interrupted by Matt. 

“He’s the Punisher.” Matt said as he walked a close proximity to where [Name] was, he couldn’t help but smell the delicate fragrance that surrounded her. It wasn’t a strong smell, it was gentle and sweet to his senses. It was soothing in a way, calming his nerves. Almost like he was in a trance. Matt cleared his throat before taking it a step back, realizing how close he gotten. 

“He was shot in the head but he miraculously survived. I don’t think we have any more leads or information about him except for a name. Karen can tell you more about how we took Fisk down, that’s more interesting.” Matt lies, switching the topic to Fisk. 

“Oh, yes. Of course! Come take a seat, I’ll grab the files.” Karen said and walked into the next office to grab another caseload of papers. She sets it down on the desk with a loud thud. 

“Let’s begin.” Karen says and sits down next to her. Hours passed, it felt like the papers were endless. It was one thing after another. Murder after murder. 

a/n: i halfassed this chapter, swear it’ll get better

[angelasscribbles]

Unexpected Chapter 7: Red Flags

Series: Unexpected

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Maxwell, Riley x Liam

Rating: MA

Warnings: None for this chapter

Word Count: 2,221

My other stuff: Master List.

Liam lay on his back staring up at the ceiling, turmoil swirling through him.

He had finally bedded the American suitor. She was still naked, sleeping innocently beside him as he struggled to reconcile the conflicting emotions she inspired in him.

His moment of vulnerability had been real. His developing feelings for her were also real, but he was leading her on with even the implication that he was going to choose her to marry.

He couldn’t. The council would never approve it, his father would never allow it, and the rest of the nobility would never accept it.

The common people and the press might love her, but she was ill-suited to be queen.

None of the other suitors interested him, it was true, but his interests were never the point. He had tried to be fair, tried to give each woman an equal chance but that ended today. There was no point. She was the one that he wanted, but he would never be allowed to make that choice. Last night everything had seemed so simple, but in the cold, harsh light of day, he knew better.

So, while he was done pretending that any other woman had a chance of taking his heart, his impassioned resolve to choose her for marriage crumbled in the face of reality.

He had to tell her, had to be honest with her. He determined to explain the situation to her immediately but as he glanced down at her sleeping form, refusal to accept his fate surged through him. There had to be a loophole. His mind spun with possibilities, solutions, and avenues that would give him what he wanted. There had to be a way. There was always a way.

He picked up his phone and typed a quick message. She stirred in the bed beside him. Tossing the phone aside, he rolled back toward her just as her eyes fluttered open. He smiled at her with genuine warmth. There was no reason to spoil the night they had just shared, especially when there might be a way around all of it.

He ran a hand down the side of her cheek, “Good morning, my love.”

“Mm,” she stretched her entire body before responding, “Good morning.”

God in heaven, why did she have to look so damn good lying in his bed? Like she belonged there. He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek before telling her, “As much as I’d love to stay here with you, I have a meeting to get to. But please, stay as long as you like. I’ll let the guards know to bring you whatever you require. Breakfast, a change of clothes, whatever you need.”

He would give her the world if he could.

“Are you sure you can’t spare a few minutes?” She purred as her arms wrapped around his neck and her body arched into his.

His entire body exploded with heat in response, “I can be late….”

Forty minutes later he was out the door of his suite, humming happily as he made his way to the monthly budget meeting.

He hurried through his morning engagements distractedly, impatient for the only meeting that mattered. The most important one of the day, perhaps of his life.

Just after his luncheon with the Prime Minister of Italy, the answers he’d been waiting for all day arrived.

They were not the answers he had hoped for.

“You can’t marry her,” Drake slapped a manilla folder down on the desk in front of him, “You asked me to look into her background, I looked. She has a criminal record! Even if the council could overlook her commoner status, they won’t, and shouldn’t overlook her history of scamming and fleecing romantic partners.”

“No,” Liam shook his head in denial as he pulled the folder closer, “The initial background check would have found that!”

“Well, technically she’s never been convicted of anything. But I went beyond the initial check. You said to do a deep dive, so I did a deep dive. She’s had more than one complaint lodged against her by people she scammed out of their money.”

“She’s a con artist?” Liam flipped through the file quickly.

“Specifically, she targets men and women with a little bit of wealth. Takes them for what she can get financially, wipes out their bank accounts then disappears. I’m sorry, Li. I know you really liked her. But I doubt her being our waitress that night was an accident.”

“No,” he shook his head again as he closed the file and pushed it back across the desk, “No one knew we were there; she had no way of knowing who I was-“

“Come on, man,” Drake scoffed, “She didn’t have to know you were a prince to know you were loaded. Your high-end clothing, that Rolex on your wrist, Tariq whining for filet mignon…”

“Perhaps. But it couldn’t have been pre-planned. You chose that restaurant at the last second.”

Drake held his hands up in front of him, “All right. I’ll concede that it wasn’t premeditated. But when she realized you had money….”

“But she knew that it was only for one night. She could not have predicted Max asking her to come back with us.”

“No. But when he asked, she sure jumped at the chance, didn’t she?”

“But she couldn’t have known ahead of time that was going to happen. So, what happened between us in New York was real, Drake, I know it was!”

“Even if it was, there’s no way you can marry her. The optics-“

“The press loves her. We can bury this.”

“Look, I get it,” Drake softened at the desperation in Liam’s voice, “Leo had to abdicate the damn throne so we could be together. But-“

“Can it be suppressed?”

“Maybe. But if it ever comes to light, it will do irreparable damage to your reputation. I don’t think it’s a risk worth taking. Especially since she’s probably only playing you for your money. What happens if she marries you then absconds with millions from Cordonia’s coffers?”

Liam’s body sagged heavily into the leather upholstery of his chair as he considered the repercussions. He had to put Cordonia first no matter his own feelings.

Was she really faking everything?

He could handle the nobility; council members could be bribed. His father would be the biggest obstacle to a union with the American.

But he couldn’t marry her if she was only after his money. He couldn’t risk Cordonia, or his heart, like that.

Drake’s voice drew him out of his musings, “Besides that, I’m pretty sure there’s something going on between her and Beaumont.”

Liam’s head snapped up, his brows furrowing, “Bertrand?”

“No,” Drake snorted, “Maxwell.”

Liam sat up straight in his chair, steepling his fingers and bringing them to his lips, “Why do you think that?”

“They’re always together. He acts weird around her-“

“You always think he’s weird.”

“Weirder than usual. And he’s at her door at all hours of the day and night.”

“His house is sponsoring her.”

“It is,” Drake rubbed his eyes with a sigh, “I have no proof. Just my gut instinct.”

Liam tapped his lips as he thought, “He does have a history of being….inappropriate with women at times.”

“At times?” Drake snorted, “Okay.”

“Do you think he’s been harassing her?”

Drake’s mouth fell open, “That’s what you got out of this conversation?”

“No one deserves to be harassed, Drake.”

“No, of course not! I just meant….” He looked up at the ceiling as if beseeching the almighty for intervention, “Fine. I’ll look into it.”

“Thank you. You’re a good friend.”

“Yep,” he muttered under his breath as he rose, “I’ll make sure the scammer isn’t being harassed by the pervert that brought her here.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

Liam checked his watch. He had ten minutes before his next appointment. Pulling his phone from his jacket pocket, he sent a text to Riley asking her to meet him after the official Suitors Dinner Regina had scheduled for the evening.

He got an immediate response. He always did. Was that because she was falling for him or because she was playing him? He needed answers, and he intended to get them.

Riley breezed down the hallway in the suitor's wing of the palace, still on a high from her time with Liam. After a little earth-shattering morning sex, she had ordered a  decadent breakfast of raspberry crêpes, rashers, and a ham and cheese soufflé and then taken her time eating it, savoring every bite.

She had taken Liam up on his offer and sent the guards for her favorite bath products and a change of clothes from the palace boutique. After a long leisurely bath in the impossibly huge soaking tub in the royal suite, she had booked an appointment at the palace spa. Her nails had needed a touch-up. She had gotten in immediately.

Yes, she thought as she made her way back to her room, a girl could get used to this life. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t see him until he spoke, “Where were you last night?”

She slid her eyes sidewise at him, “None of your business.”

Max matched her pace, keeping his body as close behind hers as he could without actually touching her, his hands shoved into his pockets to keep himself from touching her, “But you never came back after your meeting with Bert.”

“I came back.”

“To the palace maybe, but not to your own room.”

She stopped outside her door, and he stumbled into her. Turning to face him, she pinched his cheeks between her fingers and leaned close, “We need to have a talk about boundaries, Max.”

She turned back to open her door then pulled him through and closed it.

At the end of the hall and around the corner, a figure watched them from the shadows.

Drake’s brows were drawn together in a frown. Maybe Liam was right. Maybe Max was being creepy with her. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time he’d been inappropriate with a woman. If he were a commoner instead of a son of the nobility, his ass would have been in a jail cell long ago. But his brother always managed to dig him out of trouble somehow. Bribery most likely.

Surely Bertrand would want to know if his brother was harassing their sponsee. He turned on his heel and headed toward the duke’s room.

Bertrand’s head lifted from the copy of Civility: Manners, Morals and the Etiquette of Democracy that had him thoroughly engrossed as an incessant pounding noise issued from the door of his room. With a sigh, he placed a bookmark between the pages, carefully closed the tome, and sat it on the end table with meticulous precision, ensuring it could not be knocked off by a careless passerby.   

He rose from his seated position and took a moment to smooth his clothing out. One never wanted to look rumpled or unkempt, after all. He crossed the room unhurriedly and pulled the door open slowly. His eyes widened as he took in his visitor. “Sir Drake! What are you-“

“Can I come in? It’s kinda important,” Drake shoved past him without waiting for an answer.

“By all means,” Bertrand grumbled as he moved aside, “Why wait for an invitation?”

“Don’t need one.”

“It is my room-“

“In Liam’s palace,” Drake reminded him drily, “Do you want to know what your brother’s up to or do you want me to just report him to-“

“No, no, no!” Bertrand closed the door quickly before anyone happening by could overhear, “Please…” he gestured toward the scattered seating before squeezing his eyes shut as he pinched the bridge of his nose, “What has he done now?”

Drake didn’t bother to sit as he dove in without preamble, “He’s been harassing Riley.”

Bertrand froze as his eyes popped open. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I overheard him questioning her about her whereabouts last night and when she told him it was none of his business, he pressed the issue, and she told him they needed to have a discussion about boundaries.”

“Where was she last night?”

“That doesn’t matter. The point is-“

“Was she with Liam?” Bertrand tried to suppress the glee in his tone.

“I’m not here to divulge Liam’s business. Are you going to put a leash on your brother or do I need to do it?”

“No need for that. I’ll handle it. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

“Yeah…sure,” Drake started for the door, pausing with his hand on the knob, he turned back to Bertrand, “By the way…how much do you know about her past?”

“Lady Riley?”

“No, Queen Regina. Yes, Lady Riley!”

“Just that she was your waitress in New York and shared some kind of adventure with the prince. Why do you ask?”

Drake regarded him critically for several long seconds as Bertrand’s body twitched and his eyes darted around the room, landing everywhere but his face.

He was lying.

“No reason.” Drake exited the room and then stood in the hallway outside Bertrand’s door contemplating the duke’s deception. What was he hiding?

He didn’t know, but he was damn sure going to find out.

[pbandjesse]

What a lovely day. I barely didn't feel good. I was engaged and happy and felt like I really liked it at both of my jobs. It was honestly just really great. And an ego boost for sure.

I slept fine. I woke up at 6:30 because I had a nosebleed. I guess I jinxed myself when I said I'm glad that I haven't been having that symptom. But it wasn't so bad. James came upstairs and laid with me for a few minutes. I didn't actually have to get up yet but I ended up just getting up and washed and dressed and sat downstairs on the couch for a bit. James left for work after giving me a big hug and I would leave like 10 minutes later.

Driving to campus fine. It was chilly this morning and would remain fairly comfortable to wear a long sleeve shirt all day. And when I got there I would eat my breakfast and waited for everyone else to come in.

It would be a really productive day with the BGE volunteers. There was like 45 of them and they were really sweet. I was not thrilled that I was on the painting the floor team because I was like I don't think I can bend that much but they decided to cut painting anyway because we didn't have the proper supplies. And so I ended up going to the barn with Rachel and Heather to help muck and drive the Gator.

when we got up there I did remember I am technically allergic to hay so the back of my throat was kind of itchy but I don't get hives like I sometimes would when I was younger. So it was fine. I wasn't really actually raking anything I was just driving the gator and I have never driven the barn gator and it was slightly different and I was very nervous and then I did drive it into a tree by accident. But overall went fine. And I enjoyed talking about the horses and petting the horses. And after the two-ish hours of raking I gave all the adults handfuls of carrots to feed to the horses and it was really cute.

They were really nice team too and I told them that this was not just busy work and this was really important and I really really appreciated them coming out and donating their time and it was just really good.

after we fed the horses carrots we walked back down to the lodge for lunch. Which was running late but it was fine. Because I'm pregnant and have no self control I did not wait until all of the volunteers got lunch. I helped set it up and I got them utensil so I got pizza for some. And there was plenty of food so it wasn't like I was taking from anyone and we were more than welcomed by the woman who organized it. Who was lovely. She grew up going to camp and I love that she cares so much about making this connection. She would love to come volunteer over the summer as well which I think is great.

Elizabeth would come over to kind of give a little spiel about camp itself and getting your kids involved and stuff. And alexie had talked to them earlier in the day about all the important programs that we do. Maiden choice. Baltimore station. Stuff like that. And we really just tried to emphasize that all of this goes to support those things and it's really nice to give you reminded of it. For me. And I really hope that we continue to get to support those things.

After lunch I let Elizabeth know what we had accomplished. Apparently all the other teams finished all of their work. Mine would probably benefit from another hour but apparently Rachel wanted to finish it herself so I let her know I was going to go home and go to sleep.

And that is exactly what I did. Because I halfway home just became so tired. So when I got back here I changed into pajamas I put on the fans I closed our new curtains which made the room nice and dark and I slept for over 2 hours.

Sweetp was all up in my face meeting so much attention and affection which is very sweet but also he trips me when he does that. He was following me around and standing on me. But we slept and it was good. And I woke up around 4:00. I got dressed again in a circles and would go and sit downstairs to wait for James before I had to leave for the museum.

When James got home they were very excited to see me and give me a big kiss on the face and they would clean up and then come sit with me on the couch. Warmed up my Chipotle for dinner. I wasn't hungry but I knew that I needed to eat so that I wouldn't feel all weak and stuff when I was working. And honestly for this event I'm really glad that I gave myself that bit of energy. Because I was busy.

The event tonight was young Catholic professionals. I thought it was a boy's charity but no it was like people my age. And honestly a little weird to be around that many people that are Catholic. I am not used to people being religious that are my age. Just not a world that I'm a part of anymore. But man they were all so nice. I had an excellent night.

I got to break out our religious imagery from the print shop which I never get to use so I was really excited about that because we have a lot of it. I found a couple Mary's and a couple jesus's. And I was just the bell of the balls tonight. Just everyone was so excited and I kept hearing like oh my god it's the blessed mother and I'm like yes enjoy my art. I know I didn't make them but I did print them and I got to talk about print to basically everyone that came because the people who were running the front desk and the check-in table were so excited about the prints I made that they were telling everyone they had to come back so I have never had this many people in the print shop before and it was wonderful.

Ended up making multiple types of prints not even just the two that I have photographed above. I was just making whatever and telling people come get a picture of your mom because that's a funny joke to me when you talk about Mary. And it was just so nice. Everyone was so sweet and I just loved all their questions and was just having fun. It was honestly just the most ideal event night I have had in a really long time.

I did get to tell a lot of stories about printing but also just about working at the museum and doing art and some of the other interesting things I've done. I also told people about the lead exposure. I did get my test results back today and my lead levels are fine. Specifically the nurse practitioner said that they are reassuring. And now I have a funny story.

I just finished cleaning up and I checked in with Merrill and I ran around the main hall to see the tables that they had set up for the different parts of the charity and support system I guess. And the one table had like free stuff on it. I did not take any of it but it was like rosaries and very tiny little vials of holy water. Which was very funny to me. I love the ephemera of the Catholic Church. And honestly everyone was just really nice tonight and I met another pregnant girl and she's 28 weeks pregnant and we had a lovely conversation and I was just really happy.

I'm almost home now. And I'm going to clean up and get all the ink out from under my fingernails. And hopefully sleep easy. Tomorrow we leave for North Carolina. Charlotte going to check on the house and the animals. I am hoping it is just a nice drive and I don't get nauseous. But thankfully we were able to get me more zofran so I'm going to bring that to as a gist in case. But I was not very nauseous today so I am hoping that we have reached a point where I stop throwing up.

I hope that you all had a lovely day. And I hope that tomorrow is nice. And you sleep well tonight. Take care of yourself. Take care of each other. Good night

[musingsoflys]

Spiritual musings (?)

The thing is, spiritually, for me lately, is that I haven't been able to really ponder things. Like, at first I was still commuting 30+ minutes to and from work, so I could listen to podcasts and think about stuff. Even if I was running late to work, I still had at least 30 minutes where I was stuck in my car, so...yeah. Then I quit that job and spent a month at home, and the closest to that commute is going for a walk, but I don't have working earbuds, so I don't listen to anything while walking. Yeah, I let my mind wander, but I have a hard time focusing on, like, the spiritual dissection of my life, the dissection of my spiritual life. My new commute is 4 minutes by car, about 7 minutes by bike, too short to really think about stuff. And I've been sick or getting over being sick for 2 months now (frickin' 6th graders) so I haven't been up to walking much.

So, my last memorable ponderings were that maybe there are more advanced beings or versions of ourselves, but not GODS, like control the world, help me find my keys but not solve world hunger Gods. Maybe we have past life memories that we call "spiritual promptings"; maybe we tap into a deeper knowing. ? I was leaning toward more feminine divine thoughts; I felt like since I'd had a lifetime of masculine divine teaching, I needed to learn more about the feminine divine, but then life got crazy, and I got tired and brain-fried and just couldn't think about it. And haven't been able to since, really.

I don't really like the idea of spirits--beings I can't see hanging around. It's always rather freaked me out. But I do like the idea of untapped power, like ley lines and whatnot. But as someone who favors evidence/science-based stuff, it's weird. I grew up balancing a non-science-explainable spirituality and science evidence. Then again, I think a lot of scifi fans are also fantasy fans. Science and magic, the magic just can't be explained by 'current technical knowledge'.

I have no rituals. I would like to have some rituals. I guess I'm kind of starting--quiet breakfast with tea on non-work mornings...if everyone else is asleep (but if it's late, then I worrying about them sleeping too late) ...after I've already spent an hour on social media as I woke up. 😅

And sunset is shifting earlier and earlier so fast now! It's dark by 7:30. In a few more weeks we finally end Daylight Saving Time, and, between the orbital shift plus that, it will be dark around 6 (and still shifting earlier 😞).

I think I need to start doing Tai Chi &/or yoga. "I'm not getting any younger!" So many things to do. So little time and energy to do them.

[keefwho]

July 22 - 2023 Saturday

10:31 AM

I don’t think it wise to draw comparisons between current dynamics and old ones but I can’t help but notice similarities sometimes. My ex and I were in a situation where he clamored for my attention but I didn’t want to give it to him. In my case it’s because he made me feel uneasy and guilty for not being everything he wanted me to be. My strategy to deal with him was to not entertain is behavior or requests but he never let up. Sometimes I feel like I’m in his position, simply being put up with until it gets too much for them or I settle down. Of course people are different and I could be misinterpreting behavior. IF it is true though, it might not be a total loss. I have the experience to know that I do need to lessen my grip and lighten up. Thats what I wanted him to do at least. 

This is also my first time openly acknowledging said individual as my ex. As much as I don’t want to admit that we were technically dating and everything fell through, thats what happened. It’s the reality of my past. 

8:33 AM (The Next Day)

Forgot again to journal because last night was drinkin night. 

Yesterday my intent was to keep busy no matter what so my thoughts didn’t get too out of hand. I was mostly successful, I actually consider yesterday to have been a good day for once. Breakfast was some potstickers and a poptart. In the morning I worked on fixing the image compression in my VRchat furry world and adding new pics to the gallery for about 30 minutes. I did a couple other random little things I don’t really remember. I watched some more of the Chris Chan documentary while I was busy. I remember getting horny enough midday to message my friend but it was mostly to distract myself from my commonly upset midday tummy so I deleted it before she read it hopefully. I wasn’t actually able to follow up with that request even if I wanted so that would have been irresponsible. Lunch was spaghetti and meatballs. For the afternoon I spent a few hours finishing up my bathroom world in David’s server. I finally finished it so I’m happy to move onto other projects finally. As I was finishing up, my friends were down to watch the first Rugrats movie so we did that while I was uploading the world. It was a good movie. Afterwards I really wanted to get in VR so I could check out the world and make it a little surprise so we did that. BUT I somehow overlooked the fact that NONE of the animations were global which really put a damper on my experience for awhile. Most of the night I was thinking about how I’m gonna fix this instead of just enjoying my time. I did have a lot of fun though. I was trying to request a little along time with my friend but I can’t tell if she was avoiding that or didn’t see what I was trying to say. After she went to bed I focused on fixing the world’s networking which I did fairly easily but then I had an issue where the particles were all black which took me 40 minutes to realize it needed a Unity restart to fix. Now the only problem is that animations aren’t buffered for late joiners so there can be some de-sync with the animations but it’s not a massive problem. I also stayed up until 2 am because I got too horny, I wish I hadn’t. I really don’t like how horny I can get being a guy. 

I’ve been trying to make my desires known to others instead of bottling things up and expecting them to be mind readers. I’d much rather have a yes or no answer instead of dropping hints trying to determine if they are ignoring me or not picking up on the hints. I think it’s a toxic thing I do to avoid direct communication. It’s an exercise in self respect to tell someone exactly what I want from them and accept whether they want to give it or not. 

[loiswolf]

Day 33 July 1 Radisson - Saskatoon 82kms

Technically today should only have been 65kms but I had extra places to go which you find out about soon.

I wake up really early so it’s hard to leave late on a short day. I managed to string breakfast and packing out until 8:30 when I hit the highway again.

Since it was early Saturday morning it was very quiet. This was good as the shoulder on the first 15kms was pretty rough so I cycled the highway. It actually wasn’t much better.

Eventually the road improved but I wasn’t going very fast as I was cycling into a light headwind again. Today there was actually a bridge

and a hill!

Such excitement all on one day!

At about 27kms there were signs for a lookout on the other side of the highway. Well, why not? I crossed over and doubled back on the side road about 200m to this lookout.

It was nice little spot even though there were no seats, so I sat for a few minutes to enjoy the peace.

Not too long because I knew the town I had picked for my break was only a few kms up the road.

A little over 30kms was Langham. I didn’t bother going into the town as there was a Subway/service station just off the highway. Today I chose 3 subway cookies to go with my coffee. I was served by the lovely Chantalle

We had a nice conversation where we found out a bIt about each other. Today was actually her last day working at Subway.

Back out on the highway knowing I had to make a right turn after 18kms. I was bypassing the city and heading for the railway station. Once I’d made the turn I was out of the headwind so things were a little easier. The next turn I took too early and ended up in a big shopping area. I managed to get out without adding too much distance and only riding on the wrong side of the road for a little while. 😟

Even though I was on the right road I was sure something was wrong. I was way out of town near some canola fields

Then it looked like I was heading for a big storage area for containers. Nope, just around the bend and there was the train station, in the middle of nowhere. I had gone there to inquire about taking Shirley on the train tomorrow. I had seen somewhere on their website that bikes were no longer allowed to be left in the corridors.

Of course, there was no one there. Grrrrr. The train leaves at 6:15 in the morning. You’re supposed to be there 45minutes before departure.

Did I want to get up at 4:30am , get ready, packed and cycle back out to the train station to be told Shirley would have to go in a box? No, I did not!

Now on the way out there my knee, which I had been babying all day, suddenly seemed to improve.

Here’s the thing. The weather is supposed to change tonight and tomorrow there should be a strong tailwind blowing me eastward. Hmmm, sounds better than sitting on a really slow train for 14 hours even if Shirley was allowed on.

Although I am overdue for a rest day, and my knee would probably benefit, I’m not wasting that tailwind.

I headed back towards town and stopped in a Tim Hortons to work out accommodation and route. Naturally there was some bagel and donut consumption while I was there.

Since I was moving on I also needed a supermarket stop to replenish my dwindling supplies. Only a couple of kms to go to my Airbnb and I had managed to fill in time before my 3pm check in.

My shopping was on top of my backpack which had the iPad in it. I had roughly remembered the distances for turns and when I saw a house on a corner with the correct number, 401, I assumed I was in the right place.

I unloaded my bags and locked Shirley to the gate then made my way to the door. A lady was behind to window so she opened the door to find out what I wanted. It was not the Airbnb, but luckily it was a very lovely young lady who was not at all worried about a random cyclist appearing at her door.

It turns out all the houses on the corner of every block have the same number. Crazy!

I rolled up a couple of blocks to the correct corner and was let in by my host, Nathan.

My room is quite nice but the place has no kitchen facilities except a small fridge ( which I have packed full) with no freezer. Nathan has taken my frozen berries and ice bottle to his mother in law’s on the next street and will bring them back in the morning. He and his fiancé are living there while they rent out the bottom of the house.

I showered straight away as everything is white. When I went down for a coffee I found Anna from Germany sitting on the front step.

I joined her and talked for a while before we decided to walk down to the river. There was a free jazz festival going on because today is Canada Day.

We ate food from the food vans and sat on the hill in the shade to enjoy the live music.

Eventually I had to come back to do some washing and write this. The sacrifices I make for you guys!

[someone-give-me-a-hug]

Hello hello 👋

Sorry for the late reply big sib!

It's been alright. I'm officially out (properly) of my slump! Although I did break a mirror this morning, so touch wood. Let's not jinx it!

I got my dress tailored today! I was so stressed about it but the ladies were nice! I was in my heels on this pedestal getting pinned up and I go "I'm getting really dizzy" my vision goes black, I hit the floor and then everything sounds like I'm underwater. They gave me a bar of chocolate and a tissue because I got soooo clammy! Then it happened again but eventually I went home.

I'm fine don't worry! It was probably just low blood sugar because I'd only had a coffee (I forgot to eat breakfast because I was busy revising for exams oops).

Anyway, I do celebrate Easter! Kind of. I'm technically Catholic but I don't know what I believe, all I know is that in my head every god exists including the Christian god it just depends who you decide to follow and what path is right for you. When I was younger, I used to say that the afterlife was like a story, and when you finished your current book, you'd get to pick your next adventure!

I hope you had a lovely Easter 🐣 I also hope you are doing well! 💗

New fav song alert!

I now have a whole playlist with songs I know word for word and this is officially on there!

I'm gonna write a few happier things soon! Tomorrow I'm going to the library with my friend, we are getting there at 9 am because that's when it opens and last time when we got there at like 10:40 there was no room and we ended up studying on a bench. We need a bigger library, to be honest, haha. I'm defo not a morning person, tho so I'm not looking forward to the 20-minute walk at 8:30 to meet her.

Hope everything is good with you! Love ya,

Little sib 💗✨️

[softandwigglybones]

@mayhem-moth alright, here it is. It's not very good and I had a hard time figuring out what to actually write, but here it is anyway.

I'm also not sure if I actually stayed on topic, but that's less of an issue imo. And the ending is a bit unfinished, but I am already just generally dissatisfied with this one, so yeah.

Let me know how you found it, pls

I wake up with a start, panic slowly leaving my body. I look around, but all that I can see is the usual. My bedroom.

Huh, must have been a crazy dream. Wish I could remember it. I don't usually have them, so it's be nice to know what finally broke the containment of my psyche.

Well, no matter. It not like I can do anything about it. I'll either remember it or I won't.

As I'm looking around, trying to process the reality of no longer being asleep, something doesn't seem right after all. There's a discrepancy somewhere.

...

Oh shit! It's light outside!

And indeed, a quick check on my phone confirms it. I've slept in. An egregious amount, truth be told.

How the hell did I manage to sleep trough all my alarms?!

With adrenaline filling me once more, I quickly get about getting ready for the day. Luckily, it appears like I fell asleep before I could get into pyjamas last night, so at least I can save time there.

Breakfast gets skipped, nobody's got time for that. Instead it's straight to the bathroom to freshen up.

Still, I am in a hurry, so I'll just quickly splash my face with some water to wake myself up.

Or, I would have, but when I try to turn the water on, nothing happens.

Damn thing, broken again! That'll be such a hassle to fix.

With nothing else to do, I quickly grab my bag and run out the door.

There aren't that many people out on the street, and the few that are ignore me. Just a normal day, nothing out of the ordinary about that.

Thanks to a combination of luck and some light jogging I manage to make it to the bus stop just a minute before the bus arrives. At this time of day there isn't anyone else waiting there, so it's just me.

This does at least give me a little bit of time to pause and think for the first time in the day.

As usual, I try and remember what I was doing before I fell asleep, but that's pretty much impossible. Like always, I just chalk it up to "I was watching Youtube videos and fell asleep", since that's usually the truth anyway.

Then I see the bus approaching and I signal for it to stop. Technically it's not necessary, but sometimes I like to do it just to be sure.

You can imagine my surprise then when the bus driver completely ignores me and drives by the bus stop.

Honestly, the nerve of some people! I've got places to be! And I'm already late!

Oh well, what can you do. I am already late anyway, so it's not as if it's that bad. And, as a small plus, I can say that I'm late because the bus was late, which now is technically the truth.

What to do with the extra time I've gained now? I quick check tells me I have another half an hour left until another bus gets here.

For a bit, I just observe. Watch the cars, the people, the birds as they go about their day.

I greet a random passer-by, but they ignore me. Whatever.

As I'm standing there, waiting for the bus, it suddenly starts to snow. It doesn't take long for the sparse snow to transform into proper heavy snowfall, and a layer of it begins to form on the ground.

Huh, that's a bit weird. I would have expected it to be much colder when it snows. I didn't even grab a jacket on my way out and yet I feel fine.

I stretch out my hand, trying to catch a snowflake. but strangely enough, even in the dense snowfall, not a single one falls into my palm.

Alright, I can't just ignore that. There's literally no way that that could have just happened.

Now suspicious, I gaze intently at my palm as I stretch it out once more. And the strangest thing happens.

As a snowflake it about to land, it appears to enter my hand instead. And then it presumably exits the other side, but i can't confirm that.

Completely weirded out by that, but unwilling to completely discount what I just saw, I step out from under the roof of the bus stop.

And don't feel anything.

The gentle pressure that normally accompanies both rain and snow is not there. Just utterly gone. And I'm still not cold, even though it's becoming pretty clear to me that it should be cold enough outside for the snow not to melt.

Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening.

Panic rising, I do the one thing I can think of to deny the assumption growing in my head.

I run up to the nearest stranger. They ignore me.

I greet them. They ignore me.

I start talking to them, asking questions and just being a nuisance. And yet, they still somehow ignore me, just continuing to walk to wherever they're going.

At last, I try to grab them, to place my hands on their shoulder and force them to look at me. But when I reach out to do so, my hands pass through them and I stumble.

Various scenes from today keep running through my mind. Was the water faucet truly broke or did my hands just pass through it? Was everyone on the street truly ignoring me or did they just not see me? Is it truly not cold outside or do I just not feel? Did I truly sleep through my alarm?!

Did all of that happen? Or am I dead, divorced from the material plane, unable to interact or be affected by and yet, somehow, still intrinsically connected to it?!

You know what, let's do this again.

First person to interact with this gets to decide what I write*

*please keep the idea within the range of things I can write in one sitting

[sixofpomegranates]

STRANGERS TO LOVERS READER AND SPENCER WHERE READER MOVES INTO THE APARTMENT BELOW SPENCER AND HEARS HIS LATE NIGHT CRIES FROM NIGHTMARES AND THEN ONE DAY SHE HAS ENOUGH AND GOES UP THERE WITH BLANKETS AND COMFORT FOOD AND IS LIKE "IDK YOU AND YOU DONT KNOW ME BUT YOU'RE SUFFERING AND I HATE IT SO MUCH PLEASE LET ME BE HERE FOR YOU"

♘ 𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 ♞

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader

A/N: Love it. Wanted to make it smut, refused to because it wouldn't have been healthy. Listened to this song: In the middle of the night by Elley Duhé. Made it the title of this one shot. <3

CW: Angst & Comfort | Mentions of Spencer's Canon Trauma, PTSD, Nightmares, Consumption of Food, School/Exams, Storms/Thunder, Making out,

**********

*picture does not describe the looks of the reader*

**********

Living in DC is expensive. No, technically living anywhere on your own is. I think you only ever truly learn to appreciate living with family once you're on your own and have all those freaking bills come in every month.

That was why I was very glad to have found this new apartment. Rent was a dream for my broke grad school student's butt, there were no cockroaches, and the neighborhood was safe.

The first three months were amazing to get settled in... Then, out of the blue, it started.

Every single night I would wake up to someone's crying and screaming coming from the apartment above mine.

The first time I had woken up to it, my whole body had started to shake and I was sure I was involuntarily becoming a witness to a gruesome murder.

As my hands finally stop shaking violently, I called the cops. I didn't know what was going on up there but I wasn't risking the possibility of somebody desperately needing help and not getting it.

Sitting by my window, I watched the police arrive and walk into the apartment complex. Ten minutes later, they walked out accompanied by a man. The streetlights weren't bright enough that I could make out his face but I noticed that he was significantly taller than the cops.

He seemed to know the policemen, waving them goodbye as they drove off again. Then he walked back inside.

I had expected him to knock on my door, be rather annoyed that I had sent him the cops, but no. Nothing. Not even crying or screaming.

Half an hour later I went back to bed and hoped to be able to sleep again after that scare.

This was now happening every day for the last week. In the middle of the night, I would get woken up by desperate screams and cries. By now I had heard them often enough that they didn't scare me anymore but rather became an annoyance.

I had started sleeping in the living room since it seemed like our bedrooms were right above each other's, giving me a first-row seat to whatever was going on upstairs... But sleeping on my couch hadn't been enough to block out this new nightly occurrence.

Work and grad school were hard enough as it was. I knew it sounded selfish but I really didn't need this man keeping me up all night with his night terrors.

One morning, I had just treated myself to some McDonald's breakfast, I met my next-door neighbor Mr. Brown. Having run some errands for him before, it was safe to say that I was on his good site. Therefore, I decided to ask him about the neighbor that was stealing away my precious hours of sleep.

Mr. Brown was fortunate enough not to hear the screams, so it really had to be the location of my apartment. He also told me that the man living there was a doctor working for the FBI. He had helped out Mr. Brown before I moved here but a few months ago had vanished. Just as of recently, he had returned and that was something I knew first-hand.

My neighbor seemed to think very highly of this doctor, so I held the conversation short and didn't mention just how upsetting my lack of sleep was becoming.

*****

Nine nights. Nine nights I had now been the victim of my neighbor's screams.

In two days I had a very important exam and I just couldn't lose any more sleep than my nerves already made me do. I needed to be in top shape but due to the lack of sleep the last two weeks, I struggled with headaches almost every day.

So as night nine woke me up at 3 a.m. I did something completely against my nature. I put on some shoes and walked upstairs to complain.

Knocking against the door of this Dr. Spencer Reid I was desperate for just two days of calm sleep, but the man opening the door seemed like he could use them as well.

"Yeah?" He asked groggily, making me realize that his seriously troubled-looking appearance had taken the wind out of my sails.

"Hi, Dr. Reid, is it?" I ask rhetorically and he nodded. "I live in the apartment below you. I'm [y/n] [y/l/n]. We didn't have the pleasure to meet yet."

"How can I help you?" he said, the dark bags under his eyes baring witness of the last nine days that seemed to have him even less rested than me.

"I- I can't sleep," I told him, the confused look on his face had me realize just how stupid and like a blatant pick-up line it sounded.

"I- I can hear you. Every single night. I know it is really unsympathetic of me to ask of this but please, please I really need to sleep. I am a grad student and I have an exam coming up. I-"

"I understand," the doctor said, interrupting me while brushing through his messy mane which seemed to once have had curls until they weren't cared for anymore. "I have some rough few months behind me. I'm sorry for the inconvenience I was causing you. It won't happen again."

I couldn't quite read this man. He seemed sorry and ashamed but every emotion seemed drained of energy. He really seemed to need some sleep.

"Thanks. Goodnight," I told him out of politeness, walking down the stairs and going to bed.

Goodnight. What a stupid thing to say to him.

*****

I was so ready for the weekend. My exam was written, homework done, and the next few days I didn't have to work.

The doctor had also kept his word, the last two days I had slept like a baby. I was already starting to forget how disturbing the past two weeks had been but coming home, I was hit with more information about my new neighbor than I was comfortable with.

Just before I could enter my apartment, the doctor walked up the stairs supported by a dark-haired woman while another blonde one walked after them.

"I can walk on my own," he grumpily tried to assure the women, the brunette shaking her head. "Reid, you collapsed today. We're going to get you to bed and you're going to get some rest."

Like the nosy bitch I am, I slowly started walking after them, only to hear the doctor answer, "I can't." "Yes, you can. We're gonna make you some tea and then you'll sleep a little," the blonde replied motherly, only to have him shake his head.

"I- I can't sleep," he told his friends as they opened his apartment door. "Why not?" The dark-haired woman asked.

The doctor snapped around to look at her. "Because-" Then his eyes met mine as he noted me standing by the staircase. "Because I'm a burden for the people around me when I try."

The answer had been for his friend but he said it while looking at me, making me realize that he had forced himself to stay awake the last few days so I could peacefully sleep without getting woken up by his nightmares.

"Hi," I mumbled, the guilt for being so self-absorbed spreading in my chest. He echoed in reply, "Hi."

As his friends turned around to look at me, he cleared his throat, standing on his own like he hadn't needed help up the stairs mere minutes ago.

"How- How was your exam?" The doctor asked me in a clumsy but surprisingly sweet attempt at small talk.

"Good," I answered, and once again he echoed me. "Good."

I forced myself to smile through the guilt I felt. I had been so annoyed by the nightly wake-up calls that I hadn't considered the tall they must be taking on the man living through them.

After staring me down for a moment, the blonde looked back at the doctor. "A friend?" She asked pleasantly surprised, but he shook his head promptly.

"Neighbor," he answered, getting into his apartment but forcing his friends to stay outside. "Thanks for driving me," he told them before closing the door and leaving all three of us alone.

Sighing deeply about it, the brunette shook her head. "I need a coffee."

Then she looked at me, reaching out her hand. "Emily Prentiss and that's Jennifer Jareau," she said, her blonde friend waving a little. I shook her hand, answering, "[y/n] [y/l/n]."

My one toxic trait was definitely that I was a fixer. When I saw something that simply didn't work, my instinct told me to fix it. In this case, it was the doctor's hopeless attempts of sleeping. He had forced himself to stay awake for me, now I had to find a way to fix his problem.

"Can- Can invite you to coffee?" I asked the women, and they smiled at each other.

"I smell a bribe," Emily chuckled, having seen right through me.

"I just..." Taking a deep breath I said, "He didn't sleep the last two days because of me."

Jennifer smiled at me. "Please don't think that this is your fault," she said. "Spence has been through a rough patch lately. It is normal that he has troubles sleeping."

Shaking my head, I answered, "No. It really is. I- I live in the apartment below and I heard him having nightmares – or whatever is going on when he tries to sleep – every single night the last two weeks. Two days ago I told him that it was keeping me up and I had an exam..."

Emily nodded, finishing the story for me. "And he decided to stop sleeping so he wouldn't wake you up anymore. Oh, Spencer..." She sighed.

"I just feel guilty and wanna help." "That is sweet of you, really. But the help he needs is therapy and some time," Jennifer smiled.

What the hell had happened to this man the last couple of months?

"Where was he the last few months? Some job for the FBI?" I blatantly asked, making the women stare at me. "Gossip travels fast amongst neighbors," I said.

After a while of silent stares being exchanged, Emily looked at me. "Prison."

Then she started walking down the stairs while a cold shiver ran down my back. "Are you coming? You promised coffee," she called back at me.

I looked at Jennifer for a moment before hurrying after the brunette.

*****

Laying in bed that night, I couldn't sleep. Not because of the doctor having nightmares again but because of all the things I had gotten told by his friends.

Wrongfully imprisoned, beaten, attacked, mother kidnapped, the fear of her being dead, and having to face the psychopath who did all this to him.

These three months have been more traumatic for him than some complete lifetimes for others. His friends clearly troubled by all that happened too.

Watching TV in the future, I wouldn't wish for a more adventurous life or daydream about being an FBI agent because of some show I had seen. Thinking about it, I was pretty happy with the life I had.

As I rolled over for what must've been the hundredth time, I could hear it once again. The doctor was having another nightmare. Just this time it was only 10 p.m. Normally, I'd get woken up around 3 a.m. which made me believe that he most likely had tried sleeping through the day so that he would wake me up at night.

Contemplating for a while about what to do, I got out of bed. Soon he would wake up and stay in the stressed out and tired state for the rest of the night.

I should've just minded my own business and not force myself into a situation I couldn't relate to anyway... But my helper's complex really started hitting me harder than ever before.

Grabbing my keys, I walked over to the pizza place across from our apartments, and armed with food I walked back upstairs.

I had to knock a couple of times, but finally, the doctor opened the door. Rubbing his eyes, trying to hide away his tear-stained cheeks, he greeted me. "Ms. [y/l/n]. Hello. I'm sorry. I- I know."

"Was a bad one, huh?" I simply asked, cutting all this polite bullshit.

He gave me a tortured smile, "I'm starting to get used to them. I'm sorry I woke you up... again... I just was so tired. I thought... I don't know."

Lifting the cartons of Italian food, I said, "I happen to have a bunch of food. Would you let me in so we can share it?"

He looked at me bewildered, for a moment seeming thankful that I didn't plan on leaving him alone with his mind again, but then shook his head. "I- I can't accept that offer."

"Why not?" I asked, making him sigh. "I like my privacy and- and I am not good at the whole 'meeting new people' process."

That rejection wasn't directed at me but at himself. I already knew he thought himself to be a burden, so I decided to ignore it and decide on his behalf.

"And I like my sleep," I smiled. "Guess we're both going to pass out on some of it."

"[y/n]..." he mumbled, startling me a little. I really liked how my name sounded on his lips, it was almost like poetry begging me to leave him suffering.

Pressing the food into his arms, I walked past him into his apartment.

"Oh, wow," I mumbled, realizing that our apartments had the completely same layout. "That's like I just entered the library version of my apartment," I said more to myself than the doctor, staring at all the books on the built-in shelves.

"I- I like to read," he explained, looking at the stacks of books on the floor who hadn't found a home on the shelves yet... Or rather, a place. Those shelves were packed.

"Thought so much," I answered, watching him put the food on the dinner table.

"I don't know what to do," he whispered, looking at me for advice, and I smiled. "Some plates and cutlery would be smart."

Nodding, he walked off into the kitchen. When he came back, a little upset, putting the plates down. "Why are you doing this? Why- Did Emily or JJ ask you to check on me?"

They had given me their phone numbers for the case I noticed him struggling, but no.

I shook my head. "They didn't." "Then why?" He asked again.

Letting out a sigh, I answered, "Look, I know we don't know each other, but you're suffering. And I hate it so much hearing it every single night." Taking a step towards him, I noticed the tears in his eyes. "Just please let me be there for you. I don't think I could forgive myself if I'd just left you to suffer alone."

"That's called a savior's complex, or messiah complex, or Christ complex," he blurted out, hands moving up to gesture with them. "It- It's a state of mind in which an individual holds the belief that they are destined to become a savior today or in the near future. The term can also refer to a state of mind in which an individual believes that they are responsible for saving or assisting others."

I stared at him, making him blush. "The- The second one is the one applying to you." "Okay," I answered since I had already figured that much.

"I'm sorry," he said, making me shake my head. "Don't be, Dr. Reid."

"Spencer. Please just... Just Spencer," the doctor corrected me, almost embarrassed over me using his title.

I smiled at him, looking at the dinner table. "Okay, Spencer. Can we eat while you psychoanalyze me?"

He nodded and I could swear he tried hiding the emotion about not being alone. Both taking a seat at the table, I began opening the different boxes and put them onto the plates.

*****

"So, what is it that you dream about?" I asked while we ate our desserts.

Emily and Jennifer, or like Spencer called her JJ, had done us a favor by telling me about what had happened to him. I had mentioned that they had told me about the last month as I had bribed them with coffee, and Spencer seemed remarkably glad about it although he refused to talk about these things himself.

Instead, he just kept on rambling about TV shows and books. He was telling me so much after having eaten his first plate that I felt that he hadn't had somebody to talk to like this in a very long time.

Also, he devoured the pasta and pizza like it was his last meal. Maybe it had been the prison food or not wanting to eat alone as he came back home, but he seemed to really have needed it.

Now, that I was seeing his face light up and smile, I was also to notice that he was quite handsome and sweet under all that sleep-deprived trauma of his.

Poking his tiramisu with the fork, he said, "I- I am back in my cell and although I know it's a dream, I cannot wake up. I just keep getting jumped and am afraid. It feels like having an anxiety attack while I am sleeping."

"Isn't anxiety a part of PTSD?" "They call it PTSS now," he corrected me. "But, yes it is."

"Than what is causing the anxiety?" I asked, making him sigh.

"That this might be the dream, he murmured. "I- I know it sounds absurd, but I haven't really slept in so long that I'm afraid that every time I wake up in my cell is the reality and being back home is the dream."

Taking a sip from my coke, I looked at Spencer. "Is it so hard to believe that it's over?" He nodded. "I thought I'd die in there. And to think that now I am eating Italian food with a pretty woman who barely knows me and still wants to be here..."

His face started to turn the deepest shade of pink I had ever seen on a face. He had just called me pretty and although I wanted to squeal, I played it down cool. "You're just saying that because I brought you food," I giggled.

A grin on his lips, he slightly shook his head, looking down on his dessert.

"So," I started to stir the conversation back to his nightmares, "You're subconsciously thinking that once you're having a good nighttime's rest, you'll wake up back in prison? That won't happen, Spencer."

He nodded, smile vanishing. "You can't promise that."

"Yes, I can. Logic is on my side in this case," I retorted stubbornly, making him conclude the obvious. "You're a stubborn woman."

Soft laughter was broken by the loud sound of thunder and the felt vibration of its intensity. I didn't mind storms, I actually found them quite soothing.

Yet, I exclaimed giggling, "That was loud." Looking over at Spencer, I could see his hands shaking, face having gotten pale. "Are you okay?"

"Loud," he answered quickly, putting the fork aside.

"Do you want me to put the food away?" I offered, trying to navigate through this burst of anxiety he felt.

As Spencer nodded thankfully, I got up and began cleaning up. Washing the dishes, I did with him standing next to me. Another loud thunder had made him join me in the kitchen. He looked tired, the warm food seeming to have given him some comfort, but he was still on high alert. No chance he would sleep once I left.

Maybe I should just stay, I had spent a fair share of the last two weeks on my couch, another night on one wouldn't hurt.

"I have an-" I started, the same time he began stepping closer and saying, "Can you-"

We both stopped, and I gestured at him, "You first."

"Do- Do you think you could stay the night?" He asked quickly and uncertain then shook his head. "That was inappropriate of me to ask. I'm sorry, you have better things to do."

"I actually wanted to offer it anyway."

We smiled at each other a little stupidly, then another thunder roared through the night. Spencer closed the distance between us, practically jumping into my arms.

"Hi," I exclaimed in surprise, looking at him. "Hi," he answered, arms wrapped around me so tightly I feared he'd snap me in half.

Standing there and staring at him, I noticed his eyes beginning to focus on my lips, his tongue licking over his own. Watching his eyes become dark and face coming closer, I closed the distance between us.

That had definitely not been part of my plans, sex wasn't a good coping mechanism, and yet, I didn't fight against it. Our lips were pressed roughly onto each other's. Violently hungry he backed me against the kitchen counter, hands starting to roam my body, making moan into his mouth.

"I- We need to stop," he growled into the kiss.

"Why?," I whispered back, letting my hands wander into his hair.

Ripping his lips from mine, he answered breathlessly, cupping my face in his hands, "Because I'd use you to get rid of my build-up tensions. You deserve better than that, to be courted properly. You're so precious."

"I'll still stay the night though," I answered, making him lay his head back and chuckle. "You're so stubborn."

I nodded, "That's part of my appeal."

Placing another soft kiss on my lips, he smiled against them, "It is. And once I am no longer a complete basket case, I promise I'll pay you back for it with the best dinner date possible."

That night I didn't spend on Spencer's couch but in his bed. As he had requested, nothing more had happened than sweet kisses in the dark. We had fallen asleep with our limps entangled in one another and only once I had to wake him up gently, having awoken to his cries.

In the morning, I was up before him, taking in the view of his peaceful face. As he opened those beautiful hazel eyes, a soft and weary smile followed when seeing me next to him.

"Not a dream," he whispered, pulling me closer and pressing his lips against mine.

Yet for me, it felt like it was one that had only just begun.

[arhvste]

❝ the morning after ❞

ft : suna rintarō, sakusa kiyoomi, miya atsumu, kozume kenma, asahi azumane

warnings : sfw but suggestive - implied sex [night before]

SUNA RINTARŌ

-> sleeps in with you

-> neither of you are in a rush to get up and you’re both tired

-> he’s lazy but he has stamina and that’s evident from last night

-> around 11:30AM he’ll grunt at you signalling he’s awake

-> “oi, you awake?”

-> his voice is heavy with sleep and his hands are already looking for your body

-> eventually you’ll stir awake and find your bodies been shifted so you’re back in his arms

-> suna is naturally warm so his body heat is transferring onto you keeping you satisfied in his arms

-> “morning rin” you’ll mumble tiredly back at him

-> the second he hears your voice he’s got a lazy grin painted across his face

-> “wanna get up in a minute?” he’ll ask

-> what he means is he wants breakfast

-> but he’ll be the one cooking so don’t worry

-> he’ll slip his large t-shirt over you to keep you covered and carry you on his back downstairs before sitting you on the kitchen counter

-> lucky you, you get a nice view of his bare back whist he cooks

-> he’ll still be yawning and stretching whist he’s by the cooker but then he hisses slightly

-> why?

-> because you left some angry marks on his back last night >:(

-> “i’ll take care of those after breakfast”

-> your reassurance is cute because he doesn’t actually need treatment but the fact you’re willing to take care of him is precious to him

-> “you gonna take care of me yeah?”

-> pretty side glancing at you in his shirt

-> he wants to tease you, he really does

-> but he just can’t stop himself from losing himself in the sight of you sat on the kitchen counter with one of his shirts covering you while you tiredly rub your eyes

-> he’s so whipped

-> too whipped in fact because he loses concentration of everything else

-> “rin, you’ve seen me with and without this shirt many times now focus”

-> “nah, i like the view”

-> “and i like my eggs preferably not burnt.”

-> he looks down at the pan, and you’re right

-> “worth it”

SAKUSA KIYOOMI

-> he’s up early no matter what his late night activities were

-> and he would be up on his morning run right now but there’s something stopping him

-> you cutely curled up beside him in bed

-> you’re not even awake and yet you still have control over him

-> he just sighs and hopes you wake up soon so you can both shower together

-> although he loves making a mess with you, he loves cleaning it up better

-> he’s literally itching for a shower by the time you stir awake

-> see, he actually waits for you to wake up because he respects he wore you out last night

-> “good morning princex, shower?”

-> he’s already scooping you up from the bed before you even have a chance to respond

-> yourself and sakusa have a very spacious shower room

-> sakusa isn’t a fan of those tight little single showers so he made sure to purchase an apartment with nothing but the most luxurious bathroom layout and facilities

-> please, you even have one of those tile benches installed in the shower

-> and this is perfect because sakusa loves washing your hair for you

-> his fingers are perfect in your hair as he works in the products you use and throughly washes it after

-> he’s very gentle and after washing you down you do the same for him

-> pressing wet kisses along your shoulder blade and collarbone, he loves the feeling of your hands lathering soap across his body

-> he would argue that the activities the morning after were more enjoyable than the activities in the bedroom

-> but they’re both important to him in different ways

-> the soft mutters of “i love you” and “thank you” are exchanged between the two of you as he handled you gently

-> will carefully lead you out the bathroom and sit you down by the big vanity in your room before pulling out a hair dryer

-> the two of you take self care importantly and make sure to take care elf one another accordingly

-> mornings after with sakusa are slow but very intimate

MIYA ATSUMU

-> an early riser but will sleep in the next morning

-> he honestly just wants you close to him for as long as possible

-> he’ll joke about going for a morning round but really he just wants you cuddled up close to him

-> slow kisses always occur when it comes to mornings with him

-> he doesn’t care that it’s mid winter and the two of you are still naked

-> he’ll get his morning kisses one way or another so as soon as he stirs awake he’s trapped you in his arms so you can’t leave him

-> presses kisses along your shoulders and back as he waits for you to wake up

-> honestly, he’s just in love with you all over again

-> who allowed his s/o to be so perfect even first thing in the morning :(

-> “morning tsumu” makes him perk up everytime

-> “mornin’ doll”

-> doesn’t care how awake you are, the fact you’re speaking tells him you’re awake enough for a slow make out sesh before getting up

-> these types of kisses arent like the ones from the night before

-> they’re equally as special but they’re different

-> these kisses are slow and meaningful, he’s making sure you’re aware of how gentle he really can treat you

-> they’re a reminder that he does think you’re special and he does care and want to keep you safe

-> his love language is physical affection and he tells you he loves you through the long and slow kisses he forces you to crave more of

-> after a while you will tell him it’s time to get up though

-> he’ll whine but oblige and get up and out of the covers revealing a very naked atsumu

-> “like what ya see? we can always go for another round if ya-”

-> “get in the shower and i’ll see you downstairs for breakfast in 10.”

-> “yes angel :,)”

KOZUME KENMA

-> waking up at the same time as kenma is a blessing and a curse

-> he loves that he gets to wake up and see you at the same time you see him

-> but he’s also not prepared to be met with his naked s/o first thing in the morning

-> he won’t even look you in the eye

-> “kenma, are you okay?”

-> “you’re um naked”

-> “yes?”

-> “aren’t you cold or something maybe you should put something on”

-> “but just a few hours ago you were eating m-”

-> “JUST PUT SOMETHING ON!”

-> he’s so embarrassed but it’s only because you both know the effect you have over him

-> you just laugh and call him a baby

-> but maybe you should’ve just stayed naked because he’s even more flustered at the sight of you in his sweater

-> your naked body is under that :0

-> he wears that sweater when he streams too :0

-> scandalous >:)

-> “take it off.”

-> “but you just said t-”

-> “kitten please, you’re doing it on purpose”

-> he’s so flustered and it’s all your fault

-> he’s so worried he looks weird in front of you but honestly it’s cute seeing him so vulnerable

-> you just pull him back down under the covers to sleep for a little longer

-> and who is he is deny when you’re clinging to him in his sweater like that

-> looking down at your precious face too

-> how is he ever meant to say no to you

-> and honestly sleep sounds so desirable right now

-> maybe when he wakes up he’d be more prepared for the sight of you in his clothes

-> he’s just so in love with you and he loves and hates that you have this effect over him

-> but he’s glad that it’s you that has this effect on you and only you

ASAHI AZUMANE

-> you are not getting up early in the morning

-> actually, you’re not getting up at all because you ache

-> and it’s a pain because you wake up before him

-> so you’re just kinda sat there waiting for him to wake up

-> when he does wake up he’s met with a small smirk painted across your face

-> “morning?”

-> “i cant move”

-> “please don’t say it like that!”

-> he is so apologetic

-> he didn’t mean to hurt you and besides you were technically asking for it :(

-> but he will pamper you because he feels horrible

-> even if you tell him it’s okay he won’t listen and he will treat you the way he feels you should be

-> he’ll keep you in bed and go make you breakfast

-> any mail is brought up for you to read in bed

-> any water or coffee you require he will bring

-> “baby i’m not sick”

-> “but you can’t move and it’s my fault”

-> please dhsbdjebd

-> he will be like this for most of the day until you insist you feel better

-> constant apologises are given to you throughout the day despite the fact you promise you’re okay

-> he feels so bad oh :(

-> reassure him enough and he’ll start to believe you though

-> also reassure him it’s not his fault because he will be mentally taking note for the next time you guys ya know >:)

-> “why do you ask for it if you know it hurts the next morning”

-> and he has a point

-> “because it’s worth it”

-> that’s always your argument

-> and besides if that’s why you want from him at the time he won’t deprive you

-> you just have to promise to let him take care of you the next morning that’s all

general taglist → @atsumuwoah @bloody-bella @bbymilkbread @miracleboy420 @doggonudez @tsumue @peteunderoos @tsukkisbean @saturnfarie @dear-kozume @zumisace @boosyboo9206 @totorosleaff @27kei @dai-tsukki-desu @angrylittleriri @dearestmegumi @kuxredere @warakou @iss6s @lovinnoya @sophiashortcake @wompwomphq @waitforitillwritemywayout @webworld @brokeasshoee @sunasbabie @rowley-with-ackerman @mjoork

ALL CONTENT BELONGS TO @KUROOSKULT ON TUMBLR 2020 PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, CHANGE OR PLAGIARISE

[itsallyscorner]

Teaming Up with Sam and Bucky ft Zemo

Pairing: FEM!Reader; Bucky Barnes x reader, Sam Wilson x reader; platonic(?), let’s throw in some Zemo x reader

Summary: What it would be like to team up with our favorite duo. Takes place during TFATWS.

Warnings: none, TFATWS SPOILERS. Lowkey a mess :D

A/n: Ever since TFATWS came out I’ve been reminded of how much I love Bucky and Sam. Also I have a new found love for Zemo. I’ve just been so obsessed with this series and I’ve been reading so many fics about it, so I decided to finally write my own :) Enjoy my loves❤️

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

✧───── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *. ☽.* :★. ─────✧

You’re basically working with a bunch of children.

The children mostly being Sam and Bucky, though Zemo does have his moments once he joins you three.

You’ve known dumb and dumber for a few years now, being part of the Avengers, you’ve worked with Sam on multiple missions. The friendship blooming somewhere in between.

You were also close friends with Steve; when he first came out the ice, you were assigned to help him adjust to the modern world by Fury. He would tell you a bunch of stories of him and Bucky running into trouble or Bucky always saving his ass whenever he was getting beaten up.

Eventually, you finally got to meet Bucky, though he wasn’t Bucky, he was the Winter Soldier. Your introduction to each other was quite memorable to say the least.

He choked you with that metal arm of his and for a split second you swore you might’ve found it attractive—till he threw your body against a car.

You sided with Cap during the accords and helped him protect Bucky. When that whole mess was over, Steve asked you to stay with Bucky in Wakanda to make sure he would be safe.

You were the first person to have some kind of bond with Bucky. Before and after he was freed from Hydra’s hold on him, you were always someone he knew he could trust.

When Steve told you what he was going to do while retuning the stones he told you to watch over them.

“Promise me you’ll keep an eye on Buck and Sam?” He asked you, sitting on the edge of your bed. He had snuck into your room late at night, knowing you were wide awake.

You squeezed his hand reassuringly, a lazy smile on your lips, “They don’t need me, I’m sure they’re capable of surviving on their own.” Steve breathes out a laugh and shakes his head, “You’d be surprised.”

“But seriously, (y/n), they need you. You know how they get when they’re together. You’re the only person in the world who knows how to deal with the both of them at the same time.” Steve reasons, his baby blues sparkling in the darkness of the guest room of Tony’s lake house.

“Make sure they’re not on the verge of killing each other or running into too much trouble?” You tiredly nod, sleep slowly consuming your body. “I promise, they’re gonna be alright, Steve.”

Sometimes you found yourself looking up at the sky, cursing at it—or Steve—for leaving you with two of the most childish and stubborn men you’ve ever known in your life.

You were like the mother of the group; breaking up fights, making sure they skipped no meals, patching up their boo-boos, etc.

“Will you stop staring at me?” Sam snapped, tossing his goggles onto the seat beside him to glare at Bucky.

“I’m not staring at you.” Bucky remarked from across Sam. His flesh and metal arm crossing with each other as he stared at Sam challengingly.

“Yes, you are. Your eyes are connecting with mine. You’re literally staring at me right now!” Sam pointed out, to which Bucky rolled his eyes at.

“Because I’m talking to you, genius. I wasn’t staring at you.” Bucky quipped.

“Yes you were!”

“No I wasn’t!”

This continued till they were sick of bickering with each other, finally yelling out your name for help.

The arguments were straight up petty. Bucky wouldn’t admit it, but he was the pettiest.

Exhibit 1: “LoOKiNG StrONg jOHn!”

Like seriously? Bucky’s the pettiest bitch, nobody can tell me otherwise.

You and Sam would definitely find it amusing how Bucky doesn’t trust Redwing.

Obviously, you all despise John Walker. Just the thought of him left a bad taste in your mouth.

He was like a fly that you all couldn’t get rid of. But because you were all painfully patient people—mostly you and Sam—you had to deal with his bullshit despite the way he annoyed you all.

Totally loosing your shit when Bucky helps Zemo break himself out of prison.

“Please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did.” You groaned, fingers pinching the bridge of your nose together.

Bucky looks at you with feign innocence; his mouth agape and puppy eyes. “I—didn’t do...anything(?).”

“You helped Zemo break out of prison didn’t you?” You crossed your arms at him, hip jutting out. As if on cue, Sokovian sugar daddy walks into the abandoned garage you were all in.

Before you can explode on him, Bucky tried to calm you down, “Wait, I technically didn’t do anything though! It was his plan!”

Zemo definitely lives up to being the ✨Sokovian Sugar Daddy✨ of your dysfunctional group.

I think you’d all be surprised at how rich he was. The amount of connections he had wasn’t that big of a shocker.

No like seriously, homie was pulling all sorts of shit out his ass; cars, private planes, houses in different countries, etc.

You all had a love hate relationship with Zemo. On days when he was actually helpful, you all got a long. On the days when things got horribly messy, Zemo couldn’t even let a word out since Sam would tell him to “shut up”.

Though that still doesn’t excuse the fact that he got the Avengers to spilt up and go against each other.

When you guys are all hiding out in one of Zemo’s apartments or homes, you would probably cook breakfast, lunch, or dinner for everyone.

They actually loved it when you cooked because it made the atmosphere feel a bit homey and calm compared to the current situation you were all in.

You were the person they can all go to. You were easy to talk to, making it easier for them to open up to you.

You always checked in on them mentally and physically. For example, you knew Sam felt guilty about giving up the shield, but Bucky never made him forget about his choice. You were there to reassure him that he thought he was doing the right thing and didn’t know the hidden agenda of the government.

You were like their on the go therapist, babysitter, and partner.

Sometimes Bucky and Sam would even argue for your attention.

“Can you stop hogging (y/n) please? Her ears might fall off from hearing you yap all day.” Bucky said as he gently took your arm and dragged you away from Sam.

“You literally spent the whole day with her yesterday, you’re the one who needs to stop hogging (y/n).” Sam argued, grabbing onto your other arm.

“I didn’t get to spend time with (y/n).” Zemo mentioned from his seat in the kitchen, a glass of whisky in his hand. Bucky simply turned to him and pointed, “NO!”

Honestly what’s a friendship with Bucky and Sam without some harmless flirting. They weren’t gonna lie, you were gorgeous, the most attractive one out of the group.

When you guys had to go undercover at Madripoor, both times with Zemo and Sharon, you had to wear dresses that were a bit revealing. Maybe your chest was a bit shown, but the dress definitely showed off your legs.

“So what do you guys think?” You stopped at the bottom of the stairs of Sharon’s apartment, doing a little spin to show off your outfit.

Both Bucky and Sam’s jaws drop, Zemo probably nodding in approval in the corner.

You can’t forget about the nicknames: maybe doll, sweetheart, or darlin’ from Bucky and the typical Louisiana Cher from Sammy.

While fighting against the Flag Smashers or anyone in general, you guys always had each other’s back.

You could directly be fighting someone, but you’ll naturally have an eye on Sam and Bucky to make sure nobody was sneaking up on them.

It’s a given that you all patch each other up after some fight.

You were all very protective of each other. If there’s one thing Sam and Bucky can agree on, it’s their instinct to protect you.

Like how you kept an eye on them, they also kept their eyes on you. Even though they knew you could hold your own.

“Could you walk?” Sam asked you as you laid on the concrete floor. You were double teamed by a couple of Flag Smashers. Two super soldiers against a normal person, you totally got your ass handed to you.

You pushed yourself up to rest on your elbows, “I’m fine, just got dropped kicked twice, but I’ll be fine.”

Sam smiled at you, “That’s my girl.”

Though the two can be a handful and argue almost every minute, you loved the both of them tremendously. You wouldn’t have it any other way.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

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MavDad: Drivin’

A/N: Here's the next installment of MavDad! Thank you to everyone for reading and your support. As always please leave ideas for future chapters in the comments! 😁💜

MavDad Masterlist

Also on Ao3!

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Mav smiled at Brad as he excitedly ran down the stairs to the kitchen, today was the day he was getting his learner’s permit. They had an 8AM appointment with the BMV for him to take the written test, then he had to complete 50 hours of driving and turn 16 to get his license. 

Brad made his way to the table, a box of cereal under his arm to make room for the milk and bowl in his hands. 

Mav laughed, checking the time, it was 6:30 in the morning, “Bradley I don’t think I’ve ever seen you awake this early, let alone eating breakfast.”

“Well, I wanted to start the day right,” Brad said around a mouthful of lucky charms. 

“Bud, its only 6:30, we still have another hour and a half before we have to be there,” Mav told him, trying to hide his laughter.

Carole, who had just made her way down the stairs, was surprised to see Brad up so early, “Honey, why are you up so early? Its a Saturday.”

“My appointment to take my driver’s test is today,” Brad said, before shoveling more cereal in his mouth. 

“I know that, its been on the calendar for a month now, that still doesn’t explain why you are up so early,” Carole teased him as she made herself a cup of coffee. 

“I don’t want to be late, mom,” Brad said, “If I miss this appointment then I will have to wait at least 3 more weeks.”

Carole laughed, “Okay honey, I’m sure you won't be late, its only a few minutes away.”

“Yeah, I just wanted to be prepared,” Brad said. 

“No harm in that, the military always wants us overprepared,” Mav said before taking a sip of his coffee. 

Carole smiled at them both before the room descended into comfortable silence between the 3 of them. Carole was sipping her coffee and reading a book, Mav was reading through the technical specs of an aircraft they wanted him to test, and Brad was nervously reviewing the material that his school gave him for the driver’s test. 

As the clock approached 7:00, Brad jumped up from the table, bringing his cereal bowl to the sink to wash it out. He finished washing out the bowl before turning to Mav, “Dad you better be ready to go by 7:30, we are getting there early.”

Mav laughed at him, “Alright, I guess I’ll go get dressed then.” 

As Brad made his way upstairs Mav turned to Carole with a smile, “Should I let him drive us home?” 

“I think that would make his day Maverick,” Carole said. 

Mav got up from the table just as Brad called down to him, “You haven’t even come up to get dressed yet!” 

“I’m coming!” Mav shouted back, “I’m old you can’t expect me to move that fast.” 

“You aren’t that old,” Brad said as he made his way back downstairs. 

Mav ruffled Brad’s hair as he passed him on the stairs, he was sitting at the bottom tying his shoes. Brad had gotten tall in the last year and Mav missed the days when he could ruffle his hair or give him a hug without feeling short. 

Mav got dressed quickly, Bradley was pacing by the garage door and Mav was worried that if he took too long Brad would make a hole in the floor. He came down the stairs and checked his watch, it was 7:30, “Okay, when do you want to leave?”

Brad looked at him, Mav could see the nervousness in his eyes, “Now.” 

“Well let’s go then,” Mav said with a smile. 

Carole got up from the table, before Brad could escape into the garage, and pulled him into a hug, “You’re going to do great Brad, don’t second guess yourself on the answers, okay?”

Brad let out a deep breath, Carole’s hugs always made him feel better, “Okay mom, love you.” 

“I love you too sweetie, good luck,” Carole said before releasing him from her tight grip and planting a kiss on his cheek. 

Brad walked into the garage, Mav grabbed the keys to the Bronco off of the hook by the door. They rode in silence for the short drive to the BMV, Brad was still visibly nervous. As Mav parked the truck he turned to Brad, “What are you so nervous about Bradley? You’ve been studying this for a few weeks now, and you know the basics of how cars work, this is going to be a breeze.” 

Brad thought for a moment, “I just don’t want to mess it up, I don’t want to be a burden to you and mom anymore and getting this means I am one step closer to getting my license.”

Mav couldn’t believe what he was hearing, he grabbed Brad’s shoulder, “Bradley, you have never been a burden to your mom or I. We take you places and do things for you because we are your parents and we love you. You could never be a burden.” 

Brad sighed, “I know that, sometimes I just wonder if this is what you wanted for your life.” 

Mav was quiet for a minute, “What do you mean?”

“Well you haven’t gotten married, and you never seriously date women. Sometimes I wonder what your life would be like if you didn’t have to take care of us,” Brad said seriously. 

“Bradley, even if your dad was still here, you guys are my only family. I would still be a person very much involved in your life. I have always helped out your mom and dad and they did the same for me even now,” Mav said with a sigh. 

“I love you like you are my own son Bradley. I know that you wish your dad was still here, hell I do every day, he deserved more time with you and your mom. I’m here because he was my best friend and I promised him that I would take care of you both if anything happened, but I am also here because I want to be here, because I’d be right beside your dad if he were still here,” Mav finished passionately. 

Brad looked at him, tears in his eyes, “Okay, I’m sorry for bringing it up.” 

Mav pulled him into a hug, a few tears in his own eyes, “Don’t be bud, I want you to know that I am here for you because I want to be,” he gave a watery laugh, “I was never good at keeping women around anyway, they tend to get upset with you when you don’t talk to them for months on end.”

Brad laughed, sinking into Mav’s embrace, “I can see how that would be an issue.”

They heard the door lock from the BMV click open, both turned to look at the clock on the dash to see that it was 8:00. 

Mav let Brad go, “Alright bud, you got this, there is nothing to worry about.”

Brad nodded, “Okay, let’s do it.”

They went into the BMV and Mav took a seat in front of the counter next to Brad. 

“What can we do for you today?” the lady behind the counter asked.

“I have an appointment to take the written driving test,” Brad told her confidently. 

“Okay honey, and what’s your name?” She asked, typing on the computer. 

“Bradley Bradshaw,” Brad said. 

“And is this your father?” the woman asked, looking between the two of them.

Mav spoke up, “No, but I am listed as a legal guardian.” 

That was Carole’s idea in case anything happened to her then Bradley wouldn’t be taken from the only family he had left.

“Okay so you are Mr. Mitchell then?” the woman asked. 

“Yes, that’s me,” Mav said. 

“Alright, well Bradley is going to take the test on the computers over there,” she began, pointing to the computer across the room, “when he is done and if he passes then you will both fill out some paperwork and we will get his photo for his learner’s permit.”

“Sounds good,” Brad said, “which computer do you want me at?”

“Just take number 1 honey, once you click on the screen the test will start,” the woman said to him, “Mr. Mitchell, you can take a seat in the waiting area until he is done.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Mav said, before he and Brad got up, giving Brad one last pat on the back, “You got this bud.”

“Thanks dad,” Brad said, giving him a smile before making his way to the computers. 

While Brad took his test, Mav thought about the conversation they had in the parking lot. Why would Brad think that he is a burden? Mav loved spending time with him, hell he found a job he loves because of Brad. He couldn’t say that he never wanted a wife or a family of his own, but he was just not willing to give up flying to obtain that. So as far as he was concerned, Carole and Brad were the only family he needed. 

Mav, who was lost in his own thoughts, didn’t realize that Brad had finished his test until Brad bumped his arm. 

“You okay?” he asked. 

Mav shook his head, “Yeah, I’m good. Did you pass?”

Brad gave him a grin, “You were right, I breezed right through it.”

“What did I tell you?” Mav said smiling, “Now let’s get this paperwork filled out.”

The BMV lady walked them through the paperwork before taking Brad’s picture for his permit, “Alright honey, you are all set. Your official permit will show up to your house in a few days once the paperwork is fully processed.”

“Thank you for your help,” Mav said as they both got up to leave. 

“My pleasure!” she said smiling, “Drive safe out there!”

They all shared a laugh as Brad and Mav made their way to the door. Once they were outside Mav tossed the keys for the Bronco to Brad with a quick, “Heads up.” 

“Really?” Brad asked, awe in his voice.

“Really,” Mav said with a smile, “Just don’t kill us.”

Brad laughed at him, “I won’t kill us.”

“Good,” Mav said as he buckled up, “Now take us home nice and slow.”

“Alright,” Brad said as he started the engine. 

Mav white knuckled the dash the whole way home. How in the hell Goose could sit back-seat in an F14 he would never know, sitting shot-gun with Brad was like riding with himself behind the wheel. As Brad backed them into the garage, Mav just hoped that Brad wouldn’t take after him in the air too.