#before today i barely had one meal a day it was so ridiculous

[floatingwithlaura]

i ate some pretty yummy food today wtf.

[joelsrose]

Valentine’s Day

fluff!!

i think i might make a little mini-series of cute fluff one shots of reader travelling w/ Joel - same vibe as polaroids

The road stretched endlessly ahead, an unbroken ribbon of cracked asphalt and brittle grass edging the silence between you and Joel. Time had lost its edges, slipping by in indistinguishable layers—sunrise and sunset melting into a quiet, unending rhythm. You both found small ways to measure the days, counting by the frost thickening in the mornings or the way your breath lingered longer in the air.

He’d been quiet that morning, gaze fixed on the horizon, shoulders curled inward in a way you’d come to recognize—a silent signal of his retreat into himself. Only when he finally spoke, his voice roughened by the cold, did you catch a faint trace of what lay beneath.

“Mid-February,” he muttered, the words barely a whisper, his eyes distant, unfocused, as though he were seeing beyond the leafless trees and frost-bitten fields, someplace far beyond reach.

The realization settled quietly within you, a subtle truth he likely hadn’t even noticed you told yourself—that today wasn’t just any other day.

Valentine's Day.

Just another day, you told yourself. And yet, as you looked over at Joel, his face softened by the pale winter light, the weight of what once was—of love, of yearning, of lives that once had space for days like this—felt as tangible as the frost clinging to the earth.

Days like this should have been trivial, stripped of meaning in the world you were barely holding onto now. And yet, as the realization settled—Valentine’s Day, here, with Joel—an ember of something unspoken flickered in the thick silence between you.

It was ridiculous, pointless even, to care about a day that belonged to a life long gone. But somehow, it mattered.

Joel hadn’t missed the thought either—not that he’d ever let on. But something shifted, a fleeting spark in his gaze, a quick, sidelong glance that brushed over you before he retreated behind the rough, impenetrable armor he wore so well. You hadn’t known him in those days, back when he was a different man, softer around the edges, before the world had carved out the unyielding hardness he carried now.

Once, he’d been the type for quiet gestures, his version of romance wrapped in a humble simplicity—a bouquet picked up on the way home from work, a meal at a place that felt like a splurge, maybe even a soft tune played on his guitar, chords strummed slow and low, just for someone he loved.

That version of Joel was a memory now, a part of him buried under years of survival. But here, in that brief, unguarded look, you glimpsed a shadow of who he’d once been, a reminder of the life he’d lost but hadn’t entirely forgotten.

But that part of him was buried now, hidden beneath layers of loss in a world that left no room for tenderness.

Still, in the quiet moments between you, there was a glimmer—a barely-there echo of the man he might have been, of a Valentine’s Day he hadn’t entirely let go. It was a trace, a faint whisper of something unforgotten, lingering in the way his gaze softened just a fraction when it met yours, a warmth hidden in the spaces where words failed.

In those rare silences, you felt it—a fragile remnant of a man who, once upon a time, might have known how to love gently.

~~~

You were passing through another nameless place, its ghostly streets and faded signs blending into the countless towns you’d left behind. The road stretched ahead, winding into the dense sprawl of forest, the trees casting shadows that grew longer as the sun dipped low on the horizon.

You walked a few paces ahead of Joel, each step sending a dull ache through your feet, the exhaustion settling into your bones as the sky blazed in hues of deep orange and soft pink—a sunset bleeding into dusk. The silence between you was familiar now, a quiet rhythm you’d both learned to live in, broken only by the steady crunch of your boots on loose gravel and the faint, reassuring echo of Joel’s footsteps behind you.

“We’ll camp here tonight,” he murmured, his voice low, carrying a quiet certainty as he surveyed the encroaching darkness and the shadows stretching long beneath the trees. There was a practiced ease in the way he assessed the fading light, an instinct honed by years on the road, as if he could read the landscape’s secrets in a single glance.

“Okay,” you replied, nodding without hesitation. You trusted Joel’s instincts implicitly, each decision sharpened by years of survival and weighed with a quiet precision. There was a steady comfort in following his lead, in the silent assurance that, whatever lay ahead, he would be the one standing between you and the darkness.

It was more than trust—it was a fragile kind of faith, the certainty that he’d weather the night so you didn’t have to face it alone.

You’d set up camp, sinking down against a rough, weathered log, the bark pressing into your back as you released a tired sigh. Joel muttered something about gathering firewood, his voice a low murmur that blended with the evening quiet as he scanned the tree line.

You watched him disappear into the dimming light, his silhouette broad and unyielding against the last slivers of sunset. It was a rhythm you’d come to rely on—his quiet, unwavering sense of duty, always ensuring you had warmth and protection.

Joel wandered, his steps slower than usual, his thoughts snagging on the way your eyes had brightened when he’d offhandedly mentioned the date. He hadn’t intended for it to mean anything—just a passing remark—but there was something about the look you’d given him, unexpected and strangely soft, that lingered.

It unsettled him—a quiet reminder of feelings he’d thought long buried. And yet, here they were, surfacing more persistently since he’d met you, weaving through his thoughts like a memory he couldn’t quite shake.

He’d been gathering firewood, but his attention drifted, his gaze settling on a small patch of wildflowers nestled in the underbrush. Soft purple petals, delicate against the rugged landscape, caught his eye. Before he even realized what he was doing, he reached down, fingers brushing the blooms as he plucked a few. His hands moved on instinct, guided by something quiet and unguarded, a small gesture he hadn’t intended yet couldn’t resist.

With the flowers clutched in his hand, he froze.

What the hell was he doing?

Joel stood there, caught in the deepening shadows, his grip tightening around the fragile stems as he began to pace, second-guessing himself in a way that felt almost absurd. He wasn’t the kind of man who picked flowers—not anymore, not for a long time.

But somehow, being around you had pulled him into unfamiliar territory, unearthing pieces of himself he’d long thought buried. You brought out a quiet tenderness in him, nudging him toward gestures that went beyond mere survival—small acts he tried to brush off as routine but that hinted at a fondness he fought to suppress.

After absentmindedly picking flowers for you, it became glaringly obvious to Joel that he cared for you—deeper than an acquaintance, a friend, or even a fellow traveler on this harsh road. It showed in the way he’d insist on carrying your pack, ignoring the twinge in his back with a muttered, “Not a big deal,” brushing off your concern like it was nothing. He’d save you half of whatever he was eating, passing it over with a quiet, “Thought you’d want some.” He’d keep an extra eye out for little things he knew you’d like—an old book salvaged from a wrecked house, or a stray packet of coffee he’d hand you with a gruff, “Found it along the way.” And on those rare, bone-tired nights by the fire, he’d sit just a bit closer than he had to, his shoulder brushing yours, grounding you both in a warmth neither of you dared to name. All small gestures he hadn’t made for anyone in years.

~~~

Back at camp, a quiet worry began to take hold as your gaze lingered on the darkening treeline. He’d been gone longer than usual, and with each passing moment, the shadows grew, stretching across the ground as the forest settled into an uneasy silence, the last traces of daylight fading away. It was in moments like these that the weight of how much you relied on him settled over you—how your survival had come to depend on his presence, his strength. You tried not to let those thoughts creep in, but sometimes, they slipped past your defenses: how would you survive without Joel?

Just as you were on the verge of getting up to search for him, he appeared from the shadows, his figure solidifying against the dim glow of twilight. His gaze held a quiet intensity, a flicker of something unspoken as he drew closer, and you felt the tension in your chest unravel, replaced by a warmth you couldn’t quite name. A breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding slipped out as you rose to meet him, a silent relief settling over you at the simple fact of his return.

“Where were you?” you asked, the worry threading through your voice despite your attempt to keep it steady. That soft edge, the unmistakable concern in your tone, stirred something deep within him—something he had realized was still there, something that felt both foreign and achingly familiar, tugging at a part of himself he thought had long since withered away.

"Just… looking for firewood," he muttered, his gaze dropping to the rough bundle in his arms as he scratched the back of his neck, almost sheepishly. You nodded, though a faint trace of doubt lingered; something told you he hadn’t just been out collecting wood. But it didn’t matter now—he was here, and the sharp edge of your worry softened, melting into a quiet reassurance only his presence could bring. The weight that had settled in your chest eased, leaving you with a sense of calm that had become rare in times like these.

You stepped closer, reaching out to take some of the firewood from his arms, your fingers brushing his for a brief moment. “Next time, don’t take so long,” you murmured, your voice soft but laced with a quiet intensity. “You scared me.”

He mumbled, “’M sorry,” his gaze flickering away, yet you caught a hint of something deeper in his expression—a question he wouldn’t voice, a wondering if this—whatever it was between you—meant as much to you as it was beginning to mean to him.

Unbeknownst to you, he’d slipped the flowers deep into his pocket, his fingers brushing over the delicate petals every so often, as though they were something precious and fragile he wasn’t quite ready to let go of. He kept them hidden, a quiet secret pressed against his palm, a small piece of softness he wasn’t yet ready to share.

~~~

Later, as you lay wrapped in your sleeping bag, the world around you wrapped in darkness and silence, you turned toward Joel. He lay on his back, eyes fixed on the night sky, his familiar steady presence somehow softened, quieter. There was something different about him tonight, a quietness that felt deeper, as if he were lost in thoughts he wouldn’t—or couldn’t—share.

“You okay?” you murmured, your voice barely breaking the stillness around you. He turned his head slightly, his gaze finding yours in the dim light, and for a moment, his usual guarded expression softened. There was a warmth there, something almost vulnerable flickering in his eyes, before he gave a small nod.

“Yeah,” he replied softly, though his voice wavered, something unreadable passing over his face. “It’s February… mid-February,” he added, as if stating a simple fact, his gaze distant.

You nodded, watching him carefully. “You mentioned that this morning,” you said, curiosity tugging at your tone as you tried to read his expression, wondering where he was going with this.

“I, uh… I found somethin you might like’.” His hand shifted, reaching into his pocket, and he pulled out a small, crumpled handful of purple wildflowers. They were a little wilted, their petals slightly crushed from being tucked away, but there was a tender, almost shy quality to the gesture that caught your breath. The sight of those fragile blooms, offered with a rough gentleness, made your heart stumble.

“Joel… what’s all this?” you murmured, sitting up onto your elbows, your eyes wide with surprise and a warmth you didn’t dare put a name to.

He looked away, a faint flush creeping onto his face as he mumbled, “Figured, since it’s around Valentine’s Day and all… I know it ain’t much. Couldn’t exactly get you fancy chocolates or flowers from a stord.” His voice softened, almost unsure, as he extended the fragile blooms toward you. “Sorry you gotta spend the day with me… not sure if you were ever into all this stuff,” he added, his gaze lingering on the ground, as if afraid to meet your eyes.

A quiet warmth bloomed in your chest as you looked down at the flowers resting in his calloused hand. In this harsh, broken world, they were the most beautiful thing you’d seen—not for what they were, but for everything they meant. It almost hurt to hear Joel think you’d rather be with someone else, as if he couldn’t see how much his presence alone meant to you.

He’d thought of you, gone out of his way to bring a touch of softness into a life that seldom allowed for it. “This is perfect.” You hesitated, feeling the weight of the moment before adding, “There’s no one else I’d rather spend it with.” Your words were quiet, but the smile that softened your features spoke volumes as you accepted the flowers from his hands. “Thank you, Joel.”

Without giving yourself time to second-guess, you leaned over and pressed a soft, fleeting kiss to his cheek. It was a simple gesture, tender and brief, but it left him stunned, his breath catching. The cover of night shielded the warmth rising to his face, but in the quiet that followed, he found himself grateful for the darkness—grateful, too, for you.

He cleared his throat, searching for the right words. “It’s, uh… it’s nothin’,” he mumbled, voice rougher than usual, though it couldn’t quite mask the tremor underneath. “Just… don’t go gettin’ used to this kinda thing, alright?”

But despite the gruffness in his tone, his gaze softened as he looked at you, a warmth there that he couldn’t quite hide. You chuckled softly, shaking your head as you snuggled back into your sleeping bag. “Alright, grumpy pants,” you teased, a playful smile tugging at your lips. “Good night.”

He huffed, a sound of faint indignation, though you didn’t miss the flicker of a smirk just before he turned away, muttering, “Yeah, yeah. G’night.”

As you drifted off, the faint scent of wildflowers lingered in the cool night air, wrapping around you both in a gentle reminder of the moment you’d just shared. Neither of you spoke, but in that quiet exchange, something settled—a fragile, unspoken connection that made the night feel a little softer, a little less lonely.

It was a small thing, delicate and unassuming, but it was there, woven into the silence.

Maybe later, you’d press those wildflowers between the pages of one of the books Joel had scavenged for you, preserving them as a quiet promise that would last long after the petals had faded.

[cobaltperun]

Eternal Flame (15) - Why’d you only call me when you’re high

Jenna Ortega x Female Reader

Summary: For her it’s a passion, for you it’s an accident. And as she continues shining brighter and brighter with each role you are left mesmerized, drawn to her flame and cherishing every time she lets herself be vulnerable with you.

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Masterlist / First Part / Previous part / Next part

Word Count: 4.7k

-Decided that once again I was just dreaming of bumping into you-

You felt free, finally going through your days without feeling all of that weight on your shoulders, and you were busy cleaning up all of the mistakes you made. You had to do it before you had the chance to see Jenna again, and there was still one more person from you past you needed to settle your score with, at least in a way.

Surprisingly, it was raining today and you forgot your umbrella, but frankly you didn't really care. You felt good and no amount of rain could change that, besides even through all of the rain you could occasionally see a ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds, and it just made you happy. No matter how long the rain would last, the sunlight would eventually break through the clouds, as cliche as that sounded.

You went and walked through the doors of the gym, taking off the hood from your head as you did so. You looked around, contemplating the decisions that led you here. Despite everything that happened and the fact that he pulled you into that, you couldn't deny that Davis also gave you a job, an actual proper job at this gym that could sustain you if you chose to quit fighting.

“Not exactly a busy day,” you said as you approached his desk. Why he kept the desk in the gym instead of having an office was beyond you, but it made things easier for you now. It only now crossed your mind, but now that you thought about it maybe that was how he spotted the potential fighters. You looked over the guys working out, seeing as those were his usual targets for recruitment, and wondered if any of them would take the chance if he offered it.

“Is it? I barely noticed,” sarcasm slipped through his façade of indifference, but he didn't look mad at you. Not that you really cared if he was mad, but he certainly didn't look mad. “Come and sit. Do you want something to drink or maybe grab a meal? I can order something,” hell, he seemed somewhat happy to see you.

“No, I'm good. I just wanted to come by and thank you,” you said, though you did take a seat. No matter how those fights affected your life you couldn't deny that they did give you a chance to save your parents, and later down the line, even if you did do it for different reasons, they did give you enough money to finish high school without having to spread yourself thin and find a full time job.

Davis looked at you with a raised eyebrow. “It was just business. You fought and we both earned money, I gave you a job here and your dedication to it brought me more money. At the end of the day we both profited from this arrangement.”

That was one way to look at it, and you didn’t lie to yourself, Davis did none of it out of the goodness of his heart. He just saw profit and took his chance, a businessman through and through, only connected to rather brutal business.

“You took a chance, one most people wouldn't,” he saw the desperation and found away to cash it in, cruel, but beneficial for both of you. And in a way because of that there was one more thing you wanted to do, a rather ridiculous thing to do, but you wanted the clean slate. So, you went and pulled out a fairly large envelope from your jacket and you placed it in front of him.

“What's this?” he asked and your shrugged.

“$128,000, the exact amount I earned after my parents died, for thirty wins and eight losses. I got paid so I'm giving it all back. I’m starting over so I want to completely separate myself from that time of my life. I know this doesn't erase it. nothing will ever erase it, but in some way, it feels like almost filthy money. Not in the: ‘I did something illegal’ way but in the ‘I did something I shouldn’t have’ way,” you've been thinking about it for a while now, ever since you decided to quit fighting, and you got paid enough from the movies you did lately so you could afford this.

Davis didn't think it over for one bit, he just pushed the envelope back to you. “So, then donate this to some charity. Help some people in need. I don't care how you feel about this money, but you earned it with blood and sweat, and all the effort you put into being able to fight like that. You want a clean slate? You'll never get it, accept that it was a part of you and try to do some good with it if you really want to make up for whatever hurt this caused to you or your loved ones,” he said and you found yourself considering his words. You offered the money to him, he didn't take it, so you took it back.

“Sure, you got any charity you want me to donate this to?” you asked as you got up.

“Make a wish,” his answer was immediate, and for a moment you put it all together and nodded, silently acknowledging just how similar the two of you might have been. You’d never know for sure, and you didn’t need to know for sure.

“Take care,” you turned to leave, understanding that this was the last time you would ever talk to this man. There would never be a reason for him or you to reach out to one another again.

“You too, kid. Don't go finding another person to recruit you into fights,” he replied and you raised your hand, waving slightly as you walked out of the gym.

~X~

It was late at night when Jenna stumbled through the motel, back to her room, smelling like booze and smoke, and just feeling downright awful with the headache already starting. She felt like throwing up, as if everything else wasn’t already enough. She’s been getting somewhat drunk over the past month, seeing as she could legally drink here, and her co-stars didn't mind having some fun. But tonight was just a completely different beast! She went bar hopping with Scott, and was now damn near blackout drunk as she stumbled into her room.

The alcohol hit her hard, and she should have guessed that would happen when she began mixing it. She just fell onto her bed, sick and tired of the smell that was now stuck to her clothes. She really needed to get up and go to the bathroom to freshen up, to wash her face and maybe throw up, she wasn’t sure, and she needed to drink something for her headache and the inevitable hangover.

So, she pushed herself to her feet and nearly tripped on her way to the bathroom. She wasn't even happy, she progressively got more miserable with every shot she took. With every drop of alcohol she just missed you more and more.

A cynical voice in her head invaded her mind as she began washing her face after throwing up, telling her she's gotten so far as an actress. Months ago, she got so self-conscious about her feelings for you that she couldn't black out and kiss you, yet here she was, just days ago filming a scene where she was stripped down to her underwear, crawling over to a guy 19 years older than her. If you were there you would have first of all made sure she was completely comfortable, like you did before you were supposed to kiss. She pushed through the scene, thankful that she didn’t have lines in it, because she was just thinking about you through it all.

The cynical voice kept mocking her, taunting her as she remembered the one and only time her lips touched yours. The way you so softly caressed her cheek, how right the kiss felt for her, and in her drunken state she caught herself wondering yet again just how she allowed herself to throw it all away.

She barely remembered to turn the water off, before she took her clothes off and went to the chair she left your shirt on. The feel of your shirt against her skin felt right, and Jenna glanced at the mirror. The shirt looked more like a rather short dress on her, and she went back to the bed, dropping on it before covering herself with your jacket. As the days passed she’s been getting more and more attached to these two articles of clothing, at this point they might as well be her own. Nothing about them reminded her of you anymore, other than just knowing that they were once yours. She's washed the shirt so many times that even trying to figure out what perfume you used wouldn’t help.

Yet, they still somehow brought her comfort. Just a few more days, just a few more unbearable days without you, and then she could try to fix what she did.

She wasn't exactly in the right state of mind, too drunk to even consider the consequences or think about how it would affect her decision to make sure your first contact would be face to face. She just opened her camera and snapped a picture of herself laying on the bed, your jacket thrown off and next to her, and she looked at the camera while her fingers tugged at the collar of your shirt.

And she went and sent it to you, not even caring about what time it was where you were. Hell, she wasn’t even completely aware of what time it was, she just knew it was the middle of the night, and that you should be sleeping. She didn’t even consider how this would look. Or that the first thing you would get from her wasn't even an apology or a plea to meet up, but rather a photo of her looking drunk.

She tossed her phone aside, her mind drifting to everything that happened between you. How you would hold her, lift her up, hug her, how it felt to you have your arms around her. How soft your cheeks felt against her lips, or how she felt butterflies in her stomach whenever she could feel your own lips on her skin. Jenna remembered all that in vivid detail as she drifted between being asleep and awake, just barely opening her eyes to see if you got the message. She considered sending you another one, though she didn't even have any ideas why. She just felt like doing it, besides, she’s been getting the chance to see your photos from the vacation every now and then, and she was sure you didn't know about that. So maybe it was just fair of her to let you see her now. And then she checked the messages and was immediately startled awake when she saw ‘delivered’ changing to ‘seen’.

“Oh shit!” she watched with bated breath as you did nothing. You didn't start typing, you just saw the message and in her panicked state and fear that you were now absolutely furious at her she hit the call button frantically.

The seconds almost felt as if each one lasted for an eternity, and then finally, you picked up.

“Jen?” you said her nickname, not even her name, but the nickname! And she just wasn't even sure how she felt about it, despite how much she loved hearing you say it. On one hand the relief flooded her entire body, on the other hand she felt like crying, because after all that happened the first word to come out of your mouth was her nickname. “Are you OK? Say something, please,” she heard you sitting up frantically, and for a moment she wondered if you were as nervous as she was.

“I’m not OK, I miss you,” she once again felt sick in her stomach and this time it had nothing to do with alcohol she consumed, although she guessed that only amplified everything now.

“Jen, focus on my voice. Take a deep breath for me, you'll be fine,” you spoke so softly, and she didn't feel like she deserved it. You immediately, without any apology or explanation from her, slipped right back into that same protective nature, calming her down before her anxiety could take over. “Can you do that for me?”

“I can,” she took a deep breath, audible enough for you to hear, and the sigh of relief coming from your side was almost enough to make her cry.

“Just like that, Jen, you're doing great. Focus on something else, think of being somewhere where you're not alone,” you instructed her, and Jenna knew exactly where she wanted to be.

“I want to be with you. I want you to hug me and lift me up, and take me in your arms and just-“ she suppressed a sob as best as she could. “I just want to feel you all around me, Y/N,” she buried her face in her pillow, trying to cover up her sobs.

“I can't do much from here, maybe, I don’t know, do you want to FaceTime?” you offered but she couldn't accept that, she couldn’t let you see just how broken she was by all of this, by this overwhelmingly long distance between you, and now by this sudden development. You were talking to her, she was listening to your voice, and it felt like nothing changed.

“It's not the same,” she wanted to, if she ever had the rights to do something like that again, feel you in every way she could think of. To give you everything she had, to let you take anything you wanted as long as you stayed by her side.

“I know, I miss you too,” those words filled her with warmth, and despite tears she smiled. “I wanted to see you, I want to explain myself and apologize for what happened,” you had nothing to apologize for in Jenna’s mind. You weren't the one who was refusing to see things from another perspective, you weren't the one who rejected her, she was the one who did all that, she was the one who couldn't see past the initial negative reaction she had.

“I’m the one who messed up,” she argued, crying out of despair and sorrow.

“Jen, don’t. Don’t think like that, it was a natural reaction to what you found out. There is nothing wrong with how you reacted. Jenna, listen to me, I will never blame you for anything that happened these past three months. You had every right to react like that, I kept a secret I should have never kept from you,” why were you so damn understanding when she hurt you so much. When she let things go to far, when she didn’t immediately, right in front of you, berate her father for what he did to you.

“I don't know what to do. I don't know how to make it up to you,” she whispered, wondering if she would ever be able to forgive herself because while you clearly weren't angry with her, she still struggled to forgive herself.

“How about we start over, hmm? We acknowledge what happened and move on,” despite all the negative emotions she felt this idea still made her feel happy. That was what she wanted, more than anything, to just once again have you in her life.

“I want that, I want all of you, Y/N,” and your breath hitched at that, and Jenna just realized she said the same thing she said when you were over at her parents’ house. “I want to give you all of me, anything you want.”

“You have all of me, you've had all of me for a long time now, hell before I even knew it,” she trusted every word you said. Did you even notice how easily you stopped her before her panic attack could even begin? That was how easily you affected her, how much just hearing your voice meant to her. That was how safe you made her feel, because being vulnerable felt right as long as it was with you.

“I don't know how to make my parents understand,” she admitted, hoping you would somehow put her mind to ease about that concern as well.

“I'll make an effort. I'll get them to see I'm not a danger to you,” you decided so easily, yet she didn't want that.

“That's not what I want, Y/N. You shouldn't have to prove anything to them, my dad punched you, pointed a gun at you, my entire family has been against you and if anyone should make an effort it's them,” yet, though she felt that, she had no idea how to get there. Enrique tried his best, he told them everything he told her, yet they barely listened. They acknowledged that he probably had the point, but in their eyes, it was too late now. The mistakes were made, the resentment had infected your relationship with them in their eyes. So, at this point they were choosing the easier path for them, even if the cost was her own happiness. They thought that they could just brush everything under the rug, ignore the problem and face no repercussions, because she couldn't cut them out of her life. And they knew how much they mattered to her, that she couldn't ever choose anyone if it meant cutting them off.

So, they wouldn't make that effort, hoping that their silence would perhaps chase you away. And Jenna hated it. Deep down she knew that she needed both you and her family in her life, and yet she feared that lack of effort on their part would make her lose you. That you wouldn’t be able to take it.

“I don't care,” you just shattered that concern into pieces. “I don't care who's right or wrong here. I don't care who needs to apologize, all I want is you. Jen, if having you in my life means I have to deal with awkward family reunions, or constant concerns or questions, or anything your parents can throw at me, I don't care, I still want you. This is our relationship, and I will never jeopardize it for another person, no matter who they are and no matter what they did. And I will never ask you to sacrifice anything, let alone your relationship with your family for us. So, whatever concern you have we'll get through it.”

You've never been like this before. This open and vulnerable. Something changed within you since you left Coachella on that day, and she wasn't sure what it was. But, she could feel it in every word you spoke. You had something worth fighting for, your relationship with her, and there was nothing that could make you stop fighting, nothing other than Jenna herself telling you she didn't want it. And for the first time in her life Jenna fully believed this between you was permanent. That no matter what happened or who tried to get between the two of you she knew that she was yours for the rest of her life, and if your words were any indication, you were hers as well.

“You're too much,” she managed a weak laugh, broken up by sobs. “I need you next to me so much, Y/N, need to feel you, to love you,” you were too much in the best way possible. Loving her so intensely and she found herself just giving in to it, just hoping she could love you with the same intensity.

“I'm just in love,” you said surprising her once again tonight.

It just slipped right out of her mouth as well. “I'm in love too. I love you,” as if everything else she said about how much she needed and wanted you wasn't enough of a confession, she just went and said it.

“I love your, Jenna,” she swore she could hear the smile in your words, and she was sure you were grinning. She closed her eyes and though she desperately wanted to keep this going she knew she was just about to fall asleep.

“I don't think I can stay awake for much longer,” she yawned, relieved and happy now.

“Sleep well, Love,” and you both kind of laughed at that, because that was exactly how your character called Tara. Thinking about it now, there were quite a few similarities between you and Jenna and your character and Tara.

“Stay with me until I fall asleep, please,” she asked, knowing it wouldn't take her long to fall asleep.

“Of course, I am right here, I'm not leaving you again,” you whispered and even if you were on the other side of the world Jenna felt closer to you than even back when the two of you were watching Logan.

~X~

The dream last night was the best one she had in months, the only thing that could have made it better was if you were actually physically present during the conversation instead of talking over the phone, but she figured that gave the dream some kind of plausibility and made it feel more real. “I should never drink again, that was a mistake,” Jenna groaned, burying her face in her hands, only to hear her phone dropping onto the mattress. Why was her phone in her hand? She looked at it, puzzled. She must have fallen asleep with it, it was probably nothing to be worried about. Jenna sat up and looked down at herself, blushing. Oh, she really got drunk last night.  She’s fallen asleep like this before, wearing your shirt, but this was a new low even for her. She had absolutely nothing underneath it.

And then she unlocked her phone, and her eyes widened as she came face to face with not only your messages open, but a phone call that she initiated. And above it all? A picture of her and she looked downright inappropriate on it, especially considering she had nothing underneath your shirt. She was tugging at the color of your shirt, her hair was a mess, a sleeve of your jacket could be seen next to her head, and why was she sucking in her damn lower lip like that?!

She may have been overreacting, but frankly she couldn’t tell. This this was the first thing you got from her in two and a half months? This thing was the first thing you saw? And with the way she was looking at the camera in the photo she might as well have written ‘fuck me’ on the photo! And then she had the guts to call you, ruining everything she's so meticulously planned. What did she even say to you?! And then it hit her at the time she was calling you it was already past four in the morning where you were! She woke you up, she went and woke you up drunk and emotional and who knows what else, and that dream wasn't a dream it was actually reality and it all came back to her as if in an instant! As the memories flooded her Jenna wasn't sure whether to scream, cry, laugh, or explode with happiness, because she didn't want it to turn out this way but she got the results! She told you everything she wanted to tell you, and she said it so clumsily just throwing it all at you in the complete opposite way of how she planned to do it.

And it worked!

It not only worked, but you said you loved her back!

Just like that, one conversation, ten minutes. That's all it took for two and a half months of tension, despair, frustration, depression, loneliness, longing, and hundreds of different things she couldn't even think of right now as her migraine made her head feel like it would explode, all end. All it took to fix all of that was ten minutes of drunken rambling and crying and telling you everything she felt.

Oh, why the fuck didn't she just do it before?! If all she had to do to fix all of this was to just grab a shit-ton of alcohol, and pour it down her throat, then she should have done it sooner!

Right, that all happened… and now she was looking at the plane ticket for Denver she booked, and the eighteenth couldn’t come sooner.

~X~

Despite all the eagerness she felt when she boarded the plane from New Zealand to Denver and excitement when she met up with Barbara, Jenna now found herself progressively getting more and more nervous as Barbara’s dad drove them to your apartment building.

“You're lucky my dad is right here, or I'd be teasing the hell out of you,” Barbara turned to look at her and Jenna believed the girl wholeheartedly. If there was one thing she learned in these past two months it was that this girl had no mercy, and would only stop teasing if she really couldn't do it. For example, like right now, when her dad was in the car with them, and Jenna supposed that would be enough to tell her what kind of teasing Barbara had in mind. Probably something along the line of: ‘This is the most elaborate help me get laid plan ever’ because that was actually something Barbara said when Jenna explained what she had in mind. It wasn't even all that elaborate at all. Jenna got from New Zealand to Denver on a plane, Barbara and her dad picked her up, and the reason for that was simple. Jenna had her suitcases, and her bag, and she had, as she ever so often mentioned, noodle arms which could not handle carrying all of this stuff all at once up the stairs to your apartment.

“I'm really thankful you came to pick me up,” Jenna said, and she honestly was thankful for that because it would have been a lot more complicated if she had to do all of this by herself. She might have even gotten so desperate as to call you to help her with her suitcases, and that would just ruined everything in her mind.

“As long as you get the girl, it's all good,” Barbara clearly couldn't stop teasing entirely, and had to leave that quip in.

Barbara's dad parked close enough to the building and the three of them climbed up to your apartment. They left Jenna’s suitcases in front of your doors and Barbara turned to her. “You know, I could give you the keys so you can walk right in and surprise her like that,” Barbara suggested one last time, but Jenna didn't want that. She wanted to knock on your door and see you as you opened the doors for her. You had no idea she was coming today, she told you she would come tomorrow, and Barbara made sure that you would be home. That was the elaborate part of the plan, because she had to make excuses for you to not go anywhere while not coming by herself, and actually get you to listen to her.

“I'm good,” she took a deep breath. “Thanks again, I’ll take it from here,” Jenna turned to your doors and cleared her throat, and Barbara just patted her on the back.

“Twelve hours, remember what I told you,” Jenna blushed a dark shade of red at that, her imagination may have been going wild since the two of you reconciled over the phone. And sure it wasn't the complete reconciliation, there were some things that still needed to be talked about and she couldn't be sure that things would progress that fast, but she's definitely been thinking about it.

And so, with Barbara and her dad waving at her as they left, she was left alone in the hall, in front of your doors, trying to keep the blush off her face as she raised her hand and knocked.

Taglist: @lilbitdepressed27 @freakshow2501 @osnapitzmel1 @belatrixdragon @ijustlovemaths

@niqmandu @justspance @mirage018 @godamnityess

Masterlist / First Part / Previous part / Next part

A/N: And we're done with the angst, they do need to talk face to face, but the worst is absolutely behind us! Thanks to everyone who pushed through and stuck around!

[bangfantanfic]

Our Own World: Chapter 12.

Warnings: Possible mentions of stalkingand yandere behaviour.

tags; @miss-jupiter @imagine-forlife @blaaiissee @millenniumspec @toughbook @darkuni63 @badbyeyoongi @iloverubberduckiez-blog @missseoulite @singukieee @potterbrooke @suhappysuho @doublebunv @sevenpersona @blancflms @childfmoonn @caffeineandreveries @cryingpages @gato-dumbo @xicanacorpse @devilzliaison

A/N; I am alive! Thank you all for being so patient, life has been life-ing and I cannot say it's been enjoyable lmao. I hope this update is okay, please let know! I am also currently going through Our Own World and my other works editing everything! So there may be some changes, so please bare with me while everything is a bit messy. If you would like to be removed or added to my taglists please let me know <3

Being holed up in Jimin’s room had surprisingly been a nice refresher. The only person coming and going from the room had been Jimin, taking clothes to his roommates, bringing fresh clothing to you, and meals whenever they were ready. He spent nearly every second glued by your side, chatting away like he had known you his entire life. He had millions of questions, wanting to know every intimate detail about the life you lived before finding yourself stuck here, although he worded it much nicer. 

In turn, you asked Jimin a million and one questions. You asked about his life, what it was like living with your brother, did he have hobbies, and of course, questions regarding life as a hybrid. You hadn’t ever spent much time around normal animals despite the never-ending line of pets your parents bought home, and so obviously hybrids were a whole new ballgame. Jimin had been thrilled by your interest, answering every question in length and always making sure you understood everything. The hybrid had shown you so much patience and care, more than you had expected or ever even experienced before. It had been a shock and left you feeling embarrassed and ashamed of the way you had behaved around them all. 

Growing up, despite your parents' interest in hybrids, they never got any. Nobody you knew had hybrids— well obviously other than your brother but his ownership over them had been a surprise! You had very little knowledge of them, only what you had learned through the media, which even you should have known wasn’t the most reliable source at times. All your information, the knowledge you thought you had? Useless. You may as well have watched Fox News all your life. Thankfully, Jimin didn’t seem to mind your lack of knowledge, in fact, he seemed thrilled to share everything he could with you. The two of you had started to form a surprising bond. 

For the first time in almost a week, you woke up alone. It had left you feeling strangely disappointed. The first night you had spent in Jimin’s shared bedroom, he had insisted you sleep in his bed, and you both had bickered for a ridiculous amount of time until you caved in. By the second day, he had rejoined you in his bed, being careful to keep his distance. It was sweet. By day four you were waking up to Jimin curled up around your body, his nose buried into your neck, his hot breath tickling your skin. Strangely enough, you weren’t bothered by the skinship. Your skin didn’t crawl at his touch, even the gentle brushes of his tail on your calf. It was almost comforting. Jimin had picked up on the change in attitude toward touch, slowly amping up his skinship. 

But it was strange to wake up to the disturbed routine you had so briefly experienced. Usually, you woke up before Jimin, the fox hybrid stayed up later than you and slept in longer. Today was different. Deciding to shrug it off, you rolled across the bed blindly reaching for your phone on the bedside table. The blinding white light from your screen caused the device to slip from your hands for a moment before you recovered from temporary blindness. Speedily scrolling through the notifications on your lock screen, your thumb froze upon noticing a familiar name. 

HY- U free today? Was thinking about going on a walk… u interested? 

Staring at the words, rereading, and then reading one more time, you threw the blanket off your body, throwing yourself upward. You still texted the man from the grocery store, Hanyoon, nearly every day, unfortunately, you hadn't run into him again since your first meeting. Covid’s lockdown rules had thankfully finally started to ease up. Whilst masks and international travel still hadn’t gone back to normal, you were allowed to roam the streets again... Exercising for a few hours outside of the house in the neighborhood you lived in was encouraged. Getting out of the house was just what you needed, even if it was with a man you had only met once. Keeping yourself cooped up like this was crazy, of course, it was. Jay wasn’t able to return anytime soon, and just because Hoseok and Jeongguk had scared the shit out of you, it didn’t mean you should close yourself off to the others who hadn’t done anything wrong. A day out was exactly what you needed to clear your head. 

Y/N- sounds great! Whenever you're ready :)) 

Dropping your phone back onto the mattress, you stumbled out of the bed, ankle snagged in one of many blankets that Jimin kept all over the bed. You made a quick mental note to fix his bedding when you got back. Digging through the pile of your dirty clothes that had been shoved behind the door, you found a decent enough outfit. Sure, you could go to your bedroom but the fewer stops the better. If you could avoid alerting the whole house of your departure that would be ideal. 

You were thankful for the one sink in the ensuite that still worked, getting to quick work brushing your teeth. Unfortunately, your hair was disgustingly greasy, but with no time to shower you would just have to steal some of Jimin’s dry shampoo and pray it could fix the cesspool on top of your head. Not bothering with makeup, knowing your unfit ass would sweat it all off, you were quick to ditch your glasses in favor of contacts. Deeming yourself presentable for the public, you quickly grabbed your phone from Jimin’s mattress. Hayoon’s contact alerted you to his arrival at the park nearby. 

To your complete surprise, you managed to make it out of the house without a single soul making an appearance. If you didn’t know any better, you would have assumed the house was empty. Knowing better than to test your luck, you had been quick to slip into your sneakers by the door, taking off down the driveway. Despite enjoying Jimin’s companionship the past week, you craved normal human interaction. Jimin was a sweetheart, but there was something that lingered under that sweetness that often left you feeling uneasy. It could just be you overthinking, subconsciously comparing him to his two packmates that had spooked you, but you weren’t going to completely ignore your gut. You had learned to be better than that. 

“Y/n!” 

A grin pulled at your lips as you locked eyes with Hayoon, your legs picking up pace to meet him faster. Hayoon looked good, dressed in loose black shorts and a baggy white tee. His hair which had been completely buzzed off the first, and last, time you saw him had started to regrow. Thick dark hair had started to flower across his head, making you wonder what kind of style his hair had been before it had been shaved off. 

“Hayoon, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting?” You asked sheepishly, keeping a little space between your bodies. 

He waved you off, smiling down at you. You forgot how tall he was, definitely an inch or so taller than Namjoon. You weren’t short, in fact, you were considered tall for a woman in your country, but Hajoon made you feel tiny, something you couldn't say happens often. 

“Nah, I haven’t been here long.” He assured you, gently bumping into your shoulder as he started to walk along the dusty path. The crunch under his shoes finally jolted your legs into gear after what seemed to be a moment of short-circuiting when the skin of his arm brushed against yours. 

The sun felt amazing on your skin, something you never thought you could say. Even the gentle breeze didn’t bother you. It was still early, the only other people in the park being an elderly couple walking with their arms linked up ahead. Despite how warm it already was, the couple were dressed in thick coats as if braving the city's harsh winter. Watching the way they interacted so freely with one another warmed your heart, they seemed so in love. Growing old didn’t seem as scary if you did it with someone you loved. 

Hayoon must’ve been watching the same scene as you, a soft smile on his lips as he admired the affectionate couple ahead. A comfortable silence had settled over the two of you rather quickly, and you were grateful. Something you liked about Hayoon was how easy it was with him. There were no forced conversations, no bitterness over slow responses. There were many similarities between the two of you, making it almost effortless to keep any conversation going. Any differences were discussed, debated, and settled. Those differences weren’t drastic, nothing that could end the bond that slowly was forming. 

A sound of disgust broke your thoughts, Hayoon’s eyes were still looking toward the elderly couple, only now a third person had appeared. A short woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties had been walking in front of them and now separated off to the left with her arm linked with the elderly woman, the two admiring a shrub of flowers. The short woman had pretty honey-colored hair with ears of the same color poking out– a hybrid. 

Hayoon looked down at you, an apologetic look on his face. His tanned cheeks had a cute pink flush to them. “Sorry– I didn’t mean to.” He stumbled over his words, his cheeks going brighter in embarrassment. 

“Not a fan?” You laughed, glancing back toward the elderly woman and her hybrid. 

Hajoon snorted, shaking his head. He kept quiet as you approached the trio, waiting until a good distance had been made before he answered your question. 

“It’s just.. Weird?” He sighed, his thick brows pulling together. “It’s not natural.” 

Humming, you found yourself agreeing. Hybrids were a strange concept, you found it incredibly difficult to understand why anyone would go out of their way to warp genetics in such a way. What was the real reason for creating such a mess of DNA? Only to ban them twenty years later? What was the reason for banning them? They were a hot commodity, every facility selling out within weeks, the waitlists being years long. The money the government had made from their creation had been staggering, and yet twenty years later facilities were shut down and forced to stop producing. The last few generations were sterilized, and the older generations were also encouraged to be as well. The government was trying to completely erase their creations without an explanation. As anyone could imagine, it didn’t go down well with the public. Hybrid trading has become a huge issue over the last few years, with huge rings being found and shut down every few days. 

What about Jay’s hybrids? When exactly did he get them, and where from? They were all born before the ban, that much you knew. So maybe he got them legally? Did he follow the government's advice, suggesting (demanding) to have all hybrids sterilized? Jay seemed to want to hide the fact that he owned hybrids, was it because of how many he had? Maybe there was a limit on how many hybrids a person could own that you weren't aware of. Seeing the elderly couple out with their cat hybrid, not a concern in the air, had you confused as to why the seven back home were kept under lock and key. Was it because of their breeds? They were all exotic animals, the laws might apply differently to different breeds. After the ban on hybrids, many laws shifted, and still to this day they are constantly changing, it is difficult to keep up to date. 

The topic of hybrids and Hayoon’s opinions on them piqued your interest. You were still clueless on the topic, no matter how much research you did into it you still felt uneducated on it all. Hayoon had been an excellent source of information, leaving you almost speechless on how much he seemed to know about them. If there was one thing you admired about the man, it was how educated he was on all topics. He always made sure to have himself as well informed as possible before making an opinion, he was a pool of knowledge. He never looked down on you for things you didn't know or understand and explained things as many times as you needed. It reminded you of Namjoon. 

A knot of anxiety pulled at your stomach. Had they noticed you were gone? Were they upset... Maybe you should have told someone, or at least left a note. You know Namjoon has a shitty old phone that's shared amongst the group, but you never bothered to get the number for it. You hadn’t seen a need for it, the only time you had spent away from any of them was to go get groceries. A part of you also just didn’t want them to have your number, the thought of them being able to contact you in the only time you had alone was distressing. Quickly shrugging off your concerns, you turn your attention back to Hayoon who had thankfully not noticed you spacing out. 

They’re fine, they’re grown men, and they can live without you for a few hours. 

“She’s gone!” 

Namjoon slammed his laptop shut, glaring up at Jimin for bursting into the bedroom he was temporarily residing in until Y/N was ready to go back to her own. 

“Have you forgotten how to knock?” He snapped, earning a frustrated hiss from the young fox. 

“Are you deaf!” He shot back, tugging at his hair. “Y/N is gone, I can’t find her anywhere!” 

Jimin’s panic was already distressing enough, the emotion suffocating the room the longer he stood in the doorway, but the anxiety that flooded his nerves was enough for him to feel bile rising in his throat. Namjoon had heard one less heartbeat when he woke up late this morning, but he had pinned it down to either one of the boys had gone walking at the back of the property, somewhere too far for his hearing to pick up, or Jeongguk was sleeping so deeply that his heart had slowed to almost nothing again– a common occurrence when the snake hybrid had a late night. The possibility of it being your heartbeat missing hadn’t even crossed Namjoon’s mind. You had been locked away in his bedroom for some time now, nobody but Jimin had seen you, and nobody would have suspected you leaving. The smell of your fear still lingered upstairs, Jimin would herd everyone downstairs before you would agree to go use the upstairs bathroom to shower. Going as far as making Jimin stand guard on the door until you were done. When did you lose that anxiety? 

Ripping the blanket, Namjoon’s laptop hit the floor as he jumped off the mattress. “Where have you looked?” 

“I’ve been through the yard, the kitchen, our bedroom, and all of downstairs. I haven’t checked Jeongguks room, I was on my way–” 

Namjoon was speeding down the hallway before the fox could finish his sentence. This was a new kind of fear he had never experienced before, his throat closing up and his eyes burning. His lungs were on fire, struggling to keep up with how quickly he was breathing. At the end of the hall was Taehyung and Jeongguk’s room, the door shut and only the sound of one heartbeat fluttering peacefully. Had you found your way into their room? Maybe you had gotten lost and ended up in the wrong bedroom? These things happen all the time! He’ll open the door and you’ll be curled up in someone's bed, and the crisis will be averted. 

With the force that Namjoon pushed open the door, he almost fell flat on his face. Stumbling into the room, his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, squinting as he took in two groggy men peeking out from their blankets. 

“Hyung, what the fuck?” Jeongguk groaned, his heart going from nearly stopped to racing. 

“Well, is she there?” Jimin huffed, shoving past his leader to look for himself. To his great disappointment, the room held no signs of you ever being there. Cursing, Jimin shoved past Namjoon, his usual gratefulness replaced with clumsy heaviness. 

“What’s his problem?” Taehyung whined, pulling his blanket over his head to shield himself from the brightness of the hall. 

Namjoon, for the first time in his life, couldn’t find words. You’re not here. There are seven heartbeats, not eight. The knot in his stomach tightened, the bile in his stomach rising higher and higher. When did you leave, how long has it been? Your car is still here, you couldn’t have gotten far. How didn’t anyone hear you leave? A house full of hybrids and not a single one heard you get up and out the front door? 

Impossible. 

“Did you hear anyone leave the house this morning?” He asked as calmly as possible, the shake in his voice far more noticeable than he would have liked. Both grunted out no’s, begging the elder male to close the door. 

It was Jeongguk, finally ripping the blanket off his head ready to start a war over the damned door still being open, that noticed Namjoon’s pale sweaty skin. He looked like he was about to projectile vomit. Frowning, the snake hybrid slinked out of bed and heaved his tired body toward his sickly leader. Pressing the back of his cold hand against Namjoon’s forehead, he sighed in relief. He wasn’t running abnormally hot, so it wasn’t a fever or some kind of sickness. Even with his less advanced hearing, he could still hear the erratic beating of his hyung’s heart. 

“Joonie, you okay?” He murmured, his hand cupping the back of the man's neck as he tried to get closer to assess him better. “You don’t look so good…” 

The concern in Jeongguk’s usually smug tone had Taehyung flying into a sitting position, his hair standing in every possible direction. His puffy eyes zeroed in on his pack leader, his brows pulling together in concern. 

“Is he sick?” 

Jeongguk shook his head, keeping his eyes on the wolf hybrid. Gently squeezing at the muscle in his neck, the snake hybrid was starting to get antsy. “Hey, come on. Talk to us, we can’t help if you don’t tell us what's wrong.” He cooed, the money hybrid making a sound of agreement from behind. 

Namjoon’s tongue pressed against his cheek, his eyes going glassy. He couldn’t get his tongue to work, he couldn’t get himself to say the words his packmates needed to hear. How could he admit to everyone that he had lost you? He could hear Jimin tearing through Jay’s room downstairs, Hoseok and Seokjin hot on his heels trying to calm the younger man down. They didn’t know what was happening either, nobody else had figured it out. 

“We can’t find Y/n.” 

[stormyweaver]

First Time For Everything || Part 1/??)

Alright, so never let it be said I'm not a hypocrite. I'm a huge one. But this has been sitting in my drafts for over two months and I need to post it since it's not going anywhere else lmao. PLUS I'm still reeling from my gnawing obsession with V/ox resurfacing after... y'know idk exactly what triggered it but it happened regardless.

Anyway I'm proud of my dialogue for this one bc that's always something I struggle with when writing, so yeah! Plus the idea of V/ox's first cold in Hell has always just been rattling around in my head. Also it's short, but sweet. So yeah! Enjoy!

Summary: V/ox finds out there are worse things than just being in Hell; like being sick in Hell. Alas/tor has a laugh at his expense every step of the way. ~~~

It had started as nothing but a minor annoyance. A dryness of the throat, which was typical for an early morning in Hell. Moisture wasn’t really a thing, even if you considered the fucking acid rain. Which Vox didn’t; that shit was genuinely the worst. But he’d at least had access to clean(ish) water, and cleared his throat a couple of times… the sensation still lingered. Well, it wasn’t anything for him to be overly concerned with. Besides, he had a meeting this morning with Alastor where they were going to discuss more hot-topic talking points for his radio show. 

The cloying, scratchy feeling in his throat still hadn’t gone away, even though it had been at least a couple hours since he first woke up. He made himself breakfast, something simple - eggs and toast, which… the fact that he was even able to scrounge up the materials to have a decent meal still startled him. It was Hell after all - everything was still jarring. 

He barely managed to choke down the slightly burnt edges of bread and too runny eggs (jeez, the food didn’t usually taste five star, but today was bad) before getting washed and dressed. The turtleneck he normally wore felt scratchier than normal, and he tugged at the collar in irritation. Even his antenna weren’t properly fitting into his hat… Gah - today had barely started and it was already a wash.

Well, he could at least look forward to seeing Alastor. Despite how every denizen in Hell he’d met so far had told him to steer clear of The Radio Demon, Vox hadn’t been able to say ‘no’ to him yet. Not once. Even when he’d suggested the damn hat giving him so much trouble now - silly, ridiculous even he’d thought when he first put it on. But one look at Alastor’s approving grin had dashed his worries easily. He’d do just about anything to have that look directed towards him again… Oof, was the heater on the fritz again? It was suddenly so warm.

Sniffing idly, Vox descended the steps of his apartment and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Ugh, it was warm out here too. Well… that wasn’t so much surprising as it was an inconvenience. Hell always seemed to be too warm, but today the pentagram striped sun seemed to beat down on his head with a particularly harsh intensity.

He rolled his neck with a soft grunt, fingers gripping the taught muscle with a grimace. You’d think after however many years (1, 3, more?) of living with a fucking television set for a cranium he’d have gotten used to the aches and pains that came along with it. Vox once again had to remind himself that it was Hell - there were worse things than stiff joints.

“Quite the lovely day we have upon us, isn’t it?”

“JESUS SHIT–!” Vox staggered to the side, his screen glitching slightly from the shock of Alastor’s voice directly beside him. “Wh– You have got to stop doing that, Al! One day I’m gonna get a fucking heart attack.”

Alastor’s grin seemed to widen, eerily. “Oh, I would highly advise against that, old pal! We’re dreadfully short on paramedics here in Pentagram City.” His shoulders shook lightly, obviously amused at his own joke. Vox simple deadpanned, though he fought against his mouth instinct to inch upwards at the corners. Despite being fucking sadistic, Alastor could also be pretty funny - when he wasn’t unsettling or downright terrifying. 

“Anyhow~! You look a bit… disheveled this morning!” Vox tilted his head; he’d said it as if it were the most delightful observation he’d made in ages, “Sleep on the wrong side of the bed, hm?”

“No? I… Well, I looked fine in the mirror.” He argued, smoothing down his shirt a bit self-consciously. Alastor hummed thoughtfully, reached a hand out to gently tug on the tag sticking out of Vox’s inside-out jacket. “I suppose that’s the cons of not having eyes in the back of one’s head, haha!” 

Vox snorted as he began to shrug out of the denim. “Right, like you do?...” He trailed off, giving Alastor a once over. “You- you don’t, right?” 

“Oh, heavens no! But I do have my ways of seeing things others might easily miss.” His ears twitched slightly when Vox sniffed, and his head craned to one side unnaturally. Curious. 

Vox had barely gotten his jacket smoothed out, gaze flicking back to Alastor - only to find the other’s face mere inches from his own. He flinched, feeling heat creep up along his neck as he rose a brow, tentatively inching back. “Is… something else wrong?”

After far too long of a beat, the pinstriped demon snapped back into his place on the sidewalk, giving another curious hum. “Nothing at all, dear. Now! Enough dawdling - shall we get a move on? Rolling stones and such!” Without waiting for an answer, Alastor began walking down the pavement, and Vox blinked before following after him.

'He’s being extra weird today. Wonder why?' Although Vox had long since given up on making sense of Alastor’s every behavior. He’d go absolutely insane to even try. The guy… sinner… demon was nothing short of a fucking enigma, someone most insisted was to be feared and meant to stay FAR FUCKING AWAY from. Maybe Vox was foolish to still consider him good company, but it wasn’t as though he had other sinners breaking down his door to befriend him, let alone ones he actually found himself sharing common interests with. 

Plus… the guy was charming, when he wasn’t being wholly off-putting. And even then, Vox didn’t really mind that side of him. He was just quirky. 

As they walked and made conversation, Vox found his throat going from scratchy to genuinely sore and aching. He was clearing it more often, and trying not to be off-put by the odd, static distorted quality it would get every now and again. Alastor for his part seemed to be indifferent - thank goodness - but Vox felt a small mound of worry forming in his gut. Not for his throat, but something else was… well, no other way to describe it but itching in the back of his head. Like a clothes tag itching at the back of your neck, except it was directly behind his eyes, insistent and growing steadily as they walked.

Eventually, Vox’s steps slowed, and he began to blink rapidly. 

Alastor matched his pace until they were both standing still, the radio demon looking both curious and… oddly expectant. 

Vox gave his head a trembling shake, the feeling seeming to pulse before climbing higher.

“Hahh…?” The inhale swept through his lungs, causing them to seize up as his chest rose and fell unsteadily. His screen flickered as he continued to pant unevenly, a hand raising to mid-chest. Wait, this was all oddly familiar: the gasping, the build up, this itch... was he going to…? He hadn’t even noticed Alastor taking a precautionary step back before–

“heh’AAKKTTSCHHUE!!”

His head snapped forward, and Vox barely - just barely stopped the rest of his body from joining it in tumbling down. The raised hand held onto the top of his head in an attempt at steadying it, and he managed to right himself with a huge gasp. 

“Fucking shit–!!” He exclaimed, chest muscles heaving from the absolute workout straightening back up. He blinked again, before wincing and gripping the side of his head with a groan. “Fuck, fuck my head...” 

“Well, well!” Alastor tittered, clapping his hands together a few times, “Quite the performance, my good man! Quite the show!” Giddiness radiated from him, a stark contrast to the pained misery staining Vox’s features. 

“Nghh… did I just… sneeze?” It felt far more arduous than Vox recalled it *ever* being when he was alive. Then again, he’d never had to sneeze while trying to keep himself from falling on his ass. This really was Hell, wasn’t it?

“That’s the the term most would use, yes! Not quite used to it with your new hardware, eh?” Vox winced at the tap of Alastor’s staff against his head. 

“No, I’m not. Fuck, that was awful… snf!” He raised a finger to scrub against the middle of his face, and Alastor laughed gleefully when his companion realized he didn’t have a nose to actually rub. “... you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Oh, most assuredly, my dear!” His smile didn’t falter once when Vox began to pout, “Now don’t give me that look, it’s all in good fun!” 

Despite his insistence, Vox rolled his eyes. “I don’t see what’s so ‘fun’ about feeling like absolute shit.” Maybe if it was some other sucker sure, but it wasn’t.

“So you are feeling unwell!” Alastor interrupted his thoughts, then clasped his hands together in delight, “Oh, I’d hoped that was the case!” 

“Wait, what?”

Now it was Alastor’s turn to roll his eyes. He stepped closer to Vox, lifting the bottom of his head with his staff. “Tell me, dear - does your throat ache? Do you feel a bit warmer than usual? Perhaps a little… fuzzy in the head?” 

Vox made a slight face. “How… did you know all of that?” He hated when Alastor would do this - toy with him instead of just getting right to the point. He was already feeling like garbage, what was the point of making him think when– wait…

“Ah, the cogs seeme to be turning now, yes?” Alastor’s grin was almost too eager. Vox shuffled back a bit, rubbing the side of his head as he tried to process the conclusion he’d come to. 

“Wait, I… I can get sick? In Hell? That’s a thing?!” 

“Oh, you just make this better and better, truly!” Alastor grinned gleefully, completely ignoring the panic radiating off of Vox. “But yes, you can fall ill in Hell, of all places. I assumed you knew that–”

“HOW would I have ever known that? it’s fucking news to me!”

“Well obviously,” The way Alastor rolled his eyes was enough to potentially give Vox an ulcer. Was he capable of having those, too? Why didn’t he put the pieces of still being biologically able to fall ill together sooner?! Or better yet - why hadn’t Alastor told him, since he seemed to be so fucking knowledgeable on the subject! However it seemed that his flaring irritation would have to take a momentary backseat - that awful sensation was back, almost worse than before, and a shudder rippled along Vox’s spine before it grew uncomfortably stiff. “Hahh… hhh…?” His screen flickered with static as his breathing continued to waver, a hand rising in more impulse than actual desire to cover his mouth. Even through his fluttering lids, he could feel Alastor watching him, eager and yet patient. As if this entire situation wasn’t confounding enough, embarrassing enough, the person he least wanted to be present now had a front row seat. Take a picture, it’ll last longer nestled just on the tip of his tongue, but another sharp inhale reminded him that talking likely wasn’t the smartest option. Not while his head still felt like it was full of fuzzy, restless static–

“ehh-hahH! EA’KTTSCHHHUE!” 

Though not as large as his initial sneeze, it still sent him staggering forward harshly. His screen was almost parallel with his hips in the process, and when he righted, it felt as if rising from being submerged in water for too long. His head, his neck, his core - everything ached, all from a sneeze. He didn’t bother masking a groan. 

“Fuck…” Although his discomfort might as well have meant jack-shit when countered with Alastor’s reaction. The bastard was laughing, as if seeing Vox nearly topple over from a sneeze was just about the funniest damned thing he’d seen in decades. Vox’s temple throbbed painfully as he glared at the Radio Demon, who was dabbing at the edges of his eyes with one corner of a handkerchief. 

“Oh goodness me - you certainly don’t do anything by halves, do you?” 

“You act like I did that on purpose.” Vox countered with a roll of his eyes, sniffling which… if he didn’t have a nose or sinuses, shouldn’t have been an action he could carry out. But there were multiple facets of Hell that technically didn’t make sense. Apparently this was just one among the hundreds of others. 

Alastor didn’t offer much in the way of a response. If anything, he was eerily silent, but his gaze penetrated Vox straight through to his damned soul. Vox felt warmth creep up along his neck. 

“If you’re waiting for it to happen again, you’re shit outta luck.”

Though he said it with confidence, he was internally dreading the moment another sneeze would grab hold of him. Alastor simply shrugged, but his gaze still held that air of anticipation. 

“Suit yourself. It’s certainly no skin off my nose.” His smile widened a fraction when Vox growled under his breath. 

Cyan-tipped fingers scrubbed along the surface of his screen, a bit harsher than was necessary. The irritation wasn’t as strong as before, but it lingered just out of his reach; strong enough to make it’s presence known, but not enough to trigger another sneeze. 

By the time he’d grown tired of uselessly assaulting his own face, Alastor was already a good couple of steps ahead of him. Apparently he’d grown tired of waiting for the ‘show’ to continue.

Shoulders sagging with another liquid-tinged sniffle, Vox reluctantly broke into a jog in order to catch up with him. 

Yeah. Today was definitely going to be… entertaining. 

[apocalypse-shuffle]

SAM WILSON | CAPTAIN AMERICA/FALCON (the mcu | tfatws | captain america: the winter soldier)

—

“Arm Day” (Sam Wilson x Fem!Reader)

| You don’t show up for your running “date” with Sam so he shows up at your place to get a different kind of exercise in.

| SFW, exercising, romantic tension(?)

| Jesus, my summary is very nearly an innuendo. (Pic Source — Captain America: Civil War [peachy-ash icon], Captain America: The Winter Soldier [iconpsds icon], The Falcon & The Winter Soldier [marina-na-na icon])

| Inspo: Instagram

| 1k+ words

It’s the sound of your phone buzzing against your nightstand that wakes you up, and with a groan you lift your head to squint at it.

���Sam Wilson’ flashes across your screen and you in no way can suppress the eye roll that elicits.

He was your gym buddy more often than not, but this was getting ridiculous.

When y’all ran laps together he’d slow down for you so you could keep one another company. When you were on the treadmill he’d be running in the one right beside you and hold out his arm if you stumbled so you wouldn’t go flying, emergency stopping the machine for you. You would spot each other, go out to eat afterwards, even make meal plans together. Sam was your number one.

He was also more of a pain in your ass than your actual personal trainers had ever been in the past.

You grope around for the phone, lifting it up to your ear once your clumsy fingers stumble across it.

“Yeah?”

Your grunt is met with an honest to god laugh. At this early in the morning?

“Oh my god,” you whine. “Sam, please, what do you want?”

A scoff this time.

“Y/N, it’s Saturday. Get your ass up, we got places to be.”

Still laying on your stomach you flip your head over to press the other side of your face into your pillow and switch your phone to the other ear accordingly, eyes slipping back closed.

“We? I told you I’m not leaving my house today.”

A beat of silence and then: “Okay…”

“Awesome. Have fun sweating by-”

“I’ll see you in five.”

You choke on your spit, words coming out in a whoosh and eyes snapping open.

“Fuck no! Sam!”

The sound of the dial tone reaches your ears and you curse, shooting out of bed, sleep no longer an option.

You drop your phone on your sheets and then scramble around for some shorts. If you could get to Sam before he got all the way to your apartment maybe you’d be able to shove his overactive ass back in his car.

In a frenzy you stuff your phone in your pocket and start towards the front door scratching at your head when it hits you. You’re scratching at your bare head.

“Shit- where in the world…?”

You whip around and start back towards your bedroom to look for where your head wrap had hidden itself during the night. You weren’t going all the way downstairs looking a mess.

Anywhere on your bed was a no show. It wasn’t hanging off your lamp like you’d found it once (who knows how it ended up there in the first place), and it wasn’t under your bed.

You're just about to throw caution to the wind and run out as you are regardless when two things happen at once. You find your wrap sunken into your shoes at the end of your bed and someone knocks at your door.

“Oh come the fuck on.” You grit your teeth, snatch up and firmly situate your traitorous wrap, then stomp over to jerk open the door.

“No.”

In front of you, dressed in a gray pair of sweats, Sam frowns lightly, thick brows raising.

“You made a promise,” he hedges.

You flip off said thick - accusatory - eyebrows.

“Screw my promise. I'm going to stay home and you’re going to leave. Goodbye.”

The door closes right in his face. He doesn’t take the chance not to let it, only to step back so he doesn’t break his nose. You appreciate that.

“Now hold on-! Aw come on, Y/n!” There’s muffled shuffling behind the door, him adjusting his gym bag more than likely, before he knocks again.

While you ignore him to start taking stuff out the freezer for a smoothie - you were already up, you might as well make it worth your while - he knocks three more times.

It’s when your phone starts buzzing on the countertop that you cave, stomping back over to the door and cracking it open just enough for him to see the glower on your face.

“What part of ‘Bye’ isn’t clicking? I’m tired, my muscles ache in places I didn’t even know were possible, and if I have to meal prep anymore I’m going to scream.”

He peeks through the sliver.

“Just one little circuit, alright? I brought everything with me so you won’t have to leave… .” His eyes have taken on a particular brightness that makes you just a little weak in the knees. “I’ll even cook for you after.”

Goddamnit. Your face smooths out from the glare you were rocking and Sam’s lights up.

“See? That sounds nice, now, doesn’t it?”

“Fine. A full meal, not no damn sandwich, and you make my smoothie before we start.”

“Deal. Thought you were gonna break my heart for a minute there, I'm really glad we pulled through though.”

“Yeah yeah,” you grumble and drag him and all his crap in.

_ _ _

“If you’re still aching after two days then we probably have to adjust your routine,” he curls upward and the muscles in his arms flex, stretching the sleeve of his maroon shirt to its limit. “I’ll take a pen and paper to it and we’ll figure it out, that fine by you Queen of Sheba?”

You scoff while going down on your push-ups.

“Yeah, it’s fine Sam,” you make sure to catch his eye as you straighten your arms to come up, “thanks.”

He smiles, switching to do curls with his left arm.

You go down, but end up watching unblinking for a few seconds as the muscles on his bicep become well defined peaks.

Hn.

Sam glances up and you rapidly realize that you’ve been laying on the ground and staring creepily at him for the better part of a minute.

Roughly, you clear your throat; Sam smirks and seems to go deliberately slow on his next curl. The way you gulp hurts a little.

“See something you like?”

Scowling, you roll your eyes and pick back up where you left off on your push-ups. You’re focusing intently on the tile underneath your palms when you answer him.

“No,” you snap to the floor.

Everything about Sam’s laugh says he doesn’t believe you worth a damn.

You don’t particularly care what he thinks though; something that you reiterate over and over in your head as you go on to the next workout.

Where the fuck Sam’s forward ass got off hiking a portable pull-up bar up to your apartment you did not know, but here the thing is, sitting nice and pretty like it belonged to be an absolute eyesore in the middle of your living room.

You sigh and decidedly don’t stare at him too hard as he eases down to the floor to take your previous place and start his own round of push-ups, and probably a few floor presses or something considering he brings the dumbbells down with him.

On your end starting your pull-ups starts off relatively easy. They’ve never been your favorite - and you’re certain they never will be - but at least you could do them now since you started training with Sam almost a year ago now.

Sam was neat like that. Uplifting without slipping into condescension, and being one of the few people who could push you so thoroughly out of your comfort zone.

Certainly the only person you allowed to upheave your more flexible boundaries with so little push back.

Breath huffing out of you you force yourself to rest before starting on your next set, eyes running over your workout partner’s back and the way the muscles there are also incredibly defined as he engages them.

It was a little unfair honestly. Who gave Sam Wilson the right to look so perfect? With a grunt you start working out again.

Eventually you begin waning, you can feel it in the way your arms instantly start to shake as you try to pull your body weight up for your next set, and the excess heat building in your fingers. How even as you attempt to swing your legs to get more momentum to do the pull-up you just barely manage to get one in before your arms give out, straightening back, and you’re left just hanging there.

“Goddamn,” you curse. Today really was just not your day.

Distantly you note the soft thud of weights being set down at your left but you're so focused that you don’t notice Sam move until he’s already in front of you.

He jumps up and you make a startled noise as you come face to face before he does a pull-up as easy as can be. Your lips purse.

He grins, “I got you, come on. One more rep.”

You sigh but he’s looking right into your eyes with that soft grin on his face - and you’re a sucker - so you cave in less than five seconds. Also, you don’t want to keep hanging any longer than necessary.

“I might not have one more in me, period, but I’ll try,” you murmur as you look away. You prep your muscles to move, assuming the right position, when Sam shaking his head in your peripheral catches your attention.

“Didn’t I just say I had you?” He doesn’t wait for you to respond before he’s swinging just that much closer on one arm - fucking show off - and grabbing enough of your thigh to nudge you forward so he can get his arm around your upper leg and then pull you in.

“You’re such a show off, you know that?”

You still follow his line of reasoning, though; pulling up enough that you can get both of your legs around his waist.

Sam just laughs, teeth glinting.

“I’m just happy to help.”

“Ha,” you mock, but when he pulls up you do so with him. Your arms bend, but not with nearly as much strain as before with him taking the majority of your weight, and the pressure on your core significantly lessens.

You won’t admit to having to bite back a smile at the feel of him tucked against you.

“You okay now?”

“Yeah,” you pant out, legs tightening absentmindedly around his waist. Sam grunts lowly in the back of his throat. “You in the habit of catching people like this?”

The look that briefly flashes across his face is far more severe than you think your question merits, and when Sam answers he makes sure to look you in the eye.

“I try to be.”

Then the moment’s broken, he’s pulling you both back up into your final exercise of the day and you’re left wondering where the hell Sam Wilson got off making you love him like this.

NOTES: Hope you enjoyed!! If there’s any typos I’ll catch them later.

btw: if you’d like to leave a comment I’d very much appreciate it!

[saviorellie]

this will do.

pairing : ellie williams x reader

pov : third person , she/her pronouns

word count : 1,282 words

warning(s) : just fluff!!! college!ellie au!!! pinning!!!

notes : I’M ALIVE. yearly rebrand for the new hyperfixation. i need ellie williams desperately. that’s all!

masterlist

“y/n,” was the first word ellie spoke into the phone. “what’s up?”

her backpack was slipping off her shoulder. she just let it fall.

“can i come in?” she asked quietly. there was movement on the other end of the line.

“of course, y/n. you don’t need to ask.”

she didn’t respond.

“i’ll be out in a minute, okay? just got out of the shower- ‘m changing.”

she opened the door to her friend’s dorm room with the spare key ellie had gotten just for her. her space was warm and comforting and smelled of her, smokey and like home. but the tears came anyway.

ellie could feel it because she knows her. and has or ever a decade. but she didn’t expect to find her like this.

on a normal day, she would’ve had her backpack zipped open on the couch, her notebooks and laptop and ridiculous assortment of pens and highlighters and pencils spread out across the table. she would’ve pulled the blinds up and ridiculed ellie for failing to let light into her small apartment. she would’ve been rifling though her bare cabinets, trying and failing to find food to cook her an actual meal so she isn’t just living off of noodles and apple juice and weed. she would’ve glanced up at her best friend with gentle eyes and graced her with an even gentler hug.

but today, in the solitude and darkness of ellie’s apartment, she was sitting folded into herself on the couch.

it was easy for ellie to approach her, it was easy to crouch down and sit on the coffee table in front of her. if was difficult, however, to realize that she was avoiding eye contact. she knew. she was crying.

and there was just silence. ellie waited, watching her form shake while her heart sunk deeper into her chest with every passing second.

then finally, finally, she called out for her.

“ellie…” she whispered, and she was moving.

the couch cushions shifted as she sat next to her, pulling her in. as ellie tucked her head under her chin, her throat swelled with fear; she rarely saw this side of her and wanted nothing more than to take her pain away.

she was the composed one. she saw everything in her life in a positive light, taking things as they were and accepting whatever happened to her. she was compassionate and a great listener and an even better friend. the range of her emotions was about as diverse as one could imagine, but she was so talented in hiding her stresses that at times, even ellie didn’t notice until it built up so high that it just poured out.

here she was, the girl-ellie’s girl-that was always taking care of her and everyone else before herself. her work and her high expectations for herself had reduced to a bleak, discouraged figure in her friend’s embrace.

“angel,” ellie muttered, because she was still crying and her heart felt heavy and sometimes the line between best friend and more blurred and she forgot her place. she didn’t need a lover right now. she needed her best friend.

“i just… i just want to give up. i’m so tired,” she slurred long after ellie had lost track of time. once the tears had ceased and the shaking had subsided.

ellie just closed her eyes, searching for her hand in the dark. it made her so sad that the stress of college and work and bills and just living affected her hard-wired, determined, passionate self. she wanted to take it away and make if feel better. because that’s what she always did for her.

“it’ll be okay. you’ll, we’ll, figure it out. you always do.”

she nodded, just slightly, against her chest.

“i know,” she said. but the defeated sound would not leave her.

ellie didn’t really think through what she was doing as her hand brushed through her hair, brushing it back from her face. she was just exhausted. she needed comfort and ellie was going to give it as best she could.

“you gotta let me take care of you,” she sighed. “you can sleep here, if you want.”

she grunted out a noise of disapproval.

“no,” she muttered, but the softness in her voice betrayed her.

“you’re so stubborn,” ellie shot back and she laughed, just a little. and that was enough.

ellie swiveled on her heel when she heard her shuffling into the kitchen, smiling a bit at her disheveled appearance. it was harder than normal to ignore that she was in love with her on days like this.

she came right over and leaned into her side. naturally, her arm circled ellie’s waist and ellie’s arm rested on top of her shoulders as she peered into the pot she was stirring on the stove.

“what is going on?” she scoffed, because she was making actual food.

what was going on was that she has been serious earlier. about taking care of her.

after she’d fallen asleep earlier, ellie situated her on the couch and piled blankets on top of her because she was freezing all the time. although she didn’t want to chance being gone when she woke up, she didn’t have any food in her apartment and the protective side of her, reserved only for the girl sleeping on her couch, told her that was a problem. weighing her options, she went to the convenience store a couple streets over and grabbed the ingredients her favorite soup called for.

she pulled away from her best friend and hoisted herself up onto the counter next to the stove, leaning her head back on the wooden cabinet. ellie could tell she was thinking, so she left her alone. that is, until she noticed she was watching her.

“what?” she asked gently.

she just stared at her for a second. her beautiful, kind best friend. her auburn hair was falling out her bun and into her face and she had to resist the urge to push it back.

“thank you.”

ellie’s head tilted to the side.

“for what?” she moved a little closer and the girl beside her shrugged.

“i don’t know. it’s just…” she looked down at her lap, shifting on the granite countertop. “I’m still exhausted and overwhelmed and sad, but i know that you’ll be there so… i don’t know. it’s okay.”

she opened her arms lazily in ellie’s direction, the corners of her lips lifting in the slightest manner. so ellie hugged her. and her heart hurt.

then she pulled away, that dangerous thought invading her mind, the idea that the emotion in her eyes when she looked at her was how it felt for her to be in love with her best friend. the idea that she should risk it all and press a kiss to her cheek or forehead and gauge her reaction.

so instead, ellie stirred her soup and sat with her in comfortable silence.

“i love you,” she whispered, playing with the rings on her fingers.

ellie felt her breath hitch. she had said i love you to her before. but this felt different. she just didn’t know if it felt different for her too.

“i… i love you too.” she reached for her hand, running her thumb over the back of it. the silence returned, but ellie was no longer comfortable.

ellie didn’t know if what she felt would ever become reality- being more with her. but she did know that she was never going to stop caring for her and releasing her stress and doing little things to make her smile up at her with the glow she only held in her apartment.

but for now, this is plenty. this is enough. this will do.

[dutifullynuttywitch]

Sisterly advice

Wake the Dead fanfic

Pairing: Brynn Archer / Eva Archer (sisters)

@choicesfebruary2024 Prompt: Family

Summary: Eva and Brynn Archer enjoy a rare day off in the Tower.

Word count: 1,200

Rating: Teen

Today has been an almost perfect day, Eva Archer reflects.

She’d had the day off from pest control. Brynn and her crew were also on a rare break from scouting.

She and Brynn had woken up late, enjoyed a half decent meal for a change – scavengers had brought back apples from a nearby grove – and spent the afternoon playing cards with Cassidy, Dirk, Troy and Mack.

Even Troy had refrained from cheating, mostly. He’d slipped her a couple of aces under the table when her pile of chips had run dangerously low, grinning charmingly at Cassidy’s amused smirk, the others oblivious to the maneuver.

This was about as perfect a day as she could hope for within the confines of the Tower.

Her wandering thoughts sour at that.

The Tower.

Forever cooped inside a large, windowless, oppressive bunker. Surrounded by too many people, all busy eking out a living, oblivious to the world around them, living and working under the flickering of artificial neon lights.

Of course, there were bright spots in that otherwise bleak world.

Her Sister Brynn and her scouting crew, Cassidy, Dirk, Brianna. Their quirky friend Mack. And Troy, her best friend and partner in crime. They had become her adopted family. Made her existence in the Tower more bearable.

Eva dreams of being able to head out and see the world. Feel the grass between her toes again. Visit some old world relics she faintly remembered from her childhood and would avidly read about in Troy’s magazines - amusement parks, libraries, museums... She wants to swim in the sea. Feel the warm, salty breeze on her face.

Eva barely remembers life before the drones, before the Tower. She had been so young when people had started to change, when they’d lost their fathers and had been forced to flee. Brynn, still a child herself, taking on the parenting role.

“Hey! Earth to Eva! What are you daydreaming about?”

It’s the main reason she wants to become a scout so bad. To Brynn’s immense displeasure. Too dangerous, she’d growl, shutting down every attempt at a conversation.

Brynn pulls her out of her reverie with a light tug. Both sisters are sitting cross-legged on Brynn’s bottom bunk, the older sister’s hands nimbly working on braiding Eva’s fiery red hair.

“Nothing... I just.. I’m realizing, I’m starting to forget what the outside world looks like, feels like...” Eva murmurs, looking at her hands.

Brynn freezes, a pained look on her face.

“Eva...”

“And I know what you’re going to say, outside is dangerous, full of drones. And I know you’re right, I’m not trying to minimize the danger. But still, you get to actually leave this place for a while, breathe fresh air, feel the sun on your face... The last time I saw any of the outside world was when Troy ...”

Eva clamps her mouth shut, realizing she’d said too much.

“When you what? Eva, when the hell did you see the outside world with Troy?!” Brynn rounds on her, furious.

“It’s not like we left the tower or anything, Brynn! A... a few months ago, he took me to see the northern lights up on one of the top floors. We may have snuck back up a few times since... but only at night, with no one around to see us, I swear!”

“Are you kidding me, Eva?! Do you have any idea what’ll happen if Blackstock’s people find you sneaking into off limit areas? And after curfew at that?! God, I don’t know who's the worst influence between the two of you.”

Brynn stares at her, furious, then lets out an amused chuckle.

“You know, I thought the two of you were sneaking around making out or something. Was working myself up to the birds and bees talk. I definitely did not suspect late night stargazing. You’re such dorks!”

“Making out?! Birds and - what on earth gave you that ridiculous idea?” Eva splutters, face heating up.

“Oh come on, little sis, I’m not blind. I can see how you look at each other. And the not-so-subtle flirting.”

Wait, what does Brynn mean about Troy looking at me like… Eva’s mind spins as she thinks back to their daily interactions. His charming smile, his soft brown eyes sparkling with mischief and affection…

Nah, he’s just being friendly, as he’s always been. My best friend, nothing more, nothing less.

Could they ever be something more?

She shakes the thoughts away.

Brynn smirks, enjoying her sister’s discomfort a little too much.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eva mumbles, “Troy's just a friend. Besides, he’s a huge flirt. And a goofball. And an ass more often than not. He’s really not my type.”

“Uh Huh. You keep telling yourself that.” Brynn smiles, amused.

“Okay, since we’re going there, what about you and Dirk? I see the way he looks at you. The guy worships the ground you walk on!” Eva turns towards her big sister, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

Brynn becomes serious, a little hesitant.

“Dirk and I... It’s complicated. I know he cares about me. And I do have… feelings. But when you’re out with someone risking your lives on a near daily basis, you need to fully trust them. Right now, we have a great dynamic going with him, Cassidy, Brianna. We have each other’s backs, but we also know none of us will hesitate to do the hard thing if one of us got bit. If Dirk and I became something more, I’m worried it’d cloud our judgement if things went south...”

Eva takes in the admission, brows knitted, then grabs her big sister in a crushing hug.

“Brynn, you deserve happiness. And love - even if it’s with someone as grumpy as Dirk.”

Brynn scoffs at that, but Eva continues.

“I swear, you’re always putting everyone’s needs and wellbeing ahead of yours. Even the damn job. You’re always looking out for me -”

“It’s my job, even though you don’t make it easy, you brat!”

“Well, if you weren’t such a stuck-up ass all the time ...”

“Watch it, lil sis...” Brynn growls, eyes narrowing in warning.

“Or what? You gonna -”

Eva squeals as Brynn lunges at her, jumping off the bed. She ducks as a pillow sails right above her head.

“I swear Eva, I don’t know how I even put up with you.” Brynn mutters, getting up to grab her boots.

“’It’s cause you loooove me!”

“You’re lucky we’re related or you’d be out on your ass. Now get a move on or we’ll miss evening rations.”

“Yeah yeah.” Eva smirks.

She suddenly turns serious, pensive.

“For what it’s worth, Brynn, I get your concern that letting someone in may… complicate an already good thing. But if you don’t, you can also miss out on the chance of something amazing.”

Brynn stops to ponder. Then smirks.

“Wait, actual words of wisdom from my little sis? I guess you did learn something in between all your suspensions. Any chance you’ll follow your own advice?”

“… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Riiiight.”

Eva rolls her eyes, wrapping an arm around Brynn to give her a hug.

Brynn reaches up and playfully rubs her knuckles on her sister’s head.

“Ouch! Brat!”

Both sisters giggle and tease each other as they head out into the labyrinth of neon-lit hallways.

[finniestoncrane]

Your One True Nemesis

Chapter 29: also on AO3 Masterlist Here Arkham!Riddler x Female!Reader, word count: 2k this man can fit so much angst and self-loathing in the guise of egotism in him 💚 request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: angst and pining

It was almost noon by the time you woke up. Everything felt more casual now. Like you’d passed a point in your relationship with Eddie, if that’s what you could call it. Perhaps a better term was arrangement. But either way, it felt like you could be yourself a bit more, stand up for yourself. If you wanted to take the morning to catch up on sleep, then you would. What was Eddie going to do? Dislike you more? Insult you more? Maybe he’d apologise again like he did the other day.

As you remembered that moment, you replayed it in your head. Had he meant it as a genuine apology? A statement of regret, for how he had made you feel. Or for how he had made you react to his words. Was he sorry that you had gotten angry with him? Uttering the word in confusion and shock at your sudden ability to speak up. Or was he simply excusing himself? He left the room immediately once he had uttered that one word, so there was every chance that he was just making a polite exit from a situation he either no longer wanted to be in or felt he was above, or both.

Stepping out of your room, you entered the living space, shocked to find Eddie sitting at the table with his breakfast. Obviously, in your absence, he would have had to prepare his meals for himself. He did it all the time before he knew you, so it wasn’t entirely ridiculous to assume he could do it himself, but it felt like you had been replaced, almost. That one of the few things you could, or did, do for him was no longer needed. Trying to avoid any awkward or confrontational conversations, you poured yourself a coffee and sat down at the table across from him.

“I’ll make lunch today.”

“Yes. That would be a good idea.”

He didn’t look at you, he didn’t even look up, and you couldn’t contain your irritation with his flippant attitude.

“You know, you could just say thank you.”

“For what? The bare minimum? You haven’t even done it yet, why should I thank you in advance for something you might forget to do, or make a disaster of.”

Slamming the coffee mug on the table with, liquid spilling over the edges at the upset, you leaned back in your chair with your arms now folded.

“I could just as easily leave again, Eddie.”

You watched him continue eating after the briefest of pauses, where he might have been considering a retort, or a snide come back, but chose to sit in silence instead. Sipping at your coffee, you stole glances at him, waiting to see if he would decide to speak, if he would apologise again. It was a one-off, though, you assumed. Or at least resigned yourself to believing. Until he placed his fork down, wiped his mouth on his forearm, and finally decided to speak.

“I have always been the smartest man in the room. Forced to endure the suspicions and mockery of those whose meagre mental facilities prohibited them from appreciating that fact. It has not been easy, to suffer fools. And I don’t suffer fools gladly. But then, you appear, dressing up your cognitive abilities, marginally superior as they are to that of the average hoodlum, in the guise of admiration. Although, I realise now, that it isn’t just a guise. You are… patient. Tolerant of my… less admirable qualities. And for that I…”

Eddie swallowed hard, sighing as he gritted his teeth to get through the next part of the sentence, unavoidable as it was if he wanted to at least attempt to see himself gain even a tiny iota of what he assumed was going to be genuine happiness.

“… I am thankful. And I am sorry.”

Knowing that it wasn’t the moment to push or to prod, or to try and get anything else out of him, you forced a gentle smile on your face.

“Thank you, Eddie. I appreciate that. And I’m proud of you for… trying to be a bit more…”

“Kind. Nice. Human?”

“Well, you said it.”

He offered you a smile back, oddly self-effacing, toned down and genuine. Warmth behind it that you hadn’t really seen before. He appreciated being praised, clearly. Almost as much as he loved being complimented. So you decided to keep stroking the ego in the hopes that you could nurture this fresh, and perhaps feral, ability within him.

“You’re really a wonderful person to work for, Eddie. As difficult as it can be, sometimes, I do appreciate the opportunity to see how your brain… functions, how it creates.”

“And it’s only difficult sometimes? My dear, you and I both know that’s an understatement.”

It felt like a trap. Eddie had never been this down to earth, this open about his own nature and often problematic personality. Agreeing with him felt like it might be suicidal, but it might also open up a dialogue of honesty and vulnerability. The opportunity to joke, to critique, to be equals. So you took the risk.

“Maybe, but I like you enough that I’m willing to overlook the more challenging aspects of your… general being.”

With bated breath you waited to be cursed out, for the newly built bridge between you to fall apart, the dynamite stuck to it’s fragile and trembling beams to be detonated, to watch it collapse as quickly as it was constructed. But he let out of a soft chuckle and leaned back in his seat, picking up the newspaper from the table and reading it with a smile. It was casual. It was… normal.

And it killed Eddie to be normal. Everything in him fought against the desire to tell you he was not difficult, despite knowing very well that he was. But he had been reasoning with himself, while you were gone, since you came back, even when you had been with him in the first place, that allowing himself to be normal would be the only way he could see a future with you, in any capacity. It made him feel nauseous, to consider that he wanted a future, even one where you remained as his obedient assistant let alone anything else, but that feeling of dread was good. It might mean he was doing the right thing, for a change.

Each day, each moment it seemed, he was closer to letting the softer side of him win. And every day he woke up, he was hoping it would. In the deepest, darkest recesses of his soul, there was something growing. Something that longed to be adored, and to be deserving of that adoration. Not to win it through aggression, or cruelty, or his intelligence. But through offering it back in equal measure. True. Equal. Vulnerable.

He was pulled from the thoughts by your sudden interruption, speaking again as you tried to see how far the line had been moved, toeing it, testing the waters.

“It is a shame what a pain you are, Eddie. You have the potential to be very sweet, and you are handsome. You could easily have conned someone into marriage and then they’d be sort of contractually obliged to look after you.”

“Much like you are?”

The curt, almost factual way he insinuated the dynamic between you shocked you into a stunned silence, and all you could do was look at him, stupefied, mouth open in half-shock, half-amusement at the way he had so casually implied your unspoken marriage. In the face of the ridiculousness, he stammered at an explanation.

“I mean… I didn’t mean… I’m sorry, I didn’t realise the implications when I suggested… or implied… insinuated? When I said that. I… n-not that it would be wrong, I mean you would do well as a… for someone else, although, I mean I wouldn’t want you to because then you’d spend less time with me, uh, for me. Although! You’re allowed to spend time with other people it’s not… it’s not like we’re in a relationship. We, uh, have a relationship of course, not a… which I would like, or… no… wouldn’t mind. But I would date you first not just… I’m not asking you… just explaining that it… you know what I mean? I mean… I don’t know what I mean. I am talking a lot. Big, bulging, genius brain and it can’t figure out when to stop talking to feel free to step in at any point and do your job, save me from- ”

As was now your standard, you interrupted him by placing your palm softly against his cheek. It silenced him, caught him breathless. A motion so tender, unlike most other times people had reached their hand towards his face. But, interestingly at least to him, he didn’t flinch. He didn’t expect you to react violently. He trusted you in close quarters. It felt so natural, so warming, that he didn’t even realise he was instinctively leaning in towards you, closing the gap, until he snapped back to the real world and pulled away.

“Ok, well… thank you. That’ll do it.”

As you dropped your hand to the table with a smile, he was quick to place his on top of it, watching it with a confused look, as though he weren’t in control of it. As if his body had decided to bypass his brain and start making decisions for itself, taking what it wanted. Touch. Comfort. But there was no silencing his mind, always there to assert its dominance over his heart and soul. So he snatched his arm back and placed it under the table, scowling before shifting his face to a more calm and neutral expression, not wanting to seem angry when he spoke to you.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t do that. For the sake of… the feelings involved. It might be simpler to focus on returning to our working relationship, especially so soon after your return.”

With a heavy heart, you couldn’t help but agree with him, but it stung nevertheless.

“I do agree that it was a bit awkward, before. But does that mean we just live with the tension now? We ignore it? Until it swells up again? Is that what you want?”

With a defeated smile, forced onto his face to keep the mood as light as possible, Eddie looked int your eyes, longer and deeper than he had ever done before.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what I want. I don’t know how I feel. And that is terrifying, because I know everything. The only thing I am certain of is that my ego would be satisfactorily bruised if I get something wrong. Getting it wrong would be admitting there’s something I can’t do. So I would rather not… know. I’d rather have nothing than risk being disappointed… or… disappointing… anyone else.”

You reached to grab his hand, but corrected yourself. You wanted to comfort him, to congratulate him. This was enough, this was all you needed at that moment. The fact that he had opened up, told you his feelings, confessed to his fears. It was plenty to live on. It gave you hope. And he seemed to appreciate your restraint, taking what he needed from your comforting smile at least for now. The day could begin. It would be like normal. You’d make lunch. He’d tut when you hummed and distracted him from his work. You would eat dinner and go to your separate rooms. It would be the same as always, until he was ready to find more. Or to go after it.

But as he watched you stand up, he felt a painful pang of regret in his stomach. How long could he really wait? He’d spent so much time already trying to figure out the correct answer. It might be possible that there was no definitive solution here. A risk might be the only option.

[whatiswhump]

Christmas 1957, Alfred Finch

A continuation of this series

Hi I’m back :) and this one’s LONG and I’m proud of it. Yay happy holidays

***

“Merry Christmas, Alfie,”

His head had just been shaved again, lice were making their way through the wards. It made his cheeks look so hollow despite the paper crown that had been clumsily placed on his head by a nurse.

Words didn’t come right away to Fie so he nodded back to Sean. He was aware today though, Sean could tell.

Turkey and mashed potatoes were unceremoniously still strewn across his tin tray. So much for a holiday meal. Sean wished he would eat it though.

“Th- that’s why I’m wearing this?” A wry smile snuck in as Fie nodded to his flimsy holiday accessory.

Sean felt an instant warmth that made his heart swell and he laughed a bit too loudly, “Yes it's what they call it holiday cheer, although I think Eddie took the square of chocolate you got with it.”

The wry twist of Fie’s mouth remained a bit longer signifying what would be a strong response these days.

Sean had read the charts this morning, Harris’s crony, Capshaw, hadn’t given up on the hydrotherapy yet. He had been scheduled in for it nearly every day this week.

He was surprised Fie was okay enough to even be in the cafeteria considering his typical response to the treatment.

“Hey how about you eat a few more bites of the Christmas feast for me, eh?”

Fie’s eyes trailed down at the sloppily served bits of meat in tepid gravy and potato. But despite his hesitation, he didn’t disobey, he lifted his fork and got to work. It twisted something in Sean to see how easily he followed requests... when everyone else in the institution ignored this and acted like he was feral, immediately going for force before bothering to request.

“Also Sophie says hello by the way,”

His patient paused mid attempt to skewer some meat with a confused expression.

“My wife, I think I’ve mentioned her, she and I got married a few months ago, yeah?” That had been during the no contact stage.

This did seem to jog his memory, he nodded but still seemed surprised. Sean spoke about him outside of work?

As if he read his mind, Sean continued, “Yeah, I tell her about you, especially your paintings. She’s an art history professor you know… Anyway, she asked me to wish you a merry Christmas.”

Alfie paused completely, clearly half here-half somewhere else, lost in thought, “...What year is it?”

“It’s 1957 'bout to be 1958, buddy.” Sean didn’t like thinking what that entailed for his friend, nearly four years in here now. Where had the time gone?

He was four years older than Delano now.

“Merry Christmas, Alfred.” 

Both young men jumped slightly at the arrival of Dr. Harris, how long had he been close by?

Alfie just stared back at him frozen, some of that old fear was returning as well.

Harris smiled, “I am glad the nurses are spreading some cheer,” and gestured to Alfie’s ridiculous hat, “And I am glad to hear that you’ve been trying harder to tolerate the hydrotherapy Alfred. That is brave of you as we all know how much it has frightened you in the past.”

Fie looked down at his plate ashamed. He remembered that. Over and over. A room full of people- him bare and being forced into water by so many hands. Harris watching…

“Dr. Harris, I hope that you’ve had a pleasant holiday?” Sean politely responded after a few beats of silence and an awkward cough.

“Thank you, Sean, yes. In fact I will be off soon, the wife and children are expecting me for Christmas dinner. Just like to stop in today every year. The holiday can set many of our patients off, I like to be assured that everything is under control.”

Sean agreed with that, many patients preemptively were given extra sedation today. It made him a bit sad but then he remembered the alternative- them suffering unnecessarily- missing family, memories, some even waiting for a visit from Santa Claus that would never come… It was cruel to them. Such a happy happy day turned cruel.

Dr. Harris gave Sean what was probably meant to be a polite smile, “Sean, would you give Alfie and I a minute? I’ll call you back over if you’re needed.”

An alarm bell went off in his head but he could only say, “Sure, Doctor,” And then glance to Alfie, who was still looking at his plate and walk to the perimeter of the room to join a few of the other orderlies.

“Alfred, please be polite and put your fork down and look at me.”

Fie dropped his fork almost robotically and wrapped his hand in the other in his lap.

“What else did I ask?”

He dragged his eyes up to the doctor standing up above him. He was wearing a red and green tie.

“You have children?” It came out before he even realized it, surprising both of them.

Harris smiled in amusement, “Yes, I generally keep my personal life separate, part of the profession I am afraid. Two boys and a girl. The eldest is sixteen.”

Harris could see the cogs turning in his patient’s head, new information about a man he knew surprisingly nothing about. He prided himself in being strictly a doctor to his patients, nothing else, no extraneous details. It was all about the patients after all.

He loved how painfully clear some of Alfie’s thoughts could be. And this was such a nice little Christmas gift dropped into his lap, especially since his initial plan was just to discuss water therapy again.

“I can tell you are surprised, what are you thinking about right now?”

“And stop picking at your hands.” He added with a touch of sterness.

Alfie’s worrying hands stilled instantly. His eyes looked bigger when they clumsily shaved his head like this. It was a shame they didn’t do a better job, he could have been a handsome young man. Even still.

“It’s just that you’re always here- I didn’t think- I didn’t know-” That he had children of his own? That he was someone's father…

It was natural that Alfred would see him as a father figure, it happened with a lot of patients, it was difficult to avoid. 

“I know you see me as a father, Alfred. I’ve helped you and taken care of you, it’s natural.”

Then Fie looked surprised again.

“This is why you still need so much more therapy, you’re a clever boy but you’re not making the most simple connections related to your psyche.”

Fie wilted a bit and after a brief moment nodded back to Harris. Sean had told him to agree when he could, he said it would help.

“Now Dr. Capshaw will restart hydrotherapy again today- only one day off. If you cooperate in our next session when I return tomorrow maybe we can consider reducing those sessions.”

Alfie looked back to him and nodded in understanding. He really would like that. He was getting better at hydrotherapy but afterwards he still cried every time. And really anything to see less of Capshaw.

“That’s a good boy. Now behave the rest of today, the nurses have enough to deal with, and you don't want to be sedated- or worse get a lump of coal, on Christmas do you?” He said with a smile and bent over and ruffled his hat partially crumpling it where it sat on his head.

“Merry Christmas Alfred, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Harris beamed in his good cheer and turned on his heels to leave the hospital for what Alfie imagined was a roasted goose with all of the trimmings and three smiling children. 

Maybe he was a good father? Maybe he played catch in the backyard and read stories alloud by the fire?

A shiver went through him as he was lost in this thought, only to jump again when he felt a hand on his back.

“Just me, bud,” Sean’s voice rumbled kindly.

Alfie deflated a little in his seat, “He said I have to have treatment today.”

Sean’s eyebrows were creased as he came into his vision, rounding the table, “On Christmas? What do they say? No rest for the wicked?”

“Is that me or them that's the Wicked?” Alfie replied dryly but lacking the smirk a joke would require.

Sean elected to ignore the dour comment and move forward, “I was watching you though, you did a good job, I saw you nodding- agreeing- just like we talked about. I know it isn’t easy.”

“You said that before- at one point… I used to fight it?”

It was Sean’s turn to smirk, “Like a tomcat, a force of nature,” He replied with a tone of distinctive pride, “You really stuck it to them.”

“Sometimes I feel like I still want to…”

Sean paused, sensing the dangerous territory, “Fie, listen, that’s not a bad thing but-”

“But then they’d erase me again… I know. So I won’t.”

He sighed, “It’s just not fair, Fie. You should be able to fight and I should help you-”

“But it isn’t fair no matter what and if you’re gone...”

Fie was frankly amazingly lucid today. It was reminding Sean of how painful it could be when he was.... as opposed to the other special kind of torture of when he was out of it- this way he was aware of the injustice, the cruelty.

“You’re right,” Sean breathed out, feeling decidedly un-cheery.

As if reading his mind in turn Alfie responded with a wry smile that didn’t match his eyes, “Merry Christmas to us then.”

Sean then smiled bigger than he should have, “I do have one thing that might tip the balances of today…”

Alfie actually looked mildly curious.

“If you’ll do me the honor of escorting me back to your quarters, there may or may not be a surprise waiting there…”

Fie tried to suppress a small smile and nodded. He almost got up but then looked apprehensively at his tray, reflexively ready to be told to eat more.

“Clean plate club as far as I’m concerned.” Sean shooed him up gently with a smile. 

Fie wobbled a bit and wasn’t fast by any stretch of the imagination but when they made it back to his cell Sean gestured inside like a prize show girl.

Fie raised his eyebrows when with a cursory look nothing was visible. 

“You think I’d let the nurses take it home for themselves? Look a little closer-”

Alfie stepped inside as he had hundreds of times before. The only thing in the white cell was an iron bed with white sheets and a gray scratchy wool blanket. 

He looked back at Sean, now really confused.

“Check the sheets” Sean smiled.

So Alfie did, tucked right within was a small bundle…

Alfie immediately sat on his bed with the green wrapped bundle on his lap and then just stopped, staring at it.

“You can open it anytime,” Sean reminded him in a teasing voice.

Fie looked up at him, almost surprised again that he was there, already so distracted by this new object.

But he nodded minutely and looked back down to the parcel.

It was wrapped with a thin red and white twine bow that he gingerly pulled loose. Before it fell away he rubbed it with his fingers, savoring the touch.

Gingerly, so gingerly he began on the paper. There was no tape so at his little tug it easily came away. First visible was a card.

“Merry Christmas! From the Cyril’s” read in cheery red script around a green snow covered tree with little yellow lights dotting it. Fie’s finger brushed slowly over the pressed inks. After a long moment, he opened up the card and something fluttered out.

Sean jumped over to retrieve it and embarrassedly spluttered as he handed it back, “Sophie wanted to give you a card but each one has our snapshot in it for family and friends out of town- it’s corny, i know...” his cheeks were red.

Fie just silently took the thick glossy cutout back and stared at it. It was Sean, that he recognized, but bizarrely out of uniform, in a knit button-up leisure shirt. And a woman beaming at the camera in his arms below him. She was so happy- beaming wasn’t enough of a word to describe it. Her hair was done stylishly in medium curls that swept off her face and her dress, even in the black and white, was obviously colorful and jubilant.

They were beautiful.

He looked at the writing in the card, “Dear Alfred, Merry Christmas from us. Good tidings and continued wishes for your improving health. With cheers and fond wishes, Soph and Sean.”

The script was decidedly ugly which unexpectedly made Fie laugh, scrawled with sharp points and careless dots and crossed t’s, somehow even that was amusing and warm.

“Oh her writing? I know!! Apparently the nuns used to use a ruler on her hands in grade school for it- she thinks she’s talented for it!” Sean laughed warmly.

Fie closed the card and smiled at Sean, “Thank you, Sean.” He couldn’t believe they would give him this, it was almost too kind.

“Well thats just the card! Look at the rest!” Sean replied giddily.

And sure enough, to his surprise, (as he had forgotten about the lumpiness of the parcel) there was more. First was a little pie, the size of a hand and absolutely delicious looking, then… a tiny notebook, again no larger than a hand with a little pencil fit into the spine. 

Fie picked up the notebook, dumbfounded. Green leather bound with tissue thin pages turned over and over in his hands.

“Mostly for drawing…. If you ever felt like it when i can’t take you to the art room but also I don’t know...” Sean rubbed the back of his neck, “For remembering things you don’t wanna forget- important things-”

Fie shifted the contents of his lap beside him to jump up and hug Sean but clumsily more fell into him than anything.

“Thank you-” He mumbled into the warm winter uniform sweater, “Thank you.”

Sean held him securely, “Merry Christmas bud, you probably deserve a helluva lot more than this.”

---

@cursedscribbles @voidwhump @castielamigos-whump-side-blog @aliceinwhumperland @whump-it @professional-idiocy @ziptiewhump @angrystudentgoopfire @jaxonjekkels @clubbem @simplygrimly @whole-and-apart-and-between @bumpthumpwhump @rosesareviolentlyread @whumpasaurus101 @hurting-fictional-people @burtlederp @thelittlegirlwithcurlyhair @crystalquartzwhump @rotfern @sentientpileofmoss

[shinycollarboneapologist]

ms girl i am a sucker for domestic shit

taylorverse!reader and matty having just a chill morning, being all loved up and cute (when they do get together and stuff)

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

IT STARTS OFF A LITTLE SLUFFY (slutty and fluffy) under the cut but a very domestic lie in with matty is a must 😭

his lips are pressed to your shoulder, teeth scraping at the tender skin ever so gently as his hips slow from their once brutal pace on your own. a contented sigh falls from both of your lips, always in-synch, and your head rolls back onto his shoulder soft little puffed breaths falling out of your mouth.

“well good morning to you, too.” you giggle, breathlessly and he only smirks dipping his head down to kiss you in this, albeit a bit awkwardly but his lips still meet yours and it’s soft.

“could get used to mornings like this, i think.”

“you think?” you tease and he only rolls his eyes and brings his lips down to yours again. he kisses you like no one else has before, sweet and soft yet with fervor and desire you hadn’t known to be possible. he’s helping you turn around in his arms, lazily moving his lips against your own. and you stay like that for awhile, lips and tongues moving in tandem, limbs tangling together. he’s building you back up just as quickly as he brought you down. it’s a few minutes after that you pull away slowly, catching your breath and pressing soft kisses to his jaw.

“you’re playing a dangerous game here with me still inside of you,” he chides, though there’s a hint of teasing in his voice.

“why can’t i just love on you without you making it dirty?”

“don’t think of it as a boner then… think of it as a love-boner.”

“you’re ridiculous,” you laugh and though the promise of a round two lights up a spark in your belly, you know there will be much more where it came from today. so why rush?

after you both finally disentangle and clean yourselves up, he’s bringing you water and tea in bed, some toast he managed to not burn, and some fruit you had picked up at the farmer’s market last week. you both eat the selection he’s provided, humming gleefully and stealing kisses in between bites. he’s pulling you closer to him the breakfast soon abandoned and it isn’t my long that you’re tangled up in the sheets once more.

“we need to get up or we’re never going to get anything done.” you hum, cheek pressed to his bare chest.

his fingers are lazily drawing patterns on your back, and he tuts his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

“i’d say we got a lot done.”

you only laugh and roll your chin to lean on your hand, gazing up at him, “you’re insatiable.”

“and you love it. cmon it’s been so long since we’ve had a lazy day. just wanna spend the rest of the day with you and not leave this bed,” he’s pouring his bottom lip out and you sigh. he can be pretty convincing when he wants to be.

“alright,” you smile softly. his eyes glint in the sunlight peeking in from the windows, lips curling up into a soft smile that mirrors your own. the laundry list of things you had to do today is forgotten, pushed off until the following day when you’ll force yourself to actually join reality.

the rest of the day is spent bickering over which movie to watch and settling on just watching them both, you have nothing but time. he’s holding you close and kissing your cheek. he’s lazily changing your position every now and then, ending up with him resting his cheek against your torso and your hands in his hair. when the movies are done, you both force yourselves to pull away from the bed and make your way downstairs to cook something for dinner. it’s a potluck, throwing together your favorite recipes, and he makes it a point to feed you bites from his plate despite it being the same exact meal.

this is how you want to spend every lazy day, you come to that realization as you’re both crawling back into bed at the end of it all. he’s kissing your head and wrapping his body around yours, arms pulling your body close.

[ashterblaster]

Alrighty! Since my earlier post got a few notes, I'll go ahead and post the first half of my Radiostatic fic here! Warning, it's p short but I'm excited to see where it goes, as I've got the first half of part two pretty much fleshed out. Would love comments/reblogs to see how it was received! Hope y'all enjoy~

Summary: Vox finds out there are worse things than just being in Hell; like being sick in Hell. Alastor has a laugh at his expense every step of the way.

It had started as nothing but a minor annoyance. A dryness of the throat, which was typical for an early morning in Hell. Moisture wasn’t really a thing, even if you considered the fucking acid rain. Which Vox didn’t; that shit was genuinely the worst. But he’d at least had access to clean(ish) water, and cleared his throat a couple of times… the sensation still lingered. Well, it wasn’t anything for him to be overly concerned with. Besides, he had a meeting this morning with Alastor where they were going to discuss more hot-topic talking points for his radio show. 

The cloying, scratchy feeling in his throat still hadn’t gone away, even though it had been at least a couple hours since he first woke up. He made himself breakfast, something simple - eggs and toast, which… the fact that he was even able to scrounge up the materials to have a decent meal still startled him. It was Hell after all - everything was still jarring. 

He barely managed to choke down the slightly burnt edges of bread and too runny eggs (jeez, the food didn’t usually taste five star, but today was bad) before getting washed and dressed. The turtleneck he normally wore felt scratchier than normal, and he tugged at the collar in irritation. Even his antenna weren’t properly fitting into his hat… Gah - today had barely started and it was already a wash.

Well, he could at least look forward to seeing Alastor. Despite how every denizen in Hell he’d met so far had told him to steer clear of The Radio Demon, Vox hadn’t been able to say ‘no’ to him yet. Not once. Even when he’d suggested the damn hat giving him so much trouble now - silly, ridiculous even he’d thought when he first put it on. But one look at Alastor’s approving grin had dashed his worries easily. He’d do just about anything to have that look directed towards him again… Oof, was the heater on the fritz again? It was suddenly so warm.

Sniffing idly, Vox descended the steps of his apartment and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Ugh, it was warm out here too. Well… that wasn’t so much surprising as it was an inconvenience. Hell always seemed to be too warm, but today the pentagram striped sun seemed to beat down on his head with a particularly harsh intensity.

He rolled his neck with a soft grunt, fingers gripping the taught muscle with a grimace. You’d think after however many years (1, 3, more?) of living with a fucking television set for a cranium he’d have gotten used to the aches and pains that came along with it. Vox once again had to remind himself that it was Hell - there were worse things than stiff joints.

“Quite the lovely day we have upon us, isn’t it?”

“JESUS SHIT–!” Vox staggered to the side, his screen glitching slightly from the shock of Alastor’s voice directly beside him. “Wh– You have got to stop doing that, Al! One day I’m gonna get a fucking heart attack.”

Alastor’s grin seemed to widen, eerily. “Oh, I would highly advise against that, old pal! We’re dreadfully short on paramedics here in Pentagram City.” His shoulders shook lightly, obviously amused at his own joke. Vox simple deadpanned, though he fought against his mouth instinct to inch upwards at the corners. Despite being fucking sadistic, Alastor could also be pretty funny - when he wasn’t unsettling or downright terrifying. 

“Anyhow~! You look a bit… disheveled this morning!” Vox tilted his head; he’d said it as if it were the most delightful observation he’d made in ages, “Sleep on the wrong side of the bed, hm?”

“No? I… Well, I looked fine in the mirror.” He argued, smoothing down his shirt a bit self-consciously. Alastor hummed thoughtfully, reached a hand out to gently tug on the tag sticking out of Vox’s inside-out jacket. “I suppose that’s the cons of not having eyes in the back of one’s head, haha!” 

Vox snorted as he began to shrug out of the denim. “Right, like you do?…” He trailed off, giving Alastor a once over. “You- you don’t, right?” 

“Oh, heavens no! But I do have my ways of seeing things others might easily miss.” His ears twitched slightly when Vox sniffed, and his head craned to one side unnaturally. Curious. 

Vox had barely gotten his jacket smoothed out, gaze flicking back to Alastor - only to find the other’s face mere inches from his own. He flinched, feeling heat creep up along his neck as he rose a brow, tentatively inching back. “Is… something else wrong?”

After far too long of a beat, the pinstriped demon snapped back into his place on the sidewalk, giving another curious hum. “Nothing at all, dear. Now! Enough dawdling - shall we get a move on? Rolling stones and such!” Without waiting for an answer, Alastor began walking down the pavement, and Vox blinked before following after him.

‘He’s being extra weird today. Wonder why?’ Although Vox had long since given up on making sense of Alastor’s every behavior. He’d go absolutely insane to even try. The guy… sinner… demon was nothing short of a fucking enigma, someone most insisted was to be feared and meant to stay FAR FUCKING AWAY from. Maybe Vox was foolish to still consider him good company, but it wasn’t as though he had other sinners breaking down his door to befriend him, let alone ones he actually found himself sharing common interests with. 

Plus… the guy was charming, when he wasn’t being wholly off-putting. And even then, Vox didn’t really mind that side of him. He was just quirky. 

As they walked and made conversation, Vox found his throat going from scratchy to genuinely sore and aching. He was clearing it more often, and trying not to be off-put by the odd, static distorted quality it would get every now and again. Alastor for his part seemed to be indifferent - thank goodness - but Vox felt a small mound of worry forming in his gut. Not for his throat, but something else was… well, no other way to describe it but itching in the back of his head. Like a clothes tag itching at the back of your neck, except it was directly behind his eyes, insistent and growing steadily as they walked.

Eventually, Vox’s steps slowed, and he began to blink rapidly. 

Alastor matched his pace until they were both standing still, the radio demon looking both curious and… oddly expectant. 

Vox gave his head a trembling shake, the feeling seeming to pulse before climbing higher.

“Hahh…?” The inhale swept through his lungs, causing them to seize up as his chest rose and fell unsteadily. His screen flickered as he continued to pant unevenly, a hand raising to mid-chest. Wait, this was all oddly familiar: the gasping, the build up, this itch… was he going to…? He hadn’t even noticed Alastor taking a precautionary step back before–

“heh’AAKKTTSCHHUE!!”

His head snapped forward, and Vox barely - just barely stopped the rest of his body from joining it in tumbling down. The raised hand held onto the top of his head in an attempt at steadying it, and he managed to right himself with a huge gasp. 

“Fucking shit–!!” He exclaimed, chest muscles heaving from the absolute workout straightening back up. He blinked again, before wincing and gripping the side of his head with a groan. “Fuck, fuck my head…” 

“Well, well!” Alastor tittered, clapping his hands together a few times, “Quite the performance, my good man! Quite the show!” Giddiness radiated from him, a stark contrast to the pained misery staining Vox’s features. 

“Nghh… did I just… sneeze?” It felt far more arduous than Vox recalled it ever being when he was alive. Then again, he’d never had to sneeze while trying to keep himself from falling on his ass. This really was Hell, wasn’t it?

“That’s the the term most would use, yes! Not quite used to it with your new hardware, eh?” Vox winced at the tap of Alastor’s staff against his head. 

“No, I’m not. Fuck, that was awful… snf!” He raised a finger to scrub against the middle of his face, and Alastor laughed gleefully when his companion realized he didn’t have a nose to actually rub. “… you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Oh, most assuredly, my dear!” His smile didn’t falter once when Vox began to pout, “Now don’t give me that look, it’s all in good fun!” 

Despite his insistence, Vox rolled his eyes. “I don’t see what’s so ‘fun’ about feeling like absolute shit.” Maybe if it was some other sucker sure, but it wasn’t.

“So you are feeling unwell!” Alastor interrupted his thoughts, then clasped his hands together in delight, “Oh, I’d hoped that was the case!” 

“Wait, what?”

Now it was Alastor’s turn to roll his eyes. He stepped closer to Vox, lifting the bottom of his head with his staff. “Tell me, dear - does your throat ache? Do you feel a bit warmer than usual? Perhaps a little… fuzzy in the head?” 

Vox made a slight face. “How… did you know all of that?” He hated when Alastor would do this - toy with him instead of just getting right to the point. He was already feeling like garbage, what was the point of making him think when– wait…

“Ah, the cogs seeme to be turning now, yes?” Alastor’s grin was almost too eager. Vox shuffled back a bit, rubbing the side of his head as he tried to process the conclusion he’d come to. 

“Wait, I… I can get sick? In Hell? That’s a thing?!” 

“Oh, you just make this better and better, truly!” Alastor grinned gleefully, completely ignoring the panic radiating off of Vox. “But yes, you can fall ill in Hell, of all places. I assumed you knew that–”

“HOW would I have ever known that? it’s fucking news to me!”

“Well obviously,” The way Alastor rolled his eyes was enough to potentially give Vox an ulcer. Was he capable of having those, too? Why didn’t he put the pieces of still being biologically able to fall ill together sooner?! Or better yet - why hadn’t Alastor told him, since he seemed to be so fucking knowledgeable on the subject! However it seemed that his flaring irritation would have to take a momentary backseat - that awful sensation was back, almost worse than before, and a shudder rippled along Vox’s spine before it grew uncomfortably stiff. “Hahh… hhh…?” His screen flickered with static as his breathing continued to waver, a hand rising in more impulse than actual desire to cover his mouth. Even through his fluttering lids, he could feel Alastor watching him, eager and yet patient. As if this entire situation wasn’t confounding enough, embarrassing enough, the person he least wanted to be present now had a front row seat. Take a picture, it’ll last longer nestled just on the tip of his tongue, but another sharp inhale reminded him that talking likely wasn’t the smartest option. Not while his head still felt like it was full of fuzzy, restless static–

“ehh-hahH! EA’KTTSCHHHUE!” 

Though not as large as his initial sneeze, it still sent him staggering forward harshly. His screen was almost parallel with his hips in the process, and when he righted, it felt as if rising from being submerged in water for too long. His head, his neck, his core - everything ached, all from a sneeze. He didn’t bother masking a groan. 

“Fuck…” Although his discomfort might as well have meant jack-shit when countered with Alastor’s reaction. The bastard was laughing, as if seeing Vox nearly topple over from a sneeze was just about the funniest damned thing he’d seen in decades. Vox’s temple throbbed painfully as he glared at the Radio Demon, who was dabbing at the edges of his eyes with one corner of a handkerchief. 

“Oh goodness me - you certainly don’t do anything by halves, do you?” 

“You act like I did that on purpose.” Vox countered with a roll of his eyes, sniffling which… if he didn’t have a nose or sinuses, shouldn’t have been an action he could carry out. But there were multiple facets of Hell that technically didn’t make sense. Apparently this was just one among the hundreds of others. 

Alastor didn’t offer much in the way of a response. If anything, he was eerily silent, but his gaze penetrated Vox straight through to his damned soul. Vox felt warmth creep up along his neck. 

“If you’re waiting for it to happen again, you’re shit outta luck.”

Though he said it with confidence, he was internally dreading the moment another sneeze would grab hold of him. Alastor simply shrugged, but his gaze still held that air of anticipation. 

“Suit yourself. It’s certainly no skin off my nose.” His smile widened a fraction when Vox growled under his breath. 

Cyan-tipped fingers scrubbed along the surface of his screen, a bit harsher than was necessary. The irritation wasn’t as strong as before, but it lingered just out of his reach; strong enough to make it’s presence known, but not enough to trigger another sneeze. 

By the time he’d grown tired of uselessly assaulting his own face, Alastor was already a good couple of steps ahead of him. Apparently he’d grown tired of waiting for the ‘show’ to continue.

Shoulders sagging with another liquid-tinged sniffle, Vox reluctantly broke into a jog in order to catch up with him. 

Yeah. Today was definitely going to be… entertaining. 

[americasass81]

A Not So Chance Encounter

{Warnings:- 18+for the following - Brief Mentions of Pregnancy, Mental and Emotional Neglect, Oral, Use of Pet Names, Fingering, Teasing, Manipulation, Minor Stalking, Kidnapping and Possible Stockholm Syndrome, Minor Partner Smut at the end.}

Seriously do not read if any of this upsets you, the warnings are there for a reason.

Pairing:- Bucky Barnes x reader

Author’s Note 1:- As only the second fic I ever wrote and posted, I have since learned so much about writing and have finally found the time to edit this and hopefully make it more inclusive.

Author’s Note 2:- The end result of this fic is a knight in shining armor Bucky.  Hope everyone who reads this enjoys.

Author’s Note 3:- Thanks goes to @firefly-graphics​ for creating and giving me permission to use the included Bucky divider.

Run-Through:- Lurking in the shadows, a silent observer as life went on around you, you took your pleasure in quiet moments before slinking back to the safety of the reclusive world you were familiar with. Delighting in activities that allowed you to heal from your once turbulent life, little did you know that waiting for your meal in the farthest corner of a familiar restaurant would change your new life in ways you never expected.

Total Word Count:- 10,651

Stretching that Monday morning with the summer sun streaming through your bedroom window, you rose quickly and after a refreshing shower, began to prepare for the day ahead.  Having gone through hell the past few months, well years really, today had been the one thing that kept you hanging on … your little oasis in the desert.  Having spent most of your young life dealing with family issues and your own mental fragility, this day’s outing at the start of life in your new home was a balm to the turmoil wreaking havoc on your once miserable life.

Having spent a lifetime being mocked, ridiculed and treated like garbage by those who were supposed to love you unconditionally, you often wondered how you had managed to remain the functioning adult you saw every time you looked in the mirror.  As it was, the whole of you seemed to be much stronger than the pieces they had tried to destroy with their bitterness and neglect and having finally managed to get away from your toxic family and the pain they had caused you, your one desire now was to rebuild your life and become the fun-loving, carefree individual you knew was hidden deep down beneath the years of silent suffering.

Hoping one day to be strong enough and happy enough to allow someone special to hold your heart and trust them with your hopes and dreams for the future, right now your plan was basically simple.  Deciding on a month’s break where the only requirement was that you do whatever made you happy, your weekend had consisted of nothing more taxing than unboxing the bare essentials to get your home and body working in harmony.  After that, you figured a little fun was in order before you faced the monumental task of unboxing your life and setting up a routine that kept you relaxed, happy and healthy.

Putting on some music while getting dressed, you checked your emails before heading downstairs to collect the morning post.  Sorting through each piece and disposing of the rubbish accordingly, you then went about preparing your usual breakfast.  Sitting down and enjoying the peace afforded by finally having a place to call your own, you took out your phone and booked your ticket for the movie you were dying to see as you ate your cereal.  Once done, you rang your doctor to confirm your appointment before washing up your bowl and heading out.

Living so close to all the amenities necessary to live a comfortable life, the greatest treasure you always felt was the one that greeted you this day as you stepped outside.  With a beautiful sun shining down on you, accompanied by a light breeze, you were able to set off walking at a leisurely pace to your first engagement of the day.

Your appointment with the doctor, though simply routine, was one you had been putting off until you were no longer allowed to.  Not having a particular love of the medical profession, yet also not hating them, you simply had other things you’d rather be doing with your time while also not looking for problems that didn’t exist. After a brisk fifteen minute walk, you arrived at your destination, went through the now usual yearly routine and once getting a clean bill of health said your goodbyes and took your leave.

Walking out the door while looking at your watch, you realized that even with the distance between here and the movie theater you still had an hour and a half to kill which meant you had plenty of time for some quiet reflection at your favorite spot.  Walking through its arched entrance ten minutes later, you found the place relatively empty while marveling as always at the beautiful wooden benches and medieval light fixtures scattered throughout this peaceful space.

Stopping by the plant area just to the left of the main entrance to purchase a plant for those who had no one to remember them, you then headed off towards the mini waterfall at the very back and kneeling down to add your flower to the many glorious blossoms already growing there, offered up a thanks to anyone listening for finally affording you the peace you had long been missing in young life.  Staying in quiet reflection until it was once again time to move on, you exited this area through the back wall arch before heading through the local park which would bring you out directly in front of your main destination.

Though not your usual action flick, you felt like something light and the movie in question definitely qualified.  Based around four senior women who held a book club every week for thirty years, hi-jinx and comedy is what was being offered and that is exactly what the stellar cast and refreshing script provided.  Enjoying yourself more than you had in a long time, you left the theater almost two hours later feeling in high spirits and ready for a bite to eat.

Walking the short distance to a nearby hotel whose restaurant served some of your favorite meals at a reasonable price, you found your usual spot in a discreet corner and waited patiently for a staff member to arrive to take your order.  Taking out your phone to do some reading to pass the time, you didn’t register how much time was slipping by without anyone coming to deal with you or that someone important had just entered the restaurant.

So engrossed were you in your own world that you failed to notice the commotion that was being stirred up all around you by the new arrival.  This all changed quickly however, when a shadow fell across your table and you looked up to see a waiter standing before you empty handed.  Saving your place in the book before setting your phone aside, nothing in the world could prepare you for the complete lack of professionalism that followed when the man before you opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry Ma'am, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave. We have a very important guest staying in the hotel who has just stopped by for a quiet meal and requires a table.” he said, before looking over in the direction of the newcomer who had just stopped talking to some child at a nearby table.  Unable to tell much about who this V.I.P. was, you quickly looked back towards the waiter when he resumed speaking again.

“Though management is aware that you are a regular here, you are alone and since we are fully booked we are prepared to offer you a full complimentary meal here whenever it suits you, if you would just kindly and discreetly vacate this table today.”  Then as if to drive home his request, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a gift token which he extended towards you.  This gesture proved useless however when the stranger in question finally arrived, caught hold of the waiter’s arm and lowered it to his side before turning his icy gaze on you.

“Miss,” he said, looking you over while reaching out his hand to you. “My name is Bucky Barnes.  If you’re not waiting for someone, would it be too bold of me to ask if I might join you?” he inquired as all eyes in the restaurant fell on your location. Knowing who you were dealing with, and thus all too aware of his reputation, you looked between the two men standing before you, before shyly nodding your acceptance.

Letting go of your hand and taking the seat opposite you, Bucky turned his disapproving glare on the waiter and took the gift token from him before speaking in a low tone that still showed it’s authority. “Perhaps since this young lady has yet to be served, you might be so kind as to order us two lamb dinners with your finest bottle of red wine.”  Glancing over at you while the waiter wrote down the order, Bucky smiled slightly at your innocent and perplexed expression before continuing.  "Then for dessert, you can bring us the cheesecake and put it on my bill.“

As the waiter walked away you finally found your voice, even if there was a slight tremor to it.  "Thank you Mister Barnes, but you don’t have to pay for my meal.”  This whole situation seemed unreal to you and despite trying to be upbeat, a lifetime of mental mistreatment, had left you with a serious case of trust issues.

“Nonsense,” he said, smiling across the table at you before continuing, “it’s the least I can do since this lot seem to be lacking basic manners, and please call me Bucky.”

“Well again, thank you Bucky.” you replied while trying to ignore the smile that graced his features at his name rolling off your lips, as well as the obvious stares from the people all around you.  This time round it didn’t take long for your food and wine to arrive and though you tried to decline the drink, Bucky wasn’t having any of it.  Slowly enjoying both the wonderful food and good company, you failed to notice the time slipping by or the fact that slowly but surely the restaurant had started to empty out.

You were enjoying yourself so much in fact, that by the time the waiter delivered the dessert, you had divulged your whole life story to Bucky while learning that he was relaxing here for two weeks after a mission before returning back to the Avengers Compound.  You also had to admit, if only to yourself, that not being a frequent drinker, the wine, now almost two bottles, had kind of gone to your head.  But perhaps, looking back, that was part of Bucky’s plan.  Having finished up your food, you prepared to stand up so as to finally take your leave, only for Bucky to take your hand and apply some light pressure before speaking.  "Any chance you’d consider hanging out and keeping me company?  I don’t know anyone here and it seemed like we were having a nice time.“

Looking over at him as he laced his fingers with yours, you couldn’t understand the warm feeling traveling throughout your body and as your eyes locked with his you were shocked to find yourself giving in to his request.  "Okay, I guess I can spare an extra hour or two.  What did you have in mind?”

“Well, if you really are willing, maybe we could head out and walk off the meal.” he suggested while smiling over at you.  Agreeing easily as he helped you with your coat, you headed towards the doors unaware of the possessive look that crossed Bucky’s face as he finished up his drink before catching up to you.

Slipping into place beside you and matching his stride to yours, you only made it from the hotel to the town plaza before Bucky had slipped your hand into his.  Looking between your laced fingers and his gorgeous face, the noticeably raised eyebrow indicated that while he was expecting you to challenge him, he had no intention of letting go.  This perception was further rammed home, when ten minutes later, as you entered the park, Bucky increased his hold as you tried to pull your hand away.

Stopping by a drink vendor just inside the park’s main gate, you became a bit more irritated when Bucky chose and paid for both your drinks before handing one to you.  Then taking your hand again, he walked you further into the park until you reached the fountain in the center. Sitting you down on the bench opposite, you sipped your drink in silence until Bucky finally spoke.  "You’ve become awfully quiet Y/N, is everything alright?“

Looking over at him while suspecting his intentions, you chose your words carefully before answering.  "Sorry, I’m just not used to having someone paying for my food and drinks.  Or … ”

“Holding your hand?” he interrupted questioningly.  "You’ve never been with a guy, have you?“ he quickly added before you had a chance to answer.  Looking straight ahead towards the fountain and focusing on the sound emanating from it, you tried to let the tranquility calm your nerves as Bucky continued.  "It’s okay, you don’t have to answer.  You also have nothing to be nervous about.  I simply wanted to treat you.”

“But why and what about the hand holding?” you asked, tearing your gaze away from the fountain to finally look at him.

“Does it make you uncomfortable?” he inquired, taking a sip from his own drink.

“I guess not.  It’s just weird considering we only met about three hours ago.” you stated while hoping not to offend him, though you really couldn’t say why.

“I totally understand.” he said, reaching out to remove a small bug from your shoulder.  "But I guess if I’m being honest, it’s the result of when I was brought up and all I’ve seen of this world.  It seems with all the things this new time has given us, basic human decency is the price we’ve paid.“ Totally agreeing and foolishly relaxing at his words, in time you would look back on this fateful day and curse yourself for not listening to the voice in your head that screamed at you in this moment to run.  As it was, you simply tried to relax and returned to your drink.

Enjoying some further walking, while answering any questions Bucky had about the area, you suddenly realized how late it had become when upon exiting the park, you were greeted with night time revelers and the glow of the street lights.  Not sure how to extricate yourself from a famous Avenger and former Hydra assassin, this decision was taken out of your hands, when the Winter Soldier’s voice brought you back to the present time.  "Would you allow me to walk you home or perhaps you could stay with me.  Only for safety reasons, of course.” he quickly added, having seen the deer-in-headlights look that clouded your features.

No longer thrilled with spending time with James Buchanan Barnes, but damn sure you didn’t want him knowing where you lived, you grudgingly agreed to spending the night, while making plans to leave the next morning.  Surprisingly chipper at your acquiescence, Bucky again took hold of your hand as both of you headed back towards his hotel. Once safely there in the confines of his rather spacious suite, Bucky seated you at the table while presenting the sandwiches and drinks that he had ordered upon entering the lobby.

Realizing how hungry you were, you graciously tucked into them while you tried not to think about the sleeping arrangements.  Once the food was eaten and cleared away however, this task proved impossible when Bucky took your hand and led you towards the bedroom.  Staring at the large opulent bed before you, all the ways things could go horribly wrong flashed before your eyes.  So preoccupied was Bucky with closing, and though you failed to notice, locking the doors that you were the first to bring up the giant elephant in the room.

“Okay so I’m just gonna use the facilities and then settle down on the couch for the night.  Hope you sleep well.” you added, heading for the bathroom.  You were stopped in your tracks however when Bucky turned to face you and uttered the one word that sent a shiver down your spine.  

“No.”

“I beg your pardon?” you asked, looking over at him as he walked towards the side of the bed.

“You’re sleeping in the bed.  My Ma didn’t raise me to allow a lady to sleep on a couch.  No matter how comfortable it looks.”

Smiling slightly at the reference to his mother and the obvious affection it seemed he still held for her, your mind quickly brought you back to the present problem.  "That’s sweet, really.  But let’s be honest, I’ll fit better on the couch than you and Avengers deserve to sleep in proper beds.“

Raising an eyebrow at your inference that his job made him somehow better than you, Bucky easily turned your argument on its head while throwing another curve ball your way.  "Actually, unless at HQ, Avengers are used to bunking down wherever the opportunity presents itself.  Besides there is the other option where we each take a side like two reasonable adults.  What do you say?”

Looking at the huge bed once more and realizing that he probably wasn’t going to give up this particular idea, you still tried to think of a way out.  "I guess we could.  If you don’t mind me sleeping with my clothes on?“ you asked.

"Nonsense. Use your bra and panties.  I promise to behave myself.” he smirked, hoping to put you at ease.

It had the opposite effect however and you couldn’t hide the embarrassment that crept through you at your next statement. “That’s a problem since I’m not wearing any.”

“Not wearing any what?” he inquired, though you suspected he knew exactly what you were referring to and simply wanted you to hear the words pass you lips.

“Bra and panties.” you replied tersely, looking everywhere but at him as you felt the heat rising in your cheeks.

“Oh not to worry doll, how about I supply you with a t-shirt and boxers to sleep in?”  Shocked by both his suggestion and the use of a pet name, you thought through your options and deciding it was the most favorable choice, grudgingly agreed.

“Great.” he said, heading for his suitcase and returning to you with a royal blue top and black boxers.  "Here you go,“ he added, handing you the garments before continuing, "now do you like to sleep on the left or the right?”

“I always sleep alone,” you foolishly admitted, “so it doesn’t really matter too much.”

Smiling broadly as both your hands held his clothes, he quickly and easily settled the situation.  "Fine then, I’ll take the right side by the window, since I’m pretty much set up there anyway. That leaves you on the left side by the bathroom.“

"Cool.” you said, fully taking the clothes now and heading for said bathroom.  "Do you mind if I go first?“ you asked, indicating what you were up to.

"Oh of course not.  Ladies first.” he insisted, as you walked away and closed the door.  Locking it quickly and quietly, you did what you needed to do while wondering how you had gotten yourself into whatever this situation was as well as contemplating how you were going to get out of it.  Little did you know how hard this was going to be however with a world class assassin in the next room thrilled that something he always wanted was finally within his grasp.

Exiting the bathroom finally, you were stopped in your tracks by the sight of an almost naked James Buchanan Barnes standing before you in nothing but the same black boxers as you now wore.  Gazing at the sculpted back in front of you, you were still standing staring at him when he turned around and acknowledged your presence.  "Oh hey doll, you done in there?“ he asked while ignoring the fact that you had been very clearly checking him out.

"Wh-what?” you stammered, flustered that you had been caught all but ogling him.

Coming to stand in front of you, Bucky reached out and lifting your chin to look into your eyes, repeated his earlier question.  "I asked if you were finished in the bathroom.“

"Sorry, of course.  It’s all yours.” you stated as he released you and headed off to use the facilities.  Trying to clear your head, you quickly headed towards the bed and burying yourself under the comforter, hoped to be asleep before Bucky came back.

Returning from the bathroom to find you snuggled in bed with your eyes closed, Bucky smiled to himself as he headed towards his side of the bed. Pulling back the covers and gazing down at your body wrapped in his clothes, he couldn’t hide the tightening in his boxers or the urge to turn you on your back and pound into you until you screamed his name for everyone in the hotel to hear.  He fought the urge however, knowing that the first time he had you, it would be with your consent.

Laying down next to you, back to back, he smirked when your heartbeat betrayed you and told him sleep was so far evading you.  Making sure to keep as respectful a distance between you that the bed would allow, Bucky settled himself in and waited patiently until your soft breathing and slower heartbeat indicated sleep had finally come calling.  Then exiting the bed, he made a start on his plan to claim you.

Waking the next morning from one of the most restful sleeps you could ever remember having, all sense of peace went out the window once your body acknowledged the new position it found itself in.  Resting comfortably against a warm, strong body, you somehow woke up on the opposite side of the bed with your head on Bucky’s flesh arm while his metal hand was resting on your pussy, having been shoved down your, or rather his, boxers.  Wanting so badly to be out of this situation, but not wanting to wake the man who now held you in his grasp, you willed yourself to calm down.  Fate however had other ideas.

Just as you tried to think of a possible way out, Bucky brought his lips to your ear and kissing just below it tenderly, whispered words of comfort to you.  "Good morning Y/N, glad to see you slept well.  How about you remain calm please, I promise you’re perfectly safe.“ he tried to reassure you though his words had little effect as your heart rate increased.  Bringing his flesh hand around your front to rest on your breast, your squirming attempts to get away from him, only resulted in his holding you tighter until you felt something poking your ass, which caused you to stop completely.

"Oh come on doll, don’t stop now, things were just getting good.” he moaned as he squeezed down on your breast and pussy.  Moaning yourself as he lazily pinched your nipple through his top, while running his metal fingers through your folds, you were both shocked and confused when he chuckled softly.  "Guess who’s wet, Y/N?  Tell me what you’d like me to do.  How can I satisfy my girl, hmmm?“

"I’m not your girl, now please let me go so I may use the toilet.” you said forcefully while trying to fight the fear crawling around your insides.  Kissing your neck some more as his fingers continued their dance, he grudgingly released you, before picking up the phone to order breakfast.

Heading to the bathroom, you hurriedly did what you needed to while you tried to figure out what someone like you had done to capture the attention of a world famous Avenger.  Finally unable to quiet the thoughts running riot in your head, you headed back out to see what awaited you.

Stepping foot back in the bedroom, you were surprised to find Bucky simply sitting on the bed, looking at nothing in particular. Approaching him cautiously, you sat down next to him carefully while worrying about what to do when he failed to acknowledge your presence.  Slowly reaching out your hand and placing it on his, he gave a slight jerk when he felt your touch and you called his name.  Though he didn’t pull away, you could see the light in his eyes was a little dimmed and remembering who exactly sat next to you, your heart broke a little as you recognized another lost and frightened soul.  "Bucky,“ you repeated in the same gentle tone, "is everything okay?”

“What?” he questioned, as if only now fully realizing you were there. “Oh yeah, sorry.  Just got stuck in my own head a bit. Are you doing alright, doll?  Do you need anything?”

Smiling a bit that he could be so concerned about you while obviously dealing with his own issues, you reached your other hand up and carefully pushed some hair behind his ear to clear the view of his face. “I’m all good, thank you.  Did you want to maybe use the bathroom before breakfast?” you gently inquired as you didn’t want him to think you were giving orders.

Cautiously looking down at the hand still resting on his metal one, his gaze then fell on you and he was a little taken aback to see nothing but concern.  For as long as he could remember fear had been the predominant look he had seen on the faces of humanity, yet even with the way the morning started and your obvious distrust, your ability to see the good in people still shone through like a glorious sunrise.  Coming back to himself, he smiled at you before taking both your hands in his and kissed them tenderly as he spoke. “Yeah, I won’t be too long.  Breakfast will be here shortly.  I hope cereal is okay?”

“Cereal is just fine.  It’s actually what I usually eat anyway.” you replied, getting up to allow him to go about his morning routine.  This proved a tad difficult however when his grip held firm though gentle and you looked at him a bit worried until you saw that he was still in control of himself.

“I’m sorry if how you woke up this morning scared you.  I’m sure it was a lot to wake up to.” he sighed, as if half afraid to mention it.

“It’s okay really.  If you’d like we can maybe talk about it later, as you said breakfast will be here shortly.” you reminded him while hoping your tone remained reassuring.

Releasing you as he nodded his head in agreement, he finally headed for the bathroom, while you sat down on the couch, laced up your boots and tried not to think about the rollercoaster the last twenty-four hours had been.

Returning quickly from the bathroom, dressed in blue jeans and a red henley, Bucky led you out to the living area just in time for breakfast to be delivered.  Pulling out your chair like the perfect gentleman he was, Bucky opened the door for the waiter before joining you at the table.  As the trolley with your food was wheeled it, you were further surprised to see a bouquet of roses and lilies accompanying the breakfast.  Placing all the necessary food items on the table, the waiter then handed the flowers to you before leaving the room.

Though your mind swirled with all the possible implications and the old you would have played the part of a good little girl, this new, home-owning you was determined to voice the question currently swirling in your brain.  "Mr. Barnes, am I missing something here?“ you asked, raising the flowers slightly in order to point out what you were referencing.

"Y/N please, I have asked you to call me Bucky,” he reminded you and reached for the cereal while continuing to speak, “and what exactly is the issue?”

“The issue is that after not even twenty-four hours together, you’re now buying me flowers.  Not to mention the incident.” you called it, not wanting to add the word groping.  "This gives me the impression that you think we’re on a date or something.“

Stalling what he was doing, while not quite looking at you, your eyes widened and the bouquet fell from your hand as your suspicions seemed to bloom into existence in the silence that followed.

"Oh god, I’m right.  Aren’t I?” you asked, trying to keep the terror out of your voice.  Rising from the table when he still refused to answer and heading for the door, you just now realized he was sitting between your escape option when his metal arm shot out, wrapped around your waist and pulled you easily onto his waiting lap.  Screaming and thrashing as loud and as hard as you could, you had to admit defeat, when his metal arm held you tighter while his other hand clamped itself firmly over your mouth and nose.

“Y/N,” he said, speaking so softly by your ear that you could almost picture yourself in the arms of his alter ego, “I need you to calm down so we can have a nice, quiet breakfast.  Then we can clear up this whole misunderstanding.  Nod if you accept.”

Fighting a bit harder, you finally had to agree when he tightened his grip once more and you felt like you were going to pass out.  Happy with your reluctant acceptance, he rose from his chair and after depositing you back by your own empty bowl, added cereal to it before heading to the door and to your complete horror, locked it. Slipping the key card back into his jeans, he then sat back down at the table and continued to prepare his breakfast as if nothing had happened.

Still trying to wrap your head around what had just transpired, you figured dealing with him might be a damn sight easier with some food in your stomach, and so as he began eating, you gave in and tucked into your own breakfast.  Eating in silence, while glancing at Bucky every now and then, you hoped that a chance meeting and a simple act of kindness hadn’t meant you traded one nightmare for another.

Once breakfast was finally over, Bucky cleared up the table and pushed the trolley out into the hall before placing the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door.  Coming back in and once again locking it, he looked at your scared form waiting at the table and sighed heavily as he thought through how best to handle the situation.  

Going to the fridge to get you some water, he brought it over to the table and kneeling down before you, requested that you drink some. Doing as he asked, you downed the whole bottle as he gently reached out his hand to stroke your cheek.  Feeling somewhat less anxious, you couldn’t understand how his touch calmed your fears and you silently cursed yourself as he finally spoke.  "Let’s go into the other room and talk, shall we?  If memory serves, there's a couch there you seemed to think was comfortable enough to sleep on.“

Rising from the floor and taking your hand as you silently nodded, Bucky led you back to the bedroom and sat both of you on said couch.  Sighing again as you scooted away from him to the far end, he gave you a few minutes to get comfortable before trying to alleviate your concerns. "Y/N, tell me what’s bothering you and we’ll figure out how to fix it.” he said, finding it difficult not to reach out and pull you onto his lap.

Seething that he even pretended not to know what was bothering you, you tried to control your temper so as not to provoke his darker side. “What’s bothering me is you acting like we’re a couple. Paying for everything, the flowers, the groping and don’t even think I didn’t see you locking the door just now.  Give me a straight answer, will you allow me to leave here?” you asked, looking directly at him.

“You want a straight answer, fine.  No.” he replied, and his answer actually took you by surprise.  Never in your wildest dreams did you expect him to so blatantly shoot you down and for a few seconds you were actually lost for words.  "Now answer a simple question for me, why did you agree to keep me company?“ he asked, and you realized he had you there.

"Well I … ” you stammered, trying to think of an answer that wouldn’t land you in even deeper shit.

“I’m waiting, doll.” he smirked, seeing quite plainly how flustered you had become.  "Is it possible that it’s your feelings for me and not my actions that scares you?  Has life treated you so poorly, that the slightest bit of affection from someone is something you’re now conditioned to pull away from?“ Moving so close to you that he placed his hand behind you on the back of the couch while you felt his warm breath on your skin, you knew his ability to focus on your heartbeat would give away your secret.

Finally swallowing the lump in your throat, you looked at Bucky and figured the truth was the only option left.  "I agreed because like you said we were enjoying ourselves and I didn’t mind keeping you company for a brief time.  However, I honestly don’t know why you want to keep me around.”

Knowing that he had been right and that you spoke the truth, Bucky’s heart broke that someone as precious as you, thought so little of yourself.  Somewhat afraid to startle you, he slowly brought his hand down to your shoulder before speaking again.  "I want you with me because you possess a kindness sorely lacking in most people.  After all you actually treat me like a human being.“

Never having been used to hearing anything good said about you, you stared around the room, unwilling to look at him.  Bucky however was having none of it and throwing caution to the wind, pulled you securely against his side.  "Doll, you don’t get a lot of compliments, do you?” he asked, reaching for your chin and forcing you to look at him.  Gazing into his soulful blue eyes, you answered “no” so low that only the silence of the room and his super soldier hearing enabled him to hear you.  At last understanding why you were so hesitant of him and your feelings, he now realized he needed to take things slow with you.  Placing a tender kiss on your forehead, he ignored your shocked expression before moving on.  "Okay, so accepting that you promised to keep me company, what would you like to do today?“

Feeling yourself relax somewhat, you thought about what your answer would reveal, but figured being who he was and the friends he had, he could probably always find you anyways.  "I think I’d like to swing by my house and grab a change of clothes.  Would you by any chance be any good at climbing rock walls?” you asked and was greeted with a glorious smile that helped pound harder on the walls you so carefully erected around your heart.

“Ah beautiful girl, I can climb a rock wall better and faster than anyone.” he smirked and as he helped you up from the couch, you couldn’t help laughing at how confident he sounded or the child-like enthusiasm plastered across his features.

“Okay then mister, let’s see what you’ve got.” you said as you released your hand from his and headed towards the doors.

Feeling a bit more relaxed as Bucky unlocked the door, both of you headed downstairs and set off walking towards your house.  Talking somewhat along the way about various topics, things started to get noticeably quieter the closer you got to home.  Sinking back into your own head, you thought of all the possible questions he might have, as well as the implications of willingly opening your home to the Winter Soldier.

Recognizing the signs that you were heading down a rabbit hole of doubt, Bucky reached out and lacing his fingers with yours, squeezed your hand gently while giving you a reassuring smile.  Smiling back at him, you finally reached the two story building you called home and as you made your way through the modest front yard, you wondered what this individual who had seen so much of the world would make of your piece of it.

Unlocking the front porch and ushering Bucky inside, you had no idea what exactly he was thinking when the first question he asked was regarding the composition of the structure.  Explaining that the ground floor consisted of a nicely sized, three bedroom house while the first floor boasted five spacious bedrooms with en suites, you didn’t see the gears turning in his head as you showed him to the lounge on your way to the master bedroom.

Working quickly to change your clothes, while also remembering to slip on some underwear this time, you actually forgot you had a highly skilled assassin for company and so was unaware that your naked form moving around your room was being secretly observed.

Running his hand lazily over his crotch as he watched from the hall, the blue lingerie set adorning your body teased him just so, and it took every ounce of his strength not to throw open the door and take you right then and there.  As it was, he instead tried to focus on what it would be like to see this house filled with laughter and littered with toys and these thoughts, coupled with you pulling on jeans and a plain white t-shirt, slowly brought his raging horniness under control.

Finally dressed, you tossed a few days provisions into a bag before heading into the rest of the house to retrieve the super soldier. Finding him out in the small back yard, you wondered what he was thinking as he turned to face you.  "This is a really nice place you’ve got here.  I don’t imagine you’ve had it long though?“ he questioned and you wondered how someone could know so little and yet so much about a person they had just met.

"What makes you say that?” you inquired while hoping to get some insight into him.

“Well I kinda peeked about upstairs.  That’s a lot of boxes for someone living here.” he smirked and you found yourself laughing along with him.

“Wow great detective skills there.  I guess you really don’t miss anything when it’s right in front of your nose.  I only recently moved in and have kinda just been enjoying my freedom, I guess.”

“Hey now, don’t get cheeky.  I’d hate to have to punish you before we have some fun.” he said, coming to stand in front of you and playfully swatting your ass.

Feeling a mild tingling sensation shoot through your core, your mind wondered how he could have such an effect on your emotions.  Reigning in these thoughts and feelings, you placed your bag over your shoulder and headed back into the house.  Retrieving your jacket, while making sure Bucky was following you, both of you exited the door and locking up asked him if he wanted to walk to the adventure center or if you should take your car.

Reaching out to take your bag, like you he threw it over his left shoulder before extending out his right hand to you.  "How about we walk?“ he suggested, allowing you to lead the way when you placed your hand on his.  "After all, the weather is glorious and it’s definitely one way to limber up.” he added, winking at you suggestively.

Ignoring the innuendo and the tingling still lingering between your thighs, half an hour later your spirits were high as you led Bucky through the lobby of the adventure center to the rock wall which you luckily enough had a standing booking for every Tuesday.

Stepping into the harness and pulling it tightly, you were both touched and annoyed when Bucky came to stand beside you and checked that everything was in order.  "Hey Barnes, just what do you think you’re doing?“ you asked as he then attached the rope.

"Just making sure everything is secure.  This is precious cargo and we don’t want anything happening to you.” he replied as his hands lingered on your shoulders.

“Well as sweet as that gesture is, I have been doing this for a few years now,” you pointed out as you released yourself from his hold to make sure your shoes were still laced up securely, “and I’ve been quite safe.  Thank you very much.”

“Sorry.” he said, as he played with your fingers before both of you turned towards the wall.  Realizing you couldn’t stay mad at him for some bizarre reason, you gently told him it was okay before suggesting both of you get stuck in.  Not sure how you were going to match up to an Avenger, you gave him a tentative smile, took a deep breath and began.

Taking your time and zoning out as if on your own, you matched Bucky hold for hold and was surprised to see he hadn’t skyrocketed to the top. Unsure whether he was taking it easy on you or if he was simply just enjoying himself, he reached the top about two feet before you and waiting until you joined him, stretched out his hand to take yours before asking if you were okay.

Smiling broadly at him, you assured him everything was fine before both of you gently kicked off from the wall and eased yourselves back down to the ground.  Having once again gotten there first, your feet never touched the floor however as Bucky caught you easily in his powerful arms and even you had to admit it actually felt comforting. Releasing you a few seconds later, both of you agreed that since Bucky didn’t have a change of clothes with him, it would be easier and nicer to shower back at the hotel and so headed off there to clean up.  Again walking hand in hand, you laughed and chatted about the other things you liked to do and the next thing you knew, your bag, along with your jacket, had joined his on the bedroom floor.

Getting both of you some water bottles while you sat on the couch and began removing your shoes, you stopped halfway through when Bucky stood next to you and offered you a bottle.  Thanking him and drinking it down quickly as he joined you on the couch, you looked at him dubiously at the words that then left his mouth.   “So sweet girl, tell me, where do you stand on environmental protection?”

“I beg your pardon.  What does that have to do with anything?” you asked, wondering what he was getting at as he scooted closer to you.

“Well,” he grinned, toying with the hem of your t-shirt, “we both need a shower and I know for a fact the one in there will easily accommodate two.” he replied while raising an eyebrow towards the bathroom.

As his meaning finally settled in your brain, you tried rising to your feet to put as much distance between you two as possible, only to find your t-shirt held firmly in his strong grasp.  "Bucky let me go,“ you said forcefully as your hands went to your back to try and release his hold.  "I am not going to shower with you.  Ever.”

“Not even if I make it worth your while.” he whispered by your ear as he ran his metal hand back and forth along your thigh.  Unsure whether or not he knew the effect he had on you, your protests died down as his hand continued to stroke and squeeze your thigh while his lips latched onto your neck and began kissing and sucking as if his life depended on it.

Biting down particularly hard at the same time his metal hand ripped open your jeans and his cool fingers slipped inside to make contact with your clit, the moans that now left your lips were music to his ears. Releasing your t-shirt while his other hand and lips continued to work their magic, Bucky, with what you assumed was all the skill and strength of a trained assassin, moved both of you to the bed, while never breaking contact with your neck or pussy.  Placing you upon it gently, his flesh hand slipped inside your t-shirt and easily unhooked your bra before looking into your face to see lust-filled eyes staring back at him.

Bending down tentatively to capture your lips with his, you couldn’t hide the moan that escaped when, between your legs a long, cool digit breached your folds and worked its way along your channel.  Taking advantage of this opening, Bucky slipped his tongue into your waiting mouth and explored every inch before adding another finger to your now aching core.  Working these fingers in and out at a torturously slow pace, while his tongue now warred with yours, you were slammed back to reality when his lips once more returned to your ear and his next words broke the spell he had been casting. “Did you know when you dressed that blue is my absolute favorite color?”

Realizing with blinding clarity that he had earlier watched you dress back at your house, you somehow took him by surprise and shoved him off you before heading for the bathroom and locking the door.  Sitting on the toilet as you tried to calm yourself down, the fire he lit between your legs threatened to engulf you and to make matters worse, your brain was quick to point out that even if you showered, all your clean clothes were in the same room as the horny super soldier assassin.

Cursing the feelings he was able to create within you, you reluctantly opened the door to find Bucky on the bed where you left him, stroking his crotch while sucking on the fingers that mere moments ago were working on sending you into orbit.  Biting back a moan as he acknowledged your presence and his blue orbs locked with yours, all rational thought abandoned you at his next words.  "Hey doll, let me be the first to tell you, you taste divine?“

Deciding that later you would blame what happened next and the resulting consequences on hormones, you sprinted across the room, crashed into his strong chest and brought your lips down on his as your fingers sought out his hair.  Latching on as he suddenly got with the program, Bucky kissed you back just as passionately as his hands helped settle you better on his powerful body.

Feeling the hardness nestled against your mound as his hands pushed your hips against his, you grudgingly pulled back as your lungs screamed for air.  Looking down on his startled form, you placed your hands against his chest and you tried to get your breathing under control as he smirked up at you.  "Not that I’m complaining, but what has changed in the last few minutes.”

“My head reminded me that I’m supposed to be having fun.” you squealed out as Bucky’s hands continued to squeeze your ass.

“Such a pretty thoughtful head.” he then replied, before flipping you over onto your back and bringing his lips to your forehead. “I’m gonna show you just how much fun we can have doll.” he continued as he began slowly moving down your body.  Grabbing hold of your t-shirt as you wiggled beneath him, Bucky quickly divested you of your top, as his eyes got a close up look at the bra he had glimpsed earlier.

“Beautiful.” he breathed out as his palms came to rest on your mounds while his lips explored your now exposed stomach.  Continuing to squirm around as his tongue, lips and facial hair tickled your flesh, all rational thought went out the window again when Bucky looked up at you before grabbing hold of your jeans and peeling them off your legs.

Now standing up and looking down at you, he winked cheekily at you before reaching for the hem of his henley and pulling it over his head. Leaning up on your elbows, you licked your lips as his glorious abs came into view.  Noticing your heated gaze, Bucky maintained eye contact with you as he slipped his fingers into the waistband of his pants and removed them easily.

Now stalking towards you in nothing but his boxers, he playfully jumped on the bed next to you before placing you gently upon him. “Like what you see Y/N?” he asked, and something told you that the use of your name and the lowering of his chin meant he was somewhat unsure of your answer.

Knowing what he had lived through while trying to understand the insecurity it obviously fostered in him, you reached for his chin and kissed him tenderly before speaking.  "Absolutely Bucky.“ you said, smiling down at him.  "But keep in mind, I don’t exactly have anything to compare it to.” you smirked.

Laughing gently as he pulled you down on top of him for a tender kiss, he smiled as he thought how lucky he was to have found you. Holding you tight as you nestled against his chest, he reluctantly asked the question he was afraid to get an answer to.  "Doll, are you really sure you want to do this?  Truth please.“

Thinking seriously about this, you reluctantly turned away from him, slightly afraid to answer after the previous exchange.

"Y/N?” he questioned firmly, drawing you back to your current predicament.

“I do, but … ” you stopped and licked your lips which were suddenly dry.  "but I had rather hoped my first time would be in my own bed.  Are you mad at me?“ you asked quietly, still unable to look at him.

"Oh Doll, you’re killing me.” he said, as he sat up while now holding you on his lap.  "Of course I’m not mad at you. I too would prefer your first time to be in our bed.“ he continued, though you were too concerned with his reaction to pay much attention to what he was actually saying.  "Come on you,” he grinned, “let’s get ourselves cleaned up and we’ll head downstairs for dinner.  How does that sound?”

“Fantastic.” you replied.  "But are you really sure you don’t mind?“

"Absolutely doll.” he kissed you reassuringly and standing up, carried you towards the bathroom as his plan to ingratiate himself into every part of your life was unfolding nicely.

Depositing you in the bathroom as he turned on the shower, you sat on the toilet and wondered what had gotten into you when you reached over and grabbed Bucky’s ass.  Looking back at you as you rose to your feet, his train of thought became interrupted when you stood before him and uttered in your sweetest sing-song voice, “Care to help a girl out?”

Staring at you as his hands reached out to remove your panties, Bucky peeled them off carefully before pulling you towards him.  "Doll you’re making it very difficult for me to be a gentleman.  Are you sure you haven’t done this kind of thing before?“ he questioned as his hands traveled up to remove your bra and his lips latched onto yours.

Moaning into the kiss as he divested you of your bra thus leaving you completely naked in front of him, you nodded your head as you leaned into his fit body and worked your hands down the back of his boxers. Massaging his ass cheeks while he placed open mouth kisses along your neck and collar bones, he bit down particularly hard, causing you to wince, when your wandering hands pinched his ass harder than he thought possible.

"Fuck doll, knock it off, or I’ll take you right here on this floor.” he exclaimed while jerking his hips towards you so you could feel exactly what your ministrations were doing to him.  Staring up at him playfully, you hooked your thumbs in the waistband of his boxers and slowly rolling them down his legs, waited on bended knees for him to step out of them.  Then tossing them aside, like he’d done with your lingerie, you leaned forward and ran your tongue along his shaft as you stood back up.

Groaning at the feelings you were creating within him and surprised by the level of control both of you were displaying, he quickly came to his senses and opening the shower door, ushered both of you inside. Washing as quickly as possible so as to avoid any further temptation, Bucky now understood why it was a terrible idea for both of you to share the shower.  Smirking over at him as you bent over to wash your legs, Bucky swore that first chance he got you were going to be tied to your bed and teased until an apology passed your lips. As it was, his only option at the present time was to stand under the showerhead, turn on the cold water and allow the frigid temperature to cool the inferno raging in his loins.

Finally clean, both of you exited the shower and returning to the bedroom, dressed in silence before heading downstairs.  Having had the good sense to book a table, Bucky placed his hand protectively on the small of your back as the waiter escorted you to the discrete booth where this whole rollercoaster had started.  Sitting down and ordering your meals, you were painfully aware once again of all the stares directed your way.  Taking your hand and squeezing gently, Bucky’s reassurance eased your nervousness and with his help the rest of dinner was enjoyed in your own personal bubble. Once the meal was over, a game of cards back in his room, also your room now, found you sitting in front of him with nothing but your lingerie while he had only lost his socks, shoes and top.

“You’re not very good at this, are you doll?” Bucky asked, gazing across at your now almost naked form.

“Maybe I’m better than you think,” you smirked back “and this was just the quickest and easiest way to get undressed for bed.”

“Ah doll, if that was what you wanted, I would have only been too happy to oblige.” he replied and neither of you could hide the grins that graced your features.  Finally agreeing that a glorious bed was calling, both of you availed yourselves of the facilities before Bucky returned to find you staring at the bed.

“Y/N doll, is everything alright?” he inquired as his arms engulfed your smaller frame and your head fell back against his chest.

“I was just wondering what the chances are that morning will find me once again wrapped in your arms.” you said and you could feel the rumble in his chest as his laughter gently filled your ears.

“Doll I think we both know the chances are extremely high.  Why do you ask?”

“Well in that case,” you said, releasing yourself from his embrace, “I might as well save you the trouble and sleep by the window now,” you continued, before turning around, kissing him tenderly and walking to the opposite side of the bed.  Lying down and tucking yourself against his body, Bucky made good on his promise to hold you through the night and once again a restful night’s sleep easily claimed you.

Waking refreshed, but alone the next morning, your sense of disappointment surprised you as you not only wondered where Bucky was but how he had now become something you missed when he wasn’t there.  Sitting up in bed, you were just about to get up and look for him, when the bathroom door opening announced his presence.  Looking sleepily over at him, he quickly joined you back in bed before placing his arms around you and kissing your hair.  "Everything alright sweet girl?“

"Kinda,” you replied quietly without looking at him.

Paying attention in a way that only someone with his life experience could, Bucky lifted your chin and noticed quite easily the concerned look clouding your features.  "Tell me what’s worrying you babygirl.“

"I … um … ” you hesitated, wondering how he would react and where this particular decision would lead.  "I was wondering if perhaps you’d like to check out of this hotel this morning?“

"I see,” he answered, not quite expecting this response, “and if I do that, where exactly might I stay for the next week and a half, hmm?”

Laying your head back down on his chest, his steady breathing helped calm you as the next words left your lips.  "Well, there’s more than enough room at my house.“ you quietly replied, though you knew he heard every word.

Staying completely still as your words sunk in, you looked up in time to see sheer wonderment light up his features as the implications of your offer hit home.  "Wait, just so there’s no confusion here, are you inviting me to stay at your place for the rest of my visit?” he asked while sitting you up and placing you on his powerful legs.

“Yes and possibly the rest of your life.” you quickly blurted out before you could stop yourself, though you knew his work wouldn’t allow him to accept.

“Could you repeat that?” Bucky asked, pulling your hands away from your face as you realized with blinding stupidity what you had said.

“Nuh uh.  You know what I said, please don’t make me repeat it.” you begged, but he wasn’t having any of it.  Flipping you easily onto your back, Bucky proceeded to use his lips and tongue to find every ticklish spot on your body and skillfully ravished each and every one until you could no longer stand the torture. “Alright, alright.  Enough.” you cried out as tears leaked from your eyes and you tried to get your breathing under control.  "I said you could stay for the rest of your life.“

"That’s what I thought you said, doll.” Bucky replied as he placed soft kisses on your lips before moving against your ear.  "And just whose bed might I be sleeping in, hmm?“ he whispered as a burst of heat shot through your body and settled firmly between your legs.  Unable to focus on anything but his skillful mouth now pleasuring your pulse point, you let out a moan when his teeth bit down on your shoulder to get your attention.  "I asked a question, sweetie.”

“Mine.” you breathlessly replied, and you swore the smile that graced his features could light up a room all on its own.  Kissing you once more, he lay back down beside you and pulling you flush against his body, asked if you were really sure this was what you wanted. “Absolutely.  I know we haven’t known each other very long, but with you I feel safe and cherished.  It’s a feeling I’d like to hold onto.”

Delighted that his plan was working out, having actually arrived in the area the previous week, he happily agreed to take you up on your offer. Then setting the alarm on his phone to wake you in two hours, he wrapped his arms tightly around you and lulled you back to sleep.

Waking fifteen minutes before his alarm went off, Bucky looked down on your sleeping form and hoped you never had to find out that it was Natasha who had first seen you in this same hotel a few months previous. Having been the day you had finally purchased your new home, she watched from another table as you ordered your food and ate in peace while keeping to yourself.  Not knowing why, she followed you that day and finding you relaxing on a nearby beach, all she could picture was Bucky sitting next to you as the wave crashed around you.  She knew at that moment, the love her friend was looking for, was right in front of her.

Returning back to the present and turning off the alarm, he went about sending a quick email to Sam, Steve and Nat to inform them of developments, before turning his attention back to you.  In time his friends would welcome you into the fold, but for now, his main goal was to help you blossom into the self-confident goddess he knew you could be.  Sliding his metal arm along your thigh, he caught hold of your panties and pulled before letting it snap back gently against your folds.  Doing this a few more times while bringing his lips down on your bra covered nipples, he eventually woke you up with two minutes to spare.

Finding a wet sensation between your legs, not to mention his drool all over your bra, you tried to be pissed at him, but could only manage mild irritation.  Joining him for a quick shower, both of you dressed quickly before heading around the suite and gathering up every stitch of your belongings.  Once all the things were packed away, you once again threw your bag over your shoulder and taking Bucky’s offered hand, headed downstairs to the reception desk.  Closing out his room account while reserving your now usual booth for Monday and Thursday nights at seven o'clock, you and Bucky then left the hotel and set off towards your house.

Planning on enjoying whatever the next week and a half brought, you had no idea as you slid the key into the front door, that Bucky fully intended taking you up on your offer.  Filling your days with all your favorite activities, domesticity and unbelievable sex, as it was, seated in your booth in an unusually empty restaurant almost four months later, your slightly plump stomach hidden beneath a stylish top, the reality struck you instantly as Bucky dropped to one knee and opening a small box, asked you to marry him.

Knowing now that this was his plan all along and you had simply been played and maneuvered to this point, you held out your hand and said “yes” as he slipped the ring on your finger before placing his lips tenderly against yours and then moved down to kiss your growing bump.  Finally having everything he wanted, he sat back down and ordered dessert as he watched you staring at the beautiful sapphire that now rested on your left hand.

“What are you thinking there doll?” he asked as you tore your eyes away from the stone and focused instead at the mundane pattern on the table tile.

“I was just thinking about what happens when the novelty of all this wears off.” you replied, gesturing to both the ring and your current condition without meeting his gaze.

Waiting for the waiter who had just arrived with your desserts to leave, Bucky got up and sitting down beside you, tenderly placed one arm around you, before pulling you close and resting the other on the life growing inside you.  "You two, my love are not a novelty and I never want you to think like that again.“ he lovingly reassured you.  "You are the most important things in my life and I will spend forever proving that to you.  Now how about we finish our dessert and I will take you upstairs where this all began and remind you just how much you mean to me.”

Realizing as his words sunk in, that he had not only booked out the whole restaurant, but also your original suite for the night, a light giddiness eased your worries somewhat as you easily accepted his offer.  Finishing your desserts and heading upstairs with Bucky’s arm protectively around your waist, the familiar setting once he opened the door and led you to the bedroom, brought back all the wonderful feelings and memories that led to where you were now … pregnant, naked and absolutely worshipped by a man you knew you never wanted to live without.  Thus moaning and writhing beneath him as he gently thrust into your sweat slicked body, you let your fears melt away on the orgasms he pulled from you before he joined you in a post orgasmic bliss of tender kisses, cuddles and sleep filled with joyous dreams of things to come.

[marley-manson]

i want to know everything lol but let's try 4, 8 and 11 for now. i'm sure you'll get other asks but alsoooo curious about 15 but for your top 5 fave characters since you are a talented vidder, i'm sure you have interesting thoughts.

Thank you, both for the ask and the comment on my vidding 💖 Sorry I couldn't answer this last night lol, it actually took me a while to answer the song question.

4 . what’s your favorite line ?

lol it's so impossible to choose, I've seen this in a few mash themed ask memes and I have a different answer every time. Today I'm gonna go with a fave gay joke: "Captain Sodom and Captain Gomorrah. He's Gomorrah."

8 . what’s your favorite ridiculous storyline ?

Hmmmm well I love the vibes of Adam's Ribs a lot. Klinger's subplot in The Trial of Henry Blake is a stone cold classic. Lyle's crush in Springtime. God the pony contest in Life With Father. Genuinely love the erectile dysfunction episode for the freudian stuff. The Klinger/Zale fight in End Run for the sardonic commentary on the war. The tray subplot in The Life You Save for the complementary absurdism.

Uhhhhhh I'm going with pony subplot. It's fun, it's shippy, it's cute, it's light, it leads to one of the best episode endings ever, and it thematically ties into the rest of the episode in a neat way.

11 . favorite random object in the swamp ?

I love the basketball with a jack o lantern face drawn on in marker in Trick or Treatment. It's that or Hawkeye's picture of Truman, because I like to imagine him occasionally directing exasperated commentary towards it.

15 . pick a theme song for one of the characters . why do you think that song suits them ?

Oof lol this is hard because the hardest part of vidding for me is finding the right songs. I actually don't have very many associated with Mash characters for some reason. But I'll give it a shot!

I am going to go with my first vid song for Hawkeye, Waltzing Along by James. May your mind set you free, may your heart lead you on. It's perfect for his vibe imo. The rebellion in spirit despite being trapped, the ways he keeps sane, the love.

I do already have a main song I associate with Margaret: Happy Meal II by The Cardigans. Margaret always on the search for someone to complete her, faking her way through relationships by presenting a facade and trying to be perfect for them, the insistence that she's happy that sounds more and more forced the more it's repeated.

Arrange my books in order Make up some nice stories to amuse you Make things look smart and easy Shape up the place Hungry for the meeting The dinner we'll be eating Wine that we'll be drinking And kinky thoughts I'm thinking All because of you

Though actually I've mentioned that before in another meme, so have a different Cardigans song for her as well lol, Slow:

There'll be rain on our wedding day Rotting roses in my bouqet There'll be rain on our wedding day Gray be the sky Too late to cry

For Trapper... okay I consulted my tiny Mash playlist and found one that I think fits him. Left and Leaving by The Weakerthans. Not the type of song I usually listen to but hey it works.

The sidewalks are watching me think about you Sparkled with broken glass I'm back with scars to show Back with the streets I know

Okay BJ might not be in my top 5 but I actually have a few songs associated with him so he gets to jump the queue. I'm going with GMF by John Grant. I wanted to vid it but it's such a long song with some tricky lyrics to match I couldn't get it started, but I dig it for BJ. Especially this bit:

I am not who you think I am I am quite angry which I barely can conceal You think I hate myself, it's you I hate Because you have the nerve to make me feel

I wanted one for Klinger but if I had one for him I'd be vidding it lol :( So I wracked my brain to think of one for Frank, and realized my all time favourite song actually fits him lol: Lovefool, once again by The Cardigans. Just genderswap it and it's perfect in its pathetic shallow neediness.

ask meme

[capriciouscaprine]

good morning!!!!! It has been a while, so this will be a pretty long post with relatively few numbers but tons of reflecting on the past few days for me!

forget a metabolism day, I had my first true bonkers food consumption episode over multiple days as I worked on finishing what is to date my longest and most important presentation, which would determine if I qualified to receive my masters degree

on saturday, I was facing a ton of work that still needed to be done before tuesday (aka yesterday); I decided to stock up on energy drinks and get myself a sweet treat to get through at least that day and who knew how much longer

at the store, the packs of cookies I was planning on getting looked unsatisfyingly small and bland for the c's they contained; after circling the baked goods section several times, with breaks to go all the way back and check out frozen and pantry desserts (and seeing a cake that was three cakes in one and ~1k c per small slice!!), I folded and bought a box of giant chocolate peanut butter cookies, the kind where the serving size is 1/2 a cookie; the box totaled 1,800 c

and I finished it that night

and then I kept going

the wildest part was that I quickly realized that I didn't like the giant chocolate chunks in the cookies and I would have much preferred just a peanut butter cookie with no chocolate chunks (and thus lower c's)

I finished off my pan of meatloaf that night as well, and the next day I started off with good intentions but then just kept on snacking, and after work I went and got a bunch of fried foods from a fast food chain

I didn't even enjoy them!!! fried food 'wilts' so fast out of the fryer, and I've genuinely made the point to myself before that spending money at this place isn't worth it!!! still, ate all of that as well, and kept snacking

by monday I was not feeling well, and I don't even remember what I ate except I know it wasn't low c; yesterday, I had one good plate of egg fried rice, and then made myself a bigger plate and hated it... and yet I still finished it

through all of this, I was constantly consuming energy drinks, to the point that I have one left from a 12 pack, and even added extra energy drink mix powder to a can to almost double the caffeine content per sip

ultimately, I had mostly finished my presentation by the time I went to sleep monday night, only made a few edits on tuesday morning, was absurdly nervous through the entire presentation to the point I barely remember it, finished my excessive food intake, and went to bed at my super early bedtime to get up today at the same ridiculously early time of 2 am that I've been using to give myself time to work on all of my coursework this school year

for my monday check-in day, I was at 124.2, which is up at least 2$ from, but thankfully still below the goal I had achieved previously

reflecting on these past several days, my main take away is that I didn't enjoy most of it; my enjoyment stopped after 1.5 cookies, a few bits of each fried option, and the first plate of fried rice; some things I did want to keep eating on, like rice crispy treats, aren't nearly as high c (80/each for the off-brand) and I still got tired of eating them after a two or three; I had minimum 10k c's over four days, only a bit higher than 'healthy' recommendations, and by the end I was craving the simplicity and relief of my 'unhealthy' eating plan

the biggest upside is that I have finally cleared a LOT of left over less goal-oriented foods from my house; by the end I was actually actively saving my low c meals and not wanting to 'waste' them on this unhinged eating behavior, and I discovered that I actually don't have a lot of high c food left in the house!!

I feel like I even have a strategy now for if I'm ever in this situation again: get lots of snacks that are higher in c's but aren't entire packs of fancy cookies, which ranges from family sized popcorn to a whole container of hummus with pre-sliced vegetables, to keep myself focused; if I'm craving something, go to a quality bakery or restaurant and just get one serving from them instead of a bunch of lower quality things that end up being the same price; and keep on having only lower c items in the house, bc even if I do go nuts on them, the impact will be way lower

also, having pre-prepped meals will also be a relief, as not having a plan I can follow and something easy to grab and reheat seems to be an additional stressor on top of whatever else I have going on, so investing the time into doing that prep work is absolutely worth it

finally, I got confirmation that a problem I was attributing to my reduced eating plan really is just a me problem: I was working through all of this, getting plenty to eat before I went to work and everything, and I STILL had the problem of the world going rather dark around the edges if I stood up too fast or was bent over half-upside-down for too long; I don't have new heart problems from not enough food, I have existing heart problems that are unaffected by how much I eat

this is a relief! yeah, obviously it's still a problem, but now I don't feel guilty for having it by causing it with my eating; I just genuinely have a problem with my blood pressure!

now!!! my presentation marked the last big project I needed to dedicate my time and energy to; from now on, I can devote that time and energy to working towards my personal goals, and I can stop waking up at 2 am!!!

waking up super early is still rewarding for me, and it's going to continue to be a necessity in my career, but it is wild how much a 6 pm bedtime can mess you up; nearly anything I did would keep me up past my bedtime, which frequently ruined my sleep; from now on, I'm moving up to bed time at 8 pm and waking up at 4 am, which will still give me plenty of time before work and my internship

today I'm going to pick up my new cellphone and get it set up (and order the case and any accessories for it!), and that's going to hopefully help me with all of my goal setting and tracking moving forwards; I've got to do some job seeking to hopefully get on contract with a school before the end of the public school academic year, but otherwise, my next big goal is planning a budgeted shopping trip that will get me everything I need to make two weeks worth of pre-planned meals that will help me meat my goals without constantly having to come with what to eat every day

I'm so excited to be pack on track; it is genuinely a relief to return to posting on here and eating things that I actually enjoy and that help me meet my goals; I have made it past a huge hurdle, so now I can act on all the things I've been planning for myself!!!

[asheewrites]

Well now we gotta know what the two big boys have to say about the twiddle foxy friend and who gets to keep custody. Heaven, Hell or Raphael?

Whistling, Raphael went downstairs and was barely through meat-assembly (rabbit today... it had been a well grown critter, one was enough) and in the middle of cutting some carrots for the creature, when his phone already buzzed in his pocket.

Unfortunately, he knew from whom it was, so he had to wash his hands and get the phone out.

It read:

'Hello Raphael,

In case of your guest staying with you, Hell needs to be contacted for permission, not only information, to avoid misunderstandinga about us holding an Agent of theirs hostage. Please contact me when you receive a reply. Until it is clear whether Hell will send someone to pick it up ASAP or allow it to stay in your care, keep it under strict supervision. It is imperativ that you keep it in the clinic, for its own and human safety. Please report negative changes in behaviour immediately. Thank you for your diligence in reporting this as soon as you had assessed the situation. Looking forward to hearing from you.

ꙮ Metatron'

... the manufacturer or the software developer probably hadn't shelled out for a Metatron's Cube as a sign. Why he would sign twice if it were the case was a different question, but well.

This...

He was glad he's washed his rands, because he rubbed his eyes before oinching his nose. This was just... well. It was not pleasant.

There certainly was no hostage-holding if the creature in question could leave at any time. Like any creature should be able to at any time. Not that most animals had a desire for this kind of thing when they were held in a reasonable state. Of course, the order to keep it in the clinic and under strict supervision at all times would turn this into some kind of hostage situation. But... he had contacted hell. He had been diligent and if anyone asked, he had the orders in written form in front of him.

Bloody hell. He just liked imprisoning people, didn't he. Favourite hobby. Kch.

With a little twitch in his brow, he sent back:

'Hello Metatron, I have reached out to hell and will report as soon as a message arrived. The fox will remain safe in my private rooms. Behaviour unchanged. Raphael'

There. Due diligence and all. Maybe he would need to build enrichment for the creature. And if he needed to add a new room to his place. TARDIS-ing his home. Or something. When he figured how that even worked. But angelic abilities could do more ridiculous things. Somehow creating more space where there isn't... the worst thing Raphael could imagine, so... he would see.

For now: Finishing the carrots, starting the celery. Stuffing the whole meal into the fridge upstairs.

And maybe he should look more into enrichment for foxes. If it had no choice but to stay, he should definitely look that up. Sure, the creature might be older than himself, and not actually a fox, but it certainly didn't talk to him.

Puzzle boxes for food it was! He had still some wood laying around... and about ten hours of time. He could make something to get... maybe dried meat hidden in the the next day? Cardbord boxes he would be able to find no find no problem. Maybe he could put balls in the bathtub? But a kiddie pool might be more suitable. He really did need more space...

Well. Off to work he was. After informing the critter - or, more accurately, the thin air of his flat: "Hey, my invisible guest, I have to keep you in here or at least under supervision for the next few days. Not my call, but you don't seem to mind right now. I'll try to make your stay more bearable." Nothing answered. If it had been the right time of year, crickets would have something more to say. So he sighed, but added: "And I'll call you Kazu from now on. Not very demonic, but it's a name, so, Kazu, good night to you!" It probably needed to digest the meat - and vegetables - anyway.

Off he was to the attic and... mh... if he cleared that one up a little more, that might be an option. For now, there was just some cardboard boxes to grab and bring down. And then... a saw to create a puzzle box. It could not be too hard.

...

When it was time to walk downstairs, he wasn't sure if he could simply not do math... or if the measurements were simply out of wack. Fact was: Nothing fit together. Better luck next time, he supposed. The fox would not be harmed by any of that. So he served breakfast: "Kazu! Breakfast's ready!"

Not that he expected a response. The waterbowl was full too... looking at it, and considering normal foxes... it might be nice if it was a well, always providing fresh water. Like with cats? But that was another project.

Downstairs, he greeted his team and received the customary hugs and his usual stack of correspondence. Mostly letters, the advertisements, bills and reports get already sorted by Amurel.

At the table, he found a thank you letter from a patient (with pictures), a report from one of his angels in more critical areas, gathering field experience, other correspondences he would need to pen down in the break and then... a letter with a sticky note.

'Was like this in the post bin, no one brought it there, but there it is. Be careful? Amurel'

Huh. The letter was a sealed piece of paper. 'To Raphael' it said, with a flourish. And, indeed, held no adress. Well. He photographed the seal to maybe figure something out later, if the insides weren't revealing.

So he opened the folded sheet and read the following words, written with flourish in blue, sparkly ink:

'Dearest Raphael,

Congratulations on your new pet! I see no reason as to why you shouldn’t be permitted to keep it, provided you feel confident in your ability to handle it safely. Unfortunately, it sounds as though its previous owner was no suitable fit - I assure you this incident will be investigated and the individual reprimanded accordingly.'

SHIT. A quick glance to the end of the letter confirmed suspicions, it was Asmodeus. SO. He grabbed the phone and composed a quick message:

'Asmodeus, PLEASE do not investigate OR reprimand the guy. They needed help and came here and we helped. And that could happen because demons slowly started to trust us. I did not mean to incriminate them, it was simply an explanation why I did not send the fox down immediately. They guy is probably punished enough for having lost his pet. And feeling in some of his arm. We don't need a rumor that the clinic rats people out. In whatever way there is. It's nice that angels and demons can meet here on neutral ground. Armistice is a good reason. If at all possible, just... leave them be? Please? Since they came here, they at least knew they did something very wrong. Give them a chance to better themselves?'

He really was an idiot for not expecting that. Asmodeus liked animals, for all he knew. And currently he might still make examples out of people. Aaargh.

Well, he still continued reading:

'As for your new friend, do be careful of its pointy bits. It may be foolish to assume without seeing it firsthand but I can’t imagine it would differ too greatly from an Earthly fox; they can be snappy when frightened and are easy to startle. Please expect a courier within the next few days with the following supplies, provided free of charge: 1 bag of DevilKitty Kibblez brand fox chow, 1 medium memory foam pet bed, 3 assorted toys, 1 enchanted safety muzzle, 1 collar and lead. In the mean time, I should think meat, fish, fruits and vegetables would make for a suitable diet. It may beg for souls of the damned, but those should be given sparingly and only as treats for good behavior.

Thank you for reaching out and please let me know should you need any further assistance. We also request pics at your earliest convenience.

Best wishes,

Emperor Pro Tempore and Great King of Hell

Asmodeus

xoxo As 💙'

Fish. He had forgotten about fish. And fruit, to be honest. As for the soul... he tapped his phone in thought.

'Hello again, Asmodeus. I apologize for the sudden message. Morale of patients is something I have to pay close attention to. Usually.

Anyway. I thank you very much for the allowance and the help for a new demonic pet-carer. I hope you understand that souls of the damned might have to be stricken from it's menu. If that is a problem, I obviously can not handle them. Angels and souls of the damned are not too good a mix.

For now, my guest still evades sightings. Pictures will follow when it has acclimatised some more.

Now, is angel blood good or bad for the critter. I don't mind being bitten in fear, but I don't want it to suffer from... holy-poisoning?

I'll get back to you when there is a chance for pictures or I am overwhelmed by fox-entity. Thanks again!

Sincerely yours

Raphael

P.S.: 'Pro Tempore' mh?'

For whom DID he stand in that comes back any time soon? But alright. More pressing was the question if the XOXO was an indictation for a greeting he... wanted? Hugs and kisses? He was used to them, but... usually from his team and not... well... the emperor of hell, he supposed. From what he had seen, it was not an actionable thing, but... why?

Anyway.

'Hello Metatron. I got permission and allowance from hell, no worries anymore. Raphael.'

There. Done. Therapy! Physical, to be exact. Some people were not meant to stretch their own wings in their corporation. They tended to dislocate their shoulders and screw up their whole musculature. Time to warm his hands properly.