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chasingmidnights · 6 months

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A Brutal Life Series: Part Three - Just Another Manic Monday

Title: Just Another Manic Monday

Summary: With the most recent nightmares plaguing you, you nearly forgot about your lesson with Jake.

Warnings: First, this is 18+, minors DNI!!! Warnings to look out for (but not limited too): implied previous abuse; nightmares; some mild angst; implied stalking/harassment; Jake Jensen (he’s a warning, okay!); Bucky Barnes (he’s also a warning, okay!); mild cursing; and I think that’s it. I apologize if I missed anything, but you are responsible for what you read and your own media consumption. I do not claim to be a professional writer, any and all mistakes are my own; nothing is beta read.

Wordcount: 2,022

The rain softly beat against your window as you laid in your bed and you were wide awake. You reached for your phone and instantly groaned when you saw what time it was, four in the morning. After placing your phone back onto the bedside table, you rolled over to your side to try to get some more sleep, but you knew it would be fruitless. You were so tired though, you just wanted a good night’s sleep, was that too much to ask for? Your nightmares have been more consistent recently and in full force, you were actually starting to dread sleep. Not only did you have to go through the abuse once, but now again in your dreams. Frustrated, you decided to give up on your sleep and threw the comforter and sheets off of you and climbed out of bed.

You tiredly made your way to the kitchen and started to make yourself some tea as quietly as you could. Once you had your tea just the way you liked it, you took a seat at the bay window and wrapped a blanket around your legs. You watched the rain trickle down the window and listened to the soft rumble of the occasional thunder. You sipped on your tea as you sat there, you had always liked the rain, it always brought you a sense of comfort. Even now as your thoughts swirled in darkness. As you sat there, your past weighed heavily on you, it consumed you most days, being able to think of nothing else and all of the horrible shit the universe put you through. Your younger and more innocent self always believed that there was some hidden reason for everything one person went through, but she was a damn fool. The older, more cynical you, now knows that sometimes you just get drawn a bad hand and there’s no rhyme or reason to it, some were just born to suffer. You let out a small sigh before lifting your tea cup up to your lips and taking a long drink of your tea. The tea warmed you up a little bit and brought you some comfort, but tea can only do so much, it’s not a cure-all.

You’re not really sure when or how, for that matter, but you managed to drift off to sleep and for once, it wasn’t plagued by nightmares. When your vision comes to as you start to wake up, the warm morning sun was beating down on you. You started to stretch as you looked around and as you did, you saw Wanda in the kitchen making her coffee. A soft smile formed on your lips as the fresh brew filled your nostrils, you always did enjoy the smell of fresh coffee in the morning. But then it dawned on you, if Wanda was awake, then it had to be at least nine and you were going to be late to meet Jake.

“Shit!” You tossed the blanket off of you and quickly scrambled to your feet and bolted past Wanda to get ready.

“Well, good morning to you too!” Wanda chuckled as she saw your reaction to the time.

You hurriedly put together an outfit and threw your hair into a messy bun. As you hobbled around to put your converses on, you called out to Wanda. “Why didn’t you wake me?!”

As Wanda remained in the kitchen, she shook her head playfully. “Didn’t know I was supposed to! And besides, you looked so peaceful, and figured you could use the extra sleep.”

A moment later, you came back out from your bedroom and narrowed your gaze at her. “You knew very well about my plans today.”

“Oh yeah, your date with Jake, right?” Wanda inquired, a smirk etched on her dainty mouth.

“It’s not a date, okay? He’s just showing me a few things to become more tech savvy, that’s all.” You explained quickly, before pausing for a moment. “But do I look alright?”

Wanda snickered as you asked that. “Right, not a date. As for how you look, you might want to make sure that your shirt isn’t inside out or backwards.”

You glanced down and immediately saw the tag wasn’t where it was supposed to be, causing you to groan. Even though Wanda was giving you a hard time about this whole thing, you were thankful that she had pointed that out. You rushed back towards your bedroom to fix the shirt, double checking to make sure it was the right way before leaving your room again.

“Much better.” Wanda said, as she looked up from the paper she was reading.

“Thanks. I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I’ll keep you posted.” You said as you grabbed your keys and purse before walking out the door.

Wanda playfully shook her head as she watched you leave. She knew it was only a matter of time for the two of you.

Jake let out a heavy sigh as he stood at the counter with Bucky, who glanced over at him and shook his head. It’s been ages since he’s seen his friend act this way over a girl, let alone a girl he barely knows.

“Jake, you’re being ridiculous, you know that, right?” Bucky commented on his friend’s attitude.

“How so? I’m doing inventory.” Jake replied, pausing for a moment to look over at Bucky.

Bucky scoffed at Jake’s answer as he ran his fingers through his hair and countered Jake’s statement. “That’s bullshit and you know it, that sigh wasn’t about inventory.”

Jake arched a brow as he stopped what he was doing and crossed his arms. “You keep track of the different sighs that I have? That’s kind of weird man.”

Bucky was about to reply when you walked into the storefront. “Saved by the bell.” Bucky muttered under his breath.

A groan quickly followed Bucky’s mutter as Jake slapped him on the back of the head, causing Bucky to reach back and rub the spot. Upon seeing the action, you stopped in your tracks, tilting your head a bit as you made sure not to drop anything. Since you were running late, you had decided to stop and get coffee and treats as a way to apologize.

“Did I come at a bad time?” You asked as you adjusted the box in your hands, make sure not spill any coffee.

“Hey, girl scout, of course not. What did you bring us this time?” Bucky inquired, his eyes on the box in your hands.

You glanced between the two of them, before you accepted Bucky’s answer. “Just some treats and coffee as a way to apologize for being late this morning.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” There was a short pause as Jake came around the counter, a huge smile on his face. “Here, let me help you with that.” Jake offered as he carefully took the box from you.

“Oh, thank you, Jake.” You smiled at him, butterflies already starting to form. “Um, I wasn’t sure how you guys liked your coffee, so I got everything on the side.” You said, before handing Bucky and Jake their coffees.

Bucky smiled at you before he took a drink of his coffee. “Black coffee is all I need, thanks girl scout.”

“It’s no problem, really.” You replied, before glancing over at Jake, who was putting three packets of the raw sugar into his coffee.

“Just need a dash of sweetness in mine.” Jake said, before taking a sip.

Once the coffee and treats were served, you and Jake went back to his office. You watched him as he got everything set up, he moved so elegantly and quickly that a part of you was almost in awe by his movements.

“Hey, sorry I was late.” You said after a while, breaking the silence that had formed.

Jake paused as he glanced over his shoulder to look at you. “No worries. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just haven’t been sleeping well lately, but I’ll be okay. Especially when you show me all of your tricks and we figure out who’s messing with me.” You answered as honestly as you could, not wanting to reveal too much.

Jake looked you over for a moment. He had a feeling that there was something else, but he didn’t want to push you; after all, he barely knew you. “Well, let's get started shall we? Here, have a seat.”

You smiled as you did as Jake told you what to do, but as soon as you did, a sinking feeling started to form in your chest as you logged into your email. You froze though as you saw all of the unopened emails from your harasser, you couldn’t believe there were so many of them.

“D-did these all just come in?” You asked, as you tore your gaze away from the screen to look at Jake.

Jake’s smile faded and his face became more serious. “Yeah, last couple of days, unfortunately. I’m trying my best, but damn, this person has it on lock down, it’s been nearly impossible to break through to get to the other side. Don’t worry though, I’m not gonna give up, I like a good challenge.”

You couldn’t help but admire his determination as he popped his tattooed knuckles. “Well, I definitely appreciate all of the hard work. Maybe if we can find out who this is, I can actually do something about it, have them arrested or something.” There was a short pause. “I have a question.”

“Shoot.” Jake said, gesturing for you to continue.

“Well, I was just thinking, should we back up these emails in case something happens?” You inquired as you took a shaky breath.

Jake started to scratch his chin, ruffling up the small, fine hair that was there. “You know, I hadn’t considered that, but if that’s something that you want me to do, I definitely can.”

You sat and thought about it for a moment before you answered. “Yeah, if it’s not too much trouble, I think I would like that.”

“You got it boss.” Jake said with a smile.

You smiled back at him and as you did, you could feel those pesky butterflies starting to form again. After a moment, you cleared your throat and you turned your attention back to your laptop.

“So, shall we get started?” You asked nervously, as you tried to focus on the laptop, while you waited for further instruction.

“If you’re sure that you’re ready, then yes, let’s get started.” Jake said, clearing his throat as well.

Once you left Jake’s shop for the day, you felt a little bit better. You knew a little bit more about what it was that Jake was doing and your computer skills didn’t feel so rusty. Could you do it on your own? Absolutely not, you still needed Jake.

As you walked back to your apartment, the evening breeze felt good to you and you could still smell the rain in the air from earlier this morning. A small smile had formed on your lips as you thought about how, for once, that life might be looking up for you. You didn’t want to get your hopes up though, life had been cruel to you for the most part. You should’ve known better than to think about hope though, as your phone beeped a couple of times. You stopped walking to answer it as you pulled your phone out of your purse. Your heart started to race as you saw a text from an unknown number. You took a deep breath and with shaking hands, you unlocked your phone and tapped on the message. As you did that though, you were filled with instant regret and your stomach dropped.

Unknown: Did you miss me, sweetheart? Because I’ve missed you. - C.B.

After reading the text a couple of times, you finally looked up and looked all over, but nothing stood out to you. You quickly tucked your phone away before you continued your way home, picking up the pace as you did.

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chasingmidnights · 7 months

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A Brutal Life Series: Part One - The Right Direction

Part One: The Right Direction

Summary: A friend points you in, hopefully, the right direction of finding out who’s been sending you harassing emails.

A/N: Welcome to “A Brutal Life” Series! I just wanna say that I had fun writing this and I hope you all enjoy this new series! This is a multi-fandom series, so you’ll see various characters from different fandoms strewn throughout! The green divider was made by @saradika.

Warnings: First, this is 18+! Minors DNI or you will be blocked! Warnings to look out for but are not limited to include: mentions of being harassed; mentions of implied stalking; Jake Jensen (he’s a warning okay!); mentions of smoking; there are characters with tattoos & piercings, I know not everyone finds them appealing, but quite a few of the main characters will have them; and I think that’s everything. I apologize if I missed anything but you are responsible for what you read and your own social media consumption. I do not claim to be a professional writer, any and all mistakes are my own; nothing is beta read.

Wordcount: 2,396

The store bell chimed as you entered the quaint computer shop. You nervously glanced around the shop and as you did, you noticed all of the various computer accessories and parts being neatly displayed for customers. For a second, you nearly chickened out and walked right back out the door, but you needed to do this, you needed answers. You tightly held onto the bag containing your laptop and took a deep breath as you continued to look around the store. You weren’t exactly sure what you were expecting when you walked into the shop, maybe something a little more extravagant? But you were glad that it wasn’t, you were hoping that you would get to work closely with whoever would be working on your laptop to figure out your little problem that you’ve been having recently. Your friend didn’t tell you much, just that this guy might be able to help with what you needed.

The man at the counter caught your attention as you continued to stand by the door and scouted out the shop. He wasn’t exactly what you were expecting either, then again, your friend gave you no description of who you were supposed to be looking for when you got to the shop. You eyed the man up and down, he was covered in tattoos, from his neck down and you found yourself wondering how many the man had on his body. His appearance was intriguing to you and you wondered if this was the guy that was supposed to be helping you. Everything about this man had your mind swirling with thoughts and you mean everything. From his sandy blonde hair that was cut short and neatly kept to his well trimmed goatee and his round, metal framed glasses to even his nose ring had you almost foaming at the mouth. ‘Down girl,’ you told yourself. ‘This isn’t what you’re here for.’ You took a deep breath as you adjusted the bag on your shoulder and walked up to the counter, trying not to let the man intimidate you, even though he wasn’t paying any attention to you. Instead, he was going through a large book, making marks in it every once in a while. He continued to work, even when you reached the counter. So, you quietly cleared your throat before you spoke up.

“Are you able to track emails and such?” You asked nervously, glancing around the shop.

The tattooed man eyed you up and down as he arched a brow. “Ma’am, this is a repair shop.”

You let out an exasperated sigh, glancing down for a moment before looking back up at the man. “I-I was told by a mutual friend that you did things like that on the side? I-I have money.”

The man in front of you narrowed his gaze at you as you mentioned a ‘mutual friend’. “ A mutual friend, eh? And who might that be?”

He stood up straight and at his full height, you couldn’t help but feel extremely small. You would need a ladder to be anywhere near his height. All you could do was look up at him in awe, his arms were crossed in front of his chest and with how tight his under armor shirt was, it accentuated his rather large biceps. You had to shake your head and clear your thoughts once again before you could answer him, after all, you were here for a reason.

“Wanda, Wanda Maximoff.” You said quietly, as if it was some big secret.

A smirk formed on the man’s face and it seemed as if his eyes lit up as you mentioned Wanda. “Ah, you must be the friend she told me about, she said you’d be stopping by.”

You smiled a bit yourself as he mentioned how Wanda told him about you. “Did she say anything else?”

“Not really, just that you were having some trouble and wanted to know if I could help, told her that I would try. So, what’s the problem, sweetheart?” The man asked, a bit more casually.

You tried not to grimace when he called you ‘sweetheart’, the pet name forever ruined by your ex. Instead, you took a small breath and answered him. “Well, I keep receiving harassing emails and I don’t know how to stop them or anything like that. I was wondering if you could help me at least find out where they’re coming from or maybe even who’s sending them? I’ve tried, but I’m pretty inept when it comes to these things.”

The man nodded as you explained, scratching the hair on his chin as he did. “Hmm, I can definitely take a crack at it, it might take me a few days.”

“That’s fine. Do what you have to do and I really don’t have a time frame for when I need it back.” You agreed, looking up at the man with hope in your eyes. Suppressing your feelings about hope - a dirty, four letter word in your book. You gave him a small smile as you became lost in his eyes, a beautiful shade of blue.

“Alright, then.” The man with tattoos said, returning a smile of his own. “So, do you have your equipment with you?”

You nodded your head before you started to pull out your laptop and handed it over to him. The man in front of you carefully took the laptop and placed it on the counter before grabbing a notepad and pen.

Any passwords or login information I may need to know?” He asked as he looked down at you.

“Yeah, here.” You then pulled out a piece of paper that had your information on it from your bag and handed it over to him as well.

You had to take a deep breath as the computer shop repair man took possession of the information. ‘He’s here to help you,’ You reminded yourself, your nerves starting to get to you. ‘Wanda wouldn’t have told you to come here otherwise, if she didn’t trust him and if she didn’t think he could help,’ These thoughts did little to calm your nerves, but you didn’t really have a choice here, you had to trust him. You then realized that you didn’t even know what this man’s name was, since Wanda never told you and he hasn’t even properly introduced himself. To be fair though, you haven’t exactly told him your name yet either.

“Oh, I don’t believe I ever caught your name.” You said quickly, the words jumbled together slightly.

A genuine smile formed on his face as you inquired about his name, and you couldn’t help but notice the pair of dimples that had formed on his cheeks as he smiled.

“It’s Jake, Jake Jensen. And I don’t think I caught yours either, sweetheart.”

You wanted so badly to tell him to not call you ‘sweetheart’, but you didn’t want to come off as rude, so you swallowed back the urge and simply introduced yourself to him. Jake’s smile grew as you told him your name, watching you as you tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, an act he found rather endearing. Now that you had handed over your laptop, all you had to do was wait for Jake to work his magic.

An exhausted huff escaped your lips as you closed the apartment door behind you, you were glad to finally be home. Your thoughts were muddled and you really wondered if Jake could figure out this mystery for you or not. You wanted to hope for the best, but you also didn’t want to get them too high just to have them dashed.

“So, how’d it go at the computer shop?” Your train of thoughts were broken by Wanda’s question.

You gave Wanda a weak smile as you turned your attention towards her. She had stopped painting her toenails and you could tell just by the way she was looking at you that she was trying to tell if you were okay and if something had happened today. You pushed the current thoughts aside as you went to join her on the couch, sitting down next to her and placing your purse on the floor.

“It went alright, said he was gonna do what he could to help.” You answered as you looked at the color that Wanda had chosen, it was a pretty navy blue color.

Wanda nodded her head at your reply, a small smirk formed on her mouth as she asked her next question. “So, what did you think about Jake?”

“Definitely not what I was expecting. How come you never told me about him?” You inquired, wondering what her excuse could be.

Wanda shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “Jake is a relatively newer friend, I met him a few years ago while you were still with him.”

You grimaced as she mentioned your ex, you weren’t exactly the greatest friend during that time period. But when things went south with him, you were just grateful that she opened up her arms and her home to you once again.

“Right. Have I told you how sorry I am about all of that recently? And that I promise that nothing like that will never, and I mean, never happen again.” You said, giving Wanda your best puppy dog eyes.

“You’re a goober, you know that? And besides, I know it won’t because the next time you’re with a guy, I’m gonna make sure that he’s not a narcissistic asshole.” Wanda said, letting out a small laugh as she shook her head, before getting up and walking over to the kitchen.

You couldn’t help but laugh at the way she was walking after just painting her toenails. She was walking quickly and on the ball of her feet. You glanced down at the couch cushion, thinking about what Wanda had just said. She didn’t need to worry about you dating anyone any time soon, because after what you just went through with your ex, you would be fine if you never dated again.

“Oh, and if you think Jake wasn’t what you were expecting, wait till you meet Bucky, his business partner!” Wanda called out to you from the kitchen, breaking you from your thoughts once again.

You looked over at Wanda, tilting your head as you did, your curiosity growing. “Wanda, where did you meet these guys?”

“Well,” Wanda started as she opened her can of soda before walking back over to the couch and joining you again. “That is an excellent question.” Wanda paused as she took a drink of her soda. “Actually, Jake and I were set up on a blind date, but we both thought we were better off as friends after the second date. As for Bucky, well, I would occasionally drop off lunch for Jake at the shop and that’s how I met him. Now we’re all just really good friends.”

“Wait, you and Jake dated?” You asked, you don’t know why, but a small wave of disappointment washed over you.

Wanda arched a brow as she looked at you. “For a bit, but it wasn’t anything serious.” The two of you looked at each other as Wanda paused for a moment. You saw the smirk form on her as she asked another question. “Why? Are you interested in Jake?”

“What?! Don’t be absurd, Wanda! I think I’m set on dating to last me a lifetime.” You answered, your words quickly falling out of your mouth and you started to pick at the couch cushion.

“You know, it’s okay if you are, in fact, I would one-hundred percent support it. I think you and Jake would be good together.” Wanda said, her smirk now a full blown smile.

You shook your head adamantly as Wanda made the suggestion. “Oh no, trust me, I’m good. Thank you, but I’m gonna pass. I think I’m gonna focus on me for the next foreseeable future.”

Wanda playfully rolled her eyes as she took another drink of her soda. You knew that she didn’t believe you, and you were probably fooling yourself, but you wanted to at least try to focus on yourself.

“Whatever you say, Foxy.” Wanda teased, calling you by the nickname she bestowed upon you years ago when you first met.

“So, how about dinner?” I’m starving.” You suggested, trying to do anything to change the subject. “Do you want me to make something or do you want to go out?”

“I know what you’re doing, Foxy, but I can take a hint. How about going out? I’ve been craving something nice and greasy.” Wanda answered, a knowing look on her face.

The two of you settled for a nearby pizza place called Papa Joe’s. When Wanda first introduced you to the place, you were a bit skeptical of the place since it was such a hole in the wall pizzeria. But it turned out to actually be really good and it quickly became one of your favorite places to eat at. However, tonight felt different and as you and Wanda entered the restaurant, you paused as you held the door open for her. You glanced around the nearby area and you couldn’t help but feel as if you were being watched. A feeling you, unfortunately, have become acquainted with as a part of your day-to-day life.

“Hey, Foxy, you okay?” Wanda asked as she turned around, once she realized that you weren’t next to her any longer.

You scanned the area once more, but nothing caught your attention. So, you shook off the feeling the best that you could and turned towards Wanda, giving her a small smile. “Yeah, of course. Come on, let’s get some food!”

The door to the pizzeria closed behind you as you entered and you and Wanda claimed one of the empty booths. However, just down the street was a black Buick with tinted windows and the driver of the vehicle smirked as he watched you enter the pizza joint. He took a puff off of his tobacco pipe as he watched, feeling pleased that he had found you at last. As he exhaled the smoke from his lungs, it filled the space in front of him and slowly moved upwards. He took another puff and slowly exhaled the smoke once more before he started his car and drove off.

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