#but the doc took too long so it didn't go through until this morning

[bittersweetblasphemy]

of course my fibro meds would run out and i would need a new script and my doctor would take too long to refill it literally on a day it rains

[ninus9607]

2. First day

The annoying sound of the alarm going off filled my bedroom. "Ugh, I hate mornings," I grumbled. I threw the duvet onto the floor, my feet touching the cold ground. In a sleepy state, I stumbled into the bathroom. Ugh, I look terrible. After a long shower, I made my favorite coffee and sat at the kitchen table. I can't start the day without morning coffee. I usually make a cappuccino.

While sipping my morning coffee, I began to feel quite hungry. Unfortunately, my fridge was empty, so I needed to go shopping. I don't know where. I looked up the nearest store and it's only 10 minutes away. Sounds perfect. I made sure to grab everything I needed, especially the house keys, before heading out. The path to the store passed through the main road, then through the park, and finally arrived at the shop. When I opened the door of the shop, I was delighted. It was huge compared to the shops I had back home in Europe. I walked through a few shelves and picked up the things I needed for at least a week.

And suddenly, my phone starts ringing. Meredith?

"Um, hello?"

"Where on earth are you?"

"Why are you so aggressive? I went to the store."

"You need to get to the hospital fast, Bailey's been yelling at me about where you are."

"And what do you mean, I'm not supposed to start until tomorrow?"

"You didn't check your emails? There's been a major car accident and Bailey wants everyone to come in. Hurry over here." she said and hung up the phone.

Fuck, I forgot to check those damn emails this morning, now I'm going to look like an idiot. Fuck me. And who's Bailey? She must be our boss. Anyway, I quickly made my way to the checkout to pay. I quickly ordered an Uber as soon as I left the shop. I arrived home in about 5 minutes to quickly put the shopping away and take the most important things to the hospital, even though I didn't know what to expect. It took me about 15 minutes to get to the hospital, but those 15 minutes felt like an hour to me, I was so nervous and so scared. I paid the driver and made my way to the hospital.

The hospital was very nice and huge from the outside. It already has a very professional look and feel. Lena, get your shit together. I took a deep breath and entered the hospital. It was huge. I arrived at the reception desk.

"Hi. Sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where I could find Chief?" An adorable nurse answered me and sent me to his office. Oh my god, I'm too gay for this...Lena stop, don't flirt with people from work on your first day. Although, that nurse was really pretty and kind. I quickly got rid of what I thought and arrived at the Office.

knock, knock

"Come in" I slowly opened the door to the office and stepped into it.

"Hi, I'm Doc. Anderson, I've been accepted as a new intern in your program and the nurse sent me to see you."

"Ah, yes Doc. Anderson, I'm Doc. Webber,  we have been waiting for you. Please sit down."

He seemed like a nice guy. During the interview, I was given all the details about participating in the program, signed the papers, and received the keys to the locker.

"That's it, I'm glad you've joined us, your work in Europe was amazing and I'm thrilled that you can do it in our hospital. Now, I believe it's time for you to join the team and help with the crash. Bailey doesn't like to wait." He said as he got up to walk me to the door.

"Yes, of course, Chief, I'll try my best" And with that, I left the room. I ran downstairs to change into my dressing gown. I met some people on the road. It was quite chaotic because of the accident. I opened the door to the changing room. It was almost empty. I found my locker, picked out my clothes, and started to change. Then I noticed a guy sitting on the bench next to me, staring at me.

"Are you going to tell me something? or are you going to keep looking at me?" I raised my eyebrows

"You're the new one, aren't you? I'm Alex Karev" He sat down closer to me.

"And if you want to have one of the best nights of your life, you can wit-" I didn't even let him finish that sentence

"No thanks Alex, Meredith has already told me about you, so don't waste time" I smiled at him and headed for the door.

"This isn't fair!" He cried out in falsity.

"Life is hard, darling, try to give syphilis to someone else." I laughed at him and walked out of the dressing room. I made my way through a few corridors until I was in sight of Meredith. I approached her from behind. I gave her a little elbow so she would notice me.

"Well, you've finally come." said the woman standing beside Meredith.

"Excuse me?"

"Cristina be nice! I'm sorry Len, this is Cristina I told you about"  Meredith immediately apologized

"The mean one? Oh, I remember." I smiled at Cristina

"We will be very good friends," Cristina said with a laugh.

"Why are you just standing there? Don't you have a job?" There was a loud voice behind me. I turned around and there was a woman with a surprised look on her face.

"You know I'm new here, I was just asking Meredith where to log in."

"I don't care if you're new, Grey and Yang go help Doc. Burke, he needs some interns and you" She stopped and pointed at me "Go to the Doc. Shepherd, he asked for someone clever, so let's see what you've got." She said, but she was looking at me weirdly the whole time, It must be Bailey, I can see why everyone calls her a Nazi.

"Yes, Doctor Bailey"

I went to see Doctor Shepherd, I crossed the room on my way to see him, but all of a sudden there was a terrible beeping sound. My body automatically turned and entered the room, the nurses loudly announcing that the patient's heart was in failure. There was no doctor in charge. If I didn't intervene, the patient would die. I quickly thought about what to do and gathered every ounce of courage I had. After trying to resuscitate didn't help. A plan quickly formed in my mind to save him. It was a very difficult plan, but probably my only option.

After 20 minutes the patient was stabilized again, my plan worked perfectly and it sounded like a miracle. The nurses were very surprised, and one of them even mentioned that she had never seen an intern do such a thing before. And at that moment, a man in his 40s, dressed in dark blue clothes, rolled into the room, it must have been Doc. Shepherd

"What happened here?" he said in a breathy voice, he must have run here.

One of the nurses spoke up "This intern saved a patient's life, the patient collapsed and no one was around until she came and rescued him. She proved it, even though resuscitation didn't work."

"Wow, I'm very impressed with what you've done, you're the new intern right?" he said, shaking my hand

"I'm Lena Anderson"

"Doctor Derek Shepherd, wait aren't you the neighbor of Meredith?"

"Yeah, How did you know?"

"Well, Uhm" He acted strangely, and I would even say that he blushed but before he answered, his pager beeped. I could see in his face how relieved he was that his pager beeped. Interesting 

"We have to go, just below with me, today you will be in my service, you deserved my admiration in those first days. I had to see what talent you had."

He said, and together we went to another patient. I think I can say that my first day at work won't be too bad.

AN: Now, the second chapter is behind me.It was very interesting writing but also a bit difficult as I don't know medics at all. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be glad for any feedback  

PS: YES DON'T BE AFRAID, AMELIA WILL APPEAR IN THE NEXT CHAPTER

xx

[constant-mason24]

The Fall of Raccoon City- Chapter Eight (Leon Kennedy x reader AU)

Good Morning! What did I miss?

Prev Chapt | prologue | Next chapt

A blinding headache was a very unwelcome greeting as (Y/n) awoke once again. The bright lights pounding down on her face certainly weren’t helping, and she winced at the painful assault on her eyes as she tried to sit up. 

“Whoa, whoa, there!” A voice gently soothed her as a hand urged her to lay back down. (Y/n) reached for her face, trying to shield the light from her eyes as she pried them open. She must be in a hospital room, judging by the obnoxious white of everything around her, and the man in a long white coat leaning over her. “I’m glad to see you’re awake, but I have to ask you to take it easy.”

“I’m… alive…” Her throat felt coarse and dry as she attempted to speak. She felt as if she was choking on thin air. The doctor gently handed her a glass and helped her position her bed up for her to drink from it.

“You are. And doing very well, I’m happy to report. Now, that doesn’t mean you can go rushing back into the fray just yet. We’re gonna keep you here a couple more days, and if you continue to do well, we’ll let you leave under strict rest until further notice.”

(Y/n) nodded. “How long was I out?”

“It’s only been two days since you were brought in under the RPD’s care, officer.” The doc looked over his notes. “Nasty gunshot wound, but you’re not the first to survive such an ordeal. We just want to make sure you don't have any other, underlying issues.”

“Feels like I've been asleep for months.” She muttered, settling into her pillow. 

“Well, I hope you feel rested now. As much as I don’t want to cause you any unnecessary stress, Chief Branagh wants to speak with you as soon as you’re coherent enough to do so. And how are you feeling?”

“Like I took a bullet. Again. But I’m okay.” The doc nodded, noting something down on a clipboard before moving to the door.

“We’ll send him in, then.”

“Right now?” (Y/n) asked, raising a brow.

“Well, I did say immediately.” The doctor chuckled, opening the door and stepping out. (Y/n) let out a soft sigh, cutting herself short at the pain shooting through her torso at the movement. She was only kept waiting a moment before a soft knock came at the door, and Marvin came in.

“Chief.” She nodded politely at him, and he waved her off.

“Marvin, please.” He corrected. “We’re not at the station. And I’m worried about you, as an old friend.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine.”

“Fine?” The man scoffed. “This is the second bullet you’ve taken in less than a year.”

“And both bullets were gifted to me ever so lovingly from a superior officer.” She fixed him with a playfully accusing glance. “You just here to finish the job?”

“Of course not.” He laughed, though it was humorless. He moved one of the chairs nearby closer to her bed and placed himself in it, looking solemn as he contemplated what he needed to say. “Wesker was a double agent-”

“Yeah, no shit. Bastard shot me!” She rolled her eyes. “Working for Umbrella, yeah?”

“Yeah…” Marvin sighed deeply. “I thought we were done with this whole shitty situation, but Umbrella still had their greasy claws wrapped tight around the RPD…”

“You think this Op runs even deeper still?”

“Hard to tell.” He leaned back, moving his hat to run a hand over his head. “First Irons, and now Wesker. Can’t help but wonder who else is working to fulfill some ulterior motive.”

(Y/n) didn't respond, just nodding as she thought it over herself. Who could they trust now that two police members had betrayed them so badly? Everyone looked suspicious if you thought about it too hard.

“So what's gonna happen?” She asked.

“Well,” He sighed again. “STARS is being disbanded-”

“Aw, I just got promoted!” She whined, flopping back and wincing in pain at the sudden movement.

“Be careful, (L/n).” Marvin chastised. “It doesn’t make sense to keep that team running now. You still have a job, just without the fancy title. And on top of that, the entire police department and everyone in it will be investigated by the feds.”

“The government’s stepping in?”

“State government, yes.” he continued. “This incident has been swept under the rug, but Iron’s involvement with Umbrella is still big news. The state wants to nip this in the bud before anything else happens.”

“Right. Seems logical to me.” She nodded, watching as Marvin stood again. 

“Well, I just wanted to check on you with my own two eyes and give you a little bit of an update.” he smiled at her, stretching as adjusted his hat. “Besides, I can’t monopolize all your time today. Someone’s been waiting to see you.”

“Aw, another surprise visitor?” (Y/n) smiled. “Who is it?”

♦♣♥♠

Leon sat in the waiting room, flippantly paging through a tabloid magazine while the chief went to see (Y/n). There were plenty of other people at the RPD eager to talk to her and see if she was okay, yet he was the one Branagh chose to bring along. Though Leon wondered why, he certainly wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He was relieved to hear she was alive but horrified to hear she had been shot. For the last two days, he’s been impatiently waiting to see her again. He wanted her to know he was worried. He wanted to know she was okay.

He jumped slightly in his seat as Marvin’s laugh broke his train of thought.

“You’ll put a hole in the floor, bouncing your leg like a jackhammer there, rookie.” He chuckled, and Leon sat up straighter.

“Sorry, sir.”

“Don’t be.” He waved the younger officer off. “Room 403. Go see her.”

“Right.” He stood, taking a deep breath and wiping his hands on his pants. Leon made his way down the hall, passing a couple of chattering nurses on the way. He stopped in front of room 403, where the door was open. He peeked in, seeing (Y/n) sitting on the hospital bed, gazing at the iv stuck in her arm. He knocked softly on the doorframe as he entered, and a grin spread over her face as she saw who her visitor was. 

“Well, if it isn’t my rookie.” She cooed, tilting her head as he walked in and stood beside the bed. “What brings you here on this beautiful day?”

“It’s raining, actually,” Leon mutters, and (Y/n) shakes her head.

“Who says that makes the day any less beautiful?”

“Fair enough.” he chuckles, sitting in one of the chairs and scooting closer. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, not that bad.” She examines her nails as if she were in a manicure spa and not a hospital bed. “It’s only my second time getting shot. By someone I looked up to, no less.”

“Yeah, quite the track record you’ve got going there.”

“No kidding.” She laughs softly, smiling at him again. “All jokes aside, it stings a bit but I know I’ll live. I think my psyche took more damage than I did.”

“What do you mean by that?” Leon frowned, leaning forward to be closer to her. 

“Did anybody tell you what happened in that mansion?” Her expression was different now. She was concerned. Frightened.

“No,” he shook his head. “No one except Marvin and the survivors know the full story. We were just told shit went sideways. Bad.”

“Shit! Survivors!” Her hand flew to her head, and the heartbeat monitor at her side picked up its pace a bit. “Who made it out? Is Chris okay? He saved me-”

“Hey, calm down.” He placed a hand gently on her arm. “You don’t need to get worked up right now. Chris is okay. So are Jill and Rebecca.”

“No one else?”

“Brad and Barry. But that’s it. It’s just you six.”

“Goddamn.” She leans back, eyes closed tightly as if she were holding back tears. Leon winced awkwardly, not knowing how else to comfort her but giving her arm a gentle squeeze. It seemed to work, as her other hand came to rest on his in thanks.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what the hell happened?”

“If I tell you,” she whispered, opening tearful her eyes and looking at him. “You can’t repeat it to anyone. You have to pretend you don’t know because I have a feeling this is going to become a big cover-up operation.”

“I won’t tell another soul.” He assured her, and she nodded, swallowing thickly.

“The mansion was sitting above a laboratory. An Umbrella laboratory.” She sighs. “There were these… things there. People who weren’t really people anymore. And dogs-”

“Dogs?” He questioned, eyebrow raised.

“Those fucking dogs.” She shivered. “They were doing something there. I bet you more than anything that it had to do with those fucking emails between irons and that scientist…”

She shivered again, much more violently, and leaned towards Leon with determination in her body and eyes. She held onto him and he nearly felt the desperation in her grip and her voice.

“I’m telling you, Leon. There’s something extremely fucking wrong with Umbrella.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as the doctor came back. 

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but miss (L/n) needs to be checked over quickly.” he smiled kindly at the two, as (Y/n) leaned back into her bed, taking a breath.

“That’s alright. I should get back to work, anyway.” Leon gave her arm one last squeeze before standing. He stepped over to the bedside table and picked up a pen and a napkin, jotting down his phone number. “You can call me if you need to. Or if you want to.” He smiled at her. “Do you have a ride home when you get discharged?”

“No.” She shook her head as a nurse brought a rolling cart over to her other side.

“I can get ya.”

“I’ll take you up on that. Thanks.” She smiled, and he nodded, leaving the room as the doctor began speaking to her. 

As he walked out of the hospital, back to the waiting patrol car in the parking lot, he couldn’t shake her desperate plea from his mind.

Something’s wrong with Umbrella.

[dragon-kazansky]

His Little Dragon

Doc Holliday x OC

Dedicated to @callsignscupcake

[Masterlist]

[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter]

Doctor John Holliday hasn't seen his darling Little Dragon for many years. Once as thick as thieves, they were quite the pair, but that long since ended when he left. Now, with opportunity blooming in Tombstone, it would seem they have a second chance at the love they lost. However, a threat looms over the town, and if he wants his Dragon back, he has to win the heart of little Baylie too. Nothing is ever easy.

MY FRIENDS SAID GO ANGSTY, SO I WENT ANGSTY.

Word count: 1k

Chapter Twenty Six - Broken hearts

♡♡♡

Rachael eventually fell asleep, but it took a while. Her mind kept replaying everything over and over again. Doc spent ages speaking soothing words into her ear and comforting her the best he could.

That morning they had made love in that bed only for reality to come crashing back down on them again. Baylie was gone, Morgan and the sheriff had been shot, and Wyatt's anger had grown tenfold.

Everything was a mess.

John sits on the bed with his love in his lap. She's sound asleep, one hand laying loosely over his leg. His fingers card through her hair gently. She looks so relaxed like this, but he knows her heart is heavy.

His heart feels it too.

There's a knock at the door. It had been hours since the shoot out, so Doc expected someone to come looking for them at some point. He doesn't even speak before the door is opening.

Wyatt enters the room and stands by the door. His fingers fiddle with the hat he holds in front of him. There's a thin covering of sweat across his forehead and his brows are knitted tight. He gazes at Rachael for a moment before looking at his friend.

"Doc."

"Wyatt."

Doc hadn't said a word since Rachael drifted off to sleep. His voice sounded strange to him for a moment.

"I, uh, I have news."

"Bad news, I expect."

Wyatt nods.

"Out with it."

"The sheriff is dead."

Doc says nothing. He was sure of that the moment they went to check on Morgan. However, Wyatt's stance tells him there's more.

"Morgan... he's..."

Doc watches his friend with a careful watch. He understands before Wyatt even says the words.

"Morgan didn't make it..."

The hand in Rachael's hair stills and Doc feels his heart twinge tightly. That can't be right. Not Morgan...

"Wyatt..."

Wyatt has to lean against the dresser to stabilise himself as he closes his eyes tightly and let's out a sob.

"Wyatt," Doc mutters his name.

"I'm sorry."

John carefully moves Rachael from his lap and walks over to his friend. He places a hand on the man's shoulder and squeezes. Wyatt, unable to help himself, grabs Doc's arm and squeezes back. He leans against his dear friend.

The two men stay like that for several minutes before Rachael waking up catches their attention.

The woman rubs at her eyes gently as she turns over finding both men standing there. She sits up slowly and acknowledges their presence. She sees the way Wyatt is and all that worry that had faded returns.

"What is it?" Rachael asks.

Both men stand there looking at her.

"What is it?" She asks again.

Doc looks at Wyatt before joining Rachael on the bed. He says nothing as he pulls her into his chest and holds her. She's confused. She lightly wraps her arms around him wondering what is going on.

"What happened?" She asks again.

"It's Morgan..." Wyatt says from where he stands.

Her arms tighten around Doc.

"No..."

"I'm sorry," Wyatt says. His voice breaks. "Morgan didn't make it..."

"No!"

Doc holds Rachael tight as she begins to sob. The sound breaks his heart. She has cried so much these last couple days. Saying goodbye to Baylie, now mourning Morgan.

Everything was falling apart.

Rachael clings to Doc as her heartbreaking sobs fill the room. It shouldn't be like this.

Doc looks up at Wyatt, who has his own tears still falling, and stares at him silently. Wyatt gets the message and takes his leave.

Everyone needs to mourn.

No one sees the Earp's, Doc, or Rachael until the following day. People line the streets as they watch Virgil and Wyatt climb onto the wagon. A coffin in the back. Louisa, Morgan's wife, sits behind them crying.

Doc help Rachael up into their small wagon. He climbs on after her and follows the Earp's wagon as they ride through town.

A small number of cowboys litter the streets. Among them are Curly Bill and Johnny Ringo. Both men stand quietly leaning against the railing outside of one the stores. They watch the wagons ride by. Rachael keeps her eyes ahead, not sparing them a glance.

The ride is quiet. Tombstone is quiet.

Everything is wrong.

The wagons pull up to a stop outside of the churchyard. Doc helps Rachael down and they join the others. Wyatt, Virgil, and Doc carry the coffin off the back of the wagon. Rachael takes Louisa's arm and they follow the men into the churchyard.

The ceremony is small. Morgan Earp can rest knowing his brothers will march on. There is no point to a big fanfare. Those cowboys killed him and Wyatt is out for revenge.

Morgan is buried. Lousia break down in the grass. Virgil is the one to offer her comfort while she cries.

Wyatt stands over the grave of his brother. Both of his fists are clenched tight.

Rachael turns to Doc who opens his arms to her. She falls into them and cries into his shoulder.

Not a single one them says a word for hours.

Virgil and Louisa are the first to go. He wants to get her back home so she can rest. Her heart may never heal, but Virgil is going to damn well try.

Wyatt hasn't moved from where he stands. With his arm around Rachael, Doc approaches Wyatt. He watches his friend closely. The man does not move a muscle.

Rachael shakes her head at Doc. Doc continues to say nothing as they turn around and leave.

Wyatt needs to think. He needs to mourn.

The ride back to the hotel is quiet. Rachael finds herself leaning into Doc's side. He does all he can to bring her comfort, but he's not sure it's enough. However, she seems happy with what he's giving her.

They head inside the hotel and that's when Rachael breaks again. Doc catches her as her knees give out. He helps her onto the bed. Her heart is still bleeding.

"I've got you," he whispers.

She cries until she can't no more. Eventually she falls asleep. Doc makes sure she is laying comfortably before he leaves the hotel. He needs to do something. Anything.

He wants to see him family happy again.

He wants this to be over.

♡♡♡

@bayisdying - @callsignscupcake - @mrsjaderogers - @cycbaby - @mtnofgrace @kiichirose - @askmarinaandothers - @themusingofagothicsoul - @gizmodear - @beaner-life-23 - @luckyladycreator2 - @scissorhandsgirl2000 - @mclintocksdaughter -

[quinloki]

Family Ties

Fem Reader x Donquixote Doflamingo

CW: Language, violence, blood, moral ambiguity, murder, sexual themes and situations 18+ only

Chapter 1 - Table of Consent -

Chapter 3: Home Sweet Invasion

You had such a long day yesterday, and you had all of today to yourself, so it was no wonder you didn't even twitch until about 2pm. You did your 'morning' routine and put on a tee and some jeans before heading out to Pops' place. You should've gone there first thing after last night, but you wanted to sleep more than anything else, and sleeping at Pops' place was near impossible.

Besides, you weren't one of Pops' boys, so you were doing him a favor updating him on last night. Unless he already knew about it.

Your pace down the street slowed as you realize that you might've botched one of Pops' own jobs on accident. Well, whether you had or hadn't, you needed to make sure he knew. Because if someone other than him found out you'd botched their hit on Doflamingo you were going to need Pop to protect you.

You turned your phone on when you got on the train, and realized that the doc, Trafalgar Law, had called a few times. Then texted. He wasn't mad mad, he sounded more concerned than anything else. You decided to text him back instead of trying to have an ambiguous conversation on a packed train.

(Y/N): On a train. Don't blow a gasket, I'm okay. Wasn't me. Patched up a stray.

The little dots that indicate typing were going for a long time, and when the message finally comes through you realize he must've been typing and retyping quite a few times before deciding what to send.

Law: Clinic. Not a pet hospital.

You laugh at the idea of Doflamingo being someone's pet.

(Y/N): I didn't use anything expensive, did I?

Law: No.

(Y/N): Bill me then, or let me know if you need a hand and I'll work it off.

Law: You work at a café, a flower shop, a delivery service, and that other place. How can you even offer to work here?

That other place huh? You smirk at the screen, you are well aware Law doesn't get along with Eustass, but the guy had built up a successful auto-body shop from literal scrap. It was worth at least a little recognition.

(Y/N): I'd make it work. Let me know.

Law: Your stray survive?

(Y/N): I imagine so.

It took ten minutes to reach your stop. You walk briskly the rest of the way to Pops' place. If you had been thinking at all when you woke up, you would've called and asked Marco or Thatch to come pick you up. Getting around on your own was a habit, but if you had screwed up royally last night, asking for the ride would've been the smarter move.

Getting to the gate was the first time you'd relaxed since leaving your apartment.

There was a bit of static and a beep before Sabo's voice came through. "(Y/N)?" You look into the camera and make a funny face in response. "Come in, come in." Sabo laughs and the gate buzzes, opening up and letting you through.

Jogging up the driveway you notice Thatch outside smoking. "Hey, is Pop home?"

He nods, "You missed breakfast, but it won't be too much longer until dinner." Thatch offers automatically and then gets a better look at you. "(Y/N), you alright?"

Taking a moment to consider things, you shake your head. "Thatch. I need to talk to Pops. Like, now now."

Thatch puts out his smoke and turns toward the doors alongside you. He calls to Marco when you got inside and then makes a gesture you don't catch. Marco nods, and you and Thatch continue upstairs. The boys were a mess most of the time – loud, rowdy, it was amazing this manor could handle it, but when things were serious, so were they.

You saw them shift gears one time with some punks when you were all hanging out back in your school days. The creeps didn't realize who they were, and were being disrespectful, but it wasn't bothering any of them. You pipped up because you all were running late and one of the punks turned too fast and accidentally hit you with the back of his hand.

Things went from 1 to 'oh no' in a split second. Ace had scared you a little, wanting to know if he should break fingers individually or all in one go. It took you two agonizingly long minutes to get everyone to chill and get the klutz who smacked you off with a bruise on his wrist, only cause Sabo had snatched it out of the air so fast.

It's nice to know you're loved, but mob boys are overprotective.

Thatch knocks on the study doors for you. "Hey Pops, (Y/N)'s here and she needs to speak to you."

"Come in, come in!" Pops sounds like Santa Claus when he's in a good mood. You know the big red gift giver isn't real, but Pops had that same big jovial voice and presence. Like he was an entity much larger than his appearance would suggest, and his appearance was by no means small.

Thatch opens it up and lets you step in. Pops, Edward Newgate to most folks, had his arms out for a hug, but the smile on his face relaxes when he realizes Thatch wasn't coming in with you. You give him a hug, you weren't here because you were mad at him, so hugs were in order.

"What happened, lass?" He asks. His voice was still kind, but it was stern, and a little comforting as well.

"I hope nothing bad, but you're going to have to tell me, Pop." He gestures to a seat, and after you sink into the big chair you start telling him about last night, or rather this morning. He doesn't say anything while you talk, doesn't even hardly move as a matter of fact. When you finish, you looked up at him with concern.

"Look, my biggest worry is I messed up a job you were overseeing."

Newgate shakes his head. "I know you know we're not exactly legal, but we don't facilitate hits. Especially not against an international organization like his."

"In... INTERNATIONAL?" Your eyes nearly fell out of your head before you sink back into the seat. "Aw fu---uuudge." Pops doesn't like his kids swearing, and while you might not be one technically, you don't test something like that.

"Are you willing to stay here for a few days, (Y/N)?" He folds his hands together and leans forward on the desk. "Doflamingo won't do you any harm, but it sounds like him and his Family are going to be recovering for a couple days whether they want to or not. Whoever had betrayed him might have enough connections to figure you out, and we can at least keep you safe for now."

You make a face, one torn between wanting to stay safe, and not wanting to spend a few days in a row around all of Pops' sons. You loved them, but they also loved you, and it was all very sibling-like and that meant it was not going to be relaxing at all.

Plus, it meant not working, and if you weren't working you were fidgety. You had plenty of funds tucked away, because while you worked a lot, you didn't spend much. You didn't work because you were desperate for cash, you just preferred to be busy versus not.

You make frustrated grunting noises for a moment and then sigh. "Can I borrow someone to come with me while I go to my jobs for a couple days, or is that asking too much?"

Pops smiles. "I do admire your work ethic." He ponders your request for a moment. "Take Marco and Thatch with you to your place, get some clothes and whatever else you need. I'll have Sabo set up the guest room for you, and I'll work out a schedule so that at least one of the boys are with you at all times."

"And you won't reach out to Doflamingo and tell him I'm the one who helped him, right?"

"Won't?"

"Won't." You insist.

Pops shrugs. "I suppose I won't."

He calls all the boys into his office and explains what was going on. They got that 'serious business' look on their faces for a second, but then everyone was patting your shoulders and ruffling your hair and promising that you weren't going to have anything to worry about.

.

.

.

Thatch and Marco drove you back to your apartment, well, duplex-surrounded-by-other-duplexes. You had two floors to yourself, but it was still a tight community. Nice, but not upscale, plenty of eyes watching, but not necessarily snooping. It was exactly the kind of balance you preferred.

The three of you were all laughs and light conversation until you open your front door. Marco pulls you back and he and Thatch had guns in their hands in an instant.

"Keep behind me, yoi." Marco instructs, and you tap his back to show you understood. He and Thatch step in, covering each other as they work their way into your home. They knew the place well enough that there weren't going to be any nasty surprises for them to worry about. You followed in behind them, staying only where it was explicitly clear.

You weren't devastated at the destructive tornado that had blown through your home, but you were unsettled by it. Having left a little after 2pm, It was barely 5pm as the two eldest Newgate sons were walking through your home making sure there wasn't anyone still around.

Pulling out your phone you send a text to Law.

(Y/N): My stray might've had an owner last night.

Taking a picture of the upheaval in the front room you send it with the text.

Law: Tell me you're not in that alone.

(Y/N): Nah, Marco 'n' Polo are here.

Law: Stay. With. Them.

(Y/N): I'm gonna. They're here with me cause it was already decided. You be careful.

Law: I will.

Doc had his own connections, or was his own connections, sometimes you weren't really sure which it was, but you still wanted to make sure he had as much of a heads up as possible. Once you knew Law was okay you catch yourself starting to shake. Thatch comes back downstairs and gives you hug after tucking his gun away.

"Marco's making you a bag. We'll swing by the store if you need any lady stuff." He says matter-of-factly. "It's gonna be okay, kiddo."

Nodding, you try to speak, but instead, just start crying. Someone was in your home, putting their hands on your stuff, inside of a very short window of time in which you could've still been here for it. You didn't care that the place was a mess, you cared someone came uninvited into your home. Thatch hugs you tighter and lets you cry for a few minutes. Marco stops on the stairs and waits for you as well, your suitcase in his hands.

You imagine they were both considering taking revenge on Doflamingo's behalf, but they wouldn't do something like that unless you'd been hurt. Stepping in on another man's revenge over some furniture wasn't a good enough reason.

The car ride back was silent. Thatch drove, Marco sat in the back with you and kept petting your hair while you dozed off and tried to stay calm.

[hedonistic-peacock]

Family Ties

Fem Reader x Donquixote Doflamingo

CW: Language, violence, blood, moral ambiguity, murder, sexual themes and situations 18+ only

Chapter 3: Home Sweet Invasion

You had such a long day yesterday, and you had all of today to yourself, so it was no wonder you didn't even twitch until about 2pm. You did your 'morning' routine and put on a tee and some jeans before heading out to Pops' place. You should've gone there first thing after last night, but you wanted to sleep more than anything else, and sleeping at Pops' place was near impossible.

Besides, you weren't one of Pops' boys, so you were doing him a favor updating him on last night. Unless he already knew about it.

Your pace down the street slowed as you realize that you might've botched one of Pops' own jobs on accident. Well, whether you had or hadn't, you needed to make sure he knew. Because if someone other than him found out you'd botched their hit on Doflamingo you were going to need Pop to protect you.

You turned your phone on when you got on the train, and realized that the doc, Trafalgar Law, had called a few times. Then texted. He wasn't mad mad, he sounded more concerned than anything else. You decided to text him back instead of trying to have an ambiguous conversation on a packed train.

(Y/N): On a train. Don't blow a gasket, I'm okay. Wasn't me. Patched up a stray.

The little dots that indicate typing were going for a long time, and when the message finally comes through you realize he must've been typing and retyping quite a few times before deciding what to send.

Law: Clinic. Not a pet hospital.

You laugh at the idea of Doflamingo being someone's pet.

(Y/N): I didn't use anything expensive, did I?

Law: No.

(Y/N): Bill me then, or let me know if you need a hand and I'll work it off.

Law: You work at a café, a flower shop, a delivery service, and that other place. How can you even offer to work here?

That other place huh? You smirk at the screen, you are well aware Law doesn't get along with Eustass, but the guy had built up a successful auto-body shop from literal scrap. It was worth at least a little recognition.

(Y/N): I'd make it work. Let me know.

Law: Your stray survive?

(Y/N): I imagine so.

It took ten minutes to reach your stop. You walk briskly the rest of the way to Pops' place. If you had been thinking at all when you woke up, you would've called and asked Marco or Thatch to come pick you up. Getting around on your own was a habit, but if you had screwed up royally last night, asking for the ride would've been the smarter move.

Getting to the gate was the first time you'd relaxed since leaving your apartment.

There was a bit of static and a beep before Sabo's voice came through. "(Y/N)?" You look into the camera and make a funny face in response. "Come in, come in." Sabo laughs and the gate buzzes, opening up and letting you through.

Jogging up the driveway you notice Thatch outside smoking. "Hey, is Pop home?"

He nods, "You missed breakfast, but it won't be too much longer until dinner." Thatch offers automatically and then gets a better look at you. "(Y/N), you alright?"

Taking a moment to consider things, you shake your head. "Thatch. I need to talk to Pops. Like, now now."

Thatch puts out his smoke and turns toward the doors alongside you. He calls to Marco when you got inside and then makes a gesture you don't catch. Marco nods, and you and Thatch continue upstairs. The boys were a mess most of the time – loud, rowdy, it was amazing this manor could handle it, but when things were serious, so were they.

You saw them shift gears one time with some punks when you were all hanging out back in your school days. The creeps didn't realize who they were, and were being disrespectful, but it wasn't bothering any of them. You pipped up because you all were running late and one of the punks turned too fast and accidentally hit you with the back of his hand.

Things went from 1 to 'oh no' in a split second. Ace had scared you a little, wanting to know if he should break fingers individually or all in one go. It took you two agonizingly long minutes to get everyone to chill and get the klutz who smacked you off with a bruise on his wrist, only cause Sabo had snatched it out of the air so fast.

It's nice to know you're loved, but mob boys are overprotective.

Thatch knocks on the study doors for you. "Hey Pops, (Y/N)'s here and she needs to speak to you."

"Come in, come in!" Pops sounds like Santa Claus when he's in a good mood. You know the big red gift giver isn't real, but Pops had that same big jovial voice and presence. Like he was an entity much larger than his appearance would suggest, and his appearance was by no means small.

Thatch opens it up and lets you step in. Pops, Edward Newgate to most folks, had his arms out for a hug, but the smile on his face relaxes when he realizes Thatch wasn't coming in with you. You give him a hug, you weren't here because you were mad at him, so hugs were in order.

"What happened, lass?" He asks. His voice was still kind, but it was stern, and a little comforting as well.

"I hope nothing bad, but you're going to have to tell me, Pop." He gestures to a seat, and after you sink into the big chair you start telling him about last night, or rather this morning. He doesn't say anything while you talk, doesn't even hardly move as a matter of fact. When you finish, you looked up at him with concern.

"Look, my biggest worry is I messed up a job you were overseeing."

Newgate shakes his head. "I know you know we're not exactly legal, but we don't facilitate hits. Especially not against an international organization like his."

"In... INTERNATIONAL?" Your eyes nearly fell out of your head before you sink back into the seat. "Aw fu---uuudge." Pops doesn't like his kids swearing, and while you might not be one technically, you don't test something like that.

"Are you willing to stay here for a few days, (Y/N)?" He folds his hands together and leans forward on the desk. "Doflamingo won't do you any harm, but it sounds like him and his Family are going to be recovering for a couple days whether they want to or not. Whoever had betrayed him might have enough connections to figure you out, and we can at least keep you safe for now."

You make a face, one torn between wanting to stay safe, and not wanting to spend a few days in a row around all of Pops' sons. You loved them, but they also loved you, and it was all very sibling-like and that meant it was not going to be relaxing at all.

Plus, it meant not working, and if you weren't working you were fidgety. You had plenty of funds tucked away, because while you worked a lot, you didn't spend much. You didn't work because you were desperate for cash, you just preferred to be busy versus not.

You make frustrated grunting noises for a moment and then sigh. "Can I borrow someone to come with me while I go to my jobs for a couple days, or is that asking too much?"

Pops smiles. "I do admire your work ethic." He ponders your request for a moment. "Take Marco and Thatch with you to your place, get some clothes and whatever else you need. I'll have Sabo set up the guest room for you, and I'll work out a schedule so that at least one of the boys are with you at all times."

"And you won't reach out to Doflamingo and tell him I'm the one who helped him, right?"

"Won't?"

"Won't." You insist.

Pops shrugs. "I suppose I won't."

He calls all the boys into his office and explains what was going on. They got that 'serious business' look on their faces for a second, but then everyone was patting your shoulders and ruffling your hair and promising that you weren't going to have anything to worry about.

.

.

.

Thatch and Marco drove you back to your apartment, well, duplex-surrounded-by-other-duplexes. You had two floors to yourself, but it was still a tight community. Nice, but not upscale, plenty of eyes watching, but not necessarily snooping. It was exactly the kind of balance you preferred.

The three of you were all laughs and light conversation until you open your front door. Marco pulls you back and he and Thatch had guns in their hands in an instant.

"Keep behind me, yoi." Marco instructs, and you tap his back to show you understood. He and Thatch step in, covering each other as they work their way into your home. They knew the place well enough that there weren't going to be any nasty surprises for them to worry about. You followed in behind them, staying only where it was explicitly clear.

You weren't devastated at the destructive tornado that had blown through your home, but you were unsettled by it. Having left a little after 2pm, It was barely 5pm as the two eldest Newgate sons were walking through your home making sure there wasn't anyone still around.

Pulling out your phone you send a text to Law.

(Y/N): My stray might've had an owner last night.

Taking a picture of the upheaval in the front room you send it with the text.

Law: Tell me you're not in that alone.

(Y/N): Nah, Marco 'n' Polo are here.

Law: Stay. With. Them.

(Y/N): I'm gonna. They're here with me cause it was already decided. You be careful.

Law: I will.

Doc had his own connections, or was his own connections, sometimes you weren't really sure which it was, but you still wanted to make sure he had as much of a heads up as possible. Once you knew Law was okay you catch yourself starting to shake. Thatch comes back downstairs and gives you hug after tucking his gun away.

"Marco's making you a bag. We'll swing by the store if you need any lady stuff." He says matter-of-factly. "It's gonna be okay, kiddo."

Nodding, you try to speak, but instead, just start crying. Someone was in your home, putting their hands on your stuff, inside of a very short window of time in which you could've still been here for it. You didn't care that the place was a mess, you cared someone came uninvited into your home. Thatch hugs you tighter and lets you cry for a few minutes. Marco stops on the stairs and waits for you as well, your suitcase in his hands.

You imagine they were both considering taking revenge on Doflamingo's behalf, but they wouldn't do something like that unless you'd been hurt. Stepping in on another man's revenge over some furniture wasn't a good enough reason.

The car ride back was silent. Thatch drove, Marco sat in the back with you and kept petting your hair while you dozed off and tried to stay calm.

[mtreebeardiles]

"Permission to lean in?" "Permission granted." (Omg so many good ones in this prompt list)

Sorry this took so long! Another Shepard wanted to claim this one haha. Hope you enjoy!

Also over on AO3!

Liara's fingers smoothed over the front of the Alliance blues uniform hanging on the back of the door, a smile curving the corners of her lips at the medals pinned against the surprisingly soft fabric. A weight to be borne, an echo of weights already carried, less a burden now beyond the memories they represented. Nightmares, some of them, many of them if she was being honest, too many close calls to count, but they'd pushed their way through.

She had pushed her way through. 

Just like she'd pushed her way through hostile Geth back on Therum, like she'd found a way to push through the barriers keeping Liara hostage. A face Liara wouldn't see until they were safe on the stranger's ship, a face she didn't know would become the one she awoke to more mornings than she didn't. 

The sounds of the dryer faded and she turned, taking the few steps towards the bathroom door and leaning against the jamb a moment. Watching, observing, tracing her gaze along the lines of the woman pinning her hair back into a neat knot at the base of her neck. Muscled arms, the curve of her hips, the way she planted herself even now in the relative peace of their home: firmly, a force not easily overwhelmed, skin marred with the scars to prove it. 

Hazel eyes caught hers in the mirror and Maxine Shepard smiled, the scar on the lower corner of her lip guaranteeing a crookedness that Liara found increasingly endearing each time she saw it. 

"When did you get this?"

A quiet laugh, embarrassed, the flush in the other woman's cheeks telling Liara of a sudden sheepishness.

"Remember when I said I figured out how to alter my mass and uh… launch myself?"

"…uh huh?"

A lick of the lips, flush growing redder and Liara brushed the backs of her fingers against those warming cheeks. 

"Trial and error may have meant slamming into things a bit more…forcefully than anticipated."

Liara's smile widened at the memory and she sauntered into the bathroom to slip her arms around her partner's waist. 

"What're you laughing at?"

"I'm not laughing."

"Not out loud," Max retorted, reaching back to prod Liara's cheek. She cocked an eyebrow. "Spill it, doc."

"Just thinking about this," Liara admitted, reaching up to tap the scar. Maxine groaned, but she was still smiling as she scrunched her nose at Liara's reflection. 

"I am never going to live that down, am I?"

"Absolutely not."

"Think they'd still promote me if they knew how badly I ate shit that one time?" the other woman mused, and Liara chuckled, giving her a squeeze before having her turn in her arms. Maxine leaned back against the counter, hands braced behind her, and Liara couldn't help but take another moment to admire this absolute force of nature. A little shorter than Liara, stocky, light dusting of freckles over a very straight nose and she cocked her head as if considering the question. 

"I think so," she concluded with a nod. "You have that…authority about you, you know? They'd have to promote you to admiral for that alone, I feel."

A twitch of the lips and Maxine's laughter was as throaty as her voice, a rasp that Liara wanted to hear again and again. 

"Yeah? Not for saving -- ahh, where to begin?"

"The Citadel?"

"The Destiny Ascension."

"Stopping the Collectors was pretty impressive."

"Then there was that whole Cerberus coup thing…"

"I feel like maybe we're forgetting something," Liara murmured, tapping her lips for good measure. 

"Reapers?"

"Now Shepard, we all know the Reapers aren't real."

"Ah, damn, that's right."

The two women eyed each other a moment before falling into a fit of laughter. It felt good -- being able to talk about these things so lightly when they hadn't been able to for so long. The reality of what they'd gone through wasn't diminished any, Liara thought, and she'd argue they'd more than earned the right to joke about it after all this time. Recovery had been painful, long, each agonizing step presenting its own challenges but here they were: whole, healthy. Happy. 

Goddess, didn't they deserve happiness after all this time?

"I guess you're right then," Maxine went on, still smiling. "Must be my natural ability to command that earned me this promotion."

"Charisma probably helps."

"And a certain magnetism, maybe?"

"Definitely."

A cock of an eyebrow, smile easing into a smirk. 

"Think so?"

The shift in tone was enough to send a thrill through the Asari and she wanted nothing more than to reach out, take Maxine into her arms, hold her close and kiss her senseless. 

But there was a way to play these games, and Maxine was good at underplaying how nervous she was. 

And Liara felt she was uniquely suited to helping ease that tension. 

"Without a doubt, Admiral Shepard," Liara said. She cocked her head. "Permission to lean in?"

Another twitch, a glint in Max's eyes even as she nodded. 

"Permission granted."

Liara grinned as Maxine met her halfway, capturing those lips with her own and noting that the other woman had been biting at her lower one again. A bit of roughness and Liara soothed it with her tongue before gently urging entrance, swallowing down her partner's sigh as Maxine parted for her. Hands landed on her hips, drawing her closer, and Liara's own moved to settle on Max's in turn. A startled laugh at the flash of blue as she Lifted her and set her on the counter and Max wrapped her legs around her, earning a sigh of satisfaction from the Asari. Wrapped up in muscled arms and thighs and she couldn't imagine a better place to be than right here, safe and sound in Max's embrace. 

She kissed her thoroughly, kissed her breathless, satisfied when she pulled back to see the content smile curving Max's lips. She cupped her cheeks, pressing a far more chaste kiss to those lips. 

"You're going to be amazing," she murmured. 

Max reached up, placing a hand over one of Liara's as she leaned into the touch. 

"Thanks," she whispered. Raised an eyebrow, smile widening. "But I won't say no to another good luck kiss."

Liara chuckled, shaking her head, and was all too happy to oblige.

[notlycheesden]

Rearview Mirror

Heyyo ✌🏻 this is my first written piece for Endeavor , as a gift for my friend @kogo for the evil exchange. so I hope you like it my dude 👍🏻. A piece I will def be coming back to write more for sure.

⤍ Endeavour x reader

⤍ 3.6k

⤍ TW.incest, TW.dubcon, TW.father/daughter

⤍ Summary:

Enji was trying to be a better father, a better man.

And you never lied to him.

Guess it was a time for a lot of firsts.

Everything was always red between the both of you.

It's past four when his phone rings.

He was awake. even on his day off -those becoming more frequent now- years of routine were still strong. His body alert and aware way before the break of dawn for hours of training before patrol, and later to go to his own agency, the literal empire that wouldn't run itself.

He was pretending to be asleep, unmovable laying on his stomach, face buried on his pillow. Deep breaths in and out in a rhythmic pattern. His massive frame takes most of his king-size bed that for more than a decade he slept right in the middle, no reason to let the right side of it unoccupied.

It was almost meditation-like. There in the quiet and calm of his bedroom between his sheets, he could organize -or at least try- his thoughts. A time in his day where he gets lost in self-reflection. The things he would have to do that day, what work in his agency he would have to supervise, and even stubbornly he would do a little steaming out, analyzing his “actions and emotions”, passing commentary from the resident agency therapist threw his way.

“A strict but good man, if not for some, mishaps, from your intense and fiery nature.” was his professional opinion about Endeavor. The man really lived to throw things his way.

It used to help calm his turbulent mind. But lately there was nothing in his head but turmoil.

It was something he would do until 6 AM, when he couldn't take any longer and had to get up, body and muscles aching from staying in bed for too long, the sun already rising on the horizon, painting the sky with yellows, pinks, and reds.

The silence of his room is broken by the ring of his phone. Instead of the familiar tone of the morning alarm, it was his normal ringtone. When he opens his eyes, the room was not bright as he expects, still shrouded by darkness. Endeavor sits on his bed at once, alert.

Getting it from the bedside table quickly, his posture falls when he catches the time and the already saved contact of who was calling him: Natsuo.

Enji picks up, but before he could question the call, the time, or even say hello, Natsuo speaks, voice grave and serious.

“You need to pick up your daughter right now.”

It’s a punch to the gut. One that makes all the air from his lungs escape at once. In a second, he feels like he is thrown into a rollercoaster.

The only thing he can muster in his shock is a guttural and deep bark of incredulity “What?”

Natsuo cuts Enji off immediately. His tone triggering him into snapping, memories hushing in -not the time for this- “She just called. She was a crying mess, begged me to come for her but I live two hours away-Shouto is on patrol and not picking up and Fuyumi is with her fiance's family at the onsen-”

Enji inhales sharply. Dread takes hold of him while he can't even see straight with the sudden rush of adrenaline, sirens blasting off in his head.

“She was supposed to be with fuyumi at the onsen.” His voice echoes back at him in his bedroom walls, he doesn't realize he is shouting.

“Look, this is really not the time. She has no money and her phone’s dead. I was able to get her to tell me an address before the call dropped. she's all alone there. Are you gonna pick her up?”

Natsuo calms his own breaths now after snapping and shouting back, and he can hear shuffling noises on his father’s side of the line. The older man was up in a second, not really seeing anything, rushing through his stuff picking his keys and wallet. He hates the way his father could make him snap so easily.

Enji was completely distraught.“She said she was going to be with fuyumi…” He mutters under his breath while running through the corridors, even forgetting the phone by his ear, his son still on the line.

But Natsuo hates even more the blatant difference in the way his father treated all of them and you in comparison. Always. Like he could fix his mistakes. Hide his sins.

“Well. Think your little princess lied to you old man.”

Enji didn't even register the venom in his son's words, nor when he hangs up on him.

He’s out of the house in a blink. He tries not to rip the door out of its hinges on his way out.

——

He drives fast, almost no other car in the streets making it easier to speed up in his nervous state. The GPS voice droning about the directions, a forty-minute drive that he would make in twenty.

you said you were going to spend the weekend with your sister.

You lied to him.

Enji’s heart hammers in his chest and his flames burst multiple times on his face out of control. His grip on the wheel tightens to ground his shaking hands, his jaw set with such force that he could feel a headache already forming.

Thoughts were flying through his mind a mile a second. Where are you? What happened to you? Who were you with? Were you safe? Why were you crying?

Why did you lie to him?

It was like his heart was being squeezed by dread and being broken at the same time.

You were his youngest. After he realized what he did to his children as a father, he tried his best to do better; connect, communicate, but he was emotionally and socially stunted -Thanks doc.- and by the time he tried to reach out, it was just a little too late.

Fuyumi was the pillar of the household, replacing their mother too much young and having to fit in a mould not meant to be hers, barely holding the treads of the family and house together. Natsuo was out of the front door as soon as he finished high school and got into med school, choosing to live in the dorms and work part-time rather than stay at the manor. Shoto was another history in itself.

And there was you, a couple of years younger than your now up-in-the-ranks pro hero brother, at the time just a pipsqueak. Too young to remember Rei, remember the worst of Endeavor.

And when he tried to connect, you were there. As if just waiting. Wanting your father to look at you. Frail and innocent and just in want of care, of attention, of love. You welcomed him into your life with open arms and heart.

Enji did try to make it right by you. And for some time things were progressing, even his other children were starting to turn their heads around his direction.

Until Touya’s incident.

The media cracked down on him and his family with a vengeance, almost nothing was left unturned or whole.

Natsuo was the first to cut ties. Shouto threw himself into his hero work, completely closing himself off. Even Fuyumi decided that she was done, took the next step, and went to live with her now fiance, completely ignoring whatever Enji tried to shout about costumes or honor.

Then it was just the two of you.

He tried to be a good father.

He was a quiet man in his private life, strict and with a violent nature, but he reached out for outside help to make it right. An older and trustworthy housekeeper to not chain his daughter down at the manor, guidance from therapist to help him become a better father, a better man, anything to do right this time.

Call it atonement, call it his redemption, call it hypocrisy, he didn't care.

He only cares that at the end of the day, you were there at his side, happy.

This morning he saw the note on the fridge.

Going to onee-san family trip,

Be back on Sunday.

You never had lied to him before.

Guess it was a time for a lot of firsts.

——-

The music blasting through the night tipped him off even before his car's GPS tells him he arrived at the destined location.

He parks way down the street and assesses the place inside the darkness of his car.

Enji’s way out of the city now and inside the industrial district, the building seems old and falling to pieces, people are lingering all around the street, but it’s thicker there. At surface level the building was empty, but the music was definitely coming from there.

He dreads the worst.

Getting out of the car still in his sleeping sweatpants and tee, he throws the hood of his workout jacket over his hair to conceal himself. He’s going for discretion, get you and get out, no need to make this a public affair. Not with this, not with you, not right now.

He searches around but still can't find you. Half an hour has passed since Natsuo called. He's in a frenzy. Endeavor forces himself to calm down and think.

His son didn't mention music. He looks far into the street and he can see the entrance of an alleyway, he hushes there.

His stomach tied in knots when he sees in the dark your small figure crouched down beside a dumpster. your shoulders ate shaking with silent sobs holding your dead phone for dear life, trying to make yourself smaller than you already were, head down.

Enji barks your name and your head snaps to the entrance of the alleyway in shock, your body trembling and fat tears running down your smudged makeup.

“Daddy!”

In a second you were up and running, throwing your body against him and hugging his middle. He doesn't know what to do first, but he opts for following his instincts. Enji hugs your shaking form, shushing you lightly while petting your head. He doesn't know if it's him or you who's shaking more.

He doesn't remember how, but he manages to walk both of you to his car without being seen, his hulking form covering your smaller one.

He's shaking. When Enji puts you in the passenger seat and the car lights momentarily shine everything in an amber glow, rage fills his chest. You are in a dress he has never seen before, he knows it was not yours. He would never allow a thing like that or let you use it in public. Your makeup that before being ruined by your smudging and crying, was heavy and meant to seduce.

He closes your door and gets in the car.

He's shaking.

——

Enji can only control himself enough to not rip the wheel or step on the gas right through the flooring for only three blocks. and thank the gods again for the hour, because he could not quite see the streets in front of him. If they weren't deserted while he drives double the velocity permitted, it would be likely that the fears of his family being again under the cruel and ravenous judgment of the public eye would become reality, although for a completely different reason from the ones he has been dreading until this point.

When he reaches the fourth block, he makes a sudden stop, turning and parking harshly with the front of the car almost all the way over the curb, the tires skidding loudly into the quiet of the night and scaring you out of your still shell shock state. your small sniffles stop when you let out a muted yelp of surprise.

Enji quickly pries his hands that have a death grip on the wheel and smash the roof of the car to turn the lights on in such a way that later he’s impressed he didn't send the entire ceiling flying. As fast as he did that and the darkness of the car is now cast in warm gold, his hands are on your small frame like a striking snake, a big calloused one gripping your face between meaty fingers, squeezing your wet cheeks and the other one in your far shoulder, turning you in his direction with a barely controlled yank. Enji wasn't sure if the shaking was coming from your body or his.

He's frantic, hectic, eyes going up and down your body trying to find anything, something. “Are you hurt? tell me,” His voice is harsh, too loud into the small space. You jump startled, but his grip locks you in place, he doesn't notice.

Why did you come to a party? Why are you dressed like this? Why did you do this?

“Are you?? Someone did something? Gave you something, touched you?” He barks again louder, bending and twisting to be in your face now, eyes scanning all over your body. But again and again, they would be drawn to the too short hem of your dress, from your ruined tearstained makeup and down again to your soft and creamy thighs, trying to find a mark, a scratch, a stain. Anything, something.

“Fucking answer me!”

“Dad please!”

Enji lets you go as if you just slap him in the face. He blinks.

You are shaking. Looking at him in fear, silent tears running down your cheeks. Your jaw is set as you try to hold your whimpers back, his fingers make red marks bloom on your face and arm under his digits.

Memories come back rushing. Phantoms scourging in blue flames.

He releases you as if you burn him.

His hands hover in place, and he doesn't dare to move, still crowding you. Both of you staring at each other in fear and confusion as if something would break.

He slowly backs away, and you keep still. He turns the light off and stares at the road.

Enji couldn't take more things between both of you breaking.

He takes a deep breath. Starts the car again to drive back home.

——

Friday nights are your nights.

Enji doesn't really remember when it started. But he knows it wasn't something that was spoken of or agreed beforehand. It happened once, then twice, then his job got in the way, then thrice, and when he noticed, it was a routine between him and his daughter.

Like most things between both of you, it just… fell into place. And it just felt right.

Endeavor would arrange his schedule in a way so that his Fridays would be empty, any emergency at the agency could be easily solved that way, patrols and hero work set on the weekends so he could come home at a sensible hour, just by dinnertime.

He would be just taking his blazer and shoes off at the entrance when Enji would hear your running steps from the kitchen, your pinky apron-clad figure hushing to meet him with a bright smile, eyes shining.

you would get a hold of his tie and gently tug down for him to bend at the waist to your level, your arms were thrown in a warm hug on his neck and a sweet and lengthy kiss on his cheek after he steps through the threshold. you would giggle against his face from the tickles you got from his stubble while warmly welcoming him, the food still hot on the table.

It was one of your multiple habits together, just the two of you. And it felt right.

It was routine. And it felt so domestic, warm and right.

Friday nights are your nights. After he gets home, you guys have dinner, something you cooked by yourself, sending the older housemaid away earlier.

Sometimes it is a new recipe, sometimes something you already tried before. But it's always good, and when Enji compliments your cooking skills and how much he enjoys it, your cheeks blush red. You daintly try to hide your smile as you thank him, bashful behavior so alluring even when he knows is just a little act, playing coy. There's warmth in his chest.

The lights in the dining room cast everything in this whimsical warm glow and maybe it's the beer, but Enji thinks it reflects lovely on you and the color of your blouse today. He says so.

“Looking so pretty tonight, princess.”

The red on your cheeks grow stronger. From across the table, he hides his smirk behind his can at seeing how you fidget in place, trying to contain your coquettish smile while biting your plush bottom lip. The warmth spreads lower.

Only later it dawns on him. Enji was flirting with his own daughter. And it was a habit.

It was routine.

Enji is sprawled on the big sofa comfortably, already showered and in his sleeping clothes after dinner, the second movie of the night halfway through.

It was a period drama and he tries to pay attention to the main points for your quiz about it the next day, but he was mostly checked out, lulled by the comfy dark of the living room, the buzz of the beers he drank, sleep and your warm body draped over his.

He doesn't really remember when it started, but he knows it was gradually. One day in your Friday movie nights, he notices you were glued on his side, and on the next one you had an arm draped over his torso while both of you were laying on the reclining couch, and since then, you were always over him, arms and thighs and breasts glued to his body, but most of the time cutely laying on his chest.

That night was no different. You are laying on his broad chest, using your arm as leverage to look down and back at the tv in front of the sofa, and for you to not slip he has one big palm over your waist and the other in a secure hook on the slope of your knee, propping your bent leg higher across his stomach. Your breathing matches his, and if not by your little grunts and noises of surprise, the redhead would have thought you had fallen asleep on him. It would not be the first time.

The clothes you are using are small and had hiked up a long time ago, a loose tank top and booty shorts, both of them old and worn out, sleep clothes.

From where he was, he could see all your body over his. From the crown of your head to the slope of your waist as it dipped under his scarred hand. His gaze follows the curve of your thigh draped over his waist to the fat of your ass pointing high. He muses in a daze that he could see the inside of your tank top, the soft swell of a breast making an appearance. He leers.

You move a little, and this time, he can make out the shade of a nipple. It’s pert and small and pretty, and blood rushes to his clothed cock, but is late, and he's tired and buzzed out. It doesn’t connect in his mind.

You move. you are getting yourself higher on his chest. Enji feels small hands wandering under his shirt. Presses of lips on his neck. Wet kisses on the stubble on his jaw.

The soft touches pull him deeper. There's a young and wanton body over his. It’s been so long since he truly touched another, let himself be touched. Smooth lips and an uncertain tongue were kissing him, and he wants to devour them. It’s hot and burns and makes his insides coil, his cock hard and heavy inside his pants. A warm slit humping it.

Could have been the tiredness, the beer, the comfort of the situation, anything really.

Enji kisses you like a man starved. Head moving and ravaging your much smaller mouth with his tongue. His hand yanks your tank top down exposing your breasts, and now he’s pulling and pinching the sweet nipples in a way that makes you moan against his tongue with a voice he couldn't recognize.

His other hand was down at your ass, guiding your movements back and forth on his erection with vigor, the friction against your slit makes you weak, but he keeps you moving, his calloused hand encompassing most of your behind. At each needy thrust his fingers would slide down between the cleft of your ass more and more.

His meaty fingers push the bottons of your shorts aside with a flick of his wrist, and now he's touching directly your puffy lips that are messy and wet all over. Enji growls in your mouth as you moan louder when he starts playing with your pussy, a pitched whine as he flicks your clit up and down, a strong hold on your breast.

A loud bang from the TV is what snaps him back to reality.

It was his daughter.

His daughter was over him. It was his daughter that was humping his cock, that he was sucking her small tongue and tweaking her nipples until he made her squeal.

He jumps to his feet and throws you across the couch.

Different from him, you look wide awake. Flushed face and startled eyes stares up at him, exposed breasts still heaving. Nipples rosy and hard. Between your legs, a glistening trail of where his fingers dragged when he ripped them off of you. Your shorts are drenched.

There's a moment of silence.

Enji snaps. He sprints to his bedroom, leaving you alone in the living room.

He locks his door, drops to the floor, and whips his hard and heavy cock out. in three pumps, thick ropes of cum cover his hand and clothed middle.

Taking big gulps of air trying to calm his breathing, his eyes glancing everywhere in a panic state, he looks down, and spot the wet patch on his clothed thigh. Yours juices that leaked on him. Its still in his other hand, fingers wet.

Enji wants to cry.

He tried to be a good father.

He ruined it again.

[nothing-but-dreamy]

ON THE EDGE ~ Pt. 1

Summary: YN is a Detective and the partner of Gavin Reed, number one douchebag of the Detroit City Police Department. After a forced break, she comes back. She’s looking forward to working with her partner again and to getting back into her ‘normal’ life between case files and criminals. But, of course, it doesn’t stay boring for too long: Gavin seemed to be more on the edge than usual, a Red Ice dealer might be a good lead to something bigger and then, there is Connor, the friendly, handsome android and Hank’s new partner.

Added to the fact that yn has to deal with the criminal world again, she also discovers feelings she hasn’t noticed before triggered by a person she hasn’t expected.

Her life always resembled a ride on a rollercoaster.

But now, it’s a whole damn circus parade.

Characters: Gavin Reed, YN (FEMALE!Reader), Hank Anderson, Connor

Words: 2.472

Warnings: signs of PTSD (flashbacks in italics), cursing (a lot), mention of blood

"He's totally crazy. He shoots at everything that moves. It's impossible to get close to him.", yn stated. "But we have to stop him somehow."

"Stay here. I have an idea. Over there, the left spot is free. He will barely notice me.", Gavin said and pointed in the direction.

"Gavin, no!", Yn cursed as he slipped through her grip, "Gavin!", she tried again to call him back but her partner was already too far away, "Fuck!"

Gavin ran to the left side like mentioned. Yn stayed behind the hide and watched the scene concerned. She was trying to cover Gavin whenever needed. What Gavin couldn't notice was that the crazy guy had seen him.

Even if she tried everything to get the guy's attention, Yn watched in horror how the suspect aimed at Gavin who sneaked through the room completely unaware that he was the target in the line of fire.

The suspect aimed his gun into Gavin's direction and waited til he would appear on the other side of the pillar where Gavin tried to hide.

There was no way that yn would be able to stop the guy. He was too far away and behind a half broken wall. But she was convinced that she could help Gavin. That was what she did without thinking twice: she ran towards Gavin. As she reached him to push him out of the way, the suspect fired his gun two times.

Of course Gavin was cursing as he hit the ground unexpectedly, not knowing what had pushed him. He hurried to get back on his feet and as he saw that the suspect's gun had been running out of bullets, Gavin shot to stop him.

Gavin made sure that the suspect was no threat anymore. Officers were running into the room to arrest the shooter. And only then, Gavin noticed yn lying on the ground and all the blood pouring from her body...

Gasping for air, Gavin started up from his sleep and sat straight in his bed, "Fuck...", he cursed breathlessly. He was dripping with sweat, his hair clutching to his face. Three o'clock in the morning. Just two hours of sleep but still more than the night before...or all the other nights during the past weeks.

Gavin pushed his blanket away, sat on the edge of his bed and rested his face in his hands to calm down himself. His fingers were digging into his hair violently as he desperately tried to get the memories out of his head. He squeezed his eyes shut until stars were dancing in front of his inner eyes.

A shudder was shaking him. Goosebumps were spreading over his naked chest. To sit around like this, covered in sweat, wouldn't do anything good. And because he was already awake, Gavin stood up, took his boxing gloves and started to train until the pictures in his head would disappear.

He knew this would never happen.

He should have been better.

He had failed yn.

**

To stay in front of this certain building after all these long weeks felt like coming home. At least, for yn. She was nervous but in a good way that shot adrenaline through her body. It was like the first day at school after the summer break. She didn't have to fear anything. Everyone would be happy to see her again. And yet, she extended the moment to go in. It was not an official visit. She just wanted to come back because...she feared to miss too many things.

Yn had heard the rumors of Hank's new partner. An android. Then, there were the happenings that got called 'War of Detroit', the successful android revolution. So many things had changed and yet, yn knew that there was still this one, certain absolute term. Her own rock in this ocean of craziness she could always depend on: Gavin Reed, her partner.

Yn was looking forward to seeing all the familiar faces again and without waiting any longer, she entered the DPD finally.

*

Gavin stood in the kitchen of the DPD at one of the tables, his back facing the office so he hadn't to see anyone. The last thing he wanted was to talk with someone. A cup of coffee stood in front of him. He watched the foam floating around on the dark liquid. It was his third cup. And it wouldn't be the last.

"Good morning, Detective Reed."

Gavin nodded without looking up. Even if Gavin had made his peace with Connor, the nice android from the neighborhood, he was still getting on his nerves from time to time. This morning was such a 'time'. His thoughts always drifted back to his recurring dreams of yn…

"Reed.", Hank greeted Gavin, who nodded quickly. Without asking, Hank and Connor joined Gavin at the table. An own cup of coffee in front of Hank. He sugared it and stirred the liquid that would start his day.

Connor was about to say something, maybe to light up the mood of these two grumpy guys, but Hank stopped him, "Shit! Look who's there.", he said and looked at someone behind Gavin's back.

Gavin looked up and saw Hank and Connor staring at the same spot so, he turned around, "No fucking way!", Gavin called out surprised and approached yn quickly who stood in the passage of the kitchen. A smirk was spreading on his lips as he saw her in the familiar environment.

Yn smiled and waved but as she saw Gavin's predatory glance and the smirk, she stepped back and raised her hands to stop him, "Gavin, no. Stop! Gavin!" The impact of her partner knocked all the air out of her lungs.

He snaked his arms around her waist and scooped her up, "I have missed you, shorty!", he cheered.

Yn chuckled until she got put back down on her feet a moment later, "I have missed you, too, idiot!", she said. Together, Gavin and yn went back to the table to Hank and Connor, "I'm- what? Away for six weeks and everything went south? Detroit fights a civil war against androids who started a revolution? Everything's a warzone, suddenly and I'm not a part of that? Boys, I thought you could handle it better without me.", she said smirking and crossed her arms.

"We did what we could but there were just too many of these things.", Gavin said serious.

As yn looked at Gavin with an amused expression, her eyes fell on the fourth person at the table, "Oh, and who are you?"

"My name is Connor.", the android answered.

"My new partner.", Hank added.

"Your new- bloody hell! I already heard the rumors but- Nice to meet you. I'm yn. Whenever you need help with the old man, come to me.", yn said with a wink.

"Very funny!" Hank grunted but yn saw the grin on his face.

As Gavin saw the glances between Connor and yn, he stepped between them. Gavin wasn't fond of the way the android looked at her.

"So, you're 'back' back?", Gavin asked hopefully.

"I'm still not fully recovered. I have to attend a few dates with the psycho-doc AND I have to pass the shooting test. Then I will be back. I guess one more week. I just have missed all this so much, I had to come over.", yn said grinning.

"I guess, there will be no problem for you to pass everything, kiddo.", Hank said encouragingly.

"Thanks Hank-"

"Of course, she will pass all this bullshit! And then, she will be back. The precinct was way too boring without you!", Gavin said excitedly.

Yn saw his eyes sparkling and the familiar grin. She considered saying something nice but she always loved to tease this douchebag. It was their thing, "No new recruits to torture, huh?"

Gavin's smile faltered and he squinted his eyes as he saw her smirking, "I never-"

Yn nodded understandingly, "Ohh...I see... No women to hunt either? You poor thing!", she patted his cheek to act playfully caring.

Gavin couldn't do anything else than just to laugh before he brought her into a bear hug, completely enveloping her, "Oh, how much I have missed you!", Gavin stepped back, ruffled her hair, and laid his arm around her shoulders before they walked to his desk.

Connor watched after them. Overwhelmed by her entrance, the way she was handling Gavin and how different the Detective was around her, "Where was she?", he asked Hank finally.

Confused, Hank looked at his partner, "What?"

"Where was yn? She said she was gone for several weeks. Where had she been? Vacation?"

"Oh .. uhmm, no. She... During their last case, she got injured. She had to recover. It's good that she will be back soon, tho.", Hank explained, smiling about the fact yn was coming home.

"Detective Reed seems different around her.", Connor stated, still confused about all the smiles and laughter coming from Reed.

"I guess it's her magical power. She's able to handle him where anyone else failed a long time ago."

Connor looked at her once again. Yn stood with Gavin, Chris and some other cops at the desk, talking and laughing. She was truly magical. Nice, funny, cheeky, beautiful. He was looking forward to working with her. Then, she came back to them.

"Hey, I got appetite for the best burger in town. Wanna join?", she called over to Hank who nodded with a grin. Gavin rolled his eyes but she just nudged him in his side. Connor got dragged out of his thoughts and followed his three colleagues. Yn already waited for him to join. Much to Gavin's dismay she linked her arm with the android's one but he swallowed down his annoyance for the greater good.

*

They drove to the Chicken Feed truck. The best burger in town, how Hank had titled them. While the three made their orders, Connor organized a table. All three went to the table with burgers and drinks. Simultaneously, they bit into their burgers.

"You know, this meal contains 1.4 times the recommended daily intake of calories. You shouldn't eat-"

"Shut up!", Gavin and Hank yelled at the same time. Connor silenced instantly.

Yn looked alternating at Hank and Gavin before she stopped at Connor, "Connor, honey, very important rule: don't fuck the boys up when it comes to their food. It's not a good idea."

"But it's unhealthy.", Connor argued innocently.

Yn nodded slowly, knowing what he meant before she looked at her burger closely, "Well, I’m spotting salad, tomato and even pickles on our burgers. These are three different types of vegetables. It's more healthier than everything else we're used to consuming. Don't forget that we usually got fueled by coffee and donuts. Only."

Connor nodded and let them eat. He had learnt that humans knew how to live the best way but some of them didn't just want to do it right. Maybe it wasn’t for him to change their behaviour.

"Hey, sweety. Want some bread?”, Yn asked and threw a small piece of bread on the ground.

Hank followed the way of her attention and rolled annoyed with his eyes, "Oh, these disgusting creatures!", Hank muttered. Yn looked questioningly up to Connor.

"Lieutenant Anderson doesn't like pigeons.", Connor explained.

"That sounds like a story. I wanna know it!", yn said amused with a big grin, waiting for Hank to speak up.

Hank grinned but shook his head, "Someday, I will tell you what I had to endure with this guy but not now.", Hank said and he and Connor said goodbye. Hank hugged yn before they left her and Gavin alone.

Gavin and yn started to walk around a bit, enjoying the sunny winter day, "You look tired. Have you been very busy the last few weeks?", yn asked.

"No, it was okay. Nothing much. The typical stuff, you know.", Gavin said, his hands buried in the pockets of his jacket, playing with some coins.

"Oh, yeah... So, you just didn't want to see me then?", she asked, looking at him from the corner of her eyes, watching his reaction.

Gavin avoided her eyes, looking at the ground, "Yn…", he sighed, "I…", but he stopped. Unsure what he should say.

Yn nudged him with her shoulder, a soft smile on her lips as she saw his pained expression, "It's okay. I'm not mad. I was just… it was boring, you know. If you would have visited more often, maybe it would have been more fun to recover.", she said jokingly but it wasn't working, the painful expression stayed in his face.

"I really doubt that.", Gavin said low, still not able to look at her.

"What?", Yn asked surprised and stopped.

Gavin stopped as well, facing her with his back, "I- I… forget it.", Gavin said and was about to go but yn stopped him with her hand holding his arm and turning him around.

"Gavin, what is it?"

Gavin needed a moment before he looked at yn, as he did, it was with a serious expression, "It's my fault that you got injured in the first place."

Slightly taken aback that it was this topic that still bothered him, yn frowned and looked at him with big eyes and shaking her head, "No. It was the fault of this fucker-"

"No! You wouldn't have been shot if I hadn't been so stupid! I have failed you as a partner and as a friend!", Gavin called out angrily, torturing himself.

Yn intervened right away, "Stop that, Gavin! It's not your fault, okay? Your idea was good. This guy was simply just too crazy."

Gavin dropped his gaze, not able to look into her eyes any longer. For him it didn’t feel right to get forgiveness from her, "I should have been in your place instead. Two more scars on my body wouldn't make any difference to all the others I already have."

Yn stepped forward to search his glance, "You feel guilty, I get that. But ... you don't have to, okay? And beside, I know you and your luck. You would have been killed instead of just being injured.", a smirk playing on her lips.

Finally, Gavin looked at her again. He chuckled low by the face she made: a too overexcited grin to cheer him up. No matter how down he felt, yn was able to let him feel better. Always. Even just for a moment. He stepped forward and brought her into a bone crushing embrace, "It's so good to have you back.", he said softly into her hair.

Yn was surprised about the sudden outburst of emotions but she hugged him back, enjoying this moment to the fullest, "Yeah. And you know what? I can't wait to kick some asses with you again."

[sleepy-exe]

Shapeshifter AU - 15

Iwaizumi x f!reader

<< Part 14 | Part 16 >>

Summary: Capitalism sucks, stress sucks, self isolation isn’t the answer to anything. We all missed Iwaizumi <3

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: some lowkey anxiousness, overworked/overwhelmed, missing friends

Genre: sfw, shapeshifter au, strangers to lovers

a/n: this has been sitting in my docs for way too long

Part 15: Lost and Found

Walking from a friend’s house to a parking lot, the one next to the 24 hour convenience store he usually parked by during his visits, Iwaizumi’s dark green truck was illuminated by a street light in the darkness of January’s evening.

Reaching his truck, the wing of a familiar black car on the passenger side caught his eye. He walked around the truck and stood between it and the car; staring at the car shortly before looking to the woods then back to the empty car. He checked the time on his phone and went over to rest against the hood. Facing the trees, he wondered if Y/n was out on a run or actually doing something else in the area for once. It was quite late, so he was sure the former was more likely.

He had hardly heard from her over the last week. She normally chatted with him fairly often, daily even. He knew she was busy with work - she had even told him that was so. And though he might not admit it, he was missing her.

When Y/n arrived at the parking lot she had the habit of leaving her car at while on her forest runs, she saw Iwaizumi’s truck and purposely parked next to it. She figured he was observant enough to notice it was hers and had only planned a short run for the night. While she did have another early day in the morning, she had to come out for some much needed stress relief. A week and a half of mostly only working, no time for friends or outings, her anxiety was gnawing at her. A little time amongst nature, stretching her legs would have to help some.

Approaching the tree line post-run, she spotted Iwaizumi resting on the hood of her Civic. Pawing closer to the edge of the forest, she kept half hidden, eyeing the man ahead. It reminded her of the first time he spotted her out there, except this time when he saw her, he didn't seem caught off guard. Instead, he watched her briefly then stood to walk her way after quickly checking his surroundings for on-lookers. Her ears perked and she stayed put until he got close.

Iwaizumi scrutinized her with a scowl, but his tone was light and playfully, “Well, isn't this familiar.”

She took a few steps backward and turned away as he entered the woods. Peeking over her shoulder, she silently beckoned him to follow her in hopes to avoid anyone else catching sight of them.

As he followed the wolf, he talked low at her. “Thought you were going to be more careful out here? And here I caught you a third time.”

It was dark out, but the waning moon somewhat lit the forest floor through the dormant trees. He watched her as she walked in front of him; her steps were somehow quieter than his even though she was currently walking on twice as many legs. She stepped around twigs and plants gracefully without even looking while he was sure he had crushed a few tiny plants already. “You know, I think this is the first time I’ve seen you like this.”

“Well, up close.. Other than that time in my apartment..”

The walk was short. Y/n stopped once she was satisfied with their distance from the world outside the woods and sat down, looking up at him as he walked around to face her.

For a moment he just stared at her curiously. And as curiosity does, it got the best of him. It’s not everyday someone sees such a thing.

He kneeled in front of the wolf and slowly reached a hand out, palm up. “Can I-“

She responded by lightly resting her chin in his hand.

This close it was easy to spot the difference between wolves and dogs. One thing that caught his eye was her coat. His hand more or less disappeared as he ran it through the thick fur of her neck. It was unlike petting any dog. He mumbled something inaudible and stood once more, fascination satisfied.

As he stood she stepped back to shapeshift. She held back a giggle while she shoved her hands in the pockets of her coat. “Hey there. Would have greeted you sooner, but,” she shrugged, “ya know.”

“Why didn't you switch back sooner?”

“I thought you might be curious. Figured you wouldn’t ask.” She smiled as she stepped closer to him. “Also. Does it count as getting caught if I intentionally got seen by ya?”

“Did you now?”

“Come on.” They started back from where they came from. “Ya know, I hoped you’d be here when I got back.”

He squinted at that.

“I figured that was your truck. I, uh, missed you.” She stared forward, eyes locked on her destination.

“Yeah?” He side-eyed her. “I've barely heard from you lately.”

She stopped in her tracks. “That doesn’t mean I didn't miss you.”

“I know.” He grinned and nudged her to continue back to the parking lot. “I missed your texts during all odd hours of the day.”

She giggled. “Even my random 2am texts?”

He shook his head. “I never see them ‘til morning.”

“Mm, pretty sure you’ve seen them once or twice,” she bumped her shoulder against his arm, “and scolded me.”

“It was a work night, if I remember right.”

Reaching their vehicles, they stood between them. Y/n leaned back against her driver side door and Iwaizumi faced her a step or two away. “Anyway, ‘Zumi, what are you doing out here anyway?”

He crossed his arms and leaned against his truck, mirroring her. “Visiting some friends.”

She raised an eyebrow. Words dipped in playfulness, she’s asked, “This late on a work night?”

He gave the woods a quick glance. “You’re one to talk.” He eyed her stance trying to determine if she had herself pulled inward because of the cold or something else. “I did stay longer than I should have.”

She casually reached a hand out and he took it without a word, pulling her into a hug. He could feel her inhale deeply.

“So, are you goin’ home now?” With her hands still behind his back, she slipped them into her sleeves for extra warmth.

“Mhmm, unless you don't want me to.”

Y/n did not respond. Only holding him in the hug a moment longer as she nuzzled his collar before letting go and resting against her car again, hands returning to her pockets. Her lips pursed and she looked away with a hum. “Sorry I haven’t talked to you much lately.. Work’s been- It’s had me busy.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Finally getting a break or still at it?“

“Mm, yeah, I might have to be at the office at 9am actually,” she trailed off the last few words.

His brows furrowed. “Isn’t it like-“

She was already glancing at her phone. “11:30. Pretty much.”

“Y/n, it will be midnight before you get home!”

She looked down, kicking pebbles around with a boot. “Yeah, probably.. I just-“ She exhaled, breath visible in the cold air, then looked to the trees before looking back to him, “This.. I needed this.”

Eyebrows pulling together, she mumbled into her coat, “It’ll be almost midnight for you too.”

Iwaizumi stared at her, completely disregarding her last comment and focusing on her current state. He had seen her a little anxious here and there, more so a few months ago when they had an odd conversation about what she is, but this time he thought she almost looked sad rather than anxious. He hesitated, “Are you taking care of yourself? You’ve been talking to someone at least, right? Mizuki? Atsumu?”

She hadn’t. She had been overworking herself and not talking to anyone. Not Iwaizumi or Atsumu or any of her friends or family. Just coworkers and clients she had to talk with, and otherwise she ate and breathed paperwork and meetings while pushing onward to meet a deadline that felt like it was creeping up on her.

Her head ached and heart jumped just thinking about it. With a sigh, she pushed away from the car and wrapped her arms around Iwaizumi’s neck. Cold nose pressed into his collar, she could smell hints of the forest mixed with orange and sage. Her lips ghosted his neck as she spoke quietly, “I’m okay.”

Arms around her waist pulled her in close and he pressed his nose into her hair. “Alright..”

“What if ya come over tomorrow night? I hope to have enough work done by then that I can take some time to myself.”

“Wouldn’t time to yourself be by yourself?”

“Mm, I think I'd rather have company after, y’know, kinda avoidin’ everyone.” She grimaced.

“Okay.. Just let me know when. Okay?” He pulled away from her. “And let me know when you get home.”

She gave him a soft smile. “M’kay.”

Pulling into her complex’s parking garage, she sighed heavily. She tapped on the screen left of the steering wheel to give Iwaizumi a call while she searched for a parking spot. She could have just sent a text, but she really did miss him and seeing him just a bit ago was all it took to amplify the feeling.

After a few short rings he answered her call, his voice a little distorted through the speakers, “Hey, you home already?”

But she perked a little at the sound anyway. “Yeah, jus’ pulled in. Home safe,” she said just before finding a spot to park. “Mm.. Yer a bit closer to there than me, you home too?”

“Yeah, I-“ An exasperated sigh echoed through the car. “I want to ask how we got home at the same time, but I think I know the answer,” he grumbled.

Sure, it should have taken her about 10 minutes longer. She may have driven a little faster than she should have and left the parking lot before Iwa with the intention of not speeding past him on the highway.

“Hey now. Our drives are almost the same distance. Kinda.” She relaxed in her seat. She could hear a door close loudly on the other end of the call. “Uhm, I’ll probably be working fairly late.. Wanna maybe come over around 7 or so? I should be good by then.”

“Yeah, that’ll be fine. Are you going to stay in your car until I hang up?”

She stiffened, eyes going wide. “I- What? How-“

“You do realize I can tell that you’re talking through the car, right? It has that sound to it.” More sounds traveled through the speakers from his end.

She drummed her fingers on her leg. “Yeah, okay,” her voice came out soft. She gathered her things to leave the car and hovered a hand over the dash buttons. “Goodnight. I- I'll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

[Call Ended], displayed on the screen.

Part 16 >>

[liu-lang]

i finally submitted my final paper for first language acquisition. above is the number of meetings we had - my other roommate who is a 4th year PhD student said this is excessive for a 1 semester class final paper. Reading week started on May 18 but all my plans to work on other final projects were bulldozed by my project partner for our FLA paper. even though i set the meetings for 30 min to 1 hour - there were times where we met for 4 hours straight or had 2 meetings in the same day (one in the morning and one at night..........even though i gently (perhaps too much so) reminded her....i have work) i've lost so much sleep and so much weight the past month - getting sleep has been crucial to handle the side effects of the medication i've been taking so i've felt really unwell and fatigued.

working with her and the level of detail and time she's devoted to this paper makes me feel like maybe i'm a terrible grad student ? .... i simply do not care this much. should i be caring this much ? she's incredibly smart and a way better syntactician than i am so it's really hard for me not to feel anything but inadequate when working with her. but then seeing the way she works stressed me out so much - that although the final paper is extremely thorough and well-researched i do not think the amount of suffering i went through was worth it. so many of the things she was concerned about, i don't even think our prof would have thought of.

as a reminder to myself to establish boundaries way sooner and never partner up with this person again, here are things that i had to handle during these zoom meetings

the professor emailed feedback and when she read the feedback she cried on camera multiple times

she was too afraid to use cloud-based Word so I had to deal with emailing drafts back and forth as attachments

once I convinced her to use cloud-based Word (the multiple versions got too much for me to handle and differentiate) this is when the hours long meetings ramped up bc she wanted us to sit together in the Word doc writing at the same time

any time she didn't see me in the Word doc she would point that out or if i didn't make eye contact with her on zoom (we always had to have camera and mic on) she'd ask what i'm doing/looking at

she made sure track changes was on (which is fine, track changes can be helpful for group projects - i used it all the time working on board reports for my public transit job) but if she saw me correct one of her typos she would....erase my correction and correct it herself... even if my correction and her correction was exactly the same ??

if she made any changes she would immediately text me or email me asking me to look over her work/comments and provide feedback by a set time - even when i tried to be nice about it and said 'i'm fine with the way things are worded' instead of exploding at her to f*ck off already bc i can't devote 8 hours a day to nitpick this paper apart, she would still refuse to move forward with anything until i gave explicit consent that her work was good

after our meetings in the evening, she would then say that we need to look over it 'one more time' - even though it was already like 02h00 at this point... and she would tell me she’d continue to stay up and wait for feedback - I felt guilty many times knowing that she for some reason refused to go to sleep after the meeting while I would promptly close my laptop, take my meds wayyyy later than the prescribed time (side effects were they made me sleepy immediately after I took them) and then suffer tremendously the next morning bc taking the meds later than prescribed made it extremely difficult to wake up for work on time or stay awake throughout the day

once i told her i had to go to work but instead of understanding that i literally don't have time to meet about this anymore today she asked when i was gonna get home from work and sent a zoom invite like one minute after the time i told her i'd be home by (she's a fully funded 1st year PhD student straight out of undergrad and i assume has never had to work any sort of job outside of academia)

if i showed her any python code she would be scared (having to write the methods part was excruciating bc she has no programming experience but was also very controlling about my wording yet she almost always could not understand how something as simple as like methods or functions worked yet she wouldn't allow me to use "too technical language")

i had to forward her the submission confirmation email from Blackboard so she knew for sure we submitted the exact same version

she asked me if some of the paragraphs were too square and i was like... sorry what does this mean ?? and apparently she was concerned that the width and the height of the paragraphs were too similar/almost equal that they looked too square

[iamverysmall-andihavenomoney]

Finding Out That Their Career is Over

Haikyū!! Masterlist

Pairing(s): Oikawa Tōru x Gender Neutral! Reader

Warnings: Talk of knee injuries, angst,

A/N: Apparently, I just love giving Oikawa knee injuries.

If the pain hadn’t been enough, here he was, stuck in a rehabilitation program. With a few more months, his knee was looking towards a recovery, or at least, that’s what the doctors had told him, at first.

   The pain was bearable, in his opinion. If he had his way, he’d have been back to the team, as soon as he’d recovered. But his doctors, nor his teammates would allow that. Most of all you, the lover who’d been with him, every step of the way, wouldn’t allow him to continue playing, until he was given an ‘okay’ by the doctors.

   Watching him shakily stand from the seat beside yours, in the doctor’s office, you allow him to gently grasp your shoulder, to stabilize himself. He’d only just gotten off of his crutches a month ago, and after four months of dealing with them, he was relieved.

   Tōru sends you a grateful smile, leaning over and gently kissing your temple, “Thank you, Y/N,” he whispers, moving his hand so he can place his arm gently over your shoulders, walking with him towards the office.

It had taken him a while to get used to putting some of his dependence on you. Tōru was an independent person. So getting used to having to place his hand on your shoulder to get up, to having to have you help him do mundane things like get up in the morning, to get into the shower, to get the bulky brace on, every morning... It was hard. He was trying to get used to it, he truly was. But going from an Olympic level athlete to, in his opinion, a below-average man who needed to depend on everyone around him, wasn't something that happened overnight.

Making it back to the room, you move to sit in the seat next to the small, plastic and paper encased bed where the patients were supposed to sit, while Tōru moves to take a seat on the bed. His legs hang over it, spread open a bit to allow his hands to rest in between his thighs, fingers picking lightly at his nails - a habit both of you had thought he'd dropped a long time ago.

Reaching over, you grasp the hand closest to you, giving it a gentle squeeze. Brown eyes shift to you and soften at the sight of your reassuring expression. Bringing your hand to his lips, he gently kisses each of your fingertips. "I love you."

   You tilt your head, "I love you too, Tōru."

The wait for the doctor to come in only worsened Tōru’s steadily growing anxiety. Long digits fiddle with the fabric that keeps his knee supported. If you hadn’t been there to hold his hand through it, you were sure he would have lost his mind, trying to just wait for the doctor to come in.

   Though the anxiety building up in you through the duration of your wait in that little room was nothing compared to the way your stomach dropped, when the doctor entered the room. His expression was near emotionless, despite the smile plastered on his old, wrinkled face.

   “My boy,” both you and Tōru visibly cringed at the display of unwanted familiarity. You’d both been in this office far too often, recently.

   “Hi, doc!” Despite his own worry, your husband manages to keep a clean face about things. “So, tell me: when am I due to return to volleyball?” He sat on the edge of the table, leaning forward in anticipation... Almost like a child might... You could only hope that there would be only good news, from here on in.

The hope that was filling his expression nearly broke your heart. He wanted to return to volleyball so badly. He deserved to go back. If only the universe wasn't so cruel.

   The mood of the room changed and the smile slipped from the doctor’s features. “My boy, I’m afraid I don’t think that will be possible.”

   Toru’s expression darkens, though it’s only for a moment. “That - That’s not true -... You and Dr.-”

   ���While we thought a full recovery was possible,” the older man continues, “After reexamination, we’ve realized that your knee, while you will have the strength to walk again, without any pain, will never be able to handle the type of pressure that your jumps put on it. Even with how remarkable your recovery has gone, thus far... You shattered your patella, Señor Oikawa. You were lucky to have made the recovery you did, as quickly as you did.”

   You couldn’t breath for a moment, just staring at your husband. He’d worked to be on this team, doing what he loved, his entire life. It wasn’t fair that now he found himself not able to play. Watching the way emotions scattered through his features, you swallowed the lump in your throat. If the recovery hadn’t killed him, the grief of losing his entire career and livelihood might.

   Disbelief, anger, denial, terror... The all struck his features faster than he could stop them, leaving him not only feeling lost, but leaving him feeling vulnerable in front of this near stranger. And he hated feeling vulnerable.

But how could he stop these emotions? His whole world came to a stand-still. All of those nights he'd stayed away for hours, before coming home to find you having fallen asleep trying to wait up for him, dinner now cold, on the table; all of those weeks at different training camps, when he wouldn't get to see you for what felt like an eternity; all of those years of perfecting his techniques and making a name for himself... It was all for nothing.

   He wanted to leave. Now.

   Without a word, he shoves himself up from where he was seated, walking haphazardly towards the door. He’s swinging it open by the time you can stand up and take the steps to reach him. “Don’t touch me.” His voice holds a bite you weren’t used to as he turns his back towards you, walking... Or rather, limping, away from the room.

   You frown and turn to face the doctor, offering an apology and asking him to send the medical bill to your residence. Then, you take off after the tall male.

Making it to your car, you slide into the driver’s side, silent as you turn on the car. You don’t say anything until the car is running, “Tōru, you can’t just-”

“Why can’t I?” He snaps at you, shooting you a withering look, as if you were the cause of his injuries. “Why can’t I lose my temper? Please, give me a reason, Y/N. Please tell me why I can’t act the way I want to, when my life is in pieces."

"Since you seem to know so goddamn much, please tell me why I can't lose it. I've waited my entire life, only to fall just short of the Olympics? What good am I if I can't even do that?" Tōru wasn't made. It was upset, call it heart-broken, if you will. But all he could find himself doing was lashing out in anger, kicking his bad leg out to his the glovebox of your car.

Pain courses through his knee, making his let out a pained noise as he slowly sinks down into his seat. "I fucked it all up... I'm never gonna be..." He lets out a shaky breath. "I'm never going to make it. I should have fucking known, I-"

"Tōru, I love you, but shut up." Your tone makes watery eyes shift to you. "You are not going to sit here and tell yourself that you're useless and push me away." You grab his hand and lift it up, "You see these rings? Through hell and high water, Tōru. That's what we promised one another. You made it here. This is a setback, but it doesn't mean your career is over, with volleyball. Let's just... Go home. You can get mad, scream, hit the wall or something, whatever you need to. Then we can sit down and talk about what's next.

"I love you... You are going to make it through this. And I'm going to be here with you, every step of the way. Understood?"

Your husband lets out a shaky exhale, tears sliding down his cheeks. "I understand. I'm sorry I yelled at you," he slowly puts his head on your shoulder.

You could tell by the way his lip quivered that he was trying to hold it all in. But what good would that do?

Sliding back the center console you shift so he can lean into your embrace. No words are spoken as loud sobs begin to rip through his body. His lean form shakes against you as he cries. His sobs break your heart, though you couldn't imagine the pain he was in, at the moment.

His sobs didn't quiet for a while, in fact, as you soothed a hand through his soft hair, he only seemed to sob harder, almost as if he thought he'd disappointed you. Though, as he wore himself out, his sobs slowly quieted into soft whimpers. No matter if his sobs had quieted down or not, you weren't moving until he said something.

"I wanna go home."

That was all it took, before you were both back in your seats, on your way back to your shared home. You weren't sure how long it would take Tōru to be okay, again, or if he ever would be. But you'd fallen in love with him and made your vows. He's the love of your life and you promised that you would see him through it, to the end.

General Taglist:

@thathoneybee3 @bratkugo

[astro-rain]

delicate; b.barnes

chapter four - mri’s & other modern commodities

delicate masterlist

word count: 1.8k

synopsis: bucky faces his first day of treatment, and discovers some new things along the way: some scary, some awesome, some maybe slightly embarassing.

pairings: bucky barnes x fem!reader

[A/N]: not my gif

When he woke up, he scanned his room, making sure everything was the same as how he left it the night before. Making sure no one came in while he was asleep and poisoned his brain. Making sure he was waking up in his living quarters in Wakanda and not a damp cell in some secret Hydra base. It was just something he did now.

Some may call it paranoia, others may call it adaptation. Either way, once he stepped outside and made sure he was alone, he allowed himself to take a breath.

Today was the day, the first day of official treatment. He had no idea what to expect; he was just hoping to high heavens that it would end up working. Freedom. That's all he wanted. Liberation from the chains Hydra had had around him since he fell from the train all those years ago.

He was apprehensive for sure, but he tried his best to keep himself optimistic. Bucky was sure that Shuri was smarter than any Hydra scientist he once came in contact with. So, if they can tear apart his mind, perhaps she can put it back together. Right?

Her in addition to (Y/N). That psychologist woman. He had spoken to her the day before at the lake. She was funny, and she seemed decently easy to talk to. That's a good sign, he guessed. She told him that she hadn't minded relocating to assist in his treatment, but he honestly couldn't make out her true feelings. She was rather hard to read. Perhaps it was a psychologist thing; he tried not to look too far into it.

He waited outside his door until two Wakandans came to escort him to Shuri. Bucky noticed they were armed. Guards. He wasn't surprised nor did he blame them. However, that didn't make it any easier to trust. He hadn't had that luxuy in a very long time. The former assassin fought against the voice in the back of his head telling him to analyze their every move in order to ensure that he wasn't in any danger. That any minute they weren't going to strap him down and rip his brain apart the way it had been so many times before. So many times. He gave the slightest wince at the thought. His brain suddenly felt prickly, painful memories creeping up on him.

Not now, don't think about it.

Sometimes, if he fixated on the thoughts for too long, he would drive himself to this panicked state of fear and constriction. He wasn't sure exactly what this thing was. All he knew was that these things - these episodes - were extremely unpleasant, and utterly unnecessary at the moment.

He shook his head (somehow hoping that this would rid him of the prickly memories like a dog shaking off water), strands of long brown hair swaying quickly in front of his eyes, and fixed his gaze to the floor.

Floor. Floor. Floor. Floor. Just the floor. The floor. The floor. The floor-

"Sergeant Barnes!" Shuri welcomed him happily.

Oh. He was in the lab now. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Let's do this.

"Good morning," he smiled, "and just Bucky's okay."

"Of course, of course. This is my lab! Best place in Wakanda in my humble opinion. Today's only the first day of treatment, so nothing too intensive. But, we will be working all the same!"

He glanced around the lab. The guards were at the doorway and they didn't look like they were leaving anytime soon. Again, he wasn't surprised. Moreover, sitting at a table a few feet from Shuri, was a familiar face. This familiar face soon met his gaze.

"Hi, Bucky" (Y/N) greeted, offering a polite smile. "See! I remembered this time."

Bucky grinned. "Are you still (Y/N), or is it Dr. (Y/L/N) since we're in the lab now?"

"I'm always (Y/N)."

"I don't know, if I went to school for as long as you did, I'd make everyone call me Doctor," Shuri added.

(Y/N) laughed. "Well, if you want to call me Doctor you're more than welcome, Shuri."

"That's the spirit, Doc," she declared before turning to Bucky. "Now, follow me and we'll get a quick MRI done."

"A what?" He quickly caught up to Shuri who already started walking away.

"An MRI. It stands for magnetic resonance imaging. Basically, scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves to generate images of the organs in the body."*

Yes, very basic.

(Y/N) leaned over to Bucky, explaining softly, "It's used to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body."**

"Oh."

"You just lay down and it scans you. Y'don't even feel anything."

"Thats... not too bad, I guess."

"It's a bit of a tight fit though, so I hope you're aren't claustrophobic."

Bucky rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, after cryo, I doubt tight spaces will be too much of a bother for me."

"Right," said (Y/N), "but it's still decently in your personal space. Just so you know - so there's no surprises."

He nodded. They didn't say anything until Shuri stopped short in front of them. She stood a couple feet from a shiny metal table which was lined up in front of an equally shiny and metallic semi-cricle arch. It was long enough to fit - well, would you look at that - a body.

"Oh. I guess there is a surprise," (Y/N) blurted, turning to Shuri, confused. "That isn't like any MRI machine I've ever seen."

"That's because you're in Wakanda," Shuri flashed a proud smile. "Tech's a bit... advanced here."

(Y/N) turned to Bucky. He thought he saw something resembling self consciousness flow across her features, but he wasn't sure.

"Sorry, I guess I was wrong. But, honestly this is way better than a typical MRI set up. It's much more open... and wide. Regularly, it would be like a super narrow tube with hardly any space inside. This way, you'll even be able to see us and the rest of the room."

That's good. More space. More freedom. And he'll be able to see her- them, see them.

Shuri clapped. "Alright! Shall we get started then?"

He had no idea how any of this worked; he was way out of his element here. He just barely learned what a damn MRI was, and had to hide his shock when he found out. Medicine has changed dramatically since 1945. Although it is helpful, he is completely clueless. Great.

"Do I jus-just lay on the table?" He asked, unsure.

"Yep! Just lie there and be absolutely still, and I'll do the rest," Shuri replied, reassuringly as she walked around to a control panel next to the machine, preparing to start.

Bucky took his place on the thin metal table, and he thought he was seeing things. Was it was levitating? Honestly, from what he's seen so far he wouldn't even be surprised. He stared up at the ceiling, getting lost in thought. A string of various questions and uncertainties fluttered through his battered mind.

Would the metal arm interfere with the magnet- oh. Right. No arm. Just a scan, no need to worry. (Y/N) said it would be fine. Can I even trust her Then again, can I even trust anyone yet? She's the best I got right now. Damn it, I wish I wasn't so wary of everyone.

"Hey," a gentle voice pulled him out.

He looked over to the left of him, the side with no arm. (Y/N).

"I can practically hear your brain whirring around right now - which is justified - but do you need anything?"

'Do you need anything?' He hadn't heard that phrase in a while.

He adjusted his body on the table. "I'm alright, just... a bit out of my element here."

She nodded, knowingly. "Honestly, me too. This lab looks like somethin' out of a sci-fi movie for me, so I can't imagine what it must feel like to you."

She was looking down at him. He felt vulnerable, exposed. It seemed like she noticed.

"Here, I have an idea."

With that, she turned and grabbed something from a nearby table. Rotating around to face him again, she displayed what she had taken: a pair of headphones... but without a wire? What the hell?

"Are they broken?" he asked, feeling perpetually confused.

"No, they're wirelessly connected to my phone. It's called bluetooth."

The look on his face was almost laughable.

"Bluetooth? What kind of name is Bluetooth?"

"The kind of name that I didn't invent nor should I be blamed for," she chuckled. "Do you want to listen to music while you're in there? It might help to keep you down on Earth with us."

Music. The thought was almost surreal. He hadn't been privileged with such a pleasure in longer than he'd care to admit. It actually seemed... nice.

"Y-yeah," he said, pondering. "That'd actually be nice."

"Awesome."

She leaned over him to put the headphones on his ears, causing him a very conflicting series of emotions.

First of all, close. She was very close to his face. His face, his eyes, his nose, his lips. It almost seemed a tad bit intimate. And then he realized he hadn't been this close to a woman in forever. A real woman, not some fellow assassin he had to take out. He hoped the shy embarrassment he felt didn't show on his cheeks.

Second of all, she was wrapping something around his head, his brain. He tried not to, but he couldn't stop the muscle memory of what he'd been conditioned to feel. Hydra's machine would wrap around his head and rip his psyche apart. His mind expected pain, the worst pain, the dehumanizing, out of body, mind splitting pain. He hoped the way he flinched ever so slightly didn't offend (Y/N).

She didn't seem offended, and her voice was soft. "You're good. Just music and a scan. Then you're done."

He looked up at her face, reassuring and calm. He took a deep breath.

"Good?" she asked.

He nodded. "Think so."

"If it's too much at any point just let us know, and we'll pull you right out. It's your comfort level, your choice."

His choice. Choice. Control. The prospect gave him comfort.

She gave him one last look before stepping away and signaling Shuri to start the machine. The seemingly levitating table began a smooth descent into the machine when the music started playing. It almost startled him, but he then he was pleasantly surprised by what he heard.

There were loud drums, guitar riffs with attitude, and voices that had so much emotion they were almost screaming. It was like no music he had ever heard before, and he loved it. In fact, he was so into it that he didn't even notice when the MRI had finished. That is, until he felt a feather light hand on his shoulder. His eyes opened, and (Y/N) had the biggest grin on her face. While taking the headphones off of him, she looked very pleased with herself.

She looked at Shuri but declared to no one in particular, "Bucky likes Rock and Roll!"

- - -

* = from wikipedia

** = from wikipedia

[starlocked01]

Beautiful Mistakes

AO3 @tsshipmonth2020

Masterpost- Previous- Next

Summary-  Remy can't think before he has his coffee and that causes problems for him and his soulmate.

A/N- Slightly altered so that the marks disappear a few minutes after they’ve been received.

Day 9 Remile- Whatever you draw on your skin shows up on your soulmate

Emile could feel the slight itch on his cheek that indicated a message from his soulmate had appeared. He flushed with embarrassment but kept his composure. He quickly scrawled on his wrist.

Not now, Rem. I'm with a client.

He turned back to his patients with a smile and his wrist itched as Remy replied.

Oops

"Doc, you okay?"

"My apologies, my soulmate likes to send messages when he wakes up. Except he works… at night," Emile sighed, affectionately yet exasperated.

"Well the flags look cute, I guess as long as you're okay with your patients knowing..." Dot smiled and nodded encouragingly.

Emile paled, "he didn't…"

"I think he did," Larry replied.

Emile put a hand to his cheek, "it's a pride flag isn't it?"

"Oh don't worry, Doc! It's so cute! Larry, isn't it cute?"

"He's going to be rather upset with me. I can't check it, and he's not out at work yet… but enough about me, back to Dorry! Or if you prefer, Larrydot?? " Emile grinned despite the looks of confusion the couple were giving him. His cheek and wrist continued to itch but he insisted on staying focused on the session.

By the time Larry and Dot were leaving, the itching had crawled up his forearm. Remy must be rather upset.

He checked his watch. The next appointment was in 20 minutes. He could take 5 to read through the tirade and would still be able to review notes for the next couple. He rolled up his sleeve to see a block of text that grew more frantic the farther it got up his arm.

Babe check out the drawing!

I worked hard on that girl pls appreciate me

Em i have work in an hour

Look. At. Your. Cheek.

This isn't funny!

Okay it was supposed to be funny but i can't have a gay flag on my face at work they will kill me!!!!

Bitch

Bitch

You don't love me im gonna die because you don't love me

No one is gonna believe me if i have to lie about this

Please????

>:[

Emile chuckled and wrote back quickly.

This is your fault for drawing on your cheek. You know I work and can't check messages right away.

He checked the time again and pulled out his phone, opening the camera app. He admired the little gay flag crossed with a pan flag. He took a quick selfie to preserve the drawing on his phone. It really was sweet, if unfortunately timed. Luckily, most of his clients would be fairly understanding. Remy's coworkers on the other hand would not.

The tirade on his arm had faded and  been replaced with a new line from Remy.

Don't judge me I didn't have my coffee yet girl

Emile chuckled and pulled his sleeve back down, finding the file and notes he had for the next couple's session.

Remy sat in his car, obsessively checking the mirror until the flags on his cheek faded away. The last thing he needed was to get outed by a soul mark. He was usually late anyway because of the line at Starbucks, what harm would one more day do?

A lot of harm, apparently.

His boss was waiting by the loading dock, impatiently tapping his foot as Remy strolled up.

"'Sup? What are we-"

"Don't even bother clocking in. You don't do shit here and this is the fifth time you've been late this month. You're done."

Remy sputtered, "this is homophobic!"

His boss stared hard at him, eyes narrowing, "You're lazy and you're gay? You're FIRED!"

"Whatever! Your loss, you prick!" Remy turned and flipped the man off as he walked back to his car. He got in and locked the doors, taking some deep breaths. He considered writing to Emile, but decided this was probably an in-person topic.

He restarted the car and drove home, mentally preparing for a lot of explaining.

Emile was surprised to see Remy's car in the driveway when he got home and more than a little concerned. He parked and hurried inside. He found his soulmate sitting in the dark, sipping coffee, and scrolling instagram.

"Remy? Are you okay?"

"Got fired."

"Oh my stars! What happened?"

Remy gave an exasperated sigh, "he didn't like me being late. He also blamed me being gay so idk maybe there's a lawsuit there."

"Was it because of the flags? I tried to check as soon as possible…"

"No… I'm usually late anyway," Remy sank deeper into the couch and Emile moved to sit down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe it was time for a career change. You can find somewhere more accepting with less crazy hours."

"Maybe I'll become a stripper. They make good money right?" Remy mused, leaning into Emile’s side. The other man wrapped him in a one armed hug.

"While I am sure you'd be a natural, I'd be very concerned for your safety as a sex worker, dear. What about something you're passionate about?" Emile tried to be encouraging, numbers running through his head calculating exactly how long they could live off a single salary.

The outlook was not super promising.

"Don't worry, babe, I'll do some research tonight and fill out some applications. Promise," Remy gave Emile a smile that was skin deep, "what do you want for dinner? I'm starving."

After a week of Remy submitting applications and hearing nothing back, Emile was about ready to suggest the exotic dancer route himself. It wasn't that they were under financial stress (yet), moreso that Remy was a lot more rambunctious being cooped at home during the night. He kept waking Emile up too early and the loss of sleep was starting to affect his clients.

"Hey Doc? You're kinda unusually quiet today…"

Emile shook himself back to alertness, "sorry about that Elliott, where were we?"

"Um," they tapped their fingers together while thinking, "I think I was talking about how my soulmate never writes back. They check every message but I never get any from them. It doesn't… feel good."

"Remember what we've said before, Elliott, your worth isn't based on your soulmate. Whatever reason they choose not to write back, the fact of the matter is that you're still an amazing and powerful person in your own right."

Emile was interrupted by an itching on his wrist. Remy would usually still be asleep by now it was late enough in the morning.

He resisted the urge to check the mark as he spoke with Elliott and he could feel the itch crawling up his arm.

After the session, Emile quickly pulled up his sleeve, praying for good news.

I GOT IT!!!

Finally got an interview for tomorrow!!

<3 <3 <3

There were several more hearts and Emile allowed himself a small smile of relief. He doodled back a heart or two for Remy before returning his focus back to work.

They could celebrate when that interview turned into a position.

He greeted the next couple with a broader smile and a tad more exuberance, much to their dismay.

Remy was nervous. This job sounded too good to be true and they'd practically hired him on the spot. He wasn't about to let his soulmate down though.

He followed the man down the hall, sipping his tea for comfort.

"Honestly just don't let anyone eat anything inedible or hit each other and you'll do great," the man smiled, showing Remy into a room with a dozen kids and two other frazzled looking adults.

Piece of cake right?

Emile was in the middle of a session when he felt the itch on his cheek. He tried to smile through it, but then he felt more itches on his legs and arms and nose. His clients were too preoccupied actually talking through their issue with each other so Emile checked his arm to find a rainbow of scribbles that kept growing.

He put a hand to his face to cover his nose and cheek. What had Remy gotten himself into?

Pretty soon his clients were used to seeing Emile with colorful marks all over his face. He explained that his soulmate worked with kids and almost everyone nodded knowingly. He did ask that if they ever saw an inappropriate drawing they let him know so he could check it right away.

Some days he would draw little cartoons for the kids to fill in. They loved that and he always sent them little hearts back when they did a good job (they always did a good job).

And most importantly, Remy was having a great time with his job and got to be home at nights, so they saw each other a lot more often. They both enjoyed that.

[the-coffee-story]

Coffee - The Plague Doctor's Revenge

Chapter 4 - Stuck in the Elevator

The hospital's lobby was liminal, white and brightly lit. The air smelled of disinfectant. It was quiet, save for an occasional mumble from somewhere in the hall.

"They finally finished repairs on the elevator," Coffee remarked.

"Fancy," Walther commented. "Y'all taking it?"

Coffee looked at Doc, who shrugged his shoulders, immediately hissed of pain and then pressed the button. "Aye, why not?"

"Well then." Walther unzipped their parka. "I'm gonna go grab something in the cafeteria and then take the stairs, I didn't manage to grab breakfast this morning."

"Sounds like a plan." Coffee nodded.

The shiny metal doors opened. "After you," Doc said and Coffee hopped into the elevator.

The doors closed behind the Doctor. He frowned. "Where are the buttons?"

"I think it's got voice recognition technology" Coffee's fingers spelled out.

Doc raised his eyebrows. "Voice recognition technology? In a lift?! Here?!"

Coffee shrugged his shoulders. "What's the problem for you?", he signed.

"They don't do Scottish accents."

Coffee rolled his light grey eyes. "Just try."

"Please select a floor," the cold voice of the elevator announced.

"Eleven," the Doctor said.

"You have not selected a floor."

"Aye I have!"

"Please speak slowly and clearly."

"Smartarse!" He sighed. "Eleven. Eleven. Eleven."

"You have not selected a floor."

Coffee chuckled. Doc glared at him. "Why don't you purebred Englishman give it a try?"

Coffee made a sound that very vaguely resembled the word eleven and started to laugh. The Doctor sighed. "Okay, please don't, that sounded terrifying." He huffed. "I guess we're stuck then."

"You could call someone," Coffee suggested.

"Aye, I could." Doc reached into his pocket and let out a deep sigh. "I forgot my phone in the car."

Coffee sarcastically clapped.

"How about you?", Doc asked. "Surely you have your phone with you, you constantly use it..."

Coffee dug through the pockets of his white parka, found his phone, tapped the screen and sighed.

"Phone dead, played too much Among Us on the way."

"Oh. Wonderful. Guess we're stuck for good then."

Coffee chuckled and slid down the wall until he was sitting on the cold metal floor.

"I have a question," he signed.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Have you seen something odd here lately?"

"Aye, I have a mirror."

Coffee laughed. "No, I mean, like, shady stranger in a mask, something like that. Preferably with long hair."

The Doctor frowned. "That sounds an awful lot like you."

Coffee shook his head and tried to find the words.

"Violet and I saw...someone last night," he finally signed. "Some guy, Plague Doctor mask, missing an arm and pretty obviously in severe pain. We tried to approach him but as soon as he saw us he quite literally jumped off the roof and fled."

They both noticed the elevator had suddenly started moving.

"Finally," Doc mumbled and furrowed his brows. "Anyway...did you spot any more details? I know he was wearing a mask, but characteristics? Anything?"

Coffee chewed his lip. "Hmmm..." Suddenly his face lit up. "His hair! Longest hair I've ever seen, I swear-"

Doc had suddenly grown visibly alarmed. "Reaching his knees?"

Coffee's eyes widened and he hastily nodded. "How did you know?!"

"Black? Curly?"

Coffee nodded again. "How did you-?!!"

Doc blinked. "That sounds like an old friend of mine...but there's no way he's here."

The door opened before any of them could say more and they found themselves face to face with Walther. Coffee jolted up from the floor.

"What took you so long?", Walther asked, raising an eyebrow while Doc and Coffee hastily left the elevator.

"The elevator is scottishphobic," the Doctor announced.

"What?!" Walther laughed.

"Coffee and I just spent ages trying to work around the voice recognition, nothing worked. APPARENTLY Scottish isn't English."

[thetravelerbewithyou]

I Knew Love’s Perfect Ache

Read on AO3 // Read from the beginning

Chapter 9: I’ll follow you then.

Clarke had known there was a possibility for Bellamy and her to fix things between them, but she had not allowed herself to be hopeful about it until the night she confessed to Bellamy why Finn was here. 

He had been so understanding, so much his caring self, always the protector, it had made something inside her burn and flutter. As hopeful as she was, she was scared. Terrified actually, for Finn to ruin things, for her to be too closed off, because she was still quite weary of the Club and their way of earning money. Though every time she now saw Bellamy waiting for her at home after a long shift, or in Madi’s room, all her fears disappeared. She yearned to touch him, when she was close to him, to snuggle herself into his strong arms, when he was sitting on her couch, telling her about his day. 

He had been over to her house almost every single night. Keeping her company. It was almost like in the old times, when they just were friends. However, there was a twinkle in his eyes now, every time he looked at her, as if Bellamy could sense where this could be going. 

His gaze was so intense sometimes, she squirmed in her seat, turning away from him. 

The memory alone made her blush and grin like a little school girl, while she walked through the halls of the hospital. 

“What’s so funny, there, Darlin’.” Bellamy’s voice ripped her out of her daydream and she almost stumbled out of surprise. 

“Bellamy, I didn’t realize you were coming in today.” He had told her as much a few days ago, if she remembered correctly. 

“I wasn’t, but things changed and I wanted to see my favourite girls.” He smirked and Clarke’s blush returned as Bellamy went in to hug her tight to his chest. Her eyes fluttered close, as she breathed in his scent. Their embrace being too long to be interpreted as platonic. Out of the corner of her eyes, Clarke saw two nurses, watching them, giggling, so she pulled away from Bellamy, although reluctantly. 

“So you are here to see Madi,” she inquired, standing close enough still, to see her favourite constellation of freckles. 

“I already have.” Her eyes followed his right hand, as he raked it through his wild curls. “I’m here to take you home, if you want. We could watch a movie or something.” It was really cute how flustered he was all of the sudden. 

“That sounds lovely, Bell. I can’t ride with you, though, because of my car.” He nodded, understanding. 

“I’ll follow you then.” 

Together they walked to the parking lot, their shoulders occasionally touching each other. When Clarke got to her car, she stole a last glance at Bellamy, as he mounted his bike, which was parked on the opposite side of the lot. 

She noticed how controlled his movements were, as he threw his leg over the seat, how his jeans stretched over his muscled thighs. Clarke felt the need to swallow, her mouth suddenly dry. With a light shake of her head, she tried to pull herself back into reality and got into her car. 

The way they had walked out together of the hospital and how she had stared at him from her car, were unacceptable. How could she do this to him? TO HIM. Finn’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel of his car tighter. His breathing came faster, as white anger took over him. Blake was probably following her home, as he had the last whole week. 

All of this was getting out of hand. Blake’s constant being there kept Finn from knocking at her door and confronting her. It probably wasn’t his smartest move, but he needed to talk to her again to see how far she had fallen for that filthy criminal, so unworthy of her. 

The files he had ordered weren’t helping him as much as he wanted. There were no new leads, nothing he could pin on Blake - for the moment. He would find something, anything, to get the man out of the picture. He and Clarke would be happy again, Finn was certain of it. 

Slowly and with a respectable distance he followed her car and the bike, accompanying her. 

Marlise Griffin’s old house had not changed, despite Clarke living there for several weeks now. It kind of smelled like the old men still. Here and there she had given it her own touch with pictures of herself and her mother. Abby Griffin had been a bitter woman, after her husband had died and her daughter left town. 

Bellamy never liked her, if he was being honest, but he respected her. The photo he was looking at, pictured a younger and softer version of the hard woman she had been, with Clarke on her hips, both of them smiling at each other. 

“I miss her sometimes.” Clarke voiced right behind him, so he slowly turned around. She was wearing a soft t-shirt and black leggins now, gone were her scrubs and the all professional exterior. 

“I miss my father sometimes, too.” He confessed. Bellamy never really talked about his father. Did not see a point in doing so. Especially because he had Charles, who had stepped in. He trusted his step-father, respected him, so it felt like a betrayal talking too much about his own old man. 

Clarke acknowledged his admission with a quick nod. 

“Do you want to order something to eat? I’m feeling like seafood pizza.” 

An hour later, Bellamy was seated very comfortably on Clarke’s couch, the blonde right beside him, not quite touching, when he heard the delivery guy approach the door. Before Clarke could even move, he got up, signaling her that he got it. 

One of Raven’s little birds was delivering Pizza today. It was a good way to keep track of the people living in Arkadia, when you had the food delivery drivers in your pocket, without the people actually knowing. So Bellamy smirked at Fox, who turned a little red. 

“Thank you for the tip, Bellamy,” she said after handing him the carton. “I might have information for you.” Bellamy’s eyebrows shot up. 

“What kind of information?” 

“Well, Raven said to keep a lookout on a silver Prius, and there is one parked a couple of houses up the street. It seemed worth mentioning.” With a nod he thanked the girl and went back inside the house, locking up the door behind him. Either Collins was not done stalking Clarke or he was observing Bellamy. In the end it did not matter. If Bellamy were to test out which of the two options it was, he would have to leave Clarke alone and that he would not risk. 

Back in the living room, Bellamy sat down the pizza on the coffee table, and peaked out of the window. Fox had been right. The car was parked not far from the house. Worry and the need to protect Clarke filled him. 

“Everything okay, there Bell?” Clarke asked, as she came back from the kitchen with two plates in her hand. 

“Collins is watching the house.” He watched her carefully and if he didn't know her as well as he did, he would not have noticed the change in her body. How she suddenly seemed smaller, more unsure and afraid. 

“I’m afraid of him, Bellamy. And not just a little and I really don’t want to feel this way but I can’t help it.” Clarke’s voice was quiet and shaking. 

Within seconds Bellamy was in front of her, taking the plates out of her hand, and grabbing her shoulders in his hands, gently forcing her to look up at him. 

“Nothing is happening to you, Princess. Do you understand? I will not let anything happen to you. He will not touch you, or threaten you. I will take care of him, if he dares to come too close to you.” 

The insistence in his voice must have calmed her down, enough, as she nodded. 

“I trust you. But please don’t do anything he can use against you, because he will,” she said with a slight panic in her voice. “He is capable of so much, Bell. Please do not underestimate him.” 

Bellamy nodded. 

“Alright. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. But I think it would be safer if I stayed on your couch tonight, that alright with you Darlin’?” 

With a deep, calming sigh, Clarke agreed. 

The next day, Bellamy drove to the clubhouse after having breakfast with Clarke. Seeing her in the morning, all adorable with her bed hair and bad mood, just made him wish to wake up next to her instead of her couch. He missed sleeping beside her, missed the intimacy of it. 

He had not even parked his car yet, when Raven came out of the house, walking right towards him. 

“Bellamy. Didn’t see you at breakfast. You finally convinced the Doc to let you warm her bed again?” She sneered. 

“Petty and jealousy does not suit you, Rave,” he replied. “But if you have to know, I was at Clarke's. That asshole Collins was parked at her house last night.” 

“You sure she isn’t in cahoots with him?” Bellamy made a beeline towards the house, Raven not leaving his side. 

“Fuck yes Raven, I’m sure. And my word should be enough, don’t you think?” 

“Maybe, but Octavia had a point last night.” Bellamy stopped in his tracks. 

“What did she say now?” 

“First, your mom told us about her run in with Clarkey and the ATF idiot in the supermarket and Octavia did some digging last night. Did you know the princess was in a lovey dovey relationship with him? She probably transferred here, to make you fall in love with her again, to gain your trust and then sell you and all of us out.” Raven started gesturing widely, her voice raising. “You should not trust her, Bellamy. I certainly don’t, Octavia doesn’t either. And you mother…” 

“My mother,” Bellamy interrupted his friend’s tyrade. “does not know everything. Neither does Octavia, nor do you.” Raven just stared at Bellamy with hard eyes. 

“Tell me then, what I don’t know.” 

“Collins is here for Clarke. Not us - we are just collateral damage, a way for him to get her back.” He would have to tell Clarke that he had to tell Raven and in extension the club. 

“Why would he want Clarke? No offense Bellamy, but she’s just a Doctor.” 

“Don’t talk about her like this. O had it right, they were together when she was in Boston. However the relationship turned sour, he even locked her inside her apartment. I don’t know what else he did to her. He has been stalking her since - that’s why she left Boston and came back here. Because she is afraid of her life, Raven.” 

The woman before him, turned white, knowing he was telling the truth. 

“That does change the situation.” 

“I don’t know how to handle this, Rave. I want her safe, but I cannot do anything, like I want to, because he would use it against me. Even Kane couldn’t help me, if he arrests me. That goes for all of us. My hands are fucking tide.” 

In his desperation, Bellamy kicked one of the barrels next to him, startling some of the other members sitting on the picnic table 15 feet away. 

“We’ll find a way to keep her safe. But you should tell you mother and Octavia. Hell you should inform Pike about this situation. We all need to know what we’re dealing with here.” 

“I know. I’ll talk to them. Do you know where my mother is by any chance?” 

“She said she was going to your house to oversee the renovations.” Bellamy nodded in thanks. He had completely forgotten that his mother had his house done up, so Madi had a home to come to, when she was released in a couple of days. 

With a last thankful smile in Ravens direction, Bellamy headed to his room to change his clothes. He would talk to his family. And Raven was right, they would find a way to keep his princess safe. There was no chance in hell, he would let that rat hurt her. 

He had stayed the night at her place. Slept in the same house, used the same shower, ate at her table. Blake had not understood the rules. So if he wanted to play dirty, Finn would too.

I’m just tagging some people because I haven’t updated in forever: @carrieeve​ @junebugninja​ @justalittlebluetiefling​ @bees-for-the-wildmother​ @captainmmarvel​ @parapluiepliant​ @thelittlefanpire​ @nvermindiseeyou​ @lunakom-floukru​ <3<3<3