#but they also complain when I don’t get up because they can hear the alarm but there’s really no reason to *not* sleep in

[sheltershock]

I’ve been going to a cafe for the past week and I’ll say it has been a huge boost to my personal productivity. I think I’ve gotten more art done in this past week than the entirety of last month. I think it’s the act of having to get up, get dressed, drive there and then sit down that makes it easier to start drawing. At home I’d put on a video(because I work best with background noise) but then be tempted to lie down or just watch the video instead of getting started. But putting in all that effort to go to a cafe makes it seem wrong to just pull up YouTube on my phone. The conversations help with background noise, and if it’s ever to much I can just put on my own music through my headphones and get a more comfortable noise combo. It’s really working for me. Even if it’s more expensive with coffee and gas costs to do than just drinking a cup at home, I can eat lunch knowing that I’ve made progress already.

[chanranghaeys]

🚪 svt when they don't open the door for you when you knock

a/n: weirdly specific but i was triggered by this recently hence; not properly proofread word count: 3.8k tags: comfort!svt, gn!annoyed+emotional!reader, reader described to be smaller than svt, fluff, pet names, emotional tears, some raised voices (to and from minghao)

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁masterlist . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ .

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

Seungcheol — immediately stands up when he hears just the keys jingling at the door. He runs to reach it before you turn the knob but he’s too late.

But before you could even start complaining, before you could even glare at him, Cheol immediately embraces you and says “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I didn’t hear your knocks, I have no excuse.”

In this instance, all his pouts are not to annoy you, but to beg you to get rid of your annoyance at him. So try as you might to stay annoyed at him, how could you when he’s got you locked safe in the embrace of his strong and secure arms?

(i’m sorry cheol’s is so short because……..i think this is the most accurate i can get him honestly it’s just really straightforward like this for him)

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Jeonghan — immediately walks out of your shared room to greet you as soon as he hears the door open.

“You’re home—” he says with arms outstretched, but you cut him off instantly.

“Why didn’t you open the door for me?” He stays silent, a questioning look on his face. “I knocked so many times, but you know we can’t knock too loudly right? I was waiting for you to open the door, but you didn’t.”

You roll your eyes and steam off to your room, sidestepping him and his efforts to talk to you. When you emerge and settle on the couch, he sits beside you but at a slight distance because he knew better than to keep pressing when you were like this.

When he sees that your breathing started to regulate and your expression seemed to neutralize, that’s when he reaches for your hand and laces his fingers in yours. “How was your day, my angel?”

You just look at him. He persists, kissing the back of your intertwined hand. “Come here, I know you need a hug.”

Reluctantly, you lower your pride and scoot closer to him, settling on his chest. “Now, what’s bothering my angel? I know it’s more than just the door, and I’m really sorry that hurt you. But it’s more than the door, isn’t it? How are you really?”

You fight back tears because you know he’s right. It just wasn't your day and nothing went well, and you feel so bad that you projected your unnecessary anger at him.

You hug him tighter and mumble out an “I’m sorry Hannie,” to which he replies, “I’m sorry too, it’s okay. Hannie is here to listen, I’m here.”

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Joshua — doesn’t realize his mistake at first and greets you like normal: with a smile, a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. He quickly realizes that something was off when you don’t return the said hug and kiss as enthusiastically as you usually do, and your smile doesn’t quite reach your eyes. When you only gave one word replies to him asking how your day was, alarms flare in his head.

He stops whatever he’s doing and does the same to you, taking the few groceries you were packing away from your hands and replacing them with his. he looks you in the eye, the alarm and guilt so palpable in his.

“I’m sorry,” he immediately prefaces. “What did I do? Or what did I not do? I’m so, so sorry.”

At his apologies, you started feeling bad as you saw him so helpless, but you also couldn’t hold back the whining tone from your voice as you said, “You knew I went to get some groceries. Why didn’t you open the door?” You feel bad, yes, but you’re also still annoyed.

He sighs in realization and frustration, before he looks back to you and caresses your cheek, then wordlessly pulls you into his chest. He strokes your head and smooths down your hair, a gesture that never fails to comfort you.

“I’m sorry, love. I’m really sorry. I really didn’t hear the door, I promise I didn’t mean to.” You stay like that for a while, just holding each other before he breaks away, saying he’ll be right back. When he emerges from your room, he had a light jacket on to cover his tank top.

“Let’s go.”

“What?”

“For a walk. And a snack. And because I know something else is bothering that pretty head of yours,” he says with a kiss to your forehead. “Really tell me about your day, love. I want to hear all about it.”

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Junhui — plays along with your annoyed air at first, mocking your tone whenever you said “Why didn’t you open the door?” with his own mischievous smile.

When he saw that you didn’t just glare at him once or twice—it was five times to be exact—he slowly tones down, then fully stops when you stay silent. That’s when he realizes how seriously annoyed you were at this miss.

He isn’t very physically and verbally expressive of his love, but he wordlessly proceeds to set the dining table for you the moment you sat there, cautious of how you were going to react. When he was done, he sat down with you, stealing glances at you as you proceeded with dinner. When you asked if he had eaten, he shook his head silently.

As some time passed and there was a slight lull while you were eating, he grabs your hand and looks you in the eye with intent and remorse. “I'm sorry I didn’t open the door for you. I’ll be way more attentive next time.”

For the first time since you arrived, the frown on your face melted because here was Junhui so straightforward and affectionate when he rarely was. The moment he saw that smile on your lips, he leaned in to kiss it. “There’s my favorite smile.”

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Soonyoung — at a loss for words as to how to make it up to you. But because it was Soonyoung, you couldn’t really stay annoyed at him for so long. After all, that was the first time it happened and he just happened to catch you on a bad day too, and you see that it never happened again.

But you also saw there’s more to it than that. Since then, he proceeds to open literally anything for you, from bedroom and car doors, to jars and cereal boxes, even the TV at one point, grabbing the remote from your hand and doing a simple push of a button for you.

He only stops when you ask him “Soonyoungie, I know how unbelievably sweet it is for you to open these things for me, but are you still doing this because of what happened before?”

He just looked at you and pursed his lips. He really didn’t want to make you feel anything negative, especially when he was the cause of it. He wordlessly gave you a sullen nod.

You melt at this and pull him in for a hug, repeatedly reassuring him that you weren’t annoyed at him anymore and that he could stop. Well, he didn’t completely stop, he realized that it was no big deal to do even the smallest things for you.

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Wonwoo — was always busy with his games whenever you knock at your door and no one answers. You were pretty used to it, in fact. It wasn’t everyday, but it happened often. On those days, you just go to him and kiss his forehead. Most times, he immediately stops the game and dedicates his time to you.

But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t make you a bit sad everytime he fails to greet you at the door. So when a time came that this happened for how many days straight, your sadness turned into frustration and then annoyance.

It reached its peak when he was so engrossed with whatever he was playing that he didn’t even look to you when you arrived, didn’t even greet you. You scoff, but it fell to deaf ears inside his gaming headset. You walk out and busy yourself with something, anything besides him. When he does finally come out, he greets you, but is given the cold shoulder. He notices it right away.

“Love?” Silence. “Baby?” More silence. He attempts to hold your hand, but you pull it away. Oh shit. He tries again, inching closer to try and hug you, but his advances are rejected as you move away from him.

He sighs with defeat, knowing that he won’t get anywhere when you’re like this. So the evening passed in silence. When you two were finally getting ready for bed, you try to find sanctuary under the covers for the hurt in your heart. You try to sleep, but it wouldn’t come. You feel Wonwoo’s side dip with his weight, and when he settled down, he finally got the chance to wrap you in a hug.

“Talk to me. Please. I think I know what this is about, so just talk to me. I know we won’t be able to sleep without fixing this problem. Please.”

You cave and face him, tears threatening to fall from your eyes. And he realizes how grave his mistake was.

Since then, he always came running to the door at the first few knocks, greeting you with a tight hug and a soft forehead kiss. You wonder how, and you find out that the sounds from his games were a little too loud whenever you arrived.

“Wonwoo-ya! Where were you? How could you abandon us to die?” You peek into his gaming room and hear frustrated voices coming from the speakers.

“Sorry! I had to attend to more important things,” he speaks into his mic with a wink toward your direction.

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Jihoon — was a homebody, and always answered the door without fail. That is, whenever he was home before you were, which was a rare occurrence. It was a different story for his perpetually locked studio. He never answered the door for anyone, not even you. So as long as he was inside and could unlock the door remotely, you entered quietly to not disturb his artistic process.

There was one rule, most especially applicable to him, and that rule is no work was to be brought home. He rarely took breaks anymore when at the office and in the studio, so home was a place for rest.

He followed the said rule religiously, until you experienced unanswered knocks similar to how he is in the studio. For the past few days when you open the door, you see him slumped over his desk with work, samples streaming from the speakers or strewn paper filled with various lyrics.

For the nth consecutive time this happens, you were fed up with him. Your efforts at knocking to get his attention proved futile, so you called. He answered on the second ring.

“Jihoon-ah. I’ve been knocking for 10 minutes. Why aren’t you answering?”

You were greeted at the door by a breathless Jihoon, confused and slightly annoyed, asking you “Why didn’t you just open the door?”

That did it for you. “Because we’re not at your studio, Jihoon. We’re supposed to be at home.” You pushed past him in frustration, and his actions slowly dawned on him.

The next day, you wake to a soft kiss on your forehead and a whispered “I love you” before Jihoon left for work. Your annoyance has mostly died down, but it was replaced by a pang of sadness, that was quickly replaced by shock when you exited your room and saw what was on the table.

It was a bouquet of delicate flowers in your favorite color, nothing grand, but something well thought of. You notice something glinting tied around the stems. It was a key. On the table was a note: “I will open all the doors for you, and leave them open for you and only you. Even the door to the studio will be unlocked for you. I’m sorry. - Your Ji”

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Minghao — doesn’t immediately understand what the big deal is about.

"It’s just a door."

That’s what you hear him say when he finally asks why you’ve been annoyed and cold the moment you stepped into the apartment.

“It’s not just a door, Minghao!”

“You don’t hear me say the same thing when you don’t open the door for me, do you?”

“But I apologize after! It’s like you don’t even care!”

“I care, but it’s just not a big deal for me.”

“Well then if it’s not a big deal, why couldn’t you do something so simple?”

“I didn’t mean to not hear you knocking! I just happened to be preoccupied then!”

“Wow, so you were too preoccupied to even greet me? To apologize to me?”

It was a bad day for both of you, and you ended up fighting fire with fire, bringing up even unrelated issues from past and present, until one of you reached your tipping point, all from a simple gesture not done.

At that tipping point, he is rendered silent. “Pause. I can’t do this.”

You nod. “Pause.”

After a few moments, he speaks again. “I’m sorry. You know how blunt I can be. I didn’t see right away that it’s not what you need right now.”

You nod. “I’m sorry. It’s really not my day. I just couldn’t understand how you could say that as if it’s nothing.”

He initiates contact, reaching for your hands and circling them around his waist, and you effortlessly lean into the embrace he forms around you. He presses a soft kiss on the crown of your head. His lips stay there when you hear him say, "It's not nothing. It's never nothing with you."

“Then please just open the door next time?”

He lightly chuckles, and you feel his chest move with it. “It really is just a door. But okay, I’ll make sure to always open it for you.”

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Mingyu — always opens the door for you. No contest.

But on the rare occasion that he misses to do so, and he caught you on a bad day at that, he just stands there like a helpless puppy as the gravity of his actions sinks in. Whether you say your choice words, or with no words at all, he will know what he did wrong right away.

You storm into your room and he quickly follows, but your body language made it clear that you didn’t want to be disturbed. Despite his height, you easily sidestepped him as you made your way into the bathroom to shower.

Mingyu was standing by the door of the bathroom when you finished. You tried sidestepping him again, but he stood his ground this time, catching you in his embrace, rubbing your back, then kneading your temples. He led you back to your room, helping you dress up, dry your hair, massages your hands. While you do your skincare, he combs your hair straight and with no tangles. When you’re done and you stop to look at each other in the mirror, he hugs you from behind, and you allow him to do so.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again, I won’t.” He buries his face in the crook of your neck and doesn’t let go until you finally give him a kiss on the cheek, one that was denied from him when you arrived. You tried really hard to stay annoyed at Mingyu, but you can’t, you just can’t.

So he always opens the door for you, without fail. He’d rather see your endless smiles if it meant doing something as simple as this.

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Seokmin — you knock at the door, knowing Seokmin is inside because you can hear him busy inside. It isn’t as usual for him to be home earlier than you because it was usually the other way around, so when he doesn’t open the door for you, your annoyance slowly grew with every knock.

You were just so tired and couldn’t wait to lie down but he couldn’t even open the door for you? You fumble with your keys, even dropping it in frustration, and he still didn’t hear you.

When you finally open the door, you hear music playing from the speakers and you can smell something…off. A panicked yelp confirms that yes, indeed, something is wrong, and you follow the scent to the kitchen, where you see Seokmin trying to save what was left of his bowl’s contents.

“Seokminnie, are you okay? What happened?”

His alarmed eyes met yours and were soon filled with disappointment. “You’re here. I didn’t even hear you come in. I’m sorry, I…I was just trying to make you something because I know you’re tired with all those messages you sent me and it was just the right timing that I could leave work early so I rushed home and then this happened and—”

You can’t believe you had the gall to be annoyed at him when he was the sweetest, most thoughtful man on earth. You take the bowl from his hands and hug him, resting your head on his beating heart. He molds himself into you and wraps you in his arms.

“I love you, Minnie.”

He kisses the crown of your head and rests his chin there while rubbing your back reassuringly. “I love you too. You can rest now, I’ll take care of this. Don’t worry.”

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Seungkwan — you were so ready to be petty and annoyed, you already had choice words in mind because you think this was payback for all the times you absentmindedly did the same to him, how he was left stewing but you secretly always took this chance to placate and soothe him because you knew he liked it when you fussed over him.

Nonetheless, you tried to be as obnoxious as possible while fumbling with your keys and opening the door. Seeing the back of his head leaned on the couch, you couldn’t even believe that he didn’t turn his head to you until you stood in front of him and was immediately silenced.

Seungkwan was fast asleep, deeply asleep that your noise didn’t even wake him. You slowly backtracked and remembered what his day was like today, how it was packed to the brim with schedules from one place to another, and you felt guilty as hell.

As quietly as you could, you brush his hair away from his face. You overestimated how deep his sleep was though, because his eyes flow open the moment he felt your touch.

“Wha—you’re home!” He grabs your hand and looks at you with sleepy eyes that closed again when he realized that “Ah no, I fell asleep. I was trying to wait for you but—”

You shushed him at that moment and said it was okay because this tired sleepyhead needs to rest already. You pull him up from the couch, where he wordlessly fixed himself against your side and kissed the side of your head as you walked into your shared room so you could tuck him in properly.

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Vernon — was watching a movie and was so fixated on it that he didnt even notice you were in until you opened the light.

“Oh—oh! Youre home!” He scrambles to pause the movie and brisk walk straight to you for a tight hug, even swaying slightly side to side. When he breaks apart and sees the slight frown on your face (that you quickly assembled after it got wiped away with that damn heartwarming hug), he tilts his head to the side.

“I know that face. What did I do? Is it because I didn’t open the door?” He widens his eyes in acknowledgment as it clicks in his head and lets out a defeated smile.

“I’m sorry” and while he still had you in his clutches, he kisses your nose.

“I’m sorry,” and a kiss on your cheek, another apology with another kiss to your other cheek, your forehead, your lips, your eyes, until you're smothered with his kisses.

He doesn’t stop until you were pushing him away, but he achieved his goal of making you smile. “Are you still annoyed? I’m not stopping,” He says, returning your smile with your favorite gummy smile of his.

“No, okay, stop! I’m okay. I’m not annoyed anymore…but don’t do it again.”

“Got it,” with one final kiss, a deeper one on your lips. When you both come up for air, he follows it up with “Come on, what do you wanna watch?”

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Chan — apologized as profusely as he could after seeing your annoyed face, hugging and kissing and never letting you leave his embrace until you finally said you weren’t annoyed anymore.

You let it go then, but you’re still a bit petty, and decided to do an Uno Reverse on him when the opportunity presented itself. You acted as nonchalant as possible when you heard him struggle with his keys, open the door, and finally face you from where you were seated.

When you look up from the book you were reading, you tried to act as surprised as you could. “Oh, Channie! You’re home.” You could see a sheen of annoyance masking his face, one he was trying to keep down.

“Didn’t you hear me knocking?”

“…No, sorry. I guess I was too into this book. I’m sorry Channie,” you say with the best pout you could muster.

You see his eyes narrow ever so slightly, before he smiles and leans down to kiss your forehead. “It’s okay, baby.” He wordlessly settles down beside you on the couch and pulls you in to cuddle and hold you tight.

You were dumbstruck to say the least. He wasn’t…annoyed? “You’re not annoyed at me?”

He pulls you in closer, nuzzling his cheek against yours before saying “No,” followed by a kiss to your cheek. “But I know you still are. And I’m really sorry. So I’ll just hold you tight until this hurt goes away.”

Your heart swells with pride at how he instantly saw through your seemingly tough facade. You melt against him, all sign of annoyance gone from you as you whisper a “Thank you, Chan.”

[thesassypadawan]

Birthday Boy (Hayden x FemReader)

Summary: It’s your man’s birthday! A day filled with all the love, presents, and…special ‘treats’.

Warnings: 18+ (mdni), because there sooo much of the smut. Birthday head and, as always… Hayden’s big, fat dick.

Notes: Happy Birthday, Hay! 💙🤍

And also Happy Hayden's (And Mine) Birthday Event! In honor of the man, the myth, the legend; I will be posting nothing but Anakin, Vader, and Hay stories all April long!

- It’s Hayden’s birthday! One of the few days during the year when you can spoil him totally rotten…and he can’t object or complain.

- You always make it into a big deal. Showering him with love and affection. Making his fav foods. Getting him so many thoughtful presents. Planning all sorts of little surprises and special ‘treats’…that you just so happen to enjoy too.

- The sound of your alarm fills the air, and your arm flies out from underneath the covers. Hand fumbling for your phone, trying to silence it before a moose starts to stir.

- Luckily, you’re successful and no harm was done. Because you can hear the soft snores echoing out from behind you.

- Yawning, you try to blink yourself awake. You had set it with the intention of getting up early enough to prepare him breakfast in bed. But having that deliciously warm body pressed up against and those strong arms wrapped around you…

- A sleepy smile spreads across your face and your eyes begin to close. Until you feel a very hard, very familiar something poke your backside. And suddenly you’re no longer going with the original plan. Instead you’re opting for the new, amazing one you just thought up.

- Somehow you not only manage to untangle yourself from Hay, but you’re also able to get him to lay on his back. From there you make quick work of removing the sheets and pulling down his sleep pants. Cock springing free and standing proud.

- Positioning yourself between his toned legs, lips hovering barely a few inches above his dick. You pause a moment, making sure he’s still asleep by whispering… “Oi, Big Dork; Leafs suck.”

- Nothing. Not an angry grumble or eyes cracking open to glare at you. Nothing.

- Boldly you kitten lick his fat tip, happily lapping up that first salty bead of pre. Before popping it into your mouth, rolling your tongue around and sucking gently. Teasing at and playing with his slit until more of that bittersweet goodness explodes across your taste buds.

- Moaning softly, the vibrations cause Hayden to shift a bit. But you chose to ignore this, taking more of him in. That slight, pleasant ache in your jaw making you pant through your nose, your own arousal spiking. Cunt clenching around nothing, dripping…soaking through your panties.

- Bobbing your head up and down, you set a steady pace. Lips and hand wrapped tightly around his impressive length, adding more friction as you pump. Teeth nipping and grazing at him lightly.

- You’re so caught up that you don’t hear the low groan, but you certainly feel the big hand coming to rest on the back of your head. Those long fingers lacing through your hair, tugging.

- With his cock still nice and warm in your mouth, you not so innocently gaze up at him. Hay’s blue eyes are blown so wide, a lazy smile on his face. “Happy Birthday to me,” he chuckles, voice raspy from sleep.

- Humming, you swallow him greedily. Head brushing and hitting the back of your throat. Trying your best to not choke, fighting the urge not to gag.

- “That’s it,” he grunts. Pulling harder, hips starting to slowly buck. “Keep Going.”

- Driven by his words and that wonderful burn on your scalp, you double your efforts. Picking up speed, you match his rhythm. Baring down, letting him slide deeper with each thrust. Squeezing and playing with his heavy balls.

- First you feel his dick twitch, then his thighs begin to tremble, and…

- Growling, Hayden shot his hot cum down your throat. Curses falling from his lips while you hungrily drink every last drop.

- Releasing him with a wet sounding pop, you eagerly crawl on top of and straddle him. “Happy Birthday, Hay!” You giggle, grinning and wiggling like crazy…some of his ‘frosting’ trickling down your chin. “Today it’s all about you and-”

- A squeak escapes you as your suddenly flipped over. Back pressed against the mattress, caged in by his arms. Tip pushing at your drenched core.

- “Thanks for the gift, angel,” the birthday boy smirks, hand slowly trailing down your hip. “I’ll open it right now.” And with one quick movement, tares off your panties.

Tag List: @espinathena-17, @myheartwillgoon2022, @wifeofasith, @princessswifie, @kenobiskywalker16, @loverforoldermen

[wallabywhump]

Tommy’s ears feel like they have cotton stuffed in them.

“I-.” Tommy licks his lips, panic is crawling up his throat at what Evan just said, because it can’t be possible.  “Can you repeat that, babe?”

Evan grunts, and there’s hushed whispers and slamming doors, and maybe a slightly louder noise of Hen yelling in the distance, and Tommy knows the 118 firehouse well enough to know that Evan is hiding in the corner of the changing rooms.

“I said, Gerrard is captain of the 118.” Evan is speaking so quietly that the phone mic is barely picking him up, but Tommy hears him loud and clear.

His heart skips a beat at the confirmation.

“Fuck,” Tommy whispers. “But how?”

“Good question,” Evan hisses. “Bobby quit, and didn’t tell us, and that’s beside the point.”

Tommy nods, it is beside the point. Tommy should be comforting Evan right now, assuring him that they can talk to someone, that it’s okay, this isn’t permanent, and-

Yet, all his brain is repeating is, “were we affectionate at the ceremony?”

Tommy says it out loud without meaning, and he blinks because that isn’t at all what he meant to say, but his mouth is moving without his permission.

“I mean, I don’t know if Gerrard would have noticed if we were, I know I was very stiff, and yes, he knows I’m gay, but he doesn’t know you’re out and-,”

Evan isn’t speaking.

Tommy can’t shut up.

“-and that doesn’t even matter. He was reassigned for discriminatory actions against multiple members of the 118, two of which are still serving, so how is he even back? Who approved this?”

Tommy’s brain is kind of in overdrive, trying to think of how’s, why’s, and fix it, fix it, fix it.

“I reported him for multiple instances of homophobia and racism, and you’re my boyfriend, and he’s captain again, and-,” Tommy takes a deep breath, “shit, I shouldn’t be complaining about myself. You called to commiserate. Shoving all that back into a dark corner of my mind.”

“That doesn’t sound very healthy,” Evan finally says, and it’s deadpan, dry, with maybe a slight hint of sarcasm to it. (Some part of Tommy blames the frequent date nights, and maybe Tommy is rubbing off on him, but also maybe there’s a layer to Evan that Tommy still hasn’t uncovered yet.)

Tommy hums, biting down on his lip to stop himself from spurting anymore nonsense.

“You ask all the exact same questions that Hen and Chimney just asked,” Evan says with a sigh, and then even quieter, and a little defeated. “You were right.”

“I was…right?”

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Evan says.

Tommy takes a moment to curse past Tommy for being a cynic, despite being right, because he hates that defeated monotone from Evan’s mouth. It sounds wrong. And Tommy caused it.

Deadpan humour and realism may be how Tommy copes, but not even he could have predicted that a disgraced captain would be invited back into their previous role.

“No, no, I’m-,” Tommy groans, and covers the phone mic to say, “shut up, idiot,” to himself, and then uncover it again. He needs to be calm and collected and reassure his boyfriend right now.

There’s the tell-tale sound of alarms suddenly in Evan’s background and the moment has passed. A clang that Tommy knows means Evan just kicked the lockers.

“I gotta go,” Evan says, close to the mic, it sounds hollow.

Tommy nods, but then when he remembers that Evan can’t see that, you idiot, says, “yeah, I can hear.”

Tommy knows that Evan wants nothing less than to go on calls with Gerrard, but over a decade of dealing with the man comes to mind. “Don’t make yourself a target, keep out of trouble, and please, don’t be insubordinate. Just for today. Just until we know what’s happening.” And unspoken don’t mention me, don’t mention your sexuality, hide yourself, just for a day.

“Tommy,” Evan trails off, and there is an unimpressed air to his voice.

Tommy closes his eyes, grips his hands against his thighs. “Please, Evan,” he doesn’t want to beg, but he’s not above it, because he knows Vincent Gerrard inside and out.

Someone yells for Buck, the sirens get louder, and Tommy feels that panic spike again.

“You’ve got to go,” Tommy insists. “Just today,” he repeats.

Evan sighs, loud down the line. “Okay, okay, I-.” Evan curses. “Just today.”  

Relief blossoms in Tommy’s chest, right alongside a kernel of shame that might have found it’s way there during the ceremony and rooted itself regardless of how much Tommy hated it. He hates himself for asking it of Evan, but he doesn’t regret it.

“Thanks,” Tommy says.

Evan snorts. Another person yells for Buck.

“I really-,” Evan starts to say, and Tommy hears the siren and the hubbub of the station as Evan moves through it.

“Go,” Tommy rushes out. “Come over tonight. We can talk about it then, just, at my place. Please.”

“See you tonight,” Evan promises.

“Be safe,” Tommy whispers, hushed, scared that Gerrard might hear him even through Evan’s phone.

Maybe Evan has a similar fear because his reply is equally as quiet. “Of course.”

[oopsdevil]

könig edition. (pt. 2)

"I don’t ‘develop’ headcanons. They come to me in visions and I know they’re correct."

• if you stare at him for a few seconds and say nothing he flexes his arms out of fear of an uncomfortable silence

• just 💪😐

• PLEASE hold his hand when you go grocery shopping he is begging

• will only wear a suit if his tie matches your outfit

• and dont you DARE change your clothes without letting him know

• "well now i just look dumb"

• acts tough if you get scared watching a horror movie and hide on his chest

• (he actually looks away from the tv with his eyes but that's a secret he's taking to the grave)

• sometimes he forgets how tall he is and gossips about people like he isn't being watched by everybody

• also (because he has a hearing problem) this mf YELLS

• "THAT'S THE GUY WHO FELL LAST WEEK-"

• you guys have this weird thing where you buy books and end up reading each others out of boredom of your own

• "BABY NO-"

• which is absolutely pointless considering he accidentally kicks the bed every morning

• his weird ass wakes up seconds before the alarm goes off every time, like his body knows not to wake you up

• probably will never go to the beach in a million years

• but if he does

• don't expect him to do anything other than sit under the umbrella with a shirt on and remind you every once in a while to be careful at the sea

• "where i can see you schatz"

• obviously gets burned easily this man is so pale

• spends that night covered in aloe vera and complaining

[dc-marvel-life]

Works Every Time

Pairing: Captain Marvel x Wonder Woman x reader 

Request: I saw that your requests are open! If you wouldn’t mind could you please do a crossover fic where Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman are soulmates and found each other on a mission but they know they have a 3rd mate. When they go on a mission at a Hydra base they find female reader who had been experimented on since she was young so they have to teach her all about soulmates and Diana and Carol are super over-protective but also giant teddy-bears for reader? - by anon 

Word Count: 1502

– – – 

You have lived in the same confined space for as long as you can remember. You know nothing about the outside world but what you have heard from the scientist experimenting on you. You never understood why they took you and experimented on you as a child. All you knew was that your blood was extraordinary, and they had to take a lot of it every morning.

Today was like no other for you. You get woken up by the giant fluorescent lights that wake you up simultaneously every day. Then your food is given to you through the slot on the door. It was enough food to keep you alive. You never thought it was because you were a pretty small, weak person, even after all the blood they take from you daily. 

After you finish your breakfast, you put the tray back in the slot to let them know you are ready. 

“165, step away from the door and put your hands up,” the guard says from the other side of the door. You step away from the door and put your hands up like normal. You never know why they had to do this because you were too weak to fight back. By the off chance of you fighting back and getting out of here, you didn’t know where to go. This place was home to you, and you couldn’t leave home. The only thing you ever wanted to do was go outside and feel the sun on your face. The way the scientist talks about the sun excites you, even if they complain about it sometimes. It sounded better than the fluorescent lights that hit your skin every day.  

The guard opens the door and steps through but stops when an alarm goes off. The alarm was so loud and foreign to you that you had to cover your ears and shut your eyes. After what felt like centuries, the alarm stops going off. You remove your hands and slowly open your eyes to see that your door is open with no guards. 

“This is my chance. This is my chance to leave this place,” you say to yourself and try to get up but cannot. Fear took over and made you unable to move. You wanted to leave here so bad, but your body was in shock and couldn’t move, and you started to cry. 

You started to hear noises coming down the hallway. You ignore it because the guards are probably coming by to check to see if you left. They would see you in the same spot and laugh at you about how pathetic you are.

“Shhh, don’t you hear that,” an unknown voice says down the hallway, which makes you stop crying for a second.

“I don’t hear anything, babe; let's go and finish clearing the building so we can go back and cuddle,” a second unknown voice says. You stay quiet in order to hear the beautiful voices again.

“I do too, but I swear I heard someone crying. I am going to look around some more,” the first unknown voice says and walks closer to your cell. The footsteps come closer and closer to your cell until the most beautiful two women you have ever seen come to your door. 

“See, I told you I heard something,” the taller brunette women with a sword and shield say, walking closer to you. You cringe a little because you aren’t a huge fan of weapons.

“Hey, I am not going to hurt you,” the brunette puts her hands up and slowly drops her weapons on the floor. 

“See, we are good here and are just trying to help. My name is Diana, and this is one of my soulmates, Carol. What is your name? ” Diana says, then points to Carol, who is right behind her.

“Soulmate?” you question either than answer her question. 

“Yes, soulmate. Everybody has at least one soulmate in the world. A soulmate is a person that is supposed to connect with your mind and body. They make you feel whole and complete and will love you unconditionally. I am surprised that you never heard of them before,” Diana says, walking slowly toward you and lowering to your level.

“How you can tell your soulmate is by the marks on your arm,” Carol shows off her soulmate marks that are on her arm, then Diana, that match each other. You look carefully at the two marks.

“I know ours is a little different because we have a third soulmate. We are still looking for her, though,” Carol says with a saddened face. You look at the pair with saddened faces because they haven’t found the third soulmate they have been looking for for years.

Even though you just met them, you wanted to make them feel better. You roll up your sleeve to show them the same mark that you had on your arm. 

“If it makes you guys feel any better, I have the same mark,” you show them your mark. They look at your mark closely with wide eyes and start to come closer to you. 

“Can we take a closer look, sweetie?” Diana says in a soft tone, and you nod. They both approach you slowly and calmly to look at your mark.

“Do you know what this means?” Carol says with watery eyes, and you shake your head.

“No, I have never heard of soulmates until now,” you say, ashamed. 

Don’t worry, sweetie, we will teach you everything that you need to know” Diana and Carol smile at you, which makes you know that you are going to be safe with them. 

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

It has been a few months since your soulmates found you in that hole at Hydra. They help you experience the world that you never thought you would. You learned a lot about soulmates the first day they brought you back. They didn’t do anything with you because they wanted to ensure you were comfortable with them before anything happened. 

They gave you the shared king bed in their apartment while they slept on the floor and couch. You felt so bad, but they insisted on it. Eventually, they moved to the bed with you, which you love. They put you in the middle of the bed while cuddling you tight to ensure you don’t leave. 

You meant both teams that they are on, and everyone loves you. They even help you train to become stronger.

Now you are training with Natasha and Dinah, working on hand-to-hand combat. 

“You have to keep your hands up at all times to protect your face” Dinah moves your hands to the side of your head in a defense stance. You sigh out of exhaustion because you have been training with Black Widow and Black Canary for about two hours. You want to go back to your apartment and cuddle with your girlfriends. 

“Good, just like that because if I swing at you,” Natasha comes at you with a right hook, not hard enough to hurt you, that you block, “ you are protected. Now, if your hands are down,” zone out of the conversation because you heard your girlfriends come into the training room. You turn your head excited to see them, forgetting that Natasha is demonstrating what not to do during a fight. 

The next thing you know, Natasha punches you in the face. Luckily she didn’t put her full force behind it because you would have been knocked out. You turn back to Natasha and see her shocked face. 

“I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you! This is why you need to put your hands up,” Natasha turns to look at your girlfriends. 

“I swear I didn’t mean to hit her. I was showing her why she needed to put her hands up. I didn’t think that she would actually not pay attention,” Natasha says, but it was too late. Carol and Diana were already chasing her around the training room.

“Can you please tell your girlfriends to not kill my girlfriend?” Dinah says to you.

“Yeah, sorry. This happens whenever they think I am being threaten. I am impressed because this is the longest they have chased someone. Normally they would have caught the person by now” You and Dinah laugh together.

“Yeah, that’s my badass girlfriend” Dinah admires Natasha’s ass that is being chased.

“Babes! Babes stop! She didn’t mean to. I wasn’t paying attention to what she was showing me. I was too busy admiring two angels walking in,” You say, then Diana and Carol stop dead in their tracks, awwing at you.

“Works every time,” you whisper to Dinah, smirking. 

“Now, can we go home so I can cuddle with you two?” You say to your girlfriends, pouting.

“Of course, sweetie,” Diana says while she and Carol walk over to you.

“I call being the middle spoon,” you say, jumping in place and feeling kiss each side of your cheek.

Masterlist

[jensky2000]

In case you haven't heard, I started a new fanfic on AO3. It's a WIP. The first 5 chapters are posted. More to come in two weeks. (or less.) A wee peek below ⬇️ (Readers can attest. Nothing is what it seems in this story.)

"I Love Her First"

In a small three block radius in Glasgow, Scotland, Claire owns a flower shop and Jamie is a firefighter. Claire and Jamie are best friends and roommates. Claire is in a relationship with Frank. Jamie is happily single. Claire and Jamie's friendship is different than most, but it works for them. When things progress with her and Frank, Jamie has to admit to his real feelings before it's too late.

Chapter 1 "The Firefighter"

I set both slow cookers to low. It will be ready before dinner break with plenty of time to spare. I can see everything from the top floor of the firehouse. The sun is well over the horizon. The shops are open, and a few people meander along the street. Howie, Mr. Johnson’s son, parks in the fire lane in front of his father’s shop. He has been warned a dozen times for that. Agnes across the street waters her flower boxes. She lets them overflow while she waits to catch a glimpse of Mr. Johnson. Her neighbor will complain about the puddles on the sidewalk. It’s a very quiet and predictable neighborhood. Quiet is good and it has been all night. The rest of my crew are sleeping. I have an hour before dayshift shows up. I make myself comfortable on the couch and flip through the channels. My phone buzzes next to me. I tap on the screen. My roommate.

Claire: Sorry I used the last of the milk for my coffee. Could you maybe pick some up on your way home. Please. You know I hate shopping for food. Also Frank is picking me up at the shop for an early dinner before he leaves.

Jamie: I will pick up milk and anything else we need. Send me a list. Have fun with Frank.

Have fun with Frank. Frank and fun do not belong in the same sentence. She loves him. And she’s my best friend and roommate so of course I need to be supportive. Frank and Claire have been together since our final year at Uni. Frank is older. She met him at a party. Ironically the one party Claire went without me. I was on a date. If I was there, things would have played out differently. I would have steered Claire away from Frank. It’s not that I don’t like him. Not at all. He’s fine. He’s just Frank. She can do much better.

Claire: You’re the best. See you later.

Hm. I drop the phone next to me and find a mindless show to pass the time.

I must have dozed off because before I know it I hear the banging of the lockers downstairs. “Jamie, my boy. You’ve done it again. Smells incredible. What is it?” Dougal, the fire chief, deep voice echoes in the quiet lounge.

“My Ma’s beef stew. I may have tweaked the recipe. Threw in some extra spices.” I stretch and look at my watch. “In 7 hours turn the knob to ‘keep warm’. You’ll be all set to eat.”

He searches the counter. “Did you make the biscuits too?”

“Aye. They’re in the fridge with instructions.”

“Ah you’ve done good, kid. Now get out of here.” He pats me on the back. I take one step towards the door and the alarm blasts. Dougal rushes to his office. I follow him and lean against the door frame.

He looks up from the screen. “Fire at Sullivans Bakery. We got this. Go.”

“You sure?”

“Go. You need your sleep.” He waves me off. I grab my things and run down the back stairs to stay out of the way. The sirens blare loud enough to alert the whole neighborhood and surrounding ones too. I head in the direction of the flat that Claire and I have shared for the past four years. It’s three blocks from the firehouse. I stop at the corner store to pick up milk and a few other things. My phone buzzes. Another text from Claire reminding me to feed DB. Our cat. Claire named him David Beckham. I quickly shortened it to DB. I climb the stairs to our top floor flat and open the door. Immediately I feel stifled. Claire likes it a balmy 74 degrees year-round. I on the other hand prefer it frigid. I lower the temp and climb into bed with the tv remote..

Hours later, I wake to the sound of my alarm. The remote sits on the bed next to me. I was asleep before I even had a chance to watch the morning news. The tv hums quietly on the wall across from me. I scroll through the channels. Station after station no mention of the early morning fire at the bakery. It’s in the other direction of Claire’s flower shop so no worries there. I pick up my phone. A bunch of missed texts. Claire sent me a picture of a flower arrangement. She does that when she’s particularly proud of one. A text from Rupert going into great detail about the fire this morning. Electrical. Everyone is safe. That’s the important part. Another text from Chloe canceling our plans for tonight. Time to get up. I shower, throw on a t-shirt and gym shorts. DB naps comfortably on the windowsill. I order a pizza. Half pepperoni. Half plain.

I settle on the couch with the pizza on the coffee table and beer in my hand. The doorknob wiggles. Claire. She always has trouble with the lock. I hear voices. She didn’t bring Frank here, did she? She wouldn’t do that. Not since last time and that disaster. She pushes the door open and quickly closes it. She’s alone. I can relax.

She whispers, “Mrs. Cook is such a talker. I lied and said I wasn’t feeling well to get away.” She looks at the pizza then back to me. “Why are you here?”

“Pfft. Hello to you too, Claire.” I take a swig of beer and take in her outfit for the first time. Sleeveless, tight black dress emphasizing her generous curves, bare legs. I quickly focus on something else before she catches me.

She throws her bag on the counter. “Tsk. You’re cranky.”

“My date canceled.”

“What was her name again?”

I grunt. “Chloe.”

“Aw. Why did she cancel?” She sits next to me on the couch.

“She didn’t say. It was a second date. No big deal. I wasn’t that into her.”

“That’s right. She was the low talker. Played with her hair too much.”

“Mm hm.” I reach forward to take another slice of pepperoni and offer her a slice of plain. She takes it happily. Her tongue moistens her lips after the first bite. She groans and leans forward to see the top of the box. Her dress rides a little higher. Now I’m licking my lips. She hums, “Antonio’s. You went all out tonight.”

She settles in next to me. We sit shoulder to shoulder. “How’s Frank?” I ask because I should.

“Frank. He’s good.” She takes a bite and snuggles closer. I glance at the goosebumps on her thighs. The air is too cold. That will be the next thing she says. “What’s the temperature in here?”

“Don’t you worry about that.” I mumble and close the pizza box. I stretch my legs out on the coffee table, and she does the same. I follow the lines of her long legs. “Frank was ok with you wearing those?” I point to her strappy black stilettos.

“No. Of course he wasn’t. I was eyeball to eyeball with him. I might have been even a little taller. Whatever. They look cute with the dress.”

“Mm hm.” I agree and laugh at something on tv.

“Oh shit. I just remembered what I wanted to tell you!” She grabs my forearm. “Frank wants to get a tattoo. Can you believe it?”

“Uh no. Frank. Christ no. What and where?”

“The symbol for doctors. Whatever they call that…on his bicep. He’ll never go through with it.” She shrugs. “It’s a pity. I do think they’re sexy.”

“You do?”

“Oh yea. Major turn on.”

“Really? Do you think I should get one?”

She twists her body to face mine. “Hm. I think one right here would be hot.” She places her hand on my left pec and squeezes. “Your fire station number or truck. Flames. Or…” She traces a design with her fingertip. I grab her wrist and kiss the inside.

Her breath catches. “Jamie.”

“Claire.” I hold her gaze.

“What are you thinking?” She bats her lashes.

“I’m thinking my date cancelled. Frank’s gone. It’s still early.  I thought maybe we could…” I waggle my eyebrows.

She holds back a smile. “I mean we’ve already seen all the latest releases on Netflix.”

“True. And you’ve been stressed with work and such.” I toy with the hem of her skirt.

“It does relax me. Will you go down on me?”

“Aye. If you like…” My cock twitches.

“I like.” She giggles. I stretch my neck and ask for her mouth. She holds up her finger. “Ah ah. You know the rules. No kissing.”

“Claire.” She has all these stupid rules. No kissing. No sleeping in the same bed. Not during the day. She used to make me shut the lights too. I got that one overturned. I want to see her.

“Jamie.” She gives me a stern look.

“Fine. Take your panties off.”

She stands before me and raises her dress. Tiny black lace panties. A scrap of fabric. A thrill runs through me knowing Frank hadn’t a clue what his lass had on under her dress. But I do. Fuck I do. I salivate knowing what comes next. She pushes them over her hips. I slide to the floor and rest my head back on the cushions.

“Sit on my face, Claire.” My voice is hoarse with desire. She straddles me and lowers her body until she meets my mouth. I have the best view in Glasgow. No. The world. She holds onto the back of the couch and rides my face. I’m relentless. I want her to come and quick because I’m aching for my turn. I clasp onto her hips and double my efforts. She calls out. Nothing incoherent either. She’s very clear. My name followed by instructions. It’s a major turn on. I don’t care if the whole building can hear us. Yeah our neighbors suspect something. Frank doesn’t. That’s all the matters. Because if he found out I fuck his girlfriend, she would end this. And that cannot happen.

“Oh God, Jamie. Yes. Yes. Don’t stop.” She holds my head in place as she comes all over my chin. I lick up every last drop. She moans. “Christ. You’re so good at that….”

I pant, “Get down here and ride me.”

“Don’t you want me to return the favor?” She moistens her lips. I’m tempted. Very tempted.

“Next time. You’re tight and soaking wet. I want to be in you.” I push my gym shorts down. My cock springs free. “Get on.”

She raises her eyebrows. “Condom.” I open the coffee table drawer and she takes one out of the small box hidden in the back. We learned a long time ago to keep them close by. She rips the wrapper off with her teeth and covers my cock. She lowers herself down taking me whole. My head rolls back. I pull her dress off and undo her bra. She likes to stay covered. I’m not having it. I like her breasts bouncing in my face.

"Did you feed remember to feed DB?" She changes her angle. Christ.

I grunt. "Yes. I fed him."

"I'm worried about him. He's moving slower than normal." She pants as she picks up the pace.

"He seems fine to me."

“Jamie.”

“What?”

“I’m going to come again.” She bucks her hips furiously.

“Ok, so?”

“I didn’t want to catch you off guard. Then you’ll get excited and it will end too soon. You hate that.” She never stops riding me. We’ve gotten very good at having full conversations while fucking.

“I do. But contrary to what you think, I do know when you’re close. There’s no catching me off guard.”

“You know?”

“Aye. Your walls squeeze my cock so tight sometimes I think you are going to break it off.” I smirk. “There’s other signs too.”

“Like what?”

Careful. “Other stuff.”

“Tell me.”

“You make noises.” And your face has the sweetest, sexiest expression sometimes I think about it when I’m not with you, and I get hard.

“I do not.” She pouts. It’s too cute. I lift her up and slam her down. My balls are getting tight.

“Oh aye. And loud too.”

“Do I feel like I’m close now?”

“No. But I can make you.” I bite my lip and sit up straight until her legs spread wider. I take her nipple in my mouth and suck hard. She whimpers and her head rolls back. That’s it. There we go.

“Oh Jamie. Yes.”

“You’re tight and very close. Ride me and we’ll come together.” And she does. My balls ache. She’s going to have rug burn at this rate. “That’s it, lass.”

She frowns.

“I mean, Claire.” I give her a tight smile. She laughs. It does something. It vibrates through her. Through me. There we go. Her mouth pops open. I’m tempted to kiss her. As I always am. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s only natural. I slam her down one last time. We both call out. I can almost hear our neighbors cursing us out.

I rest my head on her shoulder while we catch our breath. She goes to pull away. I bite her. “Jamie! Let go.”

I release my grip. She stands and walks away still wearing her stilettos. I watch from the living room floor. She’s right. It’s never long enough and I hate it. She tosses me a box of tissues and a water bottle before she enters her bedroom. Minutes later I hear her shower running. I would join her if this was more than sex but it’s not.

[ahsoka-its-all-of-us]

On another Rebels rewatch and gods alive Through Imperial Eyes is gripping my heart ;-;

Kallus waking up from an alarm outside. How often do you think that happens? Had the poor man just fallen asleep only to be brutally shaken out of it again?

Also the way he opens his eyes and immediately gets up and checks the situation. Some people are useless in the morning; Alexsandr Kallus is not one of them.

The fact that he’s wearing his full uniform including the gloves (and has his hair perfectly styled) indicates that either he’s so overworked that he just fell asleep like that, or he legit doesn’t own any sleeping clothes and sleeps in uniform so he’s always at the ready in case the Empire needs him. Both options fucking break my heart damn ;-;

His reaction to Ezra calling him “Imperial scum”. The slight flinch. Is he actually hurt by that? Is it because he still views himself as such?

Lyste has been stationed on Lothal for years. Surely he would know what its biggest rebel threats look like? Is the man incompetent or just really bad at recognising faces?

Kallus’s complete astonishment at the idea of Ezra getting captured to warn him, and him not even considering the possibility of Ezra coming to get him out omggg ;-; The Empire clearly doesn’t care about him, so naturally he assumes the Rebellion doesn’t either fuck 😭

Ezra claims not to trust Kallus, but immediately upon being alone together he turns his back on him so Kallus can take off his bindings, before Kallus has shown any intention of doing so. Seems pretty trusting to me ngl

“I’ll be executed for treason!” and Kallus knew that from the moment he first became Fulcrum. He’s been shown to be cool in the face of danger, to be well aware of the risks of what he’s doing and doing it anyway. I think the reason he’s so pissed at Ezra seeking him out isn’t that he fears for his own safety; him keeping his cover is essential for his work as a rebel spy, and he doesn’t want that jeopardised.

“I could say the same to you.” That broke me. Because of his treason, Kallus has no one he can trust. No one. He may have switched sides, but that doesn’t mean the Rebellion trusts him. He’s well and truly alone, and he knows it.

Kanan and Rex being part of the rescue mission as well means that this is a serious operation. They want to extract Kallus, their former nemesis. The moment they realise his life’s in danger they all just jump into action. And fuck you just know Zeb is going insane that he can’t join them. He’s probably the one who talked them into the mission in the first place.

Fuck Kallus is tall 😳

Kallus’s reaction to Yularen 🥹 Little boy just wanting to be acknowledged by what was probably the closest thing he had to a father figure in the Academy, that’s both adorable and sad ;-;

They actually wanna bring Kallus back to Atollon. That shows that, whatever Ezra says, they trust him. You don’t bring a high-ranked enemy officer to the heart of your operations unless you’re convinced he won’t betray you.

“We all make sacrifices.” He says it sarcastically to Ezra complaining about his uniform, but you can hear there’s a deeper level behind it. Kallus is sacrificing everything, his convictions, his position, likely his life, for the Rebellion. And he’s not expecting a thank you, he’s not complaining, so Ezra shouldn’t either.

Kallus reprograms Thrawn’s assassin droids on the fly. That’s fucking impressive damn 👀

Kallus’s conviction when he tells Ezra there’s been a change of plans tells me he never intended to leave with him in the first place. As soon as he’d gotten over the shock over having a rescue mission sent for him, he must have been figuring out this plan to frame Lyste so he could remain undetected, or something close to it.

Ezra is probably just worrying about what the hell he’s gonna tell Zeb when they return without Kallus.

The betrayal in Lyste’s eyes and words as he’s being dragged away and Kallus watching him ;-; Kallus knows he’s likely going to be executed, or at least imprisoned for as long as Thrawn doesn’t know who the real Fulcrum is. Because he knows Thrawn won’t buy it, not for long. You can see it in his eyes when he leaves Thrawn’s office.

Kallus’s reprogramming of Thrawn’s droids is so skilful that Thrawn does not believe it was possible without Ezra's Jedi powers. That’s how good the man is.

Yularen’s disbelief of Kallus’s treason is adorable ;-; He did feel like a bit of a papa to Kallus as well after all 🥺

Also I just wanna point out one parallel: this is the second time Kallus refuses to leave a life-threatening situation to go with the Ghost crew. But this time the rescue party came for him, and this time they show that he’s wanted ;-;

[iamleesi]

THE HUNTERS & THE SOLDIER

Pairing: Avenger! Bucky Barnes x OC! Avenger Reader

Summary: You and Bucky think there’s something the brothers are hiding. You and Dean go to investigate and let’s just say you leave the scene feeling worse than before.

Warnings: Mention of a missing person, mention of an alcoholic, creepy stuff.

Other: English isn’t my first language so I apologize for eventual mistakes. -> 18+ !!

-> Masterlist

-> Part two ; Part four

-> Investigation (03)

As the shrill sound of the alarm pierced silence of the morning, you groaned and reluctantly cracked open your eyes. God, if you were tired. You and Bucky had spent the whole previous night with Sam and Dean, talking about the case and getting to know each other a little better. It had been a bit awkward, though, because Bucky didn’t even try to look interested and you weren’t really the social butterfly either.

But those two? Dean was about as social as a dead snake and Sam… at least Sam tried. But it was kind of hard considering the evident fight the two brothers had going on, whatever the reason was.

Tossing aside the sheets, you swung your legs over the edge of the bed, your feet meeting the cold hardwood floor. The sunlight filtered through the curtains and you lazily rubbed your eyes and got up, walking towards the bathroom to take a quick shower.

You didn’t sleep much last night, as your mind kept reminding you of the case you were working on. You had dealt with Hydra-related missions before, but never like this. And for some reason, this time you felt a shiver run down your spine every time you thought about it.

You walked downstairs all refreshed, even if you wouldn’t be opposite to hop into bed once again, and the scent of coffee filled the rooms. You figured it must have been Bucky, since the spot on the couch where he slept on last night was empty. He had refused to sleep in the same bed as you and, honestly, you didn’t comply much. No reason to make the situation more awkward than it already was.

As you walked into the kitchen, your eyes immediately fell on Bucky who was engrossed in the files of the case spread out on the table.

You cleared your throat, breaking the silence as you sat down a few seats away from him. “Morning.”

Bucky glanced up, almost as if he didn’t even hear you walk in. But you know he did, he was just not acknowledging you. “Took you long enough.” He muttered.

You rolled your eyes as you poured yourself some coffee, frowning when you noticed some muffins on the table as well. “Who are those from?”

“I bought them this morning.” He grunted. “As a sweet husband buying breakfast for his wife.”

“Mrs Barnes appreciates.” You mocked him, as you didn’t think twice about eating one of those delicious muffins. You were starving without even realizing. “Anything new?” You asked, referring to the files.

“No.” He simply said. “But I think those two are hiding something.” He admitted, and that made you frown.

“Who? Sam and Dean?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, his eyes finding yours. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice their behavior yesterday. They’re also related, Fury never sends siblings on a mission together since it could compromise the whole thing if feelings are involved.”

“I did notice, that’s why I called Fury.” You said. “He told me they’re good in what they do and that he had no other options.”

“Sounds weird.” He muttered.

“Very. But Fury knows what he’s doing, so… let’s just go with the flow.” You shrugged, biting the chocolate muffin. “Mrs Barnes would also love some pizza tonight.” You hinted, smirking at his annoyed expression.

“Eat that quickly because Dean is taking you on a trip today.” He rolled his eyes at you, getting up. “Should be here anytime now, I met him early this morning.”

“Uh?”

“He insisted on taking you to interrogate Cassandra’s family today, the nurse. See if you can find a lead or something.” He explained.

“Wasn’t I supposed to be the stay at home wife?” You raises a brown but didn’t complain. You could never complain if it meant trying to solve this case and go back home as soon as possible.

“Change of plans.”

“And you? What are you doing today?” You inquired. Knowing him, he’d never stay at home doing nothing.

“Sam’s gonna come over. There are a few files of missing people we need to look at.”

* * * *

You and Dean stood in front Cassandra’s parents’ house, both of you dressed formally for this. He gave you a fake badge that you had no idea how he got, but didn’t pry as it wasn’t the right time. He adjusted his tie, before turning to look at you. “Ready?” His voice was low, and he wanted to make sure you both were on the same page before starting.

Your nod was all he needed before he ran the bell, the sound was heard even from the outside.

It didn’t take long for someone to open the door, and soon enough it cracked open revealing Mrs Miller’s tear-streaked face. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her expression a mix of grief and suspicion.

“What do you want?” She snapped looking mostly at you rather than him, her voice full of bitterness.

Dean flashed his badge and the action reminded you to do the same, his expression remained stoic mirroring your own. “Mrs Miller, we’re the with the FBI. We need to ask you a few questions about your daughter.”

“Stepdaughter.” She clarified. The woman’s gaze flickered between the both of you, her demeanor was guarded which was rather suspicious. Or maybe it was just grief and she wanted to be left alone, you didn’t know. “I’ve already told the police everything I know. I don’t have time for this.”

You stepped forward as soon as you understood that she was about to close the door. “We understand this is a difficult time for you, Mrs Miller, but we’re here to know more about Cassandra. We want to bring her home.”

“Just…” The woman hesitated for a moment before reluctantly stepping aside, allowing you and Dean to walk inside. “Be quick.”

As you and him stepped over the threshold, you took your time to see your surrounding which weren’t exactly what you expected. Inside, the atmosphere was stagnant. You could see that all the windows in your sight were locked and dusty, which is something you didn’t notice from the outside.

At each step you took towards the living room, the flower beneath your weight cracked. The furniture was dusty, clearly untouched in a long, long time and the cobwebs hung from the ceiling - they almost occupied every angle of the house. The thing that really made you shiver were those pictures hanged on the walls.

The faces of Cassandra’s family starred back at you, their eyes seemed cold and lifeless. There was something off about the way they were arranged, but you couldn’t wrap your head around what it was.

You and Dean sat down onto the worn couch of the dusty living room, the tension could be cut with a knife. Mrs Miller hovered nearby, her movements seemed stiff and unnatural like a marionette being pulled by invisible strings.

On one side, you could understand. This woman had lost her only daughter just a few days ago - even if there were no proof she was dead, both you and Dean suspected it and maybe she thought so too.

Still, you knew something wasn’t quite right with the oldest woman.

Dean’s voice cut through the silence and the tense atmosphere as he began to ask questions about Cassandra’s whereabouts, his tone firm yet empathetic. “Can you tell us about Cassandra’s routine? Did she mention anything unusual happening to her the days before she went missing?” 

Mrs Miller shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes flickering for the slightest moment towards the staircase. “She - she was always so independent. She didn’t have - she didn’t tell me much about her comings and goings.” Not once she met his eyes. Nor yours. “She - she had - she had an ex boyfriend I think.”

You saw it then. There was a guardedness in her response, as if she was scared to say the wrong thing and spill too much information.

“Can you think of anyone who wanted to harm Cassandra in anyway?” You inquired, your eyes fixed solely on her. “Maybe this ex boyfriend of hers?“

Mrs Miller’s gaze shifted nervously between you and the man at your side, but when you spoke up her eyes locked onto yours with an intensity that sent a chill down your spine. Nothing ever scared you, but this somehow felt almost supernatural. “Adam was - is - was - an alcoholic. Yes, yes he is an alcoholic.”

“Can you tell us more about their relationship?” You asked, trying to keep your tone neutral.

Mrs Miller’s lips tightened, her eyes staring into yours - she seemed to despise you. She looked at Dean normally, but whenever she turned to look at you it felt like she wanted to come for your neck. “Why do you want to know about - about Adam? What does he have to do with any of this - leave him alone! Please leave him alone!”

“Mrs Miller, we’re not accusing anyone. We just want to know more about Cassandra.” Dean said softly, trying to calm her down.

Her eyes widened, her breath coming in shallow gasps. “She - she was always so careful. Always looked over her shoulders - oh, he needs to eat, do you mind letting him eat?” She started to ramble incoherent words after wards, which left both you and Dean momentarily speechless. “He needs to eat now - it’s the voices. Always whispering - he needs to eat. Always - I need to feed him… where’s my husband? My husband, where’s my husband?”

“It’s best if we leave, Dean.” You whispered as Mrs Miller’s sanity became thinner by the second.

The look she gave you felt almost threatening, as if you had asked something way too personal. “No. He needs to eat.” She said sternly. “Everyone in this family loved her. Everyone. Everyone.” She started to nervously pinch her arm, and you wondered if perhaps you asked the wrong thing. “Everyone loved her.” She repeated again, as if it was a mantra.

Dean was about to say something when you all heard a sudden noise from upstairs, a sharp bang that reverberated through the quiet house. It happened once, then twice and then it transformed to something that you associated with someone scratching wood.

“We should take a look upstairs.” Dean said, keeping his voice slow and steady considering that woman seemed to be getting worse by the second.

In fact, without any of you two saying another word, her composure began to crack; her breathing became more ragged and erratic. Then, without you could comprehend what the fuck was going on, she erupted into a fit of hysterical laughter, the sound echoing off the walls like a sinister symphony.

Before you or Dean could react, Mrs Miller rose to her feet in an instant, her movements were frenetic and unpredictable. “You can’t help her! No one can!” Her laugh intensified if possible.

You wish to say you never assisted to something like this before, but you’d lie. Your composure in front of her meltdown was something that would leave people questioning whether you were sane yourself or not.

“Mrs Mil-”

The woman cut him off in an instant. “You need to leave! You can’t help her!” She yelled, her voice echoing through the house and the cracks on the walls.

From the corner of your eye, you saw Dean wanting to interviene but you were quick to grab his arm. “Dean.” You warned, your voice low as the woman started to throw things around. “Let’s go.”

With one last glance at the crazy woman before you, Dean nodded - to your surprise, he had that same look on your face. He didn’t seem fazed by what was happening which left you with a few questions. Together you made your way to the door with Mrs Miller hysterical screams echoing in your ears. 

You two stepped out of there closing the door behind you. Without a word you walked towards his car, but you suddenly stopped in your tracks - slowly, almost as if you felt someone watching you, you turned around again. Your eyes drifted to the upstairs window and your blood ran cold.

In the dim light, a shadowy figure loomed from behind the window; it’s form distorted and twisted. It seemed to sway ominously as if taunting you from the darkness. That thing stared back at you with those empty eyes - literally empty eyes, and your legs refused to move.

Dean followed your gaze, his jaw clenched. “It’s not my imagination, is it?” He muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

“No.” You answered, your voice not louder than his.

You felt him grab your arm, and the next thing you knew is that he pulled you inside the car and drove away from the house - and you swore you were still feeling those empty eyes on you even when you were far away from it.

[heyitsyav]

Every day is leg day

Sambucky ficlet || ~1200 words || rated M-ish (Complete ficlet under the cut, or read on AO3.)

Bucky is by far the best bench spotter Sam’s ever had. He always has time to spare (seeing as he doesn’t actually have to work out himself), he knows the difference between being motivational and being mean (and toes the line expertly), and in a pinch he can snatch a three hundred pound bar up in the blink of an eye one-handed (while scrolling idly on his phone with the other).

Bucky is also by far the worst bench spotter Sam’s ever had, because it means having his face inches away from Bucky’s junk for minutes at a time, making it damn near impossible to focus on the task at hand.

This becomes painfully evident when he loses himself in the way he can just about make out the shape of Bucky through the loose shorts, gets distracted to the point where he forgets all about positioning and suddenly finds himself straining up from the bench. He checks himself, feels the bar slip for a fraction of a second, and then Bucky’s there to take the weight of it as easily as if it were a bamboo stick.

“You asleep Wilson?” Bucky asks, putting the bar back down on the rack. “Ass against the bench, this ain’t an aerobics class.”

“Maybe my ass is sore, Bucky,” Sam says. “And oh, gee, I wonder whose fault that is.”

Bucky grins down at him; he’s probably thinking about what they did last night, so now of course Sam’s thinking about it. About that, and about every other night this week. And this morning. And, like, half an hour ago in the locker room.

“Didn’t hear you complaining yesterday,” Bucky says, confirming Sam’s suspicions. 

“Is that right?" Sam says, feigning surprise. "No, I reckon you just couldn’t hear me on account of you being loud enough to trigger the external alarm, waking up the whole damn compound. I guess they were already awake, actually.”

Bucky’s grin widens, and Sam smiles back at Bucky for a moment, until he suddenly notices–not a noise, but rather the absence of one. He frowns, and Bucky does too, and as one, they turn their heads to look at Yelena, who’s sitting on a now-idle rowing machine, face in hand, gazing back at them.

“No, no, don’t let me interrupt you,” she says, waving dismissively. “You’re both so sweet. So sweet. This is like eating caramel. You’ll give me a toothache, you know.”

“How long have you been listening in on this very private conversation?” Sam asks, sitting up.

“The gym is for everyone, no?” Yelena says innocently. “Or do you need to be ‘a real Avenger’,” she goes on in a mocking voice, scratching the inverted commas into the air.

“Why are you even here?” Bucky asks bluntly. “Shouldn’t you be on your way to Belgrade?”

“So rude, Barnes,” Yelena tuts. “The baby bird promised me a ride, so I’m waiting,” she says, shrugging.

“Eavesdropping is rude,” Bucky says. He pats Sam on the shoulder. “Come on, time to crush that leg press record. On the other side of the room,” he adds loudly.

“Waiting for a ride my ass,” Bucky mutters when they get out of earshot. “Bet you anything she’s been spying on us from day one.”

“She is Natasha’s sister,” Sam says, and no, it wouldn’t surprise him either, but it’s not like she didn’t already know he and Bucky were sleeping together. Often and loudly. “Ride your ass, huh,” he says then, reaching over to slap Bucky’s backside.

“Any time you like, sugar.”

“I know something else I could ride,” Sam says.

Bucky freezes mid-step at that. “Wanna get out of here?” he asks.

“No skipping leg day, you know that,” Sam says calmly.

“Every day is leg day to you,” Bucky complains.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, Bucky, and neither were these,” Sam says, motioning at his thighs.

Bucky mutters something about Sam holding out on him, then proceeds to put Sam through the most punishing routine in weeks, pushing him to break that leg press record by almost fifty pounds, piles on weights on the leg curl machine until Sam’s calves are aching, then taunts him into doing squats until he collapses on a yoga mat, thighs burning so bad they almost feel cold.

“Fuck me,” he groans.

“I’ve been trying to,” Bucky says, sitting down next to him.

“Yeah, about that,” Sam begins, but is interrupted by Torres walking in through the door and up to them.

“Have you guys seen Belova?” he asks. “She asked me to meet her here.”

Sam looks around–he hadn’t noticed Yelena leaving.

“She was here earlier,” he says. “She probably hit the showers.”

“Oh,” Torres says. The single syllable somehow manages to suggest that he’s now contemplating that statement in great detail. Then he shakes his head briefly and looks down at Sam and Bucky again. “Good sesh?” he asks.

“Crushed a pb or two,” Bucky says. “Sam benched three hundred pounds.”

“Nice,” Joaquín says, eyebrows flying up.

“Gonna regret it in the morning,” Sam says, elbowing himself up from the mat to sit up properly.

“How much do you bench, Barnes?” Torres asks then. “I mean, it’s gotta be–”

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Bucky cuts him off.

“What, you mean you’ve never tried? Like, never tested the limits?”

“Nope.”

“Are you serious?”

Bucky rolls his eyes, but Torres seems to take no notice.

“Okay,” he goes on, “but would you reckon it’s more like a thousand pounds or two thousand, or… I mean, A car? Could you bench a car? Have you ever lifted a car?”

“Joaquín, shut the hell up or I’ll bench you. From the next mission.”

For a second, Joaquín looks genuinely terrified, and Sam bumps his elbow into Bucky’s side.

“First off, that’s not your call, Buck,” he says, then turns to Torres. “Secondly, he can bench me and that’s all that really matters.”

“Damn straight,” Bucky says, leaning over to drag his teeth playfully across Sam’s shoulder.

“Oh my god,” Torres says, and turns on his heel to flee the scene.

“Thought he’d never leave,” Bucky murmurs, kissing his way down Sam’s arm.

“We’re still in the gym, Bucky,” Sam points out.

“So what.”

“Other people are free to come and go.”

“At their peril,” Bucky says, and as if to drive home his point, he puts two fingers on Sam’s jaw, turning Sam’s face towards him and leans in for a proper kiss, one that definitely makes Sam want to give up on leg presses and move on to more, well, pressing matters.

“You’re a menace,” Sam says, putting a stern finger across Bucky’s lips. “And we should continue this conversation upstairs.”

“Yeah we should,” Bucky says, then grabs Sam’s thigh and squeezes it gently. “And you promised you’d ride me, don’t think I forgot.”

Sam winces, Bucky’s grip making his muscles burn all over again, as soft as it is. “I don’t know, babe,” he says, apologetic. “My legs are actually honest-to-god killing me.”

Bucky stands up and pulls Sam to his feet, smiling briefly at how Sam’s legs tremble a little. “Sweetheart, I can probably hip thrust as much as I bench,” he says. “I promise, you won’t have to move a muscle.”

[justforfunfic]

Drinks & Dates

Summary: Using the prompts “Can you come get me?” and “You’re not really dating him” 

You’ve recently broken up with your boyfriend but he doesn’t get the message. Maybe fake dating his coworker will finally make him realize that you're really over? That is, if your friend doesn’t get to him first. 

Pairing: Sandor Clegane x reader

Genre: Modern AU

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: none 

A/N: Meryn is not the creep he is in the books/show but he is what he’s always been: a loser

Part 1

______________________________________________________________

“You can’t keep doing this,” you sighed. You would’ve yelled if you weren’t so tired. This was what, the third or fourth time he’d done this?

“You said you were done with your dinner plans with your friend at 8:30,” Your ex Meryn said. “You also said we could hangout.”

You shook your head as you went to put on your shoes and grab a jacket. It was 8:25.

“No. I said I was leaving at 8:30 because I had plans for dinner with a friend,” Before he could argue, you added, “Reread my text.”

He did and “my bad” was all he could think to say.

You were exasperated. Did he really not see an issue with showing up at your apartment? You had told him that they could hang out anytime today but that you had plans at 8:30. 

“You have to leave,” You demanded

“What friend is it?”

“Does it matter?”

Before you could reply, there was a knock on the door. You rolled your eyes and went to get it. On the other side of the door was Rosa, your close friend. She wore a short, tight dress that made your halter top and very short shorts look conservative.

“Who is it?” Meryn asked.

Rosa walked in, saw your ex on the couch, and shook her head at you.

“I don’t want to hear it,” You said, knowing you’d both talk about it in the Uber. “I have to pee and then we can go.”

“Okay, I’ll order the Uber,” Rosa said as she began to make small talk with Meryn. When you walked out, finally ready to leave, Meryn tested your patience again.

“Do you want me to leave?”

What kind of question was that? Sensing your train of thought, he continued speaking.

“I’ve stayed here before. Even when you go out for girls' night.”

“No!” You half-yelled. The nerves on this man. “I have to set the alarm and you need to go.”

Meryn awkwardly shuffled to the door, trying to offer you a hug but the look on your face dissuaded him. Once he made his way to his car, you and Rosa stepped out of the apartment and you set the alarm. 

“Why was Meryn here?” Rosa asked on their walk to the Uber. 

Shaking your head and stepping in, you replied, “Where do I start?”

“Is this not the first time?”

“No, and I don’t know why-”

“What’s the code?” The Uber driver interrupted. He was an older man, in his early forties, if you had to guess.

“2358,” Rosa said with a smile. The man smiled back at her as the directions pulled up.

“You two are headed to Herry’s?” He asked rhetorically and Rosa smiled again, “It’s busy on a Saturday.”

“That’s why we’re going. We love the music and the dancing.”

“Hoping to have a good time?”

“Always,” She giggled a little. Her bubbly and flirtatious personality made it easy for her to talk to people, especially men. “Do you know of any other good spots to hit on a Saturday night?”

“Probably not places for young women to dance,” he admitted, looking over their outfits in the rearview mirror, “But if you get tired of the people and the crowds, you should head to Jeff’s. It’s got a live band and cheap beer and it’s a great place to wind down and end the night.”

“Really?”

“Yep. The crowd there is a bit older and a tad quieter, but as long as you don’t go in there making a scene, you should be fine.”

“Thank you,” Rosa said as the driver pulled to the curb in front of Herry’s. She leaned up before getting out and using an innocent tone added, “And just so you know, I never make a scene.”

You waited for your friend to stop flirting with the driver, eager to complain about Meryn and get a much-needed drink. 

The first thing you did while inside was make your way to the bar across the massive room. It was crowded, so Rosa grabbed your hand so as to not be separated in the sea of people. The music poured from the speakers and people were dancing in the center of the room. The two of you couldn’t wait to join. Ordering four shots, two for each of you, Rosa asked, “So what’s with you and Meryn?”

You took your first shot, “I honestly don’t know anymore.”

“I thought the two of you broke up. I thought you dumped him.”

“I did!” You said defensively.

“Then why was he at your apartment?” Rosa’s eyes widened, “Are you two hooking up?”

“What? No! I dumped him two weeks ago, and he keeps wanting to hang out and do things together. I don’t think he’s accepted that we’re over.”

Rosa nodded. The relationship had been over for you for a while and she knew it. You had talked to Rosa several times about dumping Meryn before. He never put in the effort you did, never texted first, and never cared about going to the farmers market with you, or on dates, or celebrating Valentines Day. The list got longer the longer you dated. But whenever you brought up the issues or told him that you would leave if things didn’t get better, he always made excuses and promised to get his act together. He never did.

This time was different though. You had the suspicion that Meryn was cheating on you. When you told Rosa, your friend suggested confronting him or catching him in the act, either by catfishing him or finding the other woman. You declined, finally deciding to end the relationship once and for all. 

“How did he take it when you told him?” Rosa asked, having been out of town for the past month.

“I thought he was mature about it. He didn’t really say anything, but he asked if we could still be friends.” “And you said yes?” You couldn’t tell if Rosa’s tone was curious or scolding.

“Well yeah, I figured we could still be friends.” You said in your defense, “But I thought that we’d hang out with some of our mutual friends or maybe catch up over pizza or something. I didn’t think he’d keep showing up to my apartment.”

“You should’ve told him no and gone no contact.”

“I see that now,” You said, taking your second shot and Rosa did the same.

“So why did he come over tonight? Didn’t you tell him that we had plans?”

“Of course I did. I told him I had plans with a friend at 8:30. I thought we might do something sooner— away from my apartment— but he never responded and then showed up ten minutes before you did.”

Rosa shook her head at your acceptance that Meryn could show up at your door rather than tell him off, but she chose to focus on something else.

“Did you say you were out with a friend or me?”

“Does it matter?”

Rosa gave you a look.

“I said a friend, but you are my friend.”

“Maybe,” Rosa smiled and ordered another round of shots to keep you waiting for her next words, “Meryn thought you were going on a date.”

“What?” you scoffed, not really believing that Meryn would believe that. 

“Think about it, you you broke up two weeks go—”

“Two weeks isn’t a long time,”

“But you told him that you had lost feelings a while ago, didn’t you? Beides, he knows you’re a beautiful woman and how many arguments have the two of you gotten into because another man was flirting with you?”

You couldn’t find the words you wanted to respond with and Rosa continued.

“It makes perfect sense that Meryn thought you were on a date, got jealous, and wanted to break it up before it got started.”

You wanted to disagree but couldn’t. Meryn would do something like that. The conversation ended officially when the shots were set out. you and Rosa threw them back quickly.

“Shall we?” Rosa asked, stepping away from the bar and looking over her shoulder. you grinned and followed her to the dance floor.

The two of you danced for hours, but it felt like minutes. At one point, another pair of women joined you and they all danced together. When they left, two men replaced them, but they got too handsy, so you and Rosa left. It was about time anyway, nearing 1:00AM. 

“I’m starving,” Rosa said. You agreed. 

“Waffle House?” You asked. It was you and Rosa’s regular spot after a night out.

Rosa pursued her lips, considering a late night breakfast, but decided against it.

“Let’s go to Jeff’s,” She suggested, “I want to see what makes it so great.”

You nodded in agreement. Fries sounded much better than a waffle right now.

Rosa pulled up the directions on her almost dead phone. The bar was only a ten minute walk from the club, but with how much the two of you had been drinking, it would probably be a twenty minute stumble. Hand in hand, you and Rosa made your way to the Jeff’s.

The driver was right, the crowd was different from the one at the club. The club was full of young adults, mostly college students or recently graduated, like you and Rosa. Most of the people at Jeff’s were older, people anywhere from late twenties to late fifties. In your tight outfits, you and Rosa stood out. Luckily no one paid much attention to the two of you. They were more interested in chatting with each other and listening to the band, which was much quieter than the pounding music at the club.

Finding a table, the two of you picked up a menu. It was typical bar food, burgers, wings, mozzarella sticks. A Waitress swooped by to take an order.

“Hi, I’m Addy,” She introduced herself. “Just so you know, the kitchen closes in about ten minutes and the last call is at 1:45. What can I get you?”

“Can I get some fries and an order of mozzarella sticks, please?” you asked, “And two waters?”

“Of course,” Addy smiled, and you returned it, hoping you didn’t appear too drunk. The cool night air and walking had sobered you up some, but unfortunately, it did not do the same for Rosa.

The waters and food came out in minutes, or at least if felt like minutes but you really couldn’t tell. You looked around people watching, absent-mindedly eating fries and half of one of Rosa’s cheese sticks. She was busy swiping through men on tinder, and you didn’t have the energy to talk right now. Your eyes settled on a man at the bar. He was tall, with a full beard and long, dark hair. Only part of his face was visible. Rosa chose this moment to speak.

“See something you like?” She teased.

“Can you keep your voice down?” You replied, glancing around to see if anyone had heard. Rosa tended to be loud and got louder when she drank. She didn’t mind, but you did. Most of these people were probably regulars and knew each other.

Rosa leaned in and half-whispered, “See someone you like?”

“I think I know him,” You replied, trying not to stare and failing, “He looks so familiar.”

“Why don’t you go talk to him?”

“I don’t want to flirt with him.” That wasn’t completely true, but you would’ve liked to be more sober to talk to a man. Maybe if you’d come earlier in the night, you would’ve been up for it.

Rosa surveyed him through squinted eyes. He was sitting at the bar, but there was no doubt he’d tower over everyone there if he stood up. He had a nice beard, which she knew you’d love. And he was muscular. So much so, she told herself that if you didn’t make a move, she would. 

“I think you should flirt with him. He’d be more than a step above Meryn.” She was right. Meryn was a bit pudgy and a lot shorter.You wanted the conversation about the man at the bar to end. You loved Rosa, but you were also comfortable at where the night was ending.

Rosa hiccuped and swallowed, one of her tell-tale signs that she’ll throw up soon. You flagged down Addy for the check. You still had fries to eat, but you could grab something from the fridge at home. 

“Here you go,” Addy said as she tore the small paper off her notepad, “You pay at the bar,” she smiled and walked away.

Rosa snatched the yellow paper from your hands, “I’ll give this back, if you promise to talk to that hot ass man sitting next to the register.”

You hadn’t noticed where he was sitting, but if Rosa got up to try to pay, she’d probably spill her mozzarella sticks. You went  to take the ticket from her hand.

“Say you will. Or I’ll go talk to him.”

As much as you cared for Rosa, you hated when she got like this, threatening to take a man if you didn’t. And she made good on her threats.

“Fine,” You finally took the ticket, “I’ll talk to him. You call an Uber while I pay.”

You got up from the table and made your way to the register. You waited for someone to meet you and take your card. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the tall man nursing his last beer. It was dark, probably Guinness. You could feel Rosa’s eyes on you, and you wish you could find someone attractive or have a crush without being forced to act on it. 

“Can I help you?” The man asked, taking you by surprise. He didn't turn his head to talk to you, but he spoke with an accent your half-drunk brain couldn’t comprehend.

“Oh, no, not unless you work here,” You joked.

“Well then why do you keep looking at me?” He asked rudely. You couldn’t tell if he really wanted an answer. You paused for what seemed like a moment too long.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” You said half-truthfully. “I just feel like I’ve seen you before.”

“You’d remember if you’d seen me.” The words would’ve sounded cocky if it wasn’t for his somber tone. 

Before you could say anything, a small man appeared from a set of doors and held out his hand for your ticket. You handed it to him.

“I hope Sandor isn’t giving you a hard time,” He said, smiling at you. His nametag read “Terry.”

The man, Sandor, scoffed, earning another smile from Terry. You shook your head and someone yelled for Terry in the kitchen. As you took the receipt, scribbling the tip and your signature, you remembered where you had seen Sandor before.

As he took a swig of his beer, you asked, “You wouldn’t happen to be Sandor Clegane, would you?”

“How many more Sandors are there?” Okay, you knew that definitely was rhetorical.

“I’m sorry,” You found yourself apologizing, “I just realized where I knew you from. You work with my ex boyfriend, Meryn.”

“Meryn,” He repeated. Was that disgust in his voice? “Meryn Trant?”

He turned to face you when he repeated Meryn’s name, and you could see why he told you that you’d remember seeing him. A majority of the other side of his face was covered in a burn scar. You focused on his nice beard instead.

“Unfortunately.”

You gently set the bar’s copy of the receipt and the pen down on the counter. You hoped Sandor would say something else, but Rosa hugged you from behind. She noticed Sandor looking at you and stuck out her hand.

“I’m Rosa,” She said with a big smile. Sandor turned away with huff and eye roll, eliminating any chance of furthering the conversation.

She suppressed a smile as she gave you a who-does-this-guy-think-he-is look.You forced a smile in return. You grabbed her by the arm and gently pulled her away. The Uber was probably there.

You took a few steps before looking over your shoulder, “It was nice to officially meet you, Sandor.”

He looked over his shoulder as well, nodding. Outside, you poured Rosa into the Uber.

[alexanderlightweight]

A group of downworlders choosing to trust in Alec over Clary, Izzy, and Jace. Alec getting recognition for 'his people' slowly but consistently improving relations, making compromises, and keeping promises vs pretty talk that promises the world but will strike you in the back for speaking against them.

Okay so like this went in such a different direction than I thought it would. I really don’t plan out the fics before I write them. Plots have never worked for me.

I see where the veins of the fic are going and try to flow along with them. So I’m not really sure how this ended up over 4k words of unplanned randomness but i hope you enjoy it

Like half of this fic was a complete accident.

—

Izzy seems shocked, the first time a seelie informant ignores her red lipped and heated smile.

Instead they head to Alec, and then stick by him. Watching the rest of the shadowhunters warily until Alec escorts them out of the institute and thanks them for their information.

“What was that?” She hisses and Alec doesn’t understand what is confusing for her.

“My job?” He asks, flatly but he offers the benefit of the doubt and when she sends him a glare and flounces her hair before stalking off, he squints in her direction. “I thought Izzy was still with Simon, is she looking for something new?”

“No idea, buddy.” Jace says but he also is looking a little putout and so Alec ignores it.

If he paid attention to every alarming thing his siblings and their entanglements did, he wouldn’t have time to breathe.

—

It happens again and again until even Clary is getting upset and Alec doesn’t get it.

“I’m more approachable! I have a better personality!” He hears Jace complaining at one point as Alec escorts a werewolf to Cat’s hospital so he can show her to the magical ward.

Alec once again ignores them as Izzy gestures to herself, “have you seen my outfit today?”

And Alec rolls his eyes because his siblings are ridiculous, thinking that people who are scared or in danger are going to focus on appearances.

And Alec knows he’s the least approachable looking, but that’s never been why he’s becoming the preferrence.

“Tell Magnus thank you.” The werewolf tells him, like it was Magnus who escorted her pregnant body to the hospital rather than Alec.

“I will.” Alec promises, because in all honesty, this has nothing to do with him and everything to do with Magnus.

He’s not being picked because he’s the most approachable or the strongest looking shadowhunter, or because of his personality. And he’s certainly not chosen for his position of authority.

Alec is picked because he’s Magnus’.

And Magnus will never allow what belongs to him to hurt what he protects.

And Alec works hard.

Not to be trustworthy himself, because it’s not his place to be.

He strives to never break the trust Magnus’ people have in Magnus.

The trust that Magnus put on the line when he declared Alexander a safe haven for his people.

And Alec will do whatever he needs to never, ever take this honor for granted, or to hurt Magnus by damaging it.

Because it isn’t that Magnus was declaring that Alec is friendly to downworlder.

He is declaring that he trusted Alec — Magnus’ Alexander — to never purposefully harm anything that was under Magnus' authority.

It’s not about Alec as a person.

It’s about what he means to Magnus.

And Alec is going to protect this, the strongest of Magnus’ declarations of devotion.

And if that means showing up at three in the afternoon to a traffic accident—

— half asleep and with pillow creases on his cheek from how quickly he got there —

— because when he’s being asked for specifically, by a very frantic werewolf who unsuspectingly went into labor in a cab, accidentally causing a crash and risking the exposure of the shadowworld.

Alec goes.

He leaves Magnus sleeping because Magnus has his own job and he trusts Alec to this.

Because a great deal of Magnus’ authority relies on his reputation and Magnus is not someone easily reached.

So Alec goes and he gets her there safely while his team covers up what caused the crash and then he activates his iratze so his fingers can heal as they’re broken and rebroken and he’s honestly relieved.

He’d rather have dozens of his bones broken over and over again than have to catch a baby from a stranger's vagina, but he would do it.

If he had to.

For Magnus.

“Oh thank fuck.” Alec barely manages to get out. He’s kneeling next to the werewolf, holding her hand with his jacket on the floor in case he needs something soft and cleanish.

Apparently they ‘had to wait’ which Alec thinks is hardly fair when her water broke while he was carrying her spasming and forcefully transforming body.

He is burning every article of clothing he’s wearing as soon as he gets home.

Alec gets to his feet and launches across the room, trying not to be too queasy.

“It’s not that bad.” Cat mocks him after the werewolf is magicked calm and wheeled away, and she is smirking at him.

“I wouldn’t touch a woman even if she had a dick.” Alec says dryly, because seelies have no shame and think threesomes should be offered like candy, “but it’s always so much worse when it’s that.” And Alec gestures with a grimace, “magical babies are so much less gross.” He mutters and Cat laughs, smooth and light and comforting after his trauma.

“Babies born from cannibalism, murder and soul destroying power are less gross?” She asks and Alec nods empathically.

“Cat, I have vaginal fluid over most of my body.” And Alec grimaces, “unless Magnus ever got bored of his genitals again, this was never going to be an issue I ever had to deal with. It’s part of our private vows.”

“Oh?” Cat asks like she’s humoring but Alec can tell by the sudden gleam in her tired eyes that she is thriving on his trauma.

“No traumatizing Alec with baby launching parts.” Alec paraphrases and he still feels a little lightheaded. “When Magnus asked me if I was willing to take vows that might set me against the clave, we spent months on it. Going over everything. Every pro and con. And Magnus promised me that while I might have to commit treason, I would never, ever have to deal with stuff like that.” Alec nods decisively, “I’m telling Magnus you kept his promise for him. And that you deserve a day away at the spa. Just the two of you, I’ll watch Madzie if you want.”

And Cat smiles at him, real and warm.

“You know, I didn’t think it would work. Magnus telling people you’d protect them in his stead if they could reach you.” Cat admits and Alec nods, just quietly pleased that she’s recently given permission for him to use her nickname. “But it seems that he’s getting wiser in his old years. Maybe it’s your youth that brings it out in him.”

“I’m going to tell Magnus you implied he is a cradle robber, again.” Alec says, but he’s fighting his own growing smile and Cat is grinning at him.

She reaches out slowly and Alec pretends to duck, butting into her hand like it’s an accident and she gets in a quick ruffle.

“I’d like that.” Cat admits, “if you remind him to bring the good stuff. Even magical spas have weak drinks.” She pauses and looks at him considerably and then adds, “Madzie would love to go to the aquarium again. She threw a fit—“ and when Alec raises a pointed brow Cat laughs and adds, “a very quiet fit, but still a fit. Apparently riding my shoulders isn’t the same as riding yours. She wants you to lift her so she can be up near the sharks and fish.”

And Alec nods, a soft smile on his own face even if his shirt is growing tacky and cold from the… disgusting evidence of new life.

It’s a slow thing, their friendship.

They’re always polite for Magnus’ sake but they both love him too much for it to be enough.

And they all love Madzie and she loves all of them, so they need a genial if not warm relationship.

But Alec is terrible at these things so he gratefully lets Cat lead the path of their friendship and he simply follows.

It’s a big deal for a downworlder. Letting a shadowhunter touch them or touching one. It’s a big deal, Cat letting Alec watch her daughter without Magnus.

Shadowhunters are born to be weapons.

Alec’s body, right down to his bone and blood, is designed and trained and tempered into pure danger.

And the clave doesn’t suffer their warriors to be sympathetic, or empathetic.

Alec’s bare hand is just as dangerous as any blade and unlike shadowhunters, who get to live and die and inflict more pain and trauma in a vicious cycle without consequences.

Warlocks have to live and remember and adapt to never getting justice and always watching the shadows for another glowing blade.

And Alec will never forget the pain in Magnus’ eyes when he explained why some nights, he has to ask Alec to wear a long sleeve turtleneck or a glamour over his runes.

The bad nights, where Magnus is troubled by memories and worried he’ll wake and see runes and think ‘enemy’ instead of ‘mine’.

And Alec stays still and pliable those nights. Covered up with fabric or magic and lets Magnus direct how much they touch and how far they go.

Magnus always marvels at his willingness to adapt to his needs.

And it only makes Alec want to do better, to be better and help heal every single hurt that life has carved into Magnus.

But he keeps his hands where Magnus tells him and he kisses as softly and adoringly as he can when he’s kissed and in the mornings, it’s a little better.

Alec stays still if he wakes first, letting Magnus set the pace for their day and canceling plans if needed.

And he waits to see if Magnus will go to the shower first or sit and slowly strip Alec.

They both always know Alec’s awake at that point, but Alec keeps his eyes closed and his breath even.

And Magnus slowly uses his magic or hands or both to bare Alec’s runes.

And Alec aches to hold Magnus, to thank him for loving Alec inspite of how painful it sometimes is, but Magnus doesn’t want to hear that.

It won’t help.

So Alec bites his lip and lets fingers trace over his runes as Magnus makes sure every rune is in its proper place.

Because even though they sometimes bring up old unhealed hurts, Alec knows that Magnus loves every part of him. Has proven it with mouth and words and kisses as he’s decorated and claimed each angelic mark.

So Alec doesn’t press, doesn’t promise.

He just nods, because this is supposed to be something nice, not stressful.

“I have several days where I'm allowed to be disconnected from the Institute.” Alec shrugs as he talks, “even my phone goes off and Magnus typically hits me with a spell that redirects fire messages. It’s rare but we worked out protocols for it after they almost ruined our anniversary. I can use one, for this.”

It’s a promise that Alec will ensure Madzie never has to see or meet or look at any shadowhunter Cat hasn’t personally vetted.

“You’re very accommodating about this.” Cat says instead of answering and Alec sighs and grimaces when he goes to rub his face and remembers what’s tackily drying on his hands.

“Not really. I mean, the institute isn’t what I would consider a vetted and safe place for her yet.” Alec sighs and closes his eyes, ignoring the hiss of magic and giving Cat a grateful smile as he feels the grime disappear.

He doesn’t like asking for favors and it would be awkward to make an official request for something so small to a newly budding friendship but the cleanliness is a relief.

“It could be years before I have enough respect and control and loyalty over every shadowhunter. It might never be completely safe. And I know you got her right after the event, you know what she was like. What she went through. What she was forced to do there. I don’t want her going there ever again unless we know that the worst she’ll get is a papercut because she tried to color my archives.” Because Alec still remembers how desperate Madzie was to save him, even being threatened and blackmailed and all because they’d shared a quiet smile.

“She’s been asking to visit you there.” Cat admits, “her therapist thinks she might need to walk through it. To process and get past that trauma. She’s not ready to talk about Rouse yet.”

And Alec sighs and he pinches his nose and is relieved when the pressure of his head ebbs a little.

“Okay.” He mutters, “okay I can work with this.”

Cat is giving him a weary but amused look, like she’s exhausted by reality but enjoying his attempts at fixing it.

“Okay. I need to have Magnus come check out the core. We never did a followup after the leylines. And it really is volatile, the clave has reports about it dating back months. I can order an official, clave sanctioned lockdown. It means only myself and my personal team are allowed out of our rooms. Everyone else is sealed into their own rooms with location monitors so sabotage can’t happen.”

Alec ignores the incredulous look he’s getting.

“A lot of shit happened because we didn’t have the right protocols and everyone ignored what we did have.” Alec admits roughly, “so I’ve changed a lot of things. The clave is tentatively letting me, since no one wants to outright argue after the last time they tried to sanction me.”

Magnus had been furious at the attempt and was Alec’s self-appointed advocate. Jia and Imogen both still wince when Alec mentions the love of his life.

“So, after your spa day. Because you’re definitely going to need one after whatever happens and she’ll need a good one before. We can do it. Issue a lockdown. Give Madzie enough time to process a walkthrough and then you’ll get her out of there so Magnus and I can actually do what we need.”

“And your team? Are they loyal? Do you trust them with her?”

And Alec looks at Cat and he grins, dark and feral and furious that he has to protect the child he loves from his own people.

“They know that if they so much as allow Madzie to be hurt in their presence, I’ll take the tripled equivalent of it out of their flesh.” And Alec grins even wider, his lips curling around his maw, “Mirai is my second-in-command and would sacrifice every member of our team and herself to preserve my life and authority. And they all know that I would sacrifice all of them for Magnus, for Madzie.” And he looks at Cat, whose loss would crush Magnus, “and for you.

“My team doesn’t love me, they respect me. They honor me. If they die they want it to be for my cause and in my stead. And it’s what I need, because love can be very fickle. You’ve never met any of them—“ because Alec knows that Cat is trying to ask if his siblings and Clary are a part of his personal team.

They are not.

“But they know the very basics of your identity and Madzie’s and why you’re so important to me. I’ll send you their files later. The unredacted ones.”

The ones even the clave doesn’t have.

“I’ll review it. But if I ask for it, will you be able to keep them away without tipping off anyone else?”

Alec nods, “they can stay in our war room if needed. It’s a new addition, Madzie won’t need to see it. Magnus can seal some of my energy to my tablet so you can use it and watch where each shadowhunter is. Will you need to bring her therapist with her? Magnus will have to trip the wards so their presence isn’t detected.”

The only other person who knows who Madzie’s therapist is, is actually Magnus.

Even Cat doesn’t know for sure.

Alec knows she vetted a group of shadowworld trauma specialists and then gave the only copy of the list to Magnus after they sealed a complicated geas that made her forget the contents.

There’s too much a risk of someone wanting the information Madzie has from Rouse and from Valentine.

So they keep it secret.

So that Madzie is safe.

“This is going to be so incredibly illegal.” Cat mutters but she looks relieved and a little less stressed despite how many clave rules they’ll be… bending.

“Even the portals from Idris go offline.” Alec tries to offer reassurance, “the risk of angelic power backlash is too much of a risk. If anyone catches on to your presence, we say we needed a healer on hand and you couldn’t get a babysitter. No one’s going to be stupid enough to press and not a single person is going to assume it’s happening because of Madzie or her therapy.”

And they wouldn’t because Cat had made her opinion clear on the subject of Madzie being any of the claves business.

Mainly that she was not in fact, their business.

And Magnus and Alec had backed her up.

“Okay. Let me talk to Magnus, and I think if we’re doing this, I'm going to change my mind. I don’t want to, but I think I will need to see all of your memories of her before she came to me.”

And Alec has to suck in a deep breath. Because he offered months ago and the option has been in limbo, Cat worried and unsure if it would help or make things worse.

The door to the maternity ward opens and Alec blinks, astonished that the baby is already born to interrupt their discussion.

Mother and child look thankfully clean, but Alec is still understandably wary as they’re wheeled over to him.

“Do you want to hold her?” The woman asks, eyes glowing as she smiles adoringly over her babe, “maybe Magnus Bane’s magic on you will bless her.”

“Is she—“ and Alec grimaces, “safe?”

And the new mother bares her teeth in offended disdain but Cat just snorts, “yes Alec, the baby is clean. You won’t have to touch ah, what was it you called it earlier, oh yes. ‘Baby launcher fluids?’ You won’t have to touch those again anytime soon.”

And Alec flushes because Cat is paraphrasing and then he’s being laughed at by two women and one of them got very intimate with him medically and the other emotionally.

He scoops up the baby, relieved that she’s clean and warm and healthy and he pets the soft downy hair.

“You’re going to grow up to be very strong.” He soothes as he rocks back and forth on his heels, “and maybe you’ll grow up to have a chocolate allergy but that’s okay. Unlike what Magnus insists, chocolate is not the superior flavor. And even if it was, you’re going to be able to taste sunshine on your tongue and see in the dark and—“ he watches the baby yawn and marvels as a little fist sleepily clutches his finger. “And Magnus is going to keep your home safe—“ he finishes, feeling a little lame because his brain is short circuiting at the strength in the little fist.

“Are all babies this strong or is it just werewolf and nephilim ones?” Alec asks before he can think better of it, he doesn’t see the amused looks pointed his way. He tries to wiggle his finger free but the baby’s face bunches up and Alec freezes.

“Cat—“ he whispers, “do magic. Quick. I can’t tell how much strength to use. What if I break her?.”

And Cat stares at him for a solid minute before she turns, leans against the wall and starts cackling.

Alec counts in his head, trying to keep his breathing as even and slow and possible. Babies are sensitive and if werewolf newborns are anything like nephilim ones, then they come with a set of instincts to protect them.

“Please take your baby back so I don’t wake her up or break her.” He whispers desperately and he gets instead a belly deep laugh and he pettily hopes she wakes up her own baby with all her damn howling.

He stands there, still as he can until Cat finally takes pity and rescues him.

However he’s still holding a grudge and he mutters to her, “you better remember to tell Magnus about what to bring yourself. I am going to conveniently forget.”

It doesn’t make him feel any better when Cat insists on opening a portal and then she shoves him through to the loft’s front door.

“Alexander?” Magnus asks sleepily when Alec finally gets into their room and Alec sighs, trudging over for a kiss before he remembers that magic aside, he’s not actually showered.

“I need sterilization.” He says and misses Magnus’ outstretched hand and startled gaze. Alec is too busy complaining to Cat via text that he can’t take a decontamination shower at Magnus’ and now he has to worry about infecting the loft.

She sends back twenty crying laughing emojis and a kissing heart and a middle finger emoji and Alec gives up.

“You're taking Cat out for a spa day.” He yells as he strips his clothes, still grumpy but sincere in his promises. “But if she asks you for the good stuff to drink, make her work for it!” Because Alec is learning to be petty right up there with Magnus, who is the best.

And Alec is a devoted student.

Alec is very content with himself as he uses his stele to draw a rune so his clothes begin to burn.

Magnus is standing in the doorway, staring at Alec in what he thinks might be shock when Alec finishes.

Which is fair.

Alec is still pretty shook himself.

“Clean first.” Alec promises, because in staying away he’s also denying himself kisses but he won’t subject Magnus to being equally infected.

And then Alec shuts the shower, draws a locking rune on the glass door for good measure and turns the water as hot as it can go.

Magnus is saying something muffled and Alec ignores the flare of his skin as it’s beaten by scalding angry water and just starts dumping bottles of soap over himself.

He manages to get what he feels is decently clean, and then Magnus is ignoring the locking rune, vanishing the entire shower door as he gets an arm around Alec’s waist and hauls him out of the lava masquerading as lava.

“What then actual fuck, Alexsnder?” His amazingly wonderful and incredibly magical Magnus is saying.

“Why is Cat sending me so many emojis? And what does she mean when she says you have occupational trauma?”

And Alec groans because he will forever be haunted.

“I love you.” He tells Magnus, “so much. But please, babe. I will literally happily go back to Edom or commit treason for you, but I cannot handle that again.”

Alec is too relieved at being clean to notice all the things he normally picks up.

So he doesn’t stop Magnus’ frantic call to Cat or Magnus’ horrified amusement at whatever she tells him.

“My poor, traumatized darling.” Magnus says and he presses his mouth to Alec’s forward.

Alec can feel his lips wobbling and he graciously ignores that it’s humor and not sympathy.

“I am.” Alec grumbles, tucking himself closer to Magnus, “traumatized. It was traumatic.” Alec lets out a little mournful sigh, “I really liked how much you liked me in those pants.”

“They could have been washed.” Magnus reminds him and Alec scoffs.

“They. Were. Contaminated. If I’d realized she was going to send me here, I would have refused. I wanted to decontaminate before I came home.”

“How about I draw us a bath?” Magnus asks and he kisses Alec’s shoulder. “

Alec nods and then sighs, “Magnus?” He asks and Magnus immediately makes a listening noise as he sets up the tub. “Can I have a full night's sleep before you never let me live this down?”

“I would never torment you with such a horrific experience.” Magnus lies, like the liar he enjoys being.

Alec gives a deep sigh and Magnus chuckles and kisses his forehead. “For your heroic actions in the face of such dangers, I will give you a full forty-eight hours and I won’t share Cat’s delightful puns until then.”

“How luxurious.” Alec mumbles and he’s falling back asleep, against Magnus and in the water.

Safe and clean.

[pjoxreader]

Leo/Frank/Reyna with an autistic reader?

Autistic Reader 

((I unfortunately don't know much about Autism but I did my best! I did do some research so I hope it's alright!))

Leo Valdez

-Leo does his best to be supportive but he has a million things going through his brain. Unfortunately you like things to be done at their exact time and get anxious when they aren’t. 

-”Leo, we’re already five minutes late!” you stress out pacing outside his room. Leo does make his way out, getting his jacket on. But when he goes out and sees you so stressed out he honestly feels bad. He just gets so absorbed in his own work that he forgets about time.

-However Leo decides right there and then that he never wanted to be the cause of your stress ever again. He makes multiple alarms for himself to block out his time. Just as you were about to go complain to Leo about being late, again, you hear him talk by the front door. 

-“Come on love we don’t want to be late do we?” he gives that dorky grin that makes your heart flutter. He really was a dork but you do go over giving him a light kiss that makes him go bright red.

-He isn’t perfect though, he often messes up with realizing you take things very literally. Which he works his best on, but he was known for making jokes and such! He’d never mean it maliciously though! 

-The worst scenario with that was when you were getting ready to join the ares cabin in sword training and Leo called “break a leg!” The stare you gave him really made him realize just how bad he messed up. He quickly starts to explain what the phrase means as he feels guilty right away.

Frank Zhang

-Frank knew anxiety could get bad, he had to deal with it a lot himself. You two had bonded over that when you were younger after all. And now Frank was trying to help you meet his new friends.

-Of course he knew it’d be a lot to meet six other people who all had their own unique personality… So he had warned the group ahead of time that you two might sneak off for a bit to help you relax, promising it wasn’t because of the group.

-Everyone was very understanding. Frank could see you were getting a bit overwhelmed and went to your side smiling softly “Did you want to take a break?” he asks, keeping his voice calm and you nod, taking a shaky breath as you look at the railing of the boat.

-Frank knew you were never one to make eye contact so he never bothered you about it. “Here, there’s a good spot over here.” He leads you over where the chatter dies out and you get to enjoy seeing the ocean.

-You take a few breaths helping yourself calm down as Frank waits, standing at the railing while he waits. He knows when to give you space and you couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend than him. After calming down a bit you feel guilty about running off from a party that was supposed to be about you making friends…

-”Hey, don’t feel guilty. They all understand.” he promises lightly sitting down beside you as if he read your mind. “Can I hold your hand?” he asks gently. You can’t help the soft smile forming on your face as you nod, holding your hand out for Frank to hold which he gladly takes. You can’t help but think how lucky you are.

Reyna Ramírez-Arellano

-Reyna is very observant, maybe it’s her combat skills but she just knows when something is wrong. She could tell the moment you don’t like something, the moment you’re stressed, or when you’re upset. She could really read you like a book.

-But what she did have problems with is telling your other emotions, which was unfortunate since you had a hard time explaining how you were feeling too. You were also very blunt and honest but she loved that.

-It was annoying having to deal with the other roman soldiers who would go around subjects to spare her or others feelings. She just wanted the truth and you would deliver. She was working on some paperwork and looked over to you. 

-“What do you think of Octavian?” she asks curiously looking at you with a raised brow. You huff at that “I think he’s a jerk and I hate him for sacrificing my stuffed animal.” you say as if talking about the weather, making Reyna grin a bit at that she really did love how honest you were.

- She had to work out something to help you with your emotions, something that would help the both of you. She wanted to be a good girlfriend and be there to support you. But she knew that she couldn’t do it alone so she asked the other seven to help her come up with ideas. 

-She should have just gone to Annabeth first as she printed out something called the emotion wheel. It was a wheel with different emotions on it that would then branch out to more detailed explanations like going from sad, to discourage. Something you could take one step at a time. It’d be perfect.

~Masterlist & Rules~

Like my writing? Please consider sending me a Ko-fi! ☕

[issdisgrace]

NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF

WARNINGS: Fluff, age regression, rudy is a cute kid

It had been a long day of meetings after meetings. With the last meeting over, I head back to the barracks, hoping Rudy was in our shared room. Walking down the long corridor, I eventually come to a stop at our door. Just before I open it, I hear giggling, well that’s stranger. Deciding to continue on, I open the door and I’m met with the sight of Rudy in his boxers and an oversized shirt sitting on the floor playing with 3 stuffed animals. I recognize the stuffed animals immediately as the ones I bought and given to him as gifts. The first one was a bear that I got him for valentines last year. The second one was a penguin I got him for our first Christmas together. Then the third one was a jaguar I bought him not even a couple of weeks ago because I saw it and the eyes reminded me of him. Now thoroughly intrigued by the sight in front of me, I make my presence known as I shut the door behind me. Before I can get a word out, Rudy jumps up from his spot on the floor and runs towards me. I’m able to brace myself before he jumps into my arms. I manage my grip on him so he doesn’t fall. He doesn’t seem to care as he smiles and says,

“Hi daddy.” His voice is so sweet and small. It warms my heart. 

“Hey bud. How are you?”

“I’m good. Just missed you lots.”

“Aww, I missed you too.”

“Really?”

“Yep, I missed you a lot.” 

“Do you want to see the picture I drew?”

“Sure bud.” I carefully set him down, to which he grabs my hand and leads me to his setup. I watch as he rummages through some papers before pulling out a drawing. He hands it to me with a smile and I can’t help but smile back as I take it. Looking over the picture, I read the messy writing that says “me and daddy” with an arrow pointing to 2 figures holding hands. 

“This is so good, baby. Did you do this all by yourself?” He nods vigorously as his smiles widens.

“You’re very talented, I must say.”

“I am?”

“Yep, you could be a professional.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I think this should be hung in museums.”

“I don’t want it in museums because then you can’t see it.”

“You’re right bud, I’ll have to put it up somewhere. I can see it every day. But I’ll do that tomorrow. I’m too tired to do it tonight.”

“Oh, ok.”

“Now what do you say I change out of these clothes and then we get some sleep?”

“Ok.”

“Alright, I’ll be back in a minute.” Walking into the bathroom, I shut the lock on the door behind me. I take a moment to collect my thoughts. Ok so I have a boyfriend regressed to the age of 6 or 7 and no answers on why or when did the regression started. I, of course, knew what age regression was. I just never thought Rudy would be the type to regress, not that I’m complaining he’s a pretty cute kid. This also fills in a lot of blanks and explains some of his quirks. But I’ll have to talk to him when he’s big again. Deciding I have thought enough about how this going to change the dynamic of the relationship. I strip down to my boxers and throw the rest of my clothes in the hamper. Exiting the bathroom, I see Rudy already snuggled up in bed with a stuffed animal in his arms. Slipping in the net to him, I pull him close into my chest and give him a kiss on the forehead.

“Goodnight Rudy.”

“Goodnight daddy.”

TIMESKIP NET DAY

The blaring of the alarm quickly woke me up. Rolling over, I turn it off. Sighing, I roll back over to face Rudy, his eyes fluttering open. 

“Good morning, Y/n.”

“Good morning Rudy. Do remember what happened last night.”

“No, not really. The new recruits were giving me a hard, and I came back here and that was really all I remember.”

“So you remember nothing while you were regressing?”

“Oh god, you weren’t supposed to know.” Rud says as he hides his face in his pillow. 

“It’s ok Rudy. I have no problem with you regressing it just a little shocking, as you hadn’t mentioned anything to me. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I-I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Rudy, I’m not mad that you didn’t tell me. I get its hard to be so open and I love you too much for this to change anything about us or our relationship.”

“I love you too.”

“I love you more Rudy.”

[tails89]

Been up all night (and the night before)

911 - 3.5k

His parents leave. There’s disappointment, sure. Buck had really thought that things were changing. He’d really thought that maybe, finally, his parents wanted to be around. There’s also relief, because he finally has his apartment to himself again. Finally it’s quiet. Finally he can sleep.

Finally posting my whumptober insomnia fic 😊

Read on ao3 or below

After the lightning strike, Buck can’t sleep.

While he’s still at the hospital, he blames it on the noise— the constant rhythmic beep of the heart monitor and the distant echo of alarms. The painkillers he’s on makes him groggy and nauseated, and he’s too uncomfortable to do more than doze in snatches between the next round of tests of vitals.

Buck lets his parents bundle him into their car, too tired to argue that he doesn’t need them to stay with him. It’s not worth the energy anyway. They’ll probably get sick of him soon enough. They always do.

Shuffling into the apartment, Buck lets Maddie nudge him towards the single armchair in the middle of the room.

“God, this apartment. Such a bachelor pad,” his mom laughs. “You don’t even have a couch. We’ll have to go shopping.”

The words are spoken like a joke but Buck can read between the lines. Notgoodenoughnotgoodenoughnotgoodenough. He nods along anyway, sagging against Maddie when she perches on the arm of the chair.

“Are you hungry?” his mom asks, poking her nose into his kitchen cupboards. “I’ll make you something.” 

“Not really.” 

“Mom, leave him alone.” Maddie runs her fingers through his hair just like she did when he was a kid. “Buck, why don’t you go upstairs and lie down for a while.”

Buck reaches for his sister's hand and gives it a grateful squeeze before slowly easing himself back out of the chair.

“You guys don’t have to say,” he says, his words falling on deaf ears. “I’m probably just going to sleep.”

“Nonsense,” his mom tuts at him, her hands on her waist. “We want to be here, Evan. Oh, I know. I’ll cook you something to eat when you wake up.”

“Uh—” Buck falters, unused to the attention. “Okay.” He glances at Maddie, eyes wide, begging for help.

“There’s a grocery store down the street,” Maddie says, picking up the hint and herding their parents towards the front door. “I’ll stay with Buck while you go get some things for lunch.” 

“That’s a wonderful idea, Maddie,” their mom collects her handbag from the counter. “Oh, Philip, we could look at furniture while we’re out.”

The door swings shut and Buck sags against the side of the armchair. 

‘Thank you.”

Maddie grins. “That will buy you at least an hour.”

Buck slowly shuffles over to the foot of their stairs. God, were they always that high?

“It’s not too late to come back to my place,” Maddie tells him gently. “Or Bobby’s, I know he offered. I bet Eddie offered too.”

They did, and Buck turned them all down. 

“I just want to sleep in my own bed, Maddie.”

“Okay.” She raises her hands in surrender. “But at least let me help you upstairs.”

It’s slow going, and Buck’s almost regretting his decision by the time he makes it to his bed. He’s out of breath, legs shaking from a trip he normally does without thinking, and he refuses to think about how he’s going to get back down again.

But that’s a problem for future Buck.

He doesn’t bother changing (he’s already wearing sweatpants and an old t-shirt that may or may not actually belong to Eddie. He’s not sure how it got into his things but he’s not complaining) Buck just toes off his sneakers and sinks into bed.

After spending so much time in the hospital, his own bed feels heavenly. He can almost ignore all the other aches and pains that have followed him home.

Buck closes his eyes and lets himself drift. 

He can hear Maddie moving around downstairs. Outside, a siren echoes in the distance. 

A dog barks.

A car backfires.

Buck’s eyes shoot open. 

He’s not sure how long he lies there. At some point he hears his parents return, his mom’s voice echoing through the open plan apartment. There’s a scrape of furniture being dragged and more voices. 

Giving up on sleep, Buck reaches for his phone. The movement aggravates his aching ribs, the burning sensation helping chase away some of the grogginess. His hands shake— a lingering side effect of the strike— as he unlocks his phone to scroll through the recent notifications.

His phone chips as a new message comes through.

Eddie: Hope you’re settling in ok. Let me know if you need anything.

Buck hits the call icon before he can give himself the chance to overthink it.

“Hey.” Eddie’s voice is low and slightly tinny over the connection. “How’d everything go this morning?”

“It was fine,” Buck says, dragging a hand down his face. “I think Mom’s already redecorating the apartment.”

“She’s what?”

“She doesn’t like my furniture.” Buck drops his voice to a whisper to prevent being overheard.

“She doesn’t have to like it,” Eddie says. “It’s not her furniture.”

Eddie’s made no secret of the fact that he doesn’t like Buck’s parents. Buck doesn’t blame him. Eddie’s only seen the bed. They really seem to be trying though, doesn’t Buck owe it to them to give them a chance?

He can already imagine Eddie’s response to that.

Shifting, Buck tries to get comfortable. His meds are wearing off, and the ache in his ribs is beginning to thrum in time with his heart beat. It’s weird to think that for a long six minutes, his heart didn’t beat at all… so he doesn’t think about it.

“You still there?” Eddie asks, breaking the silence.

“Yeah.”

“How are you doing?” There’s a beat, then, “be honest.”

Buck sighs. “I’m tired.”

“Still not sleeping well?”

“Everything’s just— it’s a lot.” His dreams feel too real, but he doesn’t say that part out loud.

“The offer still stands,” Eddie says. “I can be there in twenty minutes.”

Buck smiles. Eddie lives a good half hour away.

“You think staying with you and Chris will be quieter?”

“Probably not.” Buck can hear the amusement in his voice. “But we promise not to rearrange your furniture. So…?”

Yes, he thinks.

“I can’t,” he says. 

Eddie’s quiet long enough that Buck has to check he hasn’t disconnected the calls.

“Okay,” Eddie says, finally. “But if you change your mind, call me.”

He ends the call and Buck can’t help but feel like he’s lost something.

-

His parents leave.

It doesn’t come as a surprise when they tell him two days after he’s out of the hospital that it’s time to go home. The surprise is that they lasted this long.

There’s disappointment, sure. Buck had really thought that things were changing. He’d really thought that maybe, finally, his parents wanted to be around. 

There’s also relief, because he finally has his apartment to himself again.

Finally it’s quiet.

Finally he can sleep.

Except that he doesn’t. Or, when he does, it’s in snatches, dreaming of those he couldn’t save. 

He spends his first night alone sleeping on the new couch. He’d tried to climb the stairs on his own and been so out of breath that he’d had to sit down halfway up. His legs had been shaking so bad he wasn’t sure he’d get himself down again. 

He doesn’t try the stairs again, resigning himself to spending at least a few days on the uncomfortable couch his mom had insisted on buying.

(He hasn’t been this grateful to have a downstairs toilet since he obliterated his leg.)

On top of that, people keep coming over.

It starts with Bobby. 

“Jeez, you’re supposed to look better when you get out of the hospital, kid,” Bobby remarks when Buck opens the door. “Not worse.”

“What are you doing here?” It comes out much harsher than intended but Buck doesn’t have the energy to correct himself. There’s a headache that’s been building behind his eyes since the early hours of the morning, and he’s so tired he can barely think straight let alone hold a conversation.

“I heard you were on your own.” Bobby steps past Buck to set his bags down in the kitchen. He turns to look Buck over. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You only got out of the hospital a few days ago.”

“Yeah, well Maddie had to go back to work,” Buck shrugs, easing down onto a stool by the counter. Everything aches today, and he can’t remember if he took his meds this morning or if that hazy memory is from yesterday. All the days seem to blur into one.

“I thought your parents were staying with you.”

“They left.” Buck props his head on his hands, watching Bobby pull different ingredients from his bag. 

“What about appointments?” Bobby asks, frowning. “Don’t you have a bunch of follow-ups this week? You’re not cleared to drive.”

He’s not cleared for a lot of things. 

Can’t drive. Can’t exercise. Can’t sleep. God, he wants to sleep. 

“Uh—” Buck tears his eyes away from the little gathering of condiments to glance at Bobby. “Sorry, I missed—”

“When was the last time you slept?”

Buck frowns. 

“This morning?” He thinks it was this morning. “I had a nap.” And he’d woken gasping for breath, the ghost of his brother standing over him (“Spare parts and they were defective”).

“When was the last time you got proper, actual sleep, Buck?”

Buck scrubs a hand through his hair. The headache that had just been annoying before flares, bringing with it a wave of nausea that Buck swallows.

“What do you want me to tell you, Bobby?”

“The truth.” Bobby sets down his knife. “Asking for help is not a weakness. You don’t have to do this on your own.”

Buck’s eyes burn. “I’m fine.”

Bobby watches him for a long time as the silence stretches between them, and Buck shifts, fidgeting under the heavy weight of Bobby’s gaze (“Bobby Nash is dead”).

“This’ll probably take a while,” Bobby says, finally, and he nods towards the food he’s prepping. “Why don’t you take another nap while I make us some lunch.”

And like a coward, Buck takes the out. 

-

Buck goes through his days on autopilot. 

Maddie visits around her shifts. Hen and Chimney drop in. Buck spends more than one night picking at Bobby’s cooking. 

They fuss over him and he hates it. 

He turns down their offers of assistance and gets himself to his follow-up appointments where the cardiologist, pulmonologist and neurologist who all go on about how lucky he is to be alive and how well he’s continuing to improve. 

He’s breezing through the tests and no one suspects a thing—

“Before you go, I just wanted to ask, have you thought about talking to someone?”

“Uh—” Buck falters, the pathway between his mouth and his brain just completely shutting down. “I don’t— it’s not—” 

“What you went through was traumatic,” the cardiologist continues, “for anyone. And a lot of my patients find it really helpful in processing what happened.”

“I— I see stuff like this all the time,” Buck stammers. “I don’t—”

His doctor shrugs. “Seeing it is one thing, experiencing it is another thing entirely.”

“I’m fine.” Maybe if he says it enough times it’ll stick. I’mfineI’mfineI’mfine.

He escapes back out into the waiting room and pulls out his phone to call an UBER back to his apartment.

-

“Hey, wake up. We’re here.”

Buck digs his palms into his eyes until his vision goes white and the image behind his eyelids fades. Blinking to clear the spots, he stares out the window.

“This isn’t my place.”

“Well this is the address you gave me.”

Buck pulls his phone out of his pocket to check, and yeah, this is the address he’d booked the UBER for, but he doesn’t remember typing it.

“C’mon man, I can’t sit here all day.”

“Right, uh— sorry.” Buck climbs out of the car and makes the short walk up the driveway only to hesitate by the front door. 

This is stupid.

He should just call another UBER and go back to his apartment.

He should—

“Buck?” The door swings open. “What are you doing here?”

“I, uh—” he fidgets with the strings of his hoodie. “I didn’t mean to,” he starts. “I just— I didn’t—” Buck blows out a long breath. “Is your offer still open?”

“Always.” Eddie smiles, stepping aside so Buck can enter. “I’m just making lunch but you can hang out with Chris while I finish up.”

Wordlessly, Buck follows Eddie through to the living room on legs that suddenly feel shaky. 

“Hey Buck.” Chris glances up from the game he’s playing on the TV.

“Hey.” The word comes out in a choked breath because they’re here. They’re right here.

And logically, Buck knows they were never gone but every time he closes his eyes he hears the echoes of another life.

(“You’d be angry too if you lost your kid”.)

(“Can you help me find my dad?”)

“You wanna play?” Chris holds up the spare controller.

“Why don’t you put a movie on?” Eddie suggests, and Chris grumbles that he just started the campaign.

“s’fine.” Buck waves them both off, easing down into his usual spot on the couch and sighing as he sinks into the cushions. 

He lets his eyes fall closed, feeling the couch shift as Chris resumes his game and the soft footfalls of Eddie returning to the kitchen. The soft sounds wrap around him, comforting and familiar,  and it’s reassuring to know that Buck could call his name and Eddie would be there.

“Buck, come on. You can’t sleep here.”

There’s a hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake and Buck groans. God, he’d been so close.

“I know.” The hand on his shoulder skates down his arm, fingers curling around his wrist. “But your ribs will thank me later.”

The hand on his wrists tug, but Buck doesn’t want to move, he doesn’t want to wake from this new dream— he never dreams about Eddie anymore, he’s always gone. 

“I’m right here.” 

He’s on his feet and there’s a hand on the small of his back, guiding.  

“Sit.”

He’ll do anything to keep Eddie from disappearing again (“I’m not going anywhere”) so he sits, and his shoes are tugged off his feet. 

The sheets smell like Eddie.

“Good night Buck.”

Finally, Buck sleeps.

He doesn’t dream.

-

At one point Buck thinks he hears Eddie.

“I don’t know. I don’t think he’s sick, he doesn’t have a fever.”

A hand sweeps across his forehead, and into his hair before retreating.

“Yeah, I don’t think he’s been sleeping.”

Buck doesn’t catch the response, already sinking back into the depths of sleep.

“Thanks Maddie. I’ll let you know.”

-

Buck has no idea where he is. 

He blinks up at the unfamiliar ceiling, mentally trying to retrace his steps but the last week is a blur of people and places— some real and some imagined.

He stretched, biting back a low groan. When was the last time he took his meds? 

Buck feels like he’s been hit by a bus, still groggy with sleep and aching from lying in the same position for so long. It would be so easy to just go back to sleep, but his bladder is demanding his attention so he eases up to look around the room.

Eddie’s room.

Oh.

The bathroom is his first stop on his slow shuffle out of the room. He’s finishing up, washing his hands in the sink when he catches his reflection in the mirror. 

He stands there for a long time, scrubbing at his face like he can rinse away the dark smudges beneath his eyes.

God, no wonder everyone keeps asking if he’s okay. 

With a long sigh, Buck lets his hands drop. It’s not like Eddie hasn’t already seen him at his worst— though this feels like a new low point.

He follows the sounds echoing down the hall to find Eddie in the kitchen, packing Chris’ lunch.

“I thought I heard you moving around,” Eddie says, looking up. “You sleep well?”

Nodding, Buck leans against the counter. “What time is it?”

“Uh, seven.” Eddie glances over at the clock on the wall. “You missed dinner, but I saved you some in the fridge.”

“I slept all afternoon?” 

“And some,” Eddie tells him. “You’ve been here since yesterday.”

“I slept a whole day?”

“You looked like you needed it.” Eddie sets down the sandwich he’s making to face Buck. “You still look like you need it.”

Buck lowers himself gingerly onto one of the bar stools. He can’t remember the last time he slept through the night, let alone an entire day.

“Maddie drops off some of your things. Meds, a change of clothes.”

“She did?”

“Yeah, hang on.”

Eddie leaves the kitchen, returning a moment later with a bottle that rattles as he sets it down on the counter.

“I’ll heat some leftovers so you’re not taking them on an empty stomach.”

Buck opens his mouth to say he’s not really hungry, but then his stomach rumbles and for the first time in days, he actually kind of is. 

Eddie sets the plate on the counter with a glass of water. He doesn’t hover, which Buck appreciates. He finishes packing Chris’ lunch and moves on to cleaning up the kitchen while Buck slowly eats.

It’s not until he’s finished and his plate is in the dishwasher that Eddie turns to Buck and asks, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Buck swallows and looks away. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

From the corner of his eye he watches Eddie nod and lean back against the sink, folding his arms across his chest.

“Last year,” Eddie starts slowly, like he’s choosing his words carefully, “when things got bad, I kept telling everyone - and myself - that I was fine. The worse things got, the more I pushed those feelings down until they had nowhere else to go.”

Buck can’t help himself. He glances up, looking right into Eddie’s watching gaze.

“And well, you saw how spectacularly that blew up.”

And Buck had been there for the fall out, spending days camped out on the couch in case Eddie or Chris needed him. He still gets chills remembering Chris’ panicked phone call, and the fear of not knowing what he might find on the other side of Eddie’s bedroom door.

And maybe, of all people, Eddie understands.

“You haven’t been okay for months,” Eddie continues. “Talk to me.”

Buck chews on his lip, his stomach churning. 

“Do you remember anything?” he asks, hiding his shaking hands in his lap. “From when you were shot?”

“Not really,” Eddie shrugs. “I remember going to work, going out to see that kid—“

“I remember all of it,” Buck cuts in. “I remember your blood on my face. I remember crawling under the truck and not knowing if you were alive. I remember you bleeding out and you were asking me if I was okay.” He laughs, still unable to believe it. “I remember thinking I was going to lose you.”

He wipes his face, surprised by the wetness on his hands. 

“You didn’t.”

“I didn’t,” Buck agrees. “But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about the what ifs. It doesn’t stop me from running the worst case scenarios over and over in my head.”

“Buck—”

“And I keep having this dream,” Buck tells him, the words spilling from him in a torrent that can’t be stopped. “Daniels alive, and Bobby’s dead and Maddie’s there but she’s still with Doug. And you—”

“Where am I?”

“You’re not in it.” Buck wipes his face again. “You just— you’re not there and you lost Chris and I— I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t save anyone.”

“Buck—“

“And I know it’s not real. I’m not that full of myself to think you’d have lost Chris if I hadn’t introduced you to Carla.” 

“Buck.” Eddie moves around the counter to stand directly in front of him, his hand on Buck’s shoulder, pulling him back from the brink. “I’m sorry.”

“I feel like I lose you every time I close my eyes.”

Eddie sighs, so close Buck can feel it in his hair. It sends a shiver down his spine. 

“I don’t remember being shot,” Eddie says. “But I’ll never forget the night you died.”

Buck’s next breath catches in his throat.

“And you did save us,” Eddie insists, crowding in closer. “You saved Chris in the tsunami. You saved me from myself and you were there when I needed you.” His voice drops low. “You were always there, and I didn’t even see it until I lost you for three minutes and seventeen seconds.”

“I came back.” Buck lets out a shuddering breath. “But I don’t know what to do next.”

“You keep living,” Eddie tells him softly. “But first, you take another nap.” Lips twitching, he reaches a hand to smooth away the dark smudges beneath Buck’s eyes. It feels nice and Buck finds himself leaning into the touch. “And then tomorrow we can figure out the rest.”

[base0h]

Random modern op character hcs

a/n - my sanity has flown out the window

Warnings ⚠️ - crack, g/n reader, modern au

Sabo

- wakes up at 5am or right when the sun comes up

- a psychopath who gets up two seconds before his alarm to shut it off before it goes off (mostly to try to not wake you up- but still)

- his sneezes are so fucking loud

- and you feel bad because he’s one of those who has at least 5 in a row 💀

- he could blow a house down tbh

- make sure to keep some tissue boxes on hand lol

- he has dad energy

- on saturdays he’ll wake up at 4:30 in the morning, brush his teeth and all that

- I don’t know how you can brush your teeth really loudly but that’s what he does

- will spare you and not open the curtains to let the blinding light in

- what a gentleman

- will watch the news on fucking max volume

- “Aw it’s raining!”

- “What?! That’s crazy!”

- ..his commentary is really lovely to hear at 5am

- can’t cook. just can’t

- so he’ll end up getting really hungry and going to wake you up

- btw it’s 6am when this happens, and it’s Saturday

- he has the appetite of both his brothers so it’s pretty normal for him to be hungry lmao

Robin

- also wakes up very early, or doesn’t sleep at all :/

- she has this thing where she loves to read a bunch of different things everyday, and tell you the story that she thinks you’d enjoy 🥺

- She’ll definitely want to go to the library with you! It’s so much fun reading together :)

- if you’re having trouble falling asleep, her go-to method is just to tell a story off the top of her head, but sometimes they’re creepy af

- they’re about beheading nobles, or torturous methods from the 10th century

- it ends up doing the complete opposite

- you’re bundled up in a blanket, eyes wide open, staring into the dark room around you both

- you made sure your feet weren’t sticking out so the monster wouldn’t get it too

- “Robin- it’s 1am I didn’t need to hear that-“

- “Would you like to hear how they butcher their prisoners? Well to start-“

- “NO-“

Kid

- that one guy who gets all the noise complaints

- to be fair he is sawing medal at 2am

- in the mornings he will not wake up unless you start tapping him for at least a couple minutes

- sometimes his arm is on top of you, and when you try to move and get up, he starts squeezing harder

- an at home chiropractor

- he manages to crack every bone in your spine

- you might have the posture of a ballerina now, congratulations 👍✨

- you can’t breathe when he’s hugging you that tight and he still doesn’t understand why

- “Y/n it’s a hug- don’t be a baby.”

- you choose to either pinch his ear or just walk away

- he argues with the middle aged neighbor who always complains to the police about the noise he makes at night

- “You’re a bad influence on my son, Hunter!”

- “Huh?! It’s not my fault you guys are listening! Stop yelling at me about it!”

- You end up sitting on the porch, sipping your drink as you watch this argument go on

- You end up playing with the woman’s son since she’s so invested in screaming at your boyfriend

- “My mom’s annoying, sorry.”

- “It’s alright, he’s annoying too.” -you

- “Shut the fuck up! Just go back to trimming your little flowers!” -kid

- “*GASP* How dare you?!”

- kid wants to run her over so bad

- also he owns a huge ass truck that looks like it’s about to break down any moment

- “It’s fine y/n.”

- *wheel falls off*

- “Damn, was hoping it’d stay on this time.”

—————-//-—————

a/n - I haven’t died yet 💪✨