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multifandomfanficss · 8 months ago
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F*ck You?
Adrian Chase/Vigilante x Reader
and the rest of the 11th Street Kids
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Adrian Chase Masterlist
Prompt: Adrian has his own secret way of asking you to sleep with him.
Warnings: Mentions of sex, but no actual sex. The team bullying Adrian as per cannon ☹️. Peacemaker typical language.
A/N: Just a silly little thought I had at 5am during a text convo with one of my best friends when I couldn’t sleep. Shout out Tyler for letting me bounce this idea off you. Thanks bestie! Just a short little fic. The italics are flashbacks. Crossposting on my AO3 adriansglasses.
Adrian stuck his middle finger up, pointed at you. You were going through some files on the other side of the room unable to see him behind the papers you were focusing on. Those who saw were giving him questioning looks.
“Dude why are you flipping off, (Y/N)? I didn’t realize you were mad at them” Economos decided to be the first to question him. Usually he didn’t care enough to ask, but even he was curious as to why Adrian was enthusiastically flipping you off.
“Oh! That’s because I’m not. I just wanna have sex when we get back to my apartment. I was saying can I fuck you.” Adrian says, as if it’s obvious. Chris begins to laugh, having overheard the conversation.
“Oh my god. I’m not sure if you’re insane or an idiot.” Harcourt rolls her eyes, walking away.
“I’m pretty sure he’s both. You know that’s not what that means right?” Economos questions.
“It has two meanings.” Adrian says in a very matter of fact way.
“No, it doesn’t.” John argues.
“Then how do they always know what I mean?” Adrian asks, as if he’s proving his point.
Chris continues to laugh to himself as Adrian and Economos argue.
You’re deep in thought, not paying them any attention when Leota passes you the file you were looking for.
“Thanks!” You smile at her.
“Why is Adrian flipping you off?” She asks.
You look over at him, blushing. You nod.
“See!” Adrian yells throwing up his arms. “Two meanings! I told you!”
“Oh god.” You blush, hiding your face in one of the files. You didn’t need the entire team knowing you were going home to have sex after this, but it’s not like it was that big of a surprise. You’d been dating Adrian for a while, of course you had a sex life. “I don’t know how or why he got it into his head that fuck you means can I fuck you- but like I personally think it’s very clever and very cute so I just don’t correct him.” You laugh, deciding to be honest with Leota.
You thought back to the first time he flipped you off in such a manner. You were out with the team celebrating with drinks after a mission. He threw up his middle finger, drawing a question mark in the air with the other hand. You looked at him with a confused look and mouthed. ‘Are you asking me to have sex with you?’ and he mouth back, ‘Isn’t it obvious?’. Only Adrian could think something like that was obvious. Only Adrian would even do something like that. You smiled, laughing quietly to yourself. It was so uniquely him.
Chris was still laughing uncontrollably in the back. He was thinking of the first time he’d seen Adrian do this too. Little did everyone else know Chris had been the one to teach it to him long before you were dating.
“You really wanna know how I pick up chicks across the bar?” Chris asked with a shit eating smirk.
“Please!” Adrian begged. He could pull girls as Vigilante no problem, but it was a lot harder without the suit.
“Be direct. Just ask if she wants to go home with you. The most subtle way to be direct is to flip her off.” Chris falsely informs.
“Wait… you want me to be subtle and direct? I’m confused.” Adrian asks.
“Well, yeah. You want her to know, not the whole bar.” Chris quickly lies.
“I always thought flipping somebody off was an insult.” Adrian is rightfully cautious.
“It has two meanings. It’s like special. Special can mean you’re one of a kind, cool, awesome, or it could be used the other way.” Chris explains.
“Oh! Okay!” Adrian smiles, before pausing, with a pondering facial expression. “Wait! You call me special all the time.”
“You should hit on that girl over there!” Chris redirects.
“Okay… here goes nothing…” Adrian says, slowly raising his middle finger. The girl looks shocked and starts to walk up to the two men at the bar. “Oh wow! I think it worked!”
Her pace picks up. She walks up to Adrian, slapping him, hard.
“Wait! This is positive! I’m hitting on you!” Adrian says frantically with his finger still up, as she walks away.
“Aw! Fuck! Do you think maybe she had a boyfriend?” Adrian asks, adjusting his glasses and rubbing his jaw.
“Yeah, maybe.” Chris laughs hysterically.
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training4theapocalypse · 1 year ago
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Never Been Kissed (Adrian Chase x fem!reader)
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Rating: Explicit - 18+ only
Word Count: 7.3k
Warnings: SMUT, Second chance romance, Canon typical descriptions of murder and violence, Oral (fem receiving), P in V, Safe sex (male condom), Multiple orgasms
Summary: You're a PI who joins the 11th Street Kids after a chance meeting with John Economos on the dark web. Unfortunately for you, your ex-friend-with-benefits Vigilante is here too. (Based on this ask by anon)
A/N: This took a hot minute. The M&Ms were originally cigarettes but these days I'm a healthy queen free of nicotine -purr.
Masterlist
Join my tag list: @likeficsinthewnd, @she-wolf09231982, @pretendfan, @lolitstiana, @countlambula, @chiaraanatra, @stainedpomegranatelips, @navs-bhat, @ohnoitsrosie, @daisydark, @angrydragon90, @intense-sneezing
Chapter text:
The dim fire exit sign outside the back of the abandoned video store flickers as you suck a peanut M&M between your tongue and the roof of your mouth anxiously. You hope your contact hurries the fuck up - if he makes you wait any longer you’ll finish an entire party bag from nervousness.
It was stupid, really, even reckless, to meet a stranger from the dark web. But when some guy called TechConomos_11 had responded to you in a chat room where you were discussing the intel you had on some sinister goings-on in Evergreen, you knew you had to meet him and his team.
Because you’ll be damned if anyone catches the escaped gorilla before you.
There’s a clink of a padlock and chain falling to the floor, the sound of a heavy emergency exit bar being pushed down and when the door opens you’re face to face with a large, bearded man wearing glasses. 
“Are you the PI?”
If you had to draw a sketch of what you thought a guy you met on the dark web would look like, he would be it. Not a neckbeard, exactly, just someone with the distinct aura of having too much time spent in front of a screen.
You nod. “TechConomos?”
“Call me John. Come inside - the team’s all here.”
You shove the half-empty pack of M&Ms into your bag and he leads you through to the back office. 
“This is Murn, Harcourt and Adebayo.” He gestures to his three associates sitting in the office who each acknowledge you in turn. “And these guys-”
“Fuck it! Fuck, fuck fuck!”
The yelling draws your attention to the window separating the office from the rest of the video store and it’s like a knife in your gut when you see him.
Vigilante.
“Ugh, fuck! It hurts to walk!” Vigilante whines as he limps around. He turns to pace some more but stops in his tracks in alarm when he sees you. He immediately dives to the floor, launching himself behind a desk in a futile attempt to hide.
Vigilante is the last person you expected to - or wanted to - see here. It’s not his usual MO - normally he’d be out hunting thugs and drug dealers. What was he doing caught up in this operation with some tech guy and a team who you suspected were either current or former soldiers?
There’s a roaring laugh and your eyes find Peacemaker, doubled over in his chair, laughing like an idiot at Vigilante sprawled on the ground. 
That explains Vigilante’s involvement. Looks like his idol, Peacemaker, is finally out of prison and the first thing he does is rope Vigilante into whatever this is. The whole thing stinks. Why is there an entire team with two capes looking for an escaped zoo animal? Any why did one of those capes have to be Vigilante? 
You close your eyes and groan. “You didn’t tell me you were working with them.”
“You know each other?” asks Harcourt.
“Just Vigilante.” You sigh and follow them into the video store.
“Hey, asshole,” you say, peering over the desk Vigilante is hidden behind. He looks up at you and props his masked head up on his arm casually as if you didn’t just see him throw himself there a second ago.
“Oh, hey!” he says, feigning pleasant surprise.
“Why are you on the floor?”
“I hurt my pinky toe.”
“Yeah? Which one?” You walk around the desk and stand at his feet to get a better look.
“Nononono! Wait!”
You clock the way his visor-covered eyes dart down to his right foot in panic. 
“Woah, did you think I was gonna kick you or something?” Sure, you have beef but you’re kind of offended he’d think that you’d harm him on purpose.
“No…” he mumbles sheepishly.
“Asshole.” You roll your eyes and sit on the hard wooden surface, turning away from him to face the team.
“Who the fuck is this?” Peacemaker asks Murn before looking between you and Vigilante. “Do you two know each other or something?”
You don’t deign to reply.
There’s a squeak of a chair being dragged on linoleum as Vigilante pulls himself up onto a seat next to Peacemaker with a wince.
“Economos says you want to join the team,” says Murn. 
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“I know everything that goes on in Evergreen.”
“And?”
“I have information and skills that I want money for. Obviously.”
“How much?”
You were talking about splitting the reward for the gorilla but Murn’s expectant look makes it clear this is a contract. What’s that saying again? A contract in the hand is worth a gorilla in the bush? … Something like that.
“Well, what are you paying him?” You cast your eyes at Vigilante who shrugs. Unbelievable. “They’re not paying you? Idiot.”
Murn and Harcourt glance at each other awkwardly. “This is strictly off the books,” says Murn.
“So you were just going to take advantage of him? No way. I want my pay backdated for all the intell I’ve found for you. And his too for whatever it is he’s doing for you.”
“How do you guys know each other?” asks John, pulling up a chair behind his laptop.
You look at Vigilante warningly and answer before he can open his fat mouth. “I’ve sent some work his way once or twice. And compensated him fairly for it,” you add pointedly.
“Oh, they’ve definitely fucked,” laughs Peacemaker.
“Shouldn’t you be in Belle Reve?” You glare at him.
Peacemaker ignores the question. “Did he keep the mask on with you too?” He pouts faux-sympathetically.
This catches you off-guard. Not Vigilante and Peacemaker fucking - Vigilante is so obsessed with him that you guessed it was only a matter of time.
But he did keep his mask on.
Vigilante groans and leans forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees and staring determinedly at his injured foot.
“Ha! I knew it!”
“Enough!” Murn gives Peacemaker a severe look before turning his attention back to you. “John says you know the location of what we’re looking for.”
“I’m not telling you until you get me up to speed with what you’ve got so far. John wouldn’t tell me shit online. Call it a show of good faith.”
“And we’re supposed to just take your word that you actually have useful information?” asks Adebayo.
John opens his mouth to reply but Vigilante beats him to the punch.
“She knows,” says Vigilante, finally looking up. “She’s… she’s a good PI. If she says she knows, she knows.”
“Well, we can’t divulge state secrets just because Vigilante vouches for you. Tell us the ‘where’ and if it checks out - you’re in,” says Harcourt.
You look around at this unlikely group. If you want to catch the gorilla you need their help. You need their weapons. You need their money.
“It’s at the Glan Tai bottling plant. You heard of it?”
“Pulling it up now…” John types on his keyboard. “It makes sense, Murn. They’ve got the production, the distribution channels… This is probably it.”
Distribution channels? What’s the gorilla at Glan Tai got to do with distribution? 
You keep your face neutral - if there’s one thing you’ve learned from this job, it’s when to sit back, shut up and listen.
You try to piece things together as Murn talks about ‘butterflies’ and their ‘food source’. Economos checks highway CCTV footage and confirms that your intel is correct. This is extremely lucky for you because you’re clearly talking about two entirely different things. You wonder if these ‘butterflies’ are some kind of parasite-induced sleeper agent. And maybe the food source is a drug to release them from their fugue state?
“...And the gorilla?” you ask eventually.
“What about the gorilla?” asks Harcourt.
“The gorilla is at Glan Tai.”
“There’s a Butterfly gorilla?” asks Vigilante excitedly. “That is so cool!”
“Is that even possible?” Harcourt asks Murn who nods.
You’ve seen some shit but a gorilla sleeper agent takes the fucking cake. They all seem totally unfazed so you pretend to be too.
“So, what’s our next move? When do we start killing these aliens?” asks Peacemaker.
Aliens.
You discreetly scan the others. Nobody else bats an eyelid at Peacemaker’s use of that word. 
What the hell have you gotten yourself into?
“You two get some rest, come back tonight,” says Murn to Peacemaker and Vigilante. “And you - you’ve got evidence of what we’re doing here?” There’s no point in lying so you nod. “Bring it back here so we can destroy it. All of it.”
You, Peacemaker and Vigilante, leave the video store. You cross the street to get to your car but Vigilante calls your name. You turn around to see him hurriedly limping over while Peacemaker climbs into the Vigilantemobile.
“Hey, I’m glad you’re part of the team now.”
“I can’t return the sentiment.” You scowl at him. Peacemaker beeps the horn of Vigilante’s car. “You’d better hurry up - you don’t want to keep your boyfriend waiting.”
“We’re not in a relationship. You know I only wanted to be with-”
“Don’t you dare.”
“C’mon, can’t you at least tell me why you stopped answering my calls?”
“I already told you - I’m not going to wait around my entire life for a guy who won’t even show me his face. Or tell me his real name.”
“I can’t -”
“Save your excuses for someone who gives a shit.” Peacemaker blasts the horn again. “At least I know you keep the mask on when you fuck him too. It’s not like he’s seen your face.”
Vigilante’s visor-covered eyes avoid contact with yours. His hesitation is like a punch in the gut. 
“He’s seen your face?” You don’t mean to whisper it. The words just spill from your lips like you’ve been winded.
“Not like that. That was just a meaningless threesome-”
“But he’s seen it?”
He nods.
You push him aside to throw your car door open and get in. “Fuck you, V.” You slam it shut and drive away, not even bothering to glance at him standing haplessly in your rearview mirror.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that evening, you and John cross-check your intel. It’s becoming clear that this is way out of your fucking league. But if Vigilante can do it, you can too.
Right?
“You want some peanut M&Ms?”.
He accepts a handful gladly. “Why is so much of this about the fucking gorilla?” John asks with his mouth full, looking over your shoulder at your laptop screen.
The necessity of any quick thinking on your part is interrupted when you hear Murn’s voice ringing from the back office.
“You told Vigilante to kill Peacemaker's father?!” 
You and John drop what you’re doing and peer tentatively around the door of the office where Murn is berating Adebayo.
“I didn't tell him to… I just kinda put the idea in his head,” she explains.
“That Peacemaker would be better off without his father?”
Oh no.
“Where’s Vigilante?” you ask suspiciously, joining Murn as he stands with his arms crossed. He looks furious.
“He’s in jail,” mumbles Adebayo. “I might have suggested that if someone were to go in and kill Peacemaker’s dad, all our problems would go away.”
You run your hands through your hair.
“How could you manipulate him like that?” Your combat boots squeak on the floor as you pace across it, catastrophising aloud. “In case you hadn’t noticed, Vigilante is very fucking easy to manipulate. And he has a record. What if he kills someone in prison and gets locked up for life? Or what if he gets himself killed trying?”
“Peacemaker’s gonna see right through this. He’ll know exactly what you tried to do,” says Murn to Adebyo sternly.
They’re fucking crazy. 
“Who gives a shit about Peacemaker? Vigilante is locked in jail with the White Dragon!” You plead urgently. Vigilante is in real danger and all they care about is Peacemaker’s feelings.
“Economos, can you get Vigilante out of the system before he screws us worse than we're already screwed?”
John sighs. “I don’t even know this guy’s name.”
The four of them look at you.
You cross your arms. “I can’t tell you his name.”
“Guess he’s gonna die in prison then -”
“Last name Chase. First name Adrian.” You blurt out his secret that you’ve been holding deep in your chest. “But you can’t tell him I told you. He doesn’t know I know.”
You crowd around John’s laptop as he pulls up Adrian’s file. 
“We shouldn’t be looking at this,” you say as you stare intently at his mugshot - the mugshot you’re so well acquainted with. You’d rather die than admit how many hours you’ve spent sitting at your desk late at night, looking at his police record on your laptop.
And suddenly, it’s like you’re back in bed with him, as he stares breathlessly at the ceiling and you lie there naked on top of his bare chest, looking into his masked face, picturing that very same mugshot underneath it.
“Guess again,” Vigilante says. You can tell even under the mask that he’s grinning, enjoying your questioning.
“Hmm… are you a doctor? You’ve stitched yourself up a lot.”
“You think I’m a doctor and live here?”
Vigilante watches as you make a show of pursing your lips thoughtfully. The warm afternoon sun streaks through the gaps in his blinds onto his bed. It makes it look like there’s a golden halo around your messy bed hair. He tucks a small strand behind your ear as you walk your index and middle fingers along his chest and down his shoulder. 
“Maybe a fireman with these big strong arms?”
He likes you when you let your walls down like this. You’re almost downright playful when he’s satisfied you - a personality trait he still hasn’t extricated from you outside these four walls.
“Man, I am so good at this secret identity thing if I can keep it a secret from a PI.”
You laugh. “I guess so.”
He didn’t know that you had long known his real job. And his real name. Or that you’d trace your fingers over his face on your laptop screen as you tried to reconcile it with the masked killer who was content to let you into his bed but never his real life.
“Wasn’t he our busboy at Fennel Fields?” Adebayo’s question snaps you back to the present. 
“Can you pull him out?” You ask John.
“It’s… done.” He says, with a final click of his keyboard. “Let’s just hope he hasn’t done anything stupid. Yet.” 
Harcourt shrugs her leather jacket on. “I’ll pick him up.”
Great - first he reveals to Peacemaker who he is and now Harcourt who he’s known for a hot minute is about to see his face too. 
You frown. “He’s gonna be really upset we know his identity.” 
“You wanna come and soften the blow?”
“I’ll drive.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harcourt sits in the passenger seat of your car outside of the Evergreen Police Department. You’ve been sitting here quietly in the dark, staring at the front doors for almost an hour.
“So what’s your deal with Vigilante?” She asks, finally breaking the silence.
“I told you - I threw some contract work his way. Used him as a bodyguard from time to time when I needed the extra muscle.”
“And then what? Why did you call him an asshole?”
“Because he can be an asshole.” 
“That doesn’t sound right. A psychopath maybe. But an asshole? I don’t buy it.”
You keep your eyes focused on the police station door to hide your face. “He doesn’t mean to be an asshole.” You swallow with difficulty. “He just has a code. Lots of quirky little rules he has to follow that makes it difficult for someone ordinary like me to be - I mean, to work with him.”
“Like not revealing his secret identity.”
It’s not a question but you nod all the same.
“So this is your first time seeing him without his mask?”
“That he knows of.” Your forehead touches the cool glass window. It’s like if you stare hard enough at the door he’ll appear in one piece. “I had to do my background checks.”
The doors open and you see Adrian Chase in his cardigan and jeans walking out into the dark night, illuminated by the fluorescent streetlights.
He’s alive.
You roll down your window and he stops dead. He stares at you in shock with his lips parted slightly - unsure whether you recognise him or not.
Harcourt stretches across your seat and calls to Adrian. “We’re here to take you home. Get in.”
When he climbs into the back seat of your car you both turn in your seats. You breathe a sigh of relief seeing him up close - physically he’s unscathed.
“He’s still alive…” He says. “I’m Adrian.”
“Okay,” Harcourt says simply.
“I’m glad you’re not hurt,” you tell him.
He looks up at both of you sadly over his wire-rimmed glasses. “I think I might have made things worse.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After you drop Harcourt off at her motel, Adrian gets into the passenger seat. You let him give directions to his apartment, even though you already know where he lives.
“This is me,” he says when you pull up to his building and park in the spot you’ve parked in on countless occasions.
“I know.”
“Right. Yeah, you’ve been here.”
“A couple of times, yeah…”
His stupid code. You could know where he lives but never see his face. And now you can’t stop yourself from drinking him in - his slightly stubbly chin from his day spent in prison, the way his curly hair is all messed up. He groans heavily and leans his head back against the headrest. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly.
“The guys know how you ended up in jail - they don’t blame you.” He doesn’t say anything. You search his face as he stares gloomily ahead. “What happened in there, V?” you ask.
“I tried to provoke Peacemaker’s dad into a fight. It worked at first - the Aryans took the bait but his dad saw right through it. I think I’ve fucked up the whole mission.”
So Vigilante went into a viper pit unarmed and provoked a bunch of nazis into fighting him.
Deep down, you know it’s fucked up to be attracted to someone capable of such violence but if you’re honest with yourself, it’s what drew you to him in the first place. You knew about the headlines before you met him. And the idea of him taking on a dangerous prison gang really shouldn’t make your heart pound the way it is right now.
You take a deep, steadying breath. “You don’t have to be sorry about that.”
You’ve never touched his hair before but you want to stroke it and comfort him. Tell him that it wasn’t his fault and it’ll all be okay. But he interrupts your train of thought before you can reach your hand out. 
“I meant I’m sorry about us.”
Why is your first instinct to tell him that it’s no big deal that he broke your heart? Stupidly, you want to protect him from it - from the hurt he caused you. Comfort him, put his feelings before your own just because you can tell that right now he needs it.
But it is a big deal. 
As soon as you remind yourself he couldn’t trust you enough to let you in, it feels like your heart is shattering all over again, mourning what you could have had.
Trust.
“I told the team your name so they could bail you out,” you admit, desperate to get the fact that you betrayed him off your chest. “I was worried about you locked up in there.”
He turns his head to look at you properly for the first time all night. The streetlights are reflected in his dorky little glasses.
“You knew my name?” He doesn’t look betrayed - he just looks surprised. “How…?”
You lift your finger from the steering wheel to point at his apartment. “Anyone with your address could find out who you are. And your full name appears on my checking account when you cash the checks I write you.”
“So you know… everything?”
“Yup.”
His eyebrows knit together in a plea. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” 
“I wanted you to tell me. I wanted you to want me to know.”
“Knowing my secret identity would put you at risk.”
“That bullshit and you know it, V. I don’t need you to protect me.”
“Yeah you do - that’s why you had me come with you on jobs.”
“I can handle myself.”
“Then why did you hire me?”
“I was curious about the man behind the headlines, I guess. Then I nearly went broke trying to spend time with you. Do you honestly think I wanted to give you a cut of my contracts for months? ”
He presses his palms into his eyes, pushing his glasses up out of the way and trying to make sense of it all.
“So those jobs were just you finding a reason to hang out?” He drags his hands down his face.
“Well, not at first. But then we started sleeping together after jobs and I wanted to keep doing that.”
“I would’ve wanted to be with you even without those jobs.”
“Oh yeah? You’d have taken me out on a date as Vigilante?” He opens his mouth to speak but closes it again - as if reconsidering whatever he was about to say. “After all that time you still didn’t trust me enough to take off your mask. The last time we saw each other I practically begged you to show me who you are. Then Peacemaker comes back in town and you - what? Just rip off your mask and spill the beans without a second thought?”
“I was being tortured by Goff-”
“The senator tortured you?”
“Well, the Butterfly who had taken over his body. But yeah. He - I mean she - ripped off my mask and tried to cut off my pinky toe. Peacemaker was just there.”
You feel sick thinking about him being tortured. Then you feel sick about feeling sick. It’s not just normal empathy. You want revenge. But you know you shouldn’t care this much. Not when you’ve been broken up for so long.
“Shit, V. That’s horrible.” 
“Besides, if I was gonna show someone my face it would have been you. Not Peacemaker.” He looks at you sadly. “I wish you hadn’t left.” 
“And I wish you had given me a reason to stay, V. I deserved someone who could trust me. And you… you deserved someone you could be yourself with. We couldn’t be that for each other.”
The hurt on your face is plain for him to see - there’s no point trying to hide it. 
“I do trust you. It’s just…” He hesitates. “You’re the only person I know who thought I was cool.”
“Adrian… that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Adrian.
It’s the first time you’ve ever called him that and it makes Adrian’s heart leap. Like the two sides of him have finally met you. After all this time.
“It’s not. Everyone else who knows me as Adrian knows I’m a loser. And I thought if I told you I was a busboy with no friends, you’d think that too.”
“You have friends.”
“Yeah, right.”
“The guys in the video store? They were so worried about you in jail. They like you a lot.” He allows himself a small smile like he doesn’t really believe it. “And I…” You pause. How do you feel about Adrian? “I still think you’re cool.”
“You do?”
He looks at you like he can’t believe you’re actually saying the words he was afraid you’d never say.
“Of course I do. You’re still the masked Vigilante of Evergreen. And I’m just… ordinary.”
He scoffs in amazement. “You’re not ordinary - you’re like the smartest person I know. And you don’t need to hide behind a mask to do your job. 
“I’m not that smart.”
“I mean, you found out more about the butterflies than the US government.”
You bite your lip, trying not to smile. “Can I tell you something? And you won’t tell the rest of the team?”
“You can tell me anything.” 
“I didn’t know what butterflies were until today.” He looks extremely confused so you press on. “I met John in a dark web chatroom when I was researching the missing gorilla. And I thought you guys were looking for it too.”
He laughs. A merciless side-splitting laugh that doesn’t take your embarrassment into consideration at all. But it shows off his beautiful smile. And when you see it you can’t stop yourself from joining in too. It’s so ridiculous. You wanted to find the gorilla, and maybe get your PI business mentioned again in the local paper. Now you’ve been roped into saving the world with a black ops team and Vigilante.
You both try to regain your composure and stare at each other, catching your breath. He shakes his head, grinning.
Christ, look at him.
“I sometimes wondered if you wouldn’t remove your mask because you were just a bad kisser. I mean, I saw your mugshot so I already knew you were pretty.” You can’t help but tell him. You know the grainy photo on his record like the back of your hand but in person, he’s frankly gorgeous. 
“Thanks, I know.”
You laugh again. “And modest.”
“You think I fund being Vigilante on a busboy salary? I get a lot of tips.”
“It all makes sense now. The only thing that doesn’t make sense is why you don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Because she didn’t want to wait around for an idiot who wouldn’t even kiss her.”
You stare at each other in the shadowy silence for a few moments. 
“It’s late, we should both get some rest.”
“Wait, don’t go.” His hand touches your thigh and it feels like there’s an electric current buzzing between his hand and the fabric of your jeans. The atmosphere almost crackles, like lighting about to strike in the middle of a storm. It’s the first time he’s touched you since you walked out on him six months ago and never went back. “It’s super late, you should crash at mine.”
“If I come upstairs we both know what’s going to happen.”
He tilts his head and you watch dimples form as the corners of his mouth turn into a mischievous smile. “That’s kind of the idea.”
“A bad one. We need to work together.”
“When has fucking ever stopped us from completing a job?”
“It hasn’t. But when we stopped seeing each other… I was really cut up. I couldn’t concentrate on work for a while. It’s why I needed the reward for the gorilla so badly.”
“Then we just won’t stop this time.”
“Adrian… I’ve only just pulled myself together again. I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do.”
He removes his hand from your leg to unclip his seatbelt. 
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Adrian gives you an apologetic look. 
You stare at his lips. They’re just there. His whole face is out in the open. And now his lips, and the rest of him, are about to leave your car and you never know when you’ll see him unmasked again. He opens the car door.
“Wait -”
He turns back around in his seat.
“Let me find out if you’re a bad kisser. At least I can tell myself I’m not missing out on anything if you are.”
“You’re gonna be so mad…” He cups your face and brushes your cheekbone with his thumb. “I’m a really good kisser.”
You smile and his lips meet yours. 
It’s nothing like you imagined.
When you had sex it always felt urgent, even dangerous, getting into bed with a masked cape who was wanted for murder. More often than not he fucked you from behind, tugged fistfuls of your hair and slapped your ass. 
But his kisses… his kisses are soft and slow. And good.
You’re totally screwed.
He sucks your lip gently and then his tongue traces across yours. You urge yourself forward in the driver’s seat closer to him, bringing your hand up to cradle the nape of his neck and lace your hand in his soft hair.
Warmth spreads in your chest when he deepens the kiss. You secretly hoped he’d be like this when he was unmasked. Your hot and rough encounters were always fun but in your heart you always wanted him to want you like this. Deeply. Reverently. 
You break apart and press your forehead against his with your eyes closed, feeling your heart hammering against your chest.
“What’s the verdict?” he asks.
You open your eyes to see his green ones searching yours from behind his glasses. He lets out a long, happy exhale when he hears your seatbelt unclick.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Adrian’s bedroom is neat, clean, with framed vintage comic books on his walls and illuminated by a lava lamp on his bedside table. Details you remember from previous visits but barely register this time as you both burst through his bedroom door while he kisses you. Refusing to take his hands from your body, he kicks the door shut behind him forgetting about his injured foot. He regrets it immediately.
“Fuck!” He pulls away and winces.
“Careful,” you soothe, shrugging your jacket off onto the floor and he lifts your shirt off. As soon as your skin is uncovered his mouth finds it. He drags his tongue across your collarbones and between your breasts, nudging the cup of your bra aside so he can find your nipple.
His warm mouth feels almost too good to be true as he sucks on the hard, pebbled skin and moves on to taste every inch of your exposed chest, his deft hands unhooking your bra and tossing it aside quickly. 
The entire day could have been a crazy fever dream. You’ve gone from your heart sinking at the very sight of him to it fluttering like crazy as you lie back on his mattress so he can pull your jeans and underwear off.
“Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” he says, sinking to his knees between your legs at the edge of the bed.
Even though you’re completely naked on his bed while he’s still dressed, you somehow feel less on display than he is right now without his mask. It feels taboo watching his jaw muscles tighten as he works his mouth all over your inner thighs. There’s something so controlled about the way he meticulously kisses the sensitive skin at the crux of your thigh that makes your lip quiver. 
You’ve spent enough time around his quick reflexes to know Vigilante is going to be skilled at eating you out but sometimes, especially in the depths of your despair during your breakup, there was a niggling inkling at the back of your mind that the mask might just be a convenient excuse not to. 
You had suspected, or maybe even hoped, when you hooked up that he had come really, really close to rolling up the bottom half of his mask and tasting you. More than once, you had caught a fleeting glimpse of him at odds with himself, his eyes behind his visor staring at your pussy and his neck muscles contracting as he swallowed thickly, strengthening his resolve and deciding to protect his own identity instead.
But tonight - finally - his tongue slides between your folds and you let out a low whine when the furnace-hot heat of his mouth besets itself over your clit.
Adrian groans when he tastes your arousal flooding his mouth. His hands cup under your ass as he pulls himself closer. You dare yourself to run your hand through his hair again, your fingernails lightly scratching his scalp. It still feels like it shouldn’t be allowed but he doesn’t seem to mind at all as his lips suck on your swollen clit.
“Fuck, Adrian…” His real name still sounds foreign on your lips, like you have to make a conscious effort to say it. 
Adrian looks up at you over his glasses, his pupils wide in the dim violet light of the lava-lamp-lit room. He takes in your glowing face and chest as you lie propped up on your elbows, enjoying the sight of him on the floor between your legs.
His fingers knead the soft, pillowy flesh of your ass like he doesn’t want to let you go anywhere ever again. And you don’t want to. Fuck the mission. Can’t you just stay here forever? In Adrian’s bedroom, panting while his tongue runs firm circles over your clit.
When you roll your hips in encouragement, he lets out a soft little moan sending vibrations over the bundle of nerves - it almost makes you dissolve right there and then. 
“I can’t believe I let you… fuck - let you get away with not doing this before,” you whimper. “So - s’fucking good, V.”
“Adrian,” he says and the tiniest absence of friction when his tongue leaves your clit makes your fingers tighten in his hair, urging him to return to your aching pussy.
“Adrianadrianadrian,” you babble, scared that his lips will leave you again. No more V. No more Vigilante. Just Adrian. Here. Eating your pussy like it’s you who’d been depriving him of this for months on end. Pleasure rises deep in your core like the tide getting ready to crash against the cliff face.
Your brain becomes fuzzy as increasingly desperate noises escape your throat - something strangled between a whine and his name. You squirm against his tongue as he relentlessly continues, determined to draw from you the orgasm that you’ve been desperate for since he kissed you in the car and you realised his mouth would feel like heaven.
The pressure of his tongue against your soaking wet pussy makes you writhe in exhilaration. You barely notice his fingers digging harder into your skin as you arch your spine and throw your head back.
Your thigh muscles tense and relax, trembling on either side of his face. “Adrian, I’m gonna - gonna cum…”
Instead of responding, he sinks two fingers deep inside your cunt, giving you something to squeeze around as every muscle in your pelvis tightens. He curls his fingers slightly and it’s just enough to push you over the fucking edge.
The purplish glow of the room turns blinding white as waves, hot and wet, break over you and your body floods with ecstasy. Your whole lower body stiffens as your walls clench around his fingers and you grind your pussy against his mouth.
Fuck, you’ve been missing out. You haven’t been with anyone else the entire time you’ve been apart and it’s like your body has been crying for exactly this moment without you realising how much you needed it. Needed his mouth on you.
The room comes into focus again gradually as Adrian gives you a last few slow, gentle kisses before sliding his fingers out of your still-twitching centre.
You breathe heavily and look at him kneeling on the floor.
He looks stupidly pleased with himself, the corner of his wet, glistening mouth upturned in a self-congratulatory smile at the way he’s taken you apart piece by piece. You can’t help but giggle from endorphins buzzing through your body. It makes your abdomen hurt from all the tensing you were doing. 
Adrian slaps the side of your ass and gets to his feet, undoing his belt buckle. “C’mon, bend over,” he grins.
You sit up, shake your head and smile. “Nuh-uh, I wanna see your pretty face when you cum.” He blinks a couple of times dazedly. “Did you forget about your mask for a second?”
Adrian clears his throat. “Uh...No?”
He so did.
“C’mere.” You hook your fingers through his belt loops and pull him closer. You kiss the light trail of hair covering his hard abdomen while your fingers work to undo his jeans and pull them down to release him from the confines of his boxers.
God, you missed it. He has a pretty face alright but his cock is fucking perfect.
Your cheeks grow hot feeling him so close. You grip his hard length and draw your tongue across the tip, tasting the salty bead of precum. 
“Take your top off,” you say, looking up at him before running your tongue along his shaft, keeping eye contact.
He grips the hem of his t-shirt and pulls it off over his head. Seeing him in the purple glow, every contour of his sculpted abdomen illuminated sends burning heat to your pelvis. You never thought you were into muscular guys, not until you saw Vigilante take his suit off for the first time. Now you’re not sure if you could go back to anything else. Anyone else. 
You swirl your tongue around the head of his cock but he interrupts you.
“I need to fuck you. Please.”
At this point, you’re so turned on it’s an offer you can’t refuse. You release him and scoot back on the bed. He goes to crawl on top of you but flinches when his injured foot meets the mattress.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I just need to - ah fuck.”
“It’s okay. Here, lie down. Let me go on top.”
He does so with relief and you swing your leg over his thighs.
“Better?” 
“Fuck yeah,” he says, looking at your naked figure sitting on top of him.
You reach into his bedside drawer where you know he keeps his condoms. Your fingers skirt over what you suspect are bags of candy until you find the corrugated square shape you’re looking for. You take it out and roll the condom on him.
“Okay, easy,” you say, positioning the head of his cock at your entrance. He throbs under the grip of your hand in anticipation. “Don’t overexert yourself.”
“You were totally cool with me over-exerting myself on the floor a second ago.”
“I was talking to myself,” you smirk. “It’s been a while.”
You ease yourself down onto his cock, feeling the beautiful stretch as you adjust to his size. 
“Shit…” he breathes, clamping his hands down hard on your hips, forcing you to bottom out. His eyebrows knit together and he sighs through parted lips, feeling the way your walls stretch around him. He looks so beautiful - you can’t stop looking at his lips.
You lean forward, planting your hands on either side of his head so you can lean down and kiss him. The taste of your juices registers on your tongue as his enters your mouth. You deepen the kiss and Adrian responds by jerking his hips up needily, pressing into your g-spot.
You moan and suck on his bottom lip, gently rolling it between your teeth as he pushes into the most sensitive part of your centre. Searing heat burns low in your belly, spreading to your thighs. You push yourself back up to ride him and grab his wrists, dragging them from your waist to grope at your chest.
“Fuck, you look so hot riding my dick.”
“Yeah? Rose-tinted visor isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?”
You’re teasing him but it seems to spur him on, as he squeezes your tits and jerks up into your bouncing hips. Every wet slap that meets your ears only increases your neediness for him. It burns brightly in your core, making you wetter and even more desperate for your next orgasm.
Every roll of your body sends his cock plunging into you, pushing against you at the perfect angle. God, he feels incredible. Your walls start to convulse around him, clamping down and gripping his cock as your second climax rears its head.
“Adrian, fuck, I’m close…” you plead, frantically chasing your high, wildly gyrating and bouncing in time with his thrusts.
“Say it again.”
“Fuck, I’m gonna-”
“No, say my name,” he says, through gritted teeth, his neck muscles tightening in the soft light. 
His neck.
“Fuck, Adrian.” You lunge forward and bite on his neck. He grabs handfuls of your ass, anchoring himself into you as he thrusts savagely upwards sending pleasure rocketing through you. Fuck he’s deep. So fucking deep.
His name leaves your lips over and over, broken and ragged as every jerk of his hip knocks the air out of your lungs. Bliss ignites and your cry of pleasure is muffled as you moan and run your tongue over his neck, smelling his aftershave mixed with his musky sweat. An explosion, more fierce than any grenade blast bursts through your centre as he pummels his cock with unparalleled force and precision, even as you squirm and shake, unable to keep moving your own hips in time with his.
With every ounce of strength you have you lean up on your arms to look at his face. His eyes are squeezed shut and his facial muscles contort as he sucks through his teeth.
“Cum for me, Adrian,” you murmur sweetly in his ear and he opens his eyes, giving you a terminally helpless look as he slams his hips into your hot, wet cunt and you squeeze around him as tight as you can. With a final thrust, you feel his thighs tighten and his cock pulsing inside you as he cums.
You flatten your body back on top of his - the warm, damp sweat between your chests feels strangely pleasant. His fingers trace circles up your spine, gently tickling your back. Adrian turns his head to kiss you and you both lie for a moment, enjoying the feeling of his lips on yours.
After what feels like a long time of lying in quiet elation, you make yourself climb carefully off of him and roll over, resting back on his pillows.
“Don’t go anywhere,” he says and you lie back watching him dispose of the condom, taking care not to put any pressure on his bandaged toe. He launches himself back on the bed with a thud making you bounce on the mattress. “Good, you’re still here,” he says, leaning on his elbow and looking down at you.
“Where else would I be?” you laugh.
“Well… you usually leave right after. Except that one time I accidentally bought peanut M&Ms.”
You look at him apologetically. In fairness, the mask was hardly an invitation to spend the night - what was he going to do? Sleep in it? “Do you have peanut M&Ms?”
He nods to his bedside drawer and you open it to see that it’s stuffed with the little yellow bags.
“You like peanut M&Ms now?”
He pulls a face. “No way dude, they’re so gross.”
“Then why…?”
“I guess I always hoped you might change your mind and come back. So I bought them whenever I thought about you.”
You look at the drawer - there’s practically enough that Adrian could have made a trail of peanut M&Ms from your apartment across town to his. “You would have made a really sweet boyfriend,” you sigh.
“Well, I mean… I still could,” he says in a would-be nonchalant type of way, pushing up his glasses with his finger and avoiding your gaze.
“Yeah?” You weren’t sure if he’d be open to picking up where you left off. But it feels right when it didn’t before. Now you know him. Really know him. 
He pulls his eyes up and meets your gaze with a smile. “If you want me to?”
“I’d like that. A lot.”
“Sweet,” he says with a wide smile, not bothering to hide how giddy he is.
You open the packet. “For the record, I’m not just staying because of the M&Ms this time.”
“I know.”
“And I’m glad you’re on the team.”
He nods happily, watching you pop a few into your mouth. “Hashtag me too.”
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sandy-the-glader · 9 months ago
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Hi!! If it’s okay, can I please request an Adrian Chase x soft and innocent!fem!reader where they are coworkers at Fennel Fields, him being a busboy, and she is a waitress. The two of them have feelings for each other, Adrian just trying to get the confidence to ask her out. A group of guys come in every week are super loud, rude, and also make Y/n (who is taking their order) very uncomfortable, and when Y/n turns down their advances, they say some very mean things and make her cry. Adrian is absolutely FUMING, literally having to hold himself back from going at them right then and there, instead following her to the kitchen try to calm her down (in his own Adrian way), promising to “take care of it” . She 100% thinks he means kicking them out, but the group of men get a “visit” from Vigilante… the group “disappears” without a trace “, never to bother Y/n again.
Adrian softly kissing a very relieved Y/n when the men don’t return to the restaurant, she doesn’t know about Adrian’s Vigilante side nor does she know the fate of the group of men, but Adrian takes it as a compliment nonetheless
The Protector
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Character: Adrian Chase x InnocentFem!Reader
Type: Fluff/Comfort, Angst
Length: 2.7k words
Summary: Request above!
Trope: Best friends to lovers, Co-workers to lovers
A/N: I have not done anything for Adrian in a while and I love him so much aaaaaaa! I bent the request ever so slightly. Also, let me know if I should make a part two of this but it’s Adrian’s POV 😉
"God that group is back." I hissed. "How do they always manage to get seated in my section?" Me and Adrian eyed them from the kitchen.
"I don't know but they never tip well either. I think all the tattoo ink got into their brains or something." Adrian glared at the noisy group. I smiled at his joke. He always lightened the mood and I was forever thankful for that.
"God it's twenty minutes until closing why do they always come in here late?" I grumbled folding my arms.
The group was dreadful and I have no idea how they haven't gotten in any section but mine yet. They've been showing up the past 3 weeks on Saturday nights and past close. Me and Adrian had plans ruined because of those guys. I've been working here for 1 year and a half (Adrian for longer) and I've never had a worse group of customers.
Usually, the worst is an old lady who asks for the manager when the food isn't exactly to her liking. Or a group of teenage boys who don't buy anything they just sit there and be as loud as possible.
Sometimes me and Adrian went to see movies together on Fridays or had plans with friends and I loved it. That's what made me look forward to the end of the week but with this lousy group of 40-year-old biker guys trashing the tables and leaving sometimes a zero-dollar tip was starting to have the opposite effect on me.
"You know I can take the table for you. I know they're pretty shitty guys." He looked at me and I shook my head softly. His green eyes dazzling in the heat lamps made me almost take back rejecting the offer. When he looked at me the way he did it made my heart flutter. They were so careful and easy.
"You take over my shifts all the time Adrian. The least I can do is deal with one unpleasant table. I can do it." I looked back at him with determination. Besides he was only a busboy, not a waiter though I'm sure he could do the job just fine.
It was true though. Every time I was sick he took over no questions asked. Sometimes he even encouraged me to call out sick when all I had was a cough. He was my best friend after all but he always went above and beyond with the way he treated me.
Sure my other co-workers were nice like Taylor treated me nicely but never as nice as Adrian. From the get-go, he was kind to me always guiding me to where things were or making small talk with me to help get me though my shifts. He was never afraid to give me a hand in anything I needed.
He looked very unsure of my decision but he didn't protest as I left to deal with said table. Though I could still feel his eyes glued to my back. I pushed open the door and
I strode over there with a sudden burst of confidence. I could do it. Then when It's all over me and Adrian can go back to his apartment and watch movies all night like usual.
As soon as I reached the table that confidence slowly started to melt away.
They were a group of 5, all big-looking, and they were like I said a biker gang. Sometimes I hate my job.
"Hello I'm Y/n I'll be your server today can I get you any drinks to start with?" My hands trembled as they gripped the sides of my apron. Whistles filled the air as the men's eyes wandered across my body. Some even leaned over to get better looks at me.
"Looking good honey!" I laughed nervously trying to be as polite as I could to them.
I felt so incredibly uncomfortable. I felt my cheeks getting hot. I was even embarrassed to be close to them. I cleared my throat trying to get them to reply to the simple task at hand.
"Waters for all of us." What I was sure the group leader spoke out. "Please, baby." He added. His group let out an array of deep chuckles. I felt sweat start to appear on my skin. I smiled and walked off in the back. As soon as my backs were to them my smile vanished off my face.
Oh god, it's barely been 5 minutes with them and I already want to leave. Once I got back there Adrian was still standing in the same spot looking at me with a pleading look.
"Don't look at me with those eyes." Those pleading begging green eyes.
"You can still take my offer you know." He pressed his lips together. "Because you look like you need that help. It's not like a bad look or anything but you look kind of helpless. In a good way." Adrian rambled. I've known him for so long I could decipher any message he gave me.
"It's fine I can handle it," I said firmly. I wasn't going to let them get the better of me. Just seeing and having Adrian here made it better.
He was a complete nerd and I loved having someone like that. I loved hearing him talk about DND and all of his hobbies. Then I got to start doing it out of work too.
We even set up a DND campaign at one point. It was a little confusing at first but playing with him made me understand. The memories of us together made me way more relaxed.
I poured those glasses of water and put them all onto a tray and held it with one hand. I pushed the door open almost spilling them in the process and walked back to the table.
"There she is!" One of them shouted. I placed all of the glasses on the table without a word trying to keep my cool.
I watched some make extremely disgusting gestures. Just 20 more minutes and you can go home. Just 20 more long excruciating minutes.
"She's a beauty isn't she fellas?" The main one asked. I swallowed thickly not excited for their replies. I did not have the energy for this today.
"Oh definitely would talk her home. You single honey?" One of them eyed me.
"Uhm yes, I am I'm just not looking for anything like that right now." I lied trying to get him to understand the message.
"Nah she's lying they're always in the market." My feet wouldn't move. I felt scared. Uncomfortable. Where's Adrian? I shouldn't have taken this table. "Come give me a chance honey!" He begged. Can't this guy take a hint?
"No, thank you I'm sorry." I tried to stay as polite as possible. "What would you guys like to-" I was instantly cut off.
"It's not like her makeup hides much." They laughed. I felt ashamed to be here.
"And she could smile more. Where's our cute smile sweetie?" I couldn't smile to save my life. I would not give them what they wanted. My lips trembled.
"Nah her smile would be ugly too we can't ask for something she doesn't have." The table erupted in laughter.
"Look at her she's a doll. She could get any guy she wanted."
“Maybe she’s a slut. No wonder she's not in the market she just sleeps around!” Barked another.
I looked up to see Adrian cleaning some dishes from a couple tables in front of them.
He was looking at me because he had clearly heard that nasty remark. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked red with anger. He was seething and I could see his hand gripping the rag he was holding tightly.
Then the dam in my eyes broke. Tears started to brim my eyes and I stormed back into the kitchen quickly. As I left I heard them start to laugh louder. I shoved open the outside door and sat on the picnic bench we had out there.
I leaned my head in my hands and let the tears spill over my cheeks. I couldn't think about anything other than their words and how humiliated I felt. I felt like screaming at them but I just couldn't. That wasn't how I was.
Who did they think they were? Coming into our restaurant and treating me like shit for what reason? Do they have nothing better to do with their life?
I heard the door swing open and I tried to cover up my sniffling but it was no use. It slammed shut and I heard quick footsteps trot over to the bench. I already knew it was Adrian so I let him sit next to me. As soon as he put his arm around me it all came rushing back out.
"Hey hey, I'm right here." He whispered softly, I wrapped my arms around his back and in that moment he was all that mattered. I just wanted to have Adrian by my side. He awkwardly patted my back.
"Thank you." I wiped my cheeks which now had mascara smeared down them. "I'm a mess," I complained to him. He didn't say anything he just kept holding me. I knew he could struggle with comforting and with words in general sometimes. "You don't have to stay here you know. I'm already in trouble for abandoning my table i don't need you getting into it too." I frowned.
"Oh no, I'm staying." I snuggled myself into his side. "They don't deserve you. They're dicks who don't know how to treat women and that feels like a crime. They had no right to insult you like that." I nodded trying to listen to his words but I still felt shitty. "And that's like so not cool." He said and finally, a small smile spread across my face. He let out a built-up sigh of relief that I was starting to feel a bit better.
"I know. It still hurts though."
"No matter what those guys say they're so wrong." I looked up at him and he was already glancing at me. "You look so beautiful without makeup. I'm not saying you look bad with makeup on I mean like the complete opposite." I started to grin at his ranting.
"Thank you A. It means a lot." He enjoyed the small nickname. He continued to rub small circles into my back relaxing me.
"But those guys will never bother you again." He said still heated by the situation. "I'll make sure of it and because I really like you okay?" He confessed. "And seeing you hurt like that hurt me." he stared at the ground.
The confession threw me off. I always stressed about him liking me but hearing those words fall from his lips felt bewitching. I pulled away from him and looked at him eye to eye.
"Oh fuck I mean!" His cheeks grew pink. "Like I like having you as a friend not like in like I've been crushing on you since I've laid eyes on you and have been dreaming about you or anything because that would be like..." I leaned closer to him and brushed my thumb against his cheek. His face was warm and soft beneath my hand. "crazy." He whispered finishing his sentence.
"Don't lie to me right now Chase." I frowned. He sighed as he realized he'd been caught.
"Okay yeah, maybe I really like you." His eyes never once left me. "And maybe I have been dreaming about you since I first saw you."
"You better not be joking with me right now. Or I will continue to cry ."
"Okay um do not cry again please I already handled the first time poorly. But I am certainly not kidding." I moved my hand from his cheek to his hand which was much larger than mine.
"You better not be because I like you too." He blinked a few times trying to determine if I was the one joking around this time. He moved a stray piece of hair out of my face and tucked it neatly behind my ear. His eyes flickered down towards my lips and back up to my eyes. Was he really about to kiss me right now?
He swiftly closed the gap between us and captured my lips in a phenomenal kiss. Maybe he wasn't all nerdy after all because damn he knew how to kiss. Sure I have barely kissed anyone my whole life but he made it feel so right. He slowly pulled back to look at my face.
"Was that okay? If it wasn't I can totally like stop. I don't mind at all." I squeezed his hand and hugged him.
"It was perfect. Thank you." For having such a shitty night he made me realize the better. Like how the stars seemed to shine just a bit brighter than before and the moon was glowing just a little more than it just had. All because of Adrian
"How about I go deal with them and I also go grab our stuff since it's about time we clock out we have a fun relaxing night tonight?" He proposed.
"I would love nothing more."
"Good. Now you wait here!"
-
Once I got inside his apartment I immediately collapsed and melted into his couch with a loud dramatic sigh. He had probably the most comfortable apartment imaginable.
"Oh shit." I heard him hiss.
"What's wrong?"
"I was supposed to drop by the store after our shift to grab some things from the store..." He trailed off looking sheepish.
"Go ahead, Adrian. I know it will be all you talk about if you don't." He nodded before muttering a quick 'thank you' and leaving.
I had a really long day in general so as much as I wanted to I did not feel like waiting up for him. I left my work bag on the couch and wandered to his room.
His bookshelf overflowed with books and tabletop games, His bed was slightly messy from the morning, and it felt like him. I dug through his dresser to find this shirt that had a cool-looking dragon and a D20 on it. I took off my apron and work shirt and threw it on. I really hope he doesn't mind.
I threw my shoes somewhere on his floor and crumbled onto his bed. God his blankets were so soft.
-
It had been an hour before Adrian finally made his way home. He took off his mask and suit and tucked it away in the hall closet once he got home. He'd deal with all the blood later.
He walked through the hall and pushed open the door to see his best friend asleep on his bed in his shirt. He couldn't be happier to come home to this. She finally looked at ease snuggled beneath his covers.
Adrian scooted himself into his bed and joined her. He placed a small gentle kiss on her forehead and spooned her.
"They won't hurt you again." He whispered before allowing himself to drift off to sleep with her in his arms.
-
I waited afraid week after week to see that group come back but they never did. Nor the week after that or the next. I soon started to get curious about what Adrian meant when he said he'd "deal with them." Did he get the manager involved? Did he really have that strong effect on them? Maybe he even beat them up. He's too soft for that right?
Anyway, I was just happy to be with the one I've crushed on for so long. It felt good. Better than anything has ever been.
Tonight we were staying in on the couch while we waited for the popcorn to finish in the microwave of his apartment. The smell drifted through the room making me even more hungry than I was before.
"I'm glad they're gone." I looked up at him. His glasses glowed from the light of his phone.
"Me too. I hate seeing you upset." I leaned on his shoulder and my eyes wandered quickly over to his phone. Just a quick peek it wouldn't mean anything. He was texting Chris who according to him was his guy best friend. I had met him a few times for drinks after work and he was a pretty alright guy. I scanned the words and...
I finally got to use the chainsaw on those guys :)
What does that mean?
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laurenluvss · 6 months ago
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please hear me out on prince friedrich 🤭💕
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yanxidarlings · 6 months ago
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am struggling to find inspiration to write slytherin so here's some nightmare fuel instead 💀 also pls tell me it's not just me the yellow font is gone and i am in despair (gave zs green instead bcos he's pretty much a 🐍)
YANDERE! CORMAC MCLAGGEN VS YANDERE! ZACHARIAS SMITH
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• on todays edition of shit no one asked for: the most cursed pair of yanderes. just imagine for a second being stuck with two yanderes, already a situation of itself, but two douchebag yanderes, now that's just comically unlucky.
• cormac and zacharias are pretty much at the bottom of the yandere foodchain — paired up against anyone else and no doubt the other yandere comes out on top, but what if we take other yanderes out of the equation? what if our dear darling / reader doesn't have to deal with groups of snakes and eagles? (cormacias smithlaggen)
• i feel like both cormac and zacharias's obsession would be someone who doesn't have many people around them. because fundamentally neither are smart nor talented enough to come up with an elaborate scheme to trap the darling, the only way to 'get' their darling would be to drag them into a draining and boundless friendship.
• despite being incredibly similar in the way they 'yandere', their biggest difference is how they treat the darling: to zacharias, his darling is the only person who matters in his life, whilst cormac is simply obsessed with the idea of them, whether it be for their looks, intelligence, reputation, they're the person he wants to spend his life with, whether they like it or not.
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• whilst their motivations might be different, both are preoccupied with 'keeping' their darling, feelings and emotions be damned. sure, zacharias wants his darling to be happy, but without him? he wants to wipe the smile off their face whenever he see's them with anyone else. they can be miserable, unstable and depressed, he doesn't care and he'll deal with whatever mood swings they throw at him. the one thing he won't deal with is his darling being away from him.
• zacharias might be the 'sweeter' (i use this term loosely) of the two, but that by no means implies he'd be fine with sharing. zach can barely share his darling with themself, and has pretty much attached himself to their hip. he doesn't bother having other close friends or caring about other people, zacharias only needs you and you only need him.
• but what exactly is he going to do when cormac comes onto his darling? the gryffindor just inserts himself into their perfectly content life and acts like their boyfriend, and broke his nose the one time zacharias dared tell him to (looks down) get lost in the forbidden forest and get [redacted] by a centaur-
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• cormac? he's worse, he objectifies his darling in every way possible. he might not see exactly see them as an object, but he has trouble taking any of their emotions seriously. you don't want to spend the night with him? sounds like a you problem, love </3. is he happy when they're happy? sure, but does he give a rats arse if they're uncomfortable? mclaggen doesn't even notice.
• despite his less than savoury traits, cormac isn't opposed to sharing, and might even prefer it, as long as he gets his daily darling time, does it really matter if there's another?
• he might even become more tolerable as a yandere sharing, maybe it's the competition being the darlings favourite becomes, or maybe it's just the 'good' influence from watching zacharias bend over backwards to make their darling happy, but he slowly starts to care.
• albeit, still in a himbo, macho way. pricked your finger? cormac happily marches to and from the hospital wing to bring his darling a bandaid. broke a bone? (because cormac didn't catch you in time after throwing you down the stairs) he won't let his dear lift a finger (literally, you tried to get up and he kept pushing you back down).
• one thing they can agree on is that the darling is not allowed any privacy or agency in this relationship, you don't want to kiss? too bad, pucker up love it's time for the 4pm make out session, cormac called first dibs today!. you want to study for the o.w.l's? suck it up, nerd, it's hogsmeade day, zacharias is taking you to the three broomsticks and cormac has a game later that you have to cheer at.
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"oh come oon!" zacharias whined as his arm was once again pushed off by m/n, but he did not let up, and once again slung his arm around the others shoulders "how much exposure therapy do i need to put you through, mate" he dragged them along, walking towards the quidditch pitch that was slowly piling up with students, all eagerly waiting for the match to begin.
m/n let out a sigh of relief as zacharias finally removed his arm, instead gripping onto their forearm and guiding them up the stands "we have to get seats at the top, cormac bet me five galleons he could high five me on his broom — there's this new quill at scrivenshafts i'm dying to get"
the match felt like it was never going to end, the screaming of gryffindor and slytherin as each team got a hold of the quaffle was deafening, and his eyes were to stay glued to cormac the entire match, he couldn't gaze at any other player even for a second, especially potter, or else-
"potters got the snitch!"
the sound of lee jordans voice erupted the gryffindor side of the pitch into victorious roars of applause. they knew what came next, it always happened but maybe cormac would be too distracted by his victory to-
"how about a kiss for the star of the match" ah, cormac had already flown over to where they sat "i want my five galleons first!" zacharias pipped up, patting at mclaggens pockets "get off me smith — you can have it tomorrow, i just came here for my kiss" and with that, before m/n could say anything, cormac had grabbed ahold of either side of their face, pulling their lips to his.
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• cormac and zacharias don't so much share as they do tolerate each others presence within the darlings life. the bright side is that together, they do stand a chance against another yandere, probably not an intelligent one like anthony goldstein, or a violent one like one of the theo's™, but if the darling were to have also caught to attention of someone like lorenzo berkshire, they probably wouldn't loose custody immediately.
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frankiethedarkangel · 1 year ago
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Guys…. I met Freddie!!!! He’s such a sweetheart <3
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pretendfan · 11 months ago
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
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Adrian Chase x F! Reader
{a/n Christmas 2022 this idea was first thought of but shelved because there just wasn’t the time to start it. Until now because the Adrian thirst is once again making me feral for this lil guy, and the need to write something was too strong to ignore. So here it is, a vague idea that I’ve let take the lead so this story goes where it wants to go…you have been warned🤣Merry Christmas!}
*Huge thanks to @powerfultenderness for guiding me through this, you are on the good list♥️*
*Takes place after show, characters all established and in this world Vig still has his parents*
~Three POV’s and a whole lot of secrets are poured into this holiday story, which is clearly spiked with festive cheer and definitely shouldn’t be read whilst driving, this is a tasty Christmas treat that you definitely don’t want to miss!~
{Part 1} {Part 2} {Part 3}
{WARNING: 18 PLUS/ swearing, blatant disregard for the holiday season, lots of smut, p in v, oral sex, doggy style, under a Christmas tree, flirting and teasing, tis the season for cheesiness, ambiguous ending}
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exist4me · 2 years ago
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Fun Night
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Hi! This is my first smut. Feedback would be appreciated. Please ENJOY :)
cw: smut, p in v, praise, degradation, unprotected sex (wrap it up always). 18+ minors DNI.
wc:2.2k
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You and Adebayo decided to stay late at the video store headquarters to figure out how the butterflies are getting the raw amber fluid. It's a few minutes past 2 am when Ads decided to go home to her wife.
“I’m done for the day, Keeya hasn’t seen me since yesterday and she's getting worried. I'll see you later.” she said exhaustedly. 
“Alright. Tell her I said hi”
“OKAY! Don't stay here too late and get some rest” Ads said before leaving. 
You sighed heavily realizing how crazy it is that five people versus an alien invasion. I don’t get paid enough for this bullshit you thought. You got up to refill your coffee and got back to work.
It was 3:30 am when you heard the front door opening.
“Did you forget something Ads?” you asked without looking up from your laptop.
“Um no I didn't and since when do you call me Ads” you heard a deep voice reply.
You looked up to find Adrian standing by the door in his full Vigilante costume.
“Dude I never call you that, I thought you were Adebayo. Why the fuck are you here at 3 am?” you asked slightly annoyed due to the lack of sleep,
“No need to be rude. I was bored so I thought I would patrol with Peacemaker but he's asleep so here I am. Why are you here at 3 am all alone in the dark with just a lamp on like some cartoon villain?” Adrian said sarcastically as he sat across from you.
“Shut up. I'm doing research. Trying to figure out the butterflies food source”
“Any luck?”
“None” you sighed
Adrian took off his mask and placed it on the desk. He took his glasses out of his pockets and placed them on his face. You're not sure what possessed you or if it's because of the lack of sleep to say the words coming out of your mouth.
“ You’re really fucking cute Adrian.” you blurted out.
“Uh- what?” he nervously laughed while his face turned bright red.
“Yea the whole glasses and vigilante thing is really hot”
“Umm, t-t-thank you. I think you’re really fucking hot too. Like the first time I saw your face at Fennel Fields with Peacemaker, I was like fuck this girl is a goddess and then I saw your body and the way you fight and I was like damn I gotta fuck her RESPECTFULLY of course.” Adrian rambled on.
You chuckled at what he said. You got up from your desk and slowly walked over to stand in front of him. He sat there looking up at you with the softest eyes, fidgeting nervously in the chair.
“Get up Adrian" you said softly.
He slowly stood from his chair, now towing over me. Looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Do you wanna kiss me?" He looked at me dumbfounded and nodded.
"I need to hear the words Adrian. I want your full consent"
"Ye-" his voice cracked. Clearing his throat he said yes with a deep raspy voice.
You tiptoe to reach face-to-face. You can feel his breath on your face when you close your eyes to kiss Adrian for the first time. It started off as a chaste peck then he pulled you closed by the waist and wrapped his arms around it. You placed your arms around his neck, bringing your bodies tightly together. You bit his bottom lip for him to open up. He gasped softly which gave you the opportunity to place your tongue in his mouth. Adrian groaned into your mouth. His tongue started to aggressively take control over yours. Our tongues danced gracefully together in a heated battle. He continued to deepen the kiss while his hands moved from your waist to grip your ass. You whimpered as your hands drag down to his chest fisting his Vigilante suit, you can feel his quick heartbeat. You slowly pulled away, taking a deep breath. Adrian’s hands cradled your face as you both breathe heavily and desperately together. Your body is on fire with want, yearning for Adrian to do more.
After such a deep and lustful kiss, his thumb stroked your cheeks slowly moving toward your swollen lips. He's eyeing your lips with a newfound dark desire as he rubs his thumb across your bottom lip. You opened your mouth to lick the tip of his thumb and he slowly pushed it past your lips into your mouth. You sucked on his thumb, moaning around his finger as he looked at you with half-lidded lust-filled eyes. The change in Adrian’s facial expression while sucking on his thumb has made you realize you would do anything for him at this moment. He would ruin you for anyone else, no one can compare to how he is making your insides feel with a mere kiss. You longed for more.
"Look at you suckin’ on my thumb like a good slut. You want something bigger hmm?" You whined around his thumb giving Adrian a timid look. " I know my pretty girl needs more. I wanna see those full lips wrapped around my cock" he said breathlessly. He slowly dragged his wet thumb out your mouth with a pop trailing the finger down your chin to the middle of your throat. He firmly wrapped his hand around your throat. You whimpered desperately for more of his touches. 
"But that's for another time. Right now I wanna make you feel good. I need to know how that pretty pussy tastes. I need to feel you cum all over my face before I die. Please can I? Can I do this for you?" Adrian pleaded. 
“Yes please do anything, as long as you continue to touch me” you begged.
Adrian gently pushed you onto the desk. Kneeling before you he took off your footwear and pants. He looked up once more wordlessly asking for permission. You nod. His warm hands touch your calves as he softly kisses each leg. He held your knees firmly as he spread your thighs widely apart. You can feel his hot and heavy breath at your clothed pussy. You can feel yourself getting wetter by the second as you clenched around nothing preparing for him to touch you more.
He lets out a deep breath murmuring” fuck babe you smell so good”
You feel his warm mouth on your clothed cunt, licking you through the material of your panties. Your eyes closed as you let out a loud whimper.“ Fuck…. more Adrian”
His adorable eyes behind those glasses look up at you. ”Beg me for more” he demanded in a husky sensual voice.
You whined before pleading to him.
“Please fuck me with your tongue sir. I'll be a good slut for you just please make me cum. I'll do anything. I just-I just need you”
Adrian took a deep breath. He takes his glasses off. You can feel his hands tighten against your hips. He slowly pulls your panties down and off you. He whispers “fuck” as he comes face to face with your bare cunt. It didn't take long for him to put his mouth on your pussy. He’s licking, slurping and kissing your bare wet cunt as you moan loudly with no care in the world. Your hips jerk up as he firmly holds your thighs pressing his face deeper into you. Your entire body is burning up, and you feel a tight knot in your core. Adrian moans and groan into you as he continues to lick and suck at your clit messily. You pull his hair bringing him as close as humanly possible.
“I’m gonna-fuck Adrian, sir please I’m gonna cum” you moaned. The tight knot in your core comes loose. You feel this intense pressure burst as you cum all over his face.
“Fuck. This feels so good. Adrian, fuck you’re amazing” you scream out.
He raises his head, and you can see the bottom half of his face wet with your release. You feel your face heat up suddenly, embarrassed. He looks at you amazed, grinning like he accomplished a great feat. it’s cute you thought.
“Fuck babe that was sexy. I wanna see you do that again on my dick. You look so pretty when you cum. All tired and fucked out. I bet you get really cock drunk too. Fuck you got me so hard right now. I need to see you cum again” 
Adrian quickly stripped out of his vigilante suit and his underwear. You're left staring at his thick, long dick with the tip red leaking precum. You lick your lips subconsciously as more precum seeps out of his cock. Adrian notices your desperate look.
“You wanna taste me? Hmm? I know you wanna suck me off but I can’t wait. I need to feel you wrapped around me. I could give you a little taste. Open up for me princess. Lemme treat you.” He takes two fingers and gathers some of his precum. You open your mouth widely for him to place his fingers into your mouth. He tastes like manly musk and desire. 
Adrian smiled at you arrogantly.” you're such a whore for me aren't you” you nod
“I wanna hear your words princess”
“Yes sir I'm your whore” you murmured
You strip out of your t-shirt and bra as Adrian placed himself between your spread legs. His eyes are focused on your tits. You took one of his hands to grope your breasts. He played with your pointed nipples between his fingers. Moaning you took the back of his head, directing him to suck on your tits.
“Fuck babe you have the best tits in the world. I wanna bury my face in it forever”
You laughed at Adrian's statement. “ you can do that after but right now I need you to fuck me now please.”
“Oh fuck yea!” he chuckled. “Are you ready?”
“Yes sir.”
He tapped his heavy thick cock on your clit a few times before spreading your lips to lube up his cock with your wetness. Your hips jerk while your heated cunt clenches around nothing. Adrian watches you intensely as he places the tip of his cock into your tight cunt. He slowly moved inch by inch. You moaned, grabbing his biceps as he stretches you out, he continued to move but stopped when you flinched. He asked, “are u okay?”
“It’s okay keep going, you're just big and it's been a while” you reassured him.
He moved another inch, and finally, he was fully inside. He was a snug fit inside your pussy.
“Fuck baby you’re so tight. I need a minute. Shit, it’s so warm and wet. I might cum fast. I'm not kidding, your pussy is literally perfect. I can stay here for days.” Adrian murmured.
“Heh honestly, I might cum fast too. Just fuck me fast it’s getting late”
“As you wish princess”
He pulls out slowly, then thrusts back into your wet heat. You clenched around him as you felt his thick cock drag along your walls. You moaned loudly as he thrust deeply into your cunt. You feel Adrian leave wet sloppy kisses along your body. As he thrust into you, your tits bounced as he picked up the speed. The dark room is filled with the wet sounds of your body and skin slapping against each other as Adrian fucks into your bare cunt.
“Look at you taking me so well princess. That tight pussy is filled with me. Fuck you’re soaking my dick.” You moaned as he continues to fuck you and play with your clit.
“Fuck  Adrian, baby you feel so good. Keep fucking my pussy please. I’m gonna cum!” you cried out. You stared at each other breathless as he grinds into you. He holds one of your legs across his shoulders as he hits your sweet spot. You feel yourself go limp as the pressure in your core begins to burst.
“There? Right there? I know baby it feels good? Lemme fuck you dumb” he moans out. No words was coming out of your mouth, just delirious sounds as he fucks you senseless. You whine as he speeds up slamming into your spot. You come undone, the dam burst as you cum all over Adrian wetting his lower regions.
“fuckkk “ you whined
Shortly after Adrian snapped his hips so deep into you as he cums into your bare cunt flooding your heart. He lets out a loud groan finishing in you. He continues to gently thrust into you, slowly coming to a stop. You milk the last of his orgasm as you guys stood still breathless. Your pussy twinges as he slowly pulls out of you. You whined as your pussy is still sensitive. Adrian’s eyes are fixated on your cunt leaking his cum.
“Fuck I wanna take a picture of your pussy. It looks so pretty leaking like this. Can I please?” Adrian begged.
“What? fuck no that’s like second date stuff.” he pouted. You chuckled at his cute expression. You got off the desk to search for your clothes. 
“Dude, it's like 5 in the morning. We gotta leave before the others get here.” you and Adrian hurriedly redress before leaving headquarters. He walked you to your car.
“So…” he stated
“So…?”you asked
“Will this be like a regular thing or not? Cause I think we make good sex together” You laughed at Adrian. What a weird thing to say you thought.
“Yea maybe after missions. I don't know we’ll see. Also don't speak a word of this to Peacemaker or you're never getting this pussy again. Understand?”
“Understood,” he said. You guys parted ways to meet back later for a team meeting later in the day. As you reached your apartment you realized that you couldn't find your underwear.
“Fuck” you whispered. You assumed Adrian was the type to take a souvenir so you weren't too worried about it. 
The entire 11th street kids were in the middle of a meeting when Harcourt found your underwear under her desk.
“What the fuck is this?” Harcourt yelled.
You kept a straight face but you and Adrian made eye contact before he started stuttering an answer. Which resulted in you kicking his foot under the desk and him yelling out your name. Now everyone including Murn knows you and Adrian fucked. The meeting ended with Peacemaker laughing and asking about your sex life.
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she-wolf09231982 · 10 months ago
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Vigilante/ Adrian Chase
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Vigilante/Adrian Chase & Female Agent
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evabellasworld · 1 year ago
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First Meeting at Fennel Fields
AO3 Link ——————————————————————————————
Pairing: Adrian Chase x Agender!OC (Rue Iqbal)
Rating: 13+
Summary: 
Rue Iqbal, who recently moved to the town of Evergreen, stopped by at Fennel Fields to enjoy a meal when they made a potential romantic connection with the cute busboy, Adrian Chase.
A/N: This is part 1 of the series, Star Blossom. Stay tuned for part 2
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It was a cold, late afternoon, with light gray clouds and a glint of sunlight in the sky. Driving in a silver car, Rue Iqbal admired the quaint town of Evergreen, with rows of mom-and-pop shops attached together and small trees and shrubs planted in every corner of the sidewalks, their light green leaves slowly fading into dark orange, reflecting the beginning of the autumn season. Their face was drenched with sweat and makeup and their ribbons loose from both sides of their curly hair. Wearing a light blue knitted vest with a slightly crumpled shirt and flared midi skirt, their Mary Jane shoes that Rue polished early in the morning had lost its shine, along with their white stockings that turned gray.
Despite their favorite song, La Vie En Rose, playing on the radio, Rue’s head was throbbing with slight pain and their right eye felt heavy, their left eye covered with eyepatch. But with their last meal after their mid-afternoon prayer, Rue’s stomach rumbled for hours, forcing them to drive to a nearby restaurant and eat as much as their heart desired. If they had the option, they craved a large paratha with thick, spicy mutton curry and a side of pakoras, just like how their paternal grandmother made them years ago. 
Unfortunately, grandmother isn’t here to cook their favorite food, let alone comfort their heavy heart and dried tears. They’re on their own, in a new place, without anyone by their side.
Parking their car in front of a restaurant called Fennel Fields, Rue stared at their reflection in their rearview and touched up on their makeup and hair, before spraying an ocean-scented perfume on their bare neck. Taking a deep breath, they emerged from their vehicle with their light blue handbag and approached the restaurant their co-workers raved about earlier. The interior of the restaurant was painted with warm yellow that harmonized with the mild lighting and toasty surroundings, and the scent of Bolognese sauce and fresh rosemary welcomed the only customer. 
All the seats were vacant, with saucers and a set of forks and knives placed on top of serviettes. Rue noticed that there were only a few staff on duty, and focused their gaze towards the round clock hanging in the middle, which was half-past five. As Rue glanced at the freshly mopped wooden floor, the restaurant hostess approached them with a warm smile on her face and a menu in her hands.
“Welcome to Fennel Fields,” she greeted. “Are you here to dine in or takeout?”
“I’m here to dine-in,” they replied in a cordial manner.
“Alright, miss, right this way,” she said, as she led them to their seat, which was a table with only two chairs and a painting of a willow tree on their right.
“Thank you,” Rue said, as they sat down and hung their handbag behind them. 
“You’re welcome, miss,” she responded, handing them the menu. “Feel free to take your time to browse through the menu and ring the bell once you’re ready to order.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” they said, browsing through the menu, hoping the restaurant had options for vegans and vegetarians, just like what their co-workers claimed. They were right‌, because there is a vegan section on the menu, which is completely plant-based. Five minutes later, Rue rang the bell and a waitress approached her table, with a notebook in her hands.
“I’ll have a Caprese salad with a strawberry Italian soda,” Rue stated, as the waitress wrote it down on their notebook.
“Will that be all?” she asked. “A Caprese salad with a strawberry Italian soda?”
“That will be all,” they affirmed, handing her the menu. “Thank you so much.”
“No problem, miss.”
As the waitress left, Rue leaned against their seat and as they listened to the tranquil music in the background and turned to a simple willow tree painting on their right, sinking deep into their thoughts. They couldn’t help noticing the yellowish-greenish colors that were used for the leaves, along with the shadow that casts underneath it with light gray colors. Rue remembered the willow tree in the park one sunny day, where they used to sit whenever they felt like their burdens were too heavy for them to carry on their back and weeped without shame and guilt from people around them. With orange butterflies fluttering and the scent of nectars in the air, it was the perfect way to feel home. 
But they weren’t home anymore. They’re in Evergreen, where there’s no sight of enormous skyscrapers and the mysterious green forest loomed at the edge of the town.
Before delving further into the new town, the waitress returned with their Caprese salad and a glass of strawberry Italian soda, bringing them back into the present. Rue thanked the waitress and glanced at their meal, which consists of fresh tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves, drizzled with olive oil and a hint of black pepper. It may not be vegan, but last they checked, mozzarella cheese did not contain rennet, hence, it was safe for them to eat. As they took a bite of their meal, they tasted the tanginess of the tomato and mozzarella slices mixed together with the pungent taste of basil. With the balancing flavor of the olive oil and black pepper, Rue’s eyes widened as they glanced at their meal, taking another bite and stuffing it in their mouth, satisfying their hunger. 
They then took a sip of their strawberry Italian soda with a red-striped straw, and sighed in relief at the sweet taste of the fresh strawberries that were mixed with the bubbly club soda and the cooling ice cube that refreshed their body, despite the cold mist fogging the restaurant’s window.  Despite the fog, however, Rue pictured the golden leaf that blew towards their bedroom window early in the morning, resembling the ones that were scattered near the willow tree. The street sweeper usually piled them up into a mini mountain, and Rue used to jump towards the pile and let the leaves rain towards their giggling face, until the sweeper showed up and cursed at them. 
That was years ago when they were still in high school. As their mind flies towards their past, they did not notice the busboy approaching their table, who had been admiring their beauty since the moment they stepped foot into Fennel Fields.
“Excuse me, miss,” a busboy asked, carrying a jug of strawberry Italian soda. “Do you want a refill of your drink?”
Rue focused their attention towards the busboy who was standing in front of them and traced their eyes from his head to his toned forearms, all the way to his leather black shoes, which looked almost worn out. Wearing a red cap with matching shirt and a beige apron, his bespectacled eyes reminded Rue of a forest at night, which complimented with his porcelain skin and dimpled smile. Rue could only sip their soda as they admired the handsome busboy sitting in front of them, who resembled one of those main leads in a Korean drama, except for the fact that he was clearly a white man whose age they could not guess. But if they had to bet, the busboy looked like he was either in his late 20s or in his early 30s, though not more than 31. 
Their eyes then moved towards his name tag on his apron before nodding in response. “I would love that, Adrian, thank you.”
He rapidly blinked at Rue’s response, gripping on the jug’s handle. “How did you know my name?”
“It’s on your name tag,” they pointed out, much to his relief.
“That makes sense,” he chuckled, as he poured their drink into their glass. “Though it feels weird that a customer would refer to a busboy or a busgirl or a busser by their names, since we mostly do the dirty work that the waiters don’t dare.”
“Yeah, bussers have to carry stacks of dirty dishes and refill drinks, which is really tiring. Like, I remember carrying 15 dirty dishes from one table and both my arms and legs were super sore.”
“Wait, you were a busser as well?”
“Yeah, it was my first job back in high school. Whenever school finished, I worked from around 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., and then woke up for school at 6, and then the pattern repeated.”
“I know that feeling,” he empathized with their experience as he leaned closer to their ears to whisper. “Not to mention you’re underpaid, a lot.”
Rue’s eyes widened as Adrian whispered in her ears, though they understood that he could not say it openly at his workplace since it might get him fired, or worse. Speaking of the workplace, Rue realized that they may have been taking loads of Adrian’s time, since he was still on duty right now. 
“You should head back to work,” they reminded him. “I don’t think your boss would be happy to see you mingling with a customer.”
“Please, you’re the only one here,” he snorted, as he took a seat and placed the jug on the table, facing Rue. “Besides, I was really bored and there’s nothing much I can do anyway, aside from wiping the table, which I’ve done that for like a hundred times.”
Rue burst into laughter. “You talk to customers when you’re bored?”
“Nah, I usually would be sitting in the back and listening to music, but since you’re here all alone, I thought you could use some company anyway, since you look lonely and all.”
“I appreciate that,” they replied. “So how long have you worked here?”
“Pretty long, I guess,” he shrugged, looking upwards. “Probably around a year or two. Or maybe three. I don’t know. I’m bad at math. Anyway, let’s talk about you. What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a high school chemistry teacher. Today’s my first day of teaching at Evergreen High School. Ever heard of it?”
“Oh my gosh, yes, of course I heard of it. I used to go there, along with my older brother and my best friend, who’s close with my older brother,” his eyes brightened, reminiscing his past to Rue. “If I could remember, Mr. White was my chemistry teacher, until he got killed by a drug lord, which I’m not sure how to feel, since chemistry isn’t my favorite subject and also the fact that I zoned out at every one of his classes.”
“So you and your older brother and your best friend, who’s close with your older brother, were alumni of that school?” they recapped, feeling goosebumps on their skin on Mr. White’s death. “Well, that explains why the superintendent hired me immediately after the interview.”
“I’m not surprised,” he shrugged. “A lot of teachers are leaving the profession, which I don’t blame them, since the pay is low and students can be dickheads sometimes. Are your students a bunch of dickheads?”
“So far, they seemed fine,” they laughed with amusement. “Though it’s too early to judge, since it’s only the first day.”
“That’s totally understandable,” Adrian let out a pleasant laugh, before proceeding to dig through their history. “So if you don’t mind me asking, where are you from, cause I’ve never seen you around town before, so yeah…”
“Well, I was born and raised in Malaysia, but I came to America when I was fourteen,” they explained, releasing a shallow sigh. “I lived in Kane City for eight years, which was famous for their willow trees, until I decided to move to Evergreen, where I’ve only been here for two days.”
“That’s a lot of moving,” he remarked. “So you must be a city girl, right?”
Rue chuckled in response, much to his confusion. “Did I say anything wrong?”
“I’m not sure how to say this, but I’m not a girl,” they clarified, pressing their hands together. “I’m actually agender, which means I don’t identify with any gender at all. Basically, I’m genderless, so yeah…”
“I am so sorry about that,” he babbled, aghast at his own behavior. “I should have asked before assuming your gender, which I did, and now I think I made things awkward between us.”
“No worries about that,” Rue assured him. “I get that a lot.”
“It’s still not an excuse to misgender you, though,” he looked down on the table, avoiding their eyes, before clearing his throat. “Anyway, to make things less awkward, what pronouns do you use?”
“I go by they, them, ze and zir,” they answered. ‘What about you? What pronouns do you go by?”
“I go by he and him pronouns, and I’m also a cis male, just to clear up the confusion between the both of us.”
“Alright, looks like we’ve cleared up the air,” they clapped their hands once. “So, how long did you stay in Evergreen?”
“Since I was born, which was practically my whole life,” he answered, gazing at Rue’s right eye. “I never left Evergreen, and I don’t think I ever will. I mean, I know it can be boring and all, with nothing much happening in this town, except for the fact that we were almost invaded by a bunch of butterflies, which I obviously have nothing to do with, but otherwise, there’s nothing much here except for a few crimes here and there.”
“Honestly, I would rather be almost invaded by a bunch of butterflies than to deal with corrupt cops and some billionaire who tried to poison our rivers,” Rue chortled. “Besides, butterflies are beneficial to the ecosystem since they contribute to our food production.”
“Yeah, of course,” he laughed nervously, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “Those butterflies are definitely beneficial to the ecosystem, alright. Anyway, let’s talk about your home country, Malaysia, since I’ve never heard about it before, so yeah, what’s it like down there?”
“From what I remembered, I would hang out at the esplanade with my friends while admiring the ocean up close, along with the blue sky above. I also remembered the alleyways with artworks of children riding on the bicycle and playing on the swing. I also remembered enjoying swimming in the river near my grandparent’s house and the water would be freezing cold, despite the immense heat outside. Oh, there’s also a rice field nearby as well, and it’s a beautiful sight when it’s being harvested.”
“It sounded like paradise.”
“It did, actually,” they smiled sadly. “If only I could stay there forever.”
“Do you miss your home country?”
“Yeah, I do miss Malaysia a lot,” they sighed. “I could come back there, but I’m not sure whether I would recognize it since everything changed for the past eight years.”
“Well, you know what they say, if you’ve been away from home for too long, you end up becoming a foreigner when you return home.”
Rue nodded as they stared distantly at their drink, contemplating Adrian’s words. Their memories of their eight years old self enjoying a strawberry ice ball replayed in their mind like a rolling film camera. They were sitting all alone in an open-air shop and counted every trishaw that rode past them on the quiet streets. The shopkeeper knew their parents well. Whenever Rue came to his shop, he always smiled and talked to them in their native language. Rue would love to go back to those moments, but they no longer live there anymore, nor speak their native language that their parents and teachers from her old school had taught. Even if they go back, they would no longer be the same little girl that everyone recognized. 
“Everything alright, Rue?” Adrian interrupted their thoughts, his brows wrinkled. “You seemed sad.”
“Yeah, I’m alright,” they insisted, grinning from ear-to-ear. “I was just taking a trip down to memory lane, that’s all.”
“Is it something I said, cause if it is, I’m really sorry about that.”
Rue shook their head. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Adrian. It’s just that I realized that I forgot how to speak Malay, which I used to be super fluent along with English, but since coming here, I could only converse in English, Japanese and Korean, which is embarrassing, cause I made an effort to learn Japanese and Korean but somehow I didn’t do the same with Malay, which was the language my parents and my grandparents and the rest of my ancestors have spoken, even during the colonial eras. So yeah, you’re right. If I returned to Malaysia, I’ll feel more like an American tourist instead of a Malaysian who returned home.”
Adrian can’t imagine losing the ability to speak his native tongue, but listening to Rue’s cries on forgetting the language that their ancestors have spoken made his heart ache. They would insist that everything seemed fine, but he noticed their suppression of tears through their right eye, since the other eyes were covered with an eye patch. He wondered how they lost half of their sight in the first place, though it’s not the right time to ask about it.
“It must be painful forgetting a language you used to be fluent in,” he empathized in a softer tone. “And I’m sure it hurts to feel disconnected from your home country and its culture. But I’m confident that it is never too late to re-learn the Malay language and reconnect with your culture. It definitely won’t be easy, but I’m sure it will be a healing journey for you and your family, if you’re still in touch with them, of course. Are you still in touch with your family?.”
“Unfortunately, no, but you’re still right,” they smiled at Adrian. “It’s never too late to re-learn the Malay language and reconnect with my culture. After all, we persevered through the colonial era and the Japanese occupation during World War II, so I don’t think I’ll give up anytime soon.”
“That’s the spirit,” he cheered, as he noticed their blue handbag hanging on the chair. “Is that a Kate Spade you got there?”
“How did you know?” they gasped, grabbing their handbag.
“It’s the leather for me, cause it’s made of crossgrain calf leather, which is the least expensive kind of leather and also more durable than the regular soft leather, perfect for carrying loads of stuff like files and books, since that’s what teachers usually carry all the time.”
Rue raised their eyebrows as they leaned towards him while still clutching on their handbag. “You have such eyes for details. Does anyone ever tell you that?”
“No, people just call me stupid and clueless, which is actually true, since I can’t tell who’s being sarcastic and I also don’t feel emotions like people do.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
Adrian shook his head. “No, it’s true. People always tell me that I’m dumb and that I talk too much, which is also true as well.”
Rue blinked at his statement, wondering whether he was pulling their leg. Surely, a man who accurately guessed the brand of their handbag would not be stupid, clueless, and dumb. As for the emotion part, Adrian makes them feel like they’re talking to a close friend that they’ve known for years instead of a stranger they just met an hour ago. 
“What makes you think that you’re stupid and clueless?” they asked, tilting their head to their right. 
“Well, one time, I noticed my best friend was really occupied with work and all, so I decided to help him do his laundry. Unfortunately, I may have used the wrong detergent, so his clothes pretty much turned pink. Understandably, he got mad and he wouldn’t allow me in his trailer for two weeks, so yeah.” 
Rue burst out laughing that they almost choked on their saliva, before clearing their throat and straightening their posture. “I don’t think I can consider you being stupid, since I also accidentally turned one of my white dresses pink. But honestly, at least I could wear that dress, since most of my clothes are blue and white.” 
“I threw my best friend's phone out of the car, thinking it was trackable, but his dad found him anyway because of his helmet. I realize now that it was a dumb thing to do.”
“Wait, helmets are trackable?” Rue bit their cheeks in thought.
“Well, my best friend’s helmet was trackable since his dad specially built it, and his dad is a racist nutjob‌, which you shouldn’t worry about, since he’s dead and I definitely have no part in his death, so yeah.”
“Okay then, that’s good to know,” Rue nodded. “So, you mentioned you have an older brother, right?”
“Yeah, I did,” he replied with a grin. “His name is Gut, and he’s like way older than me, like 13 years older, and he was alright. We only see each other during the holidays, since he has his own life and all.”
“Huh, it must be nice having a big brother. How about the rest of your family? Are you close with them as well?”
“Kind of, I mean, I only see them during the holidays, so yeah, it’s all good, I guess.”
Rue hummed in agreement as they stole a quick glance of the time. It was already 6.30 p.m. It dawned on them just how swiftly the past hour and a half had flown by, their conversation flowing seamlessly and effortlessly. Yet, Rue was hit with their most important part of their everyday obligations, which was their daily prayers. In 20 minutes, their next prayer would start, though they can’t bear the weight of leaving Adrian all alone, despite their short but captivating connection they had shared earlier. 
Letting out a resigned sigh, Rue took out a piece of a blue memo pad and a Sharpie from their handbag, puzzling Adrian with their unexpected action.
“Everything okay, Rue?”
“I would love to stay and chat with you longer, but I just realized that my next prayer starts in 20 minutes, which I can’t be late to, so will it be okay if I give you my phone number instead?
Adrian’s eyes sparkled as Rue handed him their phone number on a blue memo pad, which had an ocean scent attached to it. It’s not every day a pretty person like Rue would give their phone number to him. He felt like floating in the air as angels surrounded him with their soulful opera.
“Of course you can,” he grinned, folding the piece of paper inside his pocket. “I would definitely call you, after you’re done with your prayers. By the way, what time is your last prayer, cause I don’t want to disturb you while praying, you know.”
“You can call me at 9,” they suggested, getting up from their seat. “I’ll be done by then.”
“Sure thing, I’ll definitely call you at 9,” he got up with them. “I can’t wait to continue our conversations together.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Rue winked, before realizing that they only had one eye, prompting them to turn around and ignore his soft laugh behind them. “Just don’t be late.”
“See you soon, Rue,” Adrian waved as he watched them leave Fennel Fields. Looking down at the phone number that they gave earlier, he paced out of the restaurant through the back door and performed his signature dance move at the empty alleyway, not giving a fuck whether his co-workers were staring at him weirdly.
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kpopgirlbtssvt · 10 months ago
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This!!!
i feel like with the wait for Peacemaker season 2 people are forgetting all about the lovable “sociopath” Vigilante/Adrian Chase. I feel like I’ve read every Vig fic there is to read and there’s a huge slow down in new ones! I would love any recs on here or any other sites of ppl’s fav vigilante fics or ones they’ve written themselves! Also any creators taking submissions for new vig fics reply too!! tysm <3
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multifandomfanficss · 1 year ago
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Stuck With You
Adrian Chase/Vigilante x Reader
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Adrian Chase Masterlist
Prompt: When the team sticks their newest member with Vigilante, everyone feels bad for you, but you’re grateful to have him around when you run into something from your past and lose your cool.
Warnings: panic attacks, human experimentation, referenced child abuse
A/N: I found a couple lines of dialogue in my drafts that I never did anything with and I had the writing bug today so I decided to finally make something with it! I’ll crosspost it on my AO3 adriansglasses as well. Hope you enjoy!
“(L/N), you’re with Vigilante.” Harcourt says, at the beginning of the meeting.
“You’re really gonna stick the newest person with that psycho?” John asks.
“You don’t need to be mean to Adrian just because he’s not here.” Leota starts.
“I would say it to his face too. He’d probably just laugh and call me his 4th best friend.” John retorts.
You hadn’t been with the team for long. This was your first mission with them. After a mission gone too out of control, Waller sent you to the middle of nowhere Evergreen, Washington. You thought she’d sent you here because the environment would be less hectic, but the longer you’re there, the more you realize she probably sent you here because everyone on this team is either highly traumatized or in need of more experience. She was trying to put the training wheels back on. From what you’d been told by the team’s top conspiracy theorist, Christopher Smith, this team was originally supposed to be an expendable scapegoat, but they ended up saving the world. You had no idea what to believe at this point.
“What’s up with Vigilante?” You ask, wondering why this was all such a hot topic. You hadn’t known him for long. He seemed a little odd, but overall fine. If you were being honest you actually kind of liked him. He was sweet and funny, often without trying. There was this comforting air about him and you didn’t really know why. He was a good fighter and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t think he was at least a little bit cute.
“He’s a little…” Chris started moving his finger in a circular motion, trying to insinuate that Adrian was crazy.
“He can’t be that bad.” You smile.
Suddenly Adrian comes running into the old video store tripping over one of his shin guards that wasn’t on properly. He sits down and fastens it.
“Sorry I’m late, guys. They kept me late at the restaurant and then when I was trying to put on my suit in the car I accidentally ran a red light and usually I would kill somebody for that, but I mean I think the more important thing is that I didn’t run over the old lady crossing the street! She was totally fine and I know she’s alive because she screamed at me…I’ve never seen an old lady use to many swear words. It was kind of awesome! Anyway what did I miss?”
“You put on your suit while driving?” Leota asks.
“Yup.” He gives a straight face nod. Adrian often had a way about him, as if what he was thinking should be obvious to other people, when in fact, it was not obvious to most people most of the time.
“You amaze me.” Harcourt says, sarcastically.
“Thank you.” Adrian smiles, not catching her sarcasm.
She rolls her eyes, sighing.
———————————————————————
Later on that night you and Adrian found yourselves walking through a series of tunnels.
“John, I think we might be lost.” You spoke into your coms, hoping he can help you from the van.
“I can’t even hear you in my earpiece and I’m right next to you. I think we lost the signal.” Adrian walks in silence for a few seconds before adding, “I’m sorry you got stuck with me.” He looks at the ground, sad.
“What are you talking about?”
“I know they stuck you with me. Nobody ever really chooses to be my partner.” He lightly kicks a rock, pretending not to be bothered.
“They did pair us up, but that doesn’t mean I was disappointed.” You smile.
“Really? Why would you want me?”
“Well first of all, you’re a great fighter. You were also the first person to attempt to be my friend. I’d trust you in the field over anyone.”
“Really?” You can hear the surprise in his voice.
“Yeah.” You let out a soft giggle. “Why are you so surprised that I like you?”
“Usually everyone just tells me to shut up or fuck off.”
“Well I’m not everyone.” You nudge him playfully as you walk.
Soon you come upon a door. It’s a little rusted, but Adrian shoots the lock off and you’re able to break in.
“What is this place?” He asks.
As soon as you walk inside you see the tubes, the files, the devices, the tables, the symbols. You know exactly what this is. This is an old facility for the for the group that made you leave your old job, the mission that ruined your life. You see files on the table, files no doubt full of details on the children they were experimenting on. The group would take orphaned children or children who were abandoned and unwanted, kids who had no one to protect them, and they would experiment on them. They were human trials to try to find new ways of making superheroes. This must have been one of their old abandoned facilities. Despite the lab being inactive, just the sight of it was still enough to send you into a spiral.
Your heart starts beating rapidly as you grow dizzy. You look down at your shaking hands. You’re starting to lose control of your breathing.
“I- I can’t-“ You walk backwards out of the room, starting to hyperventilate.
“Woah. Hey, what’s going on? Are you having a panic attack?” Adrian slowly puts his hands out towards you. He’s a little unsure of what to do.
“I’ve seen this before!” Your entire world is spinning as your start to cry. You can’t stop thinking about the awful things you saw when you snuck into their active facility earlier this year. Those poor children. Part of you was starting to wonder if Waller put you on this team for a reason. You should have known better than to think she was giving you a break. Waller always had some sort of fucked up motive that only worked for herself hidden up her sleeve. “I can’t fucking breathe!” You sob, sucking in air.
“Tender nice touching.” Adrian slowly approached you, patting your shoulder. You needed pressure on your body. You felt like you were slipping away from earth and you needed to be held down.
“Can I have a hug?” You asked, quietly.
“You want a hug?” He asked, his voice just as quiet. He was speaking softly to not startle you further.
“Yeah…”
“I think I can do that.“ He smiles, slowly bringing you into his arms. A little loose at first, he tightened the hug as you melted into him.
“I’m sorry- I- I just…I know what the did here and- and-“ Adrian shushes you as you begin to stutter, your mind moving much faster than your mouth is able to.
“You’re okay. You’re safe. I’ve got you. Just breathe with me. Don’t focus on anything else, but your breathing okay? Can you feel me breathing?” He rubs your back as you cry into his arms. You nod. “Okay, good. Just…just follow that.” He sighs and then focuses on making his own breathing something you can follow.
“Sometimes it’s hard for me to know what people on the team want because I know Chris doesn’t wanna look weak and Harcourt would kill me if I touched her, so I try to be careful. I just don’t wanna upset you guys more, but if you want me hold you I can keep doing that. Just let me know what you need and I’ll do it.” He says, softly.
“Can you just keep talking?” You ask. The sound of his voice is soothing and grounding.
“You want me to keep talking?” He smiles. “You’re in luck. I’m actually really good at talking. So good, in fact, that people are constantly asking me to shut up. So uh… What can I talk about? Oh! I know. So I have this friend at work. His name is Taylor. Well, he says we’re not friends, but he texts me all time time asking me to help cover his shifts and I would only trust a friend enough to ask them for that, so I think we’re friends. Anyway, so Taylor walked in this morning and…”
The longer Adrian rambles on the better you feel. The pressure of his body on yours and his voice slowly bring you back to earth. Eventually you find yourselves walking back through the tunnels, hand in hand, retracing your steps as he guides you back to the van to regroup. He keeps you distracted with silly stories the entire walk back.
You don’t know what the rest of your team was talking about. Adrian was the best partner you could have had.
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training4theapocalypse · 6 months ago
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Finders Keepers Ch 20. (Cormac McLaggen x fem!reader)
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Rating: Explicit 18+ (no smut)
Word Count: 7.5k
Warnings: Minor character deaths, violence
Summary: The final battle of Hogwarts
A/N: The last chapter 😢 an epilogue is on the way. This has been a blast. Thank you for reading. ❤️
Masterlist
Chapter 20: Avada Kedavra
The courtyard is eerily quiet when you and McLaggen skid to an abrupt halt on the rubble. A long streak of blood is painted across the cobblestone. And even though the thought of what caused it turns your stomach, instantly your mind begins playing it out. A faceless Death Eater blasted across the cloister. Or maybe it was a student dragging themselves away from the fighting. Or perhaps it’s the evidence of someone being tenderly carried off to somewhere safer. Assuming there’s anywhere safe left.
“Where is everyone?” The question, more to yourself than McLaggen, hangs in the chilled night air, icy on your skin after the pitch's fiery chaos. He holds one of the now-dilapidated oak front doors open and crumbling mortar silently dusts your heads and shoulders as you pass through the threshold. From a distance, you spot a familiar figure, carrying someone over one shoulder as they walk across the Entrance Hall. 
“Wood?” calls McLaggen.
At least one of your group is still alive. 
Oliver Wood stops in his tracks and turns, his face solemn. The realisation that the body he carries is dead and not simply injured hits you with sickening force. A young boy, blonde and no older than sixteen, hangs limp in his grasp.
“Colin Creevey,” says Wood sadly, in answer to the unasked question on the tip of your tongue. “He must have snuck back in through the Hog’s Head passageway to fight. He was only a kid.”
“Here, let me help,” says McLaggen. 
“It’s alright, mate - he’s -” Wood swallows with difficulty, the sentiment choking in his throat. “He’s only a wee thing.”
“Where - where are the others?” You’re surprised when your voice too is hoarse, barely a whisper. “Did you all get back to the castle alright?”
“We did,” says Wood as you and McLaggen fall into step with him, walking back towards the Great Hall. “But once we got back it was pandemonium. We were split up. I think the girls are in the Great Hall but some of the lads and I have been busy out here - helping carry bodies back and hoping that we don’t see anyone we know.”
The lads. You breathe a sigh of relief because it means Carmichael, Davies and Krum are all right too.
“We’ll be fine,” says McLaggen determinedly. “We’re all good fighters. Not kids like Colin -”
Wood shakes his head. “It’s not just kids like Colin - members of the Order of the Phoenix are dead. You remember Professor Lupin? He’s dead. And Fred Weasley.”
“Fred Weasley?” McLaggen halts. “Back when we were in the D.A. he was one of the best.” He says it matter-of-factly like Wood must be mistaken. 
“Gone,” says Wood with a sniff. “There were at least twenty bodies when I last left the Great Hall. And we keep finding more.” 
A heavy silence accompanies you into the Great Hall, where the reality of war is laid bare. The sky above the enchanted ceiling is pitch black. There’s not a single star in the sky visible. Dark clouds loom so claustrophobically close it’s a wonder there’s any air in the hall at all. Dozens of the fallen are lined up along the centre of the room. Some with crying families at their side, and some, you realise with a sinking feeling, are completely alone. 
Your eyes scour the room searching for your own loved ones. At this side of the row of bodies nearest you, there’s a crowd that can only be Fred Weasley’s family. Relief washes over you as you spot Angelina, at the edge of the group, sobbing on Alicia’s shoulder.
Another two who are still alive.
But your relief is short-lived when you see only Leanne and Katie at the far end of the hall, crowded around someone on the floor. 
Panic makes the hair on your arm rise. 
You break into a run, heart pounding, as you pass by too many bodies to count, each step fuelled by a mix of hope and dread. Leanne and Katie look up at your arrival, still holding each other, tears streaking down their faces. 
Cho is kneeling on the floor, holding the lifeless hand of a girl. She has the same long, wavy, auburn hair as Marietta. But it can’t be Marietta. Eddie isn’t here. And besides, she’s covered in dust, with pieces of rubble strewn in her hair. Marietta was always fussy about her appearance. She wouldn’t be caught dead looking like this.
McLaggen catches up with you and stops dead, momentarily stunned by the scene before him. “Fuck… Marietta.” His whisper hits you like a slowing charm.
“That’s not - it’s not -” Your legs feel like lead as you take a step closer. “I don’t think it’s Marietta - I mean, her face is…” That’s not Marietta’s face. Where are her scars? You sink to your knees across from Cho to get a closer look at the girl’s face. If you look hard enough, maybe it won’t be true. You’ll find some difference. A freckle or a piercing that proves this isn’t Marietta. 
“The curse must have died with her,” Cho murmurs, her voice quiet with grief as a tear drips onto Marietta’s serene, unblemished face. 
“She’s so beautiful,” sobs Leanne. “I mean - not that she wasn’t before -“
Fuck.
The truth hits hard. Undeniable. Raw.
It is her. 
“She was beautiful,” you agree, your voice breaking as a surge of memories overwhelms you, letting the tears flow unguarded. “Before the curse, when she had the curse and - and after.”
After. You never thought there would be a time after Marietta. Ever since your first day at Hogwarts, Marietta Edgecombe was there. After the sorting ceremony, you found yourself sitting across from her at the Ravenclaw table. You still remember the way she covered her mouth with the back of her hand and whispered something that made Cho giggle when Professor Dumbledore stood up to give his beginning-of-term speech. And it was at that point she had first seemed so different to you then. She loved gossip and fashion and makeup and boys - the two of you never really saw eye to eye. Mostly because you insisted you ‘weren’t like other girls’. 
But Marietta eventually showed you that you weren’t so different to other girls after all. And that other girls had their own interests just like you. It took longer than you’d like to admit to figure out that liking flying instead of Transfiguration didn’t make you superior. And so, Marietta transfigured your dress for Slughorn’s party. And you taught her how to fly a broom well enough to go on a dangerous mission to Azkaban. 
You suppose, if you let yourself think about the sad truth of it, her scars were probably the reason why she was so good at Transfiguration. She had spent a long time when you were still at Hogwarts, in the dormitory mirror with her wand pointed at her face, trying to rid herself of the scars that spelt ‘SNEAK’ across her cheeks and nose.
“How did she…?” The question dies in your throat as you look at Cho, not sure if you're ready to hear the answer. But she shakes her head. She doesn’t know. “I mean, where did you find her? And where’s Carmichael? Wasn’t he with her?” Eddie would know what had happened. “Does he even know she’s…?”
“We don’t have any answers,” says Katie not unkindly but it’s clear that your incessant questioning isn’t helping when they’re just as lost as you.
“Wood said that the guys were helping with the bodies,” McLaggen reminds you. “Maybe they’ll know more. They’ll be back in a… oh, fuck.”
McLaggen’s voice trails off and you look up to see why. 
Krum and Davies walk along the length of the hall, carrying a body. Krum holding under the arms and Davies carrying the legs. As they move, Krum clenches his jaw and Davies stares straight ahead solemnly.
“Nonononono…” you whimper, getting to your feet to get out of the way so that they can set the body down next to Marietta. Your hands reach for McLaggen’s and his find you, neither of you daring to take your eyes off of the body being carried towards you as you grasp at each other’s forearms for something - anything - to cling onto. 
Krum and Davies set the lifeless figure down and step out of the way. Nobody says anything for a long time as you stare down at them.
The echo of a mischievous smile is still etched on Eddie Carmichael’s face, even in death. You half expect his eyes to fly open. “Only winding you up, mucker,” he’d say, sitting upright and dusting himself off. And you’d roll your eyes and slap his arm for worrying you so. For letting the practical joke play out too long.
It’s not a joke. No matter how much you want it to be.
Carmichael. 
Your last shred of hope turns to dust. Even in Azkaban, Carmichael was a vial of Awakening Potion - the jolt of energy you needed to turn the tide in the depths of your despair. He almost made Azkaban feel like a game. Reminded you that being locked up was just a temporary situation - something that would pass. But this? This is permanent. 
“Where - where did you find him?” asks McLaggen. His voice is thick, barely recognisable.
Davies clears his throat. “Near the staircase behind the tapestry on the sixth floor. Longbottom said it was where he found Marietta.”
They were together.
McLaggen winces at Davies’ words and shuts his eyes momentarily, unable to bring himself to look at the lifeless figures of Marietta Edgecombe and Eddie Carmichael. You, on the other hand, can’t look away. 
The dust coating their faces makes them look almost blue-tinged. The remnants of an explosion, perhaps? The broken bits of rubble are still stuck in Marietta’s hair. Trembling slightly, you crouch down to try to disentangle them with your fingers, careful not to pull at her scalp. 
It’s no good. 
While you’ve never had an eye for Transfiguration like Marietta, you extract McLaggen’s dad’s wand from your pocket and press it gently at the pieces of rubble and one by one, transfigure them into tiny, blue forget-me-nots. 
To an onlooker, she might seem merely asleep, her hair adorned with forget-me-nots as if chosen by her own hand on a sunny day at Seafarer's Beacon. This small touch of beauty, reminiscent of the way her paper snowflakes once danced around the lighthouse stairwell or the summer wreath she hung on the front door just yesterday, captures the essence of Marietta's spirit. 
She always had an eye for making this world a little more beautiful.
Cho waves her wand in a complicated figure of eight and a wreath of the same forget-me-nots flourishes into existence. She places it silently at Eddie’s head before the two of you stand up and join the rest in quiet mourning. 
“You okay?” you whisper to McLaggen, noticing his ashen face. His brow furrows as if silently debating something internally. 
“How long have we got before the fighting starts again?” he asks the group, breaking the silence, his words piercing the heavy air.
“Not long I reckon,” says Davies.
McLaggen’s demeanour shifts, a firm look of determination on his face. “Potter needs to hand himself in… Where is he?” He looks around the room with an intense, measured sort of calm that you’ve only witnessed once before. When he stood up in the Black Dragon and asked Marcus Flint to step outside. “I’ll hand him over myself if I have to.” 
“Vot is this?” asks Krum as McLaggen makes to leave.
“Not gonna happen,” Davies tells McLaggen firmly, stepping in front of him.
“If he’d just handed himself over right at the start then Ed and Marietta would still be alive.” McLaggen tries to push past but Davies moves again.
“Handing over Potter isn’t going to bring them back -” says Davies.
For the first time, McLaggen raises his voice, drawing the attention of mourners in the hall. “How many more of us are going to have to die for him?!”
“Cormac -” you start and reach for his hand. “Marietta and Carmichael wouldn’t have wanted us to turn him in.”
“We don’t know what they’d have wanted,” he says bitterly and your own face screws up in anguish, fighting tears and unable to find the words to argue with him. 
But before anyone else can argue with him an amplified voice causes the noise in the Great Hall to halt into momentary silence.
“Harry Potter is dead!” 
The last word bounces around the stone walls. Dead. Dead. Dead.
There’s murmuring and hushing as You-Know-Who’s disembodied voice calls every survivor to attention. Everyone looks skywards as if it’ll make the words clearer. Make them make sense.
“He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him,” the voice continues. 
You’d be the first to admit you’re not Potter’s biggest fan but from everything you’ve heard about it, you know he has the same selfless, noble streak that McLaggen and the rest of your Gryffindor friends have - and you can’t imagine any of them running away to save themselves. You furrow your eyebrows together and look at Katie - she knows Potter best. As expected, she mirrors your thoughts with a firm shake of her head.
“He wouldn’t -” Katie starts, but the voice cuts her off.
“We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone. The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and The Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered. As will every member of their family.” 
The seven of you gather close as you hold your breath waiting to hear what will happen to you.
“Come out of the castle now. Kneel before me and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brother and sisters will live and be forgiven and you will join me in the new world we shall build together.”
McLaggen shakes his head. “It - it can’t all have been for nothing. Breaking them all out of Azkaban - it - it’s just can’t.”
“He’s lying. Harry’s not - he’s not dead,” says Cho with an air of trying to convince herself that it’s the truth. 
You look over to where Fred Weasley’s body lies and see that Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are looking around frantically for the missing member of their trio. The pair stumble into a run, leaving the Great Hall and the rest of the survivors begin following them. 
If Harry Potter isn’t dead then why are his two best friends panicking?
You stay rooted to the spot. “Look, we can’t go out there. No matter what You-Know-Who said about sparing us - Cerys told me that Muggleborns and traitors will be killed.”
“Well, we’re not going out there to surrender,” says McLaggen. “We’re going out there to fight.”
Everyone breaks into squabbling.
“They’re going to kill us,” you insist, feeling helpless as you point out the impending death sentence.
“We can’t just stay in here,” says Katie.
“Angelina and Alicia are going,” points out Leanne.
You feel like you’re going mad. Desperation grips you as you beg them to understand. “A Death Eater told me herself that they’re going to execute the Muggleborns and force purebloods into Death Eater families.”
Davies finally chimes in, siding with caution. “I agree with Keeps. They’ll slaughter us all.”
“Not if I kill him first,” says McLaggen, straightening up but his change in demeanour makes your blood run cold.
“Kill who?” asks Cho. “You’re not talking about killing You-Know-Who, are you?”
McLaggen pauses, his gaze fixed on the distant double doors. When he speaks, his voice is clear, and full of resolve. “Not You-Know-Who. Voldemort.” 
The use of the taboo name is heavy in the air for a split second as a silent shock ripples through the group. McLaggen begins to march forward, his steps deliberate, pulling the rest of you from your stupor as you scramble to keep pace, murmurs of disbelief echoing behind him.
Wait - what?
He follows the direction of the crowd leaving the Great Hall.
“Cormac - wait - no,” you panic, pulling on his arm but he keeps walking as you practically jog to keep up with his long strides. “Cormac?” 
“McLaggen, what are you playing at, mate?” Davies too tries to get Cormac’s attention while you march.
McLaggen’s eyes darken, a flash of the recent pain  “No, we end this. I kill Voldemort. If I finish him off, Marietta and Eddie won’t have died for nothing…” 
“No, Cormac -” 
“I think ve need a plan,” Krum says looking slightly wary.
“There’s no time for a plan. All I need is one shot. One clear shot,” he says, staring ahead defiantly as you join the back of the moving crowd. 
“Cormac McLaggen, will you listen to me?!” Your voice is unusually shrill, half-choked with fear and desperation, as you plant yourself firmly in his path, forcing him to confront you. “You can’t just ‘take a shot’ at him. There’ll be protective enchantments. And even if by some miracle you breach those, it’ll be as good as suicide.”
Cormac halts and looks down into your eyes sadly. “You said it yourself - we’re all dead anyway. To them, we’re nothing but a bunch of traitors and Muggleborns.”
“I should be the one to do it, then,” you plead. “You’re from a pureblood family. You might still have a chance.” He shakes his head, dismissing the idea and you flare up. “And why not? I’m just as capable as you.”
“You are capable,” he insists. “But I should be the one to do it.”
“Why?” demands Cho, her voice sharp.
“I’m done for when they find out I killed the Minister for Magic’s daughter.” 
“And they’ll let the rest of us walk free?” asks Cho rhetorically. “Umbridge has been looking for us since all this started. If she’s anything to do with the new regime - she’ll make sure that we’re first to go. She’ll probably - she’ll probably frame us for Marietta’s death.” The idea leaves a bitter scowl on her face. Of course, Umbridge would. What a sympathetic story it’d make too. Marietta Edgecombe - Umbridge’s secretary. Kidnapped by the D.A. and killed in battle. 
“As much as I don’t like the idea of going out there without a plan, we’re running out of time and there’s nowhere else left to go,” says Davies resignedly as the seven of you look beyond the double doors at the courtyard. “So if any of us get the chance we should take it.”
“Exactly,” says Krum. “Ve train together, ve fight together.”
“I say if anyone gets close enough to You-Know - I mean - Voldemort, we do it. The Killing Curse,” says Katie.
Leanne nods. “I agree.”
You and McLaggen exchange a determined look. One last mission. Together.
“Alright,” McLaggen says, addressing everyone with a confidence reminiscent of the sort you usually have when rousing your Quidditch team. “Alright. Let’s do this. Let’s kill Voldemort.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
The remnants of Dumbledore’s Army huddle together in the devastated courtyard. 
Harry Potter is dead.
The grim truth of it is laid bare for everyone to see in the slowly lightening darkness that precedes the dawn as you gaze at his body lying limp in Hagrid’s arms as he sobs.
The lump in your throat isn’t so much for Potter as for what he represented, what his death means for you and your friends. Marietta is dead. Carmichael is dead. You and the rest of the D.A. will probably join them soon. If McLaggen isn’t executed he’ll be married off to some other Death Eater. You hold onto McLaggen’s hand tight, barely listening to Voldemort addressing the crowd as you instead silently count each second your hand is in his before you’re inevitably separated. 
You watch as Hagrid is instructed to place Potter on the ground at his feet.
Voldemort paces in front of the crowd, his giant snake wrapped around his shoulders as he points to Potter’s dead body. “He was nothing - ever - but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him.”
“He beat you!” yells Ron Wealsey, a few places down to your left. You try to shrink back, away from the attention he’s bringing to your group but McLaggen holds fast - the same look of defiance painted on his face as is on Weasley’s. 
To your horror, McLaggen shouts, “Your Death Eaters were losing!” Members of the D.A. and several others in the crowd cry out in dissent too. 
“Cormac,” you plead. The idea of any of you breaking through the void between the survivors and Death Eaters to aim a Killing Curse at Voldemort seems like a childish fantasy now that you’re out here, facing him. You just want to slip away. The last thing you want is for any of the D.A. to be made a humiliating example of. You look at the army facing you. They outnumber you by at least five to one. You’re starting to realise that the best you can hope for is a quick death. “Please don’t draw attention to yourself.”
There’s a bang and a flash of light and you flinch when Voldemort silences the crowd.
“He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds. Killed while trying to save himself -”
But Voldemort’s voice breaks off when you’re jostled to the side as Neville Longbottom breaks through the clutch of D.A. members and charges at him. Clearly, your group weren’t the only ones who planned to take a shot at Voldemort to end this once and for all. There are more bangs and flashes when Neville is disarmed and knocked to the ground and another silencing charm is cast over the crowd.
“And who is this? Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?”
Just as you were afraid of. The first dissenter to be made an example of. You clutch onto McLaggen as Bellatrix Lestrange catches Neville’s wand and taunts him. Neville eventually gets to his feet, unarmed and unprotected, standing in the no-man's-land between the Hogwarts survivors and the Death Eaters. 
“Neville Longbottom… But you are a pureblood aren’t you, my brave boy?”
“So what if I am?” he spits back.
“You show spirit and bravery. And you come of noble stock. You will make a valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom.”
“I’ll join you when hell freezes over!” shouts Neville before turning and raising his fist in the direction of the survivors. “Dumbledore’s Army!”
The silencing charm breaks and your friends jeer at Voldemort in response. 
Your own voice is lost in your throat.
“Very well. Are there any more purebloods who, like Neville, will refuse to join my Death Eaters?”
“You’re damn right!” calls McLaggen. “Like hell, we’ll join you!”
You want to clap your hand over his big fat mouth but before you can other survivors join in the yelling.
“Yeah!” echoes Ron Weasley. “We’d rather die!”
“Ah, but you misunderstand me,” replies You-Know-Who in his snakelike whisper. “Too much magical blood has been spilt already and you are valuable. Pureblood families are dying out. Extinguished by those who choose to mate with Mudbloods and muggles.”
McLaggen lets go of your hand and slips his hand into his pocket, finding his wand.
“Don’t!” You hiss through your teeth, pulling at his arm.
McLaggen ignores you and stares straight ahead, looking at Voldemort defiantly. “And so what if we are? Being pureblooded doesn’t mean anything!”
“Another like Neville Longbottom who refuses to join my Death Eaters?” asks Voldemort, looking directly at McLaggen amongst the collection of D.A. members and the remaining Gryffindor students. “Come forward, unless you are afraid that your Mudblood sympathies have made you weak.”
McLaggen moves his arm so that his wand is hidden behind his back and takes a step forward.
“No! No, stop! Cormac!” You don’t bother hushing your voice this time as you realise he’s actually about to stand beside Neville. You cling onto him frantically with all your might, begging him not to step forward. But you’re not the only one shrieking. 
“Ron!” You look over to see Granger, attempting to pull Ron Weasley back too.
“Come now! Come!” laughs Voldemort. “Don’t be shy. Come forward and I’ll show you just how useful those from noble bloodlines will be in the new world.”
“Cormac!” you sob, pulling his arm so tightly that you think you might rip his arm from his socket. He takes another two steps and your feet slide on the uneven rubble underfoot. With a solemn look, he places his hand over yours and eases them off his arm. You look desperately over at Granger and she too has had her grip wrenched free from Weasley. For just a second, the two of you lock eyes in helpless, shared understanding.
You let go of Cormac and almost fall to your knees when he and Weasley join Longbottom but before you collapse, Cho and Krum catch under your arms, stopping you from crumbling as you try to remember how to breathe again.
Voldemort's voice cuts through the tense air. "Those of you who stand before me refuse to acknowledge the way things are now," he declares, his gaze sweeping over the brave three standing in defiance. “You may not become Death Eaters… but your children will.”
A murmur ripples through the crowd, a mix of fear and outrage simmering among the gathered survivors. Voldemort turns to face his supporters. “Now, where is the Minister for Magic? Thicknesse?” Pius Thicknesse steps forward, his long, dark hair danker than you remember it from when you first met him last summer. "Have your daughter bring forth the girls," he commands, his voice echoing ominously across the courtyard. "Let these ancient and noble pureblood families be joined as one."
Thicknesse’s bloodshot eyes dart around edgily. “My Lord - I - I cannot find her.”
“You won’t,” says McLaggen and you exhale a weak groan. The last shred of hope you had that McLaggen might make it through this act of defiance disapparates in an instant. “She’s dead. I made sure of it.”
Thicknesse, fueled by a mix of grief and rage, attempts to barrel through Voldemort’s supporters, his eyes set on McLaggen with a vengeance. But before Thicknesse can reach him, Voldemort, with a flick of his wand, halts Thicknesse's charge.
Voldemort's gaze lands on McLaggen, his curiosity piqued. "And who is this?" he inquires, his voice cold yet amused, as he looks from the distraught Thicknesse to the defiant McLaggen.
"That's the boy she wanted. The one she - my Cerys - asked to be promised to, my lord," Thicknesse says, raising a quivering finger at McLaggen.
Voldemort laughs. A high-pitched, chilling laugh. "I can see why - he's a handsome one," he remarks as he steps towards McLaggen who remains steadfast. Unflinching. "No matter," Voldemort continues, turning away from McLaggen and dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand as if Cerys’s death were nothing more than a trivial inconvenience. "There are plenty of suitable matches from other families willing to produce heirs -"
"I'll kill the next one too,” says McLaggen and Neville and Weasley look at him in agreement. “We all will. If you force any of us into pure-blood marriages against our will, we'll make sure that the bloodlines end with us."
Voldemort pauses and turns around slowly as if hardly daring to believe that McLaggen has spoken out so openly. “Too much magical blood has been wasted already tonight... although perhaps I can make an exception," he muses, his gaze still fixed on McLaggen. "Your bloodline, at least, will end with you."
"And so will yours," says McLaggen. And even though you can’t see his face, you can tell he’s wearing that confident, intense look that so often precedes him doing the impossible. 
And just for a second, you think it’s happening. Against the odds, McLaggen, who has saved your skin countless times now, is about to save everyone for good. McLaggen. The Keeper. About to make the save that defines the wizarding world as you know it.
But before McLaggen can even extend his wand, Voldemort, with a flicker of dark amusement in his eyes, utters, "Avada Kedavra!" 
McLaggen’s body falls to the ground, lifeless, just as quickly and easily as the falling Quidditch stands on the pitch.
Your stomach lurches. You open your mouth not sure whether you’re about to scream or vomit. The sound that escapes your lips is torn from the depths of your soul, as you witness the love of your life crumple in a heap on the rubble. 
Your heart shatters beyond repair. 
Each cracked piece is a kiss, a memory, a dream for your future, now lost forever.
“No!” come the shocked cries of Katie and Leanne. 
“Cormac…” sobs Cho, still holding you up, though her tight grip falters in shock.
“I’ll kill him myself,” says Krum, letting you go and attempting to push past to get to Voldemort.
But it’s Neville who is closest. The jinx holding him breaks and he charges forward unarmed and wandless toward Voldemort who reacts quicker once more and halts him with a body-bind curse.
As one, the Death Eaters raise their wands, holding the fighters of Hogwarts at bay.
“Gryffindor arrogance!” screams Voldemort. “But no more.” Voldemort points his wand to the sky and everyone except you looks up. Your eyes are still fixed on McLaggen’s body on the stone floor as Voldemort’s snake slithers between McLaggen and Potter menacingly. “There will be no more sorting at Hogwarts school. There will be no more houses. The emblem, shield and colours of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone. Won’t they, Neville Longbottom?”
McLaggen is only metres away but your heart thuds in your chest watching the snake slither along the courtyard. Feeling faint again, you remember how you huddled around the kitchen table in the lighthouse listening to reports on Potterwatch about how the snake carries out Voldemort’s bidding. The rumours that Voldemort feeds people he’s killed to the snake. 
The thought is so horrifying, so all-consuming, that you barely notice Voldemort catching the Sorting Hat from mid-air and forcing it onto Neville’s head. 
It’s only when Neville’s scream splits the dawn that you look up and watch in horror as Neville rooted in place, writhes on the spot wearing the burning hat on his head.
And then, so many things happen simultaneously that you feel your head spinning.
There’s uproar from the distant boundary of the school as what sounds like hundreds of people swarm over the out-of-sight walls, yelling at the top of their lungs as they charge towards the courtyard. Residents of Hogsmeade. Parents of students. Joining the fray.
Then come hooves and the twangs of bows. And arrows suddenly land amongst the Death Eaters on Voldemort’s side who break rank and scramble, shouting in surprise as the centaurs continue to attack.
Cormac McLaggen’s death has given everyone a second wind. The fact that it’s what he’d have wanted is of no comfort to you.
In one swift, fluid motion Neville breaks free of the body-bind curse upon him, the hat falls off of him and he draws from its depths something long and silver with a glittering rubied hand. The slash of the silver blade is silent amongst the pandemonium of the crowd and stampeding centaurs yet it draws every eye, including your own. 
With a single stroke, Neville slices off the head of the great snake’s head which spins high into the air. And Voldemort’s mouth is open in a scream of fury that nobody can hear. The snake’s body thuds to the ground.
You panic, as fighting resumes and people run in all directions. You can’t let them trample McLaggen’s. Or Potter’s if you can help it.
“Harry? Where’s Harry?!” bellows Hagrid, above the almighty chaotic racket.
A jet of light whizzes over your heads and you duck. You keep low as you sprint over to McLaggen’s body, determined to move his body away from the fighting. 
McLaggen lies alone. Potter is gone.
You panic some more. This time panicking that Potter’s body has been taken by the Death Eaters to be paraded like some kind of trophy. You won’t let that happen to McLaggen. 
You scramble over to him and hook your arms under his, pulling his dead weight towards a corner of the courtyard. Even though a wand is in your pocket, you don’t even think about pulling it out and joining the fight. You don’t even think about casting a shied charm. All you think about is getting McLaggen’s body out of the way. 
But you needn’t worry. Perhaps everyone is too busy fighting to pay attention to the girl with the burned clothes and the tear-streaked face heaving a corpse into a corner. From your peripheral senses, you can tell even as you drag him away, that the fighting in the courtyard is thinning out as the fighters run into the caste. 
Your resolve hardens. You’ll rejoin them soon, now Cormac’s body is shielded behind what’s left of this wall. You just need a second. 
A second to say goodbye.
You collapse in a pile beside him in the empty courtyard and press the heels of your palms into your eyes, stemming the tears. You can’t bring yourself to look at his face, knowing that the green eyes under his closed lids will never see yours again.
“What a stupid plan,” you choke, wondering aloud as you wipe your eyes. “Thinking we could take on Voldemort. And then you actually tried it…”
You try to steady your breathing, feeling your hot breath stick to your grimy palms as you cover your face. The humidity of your own air makes your stomach twist. It brings back memories of laughing under the duvet cover in Seafarer’s Beacon, face to face with McLaggen, intensely close as your eyes roamed over that trademark arrogant smirk on his face,
“You bloody arrogant git,” you sniff, the words a mix of endearment and despair, a tribute to the man who dared to challenge the darkness with his unyielding self-assurance.
Then, the faintest movement - a murmur so soft it might be mistaken for the wind.
“I’m dead and you’re still calling me a git?” 
Your eyes snap open, heart caught between hope and disbelief. The world tilts, reality warping at the edges as you stare at McLaggen. Solid, unmistakably alive, his presence defies every certainty that death had claimed him. "McLaggen?" Your voice is a tremble, a prayer whispered against the tide of despair that had nearly consumed you.
“So it’s McLaggen again, is it?” he asks blearily, slowly opening his eyes and looking up at you. “I must have done something to annoy you again.”
He’s alive?
Or… maybe you died too? You pinch yourself to see if you can feel pain. Hard. 
You can.
You blink dumbfounded at the cautiously expectant look on McLaggen’s face. He can’t be alive. He just can’t be. You’d never be that lucky. Out of instinct, you pinch him too to check if he’s real.
“Ow!” he winces.
He is alive.
You blink in disbelief as the tiniest smirk crosses his face. “I - how?” 
“Lucky charm,” says Cormac as with difficulty he brings his hand up to the chest pocket of his t-shirt and tries to extract something.
“What the-” You're breathless, caught in the sway between joy and the lingering shadow of sorrow.
“Just - look.” 
Once you’ve helped him take the Polaroid out of his shirt pocket you recognise it immediately. A selfie of you and Cormac in the Quidditch stands at Hogwarts. The one you used to use as a bookmark. A snapshot from what seems like a lifetime ago. Except there’s a burned scar on it now. Right through the middle.
“I think that this -" he touches the photo in your hand, "- took the brunt of the Killing Curse. And somehow, it spared me.”
“Cormac,” you say gently, given that he’s just woken up after being an inch away from death. “That’s not how the Killing Curse works. You can’t be saved by - by love.” 
But even as you say the word love, something prickles on the back of your neck. And to give him credit, he has a point.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” asks McLaggen. His stern look, so assuringly familiar, grounds you, reminding you of the countless times his stubbornness had been a beacon in darker days.
“Maybe it was the picture,” you concede softly, brushing his curly hair, feeling something warm and wet. Blood. “Your head is bleeding -”
Yells of shock and cheers erupt from the Great Hall, interrupting your reasoning.
“Harry?”
“He’s alive!”
The mix of distant exclamations makes you both freeze. 
“It sounds like Potter wasn’t killed by Voldemort’s Killing Curse either…” you say, looking in the direction of the castle doors. When you turn back to face McLaggen he’s frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s fine,” he says, touching the back of his head.
“Cormac, are you annoyed because you’re not the only one who survived the Killing Curse tonight?”
“Let’s go back - the others might need our help,” says McLaggen, ignoring the question. You get to your feet and offer him a hand to get up which he accepts, straining with effort as he does.
“It’s alright if you are,” you offer, helping him onto his feet. "Annoyed, I mean."
“Well, nobody’s going to remember I survived it if Potter is alive too.” McLaggen puts an arm around your shoulder and you brace yourself to support him but he doesn’t need it. He just pulls you close as you walk through the courtyard - if it wasn’t for the devastation it would feel exactly like how the two of you used to walk around Hogwarts. McLaggen with his arm around you, your body slotting into the crux of his arm like you were always meant to be there.
“I don’t want anyone else to try to help,” Harry’s voice rings loudly from the hall as you slowly ascend the castle steps. “It’s got to be like this. It’s got to be me.”
Of course, it’s got to be Potter. 
“Cormac, when they write the history books nobody’s gonna remember anything we did. It’s Potter’s story. We’re just the background characters,” you say.
“Well, I can think of a few people who’ll remember,” says McLaggen, nodding to the rest of the D.A. just visible through the doors of the Great Hall as the crowd of onlookers watch Potter and Voldemort circling each other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You and your friends sit at what used to be the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Neville Longbottom is talking to Michael Corner and Terry Boot while Terry admires the great, ruby-handled sword lying across the middle of the table.
Harry Potter is moving among the groups of survivors, his presence a quiet pillar of strength as he shakes hands and listens to their stories. The hero of the day.
Harry won. You and McLaggen made it back into the Great Hall just to see the final killing blow. You watched Voldemort hit the floor with your own two eyes. And now, you’re at a loose end. Elation feels distant, almost inappropriate, as the absence of Marietta and Eddie haunts the space around you, their unoccupied places at the table a gaping wound. The cost of victory.
“Explain it again,” says McLaggen, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Slower this time.”
“Cormac, keep still,” you chide, wrapping a bandage around his head.
“Harry sacrificed himself which meant he gave everyone in the castle sacrificial protection,” says Cho, with the appropriate air of speaking to someone with a head injury. “So none of the curses that Voldemort or the Death Eaters cast after that stuck properly. Which is why the Killing Curse didn’t kill you.”
“So how come Harry didn’t die?”
Cho pauses and purses her lips. “I don’t actually know.”
“And how do we know it wasn’t my sacrifice that was protecting everyone in the castle?” says McLaggen who then winces as you tie the bandage.
“Because, darling, you didn’t sacrifice yourself. You just tried to attack Voldemort and got knocked out trying,” you say soothingly.
“That makes it sound much less cool than it was,” grumbles McLaggen, half-joking, half-serious. “And I didn’t even get a sword,” he adds, glancing at Terry who is now miming Neville cutting the head off of a snake with the sword of Gryffindor.
A silence falls as you sit down beside McLaggen, resting your head on his shoulder, seeking comfort in the familiar warmth of his presence, your stomach jolts every time you think about Voldemort cutting him down so casually.
“I noticed none of you were at my deathbed when I came round, by the way,” he says, as if he can’t help himself from breaking the silence.
“Ve vere busy covering the two of you with a shield charm,” says Krum. “Then the Death Eaters turned their attention to us and ve had to retreat.”
“It’s a shame Potter didn’t sacrifice himself just a little bit earlier,” you say, sadly, thinking about Marietta and Carmichael.
“You’re always so harsh on him,” says Katie, looking over your shoulder. “Harry’s actually not bad once you get to know him.”
As you turn to respond, Potter approaches the Gryffindor table and greets the D.A. McLaggen stands to meet him.
“Good work out there, Potter,” he says bracingly. “You make putting your life on the line look easy, mate.”
“Er, thanks,” says Potter uncertainly. He looks even more tired than you feel. There are dark circles under his eyes and even though he’s not covered in as much soot, blood and debris as you and McLaggen, he looks pale and drawn. “You too, McLaggen. I saw what you did. It was really decent of you, standing up for Muggleborns like that when you could have kept quiet.”
“Well,” says McLaggen casually, taking your hand and bringing you to your feet. “There was a lot at stake.” You slip your arm around his waist and give him a little squeeze.
“And you - you were the one causing the Ministry so much grief back in October, right? You broke the Muggleborns out of Azkaban?”
You nod and gesture to the area of the table where Cho, Krum, Katie, Leanne, Davies, Wood, Angelina and Alicia are all engrossed in conversation. “We all did. Everyone who was half-decent on a broom.” You pull a tight-lipped smile thinking about what Katie said about you being harsh on Potter. “Except you, of course. Could have used your skills if you weren’t the Ministry’s most wanted.”
Potter smiles weakly. “Thanks, I appreciate that coming from you… Captain.”
McLaggen brings you tighter into a one-armed hug around your shoulders as Potter walks away.
“Do you think he called me ‘Captain’ because he can’t remember my name?” you ask as you both watch Potter continuing the rounds..
“Oh, one hundred per cent,” says McLaggen.
“Unbelievable. I’ve only played Quidditch against him every single year since he started school.”
“Maybe you need a better name.”
“Oh, really?” You roll your eyes and turn to face him, waiting for the punchline. “Go on, then. You got a nickname for me or something?”
McLaggen smirks and his self-satisfied smile meets his green eyes. “I meant a new surname.”
Oh.
“McLaggen, I -“
“You might have to start calling me Cormac all the time now, though. It’s gonna get pretty confusing otherwise.”
You take a deep breath and McLaggen falters slightly when you reach up and hold the sides of his face with both hands. His prickly stubble tickles your palms.
“McLaggen, I really think we need to find Madam Pomfrey.”
“What?” 
“Have you or have you not sustained a head injury?”
McLaggen looks at you intently, his green eyes focusing on yours. “I’m serious.”
“I am too,” you say. “You sure you haven’t been confunded again?”
“I’m pretty confident that’s not the case,” he says. 
“Ask me again once you’ve had your head checked out,” you murmur before pressing your lips against his. Even under the smoke and sweat, you can still smell the heady amber and jasmine scent of him that so reminds you of your first Potions lesson together.
“Alright, I will,” says Cormac McLaggen when you eventually break apart. “If it’d make you happy.”
Like moonstone being dropped into a cauldron, the idea of it - the sheer hope - glints and sparkles amidst the worst sorrow you've ever experienced.
"It would," you say.
It would make you deliriously happy.
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Tag list: @countlambula, @ratsys, @aweidlich, @navs-bhat, @stainedpomegranatelips, @chiaraanatra, @xxvelvetxxxx, @ohnoitsrosie, @dracosisteer, @daisydark, @intense-sneezing, @lipstickandloveletters, @ichorai, @marmie-noir, @lolitstiana, @evabellasworld, @ivebeentrashsince2001, @xyzstar (let me know if you want removed at any point btw!)
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sandy-the-glader · 9 months ago
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I love your blog so much!!!! I love how you write Vigilante!
Aww that means a lot! I love taking requests so if you or anyone has any ideas send them in. I'm working on a couple one-shots at the moment so if you do end up sending them in it might take a little while and I apologize <3
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pretendfan · 1 year ago
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Great opening and set up!
Looking forward to reading more👀
Pair of Aces - Chapter 1. Day One
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Pair of Aces
Chapter: 1. Day One
Rating: M
Word Count: 2.6k~
Summary: After Peacemaker nearly blows the mission at the Goff mansion, Waller sends in a new team member to pick up the slack and assist Task Force X with Project Butterfly.
Content Warning: Mentions of Violence, Gratuitous Swearing, Verbal Insults
A/N: This is the intro chapter to a fairly long series I have planned, set directly after the Goff mansion mission but before Peacemaker finds out his dad's in jail. Intended as a reader-insert in 3rd POV, afab!she/her main character but nameless/description neutral, no Y/N. Vigilante x reader pairing.
[AO3 Link]
[Read Next Chapter]
If there was one thing Amanda Waller hated above all else, it was failure. While the Task Force X mission to the Goff mansion wasn't a complete and utter failure, it was still too close for Waller's comfort. Project Butterfly needed to proceed according to plan and if Peacemaker couldn't be relied on to do the job, then someone else would have to pick up the slack.
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Sensible heels clicked against the worn-down Evergreen sidewalk as a woman walked along the deserted street. She finally arrived at the correct address, double-checking her notes to be sure, before she pushed open the door to the deserted storefront. The inside of the building was a mess, with random shelves and boxes scattered everywhere. A few desks and chairs sat near the back, piled with equipment and files. Five heads turned towards her at once, following the sound of the door closing. Three men and two women were staring back at her. As she looked around, she only recognized one particular face. Her gaze settled on the stern-looking blonde woman at the front of the room and a small smile crept onto her face.
Now there's a sight for sore eyes. God, this shithole better be worth it.
She stood in silence patiently and the unfamiliar woman addressed her first.
"Hi! You must be the new girl!" A warm smile accompanied the greeting. "It's so nice to meet you. I thought I was going to be the only new girl but now you're here so that makes you the new new girl! I'm Leota Adebayo, welcome to the team."
The woman smiled back and shook the hand Adebayo extended. "Nice to meet you, hopefully, us new girls can stick together." She glanced around the room at the others. John stood up and also introduced himself quickly, shaking her hand and saying welcome.
Peacemaker remained sitting, unimpressed by the new addition. "As if this team needs more girls. What is she here for anyways? We don't need any extra help."
"Is he always this rude?" She looked around and questioned the others.
"As far as we can tell, yeah." Adebayo sighed, offering her a sympathetic look.
She rolled her eyes in response. "Delightful. Clearly Big Red has some major anger issues."
"His name isn't Big Red." A male voice replied from behind her. "It's Peacemaker."
She turned around and took a closer look at the last person in the room. She didn't recognize him at all.
Lean build, black armour, are those ... teal accent stripes? That's ... a choice. Plenty of weapons and a pretty cool sword. The full on ski mask is bold. I guess the whole outfit together is kind of intimidating in a certain way, but why teal? Man, capes are always so fucking weird.
She shook her head and finally responded to his correction. "I know but I'm definitely not
calling him that."
"Why not?" The man cocked his head to the side in confusion.
Can he even see out of that visor? That can't be comfortable.
She pulled a face. "Because it's a dumb fucking name."
"Hey! You take that back!" He jumped up suddenly and shouted at her.
She startled but held her ground, squaring up. "No way man, it's a terrible name. It doesn't even make sense."
"Are you the name police? Do you get to just randomly decide what names are cool or not?" He was becoming overly animated and louder at her antagonization.
"Yes. I've been authorized by the National Committee Of Name Judgment and they've deemed Peacemaker to be such a stupid fucking name, it's been made illegal." She deadpanned, somehow managing to keep a straight face.
"Wait, seriously? That's really fucked up." The man in teal seemed to genuinely believe her.
"I'm just fucking with you, dude." She shook her head in disbelief at his gullibility. "Though if N.C.O.N.J was real, they'd definitely make that name a crime."
"Well I bet your name is also so terrible and that's why you're being so mean!"
The woman chuckled. "You don't need to worry about my name, buddy."
"What is it? What should we call you?" Adebayo asked politely.
She shrugged. "Whatever you want."
"Your name should be Dumb Bitch then." Peacemaker laughed at his own terrible joke.
Adebayo quickly turned on him. "What the fuck Chris!"
"She said it could be whatever I wanted!" He shot back, trying to defend himself.
Harcourt glared daggers at him from across the room. "Are you fucking five?"
"She started it! My name makes perfect sense and is fucking awesome. It's kinda my whole thing!" Chris yelled out. "I cherish peace with all my heart, I don't care how many men, women, and children I need to kill to get it. I make peace, ergo Peacemaker! Come on!"
"Ergo?" Harcourt looked at Peacemaker with a strange expression on her face.
"Yeah, it means the same as 'thus' or whatever." Chris crossed his arms defensively.
"I know that, I just didn't know you knew that." Emilia paused. "Honestly I didn't think you knew 'thus' either."
"For the record," The new arrival cut in, "That motto is the stupidest thing I have ever heard and I once interrogated the Riddler."
"Wait, really?" Economos seemed genuinely interested in that tidbit.
"Well, I say interrogated but it was more like he wouldn't shut up and I kicked him a couple times before the GCPD banned me from the room."
Gordon was pissed off, but Nygma was so annoying he deserved it. 'Where does an 800-pound gorilla sleep?' What a dumbass.
It was Adebayo's turn to join in the conversation. "You've been to Gotham?"
"Yeah, sure." The woman shrugged. "Metropolis too. I go wherever there's weird shit happening and things to shoot."
"Which is exactly why you're here." Harcourt interjected, trying to get back on track. "Welcome to Waller's worst assignment. You're lucky I saw your name on the transfer list, your only other option was the Arctic." She levelled a serious look at the woman. "No idea what you did to get on her shit list but Waller must hate you even more than us right now."
Subtle as always, glad to see not much has changed.
"Nice to see you too, Blondie." She grinned at the stern blonde, easily ignoring the pointed comments about Amanda Waller.
Harcourt scowled in return. "No one has called me that in years, quit it."
"Do you two know each other?" Economos was even more interested in what was happening now.
"Oh, we go way back. Has Blondie ever told you guys about the old CIA days?" She deliberately ignored the death glare being shot at her from across the room and continued. "We were in the same rookie class at the Farm and worked together until she ran off to the DEO."
"Woah! Did you know younger Harcourt? Tell us everything!" Adebayo is thrilled at the chance to find out more about her new coworker.
Harcourt flinched and hissed at her old friend. "Don't you fucking dare."
She once again ignored the other woman's serious tone. "You should have seen her in first year! A dead ringer for Debbie Harry, feathered hair and all."
"That is the hottest thing I've ever heard." Peacemaker mumbled, way too loudly.
"Tell me, Emmy, can you still do an absolutely killer 'Call Me' at karaoke nights?" She grinned mischievously.
Emilia turned bright red while Economos burst out laughing. "Please tell me you have footage of this somewhere!"
Harcourt tensed and shot John the same patented death glare. "Under no circumstances will you ever see any evidence of these outrageous lies."
Well, that was a yes to karaoke. Same old Blondie.
"Come on Harcourt, lighten up! You're no fun" John whined back.
"Shut up Dye-beard! Leave her alone." Peacemaker jumped to Harcourt's defence.
Dye-beard?
The new girl looked closer at John and noticed his mismatched beard.
Oh, wow. He really does dye his beard.
"The half and half isn't a great look, man. Just strip the colour or put the time in to do your roots, it'll look a lot better." She offered up in an attempt to help the poor guy.
Peacemaker snorted, "Doesn't matter what he does, his beard will still look dumb."
"Well, I doubt he wants fashion advice from a guy wearing rubber dish gloves." She smirked at him.
Chris started yelling again until Harcourt whistled loudly and interrupted the commotion. "Quit it! Both of you."
"Oh come on." The woman groaned in frustration. "How can I not make fun of him? He dresses like a first-grade colour wheel and is built like a knock-off Ratchet from Transformers."
The flippant remark earned a loud laugh from Economos and a confused look from Adebayo.
"It doesn't matter, you're part of the team now. I expect everyone to keep it professional. Shut the fuck up and play nice!" Harcourt snapped at her.
Peacemaker snickered a bit at the admonishment and Harcourt turned on him, an accusatory finger outstretched. "When I said everyone, I meant it!"
Peacemaker stopped laughing and instead glared unhappily at the rest of the room.
"You know, you really should be nicer to him." The costumed man at the back interjected.
She snorted dismissively. "I'm not taking any feedback from a grown man in a costume with teal accents."
"Hey! Teal is an awesome colour!"
"For a kitchen backsplash maybe." She taunted.
"Wow, okay. It's good this kind of thing doesn't really hurt my feelings or I'd be very upset right now. You're very mean." He shook his head at her in disappointment.
She stared at him, visibly confused. "What the fuck does that even mean?"
Emilia clapped her hands loudly to interrupt them. "Seriously guys! I just told you to play nice!"
She spun around to face Harcourt. "You throw me in with a bunch of goddamn capes and just expect me to be cool with it? What the hell Em!"
"Hey I did you a favour! Would you rather be fucking around with polar bears right now? No? Then deal with it." The blonde snapped back.
Maybe the Arctic would have been a better choice than Buttfuck Nowhere, Washington. Polar bears might be easier to deal with than these costumed idiots.
She cursed under her breath in frustration and looked back at Harcourt.
Oh well. Too late for that.
She sighed in resignation. "Fine. Just tell me I'm not working directly with chrome dome over there. According to the latest report, he nearly blew the entire mission at Goff's mansion last week."
This giant oaf's incompetence is the only reason I'm stuck in this hellhole to begin with. A
killer who can't kill, fucking pathetic.
Peacemaker leapt out of his chair. "Fuck you! Nobody was prepared for that little freak Judomaster, come on! He came out of nowhere!"
"Okay, fair. The footage of that guy was insane. No one could have predicted that 'kiai' shit." She then fixed Peacemaker with a smug look. "But I was actually talking about when you bitched out behind the rifle and couldn't fire a single shot."
Chris clenched his jaw before he sat back down and muttered angrily about doves of peace under his breath.
She smirked again and continued on. "The mission report was a super fun read by the way. If that second gunman hadn't come in and cleaned up after you, the whole operation would've been a bust. That was some ace shooting too, I'd love to work with that guy instead."
Harcourt cleared her throat, redirecting the attention to her. "That's good to hear actually because you will be. Vigilante, meet your new field partner."
Vigilante? Christ, that name is almost as bad as Peacemaker.
"Who the fuck is Vigilante?"
"That's me!" The same annoying voice from behind her answered.
She froze at the sound and turned around towards him slowly.
"Oh hell no. Not you."
"What? Why not! You're the one who just said you wanted to work with me!" Vigilante was confused again.
"...what?" She was also confused by this exchange.
"You said, and I quote, 'That was some ace shooting. I'd love to work with that guy instead." He repeated back to her.
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. "...you're the second shooter from the Goff mission?"
"Yes."
She studied him further, looking him up and down. "You're the guy who hit three clean headshots at over 900m in under 2 minutes with a partially obscured view?"
"Yeah!"
"...No way." She shook her head in disbelief.
"Uh, yes way! That was totally me!" He started to get openly frustrated with her dismissal.
"Absolutely not."
"Oh it absolutely was him." Harcourt confirmed with a nod. "We didn't even ask, he just kind of showed up. But now he's officially on the team, same as you. You two are going to need to get along, you'll be spending a lot of time together in the field. I need to send you both out asap."
"Already? I just got here!" She whined at the news. "I haven't even unpacked yet."
"Is it just me and her? Why can't Peacemaker come?" Vigilante seemed upset at the new directive.
"Waller's orders, for the time being, Peacemaker needs eyes on him at all times." Harcourt looked a little antsy, anticipating that info might not land well.
As if on cue, Peacemaker jumped up and started yelling again. "What the fuck! I don't need a goddamn babysitter!"
"Well, it could be good for you to stay." Adebayo offered. "You can take the time to ... put those dove thingys on ... all the weapons?" It's an obvious attempt to gently redirect Peacemaker's attention.
Chris smacked his hands down on the table in front of him. "Yes! Good. That's a good idea. That was the problem, none of you assholes put the dove on the gun. It's always gotta have a dove! That's what fucked me up. I gotta get like, a stencil or something. I'm gonna make so many goddamn doves."
Harcourt shot Adebayo a grateful smile as Chris settled back down before turning back to Vigilante and the newcomer.
"Here's the deal. I need you two out for recon on a suspected butterfly cluster. It's just outside of town, you'll be out for about a week. In case shit goes south, you may need to clean up so bring enough gear with you."
"Seriously, a week? I just got into town and now I need to run off for a week with this guy?"
"You're the one who said you'd like to work with him." Harcourt replied with a smirk.
Vigilante shifted nervously. "A whole week out of town? I'm getting paid for this right?"
Harcourt rolled her eyes. "Yes Vigilante, you're officially on the payroll. Field pay and mileage reimbursement."
He nodded. "Okay cool. I'll have to rearrange some stuff but as long as I'm getting comped it'll be fine."
"Can you at least tell me what we're going after here? What the fuck is a butterfly?" She had read every report and file she could find associated with this project and virtually nothing in the documents explained anything.
Harcourt sighed and avoided the questioning look. "Murn will fully debrief everyone later on. For now, all I can say is they're dangerous. Monitor them, take them out if you can, and don't underestimate them."
"...Clemson Murn?"
"Yes, he's the team lead. I'm just handling things today while he's meeting with a contact."
Huh. Interesting.
"Alright. Let's just get this over with." She sighed in acceptance.
Harcourt was visibly relieved. "Great. Vig is driving, you leave at 8 pm tomorrow and check-in at the Sunset Motel."
She nodded and grabbed the file Emilia was waving at her. She said some quick goodbyes to Leota and John, pointedly ignoring Peacemaker and Vigilante on the way out. As she made her way through the streets of Evergreen on the way back to the bare-bones rental apartment that had been arranged for her, she deeply regretted her choice in employment.
Fantastic. I uproot everything, move to a new town, and immediately get stuck for a week with a cape who likes teal. I really should have picked the polar bears.
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A/N: This is the first thing I've written that isn't a script, essay, or professional document in over a decade. Comments, kudos/likes, and shares feed my soul. More chapters to come with some action, slow burn/eventual smut, and more banter.
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frankiethedarkangel · 5 months ago
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Peacemaker Masterlist
Main Masterlist
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Cum-petition (coming soon) 🔞
Adrian Chase/Vigilante 🔞
I met Vigilante aka Freddie Stroma!!
Not Your Typical Mission
Sinister Secrets
Chris Smith/Peacemaker 🔞
Not So Friendly Visits
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