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adventuringblind · 1 year ago

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Daddy Issues Part 2

Max Verstappen X Reader

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Requested: No, but I'm in a writing mood, so I'm taking requests for Max and Charles. *Silently begs for people to not be shy*

Summary: Jos may have been dealt with for now, but parental issues for the two lovers are far from it.

Warnings: DADDY ISSUES... again, mentions of verbal, emotional, and physical abuse, not proofread (I don't even proofread my college papers), Jos is a warning himself

Notes: This part is written in the second person perspective because it's more geared toward the readers' struggles. Jos does make a reappearance. At this point, it's completely self-indlugent. I'm writing from similar experiences, so please be gracious.

Also, I posted things about a novel I'm currently working on. If you have a chance, please give it a look! You can find it on my masterlist.

Masterlist // Part one // Part three

You were naïve to think that your troubles would be over after the interaction with Jos.

The air around you and Max had become significantly lighter. Max even opened up about things to his friends and was able to smile more during races.

You loved watching him. The light in his eyes even when coming in second or third.

You thought maybe the two of you would be able to heal and move forward. Max had been thriving the last six months. Both physically and mentally because of the steps he'd been taking to get there.

However, you had a different story. While Max had been able to cut off contact with Jos, you had your dad to deal with still.

Thankfully, your dad was good at putting on his best performance around people. It was the reason very few people had the privilege of understanding your relationship with your family.

You'd wanted to cut him off originally, but you couldn't because you still felt the underlying need to please him. Your mom is in a similar situation, and your sibling(s) who still had yet to be able to make that choice.

You hadn't told Max yet. Things had gotten worse for you recently. You didn't want to ruin his current state of joy.

A people pleaser by heart.

So you hid that part away and put on your best face as you basked in Max's smiles. The warmth of them helping you mask yourself.

Until it started to fall apart.

The first encounter was once again with Jos. You found him in hospitality during a race. Immediately getting defensive and ready to call security.

That was until you noticed him having a conversation with your father. The two seeming to have a lively discussion.

Then they noticed you. Hand beckoning you to come closer.

Cautiously, you approached the table. Choosing not to take a seat and standing at the end instead.

"Good to see you again! I hope you haven't missed me too much since we last spoke." Jos' voice sounded like sandpaper in your ears. The bruise on your cheek had long since healed, but being near him brought back the stinging feeling of his hand.

"I hadn't realized you both were coming." Your voice came out shakily. Fingers crossed that they didn't catch on to your ever-growing anxiety.

"Jos managed to get passes and invited me to come along. Since you and Max are close he figured we should be too." Your father explained. "Though I'm shocked they didn't come from Max himself."

You tried hard not to grimace. The realization that you might have to explain why doing nothing to help your panic creeping in slowly.

"I bet if you were as successful as Max, you wouldn't need him to give us the passes." Your father laughs in your direction.

"What is it you do again?" Jos suddenly turning towards you. A hint of a smirk on his lips.

"I'm in psychology."

"No wonder you need Max's money."

"Bet she has Max hypnotized with her knowledge of the brain or something."

The two were cracking up now. Laughing at your expense.

Your dad calmed down a moment. Breathing deeply to get his breath back. His face became neutral again, noticing the obvious frown you now dawned. "It was a joke, Y/N. There's no need to get upset. Max isn't going to be able to handle you eventually if you don't get thicker skin.

You'd had enough. Not wanting to cry in front of everyone, you turn to head back to the garage. Maybe even to hide in Max's driver room for a moment.

Though you didn't get far before a hand caught your wrist. "Stop ignoring me. It's disrespectful, and I am still your father." You didn't turn around. Didn't want him to see you cry. "I have you a life that was better than mine. My father would have never even tried. Yet, you still don't listen to me. Get your act together soon, please."

To outsiders, he sounded sincere. You, on the other hand, knew exactly what he was doing.

Yanking your hand back, you continue walking without giving the two older men a second glance.

If you were home, you would lock yourself in your room til he threatened to take your door. Then, you would shower and hide in the bathroom. If that didn't work, you would try to look productive and cry silently so he couldn't be mad at you for doing such an action as letting the tears roll. He thinks it's over dramatic.

Somtimes he would take to slamming things around. Doors, chairs, his phone, things in his room, not at you but purposely loud.

It didn't matter how hard you worked, it would never be enough. This is how you and Max are able to understand each other. You knew exactly what the other needed because both of you have lived this.

As soon as the race was over, you went to celebrate Max and his victory. The moment was joyful for him. Making a mental note to tell him what happened earlier, you decided now definitely wasn't the time.

Neither was when you got back to your hotel room after celebrating. Or when you took a phone call from your dad with more lovely words that made you feel disgusting in your own skin. Or the plane ride back to Monaco. Or when you got home and immediately went to shower because your entire body felt like it was dirty from nothing but your dad and Jos harassing you.

You didn't tell your mom either, she had enough things to deal with. You didn't tell anyone for that matter.

Max had caught on when he noticed you weren't sleeping. When you weren't eating. When you started apologizing excessively. Habits he thought he broke when he was able to get you to move in with him through constant reassurance.

Now, you were moving backward while he was moving forward.

Then he put the pieces together. He only wished he saw it sooner. Could've stopped what happened before it was pulled like a ruug out from under him.

You had flown home to see your sibling(s) for a week. You missed them dearly and wanted to spend time with them while Max was away.

It had started smoothly, your dad being civil with you, a few sarcastic remarks thrown around here and there, but nothing too bad.

He was trying to convince you to come back home, where you belonged. You kept brushing him off, telling him you're happy where you are now.

It only got worse from there. Your father and Jos had gotten closer over time. He had coincidentally come knocking at the door while you were there. He said he was in the area and wanted to say hello.

Your sibling(s) had tried to get you out of the house, but you only said it would make things worse. It earned you some feelings of sadness, but they left you to converse regardless.

The four of you sat in the living room. Your mom and you mostly listen to the two men catching up.

Then your mom left to make dinner. You stood up with the intention of following before being stopped by the pair.

"Jos tells me Max has been ignoring him."

Your tempted to roll your eyes but refrain in case he's paying close attention.

"Yes, I was wondering if you could tell me the reason behind it. Have you been filling his head with lies about our exchange awhile back?" Jos' smirk makes you want to hit him. Again you refrain, knowing that he can and will hurt you if you're out of line.

"He saw why happened." You state. Making a move to hold your ground.

"He hears what you said as he came inside. He fell for the obvious manipulation. I can't believe you even blamed the bruise on me." He fakes a look of offense.

Your father shakes his head on disgust. Your body goes rigid. Voices begin sounding like they're underwater. You hang your head in defeat as they continue to accuse you of things you would never do.

"Stop it!" You snapped. Something in you breaking loose.

In seconds, a cup was shattered against the wall, and your face was burning with the sting of someone's palm.

You know you had to leave. The adrenaline from your flight response is kicking in.

So you ran, grabbing what you could and quickly exiting the house. Your mom is doing her best to keep her distance from your dad while he throws his temper tantrum and Jos convincing him that I am an entitled brat.

You definitely didn't have all your stuff, but it didn't matter. You called an Uber and found your way back to the airport. Finding and flight back to Monaco you could.

You received a few texts from your dad before blocking him and called the rest of your family to apologize for your behavior and say you'd wished you'd had more time.

Then you called Max. You hand messaged him back since mid-morning and he was starting to get concerned.

"Hello Lovely, is everything alright? I haven't heard much from you today?" His cheery voice made your smile just a little.

"Yes, but I'm coming home early. I'm on an early flight back home." Your voice is on the verge of breaking. You send a silent prayer that he doesn't catch one.

You hear his phone buzzing with notifications. "How were things at the factory?" You ask, making an attempt to change the subject.

"Is was alright, did some marketing and PR things today. Daniel says Hello." He chuckles. "My dad has been texting me though, which is odd."

You hear him sigh deeply. "Are you sure you're okay? Because he's trying to convince me of things I know aren't true."

"Your dad was there visiting mine coincidentally." The damage holding back your tears was coming loose. "I messed everything up again."

"Mijn liefje, you did nothing of the sort." His voice once again had that gentle tone. One that made you feel safe. "I'm not sure how fast I can he back in Monaco, but I'll meet you there as soon as I can."

By the time you had landed, it was early in the morning. You considered just waiting in the airport until it was brighter and then walking home since Max was still in Austria. So, the text that came from Lando that he was coming to get you was a bit of a shock.

You were relieved when he pulled in. Satey once again within your reach.

"Thanks for coming to get me."

"No worries, Max called and asked if I could. Said it was a bit on an emergency but didn't say what happened." He smiled at you, trying to get you to become less defensive.

You hadn't realized how tense you still were. Your body is still trying to shrink in on itself.

You attempted small talk until he pulled into up to the apartment. "Thanks again for the ride." Then you rushed inside as fast as possible.

The floor became your best friend. Everything after opening the door became blurry.

When you woke up later on the bathroom floor with Max's sweatshirt as your pillow, you had no idea how it happened.

Texts from Max and Lando lined your notification wall. Your body too heavy to move however, you resigned to back to the comfort of the floor and the comforting smell of Max.

The next time you woke up, you heard keys jingling in the door.

You curled into yourself. Hiding from the inevitably of confronting what happened only a day earlier.

"Love, are you here? I'm home!"

You wanted to crawl to him. Seek comfort in his arms. But your own mind was stopping you. Replaying everything that they said about you.

You heard him drop his bags and begin his search. Bedroom, kitchen, office, terrace, then finally bathroom. He knew he should have checked their first. The bathroom had always been your safe space. He often found you just sitting in the empty bathtub if life felt overwhelming.

He peeked around the corner, his face instantly softening at the sight of you.

Neither of you said anything as he crouched down next to you. Unsure the extent of what happened, he refrained from touching you.

"Can I hug you?" His voice almost a whisper. As if speaking any louder would shatter you like that glass your dad had thrown as you made your escape.

You slowly nod yes but make no effort to move. You end up not having to as Max pulls you into his arms. Your body draped over his lap.

You felt so small in this moment, with his hand caressing the back of your head.

The dam broke. A hard sob wracked your body. Wailing into Max's chest.

"You're safe now, I got you." He whispered. His hold unrelenting until the tears were able to slow.

"I'm so sorry." Your voice muffled from his chest. "You were so happy I didn't want to ruin it, so I didn't tell you."

"I'm happiest when I know you are also doing well. You can't ruin that for me. I love you too much to see you like this." He pulled your face back, his soft eyes meeting yours.

He was finally able to take in the bruise on your cheek. Once again, not able to stop the unrelenting force of your fathers misdemeanors against you both.

He was angry, you could tell. You saw the rage flash through his eyes.

Knowing that's not what you needed right now, though, he softened again. "Who did this to you love?"

You began rapidly shaking your head no. Not wanting to relive it and not wanting to make things more difficult for him. "I can't-" you started.

"It's my job to make sure you're safe because I love you. It's not going to be an inconvenience." He always knew what to say.

"Jos." Was all you could muster before you were crying into his shoulder again.

You told him everything. All the events in the past few months. Every awful word spoken towards you. How he understood you, you have no idea.

The two of you stayed like that until you fell asleep in Max's arms. Knowing you couldn't stay here forever, he brought you to the bed and tucked you in. His lips on your forehead the last sensation before you were completely lost to your subconscious.

MAX'S POV

Everything about the situation made him want to break down. He thought he would finally be able to move on. He did, kind of, but left you behind in the process.

He knew something was wrong but didn't want to force you to open up. You needed to process things longer and came to him when you were ready.

This situation affected you differently though. Your response to your father had always been inward. Taught from a young age just to take it and nit talk about it. Convinced that you shouldn't paint your home life as bad because you had a roof over your head and food on your table.

He understands, though his reactions are different. Often not understanding that something was wrong and just talking about it like it was normal.

Daniel was the first to question, and you were the first to get him like nobody else.

You broke eachothers bad habits you'd learned from years of toxicity. Started learning better communication. Working through things and understanding eachothers responses.

He could never thank you enough for your help with his dad. Standing up for him despite the physical altercation was brave. He knew it was hard for you but you loved him enough to do it anyways.

Now, it was his turn to help you through this. He didn't care how long it took.

The bruise on your cheek only sparked a fire in him. He was tired of the hurt your fathers were causing. He knew now that both of you deserved better.

So, he would help it get better.

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gonzo-rella · 1 year ago

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The Benevolent Girlfriend | Kim Pine (ft. Wallace Wells)

MASTERLIST | AO3 | KO-FI

Relationship(s): Kim Pine x sick!gn!reader (romantic), Wallace Wells x sick!gn!reader (implied romantic)

Summary: Your roommate Wallace is repulsed by your cold, so he gets your girlfriend Kim to come over and take care of you.

Warnings: You're gross and sick, sorry. (Let me know if I need to add any)

Word count: 0.8k

(A/N: I finally rewatched Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, because I wanted to watch it before I watch the anime (haven't seen it yet, but once I have I'll make a post and add it to my fandom list), and damn I'm in love with Kim. I've been enjoying writing these sick fics whilst I recover from the common cold, so I figured I'd try writing something about Kim, and I was motivated to write something that wasn't just headcanons, which I've already done with the Yellowjackets ladies, Abed and Annie from Community and Charlie, Todd and Neil from Dead Poets Society. This is my first Scott Pilgrim fic, so hopefully it's alright! I tried to capture the spirit and tone of the movie and characters. I'd like to write more for both Kim and Wallace specifically. Maybe I'm delirious from being sick but I'd love to write a fic where the reader is the S/O of both Kim and Wallace to indulge myself because I'm in love with them both.)

A mattress on the floor in a very cold country surely couldn’t have been the best place to recover from a cold- an idiot could tell you that. Wallace had very kindly made you soup and brought you countless glasses of water, but he had hauled his chair as far away from you and the bed as he could manage in the small apartment because, to quote him, you were ‘repulsive and contagious, no offence’. He had been very gracious in letting you pick out what daytime TV crap you wanted to watch.

It reached the late afternoon when there was a knock at the door, and, with a huff, Wallace got up to get it, leaving you to stare absently at the TV through the mist of your mild headache and clogged ears. Your neck was beginning to ache from craning it to look up at the screen.

“Kimberly. You’re here. What took you so long?”

“Nice to see you too, Wallace. Are they awake?”

Wallace cast a glance in your direction and tilted his head; he then looked back at Kim.

“Well, the lights are on, but it doesn’t look like anybody’s home.”

He punctuated the sentence with a shrug.

“Kim?” you said finally, voice hoarse and nasal from your sore throat and blocked nose respectively.

Kim peered at you over Wallace's shoulder then barged past him. She stood at the foot of your ‘bed’.

“What are you doing here?” you mumbled. “You didn’t have to come.”

“Wallace texted me that you’re sick.”

Wallace left the door ajar, prompting you to wrap your blanket tighter around you. He reached over to grab his coat and slid his arms into it, then stood beside Kim.

“I’m going out with Other Scott, and I thought it’d be cruel to leave you alone, so I told your very benevolent girlfriend-” Kim rolled her eyes as Wallace indicated to her with a nod. “That you were sick and that she might wanna come over and take care of you in your equally benevolent roommate’s stead.”

“Okay. Thanks, Wa-”

You were interrupted by a sneeze. It was so sudden that you made the split-second decision to cover it with your hands. When you peeled it away, droplets of snot coated your palms.

You groaned.

Wallace scrunched up his nose.

“That’s disgusting,” Kim commented monotonously.

“I’m sorry,” you muttered. “I’ve been told.”

“And, with that,” Wallace said, stepping over to the door and swinging it open. “I’ll leave you kids to it. Good luck, Kim. And, I hope you feel better soon, dear.”

“Thanks, Wallace,” you mumbled.

“Fuck off, Wallace,” Kim said dryly, in unison with you.

He waved at you both then closed the door. There was a moment of silence in which you and Kim just stared at one another. Your snot-covered hands were still held out in front of you.

“So, you’re sick, huh?”

“Yep.”

“Are you going to clean that up?”

You stared at her blankly, before realising what she meant.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry.”

You went to reach for your box of tissues before you realised that they were on the kitchen counter after Wallace had used a few to shield his hands from direct contact with your glass of water. Kim’s gaze followed yours, but her attention returned to you when she noticed that you were readying yourself to get up.

“One sec. I’ll get them for you.”

You relaxed as Kim made the very short journey to the kitchen counter and knelt down to put the box next to you. She yanked a few tissues from the box before placing them in your hands, careful not to touch your snot.

“Thanks, Kim.”

“No problem.”

She stayed kneeling down beside you, watching as you cleared up your hands. There was a look of contemplation on her face.

“You need anything else?”

You glanced up at her and smiled.

“No, thanks.”

“Alright.”

She climbed over you and took a seat beside you- shoulder-to-shoulder- on the mattress. You looked at her incredulously.

“Are you sure you wanna get so close? Wallace hasn’t come near me all day.”

She folded her arms.

“I don’t care.”

“But, I’m disgusting.”

Kim smirked so faintly that anyone who didn’t know her wouldn’t have registered that it was there.

“I wouldn’t be your ‘benevolent girlfriend’ if that bothered me.”

You chuckled and rested your head on her shoulder, and Kim rested her head on yours.

“Holy shit, you’re hot,” she stated.

“Thanks.”

“I meant you have an alarming fever.”

“Oh. Right.”

There was a pause, and Kim huffed.

“Fine. You’re the other kind of hot, too.”

“Thanks, Kim, that’s very-”

You broke into a series of coughs and doubled over. You covered your mouth with the inside of your elbow. Kim rubbed your back soothingly. Once again, the faintest of smiles tugged at her lips.

“Sorry,” you groaned. “That wasn't very hot.”

“Maybe not,” she said. She rested her hand on your shoulder and pulled you closer, once again resting her head on yours. “But, I love you anyway.”

#scott pilgrim #scott pilgram vs the world #kim pine #wallace wells #kim pine x reader #wallace wells x reader #x reader #x gn!reader #x gn reader #x gender neutral!reader #x gender neutral reader #ficlet

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tiffanyvampiremama · 3 months ago

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Who I am and what I write.

I've had a lot of new followers lately, and I haven't really introduced myself yet. I'm Tiffany and I write fanfiction under the username Vampiremama (Or Readingmama on FF.net but I'm moving away from posting there) I have several GO fics of varying length right now. I have included some info below if you are interested in checking any of them out. I am working on a new very angsty AU that will post after my current one, so if you like dark and gritty with a HEA, stay tuned for that one as well. My Current WIP (Is finished being written and posts every Monday) Hidden Canvases : Rated E AU, Human. Enemies to lovers. Excerpt: (Aziraphale POV) Of course, a man like that would also be gifted with talent. Just another example of the world giving all the best things to the wrong people. Aziraphale tried to be a good person; he wanted to be kind and gracious. And he was. But it didn’t come naturally. It was a learned skill, and people like Crowley reminded him just how much of an effort it really was sometimes. But being kind didn’t mean being a doormat or to watch his friends be abused by callous, big-city men. Sometimes, the kindest thing he could do was to just avoid a situation. Besides, he would only have to see Crowley on Saturday mornings at his class. And even that was limited. He was only there for the summer. And maybe he wouldn’t come back. Cake by the Ocean. A Guess the Author Prompt from the Soft Omens Discord group. 500 word limit, the prompt: Cake. Rated General Audience. Aziraphale Crowley has been hiding something from him. A Dirty Dive Bar. A very naughty one shot. A tryst in a dirty dive bar leaves our ineffables very satisfied. Rated E Excerpt:

As soon as Crowley was through the door, Aziraphale pushed him back against it. He reached and clicked the lock in place even as his lips made their way to Crowley’s. Crowley wrapped his arms around Aziraphale, his surprise at the sudden change of events only throwing him off guard for a moment, and he plunged his tongue into Aziraphale’s mouth. And, oh, was his tongue a revelation. Such wicked things he could do, Aziraphale thought.

Aziraphale felt his heart hammering in his chest as he broke the kiss, his hands going to Crowley’s belt.

“I thought I was the one seducing you,” Crowley said, panting, as he watched his trousers be pulled open.

“Consider me seduced, “ Aziraphale retorted with a wave of his hand as he slid down to his knees. “Although, I’m a little embarrassed at myself, those pick up lines were horrendous.” The Lies I Would Tell for You: My second Season 2 fix it. This one is longer and more angst filled compared to Mistakes Were Made. Different plot ideas, and HEA outcome. Rated E Excerpt:

Crowley sat staring at the wine glass on the table. It seemed like a right shame to water down the wine, but he needed the look of the wine to calm his nerves, trick his brain. Steady his nerves. Had it really only been a month since he and Aziraphale had started the bottle. It felt like ages ago, but every minute since Aziraphale left with The Metatron had felt like an eternity. He thought maybe after a day, Aziraphale would come to his senses. Deep down, Crowley knew that the angel would put his duty above all else. Together, they had found ways to cut the corners, but now that he was alone, Aziraphale would be by the book. It wouldn't take him long to forget. Six thousand years wasn't all that much time in the scheme of forever.

He picked up the thermos. It hadn't been hard to get Muriel to fetch him more. They were a much easier mark than Aziraphale had been. But also less fun. He was so clever but also so curious. He was perfect.

Crowley thought about what his existence would look like now. No Hell; he was free of that. He had Earth, and he did truly love Earth, but it was tainted now. His love of Earth was wrapped up with his love of his angel. It weaved through his life in what once felt like a beautiful vine and was now a type of cancer, eating away at everything inside of him.

He unscrewed the lid off the thermos and topped his glass off. Steeling his nerves, he lifted his glass, his eyes swung heavenward, and he cheered.

"To the world." The Cuddle Cafe: A warm hug in fic form.(One Shot) Set during the years where they took care of Warlock. Crowley is so touch starved he stumbles into a professional cuddle cafe. Rated T Excerpt:

Like a beacon, a neon light caught his eye from a building across the street. The sign read Cuddle Cafe. Crowley stopped and stared, and then looked around him to see if anyone was staring at him staring.

It wasn’t like he could go to Aziraphale and ask for a hug. Angels didn’t hug. Hell, demons didn’t either, but here he was, feeling the need for a kind touch. He could just walk across the street and go in, get what he needed, and get out. He could even smile at the human just so they wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable.

No, it was ridiculous, Crowley thought as he found himself walking through the door.

Mistakes were Made: Rate T. A quick Season 2 fix it fic. Excerpt:

“You don’t understand. I need to speak with God,” Aziraphale demanded, but his voice went too high and it sounded more like begging. Which was probably closer to the truth.

“Do you have an appointment?” the angel asked, looking up at him from behind her desk.

“An appointment? With God? Is that a thing I can do? In that case I would like to make an appointment as soon as possible.”

“You can’t make an appointment with God,” she looked at him like he was daft. “God makes an appointment with you. Of course She hasn’t made any appointments with anyone yet, but I’ll let you know if that changes.”

#ineffable husbands #aziraphale x crowley #goodomens #fanfiction #ineffable #good omens

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alectoperdita · 1 year ago

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Here's some Mob boys playing strip poker I wrote last week. I haven't edited it beyond basic robo edits.

This is probably rated more M than E. But people tell me I've become very bad at judging the explicitness of my own works. The sex is mostly a joint handjob, for now. Not sure if I should keep expanding this or just leave it as is.

---

Gold hovered on the edge of Seto's vision. It drove him to utter distraction—that chain of interlocked links, as strong and sturdy as the thick pecs it rested between. It glinted when it swayed with the shifting body or bounced from deep, heaving breaths. If it wasn't that, it was something else.

Such as the soft flaxen strands curling around a strong jawline. Or the long stretches of exposed, tanned skin that his fingers itched to touch and sink his teeth into.

Slowly, Seto inhaled a fortifying breath. It took tremendous effort to tear his gaze from the man, the very naked man across from him, to focus on his cards.

It wasn't a shabby hand. He already had a pair of sixes before discarding.

His eyes flicked to the discard pile facedown on the coffee table. His mind raced as he recounted what cards were already removed from play, none of them included a six. He had a shot at four-of-a-kind, and then he could finally strip that gaudy gold chain from his companion. It could join the small pile of rings he already won off Katsuya, and their wristwatches sitting next to each other, a veritable his-his pair despite their mismatched styles.

That was where they started, each anteing their wristwatches as Katsuya dealt the first hand and summarily lost. Along the way, Seto lost his watch, his tie, his suit jacket, and his waistcoat. But he had gotten Katsuya down to nothing but his gold necklace. It figured the gangster would give up his underwear before his beloved accessory.

He peered up to watch Katsuya drain the last of his whiskey. Watch his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed, seemingly taking the saliva from Seto's mouth at the same time.

Seto cleared his throat. "It seems you're fresh out of luck."

Katsuya smiled easily. "Already that sure you've won, huh?"

"You're down to your necklace. The odds aren't in your favor."

Unlike his companion, Seto could afford to lose a few hands. Victory was within his grasp. There was no question he loved to win. Court cases, arguments, billiards, even something as juvenile as strip poker—what mattered was proving his superiority. Did that make him a gracious winner? Of course not. But that never stopped him before.

Katsuya didn't mind, though. If anything, the man was subtly flexing his biceps. Perhaps he thought it would throw Seto off his game. While it made Seto's mouth dry, it wouldn't stop him from claiming his rightful victory.

"See, that's the thing about luck. It can turn at the drop of a dime. Bet," Katsuya purred as he toyed with his necklace.

"Call," replied Seto, voice and expression as hardened as steel.

He discarded three cards, and Katsuya discarded for four. He stared across the table at the other man. Katsuya didn't lack a poker face, technically. The man was consistently jovial and joking that it became difficult to determine when and if he had a good hand. Seto played in the opposite direction, using the professional face he'd cultivated over the years.

Mirth danced in Katsuya's amber eyes as he said, "Check."

Seto merely nodded and revealed his three sixes. Katsuya, however, boasted a flush.

Scowling, Seto ripped off his unbuttoned shirt to his lover's wolf whistle. "Your luck can't hold out forever," he snarled. Afterward, he knocked back the last of his drink and slammed the glass on the table.

"Heh, wanna bet on that?"

Oh, Seto intended to wipe that smirk off his face, one way or another.

Yet hand after hand, Katsuya won until Seto was left in nothing but his boxer briefs. Seto should probably be more irked at the sudden reversal of fortunes, but something hot caused his stomach to swoon.

Plus, he hadn't lost yet. In the end, the only hand that mattered was this final one.

Seto shuffled before dealing five cards each. Katsuya whistled as his eyes scanned his cards. Seto didn't react, no matter how obliquely the other man tried to goad one. Though he narrowed his eyes when Katsuya cheerfully declared he was keeping his hand as is.

The menace licked his lips before speaking, "This is it, babe. Gotta say it's been fun, though. We really should do this more often."

Shivers wracked through Seto as Katsuya's leer raked down his chest. He quickly recomposed himself and revealed his teeth in a sharp grin. "Yes, I'm happy to beat your pants off you any day."

Katsuya laughed. "Show me whatcha got, then."

"Full house." Seto jutted out his chin. His gaze was unflinching.

A pregnant pause before Katsuya fanned his cards across the table. "Straight flush. All hearts. I win."

Seto's jaw dropped. Dumb and sheer luck, that was the only explanation.

"C'mon, Seto, it's time to pay up."

Teeth gritted, Seto threw his cards down on the table. For several beats, they merely stared at one another, neither making a move. Until Seto rose to his feet, and without breaking eye contact, he slipped his thumbs into his waistband and tugged it loose from his hips. His underwear slipped down his legs and pooled at his feet, baring his completely nude body to his lover's increasingly ravenous gaze.

Katsuya sucked in a sharp breath.

Seto's skin crawled, but he refused to crumble under the weight of his lover's heated attention. "What? It's not as if you haven't seen me naked."

"Yeah"—Katsuya's muscles rippled as he climbed atop the table and clasped Seto's hip—"and it takes my breath away every fuckin' time. You're just too damn beautiful."

Seto found it equally difficult to tear his eyes off his lover. He visually traced the thatch of dark body hair that forested his toned torso, lingering on the defined brown nipples before moving on to his soft belly, then down to the half-hard cock rising between his legs.

The rugged masculinity weakened his knees and sent blood rushing south to his groin. He wanted to lose himself between the large, soft pecs or the thick thighs. Or have his lover's thick cock fill his mouth and throat. Seto shivered, recalling the countless times he'd rutted against Katsuya's stomach and that happy trail before drenching it with his release.

When his lover tugged him forward, he followed his lead, kneeling on top of the wood. He placed one hand on Katsuya's broad shoulder to steady himself, while his other hand twisted the gold chain in its palm. Katsuya's calloused hands skated across his skin to clasp the small of his back and the nape of his neck. Goosebumps erupted across his naked skin. His body tingled in all the best ways, even before Katsuya guided him into an ardent kiss.

Wood creaked beneath them but held as they deepened the kiss. Seto shuffled closer, but his knees almost slipped on the discarded cards. Katsuya's embrace kept him upright, but his lover chuckled before they broke apart. His breath heaved. A whine shriveled in his throat, but he longed to close the distance between them again.

Katsuya stoked the forge of his desires. Nothing could extinguish it.

Gently, Katsuya caressed his cheek and nipped his pouting lip. "Why don't we get more comfy?"

Seto nodded, mute and dumb, while Katsuya nudged him toward the nearby sofa. As soon as his butt settled on the cushion, his lover immediately straddled his lap. His faint gasp when they finally touched skin-to-skin was swallowed along with his mouth as Katsuya devoured him. The individual links dug into his palm, but he clung to the necklace, determined to not let Katsuya get away.

Everything Katsuya did with his mouth was filthy, from the words he said to the way he rolled his tongue and swept the muscle across Seto's palate. God, and the absolute confidence with which he used it to fuck Seto. Sometimes, he bit just shy of hard enough to break skin, and the resulting pleasure-pain scrambled Seto's brain without fail. But it was most devastating when he went slow, catching Seto's lip between his teeth, then soothed the swollen flesh with lazy sweeps of his tongue.

Seto was burning up. An unsightly desperation crawled underneath his skin. He wanted so much more, especially the thick cock that bumped against his abdomen. He tried to urge him for something faster and rougher, but Katsuya merely chuckled, using both his hands and his mouth to preserve a sensual and torturous pace.

"Katsuya," he panted. He bucked up against the hot body in his lap, whining when their hard cocks finally rubbed together. Yanking on the gold chain helped little. He simply lacked the leverage when Katsuya had him pinned so solidly against the couch.

Katsuya smiled against his lips before he planted two chaste kisses. Whimpers wormed out of Seto when a large hand gripped their cocks, lining them against each other from tip to root. Mindlessly, his hips bucked upward. Katsuya pumped. Heat coiled in Seto's groin. Before long, it spread to his spine.

"Harder," Seto demanded, breathless.

Katsuya squeezed. His callouses chafed against his dry skin, but Seto wouldn't change anything. Each rough stroke made his cock throb. It made Katsuya's erection pulse, too. Seto could feel the heat and every twitch as if it was his own. A thumb swiped over his glans, spreading the pre-come they were both leaking. Hastily, Katsuya coated their shafts with the fluid, adding a new dimension of filthy to their coupling.

"Fuck, Seto, you're making me lose my mind," muttered Katsuya.

With another harsh yank, he claimed Katsuya in a frantic, open-mouthed kiss. They were both unraveling, mouths smearing wetly together like their slick cocks. As they rocked together, the pleasure climbed ever higher. All that mattered was the searing heat, the wet squelch between them, and the breath they fed to one another.

Oh god, Katsuya's cock was so fat and full. Every centimeter of it was rubbing against Seto's skin. Almost felt as amazing as when his lover filled his ass with it.

Another squeeze, another clever twist—Seto came apart, moaning his lover's name. Katsuya answered him with a groan that rumbled from deep in his chest. His hand continued to move, now smearing Seto's semen on their cocks. Just as Seto approached the threshold of oversensitivity, Katsuya tensed. Every muscle under Seto's touch went taut, tight as rocks, before more hot wetness spurted into Katsuya's trembling fist.

Breaths heaving, they collapsed back on the sofa in one sticky heap. Seto's eyes slipped close while Katsuya nuzzled his neck. They flew open again when wet fingers pinched his nipple.

Unbidden, a moan tore out of him. "Katsuya."

Teeth grazed threateningly over the crook of his neck as Katsuya twisted his newly aching bud. Without thinking, Seto tossed his head back, further exposing his neck.

Katsuya lifted his head to catch his eye. Still fuzzy from his recent orgasm, Seto could only stare back in a daze.

His lover chuckled. "Oh babe, you don't think I'm done with you already? I wanna enjoy my winnings thoroughly."

Seto's pulse quickened. The promise of more dispelled the fog. Or drew him deeper into his haze of lust. "What do you intend to buy with tonight's winnings?"

Katsuya flashed a crooked grin before bending forward to nip at his jaw. "I already got you. You're everything I want."

Seto didn't muffle his wanton moan. He simply weaved his hands into Katsuya's hair and clung. For once in his life, he could learn to be a gracious loser.

#fic: In bed with the mob #yugioh #puppyshipping #violetshipping #joukai #my fanfiction #my wips #at some point we get bored of reading more smut right?#prose is stilted and i'm burnt out #coming out on the other side where nothing matters so whatever #nothing except playing Dave the Diver

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saiilorstars · 6 months ago

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Ch.18: Where the Past Meets the Present

Steve Rogers x OFC fic • squeeze your eyes for a Bucky Barnes x (2nd) OFC

taglist: @ocappreciationtag @arrthurpendragon @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @gloryekaterina @averyhotchner @foxesandmagic @lenonizi @kmc1989 @caplanbuckybarnes

Story Masterlist • Seren’s Masterlist• Chloe’s Masterlist

Also available on Fanfic ○ Ao3 ○ Wattpad

If you’d like to be a part of this OC’s work/edits, let me know!

Steve had watched Seren be jittery all morning. It was so unlike her to be so silent and yet at the same time it was so like her to be that anxious about what people would think about her. She was nerve-wrecked about meeting Kenna Vidal, her only childhood friend. Seren's parents secretly told Steve that morning it was a miracle he had convinced her to go through with such a thing in the first place.

They had a light breakfast — or rather she had a light breakfast as she wasn't that hungry. Steve drove them into town, following Seren's directions to the old ice cream parlor. Kenna was supposed to meet her there soon. As soon as Seren stepped into the parlor, she got flashes of her high school self having strawberry ice cream with Kenna. She remembered the times where she actually felt like a normal high school girl having girl talks and giggling with each other about the dumbest things.

"Seren?" Steve gave her a gentle nudge, breaking her out of her moment. "Are you alright? She looked up at him, her cheeks flushed. "Kind of got distracted there…"

Seren nodded at him. "Yeah, I…I was just remembering…"

"Good memories?"

Seren nodded again. "Yeah." She looked at the parlor and saw a few young teenagers at the counter and tables. "This used to be the place for hang outs. Guess it still is."

"Kind of like a 50s place, or so I've read," Steve said, earning a chuckle from her. "So, are you ready?"

Seren let out a shaky breath as her answer. Steve reassured her that everything would be fine. Kenna had agreed to meet with her, after all. Things couldn't be that bad if Kenna was coming.

"Okay, should I — should we order something ahead?" Seren glanced at the menu then at the entrance doors. "Or…or should we wait? I don't…I actually don't know what to do here."

"Why don't we find a table?" Steve suggested. She agreed quickly and grabbed his hand, very tightly. He led them to the first open table they found.

It was only a few minutes later that Seren spotted Kenna coming in through the entrance doors. "Oh my goodness, there she is…" Seren shook her hands nervously, "Oh God…"

"Breathe," Steve reminded her when he thought he saw some blue on her face.

"What if this was a mistake?" She turned to him suddenly. "Oh my God, this was a mistake. We have to go—"

Steve leaned over and gave her a kiss on the lips, shutting down her nerves for a moment. "Like I said before...breathe," he said afterwards. "You'll be fine. Everything will be fine. You need this, okay? You have an opportunity that not everyone has — repairing the past."

"You're right…" And yet Seren still didn't sound very convinced. She looked out at the same time that Kenna spotted their table. "God, she still looks the same from school…"

Steve chuckled; she had sounded a bit jealous of the fact for some reason. "You look very pretty too," he assured her. That was the first time Seren chuckled since they left the house.

"But unlike Kenna with her gracious dark hair, I cut all of mine off," she pointed out. "And dyed it."

"You could always let it grow out," Steve offered, though he suspected that she hadn't exactly listened to him.

"Hi…" Kenna wore a kind smile on her face when she approached the couple. Her dark eyes flickered between the two, as if making sure she had come to the right table.

"Kenna, hey…" Seren cleared her throat, "It's — thank you for coming."

Kenna nodded. "I was surprised with the call. We haven't exactly spoken to each other since graduation…"

"Yeah…um…been busy…" Seren felt like an absolute idiot. She needed a break, a small little break before she self-combusted on the spot. "You know what? I'm gonna order some ice cream. Would you like one?"

"Uh, yeah, raspberry and vanilla would be nice…?" Kenna barely finished her words when Seren was off towards the counter. "Uuh…did I do something?" She was left to ask Steve, confused.

"No," Steve sighed, blaming himself for not seeing this coming. On some level, it was kind of funny because Seren had never been this nervous about something, not even when they were on missions. "She's just nervous."

"About what?" Kenna seemed truly puzzled over the answer, leaving Steve to wonder just how much Kenna knew of the truth already.

"I…you know…I think Seren is the only one who should really say anything," he said, clearing his throat. "I'm Steve, by the way." He reached his hand out to shake with her.

"Right, yeah!" Kenna chuckled and greeted him. "Duh! Who doesn't know you, right?"

All Steve could do was awkwardly nod. He was never good with these kinds of things. "Does this mean…I mean…do you know about Seren?"

"Know about her?" Kenna raised a brow, still smiling brightly. "You mean that—"

But she was interrupted by the voice of a man calling her name out. Steve looked over Kenna at a tall man who'd just come into the place and seemed to be missing the whole 'prudent' thing as he continuously called out to Kenna.

"Oh God…" Kenna ducked her head and covered her forehead with her hand.

"You know that guy?" Steve asked. Said man was scouring the place for Kenna.

"Unfortunately," she sighed. "That's Blake. Very insistent Blake."

"Won't take 'no' for an answer?"

"Very. God, this is so embarrassing…"

Steve crossed gazes with Seren who'd finished up her order. Her eyebrows knitted together. Steve had an easy time making a nod at her and Blake for Seren to understand. Kenna didn't want to see that man. Even before that, Seren had noticed Kenna's slumped shoulders and lowered head. Just like Kenna knew her, Seren knew her.

"Hi there," she walked up to Blake. "Do you need something?"

"Nothing," the man responded gruffly, "Don't want to order anything."

"Oh, I don't work here," Seren said, "But I am Kenna's friend...you're looking for her, aren't you?" Blake didn't necessarily answer her but it was clear as day what he wanted. "I thought so. I can tell that you're making her uncomfortable even from over here.""

"Oh, really?" Blake finally looked at her, smirking when he noticed her small stature. "And who are you?"

"Kenna's friend. Who the hell are you?"

"Blake Wyatt. Kenna's being a little hardheaded. Doesn't know when to take a compliment."

"Mm, and I bet you've given her lots of them?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah, the least she can do is smile. But I'll accept a date too."

"Except I get the feeling she doesn't want to go on a date with you." Seren raised her head, leveling Blake's glare.

From their spot, Kenna was freaking out at the exchange. "Seren doesn't know Blake! He can get violent when he's mad."

"He's definitely getting mad now…" Steve said, picking up on the heavy annoyance on Blake's face.

Because Seren had just repeated to him that Kenna didn't want any date with him. "You need to leave now."

Blake snorted. "Right. Get the hell out of my way." When he grabbed Seren's arm, Kenna gasped.

"You should help her!" she urged Steve. However, Steve remained still. It was shocking and confusing for Kenna. "Hello! He's going to hurt her!"

"I've seen this before," Steve said, his mind flashing back to the first time he and Seren had lunch together. Some smart alec man did the same thing and grabbed Seren's wrist. "And honestly, I think I'll be a little bit more concerned with Blake's wellbeing."

Kenna didn't understand at all. "What do you mean?"

Before Steve could answer her, Seren grabbed Blake's wrist and twisted his entire arm to an awkward angle, eliciting a sharp scream from him.

"You crazy bitch!" He looked up at her with the angriest of glares, yet she remained unfazed.

"Not the first time I hear that," she said. For the first time that day, she no longer cared about the unwanted attention she had. "The thing is, Blake, I'm a lot stronger than I look. I'm happy to let go but first, you'll need to agree that you're going to leave Kenna alone."

"You're crazy!"

"Established. Now let me hear the words!"

"No!"

Seren shrugged and pushed his wrist even more, causing another scream from him. "Say. It." Her command was hard and loud.

"Fine! Whatever! She's not worth it!" Blake groaned when Seren finally let him go. He brought his arm close to his chest, rubbing the aches on his bones.

"Thank you," Seren said, then cracked a smile at him. "Is this smile okay for you?"

Blake cursed under his breath as he left the shop altogether. Seren's smile dropped the moment he was gone. She apologized to the customers around her and hurriedly returned to the table. "They'll bring us the order in a bit," she informed Kenna and Steve.

"Oh my goodness, thank you and I'm so sorry!" Kenna exclaimed, giving Seren a hug before Steve could even touch her. "You didn't have to do that, I mean you shouldn't have had to…"

"It's okay, it's fine," Seren promised her. She urged Kenna to sit back down.

Steve then took Seren by the waist and looked her over. "He didn't hurt you, right? I would've come but it seemed like you had it under control…"

Seren was smiling smugly. "I totally did, thanks for the faith. I'm good, I promise."

Steve believed her and pressed a kiss on her temple. "Well, since you are so good, I think I'll leave you two to talk, alright?"

Seren looked down at Kenna, suddenly nervous again. "I-I mean…"

"You'll be fine," Steve promised her. "And if anything, I'll be close by. Promise."

Seren ultimately nodded at him. She accepted the deal and stole a kiss from him for extra confidence. Steve said goodbye to Kenna and left the two at the table. Seren slowly took the empty chair and sat down across Kenna.

"Sorry about that guy," she said first, prompting Kenna to apologize for the whole thing again. "How do you even know him, anyways?"

Kenna sighed. "I'm working as a therapist in Hudson now and he was my patient."

"Well, safe to say that he won't be bothering you anymore."

"Well, thanks for that, really." Kenna offered Seren a kind smile. "I'm really glad you called. It's been such a long time. Truthfully, I thought I annoyed you to your last straw."

"God no, you…you did not!" Seren exclaimed. "It was all my fault. It's always been my fault, Kenna. I, um, I reached out to you because…well…because Steve encouraged me to do it. I don't know if you've watched the news lately, or um, been on the internet…"

Kenna's smile was knowing by this point. "Uh, yeah, I've totally seen everything. The Avengers — SHIELD going down? — and all the dirty secrets out in the public. That was bold of you guys."

"It was something alright," Seren mumbled. "So then…I guess you have to know by now what…what I actually am…the truth about me?"

Kenna raised an eyebrow at Seren. "There were many, Seren."

"Yeah," she sighed.

"But…" Kenna leaned forward on the table, "if you're talking about the fact that you are an alien, then yes…I did see that."

Seren started playing with her fingers on the table, almost pulling at the skin out of sheer nerves. "And…and what do you think about that…?"

"What do I think?" Kenna snorted. "What do you mean?"

"C'mon Kenna, it's a big deal to some people. And trust me, a lot of people have made it very clear that they don't want aliens on Earth."

"But you were born here," Kenna said matter-of-factly, "You are from here. And even if you weren't, who cares? Thor's not from here either and we all love him."

"It's different, I guess," Seren said. "Thor didn't grow up here having to pretend that half of him wasn't real. I had to do that. I had to hide who I was out of fear and that included you…and sometimes, I was mean about it…to you." She lowered her head, ashamed of the fact. "And I'm sorry about that, Kenna. You definitely did not deserve that. You were always so nice to me and, honestly, you were my only friend growing up. Where I should have been more grateful that you wanted to be my friend, I ended up being rude. I'm sorry."

"Seren, hold up," Kenna raised her hands to stop the conversation, "What are you talking about? You weren't mean to me."

"I never invited you to places and I always shot down your ideas to do things. You didn't even go to prom because of me!"

"I didn't want to go to prom because I just didn't want to!" Kenna chuckled. "Plus, you were my only friend too. I wasn't very popular back then, remember?"

"And you got stuck with me which definitely didn't help you at all."

"Okay, maybe you could have been more open about this secret of yours but I completely understand why you weren't. We were teenagers — our brains were even stupider then. You were scared. I can't be angry about that."

"You should be," Seren said, "You should hate me."

"And you should stop expecting that from people," Kenna said flatly. "You think you deserve to be punished for the way you acted but the fact is that you were just a kid back then. If my hormones were all over the place back then, I can imagine how yours were!"

Seren laughed softly. "I'm not sure about that but I was a mess, yes. I didn't know what I was doing half the time and the other half I spent being afraid of losing control of my powers."

"I'm glad you called," Kenna reiterated. "I was so sad when we lost touch after high school. You really were my only friend around here. College was kind of lonely."

"I didn't really go to college — I went straight into SHIELD," Seren admitted.

"To become an agent…because you were an agent for SHIELD," chuckled Kenna. "That is so cool! Even cooler that you were an Avenger too! Can't believe you thought that you would scare me off with all this stuff!"

"Trust me, it's not as glamorous as you think it was," Seren said. "I had these powers that could literally kill someone and as a 16 year old, that's a lot of weight to carry."

"Still would've been cool to know. I could've helped you train or something!"

Seren laughed at the idea. "With my luck, I would've hurt you!"

"And I would've been fine!"

Seren smiled at Kenna. The tightness in her chest had lessened without her noticing. She felt like she was back in the ice cream parlor gossiping like teenagers.

~ 0 ~

Most of the tests Tony conducted ran like blurs. Chloe did not protest to any of them, making the tests run smoother and quicker. Now that Tony knew the Hivemind was definitely willing to establish a peaceful link with Chloe, it was a little easier to know which exams to run and which to leave behind. The measuring for danger exam was the first one to go. Most of the tests now involved the second chip and a lot of their information was also coming directly from the Animinds themselves. They had established an open line of communication with Chloe and true to her promise, she was telling Tony everything that she learned.

The Animinds were a clairvoyant species, as far as they both knew, and they were more than willing to allow Chloe the same gift. She, however, made it clear that she did not want it. It was where the source of the problems were at the moment. Tony had stuck Chloe in a specially designed room to elicit those clairvoyant gifts or, at the very least, to push them away. It was the one room where Chloe found true refuge. She hadn't gone home for several days just to feel the peacefulness.

You need to go home. Something wait—

Chloe scrunched her face, turning her head away. From the other side of the room, Tony watched the woman shift on the ground. The yoga position she'd taken didn't seem to be doing much for her. He stepped back to the computers currently taking readings of Chloe's brain.

Things were spiking…

The Animinds must have been trying to contact her. He only wished he could hear what they were telling her.

Gohomegohomgohomegohome-

Chloe growled and ripped off the pads from her temples.

"Hey now!" Tony called, frowning as he watched his very expensive wires be thrown to the ground. "If you don't like 'em, just say something."

Chloe shot him a glare through the window. She pulled herself up from the ground and rubbed her temples.

"What are they saying?"

"They want me to go home," she muttered. "And they're being very loud about it." She thought that the overwhelming loudness would end now that she was on actual speaking terms with the Animinds. It was actually the first time they were yelling at her since then.

"Maybe they're onto something," Tony said, his speakerphone voice cutting off when she came out of the room. He turned to meet her. "You've been here for days and you haven't rested."

"Because I wanted you to run those exams. With that new piece, you can figure out how to turn off the clairvoyance stuff and help me, I don't know, do something about the whole thing."

Tony leveled the young woman a hard look. "Chloe, you know that I can't pull the first piece out of you. It's...it's been absorbed."

Chloe swallowed hard. She nodded at him. "I know. But this second piece hasn't been fully introduced—"

"And you're already suffering without it." Tony's eyes fell over her hand that'd once briefly housed the second piece.

While the gauze had come off and the injury itself had healed, there were still a few scars on her palm from Seren's burn marks and the imprint of the tech piece itself. Chloe wasn't proud of it and she really didn't like looking at it much. She clamped that hand against her side, preferring to keep it away from people's eyes. "What do you think we should do?"

"Truthfully?" Tony asked before going any further. He had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what he had to say. Still, she gave him a nod. He exhaled. "You need that piece in your system, its powers are the missing link for the first piece that's been absorbed."

Horror flashed across Chloe's face. "You want to stick that thing back inside of me?"

Tony motioned her to follow him to the screens meant to monitor inside her room. "Helen and I have run extensive tests on you. Plus, we've been able to attain the exams S.H.I.E.L.D. had on you before." He pulled up said reports for her to see. "The first tech piece that you took in was completely absorbed. This happened in a matter of days. It explains why your powers were spontaneous back then. The metal — the actual metal piece — was drained out of your system within a week. I see no reason why this second piece wouldn't follow the same pattern."

"But to have another piece inside of me…" Chloe brought her arms over her chest in a tight hug. Flashes of the first attempt to stick that piece on her still produced the same raw fear she had in those moments. She shuddered.

Tony could guess where her thoughts had gone. He stretched a hand to her arm, gripping it lightly. "It wouldn't be like that anymore," he promised. "Helen and I would come up with the safest procedure. There would be no pain."

"I don't know," Chloe chewed on her bottom lip. "What would happen after that procedure? The powers…"

"I imagine they will finally connect and start a stabilization process…"

Chloe met his look with incredulity. "You imagine?"

Tony sighed, pulling his hand from her arm. "I've never done this before, Winters. This is aliens we are talking about! There's no one else like you—"

"Believe me, I know," she snapped. "Which is why I'm not too eager to give this thing the little of my humanity I have left."

"You're human, Chloe, nothing could ever change that."

"Am I?" she challenged. "Because I heard rumors of what HYDRA was doing to humans. They were changing them, trying to anyway. Whatever they were supposed to do with these 2 pieces, whoever they were supposed to be for...they could've been just like me."

"Even then, what does it matter? The only thing that should matter is your health and right now, the way I see it, doing this procedure is the only way to keep your health."

"What if I don't do it?" Chloe still had to ask, ignoring the way he sighed so heavily. "What if I leave things the way they are?"

"You know what would happen," Tony said flatly. They already had this conversation. "The spontaneous moments would get more spontaneous. Your connection with the Animinds would never be stable and that could cause problems in the long run. Chloe, I really think this is the only step we can take."

Chloe threw her head back with eyes shut. She scrunched her face, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I...I need some time to think about it."

"Yeah, do it. Helen's not due until the end of the week. But by then, you'll need to tell us what you want to do."

"Okay," Chloe decided to end things right where they were. She straightened up, for once in those two days showing how tired she actually was. "I'm going to go home and...sleep on it."

"Yeah, that'll be a good idea,' Tony nodded. "In the meantime, I will keep on studying that piece." He had many kinks to work out before he could think about placing it back inside her. He wanted to be absolutely sure that he could do the procedure without harming her. But it was as he said, he had never dealt with a situation like this. Aliens were something he never had to consider up until two years ago. It changed a lot of his perspective of the world.

~ 0 ~

The closer Chloe got to her apartment, the louder the Animinds were. She had to swallow down yells of anger in the street. Why the hell were they being so loud again?

You need to be prepared! Say what you've been wanting to say.

Chloe came up to her apartment door and wondered if banging her head against it would be enough to shut them up.

'You would have a bruise in no less than a few hours,' the Animinds were helpful, at least they thought they were.

Chloe grumbled. "I really hate you all right now." She pulled her keys out of her bag and unlocked the door. "And now I'm talking to myself like a crazy person…"

Do not feel threatened; you are not in danger.

"What?" Chloe slammed her door shut. "What 'danger' are you talking about?" She switched the light on and screamed for dear life when she saw Bucky Barnes standing across from her. "What the fu—!?" Her hand flung to her chest. How he stayed completely still with her dramatics, she had no idea.

"You're not harmed," he said, eyes still searching her body for any sign of injury. He did notice that her previously injured hand was now free of the gauze.

Chloe slowly moved that hand behind her back when she saw where his gaze was. "I'm...not," she said slowly, head turning slightly at him. "Why would you think—hold on, why are you back? You left!"

"I had to—"

"No," she pointed at him, her tone surprisingly sharp enough to make him blink out of surprise, "You didn't have to! That was really stupid—"

You're overwhelming. She froze with her mouth half open. The Animinds hadn't spoken to her this time. This was all her. The thoughts that had kept her awake when she realized Bucky had left. She told herself, reprimanded herself, for being too much. He came back, for whatever reason he came back so she had to be different this time.

"Why'd you leave?" she asked, surprising Bucky again, though this time for how quickly she had changed her tone. "You didn't tell me and you just…you left."

"I realized I still had the tracker in me," Bucky said, lowering his head. "I had to get it out."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you."

"I came back because you might have the tracker as well."

Chloe froze. "Excuse me?"

"It's standard procedure for all HYDRA assets. You were only under for a few hours but, still…"

Chloe patted her cheek like said tracker would be right there for some reason. "I don't think I've been put with any kind of tracker. My friend, Tony, he's been running all kinds of tests on me and if there had been in a tracker in me, he would've found one by now. You really could have told me about that…I would have helped, you know."

Bucky wasn't particularly looking at her; he hadn't been at all. "I considered the best strategy with the least amount of risk and I took it."

"Alright, well, I don't have a tracker on me…thanks for thinking of me." Chloe dropped her things on the couch. "But why'd you come back just to tell me that? We would've figured it out eventually."

He shifted on his feet. "Gratitude," he said.

"Gratitude?" Chloe raised a brow at him. "Why? I didn't exactly save your life."

"No," he agreed. Truth be told, whenever he thought about her, he thought of the first time she spoke directly to him at the vault.

"I, um...I have an ability that, um, well...it's known to ease the mind. I won't look through any of your memories. I only want to help calm you down. I just need to touch your temples." She gestured to her own temples with her glowing blue hands. "May I?"

She had asked him for permission. It was stupid, meaningless, but he couldn't shake the moment out of his head. Seventy years of being a prisoner had him taking in all types of violations and tortures. They were all usually done by older men with only one goal in mind: to win. Everything done to him was done to win a stupid war that was not his. But when Chloe showed up, things were distinctively different. She was far younger, she had a light that hadn't been distorted by HYDRA. She still had her humanity, something he lost ages ago. She was the first person he thought coherently about after decades of fuzziness and blankness. The very first thought he had in years and it was about his sympathy for HYDRA's next victim.

Hydra had already started its mission to change her but she fought back. He couldn't remember his early days with them but he was sure that he had done the same. He had tried to fight, thinking that he would somehow win. Once upon a time, he might have been like her. He could do for her what no one had been able to do for him.

Chloe took another step towards him. The Animinds had gone quiet ever since she stepped inside. All this time, they'd been talking about him. Would it have killed them to be more specific?

"I want to help you," she said. "Please, let me help you."

"Hydra will come for you," Bucky said. "The best thing you can do is run."

"I can't," Chloe half-smiled at him. "I can't just…run…I've been doing that for years now and trust me, it gets so tiring."

"You won't be safe for long here. HYDRA will be hunting you down, just like I'm sure they already are with me."

"For what?" Chloe couldn't understand why on Earth this organization would want her so much. "What could I possibly do for them?"

Bucky raised a finger at her, noticing the subtle way her body flinched. He wouldn't react to it. People usually tended to do it and just because she was different didn't mean that she had yet to trust him. He himself didn't trust her all the way either. "It's your head," he finally said, finger gesturing to her head. "Your mind. They worked hard to keep you in their eyes and if you think they'll leave you alone now, you're mistaken."

Chloe cocked her head to one side, eyes staring at him until he was the one to shift. "I have questions," she suddenly said. "And I think you're the one who can answer them for me."

"I don't have time to answer questions here," he said dismissively. "Time is a luxury neither of us have. You want to stay? Fine. I did what I had to." He started moving around her for the door. His entire body froze when her hand clapped over his flesh arm. By no means did she have the strength to stop him but her touch was more than enough to buy her a few minutes. He looked back at her, stunned, yet she was more determined than ever.

"You broke into my apartment twice. You owe me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"I may be going into surgery for this stupid Hivemind and I have questions that I need answered. You want to leave? Fine, but not before you do me the favor of answering a couple things."

"I don't know everything," he said. Chloe smiled at his unsaid agreement. She pulled her hand off him and with her went a nice warmth too. Bucky pulled his arm back to his side, turning back for her completely. "I'm a weapon. I don't have any information."

"You're not a weapon," Chloe said simply. She made a nod for him to follow her. He had no idea why he did it but he followed. "Hydra had to be working on thousands of different projects before S.H.I.E.L.D. went down and I doubt that they've stopped. If anything, they'll have sped up the ones that they could. I'm curious to know which project belonged to me."

"What?" Bucky followed her into the kitchen. She went for the fridge and rummaged for something. Bucky heard the clanking of glass and watched as she pulled out a bottle of orange juice.

"I'm sure that Hydra had to have, how do you say, scrambled to adjust their plans for the Hivemind once I absorbed the first piece. And since they couldn't get me for years, they must have started other projects similar to what was supposed to be with Hivemind." Chloe set the bottle of orange juice on the table with another clank, a purposely loud one too. She smirked at his dumbfounded stare. "I've thought about this for many years. I know what I'm talking about."

"Even if that were true, what would you gain from knowing about them?"

"I can prepare for what's coming! I would rather know who my enemies are before they come to kill me! I think the Hive Mind is already trying to show me that too. I've been seeing these flashes of, like, powers, I think?"

"You wouldn't have to figure that stuff out if you just got up and left!"

Red flourished over Chloe's face as she snapped back loudly, "I am not going anywhere! I have ran for years and I refuse to do it again. I am asking for your help please."

Bucky would silently commend the young woman for her courage, or perhaps a different type of stubbornness. Either way, it was remarkable given her situation. "What do you want to know?" He finally asked her.

A ghost of a smile marked Chloe's lips. "Projects that had to do with me for starters. Were you ever assigned to any of them?"

Bucky didn't have to think very much on that one. "Just a couple times to observe."

"Just to observe?"

He nodded. "I don't understand why but yeah. I would watch and then report back."

"Kind of creepy," Chloe said, turning away from him to go through the cabinets and get glasses. "But I'll forgive you because you were brainwashed. When was this, though?"

That was a little more fuzzy. Bucky couldn't remember exact dates but he did know that she'd been younger. "You were...in France. Another in, um, Sweden."

"I couldn't have been more than 19, then," Chloe said. "I've only been to Sweden once. I don't get why they just ordered you to watch?"

'You were unprepared,' the Animinds startled her.

Bucky noticed the way her body flinched midway back to the table. She was frozen in her spot for some reason.

'Young and explosive. You could never hold onto the Hivemind in that state.'

"Huh," Chloe soon came back to the present. She met Bucky's odd stare and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, the Animinds sort of talk to me without being asked."

"Animinds?" He repeated, face scrunching for a second. She chuckled. It was so casual—the first casual laugh he heard in decades, and from a woman.

"Sorry," she apologized. Bucky had no choice but to blink. "The species of the Hivemind are called the Animinds. They've recently disclosed that. It's why I wasn't in the apartment. I've been with Stark for the past few days."

"So you weren't in danger," Bucky realized. He'd come back to the apartment so easily that he never considered the idea of Chloe not being in there. The last time he was around, she didn't really look like the outgoing type. Her not being in the apartment for days irked him. Had Hydra made good on their assets? Had a remaining agent come for her already? Or had she already run off? He wasn't able to come up with any answer.

She smiled softly. "No, I wasn't in any danger. Thanks for caring but I can take care of myself."

"You won't say that when there's at least a dozen of Hydra agents coming for you."

"Let them try," she said with an air of smugness that, for some reason, stirred something in Bucky. She slid him a glass of orange juice. "Thanks for not raiding my fridge, by the way, but you're more than welcome to get anything you want during your stay."

"I'm not staying," he reiterated.

"Hmm, I don't know, could be your best strategy."

"Why do you want me to stay so badly?" he asked curiously.

Chloe shrugged. "I told you, it's the best strategy you have. Distance does you no good if you're outnumbered. Stick around for a few days and you'll see why I'm right. Plus, you can use the days to remember more things for my answers."

"And what were those again?"

"Well, you told me about your missions regarding me and I just know that Hydra would be doing something else while they waited for me to 'be ready'."

"Why?"

Chloe pulled a chair out and plonked down, soon motioning Bucky to do the same. Reluctantly, he did. She picked up her glass of juice and took a sip. "The way I see it, they have fail-safes for their weapons. Their fail safe for you was the memory wipes. The cryogenic stasis, the...machines." She wanted to be extra cautious when delving into this topic for his sake. "They knew how to control you. Did they ever get around to me?"

Bucky considered the idea and realized that it wasn't that far-fetched. Hydra never conducted a project if they weren't capable of containing it. While Chloe wasn't in their clutches, they were positive that one day she would be and so they would have to work to have the environment ready for her. With that idea, they would have to consider potential fail-safes in case she turned erratic.

"Do you remember anything of the sort?" Chloe's question was soft and patient. It was a lot to ask for and she knew it. Anything he said to her would be deeply appreciated.

Flashes of things came to his mind. What they were, he wasn't sure but it was something. "I wasn't...I wasn't everywhere…" He brought a hand to his forehead in a rather harsh way. Chloe flinched when she heard the light smack of it. "My primary base was in Siberia. But there were others in charge of...different projects."

"What kind?" asked Chloe.

"A lot," was all Bucky could say with certainty. "Various different goals needed to be met so a lot of new projects had to cover them."

"Anything related to what I am?" She tapped the side of her head. "Mind control? Hiveminds? Technology needed to go inside the bodies?"

Bucly's face scrunched much too hard for her liking. He was truly making an effort to remember. "I don't...I can't…"

Chloe was sorrowful for him. "Hey, don't think anymore," she said softly.

He stopped to look at her. Isn't this what she wanted?

"It is but not if it's going to hurt you," she said like she'd read his mind. She half-smiled at him afterwards. "I don't always depend on the Hivemind to use my common sense."

"But you want to know, you need to know," Bucky said, watching her slowly stand up from her chair.

"Yeah, but there's no rush. You want dinner?"

"What?" He stared blankly at her, prompting her to ask him if even knew what 'dinner' was anymore.

"Stay with me for the night and maybe tomorrow you can think some more," she said kindly. "You like pasta?" She went for the cabinets to find what she would need for the dish.

"I don't…" He was getting a headache and he wasn't sure if it was because of her or of his thinking.

Chloe laughed softly at him. He stiffened at it again. "How's about we let your taste buds tell you whether or not you like it instead of trying to remember? Might be better sometimes."

The offer was much too kind and he, forgetting what kindness felt like, found himself nodding at her like a child.

~ 0 ~

"So what exactly are you going to do now that SHIELD is all gone?" Kenna made the question without knowing just how big of a subject it had been for Seren.

Evening had fallen and now they were walking the street with no real direction except to keep the conversation going.

"I still don't know," Seren said much too easily and when Kenna gave her a sharp look, she wasn't sure what to do. "What?"

Kenna snorted. "Seren, please! I know you — you still make the same faces! Remember when you told me you so did not have a crush on Will? You're making the same face right now."

"What? Am not!"

"Are too!"

Seren crossed her arms and huffed like a child. "What do you want me to say?"

Kenna laughed. "Whatever you've been thinking about clearly!"

"I haven't!"

Kenna shook her head. "You're still literally the same, it's hilarious. Clearly, you've been putting some thought into the ideas so let me hear 'em!"

"Alright, maybe I have been thinking…" Seren sighed, annoyed. "It's the whole reason I'm even in Hudson in the first place. SHIELD has been my entire life and now that it's gone — now that I know the truth about it — I've been feeling pretty lost. I can't picture myself working in an office or, I don't know, just…I can't do it."

"Mhm, so what can you do?" Kenna nudged her on the side, encouraging her to be honest.

Seren playfully rolled her eyes. It truly felt like they were teenagers again. The idea was stupid and yet it brought so much joy to her heart. "Honestly?"

"Please!"

"I want to keep fighting. I know that SHIELD's destruction didn't end everything bad out there. I know for sure that HYDRA has to have more bases out there. I know there's gotta be people who still need help and I want to be the person to help them."

"Decent answer," Kenna said with a nod. "So how do you go about that? Do you like become a freelancing Avenger or something?"

It was then Seren's turn to laugh. "I have no idea. But I guess admitting that I'm no longer that confused is a huge step from where I started."

"See?" Kenna smiled dramatically sweetly. "You do need me!"

Seren chuckled again and soon shared the same laugh with Kenna. "Great, so you can be the one to tell my parents that I am once again leaving Hudson."

"Oh, no way!" Kenna shook her head. "That's all on you, girl." She patted Seren's shoulder. "But I'll be happy to visit you in the city…if you'd like, of course."

Seren's expression softened and she nodded. "Absolutely," she said honestly. "I'm sorry for—"

"No more apologizing," Kenna pointed at her. "You need to move on, Seren. If I can, so can you. It's all good, trust me. I'm just happy that you found your way back here. Back home. Even if it's just for a moment."

"Me too," Seren admitted. It was the first time she said it out loud. Coming home had always been more of a chore for her, even seeing her parents because it always led to arguments about SHIELD and her grandmother. Now she actually felt like she would miss Hudson when she eventually left.

"So do you have a place in the city?" Kenna asked. "Because you said you were out in London for 2 years, right?"

"Yeah, so technically that and with SHIELD's bye-bye thing…I'm sort of out of a home," Seren shrugged. "Me and Steve are going to look for something, hopefully in Manhattan. We, uh, want to be close to one of our other friends there."

"Okay, fancy," Kenna snickered. "So you and Steve — it's pretty serious, then? Moving in and stuff?"

"Guess so, yeah," Seren said, her face flushed with warmth. "I mean…we've only technically been together for a few weeks now…"

"What?" Kenna laughed. "And you already brought him to meet your parents? And he showed up?"

"What can I say? It's all felt pretty natural so far…" Seren said, "And, honestly, things started way before a few weeks ago."

"Well, if you say it feels natural then don't even question it," Kenna said. "He seems very nice and, I'm gonna be real, he's hot. Don't blow it, girl!"

Seren laughed again, and louder. "I missed you, Kenna."

Kenna shrugged smugly. "We were always a good pair. You were the shy one, I was the bold one."

"You did use to push me into several new situations," Seren agreed.

"And I am happy to continue that whenever I deem it necessary," Kenna forewarned her.

The two giggled together and that was how Steve found them at the corner of the street. He liked the sight.

"Hey!" Seren beamed when she saw him. She rushed up to him and gave him a quick hug and kiss. "Where've you been, stranger?"

"Oh, you know, exploring," Steve said, "Hudson's got some good places here. How are you two? Are we…okay?"

Kenna snorted. "Definitely. She hasn't changed much, honestly. Thanks for pushing her while I've been gone but I am here to retake my position."

Steve seemed confused but so long as Seren seemed happy — she was giggling again — so be it, "Uh, sure, I guess."

"I'll call you tomorrow," Kenna said to Seren. "Maybe we can meet in the city or something once you've got your place set, yeah?"

Seren didn't think twice. "Yeah! We could go out and make a day and — let's do it!"

"Oh, do you know what? Do you know who else lives in Manhattan? Will does! Remember him?"

"Really? He does?" Seren blinked with a pleasant surprise.

"Yeah, I ran into him a couple days ago at the library. He's visiting his folks too."

"Wow, and I haven't seen him…"

"Please, don't look so sad over the fact," Steve mumbled, bringing Seren's attention up to him. She giggled. He remembered the name perfectly.

Kenna also seemed to have caught her slip and very quickly bid them goodnight and left them.

"So, are we going to call up Will next?" Steve said bitterly.

Seren leaned up on her toes and kissed him. When she seemed to be pulling back, she changed her mind and pressed another kiss on his lips, then another one. "Thank you for pushing me to do this today…"

Jealousy forgotten for the moment, Steve gazed at her fondly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "I'm glad it all worked out."

"It did, and…and something else worked out too…" she said, then proceeded to tell him what she had confessed to Kenna about her ideas of the future. "Going back into the fight…what do you think?" She tested her hands on his chest. "Is it crazy?"

"Maybe to others but to me…it seems we're sort of in sync about it," Steve said, "I think it's time I told you what Tony's proposition was all about."

Seren nodded at him. He lowered his head and gently kissed her.

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enigmatist17 · 5 months ago

Text

Haven't written these absolute nerds in forever :)

---

He knew he'd found The One when he arrived on Eden-6.

It had hit Alistair Hammerlock when he'd stepped off the small ship he'd called home for some time, the hunter barely having a moment to look around the swampy planet before a tingle ran up his spine. A quick look around showed that he was still alone on his makeshift landing spot, and after a moment, he shrugged and set about making camp. That phantom tingle kept lingering as Hammerlock explored the planet, the hunter growing frustrated the longer this sort of "game" went on. Sometimes he felt it near one of the many bars that littered places closer to civilization, other times he felt it near waterfalls out in the middle of nowhere, the feeling teasing as it was addicting. When he was summoned to the Jakobs estate once it became known the legendary Alistair Hammerlock was on Eden-6, the tingle became a full on electric thrum.

What in the heavens was causing this?!

His answer came in the form of Wainwright Jakobs.

Alistair had been the perfect guest as the current CEO of the company droned on about the estate and its origins. To be truthful, it was rather dull, but his thoughts vanished when they turned a corner, and Hammerlock ran into a man who had his nose in a book with a soft grunt.

"Ah, just the man I was lookin' fer! This here is my son Wainwright, the reason I actually invited ya here for." Montgomery droned on, words going unheard as the hunter stares at the shorter man, who seemed just as enraptured by the hunter. That cursed feeling had finally stopped the moment they had collided, and if Hammerlock was a betting man, it would mean he had finally found his other half.

What a strange notion.

Due to his family and how their name was like a poison akin to the likes of Handsome Jack, Alistair had given up hope on his soulmate. No one would want to be shackled to someone with his past, with his penchant for danger and long stretches of time out on the hunt. Yet, instead of revulsion or any other negative look he'd always imagined on the face of his other half, Wainwright looked...curious. He doesn't get much of a chance to do anything when a rough pat on the shoulder from the elder Jakobs jars both men from their stare off, Alistair pulled away from Wainwright and further into the manor.

He misses the fact that Wainwright is still watching when they head away and further into the home, book on the floor forgotten.

Neither man has much of a chance to speak until they're paired up and sent off on a small hunting expedition, Wainwright kicking up a right fuss while an amused Hammerlock watches in the background.

"Now I don't get why I've got ta go on this damned huntin' party!"

"We're bein' gracious hosts, and since you decided not ta come along the last set, yer goin' on this one."

"We can host Mr. Hammerlock in this manor just fine, yer just tryin' to get rid of me."

"Oh hush, like any saurian would eat you anyways, ol' piece of leather."

"They might be stubborn, but you've got them beat by a country mile."

"Gentlemen, if we are to make good time, we must begin our trip soon." Alistair finally cut in, not entirely sure if the barbs being thrown around were truly in an attempt to cause pain. Montgomery seemed to be more amused than anything as Wainwright left the room with a quiet grumble, Alistair fairly certain he heard some rather colorful curses as the other trailed out of the room.

"Wainwright is just blowin' hot air, the damned boy would rather be readin' in the study than anything else."

"If you say so."

---

Wainwright seemed to loosen up when he and Alistair hopped into a provided vehicle, clearly a bit uncomfortable with going out deep into the wilderness. However, once they had driven away from the massive manor and headed past the security gates, he finally eyed the hunter with that same curiosity from the day previous.

"So, what brings a big huntin' legend like yerself down to Eden-6?" It was an easy question to start with, the manufacturer grabbing onto a handle when Hammerlock makes a sharp turn.

"I'd heard the wildlife here is quite a challenge, and I do so enjoy them." The hunter grinned, pulling up his ECHO to check they were still going the right way despite still driving at maximum speed. "I was not expecting to have been seen so quickly, but I doubt many people of my particular reputation visit your planet."

"Not as such, no." Hammerlock must have finally realized that speed was not that necessary as he finally let off the gas somewhat, the greenery no longer a blur as they headed to wherever they were going. For a while, they drove in a silence that was, at the start, awkward but soon companionable as Wainwright began to point out various beasts and the sorts of places they liked to hide. Hammerlock pulled over beside a waterfall, and when dusk blanketed the planet, the native pointed out that the massive tree beside the water would be the best place to set up camp for the evening.

"We're awful close to some saurian nestin' sites, so sleepin' on the ground ain't it."

"For someone who seemed displeased for the hunt, you've been quite informative." Hammerlock made sure they covered the vehicle up with large leaves before hauling their packs out of the trunk, turning to toss it to Wainwright, only to find the man heading for the large pool of water. "Where are you going?"

"Best we get cleaned up down here before we head up." The Jakobs shed his jacket when he was a few feet from the water, clearly not minding that he had company. "C'mon, the water is nice and cool too."

"Uh, as you wish." It wasn't the first time Hammerlock had bathed in close quarters with other people, having lived with the Crimson Raiders on a planet that barely had water on the best of days. Not once had his eye strayed in those times, yet for some reason, he couldn't stop himself from looking over at Wainwright as they both quickly washed off the sticky humidity from their skin. Something within him was telling Hammerlock to go over, to touch the deeply tanned skin he caught flashes of when the southern man stepped under the outer part of the waterfall.

It was quite infuriating.

However, they both finished cleaning off and quickly dressed as the night grew ever closer, the southerner finding a small alcove about ten feet off the ground for them to spend the night in. It was a little bit of a squeeze, but Hammerlock had slept in worse, merely starting a small fire to cook their dinner as the forest fell into complete darkness.

"I must say, this planet is absolutely stunning."

"That's a rare compliment." Wainwright glanced up from the book he'd brought along, watching Hammerlock follow what had to be a familiar ritual from his previous hunts. "Most people say it's a pass, and that the name is a misnomer."

"Oh it is, but every world has its own beauty." The hunter laughed, setting his hat aside to dab at some sweat on his brow. "The humidity could be forgone, however."

"If I could change somethin', it'd be that." He agreed, his book forgotten as he watched the hunter cook.

Ever since he'd run into the taller man, Wainwright had been holding back his absolute glee at finding his One.

In his youth, Wainwright never gave the thought of a soulmate much attention. He focused far more on being reckless and traveling until he settled down rather quickly. Being the heir to one of the major gun corporations, however, made him a target, and once he found that being at home wasn't the worst thing half the time, Wainwright found his contentment in a good book and a glass of whisky. As the years ticked by and age settled on his body, Wainwright thought about settling down, hoping that maybe his other half might show up on his usual yearly PR tours. Instead, the damned man showed up in his house, of all things, being dragged around by his father and looking quite bored with the tour that could last up to hours. However, despite knowing that Hammerlock must have felt that rush of energy when they touched, he seemed...well, Wainwright wasn't sure, maybe surprised? Caged?

Well, Wainwright was not the most patient man.

He struck after they had eaten one of Hammerlock's vacuum-packed meals and cleaned up, the fire casting a cozy light in their alcove as the distant noises of wildlife filled the air.

"You mind if I ask ya somethin'?" Hammerlock was sitting across from him fiddling with his sniper rifle, practiced hands disassembling and cleaning the parts one by one.

"By all means." Glancing up, Wainwright found himself temporarily transfixed by the soft blue glow of Hammerlock's mechanical eye, internally wincing at not having noticed the prosthetic beforehand. "Is something the matter?"

"Sorry, didn't realize you've a mechanical eye 'till just now." Hammerlock clearly wasn't expecting that answer, lips twitching up in an amused smirk.

"Usually, most ask what happened; I don't believe I've met someone who didn't notice at first glance."

"Well, I blame my own blasted eye then." Wainwright shook his head, setting his book aside.

"Oh?" Leaning over his gun, Hammerlock looked at the younger Jakobs, noting that both eyes seemed organic. He was about to say something when he noticed that Wainwright's left eye was not quite focused on the hunter, the pupil slightly enlarged. "I was wondering why you brought along a shotgun on a hunting trip."

"Figure I can make a right distraction if needed." He grinned, his beloved shotgun just within reach. "Works fine for me."

"Worry not, I shall not let any beast close enough for you to need use of your weapon." Neither man could ignore the protective tone that laced the simple statement, and the hunter awkwardly looked down at his gun. "Sorry, I-"

"What's there ta be sorry for? Don't think you're that blind to see what's goin' on, pardon the pun." Wainwright grinned as Hammerlock couldn't stop the snort that escaped him, that soft blue light flickering back up to fixate on him. "Didn' think I'd meet ya in my own home."

"Neither did I, all things considered." It's the first time the man has looked almost bashful, fiddling with the scope in his hands and looking away from the Jakobs' gaze. "Quite frankly, I never expected to find you at all, although the irony of finding you on a planet I've always wanted to hunt on is not lost, rest assured."

"Aw, I'm flattered." The joke doesn't seem to land with the other, and for a few minutes, they sit together as the fire crackles and jabbers howl in the distance. "Mind tellin' me why you're bracin' for somethin'?"

"I..." Nothing in his grand vocabulary seemed to be the proper word for what Hammerlock wanted to convey, a veritable first. "I am a Hammerlock."

"...yes?" Wainwright adjusts his posture as he keeps his gaze on the fire, giving Hammerlock as much room as they had, being inside a tree and all.

"My family name is poison to most, and while I've not been in their company for many years, it follows like a plague. It would most likely be in your health and my limited supply of sanity if I simply just...maintain my solitude." It felt like a skag was disemboweling Alistair as he carefully spoke the words he'd prepared many years ago, but it truly would be for the best if he kept the Hammerlock name from disinfecting something he'd only dared to dream of.

He was not expecting Wainwright to start laughing, looking up at the Jakobs in pure surprise. True, he wasn't sure how his soulmate was going to react, but the laughter that seemed to shake his entire body was not it.

"Why now that is just the stupidest excuse I ever did hear!" Wainwright finally wheezed out when the laughter passed, the amusement turning to fury now. "You're goin' to throw away this because of your damned family? Like hell you will!"

"It's truly for the best!" Alistair retorted, quickly moving his disassembled rifle aside. "If not that, surely you are aware that I take on legendary beasts that can, and have in the past, killed me! I cannot inflict that life on someone else!"

"Well it ain't your decision, I ain't some weak little fling you're gonna toss aside."

"You are being too stubborn for your own good!"

"Damn right I am." With that, Wainwright got onto his knees, and dragged Hammerlock into a kiss before either of them could regret it. Not that they would, the moment they connected, it was like the entire universe just ceased to exist save for each other. The Southerner had maybe a few seconds before Hammerlock was pressing him back against the wall of their alcove, kissing him like he would drown without the contact, not that he damn well minded. The hunter was a damn attractive man and owned it with a grace hardly seen in the galaxy, grinning like a giddy teen when they both eventually needed air. "See? Not goin' anywhere."

"No." The poor guy seemed too stunned to speak, and the smile on his face was something that Wainwright was already treasuring.

"Saurian got your tongue, darlin?"

"Yes?" The manufacturer chuckled and gently pushed the taller man back, the movement seeming to reboot his brain as he scurried back with a blush. "A-Apologies."

"No need, I enjoyed that."

"I did as well."

With that, Eden-6 became less of a prime hunting spot and more of a prospective home, a thought that made Alistair's head spin. True, he'd lived on Pandora ever since his father had used the planet as a punishment turned unexpected salvation, and he'd become fond of the place when he thought of friends and allies. Yet now it failed to hold a candle to this swamp-esque planet with its cursed humidity, all for a man with a nasty temper and charm that could turn a bandit sane he'd met only a day previous.

Not the strangest thing to ever happen to him, but easily the best.

#personal #borderlands #borderlands 3 #sir hammerlock #alistair hammerlock #wainwright jakobs #jakobslock #I wuv these two #soulmate au

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heartstringsduet · 1 year ago

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what’s proficiency bonus about? 👀

It was supposed to be a lighthearted "5 things Carlos isn’t good at and one thing he is."

I started writing it when I just got into the fandom and I might have different ideas for what Carlos would be bad at now that I feel I have a better grip on him. or maybe not. maybe I would just want to have a lot of fun with it, not make it too deep. I think I might just release some of it in drabbles by this point, since I haven't touched that WIP in months. Here's a snippet:

Carlos wins at darts, but TK supposes aim is pretty important for cops. But then Carlos wins at pool and wins at bowling and technically, there is no winning at cooking but if you made it a competition, he would get the gold medal. At first, TK tries to be gracious. They’re freshly dating and he knows his own petulance like it sits beneath his skin at all times, but finds he doesn’t need to tame it around Carlos. He likes the way Carlos wins. It’s never boastful. It’s nearly the opposite. Like the sole purpose of winning is to impress TK, not embarrass him. Each time he wins, his already imposing presence grows and yet his reactions sand over any hurt TK might feel.

“I got lucky,” he’d say when he gets a second strike.

“My family plays cards almost every time we meet,” he’d say one lazy rainy Sunday after winning for the third time.

He even apologizes one time when he lands the final goal at the foosball table at the bar.

Carlos is very lucky he’s that hot, possibly even hotter for winning, because TK is unfamiliar with having a constant losing streak. It helps that Carlos kisses away his pout when he wins, is more confident when he takes TK apart on his couch.

Since winning makes Carlos bolder, TK doesn’t mind losing.

It isn’t until a few months in, at their second 126 hang-out, that TK learns what losing does to Carlos. He wondered, the first time, why Carlos had a Playstation he only noticed then and why he only watched as everyone took turns destroying their friends on the battlefield. In the end he chalked it up to the anxiety radiating off Carlos about being a good host.

But now, Marjan proposes a game of charades and since Mateo is sick, Carlos has no choice but to join him. TK squeezes his hand on the couch. There is no doubt in his mind that Carlos winning streak and his short stint in theater class will carry them to the top.

#proficiency bonus #michelle writes #guess how bad Carlos is at charades ;)

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pynkhues · 10 months ago

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Hi! I love hearing your takes on film and media, they're always so gracious and nuanced. Have you watched Femme (2023) by any chance? I just saw it last night and am DYING for more coverage and thoughts on this film but it seems to be flying super under the radar by the general audience, even by indie standards... if not, I hope you can check out the trailer! If even one person in your audience checks this out, I will have done my job as a small time indie project supporter 🫡

Hi! Thank you so much for your kind words, anon, and I haven't seen Femme, no! In fact, I hadn't even heard of it before you sent me this ask, which is crazy, because it looks so good and has a cast I love (I've adored Nathan Stewart-Jarret in particular since the double hitter of Misfits and Utopia, and have always thought he deserved a bigger career, he's so talented).

youtube

From IMDB, it doesn't look like it even has an Australian sale yet, let alone a release date, but I'll try and tee up my VPN over the weekend and see if I can watch it that way. Thanks so much for the rec! :-)

#i've been totally in oscars mode recently so it'll be fun to watch some indies now that the awards are done #i did watch bunny lake is missing for the first time the other night though which has been living rent free in my head ever since #thank you again #movies #film asks #welcome to my ama

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alexanderlightweight · 2 years ago

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hi! I wanted to ask if my prompts was send? cus I think I messed up while sending it.

first was about how everyone was panicked that alec is missing, and in meantime alec is happy planning his wedding. and another is lyric from song "oh, I love it and hate it at the same time, you and I drink poison from same vine"

thank you for your works, true trueblood heir AU is amazing 💜

hi! totally understand sending this.

You were absolutely good and i have your lovely prompts. Both of them are already mentally in progress tbh, but life has been a bit intense time wise (as in things are taking up a lot of time) and i'm actually sleeping a semi-decent amount.

which is probably why i'm writing less tbh. because i haven't gone 30 hours without sleeping for a week (huge accomplishment) and everything else takes up my actual free time.

I love writing it, so I'm glad it's enjoyed! it's official name is star eater now ^_^ because i'm finally going to start posting it to ao3 and it's actually getting pretty long and i need an easier way of keeping track of it

also things got further delayed because Nightshade ate my phone cord and my laptop charger... and @saeths and i use the same charger for both of our laptops, their phone, our headphones/switch etc.

And this is the third charger like this that Nightshade has chewed, so rationing the chargers makes writing difficult. and my phone is on a separate charging cord, which means we don't have backup (we used to but Nightshade chewed them up and spit them all over the floor).

I should be finally getting a replacement in tomorrow or the next day. But yeah, the little bugger can't stand it when things change and we finally got a setup that doesn't let him hide away under the furniture. he's pretty upset about it and acting out about it. saeth's in the middle of a flareup (chronic pain and illness) and i've been working more so he feels 'abandoned'.

He tried to eat my laptop yesterday and waited to chew on it until i was 'watching him' because he wanted attention. after some redirection, he got a bunch of snuggles.

Say (housemate) totally spoils him. She gets him snacks when we go out, because she's worried he'll feel left out and lets him have bites of her food so he gets to taste everything.

And I'm rambling, sorry it's a bad habit. I have your prompts, I actually went through (and saeth helped) saved most of the prompts to drafts so I wouldn't lose them. but that takes a long time so not every single prompt is saved yet.

I plan to slowly catch my way up now that life is settling back down and if thing get a bit busy, then the prompts will probably be bit a sporadic. I have about 100-105 prompts right now (depending on whether tumblr is feeling gracious or not) and I'm just kind of slowly and happily writing through them when I have time and charged electronics.

<3 lumine

#lumine talks to ppl #writing wednesday answers #lumine answers asks

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yawnflrtz · 1 year ago

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I was so hesitant to read this because it's the only one of the collab I haven't yet, and yeonjun's hasn't been published as far as I know, but oh my goodness gracious do I regret not reading it sooner????

everything about this fix has such raw emotion in it, I have no idea how people can write like this it's so???? beautiful???? everything about it was perfect, from the characters to the dialogue to lore 😭 I could imagine everything so vividly it felt like watching a movie but so much better, I'm actually heartbroken I finished it

Soobin's character makes me cry because he's so sweet :( he was battling demons from the beginning, just to lose his father in the war. I can't even imagine what that must have felt like, even if he is fictional. I know I'd turn out just like him 😭 I swear I broke into tears when he left yn at the beach without saying anything after using them like that, it was disgusting and made stomach churn and everything I was so mad 😭😭😭 poor baby soob 😞 I wonder if he was possessed by his father or something or if the grief just hit him that hard "I'm spending time with my father" THE TEARS THAT FELL OUT OF MY EYES. OCEANS, RIVERS, LAKES. I was gushing bro it's so not funny. The fact he trusted yn enough to let them take him into the ocean even if they were grown up compared to him my heart 💔💔💔 cannot handle 💔💔💔 that confession scene after 😭 I found it so odd from the beginning how he'd just let yn say those things without getting hurt or angry, he was so understanding even in the beginning, I fully expected him to yell back but he offered her cake??? even at the end he just took it (which is much more understandable because he's an adult but 10 yr old him THREW ME OFFFF) hahahaha the kiss 🧎🧎🧎🧎🧎🧎 the kiss scenes in all of these are so good wth. Taehyun behind the waterfall??? Beomgyu infront of mother nature??? and now Soobin in the horse stable LMAOOO

Y/n's character was so odd but so relatable??? they literally made absolutely no sense throughout this whole fic but perfect sense at the same time. Like at the beginning, when they fought with Soobin for not being petty, and in the middle when they were annoyed by Soobin asking why people don't just stop fighting. They definitely seem like a pessimist, which is what makes their dynamic with Soobin—who's way more optimistic—so perfect??? Soobin brings out the good side in them and it's absolutely adorable. That scene where he left them at the beach HURT LIKE HECK especially seeing it from y/n's pov. Broke my heart in two them crushed it into powder. And when he told them they're not welcome at the palace anymore?? yikes 💀 They're stronger than me fr I would've burst into tears on the spot. Just having to go from him being your best friend to having him shun you and use him for his own gain as well as now having to refer to him as "your highness" would've been enough for me to just shrivel up and die 😭 I could not deal. I'm so glad that you didn't just accept Soobin's apology at the end and let him know he still has to regain their trust. I feel like they always just dust it under the rug and forget about it no matter what they've done and it's so messed up??? no matter what state of mind he was in, he hurt yn practically beyond healing and nothing excuses that. I'm still glad they made up at the end though 😞😞😞

AS FOR YEONJUN HEJSISJS he's so mysterious and glorious 😊 at the time that I'm reading this, concept pictures came out with him having orange hair and some blonde highlights and it makes his hair look like fire, so I kept imagining it reading this and it fits so well???? I find it so weird that he doesn't want to avenge his father like Soobin does, because stereotypically they're the exact opposite. I really wanted to see how he'd react to yn telling him all this at the end but 😭 I find his character so interesting in this and even though he wasn't even in here I could not get my mind off him (maybe I'm obsessed who knows) but the ending was still so sweet, especially with the tradition of the cake with strawberries and whipped cream it's so cute :(

This fic is glorious, it could part water, end world hunger, fix all our social issues and run for president. I'm honestly sad I didn't pay to read this I feel like I'm on Tumblr premium 😭 it was so beautifully written as were all the fics in this collab ‼️‼️‼️ I don't really know what to do with myself now that I've finished it, my heart is heavy but it's also full because these are so sweet 😞 They definitely deserve more recognition than they got because these interactions are criminally low for something as amazing as this. I hope more people will read these :(( thank you author for sharing this masterpiece with us I'm actually emotional

eclipse rising

❝ if you keep going down this path, you’re going to die, soobin. ❞

PAIRING ▸ choi soobin x fem!reader

GENRES ▸ fantasy, fluff, angst, royal au, elemental prince au, friends to enemies to lovers

WARNINGS ▸ soobin’s the water prince but he’s scared of water, mentions of character death, mentions of war, soobin becomes a dick for a while, one makeout scene, ft. elf prince park sunghoon

SUMMARY ▸ chaos was a ladder and its rungs were slick with blood. if you couldn’t save soobin, he was bound to fall.

PLAYLIST ▸ can’t you see me by txt • where’s my love - alternate version by syml

WORD COUNT ▸ 11283 words

TAG LIST ▸ @shiningstar-byulxx @jjuniefiles @wintermer @ladynightmareii @yeonjxnnie @mcu-incorrect @sooshibot @hyukacity

AUTHOR’S NOTE ▸ hello !! i apologize for the wait but (finally) here’s my piece for @soobmint’s ‘the five princes’ collab! my storyline is going to be connected with @honeyju’s yeonjun piece! please check out the other author’s installments and i hope you enjoy !! ♡

FROM THE MOMENT YOU MET HIM, CHOI SOOBIN REMINDED YOU OF THE SEA.

The more time you spent understanding the infinite blue, the more you realized how unpredictable it truly was. One moment its waves could be a gentle wash over the shore, and the next it could be a strong current of water crashing against the rocks. Rough storms often angered the tides, the strong current sweeping away anything that would lay in its wake.

Yet, despite all that, the sea was the most beautiful sight to behold.

The Kingdom of Nymphe resided by the sea, so you had grown up observing its mysteries and wonders. Most children were born with a power based on their element. Yours was hydromancy, the ability to utilize water and see visions or insights of time. Thus, you weren’t expected to train like most elementalists. However, you longed to train alongside the other children at the shoreline, but the most you could do was observe their abilities. Water generation and aquatic breathing were relatively common amongst most kids, but you quickly learned that your ability was on another level.

Being born into nobility and having such a unique gift drew a lot of attention to your powers. Your parents were the Duke and Duchess of Nymphe, so you were expected to uphold expectations that exceeded far beyond what a normal elementalist was asked of. From a young age, your training was separate from the other children. Thus, you were distant from the other Nymphians (as the citizens of Nymphe were often called). Instead, you were individually trained by experts in divination and clairvoyance as no one had seen powers like yours before.

On top of that, it became your duty to befriend the crown prince, Choi Soobin.

Keep reading

#gorgeous #i have no words #i could go on about this for years

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bellascarousel · 1 year ago

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Fan Fic Writer Asks: 8, 14, 17 and 19 👀

8) What project(s) are you currently working on?

My main fic focus at the moment is Let's Run Away Together, in which Anthony proposes in the gazebo, and they elope to Gretna Green. I'm almost done with it. Only the second half of the Hastings' ball, a reconciliation between Kate and the Sharmas, and then the epilogue to go.

I have far too many ongoing WIPs for my own good. But, I am also periodically working on three that I haven't started posting, yet.

They're Only Words (But Words Can Break Your Heart) is a Franchael soulmate fic. The premise is that the first words your soulmate will ever say to you get written on your wrist on your eighteenth birthday. I've so far written their first meeting, John's death, and Frannie waking up the night Michael comes back from India to discover that the first words he ever said to her 8 years ago have suddenly appeared on her wrist. Now for the fun of watching them try to navigate this mess.

I have a ghost AU where the Bridgertons all vanished during a house party at Aubrey Hall in 1814. Fast forward 200 years, and the spouses have all been invited to the party of the year - the annual Hearts And Flowers ball at Aubrey Hall. Nobody knows who hosts these balls (Though, I know, and I'm willing to bet you can guess 😉). All of them have always been able to see ghosts (except Penelope, whose connection to the supernatural is that Lady Whistledown possesses her to write her blogs) and end up seeing the Bridgertons. So, they try to find out what really happened and free them from the Limbo they're in.

I'm also working on a 13 Going On 30 type AU. After the Hearts And Flowers ball, Anthony gets passed-out drunk and wakes up on his 39th birthday into a world where there was no bangle-drop, no miracle at the altar, and he and Edwina are very unhappily married.

We won't discuss all the ideas I haven't started writing, yet. I really need to get back to my Bella Talks Writing series and share summaries of them all.

14) If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, which fic would you pick?

Hmm... Actually, I think the ghost story one. The juxtaposition of 1814 and 2014 both kind of happening at the same time, and the whole idea of this ball where most of the guests can't see the Bridgertons seems like it could be really fun in a visual medium.

17) What's something you've learned about while doing research for a fic?

The logistics of eloping (including how long the trip to Gretna Green and back would take) in Regency England for both Let's Run Away Together and Ruined. And that surgeons who normally wear glasses have these special ones that they wear in operating theaters (I've since forgotten what they are called, so I'm going to have to look it up again when I get to that point) for The Doctor Who Loved Me.

19) Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs

“Anthony, that is enough. I will dance, tonight. With anybody that asks. And you will be a proper married man and dance with some of the wallflowers that otherwise might not get a chance to dance. And we will answer whatever questions are posed to us with honesty and grace. I do not particularly like it, myself. But, it is why we are here. Your sister and brother-in-law are being very kind in being obvious in their support for us. The least we can do is properly use this opportunity they have given us.”

The look Simon gave her was full of awe and respect. “Nicely said, Viscountess Bridgerton.” He lifted her hand and tied a dance card to it. Then he scratched off the dances that had already taken place and signed his name on the line for the second one to come. “Look, I was gracious enough to give your husband your first dance. As the host, I could have claimed it for myself.”

Anthony grumbled at that. But, he took Kate’s hand and signed the next dance coming up, the last dance of the evening, and one of the waltzes in between. He looked about to sign a fourth spot, but Simon yanked the card out of his hand. “You may claim any dances where neither of you are otherwise engaged, but for the time being, three is plenty. Give her a chance to mingle, Anthony.”

Whatever Anthony was about to say was interrupted by a familiar voice. “Is Lord Bridgerton being his usual annoying self, this evening? Honestly, I had hoped that marriage would soften you a bit.”

Kate spun around and smiled. She gave a slight curtsy. “Good evening, Lady Danbury.”

#bella talks writing #bella's asks and answers

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callsignpatron · 3 years ago

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"My way ends with you drunk and dancing on a piano bench" (Bradley Bradshaw x female!OC)

I honestly can't believe that I got the amount of notes that I did on my last post so here is another Rooster imagine with my OC Brandy (call sign Patron like the tequila, face claim Brie Larson). Also, leave some ideas/ requests in the comments :)

Summary: Behind Penny's bar, Brandy takes joy in letting Hangman attempt to flirt with her, being that he has yet to realize that she too will be one of the pilots shooting for the mission. That is until Rooster catches her eye and both of them slip into old habits from their time in TopGun.

"You can't out drink me." Brandy shrugged, looking up doe eyed at Hangman. Her green eyes sparkled against the neon lights in the bar, and her tan skin speckled with summer freckles. She was gently pouring tequila into shot glasses that were lined up in front of her, her carefullness in direct contrast to how drunk she seemed. Hangman couldn't contain the sly smile that came to his face, a tooth pick balanced delicately between his teeth with raised eyebrows.

"You're something else, darlin'" he mused, picking up one of the shot glasses and holding it up the blonde. Brandy shot him a look, although one with a cracked smile, before sighing and shaking her head. It was this moment that she was waiting for for the whole night, and one that she always looked forward to. She kept her doe eyes aimed at Hangman as she picked up one of the shot glasses in front of her.

"Yeah, just wait till you see me in the box." she whispered in a fake flirty manner over the bar, Hangman pausing and surprise washing over his face as he realized she was a pilot too. Brandy bit her lip and clinked her shot glass against his before tossing back the clear liquid. She loved the look on guy's faces when they found out she was a fighter pilot, because she most definitely did not look the part. It was even better once she whooped all their asses in the air. "Brandy, call sign Patron, if you haven't figured out why yet."

Hangman just watched the girl with a slightly dropped jaw before nodding with a laugh, "Alright then." he said finally and cheers-ed her with his shot glass before throwing it back. Brandy picked up another shot glass but as her eyes raised from the bar, they met the hot gaze of the one and only, Bradley Bradshaw. His jaw was clenched tight, back to the wall of the bar next to the juke box, and arms crossed over his chest protectively watching the two pilots converse at the bar. Might as well have a little fun, she thought to herself, her drunk brain falling into old habits as she looked at the pilot who she had become very close to during her time in TopGun.

Brandy leaned forward onto her forearms at the bar as she looked at him, the neckline of her shirt dipping slightly to reveal cleavage and a bathing suit top as she sipped back another shot of tequila. The grip on Bradley's beer tightened as he took a sip before putting it down and unplugging the juke box.

"Here we go..." Brandy mused with a roll of her eyes and another shot. She slammed the glass on the table before walking off to the piano, Hangman's eyes following her confused as he thought he was somewhat getting somewhere with the blonde pilot. The familiar pings of the piano rose into the air, the starting notes she had heard a hundred times, knowing the calloused fingers that played them very well. She rounded the bar, hands in the back pockets of her skirt as the piano came into view, Bradley shaking his head to get his aviators down onto his face. The once disgruntled crowd due to the abrupt end in music was now dancing and singing along to the piano's tune, Bradley dancing to his own music with confidence dripping off him.

Brandy crossed her arms with a smile as she leaned her hip against the bar. As Bradley sang "Goodness gracious, great balls of fire," his eyes floated over to Brandy's, glancing over his aviators and sending her a wink. Right where he wanted me. She thought with a scoff before joining into the clapping and deciding to just own it, not being able to stop smiling under Bradley's gaze. She bit the inside of her cheek before making her way over to the piano and jumping up onto the bench beside Bradley, knowing his eyes wouldn't leave her in the slightest. She smirked down at him before continuing to sing the song the same way she did when they were back at TopGun.

"Anything to get my attention, right?" Brandy mused, staring out at the ocean with a slight smile on her lips after hearing the slight groan in the floor boards of the deck behind her, knowing exactly who it was. She picked up the beer bottle next to her, shaking the bottle slightly to get some sand off the bottom of the bottle, and lifted it to her lips. Bradley smirked cockily before making his way off the door frame and out onto the beach where the blonde pilot sat in the sand.

"Some things never change." he sighed before sitting down, eying the beer in her hands before he continued, "Although, I guess if this change keeps up we are going to having to change your call sign to Blue Moon." Bradley joked taking the beer bottle and examining it. Brandy couldn't help but laugh slightly as she pulled her knees to her chest and leaned her head down on them while looking at the curly haired pilot next to her.

"Come on, I had to save you from Hangman." he huffed taking a swig of her beer which she quickly stole back with a scoff.

"I am okay doing my own saving thank you-"

"Yeah but my way ends with you drunk and dancing on a piano bench." Bradley interrupted, looking over his aviators once again at Brandy. She thanked god it was dark enough that the pink flush of her cheeks couldn't be detected. During her time in TopGun she had gotten very used to the cocky way of speaking that came out of many of the pilots mouths when they were both in the air and on the ground. It came with the gig, she assumed, especially when she was one of the only female pilots in her class. She could handle pretty much any of the boys, quickly realizing that flirting was on her side (the same she used on Hangman), but Bradley was one of those boys that she just could never shake. He was relentless, eager to please and knew how to do it, and worst of all, he knew she liked it.

"It's dark out now, you don't need these." Brandy cooed after the two looked at each other for what she decided was entirely too long, although Bradley clearly enjoying the view. Her hands gently took the aviators off his face, revealing those gorgeous brown eyes and teasing out another one of those goddamn smirks. "I think they suit me better anyways." Brandy sighed as she put them on and then proceeded to stand up, brushing sand off her skirt and walking a few paces forward.

"Wait what-"

"You stole my beer I stole your glasses." Brandy said, suddenly feeling much more drunk now that she was standing again. She turned around so she was facing the pilot who was eyeing her up with no shame anymore as she walked backwards toward the water. She shrugged with her arms in the air, looking over the aviators to mimic Bradley's signature move and shot him a wink. The old flames had clearly not been extinguished at all, if anything the alcohol in the two of them was just adding to the fire.

"Patron." Bradley warned, his smile getting wider and her pace quickening until she was jogging backwards. He rolled his eyes before pulling himself to his feet quickly, Brandy forgetting how quick on his feet he was until he was charging toward her. A full laugh finally escaped her lips as she turned and sprinted down toward the water looking over her shoulder every once in awhile at Bradley who looked as happy as could be.

Brandy made it all the way down to the water, about knee deep before Bradley caught up to her, lifting her up and then proceeding to throw her over his shoulder. "Rooster!" she squealed out through laughs until she found herself being dropped into the surf. She righted herself as quickly as she could, gasping for air again through laughs before grabbing Bradley's hand and tugging him down into the waves with her. She couldn't tell if the warmth that radiated through her body was from the waves or the butterflies that errupted in her stomach at being around the pilot again. The two popped up to the surface of the water laughing, the aviators managing to stay up on Brandy's face as she swam herself closer to Bradley.

He instinctually pulled her in by the waist as if they had done this a hundred times, in fact, they probably had. "You gonna say you missed me yet?" Bradley asked as he held Brandy close, moving the aviators onto the top of her head so that he could see her eyes in the moonlight. Her blonde hair was slicked back to her head, and her breathing was still fairly heavy from sprinting down to the water. At least, that's what she was telling herself, not that it was the way her eyes were raking over the features of Bradley's face making her heartrate refuse to go down.

"Not until you do." she challenged breathlessly, her hands resting on his shoulders as their bodies bobbed slightly in the warm waves. Bradley leaned in slightly as he eyed Brandy's lips, her hands moving to the nape of his neck and playing gingerly with the bottom of his hair.

"Wrong answer." Bradley said abruptly, tipping the blonde back into the waves and beginning to laugh again at the way she sputtered for water despite the many training sessions they had done in these very waters.

"Rooster I swear-" he dunked her again, enjoying the way her fingers gripped and ripped against this shoulders as she tried to pull herself back up and against him. "Not until you say it" he chimed back. As he pulled her up out of the waves again, his large hands protectively across her lower back, she suddenly flung herself toward his face, their lips crashing together and Bradley's eyes going wide.

He quickly melted into the kiss, his eyes closing and one hand moving to her cheek like it was muscle memory, like he was landing a jet. Brandy's chest warmed with the kiss and her mind reeled at how kissing anyone had never quite lived up to how good kissing him felt. Why she had chosen to do it now would be a sober problem for tomorrow.

"Does that count?" she mumbled against his lips, not really being able to bring herself to pull away from him. All Bradley could muster was an aggressive nod and a laugh against her lips as he continued to pull her closer as if there was even any more space for them to close. The two breathlessly pulled away from the kiss and looked at each other, the music from the bar sounding muffled from the waves and how far they were from the top of the beach.

#rooster bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw #top gun #top gun imagine #rooster imagine #rooster x reader #rooster bradshaw #hangman #hangman imagine

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