#he probably knows a lot about plants- caring and identifying them- i can see him reading botany books for hours picturing what the plants

[oh-men-of-dark-and-dismal-fate]

Totally thinking about how Brahms must be a self-taught jack of all trades in healthy doses. Totally, not staring off into space for a good hour thinking how this man had to learn how to repair different items in his little crawl space, mend his clothes and become MacGyver to make do with what little he had thanks to his neglectful parents, who prioritized a doll’s needs over their real son. Not to mention all of the books he must have snuck from the library or found packed away in the attic to use as manuals and references in order to learn those skills (cause I highly doubt his parents taught him jack shit). 

Like...*waves hands helplessly* I’m fine. I’m totally fine. 

[the-firebird69]

they want you to feel lonely and afraid let me show you it starts on Earth and you need to get teams together and work on it and you feel better I promise

Zues

I'm doing that now but not that much and I understand what you're saying there's a lot of it and they feel bad about what's happening to them and they're trying to use it as a threat and they also think they can get me there with you and bring us West to Cheyenne and I'm going to try and resist now he's looking forward to meeting the sidekick and Harlequin is kind of the mood I mean and you'll be the big fella that makes sense and the cartoon was a little rude it says I couldn't find the actual one so I was saying it was my three characters. that seemed in a lot of people said and I heard it too they said they're very short with him and tell him what to do and he's huge. Sure he's got things to do but I have an issue here and make it noises and it sounds like the machinery they give me trouble and the boron works I should have a little more and I know what the dosage is and I'm not maxed out so I'm going to do that he doesn't think they're moving me this time around I do hear that too and I might be more like an earthquake and that's odd it's not really like that. So your noises every once in a while you say it's equipment doing its job it's not real loud it sounds funny I said it's nice so because of the equipment is helping to survive so I'm going to look at it like that they're my friends they're here and people put a lot of time and care and to build it or having people feel that actually it takes a lot of effort and there's a lot of frustration and he says it squeezes the tears out whether you want to or not so I'm going to have to calm down but he knows what I'm saying that's a vacation so I should probably find vacation activities it makes things like this better I see him doing a lot of stuff to feel better when he's alone and he's always alone. Not always my fat daddy is there. So I'm going to try a vacation hobbies and things to do on vacation and that's to sit around and watch a lot of TV in America and I have that and I can do some sports activities I have some things I can ride and that would be good and other things are available. I like your idea of me working with you on making money and I'm going to check into the role.

Hera

We know there's a role for you. Because Diana was here and what she was doing was running around trying to get him stuff and you're saying you're her and they're tired and beat up and his woman getting the s*** kicked out of them this is saying it to Anna and she got it out and she said you think they were his people so they start saying rude s*** and says he just identify each other you don't have to go around blowing the budget. So I kind of doing that and it slows it down but still is cover apparently cuz they can't figure out who some people are and they wanted to happen and they saw it happened with Diana it was really Mary and that's what they are looking for and he says they're nuts and we do have stuff for you to do and it's according to the timeline and even if you tell them here they usually not really aware does this place is really hard in a nightmare.

Thor Freya

Olympus

Okay good and I hope this isn't a surprise they let me go down a little it might be he says to checking me out yeah that's funny. I do have a way of telling and I am watching and I see it I'm embarrassed but not that much. I'm willing to give it a try here and there and probably make me feel like I'm chased but I'm going to get back into it and I'm kind of rusty and that would be good time. It says it's going around and getting stuff for you and I bet it's fun stuff he says but the coach likes the coach and it helps with the bike I didn't do it with a character but I did it with a character at the plant to make sure they work here for you tampering the plants for the first bike is in China as a second one is in Arizona yeah I'm a spy. And yeah turbo lover looks like the Arizona is about bikes it's not Biden it looks like clones but it's really easy trumpsters and they were around in the factory and it's theirs and people are going to go there and beat them to death you have five factories but this is the one I was in. If they look they can see their a****** daughter using it as an identity you kept telling her knocking off they're telling me so I do what they do what did they came up and said we know you're her we need you out of here and they're so freaking nuts I said that doesn't explain it doesn't and then they said okay and they're on to the next one so he's going to put the video up cuz that's me that I want to tell you I'm going to do this assignment and I did it there and I'm fine and I know how to do it and these idiots don't even know from around or not it's going to be easier then it's supposed to be pretty hard so I get into it right now it's a little training and they can't get close to me for the most part but eventually it will be easier here from just days he says and or hours so I had a few hours

Hera

She says she's on vacation to give her a break but it's true these people could be out of here in our hours and yeah she's isn't that the plants anymore but they're all going to go there and the girls are going to get a piece of s*** and drag the idiots into it but we approve this and we approved it before and she knows about it what he's asking her to do this so she's involved and she feels like she's not attached to them we found in a mess last night. And he says it's ready me and other people to get to you and she said no way and she got up and found his true and said I thought it was just feeling bad and I thought I was getting weak and people are making me she got a little upset and said who can help you really hear me hey we said no and that we know of it and started this thing was Ken and it's getting big

Thor Freya

Hehe I do feel better now and yeah people have to try and figure it out if it's true it makes a little sense it's annoying as hell

Hera

Olympus

[bastillewolf]

Shinigami Eyes (II)

Pairing: Corpse Husband / Reader

Summary: After you distastefully kill Corpse in a game of Among Us, he wants you to make it up to him and invites you to come over for the week.

Notes: Thank you so much for the love on the previous chapter, I’ve never gotten this many notes before. I hope you enjoy, and maybe leave an ask if you want to? I can’t promise I have time to do them, but I’ll pick out a couple.

Also, I might rewrite this. I kinda rushed it because I wanted to finish it by tonight, but there will be a final and third chapter to this afterwards. Please do let me know what you think.

Tag list CLOSED!

Shinigami Eyes - Pt. II

5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

Impostor

You were teamed up with Sean.

Your fist violently slammed down on the desk. “Goddammit! I don’t want to be impostor anymore! This game has no compassion for my poor nerves.” It was the third time in a row now, and you were really craving to do normal tasks now without all the scheming. “Fuck it, I don’t care if they kill me. I’m just gonna do my thing without thinking about it.”

You decide to follow Toast for a bit to watch him do some task. You kill him in Laboratory. You vent back to Launchpad and take your time walking towards MedBay while the kill button restores. You meet up with Corpse, and follow him while pretending to do wires in the Y-hallway. You watched the green bar go up, and continued. Sabotaging and then fixing lights, you made sure your place with Corpse was settled. Then the body of Lily was reported.

As you expected, Corpse easily vouched for you as he’d seen you do a task. The round was skipped, though Rae was sussed for ‘chasing’ Sean, by his own words.

“Corpse, you’ve grown weak,” you muttered to chat.

You were in Greenhouse, and decided it would be best to kill him there and sabotage Reactor. “Sorry baby, but I can’t keep following you around.” You quickly set off Reactor and murdered him in front of the plants. “Your blood shall keep the plants hydrated.” You did an evil laugh. “Pretty sure that’s not how it works, though.”

You vented down to MedBay and as you walked out you met up with Rae. She’d be the vouch who would confirm you weren’t anywhere near Greenhouse. “I’ll just have to fix my own sabotage so they’ll never suspect me.” You helped her with the handprint, and noted Sykkuno and Felix being there. Sean sabotaged lights, you killed Sykkuno, and ran out to follow Lily into Laboratory. Felix reported the body.

“Holy shit,” Rae gasped. So far, five people had died. You only needed to kill one more person. “It was Felix!”

“Wait, what?” the man in question asked. “I was fixing Reactor!”

She mentioned that only you, Sykkuno, Felix and herself had been there and that you’d helped her do handprint. “Sykkuno must have fixed it, and then you killed him!”

Sean asked if you’d seen anything.

“No, the lights were out. I followed Rae into Laboratory after the scan.” Your voice didn’t tremble or raise, a tactic you’d taken up from the best lair in the group. Well, the one who was now dead. Oops. “I haven’t seen Felix this entire game, though.”

He was evidently at a loss for words, so the group was quick to vote for him.

Pewds was ejected.

Victory.

You thanked Sean for a good game who was laughing his ass off. “I can’t believe you did Corpse like that! Poor guy!”

“I deadass thought you were innocent,” Corpse replied, “I’m hurt.”

“Why do you still sound dark and menacing when you say something like that?!”

You agreed with Sean heartily, “He’s just salty I’ve bested him at his own game.”

“Hey now, no need to actually insult me.”

The group laughed. You decided to call it for the night, right before Corpse did the same.”

 ***

He was calling you again. “What is it this time, you salty?”

“Salty? Nah, never,” he said, but you weren’t convinced.

“Then why you calling?”

“What, I can’t call my friends after playing a nice round of Among Us?”

“Not when you lost the game and you call the person who you lost to. Kinda sus, dude.”

“Alright, maybe a little salty.” You smirked.

“Aw, you need me to make it up to you?”

He laughed. “What did you have in mind?”

A bunch of thoughts, most not rated PG-13, crossed your mind. You were suddenly starting to feel uncomfortable. This was probably just something innocent, which got twisted in your fucked-up mind. You shrugged, “Uh… I don’t know.”

“I got an idea.”

“What is it?”

“Come over this week. You said you needed a break, right?”

“That sounds more like you’re doing me a favour instead of me making it up to you.”

“I don’t have any friends. You’d be making it up to me by being the first physical person here in years. I usually don’t invite people over.”

“Wow, I’m flattered. So, you don’t consider me to be your friend after all?”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” he chuckled.

“Sure, sure. Tell me that again when my presence suddenly brightens your life making you not want to get rid of me, ever.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

 ***

You walk through the gates following a hoard of people, all the while still feeling drowsy from not getting any sleep during your flight. At least you didn’t have any turbulence and landed safely. Glancing around here and there with no result, you figured Corpse would be waiting outside, until you spotted a figure clad in black a little ends away by the escalator. You were glad you were still awake enough to have found him, because he appeared to silently linger halfway behind a fern.

At least, you hoped it was him. The only indications were his clothes, mask and dark hair. You saw him run a hand through it, and identified the chipped black nail polish and familiar rings. Oh yea, that was him alright.

He seemed to be paying more attention to the floor until he saw two feet appear in his line of sight. “Hey,” you awkwardly greeted. A bit taken a back, he replied, “Oh, wow. Hey.” A mask was covering the bottom of his face, but as far as you could see his eyes were a very dark shade.

“Wow?” you repeated. He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “Yea, sorry. It’s a compliment.” You held your elbow out in a safe-distance gestured hello, but he shrugged you off. “You’re gonna be staying with me anyways.” Suddenly in a daze, you felt him wrap his arms around your waist and instantly hugged him back. His baggy sweater felt warm and soft to the touch, and strands of hair tickled your face. You very much tried to repress your smile and blush, but how could you? Hugging someone wasn’t supposed to feel this good. When he pulled back he reached down to take your suitcase from you. “I don’t own a car, is it okay if we take a cab?”

“Y-Yeah, of course,” you stuttered, “But it’s on me. Same with food and stuff.” “Don’t worry about it,” he chuckled. “No, you’re letting me stay with you and a hotel would’ve been a lot more expensive than this. It’s my treat.” “Yeah, we’ll see.” He gave you a look and even with the mask you could tell he was smirking underneath it.

It’s about half an hour drive to his apartment complex, and it’s rather nice. “All that YouTube money paying off, huh?” you asked in amusement. “You’d know,” he replied. You insisted on carrying your suitcase up the stairs yourself, which he silently shook his head at, until after a few flights he noticed you struggling and settled on carrying the thing in between the two of you. “How many clothes did you bring?” “Oh, it’s mostly filled with bricks I might need to throw at your head.” He laughed at that.

His apartment was simple, but cosy. “Home sweet home,” he said, almost sarcastically. You furrowed your brow at him. “I’m sure you could’ve had it a lot worse.” He reluctantly agreed.

He helped you set down your luggage in what appeared to be his bedroom, where the curtains were still closed and the black bedsheets fresh. He had a few pieces of fanart up on his wall, and some on his closet. You turned to him and gave him a look. “You’re not sleeping on the couch.”

He quickly shook his head, “You’re not sleeping there. If you won’t let me sleep on the couch I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“If you’re sleeping on the floor, I’m sleeping on the floor.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” he murmured. “What?” “Nothing.”

He suggested playing video games as you were both too tired to do anything else. You’d landed quite late yet were still confused about what time it actually was. Flying is weird. You hopped onto his couch and grabbed a controller.

He sat down next to you, but suddenly seemed tenser than before.

“You okay? You can just go to sleep if you want to.”

He shook his head, “Nah, I don’t sleep a lot. It’s fine.”

You didn’t stop looking at him, though. He was still wearing that mask. “You don’t have to take it off, if you don’t want to. I understand if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not that, I just…” He took a deep breath. You hadn’t expected him to take it off then and there. You stared at him, your mouth slightly agape, controller barely held by your numb hands.

“Disappointed?”

It was as if he was expecting you to make a face or something, but you didn’t give him anything, except for a blatant “Nope” and an “Are we gonna play now or what?”

“You don’t have anything else to say?”

You shrugged, and looked him up and down again. “You’re kind of what I imagined you to be.”

“What’s that?”

“Handsome.”

Neither of you could stop smiling for the rest of the night.

You eventually forced him to sleep in his own bed, even going as far as to shove him into the room and keep your weight against the door so he couldn’t get out, so he eventually relented. “Inviting you here was a mistake.” “How come? All I’ve done so far is look after you!” “You’re a nightmare.”

You mostly stayed in for the week, which you didn’t mind at all. Being in such a closed-off environment with someone you got along with was nice. He attempted to get you to lift the weights in his room and succeeded for around fifteen minutes until you nearly dropped a dumbbell on your foot. You ordered take-out from his favourite restaurant, watched horror movies until you adapted to his sleeping schedule because you were too scared to close your eyes now, and even streamed a bit together with your friends.

“Wait, is Corpse with you?” Rae had asked.

“No, I’m at Corpse’s. He’s sitting across from me so I can’t see his screen but we’re gonna have to share the Discord unless you want to hear an echo.”

“Ah, man! You got to see his face, too?” Sykkuno whined.

“Stop simping, Sykkuno. You get enough attention from him already.”

“Don’t worry, I still love you,” Corpse said.

“Huh?”

It was probably a good thing that you got teamed up again, because you could indeed start to see his hands shaking right as the word ‘impostor’ appeared on the screen. You reached over and stroked it with your thumb. He smiled gratefully back at you.

“Just please,” he pleaded later that day, “Sleep in the bed. If only for one night.”

“No. I’ve heard about and now seen your sleeping habits. If you take the couch you’re never going to get any sleep.” You made a real effort to show him how comfortable you were – even though your back had started to hurt already after the first night – by crawling underneath your blanket and rubbing your head into the soft pillow. He snorted.

Next thing, you feel yourself being lifted by an arm underneath your knees and one around your back. “Corpse! Put me the fuck down!” you shrieked. You knew he lifted weights, but how the hell did he still have the energy as an insomniac? He ungracefully dropped you onto the matrass and turned the lights off. “Good night.”

You quickly got hold of the back of his hoodie before he could leave and pulled. He fell down next to you with a low huff. “Fine, I’ll sleep in the bed. But only if you sleep here too.”

“I snore.”

“Don’t care.”

For some reason, there wasn’t any tension or awkwardness. You were comfortable, and the soft rhythm of his breathing seemed to soothe you. He called out your name, to see if you were still awake.

“Hm?”

“…Thanks for coming over.”

“Any time.”

This was how you would spend the rest of the nights, and whenever either of you woke up suddenly curled up around the other, you didn’t mention it or move away from it. It was the first time in years Corpse got a few nights of complete rest.

[askthefatuiharbingers]

What do the Harbingers do on their off time?

OOC: I could have gone lore wise with Scara, but I decided to be more casual. Hope you enjoy!

Tartaglia-

He’ll try to say he just fishes

But he also trains and spars with anyone who will hear him out.

Childe hates to be bored, so he’ll always be doing something

Ever heard the phrase ‘A jack of many trades, a master of none’? Well Childe is a jack of many trades, and a master of many trades as well.

He sews a lot, if he finds any sort of clothing with holes or missing buttons, he’ll fix it right up, regardless of who it belongs to (of course he asks permission before taking someone's clothes though...unless it's Scaramouche. Then he sews patches on it without permission. )

He got called a malewife once for sewing, and he replied “I don't have a husband yet, how can I be a wife”

Signora-

She could honestly do nothing and find it to be the most interesting thing. Relaxation IS her game

She often finds herself listening to music, trying to ignore what noises she would otherwise hear, because to be honest who wants to hear Scaramouche yelling at Childe for sewing a patch that says ‘bottom’ onto his pajamas.

She also will draw a bubble bath and just take a way too long bath.

Like one time the guys had to have someone check on her cause they thought she was dead, she was just vibing in the bathtub.

She also probably picked up something simple like crochet so she could have an excuse to do nothing on her day off

“Come on, Signora let's go out to the bar tonight, the others are going” “I can't, I'm working on a blanket, I need to finish it before leaving Snezhnaya.” -Childe and Signora, probably.

Dottore-

He is a plant dad.

This man is obsessed with surpassing the gods and being all powerful, and you think he's NOT going to experiment with plants.

cares more about the feelings of his plants than his subordinates.

He would also keep up with the latest studies from Sumeru, as a scientist, it's his duty to make sure he knows what's up and coming.

This man is a biologist. He definitely goes out and sees if he can identify different species taxonomy and compares them to some textbook he had when studying in Sumeru.

If he identifies wrong he definitely writes out a whole page explaining why he thought what he thought, and why it wasn't what he thought so he can reflect later.

Scaramouche-

BOOKWORM ALERT BOOKWORM ALERT

He absolutely spends his free time reading. He will try and act tough and mighty saying he only reads educational stuff, but he's a sucker for a mystery novel.

He finds something so exciting about being able to figure it out before the main character. Mystery novels are a good escape for him, he reads fast, so he's able to get closure in between sessions of reading.

If he doesn't finish a book in one session, or the book ends on a cliffhanger, he’ll scribble little theories on sticky notes in between his actual work.

Signora teased him for this before, but he can't help it, when the mystery is good, you got to theorize.

He would also be a fan of true crime shows in a modern au.

[fruit-salad-ship]

Saw the tidbit about Peach pushing down her anxieties to spend more time going to the city with Grey and Plum, and I pictured Grey and Plum learning to be more attentive to Peach and look out for her new stressors. They love that she’s spending more time, but they’re afraid she’s pushing herself for them (as she does) and they reach out and care for her more to try and help

While Peach is notoriously good at hiding how she's feeling, or what she's thinking, it dawns on them that the moments she's seemingly the most collected are probably her working the hardest to deal with a lot of things around her. When she is alert, stoic looking, and focused, she is working very hard. The crowds make her seriously nervous, a bunch of faceless bodies all too close to her, all making noise, a group passes by laughing real loud, some kid somewhere is screaming its lungs out, the traffic, the ambient chatter. She tries to use the old tricks, slows her breathing right down, 5 things you can see, 4 you can feel, 3 you can hear, 2 smell, 1 taste. Shifts her focus onto anything else, and it does work to some degree. She's done this for a long time, and continues to do so. Just keep working at it, and maybe one day it'll be a little easier. Keeps telling herself if she can handle her work, fighting a mon, being thrown back in time, then she can handle this. This is nothing in comparison. and yet her stomach still turns thinking about city trips.

Grey see's her masking a little sneer, a split second where her eyes dart towards a very loud noise, refocusing quickly on something closer to her, a rock or a plant, some stability. It's fleeting moments, if you weren't watching carefully you'd totally miss them, and think she's fine. He makes a group decision to b-line for a public park for a coffee, or some fresh air if they've been inside for a while. This alerts Plum, who sees the eyes greys making at her, a 'hint hint' moment. They know Peach wont say a word about it, she'll grin and bare the lot, even if she's having the worst time, it's fine, its temporary, she'll do it for them.

It's the little things though, Plum making sure to hold her hand when too many people are close to her, she'd try to mask how uncomfortable it makes her, not being able to solidly identify humans as well in the short time frame. Theres bodies close, and while she attempts to identify each one by some form of habit, posture, smell or sound, it's not so easy at this quantity. Makes her anxious. The tight grip on her hand pulls her out of the over-analysing, she can try to focus on her companions, not the others.

Grey's always one to get between her and a group, he will walk beside her and watch for people straying too near, shifting her, so he's the one with the stranger next to him, making as little fuss of it as possible. It gives her a literal wall between randoms and her, enough space to assess situations better, feel more in control.

She's sometimes got to hang back a bit to let strangers pass her, so they're not walking behind in her blind spot. Feels terribly anxious hearing them and not seeing them. Pretends she's looking in a window, or checking her pockets for something, lets them move past her, continues.

Val, being a notorious no-touchy mon, does not join them on trips to big cities, unless it's utterly necessary. It's not that she wont go or doesn't want to, it's that if someone pets her because 'oh look a cute vulpix' she could just bite them, burn their clothes, smack them with a psychic blast. It's not so safe for others, and people don't always consider that not all pokemon are there for petting. Some do jobs. Val's normal task is to put a mute on the stressors. Peach can handle a crowd or lots of noise on the island or in the field, Vals there to keep it minimal, keep her calm. Without her, it's kind of chaos for Peach a lot of stuff to contend with. She will always say she's fine, it is no ones job to cater to her, and she believes that whole heartedly, happy to handle her panic, and do what she can for the others. They deserve the best, she can handle a little stress for a few hours for that.

She gets home and just is exhausted, the whole city trip is a test of strength for her, one she really struggles with. She will take a nap on the couch with the TV on, or doze off in the garden for a while if left alone, totally burnt out. She will always humour them if they come back with outfits and want to do a fashion show, she'll curl up somewhere and dozily watch them present their items, maybe discuss what might go with whatever they got, enjoy them enjoying their fashion moments. At least she can sit calmly with a drink and focus entirely on them.

They appreciate it, both of them know just how much she hates the trips, they never force her to go, always let her choose, and she always chooses to go unless theres serious issues or lack of staff on the island. Since returning from the past, she's more aware of the fleeting tick of time, use to pass on the trips, miss out on memories, moments they could share and maybe even look back in in a good way, so maybe if she keeps trying, one day it'll be more enjoyable. At the very least the other two will have good memories of her trying, she owes them that much. She doesn't know how much time she's got left, better not waste it.

[shiftybells]

“He’s so young. Too young to be in a suit like that.”

Tony glanced at Steve and Natasha’s expressions, faces scrunched up in some mixture of discomfort and anger. It was understandable, really. The kid was on the younger side, though they could not tell much considering under his helmet was a yellow domino mask.

The kid was shifting in his seat, hands cuffed to the metal table in front of him and super-power inhibitor collar clasped around his neck. They had gathered on the other side of the glass, uneasily staring at the child who happened to be decked out in a very high-tech suit. Nat uncrossed her arms to run one hand through her hair. “Why is a kid with superpowers and a suit that advanced doing trapezing around New York?”

Steve shrugged helplessly, eyeing the teen through the glass as if it held all the answers. It kinda did, in a way.

“Fury’s on his way.”

Clint shuffled to stand between Tony and Nat, face drawn with the same discomfort whenever he dealt with kids in bad situations. Steve gave a small huff, setting his shield down and striding through the door into the interrogation room. The kid looked up when Steve entered the room, eyeing him as if he was an unknown variant on a battlefield; an enemy.

Steve settled in the metal chair opposite the kid, leaning forward in his seat to stare directly into his masked eyes. “Hey son, can I get you anything? Water perhaps?” He didn’t respond, opting to stare Steve down. After a small bout of tense silence, he shook his head. “No thanks.”

God this kid was young.

His voice was smoother than expected, but still held the hint of youth to it that Tony often heard from Peter. Tony couldn’t see Steve’s face, but based on Nat’s pinched expression, his was probably similar.

“So, what were you doing running around New York like that?”

The kid smirked. “Like what? Sir.”

Steve sighed and ran a hand through his short hair, clearly caught off guard. “You know,” He waved a hand helplessly in the air. “In armour that very few places make, and I highly doubt someone of your age could afford such equipment.”

The kid mere shrugged with that infuriating smirk still plastered on his face. “But here we are.” He said carelessly. “Cuffed to a table in the Avengers Tower for no discernible reason, one might say that this was a biased arrest.”

Steve spluttered, leaning back in his seat as if the Hulk had slapped him. “I beg your pardon!?”

“Well, I wasn’t disturbing the peace, I wasn’t attacking anyone. So I don’t see the reason for my detainment.”

“We had determined you as a possible threat because of your super powers and the fact that you were participating in vigilante acts, which is illegal son.”

Tony had expected the kids smirk to slip, for him to collapse into a mess of tears and discomfort, which was definitely overdue. The kid hadn’t even looked at them like they had saved the world, no hero worship, no stumbling in his words. It was like he didn’t care that they were heroes!

The kid hummed. “Well you are right about me being a vigilante.”

Steve leaned forward again. “Son, vigilantism and trying to be a hero is extremely dangerous. This is no world for someone as young and inexperienced as you.” He said gently.

The kid snorted. “Look here Mr. Rogers. I don’t think you lot know this, but I know what I’m doing, believe it or not. Frankly, I’ve been doing this whole business longer than you Avengers have been together as a single team.”

Steve stared for a moment before sighing in defeat. He turned slightly in his seat to look at them with a pleading expression. Tony looked at Bruce and the two SHIELD agents before shrugging and walking over to the door, his suit whirring with every movement. He opened the door and stepped into the bright room, eyes immediately locking onto the kids suit; it was such high quality that Tony wanted to steal it and pick it apart until he knew about ever Knut and bolt within the metal.

Tony put on his suavest voice and sauntered over to stand next to Steve.

“Hey kid, this is what’s gonna happen. You are gonna give us your name, age and we will let you go. How about that?”

Tony expected that that would make the kid cave. Whenever he used that voice, he got whatever he wanted. It would obviously work on a wannabe Avenger. Right?

The kid tilted his head to the side for a moment. “Mmm, you can call me Signal.” He settled on, leaning back in his chair ever so slightly. Tony huffed. This was getting old. “One, you didn’t give us your age and two, I really doubt that your real name is Signal.”

‘Signal’ smiled serenely, smugness rolling off him in waves with an air of superiority that pissed Tony off. “Sorry, no names in the field and I’m turning seventeen in a few months.”

Tony blinked. This kid was sixteen. What the fuck.

Steve threw his hands up. “That’s beside the point! You’re not an adult, so you shouldn’t be running around playing hero!”

Signal scowled, his easy-going expression melting into something colder, more dangerous. “Oh? And what is the definition of hero, Mr Rogers? Someone who does everything they can to protect those who cannot protect themselves? Or someone who only saves the world and doesn’t bother with the daily crime that litters the streets?”

He leaned forward in his seat. “Tell me then, what is your definition of hero? Because last time I checked, which was this morning mind you, the Avengers are very diverse when it comes to their backgrounds.” He tilted his head briefly at Tony. “A former weapons manufacturer who now works to better the earth.”

“Maybe a hero is someone like Natasha Romanoff, a redeemed Black Widow from the Red Room, who joined SHIELD after encountering Clint Barton who was sent to kill her for being a Russian spy, only to instead become friends with her. Is that it? Two assassin’s, one from the Red room and one from the circus?”

Signals voice and gaze didn’t waver once.

Tony and Bruce shared a glance before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him firmly. The lock buzzed. Natasha looked pale, her face was blank and she had rested her weight against the wall with Clint beside her. Tony opened his mouth, only for Banner to open the door and motion them out into the hall. “Fury’s here.”

Tony groaned but followed the doctor anyways. Director Pirate himself was exiting the elevator when they followed Bruce, his dark coat fluttering with every movement. “Who the hell did you capture off the streets?” Was his greeting.

Clint shrugged. “No idea, some kind of vigilante with super-powers. He definitely needs to be in SHIELDS systems though.” At Fury’s questioning look, Clint frowned. “He knows about the Red Room and how I met Nat.”

Fury scowled. “How the fuck would they know that!?”

They all piled back into the room, Signal still perched calmly in his seat, staring right back at them through the glass. Fury frowned and looked the the ‘vigilante’, only for his eye to widen and whirl on the spot to glare at them.

“You captured one of the Bats! Are you lot crazy!?”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Bats?” He asked incredulously.

“Yes! The Bats! His name is Signal isn’t it?”

At Steve’s nod, Fury groaned. “Great…. just great. “You lot managed to nab the Bat’s favourite.”

Tony slapped a hand to his forehead, wincing when the metal hit his skin. “Can you please tell us what the hell you’re yabbering on about Fury?”

Fury planted a hand on his hip. “The Bats are Gotham’s protectors. Simply put they’re a clan of vigilante’s that stop crime and deal with corruption. That person right there. Signal?” He pointed to Signal. “Is Gotham’s daytime guardian. You see Bat’s doesn’t like Meta humans in his city, bar Signal. The other work in the shadows, Signal works in the light.”

Fury pursed his lips. “Signal is considered the Bat clan’s guiding light, he’s the cities beacon of hope.”

The sound of metal clinking against metal drew their attention back to Signal, only to see an empty chair and a set of cuffs next to the repression collar. “What the-“

Then there were alarms blaring, Jarvis’s voice nearly swallowed by the noise. “Sir there are three confirmed intruders in the entertainment room, two unknown, one identified as the prisoner.”

That had them flying from the room, into the common area with their weapons at the ready, only for a sharp ninja star shaped like a god-dammed bat fly past and imbed itself in the wall beside them.

“I wouldn’t take another step if I were you.”

Tony stared at the the figure standing in front of them with a gaping expression. He had a full bodysuit of Kevlar equipped and a bo staff pointed threateningly at them. Another on dressed in traffic light colours of all things was standing protectively in front of Signal with a katana in hand.

“H-how the hell did you guys get here? Who are you guys?”

The small kid scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Amateurs.” He muttered. The kid with the staff narrowed his eyes briefly. “I’m Red Robin.” He said curtly.

“We’ll be taking our leave now. Director Fury.” He nodded at Fury. “Please be careful with your heroes, if something like this happens again Batman will not be pleased.” At Fury’s nod, Red Robin slammed a pellet into the ground causing smoke to erupt and fill the room.

They all coughed when they inhaled the smoke, and when it cleared after a few seconds, the three were nowhere, no evidence indicating they existed.

“Soooooo, guess we’re avoiding Gotham now?”

Extra: Damian kicked his legs back and forth and he sipped his milkshake, the familiar smog of Gotham's nightlife sitting heavily in the air. "So," he began. "How'd you end up tangling with the Avengers?"

Duke snorted from beside him. "They saw me use my powers alone and pegged me for an amateur hero." He made a face that made Tim giggle.

Damian scoffed. "Please, you? an amateur? That's like saying my Grandfather doesn't have a school-girl crush on Drake over there." Tim gagged. "Really Robin? Did you have to make me think of that?" Duke laughed. "If we have to live with that fact so do you."

[polishksiezniczka]

Hello! Can I request a fic or whatever u want about Carmalengo falling for a single mother. It can be NSFW if the mood strikes u. :)

YES! I have been waiting for the opportunity to delve into Patrick's soft parental side (I say this like he isn't the kindest, sweetest human ever normally).😂 As I am not a mother myself, I apologize in advance if any of this is a little unrealistic or misrepresented in any way. But I hope you like it, and I'd love to do a pregnant!reader piece in the future! ❤️

A Mother's Love | Patrick McKenna x Single Mother!Reader

A delightful little set of headcanons about the camerlengo falling for a single mother

Notes: S/D = son/daughter; C/N = child's name. Showers of praise on @thisbreakableheaven for being the best beta reader/co-conspirator anyone could ask for! ❤️

“I watch you raise C/N and fall deeper in love with you each day.”

He sees Mary, the Mother of God in you

When he finds you with your S/D asleep in your arms, his heart melts

Telling you how much your S/D looks like you: “(S)he has their mother's stunning eyes.”

Patrick would be a wonderful father figure to your S/D, and he would strive to play a greater role in your child’s life than his own father (even if the child wasn’t his)

It would probably be okay if your child referred to him as "papa"; it would raise little suspicion anyway because his official title is "Padre"

Your S/D loves Patrick, and Patrick absolutely adores them

If you have a baby, they relax and quiet immediately in his strong arms

His soft tone and warm voice are naturally soothing to fussy babies and children

If your child is in primary school, their favorite activity is reading with Patrick

Patrick always makes time to read to C/N on evenings when he’s able to visit

Speaking softly to them—you know he would never raise his voice against your child

He’ll hum lullabies or psalms to C/N as they slowly fall asleep

If C/N is a toddler, they absolutely love to play games with him!

Hide ‘n’ seek, color by number, board games like Chutes & Ladders

And the pet names he uses! 🥺

If you have a little girl, he calls her “sweetie,” “piccola,” or “topolina”

For a little boy: “little lad” or “bambino”

One of your favorite little things Patrick does is when you’re holding C/N in your arms, Patrick comes up to plant a kiss on each of your cheeks

Tickles and hugs abound when he visits!

Seriously, he is one of the best partners anyone could ever hope for

A bonus lil' NSFW drabble because how could I not?

“Caro mio,” Patrick greeted warmly as he kissed you. “Where’s my little boy/girl?” He looked around, expecting C/N to have come running into his arms by this point. You smiled, easily melting into his loving embrace. “They’re with their grandparents for the weekend.” You gave him a light peck on the lips before happily contemplating his handsome face. An ever-so-subtle shift in those dazzling cerulean eyes made you pause, their nascent desire failing to escape your notice. He hummed thoughtfully for a moment, the low timbre of his voice sending delicious vibrations through your whole body. He spoke lowly in your ear, “Angelo…vita mia....” He paused.“...I-I have a proposal for you.” “And what might that be?” you inquired breathlessly, nerves set alight. “This weekend. Just the two of u-us. Alone together. En-entirely devoted to you.” He punctuated his words with wicked intent, hot breath fanning over your skin like flames from a glorious pyre. The sensation of his warm, calloused fingertips stroking the delicate arch of your collarbone caused shivers to run down your spine. You hadn’t been able to spend a weekend alone together since you first began seeing each other, what with both of your busy work schedules, your own parental responsibilities, not to mention Patrick’s very public position in the Vatican. So, in many ways, this weekend would be the closest thing to a honeymoon you’d share with him. Obviously, you were no blushing virgin when it came to sex, but you simply couldn’t calm your nerves as Friday night approached. You were consumed by a heady mixture of schoolgirl-esque giddiness, extreme agitation, and ravenous desire. If only you could’ve seen Patrick suffer.

Oh, but when Friday night came! Sweet mother of mercy.

Lots and lots of lovemaking

On the couch, a relaxing movie long forgotten, a spontaneous session or two in the shower

Of course, in your bed, Patrick’s preferred location (your scent is intoxicating to him)

Taking a relaxing hot bath together

With the time you had together, you wanted to savor these moments.

You loved waking up with him in the morning, and by the time Sunday morning rolled around, you pouted like a child when he needed to leave very early to be on time for morning Mass

Not before you squeezed in one final session

One quiet evening, you lay across Patrick’s chest, both of you thoroughly spent after several passionate rounds of lovemaking, your hand intertwined with his while the other stroked his sprinkling of soft, ginger-blonde chest hair. You felt completely at peace in this moment, the quiet rhythm of your breathing perfectly matching Patrick’s steady heartbeat. You wished you could stay like this together, uncertain of where your body ended and his began—not that you particularly cared. Your core tingled in delight, still reeling from the waves upon waves of pleasure coaxed out of you by Patrick as only he could. You smiled fondly, burying your nose in his chest like an affectionate puppy. He hummed in appreciation, bringing your hand to his lips, where he began to lay light kisses across your knuckles. “I’d love to have children together,” he whispered hoarsely against your wrist. Your breath hitched, hardly believing the words you had just heard as you sat up to face him. Your eyes were wide in apprehension. “Patrick…” your voice trembling, “Do you mean that?” When he didn’t speak immediately, the blood in your veins ran cold. What was this, some kind of cruel joke? Your experiences as a single mother in the present day—the rush to judgment, the patronizing attitudes, the intentional devaluing of your worth as a romantic partner—had you bracing for the hurt. No, it couldn’t be, he wouldn’t do this. But what would you possibly say if he did? You were snapped from your reverie when you felt a warm hand gently take yours. “With God as my witness.” And in that moment, you looked into his eyes, trying to find any trace of ridicule or doubt there, but you simply could not. Instead, they were overflowing with complete, unconditional love. Tears leaked from the corners of your eyes at your realization. “I love you,” you whispered, your voice shaky and breathless, face flushed from embarrassment and something else you couldn’t quite identify. “And I you, angelo.” You kissed him deeply then, fingers sinking into his hair in a mix of elation and desperation as a whimper escaped your already kiss-swollen lips. You felt him begin to harden beneath you, followed by that familiar ache pulsing between your thighs. “Let’s start trying right away then,” you whispered hotly in his ear before pulling him down for another searing kiss. Translations piccola = "little one" toporina = "little mouse" bambino = "little boy" Caro mio = "My dear" Vita mia = "My life"

[shorkbrian]

I’ve noticed a shortage of yan! Shoto :0 Whilst Kiri is my absolute fave, Todoroki needs some love too! Could I request some Yan! Shoto being absolutely touch starved and obsessed with a sweet, loving, motherly and smol reader? (it can be nsfw if you so wish!) Thank you!! (Btw, I love reading your stories, it’s a blessing in my day, even just looking at your shitposts/memes. And if you ever want to talk, jus say so. I hope you have a good day!! 🥺💞) - Sugar Anon 🧚‍♀️

Sugar anon! That is such a cute identifier and I hope to see you in my asks again!! Hopefully this is along the lines of what you were thinking!!!

It’s a very good concept btw cause like mhm him getting completely overwhelmed and overstimulated during diddly times cause he’s never had anyone be intimate with him.

Like moaning and his cheeks are flushed and oh

(Y/N) is a new doctor  at Shouto’s agency in charge of patching him up between missions and basically being his doctor. Shouto likes her gentle hands and soft touches, lets himself get a bit more scraped up then he would normally.  He’s just so touch starved and she’s so motherly and its such an intimate setting and he’s never had feelings like this before and he doesn’t know what to do.

Has yandere tendencies but tries to squash them down or hide them, tries to be normal.

One day gets hit with an aphrodisiac quirk, stumbles into her office and she’s immediately worried, once she figures out what’s up she tries to get out, lock him in there until someone stronger than he can come escort him home but he grabs her before she can get to the door. 

He’s crying cause he’s so horny it hurts (he’s never been this aroused in his LIFE) and he wanted everything to be perfect and he wanted to woo her but now he’s forcing himself on her and he can’t stop his hips from moving and he’s confessing all the bad things he’s done while he’s known her and she’s absolutely horrified, traumatized.

Warnings - NSFW, noncon, very hard noncon. Aphrodisiacs (spelling?) and a low-key weird comment about Shouto’s mommy-issues at the end. Dude is so twisted and sad and touch starved.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Todoroki-san, I have had to patch you up six different times in two days.”

Shouto cocked his head, staring at you with his bi-colored eyes, studying your face as you tended to the wound on his shoulder. The lilt to your voice suggested you were teasing, making small talk to distract the man as you swiped a disinfectant pad over the cut. You knew what you would be expected to do when you applied for this job, knew that heros were often injured. 

He had overseen the hiring process himself, his last doctor had left the agency for a job in a different country. Shouto held no hard feelings for the doctor, knew that as a hero he often got himself into trouble, needed a lot of attention and care. Not everyone could be expected to spend so much time with him, attending to his health - even if he was paying them a more-than adequate salary.

Most of the candidates had bored him when they came in for their scheduled interviews. Too many of them were looking at this position as a way to launch them into a nice comfortable position in a prestigious hospital. They seemed… uninterested, or too interested, some of the candidates invading his space when they came for a handshake, babbling about how much of a fan they were.

  You weren’t like that. There was a professional distance when you shook his hand, smiling at him pleasantly as you introduced himself. Then you sat down, waited for him and his team to begin asking you questions. Shouto couldn’t keep his eyes from straying to your hands, letting himself wonder whether those hands would be the right ones for the job. You looked so delicate, at least to him, a pro-hero.

But he already liked you better than any of the other candidates.

So you were hired, on the condition that you would be on a trial period for the first two months, with halved pay. It was still far above minimum wage, but Shouto was weary of hiring seemingly-normal employees only for them to turn out to just be trying to get to know him, whatever their reasons. The trial period was for his own sanity.

Currently he was sitting in your office, perched on the edge of the exam table tucked into the corner. Today he had managed to escape his most recent fight with only a few mild scrapes and bruises, but as his doctor, you needed to make sure he was okay, clean his wounds and patch him up before letting him go home for the day. It wouldn’t do anybody any good if one of the top pro heros collapsed on the job because of a lack of medical care. 

Your office was stocked with everything a doctor of your caliber could possibly need. Your “office” was really a mock hospital room, in a medium sized room located at the back of the agency. Having you on site meant that Shouto never had to bother with trips to the hospital, being swarmed by fans when he wasn’t feeling good or having someone who didn’t understand the capabilities of his quirk try to treat him.

It also meant he could relax, know that he was being taken care of. With you being so new, Shouto still had his guard up, ready for any-and-everything. So far you had been nothing but gentle.

You had hardly talked to him, other than the expected “This might sting” or “Deep breath in”. You warned him before you touched him,  but otherwise were very quiet, working diligently and professionally.  Shouto enjoyed it honestly, being able to step away from the buzz and hubbub of his agency and into his doctor’s office, where it was quiet and calm and peaceful.

Being with his mother had felt like this. Felt safe and refreshing and like a secret haven tucked away from the rest of the world.  

Clicking you tongue, you gave the pro hero a thumbs up as you stepped back. “Alright, you’re good to go! Please be safe on your way home Todoroki-san.” Shouto nodded, a stiff smile passing his lips as he rose to his feet. You were a good doctor, always took the best care of him.

“You as well Y/N.”

——

The next visit to your office revealed that you had added a few personal touches. 

A cheesy poster on the wall, directly across from the exam table, a single plant on your desk, A bowl of mini lollipops on the shelf by the door.

Cute.

Today was a short visit, just a quick once-over to make sure there weren’t any cuts or wounds that he hadn’t felt, the normal questions any quirks used against him during the day.  Shouto found himself wishing the visit had been longer as you gave him the all-clear,  moving away from the exam table so he could stand up. Before he walked out the door, you stopped him, silently handed him a lollipop. He took it,  noticing how soft your hand felt against his as he withdrew.

Shouto didn’t like sweets, but he didn’t mind accepting a lollipop from you. He could just offer it to his secretary when he passed her desk, no biggie. It was easier to do that than hurt your feelings by refusing.

Well, he knew it probably wouldn’t hurt your feelings.  He just liked seeing the little twinkle in your eye when he accepted it. He assumed the lollipops were a gag, something usually given to small children for being brave at their checkups.

He wasn’t your only patient, much as he would’ve liked. His agency had several other up-and-coming heroes, and several sidekicks, and you tended to all of them. Shouto liked to think that you saved the majority of your tenderness for him.

One time he had come in while you were setting one of the sidekick’s shoulders. You had asked him to sit down in your office chair, to give you a minute so you could finish up with his coworker. Shouto had done exactly that, watching as your soft hands gripped the sidekick hard, fingers digging in. 

“One, two, three.” You gave a countdown, forcefully jerking the shoulder back in place on “three”. The sidekick groaned at the pain, head shaking as if to clear his head from the intense sensation. You went over to your lollipop bowl, ignoring Shouto as he sat in your chair, returning to the sidekick to give him the sugary treat.

The sidekick sucked on the lollipop while you bandaged his arm into a sling, immobilizing it so it could heal. When you were done, you sent him on his way with a soft smile, before turning to Shouto.

“Todoroki-san, thank you for waiting.  How are you feeling today?”

Todoroki moved to the exam table when you motioned for him, immediately stripping off one of the boots of his hero costume.

“Hello (Y/N), it’s good to see you. I’m feeling good, got nicked by a spike during a fight today. Luckily it hit my ankle, and it’s not very painful.”

“Mm, let’s have a look.”

You kneeled down,  giving him a small warning before pulling his foot towards you, examining the tiny cut gracing his ankle. Shouto paused, closing his eyes as he relaxed at your touch. He didn’t remember the last time he felt this at-ease with another human. He didn’t know what it was about you; maybe your gentle, soft demeanor? Perhaps it was your kind touch, how you never pressed too hard and always respecting his personal space.  

Even as your fingers prodded at the cut, feeling the bone underneath, Shouto felt relaxed, content. He liked being around you, being with you. Even if the two of you hardly conversed. Maybe he could change that?

“(Y/N), how have you been finding working here?”

You looked up at him, bright eyes warm and kind. Shouto felt his chest tighten. “Oh, it’s very nice Todoroki-san! I hope I’m doing a good job attending to everyone.” With a smile, you returned to his ankle, producing an alcohol wipe from seemingly nowhere.

Shouto nodded, hands gripping the edge of the exam table. “I certainly appreciate your service. You have very tender hands.”  Just like his mom.  When he was younger, before his scare… Shouto remembered the care his mother would give to a scraped knee or a bump on his head. The soft touch, the kindness, the gentle hands - Shouto didn’t want to insult you by comparing you to his mother, so he stayed silent.

With a start, the man realized you were beaming up at him, wrapping a bandage around his ankle. He smiled back, felt his cheeks flush a little. What was this?

“Thank you! I know how important my patient is to the world.”

Ah, yes, his job. 

His job that he should probably getting back to.

Reluctantly, Shouto accepted the usual lollipop from your hands, wishing you would linger so he could feel the brush of your skin against his own.

Was he developing feelings for you?

——

It was a startling idea. Shouto never thought himself the type to have /feelings/ for someone else. When he thought of his future, it never involved another person. He didn’t want a family, didn’t want the opportunity to make the same mistakes as his father.

But as he gave the idea more thought, Shouto realized that he was feeling… something towards you. It was different to what he felt for Izuku, for Bakugou and Kirishima. He didn’t crave their touch like he did yours. Had physical contact always had such an appeal?

His last doctor had touched him, it was necessary of course to patch up his various wounds from fights. But somehow it wasn’t the same as when you touched him. 

Shouto spent each exam studying you, your features, the way you moved, how you almost skipped over to the lollipop bowl to retrieve him one at the end of the exam.  He felt drawn to you, wanted to touch your hair, hold onto your hand when you handed him the lollipop. Would you touch him if he asked? A hug maybe?

In his penthouse, Shouto mulled over his feelings, his wants and needs and how you fit in. Would it be prudent for him to start a relationship at this point in his life? Would you even consider him as a partner? No, probably not. You were much too professional, wouldn’t even think of starting a relationship with your boss. 

Maybe he could fire you.

No, no, Shouto couldn’t do that, it would make you hate him. Plus, he wouldn’t be able to see you as often. And Shouto was quickly becoming of the opinion that he wouldn’t mind seeing you more often than he did now.

He wanted more from you. He didn’t know what he wanted, but… maybe he could learn. 

——

If you noticed how frequently Shouto seemed to be visiting you, compared to his usual once-daily check up, you didn’t say anything.

Tabloids were beginning to comment on how eager the pro hero seemed to engage in hand-to-hand with villains. His usual strategy involved using his quirk, only getting his hands dirty if absolutely necessary. But now? He was constantly looking to get hit, kicked, clawed, wounded.

He had to come see you after every over-dramatic scrap with a villain.  You didn’t seem to notice, nor mind seeing his face pop around the door 3-4 times a day, sheepishly asking if you could patch up a new cut, check out a new bruise, make sure his nose wasn’t broken.

Shouto could feel himself falling, further and further into the rigid embrace of love, or at least, his version of it. Did other people experience attraction this vividly? 

He had come to terms with the fact that he was attracted to you, not just your body but your mind, your personality, your very existence.  He wanted to stay in your office, lingering after every visit and awkwardly attempting small talk just so you would interact with him, just so he could be with you a little longer. 

In the privacy of his own apartment, Shouto found himself researching on his laptop. “How to get the girl” “Ways to let her know you like her” “What does love feel like”. He felt so juvenile,  but the man was genuinely at a loss for how to deal with his feelings for you. Telling you outright wouldn’t be appropriate. You would never enter a relationship with your boss, Shouto knew this, you were too good of an employee. Flirting was not his forte, and was completely out of the question. 

So he stuck to what he knew how to do - keep his mouth shut and watch. You never turned him away from your office, never showed irritation when he showed up, never gave any sign that you were becoming tired of his presence. Shouto took this as an invitation, a sign that maybe, just maybe, you had feelings for him too. He found himself bringing his lunch down to your office, asking if he could eat there, just to get away from everyone for a little bit. You always let him, nonchalantly scrolling through your phone as you ate during your lunch break. 

Shouto was a bit embarrassed of himself when he pulled your file from the employee records. If anyone asked why, he would just tell them that he was considering giving you a raise, but wasn’t sure. That’s a valid reason to bring out an employee’s file, right? He just wanted to know where you live, if it was far from the agency. The man couldn’t stomach the thought of you, gentle, little (Y/N)  having to walk home alone at night, or take the train with all the creeps that could be there. 

When he came upon your address, Shouto made a note to ask if you’d like him to drive you home. It was at least a thirty minute drive, he didn’t want to think about how you usually got home. What if something happened to his doctor? When he broached the subject, Shouto thought he did pretty well at acting nonchalant.

“The weather’s getting colder, isn’t it?”

You nodded, wrapping gauze around a nasty gash on his calf.

“I feel bad for anyone who has to walk during the evenings.” He stated.

“Aw, it’s not that bad in my opinion.” You took the bait “I walk home from the train station every night and the weather isn’t awful. It’ll probably get nasty as winter comes though.”

“You have to take the metro to get home? Where do you live.” As if he didn’t know. But you’d recoil if he offered just yet, probably be weirded out that he knew your address.

“Yeah, I live over in the Shikuyu district. It’s a really pretty walk in the fall though, all those trees turning different colors.”

Shouto wrung his hands, taking a deep breath. “Let me drive you home tonight, there’s been some criminal activity going down over there and it’s not one of my sectors. I need my doctor safe.”

You tried to protest, and Shouto let you, but ultimately pulled the boss card, insisting that he needed to take care of his employees, especially one that he bothered so much.

“You never bother me Todoroki-san.” You laughed, dropping a lollipop into Shouto’s lap.

Shouto kept his face from souring, missing the usual contact of your gentle, silky-soft hands as you handed the treat to him. But it was fine, he would get more time with you. In his car, just the two of you, outside of work.

Then he registered what you said, and his head snapped up, eyes wide and roving over you as you turned away, cleaning up the exam table and messy supplies. 

It was all the confirmation he needed.

——

After the first time Shouto drove you home, you refused to let him go out of his way to help you out. Still, he was your boss and he could insist that you at least call an uber, or a cab. He didn’t feel comfortable sending his little doctor off onto the train every night after work. Shouto even upped your pay so you could afford it easier, saying there was no reason to be unsafe.

It was hard for him to know if he was being too suffocating.  He didn’t want for you to regret your statement about him never bothering you.

So he had his agency install new security cameras. 

One was placed in your office, where there hadn’t been one before. You weren’t too pressed when Shouto asked you what you thought of the upgrades, said you could see the sense in making sure the building was safe, especially the doctor’s office, where the heroes would be at their most vulnerable. 

Shouto agreed - he was always at his most vulnerable when he was around you.

But now he could stop letting his body take a beating in order to see you. He could sit in his office, busy himself with paperwork and have the security feed from your office pulled up on his laptop. Half the time Shouto got distracted, abandoning the paperwork in order to watch you work, treating sidekicks and heroes-in-training and anyone else the agency had hired. 

He tried to ignore the bitter pang of jealousy that reared it’s head.

Shouto knew jealousy, knew anger and negative emotions very well. His childhood had been littered with nothing but bad memories and negative moments. The only time he felt at peace was when he was curled in his mom’s lap, the woman running slender fingers through his bi-colored hair. Sometimes, when he was still very small, she would have the time to read him a story before bedtime. 

She was such an amazing woman. 

Shouto saw her in you.

The way you tended to him so gently, delicately treating his wounds. How you carded through his hair, just like his mom used to, when you were checking for head wounds. The way your lovely hands pressed against his back when you felt to see if a rib was cracked, rubbing each rib slow and soft, pressing. It was just like how his mom would rub his back.

The man swore your touch was addictive. He wanted more and more and more and he didn’t have a clue as how to get it.  Shouto had to be satisfied with fleeting brushes when he moved before you were ready, accidentally jostling you against his body. Or telling you (lying) that his body was hurting, sore, it didn’t quite feel right. You would do your best to check for any injuries, asking where it hurt (usually his torso “hurt”) and then skimming your hands very carefully over the skin there.

Shouto imagined how nice it would be to fall asleep with your hands on him. He wasn’t stupid.  He was getting too attached, too invested, was practically stalking your at this point. He shouldn’t be doing this, lying to you, watching you. But he didn’t know what else to do.

Guilt was beginning to take root in his mind.

One day he knew he would have to tell you, confess his feelings and deal with the outcome. You would accept him, hopefully. Shouto felt afraid for what he would do if you didn’t.

——

Shouto felt hot, disoriented, thirsty. He was pretty sure he was in your office, had gotten hit with a villains quirk during a fight. Apparently it had knocked him out, as he didn’t remember even coming into the agency.

Muffled voices could be heard past the closed door, and Shouto winced at the noise, at the light, at the feelings of his clothes against his skin. Everything felt  too much.  He stumbled off the exam table, yup, your office, and moved towards the light switch, stripping off his shirt as he did so. 

The voices outside were still making noise, but with the light off Shouto felt a little better. His remaining clothes were still bothering him. His head felt fuzzy. His boots came off, followed by his pants. He wanted to take off his boxers, but his rational mind supplied how bad of an idea that would be. What if you came in?

At the thought of his little doctor, Shouto’s stomach jolted in arousal. Confused, the man peered down, surprised to find himself completely hard in his boxer briefs. He knew he considered you very attractive, but it usually took a fair bit of stimulus before he found himself aroused. 

Shouto gulped as he climbed back onto the exam table, immediately curling onto his side towards the wall. He was practically panting with the heat of the room, sweating and drooling. Wait, drooling?

The door opened.

“Todoroki-san, I have bad news.”

Your voice was so sweet, like warm honey. Shouto shivered when he heard it, his cock twitching between his legs. He wanted to turn to you, stand up, pull you close. But he… he shouldn’t.

“You got hit by an aphrodisiac quirk. It’s going to take a bit to leave your system, and will probably be uncomfortable until then. I’m going to leave some supplies in case you would like to use them, but I will be taking my leave after getting you settled. The rest of your team and I have decided it’s safer for you to remain in this room than attempt to move you back home. We will be locking the door so no one can come in.”

And you can’t get out.

You didn’t have to say it,. Shouto heard you shuffling around the room behind him, he was so hot, sweat was beading all over his body.

“(Y/N), Why am I so warm?” Shouto groaned out, trembling. It felt like he was sick but with… arousal.

Objects were set down on your desk, before Shouto heard you step towards him.

“The quirk is going to make your libido hyperactive for the next twelve hours or so. It’s very likely that you will be aroused and craving stimulation.”

You sounded so clinical, so robotic, none of the usual warmth in your tone when you talked to Shouto. He wanted to whine, cry that you weren’t treating him the way you usually did.  And when he needed your help too! His rational brain was telling him that you were trying to be professional, give your mostly-naked boss privacy. 

HIs rational brain told him to stay still, wait until you left the room to grab whatever you had left for him on the desk.  It was entirely possible that he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back from grabbing your hands if he turned. He wanted to feel your hands on him, running over his torso, rubbing his back, cupping his cheek. He wanted your touch, so, so bad. 

Shouto decided it was time for his rational brain to shut up.

When he turned over, sitting up, you looked like a deer caught in the headlights, already halfway to the door.

“(Y/N)” Shouto rasped, rising to his feet unsteadily. The arousal pooling in his gut was overwhelming - he couldn’t remember a time when he’d been so hard.  His penis was so rigid that it hurt, throbbing in his boxers.

You took a step back, eyes trained firmly on Shouto’s face, determined to not let them stray below the belt.  

Shouto didn’t know what was happening, couldn’t rationalize any of it. The man wasn’t even in control of himself, feeling as if some demon from hell had invaded his body, taken his dirty thoughts and insisted that he act upon them right now.

The pro hero didn’t even know when he had grabbed you, but then he was pressing you up against his body and it felt so good that the man whimpered. A low, needy sound, softer than the spluttering and shocked noises tumbling from your mouth as you pushed against your boss, trapped in his grip.

“Todoroki-san! Please let go! The quirk-!”

Shouto didn’t listen, didn’t want to. He started grinding his hips against yours, breathing hard through his nose at the pleasure roaring into his veins at the simple contact, his dick pressing into your stomach. 

It wasn’t enough though, he needed more.

Shouto dragged you to the exam table, manhandled you up against the flat surface and bent you over despite your struggling, the shouts of “No! Stop!”. Should he stop? Probably. But he wanted this. Had ever since he realized that he loved you, although it hadn’t been this intense before. With one quick movement, Shouto pulled off your scrubs, discarding your underwear in the same movement. He wasn’t concerned about foreplay - he needed, he needed all of you right now.

But the man couldn’t resist falling to his knees behind you, hands moving their iron grip from your palms to your thighs. His fingertip dug into your flesh, dimpling up your skin as he leaned forward, your pussy exposed oh so prettily for him.

Shouto didn’t know if you were screaming or crying or begging for more. He was too focused on the juicy flesh in front of him, leaning forward quickly to greedily slurp at the pink slit. He felt you jump, try to straighten your back but he let his hold on his quirk weaken, simultaneously heating and freezing each thigh held in his grasp. 

You quickly resumed the position he had put you in.

The pro hero couldn’t get enough, licking and sucking with fervent desperation at your folds, no rhythm or technique whatsoever. He couldn’t think, not with his face buried between your legs, your thighs shaking in his hold, your sweet little cries (“Todoroki-san /please/! Stop!”) filling the air. 

It could have been seconds, or minutes, Shouto had no concept of what was happening, only that you were the best fucking thing he had ever tasted in his life, and he needed everything you had to give him. He couldn’t stop himself from trying to burying his face closer, trying to spread your thighs further and further so he could reach deeper into your puffy pussy.

Your cum gushed onto his tongue, and the man slurped it up, reveling in the stick, wet sensation. 

He couldn’t ignore his dick any longer.

Letting go of your thighs, Shouto stood, pushing his boxer briefs down his legs as fast as he could, desperate to sheath himself inside your cunt. He could barely breathe, was so aroused he was light-headed with need.

With his boxers off, the man pressed close to you again, lifting one of your legs to brace it on the table, forcing you to go on tiptoe. When the head of his dick met your folds, Shouto felt his cock jump, the strange sensation making butterflies rise in his stomach. 

“Mmhm, (Y/N) I don’t know-I don’t know what’s happening.” Shouto confessed, one hand on your hip, the other guiding his thick cock into your pussy. “You just-oh, you look so good, always - always do. I need to feel - need to feel you so bad.”

He could feel your body trembling, and it briefly crossed his mind that you were probably crying. But his arousal slammed into him like a truck the moment he let his hips twitch forward, sliding his length into your wet pussy. “Oh god, oh-oh god, oh!”

Shouto came, crying into your neck, saliva dripping from his mouth and onto your heated flesh.

To his surprise, his dick was still hard, and the arousal was still pushing, urging, needy.

“(Y/N), I don’t - I’m so sorry.” Shouto stuttered, pulling back just to have his hips plunge forward again. You were so warm, so wet from your own orgasm and from his cum sliding inside you. It was heaven. 

Shouto had never touched, nor been touched this much in his entire  life. He didn’t know what to do, how to feel; it felt like his brain was on fire, and with each desperate snap of his hips, he was throwing on more and more gasoline. He had longer stamina this time, pounding you into the edge of the table for what felt like forever until his hips stuttered, his legs shaking as he orgasmed inside you.

When Shouto felt himself steady, he was horrified to find himself /still/ aroused. “I’m sorry (Y/N), This isn’t - I didn’t want to do it like this.” He was crying as he rutted against you, tears dripping hot onto your back. “I’ve been trying to be perfect, plan - plan dates, a relationship, anything, as long as it’s you.”

The man buried his head into the crook of your neck, inhaling raggedly. “It can only ever be you.”

His clarity was returning, each orgasm making him feel less and less feverish. At this point, his cock hurt, and he was too sensitive, but still, his hips wouldn’t stop. 

“I was going - going to ask if we could go out.” A lie, but it felt like the right thing to say. You were definitely crying underneath him, Shouto would be lower than trash if he didn’t try to comfort you. You didn’t need to know that the pro hero would rather have made you his home-doctor than ask you out. That way you’d be at his house, waiting for him, just like a pretty little wife, like a mother.

“I love you… think I always have.”

It felt good for Shouto to admit it out loud.

[feral-dumbass]

Speak of the Devil

James “Bucky” Barnes/ Female Reader

Summary: You tag along with Bucky to a undercover reconnaissance mission at a goth club. Smut ensues. 

Includes: Degradation, Choking, little bit of slut shaming, unprotected semi-public sex, hint of cockwarming, dirty talk, oral

Words: 4,307

A/N: This is my first fic I have ever posted on here. I hope I included all the warnings correctly. Not sure if I need to include fingers in mouth, but that happens. Title credit goes to the Misfits. Tagging @gagmebucky​ and @babybluestan​. Thanks for giving me the guts to post this! I am so thankful for you guys. 

Masterlist

The bass of Molchat Doma vibrates the walls as you search for Bucky. When you stepped into the goth club on 66th street, you were more nervous than you liked to admit. The club had recently gone under new management and is rumored to be a place for arms trafficking. It is ingenious, actually. Under all the makeup and leather, anyone could hide their identity. Take Bucky for instance. Tight jeans, a black t-shirt, some eyeliner, and a leather jacket down to his calves, Bucky is unnoticeable. Also, helps that the most identifiable thing about him is covered under gloves. Don’t even get started on the leather band and silver chain wrapped around his neck. You need to fan yourself just thinking about it. 

You also look quite different from your usual lab coat and safety goggles and Bucky has certainly noticed. He could not keep his hand off your thick fishnet covered thighs the whole way here. 

With a kiss to your cheek, Bucky had left you at the bar to check out the area. That had been twenty minutes ago and sadly, people were starting to notice you too. 

You felt eyes on you as you mindlessly scrolled through the meme group chat. Peter and Shuri were having an entertaining fight on who sent the best memes. You couldn’t handle the creepy feeling anymore. You were ready to show this creep the pretty switchblade Bucky got you for your birthday. Chin raised, your eyes met with green ones across the bar. You tried to give your best resting bitch face with dead eyes, but he only smirked and took that as his cue to swoop in. You slammed cash on the table for your blood red drink and slipped into the crowd before he could make two steps in your direction. You went down a hallway in the back which led you to your latest predicament. Where the fuck is your thick ass boyfriend? 

You have enough PHDs under your belt to know not to yell out Bucky’s name. Searching for his wide frame under the neon lights is the only option you have left as you pass the restrooms. You think finding a 6’2” man would be easy, but apparently, every alternative person wears 5 inch platforms. Not like you can really blame them. If they weren’t so expensive, you’d be Bucky’s height too right now. 

As you fill with envy for people that can fit into knee high platforms, an arm wraps around you and yanks you into a unisex bathroom. “It’s me.” Bucky’s deep voice assures before you can even start going through the defense attacks he taught you. You slip out of his hold and turn around to face him. Ignoring the fact Bucky has taken off his jacket and his muscles are now stressing the seams of his long sleeve shirt, you cross your arms. 

“Where have you been?”

Bucky blinks confused before finding his answer. “Bugging this two floor building. Why? What’s wrong?” You will tell him sooner or later. Might as well do it now. 

“Nothing. It’s just, uh, a skeevy man was staring at me far too long. We made eye contact and he tried coming over.” 

“Did he hurt you because I will-” Bucky’s already heading for the door before you squeeze his arm. 

“Bucky,” you laugh astounded that he’s so ready to fight for you. You didn’t even give him a description. Bucky lets you pull him back to the center of the room. “I slipped through the crowd before he could try anything. I’m fine.” 

“Promise?” 

“I promise. I’m fine.” You stand on the tip of your toes to kiss Bucky’s cheek but he turns his head to kiss you instead. He kisses you deeply just long enough to leave you wanting more.

“You still have your knife right?” 

“Yes, you dork.” He visibly relaxes at the confirmation. You take a hold of his chin and turn his face towards you. “You do realize you have cut on your cheek right?” It’s not too bad. A medium cut surrounded by bruising. Super serum is probably at work already healing it, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful. It’s not like you’re left with the best of first aid in the bathroom. You head to the sink to wet a paper towel with soap and water. 

“I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.” You glare at Bucky through the mirror. “I don’t suggest going three doors down. A couple of guards are sleeping on the clock.” He walks over and cozies up to you, wrapping his arms around your waist as he kisses your shoulder. “Is that really necessary. I think there’s more pressing matters to attend to.” He rolls his hard on into your ass as he kisses across your shoulder and up your neck. 

“Really?” You pry as you wring out the paper towel.

“I have been hard since you walked out in the commons.” Your face gets warmer at his confession. “I mean-” Bucky groans as he looks down at your fishnet covered legs. 

“While we’re on the subject, the eyeliner is working for me.” You’ve piqued Bucky’s interest. He meets your eyes through the mirror again. “You should wear it more often. You look so much like-”

“If you say Chase from the Covenant, I’m leaving.” Life drains from his eyes as he speaks.

“Like a man who can get into my pants.” 

“Nice save.” 

“Anyways, I say fuck it. Let’s do it.” Bucky’s eyes light up with excitement. “But clean the blood off your face first.” Bucky takes the paper towel out of your hands, scrubs the line of dried blood off his cheek, and throws it in the trash can before you can blink. Bucky turns your face to meet his lips not even a second later. He kisses you even deeper than before slipping his tongue in your mouth. You lift your hand to thread through Bucky’s hair. At the feel of your hand in his hair, he breaks away. 

“No. No. Keep your hands on the sink. I think this could be fun.” He grabs both of your wrists and places your hands on the edge of the sink. He’s moving your hair off your neck before his lips connect with it. “So pretty, baby. Is this all for me?” He mumbles before placing a hickey on your neck. His hands squeeze your thighs before snaking up your torso and kneading your breasts through your top. Lost in the pleasure only Bucky can give, you assume his question is rhetorical. You learn it wasn’t as he stops his ministrations. “Is this mine?”

You scramble to find your words. “Yeah.” Your voice cracks. “Yes.”

“Good girl.” He looks directly into your eyes through the stickered mirror as he unzips the front of your top. Bucky brings his gloved hand up to your mouth. “Bite,” He mumbles before planting multiple kisses on your neck. 

You bite down on his index finger and he pulls his hand away, leaving the glove in your mouth. He quickly takes the glove, stuffing it in his back pocket, before his right hand is kneading one of your bare breasts. You sigh at the feel of his calloused hand on your soft skin. You get a moment to enjoy the feeling until Bucky is lifting his other gloved hand toward your mouth. You get the memo without having to be told. You help tear off his glove for his metal hand and he’s stuffing it in his back pocket again. Instead of going for your other breast, two of Bucky’s metal fingers tap on your bottom lip. 

It is not like you to deny him. You take his fingers in his mouth and suck on them, giving them the same attention you’d give his dick. Bucky leaves the growing patch of hickies on your neck to growl at the sight. “Such a fucking tease.” His metal fingers press down on your tongue making you take his fingers deeper. He let’s up when he knows you are about to choke. “Can’t wait to get inside you, but first I want to see you cum on my fingers. Would you like that, honey?” His right hand leaves your chest and plays with the hem of your short skirt. 

With his fingers still in your mouth,  you nod, widen your stance, and back your ass up into his crotch. He chuckles lowly right next to your ear before his right hand is yanking up your skirt. Your skin tight skirt barely budges with one hand. 

“You gotta be kidding me?” Bucky takes his metal hand out of your mouth and uses it to yank up your skirt. You pray to whoever’s listening that your horny boyfriend doesn’t rip your bottoms off. It’d make getting out of the club a lot more messier. “This skirt is annoying me. You’ll just have to be naked for a week to make it up to me.” Thankfully, your skirt moves up your body to bunch at your waist. You don’t have time for a witty retort or to even think about how you were airborne for a second before Bucky is digging his metal fingers into your sex. At the feel of fishnet over wet folds, he pauses. “Wait, are you-”

“Not wearing panties? Yep.” 

He lets out the longest groan to date. “You’re gonna kill me.” Bucky tears open a hole in your stockings at the apex of your thighs before massaging and digging into your sex with vengence. “That’s what you’re gonna do. Forget all the highrisks missions. The stupid fucking guards. I’m gonna die because my girlfriend can’t wear a fucking decent pair of underwear.” Bucky groans and he’s… he’s being unfair as two of his thick metal fingers slip into you. He knows how much you love it when he uses his metal hand. Bucky is using it against you to sear his touch into your brain. You throw your head back onto his shoulder as he reaches sensitive depths inside you. His right hand goes back to kneading your chest.

“Wearing panties makes it harder f-for… for you to fuck me. Need to be prepared for your horny ass 24/7.” You pant in between words. Bucky raises an unimpressed eyebrow. The speed of his pumping fingers quicken to the point where the both of you can hear how wet you are over the distant music. “W-when are you not… horny?”

“I’m not even going to entertain you with an answer when I have this wet pussy to play with. ‘Sides, I’m not the one who sounds horny right now. “ Bucky’s metal thumb rubs your clit. “I’m not the one desperate enough for my boyfriend’s cock that I'll spread my legs in a public bathroom. Honestly, you just went with it? No second thoughts?” You’re too overwhelmed with pleasure to even bother a response. Bucky clicks his tongue. “That’s not good girl behavior. More like slutty behavior.” Bucky’s eyes light up with an idea. “Be a good slut and cum for me.”

“Bucky,” you gasp pleadingly. 

“C’mon, you heard me. Cum for me. It’s the least you can do.” He’s sucking on a pulse point on your neck when you go rigid underneath him. You cry out as you reach your euphoric high. 

“God damnit, you’re so gorgeous when you cum.” Bucky makes you feel the full effect of your orgasm as he continues to pump his fingers and rub your clit. You have to practically tear his metal arm off you to get peace. Both of his hands leave you and you can hear the tell tale sound of his pants being undone. 

You get a small amount of reprieve before Bucky is rubbing his dick through your drenched folds. His thick cock stimulating your sensitive nerves. Bucky’s steel toed boot nudges your stance wider and he’s dipping into your entrance just enough for you to start to feel the intoxicating stretch of him. You’re arching your back at the burn when he pulls out suddenly. You sputter as you try to find your words. 

“I don’t think you really want my cock.” He goes back to spreading your folds over his cock. The tip runs across your sensitive, overworked clit every once in a while.

“I’m literally on display for your fucking dick right now.” 

“Then say it.” Bucky nuzzles your neck and blows cool air on the patch of hickies. 

“Bucky, please fuck me. I’ve been wet since you mentioned you had to wear a leather jacket. Let me have it.” 

Bucky snorts at that. “My sweet slut. Always so ready and willing for my cock.” 

“Only a s-slut-” Bucky slides into you slowly making you feel every massive inch of him  “- f-for you.” You whimper at the feel of him as your back arches. You're trapped in between Bucky and the sink. No choice but to feel all of him. 

Bucky rumbles right against your back. “My own little whore. I like the sound of that.” He tests the waters by thrusting shallow. You’re convulsing around his cock. It always takes a few to get used to the initial stretch. He groans. “Always so fucking tight. My own personal heaven.” He hasn’t been able to stop his little thrusts, addicted to the feel of you. 

“B-Bucky,” you gasp strained. “P-please, move. Do something.” 

“Look at you so desperate for my cock. I love it. Such a good whore.” He pulls out and you could cry until he’s thrusting back in, knocking the wind out of you. You gasp, collecting enough air for him to knock it out of you again. Again. And again. It’s not before long, Bucky is setting a brutal pace and all you can do is take it. You are going lax as the pleasure makes your extremities tingly. Bucky is pretty much the only thing holding you up as he brings three of his right fingers towards your mouth. He doesn’t even have to tap on your lips. You open your mouth for him to slip his fingers inside and suck on them. Bucky’s eyes zero in on your pretty lips wrapped around his fingers. 

“What a good slut. Such a good girl. I love you so much.” His metal hand gently wraps around the base of your neck. His index finger and thumb stroke the skin right underneath your choker causing goosebumps to break out. “This looks so pretty on you, baby.” He kisses the spot your jawline and neck connect before continuing. “I think we both know how much better my hand is wrapped around your neck though.” He gives a light squeeze, slightly cutting off your blood flow, and grins at you. A broken moan leaves you as drool pools around his fingers starting to drip down his hand and your chin. “So fucking stunning. Should have got out my phone before we started.”

A light, airy feeling starts to creep into your head, kind of like your floating. Bucky’s pace never lets up and you’re close. So, so close.  A few more thrusts and Bucky is reaching new depths. You’re knuckles strain as you grip the sink hard. 

“Shit.” He grunts. His fingers press down on your tongue not give a fuck if you gag. Your eyes widen as his warmth floods you. Bucky’s pace slows and he’s pumping his hips shallowly while he cums.

 As much as you love the bare feel of him, you’re pissed. You were so close to an orgasm and he stopped. It was without clittoral stimulation too. It was gonna be groundbreaking. You actually gag on the pressure of his fingers down your throat and smack his wet wrist. He quickly takes his fingers out of your mouth and apologizes. You can’t believe you're stomping your foot while still on your boyfriend’s dick, but there’s a first for everything. You’re actually pouting as you cross your arms over your bare chest and jut out your lower lip. 

“Bucky!” You wait for him to take his eyes off your ass and meet yours through the mirror. 

He smacks your ass, squeezes it, and hums, mildly distracted. “Yeah?” He glances up and does a double take. “You’re pissed?”

“Uh yeah. Do you know how close I was before you ruined it? I-” Bucky takes his hand off your throat and uses both to dig his thumbs in the dip of your back as he shushes you.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ll make it up to you.” You’re frustrated and slightly on edge when Bucky slowly pulls out. “Don’t get more upset, but that was literally the hottest thing we’ve done. You have never looked hotter.” 

“Why would I get upset when I feel the same.” You begrudgingly agree. 

“Oh my god, you’re gonna hold not letting you come against me. You’re such a baby.” You open your mouth to defend yourself, but Bucky turns you around and lifts you on to the edge of the sink before you can start. Butterflies erupt in your stomach at that manhandling and you ignore it. While you avoid his eyes and glare at the wall over his shoulder, he wipes some of the drool off your chin. You melt on the inside and try not to show it. If you look in his eyes, you’re going to forgive him. If you look into his eyes, you’re going to forgive him. “This is ridiculous. When have I ever left you hanging? Don’t you think maybe I had a plan?” Your eyes slowly slide over to his. His eyes, still darkened by lust, bore into you. “I don’t want to see you cum on my cock through the mirror. I want you to face me, eyes rolled back, mouth gaping as I repeatedly reach all the sensitive spots inside you.” 

“You’re the one that’s the fucking tease.” You smack his broad chest. He takes your hand and kisses each knuckle. His hand then goes to knead your thighs dangling off the edge. 

“So, what do you say? Second round?” 

“I can’t believe I am saying this, but I’m sexually frustrated and still slightly mad. Fuck me before someone comes in.” He wedges himself between your thick thighs. Bucky leans down to kiss you and you thread your fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck, happy to get to touch him.  He eventually stops kneading your thighs, just feeling the texture of the mesh stretched across your skin. 

Bucky groans as you nip at his lips when he pulls away. His head drops down and shakes it in disbelief.  “You need to wear these more often.” He looks very serious at you and you would snicker if you weren’t about to fuck. You do smirk at him though and swirl his hair between your fingers. 

“You gonna fuck me in public more often if I do?” You wipe some of your burgundy lipstick off the edge of his bottom lip as you ask. 

Bucky’s Adam’s apple bobs as he gulps. “I-is that what you want?” He’s grabbing your ass and pulling you closer to the edge. You can feel his hardening cock against your hip. You’re so close to Bucky, you lean in just a few inches to press your chest against his and whisper sultry in his ear.

“I am constantly ready for your cock. Twenty four seven. Name a place and I’ll spread my legs. So fucking big. Feels so damn good.” You kiss right underneath his ear and then move a few inches down to suck hickey on a soft spot of his neck. With super soldier recovery rate, it won’t last long, but it sure does rile him up. He moans and it echoes off the linoleum poster covered walls. You love the vibrations underneath your lips as he tilts his head to the other side. You know his eyes are fluttering as you can’t help but to give him a few others hickies next to it. 

You lean back to admire your handiwork. Purple blotches litter his neck in between smudges of burgundy lipstick. You’re pretty sure you’ve wiped off all your lipstick on Bucky. His blown out pupils watch you like a hawk, hands digging into your ass. He’s rubbing his hard on into the crease of your stomach and thighs and he doesn’t even know it. “C’mon, I want to feel the ache of you tomorrow. Fuck me like the whore that I am.” You feel a chill run down his spine before he finally takes action. 

He rolls up his sleeves and of course, because your chest is now facing him, he needs to leave a few hickies on them. As he guides his dick to your entrance, you wrap your legs around his waist. Bucky momentarily ceases the hickies to watch your puffy folds easily accept his wide cock. Both of you are groaning at the feeling. 

“Your pussy’s so wet for me. Fuck.” Bucky’s too turned for a filter. You keep your edging comment to yourself and kiss his sweaty temple. The edging thoughts stewing inside are knocked out of you as Bucky fingers trace the place you two are joined. He uses the excess of your combined wetness to rub your clit. Pleasure makes your toes curl. 

“Not what I meant when I said fuck me, Bastard.” You can’t get Bucky to move his hips without falling on your ass. He seems perfectly fine to have you warm his hard dick as he kisses and leaves hickies along your collar bones. Your free hand grabs his bicep and you’re close to coming already. 

“Yeah. Your bastard.” You can feel him grin against your skin. You’d comment if you weren’t about to cum. 

“C-close. Please don’t stop.” You gasp out, begging as the rise of your orgasm hits. You’re squeezing Bucky while in your peak. He almost groans as loud as you’re moaning.

“You’re so gorgeous. Love when you convulse around my cock, honey.” He kisses your cheek momentarily before going back down to your chest. He starts pumping his cock in and out of you. This time literally knocking the wind out of you. You’re oversensitive from your orgasm and he never truly let you come down from it. Bucky is certainly making his promise. You’ll feel him in your guts for the next few days. Your hands run through his hair and pull on the ends. His mouth finally detaches from your chest as he moves with your hand. He lets out a full blown out moan that makes your heart pound. Bucky always lets out the filthiest moans when you pull his hair. You fucking love it. His metal hand leaves your ass. He grabs a hold of the edge of the sink as he pace picks up. 

As much as you love filling all your wet dreams with the hottest audio ever, you don’t have the strength to keep your arm up for long. Your hand drops to his back. His muscles ripple underneath your fingertips as you dig your nails into his back. Both of you panting into each other's ear. Your legs shake at the approaching orgasm. 

“I know you’re close. Be a good whore. Cum on my cock. I’ll wait for you.” He rubs your clit even faster. 

“FUCK.” You’ve never been happier for loud music blasting through the club’s speakers. An intense orgasm takes over you. White dots fill your vision as tears collect at your waterline. With how hard your gripping his cock, Bucky isn’t far behind. He can only get in a few more thrusts before he’s cumming again. He bites into your shoulder and groans. Shivers wreck down your spine as his warmth fills you for the second time tonight. Bucky lets the sink carry his weight as he grips it hard. 

There’s a groaning protest before a chunk of the sink falls off. You’re there to block him from falling. He pulls out and moves you closer to the other edge, away from the crime scene. You look over your shoulder. Thankfully, he didn’t break off any of the major plumbing parts. Water spraying everywhere would make looking yourself presentable a lot more harder, but maybe that could have been your excuse. Oh well. 

You turn back to Bucky. He’s still holding on to the broken piece of sink. Both of you break out into giggles as he throws it in the trash. 

“I can’t believe you did that.” You’re grinning ear to ear as he tucks himself back into his boxers. 

“I can.” Bucky shrugs. “I don’t think you get how tight you get when you cum. Me breaking things during sex is not new.” 

“My back. Our nice bed frame. The ottoman in the commons… Can’t forget the multiple tables. Shout out to Tony’s dented Acura hood.” You pull Bucky’s shirt to get him closer to you. You kiss him before he speaks. “Are you trying to seduce me?” 

“If you fuck me again, there won’t be a sink left.” 

He hums and rubs your thighs. He’s definitely addicted to the feel of the fishnets stockings. Good luck trying to get his hands off you for the rest of the day. “You have a point.” He drops to his knees. 

“What are you doing?” He’s spreading your thighs wide in front of his face.

“I can’t let my cum drip down your legs out there. That would be irresponsible of me.” That's all the explanation you get before he’s burying his face in between your legs, stubble scratching your inner thighs. You gasp as he licks a stripe from your entrance to your clit. Fuck what he said. You’re the one that’s gonna die. Bucky is truly your horny bastard. 

[laurensprentiss]

Jouska [Hotch x Reader]

Chapter 11:

Gif Credit: @dudeitiskarev

A/N: I told you shit was going to kick tf off! Poor Hotch is not having a good day today.

Warnings: Explicit details of injury, strong language. 

———

“Each meeting occurs at the precise moment for which it was meant. Usually, when it will have the greatest impact on our lives.” - Nadia Scrieva

———

‘Fitzgerald House’ sits in white letters on an antique black board at the gateway entrance. Hotch turns over the engine and peers over at the notebook in McCall’s hand, squinting at the gated estate in front of him. 

They’re buzzed in by a security guard, and as they drive up, the estate expands. A pillared terrace is framed by dark brick, neatly trimmed shrubs line the circle driveway and encase a grand fountain. Behind it, a set of antique double doors are framed by more huge pillars and blossom trees umbrella the pathway. 

“Are you sure this is the right address, Aaron?” Mccall asks.

He nods. “Fitzgerald House. This is it.”

They step out of the car simultaneously, looking around them, the estate more intimidating up close. There’s something cold about this place, a familiarity he identifies with all too well. 

“This seem like the kind of place a twenty-something lives in?” McCall asks in disbelief. 

Hotch scoffs, air leaving his nose in an exhale. “Senator Fitzgerald’s twenty-something.” 

Hotch is light on his feet, feels as though he’s dirtying the kept tile pathway just by walking on it. Truth is, he’d grown up in a home like this - or spent his summers there at least. He’d felt just as uncomfortable then as he does now. He knows what kind of people are on the other side of those doors, and knows the kind of people that live here. Cold, calculating, drenched in privilege, toxicity and unbearable expectations. 

Borderline abusive. 

He was raised by them. 

He pulls his credentials from his inside pocket and reaches for the doorbell. They take a minute or so and when there’s no answer, he makes a fist and bangs on the door with the side of it. 

“Open up, FBI.” 

A woman finally pulls open one of the double doors, straining almost with the weight of it, the oak creaking. She’s around 40 years old, stands at 5’4 and she’s thin, dark hair pulled back into a tight bun, greying slightly towards her hairline. A black and white apron completes her uniform.

“FBI? Can I help you?” She speaks with an accent, a thick lilt to her words. Eastern European, maybe, Hotch thinks. 

“I’m Agent Hotchner, this is Agent McCall. We’re with the FBI.” They flip their credentials to show the lady, her eyes squint to read the writing on them. “And you are?” 

“I’m the housekeeper. Carolina.” She says. 

“Hello, Carolina. We’re looking for a Jordan Fitzgerald?” Hotch inquires with a smile. 

“Oh.” She stutters and glances behind her, frozen in place. 

“May we come in?”

“Yes, yes, sorry. Please, come in, I think Mr. Fitzgerald is still in bed. Just a second.” 

They step into the foyer of the home, taking in the room - it’s bright and airy, a white marble staircase leading up and off into both directions sits in the middle, framed by a dark bannister. The refined marble floor, and white walls make the both of them feel uncomfortable, uneasy. Tight-lipped family portraits and oil paintings of numerous well to do ancestors line the walls, casting a disapproving eye.

To the right, is a drawing room, where Carolina seats the two men, plush leather sofas are carefully placed in front of a massive window with a view of the front garden. An oversized antique ceramic vase sits in the corner of the room, perfectly polished and buffed.

Hotch swallows uneasily, his eyes scanning the room. 

They both sit tentatively, careful not to scuff the antique rug that lays below them. McCall glances at his watch and mutters to Hotch, taking care to look around so nobody hears him. 

“Bed? It’s noon.” 

Hotch scoffs, raising his eyebrows sarcastically. He pulls his phone out of his pocket, sees some missed calls from Haley that he skips over, shooting off a quick text to you. 

Hey. Good luck with your dad today. 

Talking to you is fast becoming one of the best parts of his day - he feels a little like a teenager again. His phone buzzes and he hopes it’s your name on the screen, he has a spring in his step whenever he’s on duty and he doesn’t have as much trouble waking up in the morning, knowing that you’re waiting for him. 

He’s suddenly ripped from his thoughts when giggles erupt from the top of the stairs, and two sets of footsteps approach. Hotch cranes his head in unison with McCall as a blonde woman with dishevelled blonde hair and smudged eyeliner stumbles down the stairs, shirt buttons done unevenly and skirt askew. 

She carries her shoes in her hands and has a purse tucked under her arm - Hotch concludes that she was probably drunk last night, the effects of which she’s still feeling now if her stumbling is any indication. 

Who he assumes is Jordan, trails behind her with a grin on his face. He’s undressed with only a pair of boxer shorts covering him and a dressing gown that lays open. Hotch and McCall shoot each other a wordless look and Aaron has to fight to stop himself from rolling his eyes. 

Jordan surprisingly has the decency to walk his unnamed friend to the front door, who turns and plants what looks like a messy and unpleasant kiss on his mouth. 

This is Jordan? 

Nice.

He’s tall but still stands a couple of inches shorter than Hotch, he’s broad with brown hair and matching eyes and has a tattoo across his clavicle, which he covers up when he pulls his dressing gown closed. McCall clears his throat when the unnamed friend releases herself from Jordan’s grip and turns to leaves after having Jordan swat her ass crudely. 

Jordan turns his attention then to the agents in his drawing room, padding towards them as they both stand in unison to introduce themselves. He glances at Hotch, eyes narrow, a miniscule flash of recognition appearing on his face. He subconsciously squares his shoulders and stands up a little straighter, gaze falling to the FBI badge Hotch has pinned on his lapel. 

“Mr. Fitzgerald? We’re with the FBI.” McCall tells him with an outstretched hand. 

Jordan takes it warmly, plastering a smile on his face. “What can I do for you gentlemen?”

McCall tells him that they’re here in connection with an ongoing case regarding you, to which Jordan has surprisingly little reaction, Hotch notes. 

Instead, he turns his attention to Hotch. “FBI huh?” He places his hands in his hips, an obvious attempt at trying to assert his dominance, and Hotch sees right through him. “Impressive,” he continues. “How old are you anyway, man?” His words drip with sarcasm and do nothing to veil the obvious insecurity he feels. 

He unsuccessfully tries to level with Hotch, subtly tiptoeing. 

Hotch’s jaw clenches as he looks down at Jordan. “24.” 

He repeats Hotch’s words slowly, ignoring McCall - who finds himself frozen in place, uneasy with the almost confrontational atmosphere between his partner and Jordan. 

“Wow. Someone’s ambitious. Got a lot to prove-” he flicks his badge. “Hotchner?” 

Hotch finds the words on the tip of his tongue, wants to chew this asshole out for being a sleazy piece of shit, difficult and lazy. But the thing that really bothers him, the thing that makes Hotch want to give him a black eye, is the fact that at one point, you were his - and his own actions sent you running back into Jordan’s arms. 

That thought makes his stomach drop, because it’s a feeling he’s wholly unfamiliar with. 

Jealousy. 

And he finds that most disconcerting of all. 

He’s used to being able to do his job with a degree of separation and compartmentalisation, to keep his emotions in check - but he finds himself in a predicament now, one that’s becoming alarmingly clear. The lines are blurred and he knows it, no matter how hard he tries to push it down. 

But he tries anyway. 

He takes a deep breath and goes on. “You mind putting some clothes on, bud? We have some questions for you?” His tone is biting, condescension masked with amiability, similar to the way he would speak to a child. He tacks on the ‘Bud’ to purposely get a rise out of Jordan. 

If there’s one thing he learned from his parents growing up, it was how to get under people’s skin with a smile plastered on his face, and he knew people like Jordan. 

He used to be a Jordan.

Jordan steps towards Hotch, his eyes narrow, a slew of expletives on the tip of his tongue no doubt until McCall subtly steps between them. He stops in his tracks, eyes still focused on Hotch standing behind McCall. 

His demeanour changes completely and suddenly, the animosity melting away to make way for his initial warm manner. 

He takes a deep breath and plasters an unnerving smile on his face. 

With a tilt of his head, he says, “I actually have back to back appointments today, may I come into your offices tomorrow?” His cadence sounds eloquent, polite, the way Hotch knows he was probably raised to speak. 

He frowns at the rapid 180. 

McCall subsequently agrees to let Jordan come into the office to keep the peace but Hotch knows better. The only appointments he would have would be with a few lines of coke and a bottle of scotch if his jaw movements and body odour were anything to go by. 

Still, Ben hands him a business card and tells him to come by at around 3pm for a few questions and bids him a quick goodbye. 

Hotch’s phone buzzes on his way out, a message from you telling him that you’re on your way to your father’s with Emily. 

‘Oh and like three MPD officers.’’ You add. ‘One’s new I think? How’s it going with Jordan?’ 

A small smile creeps its way onto his face while his attention is diverted and his eyes are glued to his phone. 

Jordan watches Hotch and McCall walk back down the pathway and into the car. His eyes narrow from the doorway as he gives a cursory glance to the business card he holds between his index and middle finger, and he flicks it onto the ground outside. 

McCall clears his throat once they’re in the car, but Hotch’s attention is still directed at his phone. He clears his throat again, a little louder this time.

Hotch’s eyes dart up as he looks at McCall. “What?” He asks innocently, slipping the phone into the centre console. 

“That who I think it is?” 

“Yeah, I just checked in to see if everything was alright.” He rubs the back of his neck, a dead giveaway gesture to anyone who knew him well enough.  

“Yeah? Then why do you look like that?”

“Like what-”

Without warning, McCall reaches over and pulls down the driver’s seat visor, sliding the mirror cover over. Hotch’s face is flushed, a ghost of a smile on his face, akin to a smug teenager. His guilty reflection stares back at him and stops him in his tracks. He didn’t realise he looked like that when he was thinking about you and he’s alarmed at how transparent he is. 

No, he thinks. So what? It’s warm, it’s even warmer in this car. 

It’s fine.

Still, he sighs, rolls his eyes. “What?” Hotch says, insistent as he turns a little in his seat. 

McCall sighs deeply next to him, hesitant. “Just. Be careful.” He says, head tilting to motion to his phone. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You know what I’m talking about, Aaron.” He says, his voice low. “I see the way you look at her. And what about that little display inside? Why were you so confrontational with Fitzgerald?” 

He rolls his eyes. “Oh come on. You gotta be kidding me! You saw the way he was antagonising me-”

“-Yeah and your job is to stay calm no matter what. You’re not supposed to let people get a rise out of you, especially not if you want a place at the BAU one day. Gideon got word of you, he thinks you’re good. Prove him right.”  

He sounds like an older brother lecturing him, but he has a point, Hotch thinks. Why was he so bothered by Jordan? 

He knows why. He doesn’t know how much longer he can deny it.

The feelings he’d tried so hard to bury deep inside were quickly rising to the surface, faster than even he could get a handle on them. Maybe all he could do at this point was to relax his body and let the water carry him - sink or swim. The possibility of what could be, maybe it was too big to keep fighting. 

He has feelings for you. 

He has feelings for you despite the numerous conflicts of interest, despite the moral implications and the danger to your investigation. 

He swallows dryly. 

“You have feelings for her.” McCall says, mirroring his conscience. 

He doesn’t know what to say back, but he certainly can’t bring himself to deny it. He’s not that good of a liar. Yet. 

He just stares back at McCall whose face is etched in concern for his partner. 

He has feelings for you. 

———

It’s dark when you hug your father goodbye. You hadn’t realised just how homesick you’d been for him until you’d visited today, more so now as you’re about to leave. 

You stand in the dreary rain and apologise again for not telling him about the restaurant incident, reassuringly rubbing his hand as you tell him you’re going to be okay. 

“Really, truly.” You tell him over the patter of the rain. “I’m going to be absolutely fine. I have Emily watching over me now.” 

He nods and places a kiss on your forehead. “Yes, but that doesn’t change the fact that I still worry.” He sighs. “Bye, baby.” 

You wave to him one last time, pulling your coat closer to your body before you and Emily drive away, MPD leading the way. You glare at her, watching her avoid your looks. She grips the wheel a little tighter, and keeps glancing in the rear view mirror despite there being nothing there. 

After a minute or so, she grits between her teeth, “What? I can feel you staring at me.” 

“You told Dad?” You hiss. “I specifically told you not to, and you still told him?” 

“I’m sorry! He asked me outright if anything had happened, what was I supposed to do? Lie?”

“Yes!” You squeal. “Yes! You’re supposed to lie if I ask you to!”

“Come on, that’s bullshit and you know it. He deserves to know that you’re okay. Think about it, what if it had been him? You’d wanna know.” 

In your attempts to not worry him, you’d forgotten that you were all he had, too. Maybe he was right for holding on so tight. 

“I am sorry, though. I should’ve let you tell him.” Emily whispers, glancing at you. 

“No.” You shake your head and apologise too. “You were right.” 

“Does he fly out tomorrow?” 

“Uh, no. Tonight. Some trip that’s been scheduled for months,” you reply distracted, watching the officers in front of you. 

The MPD car turns its hazard lights on, signalling to pull over on the side of the quiet road. You peer at the vehicle in front of you, confused, checking with Emily who shrugs. A text from one of the officers reads, 

‘Reports of a disturbance ahead, assessing alternate route.’ 

“Better settle in.” You show Emily the text and relax into your seat a little better now, leaning your head against the headrest and resting your eyes as the heater runs in the background. The rain slows to a drizzle now. 

She unbuckles her seatbelt to turn her seat. “Can I ask you a question?” Emily says after a while. 

“Sure.” You reply, eyes remaining closed. 

“You have feelings for him, don’t you?” She whispers.

“Who?” You frown. 

“Hotch.”

You all but jump out of your skin. “What?!” You squeak.

Emily rolls her eyes now, embarrassed that you’re even trying to deny it. “Come on. It’s me. Don’t lie.”

Your mouth opens and closes, trying to find the words but your cheeks burn. It’s not entirely unexpected, Emily’s always been somewhat of an inner voice, a mirror that holds you accountable but you’d been quietly trying to work out your issues, the feelings you’d been having for Hotch, internally. 

Had you made it that obvious? Had you made yourself look stupid and naive, pining after a guy who was so much older and settled in life? 

“No of course I don’t, where is this coming from?” Your cheeks grow even hotter and you try to keep your voice even. 

She rolls her eyes. “Everyone can see it.”

“See what? There’s nothing to see!” 

You groan and bury your face in your hands in mortification. If everyone could see it, that meant that Hotch could too, he was on his way to being a profiler for God’s sake. He was probably just humouring you, sparing your feelings.

Oh God. 

“I mean the way you look at him?” Emily says.

“-Please stop, this is so embarrassing-” 

“-The way he looks at you?”

You freeze. “What?” You turn to look at her now and you find her smirking. 

“Come on, you’re seriously telling me you haven’t noticed? I noticed the day I met him, so you’re either blind or in denial, and I know you’re not blind. Even McCall knows it.” 

“What? No. He has a girlfriend and he wouldn’t-”

“Yeah that might be true, and I can’t speak to that. But it doesn’t change the way he looks at you. Even the way he held you that day? You don’t hold a friend like that.” 

Your chest feels fuzzy, warmth spreading to your bones, stomach flipping. 

“So?” Emily laughs next to you as she watches your expression. You try your best to stop the smile making its way onto your face. “I’ll take that as a yes,” She pauses. “He does too, y’know?” 

“What?”

“Have feelings for you.” She replies coyly. 

“Shut up.” You reply, rolling your eyes. 

Your smile reaches your ears now, cheeks aching from the strain. Still, you shake your head, and blow her off, instead turning your attention to the other side of the road. You chew on the inside of your lip, mulling over whether to let what you just heard go ignored or if you wanted to act on it. 

You turn back to confide in Emily but before you can, you see her squinting in the rear view mirror. 

“What the hell?” She mutters. You follow her gaze and see a car with beaming headlights, driving towards you, showing no signs of slowing down as it approaches. She sits up straight in her seat suddenly, as the car increases its speed and barrels towards you. 

The colour on her face drains as she fumbles with the gear stick and pedal, panic taking over as she attempts to move out of the way. You both flinch when the MPD car’s tail lights switch on, the engine revving and reversing. 

Both of your faces fall. “Emily...” You pant. 

“Oh God.”

It’s over in a couple of seconds. 

The headlights get closer and brighter, both cars barrelling towards you. You squeeze your eyes shut and brace yourselves for impact, your hand clasping hers as both cars ram into you, the seatbelt searing the neck of your skin. The airbags pummel your body from the front and side and your insides feel like they're turning upside down. 

Your neck snaps forward with the impact, glass shattering and piercing the skin on your face and arms as the blood pools slowly from your forehead. A high-pitched whine penetrates your skull as you look over to a barely conscious Emily, and then to the side mirror, a dark silhouette approaching the car. Your breathing is rapid, chest rising and falling as you hyperventilate before you finally black out with the taste of metal in your mouth. 

———

Hotch throws his keys haphazardly on to the table that sits next to the front door, loosens his tie and shrugs his blazer off. He finally breathes a sigh of semi-relief, feeling exhausted. He doesn’t bother calling out to the empty space to let Haley know he’s home, instead decides to just make his way upstairs and get a shower before turning in for the night. 

His shirt is unbuttoned and his socks are in his hands when he turns his attention towards the laundry basket in the corner of their bedroom. He goes to throw them in the hamper when he frowns, some stray fabric catching his attention behind the basket. 

Haley strolls into the room then, rubbing lotion into her hands as Hotch moves the basket to get a better view of the fabric behind it. She double takes when her eyes fall to what he’s doing, spotting what he’s reaching for. The colour drains from her face. 

She’s too late. 

Hotch pinches the fabric between his index finger and thumb and inspects it in front of him, frowning, Haley swallows dryly, going lightheaded.

A pair of boxers.

He frowns. They’re not his, but he swears he’s seen some like them before. 

“Hey, where did these-”

He barely gets through the whole sentence before Haley’s face gives her away entirely. Her lips are pursed and she’s breathing hard, wringing her hands. 

His face falls and he blinks at her, stuck in denial. 

Surely not. She couldn’t have- 

She averts her gaze, looking instead at the carpet on the floor, cheeks hot when the boxers are thrown at her feet. She flinches. 

“Explain.” He demands. 

She opens her mouth but no words come, her head hangs in shame.

“How long?” He asks. “How. Long?!” His voice booms.

“It happened when I left for those two weeks.” Her voice barely registers above a whisper. 

Anger bubbles in his chest when he does the math, “You’ve been cheating on me for two months? Two months?! Was that him this morning?” His nostrils are flared and he knows he’s getting louder now, but he doesn’t care. 

She nods. 

“Use your words, was it him?” He hisses. 

She sobs, “Yes.” 

His mind runs rampant with fury and humiliation, he’d spent the last four months trying to make sure he put her first, had tried to balance his personal and work life and instead of meeting him in the middle, she had betrayed him in such a humiliating way. 

He paces the length of their bedroom now, head scrambling at the proverbial slap he’s just received . The cold familiarity of where he’d seen the fabric before suddenly dawns on him, creeping up his spine.

He stops dead in his tracks, turning to face her, asking the question he doesn’t want the answer to. “What’s his name?” He asks evenly. 

“Jordan - Fitzgerald.” 

He’d always thought the phrase, blood turning to ice, was just a saying but when Haley says those two words, he feels as though the floor has been pulled out from under him and his stomach sinks. He tries to piece together all of the moving parts, tries to connect the dots - he knows what this is, but his brain is still playing catch up. 

He’s in a daze when he answers a call from McCall, his voice even. “I’m on my way to you, there’s been an accident.”

“An accident?” That pulls him out of his daze, a cold harsh push back into reality. Haley’s head whips up when she hears the words, tears streaming down her face. “Where?” He asks. 

McCall pauses. “It’s her.” 

Hotch can already feel what’s coming next, dread settling into his bones, his stomach churning when he remembers you’d planned to have dinner with your father. A violent shiver runs down his spine and he swallows down the bile that threatens to spill out. 

“Status?” He whispers.

“Missing.”

———

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[jq37]

The Report Card – Fantasy High: The Seven Ep 6

Bitches Be Shopping

What is up y’all. A little late but let’s jump in with episode six of The Seven where our girls have just received a LOT of information, Sam most of all who got put into a little vision coma that she’s just now waking up from.

She explains the vision to her friends (as she interprets it, the other Eidolons didn’t die, just became part of the natural forces of the world) and then the bear that Penny made on a whim last episode (who is Russian, named Koda, and somehow a trained circus bear) gets into a fight with Katja with their friends buffing the two to make things more interesting because these are still idiot teens, life or death situation or no. Yelle decides to be the adult and tells them to knock it off and get back on mission.

That means Katja needs to call her dad since he’s knows the guy who’s the best lead to getting to TK ( Talcidimir Tallbreeze who I’ll call Tal). She actually manages to get her dad this time who is inside a giant snake on his hell mission. Katja asks what he knows about TK and he says she’s a sorcerer but also has a spell book so maybe she’s multiclassed. Sam and Ant desperately want to know if they boned and Katja absolutely is not interested in that knowledge. Yelle decides to just ask which makes her dad a little annoyed since he’s kind of in the middle of something (literally) and that annoys Ant, Ost, and Sam who--respectively, accuse him of gaslighting Kat, cast Command on him, and cast Bane on him to aid the Command spell. 

Mr. Cleaver fails the save and Ost commands him to tell Katja the truth. He admits that he did hook up with TK and he regrets it (note: it wasn’t like he cheated. It was just a casual hookup that wasn’t fulfilling it seems). Ost demands he apologize for not being there for Kat and Sam berates him for being at the top of the world and not lifting up his daughter too. For his part, Kat’s dad seems genuinely apologetic and promises to do better. 

“You don’t need to be the best father, you just need to be there,” Katja says, making her dad break down crying. 

Yelle, who has no daddy issues, is a bit less aggro and says that everyone makes mistakes and he can start making it up right now by helping with the Tal situation. She also gives them the tip that a cold spell will probably get them out of the snake lickety split.  She is on the money with the snake tip and Mr. Cleaver gets them all invites to a masquerade ball Tal is hosting. It’s being held on the Rumbosa which is this city-sized leisure ship. Mr. Cleaver says he’ll be back as soon as he can and, in the meantime, she should take care of her friends, “even the first 2 that were terrifying to me.”

The girls give Katja the axe they took as a birthday present (it was apparently her birthday the day before which Rekha just decided and Ost/Izzy refuses to accept without a fight because she *knows* Kat’s bday) which is identified as the Axe of Sundering (it can shatter objects, people, and sometimes concepts like halving movement). The two unnamed potions Yelle found are also ID’d as a Potion of Fly and a Potion of Gaseous Form. She distributes the Heath Potions to people without heals. Ant’s new arrows bypass some resistances and let her treat whatever she hits with the first one like it’s her favored enemy. 

According to their invites, the ship they need is docking in the city of Gravalvia soon (a very old city in the Baronies) so they need to figure out a plan. They have some downtime, during which:

Zelda tries to hype up the team.

Zelda tries to see if Ost is OK wrt dad stuff and Ost has a Full Breakdown after badly pretending she’s fine. 

While Zelda, Ost, and Penny are being Emotional and Sam is trying to literally cool them down with her powers, Ant and Yelle keep watch and experience emotional stability as the Adults Of The Party 

Anyway, after a night of rest, they head to the golden city of Gravalvia which is this very cool, very pretty city with mosaics and fountains and I assume columns. They get there and there’s a dramatic fight happening in the square which is halted when one of the fighters realizes that the country he’s fighting for doesn’t exist anymore. And now, it’s time for what we’ve all been waiting for. Shopping Montage! Let’s go girl by girl.

Katja and Ost

Kat asks for help from Ost with getting fancy for this gala since she’s never really done anything dressy before (and she had no mom to help--Kaaaat) and Ost is happy to oblige, dressing them both like “Jersey trash”. Kat, of course, still wears her Khakis underneath.

Antiope

Ant decides to get a vibe for what people here wear and picks something that will blend in but be forgettable so she can be stealthy. Classy blue dress and mask.

Penny

Penny...OK, I absolutely cannot describe what happens here in any way that will do justice to the scene. I am going to tell you what matters to the plot. You have to watch this yourself if you want to see the entire table have a collective breakdown. 

While looking for a costume, Penny runs into a halfling who is a member of the Society of Shadows--Laertes. He wants to know why she hasn’t responded to their invitation yet. She says she’s really eager to join, she just wasn’t sure how to respond (and also, she’s kind of in the middle of something). He says she can join by just messaging back and then her loved ones just have to sign waivers to have their memories wiped of her and she’s good to go. Say what now? asks Penny. She didn’t realize this was like a full Men in Black situation. 

He says it’s ultimately her decision and leaves.

Of course, I left out the parts where he ate a handful of Candy Heart’s remains, became violently ill, almost projectile vomited into Penny’s mouth, and she tried to kiss him despite him being a full adult. It’s A Lot, ok?

Also, we don’t find out until later but Penny picks a sexy duck costume for reasons that make more sense if you watch the scene but not *much* more sense. She also burns one of the healing potions on this dude as he is bar

Danielle

Danielle tries to get some info on the guests at the party and gets the names Lawrence LaDuc, Princess Autumn, and Duston who is the playboy cousin of Tal. She also hears some dude saying some colonize and plunder the earth BS and casts Heat Metal on him, fully mercing the dude. Ice cold. 

She tries to play it off like it’s the Curse of the Forest and when that doesn’t work and people start coming for her, she wildshapes into a dragon wyrmling and starts roasting people, killing 1 and dropping 2 to zero. 

Unfortunately, one of her party members is a known dragon hater and uses her new arrows to snipe her right out of the sky. Ant is horrified once she realizes what she’s done but Yelle says it’s all good. It’s NOT all good, says Ant, I STABBED YOU. You’re allowed to be mad! Yelle says she’s just really good at compartmentalizing but what Ant’s getting here is that Yelle doesn’t really believe that her feelings matter which echo the fears of her moms. 

Sam

Sam uses a combination of Mantle of Inspiration, glamour magic, performance, and good old flirting to get herself some killer clothes and also start a spontaneous musical number Giselle style.  

Brennan says she looks resplendent and, honestly, when does she not?

They reconvene, Zelda in a classic hoop skirt. Yelle realizes she never got a costume and just whips out a Met Gala level, autumn themed, Queen Mab-esque costume with Druidcraft which she could have done this whole time so I guess that’s why she was cool spending her shopping time getting gossip and playing Poison Ivy. 

They get to the ship and the way this works, everyone has to make an entrance and the really rich people (including Tal) are on a dais up top watching everyone come in. They all have to give fake names for the night since it’s a masquerade and they have to do Performance or Persuasion checks to see how impressive they look going in. 

Before they go in, they plan a little. Penny wants to look for TK. Sam wants to find Dunston. Ost wants to talk to the bouncers. Yelle wants to see if there are plants she can manipulate (there are btw) and for any exits. 

A quick rundown of how these all go:

Katja aka Mere (which means both mom and horse): 16 

Ant aka Midnight Huntress: 18 

Penny aka Penny Duckstone: 13

Zelda aka Madame Goodparty: 2 (Poor Zelda)

Sam aka Songbird: 22 (but she takes a hit to entrance save Zelda from totally flaming out)

Ost aka Stanley Gucci: 13

And Danielle, who never hogs the spotlight and is embarrassed to admit that maybe she does want to be the center of attention for once in her life with a Natural 20, gets a 29, absolutely bringing down the house as Empress Anima. As she walks forward she feels a voice say to her, “You got this. I love the name. You wear it well.”

Tal seems very impressed by her and a lady in a rabbit mask (Coeliabranca who I’ll call Coel if she comes up more) comes down to bring her up to the top with the high rollers. As she leaves, Sam casts Fly on her, just in case and holds the Concentration. 

Ost and Kat go talk to the bouncers and Kat decides to pretend to be her mom to get access to the area Yelle is. She rolls low and is told, “Hey, aren’t you already up there?” Kat is like, fuck and Ost saves her by using her charm earrings to get an entourage of guards who will let them through and do what she says. Once up there, Kat doesn’t see her mom which I can imagine she has mixed feelings about. 

Sam finds Dunston who is talking about Fantasy Bitcoin and seems like a real “Step on me mommy” type you know? Like, I feel like he’s into findom. Anyway, Sam charms him and his hangers on and learns about a procedure called a Phlebectomy that involves something going into their nose and then they feel better. Sam is rightfully horrified because, as I said, she is Most Likely To Survive A Horror Movie and can sense BS when she sees is. It’s apparently all the rage with the rich people here which is, como de dice, concerning seeing as they’re surrounded by them but we’ll get to that. Sam takes advantage of Dunston’s proclivities and gets him alone, knocks him out, steals him clothes, and pretends to be him (a *very* good scene by Sephie). 

Penny sees a gnome gnome boy (Lysander Higgins) shining shoes and finds out from him that there is a copper earth genasi woman here. In a very Cinderella move, she asks what shoes she was wearing. Then, she makes out with him which like, sure. At least it’s not a grown adult man this time. Before she gets her kisses in, she does tell the group what she learned. 

Up with the rich people, Yelle is introduced to Tal’s friend who is into Eidolons because of the name she chose. Between the shoes and her knowledge, they confirm that it’s TK! Yelle asks what she knows about Eidolons and she says that 7 is a very powerful number.

We cut to Ant who is patrolling the room as the sun sets and she suddenly hears a little beeping. It’s coming from a small crystal that was in Preston’s shirt (which she still has on her because???). Guests start dripping goo from their noses and transforming into monsters. Ant realizes that some kind of spell is happening triggered by midnight and this beeping. Hope these costumes are battle ready cause it’s fight time baybee!

Superlatives 

Danielle: Most Likely to Be on The News for Murdering Fantasy Jeff Bezos

I cannot imagine what was running through Yelle’s head when she decided that, having just rolled into a foreign country, her next move was to start using lethal force on anti-environmentalist colonizing capitalists. Like, she’s not *wrong* per se but she is wild--in all senses of the word.  

Random Thoughts

Kat keeps saying yesterday was her birthday which Ost/Izzy (and the rest of the group to a less vocal degree) are simply not having because maybe her dad would forget her birthday but her girls absolutely would not.

“You’re great because you stayed,” is the other killshot Kat line to her dad.

At a certain point Sam says, “This is so unhealthy,” to I think Yelle and like, if SAM is telling you your coping mechanisms are unhealthy, get thee to therapy.

OK, so someone, presumably Anima’s spirit, talks to Yelle as she makes her grand entrance which seems like info they should get to Talura ASAP, right? Cause that’s evidence they’re not dead-dead, just changed in form. But also Anima, girl. Don’t talk to Yelle. Talk to your rampaging sister!

"That's my secret, I stay in initiative."

Just a process note, notes are taken for the next ep and I am working on getting that recap up ASAP. As a battle ep, it will be in the abbreviated style that I did for last battle ep. 

In this episode, Penny rolls a Nat 1 (which she rerolls) and one of Brennan’s NPCs rolls a Nat 1. Ant rolls 2 Nat 20s, Yelle rolls 1, and Brennan says that one of his NPCs gets a 20 which sweeps him entirely into Sam’s dance number. 

[httpsaiki]

Hi. Sry to bother you but I saw requests were open. Could I maybe get a Kusuo x male reader? They are on a date and maybe Kusuo is a little more laid back and soft. His friends catch him with this very sweet boy and are kinda confused. It’s revealed that they are dating and his friends are kinda ???? cause they didn’t really know Saiki was gay? Ik this is bad but I just love my husband and wanna read abt all his dumbass friends trying to wrap their heads around Saiki being a soft and caring boyfriend (and him being with such a soft and caring boyfriend). Pls no pressure and you can ignore this of course. Have an amazing day/night!

Hi! You are most certainly not bothering me, and this is anything but bad, it's so damn adorable!!! I really hope this is good, it was so so much fun to write and I loved that idea so much. I apologize if this was a bit overboard or not really what you wanted! And, hey, nothing wrong with wanting to see Saiki being soft, I mean, don’t we all? You have an amazing day or night yourself! Thank you so so much for this request!

----

Reader is male! This is very cute! No warnings.

WC: 1473

Italics are Kusuo “speaking” aka telepathy.

In which the reader and Kusuo go on a cute date, but the nuisances stumble upon them, forcing Kusuo to introduce his boyfriend.

—————————————————–

“Kusuo! I’m here!” You yelled out into his house. You’d received a telepathic message that said nothing more than Come over from your boyfriend. Interested, you were quick to arrive at his house, feeling free to just let yourself in. You opened the door looking for him, walking into the house. 

“There you are!” You exclaimed, happily running towards him. Kusuo was quick to open his arms, pulling you in for a hug with a small smile. You were rather lucky, being the only person to ever see him this sweet and soft. The two of you hugged for a short time, neither one wanting to let go. It had been merely two days since you’d last gotten a chance to see each other, but it felt like an eternity. Separating from the hug, you looked up at Kusuo, your smile growing. You stared at him for a bit, before opening your mouth to speak.

“So what did you need?” You said, a more serious expression replacing your previous smile. Kusuo froze at your question, clearly not sure how to answer. 

“...Nothing. I just missed you.” He reluctantly replied, trying to hide his face without making it obvious he was even the slightest bit flustered. As your smile came back, you had an idea.

“Kuu! Let’s go somewhere!”

“Where are you thinking?” An ironic question - as he knew exactly where you wanted to take him. All you did was smile, grab his hand, and make your way downstairs. Off to the park, it was! After a quick stop in the kitchen to pack some lunch boxes, you and your boyfriend were out the door. 

Sitting hand in hand, casually eating your lunches and chatting, you and Kusuo were quite happy on your date. It was perfect out, there was a nice light breeze and it was far from too hot out. Kusuo was calm and relaxed, which was a rare occurrence. He usually looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and it probably wasn’t an obscene guess to assume he really did. 

Despite that, you enjoyed being like this. It was so nice to see Kusuo relax, and you knew he appreciated the chance for peace and quiet. You’d made sure he put his ring on before sitting down so that he could truly enjoy it with you. Even if that meant less talking from him, he hated actually speaking - you really didn't mind, he was able to relax. Besides, he loved listening to you talk to him anyway. Kusuo’s eyes were closed as he rested his head on your shoulder. Lunch was long finished and you were telling him about something silly that happened at school the other day. It was so clear how badly he needed this, and you were more than happy to oblige.

Suddenly, that was all ruined as his shoulders tensed up, and his head lifted off your shoulder. You heard it too.

“Hey, pal!” 

Nendou. Great.

“Hey look, it’s Saiki! Oh- who’s that he's with?” Teruhashi? Was she here too? You’d heard all about his so-called friends, but never met them as Kusuo “didn’t want you to suffer from their stupid”. You adjusted your hand that was holding Kusuo’s, carefully moving so that his ring would come off but you wouldn’t have to let go. You could tell having them here without being able to read their thoughts was a stressful experience for him.

Kusuo let out a sigh, now being able to identify who had come up behind him. He counted three, recognizing the thoughts of Nendou, Teruhashi, and Kaidou. This was not preferable. He was in no way prepared for them to meet his boyfriend, he hadn’t even told them he had one. He felt your thumb rubbing circles on his hand in comfort. He may act like he doesn’t like his friends, but you knew he was scared they wouldn’t accept him nonetheless. Despite being able to read their thoughts, it was still anxiety-inducing for him to actually have to tell them.

Teruhashi was first to take note of how relaxed he looked (despite his current internal struggle), and your hands being interlocked together. She was highly observant, after all. You were sitting close enough to him that your arms were touching. Was her conclusion really correct?

“Saiki? Is that… Are you...?” She trailed off, not sure if she should continue or not.

Kaidou picked up where she left off, “You have a boyfriend?”. He said as he pointed towards your hands, still tightly locked together. 

Kusuo looked over to you, where you simply nodded to him, silently letting him know it’s okay to continue. He sighed, was he really ready? Oh well. No avoiding it now. 

“Yes. I’m gay. And… Y/N. His name is Y/N.” He stood up to face them as he spoke, pulling you with him. You extended your other hand out to shake each of his friends' hands, politely introducing yourself to each of them.

All of his friends were focused on how close the two of you seemed. They saw already how happy you made Kusuo, and they were all prepared to support him no matter what. They had no idea he was gay but were delighted that he now trusted them enough to tell them. What they couldn’t believe was how sweet he was being? They saw before, he was all cuddled up to you? Never had any of them imagined Kusuo could be so soft towards someone. He seemed really attached to you, and they’d never seen him more relaxed nor this content. It was clear Kusuo wanted to be near you - something none of them had ever seen from him before. It was something he would likely never admit out loud, but it was made clear by his actions and his body language around you. It was a strange sight to see but in the best possible way. 

Even more, you seemed way too sweet to be with someone like Kusuo. You had a large smile painted on your face the entire time, and it seemed like on the surface you were polar opposites. They just didn’t expect you to be Kusuo’s type. They were really learning a lot about him today, huh? Somehow they unanimously agreed they’d never expected someone like you to be with him, but needless to say, if Kusuo of all people liked you, you had to be pretty great.

“Well,” Teruhashi started, “we’d better leave you to enjoy your date. Have fun!” She spoke, walking away with the two others as not to impose. As they left, the group discussed what they’d just discovered. They were shocked. But overall they were excited for you both, although still, a tad bit surprised both at Kusuo having a boyfriend and his entirely different demeanor. 

“I don’t believe it,” Kaidou spoke in a tone of pure confusion, “Saiki can show emotion?” The rest of the group laughed a bit, clearly, he was kidding, although they did agree with him. It seemed Nendou hadn’t understood the situation, he was even more confused than Teruhashi and Kaidou. None of them could quite comprehend what they’d seen but were rather happy about having learned of a new side to their pink-haired friend.

After Kusuo’s friends left, it was decided that it was time to go home. That had been pretty emotionally draining for Kusuo, and it was better to give him a chance to rest. Once the picnic was packed, you walked back to his house, still hand in hand (Kusuo not-so-secretly preferred it that way).

Once back at his house, you made your way up to his room. Kusuo looked up at you, tears in his eyes. You pulled him in so that his head was resting on your chest and you wrapped your arms around him. Worried, you pet his hair and let him let his feelings out.

“They… accepted me. Y/N, they accepted us.” You’d never seen Kusuo smile so wide.

“Of course they did Kusuo, they do genuinely like you.”

Kusuo let out a small sniffle. You could tell just how much their acceptance meant to him. He started moving towards his bed, that whole ordeal was tiring. He needed a nap. You started gathering your things, getting ready to leave so that he could sleep in peace when you felt your hand being grabbed.

“Stay. Please?”

“Of course.”

You laid down beside him, allowing him to roll over and be close to you. As Kusuo dozed off, you continued to pet his hair, planting a small kiss on the top of his head every now and then. You both stayed like that the rest of the night, you eventually dozing off as well. It had been one of the best dates you’d ever had.

[sloth-asleep]

𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒔 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑶𝑵 : 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔

I have plants, and I imagine what it would be like if the Strawhats crew had to take care of plants by themselves.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

Luffy

A disaster. Tornado Luffy has been there: broken pots, potting soil everywhere and used as war paint, seeds (probably) eaten. Harvest something ? Don't think about it !

Yet, if it was meat trees, he would try his best to make them grow. But don't expect too much, it's Luffy after all.

Zoro

Zoro can take good care of plants, bonsai, and succulents he keeps healthy in the Nest. Surprise right ? It helps him to focus during his training sessions. Marino is a good nickname.

Nami

With her mandarin trees, Nami might be able to know how to take care of fruit trees. Honestly, she asks very politely Usopp to take good care of them in exchange for reducing his debt :). Due to her role in the Sunny, Nami doesn't have much time to care about the plants but would happily water them.

Usopp

In his little garden, Usopp pampers his plants ; even if he only uses them as munitions, it clears his mind and keeps him peaceful.

He gives advice to his crewmates and loves to exchange with Chopper about plants. Both know A LOT about "How to not die in Nature" and "How to prevent Luffy to kill everybody with those strange berries we told him to NOT EAT".

Sanji

As the cook of the Strawhats, i.e. 10 people, he has a large collection of spices and herbs. Sanji knows a few things about herbs, trees, and flowers so he might be able to grow comestible plants. Usopp made him a little space in the garden for some herbs.

Chopper

Chopper has a big knowledge about plants: his animal features can identify them. Alone, it's a bit difficult to take care of plants, like to do it with Usopp or just watch him gardening, listening to his advice.

Robin

Robin would like to take care of plants but she prefers reading and watching Usopp doing it. She prefers flowers when they are brought by Sanji, it amuses her.

Franky

Nope. Not his thing. At all. For him, it's boring, SUPER boring ! Why would you plant flowers when you can create an amazing laser canon to kick asses ?

Brook

He is not great in a garden, he is a mess but heard that plants like music so he plays for them instead while drinking a cup of tea.

Surprisingly, Usopp's plants grow faster and wilder ...

Jimbei

So ... Jimbei and flowers ? He likes them but really doesn't how to take care of them. He can help with clear instructions but otherwise, he will stay away from it to meditate or guide the Sunny.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

So ... My first headcanon ... If you see any mistakes, say it ; I want to correct myself at the maximum even if English isn't my mother language.

[quazartranslates]

Welcome to the Nightmare Game II - CH51

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

-----

Chapter 51: Purgatory Reunion (III) {cw: misgendering}

When he saw the oasis in the boundless yellow sand, Qi Leren shouted excitedly: "Look, there’s the oasis!"

The local guide smiled and said, "Yes, that's it. Go on, and you can reach a small nearby tribe in an hour. It's not far from the Underground Ant City."

These words inspired the tired Qi Leren. He rode his camel to this oasis, scooped up spring water, and washed his face. Only then did he feel that the heat covering his body had dissipated.

The Illusionist also jumped down from a camel, filled his water bag with the water, and then drank it.

Qi Leren glanced at his camel and found that it had picked up a piece of white paper from the water and chewed it up like a fresh vegetable. Qi Leren curiously grabbed this piece of paper from the camel's mouth, which was about to be dissolved away. The words and patterns on it had already been soaked and could not be identified.

It was just a blur, as if something had been drawn on it.

The soaked paper melted in his hand and broke into several soggy pieces. The camel picked up the paper from the ground and continued to chew it. Qi Leren sighed helplessly, took the camel's rope, and pulled it toward the Illusionist who had been calling for him to keep up.

The three walked on, and the local who was familiar with the desert talked more about the end of the journey, and chatted with the two travelers who had paid a lot of money to ask him to lead the way. From the local’s mouth, Qi Leren had a new understanding of the present situation in the Underground Ant City.

"The Dragon Ant Queen recently returned to health? Didn't she say that she had been seriously ill before?" Qi Leren recalled the contents of the data and asked curiously.

"She’s beginning to return to the light," the local said. "Every queen is like this, and this state can last for about a month, during which a new queen will be born. During this time, the situation in the Underground Ant City will be very chaotic. Demons flock from all over the world. The demon tide will be particularly turbulent this month. You must be careful."

Qi Leren knew about the demon tide, and that there would be such a catastrophe every month in the Underground Ant City. There was no rationality in this group, and it wasn't known where it came from. Terrible creatures gushed out from the rift, attacking the residents of the Underground Ant City crazily, but the Underground Ant City’s field couldn't isolate this group of creatures, so they could only fight with this group of creatures month after month.

The three walked the whole way, and the yellow sand finally turned into a desert. At dusk, the vast field of vision was only a wasteland, which made Qi Leren who had never been in a desert before feel deep emotion.

He was walking towards him along Ning Zhou's path, and every step was closer to him. He would find him, and that day wasn’t far off.

"Ahead is the Valentine tribe, where you can rest your feet. They’re very polite to outsiders," the guide said.

Qi Leren thought his words were a little strange, so he couldn't help but ask, "What about you? Aren’t you going?"

"Me? Forget it. I'm afraid they won't welcome me, and neither will our tribe. They’re foreign and different from us locals. We’ve never intermarried for generations and have no relation to them." The guide pursed his lips disdainfully. "You can buy some food there. If you don't need it, let's just go."

The Valentine tribe, Qi Leren remembered this name. Ning Zhou had mentioned being here in his letter. He had lost his camel in a storm and came to the Valentine tribe alone...

He hadn't said more, but even if it was just a name, it made him want to stay.

"Forget it, we’re short on time. Let's go directly to the Underground Ant City," Qi Leren said.

So the three walked on, crossed the neighbouring wind-eroded hill, and when they stood on the hill, Qi Leren looked down on the Valentine tribe in the distance. On the desert in the sunset, the Valentine tribe was quiet, as if it were deserted.

The Illusionist suddenly stopped.

"What's the matter?" Qi Leren asked.

"It’s dinner time, but there’s no smoke." The Illusionist squinted slightly and looked toward the distant tribe. "No one’s active either. I'm afraid something happened to that tribe."

Qi Leren's experience wasn’t as rich as that of the Illusionist. Just now, he hadn't thought of this question at all: "What happened?"

"Come on, let's go and have a look," the Illusionist said.

The three people walked down the hill and came toward the Valentine tribe. The closer they got, the more obvious the strange situation became. When they came to the village entrance, the scene before them made all three people fall into silence.

This tragedy was not human, but a hell on earth. There were gnawed bodies everywhere, and dried blood all over the ground. Carrion birds were startled by their approach and flew away reluctantly from the incomplete rotting bodies, landing on the wooden fence outside the tents, and watching them with malicious eyes.

The frightened guide covered his mouth with both hands and prayed repeatedly. The Illusionist and Qi Leren searched around the village, but they didn't see a single living person. The elders, children, men, and women had all become unrecognizable bodies. The sheep inside the fence were all dead, and only a little bloody wool was left.

It turned out that the quiet little tribe in the sunset was already a graveyard with only corpses left.

The horror here made Qi Leren almost afraid to stare at the corpses too carefully, and his heart was very heavy. He knew that such a tragedy occurred almost every day in the Nightmare World, but he couldn't let go of the horror after witnessing the slaughter of a tribe that existed only days ago.

"Such a large-scale death is unlike the demons. The demons usually won’t massacre an entire village unless they’re a low-level irrational devil, but such demons won’t be so destructive. It was probably the demon tide. When the monthly demon tide in the underground ant city ends, there will be many demons running to the surface to plunder nearby tribes. They’re like a group of beasts. They devour like locusts everywhere, more ferocious than regular demons," the Illusionist said.

"What should we do with the bodies?" Qi Leren asked with difficulty, nauseated by the sight of the bloodied mouths.

"There’s nothing to do. If this happens outside the Sea of Tranquility, the nearby Holy See parish may send people to investigate the situation and clean up the bodies, but here... This is the territory of the Dragon Ant Queen." Standing in the wind, the Illusionist looked back at the desert village that had turned blood red beneath the setting sun and said softly, "Let the sand bury them here."

"Could there be survivors?" Qi Leren asked.

"I don't know, maybe there is. But an ordinary person, even if they escape to the Underground Ant City, may not be able to live a good life... Let's go, we should set off." The Illusionist had already mounted a camel and urged Qi Leren.

Qi Leren looked at the dried blood that had already seeped into the sand beneath his feet, and his deep sadness and melancholy welled up in his heart, so that he could no longer speak.

The camel looked at him meekly and pressed its nose against his cheek. Qi Leren's eyes were slightly wet, and he leaned over and hugged the camel's thick neck.

"Let's go." Qi Leren also mounted the camel and walked towards the distant Underground Ant City.

　　&&&

The entrance of the Underground Ant City was shaped like a crater, but there was no magma under the crater, but a huge hole, which was 500 meters deep. It was impossible to climb into the hole, so it was necessary to parachute. In a deep darkness, the bottom of the cave illuminated by fluorescent plants on the rock walls was an underground lake. It was said that the water in it has existed for millions of years and that the water quality was pure, and there were also phosphorescent fish inside.

This cave was called the Dragon's Breath Cave, and the source of its name could no longer be tested, but what was certain was that there was no legendary creature like a dragon in it, but rather it was full of bats.

The guide split up with them at the mouth of the cave, and the Illusionist and Qi Leren jumped into the underground lake. After climbing up, they handed the parachute equipment to the masked men who were responsible for returning them to the surface, and took a boat to the shore.

The underground world was very different from the world on the surface. Qi Leren, who was here for the first time, looked at the surrounding environment curiously. There weren’t many light sources here, little more than the fluorescent plants on the walls. If his eyesight hadn’t improved a lot after he’d broken his shell, he would be very pitiful in this dark environment.

"What if it’s too dark for someone to see clearly?" Qi Leren asked, "Can you use an oil lamp or a torch?"

The Illusionist said with an amused smile, "Of course, but if you have to hold a torch and tell others, 'I am a weak chicken,' don't blame others for coming up to provoke you. There’s no Court here to maintain order."

Along the underground passage, Qi Leren judged his own position while comparing the map. He had a good sense of direction, but he didn't know the difference between the southeast and the northwest after circling in the dark. In the end, the Illusionist who was familiar with this place took shortcuts. He grabbed the map while holding his hair, and quarreled with Qi Leren about their route.

The Illusionist insisted that as an old hand who had been to the Underground Ant City many times, he could not get lost, while Qi Leren retorted that they had just walked through the same place three times.

At last, the Illusionist became angry and offered the famous "You can do whatever you want". Qi Leren was not polite to him. He pulled him along for ten minutes and walked back to the main road smoothly.

This headbutting incident caused the Illusionist to say nothing for the rest of their journey. After arriving in the Underground Ant City’s downtown area, the illusionist spoke in a weak and weary voice as though he was ill, saying that he would take Qi Leren to find a place where they could stay.

Qi Leren was in a hurry to find Ning Zhou, and didn’t refute. Under the Illusionist’s introduction, he met Celia, the Court’s contact person stationed in the city. The Trial Court’s contact person, who was stationed in the Underground Ant City all year round, gave him a lot of help, and he got the required information. He rushed in the direction of Purgatory day and night...

On the 28th day after the task of the Holy Nun, Qi Leren arrived in Purgatory, which triggered the second step of the mission.

At this time, Purgatory was under emergency martial law. The whole area was blocked and no passage was allowed.

-----

The author has something to say:

PS: Many settings for the Underground Ant City refer to some remote tribes and natural landscapes on Earth. The ancient lake is from the first episode of the BBC documentary Africa; The inspiration for the entrance cave to the Underground Ant City is the Cave of Swallows in Mexico; The inspiration for the Dragon Ant Queen is honeypot ants from BBC’s Power of Life documentary and Natural World: Empire of the Desert Ants. I'll write down the other parts I remember, but I have a poor memory and forget some documentaries after watching them.

-----

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[sushiburritonoms]

I've been having terrible writer's block lately, not enjoying anything I've written, not getting anywhere with WIPs. Poor @darkisrising and @bronze-lorica have had to talk me off edges lately (thanks guys you're the best!). I think I finally have a chapter 3 for Sacred Texts but I'm sitting on it for a while to see if that's the direction I really want to go. I'm soooo sorry for the delay.

In the meantime I was looking through my notes for The Father the Son and the Exile and I found a bunch of scenes I wrote and abandoned as the fic moved in different directions. I figured I'd post some of them because they'll never see the light of day otherwise and because I have nothing else to offer right now.

Originally in Exile, Din and Luke were supposed to make it to Tython. I had them meeting up with Han AND Leia on the planet Ajan Kloss (its the planet Luke and Leia train on in TROS). Its interesting looking back at this, Din and Luke have a different dynamic since I wrote this a long time ago back in March when the story was going in a different direction (I also wrote an homage to one of Writer Owl's fics in the dialogue). I enjoy playful Luke, I don't really write him that often and that's a real shame. Anyways here's wonder wall, enjoy!

Ajan Kloss  was a swampy humid hellhole of a planet that no rational, sentient being should visit, let alone enjoy. Of course that meant that Grogu and Luke were comfortable in the sticky humid environment. In fact there was a rare smile stretched across Luke's face and he sounded almost nostalgic as he talked around their campfire.

“There’s a certain type of moss that grows on the trees here that’s edible.”

Din refused to look up at Luke from where he was cleaning their meal.  “I’m not drinking any tea you make out of it.”

“It’s more of a garnish?”

Din sighed. “Don’t touch my fish.” He forcefully stuck a stick lengthwise through the fish as an emphasis.

“Grogu should really have more vegetation in his diet. Master Yoda used to eat plants.”

Din snorted. “You’re welcome to try.” It wasn’t like the kid never ate vegetables but they were always fried and covered in spices. That probably wasn’t what Luke was getting at.

“Maybe later. He did eat two whole frogs.”  Luke edged himself closer to the fire. “Maybe after this we could swing by Dagobah. You know, assuming we’re not about to trigger some sort of sneak attack or trap. There are tubers I could dig up for him that Master Yoda ate, plus I could pick up more gnarltree bark.”

Din blinked and raised his head up to properly look at Luke. He knew what Luke was doing. He was trying to distract himself with thoughts of the future. It was a tactic Din often used himself--strategize every possible outcome in the hopes the future won’t be as terrifying as it feels.

On the one hand, he was amused and touched by Luke’s continued fixation on Grogu’s eating habits, even if it was hypocritical of Luke given his own poor diet.  It reminded Din of some of the older members of the Covert that used to watch Din when he was little. They always used to harass him to eat everything offered to him and gave him sharp nudges when he tried to skip directly to the occasional sweet treat left out for all the foundlings to share. It was very Mandalorian of Skywalker and it felt good. Familiar.

On the other hand, Din really, really didn’t want any more tree bark in the Wayfinder. So Din didn’t really know what to say.

“Hold this.” Din shoved a fish skewer into Luke’s hand. Yeah that worked.

Luke took the skewer with a hint of a smile.  “Master Yoda used to eat certain mushrooms too, I think I can safely identify them. Or maybe I could put together an aquarium in the Wayfinder and we could take more frogs with us. I bet I can repurpose one of the smaller cloning cylinders I have in the back and add a filtration system...”

Din shuddered at the thought  of living with a cloning vat filled with frogs and the likelihood of frogs, moss and tree bark for dinner several nights a week.  Just no. “This is why our people are ancient enemies,” he shuddered. “You live like animals.”

There was silence. Too long of a silence. Din looked up.

Luke was staring at him with a shocked look on his face. “Our people are ancient enemies?” He whispered.

Ah kriff. Din winced. “So I’ve heard.”

“....Oh.”  Luke looked crushed.  “Nobody told--well. There’s a lot nobody told me,” he sighed. “About being a Jedi.”

Damn damn damn. Din wanted to throw his hands up in the sky.

“I guess that makes sense,” Luke mumbled. He was fiddling with the fish skewer in his hands. “All the other Mandalorians I’ve ever met have tried to capture or kill me. I thought it was just the Bounty…”

“I’m not like other Mandalorians.”  Din interrupted, desperate to turn the conversation. It was technically true, probably just not in a way that helped their relationship. Er--their partnership?  Their--whatever this was.

“I mean I like you…”

Din froze. What.

“You’re really good at fishing and Grogu loves you.  I’d hate to have to kill you.”

Din’s heart restarted in his chest again.  Was Luke...messing with him?   “You wouldn’t leave a mark.”

Luke blinked up at him innocently and fluttered his damn eyelashes.  “I could totally kill you in your sleep.”

The little shit!  “I’ll poison your tea.”

“It’s pretty much already poison. I’m immune.”

Heh, true.  “Your fish then.”

“I’ll just go grab a frog.”

“You’re staying here and eating my damn fish!”

Luke burst out into sudden loud laughter.  It was like a sudden fierce rainstorm in the way it showered over the camp. It startled Grogu, who had been ignoring both of them in favor of playing with some shiny rocks nearby.  He tilted his head and then matched Luke’s laughter with a baby chuckle of his own.

“Sorry! I think it's just my nerves talking but that just sounded wrong and so funny--”

Din just shook his head. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what had set Luke off but he didn’t care. “Crazy Jedi.”

“Trigger happy Mandalorian.”  Luke gave him a giant smile.  “Hurry up and finish this.” He gave Din back the fish skewer and chuckled again.  Despite his comment about his nerves, Luke’s shoulders were relaxed and his legs were spread out comfortably by the fire. Din could stare at his lopsided smile all evening, especially as the sun set and the fire highlighted the delight in his eyes. The sun shone through the lighter parts of Luke’s shaggy long hair. It was now untied from the neat bun it had started in and looked soft and golden in the light.

Stars above help him.  Luke was beautiful.  Din was tired of denying the thought. He wanted to touch Luke’s face with his bare hands, run his fingers through his hair and that was terrifying. He hadn’t wanted to take off his armor for anyone, besides Grogu, in ages. Maybe with Omera...but this was much different. The feelings he’d had for her were a momentary weakness compared to the colossally bad idea this was to develop an attraction for this damaged Jedi.  Din had no idea what tomorrow was going to bring.  Even if nothing happened, there was the uncertainty of the next day and the next to worry about. Luke was a marked man and every day there was a chance something could take him out. Take him away. The thought burned in him like a chemical fire inside a reactor.  Caged deep inside of him, destructive it released, and burning with an intensity greater than Din could stand.

This was why he never got involved with people before he found Grogu. He didn’t know what to do with the intensity of his feelings and how to fit them into his unpredictable life.

“Din?” Luke’s smile fell slightly. “You ok?”

“..Yeah.”  Din did what he always did. He pushed his feelings away and tried to focus on the present.  What had they been talking about? Food. He sat and thought for a moment. Maybe...

“I have a contact on Tatooine, from a rural town few people have heard of. Mos Epsa.”

“Mos Eps--I thought that was wiped from the planet years ago.” Luke looked impressed.

“It’s still there.”  Din handed Luke a cooked fish skewer and settled back with his own. “We could go there, for a while. We’d be safe. I’m assuming we can both eat Tatooine food.”

Luke picked at his fish. “I do miss blue milk.”

Good.  “I’ll add it to the list.”

Luke chuckled. “You have a list?”

“Of safe planets we can stop at. We should have alternatives to the drop pods and not be reliant on the New Republic. My list is probably different from yours so we have more options.” Din stabbed his fish a little harder with his skewer to make his opinion of Luke’s employers known.

The smile on Luke’s face got impossibly wider. “That makes sense...Thank you.”

Din grunted. The smile on Luke’s face was too distracting.  Instead he looked down at his food. Oh. Right. Damn.

Luke made the exact realization at the same time. “Sorry! I forgot, I can go back to the ship--”

“Shut up and sit down, Jetti.” Din shook his head. He only hesitated for a half second before he reached up to his helmet and unlatched it. He opened it wide enough to take a bite.

“Or you could do that. Of course.” Luke babbled.  He turned his head so he wasn’t looking at Din.  Which was sweet. But also meant he wasn’t looking at his food.

“Eat.” Din growled. “All of it.” How was it this hard to feed a grown adult? Grogu gave him less trouble. Gods help Skywalker, Din was about to channel some of the fiercest warriors he knew to get him to eat more.

Luke gave him a mock solute. “Yes sir.”

Din began to reach for his sidearm.

Luke responded with a rather unnecessarily dainty bite of fish.

Din began to unhook his blaster.

Luke nibbled at one edge of a fin.

The blaster powered up.

Luke kriffing licked his fish.

“That’s disgusting.” Din gave up. He couldn’t help it--he chuckled as he powered down his blaster.

“Yeah it is,” Luke stuck his tongue out. “Fish is gross.”

“I thought you said you’d eat anything.”

“I do. I don’t have to like it.  I didn’t grow up eating fish, it’s both slimy and spikey at the same time.”

“You eat frogs.”

“You can eat a small frog in one bite! I’ve gotten fish bones stuck in my throat.”

“You’re not supposed to eat the bones.”

“Nobody told me that the first time. What part of ‘raised on a desert planet’ does no one understand?”

“You’re an idiot.”

Luke sat back. “I’m done now, mom. May I go now?”

Din sighed. “No.” He held out another fish skewer.

“You got to be kidding me.”

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

“How hard is the har--YIKES! NO! LETGO! ARGHHH!!!!!”

‘Yup’, Din thought to himself as he held the struggling, still too skinny, Jedi in a headlock.  He had it bad and he was going to regret this.

Tomorrow. He’ll regret it tomorrow.

“DJARIN LET ME GO NOW OR YOU’RE GOING IN THE SWAMP!”

Here’s hoping the desert boy could swim.

[mggpleasedontlookhere]

afterhours

request: Spencer x reader where the reader is apart of the bau and has a huge crush on Spencer. The first time she invites him to her apartment he notices she has a guitar. He asks her to play something and she plays “after hours” by the velvet underground. She finishes singing/playing and they kiss?

for: @thatsonezesty13

word count: 1,847                                                                                     reading time: 7 mins

masterlist

Within the last month, the BAU has received nothing less of unpalatable and bestial cases that comprised of multiple homicides, kidnappings, and dead children. It was safe to say that the entire team was mentally and physically drained from all the tragedies we’ve encountered. So with the approval of Hotch, the rest of the team gathered together for their monthly bar get together, leaving only me and Spencer to our own. 

Alcohol was never my vice when it came to downtime; music was. No matter how gruesome a case would be, it was always the calming sensation of the strings hitting my fingers that solaced my mind. 

Since the team had already left, I was left to drive Spencer home considering his license had gotten suspended from him speeding to get to a physics and engineering convention, also known to me as the nerd convention. 

We were walking to my car in the parking lot when the sky began to weep, completely drenching the both of us in cold water. The crisp air of the night didn’t ease the incommodious feeling in the slightest as the material of my blouse glued onto the surface of my skin.  

“Shit” I cursed, looking over to Spencer as he reciprocated the same harsh and fatigued expression I wore on my face. He nodded in agreement lifting his satchel above his head while the both of us practically bolted to sides of my car. 

We chuckled as we stared at one another, our hair slicked back and tousled at different angles. “Hey, do you mind if I stay at yours tonight?” Spencer asked, narrowing his eyes at me in reluctance. “I wouldn’t want to intrude, it’s just that the drive is farther away and I wouldn’t want to be a burden a-” He rambled. 

“That’s- you’re okay Spence, of course you can” I reassured, reaching over my shoulder to attach my seat belt. But truth be told, anxiety ran through my veins like cold blood. It would be the first time Spencer would be stepping into my apartment despite him being one of my closest friends. 

I sucked in a breath as I turned the engine on, hoping that I remembered to clean up before I left. 

-

The drive home was comprised of listening to Broadway musicals while belting our voices until our esophagus’ burned like a shot of liquor. Any time I spent with Spencer felt like an all time high, even when working burdensome cases, if Spencer was beside me, everything felt like things were in place. 

As we climbed up the few flights of stairs to my apartment, I fumbled around in my bag searching for the keys to the front door. Although that was quite a difficult task to complete, thanks to the sweat that had accumulated on my palms. 

“You alright Y/L/N?” 

“I’m okay Spence, I just-” I picked through the pockets of my jacket, desperately wanting to feel metal. “Just- can’t seem to find- there we go”. Fortunately the keys were located in the back pocket of my pants and I was able to let the both of us in. “I’m sorry about that” I apologized, brushing the hair out of my face in embarrassment.

Spencer nodded in assurance, swinging me a soft smile as he ventured throughout my apartment. “Great place you got here Y/N” He complimented, running his hands through the books I had stocked on my bookshelves. 

“Thank you” I chuckled, a blush forming on my cheeks as I felt him judge the selection of genres I had displayed. “I know it’s not your usual science fiction, but-” I explained. 

“No, it’s fine Y/N. I find it kinda cute actually” He laughed, picking up my copy Pride and Prejudice. “It’s actually better than Morgans, but to be fair he doesn’t even remotely have anything indicating a book” He teased, sifting through more of my collection. 

I chuckled at his comment while hiding the blush that resurfaced on my cheeks as he complimented my taste. “You can make yourself at home, I’ll go see if there’s anything that fits you” I gestured to the whole of my apartment, making my way to my bedroom in a hurry to catch my composure. 

As I arrived, I practically jumped out of my damp clothes and changed into my pjs. I then combed through my drawers to find anything large enough for Spencer until landing on a large over sized shirt I used to wear when I was in college. Fixing myself up, I walked back into the living room. “Hey Spence, it may be a little small but-” I was cut off by the sight of Spencer holding my guitar between his hands. 

“I’m sorry, I-i just didn’t know you played” Spencer explained, keeping the guitar close to his chest. Despite his apprehension, it was quite an unforgettable sight seeing Spencer’s long fingers stretched out along the neck of the guitar as his fingertips strummed the strings lightly. Warmth radiated in my chest as I thought of unspeakable things; things that an individual shouldn’t think about their best friend. “I-it’s fine, I j-just. I don’t know, I play here and there” I confessed, rubbing my elbow as I stepped closer to him. 

“You should play me something?” He suggested, pushing the guitar in my directions. Although I immediately declined, feeling nausea run up my throat at the idea of embarrassing myself in front of Spencer. 

“I-i don’t know Spence, I’m not even that good” I shook my head in disagreement, hoping he’d drop the subject. 

“Come on Y/N, I’m sure you’re amazing” He consoled, gently wrapping his hand around my wrist, pulling me towards him and the instrument. I shook my head once again, pulling against his grip in deviance. 

“Pleaseee Y/N?” He begged, looking at me with soft eyes. I finally gave in as he peered into me. The softness of his skin and the warmth of his eyes pushing me to admit defeat. 

With a groan, I settled next to Spencer, witnessing him cross his legs in a childlike matter as he faced me with excitement. I giggled at his antics, smiling at him as I laid the guitar between my hands. 

With a calming breath, I steadied myself in my seat and began to strum the chords to one of my favorite songs. The melody of ‘Afterhours’ by the Velvet Ground permeated both mine and Spencer’s ears. I carefully observed the changes in Spencer’s macro-expressions, hoping to not identify any signals of disgust, considering that the first verse was up ahead. 

I got a hold of my composure and let the lyrics flow out of my lips as if it was natural. The entire time as I sang, I felt the intensity of Spencer’s scrutiny, afraid that he was going to run away and never talk to me again. But he did the opposite, he sat beside me as if he was invested in my performance wearing a cheeky grin. 

With every phrase that transpired out of my mouth that pertained to affection, I knew that a small part of myself sang it soulfully to Spencer. Although another part told myself of the reality of the situation; that Spencer might not even acknowledge my exponentially growing attraction towards him.  

After feigning some confidence, I looked straight into his eyes as I sang, watching the hazel hue shift from light to dark as the moonlight reflected off of them. Throughout the entire event, he wore the same giddy expression, smiling at me as if I were the love of his life. 

Or so I wished I was

With the song coming to an end, I strummed the last few chords prolonging the whole thing to provide myself time to prepare for Spencer’s judgement. Finally, I halted, placing the guitar next to me awaiting Spencer’s reaction. 

To my surprise, nothing was said or done from his part. I sighed, running my hand through my hair, “You hated it, I told you” I groaned, hiding my face in my hands. I refused to look at him now, knowing the shame I’ve brought onto myself. 

Suddenly, I felt two warm hands plant themselves on my wrists, wrapping around them tenderly. Spencer placed himself between my legs as he pulled me close to him. I could feel his breath fanning over my cheeks as he kneeled in front of me. 

My heart began to race at the speed of a NASCAR race, my hands began to twitch and shake while my throat became as dry as a desert. I licked my lips as a habit, taking notice of the supple skin that covered Spencer’s lips. 

Oh how I would love to know how those would feel against mine

“Y/N that- that was amazing” He professed, staring into my eyes. 

I shook my head in denial, not believing a single word that came out of his mouth regardless of the lack of distance between us. “You’re only saying that because you’re my friend” I countered, feeling my throat tighten up. “I’m probably as bad as my choice in genres” I joked in attempt to lighten up the air and escape from the event that was taking place. 

“No Y/N, I’m serious” Spencer retorted, his tone filled with nothing but encouragement and praise. “You have a real talent there Y/L/N” He whispered, glancing down at my lips in the process. 

I reciprocated his actions, feeling the butterflies erupt in my stomach with how his eyes gazed into my own. Slowly we moved closer towards each other, his hand reaching up to comb my hair to the side. 

“Spence-” I interrupted shyly, my words faltering as the distance between us began to diminish. The objects in the room also became nonexistent to me, feeling the weight of the presence of only me and Spencer in the room. 

“Ca-can I?” Spencer asked, flashing me a loving look. I nodded in affirmation, not being able to form proper words.  

With that Spencer caressed the side of my cheek as he pulled me into him. Our lips collided, moving in careful unison as we studied each other’s movements. We both pulled away, our cheeks tinted red, but our eyes were still interlocked with one another. With a boost of confidence, I grabbed his face and pulled him in for another kiss, this time, lingering slightly longer than the kiss we previously shared. 

Pulling away, I giggled in disbelief. My mind had a difficult time processing what had occurred. Smiles crept up on both of our lips as Spencer wrapped an affectionate arm around my waist. “I-i, um” I staggered over my words. “I don’t know what to do now” I laughed nervously, causing Spencer to lean over and place a chaste kiss on my nose. 

“How about you let me take you out on date?” Spencer suggested, pressing another kiss to my forehead. I closed my eyes feeling his skin touch mine as ardor coursed through my entire body. 

“I think that’s a great idea” I agreed, pulling him close to me. 

-

A/N:

and writing It ‘Should’ve Been You Pt. 2′ commences ;)