#his thoughts on widow made me go wait yeah that's true

[wormzandgutz]

I'm a better character designer than the entirety of the overwatch team /joke

[detectiveruebennett]

set me free | sam wilson

summary: it is said that your skin will regenerate itself approximately every 27 days. although, that may be true... it's been two years. why doesn't it feel like it?

pairing(s): sam wilson x teen!black!reader [ minor natasha romanoff x teen!black!reader as well ]

warning(s): talks of sexual assault, panic attack

genre: angst, hurt/comfort words: 2,278

authors note: IF THE TOPIC OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IS TRIGGERING PLEASE DO NOT READ!!! the parts that are in italics are flashbacks to reader's nightmare. the flashback doesn't go into detail of the reader's SA, only Sam comforting them about the nightmare. this is a vent fic is based on my experience as a SA survivor. i use writing as a way of coping and stuff. it's free therapy. i've been sitting on this fic for over a year debating on if i wanted to post it and finally finished it. the ending is kinda rushed tho.

Two years ago, you died. Well, not physically. You were still breathing and everything. But that was when your innocence had retired. You never told anyone when it first happened. You were too scared of the consequences. And, by the time you hadn't, it seemed too late to speak up, in your opinion. There was nothing anyone could do now. He already ruined you. So, you just let it be.

Eventually, you learned from Sam and Natasha that your uncle was arrested for multiple charges of sexual assault. You were immediately overwhelmed with tears at the announcement, for you finally felt free. You began to laugh as well. The pair were quite confused as they watched you laugh and cry. A weight lifted off your shoulders that day as you finally could admit what he did to you. Sam suggested speaking up, but you were still very fearful of even being in the same room as him. It didn't matter that you'd be protected during the trials; the thought of it made you sick.

You still get nightmares from time to time. Sometimes, they were manageable. Other times, they were not. Last night, it seemed like luck was not on your side. You didn't get much sleep due to how bad this one was.

~~

It felt too real as if he was watching in the shadows of your room. FRIDAY alerted Sam due to the spike in your vitals. You'd awakened in a state of panic. You sat in a pool of sweat as your heart pounded in your head.

Sam busted through the door in a frenzy. He hadn't noticed his mistake until you frantically hurried out of bed toward the widow bites on the desk. You trembled in the corner of the room as you pointed the weapon toward him. Sam lifted his hands as he attempted to persuade you to put the weapon down. "It's okay. You aren't there anymore. You're safe," he assured. "You can drop it. It's okay." He stayed in that spot, repeating those phrases until you lowered the weapon.

Finally, the widow bites hit the ground. You drop down along with it. Slowly, Sam takes a couple of steps toward you. Knowing you were still startled, he squatted down to your level to make himself less of a threat. He kept some distance between you, instructing FRIDAY to turn on the lights. "You're safe. I'm here. It's okay." You quivered in fear. Although you saw Sam before you, you only heard your uncle's voice -- the monster who took advantage of you. Your mind was playing tricks on you. "Breathe with me, yeah? Ready? One, two, three, four…." You obeyed his instructions.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Soon enough, your breathing went back to normal. Your sobs shift to hiccups and periodic sniffling. Sam waited for you to settle more before questioning, "Is it okay if I move closer?" He didn't want to set you off again.

You nod.

"Are you sure?" 

You swallowed. "Yes," you whispered with a croaky voice. 

Carefully, Sam scoots to sit beside you. He makes a point of keeping some space between you. You sit in silence for a while. He wants you to take control of the situation. He doesn't want you to feel pressured to talk. You recognized the silent act and appreciated him dearly.

"I… I thought I saw him." You glanced up at Sam; your voice was low, shaky. You pointed to the corner adjacent to you. "H-He was right there." Sam doesn't speak. He held out his hand as a silent invitation of reassurance. His eyes and the expression on his face held sympathy. You clutch his hand like your lifeline.

"He can't reach you anymore." Those five words caused a loud sob to escape. Sam pulled you onto his lap and nestled you as you let it all out. He couldn't prevent the tears from falling. Sam hated that this happened to you. No one deserves to feel manipulated and violated.

"God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." 

You sat there for who knows how long. Waves of grief and pain danced throughout the room as both of you cried. Sam grieved with you as you wept over the loss of who you once were. Truthfully, he felt responsible for what happened to you. The man wished that he was there to protect you that night.

He hadn't noticed that you'd fallen asleep until he heard the sound of soft snores. Guessing that you wouldn't want to sleep in your bedroom for the rest of the night, Sam slowly maneuvered himself to carry you to his room instead. Sam spotted your teddy bear in his peripheral vision as he approached the door and grabbed it before walking down the corridors. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about waking anyone else in the Compound because only You, Sam, and Natasha lived on this floor. As far as Sam knew, Natasha was still visiting her sister, Yelena, in Ohio.

Once he settled you in his bed, Sam made himself a makeshift bed on the floor at the end of the bed. Sam knew you'd end up scolding him in the morning for doing so, but he didn't care. He checked his phone for the time and noticed a message.

Message from Nat:

Hey. Friday alerted me that [Name] had a nightmare again. My flight isn't for another hour, but I'll be there before she wakes up. I know you've got them, so I'm not too worried. Update me tomorrow :)

Delivered at 2:35 a.m.

I finally got her back to bed. This one seemed much worse. I'll tell you more in the morning. Have a safe flight, Nat

Delivered at 3:56 a.m.

Sam checked up on you again before allowing himself to fall back asleep. "Sweet dreams, [Name]."

~~

As you wake up, the scent of lavender and pine trees greets you. From beneath you, you can hear Sam snoring. Usually, you'd scold him for the potential back pain he'd experience later. But you were too exhausted today to do so. Despite your body's protests, your brain determines you are better off continuing your education. Some of you believe that connecting with friends will lift your mood. So you try not to wake up Sam and sneak back to your room to prepare for the day.

You were better off staying at home. 

The school hours are a blur. You lack self-control. You are not present mentally. You've detached yourself from everything. You were tired of your peers and those who didn't know you well. You wrote your exhaustion off as pulling an all nighter, which wasn’t too much of a lie in your eyes. That was your explanation when confronted with your unusual behavior. Most people bought it. It took more sway from Peter, Ned, and Michelle. They stopped bothering you after you assured them you were okay, though you still occasionally felt some concern. When the day is done, you are overwhelmed by the amount of skin you would brush up against while walking through the hallways to your next destination. You're quick to pack your belongings and rush out of the building. You don't bother to say goodbye to your friends.

A black Corvette Stingray awaits you just outside the school's main entrance. "Hey, Solnishko," Natasha says as you enter the car. When you questioned Natasha one day during your training session, she explained that it meant "little sun." She described you as having a bright and fiery essence, similar to the sun. And you became her little sun from then on. However, her little sun isn't shining as bright as usual today.  

The term endearment makes you smile but doesn't reach your eyes. Natasha doesn't comment on your gloomy disposition.

"Hi," you reply. "How was your trip?" The upbeat tone you desire does not come through. As Natasha drives away, you concentrate on the blurry scenery outside the window. You cringe internally at your lack of enthusiasm. Even though small talk is the last thing you want to do right now, you last saw Natasha a while ago. You were missing her presence.

"It was great. Later, I'll fill you in on everything." Only a murmur is returned, so the redhead ends the conversation there. The only sound on the return trip home is the radio playing at a low volume.

Natasha knows that you're not yourself. Your body language reeks of detachment. She doesn't take offense to the lack of expression you offer her. Sam gave her the run-down of last night's events once you left for school. She sees herself in you, and it pains her. The same drained look in her eyes after the memory of the past that Natasha pleaded to any god who would listen to escape. She knows how it feels to have her body controlled in such a terrible way - Innocence that was snatched away without any consent. It upset her terribly, but the most she can do is comfort you in any way she can. 

Once you enter the Compound, she guides you to her room, knowing that you usually find solace in her bed compared to your own. "Do you want to talk about it?" You still stand at the edge of her bed, arms crossed against your chest as comfort. She sits with her back against the headboard, waiting for you to make a move yourself. She waits patiently for you as you ponder whether you want to relive the nightmare again. You crawl over to the opposite side of the bed and lie so your head rests in her lap. "You know, I was talking with Bruce the other day, and he told me our skin regenerates itself every 27 days," you say as she caresses your cheek. "It's been two years, Tasha; why can I still feel him?" Your voice cracks as the tears you've been fighting away resurface.

Natasha's throat runs dry at your words. She wants nothing more than to harm the man that hurt you. Of course, there isn't a time limit when it comes to healing from trauma, but she hates that this still affects you so profoundly to this day. "I don't know, Solnishko," she whispers. She's at a loss for words. She knows nothing she says will immediately take away the pain you experience. "I'm sorry I can't take the grief away, sweetheart. If I could, I'd do it in a heartbeat." 

"I know. But your presence is enough for me." You bask in each other's comfort for a while. "Is Sam still home?" 

"Yeah, did you want to see him?" she asks, and you nod in response. 

"Okay. Hey Friday?" she calls to the Artificial Intelligence. "Can you tell Sam to come to my room, please?"

"Of course, Ms. Romanoff," the AI replies after a beat.

After a few minutes, a knock sounds at her door. Granting the man entrance, Natasha gestures to the teen in her lap, who has their eyes closed. "Hi, honey," Sam greets them as he nears the edge of the bed. Slightly opening your eyes at the sound of his voice, you grin. "Hi, Sammy," you whisper. 

"How are you feeling now?" He asks you. Observing your face, he can see signs of exhaustion in your eyes. 

"Very drained," you admit. "But a little better now that both of you are here." As much as you love everyone on the team and have a strong connection with them, you've always been more connected to Sam and Natasha for some reason. And the two of them love you like their own. They both smile softly at that. 

"How about we all take a nap, yeah? And then we can go out for dinner later?" Natasha suggests, looking at Sam for his thoughts on the suggestion. 

He nods. "Sounds good to me. Is that okay with you?" He asks you for confirmation.

You nod in agreement. With a yawn from you, you all situate yourselves on Natasha's bed. Sam and Natasha lay on opposite ends, with you in the middle. They wait until your breath evens out before speaking quietly. "I might call the school tomorrow to excuse her. She needs a day for herself." Sam tells the redhead. 

"Yeah, she needs it. Maybe we could plan an outing with the team for her." She kisses your forehead, brushing your braids out of your face. "Or just with us, depending on how she's feeling in the morning." 

Sam nods at the idea and closes his eyes; Natasha follows suit. And for a while, it's quiet until he says, "You know, you'd make an incredible mother, Nat." The statement causes Natasha to open her eyes again and look at Sam. He knows the subject of motherhood is a touchy one, given her background, but he can't help but admit it. He honestly does believe his friend would be the best parent. "Thank you. You know, you wouldn't make too bad of a father yourself, Wilson. You already have the terrible dad jokes downpacked," she says with a light chuckle. 

He sucks his teeth. "They not that bad."

She smirked lazily as the jet lag from the mission caught up to her. "Everyone else begs to differ." 

"You think they'll be okay?" Sam asks as he stares at the sleeping teen between them. 

"They always do. They have us in their corner to guide them," she reminds him, and he nods in agreement. If you were anything like either of them, you wouldn't let this throw you off track forever. You always bounce back from whatever obstacles life throws at you. With that, they fall asleep with a heaviness in their hearts for you, but they know you'll be alright. 

[starsarefire824]

Fanfic Guide

Been meaning to organize this here for a while and just haven't so here goes!

I am JustMyName on A03! (some people have told me they had no idea)

Here are some fics I've written for Stranger Things:

✨Touch Me Like You Know Me ▻rating: M ▻status: Complete ▻words: 14,894 ▻ ship: Byler ▻ description: Mike doesn't go home anymore, not unless absolutely necessary. Instead, he stays far away from Hawkins, quietly shutting himself off from the world, and burying the pain of the things he never said to the boy he'd left behind. But when his mother convinces him to return home for his thirty-fifth birthday, Mike is finally forced to confront just how much he'd given up when he runs into Will by accident. Mike-centric. Estranged Byler reconnection fic. Soft and Sweet.

✨Death Lies in Wait ▻ rating: M ▻ status: Ongoing ▻ words: 13,322▻ ship: Arranged Madwheeler, Byler, Lumax, Mileven, Secret Ship ▻ description: Massachusetts, 1890. Max Mayfield is twenty-six years old and at the hand of her parents, settles for a marriage of convenience to a widowed lighthouse keeper. A stranger she'll be trapped with for the rest of her life on a lonely strip of land surrounded by nothing but endless, lonely sea. But, as she settles into her life, and she and her new husband try to coexist, they get wrapped up in a mysterious presence on the cape. It calls to them. It's lulling and coaxing and sings to them at night. Max discovers the secrets her new husband keeps. Mermaids and ghosts of the past come to haunt them. Madwheeler/Byler//Lumax Gothic AU- Mermaid Will. UPDATED 6/13!

✨The Pact ▻ rating: M ▻ status: Ongoing ▻words: 97,440 ▻ship: Madwheeler, Byler, Elumax ▻ description: A pact between Max and Mike gone wrong gets them both unanimously voted out of the Party and they find themselves stuck with each other the summer after Graduation: fighting, commiserating, and begrudgingly discovering they are a lot more alike than they originally thought. UPDATED 4/30!

✨Certain Slant of Light ▻ rating: M ▻ status: Ongoing ▻words: ▻ship: Byler, Will x OC. description: Will just wants to get through his last year of high school without incident, to feel normal for once in his life, and try to survive the building tension between him and Mike that grows with every word left unsaid. On the first day of school, Will meets someone new who may finally offer him the acceptance he craves, but he’s unsure what to do when it causes his relationship with Mike to hit a breaking point, forcing them both to confront their true feelings. And to make matters worse, Vecna is always there, whispering in his ear, and letting him know his fated role in the inevitable fall of Hawkins. Slow Burn. Will-centric. Mike-centric later chapters. UPDATED 5/31!

✨ Mashed Potatoes ▻rating: G ▻ status: Complete ▻ words: 1,352 ▻ ship: Byler ▻description: "Wait," Mike says, grabbing the carton of milk out of Will's hand. Will blinks, his brows creasing in confusion. "What?" he asks with uncertainty. "We need milk, don't we?"

Mike stares at the carton Will has chosen. It's labeled with red lettering and a stamp of a picturesque farm across the front. Whole milk. Mike shrugs. "I mean----yeah. But-----" he raises an eyebrow. "Whole milk?" Will huffs and rolls his yes. "Yes. Whole milk? What milk did you want?" Mike shifts on his feet and pulls at the waist of his usual black jeans. "Well, I mean----we always drank skim at our house." Now, Will's mouth opens up a little. Offended.

"Skim?!" he asks, completely appalled. "Who actually drinks skim milk? You might as well drink water."

OR

Mike and Will really think the other is wrong in their grocery shopping decisions. NEW!

✨I Held On As Tightly As You Held Onto Me ▻ rating: T ▻ status: Complete ▻ words: 7,014 ▻ ship: Byler ▻ description: After years of life getting in the way---be it by distance or choices made--Mike hasn't seen Will in almost a decade. But one cold winter's night, he's back in town and Mike cooks him a meal.

✨Demons of Change and Wildflower Eyes ▻ rating: M ▻ status: Ongoing ▻ words: 9,609 ▻ship: Byler, minor: Henderhop, Lumax. ▻ description: High school hasn't been easy for Will Byers, and he's had to live with the emotional scars of a loveless father and supernatural worlds as well as the physical ones from the hands of the bullies that make his everyday existence hell. One night, when he's looking for some peace and quiet Will comes upon one of them and something surprising happens. As he and Mike Wheeler tentatively open up to each other, they just might discover they may be exactly what they need to give each other much needed healing and self-acceptance. Can they survive everything that comes along with that?

✨When We Wake Up ▻ rating: T ▻ status: Complete ▻ words: 23,428 ▻ ship: Byler ▻description: Will and Mike having to share a room while waiting for the impending apocalypse and the utter torture it is for both of them.

✨Come Away With Me ▻ rating: T ▻status: Complete ▻ words: 18,760 ▻ ship: Byler ▻ description: “Two shots ring out! BAM!-then a pause-BAM! Mike’s head snaps towards the sound, squinting his eyes to orient himself to the darkness. A guttural, pained wail echoes through the trees as if some forsaken wraith howls at him in this lonely forest, it’s voice sounding all too familiar. Then, a loud screeching roar follows close behind it. Another shot! Mike sucks in a wretched, frightened breath, his heart thrashing in his chest so hard that it feels as if it might shatter his ribs. Dread settles sickeningly in his belly. "Will….” OR: The one in which Mike gets to be Will's knight in shining armor. Tending Wounds Fic.

✨ We Are All Fools In Love ▻ rating: T ▻ status: On Hiatus ▻ words: 13,098 ▻ ship: Byler ▻ description: Fifteen years after being forcibly separated as children, William Bennet recognizes a familiar brooding face, plucked from another lifetime across a crowded ballroom. As his and Michael Darcy's paths begin to merge once more, they discover they are now separated by more than only time and distance, but faults which lie within their own hearts. Matters of pride and prejudice. Regency au of our dreams.

Other Fics:

🌙 I'm Trying All the Time ➢fandom: Turn ➢ rating: E ➢ status: Complete ➢ Words: 22,020 ➢ ship: Townhull ➢ description: In which Abe and Robert end up in the coat room after all. The aftermath of an unexpected moment between them forces Robert and Abe to come to terms with their feelings.

Season 4 alternative timeline. 4 parts.

🌙 We Could Be the Embers ➢ fandom: Turn ➢ rating: M ➢ status: Complete ➢ words: 13,347 ➢ ship: Townhull ➢ description: Robert must stay in Setauket after delivering the intelligence that saved Washington's camp. With Abraham, of course.

🌙 I Find Myself in the Morning's Light ➢ fandom: Severance ➢ rating: T ➢ status: Complete ➢ Words: 2,656 ➢ characters: Devon and Mark ➢ description: Devon and Mark's immediate conversation following iMark's stunning revelation. Season Finale spoilers. Loving Siblings.

[3-frogs-in-a-trench-coat]

Selfshiptober Day 24: Baking / Empty

Divider by @strangergraphics-archive

To say that the kitchen was a mess was an.... Understatement.

Despite having had previously tried to keep their work-stations clean in between baking, Phoenix's attempts would still prove to be futile.

"What time is it, Az?" They asked their partner, currently cleaning some of the dishes they used to make their latest creation.

Aza took a moment to look at the clock. "2:35."

"So that gives us...What, another 30 minutes or so before Thimble comes back?" They asked, turning their head to face the taller partner behind them.

"Around there, yeah."

Phoenix hissed at this information. Not enough time...

You see, today was Halloween. Thimble had left earlier that day to "Take care of something" as she said, and Phoenix had the impromptu decision to bake a bunch of Halloween food for the throuple to eat, to surprise Thimble with.

So far they had vampire cupcakes (chocolate cupcakes topped with white frosting and filled with a sweet red jam., shortbread cookies shaped like "witches fingers", pumpkin lasagna, bite sized pumpkin themed cheesecakes, vampire poke cake (an almond cake topped with a white frosting with splatters of a cherry sauce on it.), a big bowl of s'mores dip to dip some plain cookies in, Jack O Lantern sandwich cookies, small chocolate filled pumpkin shaped cakes, and let's not forget the drinks. Oh the drinks. This was yet another impromptu decision Phoenix made.

It already took a lot of time to search up Halloween themed recipes to make. But it took even longer to search for recipes for the drinks, and make those too.

Witches Brew lemonade, Black Widow cocktail, Halloween sangria, color changing margaritas, and so much more.

Oh and of course, a mixed bowl of coffee flavored and chai spiced chocolates for Aza.

As you can see, the couple had been really busy.

Aza went over to the oven, and pulled out some pumpkin bread.

"Maybe we should slow down? There's a lot here already." He said, gesturing with his arms towards the array of food in the counter across from him.

"I guess... What if it isn't enough though?"

Aza smirked at this. "I'm sure it's more than enough." his usual smooth, soft spoken voice ended with a sense of amusement when he finished speaking.

The couple suddenly froze. The front door could be heard opening.

"He's early!" Phoenix cried out. "Oh no, we're not ready!"

Aza went over to Phoenix, gently rubbing their back in an act they hoped would calm their partner a bit.

"Hon, it's ok. It's not like we're preparing for a party. It's just the 3 of us."

"True...." Phoenix hugged out a sigh. "Ok, help me set out the food."

Thimble stopped in her tracks. The front door closed behind her, with 1 arm full of 2 grocery bags.

"What's... Going on here?" He chuckled a bit at the sight before him.

Phoenix was frozen in place, Aza right behind them. Both had hands full of plates of food.

Phoenix's face flushed.

"We were going to surprise you... We didn't know that you'd be home early...."

Thimble gave a half smile at this. "Ha, surprise me? Wait until you both see what I got. Let me help you with the food first." At that, Thimble rushed to the living room to set down their bags, before joining their partners back in the kitchen, helping to set out the rest of the food dishes.

Once the preparations were done, the throuple sat on the couch. Thimble revealing their goods to their partners.

The bags were full of discount Halloween candy and scary movies.

"I was going to surprise you both. Thought it might be fun to have our own "Halloween party" here. I didn't know you'd make all this." He gestured his arms towards the food and drinks displayed the 3 of them.

Phoenix blushed a bit, rubbing the back of their neck bashfully.

"I wanted to surprise you too. Kind of funny how things worked out.... Heh"

Aza went to grab some clean, empty bowls for the candy, to add them to the display of food already prepared. The next few hours were spent with the throuple getting spooked from the movies, laughing, complimenting the treats and drinks, and just having fun together.

It was a great time. Even given the fact that the kitchen was still a mess.

That's just something the throuple could work on together later, though.

Recipes inspired by this link: https://www.delish.com/holiday-recipes/halloween/g1681/grown-up-halloween-party/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mgu_ga_del_m_bm_prog_org_us_g1681&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4Oe4BhCcARIsADQ0cskSNd6sVzqm5e1wmrSmlavU28Y5BL4-QM5kK9rGF8XnPosomxCx3s0aAiE8EALw_wcB

Taglist:

@faerie-circle-ships

@sennamybeloved

[healeroflightanddark]

Serendipity, Chapter 1: Affair

Zarc scowled as he looked through his wife’s phone while she slept. He’d suspected that something was off for a few months now, but he hadn’t had any proof. And it had taken a while for him to figure out the passcode to his wife’s phone. But now, he’d finally figured it out, and the texts on the phone were just horrible.

He should’ve realized that his wife was having an affair by now, but he hadn’t wanted to believe it. But now, he could see the evidence plain as day. His wife was having an affair with not one or two or even three but four other men. Maybe even more, but he only saw four at the moment.

Zarc looked through the texts, taking screenshots and sending them to his own phone. After what must’ve been at least a couple hours, he realized that he had seen no indication that any of the other men were even aware that their girlfriend was married. They didn’t even seem to know about each other, either. In fact, his wife had sent multiple messages to each of them claiming that they were her “one true love”. So it was very likely that each of them really thought he was her only partner.

Zarc considered sending them each a text separately, but after some deliberation he decided to instead create a group chat on his own phone. Then he started a conversation.

Zarc: You don’t know me, and I don’t know any of you, and I doubt any of you know about each other. But I am Kairi’s husband, and I have just gone through her phone and discovered that she has been cheating on me with all four of you.

For about half a minute, there was no reply. Then, all four of the other men started responding.

AP#1: Oh my god, are you serious? I swear I didn’t know she was married! She said she was single!

AP#2: Wtf she told me she was divorced!

AP#3: She told me she was widowed! Who tf comes up with something like that if it’s not true!

AP#4: I should’ve known she was too good to be true…

Zarc: So none of you knew she was married, right?

AP#2: No, she said she’d been divorced for 10 years!

AP#4: I had no idea

AP#3: She said her husband died three years ago and she hadn’t dated since

AP#1: I can’t believe she would do this… I really thought she meant it when she said I was the only man she’d ever dated…

AP#2: She’s in her thirties… how could she possibly have never dated anyone else before?e.e

AP#1: Wait what?! She told me she was 28! WTF!!!

Zarc: Actually she’s 42

AP#2: ...........................

AP#2: What else did she lie about?

Zarc: Well she told one of you, Yuya, that she’s a doctor and that’s where she gets the money she has to buy her fancy clothes and purses. That’s a lie. She’s unemployed and gets her money from me. I’m a business owner. She told Yuto that her ex cheated on her with her best friend so she’s got trust issues. That’s also a lie. She broke up with him because he wanted kids and she hates kids. She told Yuri that her parents disowned her for getting divorced even though her ex-husband was cruel to her. Again, lie. She’s still close to her family, we even go to their place for dinner once a month. She told Yugo that she doesn’t drink because her brother’s an alcoholic. More lies, she drinks all the time. I could go on, but I’m reaching the character limit

There was no reply for a few moments. No doubt the men were processing the information. Then, a response.

AP#2: So what are we going to do about this situation? I mean, I’m definitely not okay with being with a married woman unless she and her spouse are in an open relationship, and it’s clear that that’s NOT the case here. But I really want revenge on Kairi for putting us all in this situation

Zarc: Well, do you four know the Crystal Cod?

AP#3: Ooh, I know that place. Really fancy, from what I’ve heard, but I’ve never been able to afford to eat there.

AP#4: Yeah, I know it

AP#2: The one on Ryodori and Sujidori?

AP#1: I actually had to google it. The pics look really nice

Zarc: It’s Kairi’s favorite restaurant. If I tell her I made reservations there, she’ll drop everything to get ready to go eat there. I’m thinking we surprise her. I’m friends with the owner, I can get us a table for 6, and I’ll tell her I’ll meet her there after I get off from work. Then, the five of us wait for her at the table, and when she arrives and the hostess brings her to the table to be seated, she’ll see all of us, and she won’t be able to deny her affair.

AP#2: Ooh, I like it! And the best part is, she won’t be able to show her face there again after her affair is publicly exposed!

AP#4: Perfect!

AP#3: Let’s do it!

AP#1: I’m not normally the kind of person who enjoys humiliating people, especially in public, or getting revenge. But I think I can definitely make an exception this time!Zarc: Excellent. I’ll text you the reservation time and date when I make it. Until then, try to act as though you don’t know anything, so that Kairi doesn’t catch on.

[casspurrjoybell-17]

Hart and Hunter - Chapter 17 - Part 2

*Warning Adult Content*

Dane Hunter

Rian Halloran waits until Ian and Sam have left before calling in our gruesome find. 

Soon, police and other emergency personnel swarm over the scene and Halloran joins the fray. 

Julian and I retreat to a safe distance, buy ourselves a couple of coffees at the nearby café and find an out-of-the-way spot to observe. 

A great deal of time is spent ensuring the tunnels are safe to enter before anyone enters them and I smile as I remember I'm no longer bound by red tape.

Eventually, someone declares the tunnels safe and a team of police and paramedics enter.

Sometime later, the paramedics emerge carrying a long, lumpy shape in a body bag. 

Chief Laura Coleridge arrives in the meantime and after speaking with Halloran, joins Julian and I where we wait at the borders of the scene.

"Alright, Hunter. How do you explain this one?" she asks, one grey, hawk-like brow lifting at a sharp angle.

"Man is cremated... man's body found." 

"I dunno, Chief," I say, which is true enough.

"Maybe his body never made it to the crematorium... maybe his widow buried a bag of wood ash instead." 

"Purly and Sons is a reputable funeral home," Coleridge says.

In a softer voice, she adds...

"I know first-hand. They took care of my Mom's service some years ago." 

I chew my lip, unsure what to say.

Coleridge would never have revealed something so personal when we worked together.

I don't want to seem insensitive and yet she must know that a single, personal anecdote does not a valid alibi make. 

Before I can arrange my thoughts into a coherent sentence, Julian beats me to the punch. 

"You're still gonna question them, though, right?" he asks.

"And Mrs. Lagrange?" 

Coleridge gives him a sharp-edged smile.

"What exactly am I paying you for, Mr. Hart?" she asks.

"Not to hang around crime scenes drinking coffee, I think." 

Julian sips his latte before answering.

"Well, this case might be a little more hazardous than we initially thought," he says, casually drawing attention to his cast. 

Coleridge glances over her shoulder at Halloran, who stands in the midst of things.

His arm in a sling now, though his shoulder hadn't seemed to bother him in the caves. 

"So I see," she says.

"Alright. Double your rate, if you want. I'll get it approved. Just don't let me down." 

She wanders off to speak with Halloran and Julian shoots me a wink.

"See?" he says.

"I always knew we'd make a good team." 

I try and fail to muster a smile and his levity fades. 

"You think there's really a second 'skin-changer?'" he asks quietly. 

"We should assume there is," I say.

"And 'changer' or not, someone got a body out of the morgue and destroyed it before anyone noticed something amiss." 

He sighs.

"Yeah but from what Ian said, it could be anyone and we wouldn't know." 

"Not anyone," I correct.

"It's got to be someone with the proper credentials... someone who could fix paperwork and get a body released. That narrows the field considerably." 

He scans the busy scene before us and lifts his brows.

Any one of the dozen or so people here could enter a morgue without raising suspicion and suddenly all of them seem newly suspicious. 

After a moment, Julian tugs at my arm.

"Come on. Let's get out of here."

He turns away and heads for the car and after a moment's hesitation, I follow. 

He's unusually quiet on the ride home.

I fight the urge to ask if he's okay but as I pull up and park before our home, I can't hold back any longer. 

"Everything all right?" 

Rather than his usual quick reply or casual brush off, he doesn't answer and stares out the window in silence for so long I'm not sure he heard me.

"Julian?" 

He sighs and turns to look at me. 

"I don't know what the hell is going on, Dane. One day, I'm just a dude with a werewolf boyfriend... then I'm Fae. Now I'm 'Fae royalty' or whatever and descended from a Wolf-slayer." 

"You're not your ancestors," I say, though my dad might disagree.

"You're you." 

He shakes his head.

"I just keep thinking about the Wolves that lived here, before. Who were they? How would they feel about us, about me, forming a Pack here with you?" 

I consider how to answer him but he speaks again before I can get my words in order. 

"I keep thinking about the skin-changer, too... the one that might still be out there... and whoever its victim might be. You're right, Dane... we can't change what happened in the past but we can do our best in the present. And whatever 'gift' this land has to offer, I think you need to take it... take the Alpha here and be the strongest Wolf you can be. We need to find that 'changer' figure out how it's all connected to Rhiannon and stop stuff like this from happening here again." 

I digest his words for a moment before answering. 

"We still need to wait for the full moon," I say.

"But there's plenty we can do in the meantime. Interview the shop-owners and Lagrange's family. The funeral home people, too. I'll also need a second Wolf here, besides Ingrid." 

"Who?" he asks. 

I think for a moment.

There's my Mom and Dad and six other siblings to choose from but I know who I want at my side for this... someone who can help us with the case, too. 

"I have just the Wolf in mind," I say.

[arlana-likes-to-write]

Lightning Bug - Chapter 7

Previous Chapter // Master List 

Warning: religious trauma, mention of an exorcism, reader needs a hug 

Word Count: 2.5 

Kate groaned as America climbed over the couch and kicked her. “Sorry,” she said, getting comfortable under the throw blanket. 

“You could sit on the couch like a normal person,” America smiled at the archer. 

“I’m not a normal person.” The teen said. Kate rolled her eyes. 

“Don’t I know it.” Yelena sat down next to Kate with a bowl of caramel popcorn. The Black said it was the perfect movie snack, a little sweet and salty. It was movie night and all the Young Avengers as Tony called them gathered (the ones that were in the tower) on Peter’s floor. The Young Avengers plus Ned and Mj but they were at the tower so much no one batted an eye when they were walking the hall. 

“What are we feeling like?” Ned asked, flipping through the various streaming services. 

“Action,” MJ suggested, unwrapping a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and threw it in that air, catching it in her mouth. The Black Widow groaned. 

“We see enough action as is.” It was true. Besides whenever they did watch an action movie, the Avengers found themself critiquing the fight scenes instead of watching it for the plot. 

“Musical?” Peter suggested. America shook her head. 

“We just watched Hairspray.” Kate sighed, throwing her head back. 

“Horror,” her friends looked at one another and no one objected. “Put on The Conjuring.” Ned nodded, queuing up the movie. 

“Wait!” America yelled. The sudden sound caused Ned to jump and drop the remote. It landed on the ground with a crash. The back opened and the batteries scattered to the ground. “Opps. Sorry Ned.”

“It’s no biggie. Just gave me a small heart attack.” He and Peter began to look for the batteries. 

“Why the sudden outburst, Lil Liberty,” America rolled her eyes at the nickname. 

“Should we invite Y/n?” She asked. The mention of the newest addition to the tower made everyone freeze. 

“Mr. Stark said she had a rough day.” Peter said. She had a bad day because of Stark, Kate thought. But she did seem in a better mood at dinner. “Do you think she’d want to join us?” The archer shrugged. 

“Can’t hurt to ask,” Kate stood up. “I’ll go ask.” She shoved some popcorn in her mouth before heading off to her floor. The worst that could happen was she said no. She felt horrible for the teen today. When Natasha came back telling everyone she ran away, Kate felt her stomach drop. It was like she was on a rollercoaster, going up and down and up and down. Even FRIDAY didn’t even know where she went so they were required to find her the old fashion way, search known places she would likely visit. In the end, Kate was glad she was home. 

*

You were placing the few books you owned on the bookshelf you and Tony built. To anyone that walked into your room, it looked like a normal bookshelf. But the bookshelf had FRIDAY’s interface built into it which was connected to an app on your phone. It could keep track of what books you had to prevent double buying and it kept the progress of each book you were reading. “Kate Bishop is at your door,” The AI said. 

“Thank you, FRIDAY.” You said, putting on your gloves and walking to the door. “Hi,” you greeted as you opened the door. 

“Hey, how are you?” She asked. 

“Pretty good actually.” You answered honestly. Kate smiled. 

“Good, a bunch of us are watching a movie and we are wondering if you want to join us?” Your eyes went wide. 

“You want me to join you guys,” she nodded. “Why?” The question seemed to startle the brunette in front of you. 

“Because you are our friend and friends invite friends to hang out.” Oh. That made sense. “So, do you want to hang out?” You nodded with a smile. 

“Yeah, I’d love to.” You stepped out of your room and closed the door behind you. “Who's going to be there?” You asked, following Kate to the elevator.

“It’s on Peter’s floor,” you haven’t seen the excited teen since that night you ran into him. “So it’s him, his girlfriend, MJ, and his friend, Ned.” You nodded, if they were anything like Peter it was going to be a long night. “Then me, Yelena, and America.”

“Cool.” You said, rubbing your hands on your shorts. You were a little nervous, a little excited. It was a weird feeling running through you. The metal doors opened and Kate stepped onto Peter’s floor. 

“MJ, Ned met Y/n, Y/n met the other people that aren’t Avengers but are here all the time.” You gave them a small wave. MJ rolled her eyes at Kate’s jab.

“Your life would be colorless without me in it.” You smiled, sitting down in the empty space between Kate and America. 

“Hi again Peter.” He seemed surprise that you remembered him. He waved. 

“Do you want some popcorn?” Yelena asked, passing a bowl to you. You looked into the bowl. 

“What is that?” You’ve had popcorn before. At special events at Lucia’s store, she had a popcorn machine. This wasn’t popcorn. 

“It’s caramel popcorn,” the Russian said. “Instead of butter, they use caramel.” Oh. You’ve had caramel, sometimes Annie would drizzle it on your hot chocolate. You picked up a piece and ate it. It was delicious. 

“That’s really good.” You said, taking a few more pieces. 

“Have you had a Reese’s?” MJ asked you. You shook your head. She tossed you an unopened candy. Chocolate and peanut butter. “You aren’t allergic, are you?”

“No..” You said slowly. 

“That did not sound convincing,” Ned laughed. You smiled, opening the candy. You weren’t allergic to peanut butter. A peanut butter sandwich was a staple in your childhood, it was a food you lived on. 

“This is my favorite,” MJ tossed you another one. 

“Try this.” Peter handed you a red candy. Licorice, it read. 

“If you like this I’ll be amazed.” America said. You opened the candy and smelt it. It was sweet. You took a tentative bite and your face scrunched up at your distaste of it. The group laughed. 

“That’s not good,” You swallowed the piece in your mouth and Yelena handed you a bottle of water. 

“Enough with the sweets or she’s going to be sick.” Yelena said. “Let’s start the movie.”

“We are watching a horror film,” America whispered to you. “Is that okay?” You nodded as Ned pressed play. Horror wasn’t a genre you gravitated towards but you’ve read your fair share of horror novels. Stephen King. Shirley Jackson. Your favorite was The Shining. 

The movie began to play. The ominous music filled the quiet floor. The couples around you began to cuddle up with each other. You didn’t miss the way Ned gagged. You could count the number of movies you’ve seen on one hand. Movies were available at Lucia’s bookstore and the shelters you visited but movies weren’t your thing. “See always trust a dog.” Yelena mumbled. You chuckled. It was different from watching a story play out on screen then in your head. You didn’t dislike it, it was just different. The movie was scary as it followed a married couple trying to help a big family with a paranormal problem. You enjoyed. You made a mental night to check the horror books the tower had. The genre was interesting. 

But it took a turn. Ed had to perform an exorcism on the mother to rid the demon that possessed her. You kept your eyes glued to the screen as the familiar Latin phrases were chanted in the room. You dug your fingers into your palm to keep you grounded, to stay in the room. It was so hard to keep your mind on the movie and not when your parents dragged you to the church. They forced you on your knees as the Latin phrases were screamed at you. Excorizamute, omnis immundus … omins legio diabolic  … Humilione sub potent…

“That was an actual scary horror movie.” Ned said once the credits started rolling. 

“That clapping bit was freaky!” Peter said. You agreed that part made you jump. 

“There are a few more movies we can watch the second one.” Kate said. “Did you like it?” She asked you. You nodded. 

“It was good. A little inaccurate.” You added. 

“Isn’t it based on a true story?” MJ questioned. You shrugged, playing with a string from the blanket America was using. 

“What was not accurate about it?” America asked. You didn’t answer right away. You should have just kept your mouth shut. 

“Exorcisms,” you said. “They usually happen at a holy place like a church not a house.” You sighed. “They are a last resort. Most people start with medication if no improvement is made then a priest is brought in.” You explained. The group was silent. 

“How do you know that?” Yelena asked slowly like she was afraid to know the answer. 

“My parents were really religious,” you kept the truth locked deep inside you. “Let’s start the second movie.” You said desperately trying to get the attention off of you. Ned looked around the group, no one said anything. He took the silence as confirmation to start the second film. You sat back with your arms crossed. You caught America sending you a smile. You forced a smile back. 

*

“That was weird, right?” Kate asked as she pulled back the covers of the bed. Yelena stepped out of the bathroom, brushing her hair. Kate tapped the spot in front of her and the Black Widow sat down in front of her girlfriend, her back to Kate’s front. The archer took the brush and began to brush the blonde hair. It was a red flag when the young girl began to talk about exorcisms like she’s had first hand experience on the matter. Yelena sighed, enjoying the feeling of Kate’s hands braiding her hair. 

“It was worrying,” Yelena finally said. “I’ll talk to Natasha about it tomorrow,” Yelena heard Kate sigh. “What is it, dorogoy?” The Russian asked, turning to face her. 

“I just worry about her. It seems everyday we learn something more heartbreaking.” Kate gently pushed on Yelena’s shoulder for her to look forward. 

“We’ll keep her safe,” Yelena said. “She’s not alone anymore.” The Russian felt Kate’s lips press a soft kiss on her shoulder. Yelena knew they couldn’t keep her safe from her mind. 

*

Yelena woke up early. She untangled herself from Kate and left her room. She found her sister on the couch, typing at her laptop. “Are you not going for a run?” Yelena asked, as she sat down next to her. Natasha shook her head. 

“I have to get this done for Maria.” She answered, not taking her eyes away from the screen. 

“So do you have time to talk?” Natasha immediately closed her laptop and gave Yelena her full attention. The blonde was grateful for this time with her sister. For years the two Russian sisters were separated but now they were back together. She knew her life could be incredibly different. 

“What’s going on?” Yelena looked toward Y/n’s door. 

“What do you know about her parents?” She asked. Natasha looked at her sister, trying to decode the real reason she asked. 

“Not much,” The redhead answered. “We found an article that may have been about her family.” Yelena raised her eyebrows. 

“May have?” She questioned. 

“FRIDAY found no record of her existing, not even a birth certificate. The article said a fire killed them and it appears that she may have been in the house but survived.” Natasha explained. “Her father was a priest, a popular one. What is this about?”

“It was movie night and we watched The Conjuring. At the end of the movie there was an exorcism. She said she enjoyed the movie but said the exorcism part was not accurate,” she watched the realization wash over her sister. It was haunting. Her voice was so clear and so unlike any other time she’s spoken. “Siestra, the way she talked about it made it seem like she’s been so close to one.” Natasha didn’t say anything as she let what Yelena said sit with her. 

“I’ll talk to her,” the older Black Widow stood up. “Her parents are dead, they can’t hurt her anymore.” Yelena wasn’t so sure about that. The blonde grabbed her sister’s arm, stopping her. 

“We all know that death doesn’t erase the pain.” Yelena was referring to the man behind the Red Room. He was dead. The Red Room fell from the sky. It was over, done, and young girls were safe. But the memories were still there. Natasha grabbed her hand. 

“You are right. But death is finite and the pain can begin to heal.”

*

You were startled to see Natasha when you opened your door. “Hi.” You said. She gave you a smile. 

“Where are you off to this morning?” She asked. 

“Oh I was going to go see Annie. I barely said two words to her yesterday.” You told the Black Widow. “Is that okay?” You added. You were going to tell someone just so they knew you didn’t run away. 

“Of course it is. Can we talk? It won’t take long.” You nodded, stepping out of the way so she could enter your room. You kept the door open and sat at the edge of the bed. “Are you okay?” Natasha asked, sitting down next to you. You looked at the red head. 

“I’m fine.” You said. She didn’t say anything waiting for you to continue. You were fine. It was the truth. Besides.. “Is this about last night?” You asked. You shouldn’t have said anything but your mind was scattered therefore you didn’t have time to process the consequences of what you were saying. You just spoke. 

“Yelena said you said something that worried her.” You sighed. “You can talk about your parents if you need to.” 

“They died in a fire,” you told her. “What more needs to be said?” You asked. 

“Just because someone that hurt you is dead doesn't erase the pain they caused.” Your heart began to pound. The organ was beating against your ribs. Thud. Thud. Thud. 

“I don’t think I’m ready to tell you about them,” you answered honestly. To tell them about your parents and your brother would mean you would need to tell them what you are, what you are capable of. You looked at Natasha and you weren’t surprised to see a smile. 

“When are you ready we’ll be here to listen,” she stood up. “Tell Annie we all say hi.” 

“I will.” She left your room. You fell on your back staring up at the ceiling. You let the beating of your heart settle down. You didn’t know how to talk about your parents. Wasn’t the point of a mom and dad to love their child? To keep them safe. To protect them. They didn’t do that for you. You wished they did, your life would be so different if they just loved you.

[sergeantbuckybarnes]

need to know // tom hiddleston

Summary: You and Tom take the Vanity Fair’s lie detector.

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Word count: 1k

Warnings: none. just fluff

A/N: As always, please remember English is not my first language. Also, thanks to @amandalove​ for proofreading this! 💙

Reader’s in an actress in this and she plays Amora “The Enchantress” in the Marvel movies. Also, she and Tom are dating.

main masterlist

“So… (Y/N), Tom. We brought you here today to take a lie detector test. One of you will be hooked up to the machine while the other asks questions, and then you’ll switch. Who wants to be in the hot seat first?”

You and your boyfriend shared a look, both wearing a nervous smile on your face. “I’ll go first.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

While you get plugged into the machine, Tom switched seats. Now he was sitting across from you. Folder in his hand.

“I feel like my heart is pounding in my chest.”

“Is it true that you feel your heart pounding in your chest?”

“Yeah,” you laughed.

“Is your real name (Y/N) (Y/L/N)?”

“Yes.”

“Were you born in (C/Y/B)?”

“Yes.”

“Are you ready to take this lie detector test?”

“I think so.”

“Okay, let’s get started.”

“Growing up, did you always want to be an actor?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Did you read the comics to get ready for the movies?”

“No,” you admitted.

Tom looked at Barry, the polygraph examiner. “True.”

You nervously laughed. “I mean... There are a lot of them. So no.”

“Is there another role you’d like to play?”

You thought about it. “Maybe the Black Widow… She’s a badass.”

“Amora is a badass too.”

You smiled. “You think so?” You didn’t really have to ask, your boyfriend had always said how your character was one of his favorites, even before you started dating.

“You know I do.”

“Are you happy with our relationship right now?”

“Of course!” you said immediately. “What kind of question is that?” Tom gave you a warm smile. God, you were really deep in love with this man.

“True.”

“Have you ever complained about me to your friends?”

“No.”

“Lie.”

Tom gave you a look, waiting for an explanation. “Maybe I have done it at some point, I don’t know. But I can’t recall when and why it was.”

“True.”

“Okay, I’ll take that.”

You saw him grinning at the next question. He averted his gaze from the paper, then looked at you. “I really wanna know the answer to this one.”

“So, in the first Avengers movie, Amora and Steve Rogers had this scene…” Oh gosh, you already knew where this question was leading to. “She enchanted him and kissed him. Were you excited when you found out you were gonna kiss Chris Evans?”

“Oh my god!” You were sweating. “I mean… I didn’t think much of it,” you replied honestly. You had been in the industry for a long time, and you had to kiss a lot of your co-stars. So Chris was just another one on the list.

“Would you say it was a good kiss?”

“I hate you,” you murmured.

“Lie.”

You both laughed.

“Alright… You and I were cast around the same time,” you nodded, “Do you remember your first impression of me?”

You narrowed your eyes. “Yeah…?”

“What was it?”

“You were a cool guy. You play the spoons, you have a nice accent.” He laughed, embarrassed, covering his face with his hands.

“Did you lie at some point during this lie detector test and we didn’t catch you?”

“No.”

“She’s telling the truth.”

.

..

...

“Tom, to calibrate the machine, I’m gonna ask you some straightforward questions and please answer honestly.”

“Is your name Thomas Hiddleston?”

“Yes.”

“Were you born in England?”

“Yes.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, let’s get started.”

“You were born on February 9, right?”

“Yes.”

“So you are an Aquarius,” he nodded. “Do you believe our signs are compatible?”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever looked up the signs of your celebrity crushes to see if you were compatible?”

“No.”

You looked at Barry. “True.”

“You don’t trust me?” he said in a faked offense.

“Just wanted to be sure.”

“Oh this one.” You averted your gaze from the paper to look at your boyfriend, who was now wearing a nervous expression. “During our relationship, did you ever think about going back to one of your exes?”

Tom’s nervous expression turned into a shocking one. “What kind of question is that?”

You shrugged. “Just answer.”

“No. I did not.”

“He’s telling the truth,” Barry assured.

“Oh, thank god.”

“Did you have any doubt?”

“I don’t know. I was just not expecting that question.”

“Me neither. Your questions were easier!”

“Do you consider any of my friends attractive?”

“Yeah.”

“True.”

“That’s fair. I have very beautiful friends.”

“You’re still my number one, though.”

“Does your family like me?”

“They love you.”

“He’s telling the truth”

“So… you play Loki and he has some cool powers. If you had superpowers, which power would you want to have?”

“Teleportation.”

“Are you a lot like your character Loki?”

“No,” he laughed.

Barry made a questionable face. “I am not. Firstly, I’m not a God-”

“A lot of people would beg to differ on that.”

“Oh gosh…” he laughed and threw his head back.

“Have you ever hated a movie or a show I starred in?”

“No.”

You looked at Barry. “He’s telling the truth.”

You laughed when you saw the next question. “Oh, I really wanna know this one. You have had quite a few on-screen love interests, am I your favorite?”

“Yes.”

“True.”

“Good. If you would have lied, we would have had a problem.”

“I would never lie to you.”

You looked at the machine guy. “Seriously?” The incredulously exaggerated voice of your boyfriend made you laugh.

“He’s telling the truth.”

“Okay, did you lie at some point during this lie detector test and we didn’t catch you?”

“No.”

“True.”

.

..

...

“Well, that was fun.”

Your boyfriend glanced at you. “You still have some questions to answer.”

You frowned. “Did you enjoy that kiss with Evans?”

“Oh my god. What are you? 5 years old?”

“It’s an easy answer, darling.”

You rolled your eyes. “Alright. Yes. Are you happy now? It was a good kiss.” You looked at your boyfriend, a shocking fake-hurt expression on his face.

“I’m hurt,” he said with a hand over his heart.

“You wanted an answer. Deal with it.” Tom just laughed and pulled you into his chest. You smiled, taking in his scent.

“I love you,” you murmured.

“I love you too.”

[mostlybarnes]

It’s My Party, You’re Not Invited (Part Two)

Summary: The morning after Bucky threw a party, you confront him but it doesn’t go according to plan.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Warnings: more angst, arguing, Bucky is an asshole, language, not proof read, mistakes are my own!

Words: 1,567

Author’s Notes: Wow. I absolutely can not believe the support on part one! I’m so happy you guys liked it, and of course I’m always happy to give people what they want and since so many of you asked for part two, here it is! Really hope you won’t be disappointed, please let me know what you think. And don’t worry, there WILL be a part three. This isn’t the end!!

As you had predicted, you got no sleep. Your night consisted of you tossing and turning and occasionally groaning loudly into your pillow.

Your pillow was your closest friend, it captured your falling tears, and provided you with comfort when you couldn’t rest. The morning sun was pouring through your parted drapes, a new day was beginning and you knew you definitely wouldn’t be getting any sleep now.

Lazily, you threw the blankets off of you and sat on the edge of your bed, your palms on either side of you, digging into the mattress. Bucky not inviting you to his party shouldn’t have bothered you, but for some reason, it did. It was the reason you got no sleep, and you were annoyed by how Nat and your friends treated you last night. They were laughing and you couldn’t help but feel like they were laughing at you, even if they weren’t. Today would be the day you would confront Bucky, no matter what. But first, you needed a hot shower to try and wash away the tension that was rolling off your shoulders.

The shower itself would have taken a good ten minutes on a good day, but you spent almost an hour on the shower floor with your knees tucked under your chin and fresh tears disappearing under the shower head. Pathetic, you told yourself. Crying over something that wasn’t even your fault. How dare he treat you this way and make you feel broken. Speak of the devil, through the sounds of your cries and the water cascading down around you, your thoughts snapped back to reality when you heard his laugh from the hallway again.

Enough was enough with his games, you needed to know why you didn’t get an invite, it was just a simple little question.

Standing up off the shower floor with shaky legs, you turned off the shower and stepped out to grab the towel off the rail and pat yourself dry. In your haste to get dressed, your clothes were mismatched and your sweater was turned inside out. You didn’t care about that though, you needed to speak with Bucky. You needed answers.

You left your room and followed the sounds of the chatter coming from the common room. Your feet quickly carried you there, stopping in the doorway and noticing the room was completely trashed from last night’s shenanigans.

Broken glass was scattered over the marble floors, there were literally hundreds of solo cups all over the tables, there was even a broken window.

What the hell happened here? You wondered, stepping into the room, being careful not to tread on glass.

“Watch your feet!” Bucky warned, holding his hands up to halt your footsteps. “There’s glass everywhere.”

“No shit.” You scoffed, folding your arms across your chest and rolling your eyes. You heard him click his tongue as he worked on sweeping up the glass. “I heard you had a party?”

“Uh yeah, just some close friends and stuff.” He shrugged, and ouch if that didn’t fucking hurt.

“Really? I didn’t know you were– were close friends with people from…. statistics?” Anger was rushing through your veins, his nonchalant attitude wasn’t making this any easier and neither was the lack of sleep. You wondered what had happened to the sweet guy you knew. The shy Bucky who couldn’t even make himself a sandwich because he was afraid of being mocked by the other avengers. Or the Bucky that loved to sip herbal tea at 3 in the morning. Where did that Bucky go? Who is this Bucky? It was like a switch flipped and he changed overnight.

“What is this about, Y/N? You walk in here with some kind of an attitude problem and I’m tired, it’s early and I’m not in the mood.” He snapped and that was it for you. If he was tired, you were something else.

You stepped into the room regardless of the broken glass still all over the floor, not caring if any shards cut your feet as you stand toe to toe with Bucky. You shove him, but not surprised when he doesn’t budge.

“Where was my invite? What did I do to you to make you forget about me? It shouldn’t even be a big deal but–”

“Then stop making it a big deal! Is that what this is really about huh? It was my party and I invited the people I wanted to be there!”

“Wha– but you invited everyone but me!” You cried, your voice breaking at the end.

“Then maybe that tells you something.” He offers no sympathy to your state of distress. At least not to your face, it’s when you turn your back and he hears you cry harder does his own heart break. He didn’t mean for this to happen and the Black Widow’s footsteps behind him is about to remind him of his mistakes.

“You’ve really messed this up Barnes. I’m not sure Y/N will ever forgive you.” Bucky turns to look at Nat. Guilt and anger written all over his face.

“You don’t think I know that?! I did it to protect Y/N!”

“Well, what are you gonna do about it?”

“I don’t know.”

////

The day away from the compound was exactly what you needed. The air was refreshing and cold, biting against your skin. It helped to clear your thoughts that were running in circles since you talked to Bucky. You still didn’t have a clear answer as to why he chose not to invite you, and that bothered you more than anything, but what he did say replayed in your mind. You suppose he had a point, it was his party and up to him who he chose to invite but it confused you because you thought you were on good terms with Bucky. Did you get it wrong? Where did it all go wrong?

Your fingers wrapped around the mug as you sat in the corner of the quiet coffee shop with a friend as they watched you watch the world go by.

“Okay, what’s going on?” They asked, blowing into the hot liquid before taking a quick sip.

A deep sigh fell from between your lips. Your body and mind felt exhausted, it was hard to concentrate.

“I don’t even know. I feel like I’m overreacting.” You shrugged, licking your lips and looking into your coffee as if seeking the answers to your unanswered questions.

“Overreacting? Did something happen on the mission you just got back from?”

“No, no. Something that happened after that. You know Bucky, right?”

“Bucky Barnes?” They asked with a raised eyebrow. You nodded and swallowed the lump in your throat. “What about him?”

“I just– I– would you be honest with me and tell me if I’m overreacting?” You bit your lip nervously and your friend nodded.

“Of course! Tell me everything.”

True to their word, your friend sat and listened to every single word without interruptions or sassy remarks. They didn’t stop to ask you questions, and they didn’t make you feel pathetic like you felt. Talking about it out loud made you feel stupid, maybe it was stupid to get angry over something so small. That maybe deep down Bucky had a good reason not to invite you. Maybe you just weren’t close to him after all.

“I’m so stupid, aren’t I?” You shrugged, the wooden table becoming more of an interest.

“You’re not stupid. He’s stupid but I think he likes you.” Your head snapped up and so did your eyebrows.

“You’re insane! Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“Of course I did!” They defended with a smirk, “and here’s what we’re gonna try.”

///

Your friend’s idea was so stupid and this dress was far too tight for your liking. You felt like your your body was spilling out at the seams, a complete opposite to what you were used to wearing: comfortable clothing or pajamas.

Walking in heels was another problem for you. Any second now, you were sure you were gonna have to call Dr Cho because you had somehow broken your neck. However, after a few laps around your room, you felt confident enough to walk a few blocks in them. Grabbing a purse and a jacket from your closet, you staggered out of your room and into Bucky’s chest.

“Whoa there, you alright?” He asked, pushing you away from him. He eyed you up and down, making you feel naked under his gaze.

“Why wouldn’t I be? And what are you doing here? Outside my door?” You folded your arms across your chest, big mistake as it pushed your cleavage together and with the height difference, Bucky had a pretty good view. He was a gentleman though and kept (or tried) to keep his eyes glued to your face.

“I came to apologize. Where are you going dressed like that?”

“It’s a bit late for an apology. I got your message loud and clear from this morning.” You scoffed. “And I’m going out with my real friends, not that it’s any of your damn business.”

“A party?” He wondered, his jaw clenching at the thought of you dancing with other people that weren’t him.

“Yes, and you’re not invited.” You smirked, turning on your heels and walking towards the waiting elevator, ignoring his calls of your name.

Bucky watched as the metal doors closed, his hands tugged his hair so hard he was afraid he would rip it out. He’s fucked up, Natasha was right. There was no way of fixing this.

“Fuck!” He yelled, kicking a hole in the wall next to your door.

Taglist [50/50]: @w-wolfhxrd @kennedywxlsh @team-marvel13 @rosiahills22 @fallenoutofrose @sourpatchspinster @hazeljean2 @divergent-llamas-03 @jasminweasley @gearhead66 @loudbluepancake @pinkybee926 @furiouscopshepherduniversity @moonlacebeam @chipster-21 @rottenstyx @mundaytuesday @legacies-roserussell @gallifreyansass @supernaturalcat7 @osterfieldshollandgirl @daeguboysmykt @serendipityharry @shittyfuckinweeb @wanniiieeee @hopplessdreamer @wordacadabra @josis-teacup @barneschoco @the-nonsenseblog @angywritesstuff @cherrytop02 @spn-obession @dottirose @veroxloki @wildeausten @directorofmylife @unholyhazza @bababasti @mrslilyrogers-ficrecs @study-aesthetics01 @sophieisinlove @merlin-288 @cable-kenobi @beananacake @johnmurphys-sass @slytherdoravenger @thesnoweclipse @townwitchbadbitch @sxtansqueen

[midgardianweasley]

Your grace! Bless us with a Natasha x reader where the team is invited to a wedding by a close friend of Tony’s. Then when the bridal bouquet is thrown, the bride throws it too hard where reader accidentally catches it and the team is just going “Oooooh!” And reader is like “I’m not even in a relationship!” But the team know in secret that reader and Natasha have feelings for each other but are too dumb to know. Just funniness and fluff! 🥰😍 (Your writing is brilliant btw!)

I loved this request!! I hope i did it justice <3

it’s a wedding thing

Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader

^idk Nat, you tell me^

Summary: When the Avengers get invited to a close friend of Tony's wedding, what hidden feelings will surface? What relationships will bloom? Who will be the next bride?

Warnings: none!

word count: 4.1k

Message/ask if you want to be added to the taglist!

requests are open loves

“Alright gang, this one’s for all of us, we all listening?”

A cluster of ‘yes’ ‘go on’ ‘come on Tony’ filled the room, everyone eager to hear what the fancy envelope held inside. It was amusing to watch Tony take advantage of everyone’s excitement, slowly peeling the envelope, gasping when he pulled the letter out of the casing slightly, not letting anyone else see what was written on it.

You, Natasha and Wanda all seemed to share a look of amusement at the dramatics and the almost visible frustration coming off of everyone. It was like watching children try to wait patiently for sweets in a shop, almost completely off of their seats. It wasn’t until Tony noticed that Pepper was giving him a warning look, that he, begrudgingly, hurried up and announced what was written on the letter.

“Wow. Caleb’s getting married.” He spoke, eyebrows raised in surprise. “And he’s invited the team.”

“Well, I’m not going.” A voice spoke from the corner of the room, clearly un-amused by what was currently going on.

“Luckily for you, I don’t see ‘reindeer games’ anywhere on the invitation. So you’re off the hook.” He replied with a tight lipped smile, Thor had been visiting recently to see Jane and pay the avengers a visit and wanted to bring Loki to meet her.

‘A pleasant trip’ Thor said.

‘A living hell’ Tony corrected.

It got a laugh out of the team though. Nat and I especially. We’d spent the last couple of nights in each other’s bedrooms, making a list about our favourite moments through the day where Tony and Loki clashed, making stupid insults towards the other. I think it’s safe to say that we went through multiple bags of popcorn over the nights, though you were both thankful it was there, it was the only thing muffling the laughter, if it hadn't, you’re almost certain the entire compound would have woken up at the sound of our laughter.

You nudged Natasha’s side gently, the bicker between the two men still continuing.

“Hey, Nat.” She turned and tilted her head questioningly.

“So we know how a physical fight between those two worked out. But, if they had to compete in a rap battle, who do you think would win?”

Her face immediately lit up, eyes sparkling which only enhanced their beauty, you could almost feel the cogs turning in her head, trying to go through every logical option.

“Well. Loki seems pretty well spoken, so vocabulary wise, I think he’d be strong. But Tony is sarcastic which can help with quick quips. But then again, Loki-”

“Hey lovebirds, Romanoff, Y/L/N” Tony clicked his fingers, earning himself a pair of eyerolls at the term he’d used. “Anything you wanna share with the team, or can we move on?”

“Actually-”

“Overridden. Moving on.”

You looked towards Natasha, snickering slightly at how blunt he’s being, Loki having found his way under his skin again. A part of you felt bad for the man, but that feeling is soon replaced by amusement. It was obvious Nat felt the same way, her sharing the same expression as you, although, you could hide yours much better. She had to physically put her hand over her mouth in the hopes the man wouldn’t notice her.

“So, the wedding is next week, a little short notice but when do we ever have enough notice, who’s in?”

Looking around the room, there were a handful of nods, each looking to see who else was going to go. You looked towards Nat again to see if she was planning on attending, only to find her already staring at you.

“So Y/L/N, up for a wedding?”

“It would be a nice change of pace. Are you going?”

“Only if you are” You blushed slightly at the response.

“Better get your nicest dress on Romanoff.” You winked, her turn to blush and focus back on what the rest of the group was saying.

“It’s probably easy if I list couples first on the RSVP and then the singles.” Tony took a glance around the table, mentally taking note of those who had shown signs of agreement. “So there’ll be Wanda and Vision, Legolas and his wife, Romanoff and Y/L/N, Thor and Jane-” You felt your face morph into one of confusion.

“Woah woah, Tony, back up, what did you say?”

“Thor and Jane, they’re-”

“Before that.”

“I’ve said this before Y/N, Legolas isn’t actually real. I meant Clint.”

“Very funny.” He held a proud smirk. “Romanoff and I aren’t a couple”

You wish.

“That’s not what Rogers said when he saw you both cuddling up on the sofa last night.” Before you had a chance to look in Steve’s direction, you could practically feel the daggers Nat was sending him, making his face cringe slightly and his back straighten.

“That’s what Rogers said, is it?” She spoke, tilting her head in question. You knew she was partly joking, but you’d still decided to intervene before anyone lost any limbs.

“My head fell onto her shoulder when I dozed off during our movie. It wasn’t ‘cuddling’ , thank you very much.” You laughed, internally wishing that Steve’s words were true.

“See? So cut it out.” Steve put his hands up in surrender, despite having a cheeky grin on his face.

“Okay okay. Fine!” The billionaire said, writing something on the envelope. “I’ll just put ‘couple pending’” He muttered

“Stark!”

__________________________

You and the girls had just come back from dress shopping, all three of you had spent the whole day in and out of different shops, hours in dressing rooms and your voices were almost completely gone with how often you were telling each other, ‘that looks stunning’ ‘that’s the one!’ and the most common one by the end of the trip; ‘please just pick a dress so we can go home and nap’. That one was from our very own black widow, her patience wore a little thin after 8 hours of staring at dresses.

You had gone through all the colours and styles while you were out, ranging from classy jumpsuits to figure hugging dresses that felt like a second skin. Wanda and Natasha had chosen their dresses and were eager to find you one, and what a mission that was.

“I promise you, we’re not going home until we find this dress, okay?”

“Wanda’s right. We’ll stay out until they all shut if we have to. But, let’s make that a last resort.” Natasha eyed you both warily.

You’d been walking around for hours now. Each dress you tried on had potential, but there was always something that didn’t sit right with you. It was either too baggy, too tight, the cut wasn’t appealing, the length wasn’t ideal, it was starting to feel hopeless. You’d even suggested just going in your pyjamas, but Wanda’s death glare had made it clear that wasn’t an option.

You and Natasha were both dragging your feet, Wanda still having a slight spring in her step as you walked into the final shop and picking up a couple of dresses before then going into the dressing room to try them on.

The first two were okay, but you weren’t a fan. Then there was the third one. The third one was a gorgeous Y/F/C dress that fell just past your knees, it had thin straps and the skirt was simple and loose so that when you spun around in it, you felt like a princess. You looked in the mirror and you adored the reflection, you still wanted the others opinions though, though you didn’t doubt that they’d feel the same way.

Pulling the curtain back and gaining their attention from where they were looking elsewhere, you smiled when you saw their reaction, more specifically, Natasha’s. Wanda was complimentary, walking up and feeling the fabric, gushing about how beautiful you looked, but you barely heard it, too focused on the redhead sitting in front of you, her eyes glazed over and her jaw almost on the floor, completely zoned out on you.

“This dress is it, Y/N, you have to get it! Nat? What do you think?” Her head shook, bringing herself back to reality and briefly meeting your eyes, only to quickly dart between You, Wanda and your dress in an attempt to compose herself.

“Yeah, I mean, wow, you look- wow.” Her hands flailed in your direction. You’d knocked the assassin speechless. Wanda rolled her eyes playfully at the interaction. She’d known about you and Nat’s feelings for each other for a month or two now, silently cursing the both of you when there was an opportunity to confess, yet never did. It was obvious to the rest of the team, why were neither of you picking up on it?

Keeping quiet, she ushered you back into the changing room, much to Natasha’s relief, both because she wanted to head back to the compound and she wasn’t sure how much longer she would’ve lasted seeing you standing there looking literally flawless. She always thought you looked amazing, but there was something about the way you looked in front of her just then that made her brain feel like a haze.

It was pretty safe to say,

You bought the dress.

Collapsing on your bed, dropping your bags to the side and letting out a loud sigh, you heard your door shut and someone fall into the chair by the window. You already knew who it was.

“I’m exhausted.” The woman groaned, rubbing her hands up and down her face to attempt to physically remove the tiredness from her body.

“Sorry for dragging you around for so long, I just-”

“Hey, no, don’t apologise for that. We all said we’d find the perfect dress, and it was worth the wait.” Heat rose to your cheeks at her words.

“You really think I looked good?”

Natasha could sense your underlying tone of doubt, unsure as to why you would doubt her opinion, she’d always been honest with you. Nonetheless, she heaved herself out of her seat and made her way to the end of the bed, kneeling down so that your now sat up figure could look down into her eyes, with her hands on each side of your face to focus you on her and her alone.

“I wouldn’t lie to you, okay? You looked incredible and I'm sure you’ll look even better at this wedding on Saturday, if that’s even possible.” You let out a small chuckle at her words as a smile made its way onto her face.

“You’ll be the prettiest one there.”

“Better not tell the Bride you said that, Nat.” She laughed, looking down for only a few seconds before looking at you again.

“We’ll make that our secret.” You nodded in silent agreement, grateful that she’d made you feel so reassured.

“Thank you, Tasha.”

“You’re more than welcome, sweetheart.” She replied.

You were so lost in her words, you hadn’t realised how close her face had gotten to yours, and how her eyes swapped between your eyes and your lips. You didn’t realise how she subconsciously had kept edging towards you, hands trembling a little with every inch closer she gets.

She wanted to kiss you. Every nerve in her body was almost electrified with the temptation to just move her lips over yours and become one. Her pulse raced, almost to prepare her for doing so. Which is why she wanted to kick herself with a pair of her highest heels when she uttered her next words.

“We should get some sleep.”

You broke out of your trance, jumping backwards slightly when noticing limited space between you both. You awkwardly coughed as she stood, heading back over to her chair to grab her bag and return to her room.

“Yeah, yeah of course. Big today, rest is probably a good idea.” You both nodded, she was already one foot out of the door when she gave you a small ‘goodnight’ and left, not waiting to hear you say it back.

Just like you hadn’t realised her actions early, you were oblivious to her hitting her head off of the wall in the corridor just outside of your room, wondering why she’d backed away. Where was Thor’s hammer when you needed to knock some sense into yourself? She thought before dragging herself back to her room where she would fall asleep, unable to get you out of her head.

_________________________

“Right! Headcount before we go in! And I want us all on our best behaviour Avengers, this is a wedding” Steve had completely lost you after ‘Headcount’. Not only are most of you fully grown adults, sorry Peter, but he seems to be oblivious to the fact that some of you were wearing high heels, and patience in high heels had an expiry date.

“Y’know, if he doesn’t let us in soon, I’m not afraid to threaten him with his own shield.” You heard a whisper just behind your ear, smirking at the comment.

“I’ll join you.” You answered, Bruce and Clint sharing a knowing look from afar when watching the two of you have your own quiet conversation, though short lived when they saw Natasha’s head move in their direction, their gaze coming to a halt so as to avoid any conflict with their teammate.

You guys could try to hide it all you want, but your entire team knows better than that, they just had to wait it out until you both finally admitted it to the other.

______________________

You and the Avenger’s were currently sitting at a guest table, now in the reception part of the evening. The ceremony was beautiful, the bride wore a crisp white ball gown with her makeup and hair done to perfection, the groom looking like a prince in his black tux and a look full of adoration towards his wife to be painted on his face.

Their looks weren’t the best part of it though. The clothes and the accessories were lovely, of course. But all you could focus on was the love shared between them as they shared their vows telling the other how they believed they were each other's soulmate, and that they promised to always be the other’s rock. You’d found yourself with tears in your eyes, barely able to appreciate the sight with how blurry your vision was now. They finally fell when they said their ‘I do’s’, feeling only happiness for the newlyweds.

Although marriage hadn’t been something you always thought about, you’d hoped that you would meet your special someone and settle down, retire from the missions, the battles, the superhero lifestyle and just be with your soulmate for the rest of your days.

Despite not being a couple, whenever you thought of the person you wanted to spend the rest of your time with, there was only one person that came to mind. And she stood right in front of you throughout the ceremony, comforting a sobbing demi-god while he was also trying to explain to Vision why he was in floods of tears.

Music filled the room, upbeat, but calm enough for the couples on the dancefloor to sway gently to the beat, soft lights occasionally shining on them as they danced, the bride and groom being one of them. You smiled gently at the sight, feeling dreadfully single with all of the love in the room, but grateful that you could see so many people look so content and in love with their significant other.

An elbow could suddenly be felt in your side, pulling you from your thoughts to instead be met with gorgeous green eyes and a bold red smirk.

“Penny for your thoughts?” She leaned in, curiosity clouding her mind.

“Nothing much up there really.” You glanced back at the dance floor quickly. “I’m just happy to see everyone so happy.”

Natasha followed your direction of where you were looking, an idea soon popped into her head. She was going to ask you to dance.

Her mouth opened to speak, but as if it was done on purpose, a ‘screech’ echoed in the ballroom, catching everyone’s attention, including taking yours away from hers.

“We’re taking a break from dancing for a minute folks, It’s time for the bride to throw the bouquet!” He announced, soon followed by shrieks and the sound of feet padding on the wooden floor, women all gathering in a small bunch, huddled together as if their lives depended on it as the men all returned to their seats, shaking their heads at the commotion.

Not really wanting to take part, you turned back around again.

“Sorry Nat, what were you-”

“Y/N!” Your head fell as you were interrupted by a very excited Maximoff.

“Y/N! C’mon! We need to do the bouquet toss!” She started to pull you up, refusing to listen to any excuse you could possibly conjure up to avoid having to take part.

Giving the team a desperate look, hoping someone will help you escape, you’re instead met with encouraging and amused faces, including Natasha’s a clear indication that not a single person was going to help you. Traitor’s.

With a half serious eye roll, you quickly grabbed your glass of champagne and kicked off your heels, heading towards the group of screaming women basically crawling on top of one another when the bride was barely up on the ‘stage’ yet. You let Wanda wander off into the group but remained towards the back, sipping from your glass and sending the occasional sneaky glare towards your table.

“You guys ready?” The bride yelled, only to be met with more screams and a faint chorus of ‘yes’ heard among it as they all threw their hands higher. Wanda saw you were just stood there, and subtly used her powers to raise your hand, earning loud laughs and cheers from the Avengers, taking great joy in the scene unfolding in front of them.

“Okay! Three...Two..”

You kept your arm up, pretending to be enthusiastic about the toss, when you realistically didn’t really expect much from these kinds of traditions. What you definitely hadn’t expected, was for your figure to stumble backwards as you suddenly felt petals and stems in your palm, a faint feeling of silk brushing against your thumb as your fingers wrapped around the item.

You almost spat out your champagne, eyes widening in shock as you looked to see the arrangement of flowers in your grip, looking up to see women both disheartened and elated at your catch. How the hell had you managed that? You were literally the farthest person away, and on your own! You must’ve been set up. Okay, a bit of a stretch, but still!

“WOOO, Y/L/N IS GETTING MARRIED!”

“WHO’S THE LUCKY SOMEONE Y/N?”

“Y/N CAUGHT THE FLOWERS, Y/N CAUGHT THE FLOWERS.”

The bride noticeably laughed at your friend’s cheers, she hadn’t meant to throw it that far back, her arm just kinda went full force, but seeing the reaction it caused, she didn’t regret it. She didn’t even regret it when she saw the look of embarrassment on your face, as it was soon replaced with a contagious beam as you walked towards them again, a very proud Wanda in tow,

“Guys! Guys! I’m not even in a relationship! I highly doubt i’m the next woman in this room to get married.” You joked

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure.” Sam laughed “Romanoff, you got an engagement ring handy?” He yelped as a peanut from the centre of the table was thrown at him, and of course with being a trained assassin, Nat had hit him right in the centre of his forehead, earning a dramatic noise of pain to leave his mouth.

These guys will be the death of you.

__________________

After some teasing, the room had filled once again with happy couples dancing, now including some you were very familiar with, one being a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist and his CEO wife, and another being an Asgardian with his Midgardian girlfriend, both gently moving side to side in time with the music.

Letting out a content sigh, you were met once again with the flowers, however, this time, they weren’t on the table, but were held by a gorgeous woman in a flawless navy dress.

“So, I know we aren’t a couple, but, would the future bride like to dance?” She asked, you let out a content sigh, pretending to think it over for a minute.

“Y’know what, I would, thank you for your kind offer.” You took the hand she’d held out for you and led you to the dance floor. While her hands went to your waist, gently tugging you closer, your arms went around her neck, hands interlocking behind her as you, like the others you’d admired all even, swayed.

You’re unsure when it happened, much like a time before, but your head had made its way onto your dance partner's shoulder, your body following suit as it left no room between the two of you, though you weren’t complaining. Neither was the fellow Avenger.

It was peaceful for a period of time, the only sound being the slow music and a quiet chatter of people across the floor. It wasn’t long before you heard the red head above you whisper in your ear once again.

“You really do look amazing tonight, Y/N.” You raised your head so it was directly opposite hers, sending her an appreciative gaze.

“That future fiance of yours is lucky.” She winked.

“Hilarious” You scoffed, fully aware of her humorous tone.

“I know, sometimes I amaze even myself with my jokes.”

“Well, it really is funny, because I honestly don’t see myself getting married anytime soon.” Nat’s eyebrows raised in what could almost be described as confusion.

“And why is that? Do you not want to get married?” Her hands started grazing up and down your waist, like she was comforting you, but really she was bracing herself for what was incoming.

“No, no it’s not that. I just..”

“Just?”

“I don’t think the person i’m interested in, is necessarily interested in me.” Her heart dropped. So you did have someone of interest. She pushed the sinking feeling to the side quickly so that she could respond.

“Right, and why is that?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen them make a move. I thought it’d be obvious. I think it has been to some others.” Your eyes wandered, lingering for longer than what was probably appropriate, on Natasha’s plump lips, wondering if you’d ever get to experience what it’d be like to feel them on yours.

This time, Natasha didn’t miss it. She would’ve blamed it on alcohol, saying that she must’ve just imagined it, but she had only consumed a few drops all evening, being too entranced by you didn’t leave much room for hydration. She hadn’t been more thankful, because it made a light bulb go off in her head as the pieces came together in her head of who you were referring to. She didn’t make a move the other night. It was obvious to the team. How could she have been so blind?

You didn’t see it coming, even when your chin was held in her grasp and you saw her face leaning in towards yours, the reality only hitting you when you finally felt what you’d been wanting to feel for the last months, right now. Your surroundings had just disappeared, the only thing that was running through your head, was the way her lips were moving against yours, and the way her lips tasted faintly of vanilla, and how she smelled like her floral perfume she wore for special occasions.

Whooping and cheering brought you both back from your bubble with just the two of you, your head falling just below her chin, her hand stroking your back as you could feel her chuckle bubbling where your head lay. Well, hid. Her arms had muffled their comments, but you had an idea of what they were, probably a mixture of ‘finally!’, ‘i knew it!’ and you’re almost certain you heard a ‘You owe me 20 bucks.’, that one making you shake your head.

Remaining in your hiding spot, that wasn’t very well hidden, but was keeping your bright red face to yourself, a pair of familiar lips lingered right beside your head.

“So, about that bouquet..”

You weren’t getting married, but by the end of the night, you definitely didn’t feel so dreadfully single as you had earlier.

taglist: @the-dumbass-that-throws-knives

[jeyramarie]

The recruit- Yelena Belova x Reader (Part 8)

summary: sometimes things are too good to be true

wc: 2,629

warning: blood, guns, angst, cursing 

a/n: omg!! two parts left, aaaah!! lmk if you like it, feedback is appreciated! if you wanna be tagged lmk and happy reading  🦋

part 1~ part 2~ part 3~ part 4~ part 5~ part 6~ part 7

The sun crept through the curtains, shining on Y/n’s face causing her to stir awake. She turned on her back and began to rub her eyes, opening them slowly to look at the crack ceiling. Her fingertips traced her lips softly as she remembered what happened the night before. They had finally kissed and they also finally realized the feelings that were involved. Feelings that have been in each other’s heart for quite some time but they were both scared to admit it. 

The y/h/c threw the covers off her body and stood up from the bed while stretching her arms up. She walked out of the room, trying to be quiet since Y/n didn’t want to wake Yelena up. The blonde was in the next room and is a light sleeper. The first thing Y/n did once she arrived at the kitchen was make coffee. It was extremely crucial, especially after the night before. 

After a few minutes, Y/n finally had her coffee in hand as she leaned against the kitchen counter while looking out a small window. The only thing roaming through her head was the feeling of Yelena’s lips on hers. The way she tasted, the way her hands felt soft on her face. All she wanted to do that second was go and cuddle with the blonde. Y/n was so lost in her thoughts that she never heard Yelena wake up nor saw her standing in the kitchen. 

“Morning.” The blonde said, making her partner jump in surprise. 

“Hi.” The y/h/c said nervously as she traced her finger around the rim of her mug. Silence fell upon them once more as Yelena prepared her own coffee mug. They both felt awkward, neither of them knew what to say. They didn’t know if they should talk about the kiss or not. Y/n moved to the dining table and sat down, staring out the window in question. 

“I think we should talk about it.” Yelena muttered, her accent sounding thick. 

“Talk about what?” 

“You know what.” Y/n looked up and leaned back on the chair as the blonde moved to sit in front of her. 

“I’m sorry for kissing you.” She whispered, tapping her fingers on the mug. 

“Don’t apologize… I liked it.” The blonde whispered back with a smile. 

“What’s gonna happen now?” The y/h/c asked looking with hopeful eyes. 

“I don’t know..” Yelena whispered as Y/n leaned forward with her elbows on the table, closer to her partner. 

“We can um… we can just wait and see where it goes… if you want.” The blonde nodded and smiled, pushing her chair back to move to the stove. 

Yelena made breakfast that day, for the first time in the whole mission. Y/n was surprised it was actually good which caused the blonde to be low key offended. 

“Why would you doubt my cooking skills?” She asked and drank from her juice. 

“Well because I've never seen you pick up a knife with the purpose of cooking, it’s always to kill.” Y/n laughed and popped a piece of fruit in her mouth as the blonde chuckled along. 

“I don’t hear any complaining.” Yelena mumbled with her mouth full as the y/h/c smiled. 

“No complaints, it’s very good.” She smiled widely, interlocking her fingers and placing them under her chin. Y/n looked at the blonde as she continued to eat. Yelena looked up to meet her partners y/e/c eyes, which were already staring. 

“We should um… probably think of what to do with Neculai.” The y/h/c whispered as the blonde nodded. 

“Do you have anything in mind?” Yelena asked, grabbing both plates and pushing her chair back to stand up. 

“I mean… we’re a bit far away and hunting him down is a bit dangerous… but we’ll be free quicker.” 

“I think we will be better off if we just find him and kill him. Valentina too.” 

“Yeah but they can either find us or kill us first. Both ideas have their downfall.” Y/n said as she pushed back her chair to take her coffee mug to the sink. Yelena was washing the dishes when the y/h/c’s arm came in front of her, placing the dish down. Suddenly, soft lips came in contact with her cheek making her stop and turn to her partner. 

“I’m gonna uh… go look for my computer..” Y/n stuttered nervously and walked off, leaving  Yelena a blushing and smiley mess. 

Somewhere over Europe

Neculai walked back and front inside his private jet as he scratched his chin in thought. He had just left St. Petersburg after questioning Melina and Alexei about where the women may have gone. 

Valentina wasn’t good either. She was staring at her hands as she poured herself a glass of whiskey. They were ruining her plan and all Valentina desired was to kill them herself. Get them out of the way.

“Yelena wouldn’t leave without knowing where to go first.” She said and turned to the romanian man who was already staring at her. 

“She never moves without a plan. She knew where to go before getting into that helicopter.” Valentina continued, pointing out the window. 

“Where do you think they went?” Neculai asked, walking towards her. 

“I-I don’t-“ 

“They can be anywhere by now, Valentina!” He shouted in anger, making her take a few steps back. 

“Domnule, am găsit un apartament. Este sub Romanoff la Budapesta. (Sir, we found an apartment. It's under Romanoff in Budapest.)” One of Neculai’s men said, walking towards them with files in his hands. He handed them his boss and nodded his head, excusing himself. 

“Mulțumesc, Soran. (Thank you, Soran.)” Neculai mumbled as the man walked away. 

“Budapest.” He almost whispered as his eyes scanned the files in his hand. 

“It’s not far from here.” Valentina muttered and took the last sip of her drink before putting the glass down. 

“Micah! Întoarceți acest avion… mergem la Budapesta. (Micah! Turn this plane around… we’re going to Budapest.)” Neculai shouted at the pilot and turned back to Valentina, lifting up his glass in a toast. 

“We can’t just show up there.”

“Who said we can’t? It’s better like this, we can kill them faster.” 

The apartment was quiet, the only thing you could hear was Yelena’s shower and Y/n typing away on her computer. She was trying to look for a way to find Neculai first so she went back to the surveillance footage and phone calls from his office. The y/n/c stood up and walked to the kitchen counter to make herself a snack when she heard a door creaking. She believed it was Yelena walking out of the bathroom so Y/n didn’t do anything. 

“Hey, so I was thinking we can order chinese today! I really wanna eat out of those cardboard boxes with the chopsticks!” She shouted so the blonde could hear. When she didn’t get a response back, she turned her head towards the hallway in question. 

“Yelena?” She called out and saw a figure out of the corner of her eye making her turn and gasp. A metal rod came in contact with her temple, knocking the y/h/c out cold in an instance. 

A few minutes went by when Yelena finally stepped out of the bathroom. The apartment was unusually quiet which caused her to be on edge. She walked slowly towards the bedroom and grabbed her gun before walking out to the hallway again. The blonde put her gun up immediately looking into every room until arriving at the kitchen. Her heart broke when she saw Y/n unconscious on the floor causing her to lower the gun and run to her. 

“Y/n? Y/n? Hey, come on.” She muttered, turning her body around to see her temple all bloody. 

“Y/n-“

“Oh look who it is!” A female voice exclaimed, making Yelena grab her gun immediately. 

“No need to shoot… I come in peace.” Valentina smirked and she held her hands up in surrender.  

“Where’s Neculai?” The blonde muttered. 

“Why? Did you miss me?” He asked, walking next to Valentina with a cigar in between his index and middle finger. Yelena looked at them in anger and shot her gun, taking them by surprise. She purposely shot the wall closest to them to make them duck and hide. The blonde took the opportunity to take Y/n and drag her into the bedroom to protect her from them. 

“Y/n, hey! Please, wake up. Please, come on, open your eyes.” She said, tapping the y/h/c’s cheek repeatedly. Bullets began to hit the wall and the door making Yelena duck her head and cover Y/n’s body with hers. 

After some time, the bullets stopped making the blonde stand up and run to the closet to get the machine gun. The bullets were prepared and she was fully equipped when she decided to open the door. She turned the knob slowly, opening the door as she made sure it didn’t creak. Yelena turned to Y/n one last time before closing the door. The blonde automatically put her gun up and began to walk around the apartment. 

She saw movement from the end of the hallway, making her turn and shut from her gun immediately. The bullets hit the wall and she hid behind a column before the other man shot her way. The blonde peaked her head to the hallway and pointed the gun at the shooter, quickly shooting her gun. The man yelled in pain and fell to the ground making Yelena walk out and run to him, to see him struggling. She shot him three more times before taking his gun, putting it in the back of her jeans. 

Yelena looked up, searching the place for Neculai or Valentina. Someone shot at her from the bathroom, making her run into what was her bedroom. Bullets hit the wall next to her making the blonde cover her head while they stopped shooting. The room turned quiet signaling the russian that the person had stopped shooting. She took that moment to move behind the door of the bedroom as heavy footsteps were heard down the hall. The masked man walked into the bedroom slowly with his gun up, walking away from the door. Yelena took the gun from her back pocket and fired the gun, shooting him in the back of the head. 

“I know you’re here, Belova!” Neculai shouted from somewhere around the house.

“Come out and fight like a real widow!” Valentina followed, making Yelena clench her jaw in anger. She replaced her small gun with the big on and stepped out of the bedroom. 

“I’m not hiding, especially from you!” The blonde said loudly, making her way down the hallway and into the kitchen. Neculai stood with his back towards Yelena, not expecting her to be there. She put down her gun and quickly kicked him in the back of the knee to make it bend. Her arm went around his neck, beginning to choke him as his hand went to his pocket to get his little knife. He took it out and waved the knife towards her, slicing her arm. 

The blonde yelled in pain and released her grip, making the romanian turn to her immediately. She kicked his hand, watching the knife slide across the floor and kicked his face causing him to fall back. Neculai extended his hand and grabbed her ankle as Yelena swung her other leg to kick him off. As she stood she grabbed her small gun from her pants and pointed it at him as he stood up as well. 

He gave her a bloody smile as he caught his breath before bolting towards her. Her finger pulled the trigger causing a loud bang followed by a shout of pain. Yelena shot him on the leg, to slow him down. Necuali stayed on the floor, clutching his thigh as the blonde moved to the living room to see Valentina already pointing the weapon at her. 

“Put it down.” Yelena muttered, walking closer to the black haired woman as she took a few steps back. 

“Not before you do.” She laughed dryly as they walked around the room slowly.

 The blonde stomped forward and grabbed Valentina’s hand as she lifted her foot to kick her in the gut. The black haired woman stumbled back while Yelena walked towards with her fist clenched. The woman dodged her fist and tackled the russian to the ground.

 Valentina straddled her and wrapped her hands around the blonde’s neck, keeping her grip strong. Yelena slapped her arms and pushed her face away but nothing seemed to work. Her oxygen levels were dropping fast, her lungs screamed to breath and she was beginning to look purple. 

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard followed by a painful shout from Valentina. She immediately released her grip from Yelena’s neck and fell to the floor as she clutched her arm. The blonde sat up slowly and turned around to see Y/n holding up a gun, still pointing it at the injured woman. 

“Lena, get up.” The y/h/c stated, never lowering her weapon as her partner hurried towards her. 

“Get our things, we’re leaving.” She whispered and Yelena nodded, running towards the bedroom to pack their bags, again. Y/n was left alone, pointing at Valentina as she screamed in agony on the ground. 

Suddenly, a piece of fabric went around her neck, pulling her back to crash into a hard chest. The pressure was cutting off her airways as she tried to fight the person off. The y/h/c was lifted slightly off the ground as she heard an evil chuckle next to her ear. 

“Looks like I got you now, fetiță dansatoare.(little dancer girl.)” Neculai said with a bloody grin as Y/n’s nails dug into his skin. She tried to gasp for air every chance she got but she couldn’t. Her vision began to fog as her lungs continued to scream for oxygen. She moved her arm down the side of her thigh, pretending to let go but instead, she grabbed the knife placed under a little pocket on her jeans. Y/n lifted her arm and stabbed Neculai on his leg causing him to scream out in pain as he released his grip around the y/h/c. She quickly turned, knife in hand, ready to defend herself when she felt a presence from behind her. 

Valentina swung her gun, hitting Y/n on the side of her head causing her to stumble over an already broken coffee table. The y/h/c turned to face and kicked her leg but was quickly grasped by the black haired woman. She laid still for a minute, thinking of an escape plan as she looked at Neculai walk towards them. 

“Two against one? Seriously, this is unfair.” Y/n chuckled dryly as she shook her head. She pulled her foot towards her chest causing Valentina to stumble forward, closer to her giving her the opportunity to punch her in the face. 

The y/h/c stood up and began to block Neculai’s hits until she was an inch away from the wall. Her body turned and the man’s fist went through the wall as she ran down the hallway towards Yelena. She kicked every door open, hoping to see the blonde with the bag packed. When she kicked the last door, the room was empty and the window was open. Y/n’s face softened as she frowned, noticing that everything was gone too.

yelena taglist: @evansmermaid @ilovefandoms102 @imfuckinggenius @yasmina-aesthete @yelenabelovv @halsmultibitch @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @daniescady @ilovewinter101 @s1ut4nat @nebulablakemurphy @wandanatvoid @lavendernonsense @theshippergal @kacka84 @trin-berly @sav06nat

[alittlemelody716]

Another Forever After: Story Of An Extra pt.2

Thank you to @ramos123 for beta reading for me!

Legacy Year

A boy stared numbly at his locker. He had forever wished that it would never come. He didn’t want to sign. Signing meant he would be beheaded.

This is Nathaniel Kurtzberg, son of one of the gardeners in Alice in Wonderland. His destiny would lead to him making a mistake that would put him on the Queen of Hearts’ chopping block.

His father angered the Queen of Hearts and was beheaded, leaving Nathaniel with his widowed mother. His mother used to cry herself to sleep, not just because she was mourning his father, but also mourning her son who would suffer the same fate. Needless to say, Nathaniel avoided the next Queen of Hearts, Lizzie Hearts, at all costs.

‘Why is such a small part even a destiny? To have an entire family line be destined to get beheaded for painting roses is extreme, especially since most people don’t realize that the role exists’ Nathanial thought with a grimace.

“…ath    Na..       NATH!”

Alix’s voice snapped Nathaniel out of his stupor. He had honestly forgot that she was next to him.

“Got something on your mind Nath? I’ve been calling you for a while.” Alix asked.

“Just thinking. Rehearsals are after classes today, right?” Nathanial questioned.

“Yeah. Headmaster Grimm insists that everyone shows up. Classes are now being assigned according to destiny too. Get this, they put me in Princessology and Damsel-in-distressing” Alix scoffed.

Alix Kubdel is from a branch of the Charming family. Charmings are always enrolled in Ever After High, destiny or not. The male heirs are trained to be princes for any and all fairy tales and female heirs are trained to be perfect princess who sit and wait for their prince to arrive.

“You really hate being a Charming princess, huh?” Nathanial mused with a chuckle.

“Don’t get me started” Alix cut with a glare.

—

“So, when your magical key appears, you insert it gently into the Storybook of Legends, then stand, shoulders back, and declare your destiny to the world. Have I made myself clear?” Headmaster Grimm instructed.

Max stared up at the stage as Apple White volunteered to go first. He is the nephew of the current Caterpillar of Alice in Wonderland. However, his uncle has no children and doesn’t plan on having any, being more than content with his current role as a judge at Wonderland High under Courtley Jester. Therefore, the role of being the next Caterpillar falls onto him.

Next to him is Damian al Ghul-Wayne and Lê Chiến Kim.

Damian al Ghul-Wayne is the son of the Seamstress Brother from the tale, The Four Skillful Brothers. There is actually very little blood shared between him and his “brothers” in the tale. The four families had always relied on each other for the sake of both their story and their kingdoms.

Lê Chiến Kim is the son of one of the monkeys in the nursery rhyme, Five Little Monkeys. He tends to run mostly on adrenaline and enjoys stunts, yet he is terrified of his destiny.

They’re an odd friend group, consisting of at least one person from each destiny faction. It’s more like tolerating each other’s presence, really.

‘Let’s see, based off the order, there is an 85% chance this rehearsal will end before a majority of us will be able to go.’ Max quickly calculated.

And as predicted, Raven Queen ran off from the rehearsals and Headmaster Grimm ended the event.

“Oh, look. Everyone else doesn’t get to even take a step onto the stage,” deadpanned Damian.

Kim snorted. “As if you didn’t already know how the ending goes. Lunch is going to be awkward tomorrow for sure.”

Oh, how true that statement was, the next few days after rehearsals the atmosphere was tense but none of the students from larger named stories could feel it. The tables were split among the three groups and students were starting to argue with each other.

“What are the chances of us getting screamed at for sitting at the same table Kanté?” Damian questioned.

“Tensions aren’t high enough to trigger an explosive reaction, so I say we have a 79% chance of eating our lunch with minimal protests,” Max affirmed.

They grabbed their lunches and began to make their way over to their usual table when Kim collided crown-first into a girl with pink hair.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” the girl fumed.

“You ran into me, you midget!” Kim argued back.

“Midget! Why you!”

“Alix, that’s enough” a boy with red hair came and grabbed the pink haired girl. “I’m sorry about my friend. I’m Nathanial, that’s Alix.”

“It’s Lê Chiến’s fault too, your companion isn’t the only one at fault” Damian reasoned.

“Oh you think you’re some hot-shot? Why don’t you meet me on the field, donkey-brain!”

“I am a monkey, midget! And you’re on! 3 laps around the track after school, winner gets bragging rights.”

Max, Damian, and Nathanial gave up on trying to calm the two competitive spirits who began arguing about sports and challenges.

—

Alya excitedly flipped through her mirrorpad, trying to find the latest gossip and news around ever after. If she can't be the first to get to a story, then she could at least be one of the first to know of it. Her mirrorblog isn’t getting as many views as Blondie’s but she’s still doing fairly well.

Alya doesn’t have a destiny, her older sister, Nora, was the one who cared on their family’s legacy. She couldn’t remember what specific story her family was from. They were a stock character, one just to fill in a role.

That’s the same with everyone’s destinies after all, it's just one small part of their lives. It would only make sense for people to follow it, fulfil the role, renew your family’s status and glory, and then live the rest of your story however you wish.

‘Snow White is hosting a charity ball to spellebrate legacy year for a new Snow White. Maybe Lila knows something about it’ Alya thought excited.

Lila knew so much about the royalty of ever after. She had so many amazing stories and was such a kind person. She deserved her role as a Snow White. Granted it wasn’t THE Snow White from Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, but a Snow White none-the-less.

Alya couldn’t help but feel that this would be the best year ever after.

“I wouldn’t say ‘the best year ever after’ but it would surely be chaotic, nya~”

Kitty, please, not you too.

Last

Tag List:

@the-witches-you-couldnt-burn  @folk-ever-lore  @nightlychaotic  @shamrockace @starpony999

[uncpanda]

Mountain Man

Prompt 7: Whispering in someone’s ear and then kissing just below it

Pairing: Steve Rogers x gn!Reader 

You’re in the middle of folding laundry, your least favorite activity when you feel arms wrap around your waist. It takes everything you have to not startle and jump, but you manage it. A small smile finds its’ way onto your mouth when Steve’s chin settles on you shoulder. Thanks to his height he has to stoop to do this. You turn your head slightly to press a kiss to his temple, and go back to folding the laundry. 

He snuggles in, and for several minutes you don’t say anything. You knew he needed the contact, and wait for him to spill his guts. Quietly, he whispers in your ear, “I think I pulled it off.” And then he places a kiss on the skin just below it.

This time you do pause, as you turn in his arms and Steve straightens to his full height. You study him. He looks every inch the poster boy he had once been. The beared he’s sported for the past five years and longer hair is nowhere in sight. You miss it. Some part of your mind uses it to differentiate between your Steve and the man the world knows as Captain America. You take comfort in the knowledge that it won’t take long for it to grow back. 

Your mouth opens and closes several times, “I can’t believe you actually did it.” 

He lets out a small chuff, “Nat arranged the whole thing. And she’s . . .” 

You cross your arms as the unfinished part of the sentence hangs in the air. Nat is gone. The woman who was as good as your sister is gone. Steve had called to tell you the news as soon as he heard. You’d broken down in your bedroom, while Steve stayed on the phone with you. 

She had gotten you out of the black widow program while you’d still been in single digits. She’d cared for you. Provided for you. She’d been your only family, until the snap had happened and she had introduced you to Steve. The man, the world knew as Captain America, had fallen into despair. So, she had done the only thing she could think of; she’d brought him to you. She’d always said, you’d had a way with wounded birds. You knew how to heal them, to help them be their true selves. She liked to cite herself as an example. She hadn’t counted on you and Steve falling in love. Nor had she counted on him refusing to leave the isolated mountain and woods where you had made your home; far away from people and the problems of the world. 

She had complained for hours about having to make her way up the mountain to drag Steve off of it. She had made more than one comment about him being the new mountain man, and Brawny paper towel guy thanks to the beard, hair, and flannel shirt. It was all in good fun. She made the trip at least once every three months after all. 

You don’t let your thoughts dwell on your sister long, but Steve still catches it. He hugs you close and admits, “I miss her too.” 

“But they bought it?” 

He nods, “They think I stayed back in time. Thanks to one of those face generators I was able to pull off the old man look, and pass the shield onto Sam.” 

“And you’re sure about this?” 

He swoops down and kisses you properly, his hands cradling your face, “I’m positive. Absolutely positive. Just you, me, and nature. Maybe a dog?” 

You raise an eyebrow, “A dog?” 

“Yeah. I think, if I’m going to be a mountain man, I should have a dog. There’s always a dog in those movies you show me.” 

You roll your eyes at that and toss an unfolded shirt at Steve, “Fold while you plead your case?” 

“Plead my case? Come on honey, I’ve always wanted a dog. But I was allergic to them when I was younger. Then I was in the army. Then I was frozen in ice. Then I was an Avenger. And then I was healing from the snap. And I think a dog could be good for us.” 

You roll your eyes, as he continues to talk and make his case for a dog. And as you stand there, smiling at the loon you’ve decided to share your life with, you can’t help but wonder if this was Natasha’s plan all along? To make sure that you and Steve, two of her favorite people, were never alone. And you can’t help but smile at that thought, because it’s so Natasha. 

[saltybaltic]

hello! if you’re taking requests as of right now, could I request a fic involving an extremely shy avenger!reader having an enormous crush on Nat and it being a running joke among the team because she doesn’t have a clue when it’s so painfully obvious to everyone else? I don’t care how it ends, go wild.... (take that as you will)

Natasha Romanoff X Reader - CONFIDENCE

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow X FemReader Fanfic

Synopsis: You have a huge crush on one of your team mates but you’re too shy to ever do anything about it. Fortunately, people have noticed and you might be about to get some help.

Warnings: None

Words: 989

“You know she likes you right?”

Natasha’s hands stilled on the keyboard for a second, looking up at her friend with a frown, “Who?”

Scoffing at her answer, Clint took a swig of his coffee before responding, “Who? Like you don’t know.”

“Forgive me, I thought everyone on this team liked me.” shot back Natasha, giving him a sarcastic smile and going back to her work on the laptop.

Clint rolled his eyes and placed his mug on the coffee table, flopping down onto the sofa beside the red head and nudging her computer playfully with his foot to get her attention again, “You’re being deliberately obtuse.”

“And you’re being deliberately annoying.” muttered Natasha, shifting over slightly on the sofa so she was nestled in the corner out of his reach.

“Fine, you win.” conceded Clint, raising his hands in surrender before reaching for his coffee again, “But you should do something about it and stop letting that poor girl work herself into a fluster around you.”

Of course Natasha knew exactly who he was talking about. Everyone on the team seemed to know. In fact the only person who didn’t seem to realise you had a huge crush on The Black Widow was, well, you.

You had always been shy, and although joining The Avengers had succeeded in bringing you out of your shell a little, there was still certain social situations that you just couldn’t handle very well. So it was no surprise that when a beautiful woman flirted with you on occasion, you tended to find yourself reduced to a blushing, bumbling mess.

Natasha wasn’t cruel. She wasn’t deliberately toying with you or taking any pleasure in your squirming. Okay maybe that wasn’t entirely true. Did she find it cute when you would duck your head and fumble over your words whenever she sent a flirtatious comment your way? A little. But she wasn’t doing it to mess with you. She wanted to challenge you, encourage you, dare you to make a move. Because despite what you might be willing to believe, she liked you too. Ever since you had joined the team she had become quite fond of you, finding your quick wit, humour and kindness to others rather endearing. She saw the way you interacted with the others; laughing and making jokes, teasing one another playfully, and generally looking after each other. You had become something of a weakness of hers, finding her eyes drawn to you around the compound and just watching from a distance. All Natasha wanted was for you to finally gather the courage to interact with her in the same way, and she definitely wasn’t the only one on the team that was desperate for you to realise you had a crush.

At much the same time as Clint was questioning Natasha upstairs, you found yourself being given the workout of your life in the gym with Steve. Now they weren’t exactly giving out slots on the team to anyone off the street so you knew you possessed some desirable abilities, but going toe to toe with Captain America was a challenge for anyone on their best day.

Gesturing with your hands for a time out, you sucked in a breath and gripped your waist where you could feel a stitch forming, “Jesus Steve, let’s take five, you’re kicking my ass.”

“You’re doing great though.” encouraged Steve with a small chuckle, tossing you a water bottle from the corner of the gym mat, “I can tell you’ve been practicing.”

You shrugged, “Well as the newest team member, I feel I had some catching up to do.”

“Don’t talk like that, you’re already where you need to be.” reassured Steve, walking closer as he seemed to hesitate for a moment before deciding to speak, “You know, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little more self confidence.”

“I have enough confidence.”

Steve nodded slowly, obviously not wanting to cross a line but still wanting to say something, “Around me? Sure. But you should be more confident around others.”

“Like who?” you asked, watching Steve carefully over your water bottle as you took a few gulps.

“Like Natasha.”

You almost choked on your water, “W-Why ... errr ... why do you say that?”

“You like her, right?”

Scratching at the back of your neck uncomfortably, you tossed the drink to one side, “That’s enough of a break, let’s go again.”

“Hey.” Steve grabbed your arm to stop you from heading back into the centre of the mat and offered a reassuring smile, “Look, I’m just saying. Try not to be so shy around her, she’s not as scary as she’d have you believe. Plus, between you and me? I’m pretty sure she likes you too.”

“I don’t ...” you trailed off in thought for a second. Did you like Natasha? You definitely admired her. You envied her confidence and sass. She was an impressive woman, not to mention absolutely gorgeous. And you couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed and flattered whenever she would flirt with you. It drove you crazy with frustration how shy you could be around her and that you were never able to say or do anything in response. It wasn’t lack of desire that was stopping you, of course you wanted to flirt back with her. Who wouldn’t?

A frown started to develop on your face the longer you thought about it, realisation suddenly dawning on you. It was so obvious now. You didn’t just admire Natasha, Steve was right - you did like her.

He seemed to see the lightbulb moment as it unfolded, patting you on the shoulder reassuringly with a small laugh as he motioned you back towards where you had been sparring, “Don’t worry about it, just something to think about. Now come on, show me what you’re made of.”

You let yourself process the discussion with Steve for a few days, keeping mostly to yourself as you thought about it in depth. You almost felt stupid for taking so long to realise, so much of the past few weeks making sense now. There had been more than a few occasions where a team mate had made a teasing comment, all in good fun of course, about your blushes and stuttering around Natasha. You had assumed it was just banter amongst friends about your chronic shyness but now it was painfully obvious that you were the last person in the building to realise you had a crush on Natasha.

Although you had given yourself adequate time to consider your revelation, you hadn’t exactly formulated a plan to deal with it. Unfortunately it seemed that you weren’t going to be given any more time to come up with something, when your quiet evening alone on the sofa was interrupted by the very woman who had been consuming your thoughts.

“Mind if I join you?” asked Natasha, plonking herself down on the sofa beside you without waiting for a response.

Shifting your attention from the movie on the television, you looked across at the other woman and swallowed, already feeling your mouth becoming dry as you silently shook your head.

“What you watching?”

You blinked, taking a moment to inhale a calming breath and internally encouraging yourself before engaging your brain to speak, “I-I don’t know really, it was just on and I kind of got sucked in.”

Natasha nodded, glancing at the television briefly as she leaned back against the sofa. Her arm lay across the cushions, bent at the elbow as she raised her hand and rested her chin on it. Her eyes drifted back to meet yours, watching you carefully, “The boys say I make you nervous. Is that true?”

Panic.

Your first instinct was to run, heart hammering against your rib cage as for the first time, Natasha put you on the spot. You could already feel the heat rising in your cheeks and there was a distinct possibility your palms were sweating.

“I errr ...” you took another breath to compose yourself, closing your eyes for a moment as you tried to remain calm, “I suppose it is, yeah.”

Natasha’s lips turned up slightly at that, her chin still balanced on her hand as she studied you, “You shouldn’t be nervous.”

“I shouldn’t?”

Shaking her head, Natasha broke out into a proper smile, “I mean don’t get me wrong, you look cute when you’re nervous.”

At her comment you had to look away, biting down on your lip and pressing the back of your hand to your cheek to confirm the fact that yes, you were definitely getting flushed now.

Natasha chuckled quietly, “Yeah, there it is.”

Hoping to take Steve’s advice and scrambling for all the courage you could muster, you looked back at the other woman and cocked your head curiously, “Do you just enjoy toying with me or ...?”

“Or what?” asked Natasha, the subtle smirk on her face suggesting she knew exactly what you were asking. After a few seconds of silence, she took the initiative and filled in the blanks for you, not wanting to put you on the spot too much given that this was already the longest the two of you had ever spoken, “I’m not toying with you ... I was just trying to gauge whether the rumours were true and if I should ask you out on a date.”

You had to fight not to gasp in surprise, sure that it would probably be the most embarrassing response you could have, “A ... a date? With me?”

“Well I don’t see anyone else around.” joked Natasha, gesturing around the empty room, “Unless you don’t want to.”

Shaking your head perhaps a little too eagerly, you turned your body to face her properly, “No that. Um. That would be nice.”

“Great.” answered Natasha, shooting you a reassuring smile as she went to get up from the sofa, “How does tomorrow night sound?”

“I ... that would. Err. Sure. Tomorrow. Good. Yes.” you could barely speak now, sure this must be some kind of fever dream and it couldn’t actually be happening.

Natasha simply laughed, standing up and leaning over to squeeze your shoulder gently before turning to make her way out of the room, “Yeah you’re still cute. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Unable to do or say anything else, you silently watched her walk away, unable to quite believe what had just unfolded. Natasha Romanoff had asked you out on a date.

As if finally realising what had just happened, you couldn’t help but break out into a smile. If it meant Natasha had finally asked you out, maybe all that teasing from the rest of the team had been good for something after all.

[shus-whore]

STAY

SUMMARY: You’ve had a crush on Reiji ever since you met him, but maybe you were being too pushy. WARNINGS: angst, smut, mentions of anxiety and depression, reader is insecure about her size/weight, Reiji calls reader a whore a couple of times, not really public sex, but he fucks you in a classroom WORD COUNT: 4k

Seeing his raven hair and gloved hands from behind, a smile adorned your features. Running up to him, you began walking beside him.

"Reiji-san, need help with any experiments today?" You questioned eagerly.

"No." He stated coldly.

"Well, are you hungry?" You bared your wrist to him.

"No."

"Mmmmmm....... Is there anything you'd like me to do or help with...?" You stared up at him, a wide smile on your face.

He sighed.

"Leave. Please, leave. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm trying to spare your feelings. Stop annoying me, stop following me around, and stop offering to do things for me!  You're a bothersome woman. I mean, can't you take a hint?" He glared down at you, watching as the smile fell from your face.

"I- I-..." You looked down at the floor, swallowing your tears.

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"He really said that to you!?" They slammed their fist on the table causing everyone around to look at you guys, eyes wide. You let out a sigh. "Please don't make a big deal out of it, b/f/n. Everyone is entitled to their own feelings and opinions of me."

"Tch. Like hell they are! Who would say that to such kind, beautiful person like you. Tell him to bring his ass to the front of the school so everyone can see me kick his undead ass!" They slammed their other fist on the table, a crack emerging.

You jumped, looking up at them with wide eyes.

"Please... please stop." You looked down at your wrist, sighing. Reiji wasn't the only one who wouldn't bite you, they all wouldn't, except for Laito. Maybe... it was your appearance...?

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You frantically pulled clothes from your drawer as your searched for your favorite hoodie. It was the most comfortable one you had, black, and it was baggy as hell on you. You loved it. Finding baggy clothing with your body type was difficult and annoying. Honestly, you hated shopping. It left you feeling self conscious and you never found anything that you really liked.

Pulling the hoodie from your drawer, you changed into some comfortable shorts, and that hoodie, then you cleaned the mess you made.

You fell back on your bed and stared up at the ceiling.

What were you supposed to do now?

You didn't want to cry, you were stronger than that. So what? His words were harsh, and you weren't feeling the most confident in the moment, but you'd get through it.

Usually, you'd be following Reiji around, asking if he needed help with anything. You sighed and placed your arm over your eyes.

You weren't going to cry.

You weren't going to cry.

You weren't going to cry.

So, why were you crying?

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Glancing at his doorway, Reiji quickly looked away and back down at his book. Where were you? Wait, what? What did he care you were? Anywhere but near him was perfectly fine.

He crossed his arms over his chest, sparing one last glance towards the door before continuing reading.

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The rest of that day, you made sure to keep your distance. Not only that, but you didn't even show up for dinner. Were you... avoiding him..? Usually, you would be all up on him, forcing him into hugs and never leaving his side.

Not like he missed it though!

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The ride to school was awkward to say the least. Even his brothers could feel it.

"Tch! Would you guys just make up!! The tension is so thick, how the hell am I supposed to breathe in this damn car!" Subaru was ready to kill you two.

"Pfffffft! Even Subaru the clueless noticed! That's how you know it's bad!!" Ayato was hunched over laughing.

Reiji popped him for this causing Yui to tense up. If Ayato was mad, she was collateral.

"Reiji!" He was ready to throttle the man, but Yui grabbed one of his arms.

"Ayato-kun!"

You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest and glaring at Reiji.

So now  you were paying attention to him.

He immediately looked down at his book in hand, glancing up a few seconds later to find you looking out the window.

Your eyes were puffy and red. Had you been crying because of him..?

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"He what!? I'd pay money to see that!" You're friend laughed.

You knew they were trying to lighten the mood, but honestly, thinking about it made you feel worse. You averted your gaze to the floor.

"Oh no, Y/n, you're not gonna cry over that bastard, are you!?"

"Can we just drop this..?"

They smiled at you,.

"Sure, did I tell you about-..."

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Honestly, you hadn't felt this bad in a while. You felt like you were on the verge of tears every time someone glanced at you. Being this insecure was unlike you. Of course you have insecurities, everyone does, but it never usually affected you like this.

You kept your head down in the halls, messing with your hands, or sleeves, anything to calm your anxiety. Your heart was beating at 1000 miles a minute, your hands clammy, and you were working up a cold sweat.

You were literally trembling. It's just a fucking hallway. Why couldn't you walk down the hallway?

You knew they weren't watching you, you were probably forgotten in their minds, but that didn't matter.

You were on the verge of tears, your breathing unsteady. They were probably talking about you. No they weren't- but they could have been.

If they weren't talking about you earlier, they had to be talking about you now. You were walking funny, you could feel it. Actually, you looked funny too, huh? This uniform doesn't flatter you, does it? Your hair looks funny too, doesn't it?

No it doesn't. But it could have.

You speed walked to the bathroom, stumbling inside. Your legs were shaky, your nerves going crazy.

Crouching down to the floor, you held your face in your hands.

How did it get like this???

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You crouched there in the bathroom for a few seconds before collecting yourself and going back out into the hall.

You gripped onto the strap of your bag and made your way to class, trying not to stand out.

You could feel your hands clamming up again, and the cold sweat coming back.

You kept your gaze glued to the floor, trying not to trip, and watching to make sure you weren't walking funny. You were going to make it to class, and when you did, you were going to stop acting like this. That's what you repeated in your head as you walked through the hallway.

That was, until you collided with a broad figure, your bag flying onto the floor.

"S-Sorry !"

You crouched down, beginning to collect your stuff off the floor. You watched the feet of the person you previously collided with as they backed up and began to crouch down. wait... those looked like Reiji's shoes.

No, he must like a popular brand.

You looked away from his feet, praying to every god you could think of.

Please don't be Reiji!

The person crouched down and began to help you collect your fallen items. That's when you saw it, the glove.

Jumping back, you stood abruptly and grabbed your bag from the floor.

"Don't bother, I can do it myself." You glared down at him, e/c eyes burning into the hand that was reaching for one of your papers.

Ouch. "No need to be so harsh, Y/n. I caused you do drop your possessions, so I should help you collect them."

He collected the rest of your papers, and stood to hand them to you.

"Throw them in the trash, I don't want them anymore." You crossed your arms over your chest, turning to leave.

All he could do was stand there, mouth agape.

The trash?

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You skipped the rest of your classes that night, opting to sit in an empty science lab.

Reiji doesn't skip, so you're fine, and the only other empty room was the music room that Shu liked to be in.

You'd rather not go near that perverted man. He scared you.

Though, if you were being honest, you were hoping to see Reiji. Maybe just in passing, once, or maybe he'd come into the room. Maybe he'd apologize to you. Maybe he'd tell you he missed you.

Hah.

Wishful thinking, you guessed.

It's not like you were dating, why should he care if he hurt your feelings? I mean, seriously, y/n. He practically told you to fuck off.

You probably weren't his type anyways.

You pulled a chair up to the widow and gazed out at the moon.

You felt weak and stupid. I mean, he's literally never even showed signs of interests.

What were you expecting?

It's better that he told you straight up. Yeah. If you think about it, anyone else would lead you on in some sort of twisted kindness.

I mean, yeah, he waited a few months to do it, but he did it. Plus, who's to say he didn't figure out the day he told you. Maybe he thought you were just being nice to him at first.

"You know, Y/n, if you keep skipping classes, you'll end up like my good for nothing brother."

Your eyes shot to the door, red eyes meeting yours.

Should you jump out the window?

No. You're too high up.

"Can't you take a hint?" You stood, your chair dragging against the floor as you did.

Why couldn't you be the vampire?! He was blocking your one and only exit, and you couldn't even jump out the window!

"I think I was too harsh that day." He began walking towards you, and you cursed yourself for getting excited at this.

Despite your attitude, you really wanted him to be sorry. You wanted more than for him to apologize, you wanted him to realize he liked you. No matter how unrealistic your fantasy was, you so desperately wanted it to be true.

"You think??"

You started backing up, and he began to inch near you, grabbing your wrist before you could even genuinely consider jumping.

"You're not really going to jump out of the window because of me, are you?"

"Yes, I am." You pettily turned your head to the side.

Damn, you really hated him that much?

"C'mon, Y/n. Don't be so dramatic."

"Dramatic!?"

All the feelings previously were coming back and you just wanted to cry.

"You're a real asshole, you know that."

That's when he leaned forward, engulfing you within his arms.

You were going to faint.

He really wasn't trying to be a piece of shit. He was just not good with expressing himself.

It's not like he was trying to be insensitive, but he had hoped if you were going to jump out the window, it wouldn't be out of spite. Not that he wanted you to jump out the window. Fuck! See? He can't even express himself in his head, how could he to you?

"I'm truly sorry, Y/n. I regretted what I said as soon as I saw the look in your eyes. You know what they say, you don't truly realize what you've lost until it's gone. It seems I underestimated your importance to me. I was annoyed by my good for nothing brother that day, and I took it out on you. I dearly regret it, too. Please, forgive me."

Now this, this was unexpected.

"I-..." You really didn't want to be that person. You didn't want to forgive him that easily. You still remember the pain, your chest tightening. It felt like your heart was constricting.

You pushed his arms off and jumped away, looking back at him, his red eyes meeting yours.

His mouth fell open, the most emotion you'd ever seen him display to anyone.

"What did you expect? Did you think you could just come here, sweep me off my feet, give me some lame ass excuse for treating me terribly, as if you were ever nice to me, and expect me to forgive you? I'm just some bothersome woman who's feelings you don't know why you're sparing. I'm not going to be some product of your pity. You very obviously didn't want me not even a week ago, why the sudden change of heart? Just leave me alone. You know better than anyone how annoying it is to have someone continuously pester you after you've so obviously shown your distaste for their presence."

Your stomach hurt, your eyes burned, and your throat throbbed. The worst part was the way everything in you was screaming to forgive him, but being the stubborn person you were, you couldn't.

"You don't truly mean that, do you?" He took a step forward, eyes locked on yours.

Tears welled in your eyes, but you refused to let them fall, refused to say anything.

Each step he took forward, you took back until you were sandwiched between the wall and the person you least, yet most, wanted to be in this situation with.

He slammed his hand on the wall beside you, preventing your exit. "I suggest you calm yourself, Y/n. If your heart rate quickens at this rate, you may... well you get what I'm saying."

You let out a small squeak, more in fear than anything else. "Mind your ears, it's none of your bus-siness. Also, m-move your arm so I can leave." Fuck. Why are you stuttering Y/n!?

He leaned down, his hot breathe on your ear. "I can help you calm your nerves-" His right hand moved to rest on the small of your back. "If you would like."

You shuddered.

"But you have to ask." He smirked.

"H-Huh?..."

"Hah. You're so quick to forgive me now, even though I knew you were dying to earlier. What? You just want me for my body?" He teased, his mouth falling upon your neck, marking it.

"I- No! I h-haven't even forgiven you yet!" You protested.

"You haven't? Well then I should stop." He pulled away from you, turning to walk away.

It was now or never Y/n.

"W-wait a minute!" You called out, reaching out to him.

He turned to you, hiding his smirk as he did.

"Why, what is it?" He chuckled under his breath.

"Y-I I forgive you," You looked down at the floor, the tiles glowing with the reflection of the moon, nearly full, though not quite.

"You do? Thank you." He then turned again, beginning to walk away once more.

"Wait. Where are you going?" You called out.

"To class, where else?"

You blinked once. Then twice.

Did you read the situation wrong?

No way, what else was he trying to do?

"W-what about..? I..."

He smirked at you.

"Y/n, while I may be a vampire, I cannot read minds."

"Well... it's just... earlier you..." Your face lit ablaze, heat spreading across your cheeks.

"Earlier I?... He took a step towards you.

"You- you know..." You trailed off, hoping he'd get what you were trying to say.

"I seem to have forgotten, please, enlighten me."

"Well... y-you said you would help me calm my nerves..."

"Mhm..?"

"Might you... try to once more..?"

He let out a dry chuckle at this. You were so shy.

He caged you onto the wall once more, his breath on your ear once more.

"How do you suppose I do that?"

His hand was back on your waist, but this time he slid it underneath the fabric of your shirt. He licked at the shell of your ear, causing a surprised sound to leave your throat.

"Well... Like this, I would think."

He looked up at you, red eyes upon your e/c ones. Then, he pulled away once more, a smirk adorning his features.

"I don't really know what you mean by, 'this.'"

Grabbing his hand, you pulled him towards you.

You grabbed his tie, pulling him down to you, "You're teasing..."

He chuckled.

"If you'd answer me, mayb-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, your lips were on his.

Though he had nothing to compare it to, he was pretty sure you were a terrible kisser.

He could teach you, though.

"Mmm.."

Pulling away, he leaned in, whispering in your ear, "Quite sloppy, even for your first time."

Your face flushed.

"As if you could do any better."

He smirked, leaning in, his lips ghosting over yours.

"I think I can prove you wrong"

His glasses knocked against your face, causing it to scrunch when he leaned in.

You both laughed for a second, before your lips met once more.

With Reiji leading the kiss, it was 10x better. He seemed so skilled, and you couldn't help but wonder if he was actually experienced or just good at everything.

"So pretty."

He pulled away, beginning to trail kisses down your neck.

His hand trailed beneath your shirt, groping you beneath it.

You gasped, your hands curling in fists at your sides.

Were you seriously about to do this in an empty classroom at school? What if somebody walks in..?

Reiji let out a dry chuckle, his forehead meeting yours.

(FOREHEAD TOUCHES R SO INTIMATE I MIGHT CRIE)

"Nervous, yes? I won't do anything you don't want me to. Except bite you, of course." He added playfully.

(IDC WHAT U SAY IT'S CANON FOR REIJI TO BE SARCASTIC AND MAKE BAD JOKES.)

You reached your hand into the nape of his neck, grasping his hair there.

He groaned when you did this, which was definitely not your intention, but also definitely hot.

"You're not doing anything I don't want. It's just..." You glanced at the door.

"Oh? You want to be watched, don't you?" He smirked.

"I- No! Definitely not! W-Why would I-" He was teasing you again, wasn't he?

His lips met yours again, his cold hands meeting the skin beneath your shirt. He helped you out of it before removing your bra to stare down at your breasts.

Before you could cover them, his hands were on them, squeezing and pinching.

Your hand fell upon his wrists, tightly gripping them.

"R-Reiji-san," Your face felt hot, you felt hot in general. You rubbed your legs together ever so slightly in hopes he wouldn't notice.

You couldn't help yourself.

"Impatient, aren't we?" He chuckled before shoving his knee in between your legs.

"I tend to you so patiently with no worry of myself, yet you're ungrateful. That's fine. I'll just tend to one of my needs to make up for it."

"Eh!? I- No- I'm not- Ouch!"

Large gulps were taken from your neck, your knees slightly weakening. You honestly expected him to bite you, so you weren't quite mad. Just surprised.

Your hands fell from his wrists, one reaching into his hair, a strong hold placed there, and the other clenching into a fist at your side.

Pulling away, he smirked down at you.

"My my, how erotic."

The sight was quite pleasing to his eyes at least, your neck dripping blood down your shirtless torso.

He was really having the most difficult time holding himself back.

He sighed, reaching behind himself for a chair and pulling it forward. He sat down, reaching his arms behind your back and pulling you onto his lap.

"W-wait! Reiji-san! I'm too heav-" You choked on your words at the sight of his erection straining against his pants.

Reiji reached his hand into your hair, grabbing a handful at your scalp and puling your head back.

He began kissing and (softly) biting your neck, marking it as much as much as he could and licking up the blood dripping from your wound.

You let out a little gasp, grinding down onto his growing erection.

He sighed, releasing his grip on your scalp.

Sliding his hand beneath the edge of your panties, Reiji helped you remove them leaving you in just your skirt.

The fact that he hadn't removed any clothing made you feel even more exposed.

He grinned and ran his hand up your slit, teasing you.

He shoved two fingers against your entrance, his fingers disappearing within you.

"Ah... Reiji.." You gripped onto his shoulder harshly.

"Beautiful.." He sighed and began thrusting his fingers, your liquids dripping down his hand.

You clenched down on his fingers.

"Mmm... I don't think I can hold back anymore.."

His fingers pulled back, a lewd sound emitting from your heat.

He groaned at this, unfastening his belt and unzipping his pants.

He lined himself up with your entrance, an arm wrapped around your back, reaching around to the other side to grip your waist.

Pushing inside you, he let out a huff of air.

"Fffuck, don't clench so hard." He breathed out, his hand squeezing your waist tightly.

You clenched harder at the sound of his voice causing his grip on you to tighten, definitely leaving bruises.

"I-I-I can't. Not when you sound like th-at!" You squeaked out, falling against his chest to bury your face into the space between his shoulder and neck.

He smirked at this, thrusting up into you harshly.

"Oh~? You like it when I talk to you?"

Reiji held onto your hips, directing your movements. He had more length than girth, but still managed to stuff you full.

He leaned into your ear, "You like being fucked in the classroom, huh? Like that anyone can walk it at any moment? You want them to, don't you?" Reiji watched his cock as it disappeared within your cunt, pulling out all the way, only to be slammed back in.

You shook your head, tears wetting his neck at the intensity as you clenched and unclenched on him.

He chuckled, "Look at you, getting excited just at the thought."

You wanted to deny it because, really, you didn't want to be watched, but all you could do was let out muffled moans into his neck.

Grasping onto your hair, Reiji pulled your head away from his neck, your neck bared to him and moans unmuffled.

"Fuck, look at you. Such a whore for my cock. Bet you've been daydreaming about this, huh? Been thinking about this everyday? Trying to seduce me by throwing yourself at me?"

His thrusts increased in speed as he leaned forward to lick up your neck to your mouth, which he sloppily kissed.

His hand dropped from your hair to your heat, his thumb and index finger pinching at your most sensitive spot, causing lewd moans to leave your throat, increasing in pitch.

He lifted you up, laying you back on one of the lab tables, the temperature causing goose bumps to rise on your skin.

He pushed your right leg up to your chest, relentlessly thrusting into your cunt, enjoying the squelching sounds being produced.

"Mmm, I'm gonna cum. Spill it all in your tight little cunt. Fill you up with my seed. Mark you as mine. You'd like that, wouldn't you." Reiji reached his thumb down to your small bud once more, rubbing in slow, tight circles.

Your breathing became unsteady, arms curling around his back to pull him close to you and moans growing louder once more.

"Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I'm gonna cum!" Tears welled in your eyes, you back arching off the table and your toes curling.

Your cunt spasmed on his cock, your vision going dark for a second as the most intense orgasm you had ever experienced racked through your body.

Reiji let out a groan before spilling his load inside you, riding out your orgasms.

Your arms fell limp to your side, exhausted.

"I must say Y/n, you're far more risky than I had expected." He let out a little huff, helping you sit up on the desk.

He fixed his pants before helping you get dressed.

Reiji grabbed your hand, and in the blink of an eye, you guys were in his room.

"H-huh..?" Could they teleport or something? And why his room? Didn't he just pity fuck you or something?

"Uhm... should I... leave?" You stared down at his feet as you questioned him knowing the answer was probably rejection.

"Well... If you'd like. I don't want to force you or anything. Though, I was sort of hoping you would stay."

"St-stay...?"

This was requested on my Wattpad.

[juniorgman187]

Things We Know By Heart (Spencer Reid Fluff)

Summary: Reader teaches Spencer how to slow dance in preparation for his wedding. The only problem? Reader’s in love with Spencer, and she isn’t the bride. 

A/N: S/O to Kyla who bullied me throughout all of elementary school. Ik you’ve probably changed since then, but you literally traumatized and tormented me for more than six years of my life. So I felt like including you in this story as, “Kayla,” Spencer’s fiancé. Tehe, I’m petty like that.  Couple: Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid Category: Fluff Word Count: 6.5k

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 

I think we’d all like to believe that somewhere out there is our person. And somehow, someway, they’ll get to where they need to go, right where they belong. 

With us. 

That’s what I’d like to believe. 

I’d like to think that no matter what happens along our journeys to each other, we’ll arrive at the same destination regardless. 

But that isn’t necessarily true, is it? 

Because maybe, my soulmate got lost along the way. They met somebody great, someone they think is their person, and they married that person. They had kids and eventually, grandkids with that person, even though, deep down - they knew it wasn’t right. They stayed with them anyway because their fear of being alone superseded their fear of being with the wrong person for life. 

And what am I to do when that happens? When my person finds a different person. 

Am I supposed to believe that the universe will be so kind as to give my soulmate the courage to leave their relationship behind and forge a new one with me? 

Am I supposed to expect that the world will supply me with another person, the person I’m supposed to marry? 

Or do I simply wait for my person to come to the conclusion that they’re meant to be with me after all and my naive entitlement to a soulmate is validated?

Is life really that magical? 

This is the story of what happens when your person loves a different person.

∙•○⦾☉☼☉⦾○•∙

With his hand at the nape of my neck to support my head and his other hand flat against the small of my back, he dipped me backward, leaning with me as I arched my back and bent the leg closest to the crowd, pointing my foot to elongate my leg artistically. This was our ending position so I remained in it until the song ended. The two of us bowed to thank the audience and to conclude our performance. Roses fell at our feet while the sound of applause echoed in the room. I was never a fan of being the center of attention, but there was something about this overwhelming praise that was particularly blissful. It was intoxicating. 

“I didn’t know you knew how to dance like that.” I gushed to my partner; my cheeks growing pink from the heat and the head rush I got. 

He positioned his mouth right beside my ear so I could hear his words clearly over the rowdy cheering. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Princess.” said Morgan.

A gauntlet formed to clap for us both when we walked off the dance floor. Hand-in-hand, Morgan led me back to the table through the double file line of people. The team howled with excitement when they saw me and Morgan approaching.

“So this is what you two were keeping a secret from us? That you’re dance partners?” JJ had to ask. 

“Yep. All those late nights and secret rendezvous.” Morgan said, shimmying his shoulders be suggestive of a sexual innuendo, which I was not a fan of. Out of mock offense, I chucked a small towel at him with a grouchy command to “Shut up!” 

He took the towel to the face like a champ, laughing it off and dabbing his sweat away. 

“I don’t know who was sexier up there - Princess or my Hubba Hubba!” Garcia squealed pretending to claw at Derek, reeling him over towards her. 

“You looked like a natural up there, Y/N. Were you a dancer before?” Prentiss questioned while handing me a glass of water that I desperately gulped down. 

“My mom sent me to dance classes as soon as I could walk.” I jokingly explained after gathering my hair into a makeshift ponytail and lifting it off of my neck, cocking my head to the side and fanning the back of my neck to cool down. 

“Maybe you should teach Reid how to dance before the wedding. He’s got two left feet and I don’t think he wants Morgan to teach him how to waltz.” JJ quipped, making Derek throw his head back in laughter. The thought of Morgan and Reid slow dancing would truly be something - something hilarious. I laughed, too, until Reid’s voice interrupted me.

“Yeah, that’s actually a really good idea. Would you mind, Y/N? Kayla would be so happy.” 

I thought he was joking, but his humorless expression told me otherwise. 

“You want me to teach you how to dance?” 

He pursed his lips and nodded, not understanding why I was so confused. 

“Um . . . yeah. I can do that. Sure.” My tone wasn’t very convincing, but Reid’s optimism made him oblivious to my reluctance. He smiled and hugged me with one arm around my shoulder. 

“I have to call Kay and tell her the good news.” Reid dashed away from the table, pulling out his phone to dial his fiancé. 

I darted toward JJ with fury and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her into the bathroom for privacy. 

“What the hell was that? ‘Oh, Y/N, you should teach him how to dance.’ You know how I feel about Reid!” 

Rather than giving me hostility back, she broke into a smile. “Exactly! If you spend more time alone with him, maybe he’ll finally admit to himself that he shouldn’t be marrying Kayla,”

I rolled my eyes and turned my back away from her. 

“We all know Spence would be happier with you.” 

As JJ spoke, I trudged to the nearest sink, holding onto the sides for stability as the ground below me swayed. She followed me, rubbing up and down my back comfortingly. 

“You know how he is. He keeps things to himself, until eventually they’re forced to come out. If you dance with him, maybe he’ll finally tell you he loves you without actually having to say it. Do this for him . . . and for you.” JJ gave me one last pat on the back before exiting the bathroom to leave me to my devices.

Normally, teaching a friend how to slow dance in preparation for his wedding would be sweet. It’d be a selfless gesture and an act of service for him that would show how much love there was in our friendship. In this case though, it was anything but. 

For the six months that Spencer and Kayla had been engaged, the team was relentless in trying to end it. I tried to stay out of it in case all hell broke loose, but I couldn’t escape it. No - I was at the very center of it. 

Before Reid even knew Kayla existed, he was head-over-heels in love with me. He’d ask me on coffee dates, wait by my desk for me, and he would always try to sit beside me at the round table or on the jet. It was sweet, really, but it could never go anywhere. 

I was in a committed relationship with my high school sweetheart Patrick. (Maybe Spencer had a thing for unavailable girls).

I moved in with Patrick after graduating from college, and after years of working in the BAU (and years of Spencer loving me) Pat proposed. At first, being engaged brought me so much joy, but halfway into our engagement, something changed.

I was in Wisconsin, consoling a grieving widow. She was hysterical after I delivered the treacherous news of her husband’s gruesome murder. She eventually calmed down and proceeded to ask me about my engagement when she noticed my ring. I gave her the bare minimum, fabricated a couple things here and there, but then she asked me the million dollar question. 

“Are you in love?” Her eyes glimmered with hope. 

My immediate answer was a habitual “Yes, of course.” But after seeing how deeply this widow loved her late husband, I couldn’t say in good conscience that that answer was actually true. 

That night I went to the hotel and lied on the bed, praying for clarity. 

Perhaps I wasn’t actually in love with Patrick. Maybe we’d been together for so long that it just felt safe and comfortable and familiar. Maybe it was the fear of disrupting the arrangement of my life that stopped me from ending things sooner. 

The fact of the matter was that I’d only ever known a life loving him, but that didn’t mean I was in love with him. Maybe I was settling for something with Pat, because I wasn’t sure if I could have a better relationship with anyone else. With all these doubts, I needed a sign. 

A knock on the door interrupted my inner dialogue. 

When I opened it, who else was standing there, but none other than Rossi.

“We need to talk.” He ordered. 

He followed me back into the room and sat at the foot of the bed. He said he noticed something was off about me, and I admitted that there was. So that night, I took advice I probably shouldn’t have from the man with multiple failed marriages, but it was a sign - and it was good enough.

When we returned to Quantico, I asked Hotch for some personal time, which he was happy to permit. That same night I went home and broke off the engagement with Patrick. 

I felt despicably cold when I watched him tear up and ask me, “Why are you doing this?” 

There was truly no concrete moment in our relationship that incited my decision, but it was merely the realization that being with him wasn’t right, because how could I stand there watching him beg for a change of heart but still feel nothing? 

Maybe I was much less than not in love. Maybe I didn’t feel a thing for him at all. Not hate. Not empathy. Not love. Just . . . nothing. 

Completely indifferent. 

Within the week of personal time I took, I spent most of it moving into Rossi’s guest house. After I came back from work, it took all of two hours before someone brought up the absence of the ring that I used to never take off, and I’d assumed they’d already noticed it the moment I walked in - they were just too afraid to ask.

“I ended things with Patrick.” I casually stated, not even looking up from my portfolio to give it the attention it probably deserved. 

While the rest of the team’s jaws dropped on the floor, Rossi was fighting a smirk considering this wasn’t news to him and having seen everyone else’s reactions was a priceless moment for him. 

There was a brief moment of awkward silence on the jet as the team processed my information, until finally Hotch cleared his throat and started debriefing again. In the seat next to me, Spencer was very poorly hiding his enthusiasm. Hearing I broke off the engagement was like a green light to make his move. And honestly, it was. 

So I waited. 

And I waited. 

And I waited. 

Then I waited some more for him to jump at the opportunity. 

But he didn’t. 

He never did. 

Instead, he introduced Kayla into our lives, and eventually, they’d get engaged, too. 

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t developed feelings for Spencer while I expected him to act upon his palpable affection for me. And because of my newfangled feelings, I could never tell another soul that I sincerely believed Spencer got engaged just to spite me - to show me just how painful unrequited love was. 

The strangest part of it all, though, was that there was never a moment following the ending of my engagement and the birth of his own that showed me that his feelings went away. He never treated me differently or stopped talking to me. Even in the early stages of his relationship with Kayla, he continued to act like I was the only girl in his life. He was so consistent with his actions that it confused me.

Did he love me or not? And was I in love with him or not?

Evidently, the team seemed to have my answer. 

“He loves you and you love him. It’s as simple as that.” Prentiss explained curtly. 

Agreeing nods came from JJ, Morgan, and Garcia, who’d abducted me as soon as I exited the elevator that morning and snuck me into Garcia’s Bat Cave for an intervention. 

“We need to stop this wedding.” Garcia demanded. 

And since that glorious intervention, the team (minus Rossi and Hotch because Rossi seemed genuinely happy for Reid, and Hotch would definitely tell us it wasn’t our place) began trying to put a wedge in the relationship. I, however, made the smart choice not to be involved. 

If I was trying to get him to love me, why would I do something that would surely make him hate me like breaking up his engagement? Plus, the blind optimist in me believed that if I was actually meant to be with Spencer, it would happen regardless of Kayla. 

So anytime Morgan, JJ, Prentiss, and Garcia suggested something, I refused to participate. I was able to steer clear of any wedding crasher shenanigans up until JJ’s “slow-dance” suggestion. 

If Reid knew the true intentions behind these dance classes, he surely wouldn’t be pleased, but clearly - he didn’t. Because when I walked out of the restroom and back to the table, Reid still had a huge grin that took up half of his face, making his eyes look nearly shut. 

“Thank you again for doing this.” Reid beamed. 

“Of course! What are friends for?” 

Morgan, Prentiss, JJ, and Garcia exchanged satirical glances at my choice of words. 

What are friends for if not to purposefully set two people up in hopes of ending one person’s betrothal?

∙•○⦾☉☼☉⦾○•∙

Later that weekend . . 

“Come in!” I called out, buckling the ankle strap of my heels. 

The door opened partially and then all at once to reveal the one and only. I peeked my head out from behind a wall that was obstructing my view of him, immediately noticing a bouquet of lavender wrapped in twine. 

“Oh my goodness, what is this?” I asked in pure delight as he handed me the pretty purple flowers. 

“It’s a thank-you gift for agreeing to help me.” His lips formed a thin straight line, which was his version of a smile. A smile I appreciated whenever I was lucky enough to have caused it. 

“They’re lovely, thank you.” I told him, hugging him briefly before fetching a vase from the kitchen to put them in.

“Oh, good, I’ll tell Kayla you liked them. She’s the one who picked them out.”

The glass vase nearly shattered the moment he said that, but luckily, my reflex skills spared the vessel.

How big of a fool was I for thinking that he gave me flowers out of the kindness of his heart because he knew lavender was my favorite? But then again I probably needed that brutal reminder of why he was here in the first place - for Kayla.

As I put the vase on the kitchen island, I spun around, brandishing a fake smile. 

“So we should probably get started. I don’t wanna keep you here for too long.” 

“There’s no rush. Kayla won’t be home until late at night.” 

I tried not to think of the potential innuendo that lied within his statement, but Spencer wasn’t type to be disloyal, and I wasn’t going to be the woman to make him such a person.

“You look really nice, by the way.” I heard him say from behind me, catching a whiff of his cologne that was intoxicatingly sweet.

I did my best to not take the comment personally and let it get to my head, but I’d be lying if it didn’t elicit any response. I smiled to myself, which thankfully, he couldn’t see since my back was towards him as he followed me into my backyard. 

“You smell different.” He added. 

“Good different?”

“Yeah, absolutely. Is it a new perfume?”

I furrowed my brows. “No, it’s the same one I’ve been using for years.”

“Interesting,” I could feel him taking in this information, and I could hear the gears in his head turning at an even faster rate to spit out more information. “Did you know that you pick your soulmate by subconsciously reacting to pheromones that transmit their genetic compatibility? Yeah, there’s a relationship between attraction and scent, which dates back to our primal instinct. So if someone smells appealing to you, even if you don’t know it, it could relate to your attraction to them and vice versa.” 

“Ah, then maybe I should consider changing my perfume to improve my love life.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous. I love the way you smell.”

In the back of my mind lied the unanswered question I neglected to voice, “But do you love me?”

When we reached the backyard, I heard him gasp in awe. 

“It looks beautiful, Y/N. You did great.”  

Nestled in my backyard was a dark wooden deck, surrounded by plentiful greenery. Lining the perimeter of the shiny wooden deck were asymmetrical rocks, while above us hung strands of fairy lights that cast a sheer golden glow on the entire scene. The ambiance was not for Spencer specifically, but I was happy that he appreciated it nonetheless. 

“You ready?” 

He signaled yes by putting his thumb up and so it began.

“Alright, so slow dancing can be broken into four easy steps, but first, you gotta know how to hold your partner correctly.” 

Spencer and I took a step towards each other, and I could feel the nervous energy radiating off of him. I tried not to call attention to it, so I simply continued with my process. Outstretching my arms to form a T with my body, I guided him verbally. 

“So I’m the follower. And you’re the leader. Got it?” 

He nodded. 

“Leader puts their right hand under the follower's left armpit and cups their hand around the follower's shoulder blade.” 

He understood my instructions, and in the most awkward manner possible, he fumbled his way into the right position, albeit, not perfect. 

“Now, hold my right hand as high as my eye level without raising my shoulder.” 

Spencer was glaringly anxious, so I gave him a word of encouragement. “Hey, don’t be nervous. It’s just me, okay? And you’re doing great.”

I could see the nerves beginning to settle, translating into the conviction with which he took my hand, raising it at the perfect height. 

“Great. Just like that.” 

My praise brought out that smile in him that only ever came out on rare occasions. The kind where it’s brief, his teeth showing, a light chuckle escapes him, and he’s looking down as if he’s too shy to look at me. 

“Okay, step two is basic footwork. Leader starts with their left foot and takes a step to the left. And then your right foot is going to meet your left foot and tap. The count is one-two.” 

I watched as Spencer tried to process what I was saying. 

“Do you want me to demonstrate first? And then you follow?” 

He nodded rapidly as if saying yes wouldn’t be enough to communicate how much he needed me to lead. We broke apart so that I could turn my back towards him. I felt a cold draft blow under my dress as I spun on the ball of my feet, making my skirt flutter upwards majestically. 

I felt him watching. 

“Alright, so I’ll start and then you can catch on. It goes one-two.” 

Left foot step. Right foot tap. 

“Then three-four.” 

Left foot step. Right foot tap. 

“Then to the right this time. Five-six.” 

Right foot step. Left foot tap. 

“Seven-eight.” 

Right foot step. Left foot tap.

“And back again. One-two. Three-four. Five-six. Seven-eight.” 

My eight count continued until the click of my heels on the patio was joining by the sound of Spencer’s feet shuffling behind me. I knew if I turned around to check on him, it would only psych him out and make him more nervous, so I stayed facing forward so he wouldn’t feel that I was scrutinizing his technique. 

After a minute or so of following me, I spun back around, catching his lingering stare in the region of my hips. He tried to play it off and pretend he wasn’t, but I felt it. 

“You did really well tonight. I’m proud of you. I think that’s a good place to stop for today.” 

He thanked me with another hug, the kind where we nuzzled his face in the crook of my neck. 

God, I could feel him breathing on my shoulder. 

I tried not to not to let myself indulge in it, reasoning that this was just a way for one friend to thank another, but I couldn’t help myself when the hug lasted longer than it should’ve. I tightened my embrace around him, drawing him in closer, and shutting my eyes as if taking my sense of sight away would heighten my sense of touch and magnify this feeling I never wanted to end.

“You take care, okay?” I said, rubbing my hand up and down his back to signal we should pull away, a signal he understood.

I was the first to walk away, merely because of the worry that I might sooner cry if I had to stay under these lights with him a moment longer. 

I wasn’t sure I could do this again unless he was mine. Otherwise, I’d just be under the stars, dancing with the love of my life that I couldn’t have - feeling that feeling again, and not being able to act on it. 

Is this what happens when your person loves somebody else?

∙•○⦾☉☼☉⦾○•∙

I know I said I couldn’t do it, but I did it anyway. 

I guess that’s what love is. Doing things you don’t want to do because your care for the other person surpasses the discomfort. True love makes you do things like that, even if they aren’t in your best interest.

When he came over the next night, we danced again. Undoubtedly, he stumbled - even came close to falling - and yet, I fell in love all over again. After that, it got harder to separate dancing from my feelings. 

The next day, we had a case. He came to my hotel room and we danced in the dim golden light of the hotel room’s chandelier. God, it was so ambient and romantic, I think I fell even harder for him - if that was even possible. 

From then on, every time we were in the same place, he leapt at the opportunity to dance with me. 

“Guys, look what I learned last night! Come, Y/N! Come on, come on.” 

He waved me over eagerly with his hand, even helping me out of my seat in the round table just to speed up the process. All too excitedly, he assumed the leader’s position, and he danced me around the entire conference room in front of our coworkers. He spun me around the table, he dipped me in the doorway, he held me in his arms by the glass board. 

Can you really blame me for falling in love? 

“Wow, Y/N! I’m impressed. You really whipped him into shape.” JJ remarked with a clap. 

I hid behind a faux smile, but Spencer was too elated to recognize the deceit. He was like that now. Maybe love made him more of a fool, more naive and blissfully unaware, whereas love made me more devoted and cognizant. 

It went on like that for weeks. Practicing whenever and wherever we could. 

He’d pull me into the hotel lobby at midnight to dance - not even batting an eye at the looming presence of the receptionist. 

He’d ask me to come to his apartment and we’d dance in his living room or in the narrow hallway, just for fun. 

When we were at Rossi’s, he’d drag me to the kitchen, with Rossi’s gentle music playing in the background, and we’d sway by the fireplace sometimes. 

We danced once in the elevator when it got stuck. I never thought he’d be so fearless to do that, but he looked like he was genuinely enjoying himself, almost like he didn’t even notice we were stuck in an elevator. 

While we waited for the jet, we’d danced on the tarmac, looking like a moving bundle of clothes, our movements stifled by our thick peacoats, layers of clothes, and scarfs. 

After a dinner during cases, when we’d split a cab back to the hotel, he’d get me to dance on the sidewalk, even convincing me not to pay attention to the onlookers on the street, the honking cars, or the confused pedestrians. I was always embarrassed to be in the spotlight, but somehow with him, it was easy. It felt like it was just the two of us, dancing under that streetlight. 

I never understood why people wanted to live in a moment forever, but for the first time that night, I did. That was a moment I wanted to freeze in time. I wish I could’ve stayed there forever. There in that moment, it really felt like it was our own little world. It was easy to believe we’d end up together, and we were the ones getting married, and we were in love. 

But again, that was in that moment. In that singular, fleeting moment. And then life moved on, whether or not I was ready for it to. 

The day of rehearsals inevitably came, and I wasn’t originally supposed to be at the wedding rehearsal since I wasn’t part of the ceremony, but Spencer asked me to be there, deliberately neglecting to tell me that the reason he wanted me to come was so that I could fill in for Kayla, which had I known that, I would’ve certainly declined. 

When I walked in, the team was all there, sitting in the pews, with their heads turning to me where I was standing at the entrance of the church. It felt like an eerie nightmare that I was living out where I was Spencer’s bride walking down the aisle, and this was our wedding. I couldn’t tell you what was so nightmarish about it - probably because none of it felt right - but I was sick to my stomach when Spencer gestured for me to meet him at the altar. 

“What’s going on?” 

“Kayla had a last minute dress alteration in Norfolk and got stuck in traffic. She won’t make it for this rehearsal, but she’ll be there in time for the dinner rehearsal.” 

“So why am I here?” 

“I wanted to practice my vows on you, if that’s okay.” 

I gulped hard, trying to swallow the lump in my throat to open up my suddenly-closing airway. 

“Um, I don’t really know if -”

“Please, Y/N. I’m just nervous that I might mess up-”

How could I say no? True love makes you do crazy things, even if they aren’t in your best interest, right?

I reluctantly agreed. 

Spencer’s hands were trembling and I could see it by the way his notecards were shaking, even from the fact that he brought notecards alone, and that he didn’t already memorize his vows. I wanted to put my hands around his and hold them to settle his unsteadiness, but I knew that wasn’t my place. I figured my words would do a better job at not crossing a boundary that was already crossed.

“Hey,” I comfortingly whispered. “It’s just me, okay?” Calling back those words from the first time we danced months ago. “You don’t need those notecards. Just speak from the heart.”

And sure enough, his heart spoke. 

“When people used to tell me stories about what love felt like and what is what, they always said they fell in love with that person. Like it was sudden and all at once, but with you - I walked into love with you. With my eyes wide open, choosing to take each and every step along the way. I never believed in fate or destiny, but after I met you, I finally believed. I believed that we are only fated to do the things that we’d choose anyway. And I’d choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality. I’d find you and I’d choose you.”

My breath hitched as I got lost in his eyes and how they were looking right at me, completely unmindful of the way everyone around us saw how he spoke to me. 

I think he even got lost too, because what he said next, didn’t even seem to register in his mind before it came out of his mouth. 

“I love you . . . Y/N.” 

Gasps rang through the church, ricocheting off the high ceiling, and in that moment I knew, I knew he was going to kiss me. 

He lunged forward in the heat of the moment. Clearly not thinking straight, he held my face in his hands, and I swear to God, I could’ve kissed him back. 

I would’ve. 

“Spencer?” 

Every single head in the church turned toward the small voice, too distinct to misplace. 

“Kayla, wait!’ 

And there I stood, alone at the front of the altar, watching him run after her. 

∙•○⦾☉☼☉⦾○•∙

I sat by my phone the entire afternoon, waiting for someone - anyone - to update me. No one ever ended up texting or calling, so I figured the dinner rehearsal wasn’t cancelled. At least, in that case, my dress didn’t go to waste. 

After spending an ungodly amount of time curling my hair and putting on my makeup, even achieving a smoky eye look, I finally slipped on my navy-blue, satin, floor length dress, donning nude heels and a dainty gold necklace with a single diamond pendant that laid right on my sternum. 

It was a shame that this was a moment where I should’ve felt at my prettiest, and yet, I’d never felt so ugly. 

I was riddled with the guilt of knowing I would’ve kissed Spencer if Kayla hadn’t walked in. I felt even worse that I was so consumed by his speech that I didn’t even hear her come in. 

How long had she been standing there? Long enough to watch what I knew everyone else saw? These questions never left me. Not even when I pulled into the site of the dinner rehearsal. 

Clutching the front of my dress to walk without resistance, I came to the entrance, and opened the door to reveal . . . nothing.

Staff was removing chairs and tables. 

Waiters were collecting plates and utensils. 

And Spencer was standing in the very middle of the empty room, watching it all happen silently, like he was just the shell of a man. 

“Spencer!” I called out from the entrance, in no hurry to meet him at the middle of the room. He turned on his heels, with his hands sheepishly shoved into his pockets. 

“Gosh, I’m sorry, Y/N. I should’ve called to let you know it got cancelled, but um, Kayla broke my phone.”

“Well, it’s time you got a new phone anyway.” I chuckled, which thankfully earned a chuckle from him, too. 

“What happened, Spencer?” My voice was quiet, as if it was any decibel higher it would sound more like a scold than genuine concern. 

“She, um, she told me she needed some time to think. And I, I told her to come to the rehearsal dinner if she still wanted to get married and,” He mirthlessly chuckled. “Well, you already know.” His words were chosen carefully to deliberately avoid what he hadn’t yet come to terms with. 

She didn’t come. 

I wasn’t yet sure whether or not to console him or to berate him for what he almost did, but I chose the former. 

“I’m so sorry, Spence.” 

He looked up from the ground, still managing to avoid my gaze, by looking up at the ceiling, and pretty much everywhere my face wasn’t. 

“I understand if you want to leave right now. I just need to pay the owner and I’ll be out of here.” 

I shook my head instantly. “No, I’ll be right here. If you want me to be.” 

He bit his lip to stop a sob from escaping. “Yeah,” He nodded, cowering his head. “I’d like that a lot.” 

As soon as I saw his cheeks get red, I took it as a cue to approach him and hug him. He was grateful for my compassionate touch, immediately opening up his arms to hug me back. His embrace around me was needy and desperate, and it felt like he was clawing at my dress, acting out of anger that the fabric was stopping us from being that much closer. 

With his shoulder digging into the spot right underneath my chin, it was hard to utter the words, “You look really handsome, by the way.” I said, finally acknowledging his light beige suit and white button up shirt. 

“Thanks.” I heard him mumble into my shoulder. 

“Kayla doesn’t know what she’s missing.” 

To my surprise, he didn’t recoil, flinch, or so much as react to her name. Instead, he simply pulled away, wiping the moisture under his nose, and straightening out his suit. 

“We should . . . we should probably talk about what happened earlier, right?” 

I sighed and shook my head. “Not if you don’t want to. We can save that conversation for another day.”

He looked appreciative of my avoidance, but I knew he wanted to talk about it. 

“Hey, excuse me,” He stopped a staff member by clutching their arm gently. “Do you mind, actually? Leaving two seats behind.” 

The staff member complied, doing as he said, and leaving two chairs behind, setting one right across from the other. I took my seat, and Spencer took his.

“I probably shouldn’t have spoken from the heart, huh?” He joked, finally seeing the humor in his situation. 

“No, it was good that you did.”

“You think so?”

“Definitely. I think Kayla would’ve appreciated it.” All too quickly he responded with, “I wasn’t talking about Kayla.” 

I was talking about you, his somber eyes said. 

I looked away from his gaze immediately, trying to find a reprieve from the conversation that I was doing my best to avoid. 

“It was a really good speech. It sounded so natural. Like something you knew by heart.”

“Something I knew by heart?” He didn’t seem to understand what I meant. 

“Yeah, some things we just know by heart. Like the lyrics to our favorite song, or a recipe, how to dance,” We both chuckled at the reference. “Or . . . how to love.” 

“Do you think we know who to love by heart or do you think we make that choice ourselves?”

“I think it’s both. I think we can’t control the person we’re meant to love. That, by some miracle, we’re handed this person that complements us better than anyone else. But I also think it’s our choice on whether or not we pick them. Maybe we aren’t willing to stand the test of time and wait for our person, so we don’t pick them and settle for someone else. Or maybe we do pick them and we live out the rest of our lives together. I think that’s what makes love so special. It’s a person choosing you over and over again.” 

Isn’t that what we all want? To feel chosen?

“And what if we make the wrong decision? What if we’ve met who we’re supposed to love, but we chose to love another?” His eyes were searching within mine for the words that I wasn’t saying out loud. Out of fear that my eyes might expose me to Spencer, I looked away. 

“I think -”

Spencer cut me off. “Look at me.” 

My head didn’t move, but I shifted my gaze just as he wanted.

“When two people are meant to be, nothing and no one can end them. They may get lost a time or two on their journey, but true, real love will always conquer. Nothing can compete with them. Others can only attempt to fill a void. And eventually, the two will be reunited. That’s the beauty of true love; you always end up with the right person, at the right time, regardless of any other factor.” 

Quiet fell upon us two after I said my piece. My breathing slowed down and the knot in my stomach came undone. The lump in my throat disappeared. 

All my bodily barriers broke down. There were no more emotional walls up between the two of us anymore. I was completely vulnerable - nothing to hide me. Not even my eyelids could hide the windows of my soul. Spencer had already seen into them. 

He saw my soul, my secrets. 

“Dance with me.” He extended his hand in the air between us two. With no hesitation, I accepted his offer and followed his lead. He’d never danced so naturally before. Somehow, his stiffness had withered away. The thick tension that used to loom in the air above us two dissipated. Something new replaced the contents of the atmosphere. 

Love. 

Unbounded. 

Unrestrained. 

Unbridled. 

Limitless love. 

Spencer drew me in closer so my head could lay on his chest. Previously, I was looking at his face, but now the view was of our connected hands. My fingers were intertwined with his, and I didn’t even notice how his thumb was rubbing small circles on the back of my hand until I saw it with my own eyes. 

Had he always done that, but I couldn’t feel it until I saw it for myself? If so, what else had he been doing that I couldn’t feel?

“Loving you.” 

I removed my head from his shoulder after hearing him answer the question that I pondered silently, wondering if suddenly just acquired the superpower of telepathy.

“What?”

“Loving you. That’s all I know how to do by heart.” 

A wave of relief came over me when I realized he hadn’t read my mind, he was just simply adding to our conversation from before. 

“That’s not true,” I mirthlessly chuckled. “There’s lots you know how to do. You know thousands of chess permutations, you know how to geographically profile - you know how to dance now.” I countered playfully.

He shook his head. “I know how to do those things, but sometimes, none of it makes sense. I used to lose matches against Gideon, sometimes the comfort zone is inaccurate, and until today, I couldn’t dance very well,” He chortled. “But loving you. That always made sense. It never failed me or disappointed me and it’s so all-consuming that if I try to love anyone else - it just doesn’t make sense.”

Of all the words in my vocabulary, each of them were failing me. I was rendered speechless. Spencer cleared his throat and looked away for a moment, before finding the nerve to say it. 

“I choose you.” He proclaimed. 

So, I was right. 

There are some things we know by heart. 

Lyrics to our favorite song.

A recipe. 

How to dance . . . how to love.

And who to choose. 

“I choose you, too, Spencer.” 

. . . So to answer my question from before, is life really that magical? . . . 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*