#honestly i was convinced for years that kelly would end up with bow

[raiiny-bay]

weird to think dhes & kel never got together in the early drafts of the story…

[cozy-the-overlord]

Until Tomorrow

Summary:  Quarantine by itself is lonely enough. Quarantine amidst a rainstorm of biblical proportions is downright depressing. Lucky for you, a visitor arrives just in time to keep you company.

Word Count:  2,463

Pairing: Loki x Reader

A/N: Sooo..... I did a thing. I’ve never written fanfiction or reader-inserts before, but it was pouring rain last night and I’ve been reading so many quarantine fics on Ao3 that I thought I’d give it a whirl. I’ve never been more nervous about posting a story before... I hope you like it!

Also, I got an Ao3 account now, so you can read it here if you’d like

              It was raining.

              Although raining didn’t seem to do the weather justice. You couldn’t remember the last time you had witnessed such a torrential downpour. The pattering of raindrops rushing down your slanted roof had been drowned out by the wooshing of the fast-moving river that a few hours ago had been your street. Between the dark storm clouds and fog so thick you could cut it with a knife, you couldn’t make out exactly how bad the road was, but the waves that crashed against your window every time a car came skidding past your house told you that you weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

              Not that you currently had any great travel plans.

              You sat on the couch at your front window, a book lying open and ignored in your lap, watching water droplets race down the glass as a shiver raced down your spine. Usually, you loved the rain. You had grown where storms were a treasured rarity, where you’d insist your mother buy you rainboots for your birthday only for her to give them away a year later when they became too small, balls of paper still stuffed into their toes. Usually, when it poured, you’d run into your driveway with your head back and arms out, belting out “Singin’ in the Rain” as you attempted dance moves that would make Gene Kelly role in his grave, just because you could.

              But today, you didn’t feel like dancing. With everything going on right now, the rain seemed less like a cause for celebration and more like a sign of impending doom. It had been weeks since you left the sanctuary of your tiny suburban house. You were lucky, everything considered�� your parents were safely quarantined in your childhood home on the other side of the country, from where they FaceTimed with you at least once a day.

              Your job was secure. That was one of the wonderful things about working for Tony Stark: the day everyone was sent home, the head man himself sent out an email swearing to keep everyone on the payroll through the quarantine, regardless of how long it lasted. He had even set up a system for delivering groceries to his employees: you texted a number with your order, and a few hours later a red and gold drone dumped a box of overflowing plastic bags on your doorstep. That was something your mom couldn’t get over—Iron Man bringing you milk!— and honestly the ridiculousness of it all made you want to giggle, too.

              Sometimes, though, it was all too much. It had been ages since you’d seen anybody, ages since you had heard another voice unfiltered by the garbled speaker of your cell phone. You had never considered yourself to be an overtly social person, but damn did you wish you had somebody here to talk to. Your mother had been trying for years to convince you to adopt a pet, insisting that it wasn’t healthy for you to be living completely alone, but you had always brushed her off, saying that you were working so often that you were rarely at home and it would be cruel to the animal. Now, you promised yourself that as soon as this was over, you were heading to the Humane Society.

              If this was ever over.

              Outside, the rain kept pouring. The trickling water seemed to be whispering to you—sinister promises of something worse yet to come. You curled tighter upon yourself, pressing your cheek to your knees.

              Let this end. Please, just let this end.

              A crash behind you startled you out of your thoughts. You shrieked, whipping around to see a figure standing in your living room, soaking bags sprawled about him, staining the carpet. He scowled.

              “Bloody rainstorm. You can’t see a damn thing out there.” He shook his head and began wringing out his hair, muttering in a language you didn’t understand.

              It was several moments before you could find your voice. Once you did, it slipped out cautiously. “Loki?”

              “At your service, my lady.” He gave a grand bow, his words dripping with sarcasm.

               You stared. You knew Loki, of course. You were familiar with all of the Avengers who lived in the tower—your office was located on one of the higher levels, and as a result it wasn’t uncommon to see celebrities like Dr. Banner or Captain Rodgers making their way across the floor to meet with one of your coworkers. Unlike the others, however, you had actually spoken with Loki.

              The two of you had a little run in a few months ago, when you were refilling your coffee mug at the break room. You were already on edge because Dr. Foster was visiting, Dr. Jane Foster, and word about the floor was that she would be stopping by with Thor to meet some of the higher-level workers at some point during the day. You felt silly for feeling so starstruck, but Dr. Foster’s work was on another level of world-shattering, and the thought that you might be shaking her hand by the end of the day had you all sorts of jittery.

              Then the coffee pot exploded.

              Exploded wasn’t exactly the right word. It was more like an eruption— all at once the pitcher just vomited its contents across the counter, up to the ceiling, all over the floor, writing like an animal and spitting out more coffee than it possibly could’ve been holding previously. With a scream, you threw the anthropomorphic pot to the floor, adding shattered glass to the absolute mess in the break room.

              There wasn’t time to comprehend what just happened before he was there, pulling you out of the puddle of lukewarm coffee.

              “Forgive me, that was not supposed to happen. Are you hurt?” Loki scanned your form with an anxious sort of urgency. There was a tinge of pink on his cheeks—if you hadn’t known better, you would’ve said he was blushing. “Are you hurt?” he asked again when you only gaped at him like a dead fish. “Burned? That was not meant—forgive me.”

              “No,” you finally said. The coffee hadn’t been warm enough to do any damage. “Just… my clothes—”

               He waved his hand, and the sticky moisture clinging to your front disappeared. You ran your hand over your shirt, now dry and stainless. That’s useful.

               “Are you certain you are uninjured?” he asked. “I swear, that was not what I intended—”

               “I’m fine.” Now that the shock had worn off, you found yourself stifling the urge to giggle. “What were you trying to do?”

               Loki looked embarrassed. “My brother has the tendency of laying claim to the refreshments of any floor he visits, without leaving anything for those working on said floors. I thought I’d teach him a lesson.” He cast a glance back at the mess behind him. “The charm was meant only to react to him. I suppose I made a mistake in casting it.” He turned back to you. “I am sorry.”

               You smiled. “It’s alright. I guess I could use a bit of excitement in my life.”

               He grinned. “Words to live by.”

               After that, you had been friendly. You’d greet each other when you walked by one another, you’d make small talk in the elevator if you were riding together, he’d hold the door for you if he had the chance. Nothing serious, nothing even that personal really, just office-friendly.

              Definitely not crashing-unannounced-into-your-living-room-during-a-rainstorm-in-the-middle-of-a-pandemic friendly.

              “What—?” you sputtered, springing off the couch. “What are you doing here?”

              Loki dramatically gestured to the bags on the floor. “It seems I have been relegated to the status of a delivery boy.”

              Craning your neck, you recognized the label of your local grocery market. You frowned. “Did—did you bring me groceries?”

              The Asgardian in your living room huffed irritably. “You had an order for today, did you not?”

              You nodded slowly. Yes, you were waiting on an order today, and now that you were looking you could see that it was sprawled across the floor at Loki’s feet: a carton of orange juice, a tub of ice cream, a bag of potato chips… but what was Loki doing dropping off food for you?

              He sighed. “Stark, in his infinite wisdom, failed to consider the effect of such the elements—” he gestured to the monsoon outside your window “—on his mechanical messengers. As I am the only individual he knows with means of instantaneous travel, I have been encouraged to assist with deliveries. I am—what is the phrase?—making the rounds, if you will. ”

              “Oh.” You found yourself at a loss for words, likely looking every bit as dumbfounded as when you first met in the break room. You mentally slapped yourself. “Um… thank you. Here,” you moved to collect to foodstuff off the carpet, “I can, uh, start putting things away—”

              With one swift motion, Loki scooped everything up. “Allow me. Just tell me where you want me to put it.” You glanced up at him cautiously. He raised his eyebrows.

              “Uh, okay.”

              He followed you into your kitchen, and you cringed as you realized how truly disgusting your sink was. It had been ages since you had the motivation to do the dishes, and they had been piling up in your sink like the leaning tower of cheap ceramics for at least a week now. Loki didn’t say anything though. At your direction, he placed the bags on the counter and watched as you silently put the contents away.

              Even amidst all the awkwardness, there was something soothing about his presence. For the first time in weeks, there was a living, breathing person in your house, someone real to talk to and laugh with. So when Loki said that he had to finish his deliveries, the question that popped out of your mouth was birthed by pure desperation.

“Do you want something to drink before you go?” you asked. “Like, a glass of water? Or… I have coffee, if you don’t mind it being reheated.”

              If Loki was surprised by your offer, he masked the emotion quickly with a smirk. “Do you really trust me with coffee?”

              You giggled. “I don’t know. Can I?”

              “You shouldn’t trust me with anything,” he said, slipping into one of the seats at your kitchen table. “But I think we can make an exception just this once.”

              You sat and talked for nearly an hour, sipping your microwaved coffee as the rain pounded on the roof. Loki had plenty of quarantine stories from the Tower, stories that always seemed to end with Thor accidentally blowing something up.

              “He is not used to staying in such a limited space for this long of a time period,” he said reflectively. “I think perhaps confinement is having a detrimental effect on his intellect. Stark has installed a ‘Days Without an Accident’ count at the kitchen table, and thus far my brother has managed to reset it every day.”

              You snorted. “That sounds hilarious. I wish I was there to see that.”

              “No, you don’t. Everyone is fed up with everyone else.” Loki stared into his mug absently. “They have been starting altercations over the minutest details. It’s quite chaotic.”

              You frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to like chaos?”

              “When it’s within my control. This is far beyond that.” He took another sip, emptying it. “You are lucky to live alone. I would gladly welcome the peace you have here.”

              “I don’t know. There’s not much to do in here.” You held in a sigh. “It gets kind of depressing after a while.”

              Loki cocked his head, brow furrowed. “You are lonely?”

              Your cheeks heated with embarrassment. It was such a menial complaint to have, especially when so many others were suffering. “Kind of,” you muttered. “It’s not so bad, though.”

              Loki continued pressing. “You have access to communication, yes?” he asked, leaning forward. “I thought all of you mortals were addicted to your cellular devices.”

              “Yeah,” you replied slowly. “But it’s not the same thing as, you know, actually talking to someone. Like, when they’re actually there.”

              “I understand.” He reached out to set his mug on the table. Somewhere hidden under your smile, your heart sank. He’d be leaving soon.

               Loki cleared his throat. “If you would like,” he said, “I could pay you a visit every so often, as we are doing now.”

              What?

              “Oh, you don’t have to do that,” you rushed to say, even though the thought of having a regular visitor sent your pulse thrumming.

              “No, but I think I would appreciate the respite. Today has been quite lovely, if I may say so.” He smiled— a genuine smile, not a smirk or a grin—and you felt rather silly for the way your heart seemed to soar. “Of course,” he added quickly, “if you don’t wish for my company, I completely—”

              “No!” The volume of your voice made you cringe. Jeez, he must think you haven’t spoken to anyone in months. “No, I—if you want to come over, then…” For a moment, you fumbled with your words, searching for an eloquent way to accept his offer. “I’d like that,” you finally said, giving up. “I’d like that a lot.”

              He laughed. “In that case, I’ll stop by tomorrow.” When he stood, you stood with him, following him back to your living room where he had left the groceries you hadn’t claimed. “I do need to be going now, though,” he said, scooping up the remaining bags. “The last thing I need is Stark having a fit over my failure to deliver his employees’ groceries on time.”  He nodded at you. “Thank you very much for the coffee.”

              “No problem,” you said. “Thanks for—thanks.”

              He chuckled. “Until tomorrow, my lady.”

              “Until tomorrow.”

              And just like that, he was gone. It was a noiseless disappearance: one moment he was there, the next, you were once again alone with the pouring rain. With a sigh, you made your way back to the couch, scooping up your book off the floor. Once again, however, you found your attention drifting to the water running down the window, the rushing waves of your street outside. Nothing had changed, and yet it seemed so much less frightening than it had an hour before. No, now, it was almost soothing. You had the sudden urge to run out on to your driveway and belt “Singin’ In the Rain.”

              I should’ve done that while Loki was here, you thought sleepily, pressing your cheek to the cushion. He would’ve gotten a kick out of that.

              Maybe you could, if it was still raining tomorrow.

              Tomorrow.

              You dozed off to the peaceful lullaby of the rainfall, smiling softly and thinking of tomorrow.

[anna-justice]

Lost or Found - 13

Summary: As Jay, Hailey, Kim, Adam and Kevin start their junior year in the wake of a tragic summer, the past year of their lives comes back to haunt them. If you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, this is for you! *UPSTEAD/BURZEK High School AU

...

13 - Helpless ...

WARNING: this chapter contains an intense scene of domestic abuse, if that is not something you feel comfortable reading, skip all text in italics. 

The next few days went by in a blur.

Sunday was spent the same way Saturday was, with Jay at Hailey’s beside from the time that visiting hours began to when they ended. The only difference was that Kim was sent home that day, while Hailey was kept for observation.

Jay had a million questions for Hailey. The words medical history hadn’t left his mind since they were first uttered. He was dying to ask her to tell him everything, it was eating him alive. 

Hailey was sick and tired of being in a hospital bed, and it only got worse when Monday rolled around and Jay had to go to school. She was left alone with her thoughts, and they were all over the place. The mess that they were wound up in suddenly felt much more real, and when Hailey took the time to reflect, it hit her that it had been all too real from the beginning.

Erin was dead and no one knows what happened. They should have gone to the police, she shouldn’t have let Jay convince her to go this alone. She had always been the voice of reason, but with him, she had no problem following him blindly. They were in too deep, people were dead, reputations were ruined, all of their loved ones were in danger and all they had to show for it was a cellphone that they were never supposed to have in the first place.

Or maybe they were.... That was the problem, whoever the person that was tormenting them was, they were always two steps ahead. And Hailey couldn’t help but think that every step they made in the “right direction” was just another part of the game that they were set up to play. They were supposed to find the phone, they were supposed to think it was Nadia, Hailey was even considering that Kelly was too obvious. They had been given a suspect wrapped up with a bow on top, it was too easy. 

She couldn’t stop the endless stream. There was so much to think about, including how she even ended up in the hospital in the first place. Someone would have to have failed their challenge, that was the only explanation. The person threatening them was crazy, but they were also a control freak. If someone refused then they would be sure to retaliate. She knew it wasn’t Kim or her, neither of  them got a text. It could have been Jay, but he already got one and passed. Kevin’s “person” was his sister. That leaves Adam, Kim is Adam’s person. Adam failed, but it doesn’t explain why they both ended up in that garage. By the rules of the game, Hailey should have been safe…

Hailey’s head hurt, there were too many moving pieces to keep track of. And by Tuesday she had come to terms with the fact  that she wasn’t going to be able to crack the case by herself. She needed the scooby gang, whose name unfortunately stuck after her and Jay’s fight a few days after it all started. 

Wednesday was the day she was supposed to go home, much to Hailey’s approval. She had had her fair share of  soap operas, HGTV and bad hospital food. She wasn’t looking forward to the load of HW she was going to have, but thankfully Jay had picked up some things for her to do while she was bedridden. 

She was wearing a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt that she stole from her brother. She had discarded the horrid hospital gown a few days prior. The doctor told her that he would be back soon to do one final check up and explain some things before she was discharged. 

Jay rounded the corner, pizza box in hand. He thought he would surprise Hailey with dinner to celebrate her release. It was almost six and he had just come from fall workouts, their school was known for  their baseball team and the coach liked to start training and conditioning way too early. He leaned against the doorframe, watching her gather her things. He was about to announce himself when she grabbed the hem of her oversized t-shirt, pulling it to rest over her hips. Jay had every intention of averting his gaze, but as the material was lifted a pink and white gash was revealed near the small of her back. 

He knew her history, he shouldn’t have been surprised, but seeing the real life evidence on her body had him at a loss for words. He must’ve been staring, because the next thing he heard was Hailey’s teasing voice. “You see something you like Halstead?” 

Jay chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “Uh, pizza?” He asked, completely ignoring her.

Hailey took the box from his hands with a smirk and plopped herself down on the bed, motioning for him to sit in front of her. “You are my favorite person in the world right now.” She wasted no time pulling out a slice while Jay struggled to control his heart beat. He knew she was kidding and that it was the pizza talking, but he found himself hoping that she meant it. Hailey glanced up at him, nodding towards the box and trying to ignore the look on his face. 

“You ready to bust out of here?” Jay askes, once again changing the subject.

Hailey nodded, chewing her big bite of pizza. “Very, these places need to come with padded walls.”

Jay laughed, attempting to move on from whatever he saw earlier. It wasn’t working very well. “When do you get to leave?”

“The doctor said he would be back in a few hours for my final exam and then I’d be free to go. Aunt Trudy just told me to call her when they gave me the all clear and she would leave work.” Hailey explained.

Jay nodded, picking up a slice. Thoughts of Hailey’s dad still circled his head and he couldn’t help but want to tell her that he was there, not that it would do her any good. He just couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt that came with keeping something like this from her. He took a deep breath, “Can we talk?”

“Of course.” She said, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” Jay said sighing, “I just need to know Hailey, what happened…”

Hailey felt her breath catch in the back of her throat, she wasn’t prepared for that. “Jay--”

“I’m sorry, I know it isn’t my place, I just--” He paused, “I keep imaging it myself and I just need to know.”

Hailey nodded, running her hands through her hair. She wanted to say no, to tell him to leave and forget that that day never happened, but she couldn’t. Because he was sitting there in front of her looking like he was about to fall apart and it made her heart ache, literally. “Okay.”

“Thank you.” He said softly.

Hailey re-adjusted herself, trying to find the words to explain it all. Unfortunately, she remembered everything…

Hailey sat on the couch with her mom. It was a normal friday night for them, there was a movie playing and an abandoned pizza box on the counter. Ever since her brothers moved out, the two of them had made it a habit of spending the first night of the weekend together.

When they were about halfway through the front door slammed and Hailey pulled her knees to her chest. Undoubtedly her father was home. Anne tensed, watching her husband from her seat, hoping he would head straight for the stairs like he normally did. He didn’t, instead he opened the fridge, grabbing another beer. He glanced over the door and met Hailey’s gaze that had followed her mother’s, she quickly averted her eyes. 

The refrigerator door was slammed in the same fashion as the front door, causing the machine to shake. Hailey watched out of the corner of her eye as her father tipped the bottle up and downed the whole thing. No doubt he was a professional by now. He slammed the bottle down on the counter, and Hailey was shocked that it didn’t shatter. “Anne, do you have something you want to tell me?” He spat.

Anne looked up in shock, her daughter’s worried expression burning into the side of her head. “Pardon?”

“You know what I’m talking about…” He said, stalking forward. “Don’t play dumb you whore.” 

Anne gasped, taken aback. She had no clue what he was talking about and she honestly didn’t want to know. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what you are talking about.” She rushed out, defending herself.

Eldon grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled her up to face him, “Like hell.” He growled, squeezing until Anne whimpered in pain. “I know you’ve been whoring around.” 

Hailey stood in shock, there was no way that her mother would do that. She knew that Anne loved Eldon blinding. Anne’s heart rate speeds up and Hailey watches her father’s fists clench. In that moment she made a decision that would prove to be one of her worst: she grabbed her mother by the shoulders and pulled backwards, taking a protective stance in front of her. “Just go upstairs dad, you’re drunk.” She said gently, pleading with him. 

Eldon smirked and Hailey realized her mistake. “This doesn’t concern you, you ungrateful little bitch. Go upstairs. Now.” 

Hailey grimaced, she was already in too deep, there was no way either of them were getting out of this and she’d be damned if she let her mom suffer alone. “No.” 

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, a hand fell on her cheek. The echo rang throughout the room and Anne shrieked as Hailey brought her hand to her face, fighting back tears. She could feel the skin stinging,and she knew that her father was waiting for her to walk away, but she couldn’t. He was angry and she had made it worse, her mom didn’t deserve to feel his wrath when Hailey triggered it. She stood her ground, her blue eyes meeting his fiery ones. They stared at each other down for a few seconds, but suddenly, he snapped. 

His tight grip latched onto her forearms and Hailey felt herself thrown into the wall beside them. “Eldon!” Anne screamed. She hit it with such force that the wind was knocked completely out of her. Her back stung and she wheezed, trying to catch her breath. Eldon held her tight against the wall, blowing his hot breath in her face, Hailey gagged. 

“You think you’re so tough, huh?” He taunted, digging his nails into her bare arms. She was thrown again, but this time into the counter. She screamed in agony as she collided with the hard surface, a loud crack rang out and she fell to the floor, clutching her side. “You feel tough?” Hailey cried out as her father kicked her side, causing her curl into a ball on the floor. “Do you feel tough?” He screamed at her, muffling Anne’s sobs in the background. 

Eldon grabbed Hailey by the arm, yanking her up. There was a sharp pain in her shoulder and she screamed, the sound cut off by her father’s hand grabbing her throat. Hailey felt her back hit the fridge behind her, she clawed at his hand, her air cut off once again. “Never speak to me that way again.” He said in her face, before throwing her to the ground. Her wrist broke her fall, but Hailey was numb to the pain. She groaned, rolling onto her back as the tears fell. Her head was spinning and the last thing she saw was her mother hovering over her, then everything went black.

Hailey was shaking uncontrollably as she finished, tears rolling down her cheeks. Jay felt like he couldn’t breathe, the broken girl in front of him was someone he didn’t recognize and he hated himself for making her relive that. He placed a hand over hers, careful not to scare her this time. 

She felt his hand on hers and Hailey glanced up, finding the strength to face him. When their eyes met she began to sob, and Jay took it as an invitation to pull her to him. He wrapped his arms securely around her as she cried, Hailey fisted his shirt in her hand, holding on for dear life. 

They sat there for forever, Hailey soaking his shirt and Jay doing his best to comfort her. He wanted to make it all go away, but he couldn’t. He was powerless, all he could was hold her and for now that seemed to be enough. 

Finally, Hailey pulled away hiccuping, keeping her eyes trained on the bed. Jay reached out, brushing a hair behind her ear and letting his hand linger there. “Hailey Upton, you are the strongest person I know.” He said, looking her straight in the eye.

Hailey nodded, swallowing hard. She didn’t dare open her mouth, she knew her voice would betray her. 

She made the first move this time, settling into her side and laying her head on his shoulder. Jay smiled softly, welcoming her with open arms. He felt better, or at least better than before. Everything was out now, and Hailey trusted him enough to  tell him. However, there was a new pressure on his chest now. A different one. An equally beautiful and terrifying one, and it was all consuming. He couldn’t deny it, he was falling in love with Hailey Upton.

...

A/N: Finally!! You know everything! I hope that the scene was bearable to read, it was something that needed to happen, but I’m not very good at writing violence.  Thanks for reading! P. S. I actually remembered the tag list this time!

@lissethsrojas @fuckyeahkillianemma @puckluck28 @chilly7188 @thebigapocalypsewolf @karihighman