#i kept meaning to tell them to not let him enter the building anymore but i kept forgetting. ok

[avpdgirlfriend]

why did i have a dream that i was being stalked and harassed that was genuinely so stressful

[randomperson99sworld]

Ruffled Feathers 🪶

~ Part 6 ~

Summary: Julia Morgan, Bobby's niece, has always been a royal thorn in Dean Winchesters ass since the day they met 1 year ago at Bobby's memorial. She wants to be a hunter, he thinks she's a dumb kid playing dress up. Will she always be seen as an unwanted load in Dean's eyes or will he see something more?

Pairing: Dean x OC

Warnings: Language, age gap, sexual themes (used lightly), physical abuse (Not by Dean).

Word Count: 2,405

A/N: I had to repost this part because my dumb self accidentally copied my rough draft instead of the finished chapter lol. If you guys see anything that doesn’t make sense let me know! I’m still new at writing, but I want to make it as perfect as possible for my readers! This story is cross posted on Wattpad, I made the last minute decision to share it here too. Happy reading! ♥️

Julia stepped into the diner, the faint chime of the doorbell ringing out as she entered. The place was quiet, with only a handful of people scattered around. She scanned the room, trying to push past the frustration building in her chest. Dean's words echoed in her mind—stay out of trouble. He acted like she couldn't handle a real hunt, like she was nothing more than an inconvenience. It wasn't the first time he'd made her feel like that, and she doubted it would be the last.

But she was determined to prove him wrong.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way to the counter where an older woman stood wiping down the surface. The woman looked up, offering a small smile as Julia approached.

"Can I help you, hun?" she asked, her voice warm but tired.

Julia returned the smile, trying to keep her tone casual. "Yeah, I'm new in town and heard there's been some weird stuff going on lately. Thought I'd ask around, see if anyone knows what's up."

The woman raised an eyebrow, glancing around before leaning in slightly. "Weird stuff? You mean the attacks?"

Julia nodded, keeping her expression neutral. "Yeah. People saying it's a wild animal or something?"

The woman sighed, shaking her head. "It's more than just an animal, I'll tell you that. Folks around here are scared. There's been a few people attacked just outside town, and none of them made it. I've heard whispers about some kind of beast, but no one knows for sure."

Julia's heart rate quickened. Definitely sounds like a werewolf. She kept her voice steady. "Anyone get a good look at whatever it is?"

The woman hesitated, glancing over her shoulder like she didn't want anyone to overhear. "There's one guy, a regular, who swears he saw it. Ted, his name is. He's been spooked ever since, though, barely comes in anymore. You might wanna talk to him. Lives in a cabin on the outskirts of town, past the woods."

Julia thanked the woman and ordered a coffee to go before stepping outside. The sun had dipped lower, casting the small town in a soft, orange glow. She spotted Dean and Sam across the street, walking out of the sheriff's office.

Dean's gaze locked onto her as she crossed the road to meet them. His expression was the same as always—guarded, skeptical, like he was waiting for her to mess up.

"Well?" Dean asked, his voice impatient. "You find anything, or were you too busy chatting up the locals?"

Julia ignored the sting in his tone, keeping her voice steady. "One of the waitresses mentioned a guy named Ted. He says he saw whatever attacked the victims. He lives just past the woods in a cabin. Could be worth checking out."

Dean's eyebrows lifted slightly, like he hadn't expected her to come back with anything useful. He gave a slow nod, glancing at Sam before looking back at her. "Alright. We'll check it out."

For a brief moment, Julia felt a flicker of satisfaction. Maybe this'll prove I'm not just in the way.

The three of them piled back into the Impala, the familiar hum of the engine filling the silence once again as they headed toward Ted's cabin. The tension from before still lingered, but there was something new in the air now—anticipation. Julia knew this was her chance to show Dean she could pull her weight.

As they neared the outskirts of town, the road grew rougher, surrounded by thick woods on either side. Dean parked the Impala at the edge of a long narrow dirt path leading to the cabin. The sun was almost completely gone now, the last traces of daylight fading fast.

Dean stopped the car in the middle of the path as it looked too rough to drive the rest of the way. They got out of the car, and Dean grabbed his sawed-off shotgun from the trunk, tossing Sam and Julia their weapons. He eyed Julia for a second longer than necessary before turning toward the path. "Let's go."

The air was cool, a sharp contrast to the warmth of the day, and Julia found herself gripping her knife a little tighter as they walked.

After a little bit of walking , the outline of a small cabin came into view. Dean motioned for them to stop, holding up his hand as he scanned the area.

They walked up to the cabin and knocked and a man opened the door. He was a middle-aged man, his clothes slightly disheveled, eyes darting around like he expected trouble at any moment

"Hey, Ted right? We spoke on the phone earlier." Dean said. "Mind if we come in to talk?”

Ted nodded, his gaze flicking nervously between them. "Sure. I'm not much for company, but I suppose it's better than being alone."

They all  came in the quaint looking cabin, and Dean wasted no time getting to the point. "We heard you saw something the other night. Can you tell us what you saw?"

Ted took a shaky sip of his coffee before beginning. "It was dark, and I was just heading home. Then I heard this growl, like nothing I've ever heard before. I thought it was a bear or something at first. But when I saw it... it wasn't any kind of animal I've seen. It was huge, with glowing eyes. It came at me, but I managed to get away. I've been too scared to go back out there since."

Julia listened intently, her mind racing. A growl, glowing eyes—it fit the description of a werewolf alright.

Dean glanced at Julia, then back at Ted. "Anything else you remember? Any specific features or behaviors?"

Ted shook his head. "Just the eyes and the growl. It was like it was hunting me."

Sam leaned in, his expression thoughtful. "Have you seen anything else strange around here? Any other incidents?"

Ted hesitated before speaking. "There've been some odd occurrences—people seeing strange things in the woods, noises at night. I thought it was just my imagination or the stress from what happened to me."

Dean glanced at Julia again, a silent question in his eyes. Julia nodded slightly, indicating that Ted's account was useful.

"Alright," Dean said, standing up. "Thanks for your time, Ted. We'll look into it."

Ted nodded, still looking uneasy. "Be careful. Whatever that thing is, it's dangerous."

They left Ted's residence , heading back to the Impala. Julia felt a renewed sense of purpose. With the new information, they had more to go on. They could focus on the details Ted had provided, potentially narrowing down their search.

As they settled into the car, Dean started the engine. "So, what's next? We going back to check the woods or...?"

Dean nodded, pulling out of the dirt path. The drive to the woods was filled with the low hum of the engine and the occasional rustle of conversation between Sam and Dean. Julia stayed mostly silent, her mind still processing everything from the morning.

When they reached the edge of the woods, the sun was starting to dip lower in the sky, casting long shadows through the trees. They parked the car and grabbed their gear, ready to investigate.

Dean led the way into the forest, the terrain becoming increasingly rugged as they moved deeper. Julia stayed close behind, her senses on high alert. The forest was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that seemed to press in from all sides.

After a few minutes of hiking, they came across a small clearing with signs of a struggle—broken branches, disturbed ground. Julia's heart raced. This was the kind of evidence they needed.

"Looks like this is where it happened," Dean said, examining the area. "We should spread out and see if we can find any more clues."

Julia nodded, taking a deep breath as she walked beside

"Stay back," he muttered to Julia, his voice low.

Julia bit back her frustration, knowing now wasn't the time to argue. She hung back as Dean and Sam moved toward the cabin, their weapons raised, their steps silent.

Suddenly, a rustling sound echoed from the trees behind them. Julia's heart raced as she turned, her grip tightening on her knife. The sound grew louder, closer, until a large shadow darted through the trees.

She raised her weapon, trying to get a clear shot, but the creature was fast, darting in and out of the shadows. Before she could react, it lunged at her with terrifying speed.

"Julia, watch out!" Dean's voice shouted from somewhere behind her.

The werewolf's claws slashed through the air, catching Julia off guard. She tried to dodge, but its claws raked across her shoulder, tearing through her jacket and into her flesh. A cry of pain escaped her as she staggered back, her weapon slipping from her hand.

Dean and Sam charged in, guns blazing. The werewolf howled in pain and rage, momentarily distracted by the sudden attack. Dean's shots found their mark, and the creature staggered before retreating into the darkness.

Sam hurried over to Julia, his face etched with concern. "Julia, are you okay?"

Julia winced as she touched her shoulder, feeling the warm trickle of blood. "I... I'm okay. Just a scratch. We need to finish it."

Dean, his face a mix of anger and worry, approached quickly. "You're not okay. You're hurt. We need to get you patched up."

He grabbed her arm, guiding her back to the Impala with Sam following closely. Julia's shoulder burned with every step, but she tried to stay steady. The werewolf might still be out there, and they couldn't afford to waste time.

Once they reached the car, Dean quickly pulled out a first aid kit from the trunk. His hands moved with practiced efficiency, but his expression was tense.

"Sit down," Dean ordered, gesturing to the backseat. "We need to clean this up before it gets worse."

Julia obeyed, gritting her teeth against the pain as she settled into the backseat. Dean pulled out the antiseptic, a pair of scissors, and a needle and thread. He glanced at her shoulder, his jaw tightening.

"You should have been more careful," Dean said gruffly, his voice tinged with frustration. "I told you to stay back and let us handle it. Now look what happened."

Julia bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears. "It's not that bad. I just got a scratch."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "A scratch that needs stitches this time. What happens if next time you get bit? You could've turned. You always rush in without thinking." Dean seethed.

Sam stepped in, trying to defuse the tension. "Dean, she was trying to help. It's not entirely her fault. The werewolf was fast."

Dean huffed but didn't respond, focusing instead on cleaning the wound. Julia watched as he worked, his hands steady but his expression betraying his frustration. He cleaned the wound thoroughly, applying antiseptic before starting the stitches.

The pain was sharp and intense, but Julia bit her lip and stayed still, refusing to let out more than a few gasps. Dean worked in silence, his anger morphing into a grim determination to get the job done right. He finished the stitches quickly, his movements efficient but rough

"There," Dean said finally, tying off the thread and cutting it. "All done. Try not to move your shoulder too much."

Julia nodded, wincing as she adjusted her position. "Thanks, Dean. I appreciate it."

Dean's face softened slightly, though he still looked frustrated. "Just... be more careful next time. We can't afford to have you getting hurt. Not like this."

Julia nodded again, feeling a mix of relief and frustration. "I will. I promise."

Sam patted her shoulder gently, offering a supportive smile. "We need to get back out there and find that werewolf. It's still a threat."

Julia agreed, though she was keenly aware of the ache in her shoulder. "Yeah, let's finish this."

They packed up their gear and returned to the woods, the fading light casting long shadows around them. Dean stayed close to Julia, his attention divided between the hunt and keeping an eye on her.

As they continued their search, Julia tried to stay focused, despite the pain and the sting of Dean's anger. She knew he cared, even if his methods were rough around the edges. And right now, she needed to prove that she could handle herself—no matter how tough things got.

Suddenly, a rustling sound echoed from the trees behind them. Julia's heart raced as she turned, her grip tightening on her knife. The sound grew louder, closer, until a large shadow darted through the trees.

"Dean!" Julia called out, stepping forward instinctively.

Dean whipped around, his shotgun raised, just as the werewolf lunged from the darkness. It was massive, its eyes glowing in the dim light, teeth bared in a snarl. Without hesitation, Dean fired a shot, but the creature barely flinched, charging at him with terrifying speed.

Sam moved to fire his gun, but Julia acted faster. She hurled her knife with precision, the silver blade embedding itself in the werewolf's side. The creature let out a howl of pain, staggering back as the knife sizzled against its flesh.

Dean didn't hesitate. He fired another shot, this time hitting the werewolf square in the chest. The creature collapsed to the ground, dead before it hit the dirt.

There was a moment of stunned silence, the only sound the heavy breathing of all three hunters. Dean stared down at the body of the werewolf, then slowly turned toward Julia, his expression unreadable.

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, but she didn't back down. "That was close," she said, her voice steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

Dean's gaze flicked to the knife still lodged in the werewolf's side, then back to her. For a moment, she thought he might say something—maybe even give her some credit—but all he did was grunt and turn away.

"Let's get the body burned before someone stumbles on it," he muttered, walking back toward the cabin.

Julia watched him go, her chest tightening with a mix of frustration and disappointment. No matter what she did, no matter how many times she proved herself, it didn't matter.

[hiss-kitten]

Having horrible thoughts right now and music is no longer helping. I need them so much at times like this so I would overcome this heavy feeling by writing.

"I just want this to be over..." | 0:21 a.m

Pairing: The three eldest (separately) × Gn!Mc

Genre: Angst, comfort

Warning !: Su1cid@l thoughts, angst, su1cid3 attempt

(Let me know if I missed something/Added something incorrect.)

It's not like you want to seem ungrateful for everything you have now. But you just don't know anymore. What's the whole point of your life now? You think you don't deserve this life, many others could just have it, but why you?

You feel lonely even though there are people around you, who you know that would understand you and listen to you. But then again, maybe you're just overreacting and being lazy. In addition, you don't want to be a burden to them, you don't want to rely on anyone.

You know they've went through much more than what you're going through right now. Just...

...you came to the conclusion. Just end it. There's a rope there, waiting for you. You're finally going to be able to get out of this misery. Finally-

"Mc..."

Lucifer

"Mc..." He called. You looked at him. He had just entered, just when you're about to end your life yourself. You just stared at him.

Your eyes makes it obvious how tired you are. Your eyes are making you look lifeless. You want to talk, but why can't you use your voice? "Mc, get down there." He ordered. Telling you to get down on the chair your standing on.

Your sight becomes blurry due to the tears building up.

He walked towards you, slowly. To make sure he won't scare you. "I just want this to be over..." You muttered, but enough for him to hear. You didn't notice him near you already, hugging your thighs.

"Why haven't you said a word, Mc...?" He asked. It took you a few seconds to process what he's trying to ask. Ah, he's asking you why you didn't come to him, ask him to help you. Why are you staying silent?

He'll understand you. He'll listen to you. He's been through the feeling of what it's like to have no one listen to your problems. You helped him and his brothers. Let him help you now.

"Lucifer..." You muttered. You start caressing his head.

"If you leave, not only will i be lifeless, but my brothers as well. Perhaps we just didn't show it to you better, perhaps we didn't try hard enough to show you how much you mean to us. Even my brothers are so attached to you already. So please stay...if not for me, then for my brothers." He said that. All for you. And you didn't even notice yourself crying already.

"Please stay... If not for me, then for my brothers." Those words kept repeating in your head.

Now do it. Don't waste this opportunity. The opportunity to tell someone what's wrong, what's bothering you. Lift that heavy feeling off your chest. He will listen.

Mammon

"Mc..." What are you doing? Did you really just have to forget to lock the door? "Mammon..." You muttered. "What do you think you're doing, huh!?" He asked, he looks like he's about to cry.

He almost lost you. What if he didn't come just right in time? Maybe you'll be long gone now. "I...I just want this to be over..." You muttered, though it was enough for him to hear.

He walked slowly towards you. You could order him to stay but should you really do that? Is it your wish to let him witness you die? It's not in your nature to do something like that to a person you love most. But is it in your nature to leave someone you love most?

You felt him hug you. Tightly. Oh, right he's hugging you. "Mc... You're not gonna leave me, yeah?" Mammon asked. "Let's talk about it... What can I do for ya? Am I not a reason for you to stay? Tell me... I'll listen. I'll listen even for hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades... I'll listen to ya... Just don't leave me." He...he really said that? For you?

Oh, you hadn't even notice yourself crying. You sat up on the chair with your legs tucked. You hugged him back.

You're obviously not stupid enough to leave him, yeah? Now, it's time to talk. Tell him, what it is you want to let someone know. Let him help you. Just like how you helped him. He. Will. Listen.

Leviathan

"Mc..." Just when you've touched the rope.

Levi? You chuckled. "Why are you still up...?" You whispered. You made sure everyone was finally sleeping before you do this. And you made sure you made one more moment with them before disappearing.

Though it's clear that you won't disappear just yet. Now that he's caught you, there's no point hiding it. "You're not doing that." He said through gritted teeth. His hand has formed a fist. "Why, Mc...?" He asked.

Why? Yeah, why? You looked down, avoiding staring at him "I just want it to be over..." You muttered. You looked at him again, only to see him crying. He walked slowly towards you. "I know the feeling too, Mc..." He muttered.

Yeah, he knows the feeling of being useless and worthless. He will definitely listen to you and help you. He has experienced it too, and he overcomes it by doing his hobbies. You can't leave him. "Wanna talk about it, Mc?"

For a few seconds you kept quiet, only to feel him hold your hand. Levi does not have the courage to do something like that, normally he'd be a blushing mess already even just when touching your hand. But now is not the time to feel shy, you need someone. And he'll gladly be your someone.

"There's no point in doing that... It's better to just end it, don't you think?" You smiled bitterly.

"No...no, I don't think so..." He whispered. "If you leave, my life will be completely meaningless. And I will feel even more useless because I didn't do anything to stop you from leaving. So talk to me, Mc..." He said.

No, you don't want him to ever feel useless. You really don't. Wow, you're crying. That's right, let it all out. Drop that heavy feeling that you've been carrying for at least just a minute.

Before you have even noticed, he's already hugging you. Caressing your back. It's about time now, don't you think? It's about time you tell someone your problems. And Levi, would really love to be your someone.

[busterheadspace]

Mario and Luigi fic where we see random points in their lives before and after coming to the Mushroom Kingdom where their Twin Sense comes into play.

Not picky about how many, just enough to establish its a thing.

And if someone can notice it and explain it to them, along with them having serious Brother Feelings about it, that would be great too.

If you need an explanation for what Twin Sense is:

Oh god, two months late. I am so sorry.

—-

A young boy had been playing on the playground with his friends. He chased them on the playground equipment with laughter until he suddenly felt something wrong . He stopped and turned around to where his brother was. A blond boy with glasses had knocked his castle down and took his flag. The boy glared at him, hoping off the playset and running straight into the bully and taking his brother's flag back. The mean boy runs off and the boy grins at his twin and he shyly smiles back 

"Mario! Luigi!" Their mom called. "Let's go home!'

The older brother quickly tagged the little brother before running off to their mother. The young brother giggled and chased after him

—-

In high school, during sixth period, Luigi had been feeling a weird pain throughout his body. It was strange as he hadn’t been picked on any of the bullies today, Mario had always defended him from many of them.

Speaking of Mario, where was he? He hasn't seen him since they walked into the building and went to their classes. He hated how they couldn't share the class anymore but their dad said it was for their own good. Luigi saw the point but he didn't really like it.

He passed by the gym and then froze. The pain had intensified and he stopped to take a moment to breathe. His mind began telling him to enter the dark gym despite no one there. Is he even allowed to do that? He took a step forward and his heart urged him to keep going. With a gulp, he entered the gym.

"Hello..?" Luigi called nervously. It felt like someone was about to jump him. A groan made him jump and he slowly turned around. His heart nearly dropped seeing a body in the corner, and ran over. His eyes widened realizing who it was.

"Mario?!  What happened?!" Luigi yelled as he looked over his brother. His face was purple with blood running down his nose. Luigi helped him, having 

"and his nose was bleeding. He helped his brother up and Mario huffs in pain.

“Some idiots were smack talking about you.. I couldn’t let them and as soon as the gym teachers left, they decided to gang up on me. I threw in a couple punches, they’ll leave you alone”

“But why?! You could have left them alone!” Luigi exclaimed in response. “I don’t like seeing you hurt.”

“And I don’t like seeing you being made of. I’ll be fine. How did you even find me?”

“Something.. told me to come in. I felt a rush of pain when I was around here.” Luigi shook his head. “But can we get you to the nurse? Please. At least some ice?”

Mario sighed. Luigi wasn’t going to let him go without his injuries being taken care of. He allows Luigi to guide him to the nurse and he wouldn’t leave for his classes, just watching worriedly as the nurse puts ice on his face. 

—-

Curse Spike and his stupidity. Mario had been trudging through a snowstorm in New York the last hour. He didn’t go to work today, mainly as his mother had gotten sick and his dad wanted him to help around. Luigi had to go to work by himself and they both didn't like it.

An hour passed since Luigi should have gone off work and he wasn't home. Mario had called Spike and the bastard said that he forgot about him and he didn't remember where he left him. Luigi wasn't picking up his phone. Immediately Mario put a jacket on and ran outside, searching for him. The jacket usually kept him very warm but he felt cold. So cold. 

"Luigi! Lu!" Mario yelled, and the panic was starting to form. He was thinking of the worst scenario that could have happened to his brother. He should have kept him home!

"Mario..!" A voice called for him and he spun around, a relieved smile on his face seeing the  and puffy jacket. His scarf and hat were gone though.He runs up to Luigi, slipping on ice but wrapping his arms around for a tight hug.

"I thought something bad happen to you!' Mario examined as he took his hat off and gave it to Luigi. His face was bright red, and he was shivering 

"I'm sorry. But I dropped my phone in the snow. It broke afterward.". Luigi muttered.  

"Come on. I don't want you get getting sick." Mario said taking his hand and leading him home

He felt warmer now that his brother was here

—

Why did he let go. 

Luigi found himself being dragged by these creatures with mask. He's terrified with where he was is. A dark land with only magna and fire. 

He wanted to be back in Brooklyn. With his family. With Mario. He felt the uneasiness in his chest thinking of his brother. He felt his brother somewhere. He had to be in this world. He could feel it. But a part of him wondered if he was fing to save him.

The creatures push him inside a hot air balloon. He looked out, hoping to see Mario or anyone who would save him

He saw nothing making his heart aches even more.

—

Landing in an unfamiliar land made him uneasy. But that could be pushed aside. Luigi was somewhere in danger.

He felt hot. He felt scared. He couldn't sleep knowing he could have killed his brother all because he wanted to be a hero 

"Mario? You doing okay?" Toad had sat beside him as they stared at the sky. The sunflowers around them made the area pretty but it was hard to admire them.

"He's somewhere trapped. It's hot. He's scared.". Mario mumbles. Toad tilts his head.

"How do you know this? He's kingdoms away."

"I just have this feeling. I need to save him."  Mario responds, standing up. 

'I'll save you bro. Don't worry.'

—

He was here! Luigi was around! Mario could feel it. The power-up he picked up helped him move quickly in the air. He could see the battle on the platform but Peach and Toad seem to be able to handle Bowser and his army.

And he could see Luigi just barely hanging onto a half broken cage with magma below him. Mario moves quickly, diving down as Luigi accidentally lets go. Just barely, maybe if he took a second longer, his brother would have been killed. But he grabbed onto his hand and landed. Luigi exclaims his name happily and hugged him tightly 

They didn’t want to let go but seeing the Bullet Bill rushing out, Mario quickly hurried to stop it before it exploded. Luigi watches and waits but minutes would pass and he felt Mario even farther than when they sucked into this new world.

A bright light would soon blind him and it felt like being sucked in by Green Pipe all over again.

—-

Defeating Bowser was hard but they did it. Their families were amazed at them for saving Brooklyn. Their mom would cook a giant feast and by night, the whole family gathered, including Peach,Toad, DK, and Cranky.

“So you two are heros in two worlds? Wow! I’m impressed ” One of their uncles exclaimed. Luigi shrugged.

“Well.. more Mario. I got kidnapped and he had to save me.”

“You know what’s crazy. This guy.” Toad spoke up and pointed to Mario and he stared at him confused. “He could totally sense where his brother was. He could feel the cage Luigi was in while we’re far from Bower’s palace . Heck, he even knew which cage he was in.”

Their dad chuckles. “Well they are brothers. I still remember when they were toddlers and they could sense each other. We would be playing hide and seek at the park and they would find each other instantly”

“Maybe it’s a twin sense.” DK jokes, smacking his fist on the table and the dishes rumble. Cranky shoots him a glare and DK settles down.

Although the brother took what DK said in though, staring at each other as if they were thinking the same thing. All of the times where it would probably take forever for someone to find them, they manage to find each other in a quick manner. Whether it was being picked and bullied in the corner or looking through a snowstorm, they would always find each other. It made both of them relieved and happy, the anxiousness and worries in their chest would fade as soon as they were close.

Maybe it was a twin sense. Maybe it was true. The brothers nod at the same time and laugh. Nothing funny was happening but they found it humorous. The dinner party would end soon but Mario and Luigi were ready to stick by each other. 

Nothing could tear them apart.

[angeart]

...I forget how evil you can be with cliffhangers sometimes D: You can't just leave it like that! What was next?? (yes I could guess but I'd rather have an Ange ramble :3 )

-🎀

oh wow i really left you hanging on that one, oopsie <3

after the Original Raven died, rei's soul... just... dragged another raven in. because he couldn't bear it. he couldn't, not with that, not like that.

this meant another twin bond had to snap so that our rei's could be patched up. for that, to at least somehow maintain things, a bunch of things needed to be... erased.

the new raven came in as a blank slate. no attachments! no memories.

the memory of original raven's death was also erased.

now this set off a whole different chain of events. rei never experienced that horrible traumatic event of being on that cliffside and seeing crying raven topple. he never had to be haunted by the words i need you being raven's last.

he never got to learn from that, in a way.

this new raven was clueless. didn't recognise anyone! so this started a whole spiral, and a family crisis. the abrupt amnesia was suddenly on the table, without anyone knowing the cause. they started rebuilding raven's foundations, and... raven remained the center of attention.

rei was even more invisible than before.

his pain was not important in any of this. not anymore. not ever raven could pay attention to that at this point.

but here's the thing. this raven didn't belong here. in this reality. in this world.

so the reality rejected him. slowly at first, and then all at once.

it got rid of him.

this means another raven has died.

and rei's bond, frayed and agonised, still couldn't allow raven to go.

so another raven came in!! (cue carousel music)

blank, again. no memory. the family had to deal with another amnesia out of the blue. nobody remembered the deaths. they thought this is still the same person.

and. it kept happening.

at some point, their dad left the picture.

their mom is doing her best. but she's so, so exhausted. working impossibly long hours on top of everything. and so a lot of the pressure was delegated to rei. look after your brother. make sure he's safe. make sure he knows how to get home. make sure he knows who we are.

all of that.

and rei wasn't meant to be the responsible one. he wasn't meant to be trusted with fragile things.

he doesn't know how to reconcile himself with this and still keep a semblance of his own life. it all just boils. he continues hurtling down bad paths.

well, he tried, at first. but eventually, the cycle became fatiguing and, honesly, hopeless. pointless, almost. so he started doing the bare minimum.

rei's current go-to strategy is to just orient raven enough and then promptly tell him to stay away and leave him be, because rei's the bad one between the two of them. he explains to him, in no uncertain terms, that he doesn't care. that raven doesn't want to be near him.

(and he does care. he still cares so damn much.)

(he just can't do this.)

eventually, the reality decided enough's enough. time to change something up, because this clearly isn't working.

this is where our raven enters.

our raven comes from a world where rei doesn't exist. he never had a sibling. there's no bond that needs to be erased for this to go smoothly.

so he's just yanked, and thrown in. all of him intact, including his memories.

which means he's different. he no longer follows the script rei has so meticulously written.

it also means that he's much more acutely aware that he doesn't belong here. he's much more susceptible to those reality glitches and the growing, impeding rejection. the shadows, the voices, the funky mirrors. all of it just building up around him into one big nightmare.

and i do have fun bits about all of this!! let's rewind slightly back and talk about our raven crossing over into this world!

as i said before, when raven first crosses realities, he's in a scary place for a little bit. that's an in-between world of sorts. there's a guide, and he instantly starts rambling off that this is a place for lost souls—and then he cuts off. "oh, it's you, raven."

he knows him.

he knows raven, because he's seen countless iterations of him pass through.

as they walk across this realm, they come across another person. and that person tells raven, who asks what does a world for lost souls even mean, that he isn't lost. which irks our guide! even though he knows it's true in this case.

and they sort of. argue! throwing in fun little foreshadowings like, do you really want to watch the same thing happen again for the hundreth time? and this is how things work and no they DON'T work, that's the whole point!

they also say,

"he's destroying his world!"

"it isn't his."

"goddammit, he's destroying SOMEONE'S world!"

"worlds."

"worlds!!"

"it's not his fault."

anyway, no, raven doesn't bother paying attention to them, too distracted by an inner pull towards an alleyway with an old, broken mirror.

the world transforms into a maze around him in a blink, and then opens up into an expanse of water that keeps rising. the guide ís back next to him, insisting that raven should be the one to control what's around them. telling raven to change it up. to make it safer.

but then the guide corrects himself, realising that it's not in raven's control. it's in theirs. all the other ravens.

it's all the trauma and misery that seeps in and dictates the shape of this place now.

raven and the guide proceed to have a stressed-out back-and-forth, where the guide doesn't provide any useful answers. he says he's the guide for lost souls, but raven isn't lost, so he can't really guide him. but! he can give him a piece of advice.

the advice is, your other self will show you the way. and to trust him.

of course raven just rolls his eyes because what the fuck.

the back of raven's neck tingles as if he was watched, and when he looks over, there's a mirror labyrinth. and he feels drawn in, as the water keeps incessantly rising, now swallowing up his legs.

before he can go, the guide stops him with a pensive, "he was right, you know." (he, as in, that other person the guide was arguing with before.) and he says, quietly, urgently, uneasily: "what do you think happens to people who succumb to the pull of that part of their soul that never belonged to them in the first place? to people who inadvertently step into an empty space just to fill it?" a short pause, and then a heavy finish: "... to people like you?"

raven doesn't get more than this.

the next thing he knows, the guide is gone, and the mirror maze is here, right around him.

the water never goes away. it keeps rushing in around him.

the mirror images are... disturbing, to say the least. ravens, countless of them, but not him. there's panic, there's blood, there is despair.

he doesn't really want to see it.

he keeps moving—swimming, now, his clothes dragging him down—realising that this maze might not have an end. that there might not be an exit. that he can't get out.

it's once the water rises far enough for him to realise that there is a ceiling that the panic truly sets in. he's swallowed up, caught, and no matter how much he screams, nobody is helping. (the mirror ravens now all watch him, drawn to his desperation like moths to a flame. looking on with sympathy, uncertainty, fear.)

despodently, he remembers the guide's words.

your other self will show you the way.

he's out of options. he takes his last breath and goes under, searching.

there is a mirror right in front of him.

the raven on the other side is water-drenched, but standing on dry land. he stares back with an indecipherable grief. drops trail down his cheeks.

he says, "i know how it feels." and then, quieter: "i'm sorry."

raven's lungs burn. his mind is filled with indescribable panic. darkness swims across his vision.

his mirror self half-whispers, brokenly: "this wasn't meant to happen."

it's at this point that raven blacks out.

there's a fuzzy sense of sinking, deeper and deeper into an endless ocean. the water is calm, heavy, pressing at him from every side. it all feels sleepy, slow motion. it feels like the end.

he's awoken sharply, his head ringing with words without a voice:

this world does not belong to you.

he wakes up in an unfamiliar bed.

<3

[madsworld15]

New Fic Alert: lifeline of a promise in a shot glass (Brian/Justin AU)

PART TWO of MANY

Synopsis: What if Justin never met Brian when he was 17, and because of this, his father convinces him to go to Dartmouth and follow a business path? Years later, Justin is 25 and works alongside Ted, who was his mentor as he studied for his CPA the year before, and lives a life of limited socialization due to crippling grief and anxiety caused by the death of his close friend 3 years prior. What happens when Ted pushes him into interacting with the family?

Part 1 can be found HERE.

The next day, Justin sat in his apartment with a sketchpad he’d carried around since his high school art days but hadn’t touched in years. He stared at the last drawing he ever did. 

Jason’s smiling face, with his dark hair seeming to move in the nonexistent wind. 

His eyes prickled with tears as Lindsay’s words from the night before echoed in his head. We never stop being artists. His fingers itched to draw, to immerse himself in a world of happiness and good things. But the ever-pervading cloud of depression stopped him just short of his pencil making contact with the paper.

Justin was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his apartment door buzzer. It wasn’t the one from the street, so whoever was at his actual door must’ve been let in by someone else in the building. It could only be two people, considering only two people knew where he lived. So, seeing Ted on his doorstep caused his brain to short-circuit.

“Hey,” Ted smiled and gave a small wave once Justin rebooted.

“How do you know where I live?” Justin finally asked, stepping aside and letting Ted enter.

“I’m friends with Marlene in HR, and she owed me a favor after I helped her with her taxes last year.” Ted’s answer was rushed, “Never mind. Not important.” 

Justin bit his thumb and watched as his friend walked around his small but comfortable living space. When Ted came to the sketchpad Justin had set down on his coffee table in the sitting area, Justin held his breath.

“So, you’re an artist?” Ted held up the drawing, a look of admiration and awe on his face. “You’re really good.”

“I don’t do that anymore.” Justin stepped across the room, took the pad from the older man, and closed it before shoving it into the entertainment center under his TV. 

From the look of it, Ted could tell Justin didn’t want to talk about it, but the man was never one to back down quietly. So when he opened his mouth to respond, Justin steeled himself for a blow he wasn’t quite ready to handle.

“Was he your ex or something?” Ted chuckled at what he thought was a joke.

Justin turned to face his coworker, his only confidante that he had regular contact with, and begged him just to drop it. But, what Justin must’ve conveyed was more sad and depressing because Ted immediately wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

And for the first time in a long time, Justin let another person comfort him as his tears fell. He’d been bottling up his emotions since the anniversary on Wednesday. Here was Ted, a sweet and giving man, just holding him and letting him unburden anything Justin felt comfortable giving.

After a few minutes, Justin found his mouth revealing what his heart begged to be kept quiet, “He was my best friend, and I killed him.”

Ted pulled back and studied Justin’s face for any sign of falsehood or over-exaggeration. Then he walked back from Justin’s personal space to sit down on the couch. 

“I highly doubt that.” Ted finally responded, giving Justin his kindest eyes. “Killing him, I mean.”

Justin moved to sit on the other end of the couch, a space of about 6 inches between them. “But I did. We were hanging out with his teammates. Jason was on the baseball team. We’d been dating for a year but kept it secret because Jason was afraid of losing his place on the team.” 

Justin took a deep breath, realizing that he was about to reveal more about that night than he ever had before outside of therapy.

“We had graduated the night before. The group of us were celebrating. I didn’t play sports, but I was great at just blending in, so the guys accepted me as Jason’s roommate. And everything was great until I got drunk and kissed him in front of everyone. Jason got so upset and ran off. I ran after him, and so did a few of the guys on the team.”

Ted leaned over and put his hand over Justin’s. Justin used his other hand to wipe away a few of the tears.

“Next thing I know, I woke up in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury, a smashed knee cap, and the news that Jason had died from his head wound.” 

Justin pulled his hand away from Ted’s because the human contact was suddenly too much. But Ted scooted across the space and wrapped his arm around Justin’s shoulder regardless. As Justin resisted and tried to pull away, Ted said the same thing over and over again.

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t hit him in the head. They did.” 

Somehow, Ted, who knew nothing about the people Justin once knew, was able to comfort him in a way that his mind had never allowed from Daphne. There in his apartment a few days after the third anniversary, Justin finally heard the words “It’s not your fault” and believed them, at least at that moment.

Once Justin’s emotions had quelled and he felt he could be a functioning human, he stood up and away from Ted’s touch.

“Uh. Thanks. I’m not sure what happened.” Justin paced the sitting area space of his apartment, biting down on his thumb once more.

“Clearly, you needed it. I kind of got the sense that it has been an especially long week for you. Which is why I came over to see if you might want to go to Babylon with me tonight.”

“Why?” Justin’s mouth once again worked of its own accord.

“Because it’s a gay dance club and a great place to forget the world.” Ted shrugged, watching Justin continue to pace from his spot on the couch.

“No, why are you so insistent about hanging out with me? I’m so much younger than you, and I’m depressing as hell.”

“Justin, you’re young. And yet, you spend most of your life either at work or home. That’s acceptable for someone of my age, but you? You should be out. Celebrating who you are. Enjoying life.” Ted stood up from the couch and approached Justin.

“You’re much too young to shut yourself off completely.” Ted placed his hand on Justin’s shoulder and fixed him with a serious stare. “Trust me, Babylon is a great place to forget your troubles.”

“It’s also a dance club, which is wall-to-wall people. That’s something that still makes me nervous. What if I get there and freak out?” Justin chose vulnerability once more, trusting that Ted would meet him where he was.

“Then, let me know, and we can leave together. There is no expectation. I just want you to try.” Ted smiled at him hopefully.

Justin bit his lip again and looked around his apartment. It was a nice, comfortable place to live. His father paid for it with his blood money payments, so Justin was able to live a little bit above his means. The space gave him a place where he could hide out and be safe. But Ted was right. He was only 25 and deserved to go out and enjoy himself.

“Okay. I’ll do it.” Justin smiled back at Ted. “On one condition.”

Ted quirked his eyebrow, “What’s that?”

“You dance with me for at least one song.” Justin shrugged as if the request should have been obvious.

“Of course.” Ted immediately agreed. Then he paused. Justin could tell he wanted to ask something else but hesitated for some reason.

“What is it, Ted?” Justin walked away from the man and toward his kitchen area to grab something to drink.

“Well, it’s too early for the club, but I wondered if you might want to catch dinner at the diner with Emmett, Ben, and Michael.” Ted looked hopeful.

As much as Justin desperately wanted to say no, he figured it would be better for his nerves later on. He couldn’t say no to Ted when he was like that.

“Okay. Fine, but I reserve the right to leave if I feel uncomfortable.” Justin pointed at Ted and grabbed his jacket hanging by the door. 

“I would never hold you anywhere against your will. Though, I must warn you. Michael’s mom, Debbie, is going to adore you, and she might.” Ted laughed as the two friends made their way down the hall toward the elevators.

“Do I want to know?” Justin laughed along with Ted. 

“Debbie can’t be easily explained. You just have to experience her to understand. She might not even be there, considering she’s technically retired.” Ted shrugged as they walked the three blocks toward Liberty Avenue. 

Justin shook his head and imagined having a mom like that. Jennifer Taylor was a great mom in her own right. She cared deeply about both her children, and Justin knew that if she were aware of his sexuality, she would embrace him wholeheartedly. The more people he met within the gay community, the more he felt the need to come out to her. But the idea still terrified him.

“Hey, Ted.” Justin came out of his own head and addressed his friend just as they turned onto Liberty Avenue.

“What’s up?” Ted slowed his pace a bit to get more in line with Justin.

“Do your parents know? About you, I mean.” Justin crossed his right arm across his chest and nervously grabbed his left bicep.

“My mom has known since I was in college. And my dad, well, my dad died when I was young, so, no.” Ted gave Justin a knowing look, “Why?”

“You remember that check from the other day?” Justin took a deep breath. He figured it was now or never. “Well, that was from my dad. He sends me a couple thousand every month to ‘celebrate that I went into business like he desired.’”

Ted stopped and gently grabbed Justin to prompt him to do the same. “Seriously? What did he think you were going to do instead?”

“Art,” Justin replied simply and then quickly pushed forward. “Anyway, I will never come out to him because, well, he doesn’t have the right to know that about me. Sending a check doesn’t make him a father.”

Ted nodded in agreement, and the two continued their trek down the block toward the corner diner. 

“But, my mom. She’s amazing. She’s seen me through everything. And she’s always loved my art. At this point, I feel like I’m lying to her. She doesn’t deserve that.” Justin turned his head to meet Ted’s gaze, “But how do I tell her?”

Ted wrapped his arm around Justin, “I think you’ll know the right words to say when the time comes. She’s your mom, and she loves you.”

They opened the door to the diner and walked inside, their more serious conversation topic forgotten. Ted directed Justin to a table a bit further back from the door where a tall, skinny man with flashy, form-fitting clothes sat with a short, black-haired man in a graphic t-shirt. The taller man excitedly waved the moment he saw Ted, and his face lit up like fireworks when he smiled. 

“TEDDY!” The taller man jumped up and wrapped Ted up in the biggest of hugs, “Oh my gosh! Who is this adorable little twink?” He added upon noticing Justin. 

“This is Justin. Remember, I told you guys he’s the new accountant I mentored last year.” Ted introduced Justin in the most basic way possible. This told Justin so much about his friend. That he knew all these details about Justin, and yet the one thing he kept referring to was their job. It made Justin breathe a sigh of relief.

The shorter man, still sitting at the table next to the taller one, looked up and smiled. 

“I’m Michael. Usually, Ben comes here with me but our son, Hunter, is having a bad day, so he stayed home with him,” the shorter man extended his hand for Justin to shake. He did.

“Oh, is it anything serious?” Ted sat down across from the two friends and scooted all the way to the wall so Justin could sit next to him and have an easy exit should he need it.

“Just feeling a bit under the weather. His count was high yesterday when he went to get his routine tests done.” Michael responded with a shrug. “Ben’s not too worried, so I’ve decided not to be as well.”

“Sure,” the taller friend muttered as he rolled his eyes. “I’m Emmett. I cater and plan parties so if you are ever in the need…” He trailed off with a wink.

Justin forced a smile and nodded in acknowledgment of both men before him. They seemed harmless enough. He could already feel the tight grip of his anxiety slacken a bit. 

“I’m honestly surprised Ted has been able to nab such a hot young thing.” Emmett continued, tapping his finger on the table in front of Justin, forcing the blond to look up.

“We aren’t together.” Justin quickly corrected. Not that Ted wasn’t a nice guy, but Justin had no business or interest in being in a relationship with anyone. That last thought sparked his thoughts about Jason. 

Feeling the prickle of tears at the back of his eyes, Justin quickly excused himself and walked off to the bathroom. He wasn’t about to get emotional in front of people he barely knew. Standing in front of the small bathroom mirror, Justin pinched his cheeks and splashed water on his face. He begged his brain to just be normal for once. It was huge that Ted had invited him to spend the evening with him and his friends. Justin didn’t want to fuck that up. 

After a few minutes, he felt composed enough to return to the table. As he approached, he saw that his seat had been taken by the man from the night before, Brian Kinney. And with him was a young child who was bouncing excitedly between Brian and Ted, crayons in hand, drawing. 

Justin didn’t feel like dealing with whatever Brian felt compelled to throw at him today, so he moved to walk past the table and out the front door onto the street. However, Brian stood up just as he drew up to the table and offered the seat back to him.

“Theodore said that you’d just gone to the bathroom. I hope you don’t mind Gus sharing the bench.” Brian smiled and left it at that. 

Justin looked between Brian and Ted, who shrugged, just as confused by Brian’s behavior. Justin quietly slipped into the spot Brian had just been in. He was immediately accosted by Gus who shoved a crayon in his face.

“Here! You are the blue. I am the green because green is my favorite color,” the young boy moved his piece of paper over so that it sat between him and Justin.

“Gus, don’t be too pushy.” Brian gently warned.

“Daddy, he’s coloring too. See?” Gus moved his body to twist completely around and address his dad, who was now sitting at the table behind Justin and Ted.

“So, Brian, how’d you end up on kid duty this evening?” Emmett chuckled as he brought the straw in his soda to his lips. Justin observed just how much fun Emmett was having with Brian, and at that moment, Justin knew he was going to love Emmett.

Justin couldn’t see him without turning around, but he could feel the heated gaze Brian must be giving Emmett.

“It’s my weekend,” Brian answered shortly. “But, good ole Deb agreed to keep him tonight so that I could go out to Babylon with you guys.” 

Justin couldn’t help the audible groan that escaped his body at that news. Ted immediately laughed while Michael and Emmett just fixed him with a questioning look.

“Brian and Justin met last night at Lindsay’s gallery opening.” Ted provided.

“Ohhhh.” Michael nodded and smiled. “So there actually is someone in Pittsburgh who isn’t caught in Brian’s trap.”

“So, Brian, how does it feel to be human after all?” Emmett tilted his head in a comical questioning way. 

Justin went back to drawing with Gus and ignored the adults above him.

“So, Gus, what are you drawing?” Justin asked the young boy.

“JR!” Gus waved his arms out in excitement and accidentally smacked Justin’s nose. “Sorry!”

“It’s okay.” Justin smiled down at Gus to reassure him. “JR?”

“My sissy. She’s annoying, so I’m drawing her as a monster.” Gus shrugged.

Justin looked around the table in question.

“J.R. is Jenny Rebecca. She’s biologically my daughter, but she’s raised by our friends Mel and Lindsay. Ben and I get to have her one weekend a month.” Michael supplied with a smile. 

Then he leaned forward and whispered to Gus, “Just don’t let her see that you have. She’ll probably be upset.”

Gus looked up at Michael with a facial expression that made it very clear he was Brian’s son, “So.”

Behind Justin came a snort from Brian. Then an exclamation of shock when a clicking noise preceded what Justin assumed was a smack.

“Well, boys! What’ll it be tonight?” A woman with loud clothes and bright red hair approached the table.

“Gamma Deb! I sleep over at your house!” Gus yelled in excitement.

“Sure thing, baby.” The woman leaned across in front of Justin to cup his chin fondly.

Then her attention landed on Justin, “Oh, you’re new. Where did Brian find you?” 

“Actually, Deb,” Ted cut in before Brian could protest, “He works with me at the firm. This is Justin.”

“Well, aren’t you as cute as a button? Not anything I’d expect for Teddy, here. Good for you.” She smiled at Justin and then looked beyond him to Ted.

“We just work together.” Justin reiterated. “Why does everyone here assume I have to be dating someone to be here?”

Ted reached around Gus and squeezed Justin’s shoulder in comfort to calm him down.

“These guys don’t make new friends. They make connections.” Deb responded. “I’m sorry to assume.”

“It’s okay.” Justin sighed and then curled on himself to make himself as small as the booth would allow. 

Every cell in his body was screaming for him to leave. He’d made things uncomfortable, which made him anxious. But the steady weight of Ted’s reassuring hand kept him in his place. After a few breaths, Justin managed to ground himself once more. He was able to give Debbie his order and then go back to drawing with Gus. A conversation happened above him among the four friends, but Justin didn’t care to know what it was. He hadn’t drawn in years, yet here he was with a young kid scribbling silly monsters all over the back of the diner placemats.

~~

Tagging friends so they see: @winderlylandchime @lostcol and @maryp50

[nightmareoforphans]

We see a young adult entering a research facility, his long platinum hair flowing while he walks through the halls eventually he stops at one of the doors and goes inside, he talks to one of the scientists

INTP: “Hey long time no see”

INFJ: “Hi bud! Yea sorry it has been a while I was so busy with work”

INTP: “Don't worry about it so are you here to get INTJ?”

INFJ: “yea I wanna help her out”

INTP: “Aww that's so kind of you”

INFJ: “I also made you guys food, here can you give these to your coworkers pls”

INTP: “OMG thank you so much!”

INFJ: “Don't worry I don't mind”

INTP: Hey everyone! INFJ brought us food!!!

The workers in the room began to gather around INFJ thanking him and having conversations with him. Suddenly INFJ feels a powerful aura invading the room, he turns around and sees INTJ staring at him blackly, her stare is emotionless yet so strong that INFJ compared it to being shot by a laser by the Death Star and he was Alderan

INFJ: (I think she's mad) “OK INTP I'm gonna go find INTJ now so bye enjoy your meals”

INTP: “Ok bye INFJ tell INTJ to make sure her burnt hand gets a proper check by a doctor”

INFJ: “Okie” INFJ proceeded to walk to the room where he saw INTJ, 

When INFJ entered the room he saw a young woman with long messy violet-purple hair, like the other scientist she wore a lab coat but with a black t-shirt and grey jogging pants, her glasses and face mask making look mysterious

INFJ: “There you are I was looking for you

INTJ: indeed I saw you looking around…

INFJ: we'll come on let's go to the hospital

The two young adults left the building and went to the hospital to get INTJ’s injury checked. When they were done they went home to their apartment.

INFJ: …can you tell me how your hand got burnt?

INTJ: It was my turn to cook so I tried cooking corned beef but I accidentally broke the thermometer thus I needed to throw it away no, so I went to the sink but INFP was already using it, then suddenly she might have done something wrong because water began spraying everywhere and some of it got into my pan and the oil bobbled, reaching my hand and burning it

INFJ:.. Did it hurt?

INTJ: obviously, when it burnt me I didn't cry or scream I just mentally melted

INFJ: oh…

INTJ: Can you tell me how you knew that I got injured?

INFJ: Well INTP texted me about it

INTJ: I see, guess I'll have to teach my little sister a lesson for informing you

INFJ: Hey, don't get mad at INTP, she just wanted me to help you

INTJ: I can take care of myself INFJ, I don't need your help, and besides I knew that if you found out you would go to me and abandon your plans to meet your favourite YouTuber today and guess what?! That's what happened!

INFJ: …of course I will… I was worried about you

INTJ: ...

INFJ: are you mad at me because I did that?

INTJ: (sigh) Not anymore, because after thinking about it, of course, you would I shouldn't even be surprised

INFJ: hehe, hey at least I got to enjoy more time with you

INTJ: we live in the same apartment and hang out with each other most of the time….(in a quiet voice) Besides I bet my coworkers are more fun to hang out with…

INFJ:... Are you jealous because you felt left out?

INTJ:...

INFJ then suddenly hugs INTJ out of nowhere shocking INTJ, and then he goes to the kitchen and when he comes back he has a delicious fried chicken breast with Ala king sauce on it

INFJ:…I hung out with many people but hanging out with you is unlike anything I've ever known in this world

INTJ:… Yea same to you too…

INFJ: And about earlier, your coworkers were talking so much that I couldn't even hear them so yeah hehe

INTJ: haha, but seriously I'm sorry i kind of kept thinking of ways to destroy you to atoms earlier

INFJ: Do mean jealous?

INTJ: Yeah, obviously you idiot

INFJ: ok since you haven't had your lunch yet pls sit down because I'm going to feed you heeheheheheh

INTJ:..WHAT? The girl said with a red face

INFJ: you burnt your hand, right?

INTJ: Yeah a hand not both hands

INFJ looked at INTJ with a blank stare while INTJ gave him a smirk

INTJ: looks like I outsmarted you

INFJ: pls just do this T^T(with a small frown) 

INTJ: you know what, fine. I guess this will be my punishment

Both of them sat in the kitchen as INFJ fed INTJ her lunch

INFJ: you know when you stared daggers at me in the lab i was reminded of the time when you did the same thing when I talked to my crush during junior high

INTJ: I don't remember that, but I do vaguely remember thinking of ways to turn you and ENFJ into robots and incorporate you guys into my robotic army to take over the world

INFJ: haaahahha nice one, i bet ENFJ  will also laugh

INTJ: that wasn't a joke

INFJ: I know

INTJ couldn't hold it and she began to laugh which was followed by her coughing

INTJ: damn you can't just make me choke out of nowhere you moron (intj said jokingly)

INFJ: sorry, even I laughed cuz it took me a moment to process what I just said

Suddenly INFJ got a text message from his phone

INFJ: Oh, one of my little sisters, ISTJ texted in the group chat saying she needs pictures of happy couples in her friend group for her project

INTJ: why did she ask in the group chat?

INFJ: well some members are dating, like ENFP & ENTP or INFP & ESTJ, maybe one of them ca-

INTJ then suddenly took his phone and took a selfie of her and INFJ together and after that, with a small smirk on her face she sent the picture to the group chat.

INTJ: U3U

INFJ: O~O

The first part is-> Here

[mikanotes]

— indulge. eunhyuk x gn!reader

genre: established relationship, angst, comfort

warnings: blood, implied suicidal ideation, injuries

author’s note: trying a new format finger guns also this was supposed to be way more angsty but i didn’t manage to make it that way so ure welcome? + writer’s block has been annoying me so much so this is basically a draft from a little while ago. hope it’s fine!!! (i dont like it personally but Yay lmao)

“eunhyuk… didn’t make it.”

that wasn’t something your heart accepted to hear. but that was something your mind registered, understood, despite its reluctance to accept it. however, your heart was out of your control, and that was why your tears slipped before you could hold them back. that was why your blank expression didn’t match how emotionally unwell you were. that was why you always did what you had to do and not what you wanted to do, just like lee eunhyuk always did.

you figured, maybe, you could indulge into a thing you wanted, for once in a very long while.

you wished you hadn’t been knocked out during your runaway to the bunker— so you would’ve had the opportunity to slap eunhyuk for leaving or, at least, go with him. but no, of course things couldn’t be this good. you had to get a chunk of the breaking building fall on your head and knock you out, only for you to wake up when the group found the exit of the bunker. you didn’t even remember entering it, just a faint memory of eunhyuk carrying you and looking at you with a slight smile. it was rare and you should’ve known then it couldn’t mean any good. but your consciousness left as fast as it came.

but now you were awake. so you left.

ignoring the shouts of all the people you survived with at green home, you walked away. the military threatened, or well, warned you but you ignored it, and yikyung seemed to be telling them to let you go. you didn’t care for anyone here much— save for eunyu, who was kind of a friend to you despite how similar your were in personality to her brother (she always lightheartedly insulted you about it) and hyunsu, who… was not here. so he didn’t count. you decided eunyu would be fine with everyone else, and that going to check if hyunsu and eunhyuk were still alive was worth the risk of getting killed.

so you went to get killed. that is the mindset you walked away with. so you wouldn’t feel as upset if you did get killed.

green home’s building wasn’t too far from the spot of the end of the bunker, so the walk wasn’t too long. the sound of your shoes against the gravel and the debris from broken buildings was odd, unfamiliar. you’d gotten lucky enough to manage to stay inside a fairly comfortable building throughout it all, so walking outside while literal monster walked around, destroying things was weird. you didn’t really mind. the silence. the loneliness of it all. it was enjoyable in a way. and no monsters showed up at all.

green home didn’t look very well. there was no rooftop to go to anymore, no stairs (none that led to anywhere, at least), no elevator, nothing. your apartment and room was long gone, as well as everything in the formerly well-kept building. you took a deep breath but kept walking.

grays, and shades of beige. sand and gravel and rocks and stones. it was so dull. almost tiring to look at. until your eyes caught sight of a trail of blood. fresh blood.

without an ounce of hesitation, you followed it, because why wouldn’t you? you followed through the remains of the building, followed through what felt like narrow alleyways but were just walls that fell apart, followed until you found… a body.

you dropped to your knees and grabbed the familiar figure you hoped was alive. your hand settled on the red flannel covered shoulder and turned the body over.

lee eunhyuk.

your hand moved up to his cheek, caressing the rough expanse of his dry, bloodstained skin. yes, blood, all over him. from his nose to his chin, from his temple to his jaw, on his neck and on his arms— blood. but only the trail of his very apparent nosebleed was still fresh— and flowing. he was alive. you allowed a breathy, relieved laugh and smiled.

“eunhyuk. wake up.”

he didn’t.

…not for at least ten minutes or so, rendering you worried about his wellbeing every other minute until you forced yourself to remember that hyunsu took some time to wake up after getting severely injured and maybe that was just it. after all, the nosebleed was a very clear sign of eunhyuk’s turning, which meant he was on the edge of humanity’s cliff— holding onto whatever his mind thought was a tight enough rope.

he blinked drowsily and looked at you through broken glasses, brows slowly furrowing in confusion. “[name]?”

“yes.”

“why are you here?”

“for you.”

he scowled and sighed, and then sat up with some effort. he ran a hand through his hair and then sniffled. a crease formed between his eyebrows and he brought his fingers up to his nose, slowly confirming that he was (still) bleeding. he bit on his inner lip and looked away, like he didn’t want you to see him like this despite knowing you already did.

you exhaled, “what happened?”

“i went to get hyunsu but he wouldn’t come. and then i decided to stay.” he said, as calmly as usual. he looked at you with the same emotionless air he usually had on him, “i figured it’d be pointless to go back with you all, considering the state of everything.”

“you had a chance.” you said, certain, “that was illogical.”

“it was self-indulgent.” he retorted, raising his eyebrows. you would’ve questioned how throwing himself into sure death was self-indulgent in any way, but he was alive and you, too, had thrown yourself into sure death and called it self-indulgent. again, you supposed you were really similar.

“it was selfish, too.” you added, “eunyu never looked that sad. and i didn’t even see her for too long.”

“is this really about eunyu?” he asked. you chuckled without amusement.

“obviously if it had been, i wouldn’t have come here alone.”

he sighed and before you could even think of anything, eunhyuk hugged you. you weren’t used to that— despite eight months of dating. he was never really one to initiate physical affection, nor were you, so it was a surprise. pleasant, sure, but a surprise. and despite how warm it felt to have his arms around you, you couldn’t help the chill that ran down your spine. “eunhyuk. you’re not gonna turn.”

“… how can you be sure?”

so you were right. the sudden embrace was because he thought he would fully turn. and knowing him, and his thought process (which mirrored yours), he probably planned on killing himself before it happened so he wouldn’t hurt anyone. or you. but he would not turn, you were sure of that.

“because it seems resilience, strength and a clear goal seem to be the key to staying human. to being a special case.” you said, basing yourself off what you’d seen from hyunsu and uimyeong. “do you have that?”

“i can muster it.” he said quietly, “but i don’t want you anywhere near for the next fifteen days. just in case.”

“and where do i go?”

silence. the wind felt especially cold on your skin, and conveniently enough eunhyuk rubbed your arm and back as the breeze passed. he seemed to ponder over the question for a while before pulling away and looking at you. “we’ll find a pharmacy.”

“storage?”

“yes.”

same thought process.

the storage of a pharmacy would be your home for the following fifteen days, for very simple reasons.

one being that there was a door with medications and therefore drugs that could only be accessed through a code (with some fidgeting of a tool kit you found, it was easy to change the latter). two being that eunhyuk could stay in that room, locked, in case he fully turned. three being that a pharmacy had everything to patch your wounds up as well as things that were nutritious enough to keep you alright and well for at least a few weeks. a bonus would be that, surprisingly, no one managed to have made it to that pharmacy alive during the time of the apocalypse, rendering it empty of people and monsters— and filled with everything you’d need.

and fifteen days were long. especially when you heard him yell and hit the wall while you sat at the other side of the door. it was hard and it was stressful.

sometimes you talked to him— asked him what happened for him to stay alive. he’d explain he woke up under the rumble of what remained of the building with nothing more than a few injuries and broken glasses. then, after some effort to get the bricks and all off of him, he managed to get up and make his way over to somewhere else. he’d found a place that looked enough like a shelter for him to survive enough to understand but got another nosebleed on the way, and passed out.

sometimes you’d ask to open the door. he would say no.

sometimes he told you to run far away from the room, just in case. and you’d come back ten minutes later to see he was fine.

and the fifteenth day came. you opened the door with the passcode you’d set. eunhyuk was up and awake.

“how are you feeling?”

there was a beat of silence that made you fear. but then he smiled, genuine and content. “human.”

you smiled in return. “i’m glad to know that.” you said calmly, despite the wave of absolute relief that washed over you. you couldn’t have been happier.

perhaps you’d been lucky enough to survive without getting attacked by monsters all this time. maybe you’d step out of the pharmacy and get stabbed by one and think “oh. great.”. but in this moment you didn’t care. eunhyuk was okay. he’d managed it.

you figured your concerns were whatever, now, anyways, as before you could even begin to think of anything else you felt something wet on your lips, and saw eunhyuk’s eyes widen. you touched your skin and looked down at your fingers. blood.

well.

you figured it was your turn to be quarantined.

[saintlike78]

Tough love [Poly Marauders]

A/N: Thank you so much for all the love on my previous poly Marauders, it really means a lot! I’ve just been obsessing over poly Marauders fics recently and it had inspired me so much, so I really hope you love this as much as I do. Feedback is always appreciated!

Pairings: Poly! Marauders x Fem! Non-Gryffindor! Reader

Words: 3.3k

Summary: Your “newly” established poly relationship with the three Marauders has you feeling many emotions. Sirius has always been one for though love and doesn’t often let his emotions show. In the start of your relationship, you have a hard time reading him and you think he doesn’t really like you and only is in the relationship because he wants to be the two other Marauders and you’re the catch/con that comes along.

Warnings: NSFW 16+, vaginal sex, oral (male receiving), fingering, unprotected sex, mention of cum, praise kink, degradation, one singular spank, polyamorous relationship, soft dom! Remus, soft dom! James, dom! Sirius, Sirius being mean, mention of food, light angst to fluff, as always let me know if I missed anything.'

The sun was shining brightly through the windows of the great hall. You were sitting at the Gryffindor table with your three new boyfriends. Remus and Sirius were across from you and James beside you, with a hand on your thigh, never wanting to not be touching you. Your right foot was between Remus’, him also not wanting to not be touching you. You had let your left foot be free so you could be touching Sirius as well, but he didn’t take. Looking under the table, being as subtle as possible, you saw James’ shoe-covered feet, one of them touching the side of Remus’ foot and the other one between Sirius’ but moved in a way so yours wouldn’t reach his. You looked up at the table again and saw that Sirius was holding Remus’ hand on top of the table.

Your three boys were laughing and talking, as they normally did, and you tried to keep a smile on your face and keep up with the conversation, but you couldn’t help the way your stomach dropped slightly at the thought that Sirius didn’t want to touch you.

“What do you think, Bunny?” Remus asked, all of their eyes suddenly on you.

You looked up and looked between their faces.

“Huh?”

Remus let out a small laugh, “I just said that because the weather is so nice, we could go to the lake after class and asked what you thought about the idea, but you were too busy being in bunny world huh?”

“Oh yeah, that sounds nice,” you answered with a small smile. You looked down at your plate again and started to pick at your food, not feeling particularly hungry anymore.

Remus looked at you in a confused manner and looked between James and Sirius, who both shrugged their shoulders.

“Alright, lake after class it is,” James announced with a grin.

______________________________

Holding onto Remus’ hand, you were all making your way towards the castle entrance, after having enjoyed all of the late afternoon at the lake, getting as much sun as possible.

Making your way up the stairs towards Gryffindor tower and Remus not letting go of your hand indicated that they wanted you to join them in their dorm room, which you did with no complaints.

As you made it to their room the door was shut firmly behind all of you and the boys didn’t waste time finding one of their beds to place you on and make hasty work of removing the minimal amount of clothes you were wearing.

You could feel arousal starting to churn in your belly as James kneeled at the foot of the bed and removed your lace panties. Remus had moved behind you and laid you on his chest as he removed your bra. He didn’t waste any time placing his hands on your breasts, as soon as they were freed, kneading them and making you let out a needy whine.

“A desperate little thing, aren’t you?” Sirius asked rhetorically as he ran a finger through your soaked folds.

James placed a finger at your entrance, slowly circling it, gathering your arousal before slowly letting it enter you. You let out a small gasp at the intrusion.

“Such a good girl,” James cooed, thrusting his finger in and out of you slowly before adding a second finger.

You moaned and grabbed Remus’ right wrist as he moved it to your throat.

“She’s no good girl... she’s just a desperate whore who’s only good for one thing, but not even that,” Sirius scoffed out as his thumb started to circle your clit.

Your eyes snapped up to look at his face, your stomach dropped, and you could feel light tears starting to gather in your eyes at the mean comment.

You wanted to be good for him and for him to like you as much as James and Remus did, but you felt like an imposter of some kind and that Sirius just wanted the part with you to be over.

Sirius felt your stare and removed his gaze from your clit which he was working his finger on. As soon as he met your eye you looked back at James, scared that Sirius would be annoyed at you for looking at him.

James picked up the speed of his fingers. The lewd squelching sounds filling the room, causing you to blush.

“Aww, are you feeling shy? You’re absolutely pathetic,” Sirius mocked, the first part faking pity and the second almost like you were being scolded.

James removed his fingers and stood at the foot of the bed.

“Alright darling, up you get,” he said and helped you up on your knees in front of him.

He leaned down and kissed you while cradling the back of your neck to keep you in place. Your hands found their way to his t-shirt covered chest and slowly worked their way up in his hair.

After some time, you pulled apart and looked behind you to observe your two other lovers.

Remus’ clothes had been removed and Sirius was lying beside him as they lazily made out. Sirius had Remus’ cock in hand and stroked it slowly, causing you to whine at the sight.

James chuckled slightly at your small whine, “what’s wrong darling? You want to be a part of it?”

You turned your head back towards James and nodded. He chuckled again and helped you turn your body fully towards the two boys.

Behind you, James made haste work of removing his own clothes and cleared his throat to gain the attention of the two others.

“Our darling is feeling a little left out,” James said as the two boys broke apart and looked towards you, “what is it you want to do pretty girl?”

You looked at Sirius who just rolled his eyes, so you quickly looked over to Remus. James had placed his hands on your shoulders for encouragement.

“Uhm... can I pl-please suck your cocks sirs?” You said almost in a whisper, your cheeks burning red with embarrassment from the question you had asked.

“Of course, you can, bunny, especially when you ask so nicely,” Remus replied and motioned for you to come closer to him in his seated form.

You settled between his legs and slowly took over for Sirius by grabbing Remus at his base and stroking just like Sirius had.

You leaned down and took his tip in your mouth, circling it with your tongue. Just as you were about to take more, a harsh slap was landed on your ass causing you to jolt forward and gag around Remus.

“Come on, get to it!” Sirius said as he sat down beside Remus again.

You quickly recovered and started bobbing your head up and down on Remus’ cock, not wanting Sirius to be more dissatisfied with you.

As you were working your mouth on Remus, you felt James rub his tip through your folds before slowly pushing in.

You moaned around Remus at the stretch and Remus groaned as he feels the vibrations on him.

James set a steady rhythm while holding your hips in a bruising grip.

You could tell by Remus’ increased breathing and the small twitch of his cock in your mouth that he was close. Probably due to Sirius having worked him up prior to you sucking him off.

“That’s it bunny, take it all,” Remus groaned out as he emptied himself in your mouth. You kept sucking, making sure to get every last drop.

You pulled off of him and out of instinct let your tongue fall out of your mouth to show that you had indeed swallowed everything.

“There’s a good bunny,” Remus said while caressing your cheek, making you lean more into his touch as your mouth hung open and moans spilling out.

Remus and Sirius maneuvered so Sirius could sit in front of you and get his turn.

You didn’t wait for instruction you simply put your head down towards his bright red cock and put it in your mouth. You could taste the salty pre-cum and used your tongue to spread it down his shaft.

Behind you, you could feel James’ thrusts picking up speed and becoming sloppier, which meant he was close. James found your clit with one hand and drew fast circles on it, wanting you to finish before him.

You moaned loudly at the feeling and gagged slightly when you felt Sirius’ head meet the back of your throat.

Sirius scoffed, “come on we’ve taught you better than that, you really are useless.”

“Sirius,” Remus said firmly, almost as a warning, him knowing that you weren’t so good at degradation if it wasn’t paired with praise.

“What? She just needs to learn, it’s not that hard,” Sirius fired back, talking like you weren’t even there.

You could feel your orgasm building, the burn in your stomach also starting to gather from trying to hold it until you were told otherwise.

“You’re doing so well darling, cum for us,” James said between grunts as his own orgasm approached.

You didn’t need to be told twice. Your orgasm hit you, making you shake slightly and gag around Sirius again.

Your cunt squeezed and fluttered around James, prompting his own release.

You felt the warmth of his cum painting your insides and he rode it out slowly thrusting in you.

You grabbed Sirius’ thigh to ground yourself, but it was quickly slapped off.

“Did I say you could touch me with anything other than your mouth?” Sirius said, his tone feigning anger, but you took it as real anger and withdrew your hand back on the mattress and opted for the sheets to grab.

James pulled out and you could feel your mixed releases slowly run down your thighs.

Not long after Sirius started to grunt and moan softly. His release hit your tongue with no warning, but you still swallowed despite the slight gag you produced from it hitting the back of your throat.

Remus pulled you off of Sirius and wrapped his arms around you.

“You did so well, taking us all so well,” Remus said lowly in your ear.

“I’m going to lay you here and I’ll be right back to clean you up, alright?” Remus asked, even though it was more of a statement than a question.

You just nodded and were placed down on the mattress again as Remus got up to get his wand and a glass of water.

James went to gather clothes for all of you.

Remus returned and muttered a cleaning charm on all of you and handed you a glass of water, which you chugged and handed the glass back to Remus, who looked at you adoringly.

James returned with four shirts, three pairs of boxers, and a pair of clean panties that you had left with them for these situations.

You all quickly got dressed and you laid back down beside Sirius looking at him.

You didn’t actually meet his eyes and therefore missed the loving way he was staring at you, absolutely enchanted by you.

Out of instinct, you reached a hand up to caress his cheek, which you would normally do with James and Remus, but before you could make it to his face your hand halted and slightly twitched as you brought it back towards your chest.

You sat up quickly, not wanting to be in Sirius’ personal space.

“Uhm I just realized I forgot my wand in my own dorm, so I’ll just go get it and be right back,” you said quickly as you got out of bed and put back on the trousers you had been wearing to the lake.

“You don’t just want to get it tomorrow?” Sirius asked. You still didn’t meet his eye, not wanting to anger him.

“No, I’ll just get it now, that way I’ll also let you get a bit of a breather,” you said and dashed out of the room before any one of them could say anything more.

The three boys were left confused, and all looked between each other and the door you just left through.

“What the hell did she mean by that?” Sirius asked, sitting up on the bed.

“I’m not sure... maybe she needs a break from us?” James suggested.

“No, she usually wants to be close to us when we’re done and she said she would give us a break from her,” Remus pointed out, his brows knit together in confusion.

“You were quite mean towards her today, Pads,” Remus continued.

“She can handle it; she knows I don’t mean it,” Sirius replied.

“But does she really? You’ve been teasing her lately by not being affectionate towards her, what if she’s taking it as you being serious,” Remus stated.

“How long have you been doing this to her?” James asked all the attention now on Sirius.

“I don’t know, maybe a week or two, but it’s just because she gets all clingy when she’s needy and I want her to cling to me,” Sirius answered like he had been collecting data.

“But it hasn’t been working obviously, since she’s been clinging to James and me... Sirius, she probably thinks you’re mad at her or something,” Remus said with a sigh.

“She doesn’t know that this is your way of asking for affection! She needs reassurance,” James scolded lightly.

Sirius looked down at his hands, guilt bubbled up from deep inside.

“Well, I didn’t know, I thought she would tell me if it got to be too much,” Sirius said with a sad sigh.

“If she thinks you’re mad at her, I don’t think she’ll come back tonight... let’s check the map,” Remus said, already getting the map from his bedside table.

He set the map on the bed in front of Sirius and sat beside him, James on the other side.

Sirius muttered, “I solemnly swear that I’m up to no good.”

The map revealed itself and they all searched for you around the castle.

You weren’t in or near your own common room, neither were you close to Gryffindor tower.

“There!” James nearly shouted and pointed to your name in the astronomy tower.

“Alright let’s go,” Remus said, and the three boys left their room forgetting that they were only in boxers and a t-shirt.

You hadn’t forgotten your wand in your common room, it was tucked away in your bag that lay on the floor of the boy’s dorm.

You sat and looked at the view of the grounds as you sat with your legs dangling off the edge of the astronomy tower. You often came here to think or to just clear your head, it was peaceful.

You couldn’t help but think about what you were going to do. You obviously loved all three boys, but it broke your heart to think that maybe Sirius didn’t feel the same and you didn’t want to force him to be with you just because you wanted to be with him and the two others as well. You hadn’t noticed the tears until you felt one hit your hands. You especially hadn’t noticed the rushed footsteps that echoed up the stairwell, too lost in your thoughts.

The three boys stopped at the top of the stairs and looked out your figure sitting on the edge. You hadn’t turned around, so they knew you hadn’t heard them, even though they were panting and weren’t being particularly quiet.

“Puppy, are you okay?” Sirius’ voice startled you and you quickly tried to wipe away your tears with your hands.

The three boys made their way over to you. You thought that they would sit beside you, but instead, Sirius hooked his hands under your arms lifting you up and making you stand. You didn’t turn around like he expected you to, so he gripped both your arms and turned you around.

Sirius’ heart dropped when he noticed your red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. He placed a gentle hand on your cheek and caressing it softly and angling your face, so you were forced to look at his face.

“Why didn’t you come back to the room, pup?” He asked softly giving you a gentle smile.

Your heart fluttered at the gentleness and care he was showing, but you didn’t want to get too excited and having it ripped away from you.

“Oh, uhm I just thought that maybe you needed some space and just wanted to be you, boys, alone,” you said quietly looking between the three of them as James and Remus came to stand on either side of you.

“Why would we need space from you? We love spending time with you,” James asked, the confused tone evident in his voice.

Your cheeks were burning red with embarrassment, not wanting to air out your insecurities.

“What’s wrong, puppy? You can tell us,” Sirius urged.

You let out a nervous breath and tried to avoid his eyes, but when you looked away from Sirius you would be looking at either James or Remus, so there was nowhere to look but down.

“I-I just feel l-like that I’m in the way of you guys’ relationship,” you breathed out, still looking down, “I know you want to be with Remus and James and that I’m kinda just there as well, but I don’t want to force you to be with me as well if you don’t want to,” you mumbled the last part quietly aimed towards Sirius, but the three boys heard you loud and clear.

Sirius was quick to grab your face and make you look up into his eyes.

“That is absolute nonsense, of course, I want to be with you! What would make you think that I wouldn’t?” Sirius rushed out, not letting go of your face.

“Uhm… you don’t really like touching me and you haven’t really talked to me for about two weeks, and you call me pathetic and useless,” you say quietly, your voice breaking as tears start forming in your eyes.

“oh puppy,” Sirius said sadly as he realized how much his teasing had affected you.

“I’m so sorry, I love you so much and I want to be with you just as much as I want to be with these two idiots,” Sirius said, which earned him a swat at the back of his head by Remus and a swat on his arm from James.

“I didn’t mean to make you feel like I didn’t want to be with you… I just wanted to tease you so you would be clingier towards me,” Sirius admitted.

You cocked your head to the side slightly, confused by his statement.

“Yeah… Sirius has a weird way of showing affection and an even weirder way of letting us know that he wants affection,” Remus said with a light chuckle. “But we all love you and we all want to be with you, puppy,” you had never seen Sirius look so… well…serious, about anything ever.

You leaned up to press a kiss to his lips, a small part of you still afraid he would turn away. Your concerns were soon gone when he met you halfway and connected your lips in a loving kiss. You couldn’t help but smile into the kiss and wrap your arms around Sirius’ torso, him doing the same and holding your body close to his.

You broke the kiss and giggled when Sirius followed your lips whining for another kiss. You turned your head and kissed both Remus and James as well as you could, still in Sirius’ arms as he refused to ease his grip on you.

“Again, I’m so sorry, our beautiful girl, I’ll never ever make you doubt my love for you again,” Sirius stated and reconnected your lips.

[frogtanii]

your palms were sweaty as you adjusted your slacks, making sure the pleats were where they should be with not a wrinkle in sight. you wanted to look professional and put together, at least on the outside, because you knew you were actually about .2 seconds away from falling apart.

your palms were sweaty as you adjusted your slacks, making sure the pleats were where they should be with not a wrinkle in sight. you wanted to look professional and put together, at least on the outside, because you knew you were actually about .2 seconds away from falling apart.

a quick glance to the boys at your sides notified you that they weren’t faring much better. atsumu kept fidgeting with his cufflinks, sakusa was so stiff you could knock him over with your pinky, kenma looked like he was about to pass out, bokuto was debating on squeezing under the table in front of you, kuroo was tapping a pattern on his pants (akeelah and the bee style), and akaashi kept reciting ominous poems under his breath.

the only people in the room who looked even remotely fine were osamu, oikawa, sugawara, daichi, and, surprisingly, yachi. osamu was munching on some peanuts that he pulled from... somewhere, while oikawa and sugawara were holding their own conversation by the window. daichi seemed to be minding his own business but you could never really get a proper read on him anyway.

well, you supposed yachi was okay because she knew what to expect. i mean, you were meeting her boss.

after you and kenma had posted your “exposing the hype(r) house” youtube video, an email had come to the both of you, inviting you to visit the “big boss” along with the rest of the crew.

you weren’t necessarily afraid of losing your job; the hype(r) house was already being dissolved and you were (finally!!!) getting to move in with makki and mattsun until you found your own place. you were genuinely excited to put the drama and literal hell behind you and begin to live your life again but...

that didn’t mean meeting the Man™ wasn’t terrifying. it was like being called into the principal’s office, complete with the existential dread and occasional bouts of gassiness.

the door opening made you flinch as you quickly moved out of the way to let the newcomers enter. while they walked past you, you couldn’t contain the shock that overtook your face, your jaw practically on the floor.

the man was massive.

built like a brick wall, the man who you assumed to be the “big boss,” had a chiseled jaw, broad shoulders, and massive fucking pecs, his white button up barely closing around them.

beside him stood a tall, lanky man who was dressed suspiciously un-office-like with a red buzz cut and wild eyes that seemed to cut into you as he took his place at the table.

the final man seemed a bit awkward in comparison to the other two, but he was trying to seem unaffected, his purple bowlcut, despite being rather juvenile, fitting perfectly with his slim but toned build and bright complexion.

yachi hurried to greet them, giving all three a blinding smile before motioning for everyone else to take a seat. you ended up between the redhead and atsumu, the former being way too entertained by just your general being. his eyes rarely, if ever, left your face sending shivers down your spine. the remaining members all hesitantly took their seats and “big boss” began.

“it is an honor to meet you all. i am ushijima wakatoshi but you can call me ushijima or wakatoshi or ushiwaka or toshijima or just ushi or just jima or just waka or just toshi.” for a moment you thought he was joking but his face never moved, not even with the awkward silence that followed. redhead seemed rather amused by the whole display and bowl cut looked like he was on the verge of spontaneously combusting.

it took an uncomfortably long moment for ushijima to proceed but he did as though nothing had happened. “these are my associates, satori—” redhead gave you a mischievous grin “—and tsutomu.”

“goshiki,” bowl cut interrupted, his voice wavering but his eyes gleaming with righteous indignation as though he was challenging wakatoshi to say something in defiance. instead, ushijima just gave him a nod and he visibly deflated back into his seat.

“goshiki is the social media manager for imla and satori is... satori,” big boss continued, not a hint of emotion on his face. the rest of the table perked up at his comment but atsumu was the only one who apparently had the balls to say anything.

“so yer the one who wrote that shitty among us tweet?” goshiki flushed horribly and sunk further into his plush leather chair, his body language showing he must’ve already gotten an earful about it. “thought it was a good idea,” he muttered while averting his eyes, completely ignoring satori’s cackle from across the wood.

ushijima put up a (massive???) hand to calm the both of them and it instantly worked. satori quieted down though he never lost the mirth in his expression and goshiki straightened up, a new wave of determination crossing his features.

you sat up as well, feeling the shift of energy in the room but you were startled to realize the boss had decided to focus his energy on you, his deep baritone voice calling your full name. “i am extremely sorry. we have failed you as a management team and as men. i have failed you.”

he sounded remarkably remorseful, his brown irises conveying heavy emotion and guilt. you had no idea what to say but he wasn’t done.

“although i do not have full control of the decisions that have been made here, i should have fought harder for what i believed was right and for that, i will forever be sorry.” you shifted uncomfortably under his weighty gaze, not that he noticed because his attention was swiftly taken by kenma at the opposite end of the room.

“who is in charge then? aren’t you like the ceo or whatever?” he asked. ushijima took a moment before nodding very slowly, his attention clearly on something in his head.

thankfully, satori rapidly took over the thread of conversation before the room could fall in tense silence yet again. “there’s a board of old, stuffy guys who basically kicked miracle boy wakatoshi to the curb and make all their decisions without him.”

...miracle boy? what did he have to do to earn that kind of nickname? you shook your head and tuned back in, just as the ceo spoke up once again.

“because i have not succeeded in doing my job properly, i have something to give to you,” ushijima deadpanned, sliding a thick envelope towards you. you carefully grabbed it and opened it up to reveal a thick, thick, wad of cash.

a gasp caught in your throat, words not coming to you as you thumbed through the money. there had to be at least $60k in there, your eyes filling with tears while you took in his generosity. “thank you,” you whispered, not trusting your voice to speak any louder.

wakatoshi nodded at you before addressing the rest of the table about something but you weren’t even listening.

you were so overwhelmed. for the longest time, you’d hated whoever management was for ignoring your pleas for help and trying to placate you with nice dresses and fancy dinners so meeting ushijima was quite the welcomed surprise.

despite everything that occurred, you could tell he felt horrible for letting things slide even though it was technically out of his hands and you couldn’t even articulate how much that meant to you.

the fact that he had gone out of his way to pay you extra, assumingly without the permission of the board, was heartwarming, confusing, shocking, and staggering all at once.

i mean, you could probably describe the past few months as exactly that. so much had happened, so much had changed, and while you could do without some of the life adjustments (the nightmares, spare trauma, and fear of public bathrooms to start), you felt blessed with new friends and the experiences that helped shape you to the person you were now.

the boys didn’t hate you anymore (well, not all of them at least and none were actively antagonizing you), you were seeing dr yamada again, you were getting to move in with your two best friends, you were just given enough money to expand your channel drastically, and you were finally feeling good. better than good.

meiko was behind you and though you missed the person she once was, you were so glad she was out of your life in a way where she couldn’t harm you or the boys any longer.

a grin spread across your face, your cheeks nearly burning from the intensity of it. things were definitely looking up.

a soft call of your name jolted you from your thoughts, your eyes landing on all the boys already standing as they got ready to leave the room. you could sense their worry and you shot them a genuine, reassuring smile before standing yourself.

you waved goodbye to the three men at the table, thanking ushijima profusely for his kindness but he shook you off, insisting that he had just been doing what he should’ve done a long time ago.

what a nice guy.

as you followed the boys out of the building, you took a moment to observe them together with fondness written all over your expression. they were laughing and joking around, the happiest and most carefree you had ever seen any of them. bokuto was begging yachi to get them ice cream, the rest of them piling on until she gave in with a playful roll of her eyes, giggling at the cheer that went up from the group.

atsumu seemed to notice you lagging behind, falling back to join you. “ya okay angel?” he asked, eyes focused on your feet as he slowed down to match your pace.

you didn’t answer for a while, instead focusing on the sun warming your cheeks, the cool breeze messing up your hair, and the sounds of pure joy swirling above you.

“i’m absolutely perfect.” you replied and you actually meant it. “race you to the van?” you sent him an impish grin before taking off, his yells of indignation making you laugh freely as the rest of the boys joined in, right on your heels.

this is it, you thought. no matter what, i’ll have this moment and i’ll be okay.

you’d been through hell and back and you’d survived. you’d been cursed at, choked out, hospitalized, and been beaten at mario kart more times than you could count and you had still made it through. you were resilient and strong and you’d never given up, despite how badly you’d wanted to, multiple times over.

things weren’t perfect, they rarely are, but you knew that if you could make it through all that, you could get through practically anything, especially with the boys by your side.

yeah. i’ll be just fine.

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

bonus!!

“told you it sounded stupid as hell.”

“gah, stop talking about it!!”

“you sounded sooooo old ‘shiki, what are you, 92?”

“AAAAAAAAAA!!!”

“satori...”

“what’s up miracle boy?”

“...what is ‘sus’?”

℗ poker face

i’ll be just fine

series masterlist

(●’◡’●)ﾉ

an - AND THATS A WRAP FOLKS 🥳 wowowow did the ending give me trouble but that’s ok SISJSK the endings will be coming shortly but they might not be daily just cs they may take more time, who knows lmfao i’ll let y’all know :3 AAAA ANYWAYS ILY I HOPE U GUYS LIKED KITH KITH don’t forget to feed me <3

taglist - if your name is in bold, i cannot tag you

@boosyboo9206 • @geektastic84 • @elianetsantana • @trashy-simp • @infinitebells • @6mattsun9 • @suhkusa • @katsulovee • @kotarosbabygirl • @fucktheworlddude • @insomniacwreck • @calumsfringe • @saltylettuce • @chai-blu • @al3x1ss • @hawksyoongi • @jooleuuh • @loubells • @kissungjae • @liberhoe • @tetsurocore • @animeoverdosee • @duhsies • @saiKishaircLip • @afire24 • @premiyagi • @kit-kat428 • @doctorspencereid • @daphnxy • @kyomihann • @maer-333 • @sinoflust19 • @peteunderoos • @peachiikichu • @iidanotlida • @yongboxerrr • @kac-chowsballs • @tanakaslastbraincell • @memorableminds • @risjime • @starry-magicshop • @sugavwara • @smuttyanimeslut • @kiwibirbs-library • @haijkk • @airybnb • @crybabygumi • @iwaisa • @decaffinatedtealover • @notameera • @kawaii-angelanne • @rintarovibes • @urlocalsimp • @keiarma • @shrimpypenis

the rest of the tags will be in the replies!!

[unfoundhoney]

a sister’s sacrifice ; part three ↠

↠ platonic!c!sleepy bois inc x fem!reader , platonic!c!tubbo x fem!reader ; angst just angst

↠ masterlist

↠ part one ; part two ; part three ;

↠ @leafyturtle @basheverythingyesterday @terribletoothbat @bestioe @junoblad3 @machiebach @ok-honey

when considering the deaths of the people on the dream smp server, yours is the hardest

schlatt was detested by all when he’d died

few people still truly cared for wilbur when he met his end; the man he once was was long gone by then

but you

you never changed

you were a constant for so many & immovably kind to the rest

selfless, giving, caring

even when you just wanted an escape, you came to the aid of your brothers

you gave the ultimate sacrifice & paid the price

everyone mourns you

when the battle is won & dream locked away indefinitely

once everyone has come down from the high of freeing themselves from dream’s reign, the server goes into a state of grieving

there’s no denying your death

they all saw the message in chat

you’re dead

those that were close to you took it hard

niki was narrowly stopped from burning down the bakery you encouraged her to open and helped build

eret put her emotions into work on a memorial in their museum for you

even under the egg’s control, bad & ant put the eggpire aside for you

of course, those who took it the hardest is your family

when ghostbur learns of your death, he’s distraught

he doesn’t quite know how to handle the information

he protects your home & only allows people to enter when he supervises them

tommy took a while to move past his anger & deal with the fact that you’re gone

tubbo ran off to start snowchester

he chose to distract himself rather than truly process his emotions, even if you’d always done your best to break that habit of his

now that you’re not around, who’s to stop him from letting himself be numb to it all?

techno is another one of your family members who chose to barely acknowledge your passing

he became somehow more monotonous & emotionless

and phil

...

there’s no word for a parent who loses a child

wilbur was gone & of course it messed phil up to be the one to take will’s last life but by that point his son was gone

but you

you’d always been such a genuinely good person

phil did so little for you as a father

he was so absent

he never apologized to you for that

he never told you how much he loves & appreciates you & everything you’ve done to keep their family together when he couldn’t be bothered

it’s a few hours after he received the news from ranboo that all the guilt for everything he had ever put you through hit him

he broke down in his kitchen while trying to distract himself by organizing his cupboards

but all he could think about was you

you & your never ending kindness & compassion

he was never a father to you

yet you never hated him

why couldn’t you have hated him?

it would hurt less to lose you if you hated him; it’s what he deserves

he’s unworthy of your love

but he can only dwell so long on you

you are given a proper funeral

you’re buried by the seashore, somewhere between l’manberg and tommy’s abandoned vacation homes in an open field

the sever members plant so many flowers, your gravesite becomes a flower field

but soon, life goes on

it will only hurt for longer to draw out the mourning period

it would do no good for anyone

besides, you wouldn’t want the server to be sad for your sake

techno supposes it’s for the best that you died

he does his best to move on, filling his days with resource gathering and upgrading his tools, weapons, and armor while trying to think through his emotions logically

as much as he liked you

as much as everyone liked you, you were too good

you were the best of them

fate is not kind to heroes

“hello!”

technoblade is not an easy man to sneak up on, let alone scare

the greeting itself isn’t want startles him

it’s turning toward the voice to lock eyes with you

you who is dead

techno is not proud of the sound he made when he saw you but you of all people wouldn’t make fun of him for it

he just stares at you, slowly realizing what’s happened

you look desaturated, the color drained from your clothes

your skin is grey & almost translucent

you’re a ghost

“y/n.”

“hello! who are you?”

techno tells no on one of your ghost form

he even keeps the rest of the server a secret from you

he leads you to your old home & leaves you there w/ ghostbur

he hopes your and ghostbur’s combined amnesia will keep you out of harm’s way i.e. the rest of the server

he visits you occasionally but mostly leaves you be

you live happily with ghostbur for a while

he is very glad to have you back

his memory is nearly as bad as yours, so the story of the server & what happened to you when you were alive is only given to you in bits & pieces that are near impossible to fit together

it was only a matter of time before someone came to visit your house

“...y/n?”

it’s tubbo who finds you first

or he finds your ghost

(tubbo) y/n! oh my god! you’re a ghost! you’ve come back!

(you) hello! *whispers* ghostbur, who is this?

(ghostbur, whispering obviously) that’s tubbo, one of your other brothers i’ve told you about

(you, whispering) oh, right

(tubbo) how long have you- oh, this is incredible! i have to tell tommy! he’s been so sad since you died; he’ll be so glad to see you!

tubbo messages tommy, who is skeptical but reluctantly comes to your house anyway

but there you are

your ghost anyway

which is good enough, honestly

(tommy) y/n!

you catch him in a hug easily, even if you’ve never met him before

(tommy) you’re alive!

(you) no i’m not. i’m a ghost!

techno happens to check in on you when tubbo & tommy are there

bad news for technoblade: you’d told them about techno leading you here

meaning: tommy knows techno hid you from him & everyone else

needless to say, he is not too happy about that

(tommy) you hid her! you kept her away from us!

(techno) tommy, you have to understand-

(tommy) i don’t have to understand shit! you hid her from us! you lied to us!

(techno) tommy-

(tommy) you kept her from everyone! you’re selfish and you’re a liar and you’re horrible and-

(techno) i did it to protect her! she’s been hurt enough protecting others; it’s our turn to protect her. the only way we can do that is by leaving her alone

(tommy) she’s my sister

(techno) your sister is dead, tommy. for once in her life, let her have peace

tommy gives up on techno & goes to you instead

(tommy) y/n! y/n, we can bring you back. we can revive you. well, dream can revive you but he’s in prison so he has to do what we say so we can bring you back. we can be a family again. don’t you want to come back?

(you) ...no

that

...

that isn’t what tommy was expecting

(tommy) what?

(you) if alive y/n comes back, i won’t exist anymore. and i’ve only just got here. i don’t want to go yet

(tommy) don’t you understand how much y/n means to me? y/n has to come back. she has to. she’s so important. not just to me but to, um... tubbo as well! right, tubbo? don’t you want y/n back?

tommy looks to tubbo for some backup but the shorter boy looks away

(tubbo) i think we need to let y/n go, tommy

the betrayal that fills tommy’s chest is soon gone as he locks eyes with techno

tommy knows techno is right

you’re too much of a good person

you’re too willing to sacrifice yourself for others

even as a ghost your kindness is blinding

this server will only drain you of everything you have yet again

he will drain you of everything you are

he’s just tried to convince you to cease to exist to bring back the former version of yourself

(you) i’m sorry. it’s just- i’ve heard there are these really pretty blue flowers in the swamp biome that i haven’t got to see yet-

(tommy) no. it’s fine. i’m sorry. i-... i should go.

tommy leaves your house & tubbo goes with him

even if tubbo caught on a bit sooner to techno’s reasoning, he’s still concerned at his friend’s sudden change in character

(tubbo) tommy... are you alright?

(tommy) ...i really want her back

(tubbo) i do, too. but she’s gone

(tommy) she doesn’t have to be

tubbo can’t argue with that

(tommy) but... maybe it’s for the best

(tubbo) really?

(tommy) yeah.

(tubbo) but just earlier you were telling me about your plan to get the revive book from dream

(tommy) techno’s right, tubbo. all everyone- myself included- has ever done to y/n is take. and she’s given everything

(tubbo) because she loved us

(tommy) as much as she loved us and as much as we loved her... the only thing we’ve ever brought her is pain. i think now... now is her time to rest.

(tubbo) ...that’s very pog champ of you, big man

tommy had planned to visit dream as many times as it took to get the revive book location off of him so he could revive you, but now he’s accepted that he needs to move on

he needs to move on from you & dream & everything dream has put him through

he decides to pay one last visit to dream, put him behind him, & never look back

he’s ready to start a new chapter in his life, one without dream

and the first one without you

but then he’s locked in the prison

two weeks pass

nearing three weeks & tommy still isn’t allowed out of dream’s cell

he’s irritated and annoyed and most of all he’s scared

but he can’t let dream know he’s still afraid of him, that’s why he pisses dream off enough to the point of being beat to death

tommy begs him to stop

but then he’s gone

everything is dark

black

empty

nothing

is this what death is?

conscious in absolute nothingness?

tommy’s feet feel the ground beneath him

his senses come back to him

it’s still dark but he feels as though he can see again

where is he?

heaven?

no, probably hell

or maybe neither?

both...?

what the hell happened?

the first thing to break the silence is the voice tommy has known since he was an infant

the voice of the person who raised him

the voice of the person who has always been there for him

the voice of the person who he has finally let go of

your voice

saying one simple word

“tommy?”

[rendevousz]

freak

avengers x teen!fem!reader

summary: you get captured during a mission and the team saves you.

warnings: language, violence, brief misogyny, torture, **NO sexual assault (because as i was proofreading, i only implied most of the torture scenes because i didn't want to write it in graphic detail and i realised the vague wordings might be misinterpreted as sexual assault which IT IS NOT, just clearing it up), and also again, my inability to write good endings

word count: 4589

notes: i just rewatched iron man 2 so that explains justin hammer LMAO also ooc justin hammer because even tho mans evil, he gets extremely um.. cruel here but anyways i hope you enjoy this!!

you were 13 when you first met the avengers and 16 when you officially joined. you grew up as one of HYDRA's experimented children and the team had found you when they raided the base that you were in.

a small, sickly-looking kid you were, sat against your cell wall, hugging your knees. 13 but you could probably pass off as a 10 year old due to how malnourished and miserable you were. burying your head in between your knees, you covered your ears as the loud gunshot noises filled the whole place. the metal door of your cell slamming open against the wall had you whimpering, hands above your head in fear.

every time the door slammed open, guards would come drag you out for more experiments so it was an instinct for you to cower in fear at the sound.

"last room in the west hall, i found a little girl."

you heard nothing because you were covering your ears, preparing yourself to be forcefully dragged by the guards to the experiment room. but it never came.

"hey," a soft voice called. you were violently shaking at this point, breathing heavily as you tried to calm down. "hey, it's okay." the voice called out again and you felt them touch your shoulders.

your head immediately jolted up, flinching away from the stranger's touch. your eyes met a blue pair as you backed away into the corner in fear. "i'm sorry! i'm sorry, i didn't mean to." the man apologised. you slowly looked up at him, observing him. he had on a full black outfit, a quiver of arrows slinging on his shoulder and he was holding onto a bow.

"don't be scared. i'm here to help," he states with his hands out, as if to calm you down. "that's what they all say." you hissed through gritted teeth and a tear-stained face, glaring at him even though that could've been a very wrong move had it been with an actual HYDRA guard.

despite the strange feeling of being safe around this man, you didn't let your guard down. that's exactly what those scientists said seven years ago. trusting kind-looking men got you into this hell you never thought you would ever escape from and you weren't going to make the same mistake again.

"clint," a red-headed female, also in all black, entered through the open door of your cell with her pistol up. at the sight of the weapon, you broke your glare towards the man. your breathing quickened and you went back to your original position before the archer came; body pressed up against your knees and covering your ears with your palms.

"i'm sorry! i'm sorry! i'll come! please don't use that on me again," you whimpered, voice muffled as your face was hidden against your knees. the woman freezes mid-walk, looking at her friend with a bewildered expression.

"nat! put that away!" clint whispered harshly, eyes glaring at the pistol in nat's hands. nat's jaw dropped in realisation, a small gasp leaving her lips as she immediately put away her weapon.

she slowly makes her way to you and clint puts his arm out before she could get closer. he looks at her with a worried expression as he shook his head, as if telling her that she can't get too close to you. nat nods understandingly, crouching down a distance from you.

"hey," she spoke softly. "i promise you that we're not here to hurt you." you kept your face hidden from her, still hugging your legs tightly. nat sighs before sitting down.

"here, let's introduce ourselves. i'm nat and this right here is clint." you hear her speak and when you slowly lifted up your head, you saw the both of them sitting down in front of you, seeming to have made themselves at home in your pathetic cell. "what's your name?"

name? you had never been able to use your name before. you always kept your own name deep in your heart despite no one ever using it, afraid you would forget it if you stopped thinking of it. the only name they ever called you here was 'number five'.

"y/n," you whispered, still doubtful about these people's intentions. you almost burst out crying when you said your name out loud. that was the first time you introduced yourself with your actual name and not the number you were given ever since you were captured.

nat must have noticed this because she immediately spoke up, trying to distract you from your consuming thoughts. "y/n...that's a pretty name for a pretty girl like you. how old are you, y/n?" she asks again.

you contemplated once more but decided it was fine. you knew you were probably going to regret trusting these two strangers but what could be worse than what HYDRA has been doing to you for years?

"13," you muttered, looking down at your lap. you were now timidly seated cross-legged, playing with the tattered hem of your shorts. you heard a small gasp from one of them and looked up to see clint with his jaw dropped.

the two adults were both thinking of the same thing. how could you be 13? you were so small and sickly-looking, they didn't even think you were older than ten, let alone an early teen.

"i know you're scared and you have all the reasons in the world to be, but i promise you, we're here to help. we'll get you out of here, only if you trust us. will you trust us?" nat says. your mind was conflicted. you were either going to finally get out of this hellhole or you were going to be taken somewhere even worse than here. but could anywhere really be worse than here?

you decided to take a leap of faith and trust these two strangers. that decision had to have been the best decision you've ever made in your life.

you were now 18, an official avenger and you had the most amazing family you could've ever asked for. they were a bit on the crazier side but could you really have a normal family when said family consisted of superheroes? but you weren't complaining. you loved these people.

they were the ones who took care of you when you thought you had no one. having been a HYDRA experiment, you had abilities the normal human didn't. said ability being shapeshifting and healing. that's why you became an avenger. your shapeshifting ability was essential during missions where you had to sneak in and you being able to heal others was crucial when medic wasn't able to be there on time.

you pretty much came along to every mission despite the adults saying you don't have to. you knew they were only doing that to protect you from dangers of all those missions but how could you not when you had such abilities? they'd be much better with you helping.

that was why you were here, in bulgaria, fighting alongside the team. well, just steve, nat, clint, bucky and tony.

justin hammer had managed to get his hands on a type of out-of-this-planet weapon that tony was also trying to retrieve, and he had big plans with it. hence why the avengers had to come where hammer had wrecked havoc in; sofia, bulgaria. he had upgraded his robots with the tech used for the stolen weapon.

with evil robots attacking the whole city, it felt like you were living the story that wanda told you of what happened in sokovia before you met the avengers.

an hour passed before all of the robots had finally been taken down and you all knew you had to get to hammer before he activates more robots to distract you guys and uses the weapon for bad things.

"tony, have you located hammer?" steve's voice sounded in your ear through the comms. you had just finished healing the nasty gash on clint's side, nat's cut on her forehead and the bruises all over bucky. you were feeling significantly weaker now, from the amount of healing you did. you stumbled slightly when you walked and bucky immediately held onto your arm. "doll, are you okay?"

"i'm fine, buck. nothing i haven't dealt with before," you told him, gently removing his grip on your arm, walking back to the quinjet.

-

"no, absolutely not. we are not sending y/n right into a death trap. she's not even strong enough right now, she just finished healing us."

you were all back at the compound now and planning a second attack on justin hammer.

"it's not a death trap, buck. and i know you're worried but she's the only choice we got. y/n, all you gotta do is sneak in as one of his henchmen and provide entrance for us. once we get in, we'll take all his guards down and get that weapon from hammer and we won't have to worry about his world domination plans anymore. it'll be over as soon as it starts and she'll be back safe with us. sound good, y/n/n?"

"yeah, sure." you agreed, already having a person in mind that you were going to change yourself to.

-

the plan had gone just as steve wanted and they managed to raid justin hammer's building, tony stealing the very item that could've aided in the massacre of millions. justin and his henchmen managed to escape the building before the avengers could catch them.

"well, that was anticlimactic," tony scoffs, already making his way to the quinjet. "but good job, y/n. you saved the day once again."

he expected to hear a laugh from you, like you usually did, being the only one who ever responds to him after missions. but instead he was met with silence. "kid?" still no answer.

"y/n, where are you?" steve panicked, finally realising that you were the only one who hasn't responded in a hot minute. "y/n/n, this isn't funny." he breathed out.

"she's...she's gone."

-

"well, well, well," a voice spoke right as you woke up from your slumber. you squinted, noticing that you were in some sort of dark room with only one light bulb right above you. "what do we have here?"

a figure walks right in the light and you could barely make out justin hammer's ugly face with how dizzy you felt. "if it isn't the little freak." he states condescendingly, smirking down at your helpless position, both wrists and ankles cuffed onto the metal chair you were sat on. you struggled against the restraints, trying to get free but to no avail.

your breathing quickened, your current vulnerable state reminding you of your later years in HYDRA. they had started off experimenting on you on a metal gurney but as you grew older, you realised that what they were doing to you was bad so you started fighting back. that ended you up on a metal restraint chair instead of the gurney, strapped to the chair with cuffs on your wrists and ankles.

this felt like deja vu. the same panic you felt, the same breathing difficulties, the same amount of effort put into trying to get out of the restraints. "you should know, princess, that that doesn't work." hammer chuckled, a fake pout on his lips as he crouched in front of you, a rough hand on your cheek. you instinctively jerked away from his touch, to which he paid no mind to because he had expected that. he then grabbed your chin harshly, turning your head up towards him. you glared at him.

"you think i didn't know what you did? snuck in as one of my men using your freaky powers? not to mention useless. imagine having powers but not being able to use them to even escape from mere humans," he laughs in your face, harshly letting go of your chin, throwing your head backwards. "you tell me where stark planned to bring the weapon and i'll let you pretty little thing go."

"no."

before you could even comprehend, his fist came flying at your face and your head dropped to the side at the impact. your left cheekbone was throbbing and you could already tell you were gonna have a black eye. despite the pain, it wasn't something you weren't used to. you were an avenger, after all. getting decked in the face was practically in the contract.

he grabbed your chin once again, pulling your head upwards to face him. "you're gonna tell me where it is or i'm gonna make you regret it."

you looked up at him with a bored look. he punched you again. and again. and again. until you could taste the blood on your tongue. "think you wanna tell me now, sweetheart?"

"never. not to someone like you."

the man seemed to get a kick out of beating you up because he punched you again in the face. your whole face was pretty much numb now and the metallic taste in your mouth intensified. you smirked at the man before you, chuckling darkly.

"sure, beat up the helpless girl. that's the only way you can beat me, right? when i'm all tied up? what a man,"

his hand was around your throat within a second and he forced you to look him in the eyes again. "sweetheart, you're a girl. tied or not, you're still weak. not even with that useless power of yours."

taking advantage of how close his face was to yours, you gathered as much bloody saliva in your mouth before spitting it in his face.

it was very much the wrong thing to do because after he wiped off his face, he left the room and two men came in, various tools in hand for their fun with you.

-

"stark! my buddy! how's it going?" justin hammer's face appeared on the screen in the conference room, where the avengers were having a meeting about your possible whereabouts.

"where is she?!" wanda growled, standing up abruptly.

"what ever do you mean?" hammer smirked, feigning innocence. "you know what we mean. where is she?" steve spoke authoritatively, trying to control his anger at the sight of the man's face.

"i'll tell you where your thing is if you tell me where my thing is." he smiled wickedly. this caused wanda to get angrier. "y/n is not a thing! and the weapon was never yours in the first place!" vision held onto her to calm her down and it worked because she sat back down, though still glaring at the screen.

"oh she's not a thing? seems like it to me, though." he smirked and the team frowned, not understanding what he meant until they heard screams and justin's smirk widening at the sound. what a sick bastard. "what are you doing to her?!" bucky screamed, knocking his chair back as he stood up.

"i don't know, you tell me." he chuckles, and the screen changes to the live footage of you in the restraint chair with the two men in the room.

you were no longer fighting back now, just sat limply with your head dropped to the side. the first hour with them, you had been fighting back like you did with justin, despite the restraints, but now entering the second hour, you were too exhausted for anything.

your left eye had been swollen shut, you could barely breathe through your nose, your cheeks were throbbing like hell and your bottom lip was busted. your head was the only thing that moved freely when hit so the men seemed to find satisfaction the most when they punched you in the face. though that didn't stop them from inflicting pain on other parts of you.

"let her go, she's just a kid!" sam exclaimed, his grip on the edge of the table tightening to control his anger. peter and wanda were crying looking at the awful state you were in, clint, tony and bruce were silent in shock, steve and bucky were getting increasingly angry as the abuse continued.

"are you going to tell us where stark is keeping the weapon or have you not gotten enough?" one of the two men was heard asking, pulling your hair back to make you look up at him. you look at with your half-opened right eye, breathing heavily. "my answer's never gonna change no matter how many times you ask."

he scoffs, stepping back before the other man swings a bat right at your stomach. the air was immediately knocked out of your lung. the men laughed as you coughed up blood profusely. this caused wanda to get more hysterical.

"well, looks like she wants more. i'll call back when she's had enough. toodles," he waves his fingers at the camera with a sinister smirk before abruptly ending the call.

the room went silent after the call, save for bucky and sam breathing heavily from the anger they felt. bucky then turned to steve, pain could be seen on his face. "you said she would be safe."

"i–i'm sorry, buck. i didn't know he was gonna take her with him." steve was still frozen in shock, the image of you on the chair now permanently ingrained in his brain. in everyone's brains actually.

"guys, gear up, he's in colorado."

all heads turned towards natasha and she looked back at them with a 'what?' expression. "you were tracking him down the whole time?"

"um, duh? now come on, gotta save our girl."

-

you awoke to a stinging sensation on your inner forearm. after your bloody coughing fit, they proceeded to beat you up again and you were knocked out then. now you were slowly regaining consciousness but you were starting to prefer being passed out. your whole body was in pain and the fact that you couldn't even move made it even worse.

"oh, lookie here. sleeping beauty is up." you were met once again with justin hammer's ugly face. he was sitting on a chair perpendicular to your left side. you couldn't wait to get out of here so you didn't have to keep seeing his face every time you woke up. your inner forearm was stinging even more now so you looked down at it. you gasped at the sight.

"how'd you like my artwork?" he chuckled at your reaction. there on your arm, obviously carved out with the bloody knife that the asshole was so proudly holding on to, was 'FREAK'. carved out big and bold. on your skin. "pretty fitting, eh? freak? because, you know, that's what you are."

the blood was seeping out through the cuts and it stung even more now that it had been exposed to the air. the asshole moved his chair to your other side. "what should i write on this arm?" he feigns a thinking expression, looking up thoughtfully with his thumb and pointer finger on his chin.

"please, i–i don't know where tony put it. i really don't." you cried, tears now flowing freely down your face without a shame.

he looks at you with amusement. "what is this? are you...are you giving up already? can't take anymore?" he smirks and you sigh, closing your eyes. you just awoke but you were exhausted. so, so exhausted.

he takes out his phone, the smirk now permanent on his ugly face. "stark! kid's finally had enough. wanna tell me where the weapon is now or do you want to find her body at the bottom of the ocean?"

you couldn't even be bothered to react to his statement. the pain all finally registered and you were tired. tired and in excruciating pain.

"kinda busy right now, can you call back later?" you could hear tony's voice sound from justin's phone and the man beside you laughed. "i see you don't care for the girl. what could possibly be more important than saving her?"

"i don't know, you tell me." a voice said from behind you two and before you knew it, hammer was knocked off the chair he was on. you weakly turned your head just in time to see a metal arm force hammer up onto his feet before wrapping around his neck. "don't you fucking touch her again."

"y/n!" you heard wanda's voice as she entered the room with peter. more tears flowed down your face at the sight of them, stinging when they rolled past the cuts on your face but that didn't matter. your family was finally here to save you.

you saw the red mist of wanda's powers surround your cuffs before they clicked open. "oh, bubs, i'm so sorry." she cried, both hands hovering around your face, hesitating to touch you in fear of hurting you. her eyes fell onto the words carved out onto your skin and her mouth fell open before covering it with her hand. "i'm so sorry we couldn't get to you sooner." peter's voice cracked and you could tell he was emotional.

"it's okay," you told them, giving them a small smile, the biggest one you could give in your current state.

tony, sam and steve entered the room to see bucky relentlessly beating up your captor and wanda and peter standing by you as you cried.

"cupcake, we're here now. don't cry, you're safe now." tony came closer and despite knowing that you were because your family was finally here, you couldn't help but let out all the pent up emotions you've kept throughout your time of captivity.

sam had a go at justin once bucky was done and steve had to physically pry them both off of the sick bastard so that nat could cuff him and bring him back to the jet.

"y/n/n, i'm so sorry. if i hadn't–"

"it's okay, stevie." you cut him off. truthfully, you only did so because you knew he was going to giving a long-winded explanation justifying his actions and your headache couldn't bear to hear lengthy sentences. but you also didn't think it was in any way his fault so he didn't deserve to be beating himself up for this. shit happens, anyway.

"let's get you out of here, doll." bucky says, cringing when he sees the blood on the floor of your chair, as well as on your clothes. he quickly reaches to lift you off the chair but stops when you let out an ear-piercing scream of pain. "doll, i'm so sorry! did i hurt you?!" bucky questions in panic.

"y–you didn't, they did. it...it hurts everywhere," you cried, feeling hopeless that you couldn't even bear being carried by someone, let alone get up by yourself. their hearts broke when you said that. you never really cried much in front of them and you were known to withstand pain well because of how much shit HYDRA put you in as well as your powers being healing, meaning you had a higher pain tolerance than most people.

"it's okay, bubs. i got you. let's get you home, alright?" wanda's calming voice broke you out of your breakdown and red mist surrounded your whole body, wanda moving you with her powers. you were thankful of that because it didn't cause any more pain to your body.

maybe hammer was right. maybe you are just a freak with useless powers. wanda floated you into the jet and she set you down on the bed. "y/n, oh my god!" clint cried out once he sees you. you looked much worse than you did on hammer's camera footage during the call an hour ago. "kid, i'm so sorry."

"clint, take the wheel. bruce doesn't have all the resources needed. she needs to be treated ASAP." nat tells her best friend and he nods, taking the wheel and immediately taking off once everyone had boarded.

you were laid on the bed, right eye slightly open as bruce examined you. exhaustion hit you like a truck and before you knew it, you blacked out.

-

"how is she, doc?"

"pretty banged up but y/n, as i already knew, is a strong girl. lots of internal bleeding, broken bones, bruises and scars but she'll be fine. you can check her file later if you want," doctor cho tells tony outside of your room. "it's fine, can we see her?" he asks on behalf of the whole team standing behind him.

"yeah, of course! she woke up five minutes ago. i'll be off now, call me or my team if you need anything." she bids goodbye and left the group of superheroes.

steve slowly opens the door and there you were in bed, staring up at the ceiling. "hey, y/n/n," he greets sheepishly, feeling as though he had interrupted your alone time of blankly staring at the ceiling. the team trailed in behind him and soon your bed was surrounded by the avengers.

"hi, cupcake."

you looked away from the ceiling and turned your head towards tony. "oh, hey tones." you smile as sam helps you sit up while the rest sat on chairs all around you. "how you feeling, bub?" nat asks, eyes flickering down to the bold scarring of letters on your forearm.

"as okay as i can be." you answered truthfully, pressing your inner forearm closer to your body so the team doesn't see the letters carved onto your skin. you already know what you are, you didn't need the rest thinking so too.

"you're not a freak, bubs."

you look up at wanda. "i'm sorry, i didn't mean to read your mind. but they were awfully loud. you're not a freak, y/n. and you're not useless too. that bastard may have carved out that word onto your skin but the scar will fade. it's not permanent. you know why? because that's not what you are." she tells you, taking off her jacket to wrap it around you because you felt self conscious of the scars all over your arms where the team could see.

"yeah, doll. you're an amazing person and your powers help us so much. i mean, you saved millions just helping us get the weapon back from justin hammer. if you hadn't, well, who knows what could've been happening right now?" he places a gentle hand at the side of your head, stroking your hair.

"yeah and who heals us when we get really hurt during missions, huh? i mean, if you hadn't healed that stab wound i got during that mission in new mexico, i probably wouldn't even be here at this moment." clint tells you and you roll your eyes at him. "you're exaggerating."

"i am not!" he laughed and you playfully rolled your eyes once again.

"y/n/n, i'm really sorry for—"

"i don't wanna hear it, stevie."

"but–"

"no. it's not your fault. shit happens." you brush him off. "lang–"

"you say language to me, i'll blame this shit on you even when it's not your fault. try me, rogers." you glare at the blond super soldier. he raises his arms in surrender, leaning back on his chair as the team laughs.

the team continue to entertain you and you couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of you. these were the people who would drop anything for you and were willing to dropkick any asshole in the face for hurting you. justin hammer never had a chance against your family to begin with.

taglist <3

@amourtentiaa @rqmanoff @abitofeverythinggg

[dabisqueen]

Don't Ignore Me

Shigaraki x Reader

⇢ rating: 18+

⇢ word count: roughly 1.1K

⇢ plot: you prefer playing a game over sitting with Shigaraki so he shows you what happens if you ignore him

⇢ warnings: 18+, noncon, mean Shiggy, unprotected sex, orgasm, creampie, alcohol, force, threatening of quirk use

⇢ NO MINORS ALLOWED!!!

personal note: thanks @lovelyfushigurooo for having me inspired to write this. It was so much fun!!!

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

I had recently bought myself a handheld and was sitting at a table in the lounge, playing Animal Crossing. Kurogiri stood as usual behind the bar, wiping down the counter and glasses as if that was the only thing he was being paid for. I hardly noticed the door opening and Shigaraki entering the room. He trudged past me, paused a second to look at me and then the handheld in my hands. After I didn't even care to look up and greet him he slump down on a red bar stool close by. He glanced over to me, crimson eyes half hidden below strands of pale tuff.

Kurogiri placed a glass with Whiskey in front of him but Shigaraki didn't avert his eyes from me, watching me as I was immersed in my game. He slowly grabbed the Whiskey glass with three fingers and lifted it to his lips to take a sip.

"Sit with me," he rasped, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Hmmmm," I just mumbled and kept on playing my game.

There was a slight shift in his posure, a small tilt of his head as he kept staring at me, his eyes glowing deeply red, his chapped lips pressed into a thin line.

"I said sit with me," he glowered, this time a slight irritation in his voice. His leg started nervously bobbing up and down when I didn't react, having not even heard his second demand. Kurogiri's yellow eyes wandered over to where I was sitting, while I kept staring at the display of my handheld, selling goods in the game to receive money. He had stopped wiping down the counter and calmly watched the scene unfold in front of him.

I was still playing, unaware of the tension building up around me as Shigaraki let out a dangerous hiss, hand shooting up to his neck, scratching that one spot with his nails "I said to fucking sit with me!"

Being in the middle of upgrading my house in the game I just waved annoyedly with my hand, not looking up "Chill Shigaraki, need to do-" but didn't finish the sentence as I heard a splashing sound and looked up in surprise. Shigaraki held what was left of a slowly disintegrating glass in all five fingers, his face contorted with rage under his disheveled strands of pale hair. The whiskey had splashed on the counter and Kurogiri let out a sigh, starting to wipe it clean.

Before I could even open my mouth to say something Shigaraki was already at my side, clutching my throat with his hand, pinky poised threateningly close over my skin.

"Get up," he rasped and I slowly stood up, aware of the danger I was in. He pulled me close to his face, cracked lips shaking with anger as he growled menacingly "No one ignores me or tells me to chill over a fucking dumb animal game."

And with that he pushed me backwards and I let out a surprised gasp as he threw me onto the table with a loud thumb. The handheld fell out of my hand and onto the floor with a claddering sound.

I clutched the arm holding me down as I tried gasping for air, Shigaraki's grip too tight to breathe right.

"Shig-... “ I managed to get out but he pressed harder and hissed "Shut up."

His other hand went down to my pants and with a surprised squeal I felt cold air on my suddenly naked unclothed legs.

I winced and wiggled in his strong grip as he kicked the chair off to the side and it tumbled over. Positioning himself in front of me, he wedged himself between my legs. I tried squeezing them shut but he tuttet at me and pressed further until they were spread apart to each of his side, his hips flush with mine.

He pulled aside my panties and slid a finger in, playing with my wetness.

"You like being pinned down like this" his cracked dry lips curling up into a smirk, as I shook my head frantically.

Shigaraki leaned over to me, red orbs burning into my eyes and he rasped "Now I'm going to show you what happens if you ignore me. "

Tears started welling in my eyes and I suppressed a sob, biting my lip as I saw him push his pants down low enough for his massive cock, already hard and excited, glistening with precum, to jump out. I gasped, trying to free myself as Kurogiri nonchalantly went into the pantry behind the bar to sort supplies.

Tears started running down my temples as he positioned himself at my entrance. With one strong thrust he sheathed himself inside and let out a deep throaty grunt. I tried screaming as I felt myself being split open by his girth, but only managed to get out a pressed gargle. Open mouthed, I laid below him, totally at his mercy. After a few seconds he started moving, cussing and moaning so tight and deserve it.

The pain slowly made room for an uncomfortable yet forbiddingly pleasurable sensation and I let go of his arm and held onto the ledge of the table. He released my throat to grab my hip and started fucking into me, each thrust of his had his tip and prominent veins rub just that right spot. A heat started building in my core and shameless whimpers started falling from my lips as he kept rutting into me, chasing his own high.

I couldn't suppress my moans anymore, my eyes rolling back in my head as I felt an orgasm approach at lightning speed. While Shigaraki kept pounding into me the coil inside my core snapped and it hit me like a freight train. I buckled under him, keening loudly, my walls clenching around him, milking him as repeated waves of pleasure hit me in a mind numbing stakkato.

His movements became erratic as he finally came undone, painting my gummy walls with hot white ropes of cum, his hips stuttering a few times as he kept shooting his load into me. Finally he came to a halt, breathing ragged, messy strands of his hair sticking to his sweaty forehead as he slumped down on me, his head resting against my neck, panting, hot breath against my skin.

His hair was tickling my face and it smelled like sex and dust. I was spread out below him, totally spent, legs and arms hanging limply down my side. As he leaned back and pulled out, his cum started dribbling out between my puffy swollen folds, along my panties and onto the table and floor below.

He cleaned himself with some napkins, discarded them behind the bar and moved back to his seat, pulling out his phone, totally ignoring me.

As I was still laying there I heard the door open and a husky low voice chuckled "Seems like I missed the party, huh?" and Dabi trotted in, hands in his pockets as he approached me, a haunting mischievous grin on his face.

@scruffymctee @undefined--person

[sserpente]

A/N: That Hyundai ad hit different. *chuckles*

Words: 3097 Warnings: kidnapping, hostage

New York smelled pretty bad, come to think of it. You had almost forgotten the hustle and bustle of this huge city that never slept and if there was one thing you had not been missing at all after spending a few months in Morocco for work, it was the constant traffic jams.

It was hot, unbearably so. You’d been a sweating mess ever since your cab driver had picked you up at the airport and the fact that the air conditioning in the cab was broken didn’t exactly help with that. Your thighs stuck to the leather of the backseat, your forehead glistening and your make-up… well, it used to be make-up.

The cab driver seemed nice, at least and since the long snake made entirely of cars had not moved for at least an hour now, he had offered to park on the side of the road and get you both a bottle of water. Ironically, you were only a few yards away from Stark Tower.

Perhaps you shouldn’t complain about the traffic jam. Half of the city was a mess after the atrocious battle you had been fortunate enough only to have witnessed on the news on the plane. You could only hope that your tiny studio flat was still intact and quite frankly, it was short of a miracle that a cab service had actually agreed on picking you up so shortly after an almost-war—not to mention that the plane had actually landed.

You sighed, brushing a strand of hair sticking to your cheek out of your face. You were unbelievably tired—even more so knowing that you had dodged a catastrophe that would go down in history all thanks to work. Your eyes fell shut and you leaned against the car window when suddenly, the driver’s door was all but yanked open and someone who certainly did not resemble your cab driver, started the car and clutched at the steering wheel as if his life depended on it.

Your lips parted. Shackles and a muzzle, along with a blue glowing cube landed on the passenger seat with a loud clatter, followed by an annoyed groan. It was him. The man who had attempted to take over the entire planet only moments ago, he was here in this car and he was currently kidnapping you with it.

A scream escaped your lips, a mixture of shock and fear spreading in your body and fuelling the rising amount of adrenaline. It was only then the God of Mischief glanced at the rear-view mirror and spotted you there panicking—but by then, he had already stirred the car back on the road, straight towards the traffic jam.

“You… you are… Let me out! Let me out at once!” You screeched, the heat around you—along with your miserable appearance—all but forgotten. Loki rolled his eyes. Great. Another mortal.

“I am not stopping this car,” was all he said. Your eyes widened in utter shock.

“Then don’t! Fuck!” Danger was radiating off of this man like heat from an active volcano; so if necessary, you would jump out of the moving car as well. Biting your lower lip and wondering if you should go through with this risky stunt at the speed he was going, the wheels squeaking over the asphalt with every abrupt turn he took, or if that would be a suicide mission. It was probably the latter, and when you reached for the handle of the back door, it took the God of Mischief only a mere second to lock it, trapping you inside.

“Let me out! Let me out!”

“You’ll kill yourself.” Loki spat. You did not miss the patronising tone in his voice—stupid. He believed you stupid.

“And if I stay in here with you I won’t?” You retorted hysterically. And it was justified, really—for when your gaze drifted back to the road ahead of you, you could see him racing straight towards a long line of cars waiting for the traffic to clear up.

“Watch out! The other cars, watch out! Oh my God…” You screamed, squeezing your eyes shut and covering your face with your arms but the imminent crash never came. When you opened your eyes again, Loki had all but moved through the other cars as if by magic. God, what was this, Harry Potter?

With your heart in your mouth, you brought your trembling hands to your thighs and pressed down on them in a desperate attempt to fight off the panic attack rising within you like the forthcoming eruption of a volcano.

But even when you reached the suburbs, ironically moved closer to your home, and the car finally slowed down to a reasonable speed, making you wonder how a god from another realm knew how to drive a car in the first place, your dread kept growing steadily. What would happen once Loki decided he had reached his destination? What would he do with you? Would you end up as another casualty? You’d know where he was, after all, and only God knew how he had managed to escape after the Avengers reported his capture—not to mention that he was in the possession of that mysterious blue cube you were certain bore even more chaos and destruction in the wrong hands.

“I take it this vehicle is supposed to be a means of transport in exchange for payment?” He suddenly said.

“What?” You gaped at him, swallowing. “Yes! I mean, yes, it’s a taxi. That’s… I was…”

“Where do you live?”

“Excuse me? What, are you going to drop me off and expect me to tip you?”

Loki smirked. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why but he did like your feistiness. “I need a place to hide.”

“What… no! No! I am not giving shelter to a criminal!” You snarled, swallowing your fear of him—and then you made the mistake of peeking at the navigation system the taxi driver had set up next to the steering wheel, with your address on bright display to show Loki exactly where he’d have to go.

The God of Mischief tilted his head. “You don’t have much choice in the matter, my dear.”

You took a deep shaky breath, digging your nails into the backseat. If your lower lip was trembling, you didn’t notice. “P-please… please just let me go. I promise I won’t tell anyone where you are or where you went. Please.”

“I am not going to kill you if that is what you are worried about.” He replied after a long pause. When you said nothing, too stunned and scared to come up with another snarky comment, silence spread in the car like wildfire.

Hugging your knees to your chest, you closed your eyes, hoping that this was a bad joke, a terrible nightmare and any moment now, you would wake up safely on the plane, yet to land in half-destroyed New York City—but the end of slumber never came. You were wide awake; even more so when, after what felt like hours, Loki finally stopped the car. Of course, you had not noticed him observing you repeatedly through the rear-view mirror, almost as if to check if you were still alive.

Your eyes met and then, finally, he unlocked the doors. Only now, you did not move an inch. You had no idea what to expect if you stepped out of this car.

Naturally, Loki disagreed with your cautious decision. He yanked the car door open when he saw you frozen in place, grabbing your upper arm so fast you didn’t even have a chance to react, and all of a sudden, seeing the entrance door of the apartment building you lived in did not at all look as appealing as it had at the airport anymore.

His grip around your arm was firm but when you whined in pain, the God of Mischief actually softened it—if only a little, barely noticeable.

“Unlock the door, my dear, will you?” He inquired, smiling sweetly at you. Right beneath the surface, you could hear that there would be dire consequences if you failed to comply.

Surely at this point, he could hear your rapid heartbeat. Shaking, you fumbled for the keys in your bag until they were jingling in your palms all the while Loki watched you like a hawk. You had dismissed calling the police on your phone in the car already—for now.

Fuck, you had been kidnapped. You were about to be held hostage in your own flat, or… or… was he just going to enter and kick you out? Had he been lying about not killing you? Would he fling a dagger at you any moment now like you had seen him do on TV?

Loki followed you when you approached the door and unlocked it clumsily. One floor up and to the left. For just a brief moment, you wondered what would happen if you started screaming bloody murder, alerting your neighbours but even when you opened your mouth to attempt it, not a single sound would escape your lips.

Even a little further out and farther away from the centre of New York City, rent prices were horrendous. Your salary was not bad but your apartment was no more than a small studio equipped with a humble kitchen, a separate bathroom with a tiny shower and lastly, your double bed in the centre of the room, posing as your sofa during the day.

Loki looked around unimpressed when he entered. “Well… it will do.”

“N-now what?” You choked out.

Loki raised his eyebrows, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Pretend I’m not even here.”

Right—because that was going to be so easy. He sighed and rolled his eyes when you only stared at him in horror.

“You don’t trust me, do you?”

“W-would you? You tried to subjugate our planet like ten minutes ago!”

“And for good reason too. This realm is lawless, your people slaughter each other day in and out and you feel threatened by me? I would have given you a new purpose.”

He had a point… but… “And what is that so-called purpose? Slavery?” Loki’s expression darkened, making you flinch back.

“S-sorry… I’ll… I’ll be i-in the bathroom taking a shower. Please just… I mean… whatever.” Would he stop you? Hesitating, you made your way to the bathroom, waiting for him to yank you back, press you against the wall and threaten you? Threaten you with what, exactly? Could you trust that he wouldn’t kill you? Loki felt like a ticking time bomb in your flat.

But a painful yank never came and when you locked the bathroom door behind you, you exhaled. Inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled, trying to process the fact you had a war criminal in your home.

Once you had gathered enough energy to do what you had come to the bathroom for and, an hour later, returned to the main room, Loki was sitting on your bed cross-legged, the Tesseract right before him, glowing away.

“I roamed your ‘kitchen’”, he said without glancing up to meet your eyes, “Do you have anything edible at all?”

“I was away for a whole month.” You argued. “I haven’t done any shopping yet because I was kidnapped by a space Viking.”

Loki smirked. Amused, he finally looked up. “Well, perhaps I should take you back to Asgard with me then. I could use a diligent little servant.”

Your reaction did not disappoint him. Chuckling to himself, he slid off the bed more elegantly than you could ever muster, the Tesseract disappearing into nothingness.

“What I am trying to say is that even gods need to eat and I am, quite frankly, starving.”

“That sounds like a you-problem.” You grumbled. And then, as if on cue, your stomach growled. Damn it.

“Fine. I’ll order some pizza.”

-

Loki had all but watched you like a hawk upon calling the local pizza place. Everything inside of you had screamed to let them know about your predicament, to beg them to call the police and send them to you instead of the pizza.

But as soon as the food was delivered, the mood in your apartment changed so rapidly it left you wondering if the only reason for Loki’s world domination attempt had been his hunger. The man devoured a family-sized pizza in but what felt like two minutes and, upon realising you were done with yours, leaving three pieces in the box, he devoured those as well. And never before had you seen someone eat pizza so gracefully.

It didn’t exactly make it feel like you had been kidnapped anymore. Perhaps… perhaps he hadn’t been lying about not wanting to kill you after all. Perhaps he wasn’t as evil as you… no, stop. He had literally just tried to take over the planet!

“What are you pondering on, little mortal?”

You shivered, the nickname affecting you in a way it truly shouldn’t, especially after he had lost his armour and magically exchanged it for more casual clothes—they still looked like they were from a different time period altogether but it wasn’t nearly as intimidating as before.

“W-why did you really do it?” You found yourself asking. It was a risk—but you were feeling braver now that your stomach was full even though part of you was surprised you had managed to eat at all.

“What?”

“Why did you really try to take over the planet? Did you… do you really want to enslave us all?”

“A lack of freedom does not equal slavery. It offers protection from failure and bad choices.” He said. You frowned.

“You truly believe that?”

“You fight wars over opinions, religions and race among your own species. Your choices are suffocating the whole of Midgard. I would have changed that.”

“You can’t be serious.”

You looked down, reaching for the sweet treat that had come with your pizza to stop your fingers from trembling.

“What is that?”

“Oh, uh… those are marshmallows. This pizza place always packs them with your order, don’t ask me why.”

“What’s that?” He repeated, frowning at the plastic wrapper.

“It’s candy…”

“Well, it doesn’t look very natural.”

Woah. How had this conversation just gone from “humans should not have freedom of choice” to “marshmallows look unhealthy”?

“They’re… I mean they’re not. They’re made of pure sugar and artificial flavouring.”

“Then why do you eat them?”

“Because… because they taste good?”

Loki gave you a taunting look. See? It said. This is what I meant.

But when you opened the package and handed it to him, he took one out nonetheless. It looked tiny between his long fingers—as tiny as you must have looked next to him.

You gulped when it disappeared between his lips. When you reached out to take the package back, he snatched it away from you.

“They are quite delicious, actually.” Your jaw dropped when he popped them all into his mouth at once, winking at you. Not quite sure how to react to this, you averted your gaze, taking a feigned interest in your digital alarm clock on the nightstand instead.

It was only 5 PM but you were positively ready to pass out. Where would you even sleep tonight? Where would he sleep? Would he even sleep?

“You are tired.” He suddenly stated as if on cue. He couldn’t read your mind… right? He did have that weird cube of his, after all.

“Well, yeah… I got kidnapped, experienced a live remake of ‘Fast and Furious’ and I have a criminal in my flat.”

“I only understood half of what you just said but I can ensure you that I will not harm you when you sleep.” There it was again, that frown that almost made it look like he was offended. As if the very circumstance of him hurting an innocent for no reason other than malice insulted him.

“So by all means, retire to bed.” He went on, gesturing to the bed and eventually, standing up to make space for you. The pizza boxes disappeared in but a green shimmer of light and you watched Loki, albeit still suspicious, heading over to the small kitchen table. To be quite frank, it was the last thing you remembered.

-

Loki was gone, no trace of him left. It was as if he had never even been here. It was already past noon—the exhaustion from your flight as well as the racy car drive and last but not least, your shining time as a hostage had worn you out to the point you didn’t even remember falling asleep anymore.

You only realised now that it was your doorbell that had woken you up. Jumping out of bed and moaning when your vision turned black for a moment, you headed over to your speaker and pressed the button. Perhaps it was Loki. Perhaps he had locked himself out but then again… would he not be able to magic himself back in? Why had he insisted on you unlocking the door yesterday in the first place? You shook your head.

“Hello?”

“Hi. This is Henry, I’ve got your delivery.” A boyish voice responded.

“W-what delivery? I didn’t order anything.”

“You did, ma’am, would you come open the door, please?”

You sighed. “Fine, I’ll be down in a second.”

You had fallen asleep in your clothes from last night, so one quick glance in the mirror was all you had before you headed back down and opened the main entrance door.

The delivery boy was holding both your suitcase and a jumbo-size package of marshmallows in his hands. Big marshmallows—the bonfire kind, to be precise.

“Who…” But you knew. You knew the moment you made the connection and knew the moment you looked straight into Henry’s eyes and noticed them glowing unnaturally blue when he handed the items to you.

It had not been a dream then. Loki had really been here. You had been eating pizza with the God of Mischief and now… the gesture was almost sweet. Was that his way of saying thank you? For what? You hadn’t exactly done much except for trembling in fear.

“He instructed me to tell you that you will meet again soon.” Henry announced and then, before you even had a chance to respond, he turned on his heel, hopped back into the delivery van parked in front of the building and left. You only realised now that the Hyundai taxi was gone too.

[babyboibucky]

White Noise

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Bucky has a new neighbor and she's even grumpier than him.

Word Count: 2,490

Warnings: TW!!! Domestic violence (not from Bucky, he’s a sweetheart in this 🥺)

A/N: I’d say I’m on a roll for writing new shit lately but I’ve got two ongoing series and a part 2 of a oneshot that I haven’t even updated for quite a while lmfao

MAIN MASTERLIST

Bucky blinked his eyes open and stared at the ceiling before forcing them close again. He focused on the hard floor beneath him and the soft blanket tangled in between his limbs. His television was left open but with the volume at the lowest level. Bucky always slept this way, so that the white noise would help him ground himself whenever he would wake up from his nightmares.

A few minutes later, Bucky finally felt himself begin to doze off. A couple hours of uninterrupted sleep were good enough for him, at least he'd get some peace before his past would come back to haunt him.

Just as when Bucky was about to fall into a deep slumber, loud music began to boom through his walls, stirring him awake. He grunted as he sat up on the floor, turning around and staring at the wall separating his apartment from his neighbor. He didn't even know he had one until now. The music was loud, too loud that it wasn't even white noise anymore. It was just...noise. And as much as Bucky hated how silence triggered his self-destructive thoughts, this kind of noise wasn't something that he needed.

Bucky let a few more minutes pass just to see whether his neighbor would turn it down but then a new song started playing right after the first.

Grabbing his shirt, jacket and some sweatpants, Bucky quickly dressed up and headed out the door. He stood in front of his neighbor's door and could actually understand the lyrics of the song playing. It wasn't his enhanced hearing, the music was just that loud. His neighbor didn't even hear him knocking until he decided to use his vibranium arm to do so. Bucky had to hold back a bit in order not to break down the door at how hard he knocked on the door.

Mid-way through his knocking, the door finally opened and out his neighbor stepped-- you. Bucky frowned when you didn't even bother turning off your music when you opened the door.

"How can I help you?" you asked, your expression matching Bucky's.

Bucky scoffed, "I don't know, maybe turn down your music? It's like fuckin' two in the morning. You're not the only tenant in this building." he snapped.

"I can't sleep without music. And no one else has been complaining, just you." you said and was about to close the door right into Bucky's face.

Bucky was appalled at your rudeness and slotted his foot into your doorway before you could even slam the door shut.

"I just complained and you're not really going to do anything?" he asked.

"No. If other tenants can sleep through my music then so can you. Stop bitching around and leave me be." you huffed out and kicked his foot before closing the door with a loud thud.

Bucky blinked, unable to believe that you just did that. You actually kicked his foot and ignored his complaint. He knew that he was a bit harsh when asking you to turn down your music, but it was two in the morning! Why would you even blast music at such an ungodly hour? Bucky rubbed his face with his hand and headed back to his apartment.

He'll deal with you tomorrow. It wasn't like he was going to sleep through the entire night anyway.

-

And deal with you, Bucky did but it always ended the same. Bucky was surprised at how aggressive you were whenever he paid you a visit to complain. The first night he kind of understood your behavior, he wasn't the nicest then. But every single encounter he had with you after that, you were just borderline mean.

Bucky just arrived from having lunch out when he saw you unloading your car with a few more boxes. Over the past few days, he had learned that you were indeed new and just moved in a week ago. He also learned that the rest of tenants on his floor either slept like a fucking rock or had impaired hearing for them not to care about your music.

You struggled to carry all three boxes when you stacked them above each other. Bucky chuckled in amusement as he watched you attempt to carry them all twice. Obviously, you didn't want to do multiple trips but with the strength (or lack thereof) you were displaying, it would be an impossible task. Being the gentleman he was, Bucky decided to set aside his feud with you to offer his help.

"Let me help." he said as he approached you.

Your eyes softened up at him for a brief moment and Bucky thought that maybe you'd be kinder to him this time. Boy was he wrong because you immediately shot his offer down and ignored his presence.

"Look, I'm trying to be nice here. Just let me help so you wouldn't have to do multiple trips." he explained.

"I don't need anyone's help. How hard is that to understand?" you snapped and carried one box, brushing past Bucky to enter the building.

Bucky rolled his eyes and quickly grabbed your arm to stop you. He's had enough of your attitude and if you weren't going to even try to be nice to him, then he'd stop being the gentleman that he was.

"Why do you have to be such a little bitch?" For the first time, Bucky raised his voice at you.

He just wanted to confront you, not scare you so when you gasped out loud and dropped the box in your arms, Bucky's heart fell. Your eyes widened at him in fear, your hand quickly wrapping around the arm that Bucky grabbed. He realized that he had used his vibranium arm to grab you and was quick to regret it.

"Please don't touch me like that again." your voice was soft, almost a whisper and Bucky didn't expect for you to react like that.

He was expecting for you to yell at him, maybe even land a slap on his face. But instead, you shrinked and for the first time in a long time, Bucky saw someone look at him with fear like that. It was as if he was back to square one, back to the old version of him that he's been fighting so hard to forget.

-

It's been two days since the incident and Bucky still hadn't seen you around. He’s been wanting to apologize to you and patch things up. Your music still blasted through his walls so at least he knew that he didn't scare you enough to move away. Bucky's nightmares got worse and somehow, the incident with you was what violently shook him awake.

Bucky stared at his ceiling once again, his television turned off because he knew that you'd be playing your music out loud in a few. He was actually starting to get used to it and as much as he hated it, he often found himself singing along to the songs you had been playing.

Two am and there was still silence. Bucky laid on the floor as he waited for your music. Three minutes have passed and yet it remained quiet. Maybe you weren't home? Although he did see you from his balcony as you headed back inside the building after bringing your trash out earlier. Perhaps something else was keeping you busy? Why was Bucky even thinking about what you were doing? If any, he should be jumping at the opportunity to get some shuteye.

Bucky sighed and turned on the television like how he used to, turning the volume down and then closing his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep.

For a while, Bucky felt at peace for falling back to his routine before you moved in. Hushed whispers and soft cries caused Bucky to quickly sit up. He wasn't sure whether it was from the television or if his enhanced hearing was picking up something else. Bucky quickly turned off the television and sat in silence, closing his eyes to focus.

There was a loud thud coming from your apartment followed by a muffled sob. Bucky knew that something was wrong so he quickly dressed up and went to your apartment, knocking on the door continuously.

"Hey, it's me. Open up." Bucky called out and continued to knock when you didn't respond.

"Is everything okay in there?" he asked again, the silence from the other side of the door bothering him even more.

Bucky heard a few shuffles before he heard the door click. It slowly opened until you showed up, gaze downcast and hands trembling as you prevented the door from opening any further. Bucky couldn't even see through you at how you were blocking his view of your apartment.

"I'm fine. Just go." you softly said and attempted to close the door again.

Bucky frowned and held the edge of the door with his vibranium arm, stopping you from closing it and instead, pushing it open. You just allowed him to do that, something that confirmed Bucky's gut feeling that you were hiding something, or rather, someone.

"Man, just get the fuck out of here!" a guy exclaimed as he stood in the middle of your apartment.

Bucky was quick to notice the mess inside your apartment— clothes and chairs were strewn across the floor. His gaze went back to you and it was then that he saw the bruises on your arms and legs.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked worriedly.

You kept mum but saw the slow movement of your head, affirming his suspicions. The guy walked over to you and gripped your arm, violently pulling you behind him as he stood face to face with Bucky.

"It's none of your goddamn business." he threatened.

Bucky refused to look at the man and focused on you. He finally understood everything. Why you had been so aggressive towards him, why you reacted like that when he gripped your arm. You were afraid, not of him but because of what you were going through. This man had been abusing you and Bucky doesn't need to know for how long for him to understand your behavior.

"You just gonna fuckin' stand there or what?!" the guy asked, irritated at Bucky's presence.

"I think you should be the one to leave." Bucky said calmly, finally lifting his gaze to look at the man.

The man snickered, "Who the fuck are you to tell me that? You got the hots for my fuckin' girlfriend?" he asked.

"Leave her alone and never come back. I'll only ask you this once." Bucky warned, his jaw tightening as he stared at the man.

"Or else? You threatening me, man? You're gonna fucking regret it." the man chuckled before lifting his fist up to punch Bucky in the face.

Bucky rolled his eyes when he easily caught the man's fist in his vibranium arm, twisting it until the man looked at him in horror, screaming in pain. He let go of the man's fist and grabbed at the collar of his shirt, tugging him closer as he glared daggers at him.

"You are gonna fucking regret it if you come back here. If you ever lay a finger on her, so much as look at her...I'll find you. That's a promise." Bucky warned.

The guy was nearly in tears as he nodded in understanding, not trusting his voice. Bucky chuckled and dragged him out of your apartment, throwing him to the ground before pointing a gloved finger.

"You understand?" he asked again, snickering when the guy almost immediately scrambled away without even responding.

Bucky waited until the man was out of sight before quickly turning to you. You merely stood inside your apartment, body trembling as you hugged yourself.

"You okay?" Bucky asked gently, brows furrowing in worry as he slowly walked towards you.

He bent down to catch your gaze, "Can I...?" he asked, asking for your permission as he attempted to hold your shoulders.

You meekly nodded and heaved out a shaky sigh, composing yourself. Bucky held you carefully, rubbing your arms to soothe you after everything that has happened. You let him touch you like that because it was the first time in a long time that you received such gentleness. It almost moved you into tears, how Bucky held you with so much care.

"Come on, let's get you patched up." Bucky said and led you out of your apartment, not wanting you to stay there after being beaten up by your asshole of a boyfriend.

Bucky kept a hand on the small of your back, guiding you into his almost empty apartment. He almost felt embarrassed for having nothing but a couch, a chair and a television. You didn't seemed to mind though and immediately sat down upon reaching the couch.

Bucky fetched you a glass of water and sat down next to you, watching you drink it all in one go. Your hands weren't shaking that much anymore and the tension in your shoulders seemed to have subsided. You turned to Bucky and smiled at him for the first time.

"Thank you." you said. "And I owe you an apology. I know I was—“

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize. I understand." Bucky explained with a smile before it faltered, "I'm sorry for what you witnessed back there, I didn't mean to be violent like that but—“

It was your turn to cut him off, "Please don't be sorry. He deserved that." you bitterly chuckled.

Bucky found out that the guy was an ex-boyfriend and that he had been abusing you all throughout your relationship. You broke up with him a month ago that's why you moved into Bucky's apartment building. Apparently, you filed for a restraining order against him but the guy was obviously crazy to go against it, stalking you back to your apartment, hence the commotion.

"And the reason why I've been blasting music is because it keeps me from remembering the abuse he caused me. I can't think about anything else but that at night, when everything is quiet." you explained.

Bucky's heart ached because he understood, he truly understood your sentiments. His therapist taught him that peace isn't always a good thing. Sometimes, it is peace that causes chaos in the mind. Silence could be a dangerous thing, that's what you and Bucky have been experiencing.

"Would it help you if you talked to someone instead?" Bucky asked. "Because I'd love to have someone to talk to on nights I can't sleep." he said.

You offered a smile, "I'd keep you up every night then."

Bucky returned your smile, "Then it's a perfect set-up." he said, telling you that he too had trouble sleeping almost every night.

Bucky realized that he might have had a rough start with you, but he was glad for that. If it wasn't for your loud music blasting through his walls that one night, he wouldn't have found the perfect white noise to help him find solace at night— you.

-

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[writeforfandoms]

Not the Villain 4

Find my masterlist

Here we are at chapter 4! I’m excited! This chapter is still from Marcus’s perspective, and then next chapter we switch! 

The alternate title for this chapter is In Which Marcus Has So Many Problems. 

Warnings: Trouble children, swearing, Barry is a bit of a dick, so is Miracle Guy, more talk of past manipulation, implied abuse, we all continue to hate Jupiter. 

Word count: 2K

Marcus Moreno x f!reader (eventually) 

The weekend passed without incident. Movie night was an absolute success, and found both of them passed out on the couch snoring before midnight. (Missy claimed she didn't snore, but she did. Sometimes. Cute little snores that Marcus absolutely had no video evidence of, of course not.) 

Honestly, Marcus was glad to have the weekend to destress and step back. Missy was an excellent distraction, and he loved getting to spend time with her. 

The downside to having the weekend, however… 

"Moreno!" Barry caught him as he entered the building, looking a little frazzled. "You're needed down in holding."

"What happened?" Marcus asked, changing direction on a dime and striding towards the elevators. 

"Alecto won’t respond to anyone and won’t let anyone in.” 

Marcus frowned. “What the hell happened?” he demanded. 

Barry at least looked sheepish. “Well, you had the weekend, so I figured I’d go down there and try talking to her myself.”

Marcus didn’t groan, holding it behind his teeth. But barely. “Why?” 

“I just wanted to see if I could get her to tell us anything more.”

“You asked her about Jupiter.” Marcus didn’t phrase it as a question. He knew. He had known that would push her to shut down, and now he had his evidence. 

“Yes.” Barry stopped outside the elevator. He didn’t look apologetic, per se. But he did look abashed. 

“I’ll take care of it.” Marcus kept his frustration to himself until the doors closed. Then he swore softly. 

Hopefully Barry hadn’t done anything too bad. 

Alecto had her back to the glass when he finally stepped into the holding area. Her head was tucked down, the rest of her hidden. 

“Alecto?” he called softly, stepping close to the glass. “Hey. It’s me. It’s Marcus.”

Her head lifted slowly. That could only be a good sign, so he continued. 

“I hear the director was down here to visit. I’m sorry about him - he has no tact, which is surprising for someone whose job deals a lot with politicians.” 

Her shoulders jumped in what might have been a tiny laugh. 

“How’s your eye doing? Any better?”

She shuffled around slowly, looking at him. Her eye was still bruised purple, but at least not swollen shut anymore. She tilted her head back against the wall again, taking a few minutes to just look at him. She didn’t look great, but that was to be expected. 

“Jupiter never mentioned how heavy-handed you’d be.” 

Marcus blinked. “What?” 

“Or maybe it’s just the director.” She blinked once, slowly. “He’s kind of a jerk.”

Marcus coughed out a laugh. “He can be,” he hedged carefully, well aware that if Barry wasn’t listening, someone else was. 

Alecto smiled, and Marcus paused. Her smile was warm. Almost sweet. Nothing evil about it. This was the kind of smile he’d make note of. “You’re not bad,” she murmured, blinking slowly again. She yawned. “For a Heroic.” 

“Why do you hate us?” Marcus pulled the chair closer and sat. 

“I…” She paused, frowning just a little as she considered the question. “I don’t think I do. Hate you. Even with everything you do, or don’t do.” 

“Like what? Can you give me some examples?” 

“Half of what you do is publicity, probably to make money for the insane amount of damage you’re responsible for,” she started, matter of fact and calm. “You as a group rarely speak out about environmental issues, despite the fact that you all have a built in platform and following. And, I mean, Miracle Guy’s social media is probably enough on its own to make anyone hate him.”

Marcus really couldn’t argue that last point. It was something of a point of contention between the two of them, actually, and had been for a long time. But the rest… “We do have causes we each champion,” he told her, a little confused. This was pretty common knowledge. “We show up to events, talk, donate, all of it. Usually we all pick one or two, and every so often someone starts in with another cause.” 

She blinked. Twice. The look on her face was somewhere between uncertain and angry. “No. No, you’re lying to me.”

“I’m not.” Marcus kept calm, watching her. “Who told you we don’t support environmental and social causes?” 

She was silent, which was enough of an answer for him. Jupiter, most likely. “I’m not stupid,” she murmured, looking away from him. “I know that he… I know what I was allowed to see was restricted. I didn’t…” She paused and bit her lip, gaze darting around almost anxiously. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Marcus soothed, holding his hands out. “You’re safe here, I promise.”

“That’s a different issue,” she muttered, clearly not intending him to overhear. “I didn’t just… accept everything he… everything I was told. I would… corroborate. Do my own research.”

“What kind of research?”

She chewed on her lip for a few moments and then shrugged. “Used to go watch news channels. Recordings of events. Things like that.” She looked away, embarrassed and confused and clearly trying to hide her vulnerability. 

Marcus nodded slowly. "That was smart of you," he agreed. "To do your own research. Good thought."

Her gaze snapped back to his, eyes wide. If anything, she looked a little flustered, and Marcus tucked that bit of information away. 

"It's possible you were just untimely enough to miss all the events," he mused. "Usually at least the local news would cover whichever event. We are definitely a ticket selling point." His smile was a little wry. He wasn't the biggest fan of using his name to get things done, but for good causes? It was worth it to throw his weight around a bit and get people to either donate or buy tickets or whatever was needed. 

Alecto looked thoughtful, chewing on her lip. Marcus winced in sympathy when he noticed a tiny trickle of blood from a split in her lip. "Maybe," she murmured. "Maybe." 

"Give me a moment." Marcus pulled out his phone and painstakingly typed out a message to the Research team. (Look, typing on the phone was hard, it was too damn small in his hand and Missy made it look so easy.) 

Alecto looked curious when he finally tucked his phone back in his pocket, but she didn't ask. Instead she just blinked at him. 

"Someone will bring a tablet down," he told her. "So I can show you." 

"Yeah? What do you focus on?" The tilt of her chin was decidedly challenging. 

"Education. School lunches. Arts and science programs." Marcus smiled. 

"Huh." Her shoulders dropped a little, more relaxed again. "I wouldn't have guessed that."

"Why not?"

"Honestly? You never seem truly comfortable with public speaking."

Marcus sighed. "And here I thought I was hiding it."

She shrugged. "Maybe you do. I don't know how much normal people analyze body language that closely." 

"Is that something you do?" 

She didn't answer, and the elevator dinged gently as it opened. Mark walked over, not quite openly gawking at Alecto but something close to it. 

"Here," he murmured, handing over the tablet to Marcus. "Uh, let me know if you need anything else." 

Marcus nodded, looking between the two. Alecto was tensing up, puffing up like a cat, her eyes narrowing to angry slits. When she lifted her upper lip, Mark fled. 

Marcus couldn't even scold her for that one, not really. 

"Here." He flipped quickly to a parade that the whole team had gone to, turning the screen to show her. That one had been pretty good, actually. Everyone had been respectful, and they had helped raise money for a beach cleanup. 

Alecto watched the video silently, brow slightly furrowed. She didn't speak until the video was done. "Another." 

Marcus silently found another video. And another. Until her breath stuttered in her chest and she turned her face to hide the sheen of tears in her eyes. 

Heart aching, Marcus pressed his fingers to the glass. "Alecto–"

"Don't. Please." Her voice was thick, and she hiccuped. 

"You didn't know." He shifted forward in his seat. 

"Don't." Her breathing was picking up speed now. 

"It's not your fault."

"Stop!" She pulled her hands up over her ears, folding in on herself. 

Marcus hesitated. He could comfort her. He could open the door and pull her into a hug and hand her tissues. 

But he didn't. 

He didn't know her well enough. Didn't have enough evidence. He couldn't trust her with an open door. 

Instead he stood and walked away. He could at least grant her some privacy. 

It was a quick trip up to the cafeteria, and he realized once he got there that he didn't know her preferences. So he grabbed a bunch of fruit, some chips, and water. 

That was where the problems really began. 

"Hi dad!" Missy bounced up to him, A Capella and Guppy in tow. 

"Hey. I thought you were going out today." Marcus raised one eyebrow at his daughter. 

"I am out," she pointed out reasonably. "We're only here for a few minutes, then we're going to see a movie."

"You need anything?" 

"Nope!" Missy smiled. Too innocent with a hint of smug. 

Marcus huffed. "Missy…"

She shrugged. "That's a lot of snacks for you. Where are you going with all that?" She put her hands on her hips in a mirror of his pose. Or. Well. The pose he'd be using if his hands weren't full of fruit. 

Now, Marcus wasn't in the habit of lying to his daughter. But he knew Missy. If he admitted he was going down to see Alecto, she'd try to invite herself along, and probably the other two as well. Which meant he'd be in trouble with their parents too. And that would just not end well for anyone. 

"That doesn't matter." Marcus gave Missy a stern look. "You behave. And have fun at your movie."

"Ok, sure, bye dad!" And all three girls were gone as quickly as they'd come, whispering among themselves.

Honestly. He wouldn't be surprised if one day Missy ended up director here. She certainly had the mind for it. 

Shaking his head, he started towards the elevators… only to stop dead when Miracle Guy stepped in front of him, casually stealing the apple Marcus had grabbed. 

"So, got anything good from the wanna be down in holding?" Miracle took a big crunchy bite out of the apple. 

"Depends on how you define good." Marcus gave him a disgruntled look and started to step around Miracle… who casually got in his way again. 

"Come on, share," Miracle demanded with a shit-eating grin. The one he knew got on Marcus's last nerve. 

"Nothing actionable," Marcus grumbled. "Just things about her and her past."

"Yeah? And why is that?" Miracle leaned in closer. "Going soft on us now?" 

A good leader leads by example, and that example does not include punching his coworker in the face. 

Marcus shook his head. "I'm building trust," he said, forcing himself to stay calm. "If she trusts me, she'll talk to me."

"Just don't forget that she's one of them," Miracle said, dropping his voice. "You can't trust her." 

Marcus briefly considered arguing. Briefly. But there was no point, not just yet. Miracle Guy was very, very stubborn. So he simply remained quiet. 

Apparently satisfied, Miracle Guy left. Marcus let out a slow breath, consciously relaxing his fingers again. 

And then Tech-No popped up next to him, looking a little stressed. "We've got a problem," he muttered, taking care to keep his voice down. 

"What kind of problem?" Marcus turned to look at him, frowning. 

"We've got some cameras on the fritz," Tech-No admitted. "I need your help to figure out what's going on."

Marcus almost sighed. Almost. Today was clearly just destined to be a trouble day. Instead he nodded and handed the food off to a passing research tech, who looked bewildered but also pleased. "Let's go."

--

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