#i put my heart into thinking of these teams

[croiyz]

i had to cross them over i luv them so much </3

(i'll post zooble, kinger, and caine soon... trust)

[unintentionalseductress]

this has been on my mind for a while the Lads with an aerial silk acrobat mc, that while they know that's she's an acrobat they have never seen her practice her speciality and 1 day they find her practicing it. If possible would love to see what you think they would be like when they see it (sfw or nsfw your pick)

Hey there! Thank you for your patience as I worked through my queue. Ok, aerial silk acrobatics is insane, Cirque Du Soleil always leaves me in awe.

Dancers of the Air

A/n: No warnings needed, mildly suggestive for Sylus maybe.

Zayne:

He watches you practice in silent admiration. He knows your livelihood depends on your ability to perform, so he's aware of how much effort you put into taking care of your body, but this is the first time he's seen the other side of it.

His mind starts to name the muscles needed for each move you make, realizing how much internal strength each one takes.

He's not the type to make his presence known. He waits till you're done and safe on the ground, then approaches you to tell you how impressed he is.

Rafayel:

He's an artist, and he appreciates all art forms including acrobatics.

When he sees you practicing it takes all his willpower to not shout out his admiration. He doesn't want to distract you though, but he will discreetly take pictures of you so he can see you like this whenever he wants.

Despite the safety net beneath you he can't help but feel nervous as he watches you suspended so high up on those silky sashes. This probably stems from his fear of heights.

Sylus:

He's a patron for the performing arts, giving generous donations regularly.

That's how he met you in fact, during a show. You stood out from the other performers and by the end of the night he couldn't resist asking for an introduction.

Your practice sessions leave him in awe of your flexibility and the coordination needed between your teammates. Unlike Zayne and Rafayel, he'll sit right in the middle of the stage, looking up at you encouragingly while you blush trying not to get distracted by his presence. He wonders if there's a way to get those sashes into the bedroom.

Caleb:

There's always a part of him that's going to worry for your safety despite the reassurances that many precautionary measures have been taken.

His heart hammers in his chest as he watches you flip through the air and are caught by another team member. But your fluid movements and graceful form leave him intrigued.

He likes making his presence known when you're practicing and he does it by using his evol. You'll feel the sudden lack of gravity as you float too high, then the sudden increase as he carefully brings you to the ground and into his arms. You roll your eyes but secretly love it.

Xavier:

Has his eyes glued to you the whole time. Can't bring himself to look away.

He'll do pretty cute things while you practice, maybe create some small fairy lights using his evol and have them hover and trail behind you with each movement. This is how he makes you aware that he's in the vicinity but he doesn't expect you to look for him. It's just his way of letting you know he's around.

He'll call you adorable names based on your profession - Moon Dancer, Sky Chaser, Cloud Ballerina. They might sound a little odd but you know he's doing it out of love.

[typicalopposite]

tongue tied

thank you @nine-one-wanton for the title 😂🫶

BuckTommy | E (eh.. maybe M+) | 4859 words

also on ao3!

Mortification… 

That still isn’t a strong enough emotion to describe what Buck is feeling at the moment. 

He glances down at Tommy and asks if he’s still okay. All Tommy can do is blink in response; once for yes, twice for no. Pretty much any movement causes them both pain… and the humiliation is bad enough without them being overly sore as well. 

Tommy slides a gentle hand over Bucks thigh, doing his best to smile up at him. He inhales deeply through his nose and blows it back out, adjusting how he’s sitting on his legs, having to keep himself up high enough so he doesn't accidentally tug on the rings— tangled together and seemingly inseparable. 

There’s a knock at the loft’s door, and Buck hears Bobby’s voice yell out to him. He looks down at Tommy and sighs. 

This was definitely not how the team was supposed to learn they made up.

****

(Two months earlier) 

Tommy sat in a small chair, waiting his turn at the tattoo and piercing parlor. It had been years since Tommy had worn his little hoop earrings in his ears. Yet when he pushed the curved bar through the hole— thinking maybe they would be closed up and he’d have to force them— they just slipped right in. 

He considered getting a second hole, maybe. A nose ring. A belly button ring… 

Was he being dramatic— I want to feel something beyond the heartache I have caused for myself… so I’m going to go have a needle jabbed through some part of my body— maybe… He would agree, too, that maybe it was a little juvenile… a little petty even, to ultimately settle on a piercing Ev- no… Buck had shown so much interest in. He’d talked about having blowjobs from girls with tongue rings in his “Buck 1.0 days” (whatever that means); he said they were amazing. 

So now Tommy would have one, too… and he could give whoever the next guy he hooked up with amazing blow jobs. Take that memory of Buck that just wouldn’t leave! (in reality he knew he was fooling himself… He doubted there would ever be a next guy for him… Buck, however, would probably be getting plenty of better head from people way better than Tommy— whose knees don’t creak and ache after just a few short minutes on them, and who’s jaw hadn’t been shattered and wired shut in his teens so he can only hold it open for so long before it locks up.) 

He huffed angrily at the thought of someone else with Buck’s— with Evan's dick sitting heavy on their tongue; thrusting in and out, hitting the back of their throat. Someone else swallowing down every drop of his—

“Sir…” the receptionist said, thankfully interrupting his train of thought before he snapped his phone in half. “You’re up.” Tommy cleared his throat and thanked her, rubbing a hand over the heat climbing up his neck from embarrassment. 

He plopped down on the client chair and told the piercer what he wanted. He opted for the clear bar, and he had taken a (much needed) week off work; hopefully it would be healed by then. The woman gave him the instructions: sit up straight, stick out your tongue, please don’t try to grab my wrist. “People do that?” Tommy asked, around the clamp on his tongue, and she gave him an exhausted look. Sorry… he thought but didn’t say. 

He stuck his tongue out at himself in the bathroom mirror that night. It was swollen and very sore— it definitely didn’t make him feel better, but hey he’d always wanted to do something drastic. A tongue ring at forty counted… right? Yeah, it counted. He cleaned the piercing and went to bed. 

****

(One month earlier)

Buck wasn’t sure if this was just some Buck 1.0.2 phase or a very emotional based impulsive (probably stupid) decision resulting from his still broken heart. 

Still he was already there and had already put a deposit down; he might as well, right? 

He had come to the parlor alone, because… well, what would anyone he knows say about him doing something like this. Maybe if it was something simple like an ear piercing… or hell, even a tongue piercing. But this— this was not something his pseudo siblings or father figure would be on board tagging along to. Eddie was in El Paso… and he definitely wasn’t about to ask Maddie along.

The receptionist smiled at him, had him sign in, and told him to take a seat. 

He was early… Perhaps that had been a bad idea. His knee began to bounce and he fiddled with his fingers anxiously, staring around the parlor at the other clients ahead of him. Some laid back in the chairs getting tattooed— he should have just gotten another tattoo; what was he thinking— others getting any and every part of their body pierced. Most people were quiet. One lady in the back let out a scream so blood curdling Buck was about to get up and leave but—

“Sir! You're up!” 

Buck followed the piercer into one of the private rooms. The man was quiet and looked like he might bite Buck’s head off if given the chance. He instructed Buck to lower his pants, his boxers, and sit down on the pad covered seat. He did as he was told, and the seat was tilted back, putting him on full display thanks to the cold room. Why was he even doing this? Just because Tommy had said some guy he talked to before they even knew each other said he might get one? Was Buck really that shallow— that jealous?! 

“Alright, man… here we go.”

This was a bad idea. 

This was a bad idea.. 

WHAT THE FUCK WAS HE THINKING!?! 

This was so stupid! So bad! Such an impulsive idea! 

“And done!” 

Buck blinked once… twice… and looked down towards where the man was already slipping his gloves off. He pulled his dick up towards his stomach so he could see the little silver hoop hooked through his frenulum. “Oh,” he said, thanked the guy, paid and went home. 

****

(Two days earlier) 

Tommy played with the flat top of his tongue ring; he slid it back and forth over his teeth, he pushed the bar out enough to bite down on, all while he tapped on his steering wheel to the beat of a song playing on the radio. He was nervous. 

And the thing was… he shouldn’t be. 

He was a big brave grown man— capable of doing big brave grown man things… like to have drinks with an ex, whom he’s very much not over. He would be fine. 

Except the only spot available was directly beside the Jeep. 

“Fucking mother fucker.” Tommy grumbled out loud and turned into the spot hoping that maybe he wouldn’t be— 

He was still sitting in the driver seat. 

Cock sucking, bitch ass… What kind of god damned luck?!? How could he come to his senses about the meeting and run away now? 

He sighed and put the truck in park, then turned to look at him. It was the very first time he’d laid eyes on the man— beyond the pictures and videos he couldn’t bring himself to delete from his phone— since he walked out of the loft. 

Evan.

Or… Buck, since he’d decided to go that route and really drive the break up home. 

“H- Hey…” Buck said as soon as the both were out of their vehicles. “Thanks for — for the invite.” 

Tommy stuffed his hand down in his pockets, and chewed on the flat top to his tongue ring. “Of course,” he finally said. “I, uh… I felt like we really needed to talk about…”

“Everything?” Buck finished. 

“Yeah,” Tommy nodded along. “Everything.” 

“Okay… well for starters—” Buck wasted no time jumping right in. “Don’t ever call me Buck again.” He stared at Tommy so seriously before his lips twitched up a bit and he added, “please.”

“Noted,” Tommy said and there was a pause like he was waiting for— “Evan…” Tommy added and Evan fully smiled at that; he seemed relieved. “Okay, what else.” 

Evan stepped towards him. Tommy had the slightest urge to step back, but even more of one to move closer— to reach out and grab him and cling like his life depended on it. Evan reached for him first. “Don’t ever make a decision like that for me again.” Tommy waited, his eyes searching Evan’s… trying to say without saying how sorry he was. Finally Evan leaned in and gently pressed his lips to Tommy’s. “If I had needed more time to figure myself out… if I wasn’t sure about this— that you were what I wanted. I wouldn’t have just strung you along until I did… okay?” 

“Okay.” Tommy wanted to say more. He thought, maybe, he should say more… but his voice was lodged somewhere deep in his throat and all he could focus on was how his lips were tingling from that kiss. Evan, like a damn mind reader, took the moment to lean back in, deepening the kiss and wasting no time slipping his tongue into Tommy’s mouth. He noticed almost immediately. 

“You got a tongue piercing?!” 

“I— uh, yeah…” 

Evan’s eyes lit up mischievously… his breathing hitches then speeds up… he leaned in for another kiss.

****

(One hour earlier)

Buck had been very mature about the fact Tommy now had a tongue ring. In fact… he was so mature about it, that he didn’t suggest they forget the drinks, and their plans to actually talk like level headed adults do… In fact, after just one more kiss— one more quick swipe of his tongue over the flat top of the bar— he pulled away from Tommy completely; minus their hands, which Evan promptly laced together as they walked into the bar. 

And they talked. 

They actually talked.

They opened up— more than he’d expected them to.

They cried. They laughed. They left a few hours later and were officially back together.

Buck remained mature, and didn’t offer (beg, plead, or bargain) to follow Tommy back to his place, or bring him back to the loft. He allowed the night to end with them parting ways, but with the promise there would be a next time— and plenty of times after that—  So Buck was fine with going home alone. 

But when Tommy arrived at the loft, a bottle of wine in hand, his curls styled nicely, and wearing the cologne that he knew Buck loved… the maturity went out the window. He tugged him in by the collar and crashed their lips together. Buck had asked him to put a regular bar in, one with the bigger metal ball. Tommy had laughed and made a bitchy little joke but as Buck’s tongue passed over the piercing he let his lips curl up into a pleased smirk to find Tommy had done as he’d asked. 

They wasted no time; Tommy’s fingers ran along the hem of Buck’s shirt while Buck hurriedly pushed Tommy’s button-down off of his shoulders. “There’s something you should know…” Buck says as they nearly tripped over each other getting up the stairs, pieces of their outfits falling off every couple steps. He leans in close to Tommy’s ear and whispers, “I got something pierced too…” then he falls back onto the bed, pants and boxers already gone and his cock standing straight up like it’s showing it’s new accessory off. 

Tommy’s eyes widen. His brows fly all the way up to his hairline. He crawls onto the bed and takes Buck in his hand, tilting him back to look at the piercing better. “It’s healed, right?” Buck nearly gives himself whiplash nodding. Tommy leans in and flicks the tip of his tongue over the hoop— over the little piece of skin it’s going through— and Buck sucks in a sharp breath. “Good?” Tommy asks. 

“Amazing!” 

“Okay, great…” Tommy says, then goes back to licking at the piercing and around the head, and down the shaft. All the while Buck is moaning and squirming. It shouldn’t be so over-stimulative but it’s been so long… he hasn’t— not like this— not since Tommy. “Missed you; missed this…” Tommy says between licking down Buck’s cock and sucking the tip into his mouth, which only seems to make it so much more sensitive. 

Buck’s toes curl as Tommy takes him all the way down. And, God, how he has missed that. Buck whimpers and lets his hands move up into Tommy’s curls; messing them up, sure, but he doesn’t care. Tommy bobs his head, making sure to flatten his tongue and let the ball rub over Buck with every slide down and back up, and it feels just as amazing as Buck remembered— it feels even better, actually. 

Tommy moves Buck’s legs further apart so he can settle on the bed more. He flicks his eyes up to meet Buck’s and smiles around his cock, lining himself up so the ball goes over the hoop. It’s— well it’s mind blowing…

…at first. 

Tommy gets a little too into it. 

Probably due to the completely wanton noises pouring out of Buck’s mouth. He slides down all the way to the bottom, presses his tongue against the underside so the ball is pressed into the tender skin and starts to slide back up. He reaches the hoop… and somehow the ball just pops through it. 

Buck thinks he’s really just thankful Tommy caught the mishap immediately… without trying to pull off— so fucking thankful. 

“Uhh…” is all Tommy can manage. He holds himself up with one arm and brings the other up to try to get a finger in his mouth, to the where they are quite literally linked together. He can’t. 

And just like that… Buck’s pride in his size disappears. 

****

Tommy tries to move his tongue, ever so gently so he doesn't tug at the ring, but it’s useless. He wants to cry. He looks up at Evan… who is looking down at him… and looks terrified, and he can’t shake his head so he just sighs. “You have got to be joking… Tommy, what do we do?!” 

Tommy knows what they have to do… and he knows Evan knows what they have to do. 

“We can’t! Tommy, Maddie is at work! What if she takes the call?” He waits for a second like he’s expecting Tommy to answer, he can only blink back. “A- And I’m in the 118’s district… oh my god…” Now Evan looks ready to cry, and Tommy can’t even properly hold him about it. He runs his hand up Evan’s side, hoping it does something to soothe him. “Maybe if… if I can just get soft…” he suggests. Tommy shrugs, he doubts it but he doesn’t blame Evan for not wanting to call… this absolute disaster… in. 

So they wait. 

And wait.

And wait…

Drool starts to pool in Tommy’s mouth and he tries to swallow it as carefully as he can. His throat spasms, and Evan hisses, and Tommy makes a wounded noise by means of apologizing. To make matters worse, not that Evan’s erection had gone down much sitting in Tommy’s mouth… but the tightening of his throat from swallowing definitely didn’t help. They are doomed, he fears.

He looks up at Evan and tries to lighten the mood with a smile, and Evan manages to smile back, before dropping his head to his pillow and letting out a pitiful sob. 

Tommy knows they can’t sit here forever. He taps Evan’s leg and points to Evan’s pants that are the closest to the bed. Carefully they shimmy together, over to the edge, until Tommy slides off the bed, stretching out his leg to pull the pants over to him. He sits himself on his legs and pulls out the phone. Evan still seems hesitant so Tommy grunts around him and puts the phone in his hand. 

“Okay, fine.” 

Thank you, Tommy thinks and sighs. He slowly moves his tongue, still trying to find a way to pop the ball back through the hoop, but it’s just no use. He brings an arm up and uses it to prop up his head, and listens as Evan types in the dreaded numbers. 

He puts it on speaker and rests his body back on his free arm. “9-1-1 what is the location of your emergency…” Tommy watches Evan inhale deep and let out a long drawn out sigh. He gives his address, and immediately the dispatcher gasps. “Buck?” 

“Hey Josh…” 

****

“What's going on, are you okay?” Josh asks, eyes flicking up to look at Maddie who is in the middle of her own call and hasn’t yet heard her brother's name. 

“Well… define okay.” 

“Do you need medical assistance? I can send your team—”

“No!” Josh’s mouth snaps shut at the urgency in Buck’s voice. “Not— Not them… and Josh… please don’t tell Maddie you’re talking to me.” 

Josh glances back up at Maddie, and sighs. “Okay…” he says slowly; quizzically. “So what’s going on?” 

“Me and Tommy are stuck… together.” Josh waits for more, but his first panicked thought is that there has been some accident at Buck’s loft. 

“A- Are you— either of you hurt?” 

“Not… exactly. Just stuck.” 

“Like… in the elevator?” Josh pries, since Buck is giving him very little information. 

“I wish…” Buck groans, and Josh hears a muffled snort. “No, we're inside my apartment.” 

Josh tries to run through where they could be stuck in the small loft… He comes up with nothing, And Buck has gone silent. “Okay, look… I have no idea what’s going on, or how to help you, so I’m going to need you to give me a little more details beyond just ‘We’re stuck’.” 

Nothing— Nothing!!— could have prepared Josh for what Buck just blurts out next. 

“Tommy’s tongue ring is stuck through my dick ring…” 

Of course that’s the moment Maddie decides to look up at him. Her brows furrow and she mouths what’s wrong? Josh is pretty sure he resembles a deer in headlights, and he might have forgotten how to speak beyond a startled, “Oh…”

There’s a pause and Buck speedruns Josh through a quick explanation of what has happened, that Josh can only mmhmm back too, biting his lips between his teeth to stop them from curling upward and trying to figure out exactly how to word this in the notes to whoever he sends to… help. (33 and 40 year old males. No serious injuries. Unable to come to the door… prepare to be scandalized— he doesn’t add that last part)

Maddie is still just staring at him with a progressively getting more worried look. Finally she takes her earpiece off and starts towards him. Shit… he thinks, then quickly sends the 133 with a final note that an ambulance will possibly be needed. “What’s going on, Josh…” Maddie asks, looking at his screen. She immediately recognizes Buck’s address, gasps and grabs Josh's earpiece. “Buck?! Buck, are you okay? Are you hurt?” 

Josh watches the voice recorder from the call and it doesn’t move. “M- Maddie listen…” he tries, and reaches for the earpiece back; Maddie slaps his hand in return. 

Her eyes frantically move over the screen, furrowing as she tries to decipher what the notes could mean. She comes to the unit responding, and scoffs. “Why would you send the 133, Josh… the 118 is closer!” And Josh can do no more than run a hand down his face, and continue to bite back the laugh that has been threatening to break free since Buck explained the actual situation. “Buck I’m sending the 118 to you… everything’s going to be okay.” Her mouth pulls down into a worried frown. “Are you there? Can you please say something…” 

****

“Th- Thanks Mads…” is all Buck can think to say. 

Tommy’s eyes widen, and he finds Buck's hand to hold it. 

“What’s going on…” Maddie continues to press. “Is— is Tommy with you? Is he hurt? Buck, do I need to go there?”

“Please, no!” Buck cries out. “I’m… fine. It’s fine. We’re— we’re fine. R- Right Tommy?” He squeezes his eyes shut realizing Tommy can’t agree. 

He does manage a garbled “Uh huh,” though… (To which Buck hears Josh snort then quickly clear his throat.) 

“I, uh… I’m gonna hang up now…” Buck says, then before Madie can say anything he adds, “I swear I’m— we’re really okay. I promise.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, I— I’m sure…” he tells her, hangs up and throws his head back with a loud groan. Tommy sighs around him and moves the hand propping up his head and rubs at his jaw, reminding Buck of the reason Tommy never drags out his blowjobs. “Fuck! Tommy your jaw,” he says, and moves Tommy’s hand to rub over the spot himself. “A- and your knees have to be killing you!” Tommy shrugs and leans his face into Buck’s hand. “Is this at least helping,” he asks; Tommy cocks a brow, and his lips curl up into a smirk. “Oh my god… blink once for yes twice for no,” he groans, laughing only when Tommy blinks once. 

Which brings them back to the present. Bobby yells that they are coming in and the only silver lining is that Bobby has a key so they don’t have to break his door in. Something taps Buck’s leg and it’s his phone that Tommy has typed up a message on. 

pocket knife. cut off my tongue. I’ll go out the window.

That startles a laugh out of Buck… which is immediately followed by a pained hiss from them both. The front door opens and Buck groans. “Up here…” he says, and they both listen as the entire team— hell it sounds like the entire station— files in. 

Tommy whimpers when Chimney calls out, jokingly asking if Buck’s decent, and grabs the blanket to pull over his head. 

“Alright Buck what’s… going… on…” Bobby says, first to get up the stairs— his worried look melts away and is replaced by something akin to absolute horror, which Buck 100% gets. 

“What on earth…” Hen gawks as she comes up behind Bobby. 

Buck feels like his face is about to catch on fire, and Tommy hasn’t moved since covering his head— so he has either convinced himself if he doesn’t move they can’t see him… or he has died. 

“Is that Tommy?!” Chimney blurts out, looking around Hen and Bobby, who both slowly turn and look back at him.

Chimney shrugs. “What? I can appreciate nice features without it meaning anything, thank you very much.” He moves past her and gestures at Tommy’s backside. “And when you got it you got it…” Tommy makes a choked off noise— so, at least that means he’s not dead… 

“Wait so is it really Tommy?” Ravi calls from the bottom of the stairs. Buck doesn’t answer… which is enough of an answer in and of itself. 

Bobby turns back to Buck, rolling his eyes at the others. He sighs. “Okay, what exactly is going on here, Buck.” 

Before he can even think up a decent answer, Tommy twitches, stiffens and then pulls his hand up to scratch at his nose. He grunts, and takes a deep breath, and Buck watches in horror as it finally clicks what exactly Tommy is doing under the blanket. “This has got to be a prank,” Hen says, pulling off her glasses and covering her eyes. “Buck… tell me this is a prank.” 

Tommy continues to squirm and finally while holding his nose to suppress it, he sneezes. Buck yelps and Tommy mumbles incoherent apologies. The loft falls completely quiet; all eyes are now on him, waiting for an explanation. 

His phone rings first, and he expects it to be Maddie… but it’s Eddie— and he doesn’t need to deal with that— so he sends it to voicemail. 

Then Tommy’s phone starts to vibrate down stairs. “Ignore it,” Buck instructs when Ravi asks if he wants it brought up to them. 

About a second after it stops, Chimney's phone rings and he answers without hesitation, putting it on FaceTime.

“Oh… oh my god!” Eddie gasps. “You two didn’t…” he sounds like he’s crying and sucks in a breath. “You two idiots didn’t… did you?!” Buck glares at Chimney, but he is unfazed, turning the camera for Eddie to see them. “You did!” 

“I’m so lost,” Chimney says, looking at Bobby.

Hen is still covering her face and shaking her head. 

“These two—”

“Eddie…” Buck pleads— but really… What's the use in hiding details? “Whatever…” he groans and turns his eyes to the ceiling, and Eddie shares what he knows.

And apparently, he knows everything. 

So Buck wasn’t the only one who went to Eddie about his impulse body modification. Tommy had told him too— he texted Eddie after learning of his move to El Paso, and it just slid its way into the conversation. 

“How did you even find out about this?” Buck groans.

“Josh told me.” 

“Oh, but he couldn’t tell us so we knew what we were about to walk in on…” Hen says bitterly. 

“And since when do you and Josh talk?” Buck adds. 

“That is my business,” Eddie quips back. “You all  have fun with… yours.” He wiggles his fingers at them, laughs again, and ends the call. 

Chimney and Hen give each other strained looks, both clearly trying to hold it together. Bobby takes a deep breath, resting his hands on his hips and stares down at Buck. “Okay well we— we need to get you two… separated—” His lips tremble and he tries to stop the laugh but it bubbles out anyway. That's all the motive Hen and Chimney need to both double over. Even Ravi is laughing down stairs. 

Tommy makes a pained noise and Buck knows he has to be hurting from sitting like this for so long. “Yeah, yeah… laugh it up. Can we please figure out how to actually do that?” 

“Well we have to see what we’re dealing with first,” Hen says, grabbing the blanket without warning and lifting it up. “Oh my god…” she nearly chokes, and has to walk down stairs to compose herself. 

Yeah mortification was definitely not a strong enough word. 

It only takes the team five minutes to get them separated— Buck is sure it will take a lifetime to live it down. 

****

“Are you sure you don’t want to go in and get checked out?” Bobby asks; Tommy just shakes his head and puts his hand over Evan’s, where he is holding a frozen bag of peas against his jaw. “Alright,” he gives them both a smile— it looks more uncomfortable than when he was given the medal of valor at the ceremony. “You, uh— you two…” he looks between Tommy and Evan. “Well, I’m glad you… worked things out.” 

“That’s one way to describe what happened here tonight,” Chimney says, smiling smugly at the both of them.

Hen comes up beside Tommy and lays a hand on his shoulder. “I think it’s safe to say you can definitely keep up.” Tommy slowly lifts his eyes to her and she can’t hold back the laughter. “Maybe a little too well— you might wanna slow down actually.” 

“Uhm, what— what does that mean?” Evan leans in and asks; again… Tommy just shakes his head. 

Ravi hands Evan the little baggie the two rings were put in once they were removed. He doesn’t say anything, and just leaves. He pulls the door shut behind him, and then they are left alone, embarrassed, and sore in their respective affected areas. 

Evan holds the bag up and sighs. “That was… something.” 

“Yeah…” Tommy laughs, finally feeling like he can move his jaw again without it popping. “Next time, maybe we don’t go with the ball and hoop combo. 

“N- Next time?” Evan furrows his brow but his lips are already curling up at the corners. 

Tommy shrugs and grabs Evan’s hand pulling it to his lips. “If I have learned anything lately… it’s the importance of giving things another chance…” 

Evan’s smile widens. “Wow. That was— just wow...” he laughs and pulls Tommy into a kiss; he winces when just the slight movement hurts. “I’m sorry about your jaw, and your knees.” 

“I’m sorry about your… frenulum,” Tommy replies and Evan snorts. “Now I can’t finish what I started…” 

They both pout at that… for just a moment. “Yeah, b- but… my jaw doesn’t hurt,” Evan says with a suggestive smirk. “And your dick doesn’t hurt…” He bites his lip and tugs on Tommy’s hand to stand him up.

“This is true…” Tommy states. 

“So maybe we can finish what we started after all…” Evan leans in and brushes his lips over Tommy’s then turns and heads for the stairs, Tommy right behind him, and the silver hoop and tongue ring left behind on the table for next time. 

[caitified]

okok hear me out pls. paige bueckers x reader wife where in r is pregnant and is due any day now but paige is still on an away game.

after paige’s win she was interviewed and was asked about when will the baby arrive. she says in the camera to “hold it in”. this was honestly based off of diana taurasi’s interview iykyk. hoping you could give this one a try. i’ve been longing for paige’s family series plssss thank u so much!

DUE DATE

PAIGE BUECKERS X FAMILY READER

comments: i have so many people asking about paige’s family , so sorry for it being on the back burner but keep the requests coming. and dt interview is elite.

warnings:none.

it had been a long, tense few days for both of you. paige was away for a game, and you, feeling the weight of pregnancy’s final stretch, were stuck at home, your body aching more and more as each hour passed. your due date was fast approaching, and every minute you felt like this could be the moment when your water would break, when the baby would finally make their grand entrance. you had never felt so much anticipation, but you had also never felt so alone in the waiting.

paige, on the other hand, had her game to focus on. she was playing her heart out, doing what she does best—putting on a show, leading her team, and pushing through any pain of her own to make sure her team came out victorious. you knew how much this game meant to her, how much her role on the court had become a part of her identity, and you were proud of her. but that didn’t make the ache of her absence any easier. you are in constant fear that the baby will come sooner than paige can get back to you.

when you checked your phone, there was a message from paige that made your heart skip a beat.

“hey babe, i miss you. how’s everything? can’t wait to see you soon 💙”

you smiled at the message, clutching your phone to your chest. she was on your mind every second of the day, and you could only imagine how hard it was for her to be so far away, knowing that you were on the verge of giving birth to her child.

just as you were about to respond, you saw a notification that made your heart flutter—a notification for the post-game interview. paige had just helped her team win, and now she was standing in front of the cameras, looking stunning, as usual. but what really caught your attention was the question they asked her.

“so, paige, your wife is pregnant and due any day now. do you have any updates? is she still holding up okay?”

paige smiled into the camera, her eyes sparkling despite the exhaustion from the game. and then, in a moment of pure humor and relief from the tension she was feeling, she did something you never expected.

“hold it in,” paige said with a wink, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. “just a few more days, alright?”

the reporters laughed, some of them clearly taken aback by her humour, but everyone could see the love in her eyes. she was still thinking of you, despite everything, and that small gesture made your heart swell. paige always knew how to make you laugh, how to ease the tension, even when it felt like everything was about to fall apart.

you laughed softly, knowing exactly what she meant. it wasn’t just about the baby holding out a little longer; it was about the balance she found between everything she had to juggle—the game, her career, and the life you two were building together.

as soon as the interview ended, you texted her back,

“trying my best p, but you need to get your ass back here”

a few moments passed, and then your phone buzzed. paige’s response came through immediately, her tone light but full of that familiar warmth you always cherished.

“ i’ll be there as fast as i can. i need to be there for you, baby. just a little longer, okay?”

you smiled, the anxiety of the moment easing, knowing that paige was thinking of you, even in the midst of a victory. it wasn’t just the game that made her perfect for you—it was moments like this, when she made you feel like everything would be okay, even when things were uncertain.

just a little longer, you thought, glancing down at your belly. and with paige’s words echoing in your mind, you settled into bed that night, feeling the soft kicks of the baby inside you, knowing that soon, everything would change, and you’d finally be able to welcome your little one into the world.

thanks for reading, i can do the next day when she’s home if you’d like.

[bekolxeram]

TW: traffic accident, injury

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

“I crashed, into a tree, now my wife can’t get out. Somebody please help us!”

------------------------------------------—

“Vehicle collision with obstacle, aka car crashed into tree,” Bobby informs his team while guiding them towards the scene of the accident. “One male driver, escaped the wreckage on his own, and one female passenger still trapped inside. Hen, Chimney, check her vitals. Buck, Eddie, go see if the driver needs any medical attention.”

“DUI?” Hen asks, clearly concerned by her past experience with councilwoman Ortiz.

“No, I don’t think so. Apparently the driver was alert and coherent enough to call 9-1-1 and explain their situation,” Bobby responses. “Now go help free the victim.”

Hen nods and takes off with Chimney.

“Hi, my name’s Hen. What’s yours?”

“Jessica…” the woman sobs, visibly in shock.

“Jessica, okay, we’re here to help you. I know it’s not easy, but please, try your best to relax,” Hen reassures her. “Hey, Chim, take her vitals while I check on her wounds.”

Chimney simply puts the clip onto her finger, watch the monitor and wait. She’s doing surprisingly well in her state.

Until a worried expression from Hen extinguishes his optimism.

“Femoral artery,” Hen whisper in Chimney’s ear.

He looks down to see a large mangled piece of metal protruding through Jessica’s left thigh. Ironically, the foreign object causing her so much pain might be the only thing keeping her from bleeding out right away.

“The driver is fine. The airbag saved him. He told me he was working long hours and fell asleep behind the wheel,” Eddie comes back with Buck. “I’d say let him stay with his wife. No law enforcement needed. He doesn’t seem under the influence to me.”

“Good. We need a saw and some running water to cool things down here,” Chimney yells at Buck and Eddie.

“Oh, god, are you amputating my leg?” Jessica panics. “I’ve watched it on TV. This is the setup when you want to amputate someone’s limb!”

“No, Jessica, don’t worry. TV shows aren’t real,” Hen directs her team to get the necessary tools. “We’re cutting the metal off and transporting you to a hospital with it. They’ll keep you comfortable with medicine before they take the metal out of you, okay?”

Jessica nods faintly, trying her best to keep her body still.

“We need to get her to a trauma center, stat,” Hen turns to her captain, “every second she spends on the ground, the risk of the piece of metal accidentally dislodging multiplies.”

Bobby ponders for a few moment before speaking into his radio, “this is the 118, at the scene of a traffic accident. Requesting air support for medevac.”

Buck’s entire body freezes once those dreaded words leave Bobby’s mouth.

He’s been fearful of this day since Tommy dumped him, almost 3 months ago. Just the two of them, meeting up for the first time since the breakup on a call, struggling to push the awkwardness aside and maintain a façade of professionalism, fighting against his urge to forget about the emergency and just yell at Tommy, to feel him, to devour him, to cling to him and never let go.

Still, there’s a severely injured person whose life is hanging by a thread. Buck decides to shake off his overly active mind and help carry the heavy machinery to the patient.

“Eddie, you handle the saw. Chim, you take the water. Hen, keep a close eye on her vitals,” Bobby instructs his team, intentionally leaving out one member.

“I — I can help, Cap,” Buck asserts.

“It’s not personal, but this requires the highest level of precision and concentration. You can take the next one, when the circumstances are a bit… different,” Bobby puts up a palm to stop his subordinate on his track, “now, I need you to stay on the side and stand by.”

Buck complies, reluctantly.

The soaring sound of a helicopter rotor inches in merely minutes later.

Buck debates internally whether to hide or take a good look at the helicopter, to see if the pilot is Tommy. It’ll likely rip his heart out if he sees Tommy all rugged, brokenhearted from the breakup, but it’ll kill him if Tommy looks normal, good even, seemingly moved on from his latest fling.

He decides to stand beside an engine when the helicopter lands on the freeway, in order to look without standing out.

“What’s the status of the patient?” A tall, blond Asian paramedic hops out of the helicopter, still putting on his gloves.

“We’re still trying to free her,” Bobby says, with sharp, mechanical noise in the background.

“I think it’d be best if we avoid moving her too much,” another paramedic, a giant, burly man who puts the best body builder to shame, chimes in.

George and Carl, Buck recognizes. They’re in Tommy’s flight crew.

“Uh, maybe we should bring the chopper closer?” Buck suggests.

“Donato, bring the bird closer,” George speaks into his radio.

“How close?” Lucy replies.

“So close you can smell my conditioner.”

“Copy that. Hey, why do I only get to do cool stuff when Tommy…”

“Ahem,” Carl interrupts Lucy’s communication, “we have company here, the 118.”

“Uh… wilco. I’m gonna bring her in, stay clear of the downwash.”

Carl directs all personnel on the ground to stand behind the 118 engine and make way for the aircraft. Buck catches George on his way to his destination.

“Hey — Hey, George. Where’s Tommy?” Buck asks, the fear of Tommy being in trouble enters his mind once again.

George sighs, then rolls his eyes, “you would’ve known if your so-called friends didn’t pretend he never existed after your two broke up.”

“What happened to him? Is he hurt? Come on, I just want to know if he’s okay,” Buck pleads.

“Oh, the patient’s out. We’d better get going,” George ignores Buck, choosing to focus on his task at hand instead.

Buck emerges from behind the firetruck. The LAFD helicopter is now parked steps away from the wreckage of the car, thanks to Lucy’s piloting skills.

This is the last chance for Buck to investigate, before they fly away.

“Carl,” Buck knows for a fact that this man is soft and easily persuadable, despite the tough exterior, “please tell me Tommy’s okay.”

“I guess you’ll just have to ask him yourself,” Carl says, carrying the patient into the chopper.

“But I thought he didn’t want to talk to me. I’ve been giving him space,” Buck chases after the aeromedic.

“Take the initiative. Brave the ice,” Carl shouts before closing the door and flying away with his team.

[prlssprfctn]

In his new room - in his new house - Jason searches up for a circus performances and stares at them for hours. First, he watches at them mindlessly, unconsciously curious, and then, he starts to take notes.

He is a street kid, and everything about him screams of that. So, he is nowhere near the grace of these performers on the screen. His arms are not that strong, too, but he is agile, and his legs are much stronger - he can think of something.

He can be just as good as the boy he is replacing.

It is not like someone tells him to match Richard Grayson, and it is not like someone admits that Jason is here to replace the first Wonder Boy, but Jason heard Bruce's conversation with Dick earlier. It was meant not for his ears, but it doesn't matter now.

"So, now what, you exile me, and bring a boy to replace me?!"

Jason is not mad. All of it ‐ adoption papers, the manor, the school - is much more than he ever thought he would get in his life. Being replacement doesn't sound as bad anyway; especially, if his brother is so cool.

So, he makes notes on circus performances and slightly chopes his hair. They are much curlier than Dick's - he has more of a wavy ones, and the only ever look that way, when they get long; his childhood photos with short hair looks too straight - but the cut does its magic.

The next day, Bruce compliments his hair absentmindedly and is positively surprised by his new moves on the patrol, asking where he learnt it from. Jason lies about not remembering, but his cheeks are flashed, and his smile is all about teeth. He can't wait to show it to Dick once they finally get on a mission together.

Expect, when they do, Dick just nods and mutters a light-hearted "good job" before leaving to talk with his team. And Jason knows Dick doesn't want to be mean - he gets it; no one feels good about having a replacement, especially the one that seems so cheap in comparison - but he still cries that night in his pillow, feeling himself a little kid, even if he isn't one. Even if he never was.

Jason wonders if his own replacement would make him understand Dick.

But Jason never gets replaced.

No matter the taunting voice of the Lazarus Pit in the back of his head - that sometimes sounds suspiciously like Talia's; you remain unavenged and replaced - and his own intrusive thoughts that spiral in uneven lines, Jason doesn't think Tim was ever meant to be his replacement. Being replaced means to match the person that was meant to be left behind. And no one asked Tim to be like Jason.

If anything, memory of Jason was thrown under the rag, hidden and locked securely in heads of those who survived. And if they brought Jason up, then it was always an example of what Robin shouldn't do: run away, disobey, and allow emotions to consume you. So, not much of an exemplary original. More like an opposite.

Jason feels an urge to explain that to Tim once; when they sit together on the rooftop, almost like a proper family, instead of broken pieces of someone's idea of a one.

'You could never replace me,' he says, and the instant it leaves his mouth, he knows it came out wrong.

Tim rolls his eyes.

'Yeah, dude. Whatever.'

'No, I mean—' He grits his teeth, scrapping slightly the back of his hand. 'I mean... You could never replace me, because... Because you were always better.'

Tim freezes. His big blue eyes shift in something more confused, and it is almost as if he is not sure how he needs to react — to protest? To agree? To thank him?

Jason doesn't know what to do, too.

He wants to say: it is easy as that, babybird. They wanted to have someone who would have nothing in common with me — someone who could help them to forget about my existence, about the existence of the failed Robin.

But he can't make himself speak again. And he is not sure he wants to stay any longer to hear Tin manging to put his thoughts in the words; he is better than him at this, too, and he almost always sounds convincing.

So, he leaves.

In his room - in the building he owns now - he ruffles his outgrown hair, fluffs up the white streak, and passes by his only remaining photo with Bruce in the frame, on the shelf under the stolen tire.

He still does this semi-circus move in his fights - almost frozen in the air, with his back arched - but he doesn't expect anyone to compliment him anymore.

[silenzahra]

MUGI, MY BELOVED FRIEND. THIS IS SO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL. AAAAAAHHHHH I love that you drew the scene from the beginning in which Mario is trying to take Luigi somewhere safe while they escape from the Dreambeats 😭😭 The musical notes dotting the purple sky??? The COLORS and the LINEART AAAAAHHHH you know I'm no expert but I see it and I LOVE it!!!! You've done such a WONDERFUL job!!!! 👏👏👏

Luigi being just a bit more sleepy while he holds on to his big bro's hands, and Mario looking so determined to stay awake and fight the Dreambeats because his little brother's safety is way more important than some music, UGH I could EAT this art I swear 😭😭😭 SO PERFECT. And the way Mario is holding Luigi's hands, and Dreambert putting his hands to his cape, clearly thinking of taking it off and letting the brothers use it as he does later on in the story!!!! THIS IS SO FREAKING GOOD OH MY GOD. Heck, even Starlow seems to be a bit drowsy, and the background??? The mountain and the snow and the sky??? Absolutely BREATHTAKING oh my God, I could stare at this piece FOREVER.

My dear friend, I'm beyond honored that once again you graced me with your BEAUTIFUL and SPECTACULAR art and brought to life a scene from one of my fics!!! 🥹🥹🥹 And my BELOVED Dream Team fic no less, OMG what a PERFECT first anniversary celebration, how can I even thank you????? 😭😭😭🫂🫂🫂

Please, PLEASE, don't think for even a second that this isn't much, because, to me, it's EVERYTHING 🫂🫂🫂 It captures the essence of the story PERFECTLY WELL: Mount Pajamaja, the Dreambeats, Mario trying to get Luigi to safety... There's absolutely nothing wrong with this piece and it's so much more than I would've dreamed of getting!!!! I swear I just can't stop staring at it and taking in all the details 🥹🥹😍😍 You're actually the first person to create fanart for this specific fic which means SO MUCH to me 🥹🥹🥹 It still holds a special place in my heart as I LOVED writing it, so I really can't express how deeply grateful I am for this!!!

Once again you made me so incredibly happy with your art, so I can only join our dear friend Boma and get into your head to help her punch those ugly thoughts away 🫂🫂🫂 Both you and your art deserve all the love and praise in the world and I'll NEVER get tired of saying it over and over again 💖💖💖

THANK YOU SO MUCH, my dear Mugi. I'm seriously so blessed to have you as one of my closest friends 🫂🫂🫂💖💖💖

Happy (belated) anniversary to Keeping you warm!

Yesterday was the first anniversary of my amazing friend @silenzahra's Mario & Luigi fanfic Keeping you warm, based on Dream Team. Since this story means a lot to me, I wanted to draw fanart in its honor, even if it's not much.

Happy anniversary, Zahra! Hope you enjoy my little present once you're back from your trip🙂

[theocddiaries]

[Stone arrives home, where Shadow is preparing a sandwich in the kitchen] Stone: Hi, there! There's my little star! Making yourself a snack because you must be starving after all that basketball practice, huh? Shadow: Actually, according to Maddie, this is called stress cooking. Stone: Stress? Why, sweetheart? Is Ivo too hard as a coach? I knew I should’ve stayed to help out. Shadow: I can’t really tell if Ivo’s too hard or not because he kicked me off the team. Stone: What!? Shadow: It's okay. You know I only signed up because of Sonic. And if I’m as bad as Ivo says, it’s better I’m out so I don’t embarrass myself in front of him. [heads to his room] Stone: Shadow, sweetheart, no-- Robotnik [arrives home]: Hello, family. Stone [stern]: Ivo, do you know what the kid just told me? Robotnik: What kid? Stone: Shadow. Robotnik: Oh… who knows. I bet it’s about his latest hyperfixation, whatever that is. Stone: It’s astronomy, and if you listened even a little, you’d know that. Just like you’d know how important it was for him to play on a team with people he could relate to. Robotnik: Oh, this is about basketball? Stone, it’s nothing personal. The kid is just plain terrible. Let me put it in simple terms so you can understand: remember that hemorrhoid I had? When they removed it, I felt amazing. It’s the same now that I’ve “removed” him from the team. Stone: And where did they put that hemorrhoid? In the empty space in your chest? Because you clearly don’t have a heart! How can you call a kid that!? Robotnik: I mean, I didn’t call him that to his face. I’m saying it now because it's the two of us. To his face, I told him he was a complete failure. Stone: And you think that’s better!? Do you even comprehend how excited he was to play with Sonic? Robotnik [narrows his eyes] Stone: …and the rest of his friends? You’re going to re-admit him. Robotnik: No, I am not. Stone: Ivo, as the first coach, I demand that you re-admit him! Robotnik: And as the first coach after you, I refuse to re-admit him! Stone: Yes, you will! Robotnik: No, I won’t! Stone: We’ll see about that! Robotnik: Yes, we will see! [storms out, slamming the door. Comes back in, confused]: Where am I going? I just got here. I got so caught up in the moment, I just really wanted to slam a door, you know? Anyway, have you made me some snack? [sees the sandwich Shadow was making earlier]: Oooh, yummy! Stone: …

Part 1

[b4tteryaciid]

Ghost with glasses, anybody?

(I got glasses and contacts so I had to force Ghost to aswell.)

Sunday, January 26, 20XX, 6:00 AM

The shitty alarm clock never got old, screaming at an ungodly hour and waking Ghost up. Light was barely seeping in through the window and painting the floor with thin golden rays. He was still exhausted. The team was sent on a long three day mission and got back to base at about 1900 (7 PM). Everyone was pooped and beelined to their respective rooms to sleep.

Ghost groaned dramatically and stretched out like a startfish, banging his knuckles on the wall with a hiss. He rubbed his eyes, smearing around the leftover grease paint he was too lazy to take off and stood up, cracking his hips and knees in the process. He blinked the sleep away and slowly headed for the bathroom. He looked like shit but his face would be covered with a balaclava anyways. He splashed some icy tap water onto his face with a shiver and reached for the small white and green contacts case on the counter.

He slowly unscrewed it with a yawn and poked into the right compartment, scooping up the tiny lense. Huh that's weird. It feels funny. He squinted down at it and his heart dropped. It wad ripped. Goddammit. It his exhaustion the night before he must've ripped it while manhandling it into the case. Fuck. That would mean he would have to wear his glasses. He groaned loudly and slammed his hands on the counter. Swatting the case with the ripped lense away before ambling over to the busted brown cabinet above the toilet.

He poked around to see it he had any other lenses of if he'd have to ask Price to order more. Nope. None. Only a bottle or two of contact solution. He slammed the door shut and weighed his options. He didn't necessarily need his contacts to see. His prescription wasn't that strong, he just couldn't see from far away. It wouldn't kill him or endanger others. Okay, we'll, maybe. He was training recruits that morning so it wasn't like they'd be in an active battle zone. Price would chew him out if he willingly went out with imapred vision though. But it was just training though, could it be that big of a deal?

He opted to text Price and ask instead.

Ghost: My contact ripped. Order me more when you get a minute?

Price: Of course.

Ghost: Thank you.

Ghost: Am I authorized to not wear my glasses? We're training recruits today.

Price: No.

Ghost: Why?

Price: I cannot villingly let a visually impaired soldier around live ammunition.

Go figure. Just what he expected.

Price: It won't kill you to wear them for one day. Medical will have your new contacts in by about 1100 tomorrow.

Ghost huffed and tossed him phone down onto his bed. Whatever. Realization dawned as he realized he wouldn't be able to wear his hardshell mask and would have to wear a soft one. He dragged his feet getting dressed and begrudgingly put on his glasses, mumbling a string of curses as he did so.

---

He was sitting in one of the corner booths in the mess. Eating something squishy and bland, he didn't dare think about what it was. Atleast he had his tea. After a little bit of haggling with Price, he agreed to let Ghost take the day off and train the recruits himself. Ghost was now in dept to Price, or so he claimed, but he knew Price wouldn't act on it. He successfully avoided everyone, except one cook who didn't seem to pay him any mind as she was busy with three other things at once. The day was looking good. No human interaction whatsoever. He would retreat back to his room and read a book or occupy himself with something else.

Famous last words.

The loud giggles and chatter of Soap and Gaz filled his ears. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose. He prayed they wouldn't notice him.

"Ghost!"

'Can't have shit can I?' He thought. He sighed reluctantly and looked up, meeting the eyes of the Scott. He was bouncing with energy. How he had a pocket full of sunshine at 9 AM Ghost would never know. They both stopped in ther tracks, Gaz shooting him a puzzled look that slowly morphed into a poorly disguised smirk. Soap had a goofy grin on his face, he opened his mouth to say something before Ghost interrupted.

"Not a word." He growled, pointing the fork at the both of them.

"Nice spectacles Ghost," Soap giggled, sliding into the booth next to him. Soap and Gaz shared a look over the table and burst into hysterics. Soap was crying he was laughing so hard and Gaz was trying his best not to wheeze.

"I'll skin you both," he grumbled with a hint of amusement. They would never let him live this down. They'd never leave him alone. 'This is gonna be a long day', he thought.

[just-dreaming-marvel]

A Terrible Accident ~ Part 3

A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT MASTERLIST

< previous part

Summary: The Team works on a plan to help you and Bucky.

Word Count: 1,875ish

Warnings: talk of rape, abuse, trauma

Notes: Been awhile for this update... sorry about that... read with caution...

Bucky wouldn’t allow any of the Wakandans inside his cell, including Shuri. Luckily, Shuri had the technology to be able to still run the needed tests. It took her a few hours to finish running what she needed to before gathering the team into one of the conference rooms. Shuri didn’t put any of the information she gathered on the screens yet. Not wanting any of the team members to read ahead.

“What have you found, Shuri?” Steve asked, unable to wait any longer. He was worried for his best friend.

“As I feared, something has happened to the rewiring that we had done to Barnes and the Winter Soldier was able to return,” she admitted. Steve’s face dropped while the other team members tried to keep their composure. “My team and I are coming up with a plan. We think that we can do the same protocol—“

“The protocol that didn’t work?” Tony questioned with a scoff.

“There are tweaks that can be made. I was hoping to have your help, Stark, as well as Dr. Banner’s.”

“How will you do the protocol when Barnes won’t allow anyone in the cell with him?” Asked Sam.

“With the previous protocol, we put him in cryo until I could—“

“No. No,” Steve interrupted. “Bucky cannot go under again.”

“Let Shuri finish, Steve,” Nat said.

“As I was saying,” Shuri continued, “we put Barnes in cryo and then woke him up to do the protocol. With his resistance to even having people in the same room as him, I believe we need to have him under the whole time and wake him only to test it.”

“He won’t agree to this,” said Sam. “Not at all.”

“He’ll do it for Y/N,” Steve defended. “He’ll do anything for Y/N.”

“He believes that shutting himself away is for Y/N’s sake,” Wanda said. “I don’t know if he will believe that this will actually work after this.”

“Y/N can convince him.”

“Y/N’s not allowed to go anywhere near Barnes,” Tony said. “As per his orders and mine. It’s for the best.”

“She may be the only one able to help Bucky.”

“She’s also seriously injured in the med bay thanks to your friend.”

“He wasn’t—“

“It’s Barnes’ prints and sperm that were found all over her! It was him! I don’t care that you believe him to have two separate personalities, it was still him! He is not going near her and vice versa. End of discussion.”

~~~

You knew that the Team had been pulled into a meeting. This was your chance to sneak away and see Bucky. You knew that Tony would be incredibly pissed at you, but you needed to see Bucky. It was harder to get down to the detention cells than you had originally thought, all due to your injuries. 

Walking as quickly as you could, which wasn’t very fast at all, you searched for the cell that Bucky was in. It broke your heart when you found him in the farthest cell away from the elevator and stairwell. Holding your breathe, you took the final step needed to stand in front of the one-way glass. 

Bucky looked awful. He was in the corner on the floor. His hair was hanging over his face, but failing to hide the dark circles under his sad eyes. Clearly, he hadn’t changed and your blood was still splattered over him. The only thing missing was his metal arm. You ran your eyes over the room to see that his arm had been tossed across the room. It broke your heart to see him like this, yet… there was a tiny voice inside your head telling you to run away. You hate that the Winter Soldier had made you scared of the man you loved. You knew that they were different, but ran now your head was beginning to trick you into thinking otherwise.

With a shaky hand, you went to press the button that would allow you to speak to him. Before you could press the button, you were stopped.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Tony’s harsh voice made your head snap in his direction. He was bounding down the hall, with Steve, Natasha, and Sam behind him.

“I need to speak with him,” you responded, getting emotional. You backed up against the console, unknowingly pressing the button that would allow Bucky to hear what was going on. “He has to know that it’s not his fault. I have to tell him that it’s not his fault… I have to…” Tears were streaming down your face and you had begun trembling. “I have to make this right… I have to help him… I—“

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Natasha cooed, stepping past Tony to get to you. 

“No! It’s not okay!” You tried to lean away from Natasha’s caring hands. “It’s never going to be okay! I—I have to tell him that it’s not his fault! I have to convince him of that to help me believe it!”

Stunned silence echoed through the hall. The realization of what you had said—what you had admitted—hit you like a freight train.

“Oh my…” You suddenly broke down in tears and collapsed on the floor. “I didn’t mean that!” You cried. “I didn’t mean that!” Natasha followed you and pulled you into her. “I love him! I do!”

“We know, sweetie,” Natasha said as she tried her best to calm you.

“I know it was the Soldier,” you sobbed. “I know it wasn’t Bucky… He would never hurt me like this. But… But…”

Natasha glanced up at the men who were staring at the scene with sad, desperate looks. She turned her focus back to you. “Let’s go back to bed, Y/N. You need more rest.”

You didn’t have the energy to argue with Natasha. You let her help you to your feet and guide you out of there. Tony, Steve, and Sam were frozen in their spots for a moment trying to process what you had said. 

“Shit,” Sam muttered. He quickly went over and pressed the button that turned off the sound for Bucky.

Steve’s eyes widened and he rushed over to the window to check on his friend. Bucky was standing in the center of the room, head down. The men could see the tears trailing down his face and falling onto the floor.

“How do we fix this?” Steve whispered, eyes never leaving his friend.

“I don’t know if there’s a way, Cap,” Sam admitted. 

~~~

Staring at the ceiling became your new thing to do. Members of the Team kept coming up to talk to you, but everything they were saying was fuzzy. You kept replaying the last few days in your head. Every action. Every word. The shift between Bucky and The Winter Soldier. The fact that you had admitted that you were scared. 

“She needs help,” Sam whispered, watching you from outside your room. “Professional help.”

“They both do,” Natasha replied. “Hell, all of us do.”

“Shuri’s planning on forcing Bucky into cryo. I absolutely hate it, but there’s no other way.”

“We have to trust that she knows what she’s doing. She’s the only one who has a chance of ridding him of the Winter Soldier programing permanently.”

“Maybe we take them both to Wakanda. They have technology there that could help both of them in a way none of us are able. Shuri’s probably alright thinking about taking Bucky there anyway.”

“It’s not a terrible idea, though I don’t know how Tony would feel about taking Y/N away from here. You know she’s basically his sister.”

“He needs help, too. He hasn’t fully healed from the fact that The Winter Soldier killed his parents and then this happens… Tony may never let Bucky in the compound again, let alone near Y/N.”

“This is an impossible situation.”

~~~

The team had been called by Shuri into a meeting. Everyone was sitting around the room, the tension thick.

“I’ve placed Sargent Barnes in cryo,” Shuri informed. “I will be moving him to Wakanda for further treatment.”

Steve stood next to Shuri. “I’m going with them and will be supervising everything,” he explained. “I will still be on duty and will do what is necessary from Wakanda, but I need to be there for Bucky.”

“Natasha and I were talking,” Sam spoke up, “and we think that maybe Y/N should go to Wakanda as well.”

“Absolutely not!” Tony immediately argued. “She will never go near Barnes again. Understood? You heard her, she openly admitted to being scared of him.”

“They wouldn’t need to talk. Wakanda just has better resources—“

“That we can bring here if needs be! I’ve already contacted the best therapists that money can buy and are moving them to the compound for the time being. She needs to be home to heal and away from that monster.”

“It’s not a monster, Tony!” Steve shouted. “He’s my friend! He is all of ours friend!”

“Not anymore he’s not. Who ever wants to go with them can go, but Y/N will remain at the compound. End of discussion.”

~~~

Steve sighed as sat on your bed. You were still awake, but staring at the ceiling like you had been since you came back into this room. It was dark outside and the only light coming into the room was from the hallway.

“Bucky and I are leaving in the morning,” Steve whispered, unsure if you could even comprehend his words. “Sam’s going to join us in a few days. He wants to make sure you’re alright. Wanda and Vision said they’ll come, too. We might be able to use their powers to help Bucky finally be free of the programing, so that’s hopeful.” He stared at you for a silent moment. “I’m so sorry about everything, Y/N/N…” Tears collected in his eyes. “I wish that I could fix this more… I know that the two of you love each other. And I have to hope everything will work out. It will.” He stood up and leaned over you. He pressed a tender kiss to your forehead. “I’ll keep you in the loop, no matter what Tony does, I promise.”

Steve turned away and almost missed your quiet, “don’t.”

He spun back around and hurried back to your side. “What?”

“Don’t keep me updated… please,” you rasped, growing emotional. Steve thought his heart couldn’t break any further. “I… I need time… and I… I don’t want the pressure… I’m sorry, Steve.”

“No, no, no, no,” he shook his head. “Please don’t apologize to me. If that’s what you want, then I will respect that.”

“I’m so sorry.” Tears slipped down your cheeks.

“Don’t be. I will be calling to check on you though, okay? Can’t let you think I forgot about you.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll get through this, Y/N, no matter what. And don’t let Tony force you into doing anything you don’t agree with. Alright?”

“Okay.”

“Please let the know if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Steve gave your forehead a kiss before he got up and left. You went back to staring at the ceiling, letting yourself drown in the weight of it all.

next part >

[tiny-maus-boots]

A/N: i know its been so long! I'm sorry! I hope anyone still is waiting enjoys! Also as always thank you thank you thank you to @chloes-yellow-cup and @kimmania for always encouraging the wording. I love you awesome nerds.

Beca

“Now I've never played dress up before but I'm pretty sure it actually involves putting on clothes at some point…”

Not that she was complaining at all. Beca was firmly of the belief that a no clothes rule should definitely be enforced. Chloe trailed a fingertip down her spine as she circled around the necromancer. It made Beca’s knees weak and she had to bite her lip to keep from making a sound that would likely embarrass herself for all eternity.

Which could potentially be a thing when dealing with vampires. She wasn't yet sure how that worked exactly. She knew something was different about her now. And she wanted a second to process and explore the newness but what with the trauma, and the drama and the imminent doom, and all the sexy times it just didn't fit into her busy schedule.

“Just trying to decide what would look best on you.”

“Considering everything you pick out ends up on the floor I'm thinking you might not be the best judge.”

“It’s not my fault you look best naked in our bed, Beca.”

There it was again. Our. Beca tried to fight the smile that crept across her face but gave up when the cool length of Chloe’s body pressed against her back and arms wrapped around her.

“This is different when you're not using me to bait Aubrey into feeding.”

Chloe hesitated a moment before she dipped her head to brush a soft kiss over her bite mark. The brunette’s knees finally gave out on her and she probably would have collapsed into a puddle of Beca on the floor had Chloe's arms not been wrapped so securely around her.

“I can never express how deeply I regret the way that played out. I hadn't ever meant for her to feed on you, I just needed her to wake up and save you. Save all of us.”

“It’s okay, I don't mind taking one for the team on this. It was the right thing to do. Plus…I kinda liked it. Which makes me question all kinds of things about myself now so that's fun times to unpack.”

Chloe’s eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement and Beca had to blink past the heart eyes she knew she was giving. She cleared her throat and pointedly kept the vampire’s hands from roaming. If she let Chloe get handsy now Beca would happily let the world burn around them.

Chloe pouted at not being allowed to explore Beca’s lithe body. ”You’re no fun.”

”I’m fun. I can be lots of fun. I can fun your ass off. But also we kinda sorta have a rebellion to execute and an ancient vampire to heal. It’s the pits but on the other hand freedom is pretty amazing.”

”Chloe…are you certain this is in fashion? I know things have changed but this seems an obscene amount of exposed flesh.”

”I’m standing here almost naked and she’s the one complaining about being exposed?”

Chloe chuckled softly in her ear which helped her hormonal issue be exactly zero percent better. Beca lightly slapped at the vampire’s grip and extricated herself entirely so she could sift through the pile of discards for something she liked.

“Let’s see it Aubrey.”

”If you’re sure…”

They both turned as Aubrey stepped out of the closet in a dark red deep V halter dress that was slit to the hip on each side. She was bare from neck to navel and hip to ankle. Whatever article of clothing Beca had been holding fell from her suddenly numb fingers.

”Boobalas…” Beca’s eyes zeroed in on said target instinctively.

Aubrey looked down and covered her chest with her hands in an attempt at modesty. Chloe’s fangs lengthened and she stepped forward to gently tug blonde’s hands down.

”Oh I’m very sure about you in this dress. But you should take it off. For comparison reasons.”

Aubrey gave the redhead an exasperated look and turned toward the full length mirror with a critical eye. She turned back with a slight flourish and nervously fussed with the gauzy front panel of the dress.

“What do you think, Beca? Should I change?”

”I love leg.” Truthfully she loved everything Aubrey was showing off. “Chloe’s right, you should take it off and we should get in bed. Doesn’t have to be in that order of events.”

”You two…thank you. But we have work to do.” She let her own gaze drift over Beca’s mostly naked body and smirked. “I like your outfit.”

”Yeah I’m really rocking the wanton hussy sex slave vibe. But I still fail to see how this will help us in any way.”

Chloe held out a pair of tight low slung leather pants and a matching vest for her. Beca hummed a soft approving noise and held the pants up to her waist. They were more her style than anything else she had tried previously and she wondered how long Chloe had that outfit in mind for her despite making her try on everything else.

“Did you save these for last so you could watch me undressing?”

Chloe gave her an impish grin and shrugged innocently.

“It’s important because everything we do, say, and even wear means something. Aubrey isn’t dressed in fighting leathers, her heart is exposed. This says she either trusts the company she is in or she doesn’t view them as a threat. It will be the same with you exposing your neck and arms. I too will wear something revealing by vampire standards to show solidarity and unity with you both.”

”So it’s a power play?”

”Partially. Also it’s just hot. Very very hot.”

”So what are you wearing?”

”You’ll see.”

It intrigued Beca and she made a small sound of interest when Chloe ducked into the closet to change.

“Okay then. So question, what do we do if the Great Clans don’t want to join our Country Jamboree?”

Aubrey looked helplessly at the pile of makeup on Chloe’s vanity. She picked up a jar and sniffed tentatively at the contents before pushing it aside and picking up something else.

“Face paints have come a long way, I hardly know where to begin.”

“Yeah they no longer contain lead, wild concept, right?”

Beca smiled softly at the scene before moving closer to help. She had difficulty remembering that the vampire was still learning to adapt to modern times when she seemed so confident about who she was. But times like these, where she was unsure and vulnerable…they hit Beca right in the feels.

”Don’t worry. I got’chu, Horny.”

It was oddly intimate, applying makeup on Aubrey. It made it hard not to lean forward and kiss her and keep kissing her. Which would completely undo the work she was trying to do. Luckily Aubrey picked up the conversation as she sat patiently for Beca.

”In answer to your question, I don’t think it will come to that. They come here in search of their queen. They will follow you where you lead.”

Beca paused in the process of applying. She knew they were coming here to defend and protect her but it didn’t seem real. So much of her life had been solitary and not by choice. And now people she never met were riding to her rescue. What if some of them had doubts? What if some of them were as scared of her as the vampires were?

”Yeah…but what if they don’t?”

”It doesn’t matter if they don’t. I will follow you, Beca.”

Having the support of the queen of the vampires. What an insane thought. Beca put down the lip liner slowly and gently bumped foreheads with Aubrey.

”As will I and the rest of the free vampire nation.”

Beca and Aubrey turned at the sound of Chloe’s voice and froze. Chloe looked ethereal in a strapless deep blue gown of layered gauze embroidered with a delicate pattern of silver vines. She looked like an actual princess and Beca was robbed of the ability to speak.

”Well?”

”Wow…”

”Is that a good wow or a bad wow?”

“That’s a you look amazing wow. You look like a princess.”

Aubrey was too silent and Beca glanced at her trying to gauge her reaction to Chloe’s dress. Chloe smoothed the front of her dress nervously at the blonde's lack of response.

“You're starting to worry me, Bree. Is…is my dress not…”

“It’s perfect. You Chloe, are perfect. In every way.”

There was a soft look shared between them that held centuries of love and adoration. Beca didn't feel a part of it but she didn’t feel excluded from it either.

She thought that might feel awkward or out of place in a relationship with two people that had been in love with each other long before her ancestors were even born but she didn’t. It was comforting and she realized it was part of the reason she had fallen in love with them. If they could love each other that much, after everything they had been through, maybe they could love her forever too.

“So this is it? We're ready to face the Clans?”

“Not quite. Chloe, do you have my lock box?”

“Of course. It's in the safe behind Sal.”

Beca snorted of unsurprised amusement. “Of course you have a wall safe behind your minotaur's head. That's so Dracula campy.”

Chloe gave her a squint eyed look and went to retrieve the box. Aubrey watched the minotaur head warily, her lip curling slightly on reflex every time Chloe touched it. Beca couldn't help but chuckle at it.

“You really hate that guy.”

“He put a mark on Chloe. I would end every minotaur that walks for the insult.”

“Yikes. While I don’t disagree on the insult part we could maybe talk about this whole genocidal streak ya got going here. Turning over a new leaf, remember?”

Chloe placed a heavy metal box on the vanity between them and handed Aubrey a key. Beca reached out and touched the scarred, battered texture of the hammer marks and engraved runes.

“How old is this thing?”

“Old. It belonged to my mother. A gift from my father upon learning of my birth.”

Beca yanked her hand back immediately and gave the demon box a wary look. Aubrey fit the black glass key in the lock and twisted it. It clicked and popped easily as the tumblers dropped into place. Beca made an interested sound at the smooth movement even after all this time.

“Demon craftsmanship, am I right?”

The vampire lifted the lid with a reverent grace and removed a small leather pouch. Chloe inhaled sharply at seeing it and Beca wondered what she was missing. Aubrey shook the contents out and kissed the two rings that fell into her palm.

“When Harun and I joined and I was cast out of the Council, we created a new crest. One meant to be a symbol for a new way in a new world. I thought these ideals had died with him. But they live in you, Beca, because you, Chloe, kept them alive. It would mean a great deal if you each bore them now. Until we can create a new crest to symbolize our union.”

Beca reached for the larger of the two rings, surprised when it felt tingly and warm in her palm as if it recognized her. She traced a fingertip over the stylized M set in the top right corner of the shield design. M for Michile, her Clan of one. She couldn’t explain why that felt so significant now. She had been alone her whole life and it had bothered her, but now, now she was part of a legacy that had started with a man that shared her blood and wore this ring. Now, She had something to live up to. Now, she had a purpose.

Aubrey’s soft voice shook her out of her thoughts and she raised her head to look at the other women.

“Perhaps something of Chloe's choosing will complete the coat of arms?”

“Oh! Wait…I have…”

Chloe gave the ring she had slid on her finger another soft look of wonder and flipped open a satin padded jewelry box on the corner of her vanity. The vampire removed a small silk pouch and spilled the contents into her hand.

She smiled and lifted a delicate platinum herringbone link bracelet with a minotaur head charm with matching necklace and pendant. It was a perfect offering to symbolize Chloe.

“Can I fasten this on you?”

Beca blinked in surprise and nodded quickly. The necromancer handed her ring to Chloe to thread on the chain and lifted her hair out of the way. The new weight settled comfortably against her chest and she touched it with as much reverence as Aubrey had displayed.

Beca frowned slightly when she realized she had nothing to offer them in return. No token or symbol of who she was or what she may have accomplished in life. Aubrey felt the slight shift in her and reached out a pale hand to hers.

“Is something wrong?”

“I don’t have anything to give you guys. I never had something like this…I mean. I've never done anything to commemorate or anything. I'm only known for running away and the only things I own are that pile of clothes over there and a rusted out Chevy I bought off a redneck for half a bottle of Wild Turkey and a box of shotgun shells. I don’t have anything precious to give you.”

Chloe cupped her cheek gently, her thumb brushing over Beca’s jaw in a light caress.

“Beca, you are the gift you've given us. Your trust and love mean more than gold and jewels.”

Jewels. Beca reached up and touched the small stud in her ear. The only thing of real value she actually owned. A pair of diamond studs she had purchased from a real fancy jewelry store and not out of the trunk of someone's car. She had been so proud selecting them from the display and laying out her carefully arranged and smoothed bills on the counter. It had felt like she had purchased a toehold into a world she could only observe from the outside. It had taken two years of saving every cent she had but she had earned her wealth such as it was and wore it with pride everyday.

“Wait…” Beca removed each stud and held them out nervously. “I know it's not fancy or life altering but they're a part of me. A part of my struggle I guess.”

Chloe smiled softly and took a stud to pierce through her lobe without hesitation. Beca had to smile when the other woman sat down next to Aubrey at the vanity and started styling her hair in braided sections tight to her head on one side to display her earring openly.

Aubrey chuckled softly and took the other stud from Beca’s hand.

“Harun once made a similar speech to me. Only his fortune included a three legged goat named Hoppy that head butted him incessantly even as we exchanged vows. He traded from a butcher for a new cleaver because he couldn't bear to see Hoppy harmed.”

Beca rocked on her heels and laughed. Okay at least she was doing better than a three legged goat.

“Guess it's a Michile thing to be a broke bitch.”

Aubrey looked at her and blinked in surprise.

“I was going to say it is a Michile thing to share all that you have without restraint. That is who you are Beca Mitchell. That you give of yourself so willingly, down to your very blood, that is the most precious of gifts any could ask for. Chloe and I will wear this token of your bond with more pride than a bejeweled crown.”

“She’s serious about that. There's an actual crown in that demon box.”

Beca couldn't stop herself from the quick peek in the box despite the heaviness of the conversation.

“For real?”

Yep. That was a crown alright. It didn't look like anything Beca would ever wear. Mostly because she wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t a torture device. It was a delicate circlet of thorns from the same black glass the key had been made of, set with deep red rubies like fresh drops of blood.

It was beautiful and horrifying at the same time. Beca could feel an aura of magic around it that made her a little uneasy. She took a step back from the box and curled a hand around the ring around her neck. It pulsed coolly against her palm as if reminding her it was there with her. Beca focused on the faint tingle of energy and pushed it gently with her power.

The energy swelled and slid over her fingertips and settled into her skin with a familiar throb. Power rose in her, unbidden and unchecked, making both vampires start and stare at her. Beca could feel them all again. Every necromancer and elder from the Michile line, she could feel echoes of all of them. Magic she had never known or experienced filled her mind and body in an overwhelming and painful burst and she cried out seconds before her body locked and she dropped to the ground like a sack of rocks.

The pain ebbed as quickly as it had surged and she found herself cradled in Aubrey’s arms seconds before she passed out.

[stollengoods]

Chapter 8

It’s Not Me, It’s You

Myung-gi x Fem! Reader

Warnings: Curisng and fighting.

Summary: You and Se-mi fight… TO THE DEATH. No I’m kidding, but y’all do fight lmao

————

It took a little bit of convincing for Thanos to give you one of the pills. Nam-gyu told you to lie and say you had experience with stuff like Ecstasy, Cocaine, etc. and so you did. You were a little nervous once you actually had the pill in your hand because honestly, you haven tried anything before, not even weed…

Se-mi watched as Nam-gyu tried to negotiate to give you a pill because of course she would. ‘She doesn’t know how to mind her fucking business.’ You thought. Surprisingly though, she didn’t say anything, her eyes just watched in amusement as Thanos finally gave in and handed you the pill.

You looked at the green pill in your hand and felt everyone’s eyes watching you as you swallowed it whole.

Thanos’ eyes widened in concern, “You know you could’ve chewed it right ?”

Nam-gyu looked at you with his eyebrows raised, and mouthed, ‘Play along.’

“Uhh- yeah I knew that… I just like to give it time to settle in my stomach is all.”

Thanos nodded his head with a smile on his face, “Honestly, that was sick, swallowing it without any water, you must be a pro.”

Se-mi’s eyes went from Thanos to you and she smirked before looking back at the competitors. You couldn’t tell if it was worse when she didn’t say anything vs. if she did. For now though you were glad she kept her mouth shut.

————

Maybe trying a drug, especially a hard core drug, wasn’t the best option when you were playing a life or death game but everything worked out in the end. After a few minutes your hands did stop shaking, your heart stopped racing, and your palms no longer sweat.

By the time it was your guys turn to play, your whole mindset had changed. You smiled non-stop as you guys completed one game after the other. To you it felt like you were at recess with your friends in school not some torture chamber.

You had no trouble focusing at Gong-gi, zoning all the noises out. When the task was completed, you suddenly heard the crowd cheer as you guys moved onto the next task. When your team eventually crossed the finish line, you all jumped ecstatically in a circle screaming in each others faces.

Only 10 groups have made it so far as you rejoined them in the common area. Your group all sat around on a platform near the beds as you celebrated living another day. You and Nam-gyu high fived as you thanked him for helping you.

“Yay, for the drug addicts !” Se-mi, cheered along, also putting up her hand for a high five. Nam-gyu looked back at her, “You know we could’ve died-“

“-If you didn’t take drugs ? How pathetic.” She scoffed.

“Hey Min-su ?” Min-su looked up at you, “Does she come with a muzzle ?” You smiled.

Min-su looked between you and Se-mi confused, “huh ?”

Se-mi smirked putting her hand down , “If I wasn’t mistaken, I would think you’re flirting with me y/n.”

That actually made you laugh, “If you call that flirting, what’s first base to you ?” You got up from your spot, “Me kicking your ass ?”

“Ooooh~” She taunted, “I’m so scared.”

Thanos tried grabbing you but you side stepped and he missed. When you got up to Se-mi, she was sitting on a level higher than everyone else so she was able to front kick you. You fell on your side, half your body laying over the edge of the platform everyone else was on.

Your side hurt for a second but then it was gone as all you could feel was pure anger. You scrambled up from your position, glaring at her smiling face as you tried to lunge at her but Thanos caught you.

“Y/n, calm down.” Thanos grunted.

Thanos was a big dude and you could tell it didn’t take a lot for him to hold you back so you surrendered. “Fine.” You snapped, “It’s whatever.” You turned around and Thanos let out a sigh as he released you, then went back to his spot.

You quickly turned back around and pounced on her, once you were on top of her you began strangling her; and banging her head against the platform she was on.

“Nam-gyu grab her !” Thanos shouted, Nam-gyu grabbed your arm and pulled you off of Se-mi. “Shit. I knew this stuff would be too strong for her, she’s not in her right mind right now.” Thanos yelled over the chaos, “Nam-gyu take her somewhere and help her calm down.”

Se-mi was sitting up at this point, holding her throat, “How about you take her to the bathroom and finger her again.” She smirked, looking behind you, “That seemed to work last time.”

You tried to lung at her again but Nam-gyu held a firm grip on your arm, “How the fuck does she know that ?!” You screamed at no one in particular.

“Wait. Y/n, you told me nothing happened.”

Your body froze recognizing that voice, you followed Se-mi’s gaze and turned around to see Myung-gi. Nam-gyu let go of his grip on you, in case you wanted to go and talk with him.

You felt bad but only for a second as you remembered Myung-gi was practically ghosting you but in person this time.

“Now you want to fucking talk to me.” You spat, throwing your hands up.

“Y/n…” He gave you those sad puppy dog eyes.

You let out a humerless laugh, “Save it. We’ll talk later.”

You grabbed Nam-gyu’s hand and pulled him to one of the guards.

“Yah !” You heard Myung-gi say behind you but ignored him. He ran up to you guys just as the guard was walking you guys through the door way.

“Y/n wait !”

The pink guard stopped and looked at you and Nam-gyu. “He’s not with us.” You told the guard, but Myung-gi walked through the door anyways.

“Y/n, I’m sorry okay ? I’m just- I’m freaking out a little bit-“

“He’s not with you guys ?” The guard asked to confirm and you nodded your head.

The guard then pointed his gun at Myung-gi, “Step back into the room.”

Myung-gi immediately put his hands up in surrender backing into the doorway. His eyes pleaded with you one more time before the guard shut the door in his face.

————

(A/N): My apologies if this chapter is a bit cringe haha

[xf-cases-solved]

a+ addition and a+ photo set edit. they are so respectful of one another. even when they're fighting with each other, they're respectful. the first things we hear either of them say about the other is positive. scully saying he was the best behavior profiler in the vcu, and mulder telling her he read and liked her thesis. (you could argue that he was being slapstick and dismissive, but you'd be wrong, bc years later that mother fucker quotes her thesis off the cuff at her to prove a point, i fully believe that the porn folder on his computer is just a pdf of "einstein's twin paradox: a new interpretation")

[i had to go back and add a read more after i finished this bc i ended up rambling for 84 years again, my b]

and you're so right about them both defying the other's expectations. this episode shows how mulder is totally willing to accept it with grace, and even admiration, when she proves him wrong, like how he tells her, "you were right," when they catch tooms in the parking garage after he argued he wouldn't come back there, or later when she's berating him for being so Extra™️ with the other agents, he's like, "maybe i thought you caught the right guy [and wanted to be thorough in my investigation as a result]"

and scully obviously defies his just by standing by him. i think it's also probably extremely meaningful to him that at NO point does she ever join in on the "playful" bullying of him. not just in this episode, but ever. it's like you said. SHE can tell him he's fucking insane, but the second someone else does she is ready to throw down. and mulder fully knows the difference between scully's, "i respect your intelligence and think very highly of you, but the words that came out of your mouth go so far beyond my scientific worldview that i have no choice but to point out that you are fucking bonkers," vs everyone else's "ha ha, spooky mulder and his silly aliens and his career he ran into the ground"

idk man. i think that in addition to just mutually recognizing the intelligence the other possesses, and having a shared need for truth and justice, they also are exactly what the other needs in terms of their insecurities

mulder wins scully's heart by treating her as an equal from day one. even when he was suspicious of her, he never once insinuated she was lesser due to her gender, and in fact just immediately assumed she would understand complex topics. like in his slideshow where he has that chemical compound? he put that in there as a "gotcha!", except in order for it to be a "gotcha!" he had to have just deduced that she would be smart enough to read and understand that there was something wrong with it. he didn't trust her, but he never once doubted her intelligence, and as soon as he realized she was on his team he instantly started to check in with her and take the time to consider everything she had to say, even when they were in disagreement, and he just like. never stopped doing that. he's still doing that to this day

and scully won mulder's heart in a very similar way, like you said. she, too, has never doubted mulder's intelligence the way everyone else does. the reason she gets so "🙄😒🤬" at him when he says ridiculous things is bc she knows for a fact that he's brilliant. and he adores the fact that she actually challenges him in a way that matters. how many times has she said the words "for the sake of argument, let's assume xyz"? no matter how impossible she thinks his theory is, she is always willing to at least play in the sandbox with him (often in order to point out his flaws in logic, but hey, she's still playing). he literally tells her, verbatim, that her doing so SAVED him. she is a deeply principled person, with a firm belief in science, but she is willing to entertain his ideas, giving him someone to intellectually challenge him and make him be better, without ever making him feel inferior. (and! and!! the trust she puts in him? i'm thinking specifically of "folie á deux," where she shows him that, when it comes down to it, she will put her trust in him above her ingrained principles as a scientist. that? that has to mean the world to mulder, who values truth and trust more than anything else)

i have completely lost the plot here. i think this post used to be about "squeeze"? who knows. my adhd meds wore off hours ago, bro, i don't even know if i have a point besides that they are equal parts complementary to and foils for one another, and it makes for the most intense, enduring love story ever to be on network television, or anywhere else for that matter. they invented soulmates

and also they both desperately need therapy, but that's a different post altogether ✌🏽 😘

today we are sitting in our office at 6 in the morning thinking about...

that scene in "squeeze" that everyone knows by heart, where mulder asks scully, "do you think i'm spooky?" and it's very cute and weirdly sexually charged like all of their interactions are, but also that scene is really important to their character development actually??

this is episode three, and with the understanding that these two are unhinged and kind of speedrun the whole "i would die for you, you're everything to me, you jump i jump, etc" thing, ostensibly they're still getting to know one another, and, more importantly, mulder's still trying to gauge if scully is hashtag legit. like, his gut tells him that, yes, for some reason the fates aligned and made it so the shadow government fucked up real bad and actually sent him an ally instead of an enemy (and also she's not hard on the eyes either, just sayin'), and also she held a security operative at gunpoint for him just one episode earlier, so i think by this point he does genuinely trust that she doesn't have a secret agenda

what he is LESS certain of, however, is whether or not she is going to want to stick around once she fully understands just what a fucking bummer it is to be fox fucking mulder, resident hoover building loser. like she is this literal genius agent and medical doctor, who's professional and hot and kind, and she could easily have an extremely promising career ahead of her, and he doesn't think she understands just how detrimental it is for her to go all in with him. and this case, with these by-the-book buddies of hers, is the first time they are really facing that issue head on

going back to the aforementioned scene, mulder is testing her. through that whole bit, he's testing her. ("why didn't they ask me about the case?" "bc they're my friends and they're more comfortable with me" "why would i make them uncomfortable?" "bc of your reputation" "rEpUtAtIoN?? who has a reputation???") like he is trying SO hard to get her to stop talking around the issue and just say "they think you're a fucking freak, mulder," which ofc she won't, which is why, when she gives him the perfect set up with, "they think your theories are..." he IMMEDIATELY swoops in and asks, "spooky?"

and then he looks her in the eye and asks, "do you think i'm spooky?"

and he says it in his joking tone, but i fully believe that there is a genuineness there. he already knows before talking to colton and his cronies how the conversation is going to go, and he doesn't care, bc he doesn't care about their opinions, but he DOES care about her opinion, and i think that scares him. i think it's been a very, very long time since he last gave a shit about what someone thought of him, and he's extremely uncomfortable. i think that's why he goes so hard just seconds later with the straight faced "aliens are actually grey" thing with colton. he doesn't do it to taunt colton, or for his own amusement, but bc he wants to show scully flat out, "this is what they think of me, and this is how i am going to act in response. can you handle it? can you handle being a social pariah? or do you think i'm spooky?"

the theme comes up repeatedly in this episode, actually. he outright admits to being territorial over her, but in the same breath gives her permission to work on the case with colton instead of him, bc he KNOWS what a shit meal she's been served by the fbi, pairing them up together, but then she's like, "hmmm, idk, i think you must know more than you're saying and i wanna know what it is," and he is so delighted, bc not only does it mean that she's really committed to finding the truth, not just closing the case as fast as possible, but it also means that she's choosing him over them, and that N E V E R happens

but later in the episode he also makes the remark about how in thirty years she'll be "head of the bureau," which is another peek into his mind grapes, showing us that he's still very stuck on this idea that working with colton & friends is going to make her suddenly come to the realization of "oh wait, what am i DOING with this loser??" he's afraid of that happening, and he's afraid about the fact that he's afraid of it in the first place, and bc this is mulder and scully we're talking about, and neither of them are physically capable of saying what they're feeling, he just keeps making jokes and quips and being a dick to colton (who deserves it, but still), bc the alternative is admitting to scully, "hey, i really like your company and would kind of really very much like it if you didn't leave me for the cool kids agents," and he's not going to do that. not just bc of the vulnerability aspect, but bc he would view it as selfish, bc he fully believes that being stuck with him is bad for her (lol i wonder if that will become a theme throughout the entire series ha ha)

but anyway, turns out his worries are unfounded, bc it turns out scully will take being mrs. spooky over climbing the career ladder any day

"do you think i'm spooky?"

"no, i think you're a fucking nerd, now shut up get me my own desk. if we push them together we can play battleship, and then later we can get to know each other carnally"

or something

they're in love, your honor

this is only episode THREE

unhinged

[fexjam]

Medic headcanons💉

[somnimagus]

My page for @kairizine. It was such a huge honor to be part of this wonderful book with everyone, I had so much fun!

[id in alt!]

[pharawee]

I like you, Dinneaw.

—SANGMIN DINNEAW · ซังมินดินเหนียว · Episode 02