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fluentmoviequoter · 6 months ago

Text

Guard Up

Requested Here!

Pairing: John Casey x fem!NSA!reader

Summary: You go undercover as the Intersect and get injured. Casey does everything he can to find you, then stands guard outside your hospital room as you heal.

Warnings: abduction and torture (not graphic), angst, fluff, soft Casey!!! Casey and r live together as part of their cover

Word Count: 3.0k+ words

Picture from Pinterest

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With your back to the doorway, you don’t see Casey walk into the kitchen. You don’t need to, though, because you have a special skill about knowing where he is at all times. Since you joined the Intersect project and moved into his apartment in Echo Park, you’ve honed that skill, and now you can find him in your sleep. If that wasn’t completely unprofessional or was something you would even consider doing, of course.

“Good morning,” you greet when he walks into the kitchen behind you.

Casey grunts in reply and you smile to yourself.

“What time is it?” he grumbles.

“Beckman said we have to be at the Buy More when it opens. Something about the government of Croatia or Czechia… Congo?”

“Did you listen to her at all?” Casey questions. “Past the letter C?”

“It was like one a.m.; my ears don’t work that early.”

Casey growls quickly before he steps around you. His hand presses gently against your back as he reaches over your head.

“Chad,” you remember as Casey withdraws his hand. “A few members of the National Transitional Council found out about the Intersect. And they want it.”

“So, we have to stick closer to Chuck than Morgan does. Fantastic.”

“Casey, listen. Chad is… those people are still suffering from the dissolution of the Assembly. The political violence should be their biggest concern, so if they’re willing to ignore their human rights issues and come to the States for a computer full of secrets, they intend on getting it.”

“I know. But we have a job to do, so focus,” Casey demands. “What’s the plan?”

“Your call, Major Casey,” you reply.

He rolls his eyes at your playful smile, but you’re sure he knows you mean it. You trust him with your life, and because he outranks you, you know he will come up with a plan that will keep Chuck and the Intersect safe.

“I think the most important decision you have to make…” You pause to push yourself up to sit on the counter. You lean toward Casey and drop your voice to finish, “Why am I, your lovely girlfriend, going to be at the Buy More all day?”

“I’ll figure something out,” Casey grumbles.

“Sir, yes, sir,” you say.

You salute Casey as you jump off of the counter. Thinking about Casey will distract you from the mission and the Intersect, and even though you’re becoming an expert in ignoring your feelings, spending the entire day at his side may change that.

“Hi, Chuck,” you call.

Chuck jumps as he closes the door of the Nerd Herd car. He turns quickly, wide-eyed as he raises his hands toward you.

“Stop acting like Casey,” he demands.

“We’re NSA agents, Chuck, we’re trained to act like this. Listen, I have good news and bad news, what do you want to hear first?”

“Depends,” Chuck answers slowly. “Does the bad news involve a windowless bunker?”

“No. More like a 38% chance of death.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s so much better. Why would you tell me that?!”

“Someone is looking for the Intersect, and they’re not going to stop until they find it, Chuck. Casey and I will be with you 24/7 until we can get more information,” you explain. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”

“So, you hang out with your boyfriend to stay close, and he follows me into the bathroom,” Chuck deadpans. “Great.”

“Chuck, I know it’s hard, but you have to trust us. If you have to make jokes to make this better, do it, but you are in real danger. We’re doing everything we can to keep these people away from you.”

“I do need to make jokes,” Chuck agrees. “If the situation calls for it, would you kiss Casey?”

You smile and pass Chuck a water bottle with a panic button on it. He flips the bottle to look at the button as you walk past him. When you hear him step behind you, you answer his joking question with a serious answer.

“In a heartbeat, Bartowski,” you admit.

“Chuck, can I borrow Casey?” you ask, glancing over your shoulder.

“Not unless you can guarantee that there aren’t any snipers on the roof of the Large Mart,” Chuck replies.

“A Chadian war general just checked into the CitizenM,” you tell Casey. “And my source tells me that he was asking where to get the best computer help in Burbank.”

“We need to get Chuck out of here,” Casey says.

“And then what? Let him come in here and find nothing? He won’t hesitate to kill everyone in here, but if he’s a member of what’s left of the Chadian government, our people can’t touch him!”

“We’re here to protect Chuck,” Casey reminds lowly.

“Which just delays our fight. So, let’s give this guy the Intersect.”

“Whoa! What?” Chuck exclaims. “I know I can be hard to protect, but that’s a bit extreme.”

“Absolutely not,” Casey grumbles.

“We don’t have another option,” you argue. “I can do this.”

“I’m telling you no.”

“Don’t pull rank, Casey. You know that it’s our best bet. We need intel and to keep Chuck safe, sending me in does both.”

Casey clenches his jaw and looks over your shoulder. He’s considering it, but if he says no again, you’ll have to listen. No matter how much you believe that you can do this, go undercover, and get what you need, Casey is still your superior and has the final say.

“Fine,” he answers. “But you’re not going alone.”

“What about me?” Chuck asks. “If you’re both going crazy, what happens to me?”

“You go underground with Sarah until this is over,” Casey answers. “Now.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Chuck rambles as he gathers his things.

“Chuck,” you call after him. “Behave.”

“Underground, unsupervised with a beautiful woman,” he says, pretending to ponder his situation.

“Woman with a gun,” Casey reminds him. “Don’t make me mad before I get back.”

Chuck salutes Casey before he rounds the corner, and you struggle to hold your laugh in. You taught him that, knowing that Casey hates it, but it’s funnier to watch than you expected. Casey grumbles as he walks you out of the Buy More.

“There’s not a better option here,” you say softly.

“I know. But if anything happens to you, it’s on me,” Casey replies.

You knock on the door of the target’s hotel room and hold your breath. Casey is just down the hall, but there’s still a moment where everything could go wrong. When the door before you opens, the one behind you opens as well. Simultaneously, a large group of men exit the elevator, directly between you and Casey. You’re trapped in the center of an ambush, and they seem to think you’re the Intersect. Exactly as planned.

“Hi,” you say toward the man from General Beckman’s file. “I’m-“

“Property of the government of Chad. Get her ready,” he commands.

The men around you close in, and you resist the urge to fight them. It’ll only make this worse for you, but even though you know that the idea of being taken like this bothers you. Casey is on the other side of the hallway, with no chance of getting through to you, so you accept your fate and let them bind your hands and legs with no more than pleas you hope sound scared and desperate. They’re the ones who should be scared, you remind yourself. –

“Move!” Casey demands as he storms into Castle.

“What happened?” Sarah asks.

“They fell for it. The Intersect has been abducted,” Casey answers quickly. “Alert Beckman so I can get back out there and find her.”

“Let me help,” Chuck says.

“Absolutely not.”

“He can find her, Casey,” Sarah adds. “If anyone has a chance of knowing where this guy would take her, it’s Chuck.”

“No, it’s the Intersect!” Casey snaps. “And that’s the reason she’s probably in some abandoned warehouse or underground shelter being tortured for intel she doesn’t have!”

“Then let me fix it,” Chuck responds. “Please.”

“Fine.”

Casey turns the computer to show Chuck a picture of the man who took you. He flashes instantly, and Casey tilts his head to the side as he waits for answers. You need to be found before it’s too late, and Casey will never let you talk him into doing something like this again.

“Jel Akiloye, a member of the National Transitional Council of Chad and responsible for over 200 human rights-related deaths,” Chuck says. “Recently purchased property in Echo Park through a multi-national corporation with ties to the U.S. and Africa. And he’s planning to get information from the Intersect and then wipe it. Or, in this case…” “Eliminate,” Casey finishes. “Where in Echo Park?”

“That’s complicated. I’ll drive!” Chuck calls as he takes Casey’s keys from the desk.

“How does this Intersect work?” Jel asks as he circles you.

“It, uh, was originally supposed to be a computer. The trial to see if the data could be uploaded into a human mind wasn’t supposed to happen, but wrong place, wrong time. Now the secrets are in my head and the computer was destroyed,” you ramble.

“Tell me where it is.”

“Where what is?”

You inhale sharply as he slaps his open palm across your cheek. His rings cause your skin to sting long after he withdraws his hand.

“What your people stole,” he answers. “Where is it?”

“That’s not how it works. I don’t just know everything,” you explain. He raises a large piece of rubber, and you yell, “Wait, wait! I need to hear a name or see a picture, and then it just kind of runs through my mind. Like an open computer file.”

He looks past you and nods. A few seconds later, a sharp prod is pressed against your side. A motivation to tell the truth and a punishment if you don’t, presumably.

“Ringdell,” Jel says. “Where is it?”

“Ringdell?” you repeat.

You press your lips together to keep yourself from laughing, but a chuckle breaks through anyway.

“Ringdell is somewhere between Rivendell and the fires of Mordor if I had to guess.”

Jel steps toward you and pulls your restraints harshly. Your chair tips forward, and you try to lean back as he pulls you so you’re face-to-face.

“I will get answers if I have to pry them from your unresponsive brain,” he threatens darkly.

You resist the urge to tell him that’s not how brains work, but before you can open your mouth to speak, the prod presses harder against you, and you tense as the point breaks past your skin.

“Do your worst,” you whisper.

Jel nods over your shoulder and you bite down on the inside of your cheek rather than giving him the satisfaction of hearing you scream.

You wake harshly when someone lays their hands on either side of your head. Everything hurts and your brain desperately wants to let go, but you force yourself to open your eyes. As you raise your head and shoulders off the concrete, prepared to fight, your vision blurs as your head spins.

“Easy, hey,” Casey says, holding your head still. “Stop.”

You exhale and stop fighting against his hold. He slides his right hand behind your head before you drop it to the floor.

“Stay awake,” Casey demands.

“Can’t,” you mumble. “How’d you find me?”

“Chuck helped.”

“Too bad the Intersect taught him kung-fu instead of reconstructive surgery.”

“Don’t move your head,” Casey says. “This is going to hurt. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” you whisper.

“You-“

Casey lifts you from the ground, and, in his arms, you’re finally safe enough to stop fighting and relax.

An incessant beeping and a sharp poke to your arm force you to wake again. When you see Ellie standing beside you and reading from a clipboard as a nurse inserts a new IV into your arm, you realize that you’re in the hospital. If Casey brought you here instead of patching you up himself, it must have been bad.

“Hey,” Ellie says softly when she sees your eyes are open. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better,” you answer.

“I can imagine. The police are talking to Casey, but I’ll send him in as soon as he’s done. Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. Thanks, Ellie.”

She walks out and the nurse follows her. Alone in the hospital room, you look down to see all of the injuries littering your body. Some you remember experiencing the initial pain of, others must have been inflicted while you were unconscious, and you’re sure there are even more that you can’t see.

You look away from the bandages covering your right arm and reposition the blanket. Someone moves outside the door, and you lean forward to see who it is.

“Casey,” you call.

He steps inside with his brows furrowed until he sees you awake and leaning forward uncomfortably.

“You brought me to the hospital. Why?”

“It was the only option. I told the ER staff that it was a mugging gone wrong. Beckman helped us cover it with local police,” Casey informs. “What do you remember?”

“A lot of questions, mostly. Pain, and then you were there.”

Casey’s nostrils flare as he nods.

“What?” you press.

“You were alone when I got there. We have no idea where Jel or his men went.”

“Is that why you’re standing outside like a bodyguard?”

You smile at Casey, and his shoulders drop slightly. If they still think you’re the Intersect, nothing will keep them from coming back to seek more answers. Your side begins to ache, and you shift awkwardly to ease the dull pain spreading throughout your body.

Casey walks to your side and lays his hand on your upper back. He tilts his head toward the wall behind you, and you lean against his hand as he lowers you gently. You know that Casey cares about you, he’s a good partner, but the concern in his eyes and the soft, caring touches are new.

“You thanked me when I found you,” Casey says. “Why?”

“For finding me,” you reply. You furrow your brows, wondering what else you could have been thanking him for. “They would have killed me eventually.”

“It’s my job.”

“You and I both know I could’ve been written off as a casualty of the mission. Instead of staying with the real Intersect, you saved me and brought me here. So, I thanked you.”

Casey nods once and walks back to the door. He stands with his hands clasped behind him, his guard up as he protects you from seen and unseen threats. You watch him and ask yourself if there’s more to his actions than the job. It’s never been part of his mission to care about you like this, just to keep Chuck safe, yet here he is, miles from Chuck to stand by your side and protect you.

“Casey,” you call again.

He steps back inside, and you smile at his concerned frown.

“Don’t you need to get back to the Buy More?”

“Sarah is with Chuck. Nothing to worry about,” Casey answers.

“And you’re playing bodyguard instead of a local cop because?”

“I’m not standing guard. I’m answering your questions.”

Casey turns on his heel to return to his previous position and you sit up quickly to stop him. You gasp when the ache in your hip suddenly shoots up to your ribs and down your thigh. As you close your eyes to breathe through the pain, Casey moves to your side and grips the blanket covering you.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” you answer.

You push the blanket away and tug your hospital gown down before you swing your legs over the side of the bed. Casey raises a hand to stop you, but you stand before he can. When your feet hit the tile floor, you hear the audible pop of your joint snapping back into place. You raise your knee and feel a tendon roll, but the pain dissipates nearly immediately.

“Ow,” you breathe out before chuckling.

“Are you okay?” Casey inquires.

“Much better now. You would’ve caught that, by the way.”

“But I couldn’t have gotten the broken cattle prod tip out of your side without causing permanent muscle damage.”

You shrug before you sit on the edge of the bed. Casey taps his knuckles against your arm as he stands to his full height.

“I think a hug would help me heal faster than playing bodyguard in a crowded hospital,” you muse.

“I’ll call Ellie, then,” Casey replies drily.

“So, you’ll save my life but won’t hug me. I see how it is.”

Casey looks down at his phone and grunts.

“I have to get back to the Buy More. Another agent will be outside,” he tells you.

“I don’t need a-“

“No arguing. I’m in charge and you need someone here with you.”

“Yes, sir,” you reply.

“If you need anything, call me,” he adds. “Anything at all. I’ll be back later tonight to make sure everything is okay.”

Your brows raise at his unfiltered care, and you agree. “I’ll call.”

Casey nods once and exits your room to brief the NSA agent waiting in the hall. You watch through the window as Casey leaves and begin counting down the minutes until he comes back. When Casey touched you and expressed that he cared about you, your pain numbed. If you didn’t see him as more than a partner before, you certainly do now.

The new guard takes his place without introducing himself, following Casey’s instructions to the T. As he watches everyone coming and going, you wonder if you’d be able to sneak past him to go home. Living in the same apartment as Casey has been vital to your cover, but now you think it may also be the best place to heal quickly. Your phone buzzes as you create a plan to get past your security detail without raising suspicion.

The text from Casey makes you laugh: Don’t sneak out.

He knows you well, which doesn’t help your racing thoughts about him. When he gets back, maybe you’ll appeal to the soft, caring side he showed earlier and convince him to take you home. Or at least give you that hug you asked for earlier.

#john casey x reader #john casey x fem!reader #john casey fic #john casey imagine #john casey #fem!reader #requests #hanna writes✯

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