#like riley says 'ya'll are weird'

[xxavengingangelxx]

Somewhere Only We Know - Epilogue (for real this time)

Alright, ya'll! Final installment, for now. I've started to work on 2 requests I have from @bellgraves and from @unicorngirly1 now that this fic is done...for now.

Not as bad a cliffhanger, I promise :)

Taglist! @shepgurl, @lily-lily131313, @sharksausages

Triggers: None, really. Graves being kind of a jerk and intimidating.

-

“My name’s Andrei,”

“Don’t hear that name too often,” you replied. You stepped aside to let him in.

“I hear that a lot here in the US,”

Riley perked up from where he had been lounging on the couch, ears perked up in tight triangles. He growled low in his throat.

“Riley,” you commented. “Stop,”

You thought that his response over repeatedly being told his name was unique only in the US was weird but put it behind you. You also noted his accent. Very unique. He was tall, strong. Too tall and strong to fight off if he tried something. You wondered why that thought popped in your head but then reminded yourself that you sized men up automatically since you had your experience with Shadow Company. “Where you from?”

“Australia,”

“You’re far from home,” you noted. “What brings you all this way?”

“Work,” the large man in front of you shrugged.

Another growl from Riley, who looked ready to lunge.

“Riley, no, sir,” you said sternly. You turned back to your guest, saying, “He doesn’t like strangers, sorry,”

The man had also given another strange response because why would someone come from Australia for this kind of work? Whatever. You led him to where the heating system was.

“Cute kid,” the man remarked of your tiny sleeping son. “Always forget how small they are,”

You huffed a nervous smile.

-

After feeding and taking care of your son you were nursing a cup of coffee at the breakfast nook, trying to stay awake. One thing no one had warned you about was how exhausting infants were. Thankfully, infants also slept a lot. You had him asleep in a bassinet next to you because you didn’t trust anyone with your son. Especially not a stranger.

Things had turned out okay, right?

You were alive, Graves was alive. You had Graves and he had you. You were both together. You had a son Sometimes you worried about being separated, but there was a low chance of that, right? No one knew where you were. You honestly wouldn’t know what to do if you were separated from Graves or your son. They were your world.

141 was okay. At least, the last time you’d heard from them. Graves had allowed you enough contact only to know for sure that Soap was going to be okay. That man had survived a shot to the head.

Graves had prevented you contact them after.

At first it had bothered you. Something deep inside had told you to get away, that Graves was only going to get more controlling. But that faded. Any doubts or negative thoughts you had about Graves always faded. So you stayed. Besides, you had a 1-month-old at that time. Where were you going to run with a 1-month-old and weak from recently having given birth?

You’d get random emails, texts, sometimes calls. But once Graves found out who they were from, 141 reaching out, he blocked them.

Graves reasoned that if 141 found out where you were, so could an enemy so you had to stay off the grid. It made sense. Graves did all your thinking for you anyway.

You were on the verge of drifting off into a light slumber when someone approached you from behind.

And placed their hand on your shoulder.

And it made you jump almost a mile high. You gasped and turned around, almost ready to swing.

Andrei held his hands out, as if to show he wasn’t a threat.

“Sorry,” he commented. “I didn’t want to scare you. Just wanted to let you know you’re all set.”

Heat coming out of a nearby vent confirmed what he was saying.

“Let me get my wallet,” you replied with a sigh of relief.

The weird thing was, though, that you couldn’t find your wallet.

You sheepishly had to break the news to which the large man said not to worry, that they could send the bill.

And he left.

-

Graves got home about an hour after.

“Heater’s back up n’ workin’.” Graves commented, grabbing a beer from the fridge. He leaned over Rett’s bassinet and the tiny thing actually reached an even tinier hand towards his father who grinned.

“How was Rob? He didn’t try any shady shit, did he?” He took a sip from his beer.

“Whose Rob?”

“The heating guy,”

“Oh, they sent someone else,” you said dismissively. You turned to open the fridge, trying to figure out what to do for dinner. “What’s important is it’s fixed, right?” you paused before asking, “Did you get that job?” you closed the fridge door and straightened.

Graves stood in front of you, so close and he’d moved so quickly and so quietly that you hadn’t even noticed he’d moved clear across a large kitchen. He was larger than life, still geared, and looked terrifying.

“What the hell?” you whined. “Scared me!”

“I need to know the name of the person who came here.”

“What’s the big deal, so they sent someone else.”

“I’m going to pull up the cameras, Val,” he stepped closer to you, hovering over you and you found yourself stepping backwards because he…he looked like he did…he looked like he did all those nights ago in Las Almas. “And so help me if you’re lying or had someone else over, we’re going to have a problem,”

“Wh-What do you think, I’m lying to you?” you tripped over your words and you kept walking backwards until your back was all the way on the opposite side of the house at the end of the living room.

“Name,”

“Andrei,” you responded immediately.

Graves’s blue eyes grew darker and you flinched when he stepped closer. Riley raised his head from where he lay on the couch but Riley knew better than to challenge his master.

“Did he say his last name?”

“I don’t…” you raked your brain, trying to remember if he had ever shared his last name. But he had! He had, you recalled told you his full name and told you to put in good word for him with your husband. “Nolan.”

Graves’s jaw clenched. “Pack up as much stuff as you can. I gotta make some calls.”

And with that, he turned away.

-

“If he’s involved with Makarov why didn’t he just take me right then and there?” It had been 12 hours. 12 hours with hardly any sleep and a fussy baby as well as a wound up husband. You thought you were done with black sites but apparently not.

“Makarov likes to play mind games. He wants us to be scared, to the point to where we can’t think straight. Then he lunges.”

“Why me?” you whined.

“Why not? You’re perfect,” Graves replied.

-

End notes: No, Soap does not die in my fic! <3

[archerbeans]

So, I finally watched the Archer finale..

WARNING. SPOILERS AHEAD FOR INTO THE COLD!!!

So, Archer has come to an end. Its a lot for me to process, this is a hard one for me, the past 6 months have been exclusively Archer for me, I've fallen so far for a fictional character. I'm going to try my absolute best to collect all of my thoughts in one post for this. I'll try not to spoiler too much. But I think this is necessary for me so I can help process this loss for me.

To say I'm happy is an understatement. I'm beyond relieved and grateful we got the proper Archer ending this show so badly deserved. The season 14 finale was a disgrace, and the way it could have ended would have been tragic. This show ending is tragic enough, but thats just my view on it. Hyperfixations are hard ya'll.

I think the way they ended the plot for this show was very cleverly done. While I don't think Adam Reed would have went in this direction, I'm still satisfied with what the writers did. Seeing everyone band together was wonderful, and there were a couple twists I wasn't expecting at all, but it goes without saying, nothing can be perfect.

Some initial thoughts, pros and cons if you may, but not really.

The growth the characters go through is really really cool to see, notably Archer. When he says he doesn't need to know who his father is, that's a huge milestone and a step towards some emotional maturity. Sterling has so much trauma and is overall a very impulsive character, but letting him have his moments of clarity is always nice to see. There is a good balance between his impulses and realizing that his actions have consequences. I don't think there was any way Slater could have been saved in the end anyways.

There was no main focus on any specific character. Every main reoccurring role in the show got their own moments in this finale, which I am super grateful for. Season 14 had a hard time dedicating specific episodes to certain characters like in the earlier seasons, so this finale did a great job at giving everyone a bit of spotlight.

Focusing on the main characters instead of random one off characters was super cool and something I appreciate as well. Katya, Barry, and Slater were all characters who made the biggest impacts on the show by far, not to mention they're also fan favourites. But seeing Rip Riley was super exciting as well!

The early season throwbacks!! In the elevator shaft you can see the old ISIS sign and an old Cherlene album :3 If there was anything else I probably missed it as there was a lot of clutter, but I always get so so excited when there's early season callbacks. It shows that's the writers really do care about these characters and their stories. I was happy to see Milton!! Milton supremacy!!

The ode to Malory was wonderful, I'm so so happy they did that. Lana's speech at the end was a good way to wrap everything up for the crew.

There isn't much to say negatively, these aren't necessarily things that make this finale bad, just things that made me sad and were a surprise to me that I'm not sure how I feel. This is completely opinion biased and you can disagree all you want!

Slater dying. I'm really sad that one of my favourites ended up dying. I loved the very erotic moments between Slater and Archer and their initial fight was really intense and fun. But seeing Slater die wasn't really all that satisfying for me, except it allowed Archer to grow more and let go of some of that trauma. RIP Slater </3 You were a son of a bitch

Morphing Barry and Katya.. This is a weird one for me. I'm not sure how I feel about this at all. I guess the only fun thing I can say about this is that we got some fun classic enemies to lovers. I dont particularly LOVE that trope, but with making Katya a antagonist, it was quite the choice.

The settings.. I think it was fitting to have some of the settings back in Russia, but Rio was quite the random choice. There was a lot going on and at one point I kind of got confused as to where everyone was at one point, in one scene they're at the Agency, the next they're in a safe house, the next they're in some other random area, that was a bit hard to follow, but a lot happened in an hour, and there was a lot going on. The title "Into the Cold" was clever. Also I hated the whole crypto thing. That genuinely felt like a cheap cop out for some plot holes. Cyril doesn't seem like the type of person to be interested in crypto as one would figure he'd be pretty knowledgeable on how that stuff is shitty. If Lana saw those mines you know she would lose her mind LOL

Overall, I am happy with how things were wrapped up. I was very worried near the end because we hadn't seen AJ at ALL, or had any mention of her, so seeing the scene at the end with her and Sterling made me really happy, knowing that Archer kept in contact with Lana but not anybody else really stung, but Sterling saying he "hates goodbyes" really stuck with me after this finale finished. Saying goodbye to this show is not easy whatsoever, I have such a strong connection with these characters and cast, and my love for Cheryl is eternal. Its hard for neurotypical people to fully understand, and this is a grieving process for me, but I have the support and friends to help me through this, and I will always have these guys around, since I can rewatch this show as many times as I want. I will continue to make content and hopefully start writing more maybe. This world is so expansive and so many things can be done as it falls on the line of realism, slice of life, and science fiction. I love everything this show had to offer, and I'm so grateful for the dedication and work that went into this show.

If you read this far for some reason, thanks for reading.

[wilsonsnest]

Title: i’ll be the one to cherish you Word Count: 1,875 Square Filled: Virginity Kink Warnings: None Rating: M Summary: It’s a big night for them and Steve can’t help but be nervous.

Steve tried not to fidget as he made his way up to Sam’s third floor apartment, the usually familiar trek seeming almost alien tonight. When he reached the door of apartment 3B, he paused for a second, taking in a long deep breath to try and calm his nerves. Tonight would be a big night, at least he hoped so. After taking a few moments to compose himself, smooth out his brown leather jacket and check to make sure the jeans he was wearing really didn’t have any pain splatters, he knocked on the door.

He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not when the door unlocked and Riley stood before him. The shorter blonde’s face lacked its usual warmth. He looked tired, and a little reproachful and Steve wondered just how much Sam had told his roommate.

“Is Sam--”

“Yeah, come on in, Steve.”

Steve flashed him a weak smile, though he swore he heard the other man whisper “ya’ll are so weird” under his breath before closing the door.

Sam was leaning against the arm of the couch, fingers flying as he texted. He looked handsome as always, wearing the pale pink short-sleeved button up that Steve loved and dark-wash jeans. His black jacket was hanging casually over his arm, and he looked calmer than Steve felt in that moment.

He cleared his throat just as Sam looked up, a smile lighting up his face as he noticed Steve.

“Hey! You're only ten minutes late. I’m impressed, Mr. Rogers.” There was no heat in Sam’s voice though as he walked over and wrapped his arms around Steve. “I almost started to text Bucky to make sure you were okay.”

Steve laughed, nervous, squeezing Sam back before pulling away. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Riley was still in there but the other man had already left to his own bedroom. He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss to Sam’s lips, smiling at the soft gasp Sam made against his mouth.

He pulled back before he was tempted to continue, they had plans for the night.

Steve helped Sam into his jacket, before grabbing the man’s hand in his own and leading him toward the door. He couldn’t help but feel confident with Sam next to him, the warmth of his body heat keeping out the light chill. Whatever would come of tonight, he knew it would be alright if Sam was beside him.

x x x x

Dinner was nice, they didn’t go anywhere fancy, just a nice little Ramen restaurant that Steve could admit he was slightly obsessed with. It was harder than usual focusing on using his chopsticks correctly when he kept flashing little glances at Sam over his huge bowl of noodles. They’d only been dating for a short time, but he had known Sam since Freshman year. He’d been terrified of asking out the handsome film major, especially after they’d become good friends and he didn’t want to ruin what they had. He couldn’t believe that he got to look at him all he wanted without seeming like a big creep.

Full of Ramen, they headed to a the small arthouse movie theatre that Steve had gone to a few times with Sam. They were catching some indie flick that Steve couldn’t make heads or tails of, but Sam seemed enraptured by. Honestly, Steve was more than fine with that. It meant he got to look at Sam even more, watching the way the intense colors painted Sam’s skin. Commit the dance of light and shadow again his boyfriend’s face to memory so that he could paint him later.

Afterwards, they stopped at a convenience store - Sam went to go look at snacks because he knew 8 times out of 10 there was nothing but Doritos and Pop Tarts in Steve’s kitchen. Meanwhile, Steve tried to nonchalantly wander over to the condoms, trying to look like he knew what he was doing. He had some idea of what he needed, but it didn’t make the reality of the situation any easier to process.

He had waited too long and before he knew it, he heard Sam call his name before joining him in the aisle.

“Hey, I got pretzels and I know you like these caramel...” Sam trailed off as he realized where they were standing. “Oh.”

Steve couldn’t look at him, his face was burning up and he stuck his hands into his pockets, afraid they would sweat so much they’d start dripping on the floor. God, he’d really made a mess of this. They should have sat down and discussed this like a mature couple.

“Hey, um, so--” Sam stuttered, unusually awkward.

Steve glanced over now, and was surprised to see that Sam was looking down at his shoes. The overly bright fluorescent lights made the dark blush, usually imperceptible, more clear on Sam’s cheeks. If Steve didn’t know any better he would say that Sam was nervous.

“Sam, hey.” Steve felt a surge of confidence, if only because he wanted to comfort his boyfriend. “I’m not expecting anything. You know they boy scout motto, ‘always be prepared’? I just figured.. you know one day...”

He couldn’t describe the relief he felt when Sam chuckled, finally looking up at him from under his lashes. He still looked uncomfortable, but was smiling a little.

“You were never a boy scout.” Sam accused gently. The shorter man bit his lip, his forehead wrinkling ever so slightly. “But, uh, you're right. Always be prepared. Just incase.”

“Really? You're sure?” Steve wanted to be absolutely certain.

“Yeah, Steve.” Sam looked at him squarely. “I’m sure.”

x x x x

Part of it was familiar, Sam dropping his bag of snacks on Steve’s dining room table before the larger man pulled him in by his jacket for an intense kiss. Nothing like the chaste touch from earlier, this was heat and desire and reckless abandon that Steve hardly ever let himself have. Sam fit so perfectly against him, whether they were making out or just cuddling on the couch. They hadn’t gotten extremely far, touching on another intimately and grinding against one another in Steve’s bed had been about it so far. For all that Sam was boisterous and outgoing out in public, once they were behind closed doors he became shy and sweet.

Steve tugged Sam toward his room, pressing kisses to his neck and jaw every so often. He tried to go slow, give Sam a chance to have an out before they got much farther. If all his boyfriend wanted to do was make out on the couch, that would be fine with Steve. He just wanted Sam to be happy.

Once inside his bedroom he turned so that he could sit on the edge of his bed, pulling Sam down to straddle his lap. He deposited the bag carelessly on the bed, not wanting Sam to think about it too much. Instead, he focused on exploring Sam’s sweet mouth, his hands rubbing soothingly up and down Sam’s sides. He was surprised when Sam pushed him down, carefully bracketing Steve with his arms and legs. He looked gorgeous, his lips kiss swollen and his pupils dilated with want. Steve could feel his hard on straining against his pants, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

“Are you sure?” Steve asked, reaching up to gently cup Sam’s cheek, smoothing his thumb under his eye. “Theres no reason to rush, baby.”

Sam leaned into the touch, sighing as he turned to press a kiss to the center of Steve’s palm. “No, I want to.” He looked down at Steve, sultry and hungry. “You just have to show me how. I’ve never done this before.”

A frisson of desire ran up Steve’s spine at the soft confession. If possible, he could feel his pants tighten even more as he began fiddling with the buttons of Sam’s shirt. He wasn’t sure what it was, but there was some primitive part of his brain that crowed with satisfaction at the thought of being the first to have Sam. He’d been in love with Sam for years, watched the other man flirt with other men and woman and nearly felt sick to his stomach at the idea of someone else putting their hands on him.

Sam was sublime, he was beauty and warmth. Sometimes, in his head, he called Sam an angel, pure and untouched by those who were unworthy of his love. Steve would treat him right though, treat him as the gift that he was and he would never go un-cherished. Sam was a blessing, beyond all blessings and he would make sure that he felt that way for the rest of his life.

He got them both undressed, slow and careful, making sure to lather Sam with gentle attention. His boyfriend was just as turned on as he was, his hard cock rubbing against Steve’s body. It was sort of cute, the way Sam moved against him experimentally, mewling as Steve sucked bruises into his neck.

He got Sam situated on his back, smiling tenderly as he looked down at Sam’s face. He watched as Sam bit his lip, a nervous tick, before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the bridge of his nose and then his mouth.

“You really want this?” He murmured, against Sam’s lips, his hand moving to grasp Sam’s cock. “We don’t have to go all the way.”

He felt a shiver run through Sam’s body and for only a moment he seemed uncertain. But then the man groped around the bed and pulled the bag toward them, fishing around for the box of condoms and lube they had bought.

“Make me yours, Steve.” Sam said, pressing the tiny bottle to Steve’s chest. “Only yours.”

x x x x

Steve blinked awake, the sun shining through the blinds next to his bed. He was curled up against his boyfriend’s back, not in itself and unusual occurrence. He squinted over at the clock on Sam’s side, 9:20am, a little later than usual. But then again, they had a pretty good excuse. Last night had been... intense.

Steve sighed, curling closer to Sam’s back and pressing a light kiss to the back of his neck. Before he could settle down back to sleep he felt Sam shift against him, his boyfriend squeezing Steve’s arms wrapped around his torso. Then with a yawn, Sam turned over to look at him, smiling sleepily.

Steve couldn’t help but press a kiss to Sam’s forehead, not willing to risk the morning breath but wanting to get his lips on him none the less.

“How was it?” Steve murmured quietly, searching Sam’s face for any sign of displeasure.

“Honestly, pretty great.” Sam said, smirking, his eyes practically dancing with mirth. “I mean you had me convinced you knew what you were doing.”

Steve chuckled and pinched Sam’s side gently. “You had blushing virgin down to  science.”

“Hey, I told you I was a theatre kid.” Sam replied proudly, lifting his chin before pressing a kiss to the tip of Steve’s nose. “So now that you’ve lost your virginity, tell me about the rest of this list.”