#no job skills. and something always going wrong with trying to go back to college. just. I’ve lost count how many years I’ve tried

[no-144444]

misguided mishap- l.norris

Day 5 of fic-tober! fic-tober masterlist

summary: One bed… what could go wrong? (SMUT 18+)

pairing: lando norris x fewtrell! fem! reader

୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ

Long days and long flights. That was your life now. Yes, you were excited when Max had asked you to join Quadrant straight out of college as one of their PR/ marketing managers, but that was when you still thought it would be an office job. You liked to travel, in the sense that you liked seeing new cultures, countries and relaxing every now and then. What you didn’t like was the 4 days when you’d somehow been in 3 different time zones, trying to wrangle an overactive puppy in the form of a 21 year old skateboarder. Thus the joys of the job. 

Yet now, you were busy at a party making connections and ‘networking’ (Max’s favourite buzzword), too tired to even notice  Max and Lando’s eyes on you. You smiled and politely laughed at exactly the right moments in your conversation with Mark from some startup you’d never heard of or cared about. They both watched with soft smiles on their faces as you navigated the conversations simply, making everyone feel heard. Max was proud to say the least. 

Ever since you’d left for college, Lando hadn’t seen you. He’d always enjoyed your company as a kid, and he’d even thought he’d had a crush at one point, though Max did shut that down pretty quickly. But seeing you now? You were gorgeous. He couldn’t describe it. It could’ve been your personality, your smile, your eyes, or something fucking cosmic, but Lando was in love, and there was no stopping it. 

“Busy?” Lando smirked, handing you a G&T. You’d just finished up what you’d hoped to be your last business-related conversation of the night. 

You turned to him, startled, then smiled. “Hi Lan,” you gratefully took the drink with a nod. “Thank you.”

“It’s good to see you,” he leaned in closer, trying to not draw attention to the two of you. 

“It’s good to see you too,” you smiled back. “Congrats on your win last weekend!”

He smiled bashfully, proud of what his season had become. “Thanks,” he nodded, slyly wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you closer. “What have you been up to?”

“Working for Max,” you chuckled. “In Quadrant, of course, but still, I’m basically just Keegan’s PR manager,” you pointed out Keegan, who was busy trying to explain the theory of a kickflip to Max, who had been struggling with his skateboarding skills for some time. 

“You work in Quadrant?” he gawked. “I had no idea.”

You smiled. “That’s the sign of a good company, the boss has no clue what’s going on.”

He chuckled. “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too,” you nodded, noticing that little sparkle in his eyes as he watched you. 

“Why hasn’t Max been bringing you to races?” He questioned, taking a sip from his drink. 

“I’m busy now,” you shrugged. “Keegan is a handful.”

“Why didn’t you come to Ibiza?” 

You chuckled. “You must’ve really missed me if you’re asking this many questions,” someone knocked into you, pushing you even closer to him. He blushed and whether it was because of your words or the closeness of the two of you, he didn’t know. “Ibiza is a party place, I don’t like parties.”

“Why didn’t I see you at home then? I went back a few weeks ago.”

“I was home a few weeks ago. Maybe we just missed each other,” you suggested. 

“Not off galavanting with a boyfriend?” he teased. 

You leaned in ever closer, directly at his ear. “Why? Jealous?”

He smirked, shaking his head. “You are something else.”

“And to answer your question, no, no boyfriend. Too busy trying to wrangle Keegs,” you smiled as you watched Keegan burst out laughing with Max. “How is F1 going?”

“You haven't been watching?” he asked, chuckling. 

“I get too stressed knowing you’re in the car,” you explained. “I almost lost it when you crashed in Austria.” 

“Good to know you still care about little old me,” he grinned. “I promise you I’m safe.”

And something about the way he said it made you believe him. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the air, maybe it was the intoxicating closeness of him, maybe it was just always supposed to be like this, but you didn’t know. All you knew was that Lando was in front of you, with all of his attention on you, and you felt like falling straight into his trap. 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” you reminded him. “We both know you’re not safe in that car.”

He shrugged. “I can handle it.”

“I’m sure you can,” you looked up at him through batted eyelashes and smiled. “I think someone’s a fan,” you chuckled, drawing both your attention to the group of girls around his age who were losing their shit over the fact that he was here. 

“Please don’t make me talk to them,” he pleaded and you laughed. One of them slowly started approaching. 

“I don’t think you have a choice,” you smirked and stepped back, waving him a goodbye as his next conversation started. You didn’t notice that he followed you out of the party.

“Trying Irish goodbye?” he smirked, joining you in the elevator. 

“Fuck! You scared me!” you startled. “Do you have to be such a dick?!” 

He laughed, wrapping his arms around you as he apologised. “I’m sorry I scared you,” he mocked, using that stupid baby voice. 

You shoved him off with a playful smirk. “And yes, I’m tired. I just want to get to bed and lie down.”

“Don’t know how well Max will take you not saying goodnight,” he teased. “Might even come check on you.”

“Max can fuck off,” you sighed. “I’m a grown woman, and anyways, he wouldn’t come to the room he probably thinks I’m fucking someone.”

He almost did a double take when you said that, you caught it in the corner of your eye. 

“It’s a long story, but basically Max walked in on me having sex with this guy like 3 whole fucking years ago, and he always brings it up,” you explained. “He likes to hold it over my head.”

“How would he hold that over your head?”

You shrugged. “He thinks I make bad choices, that was one of them in his mind.”

“Was it a bad choice?” he asked, his eyes bearing into the side of your face. Anyone could feel the charged air in that tiny inclosed space. It made the fucking hair on your arms stand up, and gave you goosebumps on your legs. 

You felt your face heat, but answered simply. “No.”

“So then it wasn’t a bad choice,” he told you. “Max shouldn’t have any say in what you do. He’s your brother, not your keeper.”

“I know,” you answered simply, finally looking at him. “Thanks Lan.”

He offered a small smile and let you out of the elevator first. “What room are you?”

“213, you?” “213,” he read out the card the hotel had given him. “Well, that can’t be right.”

“I think it is, I was talking with the hotel staff and they said they’re fully booked up that people from the same companies have been forced to share. Did you come here under Quadrant or Mclaren?”

“Quadrant,” he sighed. You nodded. 

“It’s fine, we’ll survive for one night,” you dismissed the issue with a shrug. 

“One night? I’m here for a week,” he explained. 

“And I’m only here for tonight,” you yawned. “Off to Melbourne in the morning.”

“Break?” 

“Nah, visiting Keegan’s family and doing press stuff,” you explained. You opened the room and let out a sigh of pure rage. “One bed.” 

“I’ll take the floor,” he nodded but you stopped him. 

“We’re adults, we can share a fucking bed Lando,” you chuckled. 

And something about the way that you looked at him made him want to kiss you. The alcohol he’d consumed had definitely loosened his inhibitions and now he was solely focused on you. The way your hair fell, the way you talked to him, the smile on your lips, the way you weren’t shy with him. All of it made him fall deeper and deeper. He didn’t realise he was kissing you until you pulled on his hair, kissing him back. 

“Lan-” you pulled back slightly, but he just started kissing down your neck. “Close the door.”

He kicked it closed and kissed you again, hungry for more. “Jump,” he told you, you obliged and he caught you, carrying you over to the bed. 

“You sure you want this?” you asked as he started pulling off his clothes. 

“I’ve wanted this for a long time,” he smirked, pulling at your clothes. “You sure you want this?”

You just kissed him in response. He kissed down your neck, down your torso, and in between your legs. He took his time pulling off your trousers and underwear. Then he settled himself in front of you and smirked. 

“Such a pretty pussy baby,” he said before placing his mouth on your clit, sucking hard. You let out a yelp as he smirked against you, lapping at your folds, insatiable. It  made you delirious, how good it was, how good he felt. The way his tongue smoothed through your folds, sucking on your clit while he let’s out soft groans as if he’s the one getting sucked off right now. He had you squirming under him, holding your thighs in an iron-clad grip as he sped up. He got sloppier, more lewd sounds coming from the both of you as you got closer and closer to your peak. 

“Fuck, you’re dripping baby,” he groaned aginast your pussy, sending vibrations up your entire body. Your stomach clenched and contracted, and you came all over his face with a loud moan. You’d feel bad for the neighbours if you weren’t so horny. 

“Lan!” you groaned out, pulling his head away and back up to your face. He pressed kisses all over your neck, undoing his trouser to finally let his cock out. He was rock hard, he’d never been this turned on. “Fuck me, please fuck me,” you begged, and everything else fell away. He bottomed out with a moan as you bit into his shoulder to stop yourself from screaming, and when you nodded he started moving. 

You felt like heaven, gripping him like that. It made him feel like he couldn’t stop. Totally pussydrunk. “F-fuck baby,” he whimpered as he picked up the pace. 

“I’m-i’m gonna cum-fuck!” you moaned as he started hitting that gummy spot inside you, making you see fucking stars. “Yes-yes! There Lan, don’t fucking s-stop!”

He wasn’t planning on stopping. He picked up the pace even more, until the room was full of those lewd sounds from your wet pussy and his dirty mouth. 

“Y’like getting fucked like this? In hotel rooms just to l-leave the next morning?” he smirked as you squirmed under him. “Oh baby n-no, you’re not runnin’ away,” he grabbed one of your arms, pinning you down to the bed with a smirk. “Y’think they can hear us?”

That made you clamp down on him even harder, moaning even louder.

“You like that naughty girl?” he smirked, punctuating every word with a particularly hard thrust.  

“Y-yes!” you cried out, barely able to listen to what he was saying. It was all too much, too good, too little. 

“Fuck you’re perfect,” He groaned, biting into your neck as he willed himself not to cum. “Such a naughty girl.”

“Yours Lan, a-all yours,” you whined as you felt yourself getting closer. “I-I’m gonna cum!”

“You cum baby,” he huffed. “Give it to me.”

And he pushed you over the edge again. He kept fucking you through your orgasm, making you cum again as the world went blurry and your ears started ringing. Finally, he came inside you, triggering yet another orgasm as you screamed into a pillow. 

You fell asleep instantly, and he took it upon himself to get you cleaned up. He cleaned you up with a wet towel, put one of his hoodies on you, and kissed you goodnight before joining the bed and wrapping his arms around you. 

୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ

You woke up like that, sore but satisfied with Lando beside you.  Then you realised. What had you done?

୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ

navigation for my blog :) (masterlist)

fic-tober masterlist

taglist: @anotherapollokid @theseerbetweenus @simbaaas-stuff @5sospenguinqueen

[aliens8n]

LEONA NSFW ABCs

I skipped some letters because I felt like there’s only so much that works for him that isn’t repetitive! 

Warning: Nsfw theme, mention of rut.

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

This is the “lazy” lion we are talking about so let’s be honest after good fucking this man would give you aftercare but the bare minimum like a quick wipe down and some cuddles… After all, that’s all an herbivore like you need right? Now be a good lover and enjoy the comforts of his arm. 

B = Body Part (Their favorite body part of their partner's)

Leona enjoys any part with a good chunk of squishy meat that being his preference ranges from thighs, asses, tummies, and chest. This depends on his partner’s body type but if he had to choose one he always chose the stomach area to nuzzle against and honestly just used it as a pillow with a few sneaky pinches and bites. 

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum, basically)

He doesn’t do anything unique or special with it. He doesn’t even think much about it as he trashes the condom. However, there is one special occasion that he may focus more on and that is when he is in rut. Like any proper male lion, he is trying to impregnate you and with that, a single drop can’t be wasted and has to stay plugged into you until he is satisfied whether it is with a plug of some sort or his cock. 

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He won’t ever openly admit it but the predator and prey stuff gets him going especially if you're going to play along with him and tease him about it. It is the quickest way to get his blood pumping between his legs, but of course, like most games, if you play with anyone at this damned college you're risking some lash back so beware. Catch him at the wrong moment and you’ll be limping and dripping the entire way to your next class… well if you manage to escape him anyway. 

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

This guy is well-experienced with common sense. He may not have a lot of hands-on experience but you hardly have to worry about that fact. He is confident in what he is doing and if he has a question he knows how to google or just ask you. 

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment? Are they humorous? etc.)

He is more serious when in the moment, like he may say something to make you giggle but it wasn’t on purpose so you might get a “look”.

H = Hair (How well-groomed are they? Does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He is a very well-groomed man, he uses expensive overpriced name-brand razors to keep himself well-trimmed and very pristine.

L = Location (Favorite places to do they do)

He prefers to do it in his bedroom over anywhere but he isn’t going to waste time going there if one of his favorite nap spots is available like the bionic garden.

N = No (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

Want to kill his boner? Degrade him where it hurts, he isn’t really into degradation and if it is the simple things like friendly teasing he won’t mind it but get too into it, he will just stop and tell you to shut the hell up. 

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He prefers to be given oral satisfaction, he isn't too picky on how you do it either as long as it isn't some roundabout way to tease him. Now when he gives oral expect it to be very lazy, it isn’t like he is bad at it but it isn’t intense or overwhelming... It just gets the job done, plus when he does it, it is more for his pleasure than yours.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Leona isn’t fully into quickies, if he's going to do something that requires energy then he’s going to take his sweet time. He goes at his own pace and wants to make the moment worthwhile. 

T = Toys (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

He won’t go out of his way to get them, but if he sees you have taken an interest then he will buy some and if he is purchasing some then he is going to get a few that interest him to test on you. He isn’t into using them on himself as to him you are all he needs and a hand if he is THAT desperate. 

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

This man SHOULD whimper just to humor us but nope, all you’re getting out of him is a small grunt and growl here and there. 

W = Wild Card (A random headcanon for the character)

The base of his tail is a bit of a spot and he will get a bit more defensive about it once you discover it. To him, it is as sneaky as a quick-ass slap. Fair warning each time you manage to get him off guard he WILL get you back!

[darling-i-read-it]

Workplace Gossip

Jim Hopper x fem!younger!reader (reader is 25!) 

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: age gap relationship (legal ofc!!), jim being insecure in that, innuendos, billy flirting with the reader, mentions of his daughter and her cancer

Author’s Note: hello again!!! if you recognize this one, you probably red Hugs way back when. this is the revamped version as an attempt to return to the stranger things roots before i hit the old billy and steve ones!! lemme know what you guys think <;3

The original request; by anon, Hi! Loved your Hopper imagine! Can you do another one with him with the reader and him having a bit of an age gap? I don’t own these characters. They belong to the author/director 

(not my gif)

You were rushing. You could feel the cold nipping at your sides, freezing the mobility in your hands but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You breathed through your mouth as you walked down the sidewalk. If you started to run you could get to your job interview in five minutes. You looked down at your wrist watch and cursed under your breath. Running in heels wasn’t your best idea but showing up late wasn’t exactly the best way to start a job. 

When you looked back up it was too late. You ran directly into a large man, causing an intake of breath from yourself and ‘shit’ from him.

“I’m so sorry!” you exclaimed. You caught sight of the badge on his chest and the hat on his head. Police. 

You couldn’t be detained for not paying attention, that was ridiculous. Right? 

“Where are you going so fast at 7 in the morning?” he asked, annoyance in his voice. 

“I have a job interview.” You bit your tongue. At the station. There was an opening for a secretary job. “I’m sorry again, I’m already running late.” He let you move aside and rush down the street, now running in heels that were too tall for you. He mumbled something about being morning people and kept walking. 

- 

“I am so sorry, I got off on the bus at the wrong stop. I’m still figuring out Hawkins, I just moved here last week,” you explained, out of breath, perspiration beating down your forehead. So much for the business casual blouse you had sweat through. 

“It’s no worries honey,” a woman at the front said with a dismissive look. “You were the only one coming. As long as you’re not a criminal, you’re a shoo in.” You let out a breath of relief. 

“I’m not a criminal,” you promised. You handed her your resume, sitting down at the desk across from her. “I’m just out of college, 25. I’ve had jobs before during school but I’m looking for something more long term since moving here,” you explained. 

“Why did you move here?” she questioned. It sounded more like curiosity than an interview question. 

“It’s a small town, I’ve always wanted to live in a small town. Also, I wanted some independence. I’ve only ever really lived in dorms and such.” You fixed your hair eagerly. 

“You picked quite the place.” 

“So I’ve heard.”

“People who land in Hawkins never leave it. I should know, I was born and raised,” she muttered. She was shuffling through some papers like this wasn't a big deal to her. You cleared your throat.

“I’ve always just wanted to be part of a community,” you explained. “I like the small town community. I want to get to know the people. Grow my communication skills,” you suggested, even though it was only half true. You liked that no one ever left Hawkins. It left plenty of jobs for people like yourself, fresh out of college. 

The front door opened. You both turned and you saw a face you recognized. He was holding a small box of half a dozen donuts.

“Meet your new secretary Chief,” Flo said, standing up from her desk. “She gets started tomorrow.” She grabbed the box out of his hands, walking through the doorway to where all the officers desks were. You stood up as well, trying to put on a smile. He looked down at you, sizing you up it seemed. 

“You weren’t too late.” 

“No sir.” 

“Don’t bother with the sir crap,” he said, a gentleness to his voice. A casualness you admired. “Jim. Or Hopper.” 

“Jim Hopper.” 

“Yeah.” You extended a hand. 

“Y/N Y/L/N. It’s a pleasure to work with you,” you said, brightly smiling now. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around town,” he said, starting to walk through the doorway. You followed him, unsure if you were supposed to but also unsure how you could continue the conversation otherwise. 

“I just moved here last week.”

“Picked a hell of a place,” he grumbled. You laughed gently. 

“I’ve heard.” He started to pour himself a cup of coffee. He gestured the pot to you but you shook your head. You were still high on adrenaline from rushing here. “How is crime here?”

“Riveting,” he deadpanned. “You’ll do fine.” His voice was so soothing. You nodded, believing him deeply. 

“Promise?” 

He smiled slyly, leaning against the table. He took a sip of his black coffee. You looked at him through your lashes, knowing you were going to get into trouble with this one. If he looked at you like that everyday you would never want to leave Hawkins at all. 

“I promise.” 

-

Technically speaking, Flo never intended on counting down the days until Chief Hopper asked you out but then on day seven she realized she was. She watched as you came into the room and he adjusted himself in his seat, his eyes floated towards you with a gentle care, and your smile widened. You were good at the logistics. You were good at the job. That made everything else easier. 

You got the paperwork done that you needed to and sometimes, you got the paperwork he needed done as well. Powell suggested putting up a countdown to make it more obvious but everyone shut up about it. 

“Don’t you think she should go with someone closer to her age?” Callahan asked, leaning back in his chair. Flo gave him a hard look as she walked through the room. You and Jim were in his office, powering through paperwork. 

“Who, like you?” Powell questioned. 

“She’s cute!” he argued back. Powell, actually doing work, rolled his eyes. 

“Her frontal lobe is fully developed,” Flo argued. “She can make her own decisions. I, for one, would like to see the Chief happy since Diane.” 

“Only ancient people remember Diane.” Callahan was trying to balance a pencil on his nose. It fell. He made it look like he hadn’t been doing it to start with. “You think she likes him?”

“I think she loves him.”

“It’s been literally a week. She could not love anyone, let alone Jim Hopper, in that time.” 

“What about Jim Hopper?” You turned the corner, holding a small stack of papers. 

“He needs to do his own work. You’re babying the old man,” Callahan said, pointing his pencil at you. 

“He’s not that old,” you suggested.

“She’s right,” Hopper responded. “Watch your mouth Phil.” Callahan put his hands up in defeat and turned back to his desk. You put the things onto your desk to be finalized. You were coming to enjoy the steady, familiar pace of this new life. “I’m grabbing lunch.” He grabbed the keys to the cruiser. He paused, momentarily. No one else would’ve been able to catch it. You were watching him for his words, accepting them before they even came. “You comin?” he asked. You tried to hide the flush on your face as you glanced upwards, like you were attempting to make sure your schedule was full. 

“Only if you’re paying.” 

“Student debt that much of a bitch?” You grabbed your coat and put it on. 

“I just like guys to pay on dates.” You walked past him, trying to suppress a smile. His eyes went wide as they floated to those around him. 

“You two take the day,” Flo said, pleasantly, like she had orchestrated this whole thing. 

“Literally go, Chief. Before I do,” Powell said. He had a small smile on his face too. He nodded, grabbing the door knob. 

“I’m gone.” -

By week three it was like you had only known this life. It was like it had been pre-made for you. Your body fit the mold of a life that had been waiting patiently for your arrival. Work, dates, drive-ins, socializing. Apparently Hopper knew everybody in this town and with a little work, you got him to introduce you to people. 

Never as the girlfriend. 

Just as the new secretary. 

You both tried to allow that to happen quietly. People would get used to seeing you two together eventually. There was no need to rush anything that didn’t have an exact label yet. You were just two people who happened to know each other. Intimately. 

You were eating french fries across from him at work, flipping through some papers. He narrowed his eyes at you. You tried to act like you didn’t notice. He wanted to tell you something. You glanced up at him, chewing slowly. 

“Yes Jim?”

“I have a daughter,” he said. 

“El. Yeah, I know.” You hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting her yet but you had heard lots about her. He was silent for a moment. 

“Sara. Her name was Sara,” he said, not meeting your eyes. “She died of cancer when she was 7. Everyone here knows.” He cleared his throat, sucking in air. “I thought it was unfair, if you didn’t know.” You knew he got divorced, Flo had told you that much. But you had no idea he had a daughter before El. 

“Oh,” you whispered. You racked your brain in an attempt to figure out how to salvage this situation. How did he want you to react? How should you react? “I’m sorry.” It felt inappropriate to be looking at paperwork so you put it down. “Thank you for telling me.” He nodded once, picking it up from you and then stealing one of your fries. 

“I have pictures of her at the house. I wanted you to know before you meet El.”

-

Eleven was wary but got used to you quickly. She liked that you acted a lot like Steve in some ways, even though you were eight years older than him. She liked that Max liked you. She liked that Mike liked you. 

She liked that Jim liked you. 

By week ten the cabin had become your second home. You laid on the couch while El watched a show. Jim had to work late tonight and you weren’t needed so you were always open to hanging out with her when you could. 

The light television buzzing was comforting. You flipped through a magazine, feeling the night begin to cause your eyes to droop. El was happily eating some eggos, whipped cream to top it off. You suggested throwing some chocolate chips on top of it too. 

“How’re you and Mike?” you asked, looking at the couple on TV. She had a dreamy look in her eyes. After hearing bits and pieces about how Jim came to have her, you were happy to see it. She deserved an easy life. 

“Good,” she said, shrugging. “How are you and Hopper?” You smiled a bit.

“We’re good.” 

“Good.” She pointed a finger at you. “The door stays open three inches.”

“El!” you teased, hitting her with the magazine. She erupted into giggles, whipped cream covering her smile. “You don’t even listen to that rule. There are like three rooms in this place!”

“More than one!” she argued, shrugging. You rolled your eyes. Headlights lit up the room. You had some of the blinds open but the sun had long set. It caused both you and El to wince. 

“You’re glad he’s home little lady,” you said, pointing the rolled up magazine at her. You both laughed as you got off the couch. You peaked out the window, out of habit, and saw a car you didn’t recognize. You squinted, unable to see more than the outline in the dark. A man got out of the car, shutting the door behind him. 

He walked in front of his headlights. You could see the outline of a mullet. He knocked on the door. Hopper, ever prepared, always left a baseball bat beside the door. You grabbed it nonchalantly, leaving it out of the eyesight of your guest. 

El had turned around. Hopper wouldn’t have knocked. 

Leaning against the door was the infamous Billy Hargrove. You had heard enough about him to be able to recognize him, not to mention you had seen him once or twice with Max. Jim’s words came back to you. 

“He has more parking tickets than the rest of the town combined.” 

“You’re being dramatic Jim.”

“Never get in that boy's car.”

“You jealous Jim?” 

He had rolled his eyes then but you could see what he was talking about now. There wasn’t a scratch on the car but there was a bruise on his face. 

“Hello. You are not who I was expecting to open the door.” El was hidden behind the couch, blocking his gaze from her. “Where’s the Chief?”

“Working,” you said, too meak for your liking. “Can I help you Billy?” He chewed on the toothpick between his teeth. He had a charming smile. You imagined lots of girls were the victims of that smile.

“I’m looking for my sister, Maxine. She around?” 

“Nope,” you said quickly. “I haven’t seen Max since this afternoon. She was at the arcade with El and everyone.” 

“You play taxi driver too?” he questioned, playing a bleeding heart. 

“When Jim can’t.” His eyes went wide but you suspected it was fake. 

“Wait, you aren’t El’s cousin from out of town or something? You’re sleeping with Hopper?” You flushed, immediately unable to stammer out a reasoning that benefited the situation. You hadn’t actually had an interaction like this. 

“Max isn’t here Billy,” you finally offered. 

He took the toothpick out of his mouth. 

“Well you know where I live if you ever want a good time,” he suggested. He tossed it aside. Littering. How attractive. He was starting to back away when you heard the sound of another car approaching. At the sight of someone else Jim stepped on the gas, pulling in at breakneck speed. He knew that car, even by the outline. “I never caught your name.”

“Y/N,” you said. 

“Thanks for the help Y/N.” He winked at you as he turned around. Jim hopped out of the car, shutting it aggressively. 

“What are you doing here Hargrove?” 

“Just looking for Max,” he said, hands in the air. “Your girl was mighty helpful.” Billy got into his car before anyone could punch him and backed out, rivaling Jim’s breakneck speed. 

“That fucking kid,” he grumbled as he walked in. You put your hand on his back, following him in. You kicked the front door shut behind you. “What’d he want?” 

“He just asked if Max was here.” You made the executive decision not to go further into that. “I said she wasn’t.” He took off his jacket. There was an aggression there you weren’t used to. He walked to the kitchen to get some food and probably a beer. 

“Thanks for watching her.”

“I can watch myself,” El said, looking up at him. There was a slight tinge in her voice that made you think she was telling the truth. 

“I know you can. But it makes me feel better if she’s here too.” 

“I don’t mind.” You followed him to the kitchen. He offered you a beer but you declined. “How was the rest of your day?”

“Good. Better now,” he muttered, kissing you on the forehead. You smiled, wrapping your arms around him. He embraced you, eyes lingering on the door. 

You didn’t think it ever really affected him. The age difference seemed like something you were used to from day one. But you knew Billy had affected him. The Hargrove boy was everything a young girl could want. He was bad as in bad boy. 

He didn’t say anything about it the rest of the night. 

-

You didn’t see Billy again for a couple more weeks. He became nothing more than a mindless thought in the back of your mind. You weren’t even that pre concerned with him the next day, though you could tell Jim seemed to be. You wanted to bring it up but felt like bringing it up would only make it worse. You waited until El was at Max’s, deciding that doing it alone would be the best route. 

He strayed near the phone in case El needed him.

“Callahan said he would finish that,” Jim was saying.

“When has he finished anything? Since I have moved here I have seen him get out of the chair two times. Maybe three!” You were eating pizza, the boxes strewn across the coffee table. The TV was on but neither of you were watching it. You laid on his back, rested comfortable between his legs. 

“That’s why we hired a new secretary.”

“I’m not an officer?” He laughed again. You turned around to him, giggling. “Could you imagine me with a gun? Jim, give me your gun, let’s see how that goes.” Your laughter melded, his arm resting around your chest.

“Absolutely not.”

“Exactly. Exactly.” 

You rested back down, snuggling into your spot. 

“Flo said she’d figure it out so you could have a day off without being called in. But I’m sure Harrington will lose a fight or something and we’ll both be called in.”

“Damn job.”

“Damn job is right!” You grabbed his hands, messing with his knuckles. “Let’s turn on the radio.”

“Oh God.” You stood up. 

“I’m done with my pizza, I wanna dance.”

“No you don’t.” 

“Yes I do. Try to keep up old man.” It just slipped out but you regretted saying it immediately. He didn’t show an outward reaction at first but he stood, eyebrows raised. 

“I seem to be able to keep up with you pretty well.” You tried to ignore the sly smile on his face. 

“Damn straight. Dance with me Hop.”

You offered your hand to him as you fumbled around the radio. He walked past you, turning it on. You scrambled away to turn off the TV when there was a knock on the door.

Both of you turned, surprised, caught off guard. 

“You expecting someone?” you asked.

“No. You?” 

“No sir.” 

You approached the door because you were closer. He stepped in front of you, opening it up. Max was on the other side, laughing bubbling from her lips. El was standing there too. 

“How did you get here?” he asked immediately. You saw Billy’s car before you saw Billy. You put your hand on Jim’s chest, pushing him back as gently as you could. It was like he could only see Billy at that moment, eyes red. 

“You’re back Y/N,” Billy called, leaning against his car door. He rested his hand on the top of the vehicle. 

“What the hell?” Hopper roared. He walked past the girls. 

“Inside. Quickly,” you hissed to them. They listened wordlessly. 

“You think it’s okay to drive my daughter around in that car? If I looked up the license of that car I would see so many tickets I could wallpaper my house!” 

“You haven’t taken me up on my offer,” he said, directly to you. “Shame.”

Billy wasn’t helping his case. Not in the slightest. 

“Hargrove get in your fucking car and go the fuck home,” you snarled. Billy watched your face and then finally paid Hopper a thought. 

“Offer stands.” He got in his car before Hopper could beat the shit out of him. Part of you wanted to see it. When his car was gone there was a heavy silence. 

“Fucking Hargrove,” he grumbled. You were both still standing out in the cold. You shivered. “Fucking Hargrove. He could’ve killed her.” He looked back at you. You were still watching where his car was. “Hey.” Your eyes snapped to him.

“Yeah. Fuck him.”

“What’s that?” 

“What’s what?” 

“The look on your face.”

“I don’t have a look.” His face fell a bit. He put a hand over his mouth, rubbing his beard in annoyance. 

“Do you like-”

“No.” You nipped that in the bud. This was the conversation you had been dying to have. 

“He’s closer to you-”

“No,” you said again. “Don’t say it. Don’t even dignify that thought with the words.” His face eased. “I love you.” 

His eyes went wide again. The words hung in the air like they were being let out to dry. You felt confident in them. Even your nerves wouldn’t let you take back such a true statement. 

“I don’t care about all of that. I never have.” He looked like he was searching for something. You opened your mouth to tell him he didn’t have to say it back but he was already speaking. 

“I love you too,” he breathed. The words came easy once he had said them. 

“Good.”

“Good,” he repeated back to you. You walked up to him, throwing your arms around him. He hugged you tightly. 

“Plus,” you muttered, “he’s not my type.” He chuckled into your hair. He wanted to kiss you. He never wanted to stop kissing you. He found, for a moment, a wordless moment, he had wished Billy would’ve taken El and Max back so he could have the house just for the two of you. He swept the thought away as quickly as it had come. But having you in his arms was too intoxicating. 

“I wanna listen to the radio,” you whispered. The laughter from him came louder now. 

“Alright. Alright c’mon.” You repressed claps. He had his hand on the small of your back as he led you back inside. 

-

“She said she loves him. I can feel it in the air,” Callahan muttered. He was chewing on a donut. His eyes were small. He was concentrating. 

“Entirely possible they fucked in the car,” Powell countered. 

“Calvin!” Flo exclaimed.

“That could be what you’re feeling. All I’m saying!”

“He said it back,” Callahan mused, his voice far away. 

“Now you’re stretching,” Powell promised. “Chief in love? Not in this lifetime.”

[fanficsthatmakemybraingobrr]

A Night In Cairo

Chapter 1

Indiana Jones x Gender-Neutral Reader

You’re a Intern at Marshall College in Bedford Connecticut and you work with Dr.Jones, but he sucks at his job and is never there and is always behind with work making you get the short end of the stick. Then he drags you on a trip to Cairo with him.

I do want to clarify that I am making this story up as I go so i really have no idea where it is going, I'm just writing this to improve my writing skills, so this isn’t gonna be the best writing you’ll see. (and I wanted to write something with the new Indiana Jones movie coming out. I have major brain-rot! Gives me an excuse to write more about my comfort character >:} ) and if you have any feed back or criticism I would love to hear

Link to AO3

‘D correct, B nope wrong, A wrong, C that’s not even close.’ Walking down the very crowded and busy streets, while grading late work that your ‘boss’ didn’t finish and trying not to bump into people at the same time isn’t the most ideal way to start your morning, but you didn’t have a choice when he snuck them into your bag yesterday without telling you and leaving a note on top saying

“Grade these before tomorrow.” - Jones

At this point you don’t know why he’s a professor at a college if he’s never going to be in his office to do his work or help his students. ‘Incorrect…’ Probably one of the reasons these tests have horrible scores. He always does this when he's never in his office. His work plies up and you have to deal with finishing it and not to mention whiny students. ‘Wrong!’ This job is so frustrating!  ‘Wrong again!’ Why did you even agree to be an intern? 

As soon as you set foot on campus you finished grading the last piece of paper, you bring your bag around your body and place the late work in one of the pockets as you walk inside and make your way to Dr. Jones office. The whole building smells like an old book with a faint hint of coffee, it’s filled with the sound of people chatting, footsteps on the hardwood floor, students yelling- Turning the corner you see a crowd of students in front of Dr. Jones' door. They all look worried, pissed, or confused. One of the students sees you out of the corner of their eye. 

“Hey! You! You’re the professor's assistant or whatever, right? You can help us!” This causes other students to turn around and approach you with their problems. All the students are complaining to you all at once you freeze not knowing what to do. This all way too much. You .start to push your way through the wave of the students and up to the office door, and once you finally reach it you open the door. Before you enter the office you turn around to look at the students. 

“I know you’ll have concerns with the professor but right now, isn’t the best time to fix them! I’ll talk to Professor Jones and see if we can set up individual meetings!” 

The crowd of students let out a groan or a sigh of frustration, you close the door and take a deep breath recollecting yourself. You look up and surprise! He isn't here. His office is a small and narrow cluttered room with a messy desk that has work piled up high, shelves stuffed with artifacts and books, and in the back left corner there’s a boiler. It's a complete mess. The office is basically a storage room at this point, actually maybe it is. You take the late work out of your bag and place it on his desk, then sit down in a seat that’s in front of his desk while you check your watch. It's 9am. Class starts at 1pm. 

There’s a small radio on his desk you lean over and turn on. It starts to softly play music, sounds like Kay Kyser. You soak in the music as you look out the small window. It’s the one thing in this office that makes it less claustrophobic, it’s also great for daydreaming when you’re bored. The window is on the first floor of the building and has a nice view of the campus front lawn. Many students go out there to sit in the grass and study, it’s a good place to people watch. The weather is nice today. It's sunny out, the flowers are blooming, the trees are growing their leaves back, and Dr. Jones is speed walking across the sidewalk. Finally he’s here. Not too long later he pushes through the door. You look up at him.

“Good Morn-“ 

“Did you get the work done?” You point over to them on his desk. You're pretty used to him interrupting you. He hands you a cup then picks up the papers and puts them in a different pile, seriously how does this man stay organized? You looked down at the cup in your hand.

“What did you want me to do with this?”. You lift the cup. He doesn’t look at you and keeps going through things on his desk. 

“For you..to ya know…drink? I picked it up on the way here. I already drank mine on my way here…where is it? And uh.. I remember you don’t like coffee…so..I swear it was right here! I got you tea- Oh there!” He picked up a small scroll and put it in his pocket. This is probably the first time he’s ever done anything for you.

“Uh thanks?” Jones sits at his desk, he gives you a quick glance from over the top of his glasses and then starts to write something down, probably today’s lesson plan. Time passes and eventually noon comes and Jones and you walk side by side to the classroom. The work you do during Jones’ classes is very simple: he asks you to get something for him, or hand out papers etc. Hopefully one of these days he’ll let you actually talk. His classes are VERY boring, usually lectures with his rambling taking up most of class time. When you look out at his students a lot of them are usually sleeping, trying not to fall asleep, zoned out, or making goo goo eyes at him. Today was a lecture day.

“Ancient Egyptian artifacts are some of the most highly sought-after and mysterious relics of history. These objects have been passed down through generations and are seen as sacred and divine. They are typically made of gold, silver, or other precious metals and often depict scenes of ancient Egyptian life or mythology!” He’s rambling again. 

“These artifacts are a powerful link to the culture and history of Egypt and are valued for their cultural importance and great artistic value and-“ he pauses as he  looks out the door and standing there is Marcus Brody, an academic, curator, and good friend of Jones. Jones looks back over to his students and clears his throat 

“Uh, that’ll be all for today-“ and before he could say anything else students stampede through the door trampling anything in their way. When the students clear you walk over to the two older men to ask what’s going on. Jones also dismisses you as well and says he will see you tomorrow. You are about to protest but you shoot the thought down quickly, that man is too damned stubborn so you don’t question it and make your way home. Hey, at least you get to go home early, and he didn’t even give you anything to work on.

When you walk home you take your time taking in the scenery. Yes you're in a city and most places are grimy, crowded, and loud but there are still things to admire. Soon enough you arrive at your red brick apartment building. You walk up the rickety stairs of your small stairway and unlock your door. The door opens with a creek. Now this apartment is small when you walk in to your left is a very small kitchenette, right across from it is a twin sized bed and next to that is a small doorway leading to a bathroom with a closet shaped shower and toilet. It’s not much, but it’s home. 

You stole some food from the faculty lounge before you left, so you munch on it and get ready for bed. Reaching under your bed you pull out a foot locker that has your clothes in it and change. You sit on the edge of your bed and take a deep breath then let out a hefty sigh. This internship is so draining sometimes. At first it wasn’t that bad, it was actually quite fun. Until Jones kept disappearing and leaving you to deal with his problems. You can tell that he does try and loves to teach but he really needs to get his priorities in order and communicate better. You’ve thought of quitting multiple times because of how draining this job is, but it pays well and you need the money. You wish you could have something more exciting. You let out a yawn and stretch your arms above your head, looking over at your clock and it’s almost 10pm. Damn how long were you talking to yourself?

“Jeez I guess I should really go to bed..”you mutter to yourself. You get under your thin sheets and stare up at the ceiling waiting for dreams to begin. Your eyelids start to get heavy and right before you drift off someone knocks- no bangs on your door making you jump up. It’s so late at night who could be here? You panic a bit. What if someone is trying to break in? Your mouth goes dry, you go to your kitchen and grab your rolling pin then walk to the door. You took a deep breath and opened the door and were met face to face with a slumped over hands on his knees and very out of breath Dr.Jones. You have so many questions but before you could ask he started talking.

“Pack. We…are..leaving tomorrow.” He looks you dead in the eyes still breathing heavily.

“What?-“ he caught his breath and stood up a bit more, clearing his throat.

“We have to go.” You are so confused.

“Ok first off, what do you mean? Where are we going? What are you doing here? How do you know where I live? D-did you run here?” You stumble over your words. He sighs.

“Cairo. I am going to Cario. I came here to tell you that you're coming with me….also yes I did run here.” He looks down at your hands. 

“What’s with the rolling pin kid?” He raises an eyebrow. 

You look down and quickly come up with an excuse.“Uh, late night baking? But that doesn’t matter right now! I’m the one asking the questions! What do you mean Cairo? I can’t just leave, I have work. You have work!” He lets out another sigh this time it sounds a bit more frustrated.

“Look, we are going to Cairo. This trip is already funded and the college already knows. I told them. And you're an intern- my intern so you're gonna listen to me! C’mon get packed and I’ll be back to pick you up in the morning. I’ll explain and go into more details later.” And with that he turns around and leaves. You stand there for a moment in shock. What would you even pack for a trip like this? Also he never told you how he knew where you lived..

[likeadeuce]

WIP Wednesday, Challengers, 'DC, Open'

This is the way it is: Patrick has been on his own for more than a year now. Around the time of the Tashi disaster (who could say what was cause and what was effect?) he fired the coach his parents had been paying, partly with USTA player development money, threw the gear Head had given him into the Mercedes M-Class he’d gotten for his sixteenth birthday, and signed up for a gym membership he could use in any city. He lied about his income and status as a college student to get a credit card in his own name, registered Unforced Terror LLC in the State of Maryland, and had all the paperwork and tax documents sent to the Zweig family financial manager, who (presumably, because the card still worked) paid it out of an account funded by the leftover parental and USTA subsidies, along with his intermittent prize money. At nineteen and now twenty years old, Patrick is an entrepreneurial American small businessman, just bad enough at math to tell himself he’s breaking even.

On his own doesn’t mean alone. It doesn’t even mean lonely, most of the time. Between his people skills and his juniors résumé, he can always find someone who wants to play doubles with him, which means he has someone to hit with, work out with and, when he needs to, split a hotel. He’s showy enough on the practice courts that people want to hit with him. He gets a reputation, coaches want him to train with their players -- and if he does a good enough job looking regretful, like he has somewhere to be, really he shouldn’t -- slip him cash or buy him a meal so that, when tournaments actually bother to provide a per diem, he can save it for a rainy day. He’s Patrick Zweig, hitting partner and drinking buddy for rent. He fills his aging T-Mobile Sidekick with numbers, so that he’s got his choice of temporary BFF’s at every tournament.

And when he’s sick of eating sleeping breathing the tour, the phone gives him other options -- people from Juniors and the Academy who washed out or went to college, the older siblings of kids whose bar and bat mitzvahs he attended. He can almost always find a couch to crash on. More and more often, between gyms and bars and an irregularly-tended OK Cupid account, he can find a bed. That’s the other thing that’s different, being grown up and on his own. If he sees someone and he wants them -- wants a touch, a kiss, a fuck, either end of a blow job, if he thinks they want it too -- Patrick might as well give it a shot. Not with the tour guys, mostly, and only occasionally with the women; it turns out too many of them know Tashi. But, compared to the person Patrick was even a year ago, he knows much more about who he is and what he wants. There’s no room in him for shame, if there ever was. Nobody in his extensive list of contacts matters more than anyone else, so if he reads something wrong and burns that bridge, it’s not the end of the world. When you don’t care where you’re going, one bridge is as good as anything else.

So, it turns out, Patrick is completely unprepared for the situation he currently finds himself in: sharing the back of a Washington DC cab with his gear bag jammed against the window, the other side of his body pressed against Art Donaldson, trying to act like the proximity doesn’t get to him. He likes the way this feels and he’s not sure he’s doing a good job of hiding it from Art. He’s not sure how much he wants to.

[vanyashay]

°•. ✿ .•°

— BASICS

Name: Vanya Shay (Russian: Shvedov) Age / D.O.B.: 33; October 17th Gender, Pronouns & Sexuality: Cis Male; He/Him ; Pansexual Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts Affiliation: Cortàzar Cartel Job position: Drug Manufacturer Education: High school, College Drop-Out Relationship status: Single Children: None Positive traits: Loyal, Intelligent, Funny, Trustworthy, Dedicated Negative traits: Addict, Air-Headed, Easily Manipulated, Blasé, Loner

— BIOGRAPHY triggers: drugs, addiction

vayna was born smart, and not in the super genius way, like he came out knowing he was going to be an ace in all his science and math classes. but in the way that he had no idea until his schooling developed past the volcanos and potato batteries; he LOVED chemistry, any time he could break in after school and experiment, he did. it was better than being at home. during middle school, he was essentially on his own, too busy trying to find things to blow up or getting into trouble, while he wasn't aware of it at the time, his brother was also running around, getting into trouble and delving into drugs. their mother may not have been around much, but she expected a clean home and for both boys to be fed by the end of the day. which worked out in vany's favor as he tried not to be home except to sleep. vanya's high school days are a bit of a blur after he fell into the wrong crowd, they were getting high, stealing things from the labs and finding new and creative ways to make a quick buck. he was never really interested in school, but it helped that he had a natural talent for bullshitting the right answers. truth was, he never bullshitted science, it was his first and only love besides weed. the drug that got him through some of the toughest days and the other boring days. it was always one or the other with him, drugs were always the way to bring him back to happiness, a world where his lack of family and a mother's love didn't matter. the spiral happened in his senior year, when he finally decided to leave and never look back. subsequently, a buddy of his decided they were going to learn how to make methamphetamine. it didn't take long for the things that were important to vanny, in terms of education and his love of chemistry to be put on the back burner in leu of making, selling, and taking drugs. he was unfortunately good at it, and the addictions he accumulated only worked against him. while he landed a nice scholarship and went to a local public college basically with a free ride, there was nothing that could compare to the rush of adrenaline and high he got from his side hustle. this would ultimately land him in some of the darkest waters he faced since childhood; his buddy had mixed something wrong and without vanya there to make sure the measurements were correct, he lost his life and later that week vanya was found in possession of coke, meth, weed, and various other pills. his scholarship stripped from him, put out on the street with absolutely no intentions to run back home, he was lost for awhile. vanya was eventually picked up by the cartel, apparently someone had heard of his mad skills and perhaps even his dead buddy had been a member, to this day he still isn't sure how they found him. he accepted with nothing else to lose and a hunger for frying the part of his brain that remembered. they used his addictions to bring him in, gave him a large basement somewhere, a lab, all the supplies he needed, and now he's their drug manufacturer. vanny is anonymous until the bosses want to meet or there's a pickup day, but usually he stays down in his basement (he's got a bed, a full kitchen, a toilet, he's good down there). he is also obsessed with trying out new techniques/making types of new drugs AND 70s decor.

— WANTED CONNECTIONS / PLOTS

LAB ASSISTANT(S) Some lab monkeys, people who work around his lab, either reporting to him or brining him supplies, food, etc. They'd be like assistants to him; he can't really give away all his secrets but having people to bounce ideas off of would be stellar. be the jesse to his walter white.

EX LOVER(S)/COLLEGE ERA these can be fuck buddies, just buddies, or hell, even an ex of his that lost connection after he lost everything, went underground; they never really got to "break up", either one assumed the other was dead or just figured they were ghosted. either way!!

✧༝┉˚*❋ °•. ✿ .•° ❋*˚┉༝✧

[berkmansimagines]

Midnight Rain

A/N: It's just after midnight and raining so I thought this would be a good time to post a new fic 🌧️

Summary: Barry is concerned when he wakes up and his wife isn't in bed.

Pairing: Barry Berkman x hitman!wife reader

Barry wakes up to the sound of raindrops pitter pattering on the window. It’s the middle of the night and he just wants to go back to sleep. Your husband groggily turns over to your side of the bed so he can cuddle with you. But it’s empty. Your side of the bed is cold, which means you haven’t been there for a while. 

Barry’s eyes shoot open. He looks toward the door. The bathroom light isn’t on. Barry doesn’t hear any sign of movement in the apartment. It’s eerily quiet except for the rain outside. 

If something work related came up, it’s not like you to up and leave without telling Barry. Your husband can feel in his bones that something is not right…

Barry jumps out of bed. His mind is racing. Where is she? What happened to her? He immediately begins to fear the worst. You both have some big enemies. What if one of them wanted revenge? Barry is so anxious that he forgets to grab his gun before rushing out of the bedroom. 

Barry quickly moves through the apartment looking for you. He notices the balcony light on and races toward it. Barry steps out onto the covered balcony and finds you watching the rain. You’re okay. Barry can breathe again.

“Fuck,” he lets out a sigh of relief. 

You turn your head and find your husband standing by the sliding door.

“Oh sorry. Did I wake you?” you ask. You seem a little zoned out.

“Babe, what are you doing out here? It’s freezing,” Barry shivers.

“I couldn’t sleep so I went outside to think. And then it started to rain,” you explain.

“Come back to bed,” your husband tries.

You didn’t listen to what Barry just said. It’s like you’re lost in your own little world.

“It never rains in southern California. When I was a kid, it rained in my hometown all the time. I don’t really miss the rain except for midnights like this,” you quietly comment.

Barry’s face drops. You aren’t okay. Something is clearly wrong. He noticed that you started acting off earlier today. Barry was supposed to go on a job but you covered for him so he could make an audition. When he returned home, he found you out on the balcony just like this. Your husband didn’t want to push you to talk about it. He knew that you would open up to him in your own time. But now this is a problem that he can’t ignore. 

Barry steps inside and grabs a throw blanket off the couch. Then he goes back outside and sits down beside you, covering you with the blanket.

“You don’t have to stay out here with me,” you mumble.

Yes he does.

“If you’re out here, I’m out here,” Barry tells you.

You give your husband an appreciative nod and snuggle up close to him. He wraps a protective arm around you. You feel safe.

“Thank you,” you breathe.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong? Did something happen on the hit?” he pushes you to open up.

You shrug and shake your head. Then you begin to vent.

“No, the job went fine. It’s just… I was really proud of you for going on that audition today. But it also made me realize that I don’t have anything that I’m passionate about like you and acting. To be honest, I never really thought about my future before I met you. I always assumed that I’d do this job until it killed me. We’ve talked about leaving this life one day to start a family but I’m afraid that I won’t be able to go through with it. I don’t have any career goals like you do with acting  And I don’t have a college degree to fall back on. When I left home, I only had like two semesters of Community under my belt. I’m qualified for nothing! I have no skills besides killing people. What if…what if that’s the only thing I’m good at?”

Barry nods, taking in everything you just said. He understands completely because he’s had the exact same fears as you.

“Killing people isn’t the only thing you’re good at,” your husband reassures you.

You try to get a read on Barry’s face. He looks sincere but you’re still not convinced.

“And I didn’t know that I loved acting until I accidentally crashed Mr. Cousineau’s class one day. When I started taking acting classes, it changed everything-”

A lightbulb suddenly goes off in Barry’s head.

“Have you ever thought about going back to school?” he asks.

You sigh, looking down at your lap.

“I don’t know. It's probably too late for me…”

“No, it’s not. You should try taking some classes down at the City College. You might find something you love,” Barry suggests.

You raise your eyebrows.

“You really think I could get my degree?” you shyly ask.

Barry nods. 

“Yeah. I think you can do anything,” he answers without hesitation.

Your heart melts. You really needed to hear that right now. Barry believes in you when you can’t even believe in yourself. He is your sunshine.

“Thank you,” you mouth to him. 

Barry kisses your forehead. Then he rises to his feet.

“C’mon, let’s go back to bed,” he says softly.

Your husband puts his hand out and you take it. He helps you stand up. The two of you go back inside hand in hand.

[gleefulhq]

character name. sugar motta

age & date of birth. 29, may 2

gender identity & pronouns. cis woman, she/her

occupation. social media influencer

personality traits. generous, optimistic, ambitious, abrasive, impatient, judgmental 

here’s what you missed on…

following graduation, sugar motta…didn’t do a whole lot. she didn’t need to. with her dad’s money filling her pockets, she didn’t need to try and find herself a job and with her socialite mother’s fun parties every second weekend, she didn’t see a need in going to college either. she could do all the cool socializing and friend-making parts of college without having to do all the boring study parts! so, sugar spent a couple of years twiddling her thumbs during the day and then going partygirl-wild at night. sugar finally found her calling when the headquarters for motta’s pianos was relocated to new york. when she was in high school, sugar had dreamed of being a performer. of being picked from a crowd or from the street by some casting directors like in the movies. but after meeting and getting to know real broadway stars? count her out! it seemed miserable! all that work and torture? all that auditioning and all those no’s? yeah, it just wasn’t for sugar. 

sugar began making tiktoks about her life as something to fill the time. get ready with me’s, videos in her car talking about her day, rant sessions about living in the world as an autistic woman (because she now had a fancy paper from a doctor and an accompanying diagnosis! no more self-diagnosed anything, haters!), make-up tutorials. she didn’t even notice they were blowing up at first, she was just having fun making them. before she knew it, xoxosugar was getting paid sponsorships and doing collabs. sugar was born to be a shining star, so it was only natural. sugar’s fans, the sugar babies, are some of the most ruthless fans online. they’ll fight to the death for sugar, and she loves them equally in return.

when sugar got the invite to return to mckinley, she obviously said ‘yes’. she had a blast back in high school! even if some people were super jealous and tried to act like she couldn’t sing. she was more than happy to prove those people wrong, and get to make a whole bunch of trending videos with her old classmates. some of them were famous now too, so that would be great for engagement! plus getting to show off her performance skills to her followers and fans would be super awesome! her covers always got heaps of views and comments!...not so many likes, but that was all because of jealousy, obviously.

the role of sugar motta is portrayed by jade thirlwall, and will be written by june.

[johnlocsin-johnyakuza]

Katherine

Age: 15

Description:

Daughter of Sunny and Aubrey. Lives in Faraway Town where she resides in her father's childhood home, often helping her mother and father with the household chores. Currently enrolled on the same high school her Aunt Mari went to.

Background:

Katherine was born on March 24 in the Town of Faraway and like any other kid she experienced a normal childhood growing up, enjoying many activities like drawing, playing, going to school, and spending time with her loving parent's.

At a family event with her parent's old childhood friendgroup she met Kel and Hero's younger sister, Sally, and the two quickly became friends after a few interactions. Katherine and Sally would soon formed a friendgroup 3 days after the start of their friendship.

During most of her childhood, Katherine had been told many stories about her Aunt Mari and how kind and joyful she was back when her parent's were children's. Sometimes she would get vivid dreams of her Aunt sitting on a picnic blanket waving and calling her to come to her picnic and have fun with her. Even though she didn't understand the meaning of the dreams, she felt happy spending time with her Aunt even if it was in the form of a dream.

At the age of 15, Katherine enrolled on the same high school her Aunt Mari went to where she's currently studyin in. She has moments where school becomes tough for her but try's her best to complete some of the difficult assignments and she has her parent's and friends to help her out when things get tough.

Katherine plans to go to college upon graduating from high school and study there for a job that fits with her skills.

Appearance:

Katherine inherited most of her mother's features with the exception of her hair which she inherited from her father. She somewhat resembles her Aunt Mari in terms of her long black hair and a few similar features, but the rest she's different.

At school, she wears a variant of a Japanese Saifuku, sporting long sleeves, a red skirt, and a yellow bow, along with a pair of flats or sneakers.

At Home, she wears a T-shirt or Sweater depending on the climate, with either a skirt or jeans, and a pair of flip-flops for a more comfortable style.

Outside she wears a variety of clothes, ranging from dresses to other casual outfits, sometimes wearing her Saifuku around the town in rare occasions.

Personality:

She likes to spend time with her friends and parent's, and always likes to help people whenever they need it. She's understanding of people's feelings, something she learned from her Mother to never interpret other people's reaction in the wrong way and to always listen to them before acting.

Very talkative and doesn't shy away from starting conversations to talk about interesting topics, really eager to learn new things.

She can be a perfectionist at times just like her Aunt, thinking that everything should be done correctly without any errors or mistakes. This had lead to moments of frustation and shame when things didn't go her way, but with her parent's guidance she learns to accept that it was okay to make mistakes and not being too harsh on herself if she didn't succeed on the first try.

Hobbies:

-Going out with her friends

-Art (inspired by her father's paintings)

-Sports (likes to play Tennis)

-Reading (Books, Comics, Novels, Manga's,ect)

-Watch TV

-Gardening (learned from her father's friend, Basil)

-Spending time with her family

(Note:

Search for "Female Names List" to look for a name since is hard to come up with one alone.

Wanted to choose in naming her Grace or Angela, heck even named her after Mari, but then decided to go with Katherine as her name instead.)

Hey you did very well with this!

I really like how parts of her still somewhat resemble Mari

[dylawas-reblogs]

I am ready to give up

ready to quit my job

ready to dump all of my savings into a gaming computer/vr and a trip to another country/a long distance friend

ready to hurry and outline the remainder of HLAL for my readers so they have SOME closure if not the full completed series

and then I'm ready to peace out of this existence by christmas (not before I make sure friends are in my legal will, there are things I don't want my family to have)

btw if you're gonna report this post this isn't a concrete 'plan' (no intent to put it to action yet)

but i don't know why the fuck I try anymore

i'm tired

i'm burned out

i'm depressed

people reach out to me and offer to help but idk how they can with the things i need help with

and maybe it's cruel of me but it's starting to feel like the equivalent of 'thoughts and prayers'

they'll feel powerless when there's nothing they can do; I'll feel powerless that there's nothing they can do. Everyone will just feel even more like shit if I try

emotional support's not enough anymore & I can't ask for money

I have enough

just don't have a guaranteed stable/sufficient income to confidently move out (I refuse to be a financial weight)

not to mention why the hell would I reach out when everyone else is floundering too

i can't find a job in my degree not even an unpaid internship

and i'm continuously being denied my graduation present of a high end gaming desktop because of it

(and because to my guardian it's not the 'right' kind of graduation present so he's spiteful)

i'm too anxious to network (and i don't even know what the point is when all these people i'm reaching out to aren't in positions to help suggest a position)

I open linkedin and burst into tears every time

In her defense she probably didn't know, but a recruiting person told me my skills were "better suited for an internship" when I have my BACHELORS

and most internships EXCLUSIVELY want college students which i'm not anymore

I can't find an alternative full time job that wouldn't make me want to puke or tear myself apart

I'm always told to go outside but go where? There are no Third Spaces within walking distance, and going places costs money

i'm paying half of my part time income in rent in my OWN GUARDIAN'S HOUSE while he fucks off to a new vacation/concert every third week

I was passed over for a promotion I was half counting on as an alternative to a new job

the job I'm currently working just stripped away extra hours because people were picking up too many so I can't work extra to offset rent

again I want to reiterate I HAVE MONEY but this greatly diminishes saving ability

and this whole vent was originally all gonna be in tags but this is the part where my tags didn't save because I had too many when I drafted this post

so oh boy I get to retype more than half of my grief from memory

so just know i'm probably forgetting something

My laptop wifi driver card was failing every hour for a while and no software troubleshooting resolved it

so it's probably a hardware issue (it's stopped for now but I know it will come back to bite me later)

Apparently my car's brakes need to be replaced and I was basically blamed for not knowing

but I didn't know that they needed replacing because I was never taught what to look out for and nothing seemed wrong to me

And these kinds of surprise expenses are EXACTLY why i basically have a phobia of spending money

anytime I think "I'm in a comfortable position I can treat myself!" almost immediately after something fucking breaks

it's a curse

speaking of shit fucking breaking, my whole body is in agony

went to a deceased relative's house to clean out everything yesterday and hated every second of it

(house was disgusting/family member was a smoker, which I have ZERO tolerance for)

but I went anyway, because it was the right thing to do and the immediate descendants would have been short handed otherwise

and my older brother ratted me out to The Overlord when I pointed out how shitty it was he wasn't going to be there when he was the favorite relative

And my brother did this KNOWING how this man will threaten to take away transportation/living arrangements/make you LITERALLY PAY if you don't kiss his fucking boots and grovel

the equivalent of telling on a shoplifter who was taking food because they're starving to the cops

so now I'm determined to not have a relationship with my older brother alongside the Overlord when I can finally escape

in the meantime i can't fucking write/draw/game/etc without feeling overwhelming guilt because I "should be working on a portfolio/job hunting"

so even when I try to relax, I can't, either through not enjoying the activity or not being able to start it at all

"You can't have fun" "okay let's do the hard stuff then" "no."

can't even do the portfolio part because of the burnout and general exhaustion from work anyways

And where the hell would I even "advertise" or gain a following when every social media is imploding either due to poor management or hostile AI takeover that will take your art/writing without a second thought to add to its Frankenstein algorithm

And the (in comparison) "moral" social media options are all niche to the point where you wouldn't be able to build a sufficient following anyways

this kind of self marketing shit is in and of itself a full time job, but oops! I'm already working!

Don't get me wrong I knew social media was a rat race before I graduated college, but nothing and no one could have prepared me for the way it is now. There was no AI competition until a year before I graduated, and that's going to change the entire field/process.

feels like my career coach and every job hunting site is wildly out of touch with how the market is now not just in my career but EVERYWHERE

And I want to try to start dating again, but there's no way in hell I can do that in confidence when I'm still living with a conservative fuckface

So there's another point for "can't move on in life if I don't get the fuck out of here"

Every single thing I do these days is "fucked if I do, fucked if I don't, and there's no reward for either option"

No social media is no exposure/followers, but social media is basically by default art theft now

working extra hours takes away more of your free time for recharging/portfolio, but not working means you're barely scraping by, and only if there's no emergency

Not saying anything to the people who are wronging you lets them think they can get away with it/think they're doing no wrong, but calling them out results in punishment and victim blaming

Nothing I do feels right, no matter if I kick it in reverse or drive, my wheels spin in every direction and everyone who IS in a position to help push the damn car just stands from afar and suggests, "Try turning the steering to the right for the fourteenth time!"

SOMETHING needs to change. But that kind of change can't happen unless the environment changes, and that can't happen because I have to make sure my income doesn't become a net negative, meaning nothing can change because I'm not in a position where asking for a rent decrease is an option.

And I KNOW most of this isn't my fault. I KNOW most of it is a side effect of a sick and decaying capitalistic society compounding on my own mental illnesses. It still feels like this has to be my fault anyways, because I'm being actively punished by it by the people closest to me (physically, not emotionally).

What is the fucking point.

Edit 8/14/23: Overlord, stop pressuring me to go to a "roast" for my deceased relative. I didn't hate him, but I disliked him, and me and my mother KNOW the "roast" is just a funeral service coated in clown paint-- which he didn't want.

[unluckyuncle]

anneitsnobigdeal​:

Something about this whole interaction got Anne thinking. Maybe she didn’t just have to be despondent when it came to missing her family and friends. If she got out there and made others feel good, maybe she’d feel better herself! Or they’d return the favor and bring those feelings about. It wouldn’t always be easy, but after everything she’d faced, she could definitely overcome the occasional bout of loneliness.

“Aww, well it takes some time to get used to cooking- pretty sure I ruined a couple of pans from how badly I screwed up before I got the hang of it. I’m a lot better now though, and I wouldn’t say no to you helping pay for the ingredients if you really want to! The money around here is weird- you’ll probably make it back in a couple days anyway?” She still didn’t quite get the system of the island’s digital currencies, but it had been enough to buy herself something from the nearest coffee or tea shop whenever the mood struck, so who was she to complain?

“Oh wow…yeah, I bet that is pretty weird. My parents are both Thai immigrants, but I was born and raised in Los Angeles! No talking ducks where I come from either…though, heh, I’ve actually already lived in another world that wasn’t my own before, where instead of humans there were frogs, toads, and newts who could all walk and talk too!” A pause. “I don’t know if that’s unusual to you, actually…”

Man, she’d never even considered that other worlds out there could be like Amphibia, where animals that were common in her world were just their world’s people. She didn’t know if that was exactly the kind of place Donald was from, but…she could find out!

“What’s your world like, anyway?”

He appreciated her trying to comfort him about his cooking skills. He didn’t have the heart to explain that he was just an extremely unlucky individual and every normal thing he could do had a chance to go wrong, especially in the kitchen. So he just took her word for it, nodding in agreement about the weird currency.

[I just can’t help but wonder how whoever’s in charge here manages to make it work! Digital currency sounds like a scam to me. But I am certain that I can pay for the ingredients, no problem!] He smiles, he’d taken up a couple of jobs, albeit he’d been fired from a lot of them, but he was saving up this ‘dust’ just for the holidays alone. 

[Oh I’ve been to LA! It’s pretty close to Duckburg actually! Calisota is right above California.] So she was from one of these universes with humans, though the frog world was a surprise. It explains at least why she didn’t seem too uuh… confused about him being a duck.

[Well most of the people in my world are fellow birds. My best friends in college are 2 parrots, but my family are ducks. There are also Dogs, Pigs, and a bunch of others. I’ve met some Frogs as well! Though one of them was a god… or a demon, I don’t remember off the top of my head.] That particular adventure was not his fondest memory, but still.

[Otherwise, it’s a lot like this city actually. Very large, modern, and weird magic and tech things happening around. Just with ya know, ducks.] He chuckles. [What about you? How did you end up in a world of frogs? Sounds like an adventure that my family would end up getting into.]

[mercy-burning]

Good Little Helper

Pairing: Season 5! Spencer Reid x fem!Reader Summary: Reader gets assigned to be Spencer’s personal assistant of sorts after he gets shot in the knee. Category: SMUT(18+) Content Warnings: fingering (female receiving), blowjob, praise kink, dirty talk, blink and you’ll miss it cumplay Word Count: 4.7k

MASTERLIST

NOTE: So, remember yesterday when I posted about how I wished new ideas would stop distracting me from everything I’m currently working on? Yeah. This wouldn’t leave me alone, and I couldn’t work on anything until I got it out of my head, so here! Have a fic! (It was supposed to be a blurb, but I got a little long-winded so now it’s too long to be a blurb oops 😙✌) Also, I apologize for any editing mistakes, I just wrote this out in one go, so hopefully it’s alright!

***

Being assigned to assist Dr. Reid with practically his every need after he was shot in the knee wasn't exactly how I expected to spend the past few months.

And that's, like... a huge understatement.

In fact, when Agent Hotchner came up to me in the break room and said he'd like me to do the job, I dropped my coffee and shattered a mug. I could tell he was a little impatient with me, even through his kind reassurances that it was quite all right as he helped me clean it up and waited for an answer.

In the end I'd said yes to the job, though the more I thought about it the more I wondered how much lust and naivete had clouded my judgement when I did.

Because there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to survive weeks, possibly months, as Spencer Reid's assistant. Not only because he was intimidatingly intelligent and there was almost nothing I could offer him in decent conversation, but also—and more prominently—the fact that I was pretty sure I was in love with him.

Maybe that was a stretch. I definitely had a stupid major crush on him that felt more like we were in middle school, but I could barely look at him without going warm all over. In fact, I think we had only ever made eye contact once and I averted my gaze immediately, afraid I'd give myself away. If I'd have held it any longer, I was positive I'd have burst into flames.

He'd tried talking to me once, a few months after I started working at the Bureau, and it was only to ask if I'd send some files over to their tech analyst, Penelope Garcia, but when I tried answering, I stumbled over my words and ended up only getting out a squeaked, "Uh huh," before taking the files from him and scurrying off.

I almost cried that day.

Basically every time I was in his presence, I was a total wreck. Even more so than I was on any other given day.

Being his assistant did get fairly easy pretty early on, though. I mostly just stayed out of his way while he worked, and if he need anything that he could've gotten himself if not for the injury, it was my job to get it for him. I worked on my own paperwork most of the time, and he was always busy working on geographical profiles and whatever else, we only ever really had to talk when he asked for something. And that only required a, "Sure," on my end, so I could just get up, get what he needed, and then go back to work.

Still, it didn't help that sometimes I'd get distracted.

He was very distracting.

I usually waited until I was sure he was so busy in work that I wouldn't get caught. And that's when I'd peek over my computer or hide behind a book and stare at him. I know that sounds creepier than it is, but if you had to spend almost every hour of the day with him, you'd have done the same. Even though for months he was put on rest from the field, he always showed up looking more like a college professor than an FBI agent. Which, I suppose suited him more anyway. Regardless, it was a damn fine look. His hair was decently long and extremely pretty, and when he got the cane?

I was a goner.

It was at that point, though, when I started to realize that he probably wouldn't need my help anymore. He'd been allowed back into the filed by then, and even when I went with them on cases it still felt like I was more out of place than usual. Sure, I'd picked up on some minor skills that aided in profiling and otherwise, but at the end of the day I was still only a desk clerk. Sooner or later, I knew there would be a time where Agent Hotchner would inevitably tell me that I'd done a good job and could return to my menial day job.

So, even though Dr. Reid and I had gotten into a pretty regular, non-awkward rhythm, I was being a little more squirrely than usual.

And of course, he noticed.

"Y/N, are you doing alright?" he asked, looking up from his stack of paperwork. That was another thing we'd ended up doing— late into the night after everyone had gone home, we stayed late in the conference room and quietly filled out paperwork.

I barely looked him in the eye when I answered. "O—Oh, mhm. I'm fine."

"Oh... You just seem... a little different today."

On any other day I would have freaked out on the inside like a teenager, excited that he'd noticed me at all enough to notice a difference in my behavior. But that was his job after all.

"Actually, you seem rather... sad."

I did look up at him this time, and the soft glow of the table lamp lit up his features— features that looked me over with concern. I could feel my face grow warmer with every second I looked at him, until I quickly looked back down at my paper and shook my head.

"N—No, I'm okay. Promise. Just a little tired, that's all."

Usually he would have left it at that, given we didn't ever really have longer conversations than that that didn't pertain to whatever case the BAU was working on. But he pushed further, and I swallowed.

"Are you sure? Because... You can tell me if there's something wrong. I'm a good listener..."

Did I dare tell him what was really plaguing me? That I was scared I wasn't going to be able to spend time with him every day, thus most likely giving away my crush? That is, if he hadn't already figured it out by this point... Truthfully it wouldn't have surprised me.

The thought made me go warm again, and still, I kept my head down.

"I'm sure..."

And then I did something I probably shouldn't have. I looked back up at him, just a quick glance, but under his intense gaze I crumbled, flitting my eyes back down and playing with my hands.

"Is it... because of me?"

Afraid suddenly that I'd made him feel bad, I straightened a little. "No! No, not at all I... Um... I—I guess I'm just... A little sad that I'm probably... not going to be of any help to you anymore. You know, now that you're healing up."

A small smile flashed over his face, and I inwardly melted.

"Oh... In that case I... I guess I'm sad, too."

"Really?" I asked softly, my heart jumping.

"Mhm," he answered back in earnest. His features were softer than they'd ever been, eyes wide and kind, smile inviting... "You've been a great help. And you're fun to be around."

I couldn't help but smile shyly at his confession, completely bewildered that he'd think of me as someone he'd enjoyed being around, though I'd offered just about nothing interesting to any conversation we'd had. "Y—You don't mean that..."

"I do."

"C'mon, really? I... I—mean... coming from you that's... that's too generous."

He laughed a little. "How do you mean?"

"I... Well, y—you're you... I mean, you're... smart, and nice, and cu— uh,... n—nice..." I stumbled hard on that last one, squeezing my eyes shut at the thought of almost calling him cute to his face... And then I realized I'd called him nice two times... in a row.

I hadn't even realized he'd gotten up and walked over to me until I felt his cane gently tap my leg. I jumped, looking up at him and almost crumbled again right then and there. He stood over me, tall and clearly amused, and I wanted to just curl up and hide where no one would ever find me.

I also didn't want to be craning my neck so far up to see him, so I stood up, sending my chair rolling back a foot or two. The added height was better, but he was still fiarly taller than me, and with the way were standing so close to each other?

Maybe I'd made a mistake...

"I—I'm sorry," I stammered.

Still amused, Spencer tilted his head a small amount. "What for?"

"I... I don't know, m—making this awkward?"

"It's not awkward."

"It... It's not?"

He shook his head, quiet for a few beats before he nearly whispered. "What were you going to say?"

I paused. "I... What?"

"Before... You said I was smart. And nice... And... What else?"

It sounded like he was trying to get me to confess something, and quite honestly I couldn't tell if it was for humiliation or amusement or clarification purposes. I mean, it was probably safe to assume he wouldn't go out of his way to humiliate me, but... it still made me nervous.

"I—I didn't... I..."

"Y/N... Tell me?"

I'd been cornered. Quite literally, too, as my lower back hit the edge of the table. My hands shook anxiously at my sides as I contemplated what to say. The truth? Embarrassing for me. A lie? I was no good at telling lies, and I'd still end up embarrassed, because he'd be able to tell.

So, after a very long silence in which he waited on me to answer, I blurted out, as quietly as possible, "Cute."

The word sounded juvenile coming from my mouth. Right now, standing under Dr. Reid's intense scrutiny, it didn't even feel like the right word to describe him. Not that it wasn't true... But it just wasn't an elegant enough descriptor for him.

And that alone probably proved just how different we were. How out of my league he was...

"That's what I thought you were going to say," he mused, slightly breaking me out of my self-deprecation.

I would have asked him something then, anything to keep myself from looking like even more of a fool with a childish schoolgirl crush, but all words escaped me entirely. All I could do was look up at him, slowly growing warm under the intensity of his eyes and praying he wouldn't think of me as silly.

Though, it wouldn't have mattered, because he kept talking anyway, his body taking up even more space around me as his arms came around to well and truly trap me against the table.

"You're right, you know... I'm almost completely healed, and pretty soon I think I won't need an assistant anymore."

I was scared that maybe I was wrong before, and he'd actually humiliate me now, though the look in his eyes suggested otherwise. I wasn't sure what to make of all of it. SO I just stood there, trying to breath steadily as Spencer studied my face.

"And I meant it... That makes me sad. You know why?"

I shook my head, afraid to make a sound.

His head dipped lower, close enough that I could feel his breath on my mouth as he spoke. "I probably won't get to see you every day."

"Y—you want to see me?" I couldn't help but ask.

He scanned my eyes, amusement and something else lingering there as he did. "Yes."

And then he kissed me.

It was a short distance, but it felt like we went far. And I hadn't even registered that I whimpered into his mouth until he returned it with a low groan that boiled my insides and absolutely melted me. I was helpless against him as he pressed himself further against me and used his hands to keep my back steady.

The whole time my mind was swimming with dizziness. It felt like my body was covered in butterflies from head to toe, particularly strong where his hands pressed into me and his cane rested firmly along the inside of my thigh.

I leaned forward when he pulled away, because I was afraid that he was saying goodbye. But one of his hands came up to my face and my eyes fluttered open, immediately taking notice of how messy his hair was now that I'd had my fingers in it.

I must have looked scared, because suddenly his eyes changed, and he removed his hands away from me altogether, putting distance in between us. "I—I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you without asking..."

The relief that rushed through my body must have gotten to my head, because I breathed out a demand I'd never have had the courage to get out before.

"Do it again."

One second I was staring at him, admittedly afraid that he'd regretted all of it, and the next I was seeing stars as he came forward and kissed me again. His hands cradled my face as he did so, coming on to me with gentle care while still maintaining that hunger that surprised and excited me.

I hadn't realized how much I missed his touch until he'd given it back to me, my body once again melting into him and allowing him to do whatever it is that pleased him.

Apparently that was lifting my leg off the ground and making me sit on the table.

My body went along with it easily, and I was glad for it because my brain was nothing but mush, unable to process fully how he'd decided that I was worth kissing. All I really knew was that I wanted him. Anything he wanted from me, I was willing to give. And that must have come across very clearly, because when he pulled away and spoke to me, I whimpered at his words.

"Y/N... You've been such a good girl, helping me with whatever I needed these past few months..." Meanwhile his hand danced along the hem of my skirt, the tiny brushes of his skin against mine sending me into a mess of shivers.

"I think it's about time I've thanked you for all your help, don't you think?"

The implications in his tone made me whine again, and I pressed my forehead into his, our noses brushing as I answered. "Please."

I was so taken by the way he groaned as his lips connected with mine once more that I almost didn't realize that his hand was now fully up my skirt, his fingers drawing gentle lines over my panties and practically making me melt again. His hungry kisses contradicted the softness he took to my clothed cunt, a fact that warmed me to my core and made me want him more than ever.

When he slipped the fabric aside and ran the pad of his finger through me, I whined hard against his mouth, something that must have excited him— He nipped at my bottom lip and took a deep breath.

"How long have you wanted this, Princess?"

If not for the kissing and the finger slowly sliding up through my arousal, the nickname would have done me in. By now I was an utter wreck, but I somehow still managed to answer, even through a little stammering. "F—Forever."

It was the best I could come up with.

He breathed a laugh as his finger circled my clit. "That's a long time..."

"Uh huh," was all I could manage in response. My body and my brain were too focused on the things his finger was doing to my body, involuntarily rolling my hips forward for more. I needed more.

Thankfully he picked up on my urgency and reciprocated with slipping his middle finger inside me, one knuckle, then two...

I cried out as my head lurched forward, connecting our mouths once again. My hands clutched around his neck and my fingers tugged at his hair to keep myself from falling, because the slow, searing pace at which he fingered me made me wonder how I'd still been able to breathe.

He added another finger soon enough, picking up the pace and rendering me practically useless in his embrace. Meanwhile I registered the sound of his own little whines, still deeper than mine but little enough to tip me off that he was enjoying this just as much as I was, and that alone helped get me further along in pleasure.

I pulled my mouth from his reluctantly, squeezing my eyes shut as I allowed my forehead to rest against his. "D—Doctor, I'm c... I'm so close."

"His honorific falling breathlessly from my mouth seemed to do something sinister to him, because his fingers sped up and his breathing got heavier.

"Yeah? You gonna come for me, Princess?"

My stomach tightened and I nodded as best as I could, relishing in the sounds coming from below us, wet and downright filthy.

"Go ahead...Be a good girl and come for me... You deserve it..."

Each little sentence was punctuated with a slightly faster pace, each one bringing me closer and closer until I squeaked into his mouth and shook violently around his fingers, my vision going white. My legs had been open wide since he'd started teasing under my skirt, but now they threatened to clamp shut from the intensity. But I wanted nothing more than to be good for him, to make this as easy as possible, so I held out and kept them open as wide as I could stand as my orgasm rocked through me.

Spencer whispered praises into my skin as his hand slowed and his mouth trailed down to my neck. And even though it was more than nice feeling him lick and bite over my skin, I felt rather sad when he removed his fingers from me.

That sadness didn't last long though, not when he pulled back and studied me for a moment, eyes lust-blown and purely ravenous before he brought his glistening fingers up to my mouth.

I didn't even have to think. I brought my tongue out and let him slip his fingers over it, closing my mouth around them and sighing as I sucked them clean. This only seemed to excite him more, his features displaying all sorts of desperation until he couldn't take it anymore.

He kissed me again, bringing both his hands to rest at my waist. And with his hands so low I wondered if maybe he'd take to ridding himself of his own pants, but it never happened. Rather, he pulled away after minutes of more kissing, and sighed quite sadly as his upper body pressed firmly into mine.

Something else pressed firmly against me as well—right along the inside of my thigh—and I gasped, mind running wild through all the possible outcomes of the night.

But Spencer only stood there, occasionally nudging his nose against mine while his hands gently kneaded my sides.

"D—Do you want to stop?" I asked softly, afraid he'd regret what we did.

He proved me wrong. "God, no... It's... It's just that I'm still not cleared enough for any... strenuous activity on my leg, and I don't..."

I didn't want to push him, obviously, but I thought I could make the mood a little lighter. "O—Oh, well on the bright side... I could stay your assistant for a while longer."

The laugh that rumbled in his throat made me smile, though from the way he stood there, I knew he wouldn't risk it.

"Um... Raincheck?" he whispered.

On the one hand, that meant he definitely wanted to see me again, and I was more than happy with that. But also, that meant our fun for the night was done...

Yet... Maybe not...

"Sure," I answered, pecking his lips once more. Then I brought my hand to his chest and slid it down until I reached his belt, and I leaned back to look him in the eye, a boldness I never imagined coming from me in a million years.

"But I can still help you..."

I watched the desperation and disappointment in his features slowly dissolve into a newfound hunger—and an amusement—that grew my confidence tenfold.

"Oh?" Spencer mused. "How do you suppose you can help me this time?"

He wanted me to say it. So, without second guessing myself anymore, I grazed my finger over his erection. "I'm very good with my mouth, Dr. Reid."

He grabbed me by the hand then, dragging me along to the chair I'd kicked back before and sat himself down, one of his hands still gripping the cane. Matched with the desire in his eyes and the swollenness of his lips and the tousled strands of his hair, the sight was truly something to behold. It was something that only ever existed in my dreams, nd now it was real.

Not wanting to waste any time, I sunk to my knees and nestled myself in between his legs. He reached out and caressed my cheek before lifting my chin with his middle finger.

"You like being my good little helper?" he drawled.

I tried to nod, but he clicked his tongue and held my chin in place. "Words, Princess."

"Yes. I—I'd do anything you asked. Anything you want, it's yours..."

He hummed then, removing his hand from my face and moving to undo his belt swiftly with only one hand. The action, the sound, everything... it was enough to make me wet again, and I subtly ground down onto the heel of my foot as I watched him pull himself free from the confines of his pants.

I didn't have time to marvel at him before I was drawn forward like a magnet, my hands crawling up his legs and my eyes batting up at him, ready and eager to please him however he wanted.

"Eager, are we?" he mused once more, gently stroking himself with his hand.

"Yes, Doctor," I breathed, inching closer and kissing the outside of his hand.

His movement stopped then, and it didn't take longer than a second for him to decide to let me work on my own.

"Then have at it, Princess..."

I started by kissing my way up the length of him, taking my time to gauge his reactions as I did so, occasionally darting my tongue out to taste him. Once I reached the tip, I sucked on it gently, using my tongue to swirl around it until I could taste the saltiness of his precum.

And then I started taking him slowly into my mouth, watching above me as Spencer's eyes started to shut, obviously debating whether or not to lay back and enjoy this or watch me intently.

Either way, I was more than happy to keep it up, finally getting him to the back of my throat. I flexed my tongue and held him there as long as I could, promptly gagging over him and blinking tears from my eyes as he let out a loudest sound I'd heard from him yet. His head flew back and his tongue quivered along his bottom lip as he cursed my name.

The act made me proud, so I retreated for air, sucked at his tip again for a few seconds, and then repeated it, taking him down my throat again and watching through teary eyes as he visibly swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Fuck, Y/N, you're so... Such a good fucking girl..."

The praise caused my insides to burn hot, and I ground down onto my heel again, lifting my mouth to start bobbing up and down.

His eyes opened then, and he looked down at me, using his hand to brush stray hair from my face and the other to grip onto his cane for dear life. I looked up at him the whole time, making sure to convey through not only my actions but also my eyes that I loved this. I thrived off of his praise, I enjoyed the feel of his dick gliding over my tongue and hitting the back of my throat, and I longed to feel him coat the inside of my mouth with his release.

I was so entirely into him in every capacity, it wasn't even funny.

I was so glad he could tell, a smile grazing his features as his hand gently gripped some of my hair. "So eager to please, Princess... And so fucking good at delivering..."

I whined onto his dick as he held me down, rendering me immobile. The only thing I could do was look up at him and choke, and of course, I was more than happy to do it. In turn, I was met with a deep groan and a tug of the hair.

"Hold it, hold it... Atta girl..."

My cunt throbbed at his words, and my throat continued to burn, tears falling down my face at ten-speed until finally, he let up and pulled me off of him.

I coughed a little and blinked away tears as I caught my breath, Spencer's fingers combing hair from my face as he smiled proudly.

He didn't even need to say anything then. I wanted to give him more. So I leaned down again and took him in my mouth, quickly making work of his tip while my hand came up and stroked the rest of him.

"Fuck, Princess, just like that... Make me come just like that..."

Rather than just continuing, I offered him a high whine and a wide gaze, hoping to exceed expectations.

I guess it worked, because he came right then, his dick pulsing over my tongue and in my hand as his warm release shot down my throat and over my tongue. I hummed around him, fluttering my eyes closed at the taste and the feeling, probably enjoying the fact that I'd done this to him more than I should have.

It was worth it to see the look on his face, though, after he'd given me all he had and I purposely spit some of it out onto the tip of his dick so I could lick it up and give him just a little more stimulation after the fact. His mouth hung open, eyes heavy and unwilling to leave me, even as I finished and sat back to wipe the tears and saliva from my face with a satisfied smile.

Though, the longer he looked at me, the more shy I became. Funny when I'd just had his dick down my throat, but I'd never been good with people staring at me for long periods of time.

"Was that... Was that okay?" I asked, suddenly worried I hadn't done something to his standards. "I know I don't do this a lot, so I'm sorry if it wasn't that g—"

"Y/N..."

I blinked up at him, still on my knees and unwilling to move. Not that I wanted to, but I couldn't even if I had.

"That was fucking perfect... I meant it, you're... so good."

I knew he was capable of better words, but after having the life sucked out of you, I could imagine 'better words' were hard to come by. Still, I laughed a little, playing with the hem of my skirt. "Good. I'm... glad I could help."

He smiled at me, readjusting his pants and then moving to help me off the ground.

"Hey, uh... Even when you go back to your regular job after I get better, I... I hope you know you're always welcome to come visit me if we're not busy."

The words warmed me in a different way, my heart swelling as well. "You... You mean that?"

Spencer nodded, grabbing my hand and dragging his thumb over my wrist. "Of course. I mean, you're more than just a good helper, you know. You're also kind, and smart, and cute..."

I laughed at his emphasis on cute, heat warming my face. "Ha-ha..."

"I really mean it, though," he said softly, removing his hand from mind and bringing it up to lift my chin, so I'd meet his eyes. They were swimming with sincerity, the epitome of warmth and comfort and kindness— the kind that always drew me to him in the first place. "And... If you'd want to maybe ditch the paperwork one day and grab a coffee or something, maybe—"

"Yes," I interrupted without thinking. My heartbeat picked up upon seeing the look in his eyes when I agreed, a mixture of amusement and relief. "Y—Yes, I'd love to."

"Good. Then it's a date?"

"Definitely."

PERMANENT TAGLIST:  @elldell1204 @muffin-cup @calm-and-doctor @slutforthegubes @rainsong01 @yourmisosoup @liveloudwriteloud @reidsconverse @la-vie-en-amour1 @edgycowboy666 @averyhotchner @centiaaa @lizziechaseee @coffeeandendlesswords @usuck @spenxerslut @g0lden-cth @emilyprentisslittlewhore @takeyourleap-of-faith @reidyoulikeabook @spencerreid9 @b-a-utiful @jareauswifey @big-galaxy-chaos

If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please let me know in a message or comment, and I’ll be sure to get to it! Thank you!

[jeoniius]

Next Life | kth (m)

☆ summary:  Although you and Taehyung didn’t believe in first and second lives, you both wished you’d find each other in the next life as you both looked at the sky that night.

☆ pairing: husband!tae x wife!reader

☆ genre: angst, smut.

☆ warning: sexual content, angst

☆ word count: 4k

☆a/n: Finally this is done. Thank you so much @jkiddingjeon for beta-ing the fic, it meant A LOT. I really love this fic and I hope you enjoy it too. ngl it's a pretty heartbreaking fic so get ready for some ANGST.

Love. Hate. 

It’s always adjacent to each other. Something that’s always there when the other is present. It also changes people. How it makes people go from loving someone and being best friends with someone to trying everything they can to pull them down, to take them out. 

You’d say you can relate to it. In more ways than one. You had seen your fair share of people going from loving them unconditionally to talking shit about them the next day. Divorce was one of them. All the promises and vows made of staying through health and sickness, through good and bad, thrown out of the window. 

You thought of it as one of the most heartbreaking things and now you were here. Doing the exact thing as you watched the clock tick by, thinking of ways and excuses to get you out of this marriage. This marriage that ended everything. It hadn’t always been like this. No, you were in love. You were so madly in love that if anyone had told you you’d stand in this place today you’d not believe it. 

You are still in love. So madly in love but the difference being you want it to end. Maybe that way you’d find each other again.

As time went by, you stood by the railing of your balcony. The bright light of the city shined underneath you as you thought Tomorrow would be it. The end of what once was seen as a beautiful love story by not only you but by many others. The final chapter.

Maybe love and hate stood adjacent to each other but you could never hate him. 

And so you stood there, taking it all in, you thought about where it went wrong.

7 months ago

“I can’t believe you think that!” you shouted, hands up in the air as you walked back into the apartment, him following you behind. 

“Well I wouldn’t if you kept your distance!” he said, raising his voice.

“Oh my god. One hug. It was one hug. And that too because he was leaving.” 

“It didn’t look like one,” he argued back. 

“Are you freaking kidding me right now? Nothing happened, you know that.” you said trying to calm yourself down. 

“Stop trying to argue with me all the fucking time.” he bit back. 

“Oh, I am arguing? You were the one who started it.” You took long strides towards him. 

“You were the one who accused his wife of cheating although you have no proof whatsoever” you gritted through your teeth as your finger poked his chest. 

He let out a loud groan as you run your hands through your hair. “You know what, Taehyung? You can stay here. I’m leaving.” and with that you grabbed your purse and keys and strode out the door, slamming it behind. 

Kim Taehyung. 

The love of your life. You met him in college. As cliché as it sounds, he was the heartthrob with his extremely good looks and his unbelievable flirting skills. You weren’t supposed to know him at all if you thought about it. 

Your college held its annual fest, and you were the head of the management. You had stumbled across him when he had come to drop off some supplies instead of his best friend. You got into a small quarrel when he commented on how you were the head of the management when you were only a freshman and questioned your ability to pull the entire thing off when it was only three days from the fest and not even one percent of anything was done.

You got into a bet with him as you made him promise you that he’d treat you to something of your choice if you pulled it off. Nevertheless, you pulled the entire thing off within the next two days, proving him wrong. As a promise, he treated you to something really expensive(of course you had picked it) and then swore to never question your ability.  

You started seeing more of him, with his surprise visits to your class (which usually ended up with girls surrounding you asking how you knew him) or him coming to your seat in the cafeteria just to give you some new juice he got for you. Sometimes he’d ask you to come to one of his basketball matches and then took you to dinner afterward. 

You felt your heartbeat increasing every time you saw him or heard his name in fact, and before you knew it, you were confessing to him, putting your heart on the line. 

The day you confessed, you ran out before he could even reply. Too scared to be rejected. But Taehyung did something you’d never expect. He brought you to an amusement park, took you to dinner, and then confessed to you with thousands of chocolate (literally). 

You both had your fair share of arguments and then makeup sex. Mind-blowing sex to be exact. 

Your relationship with Taehyung was built on trust. He’d be there waiting for you every time you came home late and vice versa. You’d be at all of his games. You’d go to every party, hang out with your friends.

Once he graduated, he’d wait to pick you up every day. Every day you’d go to your favorite café, with your friends, complete assignments and projects, argue about who won the last UNO game, girls vs boys. 

He spent every hour with you when you struggled with your dream job and you did the same. When you finally did get the job, he asked you to marry him. You nodded then and there. Tears escaped, phone calls were made. Everyone came to the engagement party and then the wedding and you truly thought everything you ever wanted was there. Your family, your friends, his friends, him. 

But what you didn’t know then was what followed after. Just like promises are made, they are broken. Trust is broken and the bond doesn’t stay. 

The first two years were bliss. You went to Paris for your honeymoon and then to New York. Yes, New York for your honeymoon. You experienced the love in Paris and the rush in New York. 

You spent most of the days in Paris, going to spots of attractions, enjoying the food in the café, walking around the streets drunk and completely in love, having late night sex, morning sex,  just lots of sex to be exact. 

But in New York, you spent your days going to Times Square, Bars, and Pubs had ‘the’ New York pizza and cheesecakes and hotdogs and whatnot. Went shopping and sightseeing. Roamed around the streets at night, met so many people.

You believed you had found what you had been looking for all your life. Someone to go to romantic dinners and the craziest parties with.  

But what followed was something you didn’t think would happen. Every marriage has its ups and downs. You had to. But then it started.

Every party would become an excuse to start arguments, every late night at work would lead to assumptions. At first, you thought it would be fine. Talking would help, it was always the key for the both of you but lately, every time you spoke or tried to solve the issues, it would end in huge fights, sometimes followed by sex, or even if not sex, you’d stop talking to each other and then one day pretend nothing happened. 

Although in heels you walked around the park near your apartment. ‘It will be fine’ you told yourself as you tried not to break down. Deciding it would not be a good idea to go anywhere at that hour, you sat by a bench.

The cold wind hit you as a shiver ran down your body, the thin wine slip dress doing nothing to stop it. The screen of your phone lit up as you saw multiple texts from Taehyung. A part of you was happy that he cared enough to text you. You clicked on his profile as a series of texts came up.

Tae: where are you?

Tae: come on Y/N, don’t be stupid. 

Tae: it’s really late. where the fuck are you?

Tae: baby, you’re scaring me. 

Sighing you got up and made your way out of the park. Since you lived in a complex, it didn’t take you too long to walk. As you opened the keys, you saw Taehyung pacing around the living room. “Where are my keys?” he muttered to himself, not noticing your presence. 

A clinking sound made Taehyung look up as the keys hit the ceramic bowl on the kitchen top. “Where were you?” he asked, trying to control his anger. You didn’t answer him as you took off the heels, internally sighing when the cold floor hit your barefoot. “Are you seriously gonna ignore me? I asked where the fuck were you?” he pulled you by your wrists stopping you from going further. “Don’t do this.” you gritted through your teeth as you harshly pulled away before going inside your shared bedroom. 

You slipped out of the dress and you got inside the shower, the hot water touching your skin as you stood there. No matter how much you tried not to think about it, you always went back. Where did it go wrong? 

You changed into shorts and one of Taehyung’s oversized shirts as it reached mid-thigh. Getting inside the covers, you relaxed, the cool sensation of your bedsheet and covers calming you somehow as you turned towards the glass wall. 

You heard a sigh as Taehyung got inside the room. He got inside the covers and stared at your back as you tried to keep calm. You felt an arm wrap around your waist as he pulled you closer, back colliding with his chest, nuzzling his face at the crook of your neck. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” his voice came muffled as you felt the vibrations on your neck. 

“I really am.” he said, taking a deep breath pulling you closer if that was possible. You sighed, turning to him. 

“I felt really cheap, you know” you said, hands reaching to cup his face. “I’m so sorry baby.” he sighed, closing his eyes as you ran your hand through his hair. “I know.” 

He pressed a kiss on your lips as you pulled him closer, hands wrapping around his neck. You sighed into the kiss as his lips trailed down towards your collarbone, sucking and nipping then. Soon enough he was inside you as he went on an animalistic pace. “Do you think he can fuck you like this?” he growled. You ignored him as you knew you were close, focusing on your climax. You came within the next few minutes as he rubbed your clit while thrusting.

Later on, he lapped up the spilled contents lazily as you screamed his name, your cries stroking his ego.

He wrapped an arm around your naked waist as he fell asleep on his stomach, head on your chest, legs tangled over your naked ones. You stroked his hair as you stared at the ceiling, his words ringing in your ear ‘Do you think he can fuck you like this?’

A small realization crept inside your head. He was never gonna trust you.

He stirred in his sleep, pulling you closer, he pressed an open-mouth kiss above the swell of your breast in his sleep. Releasing a long sigh, you kissed his head, quickly pushing the thought aside. 

That was the first mistake. 

“I love you so much,” you said. 

You pulled the robe over your body tightly, a coffee cup in your hand. Picking up your phone you looked at the time. 3:08 am it read. The city still buzzed with life. The cold breeze hit your face soothingly as you closed your eyes. Only if you had done something before, things wouldn’t have gone wrong. 

4 months ago

Your phone buzzed as you frustratedly rubbed your face. You dreaded picking up the call, not wanting to have to shout again. Things had been gradually worsening between you and Taehyung. Late-night fights, coming home drunk, not talking to each other for weeks had become a common thing nowadays and no matter how hard you tried, no matter how many times you both tried to co-operate, you didn’t seem to escape it.

“You should talk to him.” Ae-ra said, handing you a cup of tea. 

Tea. 

You never liked tea. You were more of a coffee person. You preferred the rush, the adrenaline. But nowadays, you were tired. Tired of doing the same thing over and over again. Having the same quarrels and fights over and over again. Tea seemed to calm you. 

“And then what? Get into another fight?” 

“You know what I mean, babe.” She said as she rubbed your arm soothingly.

“Maybe later. I cannot deal with him now.” you sipped on the cup.

What you didn’t know was that “later” would come that fast. You went back to your apartment to get more of your clothes. You planned on going at night, when he was most probably out with his friends or whoever kept him busy nowadays. But to your surprise, he was there. 

You opened the main door, using the key you had with you to meet with his laying figure on the couch. His head shot up at the sound of the door, eyes meeting each other. He looked drained, hair messy and bags under his eyes. You cursed under your breath, debating if you should just go back to Ae-ra’s place and come later for your clothes. 

“Look who’s here.” he scoffed as he got up from the couch.

Deciding on the former, you walked past him without taking another glance, into your shared bedroom. Taking a bag out, you shoved as many clothes as possible wanting to stay away from this mess. “Are you gonna ignore me now?” you heard him as he entered the room. 

You zipped up the chain as you walked towards the door wanting to leave. He grabbed your hand before you could go any further. He felt so scared when he saw you packing your stuff, so much that it suffocated him. “Fucking answer me.” his voice raised as he stared at you. 

Taehyung’s eyes softened as he saw the dry tears on your cheeks and he wanted nothing more than to pull you close and never let go. To talk to you and tell you it would be fine, that you would figure it out together. 

As he saw your tired eyes, glossy as you tried to keep your composure, he wanted to kiss you so badly and keep you tucked away from every bad thing; ever, even himself if he was bad for you.

And maybe he would have done that. Hugged you and kissed you. Kept you in his arms if you didn’t start talking. 

“Leave me the fuck alone.” you pulled away harshly. “You know what? Yes, I am ignoring you and gladly will.” 

“What is wrong with you? You cannot just come and go like that.” he said, hands gesturing to your bag.

“I can and I will. You cannot stop me” you clarified.

“ Yes, I can. I am your husband for god’s sake.” a frustrated tone laced his words.

“Husband?” you scoffed. “When were you a good husband? Where did this go when I stayed up till dawn every day waiting for you?” 

“You know how hectic things have been at work.” he looked at you knowingly. 

“That doesn’t mean you’d stop spending time with me!” you yelled.

You knew you were being unreasonable. Things really were hectic at work for him. But you couldn’t help but feel lonely when you came home after a long day to an empty and cold apartment and then stayed up every day almost all night for your husband. You felt so neglected when he’d come home and go to sleep straight away without saying anything. 

All the doubts about your marriage slowly were coming true and you wanted nothing more than to prove it wrong. But talking about it led to arguments with Taehyung. So you decided to stay away from home, so that you didn’t have to think about it, to begin with. 

That was the second mistake. 

“You are going nowhere.” Taehyung took the bag from your hand and walked towards the bed. “You’ll stay at home.”

“Home?” a humorless chuckle left your throat. “I will go anywhere I want, but home.” 

“I mean it Y/N. Stop acting like a kid. Go wash up and come to bed.” he sighed. 

“I’m not staying” you concluded, ready to leave your stuff behind as you turned. 

You felt a pair of hands wrap around your waist as he stuffed his face in the junction of your neck and shoulder. A tear left your eyes, followed by streams, and for some reason, your heart broke, it felt like he was pulling you apart from inside. 

You felt his warm breath as he mumbled something. He pressed you towards him as you silently cried. 

Later that night, as he fucked you slowly, something different than his usual dominating aura, your heart ached, but you couldn’t pinpoint why. He kissed you ever so passionately, that you cried. 

Something told you that it would be over soon, so you hugged him as close as you could when he slept. You cried as he hugged you in his sleep like you would go away if he didn’t have you in his arms. 

“I love you so much,” he mumbled in his sleep.

That’s when you realized how bad the entire situation was. How bad you were for him just like he was for you. How bad this marriage was. 

And what followed after confirmed everything you ever doubted. 

2 months ago

“You think I didn’t see you?” you yelled. 

“What are you talking about?” he looked curious. 

“Oh sure, play the good guy, make me look bad, why don’t you?” you scoffed.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” he repeated. “How would you? You thought you were good enough to keep it away from me.” you said. His eyebrows crashed as he tried to understand. “I saw you with her. Maybe that’s why you were always late. You were too busy fucking her.” a bitterness stayed in your mouth. “Are you kidding me?” he said as he raked his fingers through his hair. 

“You are accusing me of cheating, Y/N? You?” he scoffed. “Don’t think I forgot about the party.” 

“Oh my god. You were never going to believe me, were you?” you looked at him with a glint in your eyes. 

“You are being paranoid Y/N,” he said calmly. 

“You know what? Maybe I will go to him. The guy you accused me of cheating. Maybe I will let him fuck me. Clear all your doubts and make it true!” you were screaming now. 

“I can’t do this anymore,” he said, voice so calm maybe you would have been scared if you were thinking straight. 

“Neither can I.” you said as you walked out of the house. 

The next day when you woke up, you felt bad for yelling at him. So you decided to go back and talk to him. And maybe you would have if fate didn’t have anything else planned. 

As you walked into the house, you saw a man sitting on your couch, Taehyung at his side as paper lay in front of him. The man looked at you briefly before turning back to Taehyung. “Thank you for coming on such short notice, Mr. Lee.” he said as he shook hands with the man. The man nodded. 

Before leaving, he looked at you, “See you in court.” 

You furrowed your brows before realization hit you. “Tae, what did he mean by that?” 

He kept quiet as he gathered the papers. “Baby, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” you tried again. Taehyung got up as he handed you the papers, then went to the bedroom. You stared at them as you couldn’t process anything. 

You cannot get divorced. You cannot live without him.  

You walked inside the room as you saw him looking out. “Tae, we can talk, right? You don’t mean this.” your voice shook. 

Walking up to him you wrapped your arms around his, face buried in his back as you mumbled “This is a joke, right?” 

You heard his sigh before he turned to you, eyes glossy. “We can’t keep doing this.”

“We won’t. We’ll figure it out. We don’t have to do this.” you went on. 

“Y/N-”

“No, no, you don’t understand. You are out of your mind. We can’t get divorced.”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot do this anymore.” he said,

You looked at him. “Why are you saying it as if it is all my fault?” 

“I don’t mean that.”

“You absolutely mean that. Your face says it all.” you gestured toward him. “Oh. You really are gonna do this?” you said as he rubbed his face. 

“Well, fuck you, Kim Taehyung. You can do whatever you want. You can blame me all you want but you and I both know the minute I walk out, you are going to regret this.” 

“You can keep going for my heart and put all this on me, but you will miss me to your bone the minute this is over.” you said as you stormed off. 

That night, you went back to Ae-ra’s place. You screamed at the sky pretending it was him while he stayed awake that night as he looked at the sky. “I’m so sorry Y/N. I love you so much” he said, tears freely falling.

It really was over. All your doubts came true. Your marriage ended. Maybe it was for the better. ‘You’re being paranoid’ he said. He was right. You became paranoid.

You wiped the single tear and looked at the sky, soft light spread across as the birds sang. 5:00 am

You picked out the attire you were going to wear to the court. Your phone buzzed as you picked it up. It was Ae-ra. It’s gonna be okay. You’ll get through it. she said.

You went to the court that day. You watched him as he entered the room, a black tux hugging his frame. He had become more buff than he was the last time you saw him two months ago. As he ran his fingers through his hair, his shoulder blades flexed. The same shoulder blades that had your nail marks reminding the night before from every morning you’ve spent together. You smiled at that memory. 

Soon the judge walked in and the process went on. 

At one point in your relationship with him, assuming was something you both picked up. Long gone was the trust which was the key in your relationship. Maybe it was for the better. You both were paranoid; assumptions feeding more into it. 

But what you both gradually became, was bad for each other. Not at the beginning of your relationship, but somewhere in the middle, it went out of hand. Maybe if you spoke to each other more, maybe if you hadn’t pushed your thoughts the first day it came, then maybe you wouldn’t be here. But everything happens for a reason. 

Kim Taehyung was the heartthrob of the campus. Kim Taehyung was the first person you confessed you loved. He was the first person who heard ‘I love you’ from you. He was your first love. 

As the saying goes, some people are in our lives, just to teach us a lesson. Good and Bad. Kim Taehyung was that for you. You were still in love with him. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and yours did. You loved him more than you did before. And so maybe letting him go was easy. You were bad for him and he was bad for you. But that didn’t stop you from loving him.

And that didn’t stop him from loving you as you sat at the courthouse, as he looked at your face when it was over, as he lay in his bed alone that night.

Maybe you weren’t meant to be. Or maybe you were, but you didn’t know-how. But it was fine. And maybe as time goes by, it would hurt less. 

Although you and Taehyung didn’t believe in first and second lives, you both wished you’d find each other in the next life as you both looked at the sky that night. 

taglist: @mwitsmejk​

[female-malice]

“I’d love for people to really understand how boxing all over Ireland has taken in so many kids off the street. They probably all won’t be big champions, but they’ve made something of their life outside of sport and all because they were taught discipline through the boxing club.

“Coaches in the clubs don’t do college degrees to become life-skills coaches ... but they are life-skills coaches – unpaid, voluntary life-skills coaches who work a full-time job and have families at home and still choose to come to try and better the kids of their community.”

She was clearly yearning for something at that point in her life. “I’d see everyone going to boxing training with their gym bags on and think, ‘They look interesting and like they have something meaningful going on in their life’,” she says. “And I suppose that that’s what I wanted. You’d see three or four people in different groups going to training and the banter they’d have and I’d think: That’s what I want. Not the sporty side of it but just: I want to be a part of that. One of the coaches out of the local boxing club [Joey O’Brien] lived in the flats where I was hanging around, and I used to see him every day and I used to pester him with questions and asking him could I join.”

When she eventually joined there were no other girls in the club. They didn’t even have a girls’ changing room back then. “I was the only girl for a while and then one or two girls would come [to train] but they never really wanted to box. And that was fine.

“I was always trying to encourage girls to get down to the club ... It’s not about winning titles, it’s not about getting in there and fighting. It’s about being there and becoming part of something different, and it’s family. It really does become a family.”

I thought the value of women's sports was self evident, but I guess not everyone sees it. Read what Kellie Harrington has to say about the role boxing played in her life. Or read what Taurasi says about the role of basketball in her life. They play completely different sports and have two completely different approaches to their athletic careers. Harrington is the queen of balance. Taurasi's pathological obsession with her sport is legendary. They're total opposites yet they started in similar places and arrived at many of the same results and observations.

Taurasi and Harrington both grew up working class girls. They both have strong connections with their families. They were both raised catholic for better or for worse. They both hint at struggling with behavior problems in their adolescence. Harrington says she was headed down the wrong path. Taurasi says she couldn't stop competing with her opponents even after the game was over. They both hate losing more than they love winning. And they've each benefitted and grown through the structure and culture of sports. They've each built 10+ year long successful relationships with their wives.

And at the end of the day, they're both people people. They both live for "great craic" as Harrington would say. For both of them, sports are about more than sports. They're about people and community.

Harrington was drawn to boxing because she saw the community from afar and it spoke to her. Not the sport itself, but the people.

In high school, Taurasi had to pick between soccer, tennis, and basketball. But her high school basketball team needed her. They needed her so bad, they put her on the team when she was still in middle school. So she dropped her other sports. She chose basketball less for the sport and more for the people.

For both athletes, sports are about representing the community that built them at every stage of competition. The process of representing a community comes down to a single word – leadership.

Leadership is powerful. The wisdom of leadership, the observations about life and hardship and perseverance, the strength of character and spirit. That is the magic of sports, and that is what patriarchy wants to deny women.

Radfems need to understand the specific value of sports if they want to advocate for female athletes. They need to understand why women's sports specifically are targeted. They need to understand what is at stake.

Women's sports are about more than just fair competition. Fair competition is the basic structure of sports. But that's not why women's sports are so important. That's not why women's sports are under attack.

Women's sports are more than just some random hobby. They're not interchangeable with book clubs or bird watching or collecting stamps or whatever. They're more important than that.

Women's sports have endless potential to empower women. That is why they are so rigorously repressed by patriarchy. Female athletes directly challenge patriarchy. Patriarchal societies react by continuously building new barriers for female athletes.

[rayofsunas]

s/o goes on a mission with them.

A/n: so, as you may or may not have seen by my recent “updates” I’m obsessed with genshin, and I’m pretty sure for one day I played for a solid 5 hours- my eyes hurt pls. but I did miss writing, I’ve just been unmotivated and busy with college stuff (mainly stressing, I haven’t even started my essay yet shh). n e ways, here’s an update, I hope this quenches your thirst 🙊

Summary: s/o goes on a mission with them. 

Parings: Kaeya/Reader, Diluc/Reader, Xiao/Reader, Scaramouche/Reader (all with a fem reader)

Warnings: crack, swearing, worrying Teyvat bois

Word count: 1.7k

Kaeya

when you’re assigned to be on a mission just the two of you, you assume he’s happy, and don’t get me wrong, he totally is!

usually you’re never on missions together, deciding it was better that way because you both get distracted (you realized after marrying, space was always nice too, space was healthy)

though the decision mainly came about because you two good around a lot... and other things 😏

no but deep down he’s worried when you go on this mission together, it’s been a while since the two of you have, a little too long, and the nerves came back

he’s always worried whenever you go on missions, and sure he’ll always be there to protect you when he’s with you (not that you need it) but anything can happen

sure taking out a bunch of Hilichurls was deemed easy, especially together, but he still worried

he never said a word about it though, he’d always keep a watchful eye on you (he does have a reputation to keep after all)

“Ya know, you did well today.” You said plopping down beside your husband, using your pyro ability to light the twigs and leaves in front of you.

“Of course I did,” he boasted, eye lighting up in the dark of the night. “What kind of Knight would I be if I hadn’t, babe.”

You groaned in annoyance, this was the ever so haughty husband you knew.

“Please, I could’ve easily wiped your ass if it weren’t for the fact that we haven’t been paired together in a while; I forgot about your skill.” You teased. The cryo user glared at you.

“Skill? Surely, I have more than one.” He snipped teasingly. Your head shook, feigning innocence. “Are you sure?” A hum sounded in your throat. “I couldn’t tell... Maybe if you hadn’t been staring holes into me every time I used my sword, I could see your progression.”

Kaeya visibly tensed, but he tried to make it go unnoticed, you saw his shoulders raise slightly. 

“Hmm?” You laughed wholeheartedly. 

“Don’t ‘hmm’ me, mister.”

Despite having been caught, a grin spread across his face, he was enjoying your teasing tonight it seemed.

“There’s a reason we don’t go on missions together, but, I did have fun with you today, despite the worrying part.”

Diluc

um, the ever so stoic and emotionless fire boy is WORRIED AF

and he accidentally lets it show

he’s totally fine if you’re only going against a few low-rank Hilichurls and Slime, but against any of the Hypostasis’s, he’s worried for your wellbeing (after a few days of trying to beat one of the Hypostasis’s I finally did, APPLAUD ME PLS, I was crying)

the very first mission you went on together, the job was done quickly and without much trouble, but before and after, he would not stop asking you if you would like to be escorted back to the Knights headquarters

he said it was his duty to protect any and every Mondstadt Citizen

you knew he was also just particularly worried about you

despite being worried, he is happy you’re here, though wishes it were under different circumstances other than battle 

he rarely sees you, so it’s a nice change to be placed on a mission together instead of alone, you missed each others company

BUT HE’S STILL WORRIED

“I’m a Knight of Favonius, I don’t particularly need to be escorted back, I appreciate your concern though.” Poor Diluc, the face he made looked like pure defeat, you used the Knight of Favonius card on him. And yes, you were capable, but he did know a certain Knights of Favonius Captain who he loathed a little too much,

“That’s why I’m worried.”

You scoffed at his jab, though it didn’t necessarily hurt too much.  

“Please, I can handle myself. We’re not all like Captain Kaeya, but even then give him some credit!”

“I know you’re more than capable but-”

”No buts! Let me do what I know how, please. Or else I could slip up, and then actually put myself in danger.”

“Okay...” You nodded, sending a soft thanks to your lover's way, but he just stared at you before muttering, “But let me escort you back to Mondstadt.”

👁 👄 👁

“I’m sorry, did you hear a word I just said?”

“I see your skills darling, but-” He paused, noticing how your arms folded across your chest. You were annoyed. “I’d much prefer if you took care of the greatest battle of all; Kaeya.”

“Kaeya does not need my assistance.”

“He’s probably in a ditch somewhere, and it would be much appreciated by Jean if we did not leave him to rot there,” Diluc explained. 

You had seen Kaeya earlier, and yes although he usually frequented the bars and whatnot, he was surprisingly sober. He hadn’t promised he would stay that way, but it would take hours for said man to get completely drunk to the point where he was immobile. You had only left Mondstadt four hours ago. 

“Amber can find him. She did last time,” He watched in disbelief as you sauntered off towards the hill in front of you, dead set on continuing your mission. “Come on I see an Electro Hypostasis ahead.”

“Also, you could’ve just said you were worried about me, instead of trying to send me back home! Kaeya is fine, worrywart.”

Xiao

it’s not that he’s worried about you and it’s not that he shouldn’t be worried either 

he can be both given the right moment

the only reason he doesn’t want you going with him is because he claims he focuses better on missions alone

you could understand where he was coming from, but you would’ve liked to have gone with him when he first left

you mentioned going on a mission with him in Liyue the night before he locked you in your Liyue Harbor Guesthouse room 

you were still asleep when he’d snuck out and had found a note in the sheets where he’d previously been sleeping hours ago

it read, went on a quick mission, be back soon. - Xiao

...one of the cleaning ladies had come to your rescue after seeing various lounge chairs from the hallway stacked and pushed against the door (she was supposed to clean the room that morning after having seen Xiao leaving, figuring it was empty to begin cleaning)

she was shocked to see you hurriedly throwing your shoes on and grabbing your spear, confused obviously

she’d asked if you were being held against your will or if you were in danger, but you’d dashed off before you could give her an answer

eventually after asking a few Liyue Harbor Merchants, you were able to get a rough estimate as to where your boyfriend went

when you finally caught up to him, out of breath, he was somewhat shocked to see you

“Hey!” You called after the ancient man, watching with glee as he turned around with wide eyes. “Locking me in the room seriously?”

“I didn’t think you’d catch up. I left hours ago.”

“I thought so too. But one of the Merchants gave me a shortcut to your destination.”

“Interesting.” He said, hand going to his chin in thought. 

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?!” 

“Interesting.” You mocked 

He stared blankly, without a doubt the gears working in his brain, spinning and ticking at an unbelievable rate. 

“No, one more thing... How did you get out of the room? I barricaded it.” 

👁 👄 👁

Scaramouche

you better be someone who can handle yourself, and you probably are, or else he would not be able to stand being with you romantically AT ALL

he’s had you practice with him, just to show him what you’re capable of, before he ever allowed you to travel with him

after deeming you a worthy opponent, he decided you would fair well with him

he would’ve never allowed you to come if he knew you’d be a burden, slow him, or get hurt

after you proved yourself, he does not doubt you so he’s not going to be worried at all

he’s only worried if you start slowing him down, then he’ll think you’re incompetent to be traveling together

if you slow him down, you’re being sent home, no questions asked

though because he does love you, you receive a bit of a less severe punishment for doing something wrong on a mission

he may ask you once or twice to keep up with him, or take your enemies out without less hesitation, but that’s if he feels particularly generous, most of the times he’s harsh and will not tolerate your mistakes, no chances given

fortunately for you, he felt extremely generous today

It was truly evident that you were slowly pissing off the sixth Harbinger and he was losing his patience with you. Yet you continued flirting with him to get a rise out of said man (yeah, same); he often reacted, and you enjoyed it when he did. You liked seeing him react and appear differently than always being so uptight and mean.

It was a common belief that he often traveled with a young woman, who had Pyro for a vision, and she was strong but often loved to distract and tease her fellow Harbinger. You were not so surprisingly, that young woman.

“Keep up, I won’t ask you again.” 

Today, you were on a mission together which wasn’t rare, but your other mission was to piss him off as much as you could. So, you purposely walked behind him, very slow. Pretending to take in the chilly scenery of Snezhnaya, although you had seen it thousands of times, acting as if it was something new. 

“You said that the last two times.” You said, cheerfully laughing to yourself when you heard him growl lowly. He didn’t pay any mind to your retort but began showing more signs that he was aggravated.

He hissed, “There’s not much to admire, you can barely see.” Yes, he was right, he’d caught onto your antics very fast, but that didn’t matter.

“As I said, if you keep slowing me down, I’ll continue without you.” Your eyes rolled. Would he?

“Leaving a member of the Harbinger behind wouldn’t be very honorary, but if I must, I will.”

A pout took shape on your lips. “Please, you wouldn’t leave your lovely girlfriend out here to freeze would you?”

“You have pyro abilities, you would fair just fine.”

“Hmm... I suppose so, but I’d get lonely.” 

“Then be quiet and walk faster.”

1.13.21, rayofsunas

[five-rivers]

@lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks came up with this op!Danny/Marvel AU!

BTW I need help naming this newest proof that I can't keep anything to a short little one-shot.

.

Loki was not, and never had been, a good man. For that matter, whether or not he’d ever been a good boy was debatable. His mother would argue that he had, but she would very likely be the only one. Well, except for Thor, perhaps, but that was because he was an idiot who could drown in three inches of nostalgia. Like he didn’t remember every time Loki had humiliated him. Maybe he didn’t, for all that he kept falling for the same trick over and over again.

It made Loki’s late nights studying the arts of illusion, misdirection, and lying seem redundant. Almost. Not everyone was as dense as his big brother.

No. Loki had never been a good man. He had, however, been a free man.

Free to run or hide. Free to explore the nooks and crannies of Asgard, to uncover her secrets in ways few cared to do. Free to walk hidden paths between the Nine Realms and even farther flung territories, where his people did not and had never ruled, to play games, make deals, have adventures, take risks. To be. To exist as his own creature.

He had been free. He had.

But on one of those little secret excursions, he had discovered something that had made even his flippant, slippery heart clench with fear. A ravening plague, spreading across the stars. The death of half of everything on the horizon.

Loki was not a good man. What cause did he have to care for all the sundry others in the universe? There were too many. It was too much to ask.

But Asgard—His home, even though the had long ago realized the blood in his veins originated on very different soil. That was different.

Asgard, he could help. Asgard could survive.

But it had to be strong. It had to have strong allies. None of this barely-held peace, this enemy eternally at their gates. It needed strong leadership. Not his brother’s simplistic view and longing for the glory of war.

Loki was not a good man. But he was one who could get things done.

Before he knew it, he had burned all his bridges behind him. In one case, a literal bridge that was literally broken.

And he fell.

And he fell.

And he fell right into the hands of the one he had feared enough to do this. Broken enough for poison to drip into the cracks. No one knew where he was, no one could know where he was, except, perhaps, Heimdal, and Loki sincerely doubted Heimdal cared. No one was coming for him. No one was looking for him. No rescue was forthcoming.

He was alone.

Asgardians were considered gods for a reason. Their bodies and minds were much more resilient than the average mortal’s. But Thanos’s people had been titans, and there was a reason for that, too.

Thanos enjoyed breaking him.

And Loki turned his lies on himself. A skilled master of games always had one gifted opponent, even alone. Hadn’t he wanted to rule? To command? To see a world, any world, prostrate at his feet? To be given the recognition and praise of which he was so worth?

To pull something, anything, out of the fire?

(If he had spent less time learning how to spin lies and more on how to see the truth, he might not have believed it. A better, wiser, man would have. But Loki was not a good man. And he was very skilled in his craft.)

So, his new master put a weapon in his hands, and he went off to conquer a world.

.

Danny was used to rude awakenings. He was used to those rude awakenings being full body chills and ghosts, not someone knocking on his door.

Blearily, he pulled himself out from under the blankets. Quasi-military government facility or not, the beds were comfortable. Maybe Mom or Dad had gotten themselves locked out of their room? Or Jazz—No, not Jazz, she hadn’t come with them. She was at college, not being flown places by Mom and Dad’s suspiciously generous new consulting job.

At least it wasn’t the GIW.

He stood on tiptoe (curse his perpetually short body) to peer out the peephole. His parents’ buff, one-eyed, and incredibly imposing new boss stood in front of the door, hands on his hips, slightly sweeping back his long dark coat. If Danny listened carefully, he could hear two other people near the door, and… was that an alarm? Yes. Faint, but present, was a warning klaxon.

Okay. Danny would bet his right arm that something had gone horribly wrong with whatever his parents were consulting on. Didn’t explain why the boss was in front of his door.

Unless they’d gotten the rooms mixed up, somehow?

Ugh. Danny wasn’t paid enough to deal with this.

He opened the door. “What-?”

“Phantom,” intoned eyepatch guy with great solemnity.

Danny immediately tried to close the door. The guy stuck his foot in the jamb, and, sure, Danny could have crushed it, but that would be a jerk move. He didn’t think this guy was going for a pirate look, after all.

“We need your help.”

.

“I’m not sure what you think I can help you with,” yelled Danny over the beating of the helicopter blades. He’d remained stubbornly in human form. “My parents are the scientists. This sounds like a science thing. Not a punching-people thing.”

“We spoke to them earlier,” said Fury, “and we have plenty of scientists working on the theories they brought up. You’re the one with practical experience.”

“Practical experience in what?”

“Interdimensional portals,” said the woman, who had yet to introduce herself.

As if this whole thing wasn’t already giving him a bad feeling. “My parents built an interdimensional portal. Again, you should be talking to them. They’re the ones you’re paying.”

“We could pay you, too,” said Fury, “but we assumed you would want to avoid letting your parents know about this, as you’re still a minor and they have control of your bank accounts.”

Danny stared flatly. “This is blackmail.”

“We aren’t threatening you,” pointed out the woman.

“Emotional blackmail,” said Danny, glaring, daring her to challenge him on whether or not he actually knew what blackmail was.

In the meantime, the helicopter landed. Danny unbuckled and hopped out, trailing slightly awkwardly behind Fury and the woman. He didn’t want to stand out, but he suspected that, being the only kid here and being in the general vicinity of Fury, who radiated authority, that was a lost cause.

“This is Agent Coulson. Coulson, this is Phantom.”

Danny’s mouth went dry(er) at how casual the introduction was. His eyes went nervously to all the other people running around the field. With all the noise, it was unlikely anyone had heard, but still…

“Can you not? Secret identity and all? Unless you’ve told everyone herealready, which, rude.”

Fury sighed. “How bad is it?” he asked Coulson.

“We’re not sure,” said Coulson. “That’s the problem. Big fan of your work, by the way,” he added as an aside to Danny. He glanced at the woman. “Agent Hill.”

“Background?” asked Fury as he led the way into the building.

“The first energy surge was four hours ago. Dr. Selvig’s equipment picked it up – He’s the head scientist on this project.”

“Dr. Selvig isn’t authorized to test,” said Fury. “We wanted to run his plans by the Fentons.”

“He wasn’t testing. He wasn’t even in the room. He called it ‘spontaneous advancement.’”

“It turned itself on?”

“What are the energy levels?” asked Fury before Hill’s question could be answered.

“Climbing,” said Coulson.

“Mr. Fenton,” said Fury, “any comments?”

“Look, I don’t even know what this thing that you built looks like or what it’s a door to.” Danny frowned as a thought occurred to him. “You’re not expecting me to fight whatever comes out of it, are you? Because, unless you’ve got a ghost portal down there, I can’t make guarantees.”

“It’s called the Tesseract,” said Coulson. “It’s supposed to be a connection to the other side of space. A source of unlimited energy. At least,” there was a note of humor in his voice despite the evacuation taking place around them, “that’s what the scientists say.”

“A door to space?” asked Danny, firmly shoving down his excitement at the prospect. “Like, a Stargate?” It was no good, he could practically feel himself sparkling. He took a firm grip of his core and reminded himself he might need to fight before the end of the day.

“Well, no,” said Coulson. “It’s this little… cube… thing.” He made a shape with his hands.

“Oh,” said Danny, mind still whirring. “You know, if it’s really a tesseract, it isn’t a cube in just three dimensions, so bigger things could come out of it than you’d think.” He’d seen some weird portals in the Ghost Zone.

“Well, right now, we’re just getting energy.” They entered a large room with an extremely sci-fi setup. It looked like they were planning to shoot some kind of laser across the room onto a platform surrounded by strange-looking panels. There were men with guns scattered around in what was probably a well thought out formation Danny couldn’t see. There was also a dude with a bow sitting up in the rafters. He frowned down at Danny as he noticed Danny noticing him.

“Dr. Selvig!”

“Director!”

“What do we know?”

Danny allowed himself to be distracted by the centerpiece of the room, a piece of machinery built around what was indeed a little cube thing. He tilted his head and approached, trying to get a better view of it around the people in lab coats and protective gear currently swarming it. He caught mention of radiation a grimaced.

It was unlikely to kill him, but, really, everyone here should probably be wearing more PPE. You never knew what was going to come out of an interdimensional portal, after all. Except trouble. Trouble was a pretty safe bet.

It was pretty. Blue. Reminded him a little of a blue raspberry ice pop. Part of him wanted to lick it. Which was stupid. He didn’t want to wind up half what-ever-lived-on-the-other-side on top of his regular ghost nonsense.

“Mr. Fenton?”

Danny jumped and turned, refocusing on the adults, who had multiplied while he’d been daydreaming. The guy with the bow had joined them.

“Mr. Fenton? Like the Doctors Fenton I spoke to earlier?” asked Selvig.

“Yeah, it’s—”

This, of course, was when everything decided to explode. Sort of.

The blue cube shot out a beam of energy that had more than a little in common with the Fenton Bazooka’s portal setting. The beam terminated on the platform, a portal rapidly forming.

Danny slid into a fighting stance, and barely even noticed as blue energy washed over the room, throwing many less-prepared people back.

Something shaped like a man stepped through the portal.

Danny did not break his stance. Still. “An alien,” he whispered, eyes wide. If they were friendly, maybe they’d answer his questions about space. If they weren’t friendly, maybe they’d answer his questions about space after Danny beat them up.

(Danny did not go ghost. Did not even think about going ghost. There were too many people here, and the space was too open.)

Fury attempted to negotiate. Danny approved. Not everything that came through an interdimensional portal was necessarily evil.

Except this guy apparently was. Go figure. He could also deflect bullets and was very good with throwing knives, which led to Danny having to pull several of the gun guys out of their own line of fire as well as the alien’s line of knife. Who would have thought an alien’s weapon of choice would be throwing knives? The energy-blasting spear was much more in line with his expectations.

The bow guy proved to be more competent than the gun guys. This didn’t really surprise Danny. Bow guy sort of had to be competent. Otherwise, no way would they let him go around with a bow. Like, seriously. A bow.

Even so, bow guy was fighting an alien and—

“You have heart,” said the alien, raising the spear.

Danny pushed bow guy out of the way, and his mind fuzzed out.

(The human part of it, anyway.)

.

Loki didn’t know what a child was doing here, and he didn’t particularly care. The boy would do for a hostage, at least. He had a mission he had to fulfil, or else…

Or else.

“Please don’t,” he said turning with a shadow of his usual lazy affect, vaguely insulted that the human thought he could be sneaker that him, “I still need that.”

The human went on and on, apparently burdened with the delusion that he was on the same level as Loki.

Loki was burdened with other things. A glorious purpose. Glad tidings. Freedom. What could be better than freedom?

“A world free from what?” asked the human.

“From freedom,” said Loki, and wasn’t that what he believed, now? Wasn’t that what he’d been shown? “Freedom is life’s great lie.” He would know. He was an excellent liar. “Once you accept that, in your heart—” He batted away an arrow and tsked. “Shield me, boy,” he demanded. Had Thanos misrepresented the scepter’s powers? Or was the boy merely—

A dome of green surrounded him and the boy, thrumming with magic the likes of which he had only seen once, in a tome thrice forbidden.

“Oh,” said Loki, almost purring. “You are interesting. What are you?”

“Half human, half ghost,” replied the boy, tersely.

Loki had never heard of such a creature. No matter. He’d be sure to make good use of him.

“Grab the scientist,” he said, nodding at the balding man who had been with his brother when he’d fought the Destroyer in the desert.

Loki wanted the archer. He seemed interesting. Useful.

.

Fenton was under thrall. Phantom knew what that felt like. A hundred feet under red water, trying not to drown, whispers everywhere. Pulling. Pushing. Prodding.

This was different, but the principle was the same.

Neither half of him could truly ‘fight’ the other. Fenton and Phantom were a single entity. Not two in lockstep. Even so.

Fenton grabbed onto Dr. Selvig, as ordered. Phantom made sure that was all they did.

“What are you doing, boy?” snapped Loki. “Follow me! Bring the scientist.”

And so, they followed.

.

Loki breathed. Acquiring Barton had been the right choice. The boy was powerful, but, perhaps because of his unique biology, did not have Barton’s presence of mind, and couldn’t have led him to such wonderful allies.

Allies.

These weren’t truly his allies. Nor were they subjects. They were…

Loki forced himself to breathe. He just had to follow the mission. Follow the mission, let Thanos’s army through. He’d been promised this world. He would have this world.

And then he could be… His mind stuttered over the next word, and he shook his head, trying to drive out the painful buzz of Thanos’s herald and mouthpiece trying to contact him.

He looked up at the drones bustling around, all according to his will. Except the boy, who stared at him, somehow managing to be both utterly blank and challenging at the same time.

He was alone, here.

He was alone.

But what did it matter? Bad men always wound up alone, and Loki… Loki could never be a good man.