#perhaps its time for a reread
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This might be the angriest we've seen Karkat yet and that's fucking saying something. Karkat is up there with Tavros in being one of the least inherently violent of the trolls and he's this close to threatening to kill Gamzee.
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corviiids · 7 months ago
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i think im done with palacefic ch10. maybe it's dumb to post fic right before NYE but i think im gonna do it anyway PROBABLY. i want to be done with this chapter ive been overworking it for months
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chaoortu · 28 days ago
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also one day i am going to go on a deep dive on nick's mental health and the way it's neglected because he is a masculine presenting male main character and there's still a LOT of stigma around men's mental illness but specifically when you're like... traditionally male, but I'm trying to word it in a way that doesn't diminish Charlie's canonical mental health issues bc I care about that Spring child a lot but bc he is THE mentally ill one of the main narrative it's so difficult not to compare his and Nick's experience.
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pinkwinesupernovas · 14 days ago
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happy 20 years of pjo you are always going to be my home 🫶
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seriousbrat · 1 year ago
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i dont think its fair to say sirius almost murdered a student, he just told snape how to get to the shack, severus did it all by himself he knew that there was a werewolf
yeah, and sirius (very intelligent) had absolutely no way to predict what snape (very obsessed with the marauders) might do with that information
i'm sorry there's just no way it wasn't on purpose, and clearly he didn't regret it later:
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ragnars-tooth · 7 days ago
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i did finish the unicorne files a couple of days ago but i fear i'm already rereading them and making notes again because SURELY i've misunderstood the takeaway
(MANY a spoiler in the tags)
#rangnar rambles#i can only conceieve of thomas being the villain all along based on the Everything#i cant even get my words together bc all of the books are blending into one (hence the reread) but huh... wuh...#the kicker is entirely how much thomas is in control of klimt#which admittedly i do not understand#but. you mean to tell me Thomas hired his son to look for him. knowing his body was in a glass cube the whole time. KNOWING where#his consciousness was.#the scale/mleptra thing saved michaels life sure. but it traps him under the control of unicorne for the rest of his life#the scale is like. excusable. EVERYTHING ELSE???#like idk i believe that thomas loves him. i dont believe that he concieves of michael as a person#i think he's selfish and saving michael is always about Thomas. not his kid he's 'never' going to see again who has a whole life after#this decision#he made a backup michael.... did he make a backup josie? a backup darcy? or does he only care about his little science experiment?#does he care that its not the same as Michael? does he even feel the difference after being stuck in an android for three years?#i dont neccessarily think that letting michael die was the correct option either fwiw#i do think that hiding that from your wife and child (the one who literally has the cancer) is the wrong one though#and perhaps hes already lost the emotional component by that point (being stuck in klimt)#but although doing deeply experimental science IS desperate. i dont think its loving. i dont think its the father im led to believe thomas#was. if thats anything at all#idk i hated arthur/harlan enough when there was a Hint of abandonment what about I Constructed The Circumstances To Endenture My Son Into#The Service Of A Shadow Organisation And All I Got Was This Stupid Hat was going to make me happy lmaooo#Actually no i know exactly what about it pisses me off its that klimt dies before michael has any idea#and michael spends three books going I cant WAIT to kill that fucking robot he hates me. and it. it was his dad.#when you remove thomas from the context of pleasant memories and the title of father he is an ASSHOLE#his own kid fucking hates him 😭😭 and maybe he Couldnt but he really makes no effort to keep michael safe??#i think they really needed to have one conversation after the reveal (impossible bc klimt is dead but yknow) but thats why im cracking them#open again and going over with a fine tooth comb. i Will Understand The Nuances of Amadeus Klimt. I WILL.#also i dont know wtf anyone looks like. this is a secondary reason for the reread. ive yapped too much. to the books ☝️‼️‼️
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sol-flo · 2 years ago
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tragedy enjoyers when they revisit the very beginning of a song of ice and fire (undescribable)
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holygroundgone · 1 year ago
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dungeon meshi (only ever calling it that) is such a fantastic fucking all rounder, it really feels perfect, in fact it almost feels a little too perfect, it's so good and delicious and frankly uncontroversial and palatable despite the high threshold of tasteful but immense horniness, i truly feel like ryoko kui alchemized pure gold
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halovians · 2 months ago
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surprisingly having a non hsr thought rn but sae itoshi has been growing on me like a parasite recently
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1x1x1x1x1x1x1x1 · 1 month ago
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killer doctor!reader perhaps,,, like reader is a well-known doctor who is nice and kind, but when they were forsaken, the spectre made them think the survivors are sick/infected, so they want to 'cure' them. by the way, their way of killing is just,,, gentle and painless, like a quick death.
(+ a point if reader is blind or mute because idk i just feel like it xd)
hopefully this makes sense! feel free to ignore this <3
HII!! this is such a fun request and i hope i did it with what you had in mind!!
(this is gonna be x killers since you didnt specify if you want it to be the survivors, killers or both
i might make a part 2 with the survivors if this goes well!!)
.ᐟ.ᐟ possible OOC and spelling mistakes (im too lazy to reread.)
anyways ENJOY! coughs,,,,,, lobotomy
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Killers × Doctor!Killer!Reader
1×1×1×1。𖦹°‧
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The spawn of hatred,, i think you know how this one goes huh?
The first time she saw you, he thought you were no threat and harmless,
You proved that wrong after your first match. That made her spiral a bit
She DOES wish you wouldn't go so easy on them though,, especially on a certaint someone. He thinks they don't deserve any mercy, but oh well.
You have helped him bandage some nasty slash wounds a few times, shes thankful, but nobody will waterboard that information out of them.
They know the Spectre made you see something else, twisting your percieving of this world and the survivors, but its not like he's gonna try to wake you up or something like that. She knows that won't work.
Found this out because everytime he tried talking to you, you just kinda... stared at them. Nothing else. Not like she's seen you talk too.
John Doeִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ
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well he's.. something.
He looks at your gameplay from time to time, thinking about what he feels about this, about you.
The little of what he has of his counciousness left tells him that you are/were a doctor? 'Well thats nice' is the only thing that comes to mind before it being pretty much empty again
You have patched him up a few times after a nasty round, getting stunned, punched and backstabbed way too many times.
You guys did have some nice/friendly interactions together, its just that he forgot about them.
forsaken!Jason𓌏་༘࿐
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what a guy amirite..
since (IF) youre both mute, you guys can practically speak without words
Actions speak louder than words after all i guess!
Speaking of actions, you have helped him multiple times after a round, and he has thanked you multiple times.
Loves spectating you when youre the killer, one of his favorite activities to pass time. Although he too thinks youre going too easy on them.
C00lkidd.✶ ⋆ (PLANTONIC!!)
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LOVES your whole 'doctor' theme
He WILL make you play pretend with him, with him as the patient.
Also really likes spectating you!! Although he doesnt see you 'killing' the survivors, just a quick nap
draws you, so much. You have a whole wall dedicated to them in your cabin.
Noli-.ᐟ.ᐟ
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The absolute FIRST thing he does when you spawn in for the first time is make fun of how you dress, probably why you disliked him at first.
He does eventually act 'nicer' (if you can even call it that)
He is most definetly impressed by how quick you can server-wipe and how good you look during it,, wait who said that.
He immediately catches himself off guard after thinking about how well youre doing in the round.
This also means that from now on when you help him after a round, he will NOT be able to stay still,,
So now he IS a bit less of a jerk, but still taunts you. Like a LOT
Playing random sound effects, etc etc.
Hes an asshole, but he can be sweet.
extra!!
Mafioso🂱⚔
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Ohh this guy
Hes really fond of you, mostly for helping his guys a few times with some nasty wounds.
Youre the first person they come to (and the only one they can now, since they've been forsakend.)
He appreciates how quick you get things done, no stretching out the killing part. Just quick and painless
Theres just something about you that just drives him closer
Ah, and he doesnt mind you being mute at all! He can understand most physical cues that you give him
okay so this is like,, pretty short. and there defo are some spelling mistakes but i just want to get this out lol
ty for reading!!
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buckysleftbicep · 1 month ago
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letters though time (3) 𐙚 b.b
pairing: 1940s!bucky barnes x modern!fem!reader
warnings: angst.
summary: you find a letter from 1944 hidden in the old brooklyn apartment you moved signed by one james buchanan barnes. you write back, he did too, and somehow, across decades, you both fall in love.
word count: 1.5k
author's note: i love this chapter so much. please leave some feedback or a reblog if you enjoyed it! i tend to forget about tags, please be patient with me, thank you loves. stay safe out there!
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You reread his letter so many times the edges began to curl.
He was leaving.
You stared at the letter in your hands, heart pounding like it was trying to outrun history. The words blurred at the edges, but you didn’t need to read them again. You already knew.
You knew the date, April 8th, 1944, etched into your memory long before his handwriting ever reached you. You had seen it in textbooks, beneath faded photographs, on a bronze plaque mounted inside the Smithsonian: Sergeant James Barnes, deployed with Captain Steve Rogers to intercept a HYDRA transport in the Austrian Alps.
You knew that mission. Everyone did.
It was the one where he fell. Where the world believed he died.
Except he didn’t.
You knew what came after, how HYDRA had found him in the wreckage and broken him in ways no one should ever be broken.
How their scientists, cruel and methodical, stripped him down to nothing. Rewrote him. Erased him. Until all that remained was a killing machine, sharp and merciless, a ghost with a metal arm and no name.
When you first started working at the museum, you had gone down that rabbit hole, read every article, studied every declassified file, perhaps even the ones you were specifically told not to read.
You had seen the stills, the grainy footage, the Winter Soldier moving like a machine, swift and ruthless, with eyes that held no trace of the man writing you these letters now. The man you had fallen in love with.
And now he was writing to you, sweet, hopeful, himself, without knowing what awaited him on the other side of that mission.
You gripped the letter until your knuckles turned white, heart lodged so high in your throat you could barely breathe. You blinked, hoping the words would change. That maybe this letter would say he wasn’t going, that he had changed his mind. That somehow, knowing you, and perhaps falling for you had altered the path of fate.
But the words stayed the same.
And so did history.
Please wait for me.
Your chest felt too tight to breathe.
You didn’t sleep that night. You couldn't.
You sat on the floor beside the cabinet, the old walnut drawer yawning open, its linen lining wrinkled and worn from too many anxious, trembling hands.
His letters were everywhere, scattered like fallen leaves around you. Pages upon pages, thick with ink and hope, with quiet jokes, whispered dreams, and all the soft, unspoken pieces of him that had stitched themselves gently into your heart.
And now history was threatening to take him away.
You couldn’t stop pacing the next morning.
Couldn’t stop chewing at your bottom lip, eyes flicking toward the drawer every five minutes like it would somehow answer you.
When the next letter came, you nearly dropped it from the tremor in your fingers.
April 1st, 1944 Sweetheart, You’ve gone quiet. Did I say something wrong? I hope I didn’t scare you with what I wrote. I just… I need you to know I’m serious. About all of this. About you. It’s crazy, isn’t it? Falling for someone through paper and time. But I have. I’ve fallen for you. And maybe it’s selfish, but I hope you feel the same. I’ll write again tomorrow. Just… say something, will you? Please. Always, James
You sat down that instant and scribbled out a reply with shaking hands.
Bucky, Please don’t go on this mission. I know that sounds ridiculous. I know you can’t just walk away from orders. But something terrible is going to happen. I can’t tell you how I know, it would change too much, but please… don’t go on this mission. You won’t come back the same. If you do come back at all. Please, just trust me. Please.
You folded the letter with trembling fingers and tucked it into the drawer.
So you waited. And waited.
But no letter came the next day. Or the one after that. Or the day after that.
The silence grew heavy, pressing. Like the space between heartbeats stretched too far apart.
By the fourth day, the ache settled deep in your chest—sharp and constant, like something vital was missing. You kept his photo tucked in your wallet, pulling it out so often the edges had started to wear.
You stared at it until the ink blurred behind tears you refused to wipe away. You paced the apartment like a ghost in your own life, whispering his name into the quiet, as if somehow, just somehow, it might find Bucky. Might bring him back.
On the fifth day, you found a letter.
But the paper wasn’t soft with affection, it was creased, angry.
April 4th, 1944 (Y/N), You ask me to trust you, but you won’t trust me to finish this mission. You want me to believe you, about this, about danger, but you won’t say why. Won’t explain. You just beg me not to go. You say I won’t come back the same. That I might not come back at all. Do you know how that feels to read? Like you’ve already written my end for me. Is this all just a game to you? Some story you’re writing? Because it stopped feeling like fiction to me a long time ago. I care about you. I’ve trusted you with more of myself than anyone else in years. And now I don’t know what to think. I need time. - J
You stared at the letter for a long time.
Then you sank to the floor, hands cradling your head.
Tears slipped down your cheeks soundlessly. You didn’t blame him. Not really. You couldn’t explain how you knew what was coming. No, you couldn’t tell him he’d be taken, tortured, frozen. You couldn't tell him that his future was a blur of blood and silence and death.
You couldn’t say it without breaking something sacred.
But still, it hurt. god, it hurt.
You didn’t write back. Not right away.
You told yourself he needed space. That maybe he would feel your silence and understand it wasn’t anger, it was fear. A fear too heavy to put into words.
You wanted to give him time. But you didn’t realise just how little time he had left.
Four days passed. Each one sharp around the edges, like they had been carved from glass. Fragile and ready to shatter.
And still...no letter.
And then, on the morning of April 8th, you opened the drawer and found his letter.
Your breath hitched before you even touched it.
The envelope was different. Heavier. The paper thicker than usual.
You unfolded it with trembling fingers.
April 8th, 1944 Doll, We leave for Germany in a few hours. I couldn’t go without writing you one last time. I didn’t want things to end on anger. I’m sorry I pushed you. I just...it scared me, that’s all. The way you spoke like you knew what would happen, I was shaken, and I don’t like feeling helpless. But I trust you. I do. I told Howard what you said. I didn’t give him details, just that someone I cared about, someone important, warned me something could go wrong. He seemed to believe me, said that maybe time’s not as solid as we think. He told me he’s been working on something. Said he might have a way to pull me through. So if I make it back, if I survive, maybe there’s a chance we would meet. I'll find you. Please wait for me, (Y/N). And if nothing else, just know this, I love you. Always yours, James
You folded the letter in silence, breath caught somewhere between your lungs and your throat. The ache in your chest made it hard to sit upright, let alone think.
Your hands trembled as you reached for paper, fingers cold and clumsy around the pen. You didn’t write paragraphs, didn’t spill your heart across the page in desperate, sprawling confessions.
There was nothing left to say that could rewrite history. So instead, you wrote only three words, quiet, aching, infinite. Words that had lived in your chest for weeks. Words that felt both like a promise and a goodbye.
I love you.
You placed it in the drawer, fingertips lingering on the edge like a goodbye you weren’t ready to give. The paper felt heavier than it should’ve, like it carried every unspoken word you hadn’t dared to write.
You closed the drawer gently, too gently, like slamming it might break something irreparable.
And that was the last time.
You never got another letter again.
For days afterward, you couldn’t bring yourself to touch it. Couldn’t even glance at the cabinet without that familiar sting behind your eyes, without your chest tightening like your ribs were trying to hold something broken together.
The silence wasn’t just quiet, it was cruel. Loud in its finality.
You told yourself maybe tomorrow. Maybe the drawer would open and there would be something waiting. Another slanted signature. Another piece of him.
But there was nothing.
And eventually, the ache settled in deep, bone-deep, the kind of grief that didn’t scream but pressed down slowly. You found yourself avoiding the cabinet altogether, skirting around it like it might hurt you if you got too close.
You stopped checking.
Stopped hoping.
Because it felt like mourning someone who hadn’t died, but who had still somehow left you behind.
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a/n: i hope you love this chapter as much as i did! thank you for stopping by!
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rockingbytheseaside · 3 months ago
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✦ The little gifts they give you
(Pierro, Capitano, Dottore, Scaramouche, Pantalone, Tartaglia)
tw: none, pure fluff
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✧ Pierro – Love letters hidden in the house
When you awaken in the hush of dawn, your beloved is nowhere to be seen in the house. He often rises before the world stirs, summoned by his obligations as the Fatui Director during the first rays of dawn. However, even if he has to depart as you sleep soundlessly, it’s never without leaving a small note by his pillow.
A small, beautiful card, meticulously folded and inked in his elegant cursive. A masterful piece full of words that he yearns to speak when he is away at work. You only opened your eyes, yet a smile already graces your lips when you spot the letter on his side of the bed. It reads:
“You sleep like a tender beauty, your thoughts are my constant companion. Even when you rise, the pillows and covers grieve for the absence of your warmth, like the departure of summer, leaving but the coldness of winter. So does my heart miss you when I am away. May you rise like a blooming Leucojum, starting off your morning well, while I think of you every waking second.”
He often did that, leaving you small sonnets around the house while he was away at work. His fancy for poetry and writing had endured since his noble youth in ancient Khaenri’ah, a love untouched by time. This way, even when he’s away, he still manages to bring a smile to your face first thing in the mornings.
You’d find other letters elsewhere. One day, he’d leave it in your study room:
“The pen and paper you write in get graced by your wisdom. The tomes that line your shelves store knowledge for your interest, each page covets your attention. Share your discoveries with me when I am back, my divine.” 
Another, he’d hide it by the dresser:
“When you don your attire for the day, the stars and moons would gasp in awe. Yet it is I alone who bear witness to your truest splendor. I count the second until I may once again gather you in my arms, to undo every silken layer-” 
Oops, never mind. Best not to read that one aloud. Too intimate for wandering eyes. Either way, throughout the months, you’d collect these little love letters, always keeping them safe as a memo, giddy whenever you reread them, or stashing them happily for safekeeping. For such excellent penmanship, the Jester truly deserves some extra adoration from you. 
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✧ Il Capitano – Exotic flowers and seeds from all over Teyvat
‘Is a bouquet of flowers too cliche a gift for someone you miss?’ – the Harbinger pondered to himself. He stood by the outskirts of Kannazuka, not far from Yashiori Island, where the solemn sea breeze swept by crimson Dendrobium petals. He heard from locals that these flowers were thought to be instinct, yet returned to where blood was once spilled on Inazuman soil.
You’d appreciate the austere symbolism of such flora, and the Captain knelt before carefully picking it by the stem. He paid respect to each bloom, as any warrior who understands the grievances of a quiet battlefield would. Thus, by the time his mission drew to its quiet end, the 1st of the Fatui Harbinger appeared with a bouquet presented to your arms.
“Hm? You plucked these, Capi?” – You looked at him curiously, the bouquet massive in your arms. “But that means they will wilt soon.”
The Captain’s helmet dipped slightly, his unreadable face betraying a flicker of hesitance. Perhaps this was a bad idea?
“...I apologize, do you dislike them?”
You smiled at him, with meticulous swiftness, you moved with the bouquet, searching for an appropriate vase, and to fill it with water. The Dendrobiums were indeed exquisite, yet what you desired was their preservation, especially if such blossoms bore no seeds to sow. Thus, your beloved watched in fascinated silence as you showed him how to remove extraneous leaves and guard petals. It will help the flowers last longer. Now, the Captain had more ideas.
During his other expeditions, he no longer sought out just any flowers; he would seek intel on horticulture or where to purchase high-quality seeds. If he’d purchased flowers, he’d barter for seeds rather than stems and purchase plants nestled in earthen pots. If only you had witnessed the face of the poor Mondstadtian girl who overlooked the Floral Whisper shop - Flora. She went silent as to why a Harbinger was questioning how to properly maintain Windwheel Aster during transport. In truth, he was so excited to bring his beloved one more exotic plant, he could only think of your expression when you see the petals spin in the breeze. 
Thus, you found yourself with a makeshift garden, brought to you proudly by Capitano. Each flower is a fragment of his journeys, a testament of his quiet devotion. He even helped construct a modest greenhouse, sturdy and sun-warmed, to shelter those blooms that craved warmer climates. Now, every time the Harbinger is away and spots a single flower blooming in the wild, his mind wanders back to you; what else might my beloved like? 
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✧ Il Dottore – Small inventions to make your life easier
To love someone doesn’t equal to lavishing that person with materialistic luxuries. Dottore knows you have little taste for frivolity, acquiring only what necessity demands. Instead, he attends to subtler needs: when you scribble in your notebooks for hours, your fingers get tired from clutching a pen, the side of your palms are smeared with either ink or graphite. Hence, one evening, he returns with a set of gloves.
“Here, give me your hand,” – he said busily, already cradling your palms as he carefully put on two-finger writing gloves, securing your skin in comfort against the soft material. “I ensured the design is versatile when you’re writing something, without tiring or smudging your hand. Tell me if it feels better.”
You never even noticed or complained about the ache. At times, the Doctor saw you plop down on the sofa, tired and whining from cleaning around. You were always meticulous with your personal space, but none is immune from the hassle of vacuuming, dusting, or cleaning the floors. Especially if it gave you a night of painful back pain. Hiring attendants would have been the simplest solution, he thought. But he preferred an idea far more personal.
“Take this,” – he casually handed you a circular device. You blinked in confusion but accepted the new state-of-the-art machinery. “An automatic vacuum cleaner. It will map out the layout of the house so it can sweep the floors whenever you’re away. Spare yourself the drudgery.”
And another time, when you were delighted by your purchase of a sweet bubble tea beverage, you wistfully lamented how difficult it was to replicate such indulgences at home. Oh well, you shrugged, but Dottore was sitting nearby, already scheming a blueprint.
A week later, your kitchen bore a marvel: a gleaming coffee and tea machine, capable of brewing, frothing, even carbonating any beverage you wished. You just have to throw in the ingredients of your choice. Be it coffees, matchas, smoothies, or bubble teas, not even Fontainian cafes had such appliances.
“Dottore, when did you have the time to wipe out such a machine? That’s massive work!” – you inquired curiously one day, but The Harbinger waved his hand dismissively, stating:
“Hm? Oh, why, this is hardly a strain. I don’t like seeing you toil over menial tasks or seek out solutions that will just burn through your Mora. If you are in want of anything, you can always ask me. You know that, correct?”
Even in matters where you never uttered a single complaint, Dottore’s ever observant nature remained unfaltering. He would silently bask in the sight of you, committing every small nuance of your life and habits to memory. He’d sit with his chin resting on his palm, silently smiling as you enjoyed his inventions or the little knick-knacks around his lab that brought your sincere smile.  
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✧ Scaramouche – Learning to cook your favourite dishes
The Ballader never grasped humanity’s fascination with food. Concerning sustenance, survival required little. Animals hunted their prey without fanfare, yet humankind alone had transformed eating into a cult. Fawning over flavors? Creating restaurants? Scaramouche never got it, even when he first lived as an innocent puppet in the rural village of Tataratsuna.
So why was he here, eyebrows furrowed as he looked over the sizzling meat on the stove? Somehow, against all reason, the Harbinger cooked an entire meal exclusively for you! 
“Ah, you’re back at last. Come here,” – he beckoned you diligently to sit down, presenting you with a bowl of Gyudon, a beef and rice bowl topped with egg yolk on top. You obeyed, baffled yet in pure awe, while Scaramouche sat opposite you with arms crossed. “Well? Don’t just glare at it. Taste it!” 
So you did. “Um, Scara… did you cook this?”
He nodded silently.
“Did you… Add any soy sauce anywhere? Maybe salt or mirin?”
Oh no.
Turns out, cooking is no simple art form. There are careful blends of spices and garnishes that make even the simplest dishes outstanding. And unfortunately for the Ballader, he missed all the steps, underestimating the power of spices that one must add to the beef. He watched you gulp down with a nervous, hesitant smile. You radiated so much encouragement that it ached. Scaramouche said nothing, only sat broodingly still. Nonetheless, he had to remind himself that he was no longer in Tataratsune. The simple folks there often kept rice as a garnish, and many imports of spices never reached the rural islands of Inazuma. He does not have to run barefoot to scavenge for Lavender Melons from wind-worn hills.
He didn’t let that deter him. Little by little, he paid more attention to the spices he had to put in. Never too much, never too little. Noticing your love for rich flavors and blends of textures, The Harbinger challenges the kitchen like an enemy, learning new dishes and methods. When you simply asked him why the sudden hobby, he replied:
“I thought humans liked homecooking. So I hoped one day you’d come… knowing there would be some. Isn’t that where a home is?”
“Oh, Scara,” - your hand found the curve of his back, to which he never leaned away. “I think you’re a quick learner, because you made leaps of progress. And your last dish, the Unagi Chazuke? It was perfect.”
“You don’t have to sugarcoat it, you know?” – he mused whistfully.
“No, I mean it. I think Chazukes are your best. But don’t get discouraged. Inazuman cuisine focuses on subtle blends of saltiness and sweetness, relying on ingredients like rice vinegar, sesame oil, or soy sauce. But Sumeru? Oh, I heard they have all kinds of spices out there!”
You went on and on with unbridled enthusiasm, weaving tales of harra fruits ground into rare, fragrant spices, prized all over Teyvat. Scaramouche listened silently, more in delight at your simple excitement. Perhaps he started to understand why humans focused so much on food. Not out of survival, but as a cultural effort to spend time together, a silent way to stay a little longer. Because whenever he sat down with you over a meal, it felt more than just an indulgence.
Maybe if he ever gets the chance, he should visit Sumeru…? 
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✧ Pantalone – His coats or clothing after each date
It started by sheer coincidence. One time, the two of you were enjoying a splendid afternoon, when suddenly the wind stirred without warning, bearing the chill of an impending October rain. Caught unprepared without an umbrella, and before the two of you could bid farewell for the day, Pantalone stopped you.
“Wait, honey,” – he deftly unbuttoned his coat, wrapping it around your form from behind and adjusting the fur-lined collar to shield you from the cold. “Here, wear this along the road. If it starts raining, the hood of this coat will keep you spotless.”
You wanted to protest, but when The Harbinger saw you half-swallowed by the voluminous fabric, only your gaze barely peeking through, it demanded every ounce of restraint to maintain his gentlemanly expression. ‘My… my sweetheart! They look utterly precious! Like a bundled burrito!’
Your words of worry slipped past him from one ear to the other – “Ahem. Nonsense, my love. You can keep it for now.” 
On another occasion, when he had invited you for a pleasant dinner date at his estate, the atmosphere bloomed with warmth and quiet comfort. The candlelit table was set, as you aided him in arranging the plates and dishes in the dining room. Pantalone, ever at ease in your presence, casually shrugged off his sweater, remaining in a crisp button-up now that the fireplace’s warmth embraced the indoors. However, it wasn’t until you wore his sweater after dinner that he realized he had left it on the sofa, and it piqued your curiosity.
“Ah, if I had a camera on me right now, I would’ve taken a hundred photo shots of you!”
“Sorry, sorry, I can give your sweater back.”
“Not a chance now. Keep it!”
Thus, a habit was formed. Whether by intent or by innocent accident, Pantalone would gladly share with you his wardrobe – be it coats, scarves, his pieces of jewelry, or bigger lounging shirts. You assumed he let you borrow them, like the loving boyfriend that he is. Yet he never asked for them back, even when you suggested taking them off, stating proudly:
“Honey, I have plenty more in my closet. If I were in dire need of taking them back, I could simply purchase tailor-made once more. But I’d rather see you wear them. You look splendid in my clothes.”
It stirred a quiet pride within the Regrator, to be accompanied by his sweetheart in public, and the people recognizing his iconic coat draped over your shoulder. A clear message of who has his heart cupped in their palms, and who he adores beyond reverent adoration.
Yet what truly stole the crown is when you’re together in the comfort of your home, and decide to forgo any garments and simply slip into one of his button-up shirts. He’d find you, re-emerged from the bathroom, looking all cleaned and refreshed, your figure clad in his shirt.
All the blood leaves his head. There is not a single thought in his brain - just the image of you. In bed, his button-up shirt the sole remaining piece covering your figure.
“You know, Pantalone, I must admit - I love the feeling of your clothes. They’re soft and comfortable, yet they carry a whiff of your scent. Thank you for not mind me wearing them. I can give it back if y-... Dear?”
Yep, he’s about to pass out. His beloved is too beautiful. 
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✧ Tartaglia – Plushies as souvenirs from different regions
The young Harbinger took a deep breath, cracked his knuckles, and stretched his neck. A recent mission in Liyue lay completed behind him, but did that mean he could rest and take a break? No, alas, the battle has only started. And today’s battle is shopping in the busy markets of Liyue in search of gifts and souvenirs. 
He often makes a mental list of what presents to bring home to Snezhnaya. New fishing gear for his father, fine garments for his dear sister Tonia, rare tomes for Anthon, and vibrant Liyue kites for little Teucer. His arms often returned so laden with offerings that his family affectionately dubbed him Ded Moroz, or as Teucer would shout in delight upon his arrival: “Father Christmas is back home!” 
Nonetheless, despite the massive ordeal of finding appropriate gifts, the task Childe found most effortless is finding you all sorts of figurines and plushies from each region. 
Maybe this Rex Lapis dragon plushie? No, you already have a five-foot-tall one at home; no need for another. Perhaps this rotund bird plush, fashioned after some grumpy Liyue adeptus? Oh, but there are also beautiful plushies from Fontaine, resembling Blubberbeasts and otters. Even though the sight of otter plushies gave him a dreadful sense of déjà vu. Truly, there were far too many to choose from.
And knowing Tartaglia, his heart would cave in and purchase all of them for you either way. He would return home triumphant, adding to your ever-growing collection, until your bed became a veritable kingdom of pillowy plush creatures, half of them functioning as pillows all over the house. No matter what your cherished brought, you’d smile in delight at his safe return, but laugh when he proudly presented the chunky blubberbeast plush with a boyish grin.
“Oh, by the way, look! I also bought this,” – he suddenly stated and handed you a masterfully crocheted keychain of a little Sumeru creature. Its stitched smile looking silly.
“Ajax, what is that?” - you chuckled, more amused by the Harbinger’s goofy smile.
“The shopkeeper called it an Aranara. There is a legend in Sumeru that these little wood critters roam the jungles, but are only visible to children who retain their innocent childhood imagination.”
You turned the keychain over in your hands, pondering where best to fasten it. It was charming, like every other token Childe so thoughtfully brought you. Yet truth be told, everyone knows your favourite plushy to cuddle was not the entourage of souvenirs, but the Harbinger who bought them. And in Childe’s mind, that alone was the sweetest victory he could claim.
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(Some lovelies kindly asked me if I can add the Harbinger missing in my fanfics. I try to keep those specific characters in my stories, but if you ever see me not include Scara or let's say Childe - it's not because I forgot or dislike them, but because sometime in the process of writing I do not want to repeat the same tropes for all the characters depending on the headcanons :< thank you for reading so far)
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salynaa · 1 month ago
Text
Sage of Truth x Reader Pt.2
Warnings : None, bad writing, fluff, shy reader.
Author note : Part 1 by the way, this shit is long asf, coems chat
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The following days passed like breath held too long.
Long enough for your chest to ache with it.
You moved through your shifts at the library like someone walking underwater, calm on the surface, but aware of every sound, every silence, every whisper of footsteps that might be his. There were times you thought you heard him, the soft rustle of fabric near the astronomy aisle, the familiar rhythm of someone scanning spines with intention. But each time you looked, no one was there.
You couldn’t stop thinking about him, the man from that night. The stranger who spoke as if stars had languages, and thoughts were sacred.
You still didn’t know who he was.
Not his name. Not his position. Not even whether he truly worked at the academy.
And yet, every time you shelved a book or turned a page, your mind flickered back to that voice, that presence, and most of all, to the feeling he’d left behind. It wasn’t just admiration. It was something stranger. Quieter. Like the calm before a change in weather.
A kind of wonder.
You’d placed Celestial Architectures, Vol. I back on your desk, not to be reshelved, but to be kept close, like a letter from a friend you hadn’t decided how to answer. You opened it again days later, your fingers hesitant at first, and reread the notes you'd once scrawled in the margins. They were clumsy, full of half-formed questions and unpolished ideas.
But between them now were his responses, precise, thoughtful, sometimes even playful, but never mocking.
He’d transformed your scattered thoughts into something alive, something more.
Reading the dialogue you’d created together felt like finding a secret trail of stars drawn just for you, one you hadn’t realized you’d been following.
But he hadn’t returned.
Not yet.
You told yourself it didn’t matter. That he’d simply borrowed a book and moved on. That you were being foolish. But even as you tried to reason with yourself, your eyes would drift toward the entrance of the library in the quietest hours of the evening, hoping.
You thought of finding the second volume, but hesitated.
What if he never came back? What if those few pages were all you’d ever share? A single conversation, brilliant, strange, but unfinished.
Still… part of you, perhaps, the part that had once believed in things beyond the rational began to prepare. Not with grand gestures, but with small, deliberate choices. You lit the lamps a little earlier. You cleaned chair he could possibly use, even though no one else sat there. You took the second volume of Celestial Architectures from the restricted archives, its binding delicate and its cover soft from age.
You began to reread it, not as a scholar, but as a conversation partner. At first, it was to refresh your memory. Then, it became more.
You started writing again.
This time, it wasn’t unintentional.
Your notes curved with a kind of quiet anticipation. Not just private reflections now, but questions meant to be seen. Ideas meant to be met. You wrote not with the expectation of being read, but with the hope of it. It was terrifying and strange and somehow thrilling. You weren’t sure if he’d come again, but if he did, you wanted him to know you had been waiting.
And three days later, he returned.
You felt it before you saw him, the air shifted, as if the library recognized him before you did. The silence pressed differently. The lamps flickered a little warmer.
He didn’t knock. He never had.
He simply appeared, quiet at the entrance, framed by tall stacks and amber light. In his hands, he carried a book you hadn't noticed before. Not from your collection, something older, private. Bound in deep golden cloth, worn at the edges.
He looked at you the way someone looks at something they’re relieve to find again. Then, his eyes flicked on one of your hand holding the book.
“I see you found the volume two,” he said, with the smallest of smiles, just enough to soften the space between you.
You straightened, your pulse loud in your throat. You hadn’t realized you’d been gripping the edge of your desk with your free hand.
“I… I wasn’t sure if you’d come back,” you said, voice too quiet.
He stepped further inside, the distance between you shrinking with each careful movement.
“I wasn’t sure either,” he replied.
Then he paused, just long enough for the moment to settle.
“But I hoped.”
You said nothing at first, your throat felt too tight to allow much more than a breath. You watched as he moved closer, the book in his hands catching the soft amber light. The cover was marked with intricate runes you didn’t recognize, and yet… it looked strangely familiar.
“I meant to return sooner,” he said, his voice as calm as always, though this time there was something in it, an undertone, like a shadow passing under clear water. He was looking down at the book in your hands, but his thoughts seemed elsewhere. “My schedule… doesn’t always belong to me.”
You blinked at that. The way he said it, not with frustration, but with the tired acceptance of someone whose time was no longer truly their own. Someone constantly summoned, expected, consulted.
It sounded familiar. In the way a story feels familiar even if you’ve never read it before.
“I imagine you must be… busy.” you said cautiously, unsure whether you were stating the obvious or something more delicate.
His mouth curved slightly. Not quite a smile, more like the idea of one.
“That’s one word for it,” he replied, and you thought you saw a flicker of amusement behind his eyes, quickly gone. “Let’s just say free hours are a rare commodity these days.”
You found yourself nodding, but questions rose anyway, quiet and persistent.
Why?
Who exactly was he, to be so needed? So tethered?
And what kind of responsibilities could keep a man like him away from something as small as a conversation, or as quiet as a library?
You wanted to ask. The words were right there, sitting on the edge of your tongue.
But something in you hesitated.
Because the truth was, you still didn’t know who he was. Not really. He’d never given his name. Never said what he taught, if he taught. And yet, the way he moved through this place, with a kind of quiet familiarity, like the stone and shelves knew him, told you he belonged here in a way few ever did.
It struck you then, in the soft light of the reading lamps, that he wasn’t simply another professor passing through.
There was something different. Higher. Heavier.
You remembered the way your colleagues sometimes spoke in hushed tones about “certain figures” at the Academy, those rare, elevated individuals the rest of the scholars or even colleagues admired from a distance. You’d never cared to pay attention before.
Now, you wondered if you’d unknowingly found yourself speaking to one of them.
But still, you didn’t ask. You told yourself it didn’t matter.
And yet, you couldn’t help but wonder,
If someone like him was so occupied, why did he come back at all?
But instead of sharing your thoughts, you simply nodded, and offered the faintest smile. “I’m glad you came back.”
And you meant it more than you expected.
His eyes flicked to yours at that, and held them just long enough to make you feel it. Not just seen, but read, like a favorite passage in a well-worn book.
“I brought you something,” he said, breaking the moment with quiet grace.
He extended the book toward you, carefully, as though it were fragile. Reverent. “It’s called The Soul Scripts of Silent Scholars. It’s not part of your collection.”
You took it with both hands. The cover was velvet-dark, bound in deep golden cloth, worn at the edges and humming faintly with something just beneath the surface. Not magic exactly… or maybe a kind of magic you couldn’t name.
“This book is extremely important.. I can tell by its quality…”. You murmured, unable to stop your fingertips from tracing the edge of the title. “Where did you-?”
But he only tilted his head, a faint smile touching the corners of his mouth. “Let’s say it found me.”
You looked up at him again, wanting, perhaps needing, to ask more.
But something about him always made your curiosity fold back on itself. He never seemed to be hiding anything… but neither did he volunteer anything unasked. Like a book that could only be opened one page at a time.
And so you said nothing more, and instead reached beneath the counter for the second volume of Celestial Architectures.
“I’ve… added some thoughts,” you admitted, your voice a touch self-conscious as you held it out to him.
He accepted it gently, opening to the first page, and the tiniest light passed through his expression when he saw your handwriting.
A flicker of recognition. Of shared space.
“Thank you,” he said softly.
He offered you a polite nod, then slowly reached into the folds of his sleeve. “I must attend to another engagement,” he said softly, almost apologetically. “Please excuse me for now.”
A small pause stretched between you as he prepared to depart. For a moment, the world in the library felt suspended, a gentle lull between pages yet to be written. You wanted to ask more, to tease out the secrets behind his cryptic replies. But his departure was inevitable.
With a final fleeting smile, he turned and walked toward the grand arched doorway. His steps were measured, leaving you with a mixture of longing and quiet introspection. The library’s silence seemed richer with his absence, as if the very air missed his presence.
Left alone with the soft rustle of pages and the steady beat of your own thoughts, you hesitated for several minutes. Then, with trembling hands, you unfolded the book he had so delicately given you. The cover was as enchanting as before, but this time you noticed something new, inside, handwritten notes in a neat, refined script that you recognized instantly as his.
You ran your fingertips slowly over the lines, reading the annotations with a sense of awe and curiosity. Each note was meticulously composed, elegant and measured, transforming the ordinary commentary of a scholar into something almost lyrical. Compared to your own hastily scrawled thoughts, messy, passionate, and uncertain, his writing was pristine, as if he had transcribed the very essence of truth with each pen stroke.
As you turned the pages, a growing question tugged at your mind, should you respond to these notes? Yet, you hesitated. Your own annotations, though honest, felt raw and jumbled. They were the whispered musings of a soul unsure of its own voice. How could you possibly match the measured perfection of his words? And yet, the thought of maintaining the silent conversation between you both was irresistible.
Your gaze lingered on a final inscription at the book’s end, a signature, written in the same elegant hand; “Shadow Milk.”
A chill ran down your spine. You recognized the name immediately, the murmurs in the corridors of the Academy spoke reverently of Shadow Milk, the Headmaster of the Blueberry Academy, the elusive figure whispered about in faculty halls. The one they called The Sage of Truth. This book... wasn't just important.
It was his. Written by his hand. A personal copy. Annotated.
Your first thought was, how could he possibly own such a book?
Did he know him personally? Were they friends? Had he somehow simply stumbled upon it?
No, that was unthinkable. A volume like this couldn’t simply be found, not by accident. And certainly not a handwritten copy. It was the kind of treasure students would dream of glimpsing behind locked glass, let alone touching.
So how, in the quiet hush of this quiet library, had it found its way into the hands of a humble librarian as you?
Gathering your courage, you resolved to ask him about it during his next visit.
To your surprise, his visit came sooner than expected, just as the evening settled into its quiet rhythm. After gathering the books a few students had deliberately abandoned on the reading tables, you made your way back toward your desk near the entrance, only to find him already there.
Bathed in moonlight that seemed to trace the lines of his face with gentle familiarity, he stood silently, as if waiting for something, or someone to arrive. You approached the counter where he was. You hesitated, tempted to call out to him, but you didn’t know how to address him. With a soft, hesitant tone, you broke the silence.
“Excuse me?” The words left your mouth before you had time to really think them through, soft, uncertain, like a whisper breaking the silence.
At the sound, he turned toward you slowly, as if surprised, though not unpleasantly so. His expression shifted, mild curiosity warming into something gentler.
“Oh,” he said, a faint smile brushing his lips. “So you were here, after all.”
You froze, heart stuttering in your chest.
There were so many things you could have said. A polite greeting. A question. Even just a simple apology for startling him. But instead, you merely nodded, wordless, small, and quietly moved behind the counter, as if it might shield you from the intensity of the moment.
You busied yourself with nothing in particular, pretending to organize the scattered papers or adjust the pen jar, anything to avoid looking up.
Still, you could feel it, his gaze.
Not invasive, not harsh. Just… present. Steady. Calm. And somehow, that made it all the more difficult to breathe.
You waited for him to speak first, as he always did. It had become an unspoken pattern between you, a rhythm that let you hide behind the comfort of his voice.
But this time, he said nothing.
Instead, he stood there in the quiet, watching you with that calm, unreadable gaze. Not expectant exactly, but still, it felt as though he were waiting. Not for something in the room. For something from you.
And suddenly, the silence that had once felt gentle now pressed in at the edges, awkward, unfamiliar. So, to free yourself from it, you spoke about the first things that crossed your mind.
“I must ask… how did you come by such a book?” you ventured, your cheeks warming with a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty. “It feels as though I should not have dared to touch something of so immense value… How did you come to own it?”
The question left your lips before you could second-guess it. You hadn't meant to sound accusatory, just curious. But something about the weight of the book had been lingering in your thoughts ever since.
He looked at you, his eyes twinkling with a hint of amusement, as if he were delighted by your cautious wonder. “First, could I ask… What do you think of Shadow Milk?” he asked lightly, saying his name with such ease while tilting his head in curiosity. His question was casual, yet laden deference, inviting you to share your own impressions without revealing too much about himself.
You paused, considering your words carefully. “I’ve never seen him,” you admitted slowly, “so I cannot say I truly know him. Yet, everyone speaks of him with such admiration, so I imagine he must be as refined and mysterious as the legends suggest.” You hesitated further before adding, “Owning such a book… it seems far beyond my reach. It is not something I believe I should claim as my own.”
A soft chuckle escaped him at that. “Knowledge, however, is meant for everyone,” he replied gently. “It is not the possession of a select few, but a light to be shared with all.”
You opened your mouth to protest, to suggest that perhaps the book should be returned, that it was too grand a responsibility for someone like you. “I… perhaps I should return it,” you murmured, conflicted, “I’m not sure I’m worthy of handling such a treasure…whether it be a friend’s or merely an acquaintance’s.”
“No,” he interjected kindly, his voice imbued with quiet insistence. “Consider it a gift. Let it be yours.”
Your eyes widened in surprise, mixed with a gentle protest that nevertheless waned in the face of his warm yet unwavering tone. “But… wouldn’t the Sage of truth be displeased if he knew that such a book, a handmade copy, had passed into my hands?” you asked softly, as if the very sound of his tittle might summon a weight greater than you could bear.
He offered you a smile, one that carried both reassurance and a playful gleam. “I’m certain he would not mind..” he replied lightly. “For knowledge is not confined to titles or position. It is a shared treasure, after all.”
Before you could voice another thought, he reached the doorway once more, gathering his belongings, your book in his hands. Then, just as he paused at the threshold, he added with a light laugh that echoed faintly off the stone walls, “And I could always remake another copy of it, if need be..”
And as the echo of his words faded into the quiet air, you remained standing there, heart gently fluttering and mind alight with questions, with the mysterious book clutched in your hands and his parting words still resonating, you couldn’t help but wonder about the secret behind his every action and words.
..
But then, just for a moment, you tensed.
Had he said “I”?
The word echoed back to you, faint but unmistakable. A single syllable, slipped into the quiet like a thread pulled too far, revealing far too much for your poor little heart to bear.
Everything had started to align in your mind, slowly at first, like stars shifting into a pattern you weren’t sure you were meant to see.
Was that why the notes had looked so strangely familiar?
So eerily close to the handwriting in the book?
The thought had crossed your mind once before, briefly, flickering like a match that refused to catch. You’d dismissed it then. The tone of the margin notes had felt… lighter. More relaxed. They carried an ease that didn’t quite match the formality of the written manuscript.
And yet..
Even in their quiet confidence, they held the same elegance. The same quiet control. The same deliberate beauty. You hadn’t dare to face it then. But now… it was harder to look away.
Gosh, maybe a day off would be great…
Chapter 3
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Thanks for reading!! Don’t forget to like🫶🍊
ET À MON AMIE, TA INTÉRÊT À AIMER ENFOIRER
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certaimromance · 9 months ago
Text
𝜗𝜚 A Picture of a Cat.
Spencer Reid x Forensic!reader
main masterlist
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Summary: After months of emailing back and forth, you finally meet the person you've been chatting with every day. Then you realize that Spencer is not just a girl's name.
Words: 2,7k.
Warnings & Tags: fem!reader. with spencer of the early seasons very much in love in mind. the reader has a cat and has little faith in men (literally me, sorry). SO MUCH chaos and maybe lack of communication but happy ending. english isn't my first language (sorry for my mistakes, be kind please).
Note: This is pretty chaotic and not particularly serious😭 It might be best not to try to make sense of it. They're just two idiots in love, really.
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To say that Spencer was dying of nervousness was not enough to describe his true feelings.
From the moment he woke up this morning without any mail from you in his inbox, he began to feel that his day was going wrong and that it was becoming an endless nightmare. He had lost count of all the times he had checked his mail at work, hoping to see even a one-line message from you to calm his anxiety.
As someone who had received your good morning every day without fail for the last four months that you had been talking to each other daily, he was completely taken aback and couldn't quite put his finger on why. Perhaps he had said something to offend you, or maybe you were just not feeling the spark anymore. But astonishingly, none of your numerous emails that he had taken the time to reread on the jet indicated any cause for concern.
Everything had been so positive with you recently, and he was grateful to have someone to talk to, even if it was through a computer, every time he finished a challenging case and his mind just wanted to focus on something else. He found great comfort in reading about your day and your thoughts every morning, as if it were his newspaper. Even the pictures you always sent him of your cat sleeping in cute poses, eating, or doing anything else made him smile and gave him the idea of adopting a pet, even when he had never thought about the possibility of it before. You always helped him realize some desires he hadn't previously considered.
But suddenly he didn't have any of it. Nothing at all.
Reid's gaze fell once upon the computer on his desk, and his face was illuminated by its light as he reopened his email page for what might have been the thousandth time that day. His fingers tapped over and over on his knee in an attempt to calm his nerves as the page loaded at a slow pace. He took the opportunity to look at the time on the clock hanging on the wall in front of him. It was ten o'clock at night, and yet, once again, there was no trace of you among his messages.
His heart stopped for a second when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and he had to close the page he had opened on his computer at full speed before he could even realize who it was.
“Hey, take it easy, kid.” Derek said gently, removing his hand from his shoulder and stepping back a step. His eyes fell on the computer screen, and he was intrigued. “What were you watching?” He asked, with a playful smile.
“N-nothing.” Spencer's voice trembled beyond his control, and he quickly rose from his chair, trying to shield the computer with his body.
You had been his best-kept secret for quite some time, and he was content with that. He enjoyed the idea of maintaining a certain level of privacy in that aspect of his life, as something just between you two. It was more special and romantic that way.
“Nothing? Is that what they call those things now?” Derek inquired, his tone teasing but not unkind. The boy blushed a little, unsure why. “I must admit I'm surprised.”
Reid had to think for a few seconds to figure out what his colleague was talking about, but even before he could understand, Morgan had started speaking again.
“Anyway, turn that off.” He said, pointing to the computer and settling his bag over his shoulder, ready to go. “Someone's waiting for you in the boardroom.”
Almost automatically, Spencer frowned and watched him, waiting for him to provide more information or at least laugh if he was making a joke. However, that didn't occur. Derek didn't laugh at him or anything of that nature.
“Go, Reid. It might be best not to keep the girl waiting.” He gave his friend a gentle pat on the shoulder and a reassuring smile before heading off on the way to the elevator.
A girl? Waiting for him? How?
Spencer took a moment to collect his thoughts, attempting to grasp the meaning behind Derek's words and the circumstances surrounding the supposed visitor. With a measured pace, he stepped away from his desk and proceeded down the hallway, heading for the boardroom with a contemplative demeanor.
As he opened the door and cautiously stepped inside, he was met with the most glorious sight of his life, the one he had waited so long for, the one that now quickened his pulse and seemed to bring him back to life after feeling dead all day.
You.
Standing at the table, looking intently at the various maps and data scattered around the round table in the center of the room. So deep in thought that you were not even aware of his presence. As pretty as in the pictures of you that he had seen.
He couldn't help but let out a little "oh my" at the sight of you. His heart was pounding so hard he thought he could hear it from across the room, or maybe his ears were just ringing from the blood rushing to his head. Reid stood still, looking at you, amazed. He could see how the light touched your hair and how you bit your lip as you concentrated on organizing the papers and a folder in your hand. It was real. It had to be real.
“Hi.” His voice suddenly startled you, making you realize that you were no longer alone and that the door was now open.
You look up from the documents you are examining and see him by chance. It takes you a moment to realize that he works there, and only by the FBI badge in his pants pocket.
“Hi.” You responded after giving him a very obvious visual scan.
Your voice.
It was the first time he'd heard you speak, and it was just as he'd imagined it would be.
“I’m-” You extended your hand in a cordial manner to introduce yourself, but he interrupted.
“I know who you are.” He spoke quickly, smiling at you. “I...I...you are...” Reid cursed himself for stuttering the sentence as his tongue suddenly felt too heavy in his mouth.
“Okay…I'm waiting for someone.” You said it politely, but your tone showed your anxiety.
Oh, you didn't know it was him.
Spencer let out a laugh to relieve the growing tension, but it came out sounding like a cough. He wanted to hit himself. Why was he acting like a child? He was an agent, for God's sake. His job was to talk to complete strangers every day and do entire profiles without getting nervous. He found it hard to understand how that was changing so much now. He took a deep breath and forced himself to speak more clearly.
“Yes, I know.” He replied, sounding a bit nervous. His voice was a little shaky, as if he was straining to get the words out.
“Do you know if this person is coming?” You were standing there with your arms crossed, trying to see if anyone else was coming after him.
At that moment, a look of confusion came over his face. It had not even crossed your mind that it might be him. And although it was to be expected and totally understandable since you had never seen a picture of him, Spencer still felt a twinge of pain and insecurity inside. Perhaps you expected him to look different, or at least not look like a kid playing federal agent.
Maybe it would have been helpful if he had sent you a picture of himself when you sent yours. That way, you might have had a better idea of what to expect. But you were very understanding of his insecurities and lack of comfort with the photos at the time. So he thought everything would be fine anyway…he was so wrong.
He cleared his throat and took a deep breath before speaking up. “Actually, it's me.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to hide how nervous he was, with little success.
As soon as he said it, you looked surprised, your mouth slightly open, and then you laughed.
“That's pretty funny.” You said it with a slightly uncomfortable smile. When you realized he wasn't laughing, you added, “Good joke.”
Seeing your reaction, Spencer felt the urge to shrink back and disappear, as if that action could erase the last few seconds of your memory and also erase the feeling he suddenly had of having screwed up in an unfamiliar way. He felt his chest tighten as you asked him again if the person you were waiting for was coming. Was it so hard to believe that he was the person you were talking to? The one who earned your trust and affection?
“I spent several hours on a plane, so please let me know if your colleague is coming.” You spoke again, your tone conveying a hint of disappointment and fatigue. “If I'm a nuisance and Spencer doesn't want to see me, I'd appreciate knowing that.”
Hearing you say his first name gave him an unexpected shiver. It sounded so pleasant and intimate. He took another deep breath and forced herself to speak clearly.
“Wait, he does want to see you.” He paused for a moment, realizing he sounded a bit ridiculous. “I mean, I do. I'm Spencer.”
You're momentarily taken aback, unsure if the guy in front of you is joking. His nervous expression suggests otherwise, and you even entertain the possibility that he might be crazy.
Oh my goodness, you were all alone on a practically empty floor of the FBI offices with an insane agent.
“Just let me know if she's coming or not, please.” You said, taking a few steps back to be at a safe distance from him.
His mouth was so dry he could only manage a soft, hoarse whisper. “She? Did you think I was a girl?”
“You?” You furrowed your brow, feeling more confused and uneasy.
At last, he had a suggestion and reached into his pocket to retrieve his badge, holding it out to you in a gesture that seemed to convey innocence.
“I’m Spencer Reid.” He said, his voice betraying a hint of awkwardness as he was caught off guard by the peculiar turn of events.
You looked at the badge, confused, and slowly looked up, looking into his eyes closely for the first time. You studied his face intently, not really believing it.
“Are you Spencer? My Spencer?” You asked.
When you said “my,” he felt a flutter in his chest. His brain was trying to tell him not to get too invested in the moment, but the vulnerable part of him was moved by the way you said it, like he was all yours. There was a special air of affection there that he liked.
“Yes.” He replied, almost in a whisper. “I am.”
You had to take a moment to process the information, eyes glued to his as you tried to make sense of it. Little by little, you come to understand. This was the person you had been talking to every day for months—the person with whom you had shared your fears, stories, and dreams. Yet you hadn't even asked him for a picture or a call—anything that would have made you realize that he wasn't a woman. It seems almost unreal to you to have fallen into such a confusion.
“I sent pictures of my cat to a man?!” Was the first thing you thought, and it managed to come out of your mouth clearly, in an indignant tone. “I said you were my soulmate!”
Now you were the one who sounded insane.
He stood there for a few moments, looking at you and seeing the different emotions on your face. When he finally spoke, his voice had a hint of insecurity in it.
“Yes…but your cat is cute, and you take good pictures.” He scratched the back of his neck, looking a bit nervous. “Did you know that the evocative power of images is widely studied? They can help us verbalize and even rescue forgotten memories and stories from our collective memory and-” He silences himself. “Sorry.”
When he fell silent, your brain couldn't do the same, and thousands of hard-to-filter words began to appear. You had a strange feeling in your chest, a mixture of familiarity with the way his ramblings sounded to you, just like the emails you loved so much, and confusion about the whole situation.
“This is so strange.” You said to yourself, pacing around the room a couple of times. “I was so stupid-”
He observed you with great interest, trying to discern the thoughts and feelings that were likely swirling in your mind. He could empathize with your confusion, as he was also uncertain about the circumstances. He couldn't blame you for feeling bewildered. You had embarked on your journey with the expectation of meeting a girl named Spencer, but instead, you encountered him. You had envisioned a lovely girl, and you found him—a simple individual, a nerd who had been told on numerous occasions that nerds lacked charm.
“No. You're not.” He said, attempting to manage his desire to bridge the gap and offer solace. “It was a misunderstanding. I should have provided you with more information.”
“How would you even start a conversation by saying you were a man?” You let out a laugh to yourself. “I would have stopped talking to you instantly.”
The sentence hit him right in the heart.
The two of you had the opportunity to communicate by mail when your boss asked you to send reports on several of the autopsies with similarities you had done to the BAU. It was then that a picture of your cat was sent in the middle of the files. Spencer was the one who received it and made an attempt at a joke after your long apology. And then another, and another, until you ended up talking for four months until now.
But if you had known from the beginning that he wasn't a woman, you wouldn't have bothered to get to know him at all.
“I...I don't know what to tell you..” He admitted, sounding a little more vulnerable. “But why did you think I was a woman?”
After a moment's thought, you said. “Your name made me think of a girl I knew in college. And you...you were so nice and sweet in your emails that I found it hard to believe that a man could be like that through a screen.”
When you shared how you perceived him through his emails, it seemed that a certain vulnerability came to light. The situation had turned the tables, and now he was the one standing there trying to process the information.
“I thought I finally had a friend. You know what my job is like...and yours is just as all-consuming.” You spoke again, having to sit for a moment in one of the chairs in the place, trying to calm down. “It would've been great to have someone who understood me as a friend.”
He felt a pang in his heart at your words and was instantly reminded of the times you'd confided in him about how isolated you felt in your lab, surrounded by dead people and computers.
“You can still do that.” He replied without thinking. “I’m still the same person as before, just different packaging.”
For you, it was much more than that. First of all, you trusted him in the beginning because you thought he was a girl; that's why he understood you so much and you had that special connection.
Hell, you'd even told him how bad your period was, and he'd understood so well. He'd given you tips and facts that you didn't know that were beyond your expectations of what the average man knew.
“I mean, I'm still someone you can talk to.” He continued, his hands moving nervously in his pockets. “Unless you...unless you don't feel that way anymore.”
When you finally spoke, your voice sounded almost whispery and gentle. He couldn’t help but lift his gaze from the floor to you, feeling how his body relaxed just a bit with the soft sound of your voice.
“No, no. I still want to talk to you…if you’re my Spencer.”
“I am, all yours.” He replied with a smile.
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salty-tang · 22 days ago
Text
The Suit Problem™
Congressman!Bucky Barnes x Congresswoman!Reader
Summary: someone commented, and i quote verbatim "I can't imagine Bucky in a suit without thinking of him flexing & accidentally ripping his sleeves. Just to share that imagery."
Warnings/ tags: MATURE THEMES, Original Characters galore, political tension with feelings, lots of tension, suit kink (very heavily implied), emotional restraint and physical damage, making out in federally inappropriate spaces (the bathroom), clothed intimacy
Word count: 3k
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off the record masterpost || AO3 || congressman bucky masterpost
The First Time It Happens
It’s a standard afternoon hearing – oversight – dry, procedural, and criminally under-attended. Some poor GAO witness is walking the committee through a line-by-line breakdown of federal allocations for energy storage grants. You’re barely following. The numbers aren’t the problem, the problem (as is with many other things in life these days) is Bucky Barnes.
Specifically, Bucky in the third chair diagonally to your left, rolling back his shoulders and shrugging his jacket up higher on his frame like it isn’t already fighting for its dear life. Like the seam at his right shoulder isn’t straining with every millimetre he moves.
You’ve seen the shrug before. He does it when he’s bored. When he’s too warm. When he knows you’re watching.
It makes him look younger – unruly and a little too charming for your peace of mind.
Normally, you can take it.
But then –
riiip
A soft tear. Audible, but just barely. Right at the seam where his sleeve meets his right shoulder. Not the metal arm.
The flesh one.
You don’t mean to look. But you do, reflexively.
The fabric’s split open like a bad alibi, pulled too tight over muscle he has no business keeping in that good of a shape. The shirt underneath clings and you can see the edge of his bicep where the cotton’s pulled taut.
You freeze.
Then you blush.
And then you realize you’re blushing, and you nearly drop your pen.
He looks over. Of course he looks over.
He knows.
And his mouth quirks up like he’s won something, and perhaps he has.
You tear your eyes away and pretend to reread your notes, except that your entire mental slate has just been wiped clean by the sight of one extremely illegal shoulder doing irreversible things to navy wool blend.
Mills, three chairs behind you, texts the group slack in real time:
He BROKE THE JACKET. That’s the REAL oversight. my kinsey score will never recover
You press your lips together. You do not react. This is a federal setting.
But somewhere in the back of your head – right between this is wildly inappropriate and I did not know this was a thing for me – there’s a voice whispering: not even the metal arm. Jesus Christ.
In the Hallway Immediately After
You catch him just outside the hearing room. You're clutching your notes to your chest – mostly to hide the fact that your hands are shaking slightly. From frustration, obviously.
“Barnes,” you call out. 
He turns, slow. Too slow. His suit jacket’s slung over one shoulder now, exposing the ripped seam like it’s a war medal.
You narrow your eyes. “Do you enjoy making my staff reconsider their sexuality during active committee meetings?”
He bites down on a smile. "It was an accident."
A pause.
Then – lower, silkier, “your staff, or you?”
You go still.
It’s not fair, the way he says it. Like he’s just asking a question and he isn’t the living embodiment of every problem you’ve ever sworn to ignore.
Your jaw tightens. “Don’t test me, Barnes.”
He smiles properly now – wolfish, pleased. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
You take a step closer. That’s your first mistake because he smells like cedar and clean soap and faint Capitol dust, and he’s still doing that thing – head tilted slightly, mouth soft at the corners, like he knows exactly how close you are to either slapping him or kissing him.
“That’s a campaign funded jacket,” you say, voice low. “You keep destroying them like this and I’m going to have to file you under infrastructure damage.”
“I’ll expense it,” he says, deadpan. “Line item 22: legislative tension.”
You exhale sharply. “You know you’re not supposed to look like that in public. It's unbecoming of a Congressman.”
He leans in, just a little.
“You keep looking at me like that,” he murmurs, “and I’ll break the other seam too.”
Your breath catches.
He sees it and smiles.
“You’re impossible,” you say, weakly.
“You’re flustered.”
“I’m not.”
He shrugs.
Again.
The sound that comes out of you isn’t quite verbal.
Somewhere behind you, a staffer coughs awkwardly.
You straighten up and smooth your blouse, all while pretending that your entire blood supply hasn’t migrated somewhere wildly inappropriate for federal property.
“I’m telling Mike to order you three new jackets,” you say, already turning to leave.
“Better make it four,” he calls after you. “Just in case I sit down too fast.”
You don’t give him the satisfaction of looking back, because you're smiling. 
The Fitting
The tailor is a compact, fastidious man named Victor. He works out of a discreet Dupont Circle storefront and has measured no fewer than four Supreme Court justices and at least one war criminal. Nothing rattles him.
Enter Bucky Barnes.
You are only here because you know Victor personally. That, and because Mike flagged Bucky’s latest jacket incident with a single phrase in your shared calendar:
URGENT: Barnes needs congressional-grade tailoring before someone loses an eye.
Victor gestures for Bucky to step onto the platform. “Try lifting your arm.”
Bucky rolls his left shoulder back in a deceptively casual shrug. The fabric of his shirt pulls like it's being winched over a steel cable. You hear it before you see it – a subtle groan of resistance from the sleeve.
There’s a long, painful pause.
"Okay," you say slowly, eyes fixed on the fabric. "So that’s a no."
The tailor clears his throat. “We might need a reinforced seam or – pardon me – structural adjustments for… exceptional anatomy.”
You hum. “Exceptional anatomy. That’s generous.”
Bucky shoots you a look, half mortified, half amused. “You dragged me here.”
“Because you tore your third jacket in two months,” you say, very calmly. “You can’t keep walking into committee hearings looking like you lost a bar fight with your own sleeves.”
He mutters something about deadlifting and polyester. You don’t respond. You’re too busy watching his biceps test the limits of a very expensive shoulder seam.
“I could just wear the old black suit,” he offers.
You raise an eyebrow. “The one you ripped open lifting a box of printed memos?”
"...It was a heavy box."
You shake your head as you pace about the store. You’ve chosen to pace because you will not be hovering while Bucky shrugs in and out of suit jackets like a Calvin Klein fever dream.
Victor starts measuring. Professional, focused, barely blinking until he gets to Bucky’s shoulders.
Victor sighs. “Sir, I’m going to need you to relax your shoulders.”
Bucky grins. “They are relaxed.”
You do not look over.
You will not look over.
Behind you, Jenna – assigned to ‘observe and document’ this appointment – is standing by the sample books, typing into her phone like a woman possessed.
#suitwatch (active)
[Jenna]: she just said “exceptional anatomy” out loud. in public. to his face. [Micah]: this is a First Amendment violation and also the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard [Devon]: sleeves are a construct. arms are forever. [Mills]: he’s looking at her like he’d say yes to anything even the double-breasted one even charcoal pinstripes
Victor measures in silence, muttering every now and then things like “This cannot be standard”, and, as he loops the measuring tape around Bucky’s chest, “I’m going to need heavier thread for the buttons.”
Bucky glances at you through the mirror with a smirk. “Enjoying the show, Congresswoman?”
You cross your arms and lift your chin. “I’m imagining filing a workplace complaint.”
He grins wider. “About my arms?”
“No, about your attitude.”
A pause.
Then, quieter, “though the arms are definitely a secondary violation.”
Victor drops his pen.
*
Victor retreats into the backrooms to retrieve a reinforced thread spool, muttering something in Italian that sounds less like measurements and more like final blessings, and you drop onto the edge of the leather bench to watch Bucky undo the last jacket with surgical precision and barely restrained biceps.
"Out of curiosity," you say, elbow on your knee, chin in hand, "how much can you bench?"
He glances over, mid-button, brows raised. "Why?"
You gesture vaguely at the battlefield of defeated suit samples around him. “Trying to figure out whether the problem is vanity sizing or the fact that your upper body mass violates OSHA standards.”
He pauses for a second to think. Then he shrugs one shoulder – very carefully, this time.
“Dunno. Probably a Hummer H1. Full bed. Loaded?”
You blink. “The military one?”
“Yeah.” He nods at you, expression infuriatingly mild. “Yeah. The old diesel kind. Not the electric one.”
You don’t dignify that with a response. Just press your lips together and mutter under your breath, “exceptional anatomy, my ass.”
Behind you, Jenna makes a strangled sound that might be a laugh or a quiet breakdown. You're not sure which.
Three weeks later…
The tailor’s delivery arrives at 10 am on the dot – three full suits, pressed and wrapped, with Victor’s signature scribbled on the invoice like he is issuing a personal challenge. Devon brings the garment bags to your office with a look that says I know everything and I’m telling the group chat the moment I leave this room.
You thank him, barely.
It’s sheer coincidence, of course, that the floor’s scheduled a major vote for the afternoon, the kind they put on banners and b-rolls. C-SPAN and Politico have already parked their crew outside the chamber. You yourself are already dressed for the day in a sharp navy suit, statement earrings, and subtle heels. You’ve been on camera twice this morning and will be again before the end of the day. You've barely had a chance to have your coffee. 
And so it is just a function of practicality that Bucky Barnes shows up at your office just before noon with the sleeves of his day shirt rolled up and his tie stuffed in one pocket.
"Victor delivered?" he asks, already loosening the collar of his shirt as he toes the door shut behind him.
You gesture toward the rack. “Personally. Go with the charcoal pinstripes and try not to break it before the cameras roll.”
He unzips the garment bag and glances back at you. “Want me to change in here?”
“I don’t care where you change, Barnes,” you reply without looking up from your tablet, “as long as the jacket makes it through one vote without structural failure.”
He shrugs. “You staying?”
“I’ve got too much left to read," you say quietly, eyes still on the tablet, "and nowhere better to be.”
You keep your gaze fixed on the screen. You will not stare while he peels his shirt off like a man who has never once had to worry about being perceived.
You do not register the sound of buttons slipping free.
You do not notice the rustle of fabric, the stretch of muscle, the quiet exhale he lets out when the collar loosens.
The section header on your screen reads: Summary of proposed appropriations for FY26.
You’ve read the page four times. You would not be able to repeat its contents if your life depended on it.
He buttons the new shirt slowly, leisurely. You can hear it in the way he moves.
When he reaches for the jacket, you’re already standing.
You don’t say anything as you take the jacket down from its hanger, brush the shoulders once, and hold it out for him.
He pauses in front of you but doesn’t reach for it.
“I can do it,” he says softly.
You shake your head. “Let me.”
He turns without comment.
You slide the jacket up over his arms, settling the weight of it across his back. It fits like it’s supposed to – no pinching at the shoulders, no strain at the seams. You smooth it over his frame and let your hands linger just long enough to tell yourself you're just feeling for tension along the stitching. 
You circle in front of him, new tie in hand. You adjust his lapels and button the top button of his shirt yourself, slow and firm.
Before you can speak, he asks – mildly, almost carelessly, but not really at all, “you gonna tie it for me?”
You respond by sliding the fabric around his neck, slow and deliberate, letting it settle against the collar of his new shirt. It fits – too well. Clean lines, pressed seams, nowhere to hide.
“You could do this yourself,” you murmur.
“Sure,” he replies. “But your approval ratings are better.”
You don’t rise to it, not out loud.
Instead, you start the knot.
Not fast. Not businesslike. You take your time, fingers grazing the hollow of his throat, the soft scrape of new cotton against your knuckles. He exhales – shallow, quiet, controlled.
You don’t finish it.
Just as the final loop would tighten, you let the tie fall slack in your hands and take a step back.
His brow lifts, amused. “Giving up?”
“Letting you contribute,” you say, tone dry. “God forbid you show up to a vote half-dressed again.”
He chuckles low in his chest, but finishes the knot with a flick of his wrist. His eyes don’t leave you. “You like the charcoal?”
You brush a speck of lint from his lapel. Let your palm settle there for a beat too long.
“Victor’s best work,” you murmur. “If you break this one, I’m filing that workplace hazard report.”
“I’d like to see that paperwork,” he says, leaning in. His voice drops. “Will it mention how close you’re standing?”
You tilt your head. “Only if you wrinkle the jacket.”
He smiles – sharp, wrecked, beautiful. You ignore it.
"You’re ready,” you murmur. It’s meant to be a statement, but it comes out feeling like a dare.
“Are you sure?” he asks, voice lower than it needs to be.
You straighten the line of his collar and let your thumb graze the base of his throat like you have the right.
“Don’t ruin it until after,” you say, adjusting the knot at his throat like it’s the only thing you still have control over.
He leans in. “That a dress code policy or a personal plea?”
You say nothing and ignore the way your face heats up. 
He lets the silence stretch, inordantely pleased. 
Then, while adjusting his cuffs and grinning. "Either way, I'll try not to disappoint." 
You step back. “You have five minutes to make it to chamber,” you say, tone even. “Go be legislative.”
He nods, heading for the door. But he does glance back once, shameless. "I'll do my best." 
And then he's gone, leaving you standing in your office, adjusting the cuffs of your own jacket lilke it might keep your hands from shaking. 
~*~
Recess is called five minutes into the session. Some kind of procedural delay – something wrong with the roll call, something about a faulty vote counter.
You’re not listening.
You’re watching him.
Bucky hasn’t looked away since you adjusted his jacket fifteen minutes ago. Since your fingers brushed the collar like you were daring him to keep it together. And apparently, he can't.
He waits until the chamber begins to thin before he moves – silent, clean, intentional – and you follow.
Neither of you speak.
You end up in one of the hallway bathrooms – technically gender-neutral, technically a staff washroom, technically not a place for professional misbehaviour.
But the moment the door clicks shut behind you, it stops being technical.
He turns and you’re already there.
Your hands immediately go to the lapels. Again. But not to fix them this time.
This time, you pull.
“You look like a problem,” he mutters.
“Then solve it.”
The kiss is not sweet. It’s not soft. It’s been months in the making. Every ripped seam, every stare across committee hearings, every time you told yourself you could handle the sight of him in a suit he doesn’t deserve to wear this well – it crashes down like a tsunami.
He grunts when your mouth meets his, and he crowds you into the counter. His hands are everywhere – hip, waist, jaw, anchored in your blazer like he has no intention of letting go.
You fist your hand in his tie – new tie, freshly pressed tie – and drag him closer until he groans into your mouth like it hurts.
“You said not until after,” he breathes against your neck.
“You waited,” you kiss him again, just to punish him for it. “Congratulations.”
His mouth curves into a smile, but it’s wrecked. “You gonna yell at me for the wrinkles?”
You grip the lapels again and pull.
“Try me.”
He laughs – low, feral, ruined– and kisses you deeper, hungrier. The jacket groans in protest under your grip. One of you knocks something off the counter that falls to the floor with a crash. You don’t even bother to see what it is.
He palms the back of your thigh and mutters, “still going strong. You stress-testing for structural failure?”
You kiss the edge of his jaw. “No,” you whisper. “I’m trying to cause it.”
His hands go under your blouse. Yours slip beneath his waistband like a threat. He grips the counter behind you like it’s the only thing anchoring him.
He shrugs. That goddamn shrug.
Your knees nearly give out.
“You’re going to ruin me,” you whisper.
“You’re letting me,” he says, somewhere between reverent and fucked.
Your phone buzzes with your two minute timer.
You pull back first. Barely, just enough to breathe.
Your lipstick is gone. His tie is a disaster. Your blouse is askew. The shoulder of his jacket is unmistakably wrinkled. 
He touches just beneath your lip. His thumb lingers. “You should touch that up.”
You glance down. At the tie. The crease in the jacket. The faint imprint of your grip still visible across his chest.
"You won't fix it?" you murmur. 
“I want them to wonder,” he says slowly, entirely unrepentant. 
You hold his gaze for a beat longer than necessary.
You open the door and walk out first.
He waits exactly ninety seconds.
And follows.
A/N: I need to touch some grass!
A/N (again): there's now a continuation! Benchpressing a Hummer (for Charity)
off the record masterpost || AO3 || congressman bucky masterpost
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uncannydevotion · 6 months ago
Note
Can you do toby, hoodie, and masky being instructed to kill their s/o by slender? Would they actually go through with it?
a/n: picture me rubbing my hands together evilly upon reading this request okay. this is so so so short but i felt like it would drag on if i made it any longer im sorry </3 but i hope you enjoy it!! thanks for the request, i love angst <3
warnings: major character death in tobys part!! murder, attempted murder, blood, descriptive death, memory loss, overall everyone has a bad time, but hoodie is like... vibing. also not proofread im incapable of rereading things i write.
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MASKY
It's certainly not an order he intends on following, but he's well aware that he's susceptible to Slender's influence, so he's not quiet sure how to avoid it.
The only one of the three to actually try and negotiate with Slender. You weren't a threat to anyone, let alone it. He didn't understand why the being was hellbent on getting him to kill you, especially since it knew that he loved you.
And that's just the reason.
He loved you, so you were a distraction. You were a weakness, and Slender doesn't take well to its proxies having weaknesses.
But it was a reasonable being. For Masky, at least. The man was logical, so they saw eye to eye a fair amount of times. He had yet to go against any of his other orders, so Slender was willing to negotiate.
Its terms? Masky would have to cut all contact with you and your memory of him would have to be taken so to ensure you wouldn't try finding him. And in exchange, you would get to keep your life.
Now, obviously, he didn't want that. Masky loved you, so why would he ever want to part ways with you? Almost as if to show him what would happen if he didn't accept its terms, Slender caused the man to black out, and when he came to...
He was in your bedroom, standing over your bed as you slept, a gun pointing at you. His finger was on the trigger, and he quickly dropped the gun before anything could happen.
The thought of you dying, the reality of living in a world without you in it, was enough to make him agree to Slender's terms. Masky disappeared from your life, and your memory of him went with.
Though he remembered you. A sick form of punishment, perhaps, for falling in love. He remembered everything about you.
HOODIE
Hoodie is, out of the three, the one most likely here to blatantly disobey Slender without fear of consequence. Though Slender is technically his boss, he's not the type to blindly follow orders unless they make sense to him.
No amount of punishment has been able to break him, but he's too valuable of a proxy for Slender to rid of him.
When the order first comes to his mind, he almost laughs from the sheer absurdity of it.
He does not care what reason the entity might have for wanting you dead. Hoodie loved you, so he would not kill you. And should Slender try getting one of the other proxies to try and kill you, Hoodie is not against harming them.
His loyalties lie with you, first and foremost.
You are one of the very few things in his life that brings him joy, there's just literally no way in hell he'll let anything take that away from him. Not even his evil eldritch boss can force him away from you.
And unlike Masky, he won't distance himself from you. He's... pretty selfish, to be honest. His very presence puts you in harms way, and you might have people actively trying to murder you from now on but don't worry!!
He'll keep you safe, trust him.
TICCI TOBY
The only one here who will actually kill you. He doesn't want to, believe me. Toby will actively go out of his way to try and defy Slender like Hoodie, even, but he is the entity's most loyal proxy, so it's a short battle.
Toby's loyalty to the faceless being runs deeper than anything else, even his love for you. If Slender wants him to kill someone, then he will.
But he doesn't kill you willingly, if that makes you feel any better. Toby ignores the order for as long as he can, until Slender runs out of patience. And when it does, it will hound Toby with endless static and agonizing pain, punishment for disobeying its orders.
It will break Toby down, and once it's sure that Toby can't disobey it again, Slender will demand he kill you. And this time, in a mindless haze, Toby does it.
Maybe he thinks he's killing someone else, your screams and cries falling upon deaf ears as he slams his hatchets into you over and over again under you could no longer be recognized, your blood staining his clothes and skin.
Toby won't remember you. You were a weakness that had to be purged, so Slender ensured that every memory he had of you was repressed. But even so, there's this aching feeling in his chest. As if he was missing something important, something he can't quite place.
He mourns you, and yet he can't even remember you. He just feels... anguish, for some reason.
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