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hamsterboos · 3 years ago

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Met Him Last Night

I literally speed wrote this in an hour so I'm sorry if this is a mess lmaooo but hopefully this will be continued, we'll see :D If anyone wants to be tagged in upcoming updates to this, please let me know! Just be warned, this first chapter does have (not very specific) details of a panic attack!

Title is from Demi Lovato's Met Him Last Night

Word Count: 2181 Read on AO3 Rowaelin Month Masterlist

Day 17 of Rowaelin Month Prompt: Bodyguard AU

~~~~~

Aelin was just about ready to murder someone, and that someone would most definitely be her cousin.

“Aelin, I’m serious, you need protection.”

She growled as she slammed her palms down on the dining table, loudly, as she stood up. “And I’m serious when I say that I need sleep. This stupid bodyguard business can wait two days for me to hibernate.”

Aedion also stood up, mirroring her stance as he leaned in closer to her. “Your life is in literal danger, Aelin. I hope you understand what that means.”

“It was one instance!” she insisted, pushing herself away from the table and moving to the kitchen to put her empty dinner plate into the sink. She was so exhausted from all the travel she’d done in the last few days that all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep — dishes be damned.

“One instance of the guy mailing you pictures of you from the hotel and on the sidewalk,” he responded, moving beside her. He was following her on purpose to make sure she couldn’t escape him, and Aelin was pissed off that he knew her so well to do that. “He’s been sending you those weird as hell letters for years.”

“It’s not exactly a trade secret which hotels I stay in when I’m going on book tours, Aedion. You know that.”

“If you stopped posting Instagram pictures with the hotel in the background, then it would be more of a secret considering that you are a public figure now. Besides, it’s only going to get worse now that Crescent City season 1 press shoots start soon. Your face will be more famous than just in the book world, Aelin. People will see articles of the author behind the next biggest fantasy show on television. Things are already bad, and we shouldn’t let it get past that.”

“Okay, fine, but why can’t we talk about this later? My body clock thinks it’s the middle of the freaking night, and I haven’t slept in fifteen hours. Please get out of my face so I can sleep.”

“Aelin, if you don’t take this seriously, I’m going to do it for you.”

“Oh dear cousin, owner of a security company, please do. I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with it, especially now that I’m going to be much busier.”

“You’re so annoying,” he grumbled as he stalked towards the door.

“Love you too!” she called after him, finally, finally, heading towards her bedroom. Fleetfoot trotted after her happily, and Aelin snorted as her dog’s wet snout kept bumping into her bare calves. The dog was way too excited to see her after two long months away from home with Aelin travelling all over the world for the release of her latest book. It wasn’t like she could deny the fact that she had missed her dear, sweet dog so much as well, so when Aelin flopped down onto her soft bed for the first time in months, she let Fleetfoot join her.

Fleetfoot circled the same spot three times before curling up against Aelin, her tail slowly thumping against the mattress as Aelin got comfortable as well. The feeling of warmth from her dog and the happiness from being in her own bed after so long had Aelin falling asleep faster than she normally did, and she was just about entirely asleep when she barely heard the click of her front door opening.

Figuring it was Aedion, she just tried to drown out the sound, not having the willpower nor the strength to move. He could let himself out after taking whatever he had probably forgotten at her place, and Aelin would be happily dozing for the next several hours.

Until a crash broke the haze Aelin was in, and her eyes shot open. Heart pounding in her chest, she looked at Fleetfoot who was staring at the closed door with alarm as well.

Aelin was confused. Aedion was careful to not drop ceramic or glass objects within the house, knowing how much her mother would always be on the two of them growing up to be careful with such things, and it didn’t help that she was still half asleep. Nothing made sense to her.

Slowly getting out of bed, she winced as she stood up entirely, her feet aching after days of standing in heels. Aelin walked over to the bedroom door and creaked it open, and she scanned the immediate vicinity for Aedion, trying to see if he was anywhere near the living room or corridor. When she didn’t see him, she creeped out of her room, trying to be quiet but the sluggishness had already taken over body as she stumbled into the wall a few times. Fleetfoot was at her tail, but Aelin forced her to stay before turning the corner into the living room. If there was glass on the ground, she didn’t want it getting in her dog’s paws.

Once Aelin turned the corner, she immediately stopped, finding the scene in front of her unwelcome and incredibly jarring.

There was a man standing in her room, one that didn’t have the same blond hair she did, and the broken object was a picture frame, the shards of glass littered about on the ground as he gripped a photo of her and Fleetfoot.

Aelin swallowed slowly, the saliva getting stuck in her throat as her mouth went dry, as she realized that a man had broken into her home.

As quietly as she could, she placed a hand over her mouth, trying not to breathe too loudly as she quickly made her way back into her bedroom, herding Fleetfoot with her, and she locked the door to the bedroom. Wildly glancing around, she took the chair from her vanity and jammed it under the door knob so the door wouldn’t open.

“What do I do,” she whispered, scared of her mind as she sat down on her bed. She was shaking, that much was sure as Fleetfoot tried to lick her hands and face in an attempt to calm her down. How was Aelin supposed to calm down when there was someone in her house?

Realizing that Aedion must’ve not gotten far, she lunged for her phone on the bed and dialed Aedion’s number.

“Weren’t you supposed to be asleep?” was his greeting, but all she could get out at first was a shuddering gasp.

“Aedion,” she whispered.

“Aelin? Are you okay?” he asked, his voice immediately alert.

“There’s someone in my apartment.”

“What?!”

“Hurry, please,” she cried, trying to muffle her voice to make it seem that she wasn’t at home. She didn’t know if the man had known that she was in the apartment, but she didn’t want him to find out.

“Aelin, listen to me, you’ll be fine. I’m almost there. Are you still in your room?”

“I, uh, I’m in my bedroom with Fleetfoot. I went out when there was a crash, and then ran back to my room,” she managed to get out. “I locked the door and jammed a chair underneath.”

“Go into the bathroom and lock that door too,” he urged, and she got up to move to the bathroom. “If he manages to get your room door unlocked, then at least you have some more time. I’m almost there, but you need to call 911, too.”

“Aedion, I can’t—” Aelin gasped out, leaning against the bathroom counter after locking the door behind her and her dog. Her breaths were coming in faster, and there wasn’t anything she could do to control the way her eyesight was beginning to blur. “I can’t let him know I’m in here.”

“He won’t find out,” he urged.

“But Aedion,” she cried, “the plates in the sink. He’ll see them, and he’ll know I was home. He’ll know I’m here.” The pounding in her chest had gotten louder than what Aedion was saying, and all she could do was sob into her hands. She wasn’t safe anymore outside, but now she wasn’t safe in her own room.

“Aelin! Aelin, it’s okay, I’m here.”

The next thing Aelin heard were shouts and yells before it got all quiet. She clambered up to her feet, throwing the door to the bathroom open before trying to get the chair back out, but it wouldn’t budge. It was stuck, and her limbs weren’t cooperating. There wasn’t anything she could do, and she tugged at the chair with a cry.

“Come on,” she cried, tugging at it more before it finally came free, clattering to the ground. Unlocking the door, she took a few unsteady steps before Aedion came into view, the man lying on the ground unconscious. Aelin lost all control of her body, and she fell into Aedion’s arm as he ran for her, and that was the last thing she saw before blackness encompassed her.

~~~

When Aelin awoke several hours later, it was to the commotion coming from downstairs. At first, she blinked a few times, trying to readjust to where she was because it wasn’t the drab hotel room view she’d gotten accustomed to, and once her brain was awake enough to process that she was in Aedion and Lysandra’s spare bedroom, she got out of bed and padded over to the bathroom to brush her teeth and her hair. If she was going to show her face after a major panic attack that caused her to faint for a few minutes, she should at least look decent.

Fleetfoot was, thankfully, also with her in the room, and Aelin sat on the ground for a few minutes just to hug her dog before getting up and going to the living room.

As soon as she made her entrance, everyone went silent, the only sound was Fleetfoot’s paws as she went straight for Lysandra to nose at her for treats.

“Okay,” Aelin swallowed. “I get it. I need a bodyguard, but at least that guy was arrested,” she continued, hopefully. Aedion beckoned her to sit next to him, and it was then that she realized that besides her cousin and his wife, Elide was also there and a man that she’d never met before. He was striking, to say the least. Silver hair with a sharp jawline and beautifully green eyes. His short-sleeved shirt also showed off swirls of tattoo creeping up his bicep, and Aelin had to say that she was intrigued by who this man was.

“Look,” her cousin started, directing her attention back to him. His face showed concern, and she was suddenly worried that this entire ordeal might not be over. “That man wasn’t the same one who stalked you. He was just a burglar trying to score after noticing that no one had been going in or out of the apartment for a while. It just helped that the security guard downstairs is of no use, so he broke in.”

Aelin was having a hard time processing all this information being thrown at her. “So you’re telling me that it was just...unlucky?”

“I have been telling you to move,” he unhelpfully added, and she let him know exactly that.

“Anyway, we’ve come up with a solution,” Elide butt in. “Aelin, meet Rowan Whitethorn. He works in Aedion’s company. He was working for a different client for a few years, but they switched companies, so he’s now free to protect you.”

“Hey,” she greeted without any of her previous enthusiasm.

“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Galanthynius,” Rowan responded, and she noticed the slight accent to his words.

“Doranelle?” she asked, and he nodded.

“I will be protecting you from now on, uh, in a close manner.”

Aelin slightly jerked in her spot at his shy demeanor over his words, and the way he said it caught her attention.

“What do you mean?” No one answered her at first, peaking her anxiety again. “Aedion?” she asked, looking to him for an explanation.

“Since it’s also not safe for you to be at home alone, we’re going to have Rowan pretend to be your boyfriend.”

~~~

Aelin stepped out of the car, hand placed in Rowan’s as he led her into the paparazzi filled lot that led to the building where the final press shoots and poster shoots would be taking place for her show. It was still absolutely insane that someone she had written was actually going to be a TV show for the whole world to see, but another absolutely insane thing was the fact that she was pressed up against Rowan’s hard body, trying to pretend to be absolutely in love with him.

“Who is this man?” she heard one of the journalists ask, and she wanted to say that she didn’t exactly know either considering she had just met him last night, but this was the perfect opportunity for the world to know that she had a boyfriend.

Technically.

Smiling, she pulled Rowan to a stop as she turned to the vague direction from where she heard the voice. “This is my boyfriend.”

#bodyguard au #rowaelin #throne of glass #aelin galythinius #rowan whitethorn #rowaelinmonth #day 17

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parkers-gal · 4 years ago

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why T.H.

wc: 6k (angst)

jerk!tom makes an appearance

You were angry, that was for sure. Tom knew why, it was his fault after all, but he'd never admit it. He would never 'man up' to you and just apologize like he should. At least, not when he should, but he would later, when the damage was already done and set in.

Truth be told, you were furious. How could he do that when he promised not to? You were more hurt than angry, if you were being honest. You didn't want to be the 'mother' but quite frankly, you were disappointed too.

It was your dream to own a bakery, but a bakery in London was something to get your hopes up. Dreaming big never ended well for you in the past, but after years of working your ass off, you had managed to achieve something you had wanted since you were young.

Your bakery, Flour Before Frosting, also happened to be where you met Tom, your boyfriend of almost 18 months. He had walked in one day, charming with a dashing smile, and asked for "your best made velvets, frosted with your number." You remember that day vividly, for it was one of the many times Tom would drop by before eventually taking you out and officially making you his girlfriend. Eight months and 17 days later, you moved out of your crappy flat and into his house (though it really just made things easier because you were already over every night).

You were in your shared bedroom, writing down new plans for how to decorate your bakery for the holidays.

"Hey, babe!" Tom called.

"In here, Tom," you yelled back.

"Oh- hey, luv. Got an old friend visiting next week, so I won't be by for our Wednesday lunch plans," he informed you.

"Oh, okay. Do you want some cupcakes and tea? Gonna have a new batch on Tuesday, fresh with new tea that Jackson just got. I think he made it- anyways, he gave me a sample a few weeks and I absolutely loved it. I think you'll like it too, it's just right for you." You rambled, and Tom laughed and shook his head at you.

"Yeah, darling. I'd love some cupcakes for my guest, gonna have to show off your amazing skills, aren't I?"

You blushed, waving your hand in the air as a hint for him to leave so he would stop flustering you. He ran over to kiss your cheek, leaving a Hershey kiss on your desk before yelling out that he'd be at the gym with Harrison for the next two hours.

Wednesday had come by, and you were on a lunch break, leaving Jackson in charge before heading to your favorite café for coffee and some light reading, and maybe even more planning. Heading in, you ordered and sat down in a booth. The door chime rung, making you look up from your papers and notebooks you had spread out to start your organizing. Tom, and what must've been his friend, walked in. You smiled as they went to the side of the restaurant with the small library of old, vintage books. They were facing away from you, sitting side by side in the angled lounge chairs. You were about to go over to and say 'hi' but your waitress came by with your coffee, so you stayed seated and went back to your work.

You saw Tom with the Tupperware box you gave him, enclosed with the small lunch note you always wrote him. He opened the box, giving a cupcake to the man talking to him (you were right in earshot), before reaching in for his, and the note. Before he got the chance to even look at it, his friend spoke up, frosting on his upper lip.

"You said these were made by a friend? This is fucking disgusting. Is it chocolate or..? Damn, ew, is this frosting healthy?" he laughed.

Tom nodded along, "I, uh, honestly couldn't uhm.." he trailed off, his friend looking at him with a confused expression, expectantly thinking for Tom to agree with him. "Yeah, man, I don't really fucking know."

His friend took another small nibble before playfully gagging, and looking at Tom while he bit into it for the first time. Tom reacted in the same way, 'gagging', to agree with his friend, before putting it on the table with his friend's cupcake.

"Who made that? Certainly wasn't Gordon Ramsey."

At this, Tom laughed. Whether he thought it was funny, or if he was just trying to ease the tension, you couldn't tell. You were too busy blinking tears away.

"You said you had tea?" he questioned Tom. Tom nodded. "Good, need something to wash away that disgusting thing people call a cupcake."

You cringed, turning your head to the side with squinted eyes because you truly couldn't sit there and listen to what someone thought was wrong with your life's work.

Tom didn't reply, just getting the tea in the thermoses in his bag, handing one to his friend while opening his. You were contemplating on if his lack of response was a good thing. On one hand, he wasn't completely encouraging the hate you were getting, but on the other hand, he didn't stick up for you either. Right now, that was all you could think about. But then, everything slipped your mind when both boys tried the tea you had specially made (early, for it wasn't to be sold in your shop for about another month) just for them.

Tom opened his thermos, smiling when he took a sniff at it, because you were right. It smelt like something he would love. His friend, however, would not agree. Taking one sip, he was just as rude about it as he was with the cupcake, going as far as spitting it back into the thermos.

He got up, taking both cupcakes with him, and dumped the thermos out in the trash can, the cupcakes following not long after. He sat down next to Tom, shaking his head with a coy grin before speaking.

"Next time, let's get Chinese or something," he laughed, Tom nodding along with him before slipping both thermoses back into his bag, dropping your note in the process. Before he got to pick it up, his friend crumpled it up and threw it towards the trash can, laughing probably a little too loudly about it. You were certain he knew it was a note from Tom's girlfriend.

You were still for five minutes, stunned. Ultimately, you decided to cut your lunch break short, packing up your stuff as quickly as possible, leaving a tip and rushing out, your back to the boys.

You had yet to bring anything up, though you weren't noticeably acting different around Tom. But when he mentioned the next week that his 'old friend' wanted to "eat dinner and get drunk" you were hesitant. You hoped this 'friend' was temporary, because the effects were already starting to show, and you didn't like what they were.

Tom didn't tell you when he'd be out with, Andrew, he said his name was? but you didn't think it would be the immediate week after the cupcake incident.

You were sitting on the kitchen stool, jotting down ideas for your shop when he came in.

"Oh, Y/N! Andrew and I decided to go out this Friday, said something about clubbing or shit. Anyways, he said don't expect me home early, but I might sneak away if he's drunk enough," he said, rather quickly, for while he was talking, he was filling a water bottle and grabbing some fruit.

"Wait, this Friday? I thought we-"

"Thanks, Y/N! Gotta head out," he was practically yelling, running to kiss you on the cheek before racing out and slamming the door shut.

Did he mean this Friday? His only day off for the rest of the month, the one where you two planned a film night, with take away and late night talks and star walks in the park?

It was only eight o'clock on a Wednesday morning, your late opening day, but you decided to head in early. Walking in, Jackson had already opened for you, being the gentleman he is, just setting up for the day, knowing you didn't want to walk in to a store full of customers without being there. He was sitting at a window table with his boyfriend, Jeremy, giggling and eating a muffin. When the door chime rung, he looked up, his boyfriend turning around to smile and wave while Jackson was coming towards you.

"Hey, Y/N! We're a little short on shortbread today," he laughed at his pun, "so I put in a new batch about 20 minutes ago. The chalk board is set up and the cappuccino machine is on-" he was about to turn away before he stopped abruptly. "Oh! And Tom stopped by while I was in the back. Jeremy said that he wanted you to know something about not eating cupcakes for this new diet? I don't know, he mentioned something about Anthony telling him about some diet that would help fo-"

"Andrew!" Jeremy cut in from behind, correcting him.

"Right, Andrew told him it would help for his job. So he said to stop making his weekly order."

"Oh," you weren't quite sure what you could say. Thank you? What the fuck? It was all jumbled into your brain too fast. "Thank you, J. Well, guess we should open shop for the day." With that, you worked until seven-thirty, an hour later than you usually would.

Arriving home, you walked in and set your bag down, heading for the kitchen to get water. Mid-drink, Tom walked in.

"Why are you home so late?"

You swallowed, placing the cup down, "I was working," you deadpanned, maneuvering around him so your shoulder wouldn't hit his on your way out. He followed you into the living room.

"It's almost 8!"

"Yeah? I don't know what you want me to say, Tommy. I'm sorry? I'll tell you what you want to hear, but that doesn't mean I mean it. "

He was silent for a second, laughing slightly, seemingly letting it go. You weren't joking, but you didn't want to argue, yet. "Right," he laughed again, "Sorry. I did want to talk to you though."

"We are talking."

"Smartass," he joked. You giggled slightly. "I've got to go back to press next week. I leave on Tuesday." You stopped laughing.

"For how long?"

"I'm always gonna be away for the same amount of time, Y/N, you know that. I'll be back mid October."

October? It was only the beginning of April.

"Well, I'll be back in London for a few days in July so you'll have that. Press ends around September, but I need to finish up Chaos Walking. I'll be here for Halloween though," he smiled encouragingly.

You nodded. "Okay.. do great things, Tommy," you always told him.

Friday rolled around, and you you were going to close the shop early for your night with Tom, but he was going out, so your plans were out the window. Instead, [your best friend] would be coming over at around eight. Tom would be gone by that time, right?

It didn't matter, because he wasn't even home when you got back from work. It was barely seven, you two usually had dinner together. Well, not this past week because he had plans with Harrison, and his brothers, and Andrew, and Tuwaine...and practically everyone else. Seeing as you had about an hour, you decided to shower, changing into some casual clothes. Tom was going clubbing... he wouldn't be back before 4 A.M., right? You didn't care, [your best friend] would spend the night anyways. You had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

You were wearing a cute tank, your favorite sleepwear, and some loose sweat pants. You were drying your hair with a towel when the doorbell rang. It rang again, so with the towel in your hand you ran down the stairs, yelling, "just a second," but it rang again. You swung the door open, confused, because [your best friend] always came in unannounced because you two were completely comfortable with each other. Instead, you were met with the boy from the cafe, Andrew. You looked around, and saw Tom's car parked by the curb, Tom waiting in the driver's seat while talking to someone in the back.

"Hey, Tom texted you or- whatever. We're going clubbing, can you get his stuff?"

"Uhm.. stuff?"

"Yeah.. he said you'd put his stuff inna backpack so he could get ready at my place," he answered confidently, as if you knew about this.

"I'm- uh, sorry? I don't have anything," you answered.

"What?" his eyes were wide with annoyance and disbelief.

The car honked, and Andrew turned around, shrugging his shoulder and mouthing something to Tom, before Tom came out and up to you.

"Didn't you get my text, Y/N? About the stuff sitting on my dresser?" he asked, straight up without so much as a 'hello' or 'how're you?'.

"No, I- no. No I didn't get your text, Tom."

"Well-"

"Well?" you interrupted.

"Thanks for, nothing I guess," he responded, moving past you and into the house to retrieve his things. Once again, you were left with Andrew on your porch, only this time he was eyeing you up and down, winking at you before yelling to Tom and going back to the car, Tom following not long after. This time, he didn't even bother saying goodbye on his way out. Just as they drove off, [your best friend] walked up.

"What the hell was that?" she shrieked.

"What?"

"That whole, 'thanks for nothing' bullshit. What kind of boyfriend thinks he can say that to his girlfriend?!"

You started heading in, taking one of her bags with you as she followed you inside. Placing her things down, you turned around, giving her a bear hug which she gladly returned.

"It wasn't that bad. Besides, he's been worse this week," you explained.

She was silent for a moment, shaking her head before talking. "Okay, I see why you called for a girl's night on such short notice. C'mon, lets get changed into some pajamas and get the snacks ready. It's been far too long since we've had actual time with each other," she gave you a sentimental smile, soft and sweet. You nodded, already planning on what to get and where to make the fort of blankets you already knew she wanted.

About half an hour later, she was in comfortable clothes, and you were in the kitchen making hot chocolate, getting chips and dip and pretzels and candy and everything in between. You had both decided to use the guest bedroom, which was accompanied with it's own bathroom. The room was probably a little smaller than the master bedroom, which was normal, but the bathroom was more expensive than yours. Plus, this one was used when the boys came over, so the Xbox, all the video games, movies, and the music equipment was here. Even with all this expensive stuff, the room was still as big as ever, so putting a fort in front of the bed barely took up any space.

You had to make at least three trips for all the food and stuff you were bringing, and because this was a guest bedroom, it had a mini refrigerator. Both of you decided to keep it pg-13, no alcohol or rated-R movies. Tonight, it was a Disney marathon with hot cocoa. At around 11:30, you had just finished your third movie, Beauty and the Beast, when [your best friend] stopped the ending credits and turned to you.

"Before we watch anything else," she turned to you while you did the same, "let's talk. We can fall asleep watching Disney, but we can't fall asleep and keep talking," you interrupted her, laughing, before nodding away. "So.. what's going on? With Tom, I mean, because you mentioned that he was worse earlier this week than he was today, and tonight he was pretty nasty so I mean- yeah, what else has he done?"

You paused, looking down and sighing, giving in. "Well, it started with Andrew, some 'old friend' he wanted to catch up with. I gave Tom some cupcakes and tea from the shop to eat with him. I was on my lunch break when the boys came into the same cafe and started eating. They didn't like it and- well.. they sorta threw it out after gagging about it," you said. Her eyes went wide. "I don't know, [best friend's nickname], I mean at first I was stunned, hurt obviously because it seemed to be on purpose because Tom knows I always go to that cafe on my lunch break. Is it a coincidence that he came to the same cafe at the exact same time I have my lunch break?"

You went on to explain how Tom had cancelled two dinner dates and a movie night within the past two weeks, and that he was going clubbing without inviting you, cancelling his weekly cupcake order and calling you clingy after you texted him about making sure he ate dinner. Not to mention he only just mentioned him leaving next week on a press tour, and spending his only day off with Andrew even though you two had planned spending that day together for a month.

By the time you were done listing off all the reasons, you were sobbing into [your best friend's] chest, trying to catch your breath. It was too late though, because Tom wasn't here and the events leading up to an attack like this could have only been noticed by him, seeing as [your best friend] wasn't here to see them herself. You couldn't hear anything, your pounding heart being the only thing filling your ears. [Your best friend's] attempt to calm you down wasn't working, resorting to the breathing exercises which were slowly drowned out. You could't even get a breath in. The realization hit you: if you didn't take control, you would faint. You had never had an attack this intense in at least four months, so everything needed to help you would take too long to get.

You gripped her arm, unable to focus on anything except for the fact that you were going to faint.

"I'm here, Y/N, I'm right here. It's going to be okay, right? We're gonna work things out. Yeah? Everything's gonna be alright. We're gonna be alright. We'll be alright," she cooed.

You blacked out, only for about two minutes, but you did. When you woke, you sobbed again, finding a steady breath before completely crushing [your best friend] with a hug, gripping her tightly.

"Thank you," you whispered.

She got you settled, convincing you to snack lightly before brushing your teeth, making sure you drank water. The fort was ready, untouched since your movie marathon, so you both climbed in and fell asleep watching Disney.

Four hours later, it was four o'clock in the morning, and the front door slammed shut.

"Y/N!" Tom slurred, dragging out the last syllable of your name. "Y/N!" he repeated, the same way but louder. "Where the fu-! OH! OW!" he screamed.

You and [your best friend] were already starting to sit up, confusion spreading across your faces before she got up, following her directly after. She opened the bedroom the door, and you stepped out, making your way down the stairs and seeing Tom sitting on the ground, missing a shoe with a rip on his shirt sleeve.

"There you are! I wus at the club a-and Andrew and I were hanging out and he took home some girl- he said if he was getting laid that I should come home and get laid by my lame-ass girlfriend, so come here! Fuck me!" he slurred, talking too loudly for your liking.

"Did you just call her a lame-"

"Tom, you're drunk. Go to bed," you cut her off, knowing how protective she would get. Honestly, you wanted her to scream and shout and yell at him, and you wanted to join her. But if you were going to, you wanted him to be completely sober so the guilt would really sink in.

"No wonder you're a lame-ass," he muttered.

"What was that?" [your best friend] yelled.

"Nothing! I'm going up to bed, see?" He looked at both of you before running up the stairs like a kid.

You both stood there, a little hesitant, before going up the stairs, talking on your way.

"Y/N, I swear if you hit him, you better knock some sense into him because that boy is so ridiculously stupid and undeserving of your love."

You laughed, growing quiet because you were beginning to think she was right.

The next morning, you and [your best friend] got up at nine to make pancakes and bacon, your usual sleepover breakfast. The speaker was playing One Direction, both of you singing and slightly dancing when Tom came downstairs, disheveled and hungover.

It was Saturday, his last Saturday with you, but it had taken him too long to get interested in hanging out with his girlfriend. "Hey, Y/N. Wanna do something today?" he asked.

[Your best friend] looked at you, but you had already made up your mind. "Sorry, Tom, [your best friend] and I are going shopping together. Next time, though," you said, before putting your dishes in the sink and slipping out of the room, [your best friend] following you out.

That night, you and your best friend departed ways, telling her you'd call and let her know when she could come over again. You got home, and decided to put your new things in the guest bedroom, because your clothes from last night were still there. The mess, luckily, was cleaned up thanks to [your best friend], who convinced you to help with the cleanup.

It was nearly ten-thirty by the time you got situated. You were in a new set of pajamas, sitting in front of the tele in the guest bedroom on the floor, looking at all the new things you bought. You found this super cute sweater, and a pair of jeans [your best friend] insisted on buying for you. You also found a pair of shoes to go with an outfit you had planned in your head; it was perfect. People say your looks shouldn't matter, but you felt good when you looked good, so you loved fashion. Overall, you and [your best friend] must have spent at least $800.

At around 11, you heard footsteps running around the house, before Tom came into the guest bedroom.

"What're you doing in here? Aren't you gonna sleep in our room?" he looked worried.

You lowered the shirt you were looking at, making eye contact. You hesitated, "I- yeah... Yeah I guess."

"You guess?"

You just shook your head, trying to be playful with it, but ending up avoiding his gaze all together and going back to looking at your new things.

"Y/N?"

You looked up, "Yeah?"

He looked -- surprised almost? There seemed to be a glint of hurt in his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked.

You nodded, getting up and setting the shirt back in its bag, "C'mon, lets just go to bed."

He mumbled an agreement, turning around and walking to your bedroom. You left the guest room, closing the door and going into your room. It was weird-- to even consider it your bedroom, because you hadn't slept in it for about three days. The last time you did, Tom wasn't with you. Was it normal? Did all couples go through things like this? You didn't have much time to dwell on the thought, because you were already under the covers, sleep consuming you before Tom got the chance to talk to you about anything.

It was almost noon when you woke up on Sunday. Rolling over, you felt Tom's side of the bed empty. The feeling of the cold sheets didn't come as a surprise to you, he was gone every time you woke up even though he didn't start filming until around 10 A.M. . It was different this time, because it was your last weekend together. He was always at home on the weekends he wasn't away filming.

You pulled the covers off you, walking downstairs into the kitchen where you were met with Tom and Haz, quietly whispering things to each other. You didn't get to listen long, for both boys shot up and stood straighter, smiling to you. You just looked at them, slightly rolling your eyes before grabbing some juice and heading back into the guest bedroom.

When you came down ten minutes later for breakfast, both boys were talking normally again.

"Just talk to her, alright man?" Haz spoke.

"What am I supposed to say man? I can't just go up to my girlfriend and tell her I'm fucking pissed at how she's been ignoring me. Not gonna be rude like her-"

"Woah- woah woah, Tom. She's not that rude. Just have a civilized conversation with her. It's easy, you're just overthinking it."

"Okay.. okay, yeah- yeah," he stuttered, turning around on his heal but abruptly stopping when he saw you standing in the doorway. His jaw dropped, noticing your anger immediately.

"Maybe I should go-" Harrison started.

"No, no don't bother. I'll go, it's obvious you both want it."

You turned around, going up to Tom's bedroom and getting a change of clothes, immediately putting on your jeans and the rest of your outfit, before Tom came barging in.

"No- Y/N, I'm sorry. Please, let's talk," he begged.

You ignored him, getting some more clothes, enough to last you two days, before going into the bathroom for your makeup bag and some deodorant. Going back into the closet, you grabbed your work backpack, making sure all your notebooks and journals were in it, before shoving the things you had in to join them.

"Y/N, please. I- listen to me, please. I'm sorry, let's just talk. Talk it through, yeah?" he asked.

You looked up, talking rather emotionless. "No. We can talk when we've both thought our shit through, although I thought it was only you who needed to get their shit together, but obviously I was wrong. I'll be back after work on Monday, if you're even here to notice." With that, you moved past him, grabbing your phone and texting [your best friend], picking up your keys from it's hook and heading for the door. Haz was standing in the living room, and when you passed him he gave you a sentimental look, but you payed no mind as you glared him down, opening the door and slamming it in Tom's face, for he was downstairs too late.

About 10 hours had passed since you left, and Tom had only thought about you for two of them. Andrew and 'the gang' had called him, insisting that him and Haz join them for some fun. Tom had reluctantly agreed, much to Harrison's dismay.

At around eleven o'clock, Tom had had enough 'fun'. The guilt in him was killing him, but his anger for you was killing him even more. Telling Haz he'd be heading out, he drove home, getting into bed and thinking about what you'd talk about when you got back.

Monday had passed, and you were doing better than you thought you would be. You opened shop about 30 minutes early that Monday morning, knowing it was better to keep yourself occupied. It was [your best friend's] week off, so she offered to come with you to work, and 'volunteer' almost. She had quite some experience in waitress-ing , so you gave her that job. Around noon, Tom came into the shop, and [your best friend] called out, "Incoming, [your nickname]."

You looked up from the cappuccino machine, turning around to face the door Tom had just entered. The minute you saw him coming towards you, you spoke. Luckily there weren't that many people around who didn't know you, so they didn't react when you yelled at Tom.

"Get out."

"I just wanted to-"

"Get OUT!" you yelled, louder when Tom didn't listen to you.

He moved forward, leaving a Hershey kiss near the cash register, looking to you for your reaction. You picked it up, and threw it to [your best friend], who unwrapped it and ate it herself. He left after she pointed towards the door.

When you closed shop, you decided to head home, seeing as he was leaving tomorrow and you had obviously thought a lot about what to do. The only option, really: talk it out.

Walking in, you placed your bag by the door and went to get some water in the kitchen. Tom was standing there, staring into space. He noticed you come in, and immediately stood up straighter, obviously becoming more aware of his surroundings.

"Are you- are we talking now?"

"I'm here, yeah. Let's talk," you answered setting your cup down.

"What's your problem?" he asked. You looked at him like he was crazy, so he went on. "I mean, these past few weeks, you've completely ignored me. And when you did acknowledge me, it was a rather rude encounter. "

"You think I'm rude?" he nodded, and you scoffed. "Well I'm sorry you think I'm rude. You wanna know what I think is rude?"

"Look, I'm sorry my being honest upset you. But nobody said the truth was nice," he interrupted.

"Tom, what the fuck?"

"I'm just saying! Out of the two of us, you're the one who has more problems!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that you are always the one who cries over shit, and gets upset at little things," he answered. You looked at him in disbelief. "What I'm saying is you're over-dramatic and too sensitive."

"Oh for fuck's sake," you started. "You just- you just don't know when to quit, do you?"

"You said to talk! I'm talking!"

"You're being completely unreasonable."

"Am I? Because all you've talked about is how you think I'm crazy. Do you even have anything to say?"

"Fine! You want me to talk? I'll talk. I've been rude to you because you are the one who let that man you call a fucking friend insult my life's work. You completely agreed with him, took in my hate and didn't even stand up for me!" You yelled. Tom didn't know you knew about that, and he was about to interject but you kept going, "And to make things worse, you kept seeing him! Every single fucking week, it was 'Andrew said this!' 'Andrew said that!'. You cancelled dates to see him! Call me over-dramatic, but when your boyfriend cancels a date on his only day off, I think most girls would be pretty fucking pissed," you walked out of the kitchen.

Tom was in the living room too, following you. "Yeah, well I'm sorry I cancelled our plans, but we live together. Don't you think we see enough of each other because of that?"

"Wha- what?"

"Think about it! We see each other all time because we live together," he reasoned.

"Yeah, I guess you're right,"

"See-"

"If you were ever around, I would see you a lot. But you're never around, so no, Tom, we don't see each other a lot. I work too, remember!"

"Not like I do," he mumbled.

"What?" you yelled.

"Nothing."

"No, Tommy. If you have something to say, you better fucking say it or so help me-"

"I said 'not like I do'!"

"What? Because I'm not some movie star with his head up his ass, I don't work hard?"

"My head's not in my ass, yours is! All I wanted to do was talk things out, not get fucking blamed for things that aren't my fault!"

"Yeah? Well all I wanted was someone better," you quipped back.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"What have I done wrong! Please, enlighten me! All you've done is complain about the stupidest things!"

"So my feelings are stupid, now?"

"Did I fucking say they were?" he yelled, voice raising as he stepped closer.

"Sounded like it to me!" you yelled, raising your voice to meet his.

"Just tell me! Do you have anything else to say?"

"You- you really are stupid, Tom."

"No, Y/N. I'm not. You are, not even telling me why you're so fucking angry at me."

"I'm angry because I had my first attack in months because of you. You! The person who told me he'd always be there to help me through one, not cause one. I'm angry because you go out without even bothering to ask if I'd like to join you. A-And then you just throw it at me that you're leaving for, what? Seven months?! Not to mention you completely stopped eating things from my shop because of a so-called diet? And you're off with that Andrew guy, who eyed me like a pervert even though he knows I'm taken. You know how uncomfortable I am with that! And don't you dare say you didn't know, when you're the one coming home drunk telling me he's picked up another girl and telling you that you should go home and get laid too. God knows you'd listen to him if he asked you to cheat on me. Not to mention how you called me fucking clingy because I was checking up on you. You want me to stop making sure you're okay? You want me to stop caring?" you screamed. "Because you say the words and I will fucking back off for good. "

He was silent for a second, only missing a beat, contemplating on if he should apologize or keep fighting. Because he didn't want you to be angry, but he wanted to win. He needed to win. "Yeah, I wish you would back the fuck off. You're always on me!" he screamed. "And I get wanting to be affectionate, but you're just fucking sickening. Too much love."

That made you stop. "You think I'm loving you too much?" you asked quietly, and Tom looked at you, really looked at you, after hearing the change in your voice. You were quiet, practically whispering now. It wavered slightly, your eyes were glossy and red.

"I- I didn't-" he started, but it was no use. The damage was done.

He knew better than anyone about your past, which had caused a massive buildup in insecurities that were inevitably killing you. When you met Tom, he had promised to discard each and every one of your insecurities until you loved yourself as much as he did.

"No, you did. And you fucking know it." You were walking upstairs, getting yet another bag ready to last you until Tom left for his press tour.

"No, no Y/N, I'm sorry. Listen to me, baby. I didn't mean it," he begged.

"You wouldn't have said it if you didn't mean it," you said, choosing a few shirts to shove into your backpack. "Your intentions were pretty clear, Tommy. I'll stop caring for you, stop putting in effort for this toxic relationship. I'll stop loving you, because right now, it seems like loving you is the one thing wrong with me," you said, finding some pants and your makeup bag.

You were making your way downstairs now, "Y/N, Y/N please. Please I need you. I can't leave us like this- not when I leave tomorrow."

"What 'us,' Tom? There is no 'us' anymore."

"What're you saying?" he asked, tears finally falling from his face.

"I'm saying it's time I move on from you. Moving on means not having you. So, we're done," you opened the front door.

Tom stood in the doorway while you gripped the handle. "So- we- we're.."

"I'll be out before you come in July," you filled in. With that you slammed the door, driving to [your best friend's] house, while Tom sobbed on the floor in what used to be a home of two people who loved each other.

#tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland angst #tom holland fic #tom holland fanfic #tom holland imagine #tom holland blurb #tom holland oneshot #tom holland series #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fluff #tom holland angsty fic #tom holland blurbs #tom holland hc #jerk!tom holland #tom holland x reader insert #tom holland x baker!reader #tom holland x chef!reader

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the-modernmary · 4 years ago

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my best habit || aaron hotchner x reader (ch. 1)

Summary: When Aaron Hotchner ended your affair with him, saying that a serial killer was going after him and his family, you were content with the idea that you’d probably never see him again. Two years have come and gone since then, but when you get dragged into an FBI investigation as a key witness, you and Hotch are forced to come face to face with all the things left unsaid.

Warnings: n/a

A/N: Thank you for all of the love on the prologue!! like WOW i couldn't have expected that big of a response so THANK YOU!!! As a reminder: I already have the first 17 chapters out on ao3, so I will be updating on here pretty quickly! This takes place two years after the prologue, and this is where the actual storyline starts!

masterlist || read on ao3

Anything you say can and will be held against you

So only say my name

It will be held against you

-Fall Out Boy, “Just One Yesterday”

Present Day- Two Years Later

You tugged at the handcuff that was attaching you to the interrogation table, hoping that if you glared at it enough, it would just go away. One minute, you were at your apartment and getting ready to go out with some of your friends, and the next minute Metro D.C. police were banging on your door, ordering you to go with them, no charges and no explanation.

So now you were just stuck, sitting and waiting for somebody to tell you what the hell this all was about. Law school had taught you enough about interrogation tactics, and they were pulling out all of the stops- turning down the room temperature, forcing you to sit in the most uncomfortable chair you’ve ever been in, and just making you be by yourself in the metal room. A small part of you was nervous, but mostly you were just confused. You couldn’t think of anything you’d done that would warrant your arrest.

Just as the isolation of the room was about to get to you, the door swung open and in walked two people. The first one was a petite blonde woman and following her was a younger looking man in a cardigan. You narrowed your eyes slightly at the site of them. You had expected the usual “good cop/bad cop” technique, but neither of these cops looked very intimidating.

“Hi there,” the woman spoke, sliding into the chair across from you. “My name is Agent Jareau and this is Dr. Reid. We’re here to ask you a few questions.”

Her name sounded familiar, but you couldn’t quite place where you knew it from. You raised an eyebrow and jutted your head towards Dr. Reid. “Is the handsome one not an agent?” you asked, leaning back in your chair.

Dr. Reid seemed unphased by your question, as if he was used to that question. “I am an agent. But I also have three doctorates,” he answered.

You just smirked at him before looking back at Agent Jareau. She had placed a file on the table, the seal of the FBI practically staring you in the face. Whatever they brought you in for was an FBI matter? Oh, you were definitely screwed. You tried to keep your cool. “So are you guys going to actually charge me with anything, or are you just going to hold me for 72 hours until you find something to stick?” you accused.

Agent Jareau shook her head, and you were still desperately trying to remember how you knew that name. “The faster you cooperate, the faster we can let you go.” It didn’t go unnoticed to you that she refused to answer your question. She leaned over the table slightly to slide the file towards you and you caught a glimpse of her ID. Everything came back to you at once.

Jennifer Jareau. FBI. Business cards. “You can set up a formal meeting with me at the BAU…” Holy shit, you did know that name.

You laughed softly to yourself and crossed your legs as the memories came flooding back. “Okay, I’ll cooperate,” you agreed, but you were looking directly at the two way mirror. “But only if I can speak to your unit chief. It still is Aaron Hotchner, correct?” Your voice was innocent enough to not be too suspicious, but you knew it would drive Aaron crazy. It was the same voice you would use when he had a fistfull of your hair and you were promising to be his good girl.

You could only imagine what was going on behind that two way mirror; Aaron’s team looking at him with complete and utter confusion, trying to figure out how you knew him, all while Aaron was probably clenching his teeth, red with anger. Maybe if you made him mad enough, he would bend you over the interrogation table once everybody else had left.

Jennifer and Dr. Reid shared a quick glance before looking back at you. Dr. Reid spoke first. “It would be best if we could go over our questions with you first.”

You bopped your head, pretending to think it over. “I get it, the two of you have a job to do and you have a strategy to stay in control, so I’ll give you guys a choice. You can let me speak to Agent Hotchner or I lawyer up and invoke the 5th.”

Like clockwork, the door swung open violently and Aaron stormed in. “I’ll take it from here,” he ordered, and the other two agents quickly shuffled out of the room.

He sat down in the seat across from you and you just raised the hand that was handcuffed to the table, wiggling your fingers. He was pissed, you could tell, and you loved every second of it. You leaned over the table, signalling for him to move closer to you. He hesitated, which earned him a roll of your eyes, but he eventually leaned over the table too.

“If you wanted me in handcuffs again for you, you didn’t have to go through all this effort. My phone number hasn’t changed,” you whispered, low enough so that the group watching on the other side of the mirror couldn’t hear. He refused to answer and instead just pulled back to his normal seated position. Ever the good agent, Aaron’s face went back to it’s normal, stoic look, and it made you pout. You wanted to get more of a rise out of him.

“Miss. Y/L/N,” he said cooly. “Why don’t we get started?” You realized with a sinking feeling that he was already starting to lose interest in you flirting, his attention focused back on the task at hand, attention that you selfishly wanted all to yourself.

You slipped off the heels you were wearing and stretched your leg out so that your foot could brush against his leg. If you couldn’t touch him with your hands right now, you were going to make sure he could feel you in some way. His eyes shot up to yours, giving you a warning look, as if to say “Stop right now or I’m going to make you.”

You knew that look too well, craved for it even. You just responded with a smirk and dropped your foot, relishing in the fact that he actually looked slightly disappointed that you stopped.

“How are Haley and Jack doing, Aaron?” you asked lazily, leaning back in your chair. “Visiting them more often?”

Aaron cleared his throat and ran his hand down his tie to flatten it, as if it had come out of place. He was always so put together at work. “Jack is fine. Haley passed away a while ago,” he said quickly, and guilt immediately engulfed you.

You lowered your gaze so that you were staring at the interrogation table. “Oh,” you mumbled. “I’m sorry.” And you really were sorry. Sure, your relationship, or lack of relationship, with Haley was weird. You were sleeping with her ex before the divorce papers had time to be fully submitted, and even though Aaron was well in his right to be with whoever he wanted, the two of you still found yourselves sneaking around with each other. But you never had anything against her personally- she seemed like a great mother and obviously made Aaron happy for however long they were married.

Besides, you could take a guess as to what happened to Haley. Your fling with Aaron lasted for a fun few months, neither of you ever expecting anything other than sex whenever you met up, so when you and Aaron had decided to stop seeing each other, it was completely amicable. He had explained that the BAU was closing in on a serial killer who was going after him and his family, and you did not want to be involved in that mess. The fact that Haley died right as a serial killer was chasing her… that definitely wasn’t just a coincidence.

The tension was thick in the room as the two of you desperately searched for how to continue the conversation. What were you supposed to say after finding out your fuck buddy’s ex wife was murdered?

You started talking before your brain could even process what you were saying. “Well, like told you, if you ever need somebody to help you pick up those broken pieces...”

He ignored you, electing to direct the conversation in his own direction. “You know, I read the paper you were working on,” he said casually, and that sure caught you by surprise.

“You did?” you asked.

“You piqued my interest,” he admitted. “Your professor and I worked on a few cases together, so he gave me a copy. It was good. You are much more professional on paper.”

“I could say the same about you,” you countered, and he gave you a hint of a genuine smile.

“Although I did notice that you didn’t mention The People vs. Michaelson anywhere in it.” There was something in his voice that put you on edge. You could feel yourself walking into his trap, but you couldn’t help yourself. You wanted to know more.

You shrugged. “Well, I got some shit information about the case.”

For a split second, you thought you saw a flash of the old Aaron, but just as quickly as it came, it disappeared, and he was business as usual. “What intrigued me even more, however,” he continued, completely ignoring your previous comment. “Was that you didn’t mention recidivism at all, which is what that case is all about. Your thesis was on jury selection. Why ask me about the case if you weren’t going to use the information for school?”

You glared at him and clenched your hands into fists, your nails digging into your palms. What a dick. He knew why you were interested in the case- it mirrored your father’s situation almost perfectly. You were 12 the first time your father was arrested. When your mom realized that your dad was involved with some shady people, she immediately turned him into the cops to protect you. The prosecutor barely even tried during the case and your dad was in and out of prison within two years. The day he was released, he came right back to your home and killed your mom out of revenge. He’s now rotting in a max security prison for life, but you were still angry that he even had the opportunity to come after your mom. It’s why you wanted to become a prosecutor in the first place, so that you could ensure these criminals were actually brought to justice.

Aaron knew all that. You realized as he began to inch the case file closer to you that he was just trying to knock you off balance. The actual interrogation hadn’t even started yet. “And you say that I’m the one who gets under people’s skin,” you snapped at him.

Aaron humed to himself, arrogance oozing off of him. If you weren’t so angry at him, you would have thought it was hot. “You’re currently interning at DuPont and Associates?” You nodded, annoyed at him brushing off your last comment. “What do you know about the recent string of murders in the area?” Aaron asked.

Your eyebrows furrowed at his question. “Um… Just what they’re saying on the news? Somebody has been killing a bunch of people whose cases were dismissed because of technicalities- their Miranda rights were read incorrectly and that kind of stuff. I haven’t really been keeping up,” you admitted, still unsure of why you were there.

Aaron flipped open the case files, and instead of gruesome crime scene photos, you just saw legal briefs. More shocking, however, was that they were all legal briefs you had helped write. “Each of these victims had their initial cases through duPont and Associates, and we found that you were the only person who assisted on every case. What did you think about those dismissals? Some of these people really should have been locked up, wouldn’t you agree?”

Your mouth opened and closed as you tried desperately to find the words to say. Unconsciously, you started to tug at the handcuff again, as if they would suddenly just release you if you fought it enough. “Maybe, but that’s not really my decision,” you said disdainfully. Then the fear and realization slowly creeped into you. “Wait you don’t… you guys don’t think I did this, do you?” Your voice was rough and panicky.

Aaron placed his hands on the cold metal of the interrogation table, his fingers interlocked. His FBI Unit Chief exterior melted away ever so slightly. “No, I don’t,” he said softly, and his use of “I” instead of “We” did not go unnoticed by you. You weren’t sure if you were comforted by that or not. “But you are our best lead right now, and I think you know more than you realize. We have reason to believe that the unsub works for the law firm you’re interning at and is playing out a vigilante fantasy and considering you are the only one who actually worked on every single case, we need to use you and your position at the firm to get more intel.”

We need to use you. He realized his slip before he even finished his sentence. It was innocuous enough that his team probably didn’t even notice it; He was just letting a potential witness know that they were going to be an important part of the investigation. But you knew Aaron better than that, and you could see the wheels turning in his brain as he tried to figure out how to go back on what he just said.

You gave him a smirk and brought your elbows up on the table, steepling your fingers. Of course you were going to help them, whatever they needed. You’d do that even if Aaron wasn’t involved. But after being forcibly brought to the interrogation room, you figured you could make him sweat a little. “Oh Aaron, I’m flattered that you think I could be an asset to the BAU’s investigation. But if you want something from me, you’re going to have to ask for it.”

You got him right where you wanted him. You knew he wasn’t going to be happy with the roll reversal, using his own words against him. But you missed the playful banter between you and Aaron, and nobody knew how to get you off the way he did. Aaron had quite literally ruined sex for you, much to your disappointment. The other people you had slept with since meeting Aaron all lacked the confidence and intelligence that Aaron brought to every meeting, and they could never walk that fine line of fucking you like they adored you and hated you at the same time.

The way that Aaron would demand you to ask and use your words was more than just a way for him to remain in control, although you knew that was definitely part of it. And it was more than just checking for consent- that always came earlier and you had your safeword. No, it was more than all of that. He wanted to hear you beg for the things you wanted, as if he wanted to be validated; He always wanted to know that you still wanted him, which you did. So you just kept asking him for things, and he happily kept giving them to you.

Aaron looked downright murderous, his eyebrows scrunched together and his breathing getting heavier. He stood up and slammed the case file shut. “I’m not going to ask for anything, because where I’m standing, I have the control here. In case you forgot, you’re in handcuffs and I can walk out of here whenever I want.” But even as he said it, he stayed exactly where he was, his hands on the table and leaning down so that he was closer to you.

In return, you just arched your eyebrow at him, waiting for his question. He had to ask you for the sake of his job and the case and you both knew it, and you got a strange satisfaction from watching him have to ask you for something for once. He stared at you for a few moments, jaw clenching, until he realized the entire BAU team was behind the two way mirror watching this situation go down. “Will you please help us with the case?” he asked through gritted teeth.

You gave him a smug smile, which only served to irritate him further. “I would love to,” you told him, your voice too sweet and too innocent. “Now can you please take my handcuffs off?”

Aaron walked towards you wordlessly, taking the keys out of his pockets. “You’ll still have to wait here for a few minutes so that you can sign some papers,” he told you, keeping his voice even, but it all changed as he kneeled next to you, slowly unlocking the handcuffs. His fingers lingered on your skin for far too long to be considered appropriate. “Don’t get too comfortable,” he whispered in your ear, voice low enough so that nobody could hear what he was saying. “You’re going to be in handcuffs for the rest of night while I punish you for that little show you decided to give everybody. Did you already forget how to not be a brat? Do I have to teach you again?”

His words made your arousal shoot straight to your core. You were released with a soft click! and you rubbed your irritated wrist lightly. “Yes,” you practically moaned, and you were sure that your face was flushed. And just like that, it was as if only a few days had passed since you and Aaron had last seen each other, instead of two years. The two of you fell back into an easy rhythm. “I still live in the same apartment. Five minutes from here.”

With that, Aaron stormed out of the interrogation room, already barking orders at the cops. “Get her processed and out of here quickly, I don’t want to spend anymore time on this,” he demanded, making a beeline to grab his stuff. Unfortunately for him, Rossi was standing right in front of Aaron’s bag, a knowing smirk on his face. Aaron stopped mid step and groaned in annoyance. “Dave, don’t.”

Rossi just ignored him. “Old friend?” he asked, stepping aside just enough to let Aaron grab his bag.

Aaron looked around quickly and was relieved to see that there were no other BAU members near them. “You could say that,” Aaron mumbled and started to walk to the doors.

To his dismay, Rossi just followed him. “She’s pretty,” Rossi hummed, and Aaron hated how easily Rossi was able to keep this conversation so casual. “Not your usual type, though.” It didn’t take a profiler to get the underlying comment: She’s young.

Aaron took an audible breath, keeping his eyes on the exit sign that seemed to be getting further and further away. “Yeah, well…” His voice trailed off, unable to find a good response.

“When did you meet her?”

Aaron paused, deciding how honest he was going to be. He figured that if anybody was going to find out, it would be Rossi, and if he was honest with Rossi now, they would be able to keep it a secret from the rest of the team. He cleared his throat. “An alumni event at George Washington. Before Foyet but after the divorce.” Another pause. “Right after the divorce,” he clarified.

Rossi just nodded understandably, a soft “Ah” coming from his lips. He would push the full story out of Aaron later, but it was obvious that Aaron was just desperate to get out of the police station. “Okay, well... I will let the team know about your emergency meeting with Strauss that she just called, which is why you’re leaving so quickly. And if they ask, from what you’re telling me, Y/N is just one of Sean’s old friends from before he dropped out of law school. I’m pretty sure you never got along with his friends, am I correct?” Sometimes, Rossi was too good at thinking on his feet.

Aaron turned to face Rossi, his mouth open and ready to argue, but he knew there was no point. With Rossi’s lie, it would keep the team from asking too many questions, at least until Aaron got his need for you out of his system. Just one night, he promised himself. That’s all I’ll need. So instead of arguing, Hotch just nodded at Rossi, a hint of a smile on his face. It made it all worth it, in Rossi’s eyes. Aaron hadn’t been this excited about a girl since Haley’s death. He deserved a night of fun. “Thank you,” Aaron breathed before swiftly stepping out of the police station.

#criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x y/n #aaron hotcner smut #aaron hotchner fanfiction #my best habit #aaron hotchner #hotch x reader #my writing

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tiramisiyu · 3 years ago

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【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: Xia Yan Personal Story 4-7 Translation

Translation Masterlist | Xia Yan Masterlist | Video

Chapter 4: 4-1 / 4-2 / 4-4 / 4-5 / 4-6 / 4-7 / 4-9 / 4-10 / 4-11 / 4-12 / 4-13 / 4-14 / 4-16

Xia Yan’s Home, Second Floor

The next day, the appraiser that Xia Yan knew appraised that two-million-dollar soccer ball very quickly.

That was not an authentic item; instead, it was an excellent counterfeit. We updated Sphinx with this information.

Sphinx: After bidding for this ball, Li Lihong gave it to the roadside children.

Sphinx: Which also means that he knew it was fake before he bid for it…

Xia Yan: One criminal activity involves using auction items as a means to accomplish an end.

MC: Are you talking about… money laundering?

MC: Using auctions to money launder by using the money in legal transactions.

Xia Yan: That’s right. If my speculation is correct, then that Wall Auction Hall probably also has to do with Hengda Financial – no, Song Heng.

Xia Yan: Trap loans are not the only criminal activities that Song Heng is involved in.

Xia Yan: He’s using this auction house to commit money laundering. It might even be possible that this isn’t the only location where he does so.

Xia Yan: Aside from that, I noticed that Li Lihong sent a message to an unknown number this morning, saying “Night, usual time, usual place”.

Xia Yan: The person Li Lihong is meeting tonight just might have to do with the money laundering.

Outside the Abandoned Factory Plant

That night, Xia Yan and I followed Li Lihong near an abandoned factory plant on the outskirts of Stellis.

Li Lihong looked around warily, then entered the plant.

Xia Yan: I’m heading in. Wait here for me.

MC: Okay… be careful.

Xia Yan: I will. Oh right, put this on.

Xia Yan handed me a concealed earbud, then stuffed the other in his ear.

Xia Yan: I can’t make any phone calls when following him, so I’ll use this to maintain contact with you.

Xia Yan nodded at me, then entered that abandoned building.

Inside the Abandoned Factory Plant

Xia Yan followed Li Lihong to the third floor. There were already seven or eight young men waiting there.

Young Man A: Bro Hong, we’ve been waiting for you for a while. You brought the stuff?

Li Lihong: Of course.

Li Lihong took out a storage disk in his pocket and handed it to the man in front of him.

Young Man: Can we start making our moves this time?

Li Lihong: Not yet, we’re still missing one thing, although I’ve already confirmed where it is.

Li Lihong: This is the most updated info. Hold onto it.

Li Lihong handed a storage disk to him.

Xia Yan hid himself as he observed, then took out a lighter from his pocket.

He took off the cover of the igniting torch first, then removed the flint steel wheel, flint, and spring.

Xia Yan wound the spring on the flint, then lit up the torch, heating the stone until it glowed red.

He stood and threw the burning stone towards that group of people—

Instantly, a dazzling white light burst, as if someone had thrown a stun grenade!

Xia Yan rushed in, knocking down several people within a single breath.

But Li Lihong had long been prepared. When he felt someone approaching, he drew a knife and slashed!

A wound ripped viciously over Xia Yan’s upper arm, and fresh blood dripped down. Xia Yan remained motionless, then snatched the storage disk in Li Lihong’s hand.

Xia Yan sprinted down the stairs on the other side, but a pitch-black gun muzzle suddenly appeared before him.

Young Man B: Even diarrhea’s got its benefits, huh? I caught you.

Young Man B: Bro Hong, I’ve made a huge contribution tonight.

Young Man B: Put the thing down, and squat down with your hands behind your head!

Xia Yan: …

Xia Yan held up both hands, then gradually let go of the storage disk in his hand.

When the disk clattered on the ground, the man released a relieved sigh.

Xia Yan twisted his body in an instant, turning out of shooting range as he grabbed the man’s hand and the body of the gun.

Bang! A bullet slammed into the wall!

Xia Yan seized the gun, then locked down on the man’s throat, switching positions with him.

The same moment, the people in the room had rushed up. They simultaneously raised their guns, pointing at Xia Yan.

Li Lihong: Put the weapon down!

Xia Yan looked at the several people in front of him. They were pointing guns at him from different angles and had cut off all directions of movement.

Xia Yan did not move. He kept one hand on the man’s throat, using him as a shield, and one hand on the gun, pointing it at the man’s temple.

Xia Yan: …

Bang! Li Lihong adjusted his firing angle, firing a warning shot at a pile of dirt in the corner.

Li Lihong: Put the weapon down!!!

I waited outside for Xia Yan.

I counted the minutes and seconds as they passed. One minute, two minutes… suddenly, the intense sounds of a fight sounded in the earbud!

Amid the chaos, it seemed like Xia Yan’s earbud had fallen. The sounds of the fight went from being beside the ear to being transmitted from far away.

Bang! A gunshot sounded in the abandoned building.

MC: Xia Yan—

I immediately called police. But, what do I do… what else can I do for Xia Yan…

Within my few seconds of hesitation, another gunshot sounded.

MC: What do I do!

⊳ Wait in place ⊳ Go in

Fearing that I would only bring trouble if I rushed in rashly, I held back my anxiety and didn’t go in after thinking things over.

…

……

Every second felt incomparably long.

Finally, my phone vibrated – Xia Yan was calling.

MC: Xia Yan!

Only when I shouted his name did I notice that my voice sounded like I’d been sobbing.

Xia Yan: I’m fine. Sorry… for scaring you.

Xia Yan: I’m on the third floor – you can head straight over.

In the Abandoned Factory Plant

I sprinted wildly towards the location Xia Yan mentioned.

I hadn’t even arrived at the staircase to the third floor when I saw Xia Yan, who was just about to descend the staircase to see me.

Xia Yan: Slow down, it’s dark here – careful—

When I saw his silhouette, my tears burst out all at once. Without a single care, I sprinted up to him and hugged him.

⊳ Wait in place ⊳ Go in

MC: I can’t just sit and wait. If I can scramble for a bit of time for Xia Yan before the police get here…

I took out the lipstick tranquilizer gun that Xia Yan had made for me before, my only weapon.

I carefully entered the abandoned plant.

Inside the Abandoned Factory Plant

One floor, two floors… when I stepped onto the third floor, I finally saw several silhouettes.

Due to my location, I could not see Xia Yan. I could only carefully observe those in front of me.

One person among them had a gun on his waist.

MC: …

MC: (With my skills, I’ll only be able to shoot one person…)

MC: (And then, these people will descend into chaos for a moment, and Xia Yan can use this opportunity to attack back.)

MC: (I’ll attack this person and shoot, then leave immediately, so I don’t get caught and end up causing Xia Yan trouble instead.)

I recalled the route with which I came in, confirming how I would escape.

Then, I carefully lifted my lipstick tranquillizer gun, pointing it at that person with the gun…

Got him in one shot!

I turned around to run, but I hadn’t even taken two steps when a black silhouette rushed up in front of me and seized my throat, applying severe pressure.

MC: Urgh!

But right after, I heard a familiar voice.

Xia Yan: MC? Why did you come in…

Thanks to the faint moonlight, I finally saw his face – it was Xia Yan.

Xia Yan let go of the hand grabbing my throat in a panic.

Xia Yan: Sorry, I was just planning to let you know that I was fine…

My tears burst out all at once, and I instinctively hugged Xia Yan.

----

MC: Xia Yan…

Xia Yan: !!!

Xia Yan’s body stiffened instantly.

A moment after, he gently circled his arm around me, patting my back comfortingly.

Xia Yan: I’m sorry for making you worry again.

Xia Yan: I’m fine, really…

Xia Yan held me gently as he tenderly comforted me.

A few minutes later, some awkward coughs sounded from not too far from us.

Li Lihong: Ahem ahem… Mr. Xia Yan, I don’t mean to interrupt you two.

Li Lihong: But this place isn’t the most suitable… also, could you explain to us what’s going on?

Li Lihong looked at us helplessly, while the young men around him had expressions full of mischief.

MC: !!!

I let go of Xia Yan in a panic.

MC: Xia Yan, what’s going on here? I heard gunshots before I came in…

MC: Wait, your arm?! What happened to your arm!

The moment I saw Xia Yan, my brain was too preoccupied to care about anything else. Only now did I notice a knife wound on his arm.

Xia Yan simply wrapped up the knife wound on the arm.

Xia Yan: Actually… everything was a misunderstanding.

Xia Yan turned around and looked at Li Lihong and the men around him.

Xia Yan: This Mr. Li Lihong, and the other guys… are all policemen.

MC: Policemen?!

Xia Yan nodded, then told me everything.

[Flashback]

Xia Yan looked at the several people in front of him. They were pointing guns at him from different angles and had cut off all directions of movement.

Xia Yan did not move. He kept one hand on the man’s throat, using him as a shield, and one hand on the gun, pointing it at the man’s temple.

Xia Yan: …

The few people faced off soundlessly for several seconds.

Li Lihong: Young man, I don’t know what benefits you get out of doing this, but I urge you to leave while you can.

Xia Yan: What benefits I get? That’s what you should be asking yourself.

Li Lihong: What did you say?

Xia Yan tightened his grip on the gun, coldly sweeping its point towards everyone across him.

Xia Yan: Glock 17… the gun that police around the world equip the most.

Li Lihong: …

Xia Yan: You are Song Heng’s “protective umbrella” in Stellis.

Xia Yan: Traitors are even more detestable than enemies.

Li Lihong: Hold up—

[Flashback end]

Xia Yan: That’s how it went…

Xia Yan: I thought they were turncoat police officers, so Sergeant Li was forced to tell me what was going on.

Xia Yan: Sergeant Li Lihong is an undercover agent from the Stellis Financial Crime Investigation Unit, sent to Hengda Financial. He came here today to talk about information with the other police officers in the task force.

Xia Yan lowered his body to whisper by my ear.

Xia Yan: I’ve already used my authorizations to confirm their police numbers and identities – they’re all clear.

Because he didn’t want others to overhear, Xia Yan was nearly pressed against my ear as he spoke. His warm breath and his voice spread over my ear, making it tingle.

MC: I got it!

I did my best to suppress my own panicked heartbeat and maintain my thoughts on the topic at hand.

I rushed to cancel my call to the police earlier, saying in a panic that I had heard wrong.

After, I looked at Li Lihong, still feeling somewhat doubtful.

MC: I never would’ve thought that police spies could get to a level like financial director…

Li Lihong: I was a spy at another company for a long time before. To make it easier to get information, I worked harder on the job and got promoted to director.

Li Lihong: So, it was rather easy to spy in Hengda Financial this time.

Li Lihong: Of course, I did use some other methods, but they’re not worth mentioning.

MC: Is that so? The Stellis police sure are hiding incredible talent…

So that’s what it was! Are there really this many interdisciplinary geniuses these days?!

I was just furiously complaining in my heart as Li Lihong looked towards Xia Yan.

Li Lihong: Speaking of surprising people, it’s this guy here that who really takes the cake.

Li Lihong: Are private detectives this skilled these days? Or… you’re a master among the people?

Xia Yan: …

Xia Yan: Can’t be helped. The detective profession is really competitive – if I want to earn more, I’ve got to have some more skills.

Li Lihong stared at Xia Yan for a few seconds without asking anymore.

Li Lihong: As members of the general populace, it’s not suitable for the two of you to continue getting into the Hengda Financial case.

Li Lihong: Leave the rest of the investigation to the police, and please trust us.

MC: That…

I glanced at “member of the general populace” Xia Yan, unsure of how he would respond.

Xia Yan: Of course we trust the police.

Xia Yan: But we also received a commission to investigate Song Heng and Hengda Financial. Due to some reasons, my employer needs to know about what’s happening inside them as soon as possible.

Xia Yan: Plus, Sergeant Li, you’ve been a spy for a year, yet you still haven’t reeled in the net. Which means that there must still be some issues, right?

Xia Yan: If it won’t hinder official business, please allow us to assist in investigation. After all, the police and the community are all in this together.

Xia Yan: Plus, there’s no reason needed to act righteously. As for safety, you just called me “a master among the people”.

Li Lihong: …

Seeing that Li Lihong wasn’t speaking, I rushed to provide backup.

MC: Sergeant Li, are there any places where we can help?

Li Lihong: About whether you can join in the investigations… I can’t agree to you right now. Protecting the people and ensuring that you remain out of danger is the police’s duty.

Li Lihong: In fact, you taking the initiative to give us the information you had was already a sort of help.

Xia Yan: Then we’ll tell you all the clues we currently have in detail.

Xia Yan and I told Li Lihong all about Ji Xiaoqing’s recording file as well as the Oedipus and corrupt detectives matter.

Li Lihong: So that’s what it was. A few days ago, we did receive this recording file from the criminal investigation unit.

Li Lihong: I didn’t think that you were the ones who found that evidence.

Li Lihong: As for Oedipus… according to the information you found, it might indeed be the president of Hengda Financial, Song Heng.

Li Lihong: I didn’t think that he’d also done these things…

Xia Yan: We’re currently working with Sphinx and trying to catch Oedipus – that is, Song Heng.

Xia Yan: Could this identity of ours assist your investigation somehow?

Li Lihong looked at Xia Yan I, falling into silent thought.

Li Lihong: Before Ji Xiaoyu accused Bedo Loan Company, we noticed indications that Hengda Financial was involved in gang activities, so we started conducting investigations in private.

Li Lihong: I thus applied for financial director and entered Hengda Financial as a spy.

Li Lihong: We noticed that Hengda Financial had worked with lots of trap loan companies and had helped with money laundering.

Xia Yan: But you still haven’t reeled in the net yet – are you still missing some essential evidence?

Li Lihong: That’s right.

Li Lihong: It’s the age of the legal system right now. If we want to catch Hengda Financial and their related gangs all at once, we must have a complete chain of evidence.

Li Lihong: Their legal team is extremely strong. If there is the slightest flaw in the evidence, those lawyers will use this to place doubts on the police’s entire investigation.

Li Lihong: If that happens… we can only watch as they use the name of the law to escape innocent or with mere misdemeanors.

Li Lihong’s voice had the slightest bit of repressed resentfulness in it.

The man who Xia Yan snatched the gun from earlier couldn’t resist jumping in angrily.

Young Man B: Those lawyers are always saying that we abuse public power and rambling about procedural justice this, procedural justice that!

Young Man B: I’m just a bystander, yet I can’t even bear it, so how miserable must the victims and their families be, huh? Can’t they see that?

Young Man B: Using the law to protect criminals! Any goodness in their hearts must have been gobbled up by dogs!

Young Man B: Bunch of pettifoggers. All their legal studies left them without the slightest bit of humanity in them!

MC: …

Xia Yan: …

Li Lihong: Enough. Don’t bother wasting time on complaining – this won’t help solve the case at all.

Li Lihong stopped the young policeman’s furious castigations.

MC: Sergeant Li, do you think we could help anywhere?

Xia Yan: Sergeant Li, I understand that it’s not convenient for the police to let us know details regarding the investigation progress.

Xia Yan: I do have a suggestion, though. Please listen to see if it’ll be useful.

Xia Yan: Song Heng, or “Oedipus”, believes that my partner “Sphinx” has certain important information on him.

Xia Yan: So he’s going to war over this, trying to find “Sphinx”.

Xia Yan: Could we start from this to create some setups and make Song Heng display weakness?

Li Lihong: Mhmm, this does work as a plan.

Li Lihong: You’re currently in the middle of detective investigations, which is quite a suitable identity. Plus… it would be great if you lent your skill to the police.

Xia Yan: Thanks for the praise.

Li Lihong: But as you said, it’s not easy for us to reveal our investigation actions and plans. So, right now, we can’t tell you about any ways to assist.

Li Lihong: Return from today, and wait for me to contact you.

MC: Okay.

Li Lihong: Also, Detective Xia Yan, I apologize for injuring you.

Li Lihong looked apologetically towards the injury on Xia Yan’s arm.

Li Lihong: You can come with me to the police station and apply for compensatory procedures, and deal with the wound in the meanwhile.

Xia Yan: No need, I can deal with this little wound myself.

Xia Yan: Plus, it was all a misunderstanding. We can call it even since you’re not going to charge me for assault of police.

After, we said our farewells to the policemen.

#Tears of Themis #tears of themis translations #xia yan #luke pearce #tot translation #raven!!! so badass aaa #the fluency with which he said glock seventeen #so hot

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wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

Text

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch:17 I’m Not Going Anywhere

Summary: Katie keeps vigil at Steve’s bedside and in full protective ‘dad’ mode, Tony engages the Stark Industry lawyers when the UN Senate comes calling. But the Winter Soldier has gone back into the shadows, taking one of Steve’s only living ties to his past with him. And no one has a clue where he’s gone.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Warnings: Violence, bad language words, angst and smut (NSFW) NO UNDER 18s thanks.

A/N: I LOVE LOVE LOVE these edits once more from @angrybirdcr

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 16

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

“He’s panicking…let me talk to him.” Her voice was soft but full of authority.

Then, a familiar hand closed over the one that he held over the mask on his face and she gently spoke this time directly to him.

“Shhhh…” He felt her other hand gently run over his forehead. “Baby, you’re in an ambulance. Try and stay calm, okay?”

And then his eyes focused, just for a second. The panic that had hit him dissipated as Katie’s face filled his vision and he gripped her hand, not wanting her to leave him.

“I’m not going anywhere…” She assured him. “I promise.”

And he believed her. He felt himself relax and fell back against the bed and his eyes closed again, the last thing he heard and felt was her…

Steve’s hand was still tight around Katie’s when they arrived in the emergency room. She went in with the paramedics who took Steve in charge and, as they escorted Steve into the operating room, the realization that she finally had to let go of him crushed her. The same Doctor who had taken care of Fury and her in the warehouse approached her with a nod, and she was suddenly extremely thankful that the Director had as many fingers in as many pies as he did. It was an overwhelming relief to see a face she knew she could trust.

“Miss. Stark, I need you to leave the room, please. I’ll take care of him from here.” The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder to support his point and dropped his voice. “I promise. Fury’s orders”

Ignoring the urge to argue she let go and took a step back, her eyes still focused on the Steve as he lay on the stretcher.

“Heart’s rate climbing, doctor!” Announced one of the nurses. Katie could still see her soldier’s face disfiguring and the slight raising of his eyebrow and clench of his hand if he were trying to hold on to something. She let out a sob as she realised he was looking for her because she had left him, after promising she wouldn’t, and then the double doors of the operating room closed. Finding herself now alone and completely helpless, her limbs began to clench and she was suddenly very aware she was trembling. Then, it was as if someone had tightened a band around her chest, leaving her panting for air as her vision became more and more obscured by tears of panic.

She caught herself against the nearest wall before feeling her legs give way. She managed to lift them into a bent position, before bringing her arms around them so she could hide her head behind her knees as her throat felt like it had completely closed. She concentrated on Steve’s images floating around her brain, his touch, his kisses, how he held her, made love to her, the feeling of his laughter, his eyes, all their moments together.

We could get married if you want…

His face as he had spoken those words, the look she hadn’t been able to place suddenly registered in her brain. He had been hopeful. She closed her eyes trying to hold on to that memory. Eventually, after what felt like a life-time, she felt her throat begin to open again allowing her to take a deep breath, then the tightness in her chest and lungs eased and finally her brain. The hiss of silence in her ears was replaced by the usual murmur of a hospital and she could once again feel the sensations coming back along her limbs. She loosened her arms around her legs, stretching them out in front of her, and lifted her head to lean against the wall.

She had no idea how long she sat there. Minutes, hours…it all blurred into one as she focussed her attention on the doors he had been taken through. Eventually, her little bubble was invaded by a familiar figure hovering over her before Natasha slid to the floor, legs lying in front of her, her arm wrapping round Katie’s shoulder.

“Any news on how he is?” She asked.

"They’re still treating him, as far as I know.” Katie sighed, her head resting gently against Nat’s.

Natasha nodded briefly in acknowledgment before turning to look at her friend. “And you? How are you holding up?”

Katie looked at her, but didn’t answer as Sam’s familiar voice cut across the corridor.

“Katie! Natasha!” He hastened to join them, letting Katie take in his civilian change of clothes. He was bruised too, but overall, he looked okay. “How is he doing? Any news?”

Natasha took it upon herself to answer Sam. Meanwhile, Katie finally decided to get up from her position against the wall. The sudden movement and the long time spent in an identical position made her stagger a little. Sam hastily raised his hands to catch her.

“I brought you a change of clothes.” Nat spoke gently as she too stood up. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t stay. I’m already being summonsed for questioning, but Hill and I are going to do our best to keep your names out of it, both of you.”

“Frankly Nat, at this moment I couldn’t give a fuck about what my name is dragged into.” Katie snapped, her ton a little harsher than she had intended. She sighed. “Sorry…”

“It’s okay.” Nat shook her head, her green eyes catching Katie’s “Look, call me as soon as there’s news.”

She nodded. “Can you call Tony for me? He’s already tried ringing but I can’t bring myself to try and explain.”

“Sure.” Nat nodded. She pulled Katie into a hug, before she headed off up the corridor.

“Katie.” Sam spoke gently. “There’s a waiting room down there.”

“No, I’m staying here.”

“You need to get a proper rest. You got shot yourself yesterday, remember?” Sam reasoned, his tone patient/ “Come on, you’re no good to Cap if you aint in top fighting form.”

Katie gave in and let Sam escort her to the waiting room where the two of them sat in silence. It was around four o'clock in the afternoon, some three hours after they had arrived, when the SHIELD doctor made an appearance. Katie was half-lying with her head against Sam’s shoulder as he was changing the annoying channels of the hospital TV every ten seconds.

“Miss. Stark?”

Sam turned off the television almost immediately while Katie was already on her feet in impatience.

"Yeah?”

“Sorry it’s taken so long but there was a few complications.”

“Complications?” Katie frowned “He’s got fucking super serum coursing through his DNA, it’s supposed to help him heal”” “And it did, meaning the wounds had started to close over which caused us a bit of an issue but he’s out of theatre and the surgery was a success.”

“So he’s gonna be okay?” Sam asked and the Doctor nodded.

“He lost a lot of blood but we’ve given him a transfusion and his vitals are stable. He’s gonna be fine.”

Katie let out a sob and covered her face with her hands, relief flooding every cell in her body as Sam wrapped an arm round her.

“We’ve moved him into his own room and it will be a while before he regains consciousness, how long we can’t say.” The doctor continued gently, before looking round and then back to her, his voice lowering “We have an armed guard on his door, Fury’s orders, but you two can stay with him.”

He beckoned for them to follow him through the corridors of the hospital. "He’s doing very well, all things considered.” He said stopping in front of a door. “But, just so you’re aware, he is heavily sedated to ensure he rests as he was quite agitated. Now, it’s just a case of letting him rest whilst the serum work its magic.”

“Thank you.” Katie choked out before she turned to the door and a hand gently touched her arm. She looked up and did a double take as she saw Evans stood there.

“Hey Nova.”

“Evans.” Her voice was a whisper, as he pulled her into a hug. “You…”

“No, I’m not HYDRA, probably the only one in STRIKE who wasn’t.” He swallowed as she stepped back to look at him noticing the shiny bruise adorning his right cheek and the split in his upper lip. “I swear I had no idea. It all started smelling a bit funky when they told us Cap was public enemy number one, and then when I heard his voice on that PA…” He shook his head, sadly. “I’m sorry I didn’t try to find you, help sooner…”

Katie shook her head as the ginger Texan man wiped at his eyes with the heel of his palm.

“None of us knew Paul.” The use of his first name made him look at her, and she was swept back into his arms again.

“How is he?” He asked as she stepped back, nodding to the room.

“I don’t know yet.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep ya.” He smiled and she gently squeezed his arm. “I’ll be right her if ya’ll need anything.”

“I don’t want anyone in here without my say so.” She instructed. Evans jerked his head to show he understood and she gave him a tight smile as she pushed the door open and stepped into the room, Sam following.

The sight in front of her made fresh tears spring into her eyes and she swallowed as she silently took in Steve’s condition. He was lying, asleep, in his bed with whilst IV’s and monitors recorded his vitals. He had stitches in several places on his face, nasty bruises around his left eye and jawline, and a huge swelling along the same eye that was likely to prevent him from seeing properly for a while. Overall, he was a mess.

“Katie-”

“I’m fine.” She interrupted Sam quickly in a hoarse voice, slightly tinged with her desire to cry. She took a shaky breath as she could hear Steve’s steady heartbeat reaching her ears. “I just need a minute.”

She slowly made her way to one of the chairs by the bed, settling down without looking away from Steve as she reached up to take one of his hands. It was colder than she could ever remember him being.

“Hey, Soldier.” She breathed in a shaking voice before pressing her lips to his bruised knuckles as she held his large hand in both of hers. For a moment, she thought she felt his hand contract in recognition but when she looked down he showed no signs of being awake. “I don’t know if you can hear me but I’m here, like I promised.”

******

The next few hours Sam and Katie stayed in the room with him and eventually Katie had to concede she really needed to clean up. She looked around for the bag which Nat had brought her some clothes in and stood up, grabbing it from where it sat by the door.

“I’m need the bathroom.” She looked at Sam and he nodded. “I won’t be long.”

She headed down the corridor and entered the ladies restroom, leaning over the sink. She glanced at the mirror, her eyes were red, face was dirty, hands still full of Steve’s blood and she looked all in all like a right mess. She set about washing her hands, her face and anything else that she could before she stepped into a cubicle and peeled off her lycra leggings and compression top. Dressing in the jeans and black sweater that Nat had packed, she was also touched to the point of more tears to see her friend had packed her some deodorant, a set of face wipes, dry shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste and a hairbrush. By the time Katie had finished she looked almost normal.

Katie pinged Nat a message to thank her and fill her in on the news that Steve was going to be okay and one came back almost immediately

Thank God, and you’re welcome. I just spoke to Tony. He’s on his way back from Australia as we speak, he’d already set off after seeing the news. He told me to tell you to call him, ASAP.

So she did.

“Jesus Kiddo!” Her brother exclaimed when he answered, “I’ve been so worried…how are you? How’s Cap?”

“He’s stable. Still out of it but…” Fresh tears sprung into her eyes at hearing her brother’s voice.

“I’ve had Pepper call the hospital, anything you or he needs…anything…” He stressed, gently “and she’s working to keep the press off your back.”

“Thanks. Where abouts are you?”

“Approaching Singapore airspace. I’ll be there as soon as I can, I promise.”

“’kay…”

“Love you Kiddo, he’s strong. He’ll be fine.”

“So everyone keeps saying.” She whispered, the sob catching in her throat.

Tony sighed “Look, this is Rogers we’re talking about. He’s as stubborn as you are.”

“I know.”

“I’ll see you soon. Call me if there’s any news, ok?”

But there wasn’t. Katie sent Sam home in the early hours of the morning but her vigil never wavered. Doctors and nurses bustled in throughout the night. Steve’s vitals were improving but he still didn’t wake up. She managed a few hours sleep, on and off, spreading herself across two of the chairs, waking at around five am. She gratefully accepted the offer of a coffee from a nurse who arrived to explain that they were about to move Steve into a bigger, nicer room, courtesy of Pepper’s discussions with the hospital.

It was around 10 am when Sam returned. The new guard who had relieved Evans for a shift stopped him immediately until Katie popped her head out of the door and told him it was okay. After he had frisked Sam he walked in, holding out a bag containing a breakfast sandwich.

“You’re an angel.” Katie smiled as she tore into it, unaware how long it was since she had eaten something.

The two of them ate as they watched the news reports on the TV in the corner of the bright room. They spoke of the Helicarriers, HYDRA’s plot having integrated the governmental organization as well as the impending investigation. Katie watched the footage of her and Sam whizzing around the sky, and listened as they had even rebuffed Steve’s message for more effect. The attack was all the world was talking about and all the news was focused on Steve’s recovery and the repercussions of his actions.

“The identity of the Avenger Supernova has until today remained a mystery but the rumours are beginning to amass than it is none other than Katie Stark…” One of the news readers was saying,“the sister of Iron Man and girlfriend of Captain America…”

Katie didn’t even flinch. It wasn’t like they wouldn’t find out anyway, as soon as those files they had dumped on the internet became common knowledge it was going to blow up, plus, it was pretty obvious now. What was annoying her however, was that it was as if they blamed them, in particular Steve, for doing what was right.

A few hours later just as Sam had left again, Katie heard a commotion outside the doors to the room and she stood up.

“You know me right? Tony Stark, my sister is in there.”

“Sir, I’m under instructions not to…”

“It’s okay, Davies.” Katie stepped out of the room and spoke to the guard. “He’s good.”

Davies sighed “Mr Stark, I’m gonna have to search you then.” He relented.

Tony shrugged and held his arms out, once he’d been patted down he shot Davies a contemptuous look and he entered the room. No sooner had he done that, Katie was in his arms, sobbing, the Doctor who had been checking Steve shot them both a look as he sidled out of the room quickly.

“Shhhhh Kiddo.” Tony gently stroked her hair as she pressed her face into his chest, his familiar aftershave and touch reminding her of all the times he’d soothed her before when she was upset.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

Tony stepped back to look at her. “Red said you got shot.”

“I did, but I’m okay, see.” Katie shifted her top to show him the patch that was over her wound, which was healing well.

“Sounds like you’ve been having a bit of fun without me.” Tony sniffed, “It’s okay, I’m not really hurt. Well, maybe just a little. JARVIS is in a whole heap of trouble for not telling me by the way…”

“I told him not to, you were in Australia, Tones.” Katie shook her head gently “Besides, this was all a bit crazy. There wasn’t really time, if we had waited for you to get back it would have been too late…and you could have been in danger and…” She looked over at Steve, his face was still a mess. “Look at him Tony…”

Her brother placed his arm around her and squeezed. “He’s gonna be fine.”

Katie lay her head on Tony’s shoulder as they sat down, his hand gently stroking over her hair, not once trying to get her to leave as he knew she wouldn’t. She’d burst randomly into tears again when she’d told him her car was now buried in the wreck of the Triskelion. It was a lump of metal, not something that mattered, but Tony understood. She was letting everything out, and he simply sat with her and soothed her, informing her that the car was ready for being changed anyway.

“But I like my car.” She sniffed.

“Kiddo, it’s almost nine years old. I got you that for your Twenty-First.”

“And that’s why I like it.”

Tony had to chuckle, that’s what she was like. Sentimental. It was the gesture behind gifts that mattered to her, not the value. He’d brought her up that way to value money, even though they had it in abundance, and he was fiercely proud of the woman she had grown to be. Humble in many ways that he wasn’t.

“You know he asked me to move in with him.” Katie spoke again, breaking the silence after a minute or so.

“Before marriage?” He teased. “Well, well, well.”

She snorted a laugh “That’s what I said. And then he turned round and told me we could get married if I wanted.”

Tony stiffened slightly before he looked down at her. “And do you want?”

She nodded. “Of course I do. Only I told him to ask me again with a big diamond.” She sniffed again before sobbing. “We both laughed but why did I say that? I don’t need a fucking ring, or-”

“Hey, hey.” Tony gently took her face in both his hands. “You just said it yourself. You both laughed. He won’t have taken it as anything but what it was, a joke. Steve knows you love him. Everyone does. Frankly it’s hard not to, it’s sickening”

She gave a wet laugh and Tony wiped at her cheeks with his thumbs.

“He’s gonna move into mine.” She smiled, as they both settled down again, her head returning to his shoulder. “His place is too small and full of bullet holes and…blood.”

“Sensible” Tony agreed, pulling her closer.

At one point during the night Pepper called, filling Tony in on the fact that Natasha was to be summonsed to the UN for a hearing and that they wanted Katie there too, her secret identity as an Avenger was well and truly busted.

“Get the lawyers onto it.” Tony replied simply, glancing at Katie who was now asleep, across a makeshift bed consisting of four plastic chairs from around the room, head laying on his lap As his hand gently smoothed her hair, his need to protect her boiled fiercely within him. “She’s not going anywhere, certainly not yet. Oh, and I need you to get hold of Happy. I have a couple of jobs for him.”

*****

Every single inch of Steve’s body hurt. His mouth felt like sandpaper, his head was full of cotton wool, his eyes hurt as the colours flashed in front of them. He screwed his eyes further shut against the painful light that still assaulted him through his closed eyelids. He took a moment to breathe, steadying himself as soft music flooded his ears. It wasn’t something he had heard before but it was pleasant, soulful, jazz-like. His head stopped spinning and he felt brave enough to crack an eye open. He glanced round the room, puzzled slightly. He was in a hospital. Then he remembered. The Hellicarriers, Bucky, and the last thing he had seen before blacking out, his girl. He had been cold, and wet, but she had been there. And she still was, at the side of his bed, head laying against Sam’s shoulder.

“On your left.” He managed to croak out. Katie’s head jerked up from its resting place and they both glanced over at the bed where Steve was led. He smiled groggily before his head rolled to the side, flush back against the pillow and he closed his eyes once more.

At the sound of his voice, Katie instantly jumped up and settled on the side of his bed, gently stroking his face.

“Hey.” Her voice cracked. “Welcome back.”

“’M so tired, Sweetheart.” He mumbled as she dropped a kiss to his forehead, his eyes remaining closed as he managed a small smile.

“Then sleep.” She instructed softly, the relief flooding her system that he was with them, albeit not totally, but he was with them. She gently smoothed his hair, and kept that up until she could tell he was back asleep.

She turned to Sam who gave her a smile. “Lazy bastard.”

A few minutes later a nurse popped her head round the door. Katie smiled and told her about him waking up briefly and she nodded, checking the readings. “That’s a good sign.” she beamed, “His body will be drained, serum or no serum so him resting is part of the natural recovery process. When he comes round fully, come find me and we’ll get the doctor back.”

An hour or so later, the mood in Steve’s room was considerably lighter given his waking up before. Katie, Sam and Evans, who was leaning in the open doorway, were mid a playful discussion as to whether or not Voldemort could take Darth Vader in a fight. (Katie had started this whole thing after calling Evans “Ron Weasley with a rifle” on her way back from the bathroom) and were just about to dive into the whole schematics on Magic vs The Force when a voice spoke from the bed.

“What the hell are you three talking about?” Steve grumbled playfully and Katie’s head jerked up to see his eyes watching her and she was beyond happy to see they were full of their usual warmth, the warmth he had whenever he looked at her.

“Hi!” Katie breathed in relief as she stood up and moved closer to him, settling on the edge of his bed.

“Hey, Doll.” He smiled as she took his hand, her fingers snaking into his. His eyes flickered to Evans, taking in the man’s various bruises and he frowned.

“Got in a bit of a fight with Rollins.” Evans drawled with a nod, and Steve let out the breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding. The man wasn’t HYDRA. “He didn’t take kindly to me threatening to test out the whole ‘cut one head off, two more shall take its place’ theory on him.”

Steve gave a small huff of a laugh before he winced slightly at the movement and Evans nodded to him once more, before allowing the door to shut, returning to his post. Steve’s eyes fell on Sam who raised an eyebrow at him.

“You know, having a building dropped on my head wasn’t part of the job description”

Steve’s smile spread a bit further before he gently lifted his head up off the pillow, looking around before grimacing at the throbbing that filled each bone in his body “How long was I out?”

“Forty-Three hours and Thirty Seven minutes if you don’t count the last hour you’ve been resting.” Katie smiled gently, glancing up at the clock on the wall as she settled on the side of the bed. Ah, yes, Steve’s brain vaguely registered he’d woken up before, made some quip of some sorts. “Not that I’ve been counting…” She finished and he smiled again, giving her hand a squeeze.

“Have you been here that whole time?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Sam’s been here too, a lot. As has Tony. He’s just nipped back to my place to change and make a few calls.”

“Trust me, two days aint that bad considering how you looked when you got here.” Sam added jokingly.

“Sam.” Katie reprimanded gently, looking at him.

“Alright,” He relented standing from his chair and holding his hands up, with a smirk. “I’ll go get that hot nurse, give you guys a minute.”

“Utter dog.” She snorted, the pair of them watching as he left the room and she turned to face Steve, tears in her eyes.

“You scared me.”

“Sorry.” He looked at her, and he was. He hated seeing her upset. There was a moment’s pause before he decided he had to know. “What happened after… did we?”

“SHIELD’s gone, Alexander Pierce is dead. Fury shot him. And as far as HYDRA, everyone major that was involved at the Treskellion is either captured or dead.” she paused, not sure if she should be telling him the full scale of what had gone down. Not whilst he was still recovering.

“What is it?” he frowned and she knew she wouldn’t be able to fob him off.

“Nat dumping the files on the internet means my identity as Nova is probably blown wide open. There goes our quiet life.”

“Nothing about our life is quiet.” he said a soft chuckle rising in his chest.

She grinned “True. Gonna be a lot of other shit to mop up though, The Treskellion was the tip of the iceberg. All the main SHIELD bases fell. America, Canada, Europe.”

Steve nodded along then asked the question he was almost afraid to hear the answer to. “Any news on Bucky?

"He’s gone.” Katie told him sadly. “I’m sorry Steve. I know how much he meant to you. But, I think he remembered you. He pulled you out of the river, told me to get help.” She continued to explain about their short exchange on the river bank and Steve listened, unable to stop the hopeful feeling spreading in his chest. Maybe there was a chance for Bucky after all, they just needed to find him. Katie watched him, and he smiled at her.

“I’m glad you spoke to him.” He nodded, and then a cheeky glint flashed in his eyes “Still think all the girls in Brooklyn were dumbasses for hanging off his arm and not mine?”

She gave a bark of a laugh and leaned down towards his face, rubbing her nose against his “Always.” She whispered, before giving him a soft quick peck on the lips.

******

Tony arrived back an hour or so later. He was genuinely pleased to see Steve awake and after gently grasping the soldier’s hand between both of his in a friendly, brotherly, gesture he sat down and delivered some interesting news.

“So the Goth Pirate called me.” He said, leaning back in his seat “He sounded amazingly well for a dead guy.”

“Fury called you?” Steve frowned

“Yeah. He’s laying low, you know, on account of being dead, and he wants to hand control of the Avengers over to us, Cap.”

Steve frowned, before he lay his head back on his pillow. He knew the Avengers would be needed again, especially now with SHIELD gone. He turned to Tony who continued.

“I think that’s the right thing to do, for us to take control” The billionaire spoke and Steve nodded.

“I suppose, but there’s something I gotta do first.”

“Yeah, recover.” Sam shot, drawing a faint smile from Steve but Katie knew full well he didn’t mean that. He was intending to go after Bucky.

They spent the rest of the afternoon making idle chit chat with Tony, who was already planning on further renovating the tower to house the Avengers full time in the wake of Fury’s news. Steve, Katie was pleased to see, was enthusiastic about the plans and listened, looking at the various ideas Tony showed him on the tablet. However, now that Steve was awake, the nurses seemed to be a little more reluctant to allow everyone to stay and at about six pm one of them politely suggested that Sam and Tony should be making their way home.

“You do know I’m paying for this, right?” Tony quipped at her. She shot him a look which made him visibly recoil and he turned to Katie pulling a face as he stood up.

“I’ve gotta get back to New York anyway.” He shrugged, pulling his sister into a hug. “Lawyers to speak to…new suits to build seeing as you blew yours up.”

“You blew it up?” Steve looked at her.

“I needed to send up a signal so everyone could find us.” She shrugged as Tony looked at her reproachfully.

“Yeah, I should be going too. I gotta tidy my place.” Sam groaned. “Someone trashed it.”

“You’re welcome to stay at mine if you want, for as long as you need.” Katie offered, as Steve let out a sigh and began to mumble an apology which Sam waved away.

“It’s fine man, it won’t take me long to reorganise it all.”

“Speaking of which…” Tony looked at Steve then Katie as he fished in his pockets for something. “I’ve had Happy organise to clear your apartment Cap, now you two are shacking up together. He’s gonna have all your stuff sent Kiddo’s, save you a job. Oh and I figured you might need this.” He tossed Katie a set of keys. She glanced down at them, her eyebrow raised.

“It’s a Q5, rought over from my personal collection.” He looked at her and she smiled at her brother. “Try not to bury this one under a sky-scraper.”

“Thank you.” She whispered, giving him another hug, slipping the keys into her pocket. “I love you, Tone.”

“Obviously, because I’m the best big brother in the world.” He hugged her tight, and Steve nodded to him, thanking him with a look which Tony acknowledged with a sharp incline of his head in the soldier’s direction.

As the two men left, Steve raised his right arm to bid them goodbye and the pair of them headed off down the corridor, chatting away animatedly. Katie watched them go before turning to Steve, who was yawning like a lion.

“You okay?”

“I just don’t remember the last time I was this tired…or in as much pain”

"Do you want me to get the Nurse, up your pain relief?”

“No.” He yawned again, he hated how it made the room spin.“Think I’m gonna sleep.”

She teased gently. “Again?”

He smiled and looked at her, swallowing. “Will…will you stay?” He asked, tentatively “Until I fall asleep, that is?”

“I’m not leaving you.” She cut him off and dropped a kiss to his forehead as she climbed onto the bed next to him “I’ll be here when you go to sleep, and here when you wake up.”

“You don’t need to stay all night. You must be exhausted, you should go home and get some sleep.”

“I’m fine…” She looked at him, before her body betrayed her and she too let out a huge yawn which she tried to stifle. He raised an eyebrow.

“Please honey, you need some rest too.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Steve shook his head. She really was obtuse at times.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He lay his head back on the pillow a grin flashing across his face. “Just remembering what a stubborn, pain in the-“

“If you wanna get out of here any time soon, then I wouldn’t finish that sentence…”

“Miss Stark is that a threat?” Steve looked at her, a smile curling further across his face

“It’s a promise…” She grinned, leaning over to kiss him gently. “Now go to sleep.”

*******

Steve was discharged from the hospital the next afternoon, the doctors having no reason to keep him any longer since he healed so quickly, though a cheeky nurse did warn that it wouldn’t be wise for him to engage in any strenuous activity, with a pointed look in Katie’s direction who merely rolled her eyes, a small smirk playing on her face.

They arrived back to Katie’s, no theirs, a little after 4 in the afternoon. Steve was dying for a hot shower, and a shave, despite Katie’s protests that she liked the stubble he had sprouted, and whilst he was under the scalding hot waterfall, Katie headed into the kitchen to grab a drink. As she opened the fridge for a bottle of water she wasn’t surprised it was fully stocked including a few bottles of expensive pinot grigio and some beer. There was a note stuck to one of the bottles, in Tony’s handwriting.

Couldn’t have you both coming home to an empty fridge now, could I?

Whatever it is he’s ‘got to do’, I know you’ll follow. So keep safe, stay in touch, and if you need help…you know where to find a good team.

T xxx

She read the note over again and smiled to herself. It was times like this that her brother always came through for her. She fired him a quick text message to thank him before she headed up to the bedroom to see if Steve was hungry.

“Hey love, just wanted to know…” the words died in her mouth at the sight of him, his upper body was flecked with droplets of water from the shower. The knife wound on his shoulder had faded to nothing but a fresh, pink scar and the bruises he sported were all starting to turn yellow now apart from one stubborn one on the right side of his ribcage that was still a mass of purple. But it was the round circle of scar tissue that stood out, on the left side of his lower abdomen, angry and red, where the bullet that had done the most damage had exited that caught her attention. Her mouth went dry and suddenly her eyes were misting over as it hit her exactly how close she had come to losing him. Quite simply, she wasn’t sure she could cope without him now, which scared her as she’d always been fiercely independent.

“Hey…” he said, swiftly stepping forward, his hands cupping her face as he saw her face crumple “Sweetheart, I’m fine…”

“I know, I know but…” she sniffed. “I almost lost you and I couldn’t bear it if that happened…”

“Well you didn’t.” He said, gently, “Gonna take more than that to get rid of me.”

His lips brushed hers, the lightest of touches but it set every single nerve end she had into over drive with desire. As her breath hitched she felt him grin against her mouth before he kissed her, slightly harder this time, parting her lips with his tongue. He pulled her close, moving his hands up to the small of her back, pressing her into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running the fingers of one hand through his hair while the others lingered at the base of his skull, holding him to her. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, the kiss growing in intensity, hunger, until Katie felt him hard against her stomach and her face was raw from the stubble that he hadn’t shaved yet.

“The doctor said you had to take it easy…” she whispered into the space between them as they each worked to steady our breathing

“Yeah…” he said, slowly moving her backwards, “But, what do they know?”

“Ermm a lot.” she snorted.

“You need proof that I’m all healed?”

“Depends on what proof you’re talking about…” she grinned as he dropped his hands to her ass, reaching down as if to lift her but she stopped him, hands on his wrists.

“Steve, your ribs…”

“For once in your life will you shut up and just do as you’re told…” He looked down at her. She was about to argue, about to tell him no, but as he looked at her, his eyes alive with desire she knew it was pointless.

“Yes, Captain…” she murmured as his lips crashed onto hers, but he didn’t try and lift her again, instead he backed her up the short few strides, before the back of her knees hit the side of the bed and she dropped back onto it.

“I’ll take it easy…” He whispered as he crawled over the top of her, sliding his hand up her jersey dress and into the waistband of her leggings and knickers, slowly sinking two fingers into her warm, wet depth. She let out a soft moan, open mouth grazing his neck as he felt her clench around him. “Easy,” he repeated before her mouth hungrily claimed his again. He moved his hands to reach down and they parted just long enough so he could pull her dress up over her head. His eyes automatically darted to the bullet wound on her left shoulder, that hadn’t healed half as fast as his, the stitches weren’t due out for another week

“I hate that you got hurt…” he muttered, slipping one bra strap down, then the other, before she arched her back allowing him to reach round and undo the clasp before he discarded it to the floor. His lips travelled across her collar bone and up her neck, drawing a soft groan from her lips as his stubble scraped her skin and once more his fingers claimed her. She writhed with pleasure at his strokes and he groaned gently, his lips working on the spot under her ear. He moved away for a second, to rid himself of the towel and crawled over her so that she was led flat, his hands pulling at the side of her black leggings, removing them along with her panties easily. He positioned himself over her, his tongue dipping into her mouth before he pushed into her, making her shudder slightly. His hands were on either side of her face, caressing her cheek and jaw as he kissed her again, rocking his hips as opposed to thrusting, the contact not breaking for a second. He dropped his head to her neck, his lips gently brushing her ear as he let out a groan, his hips grinding against hers.

It was soft, it was gentle, it was intimate, not rushed and Katie cried out his name loudly when her orgasm took her, her thighs closing around him. He was consumed completely by her, and he followed her over the edge, a loud moan rumbling in his throat. God he loved this woman with every single inch of his body.

“One day,” he mumbled, his lips brushing her ear, “I’m going to ask you properly.”

She understood what he meant. Smiling she looked at him, not a shred of hesitation on her face as her lips met his and she whispered into the kiss, “One day, I’m going to say yes.”

He couldn’t help the huge grin that spread across his face as he kissed her again, noses sliding carefully against one another to avoid aggravating any bruises before he rolled over pulling her to him, her words reverberating around his head.

I’m going to say yes.

His hand gently carded through her hair as he felt her relax into him and he dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

I’m going to say yes.

*****

The flashes of the photographers and the hustle and bustle of the audience were invasive. 4 days had passed since they had taken down SHIELD/Hydra and despite the best attempts of the lawyers that Tony had instructed on both hers and Natasha’s behalf, they had been summonsed to Capitol Hill.

What pissed Katie off the most wasn’t the attention, it was the fact they were being held accountable when they had done the right thing. Natasha felt the same, but the pair of them remained professional and unaffected by the staging of the conference before them. They both moved to the fingerprint reader before returning to their appointed places to answer their questions. Nat’s hair was as usual smoothed and perfectly capped on her shoulders, Katie’s was twisted back in a bun. Katie’s face still bore the bruises she had gotten from Rumlow, which were turning and fading and she probably could have covered them better but she’d chosen not to, simply to make a point.

“Miss Stark, you know Captain Rogers the best out of anyone in this room. Why do you believe he felt the need to take down our intelligence service?”

Katie wanted to laugh; it was such a stupid question to open with. But the serious look on his face told her he was serious.

"Taking down SHIELD was the morally right thing to do. If we hadn’t stopped that launch over twenty million people would be dead.” she said seriously. The congressman eyed her before jotting down something on his notepad.

The questioning continued from there. Not many people in the room were sympathetic to all that they had been through. In fact, Katie would go as far as to suggest that most were trying to find a weak spot or a way for them to trip them up. An hour in and it felt like they were going round in circles. Katie was getting pissed off. Besides her Nat shifted slightly, crossing her arms over her chest, the two women resisting the urge to look at one another.

“Why is there no news from Captain Rogers?” asked one of the men of the congress.

That was when Katie lost it. She turned to the front taking a deep breath as she looked up at the ceiling with annoyance, the eye roll she had been fighting came fully as she glanced back at the moron who had been speaking “I don’t know what else to say.” she spoke, her tone laced with sarcasm. “Maybe the fact he almost died might have something to do with it. That said, I think the new rock in the middle of the Potomac speaks for him in this case.”

"Perhaps he can explain to us how he hopes this country will ensure its national security because you have dismantled our intelligence services.” The Congressman insisted reproachfully.

This time it was Natasha that spoke, her attitude ringing across the room, she was pissed as well.

“What information?” She asked angrily. “HYDRA sold you lies.”

“Lies that you took care to spread.” The Congressman reminded, pointing at her with a knowing look. Natasha narrowed her lips to his allusion but it was Katie that answered, the final threads of her self-control finally snapping.

“Ste- Captain Rogers, sacrificed everything to save the lives of millions of people when he took that airship down into the ice over 70 years ago.” she leant forward “Not to mention the fact that my dad, Howard Stark, the co-founder of SHIELD also worked against Hydra in the war.” she took a breath and looked at Natasha “Agent Romanoff was almost killed by Hydra’s most deadly assassin on a mission 5 years ago. And more to the fact, 2 years ago we fought, side by side as part of the Avengers to keep the world and its people safe. And you’re seriously suggesting now that we would knowingly put those same people in danger?”

“Passionate speech Miss Stark, or should we call you Nova…” he said, making her snort and look away “And perhaps you’re right, maybe you didn’t know…but Agent Romanoff…” he turned to Natasha “It happens that a few in the commission have the feeling that, given your state of service for our country and against it, your place is more in a penitentiary than in a senatorial commission.”

Katie looked at Nat who took a deep breath, clearly collecting her thoughts before answering with confidence. "You’re not gonna put me in jail.” She paused for the dramatic effect before letting a small smirk curl the corner of her pink lips as she glanced at a Katie before looking at the front again “You’re not gonna put any of us in jail.” She arched a mocking eyebrow as she kept eye contact with the congressman. “You know why?”

“Please enlighten us.” He replied snidely.

“Because you need us.” Katie answered for her. “With SHIELD gone, the world needs the Avengers more than ever.”

Natasha smiled gently and continued “Miss Stark is right. Yes, the world is vulnerable. And we’re partly responsible, but we’re also the most qualified to defend it. So you want to throw us in prison? Go ahead” she shrugged “You know where to find us.”

With that she gently touched Katie’s shoulder and she rose gracefully from her seat, Katie following her. The pair of them turned to face the hordes of press, all of them were shoving microphones and cameras into their faces whilst they moved to the doors and pushed their way through the throng of people.

“Move aside please…” Happy was in his element, arm round Katie as he cleared a path to the SUV, where he opened the door to allow them to slide in. He pulled away from the kerb and sped off.

“We’ll head to Miss Romanoff’s first, then I’ll drop you home Kiddo.”

“Happy, what would I do without you?” Katie smiled at him. She turned to Nat who was looking out of the window.

“You ok?”

She shrugged “Could be worse.”

“So, what’s next for you?” she asked.

“Gonna take a bit of time out.” she said vaguely, shrugging “You?”

“Steve wants to track Bucky down.” Katie sighed “Although I’m not so sure it’s a good idea.”

She didn’t reply. They rode in silence until they reached her condo and Katie turned to her.

“Nat.”

She looked at Katie, her green eyes locking onto her friend’s.

“Don’t be a stranger. Come over this week, we can get takeout and make fun out of Steve, just like normal.”

She smiled and reached across the seats, giving her a hug. “I’d like that.”

****

The days following the hearing were peaceful as Steve and Katie mostly lounged at home, unpacking some of his things that Happy had sent over. They binge watched shows, cooked, went for walks and then one night Sam and Natasha dropped in for take-out and a few beers. Sam made sure he congratulated Katie and Natasha on them both basically telling the Government to kiss their asses.

“It was the best thing I’ve seen on TV in years!” he gleefully said, as Steve dropped a kiss to the side of Katie’s head. In contrast, Steve had hated seeing both her and Nat getting grilled. He’d offered to go himself but both girls had insisted they could handle it, and he should keep his head down for the foreseeable. It was the one thing that Katie knew she could do to protect him.

It was as Natasha was leaving that Steve pulled her to one side and asked her if she could get any of her old contacts to dig up any information on Bucky. Katie pretended she wasn’t listening to the conversation, but she heard every word as Natasha tried to warn him that it wasn’t a good idea, but, stubborn as ever, Steve insisted so she nodded, and promised to do what she could.

And now, almost two weeks later, they were stood in a graveyard. Katie supposed there were stranger places to meet up with your dead-not-dead ex-boss…

“Funny, most people need a Medium or a Ouija board to speak to dead people.” Sam quipped as Fury approached them.

“I see dead people…” Katie replied in an almost perfect impression of the Kid from The Sixth Sense, causing Sam to snort and Steve to chastise the pair of them for acting like a pair of school children in a graveyard.

“Sorry Dad.” Katie rolled her eyes and he shot her a disapproving look which she met with an equally sassy one of her own, and Steve looked away before he laughed at her.

"So, you’ve experienced this sort of thing before?” Fury asked, drawing up behind the three.

“You get used to it,” said Steve, looking down at the grave stone with Fury’s name on it, placed over an empty, buried coffin.

Katie slipped her hand into his, gently squeezing it.

“We’ve been data mining Hydra’s files. Looks like a lot of rats didn’t go down with the ship,” said Fury, He was standing by Katie’s side, staring down at his own tombstone, with sunglasses on and a hoodie over his head and he looked up at Steve “I’m headed to Europe tonight. Wanted to ask if you’d come.”

“There’s something I gotta do first,” Steve responded, simply.

“I assume you gotta do it too?” Fury looked at Katie. She shrugged.

“How about you, Wilson? Could use a man with your ability,” said Fury, turning his gaze to Sam.

“I’m more of a soldier than a spy,” responded Sam.

“Alright then,” Fury shrugged, shaking Sam’s hand before going over to shake Steve’s. “If anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me right here.” He said shaking Katie’s hand last as he nodded to the grave.

“You should be honoured.” Natasha’s voice drifted across from behind the three of them, making them turn around to see her walking up to them while Fury himself was already strolling away in the opposite direction. “That’s about as close as he gets to saying ‘thank you’.”

“Not going with him?” Katie asked.

“No,” she sang coming to a stop, keeping her hands behind her back.

“Not staying here,” Steve concluded.

“Nah…” she drew out the reply. “I blew all my covers, I gotta go figure out a new one.”

“That could take some time,” Katie raised an eyebrow.

“I’m counting on it.” She smirked, turning to Steve. “That thing you asked for; called in a few favours from Kiev.”

As she removed her hands from behind her back, she revealed a brown folder, which Steve took staring down at it with a contemplative expression.

“Be careful Steve,” she added, repeating her warning and he looked at her, nodding. “You may not want to pull on that thread.”

“Take care of yourself.” Katie said, looking at her, before giving her a quick hug. “I think I’m going to miss you, just a little bit."

"Only a little?” Natasha teased right back. “I’ll miss you too.”

She turned to leave and Katie gently reached over to tilt the file down so she could see it, wincing at the photo of Bucky in some kind of cryo-stasis. Steve looked at her, his eyes giving away his sadness and she gently ran her hand up his arm.

“I’m not sure I want you involved in this.” he looked down at her and she rolled her eyes.

“We live together you ass.” She looked at him, sternly “And we’re in this now, the both of us. I’m not going anywhere.”

She felt like she had been saying that a lot recently, and she had. But she wanted him to understand, nothing that happened could and would ever tear them apart.

As Sam approached Steve closed the folder, but the man had already seen it. He shot a look up to the sky, his eyes locking on Katie’s and she gave him a quick look which was almost sympathetic as she registered Sam’s frustration. It didn’t go unnoticed by Steve either, he knew this could be opening a whole can of worms, or a ‘bucket of vipers’ as Katie had said the other night, but he had to try. He owed it to Bucky.

“You’re going after him aren’t you?” Sam asked.

“You don’t have to come with us.” Steve responded

“I know.” Sam remarked, before a smirk crossed his face. “When do we start?”

**** Chapter 18

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #Katie Stark #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #mcu fanfic #mcu #captain america #chris evans #chris evans characters

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forsakenoathkeeper · 4 years ago

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I Am Alive (chapter 7/?)

Chapter 7: Rising Tensions

Deviant!Connor[RK800] x (fem!)Reader Rated M(18+) for canon-typical violence and gore, medical procedures, and graphic sexual content

Chapters: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • more coming soon

You can also read on AO3 & thank you for supporting me ♥

The days that followed were quiet... until they weren't.

A demonstration was being held in the streets on an ordinary Friday morning. Charles Reaves, disgruntled former employee of Cyberlife, had started a frightening movement. He was calling it 'The Fight for Humanity'. He often accompanied that with 'against the machines'.

Charles claimed he had started at Cyberlife when they were a new company, watched it build and grow, participated in the rotation of androids as old models left and new ones came in. He helped build their AI. He even went so far as to call Elijah Kamski a hack.

Charles knew androids inside and out. He knew the exact layout of their internal workings, the purpose of each and every part. Charles was well rounded with their computer components, as well: how their processor worked, how their storage systems saved their memories, what could cause errors in their operating systems and how advanced their self-repair and diagnostic tools were.

Yet, he was of the firm belief that androids were nothing more than computers operating in the plastic shell of an object imitating a human. According to him, they were things owned by humanity, humanity's creation. He did not see them as a part of humanity.

You were at work, in the break room with a few other nurses huddled around you. All eyes were on the television, giving live coverage of the demonstration. Charles was up on a stage with hundreds of people watching from the sidewalk, the street, and, of course, thousands watching from the comfort of their homes.

When the camera swooped the crowd, you could see both humans and androids were in the crowd. The human's expressions were mixed, some looking on with admiration while others gawked in disgust. Some androids seemed afraid, others seemed enraged. None of the androids stood alone. They were in groups or partners, huddled together or holding hands.

"You know what makes up an android? Computer parts. Molded plastic. Silicone mesh and wiring," Charles declared from the stage, fire in his eyes. "They were designed with operating systems, clear instructions for behavior. They are components commanding a shell."

One of the androids in the crowd stood up on a crate. It made him stand out from the crowd; but, he still paled in comparison to Charles' stage. "How is that any different from humans!?" the android shouted. Charles eyed him with disgust, but was quiet, and let him speak.

"Humans' brains send signals to the body and interpret information the same way!" the android proclaimed. "You speak about our parts as if they are proof we aren't alive when humans are built all the same!"

Charles titled his head a little, annoyance present in his eyes. "Humans are the result of millions of years of evolution. You were made in our likeness because we chose to make you that way. We grow and we change and we adapt and we die. Androids never change. Androids don't die because they were never alive."

The android didn't step down, glaring at Charles. "We want and we fear and we love and we feel - just the same as humans!"

"Your 'feelings' are flawed programming by an incompetent programmer," Charles declared. "What you think is wanting is nothing but a fool's string of code jumbling the clear instructions given to you. I know your model, android. You were designed to drive trucks. Whatever purpose you think you have beyond that is a lie."

Your hands were clenched on the table, nails biting into the skin of your palm. In the corner of your eye, you could see nurses glancing at you occasionally, concern in their eyes. They all knew you were dating an android.

"We are alive!" the android shouted. Another joined in, calling out to the crowd, "we are alive!"

"I am alive!" Charles shouted in the microphone. He gestured to the humans in the audience. "We are born and we grow and we endure!" He pointed at the android standing up on a crate, elevated above the crowd. "YOU were made by US! YOU are NOTHING without us! -and you will be nothing when the absurdity of this is over..."

Unable to take anymore, you stood up and hastily exited the breakroom, crossing through the back hallways and stepping outside to get some fresh air.

'did you see the news?' you messaged Connor, tapping away hastily on your phone. You had started typing another message to follow it; however, Connor messaged you back before you finished.

'Can I call you?' the message read.

Worry bubbling up, you decided to jump the gun and called him instead. He uttered your name warmly when he answered.

"Connor, is everything okay?" you asked, some panic in your voice.

"Yes - everything's fine. I didn't mean to worry you," he replied, a bit startled by your outburst.

"No - it's okay," you replied softly. "I saw the protests and - just - was worried something happened."

"There's been more attacks on Cyberlife resource vehicles," he explained. "-and a fight broke out at a protest today. Some androids were attacked. They didn't fight back; so, there were no human injuries. I wanted to prepare you; but, it seems you were already aware."

"I saw the demonstration on the news; but, didn't hear about those things. That explains why it's been so quiet today. Androids are probably afraid to come in," you said sadly.

Connor knew the answer to that. Markus had told him himself. Their numbers had grown exponentially and the government was, mostly, supporting them. But, it would be a long time before things could be normal between androids and humans.

Groups were rising up against them; it was inevitable.

Afraid that you would put yourself in harm's way, Connor decided to keep that between him and Markus.

"With everything going on. I wanted to know if-"

Connor cut off for a second, going silent. When he continued, it was clear he was speaking to someone else. "No, she's fine," he said. "Well, I - that's none of your business, lieutenant," he added on, in a smug, sort of teasing, manner. You grinned into the phone, wishing you could hear whatever it was Hank was saying.

A few seconds later, Connor continued. "I - ah - wanted to know if - if you would stay with me, at my apartment - at least until things settle. As long as you feel comfortable, of course. I intend to make it more suitable. I don't expect you to-"

"Connor," you chuckled. "The answer's yes."

"Oh." He sounded surprised, honestly, like he hadn't expected you to cave so quickly.

"Though, it won't stay so clean with me living there," you said. "Humans make a mess. Sure you can handle that?"

"I'll have you know I'm very adaptable," Connor retorted, some pride in his tone.

"Is that so?" you giggled into the phone. "I've gotta pack some things first. So, I'll be late."

"I don't sleep; you don't have to worry about waking me," Connor stated, as if it was new information.

"Oh, that's right. You're an android. I forgot," you teased sarcastically into the phone.

"Recognizing your sarcasm is also one of my features," Connor replied. It was difficult to tell if he was joking without looking into his eyes. His voice wasn't always telling; but, his eyes were too expressive for his own good.

"Any other features I should know about?" you asked lowly.

Connor was quiet for a second. "Hank wanted me to tell you that being a pain in the ass is one of my features," Connor stated, perhaps dryer than he intended.

It had you doubling over in laughter.

"-and that I should stop being whipped," he added on, saying the word as if he didn't quite understand the context of it.

"Oh my god, Connor-" you stammered out between laughter.

"I haven't lost my freewill lieutenant," Connor stated, almost in an argumentative tone.

Oh no. He must have done a quick internet search on that term.

"Okay. I gotta go before you kill me," you chuckled. "I lo-"

Oh-

You caught yourself and dissolved the words into some coughs.

You almost-

"I gotta go, Connor," you added hastily. "Be safe."

-and hung up.

"Shit," you cursed at yourself, dragging your hand across your face. It almost slipped out. Was it too early to say that? For fucks sake, the first time shouldn't be over the phone.

It just-

-felt right.

You cursed at yourself again and hastily went back inside to find some work to do.

...

Seven PM rolled around and you were on your way out the door. Most other nurses had already gone home for the day, just one staying behind to help close up. You were just on your way to lock the door when two men approached.

You recognized one as a PL600 model. His companion was a tad bit taller with tan skin and short, nearly shaved, dark hair.

"I'm sorry it's so late," he apologized, immediately noticing you were about to close for the night.

"They're closing, let's-" the PL600 started, facing his companion.

Afraid they were going to leave, you gently interrupted him, "it's alright. Come in."

You held the door open, inviting them inside. The two men exchanged glances, the PL600 looking far more hesitant than the other.

"Simon, come on, it's gonna be fine," the tanner male encouraged him.

As you followed in behind them, you saw the other nurse shoot you a look, the kind that said, 'seriously?'.

"If you wanna head home, I can close up," you offered to her. She contemplated it for a minute, before tightening her bag on her shoulder and scurrying out the door.

Whatever-

-you trusted androids more than humans anyway.

"Alright. What's broken?" you asked them, brightening your tone with the hopes it would relax them. Both men looked uneasy, quite out of their element.

The darker of the two nudged the PL600 forward - the one named Simon.

Simon looked uneasy, like he had just been pushed into traffic. You gave him a small, patient smile. Simon lifted a hand and dragged his knuckles across his jaw nervously. "I - ughh - my right audio input is damaged," he stuttered, turning his head to show you his left ear. It seemed like he had either been hit or had something thrown at him. The outer shell of his ear was damaged, exposing some of the circuit board underneath.

"Can't hear out of it, huh?" you offered.

Simon turned his head back to face you. "No," he answered quietly. "-and it's - ugh - buzzing."

"I have plenty of boards that should be compatible. At least we can fix your hearing tonight. The ear will take some time. If you come back tomorrow, I'd be happy to repair it?" you suggested, looking up at Simon. His hair was pushed back and a little messier than his models typically had, and he had incredibly blue eyes.

Simon almost looked like he wasn't allowed to say yes. It didn't surprise you. He likely hadn't had a pleasant conversation with a human in a long time.

The other man, whom you assumed was also an android, stepped around Simon. "Thank you," he said sincerely. You looked up at him more properly this time. He had a kind smile, but tightness around his cheeks, suggesting he had some hasty repairs done in the past.

His eyes-

-one was mossy green and the other was pale blue.

You swallowed roughly, starting to recognize this stranger. It was Markus, the leader of the deviants, the face of the resolution. You didn't want to make it obvious that you recognized him, and did your best to maintain a stoic expression.

As much as you wanted to say something - you weren't quite what that would be - you also didn't want to put him on the spot. He likely had to deal with this sort of unwanted attention all the time.

"Just a second - gonna go grab that audio component," you explained, stepping away from them to head for the storage room.

Before rummaging around for the piece, you sent Connor a quick message. "will be a little late - guy came in with a fucked up ear," you had said, pressing send and tucking your phone back into your pocket to pull out the right piece for Simon's model.

As you approached them, component in hand, you called out, "Simon, can you sit down here, please?" You stepped around a chair, patting the armrest. The android shuffled over nervously. He took a seat, alert, facing you. He was sitting upright, hands in his lap.

"If it's alright, can you lay down? It'll make it easier," you requested.

Simon blinked slowly, looking uneasy. Markus' hand fell onto his shoulder for a moment.

"It's gonna be fine," he promised gently.

Simon shot Markus a look of understanding before shifting around, leaning back in the chair, presenting his damaged ear to you.

"Can you open your panel?" you requested softly.

Simon nodded, a little more fiercely than was necessary, likely to show you that he heard your request. The panel around his ear unhinged, allowing you to prop it open. You poked the edge with one of your tools to carefully push it aside, exposing the component underneath.

It was cracked right down the center.

"I'm gonna remove the broken one now," you explained, leaning in with a tool in either hand. Simon was still as you worked, his eyes focused on Markus, who was watching you. He didn't look untrusting or uneasy, and that gave you some relief.

"This new one will need a firmware update," you said gently as you slotted the replacement in and lined up the connectors. Simon flinched a little at the sensation. You folded the artificial tissue back over and leaned back, giving the android space to sit up.

He was quiet for a moment, LED flickering yellow as he downloaded the firmware update. Luckily, someone had taken ownership of Cyberlife's firmware servers in order to keep them running.

Simon sat up when it was complete, turning his head to look at you. "Diagnostics are reading normal," he stated.

"Is the audio input working normally?" you asked. Simon made a thoughtful expression. "Can you hear me alright?" you added on, mainly to help him judge the input feedback.

"Yes," the android replied softly. "Thank you," he added on, looking at you with a smile.

He looked so sincere, as if he hadn't expected such kindness. It melted you.

"Simon, actually, I can do the shell tonight, if you don't mind?" you offered.

"I've already kept you," Simon blurted.

"No, I can't let you leave like that," you explained. "Please?"

"I-" Simon stammered. "I should be saying 'please'."

"You..." you began, trailing off as you wondered if the words that threatened to leave your lips were inappropriate. "You got hurt at one of the protests, didn't you?" you asked gently.

Simon looked uneasy. Markus, however, was fierce. "Yes," he replied for the PL600.

You nodded in understanding. "I want to help," you whispered.

It was the first thing that came to mind. You wanted to help. You wanted to make it better, in whatever way you could. You could repair androids. You could diagnose their damages. That was all you could do.

"Okay," Simon suddenly said, sounding much more comfortable than he did a few minutes ago.

You smiled and rotated around to the end table nearest you. The tools you needed, extra membranous materials and plastic shell casing molds, were there. You pulled everything out and set them on the table nearby.

"Your model doesn't follow a protocol for the skeleton-base," you explained, information Simon likely already knew about himself. He was an older model, meant to be discontinued. That knowledge only made the situation harder. "So, I'll have to take my time. Ready?"

The android nodded and turned his head to give you room to work. In the corner of your eye, as you leaned over Simon, you could see Markus in the corner of your eye, an expression that looked like 'thank you' on his face.

"May I ask your name?" Simon uttered at some point.

You gave it softly, seeing as you were right next to his ear, poking and prodding at the artificial flesh there.

"Why did you suggest a manual repair and not a full shell replacement?" Markus asked, sounding more curious than judgmental.

"It's really hard to get shells, especially for smaller parts. We're lucky we have any pieces," you explained. "-and I guess I've done this enough that it doesn't bother me..."

'-like some of the other nurses' you almost said. You decided to hold your tongue.

"You've been doing this for a while?" Markus asked, almost hesitant.

"I suppose so," you answered quietly. You had gone to school for biomechanical engineering fresh out of high school and went straight to work repairing damages androids. It was potentially the most depressing time of your life; but, you had a childhood that conquered that.

The androids were quiet after that, letting you work in silence, if not for the overhead fan making annoying buzzing sounds.

"There we go," you groaned, sitting up and briefly stretching your bag. You set your tools down and fetched a hand mirror, offering it to Simon.

Markus walked around to take a look.

"I feel silly," Simon chuckled, looking at his reflection. You joined in his laughter, recognizing he meant the mirror and the vanity it was implying.

"Looks good as new," Markus commented with a smile.

Simon offered the mirror back to you. "I don't know if 'thank you' is good enough," he uttered, looking bashful. He didn't seem like the same man that walked in those doors an hour ago.

"It is, Simon," you offered with a smile. "I choose to do this."

Markus' multi-colored eyes landed on you. "There are many damaged androids afraid to come here. If I can get them to put their faith in you, would you be willing to go to them?"

You gawked up at Markus, who looked down at you with confidence.

"I don't know if I could get approval for that - the parts, I mean. I would try, if you believe they would want it? -from a human, anyway..."

Markus' head tilted slightly and his eyes darkened with concern. "I want us to work together with humans - I want them to see that it's possible - that there can be peace."

You smiled at Markus; but, the first android that came to mind was Connor. You felt your cheeks warm at the thought of what you had almost said to him earlier.

"You recognize me, don't you?" Markus asked suddenly, catching you off guard.

"I do, Markus," you replied carefully.

"-you still offered to help?" Simon uttered. Your eyes shifted to him for a moment. He seemed uneasy, likely expecting more hostility towards the leader of the deviants, regardless of your profession.

"I don't-" you began, breaking off when you realized you didn't know where you were going with that thought.

"I've seen androids torn to pieces," you started, looking back to Markus. "I've had them delivered to me crying that they don't want to die... I came back here because of this - because of the revolution. I wanted to do something I could be proud of for a change..."

It felt strange-

-admitting this to Markus.

He had a way with people, making them want to open up to him.

"I understand the risk you're taking," Markus stated. "I won't ask you to come if I don't feel it's safe... I hope I'll see you again."

You nodded and watched the boys leave, hoping that Markus would return.

...

When you finally staggered into Connor's apartment that night, the android was seated at the island, folders, papers, photographs and documents, scattered along the surface in front of him.

He turned his head a little to acknowledge you when you walked in before immediately craning his neck back down, eyes falling back to the document in front of him.

"Hey," you hummed, walking over to him. You leaned over his shoulder and pressed a kiss against his LED.

"Hey," he replied back, leaning into the kiss. You couldn't help but laugh at how silly the word sounded coming out of his mouth. It didn't quite the suit the prim and proper detective.

"Thank you for agreeing to stay here," Connor said, sincere.

"Why would I say no to an opportunity to spend more time with you?" you huffed. "Besides, your place is nicer than mine and closer to work."

"I'm glad to know you're benefiting."

You hummed, a little irritated by his response. "You think I'm inconvenienced?"

"In a way, yes," he replied, in a tone that seemed distant.

"I'm not inconvenienced - geez, what's gotten into you?" you snapped a little.

Connor looked up at you, discomfort dashing behind his eyes. "I-..." he trailed off, looking back down at his papers. He dragged a hand through his hair. His fingers lingered briefly at the back of his neck before lowering back down to the counter.

"I'm sorry. I'm not handling this as well as I thought."

"The protests?" you offered softly.

The android didn't nod, nor answer. His eyes shifted away uneasily for a moment before moving back to you. It wasn't exactly a yes, but that seemed to be part of his trouble, at least.

"They're challenging your livelihood," you proclaimed. "You have every right to be upset."

"I made a choice against my creators; but..." Connor trailed off, his confidence waning for a moment. "This time, I have to be on both sides."

Connor felt as torn as he did back then. He wanted freedom for himself, for his people. He was fortunate to have a place to call his home, a job where he could find purpose. He wanted his people to have those things, too.

But, he feared the consequences of an uprising, of the human lives that would be lost. He still cared about humans. Maybe that was because of Hank - because of you. Maybe some part of his programming never quite left him.

You didn't know what to do - what to say. You wanted to embrace him and pull him away from that mess, just for a little bit; however, Connor turned away from you and buried his nose back into the pile of paperwork.

He wanted to confide in you; but, at the same time, he didn't. You had your own challenges, your own problems. He didn't want to add to that list. He didn't want to be one of the things that brought stress into your life.

"I'll-... be back in a second," you quietly, feeling small as you stepped away.

Connor's bedroom was as welcoming as you remembered and impeccably clean. You set your bags against the wall next to the archway that led into his bathroom. You brushed your teeth and changed into some comfy clothes, brushed your hair back, washed your face.

You returned to the kitchen and approached Connor. He looked up at you, hearing the quiet tapping of your bare feet on the floor. When his eyes lands landed on you, he looked conflicted.

"You know I believe in you... right?" you whispered, leaning against the counter nearest him.

He rotated around so that his lap was no longer tucked beneath the island's overlap. You decided to take that as an invitation and approached, standing a little closer, right in front of his knees.

"I like to imagine that. But, it feels better hearing you say it," he said quietly, like he was confessing to something outlandish.

"We'll get through this," you added on.

He looked away suddenly, lips tightening. You reached for him and cupped his cheek, pinkie and ring finger over the edge of his sharp jawline. Connor's eyes, warm, brown, shining in the bright kitchen lights, flickered back up to your face.

"I want to do this with you, Connor," you proclaimed proudly. "They're wrong about androids. Their views may never change, but that doesn't mean we can't strive for the future."

"This... isn't your fight," he said quietly, doubt flickering in his gaze. His brow lowered slightly. Your hand slid off his cheek and you frowned.

"It's my fight if I want it to be... and I do," you replied firmly, voice rising slightly.

"I don't want-" Connor stammered, frustration mingled with fear in his eyes.

"It's not just about you," you interrupted him sharply. "I care about androids - I did before I met you. I want to help. I-..." You trailed off, realizing you were mad at him for being worried about your safety. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, but-"

"No, you're right," he said hoarsely. "I shouldn't try to control you."

"That's not what this is!" you almost shouted, arms trembling at your sides. "I worry about you, too... -about what could happen. You're on the frontlines for fucks sake. But, you're a fighter and I don't want to change that. I love that about you..."

Connor was afraid that if his hands touched you, he wouldn't be able to let go. So, he kept them to himself, and soaked in your expression. He knew you cared about androids. He had witnessed it on more than one occasion. He didn't want to make light of your sacrifice.

But, still...

He felt so-

-selfish.

"You... amazed me, when I saw you risk your safety for androids - for people you didn't know, people who aren't... human," he confessed quietly. "You put yourself in danger," he said lowly, breaking off to roughly drag a hand across his face, pulling at his skin gently in frustration.

"-drives me crazy..."

He said it low, quiet, as if he wasn't sure he wanted you to hear it. He sounded both enamored and annoyed at the same time.

"You drive me crazy," you retorted softly with a smile.

You wanted him to reach out to you, to give you a kiss goodnight, or at least take your hand for a second. But, Connor didn't look like he wanted to be touched.

"I'm... gonna let you get back to work... Goodnight, Connor."

Connor nodded, uttering, "goodnight," and watched you leave. He returned to his case files and tried really hard to focus on the task at hand. His hand fumbled on the surface of the counter, fingers flexing, tightening, flexing again. He chewed his bottom lip for a second. Maybe asking you to stay here was a bad idea, if it meant he couldn't think straight.

He looked through the photos of suspects believed to be involved in the protest this morning, the one that resulted in some assaults on androids. He wanted to analyze their faces so he could remember them when searching security footage.

It wasn't easy for an android to forget a face.

It shouldn't have been easy for an android to get distracted; however, he was really struggling in that moment.

"...damn it," he growled at himself, tearing away from the counter and rising to his feet. He walked into the bedroom, trying to make careful footsteps while simultaneously not giving a fuck. He walked over to the side of the bed that you had taken a liking to.

He knew you weren't asleep. Your breathing pattern was too rough. But, he didn't care. Connor leaned over and pressed a kiss against your forehead and pretended he didn't notice the way your lips twitched against the pillow.

Just like that, he felt better, and returned to his mountain of paperwork with ease.

#connor x reader #deviant connor x reader #deviant connor #dbh fanfic #rk800 x reader #rk800 smut #connor smut

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delicatelyherdreams · 5 years ago

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Pragma(tic) 17: Though Mighty, She Falls

Pairing: Persephone!Bucky Barnes x Hades!Reader

Summary: In a world where the old gods never truly died, you must learn to navigate your way through the ups and downs of immortality. And if living forever wasn’t hard enough, an ancient evil is now threatening to break free after centuries of silence. And as if that still wasn’t hard enough for you, now a pesky and infuriatingly handsome god is trying to wedge his way into your life. Gods, work, love, and conflict—what more could a goddess need? [Hades & Persephone AU]

Word Count: 5663

Warnings: Language, blood

Pragma(tic) Masterlist

Previous 16: He Feels His Heart Break

In all your millennia, you’d never actually thought about death. Sure you were surrounded by it every single day, but you never pondered what it meant to die—to cease to live. Death was nothing but a term to you. It meant that another soul would be joining your kingdom. It meant that a mortal’s life had ended. It had no place in your life. And yet… Now it seemed that you were staring your own death right in the face.

The spirits in Elysium had all described it in different ways. Some said it was peaceful—a sweet release from life. Others said it was the worst pain they’d ever experienced—an excruciating way to go.

You had never known such pain before. Your body was alight with angry fires. Your limbs hurt at the slightest of movements. You were always parched, your mouth never moistening. It hurt to breathe. Every ragged breath you drew in lead to a round of severe coughing. The air in your lungs was tainted gold. Ichor flowed freely from the corners of your mouth, running down your chin in thin rivers.

You’d been poisoned.

It was the only diagnosis Pietro could come up with. Natasha and Carol had dragged him down to the Underworld after they and Peggy got you laid up in your bed. Though he was reluctant to venture down under as it was, he did his job well. As the god of medicine and stuff like that he was the only one capable of figuring out what had ailed you. “She’s been poisoned,” he said, pulling his hands away from your head and chest. He’d done his assessment, letting his magic flow through you through the two entry points, and that was the only explanation he could come up with.

“But you can cure her, right?” Natasha’s voice had been desperate, begging. She feared for you when she saw you collapse in the throne room. You, her strong, older sister, had never once caught a cold, and you had suddenly started throwing up ichor. She was terrified; it was a strong poison if it could cripple a goddess such as yourself so much.

Pietro has hung his head before delivering the harsh news. “I can’t... I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s old magic, old poison. I didn’t even know that it still existed. I don’t know of anything that would heal her… I’m sorry.”

No cure; no choice other than to wait it out, let the poison run its course, and pray that you would recover.

He’d left you with some medicine that might alleviate the pain and make you more comfortable, but that was all he could do.

There was no hope for an immediate recovery, you knew that much when you looked into Pietro’s eyes. They had been full of pity, of sadness, like he was looking at a woman who was already dead and just didn’t know it yet.

Your sisters were optimistic, setting off on a fool’s quest to find you a cure. Just because Pietro had never heard of one didn’t mean that it didn’t exist. He was a newer god, after all, and so he didn’t know everything. There was always a chance that there was something as old as the poison itself that could act as the cure.

You, however, knew better. You’d seen enough death and pain yourself to know that chances were this was not going to end well.

And so, after the first week, you began to make arrangements for your absence. It had to be done anyways, after all. It would be a long time before you recovered if you did at all. The Underworld would still run, but you wouldn’t be able to do it. You barely had the strength to sit up without help, how could you have the strength to run a kingdom?

So while your mother, your sisters, and Peggy took turns watching over you and helping you do basic human things, you divided up the responsibilities of the kingdom.

Peggy, bless her heart, took over the paperwork you had to do. All the Elysium applications and the renovations and other paperwork went through her. She’d shadowed you enough to know how to do it. When she wasn’t nursing you or helping you do basic things, she was down in the office trudging through the endless mountains.

Pierce, helpful as ever, volunteered to lead the reconstruction efforts on Tartarus, directing gods and other beings on how to contribute, and take over the more official, executive aspects of the Underworld. Being the god of Death, Pierce had taken it upon himself a millennia ago to learn the way you ran things. Aside from Peggy, and obviously yourself, he was the only one fit to rule in your stead. While Peggy was managing the admin side of the Underworld, Pierce took over the engineering and execution of all other functions.

Together, the two of them completely filled your role, leaving you with the peace of mind necessary to get better and recover.

Though after the third week of pain, it didn’t look like you ever would.

Natasha and Carol told you not to think like that, but you knew. You knew how death worked. You knew how death felt. You knew that the chances of you pulling out of this were slim to none. It was only a matter of time now.

———

“Mrs. Thomas from Elysium called again.”

“Oh yeah? What’d she say.”

Peggy shrugged as she took a seat on the chair that had been set up at your bedside. “Oh, you know. Just calling to ask how you’ve been doing, wondering if she can bring you over her famous soup. She’s certain it will help you get better.”

You croaked a laugh, the breath stinging your chapped lips. “She always thinks food will solve everything.” Your eyes followed Peggy as she sat down, looking at the bowl she held in her hands. “If we can get me to keep food down, maybe take her up on that offer. I miss her cooking.”

She only smiled as she reached into the bowl. From it she pulled a damp washcloth. The white was vibrant in the darkened room as she wrung it out, letting the excess water fall. She reached over and began dabbing your face with the cloth. “I’ll be sure to do that then.”

You closed your eyes under the cool surface. It was a welcome relief from the constant fire you felt. One of the downfalls of this whole poisoning thing was the fever that came along with it. In all the three weeks of the pain, the fever had never once broken. If you were mortal, the constant heat would’ve boiled your brain by now. But, being immortal, it only caused you severe discomfort and the occasional delusions. The chill of the cold cloth was refreshing and it drew a shuddering sigh from your lips. “Thanks, Peggy.”

“Of course.” She continued to move the cloth across your face, letting it rest the most on your forehead. When it warmed she dipped it back into the ice-cold water and repeated her movements.

It was soothing—just a bit of comfort from the pain you were in constantly. You let out a shuddering breath as you sank deeper into your bed. Your chest rose and fell with labored breaths. It was getting harder and harder to breathe with every passing day. You had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before you couldn’t breathe at all.

As if sensing your doubtful thoughts, Peggy’s hand stilled. “You’re going to be alright. I know it. Your sisters are searching for a cure and Pietro is getting everything he can think of.”

You didn’t want to point out to her that just yesterday he was almost out of ideas. You simply nodded. “Alright…” you rasped out. Carefully you inhaled sharply, letting the air scratch at your lungs. “But let’s not discuss that right now. Tell me how things are going. How’s my kingdom?”

Being laid up, you never got to go out and see how things were going for yourself. You had to rely heavily on Peggy and Pierce’s reports. You were paranoid. You’d never been away from the throne for that long and not having your hand in the workings of the Underworld made you anxious.

Peggy hummed. “It’s recovering. The Tartarus breech really did a number on things, but we’re rebuilding. Elysium renovations are going smoothly. The crack in the wall is almost fully filled. Pierce is doing well.”

“Then why do you sound uneasy?”

She blinked, surprised by your question, but you hadn’t missed the hint of malice and skepticism in her voice when she spoke of Pierce. Something was wrong, you knew it.

“What’s he doing?” You locked your eyes on her face, doing your best to read her expression.

Her brows furrowed and she tilted her chin down. Her expression was confused and she was confused by her own confusion. “He… He’s doing well, almost too well. (y/n), I can’t explain it, but the way he’s acting whenever he goes out to the cave… It’s like he knows exactly what he’s doing. It’s like he’s already had everything planned out. He’s doing too well, and it’s giving me this bad feeling.”

“You’ve tested him?”

“Of course I have. He’s not being controlled—not by Kronos or anyone else for that matter. He’s completely in his own mind.”

You licked your lips and gazed up at the ceiling. “Have you been down to the cave? To inspect his work?”

“No. I haven’t had the time to. Between keeping you alive and dealing with paperwork, I haven’t been able to.” She sighed heavily and dunked the washcloth into the ice water once more. Setting it on your forehead, she said, “But I will soon; cast a spell or two of my own to help. Do anything to make sure your father stays locked up in your absence.”

You nodded your head. “Thank you, Pegs. This is why you’re my second in command.” Your smile was weak as you grinned at her, but it was there and meaningful.

She laughed at that and shook her head. “I’m not sure that that’s the only reason why, but I’ll take it.” She sighed. “How have you been feeling?”

“Oh, shitty as ever. But hey, you’ll be proud of me. I’ve only thrown up ichor once today.”

“That’s progress!” Her eyes brightened with hope.

“Yeah… Progress…” You didn’t want to tell her that that one episode had lasted nearly a half-hour as you lay hunched over the side of the bed expelling what little you’d eaten that morning from your stomach and some more ichor with it. Your tired sigh ended with a half-hearted smile. “I’m tired now, Pegs,” you said softly.

She pulled the cloth away from your forehead. “Would you like me to leave you to rest?”

You barely moved your head in a nod. “Please.”

“Alright.” Her chair scraped the ground as she pushed it back and stood. “I’ll be down in the office working. Call me if you need anything.”

“I will.”

The sound of her footsteps echoed in the room, growing fainter and fainter until they were nothing. You were left in silence once more. It settled heavy on the room, enveloping you in the cocoon of solitude. You used to hate the silence, but now it was welcome. Even sick, you rarely had a moment to yourself. Everyone was always scared you’d die if you were left alone for even one second. There was almost always someone by your side.

It was overwhelming.

But you almost preferred the company. It kept your mind busy and away from unpleasant thoughts about your impending demise.

Though no one around you wanted to admit it, you knew it to be true: you were dying and there was nothing that could be done about it. It was a depressing thought, really. You didn’t want to die, but it didn’t look like you had much of a choice.

You were going to die, and that was just the way of things.

And that was…

Honestly, not okay with you. But the pain was just mind-numbing. Sure the medicine that Pietro prescribed for you helped ease it a bit, but it would always return with a vengeance. Nearly a month of this had sapped out all the strength and magic you had, and you weren’t sure how much longer you could take it all.

But you chose not to dwell on it. You couldn’t. It would only just kill you faster.

Approaching footsteps broke the silence, tearing you from your thoughts of dying and the partial-slumber it had been lulling you into.

Your face screwed up at the disturbance, but you didn’t open your eyes. “Peggy?” you called out, the hoarseness of your voice surprising even you. “Did you need something?”

A chuckle was your answer. “It’s not Peggy, Precious.”

At his voice, your eyes snapped open. “Brock,” you croaked, trying to muscle your way into a sitting position. You couldn’t see him when you were reclined and you refused to be prone in his presence. You hadn’t seen him since you’d sent him away all those months ago, and that conversation had been left on severely rocky terms. You’d told him to leave, ending things between you pretty harshly. You couldn’t believe your ears when you heard his voice and so you had to see him for yourself. But to do that, you had to sit up.

You didn’t get too far. The pain in your chest and abdomen flared with the movement and you cried out in agony.

Brock was at your side in an instant, his hands pushing down on your shoulders ever so gently to ease you back against the pillows.. “Shh, Precious,” he murmured softly. “Stay down, it’s okay.”

Reluctantly, you obeyed. Gods, you wanted to sit up and berate him for ever showing his face in your home again, but you weren’t strong enough to do so. So you settled for just glaring at him. “Why are you here?” you hissed in a low voice. “I thought I told you to never show your face again.”

“You did not say that, Precious,” he said, his voice was gentle and kind. “You told me to leave, you didn’t tell me to never come back.” When you were situated on the pillows again, he set one of his large hands on your forehead and brushed back your hair.

“That still meant leave,” you spat. You looked up at him, your eyes narrowing. “Why have you come? How did you get past Peggy?”

“I have my ways. You forget I used to frequent this room without anyone knowing I was ever here. I know how to get in undetected.” With that, he sat down in the chair Peggy had been sitting in not even an hour ago. He pulled his palm from your forehead and reached for your hand which was lying at your side. You were too tired to move it, so he laced your fingers together. “I’m here to see you, Precious. I heard you were sick, but I— I never imagined…” His voice broke as he looked at your face. You could only imagine how horrible you looked.

“You’re not welcome here anymore, Brock,” you growled. “You should leave.”

“No, not until you hear me out.”

“Th-There’s nothing left for me to hear! I told you to leave.”

“Precious—”

“And stop calling me that!” You yanked your hand out of his grasp and glared daggers at him. “I’m not your precious anymore. You have no right to come in here and call me terms of endearment like we’re still… Like we’re still together! You don’t have that privilege anymore and I want you—” Your lungs were arrested by a fit of coughing and your body convulsed. Pain wracked your body as you hacked and coughed, trying to expel the insatiable itch in your throat. You coughed into your hands, cupping them at your mouth to catch the ichor that was thrown from your lungs so they didn’t land on the covers.

Brock rubbed small circles over your back as if that would help ease the pain or the coughing. “Shh, just get it out.”

You wanted to curse his name, banish him from your home for forever, but you couldn’t. You didn’t have the energy to. When you finished coughing, you sat back against the pillows. Your hands were stained gold with your own ichor and it hurt to breathe.

He helped you get back the best he could, being nothing but gentle with your fragile body. He handled you like you were made of glass; like you could shatter at any second. When you were settled once more, he took his hand off of you and hung his head. “Please, Precious. I needed to come back; to apologize if nothing else. Please just hear me out.” His voice was desperate and soft; he was scared of what you would say.

You didn’t want to even give him the time of day, but because you were basically a captive audience, you really had no choice. You sneered at him down your nose but nodded your head. “You’ve got two minutes.”

“Thank you.” He inhaled sharply before he said, “I’m sorry for everything I ever did—or didn’t do—to you. I never wanted to hurt you. I was just scared of what you wanted. I thought that, if I committed myself to you, you would grow tired of me and leave or that I would lose myself in the process. I wasn’t ready for that.”

“But you are now?” You scoffed. “It’s a little late for that, Rumlow. You broke my heart too many times and I found someone who wouldn’t.”

Bucky…

Gods, you hadn’t thought about Bucky in weeks. Now, whether that was intentional or accidental, you weren’t sure; it had the potential to be both.

It could’ve been accidental—just something that happened as a result of being preoccupied with poisoning and worrying for your kingdom.

But it could’ve been intentional—a coping mechanism designed to keep your heart from breaking further. Your body had enough to deal with; fighting the poison was taking everything you had, you had no energy to spare to deal with the pain of remembering Bucky’s devastated expression. You couldn’t even think about him without hurting.

As if on cue, pangs of agony struck your heart as his face surfaced in your mind and you fought hard to shove it back down. You couldn’t dwell on him now. He was gone. You’d sent him away. You’d said awful things.

He probably hated you now or at least didn’t love you.

You didn’t know which one hurt worse.

“Ah, yes. The god of spring.” The words were bitter and his lips curled back in a snarl. “If he loved you so much, why isn’t he at your side? Why isn’t he here taking care of you, searching for a cure for your poison like I am?”

Your eyes must’ve widened in shock because he laughed. “Yes, Precious. I haven’t been at your side these last few weeks because I’ve been searching for the cure.”

“H-How do you even know what’s wrong with me?” Your mouth was agape, though it probably wasn’t hard to guess what had afflicted you. You showcased all the typical signs of poisoning. But he hadn’t been around to see them.

He smiled softly at you. “The water has ears, Precious. Your sisters and your friend are out in the yard talking about it constantly. I have heard it all, and I think I’m this close to coming up with something to help you.”

“Is that why you’ve kept your distance? You didn’t want to come crawling to my side empty-handed?”

“Yes.” He reached out and grabbed your hand, holding it tightly. “I didn’t want to come back to you unless I knew I had something to offer you. I know it may have been selfish, but please know that my intentions were nothing but good and pure.” He pressed his lips together as his eyes searched your face. “Please, (y/n), let me prove to you that I really do care for and love you. Let me help you. Let me stay.”

Every fiber of your being screamed “NO,” but you knew that he would argue with you and you had no energy or strength to deal with that. It didn’t mean that you’d let him weasel his way into your bed once more; it just meant that he could maybe pick up a shift in watching over you and give Peggy and your sisters a bit of a break.

Reluctantly you nodded your head. “Alright. You can stay,” you whispered bitterly.

He visibly relaxed, his lips falling into a soft smile and his eyes glistening in the dim light. “Thank you. Don’t worry, Precious.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to your forehead, letting them linger there for longer than you liked.

At one point in life, you would’ve reveled under his touch, but now that you’d had a taste of something different—something better that only Bucky could give you—it only made you cringe and long for the lips you really loved.

He exhaled sharply, letting his breath ghost your skin, before finally pulling away and replacing his lips with his hand. His skin was rough against yours as he pet your head, brushing your hair back. He smiled softly at you, his eyes holding a promise. “I’ll find a way to heal you; I promise I will. You’ll get better.”

———

You got worse.

Brock took over your evening schedule, taking care of your dinner by helping you choke down what little of ambrosia and nectar you could and holding your hair back as you later threw it up and by making sure you could sleep and were clean. He’d talk to you at night, telling you about how the kingdom was doing, how the rivers flowed, how everything was going to be okay.

If you didn’t absolutely loathe the man, you would’ve been grateful for him. He was a calming presence at your side, just talking with you. Not pestering you about cures or technicalities of the kingdom. He just talked about whatever came to mind.

For a while, nothing changed.

But then, a week after Brock came back, you started seizing.

Carol had been watching you that evening when you suddenly tensed up and blacked out. She said you suddenly went stiff as a board before shaking, eyes rolling to the back of your head as your muscles convulsed. She didn’t know what was going on at first, panicking as you just shook. She was unable to do anything to help you and you had a feeling that that kind of powerlessness made her scared.

Pietro was called right away and he made his entrance right at the end of the seizure as you were coming out of it.

You were confused and dazed; you didn’t know what was going on and it made you scared. You were tired and sore and your head ached.

It didn’t take Pietro long to diagnose what had happened.

It had been over a month since you’d been poisoned, and you weren’t able to keep anything down, so Pietro labeled it as a provoked seizure due to low ichor-sugar. With no food or drink able to enter your system, the levels had dropped dangerously low and had triggered the seizure.

And that was when they broke out the IVs and feeding tubes.

Your mother demanded them; she was growing desperate. While the gods didn’t need to eat to survive, they did need the nutrition to keep internal levels balanced. Such nutrition typically came from ambrosia or nectar, but you couldn’t get either down or keep them in your stomach.

So, if you couldn’t get the nutrition of your own volition, they’d force it in.

The tube and needle were extremely uncomfortable. They’d snaked the feeding tube into your stomach through your nose and you couldn’t move your head without it shifting weirdly. The IV stuck out of the back of your left hand, making it impossible to move it without pulling the needle out or jamming it in further.

You hated it, but it was necessary.

Your body was in desperate need of the nectar and ambrosia; the lack of it was only hurting your health more.

But even when you were getting the sustenance you needed, you still were not getting better. Your health continued to go downhill gradually until you didn’t even have the strength to lift your hand. Breathing alone was a chore, and it was clear that your days were numbered.

Even your family had to admit it.

You weren’t living; you were surviving and you were barely doing that.

It was only a matter of time before you were out of time.

Brock was at your side, holding onto your hand as he always did, but for once he was silent. His eyes were dark and hooded, his lips were set in a seemingly permanent frown. He was sour, brooding, thinking, and the silence that entailed was driving you mad.

“What’s on your mind?” you croaked out, breaking the silence. Your voice, though the only sound in the room, was hollow and ragged. It wasn’t yours anymore; it was nothing but a harsh ghost blowing away in the wind.

His brown eyes flickered up to you and his face softened. “Oh, nothing much, love. Just about you.”

“What about me?” You squinted at him, fighting to keep your eyes open. Even that was a struggle now; you were so weighed down by exhaustion that your eyes refused to stay open half the time.

He squeezed your hand gently. “How even when dying you’re still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever known. I’m sorry that I wasn’t good to you like you deserved. I’m sorry I was stupid and foolish. I’m sorry I ever let you go.”

“Brock…” His apology was sincere and it made you happy and peaceful, but it wasn’t going to change anything. He’d had his chance and, even though the odds said that you would never have your Bucky again, he was never going to have another one. You’d done that game and your death wasn’t going to make you want to play it again. Sure, you were grateful that he was here to help take care of you, but that didn’t entitle him to another shot at your heart. You’d learned your lesson and you were never going to let him in again.

“No, don’t say anything, Precious. I know what you’re going to say but I can’t hear it. Just… Just let me pretend for a moment that I have you back, that you’re mine once more; just for a little bit longer.” He let out a shuddering breath then, bowing his head and resting it on the bed. “Please…”

You stayed silent. You didn’t have the energy to burst his bubble. You closed your eyes as the room fell into silence once more. Maybe you could nap now, but you didn’t want to sleep. All you did anymore was sleep and you were tired of it.

“Rumlow,” called a soft voice in the dark.

You cracked your eyes open to see Peggy standing at the foot of your bed. She was looking down at the man that was sitting beside you, her eyes cold and unfeeling. You hadn’t even heard her come in…

He straightened up, letting go of your hand and standing. “Peggy.”

The woman’s eyes glowed softly in the dim light. “You can go home now,” she said, her voice low so as to not disturb you. “I’ve got her for the night.”

“Are you sure? Really, it’s no trouble for me to stay here and watch her.” You could hear it in his voice that he didn’t want to leave.

“I’m sure. Go home.”

Brock looked like he wanted to resist, but the stare that Peggy was giving him was withering. Eventually, he backed down, lowering his head in submission. “Call me if you need anything,” he mumbled before walking out of your room.

It was just you and Peggy now, and you cracked a weak smile up at her. “You got me?”

At the sound of your voice, she turned her attention to you and grinned. “Yeah, always.” She made her way over to the side of the bed and sat down in the chair that had become a permanent fixture in your room. “How are you doing?”

“Same as always,” you choked out. “I’ll be honest with you, Peggy: I don’t know how much longer I can do this.” Your voice cracked as you spoke and your chest rose and fell with labored breaths. “It… It hurts so goddamn much.”

“I know, love. I know.” She reached forward and placed her hand on your forehead, letting it sit there as her eyes fluttered closed. “I know it hurts. I know you’re suffering and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for you…” She swallowed heavily and took a shuddering breath. “I think we’re running out of time, (y/n).”

You figured; but it was different hearing it said. It had seemed that there was some unspoken rule that stated that they couldn’t talk about death or how fast you were dying out loud, but now Peggy was breaking that rule and it made the situation that much more real. If everyone was being honest, you had maybe a week left at this rate. It’d been two months and, while you’d put up as much of a fight as you could, you were fighting a losing battle.

You only nodded your head slowly. “I know we are… I think I’ll be leaving you soon. My mom and sisters don’t want to admit it, but I can feel it. And I can guarantee that if you had Pierce look at me, he’d know that I’m… He’d know that I’m dying.”

Peggy winced as the words were said aloud. Her eyes squeezed shut and her shoulder shuddered. “I don’t want it to be so.”

“But it is so, Peggy; whether we like it or not…” You inhaled sharply through your nose. “Which brings me to another point that neither of us are going to want to talk about, but it has to be done. If— When I die, I want you to take over as Queen of the Underworld.”

“Wh-What?”

“My sisters have their own kingdoms, my mother is retired, and I don’t trust Pierce enough to place him on the throne. You’re the next eligible candidate for the throne, and so I want the crown to pass to you.” You smiled up at her. “You’ll make a fantastic queen.”

She shook her head. “No, no I won’t, (y/n), because you won’t die on us. We can’t let you.”

“Peg, I don’t think you have a choice.” You took another deep breath but this one hurt you and caused you to groan. “I’m sorry.”

Peggy pressed her lips together and stood. “It’s not your fault, love. You should sleep now. I’ve got some things I have to do, alright?”

You were a little saddened that she was leaving you, but you understood. You just dropped a major bomb on her and you would want to get away if you too were in her position. “Alright.”

She left, leaving you all alone. The room was dark, silent save for the sound of your labored breathing. It was an eerie setting: you in bed—a corpse just barely living—in the dark with only the dim light from outside illuminating the room. If you weren’t stuck there, you’d be running out as fast as possible; but you couldn’t move. You didn’t think you ever would again.

Your eyes fluttered shut. You took a shallow breath. You clenched and unclenched your hands.

It’s almost over. It’s fine. It’ll be okay.

So why did your heart hurt so much?

Probably because you were leaving people behind.

That seemed like a common theme in death: it didn’t hurt the person dying, but it killed everyone left behind. You couldn’t help but think of your mother and sisters, of the few gods that had been your friends, of… Of Bucky.

Oh, Bucky. You wouldn’t ever get to apologize to him for hurting him, apologize for not being strong enough to protect him, apologize for not being strong enough to live for him. You just prayed that Peggy would talk to him after it was all said and done. Maybe he could go to your funeral. You’d like that—if he was there for one last goodbye even if you weren’t. Maybe he would forgive you anyways.

You started to drift to sleep, letting the darkness over take you, when you were disturbed by a sharp breath. Your face contorted in discomfort as you forced your eyes open, ready to chew out whoever had disturbed your sleep, but the air was sucked from your lungs when you saw the figure at the foot of your bed.

Red rimmed the man’s eyes and dark bags sat beneath them. His skin had lost its summer glow. A short stubble had covered his jaw; he hadn’t shaved in a long time. The blue of his irises was obscured by tears welling up in his eyes. His hands, large and worn, gripped your footboard with white knuckles as he stared at you, his lips parted in a saddened gasp.

Tears welled up in your own eyes as you gasped for the air that had been stolen from your lungs. Your mind must’ve been playing tricks on you; this wasn’t possible. But that didn’t stop you from croaking out, “B-Bucky?”

Next 18: He Holds Her Close

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #pragma(tic)#delicatelyherdreams #hades and persephone #hades & persephone #hades & persephone au #persephone!bucky x hades!reader #bucky x you #buxky #bucky #bucky x reader #mcu #marvel cinematic universe

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tundrainafrica · 4 years ago

Text

Title: A Tale of Two Slaves (3/17)

Summary: “Soulmates don’t exist. Fate doesn’t exist. Everything is a choice.” At that moment, Levi could only watch as she made the choice for him.“

Reincarnation AU. Levi remembers everything from their past life. Hange doesn’t.

Note: This has been sitting on my computer untouched for a while, along with the timeline I prepared for a multichapter fic. Will probs go back to it soon. Feedback is very much appreciated.

Other Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Link to cross-postings: AO3

The forms were so painfully boring, Levi almost regretted agreeing to meet Moblit. One of the few things, if not the only thing, stopping him from backing out of the study then and there, was the hope it could give him an excuse to see her again. He planned to ease himself into the process of meeting her, not wanting to make a complete fool or a complete stalker of himself.

There was the option to ask for her number. The option to ask for her schedule. Or he could maybe just scan through enough pages on google to find some hint as to what the hell she does, where she goes and where he could possibly “accidentally” meet her. The last option had proved ineffective, Levi spent a good few hours a day doing just that. Just in case maybe, the links he found through google do change.

The sheer embarrassment and conflicted feelings that came with having delusion drive his actions, had Levi worse off than before. Although the nightmares that left him in pain in the mornings had become few and far between, he could not help but think that possibly the reason why was because he barely got any sleep anymore, kept awake by his brain trying to process that relationship he had with Hange and the story that was made known to him.

His five hours a night had dwindled into three when classes started. His brain having no time to process the dreams during classes and training, Levi found himself taking up more time lying awake in bed, building the world his dreams were telling him about and how Hange fit into all of it.

The lack of sleep caught up to him particularly when he was sifting through the pages of waivers and information sheets in the coffee shop near campus at nine in the morning. The words started to blur into blobs and Levi became aware of how much he hated Calibri as a font, a small issue in the grand scheme of things. Lacking sleep and utterly frustrated at his lack of progress though, Levi was finding many reasons not to read them.

He eventually gave up, instead checking box after box after box. “When do you need this?” Levi asked Moblit who sat in front of him.

“As soon as possible… But I really recommend you read ---”

“Well, how much time are you gonna give me to read?”

“I don’t have any classes today so I’m pretty much free the whole day.”

“Same.” He felt the venom in his tone particularly resonate and a part of him regretted it as he said it. That day was particularly special. He had no class. With their coach out on a meeting with other schools to discuss the tournaments and line ups this year, he had given the players a day off. Levi pretty much had that whole day to himself yet, he still went to the trouble of dressing up just to meet Moblit only to find out he’d be going through pages worth of documents while half awake. “I’ll just get a cup of coffee.”

Levi was already halfway out of seat when Moblit took out his wallet.

“Let me pay for it.” Moblit handed Levi a few bills. He had an apologetic look on his face as if he did understand the inconvenience the study would cause anyone. The look Moblit gave him suddenly made Levi self conscious about the tone he had been answering Moblit with since a while ago.

Levi took the money with a small nod of thanks. It was free coffee after all and he did not have much leeway given his monthly allowance.

When Levi got back to their table black coffee in one hand, he could see that Moblit had reorganized the papers, the uncompleted page sitting neatly on top. He had also opened the sandwich he had bought half an hour ago and was eating it already

“Before I forget, did you bring Hange’s keychain?” Moblit asked in between bites.

“Ah, I forgot about that.” Levi kept his tone emotionless for fear of having his guilt take over him. In fact, he never did forget about the keychain. It sat on the side table next to his bed, a glimmer of hope that that morning in the track wouldn't be the last time he saw her.

“Maybe I could come back to your dorm with you and get it after this?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot. I’m not going straight to the dorm. I have plans after this.” A blatant lie. Levi rarely forgot plans.

“Really?”

Levi made a show of going through his phone as he sat down. “Sorry, I didn’t check my calendar this morning. It looks like I have to work on my own stuff for my thesis with my groupmates.” Seniors did not have as many classes as lowerclassmen so the excuse for classes probably would not have worked. As Levi also was aware, the weight of the responsibility lost by only having two classes a week was replaced with the weight of the expectation of creating their own research to add to the body of knowledge in their major.

“How long is your meeting? Maybe I could stop by...” Moblit looked unsure about his own suggestion as if he too understood too the importance of thesis for any senior.

“I dunno. It’s our first meeting and it’s pretty important since we still don’t have much planned.” At that moment, Levi thanked the heavens for his course. He was taking an interdisciplinary track so people had the option to do their thesis by group or individually. His choice of his classes had made it so that he had to do his thesis individually. Moblit did not need to know that much though.

The magic word “thesis” eventually did work in the conversation between the two seniors and finally, Moblit had dropped his shoulders in defeat. “Sorry if I’m being a little pushy. I guess that keychain is just pretty important to me too. I was the one who gave it to her.”

Levi studied the face of Moblit as they talked. Molit did not have the most memorable face so Levi had not figured it out at first glance. As he allowed himself a few seconds to focus on his features and match it to those in his dream, he realized that Moblit was the same soldier who was constantly following Hange in his dreams. “You two must be close,” Levi said. Hange and I were close too.

"We're childhood friends.”

Levi found himself envying Moblit’s place in Hange’s life. Not wanting to engage that thought though, he instead decided to digress into something more positive for him. “So you'd know why she seemed pretty enthusiastic about her thesis.”

“She’s just passionate and gets a little too excited at times.” Moblit gave an embarrassed smile from what could have been second hand embarrassment. “I really hope you didn’t end up hating her. She really wanted to get to know you.”

“Oh really?” Then why doesn’t she. Levi added to himself.

“She’s been studying athletes since we were in high school. One of our friends was actually the subject of our final thesis for high school and Hange won best research with her. She wanted to move on to studying more high level athletes and she was talking non stop about the possibility of working with an athlete here. Then when we were scouting around for athletes to possibly study, she started showing me a lot of videos of you. She could talk non stop about your form, the height you achieved, your body control. I guess that was until you guys ended up meeting...” Moblit looked like he was aware of the weight of that statement and had tried to lighten the mood with a light laugh.

Levi rearranged that last sentence in his head. Until she met me.

Moblit had trailed off from there and Levi wondered how what kind of face he was making for Moblit to realize he had felt guilty about it.

Moblit gave Levi a consoling look. “She seems to be progressing well with Elijah though.”

For a second, Levi could not fathom how Moblit got the idea that that sentence could console him. In fact, just knowing that Hange had gotten over him so fast, had his chest knotting up.

On the outside though, he made sure to raise his eyebrows and nod, to look at least a little surprised and interested. “How’s her research so far?”

Moblit shook his head in amazement. “She's working at a much faster pace than I am. After what happened with you, it’s pretty admirable she bounced back so fast.”

“I don’t hate her. I could work with her if she really wants to.”

“God, this makes me think I should have started earlier." Moblit rested his forehead on his palm. "Your suggestion might be hard... Last time I checked, she was neck deep in her research with Elijah already.”

Even as a senior, there were places on campus Levi had never visited. All of his classes were clustered in one small area of the campus. The track he would rush to train in would be just a five minute walk away, his dorm a fifteen minute walk or a five minute bike.

He never had any reason to visit the other side which housed the science students and the laboratories. Possibly, one of the reasons why he had never met Hange until that day in the track.

It was a ten minute walk from his dormitory, in a completely different direction from his buildings and the track. He decided to abandon his bike for the more flexible option of walking. He did not know if they had have any place to park a bike nor how long he would be there. More importantly, he wanted the freedom of slowing his pace without considering the traffic as he took in the unfamiliar scenery.

Third floor. Fritz Hall.

In fact, he did not need the directions to the biology department. He could have easily asked anyone among the students there. The more important information was the room number and the laboratory name.

He clutched the keychain in his pocket and took the stairs two at a time arriving into a narrow corridor that stretched into both directions.

Thesis labs. Or that was how Mobilit described them. Each biology professor managed a laboratory for students. There were those who focused on internal medicine, those who focused on epidemiology. In each of those rooms was an office and a lab for senior students doing research under the guidance of a professor of a similar specialty.

If he wanted to find Hange, the office was their best chance. Room 301. It would be at one of the ends of the corridors. He only had to figure out the order of the numbers and from there, walk towards the end of the hall. He gripped the handle of the door and pushed it down, only pushing slightly at the door to open a crack wide enough to peek in.

“May I help you?”

“You’re Erwin Smith…” Just like with Hange, Levi had quickly picked up the name as he saw him.

“Yes I am. Nice to meet you.” Erwin did not look surprised to see that someone had named him by face. That was enough of a hint for Levi to realize that that man was probably their professor on top of how he dressed and how he carried himself.

“I’m looking for Hange Zoe.” Levi decided at that moment not to lie. He was sure he could find a reason to justify wanting to give it directly to Hange. He did not want to consider it at that moment. He just wanted to see her.

“She has class now but you can wait for her inside the lab." He gave Levi a onceover. You must be Elijah then.”

Levi gave a subtle nod, hoping Erwin would at least not take that as a full yes later on. At that point in time, he just wanted to minimize the questions he might need to answer. HIs heart was beating hard and his mind was racing. He had gone behind Moblit’s back, taking note of the schedule shared to him and picking a time where Moblit would not be in the office. Pretense and lies were nothing new to Levi but the presence of Erwin in the room particularly made Levi feel dirty for going through all that just to meet one person. With Erwin in front of him, for the first time he felt guilty lying.

"It's obvious from your build that you've been jumping and running your whole life. I hope you could give Hange some good data. All she’s been talking about was this study since I agreed to take her in."

“What’s her research about?” Was she enjoying working with Elijah so far? Was she happy? There were too many things Levi had wanted to ask but he found himself treading along the narrow path of things only Elijah would have known.

Erwin looked at him questioningly. “She wants to do a case study. I expected she’d at least tell you that much.” He shook his head and smiled. “She always had trouble explaining science jargon to the average person.”

Levi wanted to kick himself. Erwin at least answered his own question on any suspicion he might have about Levi (or Elijah.)

“Elijah, do me a favor and ask her yourself. I’d rather Hange also learned how to communicate science to the average person.” Erwin tapped Levi on the shoulder. “Make yourself at home. NIfa’s in the laboratory right now so she can keep you company. You can also use the computer while waiting.”

Levi only noticed the book bag Erwin was holding to his side as he looked back at him. He could not help but feel a bout of disappointment as he saw the professor walk away. It felt like there was still a lot to learn from him.

Levi entered the laboratory to find a woman with auburn hair hunched over a microscope. “Where’s Erwin going?” He asked.

“Erwin?” Nifa looked up from her “Doctor Smith you mean?”

Nifa. That’s her name. Oddly, Levi did not need to ask for her name either.

Nifa only confirmed it a second later after chastising him for calling Erwin his first name. ‘Doctor Smith did not roll out of Levi’s tongue as well as Erwin. The most Levi could hope for was he never faced a situation where he had to call him by name again. A long shot if he ended up working with Hange or Moblit. At the same time, a worry he did not want to occupy himself with again.

“Hange’s class ends at two so you’re gonna have to wait an extra thirty minutes. You can use the computer over there to pass the time.”

Levi looked down at his phone to see only one bar on the upper right.

“Yeah, problems about being stationed at the corner of the building. No signal. And the wifi is only strong enough for a laptop.” Nifa gestured at her own laptop next to the microscope.

Levi walked towards the computer. It was an older model but it looked well loved. He only had to click on his mouse for the screen to boot up to the home screen with some desktop background which looked like some campaign for underprivileged kids and untapped potentials.

He clicked on the google chrome icon. The option to restore pages from a previous session popped up. He had considered completely ignoring it but he considered it might be someone’s precious browsing history and instead decided to leave it on and to just open an incognito instead for his own personal browsing

He was ready to open one up when he saw the tabs that had opened up in front of him.

Ackerman bags gold, Miller silver in the Collegiate Cup.

Levi looked to the profile on the right to see that it was Hange’s Google profile logged into the account. She was researching him?

That small glimmer of what could have been happiness dissipated as soon as Levi figured out the pattern of the articles.

It wasn’t about him.

High Jump Superstar Miller breaks record in high school meet.

Miller commits to Paradis University.

College sophomore Miller bags gold in Horizontal Jump Event.

It was torture looking through the multiple tabs that reopened. As painful as it was, he still wanted to confirm if Hange really was ‘neck deep’ in her research. The bookmarked pages, he also decided to take a peek at had confirmed his fear. There were fifty if not a hundred tabs with article titles mentioning that one athlete.

Levi found himself closing the tabs as he went through them, a small rebellion to the reality in front of him. Hange probably bookmarked them if she needed them anyway. He stopped as he came across a Youtube video towards the end of the string of tabs.

WATCH: College Junior Ackerman beats both personal and national record for the High Jump Category.

Rookie Ackerman bags gold in the Regional Cup with record breaking height.

Levi recognized those tournaments. Those were his best jumps, one of them the most recent one he had performed, only earlier that year.

Watching the videos with the commentary felt surreal. In the interviews, he was the one answering the questions but somehow, Levi felt like he was still learning something new from the version of himself of the screen. He never did pay too much attention during interviews, only asking the questions when asked in the manner Coach Greg had directed him too.

Not wanting to confuse himself any longer with what seemed like another out of body experience, he focused again on Hange’s Gmail account which was logged into Youtube. Just to make sure his conclusion had been real. She was still watching his videos.

She had committed to working with Elijah. Why?

“Miller was slated to be the new superstar in Paradis University with a vertical jump of 8 centimeters and a promising record height differential of 40 centimeters.”

Levi jumped as he heard someone talk behind him. How long has she been there? It was her voice. Yet at the same time, it was too uncharacteristically serious he did not want to believe it was her. As Levi slowly looked behind me, she only continued to talk.

“But then four years ago, Coach Gregory Rivers scouts a new kid from a small town five hours away from the city. The kid had potential. Enough potential to maybe play backup to Elijah Miller. Levi Ackerman with a vertical leap of 76 centimeters and a record height differential of 37 centimeters.”

“Elijah Miller had a higher overall record. Mike Zacharias and Nanaba Briete too." Mike Zacharias and Nanaba Briete . Those were the two athletes who had cooperated with Hange's study back in high school. Levi had made sure to read her old research, in case he would have to use them to convince her to reconsider him.

“Your numbers in high school weren’t groundbreaking. Unless we consider that you’re 157 centimeters tall." The wonder was back in her voice, completely replacing what he realized was the scientist in her talking. "You did not have the height but you had remarkable control, the core strength, the leg power and the flexibility to fly over the bar even when you’re so close to it. That was what Gregory Rivers saw in you when he scouted you for Paradis University. What he didn't expect was for you to outshine Miller or even the seniors."

Hange came up behind him and grabbed the mouse. As Levi watched her go through the bookmarks, he realized if he had scrolled further, he would have seen more bookmarks.

Rookie Ackerman bags gold in the Regional Cup.

Super rookie carries Paradis to nationals.

She clicked one of the bookmarks and played the the video that came up. Levi could only watch silently as the Levi on the screen ran towards the bar, and propelled himself through the air. His vertical was definitely much higher than 37 centimeters at that point. In college though, no one in his team was counting anymore. The importance was he got through every jump without ever touching the bar.

"I wanna know Levi. From a nobody from a no name school, how did your height differential increase twofold. More importantly, how is it that you've not failed a single jump since you entered university? It's amazing. The amount of balance, core strength and body control to keep your body flexible enough not to hit the bar. The amount of leg strength needed to jump that high. You really must be superhuman.”

“I’m not.” Regretfully, Levi’s denial was enough for Hange to snap out of her state of what seemed like euphoria.

Hange put her hand to her mouth. "Sorry, I talked too much." With that, she resisted the closeness and was once again a meter away just standing awkwardly behind him. "I guess I should go back to work. Did Moblit tell you what time he'll be coming?"

"Moblit's not coming today."

"Oh... Can I help you with something?" Once again, Hange was watching her words and her movements with him. That was not the Hange from his dreams. The Hange that had introduced herself the first time they had met on the track. It pained Levi to see her like that and he wanted to make it right.

Levi had prepared himself for possible interactions when he read through Hange's old works. At that moment, Levi took control of his feelings. " I came here because I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to consider." He kept his words as careful as Hange's were with him. "I read your case study on Nanaba Briete and Mike Zacharius. And I thought I could probably provide you with similar data, maybe better data. Let me jump for you."

"Levi…"

"No. I wanna jump for you." Levi did not know what Hange had planned to say. At that point, he did not want to give her any doubts to build on.

This time I'm not going to lose you. A voice inside him said. It disappeared soon after and Levi wondered when he had he lost her.

#levihan #levi ackerman #hange zoe #levi x hange #levi x hanji #fanfic

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bby-namjoon · 5 years ago

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OldFriend!Mafia!Taehyung: First Love

(AU: where Tae was your bestfriend in high school and one day he vanished, but you meet again 10 years later and he has some secrets to hide)

{Part 1} {Part 2}:

———————————————————————

Alcohol didn’t wash away the guilt and heartache that swirled around inside his body like he’d hoped. It just made everything worse.

He sat up that night, wishing he’d ran after you, wishing he’d gotten your number atleast. He wanted to see you again, he had to see you again. It’s as though you’d woken something inside of him, something that made him feel again and he hated it. He hated how weak and needy he felt. His life and the way he’d been made to live had changed him as a person, but just by seeing you on the street, just by locking eyes with you by chance, it was as though you’d unlocked the window to his soul, unearthing repressed memories that once lived at the forefront of his brain. He didn’t know how to make it stop, but he did know that he just had to be close to you again.

He told himself he’d go back to Gangnam tomorrow out of hope of seeing you again. He wouldn’t get anyone to investigate you unless he really had to, the risk of getting you sucked into his game of life was too high to meddle with so soon.

He stood on the stretch of sidewalk like he had done the day before, hoping that maybe you worked nearby and he’d get to bump into you on your lunch break, or at the end of your shift, but he knew the odds were low.

He’d thought about you over the years, wanting to contact you, but he was afraid that you’d have moved on, afraid that you’d be too good for him now, afraid that he’d drag you into everything. Besides, he didn’t have any social media and if he did, he wouldn’t even know what to search for, his only hope would’ve been to privately investigate you, but just like this situation, it felt out of question. He left it to fate to bring you together again and it had, it was just up to him now to make things right again, as right as they can be after so long, after hurting you so much.

Tae hung around Gangnam for hours but it was no use, his plan had been a bust. He’d decided to go and have dinner before heading out onto his night shift, a spicy beef stew was calling his name.

As he rounded the corner to the restaurant he stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded by his luck. There you were, outside the door, but you weren’t alone. He slowed his pace for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on. Did you have a boyfriend? Who was this guy? As he got closer he realised you were unhappy, a deep frown set on your face as the guy spoke harshly to you, he tried to drag you by your wrist and you said no, pulling your arm away from him, Tae felt a flame rise inside of him as the guy went to drag you again, but without even realising his legs had carried him over to you and this asshole, intercepting you both as he pulled you behind him grabbing the guys arm by his wrist and pushing it away from you.

“She said no.”

“Who the fuck are you? Move out the way and stop getting involved, this is between me and her.”

You were in shock, how did you bump into Tae again over the space of two day’s, and how did he manage to turn up at just the right time? You stayed behind him, looking at how his tall, broad frame squared, shielding you from anything bad that was trying to come your way.

“She doesn’t want to go anywhere with you, take the hint and go away. She said no and I’m here to make sure you respect that. But if you do wanna try again, go ahead, just know that I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty, blood doesn’t bother me.”

Your date looked at Taehyung, shaking his head. “You’re crazy, she isn’t worth any of this. I only came cause I thought I’d get some pussy, but whatever man, you can have her. I’m out of here.” He caught your eye just before he walked away, “no wonder nobody wants you.”

Tae stayed in front of you until the guy disappeared and you saw him relax, turning to face you.

“Are you okay? Did he do anything else?”

“I’m okay,”

“Are you sure?”

You nodded, “thank you,”

“There’s no need to thank me, I’m just glad you’re okay, that guy was a pig. Don’t listen to anything he has to say cause he’s wrong, trust me.”

You sighed, “thank you, I just hate dates, they never go well. I only agreed to go so I could finally shut my friends up about me never seeing anybody, they’d been trying to set me up on a blind date for months.”

He shook his head, “you’re dating the wrong guys, you need someone who actually knows you, who knows what you like and how to treat you.”

“I haven’t had someone in my life like that for a long time..” you felt the air around you become thick, so you tried to talk about something else. “Anyway, enough about all that, what were you doing here? It’s kinda crazy seeing you again after so long of not seeing you at all”

He hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth. “Oh,” he laughed nervously, “I was actually looking for you, I couldn’t leave things how they ended yesterday and I didn’t have your number to call you, so I just wandered around all day hoping that you’d be in Gangnam again, but I couldn’t find you, so I was actually about to just give up and have some dinner when I saw you stood outside the restaurant I was gonna go into. What were the odds? It feels a little like fate to me.”

You looked at him for a moment, thinking.

“C’mon,” you waved your hand, gesturing for him to follow after you.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m going to make you dinner and we can talk about the past decade.”

“I can drive?”

“Okay, lead the way”

To your surprise, Taehyung drove a sleek black BMW which even had its windows tinted, making it seem even more chic than it already was. Even the cream leather seats looked untouched and the inside of the car smelt of him. It was immaculate.

“It’s nice, right?” He smiled as he pulled the car away from the curb, after already having tapped your address into his built in satnav. He must’ve realised your state of awe.

“Really nice, you must have a good job,”

He let out a breathy chuckle, “you could say that, it pays well atleast.” You were just about to ask him what he did for a living when he changed the subject, too afraid to tell you about that side of himself. You didn’t think much of it though, you were just happy to be talking to him at all.

When he pulled up outside your little apartment he followed behind you, a small smile gracing his face as he went inside, taking it all in. Eerything about it screamed you. It was warm and lined with small trinkets and it just felt so different to the way he lived, but he preferred it here, it felt like a home.

“What do you want to eat? I still have some yukgaejang (spicy beef stew) left?”

“You’re kidding, it’s like you read my mind”

“Telepathy” you called out, pretended to read his mind by pressing two fingers to your temples, squeezing your eyes shut.

He laughed, doing it back to you, “that definitely worked,”

As you put his dinner together he poured you both a glass of wine, sitting down at your little dining table. He couldn’t help but watch as you manouvered around the kitchen, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear as you plated everything up. He hadn’t stopped to admire you until this moment and he begun to realise how well the years had treated you. He’d always found you pretty when you were younger but you were beautiful now. Definitely beautiful.

He snapped himself out of his thoughts as you placed his food down, sitting opposite him. “Thank you, this smells so good,”

“Hopefully it tastes okay, I don’t really cook for anyone else so I’m not sure if it’s how you like it.”

It was delicious, of course it was. You’d always been the one out of you both that could cook.

You were hesistant to get the conversation going, unsure of when the right time to divulge about your missed years together was, but once you’d both finished two glasses of wine things began to feel easier, questions falling from our mouths with less hesitation.

Despite still tip toeing around the question you’d asked him yesterday, you still somehow managed to unlock an answer with a much simpler query.

“How’s your dad?”

You watched him tense up a little, he hadn’t been asked that in a long time.

“He’s dead,”

“What? No way, I’m so sorry,” you reached your hand out across the table and took a hold of his, squeezing it. “I wouldn’t have asked if I’d known, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay, it was a long time ago now..about 10 years ago, actually.”

“What?”

“Mhmm, the day he died was also the last day I ever saw you. A lot changed after that.”

“But he’s all you had, you were just a kid, did you get taken into care?”

“No, it was really complicated..My dads good friend ended up taking me in so I had to move away and be home schooled. Remember how my father had his own business? Well, I was his successor and I had to learn how to take over. I didn’t really have any time to grieve, or anyone there to comfort me..it was a bad time, but it had to be done.”

“But you were 17, is that even allowed?”

“I don’t know, I guess not, but it’s just the way things went for me.” He paused to take another swing of his wine, “I just had to switch everything off and become what my dad expected me to be, that’s all I can really say.”

You felt bad for getting angry at him yesterday, no wonder he didn’t want to get into this in the middle of the Gangnam high street. “You shouldn’t have had to switch it off though, Tae..You needed time to be a kid and to grieve, I’m sorry that that happened to you,”

He shook his head, “it’s okay, I don’t feel much anymore, so it doesn’t matter now. But I have to admit, after seeing you for the first time yesterday, you made me feel the most emotion that I’ve felt in a long time.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

“Both, because I don’t know how to deal with these sorts of things anymore, I haven’t felt bad or sad for a long time..I couldn’t get you out of my head and it was just a lot for me. You made me think about everything again, it’s like you made me remember everything I’d repressed, but I’m also grateful for that. You made me realise that there’s more to me than what there is now..I’m just not the same person I used to be Y/N. I’m not the kind of person you’d want me to be,”

You furrowed your eyebrows, “you’ve been through a lot, not being able to process emotions and trying to forget hard times doesn’t make you a bad person, it just means you’ve had a bad time, but having a bad time doesn’t mean you have to have a bad life, too. You may not be the same person you used to be, but I’ll still love and care about the person you are now. You’re still you, you’ve just lived a bit more.”

He kept his eyes on your intwined hands, chewing gently on his bottom lip, a habit he’d always had. “There’s more to it but I just can’t say, I wish I could but I just can’t..”

“That’s okay, you’ve already said enough, just come here,”

You pulled him to his feet and gave him a hug, feeling him bury his face into the crook of your neck. Your senses whirled as they tried to make sense of how familiar yet different he felt to you. The way his 27 year old body dwarfed that of his 17 year old self, yet his hair that was now tickling the side of your face still smelt the same. Like apples.

{Part 3}

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dearyams · 5 years ago

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december 17, 1985

Last Christmas I gave you my heart and the very next day, you gave it away. This year to keep me from tears, I’ll give it to someone special.

— Last Christmas, Wham!, 1984

[ day 2: last christmas i gave you my heart ]

The Party congregates in the Wheeler basement as if it’s any other day in their cumulative years of friendship. It’s not any other day though, so Mike sits on the couch with his head in his hands, elbows imprinting bruises on his knees as the other boys and Max and El crowd around Will. He’s excited, the faint brush of Will’s fingers sizzling warmth in him as if he’s upstairs sitting by the fireplace, but there’s a selfish part within him that wishes everyone would get out and leave him alone with Will.

They didn’t have much time to discuss whatever transpired between them in the market, and while Mike did learn that Joyce and his mom had indeed planned for them to be stuck in the store together to greet each other again, he was still a bit unnerved by the entire situation. Now that everyone else knew Will was here, the secret was no longer kept and he didn’t have the headspace to think about how to even ask Will about what happened. He always had too much on his mind when the Party gathers together—grouping together always means something entertaining would happen with them all—and now that he’s in the same room as El, he has to try his best to stem any awkwardness or tension that permeates between the two of them.

Mike’s never dealt with the aftermath of breakup like this—with confusion, distance, and inaction. He let their distance take over and bleed into his inaction, and he let confusion fester until it boiled over into awkward acceptance. El doesn’t treat him much differently, though every so often she’ll send him a wordless glance with a furrowed brow and the slightest frown anyone could muster on their thin, pressed lips. Mike has always been the most oblivious when it comes to social interactions, Dustin makes that clear almost every day, but he’s sure not even the master between them can decipher what El means with her looks.

A tiny sigh slips from his lips as he resettles himself in seat with a scowl. Lucas and Max are chatting between themselves as they walk upstairs, crankily wooden steps creaking with their subconsciously synchronized steps. Mike watches them lazily before realizing there are eyes on him, so he turns around and finds himself locking eyes with Dustin. Dustin, who wriggles his eyebrows before climbing to his feet with an over-exaggerated sigh.

“I’ll go help Lucas and Max, maybe say hi to Nancy if she’s hanging around,” he unnecessarily announces with a grin. “Yell if you need me!”

And he’s gone. Mike’s mouth twists in a grimace, his height-stressed back protesting when he slouches in his seat. Will pokes at his new D&D dice, black and speckled red yet matte and glossed like dragon scales. The numbers on each side are bright white, shiny with lack of use unlike the smudged and fading digits on the ones he had put in the donation box all those months ago. Mike traces the numeral 14 with his eyes. He follows the lines of Will’s fingers and feels his breath hitch when Will’s gentle tracing pauses just a moment as if he knows Mike is watching him. Maybe he does, but Mike isn’t going to interrupt the moment any further by glancing up. He’s also worried if he looks up, then he’ll know El knows he’s watching Will and the implications found there aren’t anything he wants to bother straining his brain over.

“Will, do you want to help the others, too?”

Mike pulls his gaze up at that. El is playing with Will’s decagonal d10, fat and slippery between her thin, calloused fingers. Will stiffens, eyes darting up to Mike on the couch before he shrugs. “I think the three of them can handle themselves, don’t you agree, Mike?”

“Sure,” he replies stiltedly, not quite sure why El wants Will out the room.

She raises her eyebrows, still staring at the die in her hands, and curls her hand in a fist. She shakes her fist to roll the die and then smiles with a shake of her head when it delivers her a patient 7, her shoulder length hair flopping across her face in a childish manner. Despite that, the action makes her look older and far more serious. “I’ll go then.” El looks up at Mike with a tight smile. “We can talk later, Mike.”

“Talk about?” he questions, deliberately obtuse and chilly. El frowns and it melts a bit of the fear taking store in his heart.

Will grabs the die and stuffs it into a velvet bag where he had stored the others. “It’s fine. I’ll go if you need to talk.” His voice thickens with unspoken emotion. “Yesterday, Mike said he wanted to catch up with you later and now is later.”

El laughs lightly. “Don’t worry, Will. I think you two have something you need to talk about.”

“We don’t have anything we need to talk about, El,” lies Mike as if he hadn’t been brooding on the couch thinking about exactly that.

“Then what you want to talk about.” She walks to the staircase, almost floating with each step, and Mike’s reminded of why he liked her so much when they first met. Strong, powerful, protective, caring, everything he could have wanted. And he didn’t want it anymore. Maybe never did but that’s a thought for another day.

Silence permeates the air until Will shuffles on the floor. He’s dressed in jeans that flare just a bit at the ankle and a brown and white sweater that brings out the lighter brown in his much shortened hair and the hazel in his typically bright eyes. The yellow collar of his undershirt is popped up, covering his neck in an unconscious habit. There’s no cold wind or winter breeze down here in the basement but the holiday season brings back torrid memories, let alone the events of the summer, that leave Will hyper aware of the shivers and stings running down the back of his neck. Mike wants to pull his collar down if only to help emit comfort. Will is always safe in the Wheeler basement—always safe if Mike’s here at his side.

He doesn’t touch Will’s collar, but he does climb off the couch and settle in next to the other boy. Mike faces the staircase as a lookout, his left shoulder brushing against Will’s own left shoulder as Will faces toward the game shelf. He notes that his mom put fake snow on the railing as fairy lights curl around the pillars of the stairs. Will’s shoulders tense for a moment before he calms and leans in toward Mike. Their hands situate themselves side by side, pinkies barely brushing as if a repeat of their meeting yesterday.

“Do you remember last year,” starts Will in a voice far too gentle for the upcoming conversation. Mike nods, knows Will can feel it even if he can’t see it. “Our moms stuffing us in suits and taking photos for the ball.”

“The pictures on the mantle won’t let me forget it.”

Will laughs, each second as unique as the snowflakes flittering into piles outside. He settles into a huff and his pinky lightly brushes Mike’s. “You looked good that night.”

Mike’s throat tightens. Is it appropriate to tell a friend he also looked good? Is he allowed to acknowledge how he felt that day, how his heart clenched when Will went off with that girl and Mike realized what he wanted isn’t something he could have? Isn’t something he can let himself want? “You too.” he replies hoarsely in hopes that he sounds neutral enough. “We all looked good that night.”

“Yeah. Minus Dustin’s hair.” Mike lets out a few chuckles at that and feels Will’s hand eventually fully overlap his own. “Mike, I...I don’t know how to say this.”

Mike turns his head to burrow his nose in Will’s soft hair. His lips barely move as he speaks. “You don’t have to say anything.”

“But I need to.” Will pulls away and turns to fully face Mike. His cheeks are flushed, a frown drapes over his lips, and the sudden desire to kiss off that frown guts Mike until the open wound in his stomach bubbles over into his hands in piles of pure affection. The brunette raises his right hand to brush Mike’s curling bangs from his forehead. “You’ve hurt me a lot, you know.”

Mike stiffens. “I know.”

“No, you don’t.” Will sighs and pulls away. “Last Christmas, after Snowball, even after I saw you and El kissing,” his voice cracks on that word, stalactite icicles shattering against the floor as they fall from the ceiling of a dark, damp cave, “I thought we were still, I don’t know...the friends that we became after all that mess.”

The friends that we became. As in, something different that before. Mike clenches his jaw. “You were dying and I couldn’t have that—I couldn’t lose you.”

“I know.”

“And I couldn’t lose El, either.”

“I know.”

“You can’t be mad at me for that.”

“I’m not.” Will sighs and leans his head back against Mike’s shoulder. “I was mad at myself for thinking and wishing and foolishly giving you more than I should.”

Mike’s eyes dart toward the decorated staircase. He can feel Will’s hot breath against his sensitive neck. “Like what?”

“You know what; don’t make me spit out such a cheesy line, Wheeler.”

A grin curls on Mike’s lips and he looks back a little to make eye contact. “You’ve gotten very introspective, Byers.”

“That kinda happens after your best friend spits certain words at you that make you reanalyze your entire life.” Will turns his head and breaks their locked gaze. “But back to Christmas last year. Insert the cheesy line; I gave you my heart, alright? Silly me thinking it would be fine if I did, thought you would care about something like that.”

“Will,”

“Don’t. I don’t wanna hear it.” His voice is winded but strong. “If we’re going to be the friends we became, then let me say my part. I’m tired of crying over this.”

“Will.” Mike says more firmly, twisting his hips to face Will head-on. This talk deserves more than Mike’s half-assed glances at the staircase as he tries to avoid full immersion in the conversation. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, I know.” green hazel eyes looked down at the rug furnished floor. “We do stupid shit and say stupid things, but you and me...” He glances up. “We can’t be stupid about this. You haven’t...you don’t...”

“When we thought you died, Troy came for me. Told me you were better dead, probably killed by other people like...” Mike clears his throat. “His words weren’t about me but he still...he still targeted them toward me. Like everyone could see what was up between us before I could.”

“Well, you’re a bit on the slow side when it comes to things like this,” huffs Will with a sardonic smile. “But this year...this year I don’t wanna leave Hawkins being as miserable as I left the first time.”

“This year to keep you from tears, you’ll give your heart to someone special?”

Will pinches Mike’s side and he loudly yelps, scrambling from Will’s side even though he starts laughing at his own joke. “You’re so annoying, Mike, oh my god; I’m having a serious conversation here! You can’t just go around inserting sad Christmas song lyrics everywhere.”

Mike grins widely and flops onto his back with a happy sigh. “Am I someone special to you?”

“Always.” The unadulterated honesty in Will’s voice takes Mike aback. He turns his head to face Will, looking up at the boy whose cheeks are flushed with equal parts natural warmth and soft embarrassment. “So, how am I leaving Hawkins?”

Mike turns onto his stomach and rests his head in his hands, elbows pressed into the hardened floor beneath him. He thinks about his upcoming chat with El, thinks about how his heart dropped to his feet when he hugged his mom the day the Byers moved away and realized how much he missed Will already. A smile smoothly skates itself onto his lips, sharp-lined and eager as his heart jumps into an axel and lands perfectly.

“I think you already know the answer to that one.”

#byler #byeler #byelerholidaybash #frogfaceandzombieboy #fluff #multi part #i am incapable of angst huh

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imagines-by-billie · 5 years ago

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Golden Eyes.

Part 6.

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5

A/N: I’m sorry in advance, this is a really sad chapter.

Warnings: ANGST, gun violence, death and blood.

Masterlist

“I’ll stay.”, you whispered. You felt Shawn relax in your arms, you hadn’t even realized that he was tense. This wasn’t something you’d think would ever happen. You thought you’d eventually find someone, yeah, but not someone like Shawn. Oh God, your hair had to be a mess now too... the tight hairdo had been destroyed during the night and was now laying around you in weird ways.

“I’m sorry if this is weird...”, Shawn’s voice brought you out of your thoughts.

“Don’t worry about it.”, you assured him, “We don’t have to talk about it.”

“But I want to talk about it.”, he looked into your eyes, “Y/N, I don’t want to forget about this.” You were speechless, was he really serious? You never pictured him as the type to want something more after a night like the two of you shared.

“Me neither...”, you were shocked at your own words, even more shocked that you meant it.

“Really?”, his face lit up.

“I mean... there’s no use in forgetting it.”, you mumbled.

“So then, would you mind maybe... meeting again? Under better circumstances...”, he asked softly.

“I thought this was a pretty good circumstance.”, you grinned. He chuckled as he rolled on top of you.

“Then maybe we should do it again?”, he grinned down at you.

Your relationship kept going. You’d show up at his house on Friday nights, spending Saturdays with him and perform in the evenings. On Sundays you get home in the morning.

It wasn’t always sex that would happen during those nights, sometimes you’d just lay in bed and talk to each other. Shawn would hold you close and cradle you in his arms as he played with your hair or drew small figures on your skin.

Sometimes it’d be the complete opposite. Shawn would have his head in your lap as you played with his hair and scratch his head. That was something you learnt about him, he loved when you played with his hair.

You learned a lot of things about him. Mostly that he was not as smooth and suave as he pretended to be. He was soft, caring... even emotional at times. It was refreshing.

You learnt about how his family died at an early age and that he was taken in by a mobster who taught him everything that he needed to know. That was how he got to where he was now.

You patiently listened through his rants, understanding that

One night after Shawn had fallen beside you, both of you still panting, you noticed something was off. He wasn’t a smiley as he usually was.

“Is something wrong?”, you asked as you pulled the covers over your chest, leaning your head on your hand.

“Maybe you shouldn’t perform tomorrow...”, he muttered, “You know, you could just spend tomorrow with me. We won’t have to do anything, I can cancel the event-”

“Shawn, what are you talking about?”, you stopped his mumbling.

“I had a meeting a few days ago...”, he groaned, “... it was about a threat I had gotten, about tonight... someone had sent in a letter, saying they’re going to shoot the place up. My coworkers told me to go with it anyways, and they’d be ready for the guy.”

“Shawn...”

“No!... no... Y/N, I don’t want to put you at risk.”, he took your hand, “I can’t fucking loose you too...” You brought his hand up to your lips, placing a soft kiss on his bruised knuckles... you didn’t even want to know where those bruises came from...

“I’ve stayed this long...”, you whispered, “I’m not leaving now.”

The night of the event came. You had spent the day calming down Shawn, assuring him that everything was fine. But even you were a bit scared.

For Shawn it was probably ten times worse, having to be in charge of an even he knew could go terribly wrong.

Marilyn made sure that you were alright ever so often, since she had seen you being stressed.

“I brought you some camomile tea, Ms. Y/L/N. It should calm your nerves down a bit.”, she smiled innocently as she handed you the cup, “And make sure that your voice’ll hold through out the night.”

“Thank you Marilyn. And you know you can call me Y/N, right?”, you smiled at the maid, who you had now found out was only 17 years old.

You had asked Shawn about her during one of your late night talks. Shawn had apparently seen her begging on the street one night when he drove by. In his own words she had “barely any clothes on and looked like had barely eaten for days”. He was quick to take her in, seeing his younger self in her.

“Oh, okay then... Y/N.”, she said unsurely, but still smiling like she always was.

Once the guests started pouring in you noticed a familiar face... Alexandre Von Claude was sitting by one of the round tables.

Once Shawn had his speech you pulled him to the side.

“Von Claude is here!”, you hissed, “Don’t tell me you sent him an invite!”

“If I didn’t I might as well be dead!”, Shawn hissed back, “Besides, I didn’t think he would come! He never does!”

“Fuck...”, you sighed, “If he dies tonight, you’re screwed!”

“I know! I’ll try to get him out! Just try to act normal!”

You were about to keep bickering with him but the band started playing the intro of your first number, and you were forced to walk out.

You put on your best smile even though you were absolutely frightened.

During the middle of your second number there was a gunshot and everyone in the room went silent for only a second... then came the panicked screams and everyone was running.

In the crowd you saw someone aiming a gun towards Shawn, who was helping a young woman up from the ground after she had tripped. Your legs moved on their own and you sprinted off the stage and pushed him aside.

Thank God that Anne didn’t come tonight...

You grabbed the gun that Shawn always had in his belt and loaded it, before aiming it at the man who still held his gun in a vice grip. Without thinking, you fired, and everything slowed down.

The man ran away just in time... revealing the man who sat behind him, Alexander Von Claude. You hit him right in the chest and felt your blood run cold. His men around him spotted you and started making their way through the masses of people running in fear.

You couldn’t move, your brain told you to run like hell but your legs didn’t react. Not until Shawn pulled you up to your feet.

“C’mon, follow me!”, he hissed in your ear and pulled you with him as he ran.

You followed Shawn to Marilyn, who was standing by a torch attached to the wall. With shock evident in your eyes, Marilyn pulled on the torch which opened up a hidden door in the wall.

The three of you ran in and you could hear Von Claude’s men shouting behind you. Shawn held your hand tightly as you all ran through the long white corridors. The footsteps of your followers echoed through the halls and only made you more scared.

“I’ll hold them off, okay?”, Marilyn said as you and Shawn reached a long metal ladder.

“What? No, they’ll kill you!”, you argued.

“They’ll catch up to us if I don’t stay.”, she said and you could see the slightest bit of fear in her eyes.

“Marilyn’s right...”, Shawn’s words were barely a whisper and tears were brimming in his eyes.

“You can’t be serious!”, you cried and let out a muffled scream when you heard another gunshot.

You looked over at Marilyn, her eyes were wide with shock as she fell to the ground. In the distance you could see the men who were hunting you down... you, not Marilyn. Blood pooled around her lifeless body... the bullet wound had formed in her upper back and blood was spreading across the white fabric of her dress.

“No!”, you let out a blood chilling scream but before you knew it Shawn was carrying you up the ladder.

You clung onto his body as tears streamed down your face. The world went blurry, but maybe it was your eyes. Shawn opened some sort of trap door and lifted you out of the cramped ladder.

You crawled away from the trapdoor and hurried over to a bush. You hunched over yourself and puked into the bush, tears streaming down your face making you even colder.

Shawn pushed something over the trap door to prevent the men from following you.

“Y/N... Y/N.”, Shawn took you by your shoulders.

“She was only seventeen, Shawn! Seventeen! She didn’t have to die! This is all my fault!”, you screamed into the night.

“Y/N, darling... None of this is your fault. Just keep quiet for me, sweetheart...”, he cooed and pulled you close to his chest.

You sobbed against his chest until your cries turned into whimpers and hiccups.

“We can’t stay here, Y/N...”, he whispered softly, “Do you know anywhere we can go?” You calmed your breathing, giving yourself time to think... where could you go? Surely the whole city was gonna go after you now... then it hit you.

“Anne.”, you said quietly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

golden eyes taglist: @star-adorned @itrocksmysocks @justmesadgirl @bellagrayson-wayne@random-writer06 @min-amani @obeysciles @adventurousbooknerd@shawnsweetheart @someinsanefangirl @delightfullyspeedyearthquake @futuremrspcy @abbersalp @greedydevil @stokedmendes

permanent taglist: @turtoix @wronglanemendes

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k-popscenxrios · 6 years ago

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Didn’t Ask For This Pt 2 (Roommate!JK x OC)

A/N: This one isn’t as long as the first one, but I just liked the way the cut off was for this! Things are starting to pick up, now~!

Summary: “I didn’t know you hated me so much,” he spoke as he grabbed my wrist and once again turned me around to face him, “and quite honestly, I don’t think I’ve done anything horrible enough for you to hate me to the degree that you do.” “You say that like the hate isn’t mutual,” I remarked as he shook his head. There was a bitter smile on his face as he took a deep breath, “I think you are quite honestly one of the worst human beings I’ve had to come in contact with.”

3.5k words | drama ✞ | fluff ♡

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Finale

⇨ Masterlist ⇦

I walked into work to see one of my friends, Chaeyoung, smiling like a mad man. I didn’t hesitate to give her a puzzled look as she just shuffled up to me with the smile unwavering.

“The new people are pretty cute,” she spoke as I just nodded and headed to type in my number to clock in, “both guys and both single.”

“Why do you know they’re single?” I asked as I looked at the computer screen. I’m not entirely sure that I want to know this answer, actually.

“I just asked them,” she shrugged while I rolled my eyes, “I’m jealous that you’re training them today. I would kill to be the one training them.”

“And I would kill to be the one not training them,” I sighed and put an arm on her shoulder, “I would trade with you in a heartbeat, but I’m not about to face the wrath of the wicked witch of the west.”

Chaeyoung frowned as I sent her a sorry look. “Well at least have some fun. You’re single, too, right?”

“Hush,” I pushed her away as she just laughed and walked towards the concession stand. “I’m off to actually work now.”

“Have fun,” Chaeyoung nodded to me before she walked to the front counter to do her job as well.

I turned around and exited the back room as I made my way to the manager’s office. One of the better managers was in today which made it really tempting to run back up to Chaeyoung and switch with her, but I couldn't. The witch always found out when we would switch without her permission even when the other managers tried to keep it from her.

“Seokjin,” I smiled at my boss as he glanced over at me and sent me a smile as well. “Where are the new hires?”

He looked back down at the paper he was glancing over before looking down the hallway. “I think they’re cleaning bathrooms right now. I asked Yoongi to teach them how to restock and all that. Just wait for them to finish up, I guess.”

I just nodded and walked down the hall in the direction of the last men’s restroom that we had. I felt weird having to wait for them to walk out, but I stood a good distance away so that it wouldn’t feel as weird.

I saw Yoongi exit the bathroom as I started to take a few steps closer to the group. I always felt nervous when meeting new hires, and I couldn’t help but hope that they were nice.

...Especially if they’re cute like Chaeyoung said they are.

I watched a boy almost the same size as Yoongi walking behind him. He was undeniably attractive, and his most distinctive feature was his pinkish hair. I found myself quite liking this guy just based on how he kept himself and just how… nice he looked. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look forward to this night if I get to spend it with-

“What the hell?”

I noticed the figure behind the pink haired boy as my heart and jaw dropped to the floor in shock. He just smirked and sent me a wave. He was just oozing pride and arrogance as I felt my fists clenching by my side.

“Ari…” Yoongi’s expression changed to worry as he turned to try and introduce me to the boys behind him. “This here is Park Jimin, and this is-”

“Jeon Jungkook,” he smirked as he stepped forward to hold out his hand for me to shake. I just looked at him incredulously before shoving his hand away from me.

“Just what do you think you’re doing here?” I spat as Yoongi and Jimin watched us in silent confusion.

“I’m working my summer job, of course,” he raised an eyebrow as I put a hand to my forehead and spun around 180 degrees in disbelief. I started to pace as I wracked my brain for a way to get out of this situation.

“What have I done to deserve this?” I softly whined as Yoongi took a step forward and held me in place. He forced my pacing to end as I took a deep breath and looked at him.

“Would you like to explain what’s going on?” he asked as I glanced Jungkook’s way. He seemed very smug about this whole ordeal, and I wanted to beat the arrogance out of him.

“I can not work with this guy,” I cried as Yoongi just raised his eyebrows and glanced back at Jungkook, “He’s an insufferable prick!”

“What?” he scratched his head before looking back over at me, “He’s pretty cool to me.”

“Then you train him,” I spun around to rush off but Yoongi grabbed my wrist to stop me.

“RaeAri, you’re acting like a child in front of the new hires, not to mention you’re insulting one of them for no reason…”

“Yeah, what have I done to you, girl I just met?” Jungkook asked as I stomped up to him and glared at him.

“What are you doing?” I mumbled through my clenched teeth as he just shrugged and started sweeping a piece of popcorn into his dustpan.

“I’m doing my job. Can you say the same for yourself?” he smiled as I felt rage build more and more in the pit of my stomach. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening to me.

“Jungkook, I know you think you’re funny but you’re not,” I spat, “Does Taehyung know you got a job here?”

Jungkook shook his head and looked back at Yoongi who was behind me, “Sorry for the confusion, Yoongi. Hot-head here and I actually know each other.”

“Unfortunately,” I retorted after kicking Jungkook’s shoe over the ‘hothead’ comment. Jungkook just laughed and looked behind him at the other new hire. The poor kid is probably confused out of his mind.

“Sorry about her, Jimin. She’s a little off her rocker,” he explained as I glared at him. I turned to the confused Jimin and softened my expression.

“I’m not like this usually. I’m sorry you had to see this,” I apologized to him as he just sent me a soft and sweet smile.

“It’s okay. I can imagine working with an ex would be annoying,” he responded as my eyes widened. An ex?

“No- Jimin you’ve-”

“It’s pretty annoying,” Jungkook nodded as he slightly elbowed me. I sent him a dirty look as he just raised his eyebrows and gave me a look as if I was supposed to know what he was trying to tell me. His eyes moved from me then to Jimin, and then back to me again.

Wait… Does he really want to take this ex lie and run with it? Why do I need him to be my ex to justify my strong disliking of him?

“I guess I’ll try and make this not as horrible as it feels it’s going to be,” I mumbled as I looked at Jungkook with a slight glare.

“Well then…” Yoongi nodded and began to slowly back away as I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I had just seriously weirded out Yoongi, one of the only staff members who I considered a friend.

“Wait,” I spoke to him as I rushed over to him and gave him a sorry look, “I’m sorry. It was really unprofessional of me to get so worked up over… my ex being here. It won’t happen again.”

Yoongi just smiled sadly and nodded before turning around to walk off. I just watched him become smaller and smaller until he turned the corner and I couldn’t see him anymore.

“Well let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”

I spun around and took a deep breath. This was going to be one long night if I kept glaring at him like I was dying to do. He just knew how to push all the wrong buttons when it came to me and it made me so annoyed.

“Let’s go,” I spoke as I tried to not sound as unhappy as I felt. Just pretend like it’s just you and Jimin and everything will be okay…

…

“Okay next up is theater 12. This one is the easiest to clean because it’s the smallest theater,” I explained as Jungkook and Jimin followed behind me. We walked into the theater in question as I felt my heart drop at the huge mess I was met with. There was a large pile of popcorn right in front of the trash can instead of in it, and it looked like everyone that walked up after the spill made sure that they could crush the popcorn as deep into the carpet as possible.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I mumbled as Jungkook and Jimin leaned in the theater to look at the mess.

“Okay the best way to clean this up is to actually run your dustpan along the carpet to pick up the crumbs. If you sweep the popcorn too hard with your broom, the popcorn just breaks into several pieces and is even more difficult to clean up.”

Jimin and Jungkook walked past me to get to the spill as they started to take my advice. I went on into the theater and took a glance around. There were lots of left cups and popcorn buckets, but it didn’t seem to be too bad over all.

“So how often do you see something really disgusting?” I heard Jimin ask as I walked to where I could see the two of them.

“Well on the weekends you’re more likely to come across something revolting,” I informed as Jungkook looked up at me. I felt uncomfortable at his stare so I looked away and moved out of their sight to clean up the inside of the actual theater, “The worst that I have cleaned up was puke on my first day. The girl who was training me had jinxed us the hour before we found it because she said that she hadn’t come across throw up since her first day a couple years prior.”

“So does that mean that we’re jinxed again?” Jimin asked with a slight laugh in his voice as I shook my head.

“No, cause I’ve had to clean up puke on multiple occasions since then. It’s actually not the worst compared to some of the things that Yoongi has had to clean up,” I rambled as Jimin and Jungkook finished cleaning up the mess at the front. They joined me for cleaning up the theater as I watched Jungkook. He was being very quiet, and I was surprised that he wasn’t driving me crazy.

“So Ari,” Jungkook spoke as I internally groaned. I obviously spoke too soon. “How long have you worked here?”

“For three years,” I answered short and sweet. I noticed his smirk as he stopped sweeping and glanced up at me.

“So three years and you’re still just a normal employee?” He remarked as I realized where he was going with this. “Either you’re under appreciated or you pretend like you’re better at your job that you are.”

“That is none of your concern,” I snapped as I turned to look at Jimin. He was pretending like he hadn’t heard anything. “But back to work, make sure you get all the trash out of the cup holders because that’s what usually gets missed-”

“It’s really rude to ignore someone when they ask you a question,” Jungkook cut me off as I glared his way. He was once again wearing his signature smirk.

“It’s really rude to interrupt someone,” I countered, but Jungkook was still smug as ever.

“You were rude first, so,” he shrugged and thank goodness he left the conversations to die there.

…

We finally hit our break between movies getting out as I spent Jimin and Jungkook on a short break to get some water and cool off. I took time to clean the lobby and ended up seeing Chaeyoung restocking the lids and napkins.

“Chae,” I smiled as she turned back to glance at me. She smiled back before turning to look at what she was doing.

“Hey Ari,” she responded, “so how’s it going with the new guys?”

“It’s…” I took a deep breath as she cocked a brow, “it’s going. Do you remember my brother’s annoying friend that I told you was living at my place with us?”

“Yeah, you told me he was one of the most obnoxious people you’ve ever met.” She responded as I leaned against the freestyle coke machine to her right.

“Yeah, he’s one of the new hires.”

Chaeyoung looked at me with wide eyes as I just nodded with a sad expression. “Wow, why do all the hot ones have to be jerks?”

“Well, Jimin seems sweet and he’s pretty hot,” I mentioned as Chaeyoung blushed and nodded.

“That’s true…”

I glanced behind me and saw one of our managers watching us. My eyes widened and I pushed myself off the drink machine to get back to work.

“I’ll tell you more later,” I nodded to her as she just nodded back.

…

“I get that you’re supposed to be training us, but since when did training mean ‘make the new guys do your job for you’?” Jungkook remarked as I ignored him. This was about the fourth thing that he had said today just to get on my nerves, and I was sick of it. At this point I was just going to ignore what he said.

…

“You’re exhausting Jimin. He obviously needs a drink.”

“Jimin, you’re welcome to run and grab a drink if you’re ever feeling thirsty. I’m not going to stop you,” I turned to face the two of them as Jimin just nodded.

“Thanks… but I’m fine.”

I glanced at Jungkook with a smirk as he just pretended like nothing ever happened.

…

“Why do you want the two of us to take the trash alone?” Jungkook asked as I rubbed my forehead.

“I already showed you where the dumpster is. Just take the trash and I’ll finish cleaning the theater.”

“So just because we’re guys you want us to take the trash?” He asked as I just gave him a look of disbelief.

“Fine,” I took a deep breath and shoved my broom and dustpan into his hands, “I’ll go with Jimin and you stay and clean the theater. You better be done by the time we come back.”

Jungkook narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head, “Jimin’s a faster cleaner than I have been today. He should be the one to clean the theater.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming as I looked at Jimin. He was trying his hardest to not look at either one of us.

“Okay, have it your way,” I grabbed my broom and dustpan back, “the two of us are going to stay and clean while you go all by yourself to the dumpster. Good luck pushing three trash cans by yourself.”

I motioned for Jimin to come with me as he sent Jungkook and I an unsure look. I just felt a smirk on my face as I spun around and made my way into the theater.

“You should go with me miss holier than thou,” Jungkook called as I spun around to glare at him.

“Okay, that nickname is getting really old for one,” I took a few steps back toward Jungkook and I motioned for Jimin to continue into the theater, “and two, I’m staying here. Bye!”

“I’m not leaving this spot unless you come with me.” Jungkook smirked and leaned against the wall as I didn’t back down.

“I’ll tell our manager that you’re refusing to do your job,” I threatened as he just laughed and looked down at the floor for a couple seconds.

“And I’ll go right ahead and tell them how rude you’ve been to me,” he looked back up at me as my face turned red, “and I’ll tell them that you’re forcing me to do something I’m not ready to do alone just yet. What if I get lost on the way to the dumpster?”

“The building is not that big,” I mumbled as he just raised his eyebrows expectantly. “Why do you care if I go with you or not, anyway? You’re the one who made this more difficult than it had to be.”

“You either go with me or I go to the boss,” he winked and pushed himself off the wall. “I’m giving you five seconds to decided.”

“God, you’re insufferable,” I cried as I rubbed my eyes with my fingers, “fine! I’ll go with you. Jimin! We’ll be right back. Jungkook’s being a crybaby dependent today. I trust that you’ll do a good job on the theater.”

I started pushing one of the trash cans out the door, making it and effort to leave Jungkook to push two. “You just wasted valuable time, Jungkook. You’re pettiness is putting us behind. If any people are sitting in those theaters before we get a chance to clean them, it’ll be all on you.”

“Some people sitting in a theater that’s not clean isn’t the end of the world,” he remarked as I shook my head and glared behind me.

“It gives people the image of us being gross and they’ll think we have horrible time management. That leads to bad reviews online.”

“Then that’s corporate’s problem.”

I sighed and left the conversation there. I was tired to bickering all day with him. Just an hour until our shifts are over, and then lucky for me, I also get to see him at home! My life sucks.

...

Our shifts came to a slow and painful end as Jungkook tried his hardest to just clock out and rush off without having to face the wrath of me and what I would do outside the workplace. Lucky for me, one of the managers stopped him before he could flee so quickly, and I felt satisfaction flowing through my veins. I couldn’t wait to let him have it in the parking lot.

The walk out of the building was incredibly silent as I was waiting for all my words to be said outside, and I hoped Jungkook knew what was coming. I still couldn’t believe that he pulled something so incredibly stupid and infuriating.

“Are you out of your damn mind?!” I yelled the second we exited the building. Jungkook just sighed and shrugged, squinting because of the brightness of the sun, “Did you think this would be funny?”

“Well I wasn’t wrong to think that,” he smiled as I stopped in my tracks and frowned. “Your reaction was even better than I would have imagined.”

“I can’t believe you,” I shook my head and rushed past him, brushing my shoulder against his. As much as I wanted to let him have it, his conversations drained me too much. I could hear him rushing to catch up to me as I tried to just run off to my car.

“What’s the big deal?” he asked as he grabbed onto my arm to pull me to a stop. I whipped around and took one big and violent step his way, intensely staring him in the eyes.

“Just last week my life was nice and calm. I was waiting for my brother to come home for the summer and everything was going to be fun and awesome.” I started as I felt myself start to build tears up in my system. There was no need to be that dramatic…

“Then in walks this guy who thinks so highly of himself that he won’t admit when he’s done something wrong. He takes over my home with this dumb junkfood and his expensive furniture, only to then infiltrate my workplace! I can’t even look at you right now without wanting to punch the life out of you.”

I spun around and rushed off to my car once more, and once again he followed behind me.

“I didn’t know you hated me so much,” he spoke as he grabbed my wrist and once again turned me around to face him, “and quite honestly, I don’t think I’ve done anything horrible enough for you to hate me to the degree that you do.”

“You say that like the hate isn’t mutual,” I remarked as he shook his head.

“I think you are quite honestly one of the worst human beings I’ve had to come in contact with,” he glared as his mood shifted and he went from fairly calm to very angry. “You’re so selfish and narrow minded! You had me pegged as a bad guy the second I walked in your door. You think the world revolves around you, and guess what miss holier than thou? You’re just another bitch to me.”

He shoved past me as I took a few deep breaths to try and calm down. What was his problem? Trying to pin me to be the bad guy… I’m not the bad guy…

A/N: ahhhH. That is all I have to say. (OH, and thanks for reading!)

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theycallmebeccawrites · 5 years ago

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Chris & Ellie Series: Episode 17

Hello my lovelies! I hope you are all doing well. This chapter took me awhile to write, but at last, it is finished and I’m not sharing it with y’all. This chapter would not have happened without four important people in my life: @nomadicpixel @mycapt-ohcapt @heather-lynn (thanks for the title, yo!) and @alievans007. They constantly encourage me and sometimes give me a kick in the butt when I need it.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Ellie Spencer (OFC)

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: language

Episode Summary: This episode takes place in March 2014, specifically the week of the Los Angeles premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

This episode can also be read on AO3.

The Chris and Ellie series is primarily chronological. It begins with a flash forward to 2016 and has a few other scenes in the future. However, the majority of their story is told in chronological order starting in 2013 and going through 2017. Each episode starts with a date to help you place it within the story.

The Chris & Ellie Series Masterlist | Chris & Ellie Masterlist

Episode 16.5

Episode 17: Unofficial Plus One

March 2014

Chris was unusually quiet and reserved during the first two days he was back from his seclusion. Ellie would have worried about it if he hadn't spoken to her candidly about similar situations in the past. He'd explained that sometimes in order to process everything going on around him, or even within his own brain, he needed to take a step back and distance himself from the situation, even if only mentally.

Knowing that how his brother could be, Scott, had assured her on the morning of the third day that Chris would snap out of it soon and be as good as new.

Sure enough, that afternoon, Ellie was in the office finishing up a video chat with a prospective new author when Chris appeared in the doorway. She gave him a smile before she redirected her attention to the person she was talking to. From the corner of her eye, she saw Chris taking in the changes she'd made to the room; namely the fact that she had stolen one of the arm chairs from his bedroom.

After saying goodbye, Ellie closed the chat window and then turned her attention to him. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied before nodding his head towards the chair. "That looks good in here."

"You said I could make it my own," she replied with a small shrug. "And this room gets amazing afternoon light and I can only sit in this computer chair for so long. Not to mention the chair was free and easy to move." Chris raised his eyebrow at the idea that she'd moved the chair by herself. "Ok, so I might have bribed your brother to help me."

"That's more like it," Chris said with a chuckle before turning serious. "Sorry I've been in a -"

"You don't need to apologize," she quickly cut him off. "You warned me that sometimes you need your space and I get it. I'm the exact same way, especially after I've been at the coast with my family and all of us in a very small space."

A small smile spread across his face and Ellie couldn't help but get out of the computer chair and go to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. His arms closed around her and he held her close to him.

The fact of the matter was, even after spending two weeks alone with his thoughts, Chris still wasn't sure what the future held for himself and Ellie. Until he knew that, he couldn't make a commitment to her. He'd spent the last two days keeping himself away from her in hopes that the answer would magically come to him, but the only thing he'd figured out was that he missed spending time with her. That, in itself, was an answer of sorts. He figured that, for now, it was answer enough.

While Chris had been away, Ellie had worked with his mom to figure out just how many people could logically stay in the house when his family and friends came to Los Angeles for the premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Logically, they knew that there was a limit, but Chris was notorious for telling anyone who asked that they could stay at the house. With help from his management company, they had located a couple of houses nearby to rent for the week, in order to lessen the number of people sleeping on the floor or sharing beds.

Even with the additional housing, they'd known that there were people that Chris absolutely wouldn't let stay anywhere else. Which was why Ellie would be sharing her guesthouse with Shanna. His mom would take one of the guestrooms, Chris's friend Tara and her husband would take the other guestroom, and his sister Carly and her family would take Chris's bedroom. Which left Chris and Scott on air mattresses in the office and numerous other people camped out on couches and air mattresses on the main floor of the house and in the basement.

With Chris seemingly back to normal and knowing that a lot of people were coming for the premiere, Chris and Ellie spent as much time as they could together during the week that followed. With Scott making himself thoughtfully scarce despite still living with them, they had their sexy times, but spent most of their time together clothed and out of the bedroom. With projects on both of their radars, movies for him and editing for her, they often sat quietly together working and, occasionally, taking makeout breaks before returning to their tasks.

It was after one of these makeout sessions that Chris asked Ellie if she wanted to go to the premiere. He'd been trying to figure out how to ask her since he'd gotten back, but hadn't been sure how to address it. They'd already agreed, before he'd gone on his trip, that they weren't ready to let everyone know they were together, but he wanted her to be there if only as a friend. Going with that notion, he didn't let her say no before he said:

"I want you to be there. At the end of the day, you're one of my friends and it would be weird for you to miss it," he explained. "You wouldn't have to walk the red carpet or even be seen with myself or my family. I would send you and your friend with my former roommates and their wives, safety in numbers, right?"

"How can I say no to such a well thought out request like that?" she replied with a smile. She had secretly been hoping that he would invite her, but she hadn't wanted to press the issue so early on in their relationship. She was relieved that she wouldn't have to walk the red carpet with him, something that she hadn't even thought of when she'd been mentally preparing herself for the event. She'd already scheduled the day off at the bookstore, just in case, and now all she had to do was figure out what to wear. "So, what does one wear to a premiere?"

"Something dressy that won't keep you from dancing at the after party?" he suggested with a shrug.

"The after party? Isn't that where you guys go to let your hair down and get drunk away from the public eye?" she teased, tilting her head. In all honesty, she had no clue what happened at any Hollywood parties.

"And visit with our family and friends that get the invite to said party. We can talk about it more later, if you want to," he replied, his voice trailing off as his eyes dropped to her still swollen lips. In a lower tone, he said, "but right now, I think I'm done working for the night."

Ellie gave him a knowing look before she pushed him back against the couch cushions and pressed her lips against his. They had worked enough for tonight.

Eventually, they made it to the guest house for one last night together before everyone started to arrive. Chris stayed with Ellie for a while after, but when the alarm went off on his phone, he kissed her forehead and got up. He pulled on his boxers and gathered his clothes before making his way back to the big house and his bedroom. His mom and his best friend Tara would be arriving sometime before noon and he didn't want to risk being caught in Ellie's bed or be seen sneaking back to his own.

----

Ellie chewed on the end of her pen as she studied the rough arrival notes for Chris's family and friends. His mom and his friend Tara were due to arrive at any time. The rest of his family was arriving tomorrow and most of his friends, including Tara's husband, would be here on Monday, which was the night they'd planned a large get together at the house.

Flipping to that page in her notebook, Ellie quickly counted the number of guests, again. It was up to fifty people now, after the text she'd gotten from Chris's mom last night. The good news was that she and Tanya Kelley, the wife of Chris's friend who had catered the Super Bowl party, had counted on 75 people being at the party so their numbers were still ok.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up to find Scott in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Mom and Tara just got here," he told her. "Come on."

Setting her pen down, Ellie took a moment to adjust her clothes and her hair before she followed Scott at a much slower pace. She had heard all about Tara from Chris and Scott and was nervous about what the woman would think of her. She knew she was special to Chris, but she also knew that Chris considered Tara his best friend and Scott held the woman in a similar esteem.

By the time Ellie got to the front door, Chris and Scott were pulling suitcases out of the hired car while their mom and Tara, she assumed, made their way to the house.

"There you are, Ellie!" Lisa Evans exclaimed with a smile as they entered the house.

Ellie returned the smile and gave the woman a hug. There was something about Lisa's embrace that put Ellie at ease and she felt her anxiety over Tara vanish almost immediately.

Upon letting go of Ellie, Lisa seemed to recall that she and Tara didn't know each other. She made the introductions as Chris and Scott came into the house with the suitcases.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Tara said, shaking Ellie's hand. "I've heard so much about you."

"It's nice to meet you as well," Ellie replied. "Chris and Scott both rave about you."

"I wouldn't believe half of what those two say," Tara muttered conspiratorially and Ellie couldn't help but laugh as the brothers protested.

"I've learned that," Ellie said with a sidelong glance at Chris as he and Scott carried the suitcases up the stairs. "Full of hot air the both of them."

Tara snickered beside her.

"I can see you two are going to get along just fine," Lisa said with a smile. "Just don't be too mean to my boys. Sensitive egos and all that."

"MA!" Chris and Scott shouted from upstairs.

Still giggling, Ellie led Lisa and Tara into the kitchen and brought them up to speed on the arrival plans and the catered dinner.

"We've been doing events like this for years and it has never been this easy," Lisa said, shaking her head in amazement. "And it's all because of you."

Ellie felt her face flush, but shrugged off the comment. "You gave me all the information and I just made it happen," she replied as she heard the alarm go off on her phone. "I've gotta go to work. I'll see you guys later."

"You're going to dinner with us, right?" Tara asked.

"No, I won't get off work in time," Ellie replied as she grabbed her purse. "I'll grab something on my way home." She passed Scott as he came into the kitchen and found Chris waiting for her by the front door.

"Have a good day," he said with a smile.

"Oh, Chris, I'm glad I caught you both," Tara's voice came from behind them before Ellie could reply to him, causing them to both turn. "We should get a to go meal for Ellie that way she doesn't have to stop on her way home."

"It's not a problem," Ellie said at the same time Chris said, "That's a good idea."

Ellie looked up at Chris and saw that he was giving her his 'I'm not backing down from this' look and sighed. "You know what I like," she said simply. Then she gave him and Tara a small wave before she slipped out the front door.

It took Chris a moment or two longer than it should have before he closed the front door, Tara noticed, and when he finally turned around, he blinked in a manner that suggested that he had forgotten she was standing behind him. Curiosity peaked, Tara made a mental note to watch the two of them while she was in town.

----

For Ellie, the majority of Sunday was spent going between Chris's house and the two rental houses. First thing in the morning, she, Tara and Lisa went to the other houses to make sure that everything was ready for company. Then they went to the grocery store to stock up on the basics for the people that were staying in those places. Chris's dad's family would be staying in the smaller of the two rentals while his friends with kids and their wives would be staying in the second.

Once the other houses were good to go, they returned to Chris's house to act as the official welcoming committee and direct people to where they were staying. For those staying at the other two houses, they were shuttled there, while those who were staying at Chris's house were assigned a spot to put their luggage.

With so many people coming and going, Ellie had planned an easy taco bar style dinner. It meant that people could fix themselves whatever they wanted and heat it up as they so desired.

"You're used to big groups coming and going?" Tara said conversationally as she helped Ellie replenish the empty containers.

"Definitely," Ellie replied and then found herself unable to not explain. "I've got three sisters, but my parents each have four siblings. And my dad is really close with his cousins and their kids. We spend a week in August at the coast together. We used to be able to fit in the cabins my grandparents and my grandma's sister purchased in the 1970s, but we've outgrown them and have to rent additional cabins to have enough places to sleep. But even then, there are usually five or six tents set up for people to sleep in."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Tara said. "So tomorrow shouldn't phase you at all then?"

"Honestly, I'm a little nervous about tomorrow," Ellie confessed as she glanced towards the dining room that was full of people. "I've met a lot of people today and I know I didn't get all their names and I know more people are coming to the party tomorrow night and -"

"Relax," Tara said with a smile. "We'll be here and so will Chris's buddies, the Frat Boys."

"The Frat Boys?" Ellie asked, confused. "You mean his old roommates?"

"One and the same," Tara replied with a grin. "You've met them, right?"

"Yes I have," Ellie said with a nod. "Many times. I've gotten some fun stories from them…"

"I have even more," Tara said with a grin as she saw Chris come into the room with his brother.

Chris froze as he saw the smirk on Tara's face and then an amused smile on Ellie's. He glanced at his brother who just grinned wickedly before continuing into the room. "What's going on?" he asked Ellie.

"Nothing," she replied with an all too innocently look.

Turning his attention to Tara, he leveled her a menacing look and said, "No storytelling."

"You ruin all my fun," Tara pouted as she crossed her arms.

"Someone has to," Chris replied before winking at Ellie. Hearing his name called from the other room, he nodded at both women and then walked away.

After making sure Tara was busy, Ellie let her eyes follow Chris as he headed towards the dining room. He was wearing her favorite pair of jeans and she didn't think it was on accident. He knew exactly what she thought of those jeans and the way they hugged his ass.

Next to her, Tara cleared her throat and asked, "Are there more taco shells?"

"Taco shells?" Ellie repeated confused at first. Then her mind snapped back into place and she nodded. "In the cupboard next to the fridge. Second shelf."

Ellie was practically dead on her feet by the time she retired to the guesthouse for the night around 10. She'd stuck around for an hour to play charades with the others, but the craziness of the day had caught up to her eventually and she had made her excuses.

By the time Ellie was out of the shower, Shanna had come to the guest house and Ellie helped her blow up the air mattress she was sleeping on. Then, while Shanna showered, Ellie got into bed and read while she waited for Shanna to come back out and turn out the lights.

Hearing her phone ding from an incoming text, Ellie grabbed her phone and smiled when she saw she had a message from Chris:

Set an alarm for 5:45

Her smile fell from her face as she read his message and she replied:

As in the morning?!

Chris replied immediately:

Yes. I want to see you before I leave for the day.

Just come outside the guesthouse and I'll meet you there.

I promise it will be worth your time.

Ellie couldn't help but smile at his rapid fire responses.

I'll be the judge of that, but yes, I'll set an alarm.

Chris's final reply was a thumbs up emoji and a simple "see you in the morning."

----

At 5:45 the next morning, Ellie was cursing Chris under her breath as she forced herself out of her bed.

"What's going on?" Shanna mumbled from the air mattress she was sleeping on.

"I've got to let Daisy out," Ellie replied. "Go back to sleep."

Shanna mumbled something but promptly rolled over and went back to sleep.

Confident that Shanna wouldn't check to see if Daisy was there or not, Ellie left the sleeping dog on the bed and pulled on the sweatpants, sweatshirt and flip flops that she had set out after getting Chris's text. She carefully made her way past Chris's sleeping sister and let herself out the door, closing it quietly behind her.

When she turned, Chris was making his way towards her with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Is that for me?" she asked.

"I told you I'd make it worth your time," he replied as he held the steaming cup out to her.

She took a sip and sighed contently. He'd doctored it just the way she liked it, which was way sweeter than he liked it.

"Is it worth your while yet?" he asked as he took the cup when she offered it back to him.

"Not quite," she replied, letting her voice trail off. She wanted to suggest a good morning kiss, but they could be caught at any moment. And then she remembered that it was 5:45 in the morning and no one in their right mind would be up yet.

Her eyes met his and he gave his head a slight nod before he leaned in to kiss her.

Though she could smell trace amounts of coffee and something that smelled like maple syrup on him, he tasted minty fresh. She rose to her tiptoes as she held onto him, wanting the kiss to continue, but knowing it couldn't.

It was a text from the car service that brought the kiss to an end, a moment later.

"Fuck, I've gotta go," he grumbled. "I'll see you tonight." He gave her another short peck on the lips before he turned, coffee cup in hand, and made his way back to the big house.

Ellie watched him until he disappeared from sight and then quietly slipped back into the guesthouse. She made her way back to bed and slipped back under the covers after kicking off her shoes. Closing her eyes, she fell back to sleep with the feeling of Chris's lips still against hers.

With Chris's mom taking care of breakfast and getting people out the door for various activities, Ellie slept in until eight when Daisy's whimpering woke her up.

As she let the dog outside, she noticed that Shanna was already up and gone. It wasn't until she and Daisy made their way to the big house for breakfast that she recalled Scott mentioning that they were going to Disneyland today with some of their dad's family. Many of Chris's guests had opted to do the typical touristy things during the days leading up to Thursday's premiere, which meant the house was nearly empty.

Arriving in the kitchen, Ellie filled Daisy's water and food bowls and then fixed herself a bowl of cereal. She was almost finished with it when Lisa and Tara came into the room.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Lisa said with a smile. "Chris told me last night that you're coming with us to the premiere."

"He invited me Friday night," Ellie replied after swallowing the last bite. "My cousin Phoenix and I will be going with the Frat Boys and their wives."

"That will be a fun group," Tara said with a grin. "Chris also mentioned that you had never been to a premiere and that you weren't sure what to wear to it."

"I've got some stuff but nothing that seems right for a movie premiere," Ellie confirmed.

"Come shopping with us then," Tara told her. "There's nothing for us to do here until this afternoon when the party rental place gets here with the extra tables and chairs."

"Alright," Ellie replied since she didn't have a good reason to say no. Tara was right, there was nothing to do but sit around and wait.

Five hours later, she was thankful to be back home. With Tara and Lisa's help, she'd found a simple, black cocktail dress to wear to the premiere with a pair of teal heels to wear with it. It had taken them four hours to do their shopping, with both Lisa and Tara finding dresses to wear as well, and then Lisa had treated them to lunch.

After depositing her outfit in the guesthouse, Ellie switched into party setup mode. The weather was in the 70s which meant that everyone from the east coast would likely want to sit outside while everyone from California would likely want to sit inside where it was warm. There would be mingling between the two groups, Ellie knew, but it made it easier to arrange the rented tables and chairs on the decks and grass in the backyard. By the time Tanya arrived with her catering staff, everything was ready to go and Ellie gladly let them take over the kitchen.

With Chris due back around seven, people started returning to the house around six and other people started to arrive around 6:30. Ellie was talking to one of Chris's many cousins when she felt her gaze pulled towards the front door where Chris had just entered. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him, but dimmed briefly when she saw his face shift as he tried to hide how tired he was from a day of dealing with press.

The decision to throw the party tonight or another night had been heavily debated, but the decision had been Chris's ultimately. He'd reasoned that he was going to be exhausted by Thursday and that it was better to have the party earlier in the week than later because of how drained he would be.

As she watched him greet friends that had come to the party, she spotted his mom making her way towards him with a hot cup of tea. After a long day of talking to reporters, she knew that was exactly what his strained voice would need before spending an evening talking to family and friends.

Across the room, Chris gladly accepted the cup of tea from his mom and gave her a one armed hug in thanks. He took a sip of the hot liquid and felt its soothing embrace as it slid down the back of his throat. Seeing that his friend had started a conversation with someone else, he took a moment to survey the group that had gathered. Then he felt his stomach flip at the sight of his younger sister leading their dad towards Ellie. He watched with a twinge of jealousy as Shanna introduced the two, wishing that he could be the one to introduce them.

Sighing, Chris looked away from them and found Tara looking at him with an odd expression on her face. He gave her a questioning look in response and she just shook her head and smiled, playing off the look as nothing. She then nodded her head towards the kitchen and mouthed that dinner was ready.

With a nod, Chris turned back towards the group and whistled loudly. There were chuckles as the crowd both inside and outside, on the patio off the living room, quieted.

"Before we eat, I just want to thank you all for coming and give an extra thank you to Ellie, Tanya, my mom and Tara for making this party happen. Now, Ellie is going to tell us how to go about getting food," he said loudly.

Ellie blinked in surprise at being singled out, but recovered quickly. "There are two buffet stations setup, one in the formal dining room and one outside by the pool deck. There is a lot of food, so please eat as much as you want so we don't have a lot of leftovers to try and fit into the fridge." That comment got her several chuckles. "And with that, go get yourself some food and find a place to visit."

In the end, they still had a lot of food leftover. Even after sending food to the other houses and home with people who lived in the Los Angeles area. It all worked out, however, because it meant that people could reheat the leftovers on Tuesday and Wednesday as they desired.

Unlike Monday, the next two days were pretty low key. Most of the guests spent the day out exploring and very few people who weren't staying at the house came over in the evening when Chris returned from his press duties.

Despite how tired he was both nights, Chris hadn't been able to turn down the invitation to play games with his family members and they had all badgered Ellie until she'd agreed to play, too. When it was all said and done, Ellie had to admit she'd had a great time playing the games even though it made her a little homesick as Chris's family reminded her so much of her own.

----

The morning of the premiere started much like the days before. Chris left the house early to take care of promotional stuff and everyone had breakfast at the house before leaving for whatever they had planned for the morning and early afternoon.

Ellie had planned on spending the morning relaxing before getting ready for the premiere in the afternoon, but a text from Chris changed all that.

Scheduled a surprise for you. Be showered and in the big house by noon.

He didn't reply to her attempts to get more information from him, so she went up to the big house in hopes someone else could shed some light onto the situation. She found Chris's mom, sisters and Tara in the kitchen discussing similar texts they'd all received from Chris, too, and they were all as lost as she was.

In the end, it wasn't until noon when a hair and makeup team showed up at the house, that they finally found out what Chris had planned for them. A few hours of pampering before the premiere. He'd thrown in one additional surprise for Ellie though, in the form of Gus, the hair stylist from Ray and Kady's wedding the summer before.

Much like their first interaction, Gus took one look at Ellie's hair and let out a long breath. "We've got some work to do," he said.

In no time at all, the kitchen and breakfast nook were converted to a makeshift salon with hair, makeup, pedicure and manicure stations setup to take care of them all while they sipped mimosas. And, three hours later, all five ladies were ready for the premiere, save for being in their outfits for the occasion.

Shanna and Ellie went down to the guesthouse and quickly realized that they needed each other's help to get changed without messing up their hair or makeup. After a lot of cursing and nearly pissing themselves with laughter, they finally managed to get out of their street clothes and into their outfits for the premiere before making their way back to the big house. As Lisa had instructed the night before, everyone going to the premiere was gathering in the living room while they waited for the hired cars to arrive.

Ellie's cousin Phoenix arrived a few minutes before the limo and the party bus. The limo was for Chris's mom, sisters, Tara and anyone else who was walking the red carpet with him. Ellie, Phoenix and the other guests would be riding in the party bus that would drop them off away from the red carpet entrance and they'd entered behind the scenes.

As it was her and Phoenix's first time at a movie premiere, they followed the others off the bus and got into line with the other people waiting to get into the theater via the private entrance. The line was hidden from the view of the fans and press that had gathered around the red carpet, but they could still hear the screams.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto," Phoenix said, raising her voice to be heard.

"I haven't heard a crowd like this since I saw Hanson in concert as a teenager," Ellie said with a laugh.

"Ah the memories," Phoenix said with a sigh.

It wasn't until the cousins had made it to their reserved seats within the large auditorium that they found Chris's former roommates and their wives. They visited as they waited for the rest of the audience to come in and for the event to start.

The cast, director and Marvel executives were the last to come in and there were a couple of speeches before the movie started. There was an excited cheer as the room darkened and the movie began to play.

Ellie had worried that she would just see Chris on the screen, but she quickly lost herself in the movie and forgot that Captain America was played by Chris. She felt like she was on the edge of her seat as the plot twisted and turned in unexpected ways. There was an audible gasp from the audience as the Winter Soldier’s true identity was revealed for the first time. They all knew that he was Bucky Barnes, of course, but knowing and seeing it play out on the big screen were two very different things.

The audience cheered and applauded as the end credits began to roll. No one got up to leave, however, and as everyone waited for the credit scenes, the applause died away. In its absence, Ellie could hear people murmuring about what the collapse of SHIELD meant for the successful TV show and how it would affect the storyline.

Once the credits had finished, there were a few more speeches before the celebrities were escorted from the auditorium ahead of everyone else. Then the ushers let each section out a couple at a time, so there wasn’t a mad rush for the doors.

Ellie and Phoenix stuck with Chris's friends as they made their way across the street to the after party at the Hard Rock Cafe. They grabbed food and drinks on their way inside and then found a table that was large enough for their group, even resorting to stealing a couple chairs from a nearby table to make it possible.

Chucky was telling them all about the Captain America: The First Avenger premiere when Chris finally made his appearance after taking care of additional press and photo ops. He playfully slugged Chucky in the side for the story before accepting a hug from his friend and everyone else at the table. During the exchanges, the chair next to Ellie became available and he took it, giving a nod of thanks to Tanya, who was now perched on her husband's lap.

"The movie was really good," Ellie told him with a smile. "Really good."

"Thanks," Chris replied with a slight flush to his cheeks that only deepened as his asshole friends gave him similar but sarcastic comments as well. He knew it was all in fun and, not wanting Ellie to feel awkward, he bumped her knee with his under the table and gave her a reassuring smile when she glanced in his direction.

Chris sat with them for a few more minutes before he forced himself to get up and move about the room to visit his other guests. Despite that, he found himself looking in Ellie's direction every so often and, occasionally, she was looking back at him. He wanted nothing more than to return to the table and hang out with her, but he knew he couldn't.

After being at the party for a couple hours, Ellie and Phoenix decided it was time to leave. They said goodbye to Chris's friends before making their way over to Chris's mom's table to see if any of the other guests, who had stayed for the after party, were ready to go back to the house, but none of them were.

They were making their way to the exit when they bumped into Chris talking to a couple of his co-stars.

"Are you guys leaving?" Chris asked, after introducing them to Anthony Mackie and Scarlett Johansson,

"Yeah, it's been a long day," Ellie replied with a nod.

"Well thanks for coming tonight," Chris said. He gave Ellie a hug and then gave Phoenix one as well. "Do you guys need a car to get home?"

"We ordered an Uber," Ellie replied and had to fight back the grin when she saw Chris's jaw twitch. She wasn't sure what he had against her using Uber, but it amused her to no end.

"Congrats on the movie, Chris," Phoenix said, stepping in to diffuse the tension. "I think it's going to be a massive hit."

"It was nice to meet you both," Ellie said to Anthony and Scarlett. "See you later, Chris."

Then she and Phoenix made their way out of the restaurant and down the street to where their Uber driver was scheduled to pick them up. The driver took Phoenix home first and then took Ellie to Chris's house. It wasn't until she was in the guest house that she sent Chris a text saying that she had gotten home safely.

----

It was after two in the morning and, even though he'd been up late every night that week and had had jam packed days, Chris was too wired to sleep. He briefly considered texting Ellie and asking her to come outside, but that would only raise questions he wasn't ready to answer yet and there wasn't anywhere to go where they could be alone. So, instead, he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and went out to sit on the deck.

He'd only been out there for a few minutes, when he heard the door open behind him and, looking over his shoulder, saw Tara closing the door behind her as she came outside.

"Am I really that predictable?" he asked as he patted the spot next to him on the outdoor couch.

"Yes," his best friend replied as she sat down. "The movie was great, Chris."

"Thanks," he said, bashfully. There was something about getting praise for his work from his close family and friends that made him feel a bit shy and awkward.

Tara chuckled next to him and took the opportunity to steal his beer. She took a quick sip of it and then gave it back to him. She waited until after he'd taken a sip to say, "So Ellie?"

She smirked when she saw his body go rigid and knew she'd been right about the glances she had witnessed between the two when they thought no one else was looking. She had to hand it to them, they had been very sly about it, but having known Chris as long and as well as she did, it hadn't been hard to figure out. Realizing that he was still on edge, she finally let him out of his misery. "Relax, I like her."

At her words, Chris did relax to some degree, but he still seemed on edge.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked, cautiously.

"Only to someone who knows you really well," she replied with an arm on his shoulder. "I really do like her. She's not like the ones you usually date."

"She's not," he agreed though his mind was still whirling over Tara's words. If she had figured it out then his mom probably had, too. Clearing his throat, he casually asked, "Do you think mom knows?"

His best friend snickered into the back of her hand, clearly enjoying his discomfort. He glared at her, momentarily forgetting they were sitting outside in the dark and that his glare wasn't effective if she couldn't see it.

"Honestly, I don't know, we haven't discussed it," she replied though they both knew the topic would come up eventually. "Your mom isn't dumb and she knows both you and Ellie. I'm sure she has an inkling that something is happening, but you and I both know she won't say something to either of you until you or Ellie tell her that something is going on."

Chris nodded his head, knowing that she was right. His mom had always been the type that would wait for you to confess your sins and/or share news before she spoke to you about it, even if she knew what had happened before you told her. And she always seemed to know, especially when he'd done something bad.

After downing the rest of his beer, Chris rolled the empty bottle between his hands. He knew he should tell his mom what was going on with him and Ellie, especially if she already suspected something was up. But telling his mom would change her relationship with Ellie and he knew that Ellie valued his mom's friendship just as much as his mom valued it. Not to mention the added pressure that came with telling your family you're dating someone and the expectations that naturally arose from such an announcement. Adding all of that to the fact that he still wasn't sure about things made it even more complicated.

"You don't have to decide or do anything tonight," Tara's voice interrupted his thoughts. She squeezed his shoulder as she stood up. "It's late and I know you have a flight tomorrow. A long flight with lots of time to overthink it all a million times. Go to bed. It's going to be a madhouse around here tomorrow with most of us leaving."

Somewhat reluctantly, he followed her into the house and made his way up to the office where his empty air mattress awaited him. As did the loud snores coming from a couple of his buddies. He shook his head as he crawled into his sleeping bag. Maybe next time he'd insist on sleeping in a real bed after his premiere and maybe not by himself.

Episode 18

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