#that no one told me about. or that it was edited from something. whattt the fuck

[merevide]

confession i’ve been seeing this damn screenshot EVERYWHERE and every time i saw it i went ‘omg i can’t remember this scene did they cut it did they delete it. where is this from’ and i just remembered. 

[ronearoundblindly]

Whattt I just read the Mr and Mrs Smith thing and I loved it it was so frkn good!! love the movie too . It made me think of Tony and Peppers dynamic so if you'll like an au could we get the girl Friday thing where Stevie is more of an idiot than usual, they are pretty smart as individuals but they both share one brain cell when they're together still she puts out all his fires I think it'll be nice to have someone do that for Steve as opposed to Steve always doing that for ppl.

CEO!Steve x assistant!reader (see series)

This got way longer than I intended, but it took everything in me to minimize this to a one-shot (well that f***ing escalated! It's a three-parter now). 😂 Warnings for zero editing and drinking. Non-powered, modern AU btw. This part is ~2.5k

Eighty-Third Time's the Charm (1 of 3 yeah, yeah, it's 4 + a 5pt follow up now, haha, joke's on me): WORK

Steve’s been the logistic coordinator for Stark Industries since Tony took over for Howard. Howard hired Steve to acquire and transport materials for his early projects, and Steve’s own business grew from there. He now handles most of the further distributors for Stark Tech across the globe, and you’re his secretary.

Assistant.

Right hand.

Ok, well, maybe both of Steve’s hands and his mouth because his brain is already doing ninety things at any given moment. He needs a lot of help, and that takes time. Unreasonably lengthy amounts of time that can (and do frequently) span more than the average working and waking day.

You’re happy to do it. You love the work. It’s a challenge in quantity, not quality, and most of the men (because it is almost entirely men) who you deal with are happy to do as they are told when you smile and make them feel heard.

Really, the only challenge is to smile that much in person and on video calls. You never thought you’d be so excited to handle something by email every now and again.

Trip #83 with Steve Rogers takes you both three days overnight to a big city not far from where you grew up. You even have a few school friends who live in town, and you’ve made very tentative plans to see an old high school flame if the schedule permits, which it just barely seems to as the clock inches past 6:37.

Those 7 o’clock drinks can’t pour themselves fast enough.

In your hotel room, you’ve just shed the professional pant suit for light, breezy dress (something both easy to wear and easy to pack) and are in the process of typing out a confirmation of the restaurant when the call waiting comes up.

Steve.

“Hey, where is the contract for Sauters’?”

“We confirmed it all with them before the flight here, boss. Why—“

“I want the language changed to reflect payment before they take possession. They’re delinquent again. I’m not gonna allow them to keep profiting off of our efficiency while they sit with a thumb up their butts.”

“Sir, it really would be more impactful if you just said asses. I don’t think your mum is going to hunt you down for that.”

“Absolutely not. Ok, room 1512, bring the copy and patch in legal.”

“Wait, boss, I—“

The boop boop boop lets you know you’ve been hung up on, and you’re about to pass the feeling on to cute Jimmy from fourth period senior english. Damn. You rewrite the text and send your apologies.

Steve’s all in a flourish, head run amuck with little things to change here and there in the 26-page agreement. It all takes another three and a half hours. He had room service delivered, has poured you both a splash of something from the mini bar, and finally, finally sits down and looks at you.

“What is that,” he blurts.

It takes a moment to figure out what he means.

“A dress, sir. I…I was…I’d made plans for drinks with a friend.”

“Here?”

“I grew up about an hour away, yeah.”

He swirls his drink around, not admitting—though it’s painfully clear—that he had no idea you weren’t from New York. He looks at his watch for the first time all day.

“Ah, I suppose apologies are in order for…” He waits for his bait to catch.

“Jim,” you slowly add. “Don’t worry. I let him know the instant you called. I’ve met you. I knew how this would go.”

How much of this scotch did you sip all at once? You don’t normally talk to Steve—Mr. Rogers— like that, but he seems good and chastised for a moment, draining his tumblr in one go and returning to the bar.

“Well, I can’t replace Jim—“ he spikes the name with sharp tone you’ve never heard before “—but I can offer you a drink here.” His gaze, once it finds yours after dragging up your legs, is expectant and intent. It’s the first time he’s ever waited for an answer from you that he didn’t already know before asking.

It’s also the first time you aren’t quite sure you understand what Steve is asking. Eighty-three trips in and countless hours with the man, and this is the least prepared you’ve ever felt.

“Already had mine, sir.” You set your empty glass down on the small table between you. “We have a long day tomorrow, or rather, I do, but I’ll be sure to inform you when the Sauters are settled.”

It’s just instinct to smooth the front of your dress when you stand, but the rake of Steve’s eyes forced down you by the move completely throws you.

“I’m sorry you wasted an outfit,” he adds, quietly, too low and deep to not sharply flame a heat that sparks out of nowhere in your gut.

“Right.” You gather up your things. “No great loss. It’ll keep. If that’ll be all, boss?”

When your eyes return across the room, Steve’s standing there with an empty little bottle still tilted over his glass. He’s just staring, lost in thought about god-knows-what.

“Get some sleep,” he mutters absently.

“Of course.”

You pour your own drink from your room’s mini bar and take a long bath. You’ve been up since 5am in order to get you and Mr. Rogers to the airport in time. That’s what you blame your runaway thoughts on. You do everything for that man. You know practically everything about that man. You know that he hasn’t gone on any sort of social date in at least seven months (a fact even his mother calls to remind you of), and you know that Tony takes him out to gentleman’s clubs and has women serve them at all their joint business dealings.

You have literally sat beside Pepper Potts and joked about this while watching Tony get a lap dance and Steve chat up a waitress. Why your mind still entertains those thoughts after all you know is beyond human understanding, and after a day like today, you can hardly categorize yourself as human.

You need the rest for sure.

You’re already back on the phone by breakfast time, consuming strong tea and a croissant bite-by-bite while the American Capsules’ legal discusses the changes with SauterCorp’s legal.

Line-by-fucking-line.

You knew this would happen. It’s why you told them to start early. Of course, the team members you are on the phone with are different ones from last night because those folks worked late and are off work to make up for the overtime. You’re breathing in the smell of your drink with closed eyes like it’ll mainline the caffeine up your sinuses to your brain.

When you open your eyes, Steve’s pulling out the chair in front of you, ordering his own breakfast and motioning for a fresh pot of tea. He says nothing while you work.

Plates of food arrive and Steve reads the paper, glancing up every so often when you write a note to yourself about a follow-up after the call. After a while, he pushes a plate of scrambled eggs towards you and flips over a fork for you to take. He doesn’t take no for an answer, but since the call is finally wrapping up, you oblige and wolf down a few bites before typing out an email of your notes.

Steve asks a few questions of his own while refreshing both cups of tea and not bothering to offer sugar for yours. You…weren’t aware he knew that about you.

Until the car comes in an hour to get you to your next meeting, there’s nothing on the agenda, but you fully expect Steve to cram in a breakdown of the afternoon. Instead, he sips tea and folds the paper round and round until he’s done with all his interesting bits. You get to people watch, pedestrians outside the floor to ceiling windows of the hotel’s café bustling past in both directions.

Your attention is brought back when the table is cleared off, but Steve is no longer focused on the paper or the people. He sits and watches you again.

You smile as politely as you can even though you feel pinned down in the stare. “We better get going,” you advise, packing your things away.

Steve does put down his cup but doesn’t move otherwise.

“It’s your color.” He squints just slightly at his own revelation, relaxing back into his chair. “The dress.”

You have to swallow and clear your throat at that. “Yes, I suppose it’s one of my favorite colors.”

“It suits you.”

There’s no irony. Steve simply looks at you, blinks, looks some more, and it’s like you accidentally sat down naked in the lobby. His blue eyes are just that piercing.

“Thank you,” you say out of habit more than understanding and hurry on with the day.

It pours down rain for most of the afternoon, drenching your shoes as you traipse back and forth to the car with Steve. You have an umbrella, but nothing stops the puddles invading.

“I can’t do this,” you finally snap on the way back to the hotel. You’re on the verge of tears. The sides of your leather heels have rubbed the back of one ankle and the top outside of the other foot raw, almost/possibly bloody. It takes effort to peel them off your skin, and you hiss in pain.

Steve sits across the backseat completely horrified.

“I know, I’m so sorry. I’ll put them back on—“

Steve puts a hand out to stop you.

“Driver,” he calls, “is there a first aid kit back here? No, no, we just need a few bandaids.” The reassurance cuts off panic from the front, and after the click of the glove compartment sounds, a small box is offered through the window. Steve thanks him.

“I can do it, sir. Please don—“

That stare pins you again, and there’s dead silence in the back while your boss rips open a few wipes, cleans the blistered skin, dabs antibiotic ointment on the broken parts, and smooths the coverings overtop. You can’t help but notice how tender his touch is, but he’s just being thoughtful. It doesn’t mean anything.

As Steve returns to his seat (after it feels like a struggle to break eye contact), he gets a call.

His friend Bucky Barnes is in town, too, on a quick layover before a transatlantic flight and long business trip. The two don’t get to talk as much as they’d like, and you know they don’t see each other very often either.

“Of course, we’ll do dinner, Buck. Name the place.”

We will do what now?

You start waving your hands and miming towards your feet.

Steve eyes you a second. “No, right, I will meet you there in—driver, how long is it to Chinatown from the hotel? Yeah, so about an hour from now? Excellent.”

You might have interpreted that wrong. He meant ‘we’ as in him and Bucky, no doubt. In case he didn’t though…

“Shall I call and make reservations for you two?”

“He’s handling it. Traveling with a few associates who know the area and the restaurant.”

“It’s a good one. You can dress down there.”

Steve offers a ghost of a smile as he looks down at his layers of clothing, pondering. He glances at your bandaged feet and looks like he’ll say something before shucking off his coat, and then his suit jacket, and then his vest.

Without a word, you hold out your arm to take the unnecessaries back upstairs.

“You don’t have to,” Steve all but whispers.

He’s never questioned using your service. Ever. He tosses the clothes onto the back-facing seats across the car and undoes the first two buttons beneath his tie. The car stops at the entrance just as he pulls the tie loose.

Shoes in one hand, briefcase slung over your shoulder, you sigh loudly and hold out your hand again very close to his face.

Steve drapes the tie across your palm.

“Have a good dinner, sir.”

You collect the rest and walk in barefoot. You don’t look back.

Next Part Main Masterlist; Light Masterlist; Ko-Fi

Again, full disclosure: I have never seen the movie His Girl Friday. Just going off a synopsis and running away with it, but now that I've PLOTIFIED the whole damn thing, you're getting three cute-ass chapters *and you'll like it* bwahahahahaha

divider by @firefly-graphics

[refiningspacetime]

invertedDissident | Hadean

refiningSpacetime | Pheres

***

Hadean and Pheres are discussing Malili’s insinuations of on-going problems with his local circus. However, the topic shifts, leading to an ashen chicken gambit on Pheres’s part - and much more romantic introspection on the issue of Emerel than either he or Hadean really intended.

LOWBLOODS CHAT, BWIC:

RS: / ahh / RS: / would it be unkind / do you think / to pry further / ? / ID: hmmm. idk, what were you gonna pry about? RS: / what he did / mostly / I am sure it cannot be as bad as he is imagining / RS: / he is an adult / I wasn't aware there were many things he could not get away with / RS: / and it is easy enough to win highbloods over / they enjoy being well regarded / or feared / it's more useful than animosity / ID: idk. probs clown trouble. i'm sure there are things you can do in that ring that'll get you in trouble. ID: hmmm. idk. i make plenty of friends with animosity. ID: maybe you should try it sometime. =:P RS: / haha / and have everyone mistaking my ire as pitch flirting / ? / RS: / i do believe I have enough difficulties with my quadrants / without adding onto them / =:B /

ID: that's because everyone is gossipy idiots who don't realize that platonic animosity is totes a thing. ID: difficulties?

ID: ... ID: well, that's the problem with quads i guess. RS: / haha / yes / well / is it always platonic for you / ? / RS: / and / mm / RS: / I suppose it is fair to call them difficulties at this point / isn't it / ? / ID: that's just one of life's great mysteries, isn't it? =:P ID: i mean, you'd know best right? they're your quads. buttt. ID: what's up? =:? RS: / haha / RS: / I / may be reconsidering some of my decisions / from the past perigees / RS: / that is all / RS: / do you talk to Emerel often / ? / ID: oh. ID: uhhh not super often, not really. ID: seems a p busy guy these nights anyways. RS: / he is / RS: / if I can ask / has he mentioned Kit to you / ? / ID: uhhhh. nope. ID: why? =:? RS: / ah / RS: RS: / not at all / ? / really / ? / ID: idk how much you think em and i talk there pheres. we're not exactly... buds or anything. ID: so nah, no buntalk. RS: / I know very little about Emerel / so I don't know what to think about / anything / haha / RS: / thank you for humouring me / ID: oh. ID: yeah, well. seems like a problem of his i guess.

-- refiningSpacetime [RS] is now messaging invertedDissident [ID]! --

RS: / the reason I was asking is because / ah / RS: / / he is dating Kit / I don't know if he's ever mentioned that / ? / but he never really speaks of him / at all / RS: / to anyone / RS: / and that seems / / unkind / ? / ID: ...wait i thought he was dating that chick he was blathering about all over the chat room to you. RS: / in flush / he was carrying on with Kit in flush / and then they were in pale / because I asked him to get a moirail / RS: / and that was his solution / RS: / and / I am not very certain what is going on now / ID: yeahhh... that's. some shady shit. ID: he's fine talking about this chick but not kit i mean. ID: but uh. how involved in this stuff are you? ID: i mean. you and em have been split for a while now, but are still close. right. and you're close with kit? RS: / / ah / RS: / it is / mm / shady / then / ? / RS: / and / yes / Emerel wants us to get back together / if the hearts in public did not insinuate as much / or / ah / RS: / I am not certain he has ever seen this as us being / / split / RS: / I don't suppose he's mentioned me to you / ? / =:? / ID: on its own it might not be shady, but. if he's flinging info about this girl around at every opportunity and not a peep about kit, well. ID: a biittt weird. and insulting to kit. if i was kit i'd be p pissed. ID: and whattt. i thought those were platonic hearts. and 'babes'. ID: =:P ID: you come up. RS: / haha / RS: / well / that is something / at least / but if he is speaking of me / he ought to have been mentioning kit / RS: / kit is incensed / and I am close to Kit / yes / RS: / / I am not proposing any real questions to you / my apologies / =:) / but / you can see how my quadrants are proving / / difficult / right now / haha / ID: so i'm gonna lay down what i think is happening here. and you can just correct as needed. ID: em went off the tracks after... the faire. ID: enough that you wanted a break after things weren't improving with the tracks situation. and you wanted him to get a rail to help him. RS: / oh / he and Kit were / ah / dating / before that / RS: / but / I will let you finish / ID: ...kay. ID: they were flush dating? =:? ID: you said 'carrying on in flush' at least. RS: / mm / yes / there was a / / misunderstanding / and Emerel did not realise we were exclusive / RS: / or that Kit and I were close / RS: / so it seemed / ah / cruel / to tell him that it had to dissolve / ? / RS: RS: / this seemed more reasonable a few perigees ago / haha / RS: / they have been dating the entire time you've known him / so that is why I asked if he had mentioned him to you / ID: ...wow. ID: uh. i'm gonna be honest. and understand that i only see a very limited view and i'm sure there are plenty i know nothing about... ID: but i don't really know why you. keep dealing with emerel. ID: in any capacity. RS: ID: like... it just seems to be hurting you. and kit. which hurts you more. RS: / / that is rather what Kit was getting at / RS: / ah / not directly / he is not that sort of person / but / RS: / I suppose / that is what I was rather looking to find an answer for in all of this / haha / ID: can't set yourself on fire to keep others warm pheres. because you'll burn up and then that person is just as cold as they were before. RS: RS: / he is perfectly nice to me / the majority of the time / and he is charming / and funny / and he's never been deliberately unkind / RS: / but / I suppose that alone is not the / / best / reason for a quadrant / ? / RS: / especially given / Kit / ID: no. plenty of people are funny and nice and charming pheres. ID: if that was all it took for a quad, no one would die on drone day. ID: and... em has some issues. which is okay- lots of people have their problems. ID: but em refuses to acknowledge he has them. and that's less okay. RS: / haha / that's / / true enough / ID: and you've tried to push him towards the path of resolving them. and he's gotten kit hurt and a blue flushdate. ID: you don't... like... owe em anything pheres. ID: you don't owe him your pity. you were together. you wanted a break- which he seems to have a hard time even accepting as a break- ID: except when it means going on flush dates apparently- ID: i think you need to sit down and evaluate what you're getting out of this. ID: because from my seat, it doesn't seem like much other than frustration and pain. ID: and that's not what a quad is about. RS: / oh / ! / ah / they're pale / his new blueblood / as far as I know / ID: ...so he's just cheating on kit then. RS: / / mm / that is why Kit is upset / and it was more understandable with the two of us / given everything / but they are both /- blue -/(edited) RS: / but / you are right / you are just saying what / I have been thinking / I think / ID: whoa, whoa. ID: hold the page. ID: he doesn't get to cheat on you because you're maroon pheres. ID: is that why you stayed together even when he was dating kit on the side? RS: RS: / not particularly / ? / it just was a factor / he didn't realise we were exclusive / that is all / and Kit is / RS: / well / you've never met him / so you don't know / haha / but he's amazing / ID: so you two were- dating, at the very least. and he had to be told that hey, don't flush date other trolls? ID: he's not 2 pheres. it doesn't matter how amazing kit is. ID: how did you find out they were dating? RS: / ah / dating / for six perigees / so / not that long / ? / RS: / and I found out they had / mm / met / when Kit apologised for it / when he heard my matesprits name / RS: / / as I said / Kit is lovely / haha / he was a great deal more distraught than he needed to be / ID: ...so he was dating both you and kit. never thought to let either of you know about the other. for. perigees. RS: RS: / to be fair / he slept with kit / and then I found out a perigee or so later / he wasn't running a sham / RS: / I am making this sound dreadful / =:/ / ID: newsflash pheres- it sounds dreadful because it is. ID: would you have done that to em? gone out and slept with another troll, hide it until he found out about it? RS: RS: / haha / we both know the answer to that / ID: so why is it okay that he did? ID: because he's jade and kit is blue? RS: RS: / i see your point / there is no need to hammer it in / RS: / it was unkind of him / and inconsiderate / RS: / regardless of our respective hues / RS: / given the length of the courtship / ID: ...so uh. has your relationship had a lot of that? RS: / and I suppose I should evaluate RS: RS: / ? / ID: em doing things that hurt you and you just. taking it or forgiving him or brushing it aside? RS: / a lot of kit / ? / ID: until you finally couldn't anymore? RS: RS: RS: / i am not planning on reigniting our flush / I think / until he understands what he's doing better / it's not fair to kit / RS: / or to myself / =:/ / ID: no. no it definitely isn't. ID: from the sounds of it, it's never been fair. RS: RS: / hm / RS: / thank you for your input / ! / I did not intend for this whole conversation to turn into / / this / ID: well i think that makes two of us. ID: but. y'know. no problem. RS: / haha / my apologies / ID: sometimes it's hard to face things. especially when you care about someone. RS: / I will try not to do it again / and spare you / =:) / ID: pfff. i wasn't complaining, you're fine. =:P ID: i'm usually around if you ever need someone to try and talk sense to you. ID: keyword being try, btw. RS: / try seems a rather weak word / you do get awfully determined sometimes / RS: / but / thank you / I appreciate your help in this / and your insights / RS: / it is / ah / always good to have an external perspective / even if I do not necessarily appreciate it at the time / ID: what can i say? i'm stubborn. especially when it's important to be. ID: you're welcome. the truth can be a hard pill to swallow and all that. ID: and not liking it is p natural too. so. ID: ...good luck with everything. think it out, maybe talk it out with kit. ID: see what he's going to do too. RS: / I can appreciate the intentions in hindsight / =:) / RS: / and / haha / I have been talking to Kit / do not worry / I doubt I'd have considered there to be any issue / if he hadn't been upset in the first place / RS: / thank you / ! / but / ah / RS: / how are you / ? / ID: things usually are easier with some time between you and them. ID: ...and well. just because you didn't consider the upset didn't mean it wasn't still there. ID: i'm fine. as always. RS: / haha / as always / ? / ID: almost always. =:P RS: / where are you headed next / ? / ID: uhhh. scarabshell or something like that i think. RS: / oh / ! / that's near where I met my kismesis / but she doesn't live there anymore / RS: / / I should go speak to Kit / but / ah / I will message you later / ! / =:) / RS: / if you go to scarabshell / be sure to stop by the taverns / they have marvellous coffee / ID: gotcha. ID: good luck with kit. and em. ID: it'll. be hard, but it's... for your own good and also em's. RS: / ah / I will keep that in mind / RS: / thank you /

-- refiningSpacetime [RS] is no longer messaging invertedDissident [ID]! --