#they probably look into soundproofing the cells because of him specifically

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

Thinking about it, probably the most ridiculous part of Ruju constantly getting himself thrown in a Peacemaker cell is... He could literally just leave at any time. His air element shorts out circuitry without even TRYING. Disabling the force field would be child's play for him. And with what a handful he is, they'd probably consider that a great excuse to not deal with him anymore and just pretend not to notice.

But nope! He doesn't even attempt it. The guy just settles in and passes the time by heckling passing guards to see if he can get a reaction. (He usually doesn't)

[slamminslamminmcgill]

random thoughts... saul fingering you while hes on call with someone ... placing his hand tightly over your mouth to shut you up ... dhdjhejshrntg..f..g.. getting bent over that damn desk and him taking his tie off to choke you with it ...

>:333

combining w/ these

anatomical terms:

"We're sorry we missed you! Saul Goodman and Associates is out to lunch. Leave your name and phone number at the tone, and we will return your call before the end of the business day. Thank you!"

If anyone were to contact the office between 1-2PM, Monday-Friday, that's the message they would be greeted with. Guaranteed. That was when Saul took his lunch break. During that time, he'd eat out and get whatever he was craving: burgers, Mexican, Thai, you. That last one was his favorite.

You were laying down flat against his desk, legs dangling over the edge, with Saul nestled between them as he ate you out. Your hand grasped at strands of his thinning hair and guided his movements. He appreciated the help, but he didn't need it. He knew what he was doing, and what he was doing was a great job.

Hs firm hands and thin lips brought you up to the precipice of an orgasm. You begged for release in the soundproof office. "Saul... Saul, please... so... so close... God, fuck, please... Please!"

Surprisingly, the next thing you heard was not your own voice shrieking in ecstasy, but that of a telephone screeching for attention. You both froze in place, your climax shot down and reduced to rubble.

Saul pulled off of you and groaned, his mouth quite literally dripping wet. "Son of a bitch..." He stood up, brushed himself off, and leaned over you to hit the intercom button. "Francesca! What time is it?"

A flat, no-nonsense voice came through the other side. "2:04" was all it had to say.

"Oops! Sorry, lost track of time there. Thanks HT!"

"Don't call me tha-"

Click.

Saul silenced her dissent by releasing the button. He sat back in his chair and grabbed the ringing phone, one of many piled up in his drawer. Holding the cell in one hand, he beckoned you over and slapped his thigh with the other. A silent cue for you to take your seat.

You slid off the desk and propped yourself on his lap. He flipped the phone open and finagled it between his shoulder and his ear to keep both of his hands free. "Thank you for calling Saul Goodman! What can I do for ya?" He answered with perfect poise and nonchalance as he wrapped his arms around you and groped your chest.

The voice on the other end was frantic, low, and gravelly. You didn't hear specific words, just tone. Saul rolled his eyes as it spoke, lazily dragging one of his hands lower and lower, until it rested between your legs. "I see... That sounds very troubling." He answered with mock sympathy as he pressed his fingers inside you again.

You threw your head back and moaned, probably for a fraction of a second before Saul slapped his hand over your mouth. "Quiet. You just sit back, relax, and let me handle this, okay? I don't need your input."

The party on the other line must have heard something, because Saul's response was more anxious. "Oh! Nothing, nothing, don't worry. Now, let me check my schedule and I'll see where I can fit you in." He twisted and turned his fingers inside you, stretching you out, probably making sure you could fit him in. "Hm... looks like it's gonna be a tight squeeze..." He emphasized those words by pushing up into your g-spot and making your legs tremble, "...buuut I can get you in tomorrow at 4. Would that work for you, Walt?"

His voice stopped for a moment to let "Walt" speak; his fingers didn't do the same. Regardless of who "Walt" was and what he needed, it wasn't as important as this. At least, to you two it wasn't. "Walt" was shouting into the phone like he might burst a blood vessel.

Saul replied incredulously at the mysterious figure's behavior. "What?! Absolutely not! I have a waiting room packed full of clients who need to see me just as much as you do! I'm not your little callboy!" He leaned in close to whisper in your ear. "You on the other hand..."

He turned his attention back to the petulant voice shouting in his ear. "Y'know what? I'm done talking about this. Mr. White, I'll see you at 4PM tomorrow and not a moment sooner." He took his hand off your mouth to snap the flip phone shut.

"Sorry about that, sweetheart, now..." He pumped his fingers even faster, priming you for another release. "Let's get back to the task at hand."

[commander-diomika]

(Click to Read From the Beginning) Part 5 - Fandom: Rusty Quill Gaming Pairing: Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde, literal background Barnes/Carter Rating: Explicit Word Count: ~2500 Additional Tags: Slow Burn, 18-Month Time Gap (Rusty Quill Gaming), Opposites Attract, Masturbation, Accidental Voyeurism, Pining, oh there's yearning in this one lads,

Summary: With the quarantine cell still under construction, it's not quite as soundproof as it ought to be.

It was remarkably easy to keep busy in the business of saving the world. Wilde made it his mission to get to know every face in town, and in turn have them know him, and like him. He made friends easily, the locals charmed by this tall man with his fluent Japanese and endless supply of entertaining stories. For the sake of the job - not just his own lingering fear - he was meeting every person on the island and building a solid network of people who would let him know the moment a new face appeared. The wider his web, the less he found himself reaching for the scar on his face.

Zolf won people over not by charming them, but by helping them. The gruff dwarf at the inn became known as someone the locals could go to when someone fell and broke something, or to use magic to help Stone Shape the stumps of houses that were slipping into sodden earth.

He also worked on supply lines. Trade was still relatively lively, but he and Wilde were in the market for more esoteric items than bread and booze. They needed adamantine for the cell, they needed anti magic equipment, and it was certain Barnes and Carter were going to return having depleted the stock of healing potions they’d taken. Strangely enough there wasn't a steady supply of any of those items on the island.

As much as Zolf wouldn’t admit it, Wilde smoothed the way when it came to trading. He charmed the locals and when Zolf appeared with increasingly obscure demands, he was seen as a friend by association. Zolf knew he wouldn’t have achieved that so quickly.

They both oversaw changes to the inn. Many rooms were separated with nothing but thin paper walls on slides, making the whole space quite modular. Wilde sequestered one of the few solid, seemingly defensible rooms on the ground floor and turned it into an office-cum-sitting room. Before their gentle takeover it had probably been a private dining room for special, or at least rich, guests. Zolf took the time to install a proper bed frame in his room, since his legs made climbing down to the floor-level futon bedding difficult.

On another continent, sentient creatures went wrong, turned on their loved ones, fought, died. Cities were turned and abandoned, and storms ravaged places that had never seen more than a light drizzle. But even knowing that elsewhere things were coming apart at the seams, there was a touch of peace in their little corner of it. For a few weeks they slipped into a routine.

Zolf rose in the mornings before Wilde, wordlessly depositing a coffee in front of the bleary man when he appeared. In the evenings that Wilde wasn’t out liaising they took to Wilde’s sitting room and read, or drank, or talked. Frequently about the mission of course, but there was only so much hashing and rehashing they could do. When things got too heavy, or nothing had changed, topics wandered. Zolf’s stories from the navy. How Wilde became a journalist. Small things. Easy things when they both just needed to put it down for a while.

Wilde would never do something so gauche as ask for forgiveness, or understanding, but some days when he reported another success, it sounded like I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.

Some days when Zolf poured coffee into Wilde’s mug it looked like you don’t have to apologise.

And on the rare mornings when some watery sunshine peeked through the clouds, as Zolf practiced in the yard with his glaive, Wilde followed to idly spectate over the paper and his breakfast, and the action felt like I don’t know why but it’s easier to be around you than not.

Barnes and Carter returned in good enough spirits and got started on their isolation in the mostly-complete cell. As soon as they returned, Zolf felt himself get itchy for action and movement again. He couldn’t even scratch the itch by properly debriefing the returnees yet; the newest information from Curie posited a hive-mind connection between those infected by the blue veins. Still, this was just the way it had to be. Zolf tried to soothe his agitation. Things were just going to move slow for now. He only had to look at Wilde’s scar to help quiet any feelings of angst. A little bit of frustration was something he could cope with if it meant what befell Wilde never, ever happened again.

Four nights after Barnes and Carter returned, Zolf sat in front of the fire attempting to read the Dwarvish tome Wilde had picked up in Damascus. It wasn’t exactly riveting stuff, and his Dwarvish was rusty, but he promised he’d at least make a dent in it. Wilde came in fresh from the bath, his hair wet and wearing the yukata he’d been gifted by one of the locals. As he passed the back of Zolf’s chair, Wilde placed a hand on one of Zolf’s shoulders and leant over to inspect the page.

This close, Zolf could smell him. There was a soft, flowery note that Zolf couldn’t identify, probably whatever he washed his hair with. And then there was the warm, familiar smell of the man himself. Zolf kept his eyes on the page in front of him.

Pointing with his other hand, Wilde spoke. “This character here- the translation guide I was using didn’t even have it. Brought the whole lot to a screeching halt. How are you getting on with it?”

Zolf, nose full of Wilde’s scent and nearness, opened his mouth to reply. “I – er, it’s fine. It’s an older script but I can read it- don’ quite understand what they’re gettin’ at, but, er.” He looked over to Wilde’s face again, profile lined in firelight. His face was so close that Zolf could lean and place a kiss on the man’s unscarred cheek, if he chose.

Wilde glanced up from the book. Their eyes met for the briefest moment before Wilde straightened, letting go of Zolf’s shoulder with a small squeeze.

“Wonderful. Let me know if anything useful comes up, will you?”

Zolf simply grunted in reply, still feeling off-kilter. This wasn’t the first time Wilde had touched him like that. As Wilde started to settle into life at the inn, started to feel a little safer, some of that old comfort was returning. Zolf didn’t mind the touching. He got the feeling Wilde was lonely. He was probably used to a lot more physical contact than he was getting now. For all he had been ingratiating himself with the locals, it was clear as day Wilde couldn’t trust them. If Zolf was the only person Wilde could reach out to…

Zolf shook his head a little and tried to focus back on the text. Wilde collected his own evening reading material, some piece of Japanese fiction, and settled in the other chair. The silence, but for the ever-present sound of rain, was comfortable enough. Their new lot in life involved a lot of waiting, and they were both doing their best to try and make peace with that.

Time passed and Zolf, already struggling to focus on the dull history book, realised he’d read the same sentence three times over. Some essential part of his mind had shifted, noting a change in the soundscape. Previously, there had been nothing but the rain and slight crackle of fire, but now there was a new element in the mix.

Zolf stared blankly at the page, listening hard. It was… conversation? Perhaps, but the innkeeper and his wife had rooms all the way on the other side of the building, and Zolf couldn’t usually hear them. It was… the wind? No, for all it was raining, it was the usual dreary patter, no strong winds to explain the slow rhythm or hint of a moan in those sounds.

Zolf’s heart beat slowly. One, two, three… and suddenly he knew what he was hearing.

Zolf looked up from his book to see if Wilde had noticed. Obviously, whatever he was reading was much more riveting than Zolf’s dry historical facts, because he was still engrossed in his book. Despite his close attention to the pages, Wilde could sense Zolf’s regard. Without Zolf even clearing his throat, he looked up.

“What?” he asked mildly to Zolf’s raised eyebrows.

“You hear tha’?” Either it had gotten louder, or Zolf’s ears had adjusted to picking out rhythmic moans and whimpers.

Wilde slipped a finger in his book to mark his place, cocking his head. With his attention drawn, he contextualised the new sound quickly (much faster than Zolf) and his eyebrows started climbing. When the brows couldn’t get any higher, he straightened in his seat and placed a hand delicately on his chest in feigned shock. “Well, we didsay that Barnes would look out for him, but that’s not quite what I had in mind.”

Zolf tried not to roll his eyes.

“And we knew that Howard would struggle with the isolation period,” Wilde continued, voice artificially prim. “I’m glad they’ve found a way to pass the time.”

Zolf’s efforts to not roll his eyes failed, then he glanced around, puzzled. “How is the sound even…?”

Wilde’s eyes were bright; his expression screaming this was the most fun he’d had in weeks. “The trapdoor. The one in the Teal Sitting Room. It’s still under construction, so…”

“So, sound is travellin’ through it.” Zolf finished the thought, voice level despite the blush he could feel rising in his cheeks.

Barnes and Carter were slowly increasing in volume. Zolf could finally make out the timbre of Carter’s voice specifically, though he’d never heard him make those noises before.

“I didn’t know that Barnes had it in him,” Wilde murmured. “Or, had it in Carter, specifically.” With that puerile comment, Wilde moved. He folded the corner of a page to mark his place and stood, checking the ties on his yukata as he did.

“Where are you going?” Zolf hissed.

Wilde smiled wickedly. “Why, to the Teal Room, of course.”

“Wilde!” Zolf said, flushing angrily. He was trying to formulate a scolding regarding privacy and eavesdropping, but the scoundrel had already stridden off. Zolf’s thighs tensed and relaxed as he went to stand then aborted the movement, debating with himself. Carter voiced a particularly sharp cry and Zolf decided that anything was better than sitting here by himself.

I’m just gonna stop Wilde from doin’ anything inappropriate, he told himself as he stood and followed.

Inside the room, Wilde leant against the doorframe, body languid as if he attended a mere dinner party. There was a tarp covering a half-constructed hole in the centre of the room. When Zolf came to hover beside him in the doorway, any lingering mystery about what was happening downstairs was dispelled.

“Fuck, James, please,”Carter sounded utterly desperate. This close, Zolf could even hear the slow rasp of movement, skin-on-skin. Barnes’ voice was harder to make out, as he responded with something quiet and urgent. There was a breath, then the sound of flesh hitting flesh, and Carter making a choked noise that pulsed straight from Zolf’s ear to his crotch.

Wilde was delighted. He looked sidelong at Zolf and mouthed the word “James?” wrapping his lips around it in impish joy, as though first names were the controversial thing about this situation.

There was a grunt from downstairs that was undoubtedly Barnes

Wilde spoke sotto voce, keeping his voice under the sound of the rain. “I knew he’d be the strong and silent type.”

Zolf didn’t reply. He didn’t know where to even start. He would hate to be overheard like this, but there was something thrilling about it. Fuck, Wilde’s a bad influence on me. He knew he should leave, just walk away, but…

The pace downstairs changed. What had previously sounded like a languorous tease picked up energy. Carter literally wailed as the thump of a cot knocking against a wall started up, one, twice, three times, continuing, not rushed but steady. Carter’s whine cut off in a muffled ermf and Zolf could see in his mind’s eye, agonisingly clear, the way that Barnes had just put his hand over Carter’s mouth.

Zolf’s eyes had been locked, unseeing, on the rough tarp, but at Carter’s stifled moan, he looked up at Wilde. He was gazing back, and Zolf was shocked to see something hungry in those eyes. Mere moments ago, the energy from Wilde had been lewd and juvenile. Something had shifted.

Wilde’s scent was still in Zolf’s nose and suddenly the image in his mind changed.

His hand, hooked behind one of Wilde’s knees, pushing it up toward his chest… fucking him open fluidly, pace keeping time with the rhythmic thudding from below. Wilde’s face flushed cheek to cheek, eyes half lidded, awash with the pleasure of it.

Zolf shut his eyes, hard, hot with shame. When he opened them, Wilde was still staring him down, a touch of that imagined flush now true in his cheeks. There was something knowing in his expression as well, as though he could see straight into Zolf’s mind and the images that lay within.

They had been so in tune with each other lately, after all.

Wilde’s mouth worked as if he was seeking words, but he was interrupted. “Heavens above, James, faster please, I’m going to-”

Wilde sucked his breath in hard as Carter came. The words died on his lips and he half-shoved past Zolf to leave the room, taking long strides and disappearing down the corridor.

Zolf stumbled. If the two men downstairs were in any state to be paying attention to their surroundings, they would have heard Zolf’s clumsy footsteps, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He went to follow, but by the time he’d caught up to Wilde, the bedroom door was shut.

There was no lock. It was only a barrier in that it was one that Wilde chose to put up. Zolf wasn’t about to go barging in where he wasn’t wanted. He lifted a hand to knock. Paused. What exactly was he here to say? To tell Wilde off? To apologise? To say, Look at me like that again, I’ll be ready this time? He lowered his hand.

Later that night in bed, for the first time in months, Zolf found himself firming a spit-slick hand around his cock, breath unsteady. He kept his mind cautiously blank. Every time he was tempted to dwell on the sound of Carter’s whimper, or Barnes’ low rasp, or that ravenouslook in Wilde’s eyes, he drew himself back to sensation alone, pleasure coiling in his gut. He certainly wasn’t thinking of Wilde’s hand on his shoulder, the relaxed set of his body as he listened to Barnes and Carter fuck downstairs, the salacious delight in his eyes.

Zolf pumped his fist faster, definitely not thinking of the thud of the cot against the cell wall downstairs as his hips rolled and breath hitched. Hanging on to awareness by a thread, he remembered the thin walls, and bit his lip to stifle his groan as he came.

His eyes closed, he listened to his hammering heart, breathing slowly. It had been a very strange night. From the buzzing post-orgasm haze, a thought emerged, unbidden.

Lavender. Lavender was what Wilde’s soap had smelled of.

[tempestaurora]

FANDOMS: Marvel, Voltron: Legendary Defender, The 100, Harry Potter, The Raven Cycle, Community, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Umbrella Academy

NOTES:

i tagged every tumblr i could reasonably find. if you have more than one fic on this list, i have tagged you more than once. some people may be tagged like five times. i’m not sorry.

where relevant, fandoms have been split into general (platonic) centric fics, and romantic/slash fics. this is just because it’s easier than splitting it up into specific relationships.

at the end of every fic title/author line is a list of core relationships; fics are split between gen and romance depending on what relationship is considered centric. otherwise, fics are in no particular order. All fics are completed unless otherwise specified.

i added a read more because there’s over 100 fics listed here.

anyway, enjoy, thanks for the 3k followers

M A R V E L

gen centric fics

SHORT (0 - 5K)

K.I.D. by blondsak @blondsak | Tony&Peter

summary: “Hi K.I.D. Glad you’re awake. Do you know your primary objective?”

“To always look for ways to remind Mister Stark - that’s you! - that Kindness Isn’t Dead.”

“That’s right, K.I.D. Good job.” 

forty miles by peter_stank @peter-stank

summary:  the one where Morgan is sick and Tony is in way over his head, so he calls his spiderson for a little bit of help. Tony&Peter

from now on by peterparkr @peterparkrr |  Tony&Peter

summary: Peter’s sure that Tony and Pepper’s wedding will change everything. 

Machine Wash Hot; Tumble Dry Low by alice_in_ink | Tony&Peter

summary: Do you ever fall into sewers and then need your billionaire mentor to wash your super-suit? Peter Parker does too. 

Captain That by maddo | Tony&Peter

summary: Just a bunch of little anecdotes regarding our favourite spider and his Instagram account, feat. a meme-tastic Tony Stark.

Here's to all the new beginnings by Gruoch @groo-ock | Tony&Peter

summary: Peter gets a job. Tony is less than pleased. 

to know, to protecc, and to fuck with by peterstank and floweryfran @peter-stank @floweryfran | Tony&Peter, Natasha&Peter, Sam/May

summary: peter parker convinces the responsible adults in his life to join him on the world’s stupidest stake-out. 

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

i used to have nothing and then by dirgewithoutmusic @ink-splotch | Clint&Natasha

summary: “Clint,” Natasha said. “You’ve got to let me go.”

“Clint,” she said, and he let her go. 

the hearth by sagemb |  Tony&Peter

summary: What to Do When Your Wife Is Out of the Country: A Guide by Tony Stark

1) Gain partial custody of a child 2) Sleep on the couch 3) Have the child gain partial custody of you.

Love in Ones and Zeroes by forensicleaf @forensicleaf | Tony&Peter

summary: a boy, a bot, and a bond through the years. Tony&DUM-E

call you home SERIES by Madelinedear | May&Tony, Tony&Peter

summary: sometimes family is who you're born with. and sometimes family is a spider boy, a rich not-dad, and a kickass aunt. (or; tony, may, and peter find a place in each other's lives) 

Not-Uncle Tony by Jen27ny @jen27ny | Tony&Peter, Happy&Peter

summary: Happy is Peter's biological father, and Tony is there for the entire ride. 

Between how it is and how it should be by frostysunflowers @frostysunflowers | Peter&Bucky, Tony&Peter, Steve&Bucky

summary: ''Doesn’t Captain Rogers ever…wonder,'' Peter winced as he fumbled for the right word, ''where you are?''

Bucky smirked. ''Steve’s a regular mother hen. Used to be me that worried about him.'' He gave Peter a pointed look. ''Better question is, isn’t Stark wondering where you are?''

The Unfortune Teller by peterparkr @peterparkrr | Tony&Peter

summary: A woman in a carnival booth predicts Peter's death. 

all the things yet to come (are the things that have passed) by peterparkr @peterparkrr | Peter&Morgan, Tony&Peter

summary: The first time Peter sees Morgan is at the funeral. 

tony and peggy’s big day out! by floweryfran @floweryfran | Tony&Peggy

summary: “What’s happened this time?”

“Just a bombing,” says Peggy.

“At three in the afternoon?” says Jarvis. “Frankly, how rude.”

Blips on the Record by ambivalentangst @ambivalentmarvel | Flash&Peter, Tony&Peter

summary: Flash Thompson’s story is not simple, Peter Parker can always use someone else in his corner, and secrets are had and protected by all. 

aiding and abetting: a peter parker saga by floweryfran and peterstank @floweryfran @peter-stank | Peter&Avengers

summary: 5 times peter parker runs into the rogues separately + the 1 time they work together as a team. 

Tennessee Outreach for Spider-Man (and friends) by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Harley&Peter, Harley&Tony

summary: in an attempt to help Harley beef up his college apps, Tony offers Harley a remote Stark Industries internship to help Spider-Man. It easily becomes his worst nightmare. 

Allston Christmas by Gruoch @groo-ock | Tony&Peter, Tony&Peter&Rhodey

summary: “You guys didn’t have to do this,” Peter says from where he sits squeezed into the middle seat of the U-Haul, sweat running down his back. The air-conditioning in the truck they’ve rented is broken, and even with the windows rolled down it’s hellishly hot inside.

“We wanted to,” Tony replies as he blasts the horn at a minivan with a “Harvard Mom” bumper sticker that is attempting to cut into his lane.

so happy together by floweryfran @floweryfran | Tony&Ben

summary: ben parker calling tony stark a twink for 13k words

LONG (20K+)

An Unofficial Introduction to the Avengers SERIES by Isnt_it_pretty_to_think_so @isnt-it-pretty-to-think-so-tr | Tony&Peter

summary: The Avengers meet Spiderman via the online world, and then meet Peter Parker in Stark's living room. It takes them longer than it should to put two-and-two together. 

what is and will be (is you and me) by momentofmemory @momentofmemory | May&Peter

summary: 5 times May was there for Peter, +1 time he was there for her. 

dear mr. fantasy by iron_spider @iron--spider | Tony&Peter

summary: He grits his teeth and turns around, and before he can even begin to trudge over towards Peter’s room, he’s stopped in his tracks. By a door. In the middle. Of the living room.

“Well that’s new,” he says, still rooted to the spot.

timshel SERIES by justanotherblond @blondieewritess | Bucky&Peter, Steve/Bucky

summary: The soldier doesn’t remember his son’s birth or how he came to be. He doesn’t remember bedding a woman and watching her belly swell, but they said the boy was his. He does know that he will protect and teach the boy within the confines of their cell walls. Even when the handlers berate him. Even when the good guys take him away. 

odd couple buddies SERIES by bysine | Peter&Bucky, Sam&Thor, Tony&Peter

summary: "You know you're not supposed to call him the Winter Soldier any more, right?" Peter says, while they handcuff him to a pipe. A pipe. "Also this whole thing is kind of messing up my schedule. My two overdue papers won't exactly write themselves."

i understand (i’m a liability) by floweryfran @floweryfran | Harley&Tony, Harley&Peter

summary: “I… am not being challenged in the right ways here,” Harley says slowly, carefully.

“Then move here,” Tony says, and Harley’s heart drops straight into his feet. 

Roundabout by Gruoch @groo-ock | Tony&Peter

summary: In which Peter attempts to survive long enough to graduate, Tony moonlights as a semi-professional party planner, and absolutely nothing goes according to plan. 

Uncle Steve's Fix-it Freelance Gig (and friends) SERIES by whowhotellsyourstory | Steve&Morgan, Tony&Steve, Bucky&Peter

summary: "You ever need help, and I'm not there-""Why wouldn't you be there?""You call Uncle Steve."

notes: probably my favourite post endgame fix it fic/series in existence

Dumpster Fires Verse SERIES by deniigiq @deniigi | Peter&Wade&Matt

summary: A collection of Team Red stories because they are all hot messes. Except Peter. Two-Thirds of them are hot messes.

Impression, Sunrise by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Peter&Morgan

summary: In Peter Parker's eyes, Morgan Stark is a lot of things: a terrible pancake chef, a top notch negotiator, the world's cutest six-year old. But above all, she is his family. He hopes he's enough. 

The Room Where It Happens by notapartytrick @notaparty-trick | Tony&Peter

summary: At 7:36 pm on the 12th of May 2016, Tony Stark is put in the Room.

A twelve-by-twelve-foot shed, soundproofed, double locked. It becomes his home. It has to be, because there’s nowhere else.

At 4:22 pm on the 15th of June 2017, Peter Parker is put in the Room.

They make a living under duress, fearing at every moment the entry of their captor. Confinement halts their lives in their tracks, changes them both for good: breaks them and brings them together simultaneously.

“If someone has everything they need, but nobody, do they have everything? Or nothing?”

romance centric fics

SHORT (0 - 5K)

written in the star(war)s by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Peter/Michelle

summary: Michelle looks at the nurse one more time, and despite the evidence, asks, “Are you sure it’s twins?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” the nurse points them out again. “One boy, and one girl. Due...May 4th.”

It only takes Michelle 2.3 seconds to realize the horror of that sentence. 

Steve Rogers is (Not) A Good Influence by stevergrsno @stevergrsno |  Steve/Bucky, Steve&Peter

summary: Steve Rogers' American Tour Of Waiting For His Brainwashed Boyfriend To Come Back And Blowing Up Hydra is interrupted when Tony Stark dumps Peter Parker into his lap.

Captain ‘Socialist Rage Muffin’ America by mybrotherharry @baffledkingcomposinghallelujah | Steve/Tony, Steve/Tony/Bucky

summary: It takes three months of dating Steve Rogers for Tony to understand why Aunt Peggy once shot at him in sheer frustration.Alternately titled, Honey, I committed treason again. 

Soft Spot for the Hell Raisin' Boy by ifeelbetter @ifeelbetterer | Steve/Bucky

summary: The Winter Soldier takes an interest in Sam Wilson. Bucky Barnes wants to tell him how to be Steve Rogers's best friend.

Cat’s Cradle by Traincat @traincat | Peter/Felicia

summary: The test was positive.

Felicia tilted it idly this way and that, sitting on the bathroom floor with her back against the cupboard. The floors and the counter tops were marble, and the shower door was glass. Every one of Felicia’s moves seemed to echo in the large room, even though she knew that she was making no sound.

The test was positive. She didn’t bother to check the box to make sure she’d gotten the little symbols right. She’d known before she took it.

“Well,” she breathed out, tilting her head back to inspect the ceiling. “Damn, Spider.”

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

cross this river to the other side by defcontwo | Steve/Bucky

summary: In 1943, the Howling Commandos wrote goodbye letters to be given to their loved ones in the event of their deaths.In 2014, Sharon Carter finds those letters in a tin can in an abandoned HYDRA base. 

Tony Stark Googled The Thing by mybrotherharry @baffledkingcomposinghallelujah | Tony/Pepper, Tony&Peter

summary: When Morgan is six months old, Pepper goes back to work and Tony takes over as stay-at-home dad. Discovering the mommyblogosphere is the inevitable next step.

Winter Soldier Program by NocturneByChopin | Steve/Bucky

summary: Here’s the thing: he’s got a bit of a secret. It involves a boy that went and became famous when Steve wasn’t looking. 

i was found and now i don't roam these streets by hipsterchrist | Steve/Bucky

summary: Bucky relearns himself and how to be on a team, the rest of the Avengers try to get answers, and everyone watches too much Criminal Minds. 

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Michelle/Peter, Michelle&Happy, Tony&Peter

summary: Ever since her mother died a few years back, Michelle's relationship with her father became strained in their grief. One night, after she's forced to show up at Peter's covered in bruises and in need of stitches, she remembers that even the most unsuspecting dormant volcanoes can erupt.

Brooklyn by togina @toli-a | Steve/Bucky

summary: "Captain America, what's your stance on gay marriage?"

Everyone knows that, by now. Everyone but Bucky.

Steve Rogers at 100: Celebrating Captain America on Film by eleveninches, febricant, hellotailor, M_Leigh, neenya, tigrrmilk | Steve/Bucky

summary: Steve and Bucky find out Hollywood has been busy since they went away. A historical survey, including but not limited to: one set of exploded genitals, a brief interlude in France, Mel Gibson and other masterworks of casting, eight Academy awards, several dinosaurs, and something Tony Stark has ominously dubbed “the masterpiece.” Art included.

Project: Get Bucky Barnes a Dog by ruxian | Steve/Bucky

summary: Bucky Barnes does not have a dog. Bucky Barnes does not want a dog. Sam thinks that should change. Bucky does not agree. 

On My Radar by sprinkle_of_cinnamon | Steve/Bucky

summary: The Winter Soldier first noticed it when he was on the helicarrier.

The blonde’s shoulders were broad, incredibly broad.

They stretched the blue uniform in a wide span, drawing down to a narrow waist. It was a distinctly triangular silhouette. It was entirely improbable. And somehow it was strangely familiar.

The Winter Soldier raised his gun and fired. He didn’t have time for distractions, or Steve Rogers’ shoulders. 

LONG (20k+)

despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained) by praximeter @praximeter | Steve/Bucky

summary: “Those are pins,” Steve realized. He looked over at Hill. “The mask—it’s nailed to his face.” 

notes: may i say a massive fucking HOLY SHIT??????????? incredible. iconic. life-changing.

United States v. Barnes, 617 F. Supp. 2d 143 (D.D.C. 2015) by fallingvoices and radialarch | Steve/Bucky

summary: The Associated Press @AP Winter Soldier set to stand trial for Washington D.C. massacre and treason apne.ws/1og6SWE 

Bucky Barnes: Former Disney Channel Star SERIES by mambo @whtaft | Steve/Bucky

summary: "The question the entertainment world is asking themselves today is... Who is Steve? Hollywood superstar Bucky Barnes was spotted at a wrap-party last night, serenading someone named Steve onstage.” 

Not Easy Conquered SERIES by dropdeaddream and WhatAre Fears | Steve/Bucky

summary: In 1945, Steve Rogers jumps from a nosediving plane and swims through miles of Arctic Ocean to a frozen shore.

In 1947, Steve Rogers marries Peggy Carter.

In 1966, the New York Times finds the lost letters of Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes.

notes: if you’ve read stucky, you’ve read this series. i know this. just like i know that its the most GODDAMN BEAUTIFUL series ever written. no topping it. it’s number 1.

Strays by snarklyboojum @snarklyboojum | Steve/Bucky

summary: After finding himself alone for the first time in decades, the Winter Soldier learns how to be a person again. Mostly through caring for an orphaned kitten, countless rounds of YouTube roulette, and stalking Captain America. 

hold me until we crumble by queenklu @queenklu | Steve/Bucky

summary: “Sam told me you were watching Antiques Roadshow,” Natasha says, shaking out her hair. “I assumed it was a national emergency.”

notes: one of my favourite standalone fics i’ve ever read

half awake in a fake empire SERIES by idrilka | Steve/Bucky

summary: In the aftermath of Steve's return to the world of the living and the battle of New York, the academia and the Internet react.

by the river potomac i sat down and wept by peterstank @peter-stank | Steve/Bucky

summary: bucky barnes atones.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell SERIES by AnnaFugazzi | Steve/Bucky

summary: Captain America and Bucky Barnes were like brothers. Everyone knew that. 

Out of the Dead Land by orphaned account | Steve/Bucky

summary: Someone is building machines that look and act like people.

Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier tries to be Bucky Barnes.

V O L T R O N:  L E G E N D A R Y  D E F E N D E R

romance centric fics

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

called out your name (but it was too late) by arahir @arahir | James/Keith, Shiro/Keith

summary:  An old classmate watches Keith fall in love with someone else. 

so much for the after party by arahir @arahir | Shiro/Keith

summary: Shiro gets his groove back.

i breathe disaster by arahir @arahir | Shiro/Keith

summary: After the wedding, Keith leaves Earth in search of something he can keep. 

notes: what doES THIS M E AN?!!!??!!?!?! i cried over this ending. i cr i e d. actual real tears. it was so upsetting somehow. and i am so confused. and i went and found the author’s imagined ending in the comments to help understand the open one and it just made me SADDER. i think this is one of those fics that tries to teach me to read the tags and back away at the word “angst”. anyway, excellent, everything i’ve read from this author was incredible

LONG (20K+)

Alien Sex Fiend by Glossolalia | Shiro/Keith | WIP

summary: It started at a drive-in in the 1980s. Unfortunately, this is a love story; a love story about the frontman of Quantum Queef, a punk band, and a boy who rides a red motorcycle. Also, they fight aliens. 

notes: i’m OBSESSED with this fic. i have read it many times. shiro as a punk singer of a band called Quantum Queef????????? and the fact that it’s the only fic on this account???? absolute POWER MOVE.

T H E  1 0 0

romance centric fics

SHORT (0 - 5K)

golden gunned girls by littlearrows | Bellamy/Clarke

summary:  They’re not good girls. They have no reason to be. 

notes: i think about this fic approximately twice a week despite reading it five years ago. there’s a song called gold gun girls by metric that makes me absolutely feral and would be the dream theme song for the intro sequence of the girl gang tv show of my dreams

and then my soul saw you by synchronicities | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Lexa tells Clarke that love within the cluster is the worst kind of narcissism. Bellamy begs to differ. Sense8 AU.

givers prove unkind by emullz | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: a modern au in which bellamy is in a band, he writes an album about clarke, and she is his ophelia. also, marriage.

she sounds like sex on the radio by lecornergirl | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: “Wait, hold on,” Clarke says. “Are you suggesting I—in the booth?” But her tone is a lot sterner than she feels. Against her better judgement, she’s into it. 

notes: idk what to tell you. i have only bookmarked like three smut fics in my life. it deserves it ok.

the kids aren’t alright by opensummer | Multiple Relationships

summary: The Pacific Rim fusion seven ways. 

notes: probably???? my favourite? pacific rim au? i’ve ever read??? does so much with so little

Haven’t You Heard? The World is Coming To An End by Jenye @likcoln-blog | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: So where would you rather die? Here or in Jaeger? Pacific Rim AU. 

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

three points (where two lines meet) SERIES by PinkCanary | Bellamy/Clarke/Raven

summary: Clarke wears the two names on her skin like a badge of honour. 

Icarus Lives by karusarchive @cluelesskaru | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: No one could ever have predicted the kaiju were coming.  Clarke Griffin was in need of a new Co-Pilot. Bellamy Blake had just graduated. You can guess how that goes.

notes: if anyone knows me at all, they know i’m a MASSIVE pacific rim fan. like, own all the books and graphic novels and have multiple pacrim t-shirts kind of fan. THIS FIC was my first experience with that franchise. my first ever. i watched the movie BECAUSE of this fic.

Pony Regrets SERIES by Chash @ponyregrets | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Octavia drags Bellamy to a My Little Pony tournament. Bellamy is deeply upset about the whole thing, but then the girl running the tournament is really cute.

The Internet Is Forever SERIES by Chash @ponyregrets | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Apparently, the internet has been shipping Bellamy Blake (of Team Arkade) and Clarke Griffin (of Craven Cosplay). No one told Bellamy about it. 

Nothing Like Old Times by LayALioness @filmnoirsbian | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: “Clarke killed some guy and stuffed him in the trunk,” Jasper says delightedly. “Your cousin’s dark, dude.”

“Yeah,” Bellamy nods, trying to backtrack. Sometimes he wishes she was actually better at making things up. “She’s a…closeted Goth.” Terminator AU. 

the feel-good hit of the summer by disco_vendetta @errorofyourways | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake are sleeping together. (aka ROCK BAND AU) 

notes: i think about this fic an OBSCENE amount. it’s been five years since i first read it.

LONG (20K+)

Your Mess Is Mine by monroeslittle @argyledpenguin | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: modern AU, Clarke grows up with Octavia, and Octavia's brother. 

notes: the fic that got me into fan fic in the first place. top tier. 42k.

Love Will Come Through by monroeslittle @argyledpenguin | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: AU. Clarke winds up in an arranged marriage with Bellamy. 

Neeeeeeeeeerds by Chash @ponyregrets | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Clarke joins the Junior Classical League for two reasons: to appease her mother and to annoy Bellamy Blake.

Our Time Now SERIES by TazmainianDevil | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: The Ark may have been short on all resources vital to sustaining life but one thing they never ran out of was guns.On an Ark that has always been defined by violence, Jake Griffin manages to save his daughter's life and Clarke joins a gang to change the world.

Disney Channel You by Chash @ponyregrets | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Bellamy only goes to the open casting for Clarke Griffin's new Disney Channel show because Octavia begs him. He never thought he'd actually get the stupid part. 

And You Understand Now Why They Lost Their Minds and Fought the Wars by marauders_groupie @marauders-groupie | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Clarke doesn’t understand why they say that soulmates are one soul in two bodies. Her soul has five other bodies and she would give her life for any of them. Sense8 AU. 

notes: probably my favourite sense8 AU i’ve ever read?? and i have read Many

build this fire higher, higher toward the sky SERIES by adelicatepeach | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Clarke's jaeger goes down on a Thursday. Pacific Rim AU. 

H A R R Y  P O T T E R

gen centric fic

LONG (20K+)

yer a wizard, dudley by dirgewithoutmusic @ink-splotch | Dudley&A Lot of People

summary: Minerva fished in her pocket without looking, because the only things allowed in her pockets were only ever exactly what she needed. “I've come to deliver this,” she said, “because Hogwarts by-laws require a professor to hand-deliver acceptance letters to Muggleborn families for their explanation and comfort." 

notes: i have only ever cared about two harry potter fics in my life. this is one of them.

the family evans by dirgewithoutmusic @ink-splotch | Petunia&A Lot of People

summary: What if, when Petunia Dursley found a little boy on her front doorstep, she took him in? Not into the cupboard under the stairs, not into a twisted childhood of tarnished worth and neglect—what if she took him in? 

notes: this is the other one

T H E  R A V E N  C Y C L E

gen centric fic

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

Helter Skelter by Anonymous | Ronan&Blue

summary: In hindsight, a road trip with your step-brother and his best friends in Gansey's dying Pig is not an ideal way to start summer break. Sargent-Lynch siblings AU.

meet hennessy by izzylizardborn @gaybluesargent | Hennessy&Jordan

summary: Hennessy had seen movies. She knew how this went. When it came to clones, there was always a good one and an evil one. She didn’t need to wonder which was which.

life is not a movie, maybe by coyotesuspect | Ronan&Blue

summary: Ronan gets kicked out of Aglionby and enrolls at Mountain View High for his senior year. The only problem is, no one remembers to tell Blue. 

Honeymoon by vexmybones | Ronan&Blue

summary: Blue and Ronan living together, no buffers, no bullshit, this is how they cope. 

the bugs and alphabet by Pi @rhea314 | Ronan&Blue

summary: In which Blue babysits Chainsaw, Ronan & Blue make angry art projects, and some conversations are almost had. 

romance centric fic

SHORT (0 - 5K)

Pretty Good, Right? by suddensingularity | Ronan/Blue

summary: Blue wants to have sex before her true love dies. Ronan helps out. Ronan/Blue

notes: yeah ok this is one of the three smut fics i’ve bookmarked its fun ok

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

It Had To Be You by shinealightonme @toast-the-unknowing | Ronan/Adam

summary: Ronan hates basically everything about their business, or that's what he tells Blue, but the worst part is that he's constantly meeting cute guys and none of them are single. 

darling, don’t make such a drama by shinealightonme @toast-the-unknowing | Ronan/Adam, Ronan&Henry, Ronan&Declan

summary: "Straight answers are boring," Cheng says, "and yes I do mean that for all values of straight. I do not need Ronan to share his tragic backstory, I would much rather deduce it on my own."

"Who says I have a tragic backstory?"

"With your fearsome glower and troubled good looks? If you did not have a tragic backstory it would be a waste."

 C O M M U N I T Y

romance centric fic

LONG (20k+)

Playing House by itsactuallycorrine @itsactuallycorrine | Jeff&Annie

summary: Six years ago, Jeff let Annie go. She never returned to Greendale, and he moved on. Now, he's a single dad to a one-year-old and he needs her help.

A V A T A R:  T H E  L A S T  A I R B E N D E R

gen centric fic

SHORT (0 - 5K)

call it dreaming by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Toph&Gaang

After the war, Toph has nightmares. The screeching of metal, Sokka and Suki's screams, the snap of Sokka's leg as it broke from their fall. It's usually his confession that they aren't going to make it that makes her wake up in a cold sweat. She's anxious all the time now, unable to find peaceful sleep.

The cure is apparently to try and hold all of her friends hands for all hours of the days and hope that they're cool with it. 

what’s in a name by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Toph&Sokka

summary: At her request, Sokka teaches Toph to write her name.

He learns a thing or two about the weight his own name holds in the process.

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

the beginning of a new and brighter birth by aloneintherain @captainkirkk | Zuko&Gaang

summary: “I’m so proud of you, my nephew.” Uncle cups Zuko’s face in his lined hand. The gesture is so tender, his palm so warm, that Zuko has to take a fortifying breath against the sudden swell of emotion in his chest.

“I want to be a good leader, Uncle,” Zuko says. “I want to look after my people.”

“You will,” Uncle says. “You are, nephew.”

In a new era of peace, Zuko works to be a very different Fire Lord than his forefathers.

the scope of blindness series by littlelionlady @thelittlelionlady | Toph&Gaang

summary: There are just some things that Toph's feet can't see.

Her hands can though.

Or, Toph learns what her friends look like by tracing their faces. 

notes: geniunely how goddamn beautiful is this. like. i cried. this is so soft and so cute and it made me feel SO MANY things

All The Gentle Creatures by Haircrescendo @sword-and-stars | Iroh&Zuko

It’s said that you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat animals. Zuko may be loud and stubborn and sharp but all the woodland creatures love him. 

LONG (20K+)

The Family You Choose by TunaFishChris | Zuko&Gaang

summary: Some people are born with soulmarks. Zuko has them, but his grandfather burned them off because they "make you weak."

Team Avatar has a few things to say about that. 

such selfish prayers by andromeda3116 @andromeda3116 | Katara&The Fire Nation, Katara/Zuko

Katara's ambition, so long set aside for the good of others, breaks free and sets fire to her soul. Or, Katara has a vision of her canon future, casts it aside, and becomes a world-changing politician instead. 

and love will be your teacher SERIES by Ford_Ye_Fiji @ford-ye-fiji | Iroh&Zuko

summary: "And you will know the pain of losing a firstborn son." Ozai loses Zuko. Iroh gains a son. And the future changes.

notes: excellent excellent excellent excellent makes me very happy indeed

romance centric fic

SHORT (0 - 5K)

on commitment by jdphoenix | Zuko/Katara

summary: “Just explain it to me again.”

“There is no way you can pass as my brother and we are way too conspicuous as two unrelated people, from different nations, traveling together. So we’re pretending to be married.”

we hold our hearts in silence by psychedelic_aya | Zuko/Katara

summary: Seventy years later, Korra tries to figure out Zuko and Katara. 

oracle bones by orphaned account | Zuko/Katara

summary: The foreign, pictorial characters that bracelet Zuko's left wrist have never been covered in any of his lessons. He cannot read them. And then he turns thirteen, and his father burns his wrist along with his face.

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

late nights/early mornings SERIES by shmulia @shmuliawrites | Zuko/Katara

summary: Whoever set off the fire alarm at 2 in the morning is on Katara’s shit list. Even if he is hot and shirtless. 

the thing about dancing by anodymalion | Sokka/Zuko

summary: The first time a attendant spills Zuko’s tea and doesn’t immediately fall to her knees, begging the Fire Lord’s forgiveness, it is not anger but a resounding warmth that fills his chest.

LONG (20K+)

Fate Deferred by catie_writes_things @catie-does-things | Zuko/Katara | WIP

summary: Aang remains in the iceberg ten years longer. He awakens to a very different world. 

The Sparrowkeet SERIES by audreyii_fic | Zuko/Katara

summary: Ba Sing Se has fallen and Katara has been captured by the Fire Nation; a more adult take on the potential progression of S3. AU series of interconnected one-shots. 

notes: i would die for this series, particularly the last instalment. i enjoyed every single fic and it was just such a GOOD STORY.

T H E  U M B R E L L A  A C A D E M Y 

gen centric fic

SHORT (0 - 5K)

you from yesterday by questors (sieges) @softpunks | Five&Siblings

summary:  The difference between who his siblings once were versus who they are now. 

Ghost Math by pinstripedJackalope | Five&Klaus

summary: Number Five needs a new hobby now that the apocalypse is off. He decides to help Klaus--and in turn maybe he'll help himself. 

Then There Was Two by AnneKatherine | Five&Vanya

summary: Reginald Hargeeves finally decides to allow Grace to name the Academy. Unfortunately, he's only willing to let her name the Academy, which Seven is unfortunately not a part of.

[or how Five gave away his name]

(he definitely didn't want one anyway) 

i tiresias (have foresuffered all) by ThatWeirdGuyInTheBushes | Five&Siblings, Five/Delores

summary: Five misses sharing his birthday, but Five has missed a lot of things.alternatively; number five, coffee, and the art of taking back. 

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

The Five Vetting Process by jaz_hop | Five&Siblings

summary: In which Five is incredibly invested in the love lives of his siblings, because they're obviously too stupid to choose anyone worthy enough to be their partner. Otherwise known as Five being stupidly over-protective, and incredibly invasive in the hopes of keeping his siblings safe and happy... even if he is being a stalker and a dick about it. 

LONG (20K+)

You and I Together Forever SERIES by Ace_of_Spades_400 @ace-of-spades-400 | Vanya&Siblings

summary: What if it hadn't only been Five, what if it hadn't been Five at all?

A series of stories about what would have happened if Vanya had chosen a different sibling.

Sometimes the choice isn't hers.

Timeliness 1-2.1 SERIES by dgalerab | Hargreeves Siblings

summary: As the world ends, Five takes his siblings back into their child bodies on the day he originally left. With the knowledge of how the world ends fresh in their minds, the Hargreeves siblings do what they can to leave clues for their past selves on how to grow up a little less fucked up before returning to the present.

A present where they all have different lives they can't remember, there's a fun new apocalypse on the way, and Reginald Hargreeves remembers the day where all his children suddenly and inexplicably lost their minds and all respect for him at once a little too well.

Rare Birds SERIES by Cryptix23 | Hargreeves Siblings

summary: An alternate 2019 brings with it new problems and new dangers.

The two sets of Hargreeves children mix like water on a greasefire. It's hard to tell which group is unhappier about the situation -- the Sparrows, trying to navigate the minefield of their new siblings' many traumas, or the Umbrellas, trying to carve their place back into a world that forgot them.

Plus the whole saving-the-world thing hanging over them all.

Whether they like it or not, they're going to have to learn to work together. 

Partners, Parents, or None of the Above by DarkFairytale | Diego&Klaus

summary:  Kenny's mom assuming that Diego and Klaus were A) a couple and B) Number Five’s parents was both bemusing and amusing at the time. But that was because it was the only time it had ever happened. Now though? Now they just can't understand why these misunderstandings keep happening. 

[big1ron]

~ Ghosts: a Very Self Indulgent Clone Wars Story: Part 2/? ~

- ok so I’m letting you off easy here. Nothing bad happens this chapter. In fact, nothing at all happens. Just clones doing clone things. Very boring stuff. But next chapter I can do some fun things. This chapter is boring though. Rated e for everyone. Still. -

General Kenobi had approved Tup’s request to see Dogma, on the condition that Tup went to the medbay first. So once he had been bandaged by coric he was free to visit Dogma in the brig.

Tup stood looking in through the ray shielded door. It had only been two or so hours since it all happened. He almost felt bad checking Dogma over carefully to make sure he wouldn’t be hurt again before opening the door.

Dogma was huddled in the corner, arms wrapped tightly around his legs and head in his knees. Tup doubted it was possible but he crushed himself even further into the corner when Tup entered.

“Hey... Dogma, vod. It’s okay now.” Tup tried to reassure him, and slowly placed a hand on Dogma’s back. Dogma swatted the hand away and uncurled just to move away from Tup

“Everything is NOT okay, DON’T TOUCH ME! Go away... GO AWAY!”

“Dogma it’s me, Tup! Shh... you’re alright now” Tup tried to calm him down but it didn’t seem to be working.

“I KNOW who it is... please. Go away Tup... you cant be here. Get away from me!” He was completely terrified, almost too much so to function. Tup thought of coming back later, but decided to give it a few more attempts.

“I’m not going to hurt you vod, I promise. It’s okay.”

“Well I can’t make the same promise, can I. Go away. Please...”

Tup threw his arms around his brother and pulled him in close, even though Dogma tried to get away. Dogma accidentally hit where the lightsaber struck and Tup winced in pain. A look of complete horror and guilt appears on Dogma’s face and he tucks his arms into his chest. He stops fighting back.

“I’m sorry” Dogma says, barely more than a whisper.

Tup realizes he’s only causing him more distress so he lets Dogma be, and gives him his space. He doesn’t leave quite yet though, he doesn’t want Dogma feeling guilty about that.

“You didn’t hurt me vod. It’s okay.”

Tup sits by Dogma for a while, both of them silent. Really Tup just needs to know his brother’s still there. Even if Dogma really didn’t want him here. But he hoped his presence brought some kind of comfort. Maybe Tup would ask Kix If he had some kind of sedative he could calm him down with. Get some rest, as right now Dogma looked like he might never sleep again. Maybe that was okay though... if he never went to sleep he couldn’t wake up different. He would hide it and deny it, but Tup was still scared of Dogma. Of the monster he had been just hours before.

Suddenly, Tup’s comm beeped. It was from general kenobi. Tup left the cell to take the call.

“Clone trooper Tup, you left the medbay an hour ago, and haven’t reported in. Is everything alright in the brig?”

“An hour?? Oh, yes sir. Dogma is awake and he’s... somewhat himself.”

“Somewhat? What do you mean?”

“I mean he’s... going to need some time. He’s gone through something terrible, we all have, obviously. But... I think you probably understand, sir.”

“Yes... I do. Are you planning on staying the night there? Normally you wouldn’t be allowed to but this is a very special case. I can have someone bring you down some blankets if you want as well?”

“I’m not going to stay, no. I don’t think he wants the company. But if you could still send down a blanket for him that would probably be nice. Thank you sir.”

The call ended.

Tup was worried about the lasting effects of Dogmas mind being that thoroughly messed up. As even after umbara he never got like this. This was a completely new level of reaction. And it didn’t look good. But such a pessimistic outlook surely wouldn’t help either of them now.

Kix opened the ray shielded door to deliver the blanket. The holding cell was bare, not designed for comfort. It just had a slab of duracrete that was a sorry excuse for a bed, or bench and that was about it. So the blankets were welcome comfort. Dogma didn’t react to the visitor at all this time. He has been completely frozen in place for at least ten minutes now. Tup looked up at Kix when he entered though. “Is there anything else either of you need?” Asked Kix. Despite everything, he was still sweet and kind towards the two of them.

“Well... yeah. He’s not gonna calm down, or go to sleep without sedatives. As it is right now I’m preeettyyy sure he’s just shutting down. So if you could administer that or something that would probably help.”

“I thought something like that might be necessary.” Kix crouched down near the two. “The only cure for something like this is time. The only reason I’m doing this is because the generals are going to question him in the morning, and I want him to be somewhat rested.” Dogma initially pulls away from Kix, but once he realizes it’s a medic he lets him approach. Kix quickly sticks Dogma with the hypo and he began to calm down finally. “That goes for you too though, Tup. You know you’re only out of the medbay on the general’s permission. Not mine. I can easily order you back if I think you’re over exerting yourself. So come on, it’s back to the barracks with you.”

Tup walked back to the barracks, probably looking just as hollow as he felt. Fives was first to greet him as he made his way back to his bunk.

“Tup! You’re alive! They said you were but I hadn’t seen you around, and I was worried about you. Is... is it true what they said?”

Tup flops down onto his hard bunk face first “which part?”

“Apparently there was no separatist threat. Apparently Dogma just went off the rails and killed everyone. People are saying he should’a been taken away after umbara. Make him unstable or something. But I-“

Tup rolled over and leaned up. He wouldn’t let his brother be slandered like this. “You’re wrong! It wasn’t him. Dogma couldn’t do something like that to me, or to any of our vode. It was... someone else. Not Dogma but using his body. It was k-... the traitor.”

“Tup... that’s just not possible.” Fives tried to sound understanding but it really just came off as patronizing.

“You weren’t there Fives! You can’t know! Dogma didn’t turn traitor, he could never!”

“I’m sorry tup... ghosts aren’t real. But you were attacked by Dogma. He must have been unstable, we should have caught it sooner.”

Fives sounded sad, pitying Tup for being betrayed by his own best friend. But it was like he couldn’t hear the words coming out of his own mouth.

“You don’t believe me!” Tup socked him in the jaw.

Fives rubbed his jaw in shock, but then got ready to retaliate. But before he could, Rex walked in.

“Hey, Hey! Break it up you two.” Rex holds his arm out between the two

“Fives blames Dogma for what happened!” Tup accuses immediately, clearly distressed.

Rex places himself between them and looks to Fives “It wasn’t Dogma. The rumours aren’t true. Don’t be a shabuir.” Then turns to Tup. “I understand you’ve had a long day. But that’s no reason to hit fives. Everyone here needs to go back to sleep now, Alright?”

Rex calmed the barracks pretty quickly, and Tup laid back down. But he just couldn’t sleep. With the events of the day and the whispers that were still floating around. And it was still too cold. (Though he did have the general’s robe to help with that. He had forgotten to give it back, but he got the feeling he didn’t mind.) every little noise and every little thing seemed way to loud, and they annoyed him to no end. He just couldn’t sleep. He was overloaded. eventually he just commed Kix’s non emergency frequency, to ask if he could stay in the medbay for the night. It was usually quieter. He didn’t need to ask but he always felt strange entering un invited. Unsurprisingly Kix was still awake and answered quickly, confirming it was fine for Tup to stay there. He insisted Tup stay in his own office because it was soundproofed. And he pretended he didn’t play favourites.

When Tup got to the medbay Jesse greeted him and told him Kix was still getting his room ready. So he would have to wait around a little bit. Tup asked if there was anything he could do to help out but Jesse said

“Kix asked me to tell you if you asked me if you could help out, not to let you because he doesn’t want you overdoing it, also because he’s very specific about how he does everything and he doesn’t have the time to tell you how to do anything, no hard feelings.”

Tup was starting to think coming here was a bad idea. After such an attack, there were many machines running and plenty of injured clones. He felt like he could hear every machine. The beeping and buzzing was unbearable. It didn’t help when one did stop though. As that was usually a really bad sign. Such as the irregular spiking of a heart rate monitor connected to one of the 212th troopers. Waxer. And sitting next to him was one of his close brothers, boil. Tup wasn’t a medic, but he wouldn’t plan on waxer surviving the night with that pattern.

But before he could finish that thought, Kix appeared.

“Room’s ready Tup. Just had to clear a few things out.” Tup couldn’t recall ever seeing Kix sleep. He had been knocked out a few times, they all had, but never actual, regular sleep. But maybe he was just forgetting some. His brain wasn’t exactly operating at peak capacity right now. Kix beckoned him over to his personal office, that he had set up a cot in. It was small but it was tidy and as Kix had said, quiet. “Let me know if you need anything.” Kix said before killing the lights and hurrying back to his work.

In the complete silence, Tup was able to sleep.

A clone didn’t have time in his schedule for feeling sorry about himself and kenobi wanted to learn what he could before the trooper was sent off to the Jedi temple for observation and examination. Anakin and Rex had agreed to escort the trooper to the temple in the meeting they had with the council. But kenobi was to stay and continue to lead the forces on the planet. He was curious though, and they still had some time before he was to be taken. Rex was to wake up and prepare the trooper for the questioning. Make sure he was actually capable of answering.

As soon as Rex opened the cell door the trooper woke up, and looked at him. That was a good sign, actually addressing someone else in the room. He stood over the trooper and spoke.

“Sorry kid. Sleep cycle’s over. The general has some questions for you. Think you’ll be able to answer?”

Dogma looks away and the panic begins to return. Physically, maybe he could but what if he attacked the general again? There would be a lightsaber in the room a Jedi and- Rex crouched infront of him and grabbed his wrists.

“If you try to attack the Jedi, I will restrain you.” To anyone else it might sound like a threat, but to Dogma that was a strong reassurance. He trusted Rex far more than he could ever trust himself. Especially now.

“Now... can you do this or do I need to ask the general to hold off?” Rex Asks again, tone ever so slightly softer than usual.

Dogma nodded, but then realized rex would need verbal confirmation, so he gave a quick “yes sir.” And with that Rex dropped his hands and folded up the blanket.

The ‘questioning’ was little lighter than a typical Jedi interrogation. But still, Rex felt a little bad for promising it would be painless. Even if Kenobi was still much nicer than Skywalker ever was. Dogma admitted to being completely aware of what was happening, although unable to stop it. The longer the possession went on though, the less he had wanted it to stop. At the time, as Krell’s mind drew further into his own, Dogma began taking small amounts of sick pleasure in killing his own brothers. Satisfaction in the strikes. He revealed that he knew a small part of Krell’s true plan, and that there were certain clones on a hit list. Certain targets to kill. Of which a few were still alive. Including Rex, Jesse, Hardcase and Fives. Tup was assumed dead, but he was also on the list.

After about a half an hour, Obiwan has heard enough, and left the troopers alone to write a report to the council on his findings.

It was far from the first time Rex would be headed for the Jedi temple. The general brought him many places he probably shouldn’t really be. But not many other 501st members had been inside. Echo and Fives maybe. This was the first time Rex had (officially) been called on by the council though.

Rex was walking Dogma to the ship in stun cuffs (a precaution he didn’t necessarily agree with, but had been insisted upon anyways) when Kix and Tup came running up to him. He mentally sighed, he knew what was coming.

“Sir!” Tup called, panting as his wound was still fresh and running across the hangar probably counted as ‘over exertion’ “take us with you. Please! We can be helpful to the investigation! I’m one of the walking survivors or the attack, and Kix is a medic. It’s always helpful to have a medic on hand!”

“Tup, I’m sorry but you weren’t called on. I’m also a surviving witness, so are the general and the commander. And there will be doctors at the temple.” He shoots a glance to Kix “and it looks to me like you really shouldn’t even be out of the medbay right now.”

“He’ll be okay as long as he doesn’t over exert himself. And if I go aswell, there will be no problems. Please sir. We want to be there for Dogma.” Kix gives the trooper in question a soft glance. Dogma seems a bit confused and maybe a but nervous at the thought of the two doing something like this for him.

“Don’t get in trouble on my account. I’ll be fine. And it would probably be better if you weren’t there.” The self deprecating tone made the words completely hollow to the other troopers, as they stubbornly insisted they come along.

Anakin leaned out of the ship

“Hey Rex what’s taking you so long?”

“Nothing sir, Tup and Kix were just insisting they come along.”

“Well are you against it?”

“No sir, but they weren’t-“

“Grab Fives, Jesse And Hardcase. I’ll say they’re my personal squad, nobody will care.”

Rex looked at the other two surprised and they looked back, smugly and victoriously. Rex commed the other three as Tup and Kix lead Dogma into the ship after anakin.

With the Skywalker as their pilot and his droid as their co pilot they would arrive much ahead of schedule. Of course Ahsoka Tano was also on board, but in the choice between his droid and his padawan Skywalker would always chose R2D2 as his copilot. Skywalker had decided (Or been convinced by Rex) that the stun cuffs were overkill with two ARCs on board. But in exchange Jesse and Fives were placed on temporary guard duty. Anakin also forgot (or decided not) to tell tup he was still wearing Kenobis cloak as well. It looked good (adorable, in ahsoka’s mind.) on him. Case, Fives and Jesse had no shortage of teases to make about it though. And just being surrounded by the squad put Dogma slightly more at ease. The ship was at max capacity with all 7 clones, so Ahsoka sat in the copilot seat, grumpily fiddling with the inactive controls.

“How come you never let me fly? I’m perfectly fine at it!”

“Yes well R2 is perfectly great at it. And I let you fly all the time! Besides, obiwan says it’s a bad influence when I let you fly this fast.”

“Speaking of which, exactly how fast are you going?”

“None of your business. We won’t be late. This time.”

True to his word, they end up at the temple a few hours before anakin is to appear before the council.

With the two Jedi leading the group of clones the temple guards didn’t seem to mind the uninvited soldiers being led off the landing pad and into the temple.

“Alright R2, you have the schematics. There’s a row of rooms on level 13 that are unclaimed. I’m not sending them to the brig. Ahsoka, go with R2. If anyone asks, tell them I said it’s ok. If that doesn’t work, make something up. Rex, with me.” Anakin motions for Rex and breaks off from the group, heading a different direction.

“Wait that little droid has the temple schematics?” Jesse asks in disbelief.

“Yep. R2 has never had a memory wipe. And him knowing just makes it easier.” Ahsoka answers.

“But what if that fell into enemy hands?! That’s a disaster waiting to happen!”

“It’s happened before actually. But we got him back so no biggie” Said Ahsoka, nonchalantly.

Jesse gapes at her. This feels illegal. He should report this. This has to be against so so many rules. Fives and ahsoka smirk at him.

R2 lead the group to a hallway containing 3 unoccupied rooms. Each of them has a window out onto courosaunt with dim-able shades, a (very comfy compared to anything GAR issue) bed, a circular meditation chair, a wardrobe built into the wall, a fully stocked mini fridge also built into the wall, and an on suite ‘fresher.

“Alright boys, two to a room. There’s a mess hall on the fifth floor, it’s open all day. And night! A few of the communal room have snacks and kitchenettes though. Please don’t break anything, if you need something just ask! Most of the people here are pretty friendly. If they aren’t I’ll tell master plo koon. I’ll be 28th floor room 332. Dogma, you should be at the council chambers by 1500. But feel free to be around 20 or so minutes late! Fives, Jesse, you’re on guard duty but it’s pretty much optional at this point. A Jedi will stop you if you do anything dangerous. You can all’s roam around, just don’t touch stuff and try not to get lost. If you do I’ll probably find you eventually but it’s just a pain. There’s a bunch of cool stuff here so have fun!” Ahsoka waved and left them, walking down the hall. Although the speech was fast, the boys still got all the details of the briefing.

Hardcase immediately runs and flops onto the bed, and the mattress bounces.

“Ooh it feels like it’s going to swallow me! Jesse, Kix come check this out!” At the invitation Jesse, Kix, Fives and Tup all ran and jumped onto the bed alongside him, basically burying Hardcase. Fives and Kix landed on top of him “Hey! Get off!” He smacked and kicked at them. Fives just laughed and elbowed him, Kix was pushed off the bed. Dogma leaned against the doorframe, on a good day he might join them, but that just wasn’t today.

Fives was thrown into Tup who gasped at the sudden weight on his injury, and Kix immediately put an end to the game. “Alright that’s enough. Someone’s going to get hurt, we’re done with this.”

“Aww but that was fun” complained Hardcase. But Fives just apologized to Tup, who insisted it was fine.

“Alright, so I say Jesse bunks with me, Fives with Hardcase and Dogma with Tup?” Proposed Kix.

“Who put you in charge?” Asked Fives sarcastically. “Besides Jesse and I are meant to be guarding Dogma.”

“We were told that was optional. Besides, do either of you actually want to do that?”

Fives and Jesse share a glance and Jesse answers on Fives behalf “no, not really. That works I guess.”

Dogma wandered the wide halls of the Jedi temple alone, aquatinting himself with his new surroundings. It was strange... not many clones got to see this place. But he was in residency here now. He hoped not for long. Sure, it was beautiful, borderline luxurious for a clone like himself. And everyone was nice to him, or at least pretend to be. But this isn’t where a clone belongs. This is for Jedi. He’s a clone and he should be wandering the halls of some warship off in the border worlds of a galactic conflict, not the halls of a sacred and beautiful Jedi temple at the heart of it all. He doesn’t like this whole Jedi Ghost thing. It’s related to umbara, and this entire thing was just way to complicated for him. He was a clone, and clones were supposed to be simple. Fight and die for the republic. He stopped to look out one of the large windows out onto courosaunt. The capital of the known galaxy.

A group of two padawans walked up to Dogma in the hall. They were somewhere around 13 and acting casually, but straightening to attention was a reflex. “Hey, mister clone! Whats your name and which general are you with?” Asked the purple nautolin girl.

“I’m clone trooper Dogma, and I’m with General Skywalker’s battalion.”

“No, no. She meant which Jedi are you ‘with’. No clones stay at the temple without being ‘with’ a Jedi. And we all know Skywalker isn’t with a clone. So, who is it?” Asked the zabrakk boy.

“I’m... not sure I understand what you mean, sir.”

“Hey, I get it. ‘Play dumb when questioned’ right? Seriously we won’t tell anyone. Who are you here with!” The nautolin got a mischievous glint in her eye that Dogma knew all too well.

“I’m here with General Skywalker, clone captain Rex, clone medic Kix, clone troopers Tup and Hardcase, and ARC trooper Jesse and Fives. I can list their ct numbers if you want aswell.”

“He’s telling the whole truth” says the zabrakk.

“Oh come on giajov. We aren’t getting anything out of him. But the captain, maybe.” The nautolin said to the zabrakk before turning to go.

“Wait, you can’t do that right now, sir. He’s with the general right now. He’s working.”

“Oh really? Where are they?” The nautolin stopped and turned to him again.

“I don’t know sir. I wasn’t told.” He did have a good idea of where they went but, he couldn’t tell them.

“Wait, now he knows more than he’s letting on! What general is he with?” Asks the zabrakk

“General skywalker sir.”

“Ugh. This is getting nowhere come on giajov we have places to be” The nautolin grows impatient and leaves.

“Thanks for the chat, trooper Dogma!” Said the zabrakk before leaving after her.

Dogma watched the two go, wondering what all that was about. He checked his chrono. 1510. Kriff. Now where was the council chamber...

[smoaking-greenarrow]

Number 10 for the out of context prompts plss!!

Arrow Out of Context Part 2!

“Give me a break. This ain’t no task force. Let’s call it like it is. Welcome to the Suicide Squad.”

A.R.G.U.S agents AU Parts 1 & 2  

When they’d given her the tour of the A.R.G.U.S facility, Felicity remembered the mysterious door the guide had conveniently ignored. He’d walked by it without even looking, jumping into the next department, private investigations and external affairs, and explaining what they did for the government.

Felicity had mostly forgotten about it, assuming that the door was probably just a storage closet or something. Plus her brain had been overloaded with everything and everyone she’d learned about during the tour. It was easy to forget the inconspicuous little door.

Wondering where Oliver could be is what reminded her of the door. It was the only place in the building that she hadn’t seen. And Felicity hated mysteries.

She knew that Oliver oversaw some kind of task force. He’d said as much when he introduced himself at training. But she didn’t realize the extent of what his black ops team did. Not until she’d been standing outside of Director Michaels’ door listening to her argue with Oliver.

After their talk in the hallway, she’d tried to find him again around meal times and in the training gyms, but he hadn’t come in all week. Yet, she knew he had to be somewhere. An important government official couldn’t just run off without her knowing about it. As the best security analyst A.R.G.U.S had to offer, she rationalized that if Oliver had fallen off the grid, Director Michaels would want to find him. And tracking a rogue agent would require her skill set. Which led Felicity to believe that Oliver was avoiding her.

Making her way through the halls, Felicity smiled and nodded at her fellow agents as she passed, putting on her best ‘no, I’m not doing anything suspicious here,’ act.

When she finally reached the door, she checked that the coast was clear before hacking the lock pad and letting herself in. “Don’t mind if I do,” she muttered under her breath, feeling a little bit disappointed that it was so easy to get in.

The hallway she found herself in was dark, the only light coming from the tiny windows on the doors that lined each wall. She slowly stepped towards the first one, glancing inside. A red haired woman was pacing the floor of her apparent cell, speaking heatedly like she was in an argument even though no one else was in the room.

Across from the redhead, a man sat on the edge of the bed in his own cell, looking down at his feet. Felicity couldn’t help but notice the prisoner’s patch covering his eye. Unlike the woman, he glanced up at her, immediately smirking. “Well, you don’t look like you belong here, sweetheart.” He said, and Felicity yelped, surprised that she could hear him since the other woman was muted.

Her head whipped back to look at the red haired woman, continuing to silently talk to herself and pace, completely unaware that Felicity was standing in front of her. The man with the eye patch chuckled, and Felicity quickly looked back to him. “We made her room soundproof,” he explained, “for all of our sanity.”

“You must be agent Queen’s team,” Felicity whispered, knowing that as far as restricted areas went, this place was a definite no-no. Being here was probably a stunt that could get her fired.

“What’s left of it,” he grinned. “We recently lost our resident idiot.” The man lifted his eyes to the ceiling and placed a hand on his heart, “rest his stupid, stupid soul.”

As he shook his head with sarcastic mourning, Felicity stared at him. “Who are you?”

“Floyd Lawton,” he answered. And then he winked at her, “but you can call me Deadshot.”

She cocked her head to the side, “why would I call you that?”

“Because I don’t miss,” his eyes roamed down her body, “any of my targets.”

“Boasting your ability to kill through innuendos…” Felicity quirked an eyebrow, “is that your idea of flirting?”

Floyd Lawton chuckled, “I like my women feisty.” Felicity opened her mouth to answer, but then she heard the door being unlocked, someone typing in a code on the other side. “Uh-oh,” Deadshot sang, “princess is in trouble.”

Her head snapped back towards him, “I am not a princess.” She defended, but Lawton just raised his eyebrows as he glanced pointedly down at her high heels. So she liked to look nice, sue her.

Distracted, Felicity continued to stand in the hallway, glaring at Deadshot. Not that she would have been able to get very far in the five seconds it took for Oliver to come in, or that she had anywhere to go.

The hallway was lined with padded cells, but it only had one exit. As Oliver stepped through the door, she froze. He was looking down at a file in his hands, flipping through the pages as he walked. It took him a moment, but when he glanced up and his eyes landed on her, he stopped dead in his tracks.

He looked surprised. And then he looked confused.

And then he just looked angry.

“How the hell did you get in here?” He growled, moving towards her again, this time with a purpose. When he reached her, Oliver grabbed her arm, his fingers gripping her elbow as he started to pull her away.

“Where you takin’ her, boss?” Lawton asked, leaning against the glass, “let her stay for a while.”

Oliver slammed his palm against the glass window of his cell, “shut up,” he snapped, pulling on Felicity’s arm again.

“This is your team? Task Force X, right?” She asked, resisting. Oliver just shot her a warning look, his eyes flashing with annoyance, probably because he was realizing how much of his conversation with Director Michaels she’d been eavesdropping on.

Deadshot scoffed from his cell,  “give me a break. This ain’t no task force. Let’s call it like it is.” He lifted his arms out, bowing slightly as he smirked at her. “Welcome to the Suicide Squad.”

She could hear a low growl in the back of Oliver’s throat as he tugged on her arm again, and Felicity didn’t fight him. She wasn’t really in a rush to strike up a conversation with a psychopath that was proud of his accuracy in killing people…or the woman who was still rambling on to herself, tuned out from their presence. “Time to go,” Oliver muttered.

Felicity half expected him to shove her through the door and slam it in her face by the way he was nudging her out. But he followed her out into the hallway, turning to her with irritation in his eyes. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I wanted to talk to you. I haven’t seen you around.”

He glanced down at her, “we did talk. We decided that I’m an asshole and I don’t deserve you. I thought we’d at least agreed on that.”

She let out a huff of surprise at his bluntness before answering. “I meant that I want to talk to you about your team,” she answered, raising her eyebrows, “but hey, I guess if you want to discuss all of this sexual tension we have going on here, we can do that, too.”

His eyes sparked with amusement as he shook his head, the smallest of smiles pulling up the corner of his mouth.

He lightened up, which was exactly what she’d been trying to achieve.

Oliver sighed, “you’re not getting involved with my team,” he said gently. “Even if I wasn’t dealing with manic criminals, it’s not appropriate for a rookie to be mixed up in this operation. You’re an analyst, Felicity. It’s not safe for you.” He pointed at the door, “you shouldn’t even have been in there.”

“I can help.”

Oliver’s eyes softened as she stared up at him, begging him to let her in. And he shook his head, “It’s too dangerous, Felicity.”

“Is this about me being a rookie, or is it about something else?”

He cocked his head to the side, “can’t it be about both?”

“Depends on what the ‘something else’ is.” She replied.

“I don’t want to see you get hurt. These missions involve a team of black ops criminals…unstable killers…and they’re risky enough that Director Michaels won’t let even the most respected A.R.G.U.S agents participate.” Oliver met her eyes, “Task Force X is expendable to her,” he finished, mumbling lowly and she could see the pain in his eyes. She knew instantly what he was thinking about it. The member of his team he’d had to put down.

“So who has your back then?” She whispered, stepping closer to him. “Who keeps you safe?”

Oliver’s eyes flew to hers, surprised by the question. But he didn’t look away. In fact, he stepped closer. Oliver tilted his face down to hers, nodding once before he whispered, “I do.”

“How is that working out for you?”

“I’m alive, aren’t I?”

Felicity narrowed her eyes, “alive doesn’t mean that you’re okay.”

His eyes shifted between hers, something so strong and raw in his gaze and in the connection that she felt, there wasn’t a chance in hell that she could keep on ignoring it. “You told me you’re not the person who can harness the light inside me, Oliver…” she whispered lowly, her heart racing at how close he was, his face inches from hers. “But I don’t feel darkness when I’m with you.”

All she’d have to do was turn her chin up and she could kiss him. The energy was electric, exciting, and bright. She needed more of it.

Just as she was about to make the decision, to find out if she was right about the spark by kissing him, the sound of someone clearing their throat made Oliver flinch, quickly pulling back from Felicity. She opened her eyes to find Director Michaels standing a few feet away. Her arms were crossed, her shoulders stiff, and her expression was that of a disapproving superior. “Agent Smoak, may I speak with you in my office?”

It wasn’t high school. Sure, agents dating, or more specifically, almost kissing in the hallway, was probably frowned upon. But it wasn’t like there were rules against it. She would know. Felicity had read the training manual cover to cover. The only enforced rules at A.R.G.U.S were about government security and confidentiality.

With a sigh, Felicity took a step to follow Director Michaels, but Oliver’s hand on her waist stopped her from brushing by him. “What for?” He asked, his eyes trained on Lyla with caution.

The director raised a confident eyebrow at him as if to say ‘are you questioning me?’ But Oliver didn’t move his hand, and Felicity couldn’t help but wait to see what Michaels would say. “That’s not really your business, agent Queen,” she told him sternly, but Felicity swore she saw a brief break of amusement on the woman’s face.

“It’s fine,” Felicity mumbled to Oliver, not used to anyone acting so protectively over her. She patted his hand, gently moving it away so she could go with Lyla Michaels.

And as she followed the director, Felicity glanced over her shoulder at Oliver, not missing the concern etched between his eyebrows.

“You can relax, agent Smoak,” Lyla said as they reached her office. “I just want to ask you for a favor.”

“Okay…”

“Oliver has a task force, has he told you about them?” Felicity bit her lip, giving an impassive shrug. Michaels took it as confirmation anyway. “He’s the best agent I have for the job. Don’t tell him I told you this, but he’s kind of the only agent who can lead that team…and I’m afraid that he’ll quit on me if we keep doing things this way. My way.”

“You mean the exploding microchips.” Lyla leveled her with a look, and Felicity smiled sheepishly. “He didn’t tell me that, I was outside your door last week.”

“I figured as much,” Director Michaels said, taking a seat behind her desk and leaning back in the chair. “So, can you come up with a better way?”

“I’d have to look at the chip…but I could probably work with it. Make it so that the effect is, uh, less fatal. I think I could redesign it so that it shuts down the nerves in their legs, paralyzes them…or maybe I could adapt it to release a strong sedative to their brains that would knock them out.”

Lyla nodded along. “Sounds perfect. Get to work. You head out in twenty four hours.”

“Head out?” Felicity asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“I have a replacement lined up for Shrapnel. A woman whose been stalking her father around the world for three years.”

“Daddy issues…never thought to chase mine after he abandoned us,” Felicity cringed.

“Oh no, she’s been trying to kill him.” Director Michaels said bluntly. “And leaving a trail of bodies in her wake.”

Felicity’s eyes widened, “oh-”

“Task Force X will find her in Ivy Town.” Lyla straightened the papers on her desk, picking up a pen and focusing on the reports in front of her as if the mission she’d just described was an everyday thing. For A.R.G.U.S, it probably was. But for her… “Like I said, you leave in twenty four hours.”

When Felicity didn’t respond, Michaels glanced up at her, “that’ll be all, agent Smoak.”

Taking the hint, Felicity cleared her throat and stood up, exiting her office without another word. She felt a little overwhelmed as she wandered down the hall towards her sleeping quarters. She had twenty four hours to not only create a modified chip that hopefully wouldn’t kill Oliver’s team if they misbehaved, but she also had to wrap her head around the idea of running off to chase a serial killer after only three weeks on the job.

Oliver was leaning against the wall outside of her door, and he straightened when he saw her coming towards him. He stared down at her as she reached him, questions in his eyes that he wasn’t asking. “Do you want to come in?” She whispered.

He pressed his lips together and avoided her offer, “what did Lyla want?”

“Didn’t she tell you to mind your own business?” Felicity countered, crossing her arms uncomfortably, unsure if she should open her door and try to invite him in again, or if they were just going to continue standing in the hall. After everything he’d been saying, she knew that he really wasn’t going to be happy about this.

“Felicity,” he said lowly, his eyebrows furrowing, “please.”

She sighed, “she wants what I want. For me to help you.”

The worry on his face grew a bit darker, his eyes telling her to explain more.

“I’ll be going with you on your mission to Ivy Town.”