#update update: HER TURNING ON THE CAR AND IT MAKING THE BEEPING NOISES AND ME LITERALLY COUNTING THE BEEPS UNTIL DRIVERS LICENSE STARTS

[dl-bug]

.🩷.

[russellsppttemplates]

Words we didn't mean (Lewis Hamilton)

There are some words exchanged that you didn't mean and Lewis feels bad when Angela told him you had called her for help

Note: english is not my first language

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated, and while I'm not actively taking requests, I am writing some blurbs when I can (usually at nighttime when I can) so if you have any ideas or concepts that can be written in a small amount of sentences and you want to share, feel free to do so!

Tw: reader accidentally cuts herself while cooking (mentions hospital, blood, medication)

"Lew, please, we need to see about this", you said for what felt like the umpteenth time as you watched your boyfriend pack his laptop and the last minute things on his backpack, "I don't have time right now, and I told you already how I feel about it", he replied rather harshly for his usual tone and before you could even react, he did the zipper and grabbed his coat, "You're not leaving like this, are you?", you asked, the nervousness installing itself on your chest, "what do you want me to do? It's not like either of us are going to bend on this, is it?", he said and that stung. While it wasn't common for you and Lewis to disagree on things, whenever it happened, you two talked it out, hearing the other's ideas and finding a way to make it work for both of you, but it seemed today he wasn't drawn to take that time, especially when his ride to the factory meeting is nearly at the door, "I'll be home later", he said dryly before heading out of the door. Roscoe must have sensed something wrong, his paws the only noise you heard in the house as he came to stand by you, his paw tapping your leg slightly as he asked for scratches, "Daddy is a bit off today, I guess", you said as you compiled with his request.

After tidying the bedroom up, you put the clothes and sheets in the laundry basket and then into the washing machine, taking the opportunity to dry them quickly as the sun was shining brightly outside. Roscoe followed you like the little shadow he always is, and while you were making lunch for you you fed him a little bit of what you were preparing when the knife slipped from your hand and made you cut your other hand, the slit already bloody when you looked at it, "shoot, shoot, shoot", you said as you looked for a clean kitchen towell to wrap around it, next looking for you phone as you thought of how to proceed, "call Angela", you said outloud, never more thankful about these new technologies, watching the call begin on the screen, "Morning, beautiful! How are you?", her usually cheery voice cam through, "hii, how are you? I have a bit of a situation", you gulped, "I have cut myself whilst making lunch, It's in my hand, seems deep too, and while I can still move it" you hissed, "I don't think it is a good idea to change the gears or to turn the steering wheel, I'm afraid I'll open up the wound even more", you said as you tried to squeeze the fabric around your hand, "you're right, dear. I'll be at your place in 5 minutest take you to the hospital, okay?", Angela said before she hang up. While you waited for her, you got your documents to bring to the ER and a small crossbody bag to put all your belongings in just in time for the car to beep outside, "No, no, don't push too much", said Angela as she saw you try to close the front door on your own, helping you while looking at your hand, "that is indeed a nasty cut, let's see what they can do to it. You'll be good as new", she conforted.

While you were in the waiting room, you sensed that Angela had a question she wanted to ask, "instead of wondering, just ask it, please", you said gently while you kept applying pressure on the cut like the doctor who did your triage told you to do, "I haven't seen you call or text Lewis any updates, nor did you even mention him, is everything alright?", she mused, "we had a fight, I guess. We were discussing how I was going to attend a few more races next year and I have a new project at work that will maybe keep me from going and it all spiralled from there, I said things I didn't mean, he did the same. And then it was time for him to leave and we didn't get any conclusion. And he doesn't need anymore on his plate, especially something like this", you mumbled before your name was called. The doctor did what he had to do, suturing the skin, wrapping it safely and ultimately deciding to play it safe and prescribe some medication to fight off any infections as well as to promote a better healing process, also scheduling with you the days where you would come to change the bandages.

Angela drove you home after the hectic day, "thank you so much again, and I apologise for calling you like that and ruining your day", you said as she set the bag of medications on the counter, "No need for that, I'm glad I could be of help. Do you need anything else from me? Anything I can help with?", she wondered and you caved in, seeing as you were alone in the house, "can you heat me the leftovers that are in the fridge, please? I need to eat to take my medication", you said as you watched comply, bringing you the tray of food, water and meds to the bedroom where you managed to put your pyjamas on by yourself, "are you sure you don't need anything else?", Angela asked before she left after your negative answer, letting you rest as all the different medications were keeping you a bit drowsy and sleepy.

Lewis was leaving the Mercedes AMG F1 HQ with the same thoughts in his mind, how you two had handled things. How he had handled it and not let you talk it out like usual, grabbing his phone to see a text from Angela, "Y/N had to pop to the ER today and I took her. She's at home resting now, the cut on her hand should heal soon and her meds and food have been taken care of. She didn't ask me to send you this but I love you both too much to see you two like this. Whatever it is, I'm sure you can sort it out".

ER? Cut on your hand? Medications? What had happened in the span of time he was gone? Dialing Angela's number, Lewis entered the car that had brought him in the morning, greeting the driver briefly as his trainer picked up, "what happened, Angela? And why am I only finding out about this now?", he asked, the stress evident on his voice, "Y/N was making lunch and the knife slipped from her grasp, but doctor said she would be good as new soon", she explained, "I took her there because she called me. And she didn't tell you anything because... Well, I don't know why, she just said that you had a rough morning", she said, knowing that those details mattered the least to him at that moment, "Why didn't she call me? I would've gone straight home", he said as his voice tone started trailing away, realising ad he spoke that given how the morning went, he too wouldn't be calling himself after you got injured, "nevermind, thank you again. For helping Y/N today and for calling me, will speak soon!", he said before he hang up, his finger going straight to dial your number before he refrained from doing so, nor actually knowing how to approach the situation. You had and accident in the kitchen and injured yourself, and didn't think to call him or tell him about it to not bother him maybe. He had made you believe something like this was not worthy to tell him to come and help you or at least that he wouldn't want to hear about it, and that was not acceptable. Thanking his driver again, he retrieved his keys from the pocket and entered your shared home, no sign of Roscoe, who would usually greet him at the door, making him drop all his belongings on the office as he made his way into the bedroom to see you asleep on the bed, Roscoe by your feet that, sensing someone else, woke up and greeted Lewis, him leaving his spot making you move in your sleep as you turned to face your boyfriend, who didn't miss the wrapped hand as he watched you, "Hey, sorry, I didn't hear you come in", you said as you adjusted your position as best as you could, your boyfriend helping you sit up before he carefully took your injured hand in his, inspecting it, "Why didn't you tell me? I could have come to help", he said gently, not wanting to belittle you in any way, "I thought you'd be busy and, well, this morning wasn't the best either", you began, "we don't usually leave things like that. We always talk it through and, and I thought I'd just let you cool down from it all", you explained, "I'm sorry if I made you feel like you couldn't count on me, darling. We should have talked about it in the morning", he said before kissing your knuckles that were in show, "I love having you there for races, it motivates me to go harder and be better and I enjoy your company there. Yes, it upset me that you're not going to be there as much, especially this year, but I understand that you have your things too. I should have never said what I said", he gulped as you could see the guilt in his eyes, "I would love for you to join me, but I'm also so fucking proud of you, of your achievements and dedication. I'm so sorry for how I reacted", he stressed again. Smiling slightly, you cradled his face on your hand, "I'm sorry too, said things I didn't mean and they only set out to aggravate what we were doing. I'll see what I can do about it, maybe remotely I can do things too. Just, promise we'll be better at this, okay?", you said as you both nodded, Lewis opening his arms for you to rest against him, "how is this?", he pointed to your hand, "doctor said it should heal well, have the meds there too. Just a silly accident, really, I have to be careful with how I take care of it", you said before he kissed your forehead, "I'm here now, I'll take care of you".

[drgngutz]

P. - Coast - Luffy x f!soulmate!reader

Prologue

I've decided to cross post this from wattpad, since the teaser I posted seemed to be received so well. If you like this, and would rather get updates right away, I'll post the link to wattpad on my master list :)

I'll be starting a tag list for people who want to be notified for updates and don't use wattpad.

Hope u enjoy, <33

The bustling city created noise all around me. Over the years it's become the background for my rambling thoughts. The rapid and angry beeping of cars, which were always dodging the just-as-angry pedestrians, was as common of an occurrence as the construction going on across from the orphanage's scrawny apartment building. There was rarely ever a time of silence in the big city. The endless annoyance tended to grate on my nerves, and the days were passing slower and slower. A constantly parentless child in her last weeks of high school, there was barely enough money to make ends meet, much less move somewhere quieter. The side job at the convenience store wasn't working out, and having to care for the other kids in the orphanage with such a small amount was getting me nowhere. 

Sighing, I stopped my trudging footsteps and turned my head towards the underside of my arm.

'Hey, I caught you! -M.D.L'

It made me feel worse every time I saw it; the fancy script that tattooed my forearm, close to my wrist and scribed in black ink. The perfectly unmarred scrawls used to make my stomach flip in excitement when I looked at it, but now it was just a constant reminder of what I was lacking. My own soulmate; just another person that didn't seem to want me. 

Most people find their soulmates early in life, since we're gifted the markings of a soulmate at birth. The marks are hereditary depending on what kind you have, ranging from first words spoken (like my own), to seeing a glowing red string attached to their fingers; it all depends on what kind you inherited from your family. People can discover their soulmates as early as ten, though it's globally averaged they meet each other around sixteen to seventeen years old. 

I was seventeen now, and in my final year of high school, so everyday that passed without hearing those words, the more nervous I got. It was possible that I would never meet them with a soulmate mark that didn't give me any information. I couldn't track them, find a picture of them, or communicate with them. Some people on this overpopulated earth are unlucky enough to never meet their soulmate; even unluckier people are born without a mark to match with someone else's. I was more scared of the first option.

No matter how many times I posted online, searched the match websites, or attended special 'soulmate conventions' where thousands gathered in order to meet new people, I still hadn't found mine. Most of the students in my classes had found theirs, and more than ever I felt the peer pressure of needing to find mine. The few friends I had whispered behind my back, some were pitiful, some just flat-out criticizing me for not finding them yet; not that they really counted as friends anymore. To make matters worse, the women who ran the orphanage often reminded me that it was only a matter of time before I would have to leave and make a home of my own. There were years wasted with foster families who I hoped would give me a way out spilled down the drain, only to never stay for too long. Then, I was back at square one. 

The soonest way I could leave this place would be with the support from my soulmate. 

Leaning against the railing of a bridge that I crossed to-and-from school, I stared up at the gloomy sky, feeling the beginnings of rain build up into a thin layer of moisture on my skin. The cars sped by, whirring with life as they switched between lanes or sped past others who were going too slow for their liking. 

If I could speed past this point of my life like those cars, past the dullness of each passing day, past the hopelessness of my future; I would take that chance in a heartbeat. I could open a new chapter of my life, try to find some sense of self, maybe get the chance to find my passions. I loved the kids at the orphanage, them being my only 'family' left in this world, but it wasn't the same when compared to the idea of finding the one person you belong with. Someone who wants you for all that you are. I've been looking for that my whole life.

A low creak sounded, then a snap! Soon, I didn't have the support of the railing behind me.

Blinded by my brief desperation, I didn't readily take notice that I was starting to fall backwards; Stunned silent as I watched the metal rail of the bridge swing in disconnection above me. Small pieces of the metal followed my tracks as I began the plummet towards the rushing waters of the river below.

Stomach in my throat, I couldn't scream even if I wanted to. Falling silently to my death, heart racing, the delayed fear kicking in when I heard less of the rumbling cars and more of the rushing water beneath me. I finally started to understand that I was going to die.

My hair whipped around, a gust of wind blowing it into my eyes. I closed them instinctively, gritting my teeth with all of my muscles tensed so tight that they began to cramp.

I couldn't breath, couldn't see, couldn't feel.

The river below me flew and clashed with a ferocity; like the gnashing teeth of a beast.

It all went numb.

And then, I couldn't hear anything.

...

Slowly, I could register a difference. The soft sound of rushing wind around me. It was a lot warmer, coupled with the lack of the river noise from before. It was almost... gentle.

"Am I... dead?" I hadn't realized the words were said out loud until I felt my lips move, barely hearing my whispers over the wind, which was billowing harshly and picking up speed.

Opening my eyes I was met with a bright blue sky, the sun shining through the fluffy white clouds that were splattered across the scene. A small bird crossed the sky in front of me, blocking the rays of the sun for just a moment before it was out of sight again.

I blinked, wondering if I really was dead, before gazing at the (h/c) hairs that were flowing around my view.

Dazed, I took a glance below me.

It looked like a very large body of water; an ocean, to be exact.

What the hell was an ocean doing in the city?

Speaking of the city, there was none. It was vast, open space. Not a single landmass in sight. So, I was falling towards the ocean. An ocean that just sort of appeared, and not the river that I was previously about to drown in.

It took another moment before realizing the repeating danger; I was falling. Falling towards my death a second time. And at this height, a height much higher than when I had fallen off of the bridge, all of my bones would break and be pushed into my body. If the current didn't kill me, then the internal bleeding definitely would.

Tears bubbled up in my eyes. When my brain and body caught up to each other, I realized how close I had gotten to the water, and I was screaming shrilly before I could stop myself.

Terror ripped through me. After just having to accept the idea of dying in my fall off of the bridge, I was now flung into another gruesome death; but this time my brain had enough time to understand what was going on. There was no surviving this. I was either in hell, or stuck in my last moments; experiencing the fear of my own death on repeat. My vision was blurry as I choked on a sob.

The water was getting close... close, closer still.

Did I really have to go through this again? Was there no way I could survive this?

The instinctual, fearful process started again when I got within two-hundred feet of the water. I could hear the gentle lapping of the waves, now.

My teeth and eyes clenched shut, muscles tensing again to brace for the pain, heart racing for the incoming impact.

This was it. I was going to die. Again.

When the waves became the only thing that I could hear anymore, I felt a sudden pressure around my abdomen.

I was yanked to the side with a whiplash that was near breakneck speed. Grabbing at the squishy material around my waist for some sort of support, I opened my eyes right before I whacked into something solid. With a cry, we were both sent sprawling to the ground.

A low groan vibrated the object that I was now laying on, warm and firm, before I repeated the same sound; body aching from the fearful tension and then the rough collision. The surface beneath us rocked side to side, and I had to place a hand on the wooden boards beneath us to steady my trembling body before I fell over. Now on my knees between his thighs, I heard a shuffling in front of me.

Shaking my head, I opened my teary eyes to find the face of a boy right in front of mine. When our gazes met, he broke out into an enormous, adorable smile.

"Hey, I caught you!"

Chapter One

[xspookymetalheadx]

Hi everyone, I'm new to Tumblr. I have been inspired by Booktok to create and write my own stories to share with others. I've been wanting to write for a long time but I just didn't know what. I finally feel inspired so all I ask is please be nice and respect my work. I would love any feedback or opinions, or ideas on how to make the story more interesting. If you are going to be rude or disrespectful i will block you. Thank you for your time. This is called "Exotic Chaos".

✨Prologue✨

The sound of my coffee pouring out scalding liquid is music to my ears as I yawn and my neck cracks. I look at my phone, the white screen blinding me for a second. It's five thirty in the morning and I haven't got an ounce of sleep. My husband has been missing for forty eight hours and police have yet to find any clues to his disappearence.

Lost in my thoughts, I decide to go to my son's room down the hall and take a quick peak. He's sound asleep and is cuddled in his batman blanket. I crack his door and head back to the kitchen. He looks peaceful, so I am going to let him sleep.

The coffee maker makes a beeping noise and I put my cup underneath the spout and inhale the steam. Smooth caramel flavor....good for the soul.

I pick up the coffee pot and pour myself a cup. I add a little sugar and mix. I grab some ice from the freezer and plunk them into the burning liquid.

I look inside my fridge and see I still have creamer and caramel sauce. I grab both and once the final stir is in, my potion will be ready.

I'm sitting on my couch and decided to turn on the early morning news. All I see is bullshit about the weather and people getting upset over politics. All of that didn't matter to me. I was more hopeful there would be something brought up in the public about what happened to my husband. I take a sip of my sweet, creamy creation and stare off into the distance. What if I'm next?

I shake my head and sigh. You can't think like that. I decide to gulp down my beverage in one go and get up. Right as I stood up, my cat, Salem, rubs up against me and meows. "Good morning, sweet girl," I bend down and pick her up. She melts into my chest and starts purring. I nessle my chin into her head. "I take it you slept well." She looks up at me with her bright orange eyes and head butts me and scoots closer to my neck.

I start to remember the day I rescued her. I was on my way to work in the heavy rain on a highway when I spotted her in the middle of the road. I put my hazards on and thankfully people drove around me. I remember wrapping her up in a blanket and running back to my car. She was shivering and very frail. Somehow she made it through the night and I ended up taking her to the nearest vet that next morning. By the grace of the universe, she only had a bacterial infection that was caught just in the nick of time. She had to spend the night for twenty four hours while on IV treatment and antibiotics.

I scratch her silky ears as she completely flops in my lap. Before I can even react, my phone starts ringing. I glance at the caller ID, and see it's my best friend, Vixen. My thumb swipes the green button and I stand up.

"I didn't think you would answer this early. Are you okay?" I sigh into the phone and run my fingers through my messy hair. "There has been no update on my husband. I'm starting to feel like something awful happened to him."

There's a short pause and she continues. "I'm sorry, Luna. I know this is mentally draining you. Maybe since you are awake, I can pick you up and we can go do something fun. You need to get out of the house."

I groan. I'm not a very outdoorsy person. Going to and from work is draining enough, and all I care about is keeping my bills paid and keeping everyone above water. She laughs at me. "I'll come get you around eight thirty. I want to see my little superhero!"

A half smile appears on my face and I shake my head. "We will be ready." I glance at the time and it's already six forty five. I drop my dirty dish in the sink and make my way into my son's room.

He is laying on his back, and his covers are over his feet. My hand slowly traces his cheek and he opens his eyes. I bend down to kiss his forehead. "Time to get up, sweetheart. Auntie Vixen is coming to get us at eight thirty."

His eyes light up and he jumps out of bed. He runs past me and goes into the bathroom. "When you are done with your shower, please get dressed and sit down out here. I'm pretty sure she will buy us breakfast, so you can have a cup of milk or juice before we leave." My son's head pops around the door frame. "Okay, mommy."

My son and I are waiting on my front porch for Vixen to show up. I take out a pack of Marlboro Smooths and slide out a single stick. A flick of my thumb on my lighter sends the end of the cigarette into a bright red cherry frenzy. My body tingles all over for a few seconds. I keep telling myself I will quit smoking these and switch to vaping, but the rush of nicotine going through my veins off of one drag keeps my inner cranky bitch from coming out. I look up and I see her pull up in my driveway in her metallic purple Mercedes. A heavy metal song is blasting through her speakers and makes the car shake. She grins when she sees us and turns off the car.

"Hi, big man! Auntie got you a present." She hands him a set of hot wheels cars. His face lights up and he hugs her.

"Please tell me we are getting something to eat," I say desperately. "I only had a cup of magical bean juice."

She shakes her head and giggles at me. "We are going to Starbucks." Suddenly, her eyes dart off to where my mailbox is. She takes a few steps towards it and squints her eyes. "Did someone break into your mailbox?"

I step on my cigarette and walk down the porch steps. "What are you talking about? Who would even think of stealing mail?"

She takes my arm and pulls me towards her. I look over at my son and he's sitting in the backseat making airplane noises with his new toys. I come face to face with the opening to my mailbox. I noticed bent metal, and.....

What the fuck is that?

I look closer and see a few drops of blood have been smeared on the surface. My stomach starts doing flips and I look up at Vixen.

"We have to open it. Try not to touch the blood."

Her eyes widen. "Are you fucking kidding me? This can be a clue or something. Cross contamination is a serious thing!"

I pause for a second and think about what I'm about to do, and I decide to be a nosy bitch anyway.

I pull the handle down and jump back. The sunlight beams through the inside and I see a brown box with black duct tape holding it shut. I slowly pull it out and examine it. No return address. All it has written on it is my name and where I live.

I walk back into my house and grab a sharp knife to cut through the tape. Vixen has a confused and terrified look on her face as I pull the sides of the box down.

Inside there is crumpled white tissue paper and an envelope is sitting on top of a smaller box that's sealed. I grab the envelope and turn it over. Written in cursive is "Luna".

Taking a deep breath, I place my finger in the crease of the corner and rip the top off. My fingers pull out a folded letter. My eyes skim over the piercing words.

"He shattered your heart, so I gutted his out. Happy Valentine's Day, Baby."

With my mouth gaping wide open now, I attempt to keep my hand still as I shred apart the tape to the smaller box. My chest feels tight and I'm struggling to focus. I close my eyes for a second to collect myself.

Vixen comes through the door carrying my son on her hip. "What is it?" My gaze meets hers and I hand her the note. Her face turns pale.

"This could be your husband's killer!"

I purse my lips and cock my head to the side. "Vixen, I have to see if this shit is actually real."

She sits down and tells my son to go his room. He pouts, but follows her instruction and closes his door shut.

"Luna, you have to turn this in to the police. If you want answers, here's some evidence!"

I bite the inside of my cheek. I carefully remove all the extra tissue paper and dive into the smaller box that awaits me.

As I lock my attention on the object that's sitting there, I begin to scream.

A massacred heart covered in dry blood. Alongside the rotted organ laid black orchid flowers, crafted into a precise heart shape. The petals had pieces of ribcage stuck to them. My vision goes out and I feel myself fall backwards, blanking out at the last second.

✨CHAPTER 1: The HitMan✨

~48 HOURS EARLIER~

I take out my pocket knife and click it open. I examine the blade as I lick my lips. This thing could definitely cut diamonds....or panties.

"Do you know who the fuck I am?!"

I snap out of my fantasy world and look down at the pathetic piece of trash sitting in a chair, arms and legs bound by thick brown rope. I laugh.

"You're a fucking disgrace to Luna," I begin. I slowly walk behind him and place my hands on his shoulders. His body freezes beneath my grip. I swiftly grab his hair and yank his neck back so his eyes are looking up into mine.

"You're the scum of the earth. If Luna even saw a glimpse of who you truly are, you would lose the best thing that ever happened to you. I know everything you do, John. You screw barely legal girls and launder money. I also know you like to beat on women. A few weeks ago you gave Luna a black eye and busted nose."

I take a deep breath and have to ground myself for a minute. I remember that evening vividly.

She was sitting outside on her porch, the light drizzle of rain lightly covering the withered steps. The smoke from her cigarette blended in with the faint light above her. Her phone made a noise as she took a long drag. The phone screen illuminated on her soft pale face, but to my horror, there was smeared blood on her lips and chin. My gaze fixated on her nose, where I could tell it was swollen and bruised. Her left eye was puffed up and probably pulsating from the agony she had to endure.

"My wife is a piece of shit. She's gotten lazy over the years, and she has excuses as to why things aren't done. After she had our son, it messed up her body. Who wants to fuck damaged goods?"

I'm beginning to see red as I place myself in front of him. I forcefully grab his jaw and yank him up to my eye level.

"Don't you ever talk about her like that again."

He batches up a loogie in his throat and spits in my eye. "If you like her so much, you can have her. She means nothing to me!"

It was in this moment that I plunged my blade into his right thigh until I felt his bone snap in half. The floor underneath us was showered in red liquid. His shriek of suffering was music to my ears. Gripping the end of my weapon, I withdraw back and it slides out like butter. I suck in a deep breath and wipe his bodily fluids off the blade with my bare fingers. Deciding to stuff it away in my back pocket, I nonchalantly pull out my slick ebony .45 Glock and press it against the center of his forehead. His face has drained of all color and his eyes widen as he realizes his doom. I grin sinisterly and make eye contact.

"Thank you for giving me permission, John. I will take it from here."

Before he can even utter a word, I pull the trigger. Brain and bone matter explode everywhere.

I look over at my accomplice and nod my head. "Get rid of this meat suit. Spare the heart."

The accomplice nods back and immediately pulls out his burner cell to make a call.

The scorching water flows down my skin as I release all my tension in my body. My gaze follows the liquid down to the drain where it adequately swirls crimson streaks until it vanishes. My eyes close, and I feel at peace for a moment.

Right as I get focused to finish my shower, my cell phone starts ringing.

I decide to let it ring as I concentrate on getting soap and shit off me, making sure I get every inch of skin. Once I'm free of any DNA evidence on my body, I calmly turn the nozzle until the shower stops running.

I sheepishly wrap a towel around my waist and look at my phone. It was my accomplice. The other line rings a couple times and he answers.

"The job is done, boss. How do you want your gift delivered?"

I set my phone down on my bathroom sink hitting the speaker button. "Same day delivery, please."

~PRESENT DAY~

"Scotch, no ice."'

The bartender writes down my order and goes to the back to make my drink. My eyes scan the bar as my request is placed on a napkin beside me. Placing my card on the bar, I get a sip.

The bartender hands me my receipt and I sign my initials.

I go back to fixating on the hundreds of bodies that are dry humping and getting shit faced.

Tilting my head back, I throw the Scotch down my throat.

A petite hand slides up my back and gently caresses my arm.

"You look lonely. Want some company?"

A young woman wearing a skin tight pink dress that barely holds her tits leans against me. The smell of her perfume clogs my nose. "If you take me home tonight, you won't regret it," She whispers in my ear with her heavily painted lips. Right as her fingers brush my crotch, I sternly placeher arm back at her side.

"Sorry, sweetheart. You can't have me."

She gives me a dirty look and flips me off.

As I'm watching her get as far away from me as possible, my sight lands on the pool table in a separate area away from the dancefloor.

A lump forms in my throat as I heavily watch a creepy guy that's trying to grope Luna's ass. She's here with Vixen, which is good to know. If I found out she came here alone, she wouldn't be able to sit down for a whole day.

I bite my lip just thinking about what I would do to her.

However, I must admit she's been a good girl lately. I wonder how she liked my present.

My eyesight is on high alert as I watch him stand over her while she's bent over the pool table, attempting to take her shot at winning the game. He looks like a famished predator, waiting to strike at any moment that she's vulnerable. His perverted mind goes to the gutter as he takes a step back to admire her figure.

Glancing at her untouched drink, I watch him take out a plastic bag from his pocket and dump white powder into her glass.

Right as she reaches for her refreshment, Vixen punches him in the jaw and he goes down on the floor.

"Stupid bitch!!" He roars out in fury. The crowd goes silent, and security has already gotten him on his feet. He's caressing his face and tears are streaming down his cheeks. What a pussy. He doesn't know it yet, but he's a dead man.

After he is escorted out of the building, I decide to follow, staying several feet behind. When we all make it outside, a police car is waiting. Blue and red lights illuminate the street like a rave. Nosy pedestrians are asking questions about what happened.

Since everyone is distracted, and the police are taking statements, I confidently walk up to the perp who attempted to drug Luna and sit next to him.

"So I hear you like to spike drinks,"

I swiftly reach over and dig in his pocket for anymore substances. Attempting to twist my arm and throw me off him, I laugh.

Looking at me with complete regret, I hold up three small bags with the unknown chemical and wave them in his face.

"Why do you give a fuck about what I do?" He snaps, and tries to slap my hand away.

My eyebrows furrow and I seize his neck in a matter of seconds. One wrong move and it's lights out.

"You targeted my woman. You don't deserve to breathe the same oxygen she does. It's a fucking privilege."

As his face turns a light shade of purple, my grip on his neck loosens.

He catches his breath, and after regaining his balance, he laughs.

"That bitch is worthless. She's lucky her fatass got my attention. She was asking for it!"

My chest tightens, and my vision blurs. Good thing I have my accomplice on speed dial.

I catch him off guard by knocking his teeth in with my gun. Before he can let out a cry for help, I'm subduing him in a headlock and clasp his mouth open.

The poison that occupied the empty baggies were slithering down his throat and his body was lashing like a fish out of water. My palm was blocking his mouth and nose; the harder he fought, the tighter my grip.

After about thirty seconds of struggle, he went limp. Foam mixed with clots of blood seeped out of his nasal cavity and onto the ground beneath.

Pushing the now dead body off me, I take out my phone and snap a picture.

Glimpsing around, I drag the body to my car and stuff him in the trunk. My accomplice is waiting patiently on the passenger side.

"You look rough, boss."

I sigh, and rev up my engine. "What does a man have to do to get a break?"

There's only one thing that can give me peace and sanctuary, and there's only one person that can tame my inner demons.

Her.

And I will do everything in my power to make her mine, even if it means going to the deepest depths of hell to prove she's my paradise.

[flatstarcarcosa]

SYSTEM REBOOTING

The words are the only thing she has awareness of. She blinks, knows her eyes are open, and is robbed of the sensory input of anything else. It is disorienting, if you’re not used to it. 

AUDIO/VISUAL FEED RESTARTING

She blinks again and the world turns back on, along with the voice in her head.

“Oh, thank god,” Mathias says. “Thank fucking god.”

15 storeys up, fire billows out of the office windows, plumes of black smoke choking the night sky and swallowing up the stars.The desire to lay where she is and simply watch the colors dance in the flames is almost enough to give her pause. Instead, she sits, and bites back a yell as the motion sends pain radiating through her torso. It branches out from her chest in waves, taking her breath with it.

“What the fuck happened?” she gasps. She manages, somehow, to get her feet under her and her weight supported.

“You know how I keep hassling you to let me update your implants, citing the two-point-six-seven percent feedback lag? And how you keep telling me no?” asks Mathias. “That happened. Bomb went boom too soon, you took the express way down, and your heart stopped. I popped adrenaline stims to get you going, but the lag made me think it wasn’t working so I popped more. The system caught up, I realized I’d overdosed you, so I had to flood you with a sedative to take the worst of it down.”

“I’m- I’m fucking speedballing, then?” she asks, taking in the alleyway around her. “That explains a lot.”

“You also have seventy-five seconds until the cops are on scene,” he adds, “sorry.”

“Seventy- that’s the best you could do?!” she snaps.

“It was 120 but you were kind of dead, which ate up our time!” he yells. “Go to the end of the alley, make a left, look for a black Mazda.”

The sirens in the distance get closer and louder, and she stops arguing in favor of moving. She locates the car, unsurprised when the security system is down and allows her to slip into the driver's seat like she belongs there. She depresses the break, jabs her thumb against the start button and throws the coupe into reverse.

“Remember, speed limits when the reds and blues are around!” sings Mathias.

“Yes, mother,” she growls. She waits for a break in traffic, engages her turn signal, and pulls seamlessly into the flow of other commuters now trying to avoid the growing cluster of police and fire responders. The dashboard beeps and the navigation system lights up with a pre-programmed route on a live traffic feed. “Rendezvous still clear?”

“As long as no one blows it up? Yeah.”

“You’re in a mood,” she mumbles. She blinks a few times as she slips through an intersection on a yellow light, and reaches out to grip the wheel with both hands. The temporary death and combination of drugs in her system leaves her seeing double. The system logs running in the bottom right of her vision do nothing to help.

Normally, the BIOS notifications from her cybernetic implants blend into everything else like visual white noise; she’s used to it, it’s not something worth paying active attention to. Getting your shit rocked and having a hard reset of your brain performed from the other side of the world has a way of making things a bit more… annoying than usual.

“Oh,” says Mathias, “am I? Am I in a mood? A bit of a fucking mood? Gee, Ronnie, I wonder why I could be ‘in a mood’. Would you like to guess why I’m in a mood?”

She rolls her eyes. “Is it six foot tall and driving a stolen Mazda?”

He responds by filling her head with a ‘you won’ jingle from a lottery commercial.

“Don’t,” she says curtly. “You know I can’t stand that shit.”

“Well, there’s a lot I can’t stand either, and yet here we are,” he snaps. “Hit the expressway and head south for the next 14 miles, you’ll see a sign for the docks.”

“I’m heading back on a boat?”

“No, you’re heading back to the mainland via the helicopter waiting on the boat,” he says.

[steveharringtons-lover]

Slurpys and Dirty Talk

Steve Harrington / Female Reader (she/her)

summary: After an accident you wake up in the hospital high on pain medication and say somethings you’ll reget when your sober.

warnings: mention of legal drug use, mention of smut, dirty talk, mention of injuries.

You can hear the sound of shushed voices around you as you slowly regain consciousness. You try to open your eyes but are met by a harsh light.

“She’s awake!” Dustin says loudly you feel as though your eardrums may burst.

“Sh! She’s clearly still a bit out of it!” Steve said firmly coming over to your side. “Had us worried their for a second Y/N.”

Your eyes finally adjust to the light and you get a good look at your surroundings, the white walls and beeping noise coming from the monitor gives it away.

“Am I in the hospital?” You ask, hoping one of the many people standing around your bed will answer.

“Sure are, you got knocked out.” Eddie answered clearly trying not to laugh.

“Come on let’s go get the kids, they’re dying to see you.” Robin said gesturing for Eddie and Nancy to come with her.

Moment later a doctor walked into the room, gave you a quick checkup, administered something for the pain and left.

“Here, I got you your favourite.” Steve said handing you a cherry slurpy. “Your gonna need to keep your fluids up.”

“Oh Steve, I love these. I kind of feel like I’m floating.” You say taking a sip, letting out a pleased moan.

You can’t help but smile as Steve’s jaw clenches at the sound.

“I think you’re a little bit out of it sweetheart, does your head hurt?” Steve asks you, but you couldn’t give one shit about your head right now.

“Sh it’s ok Stevie, I love my slurpy I’ll make it up to your later.” You say winking at him with a smirk on your face.

“Calm down love the kids will be here in a minute.” Steve says trying to get you to shut up, hoping to avoid an embarrassing situation.

“No it’s not fair pretty boy, you have to sit here with me. Watching me suck on this straw.” You smile up at him, your lips stained red.

“Alright calm down.” Steve says peaking his head out from the curtains around your bed to see if anyone is near.

“Oh! I know!” You say the most amazing idea ever coming to your head.

“Sh we’ll talk about this later baby.” Steve said trying to quiet you down before you say something he knows you’ll regret later.

“I’ll suck your dick!” You say eyes wide smiling. “I’ll suck your dick when we get home ok? Wait maybe in the car.”

“Alright thats enough.” Steve says his face turning red.

“No it’s not, your too good to me. Take your pants off and I’ll do it now. Quick!” You say grabbing for his belt.

The sound of the curtains being opened bought your attention over to the group.

Eddie and Robin looked as though they were about to burst out laughing.

Nancy looked extremely concerned, especially for the kids.

Said kids were left absolutely dumbfounded all their faces red.

“Oh my god.” Steve muttered under his breath who was the reddest of all. “How much did-“

“All of it.” Max said quickly cutting Steve off before he could even finish wash he was going to say.

“Oh no, does this mean I have to give them all the safe sex talk!” You say looking mortified and still unable to control your filter.

“Robin get me a banana and a condom!”

“Alright everyone out!” Nancy said hording the kids out of the room as quickly as possible.

Eddie and Robin were absolutely shitting themselves in the corner laughing.

Steve was too busy worrying he’d actually have to give the kids the birds and the bees talk.

————————————————————————

(check out my on-going Steve fanfic Off Limits! It’s gonna be smutty and slutty! And for those who are here because of that fanfic update is coming super soon!)

[whore4teamcap]

Partners Against Crime

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Gender Neutral Reader

Summary: After your boyfriend takes a promotion, you’re assigned a new partner. How will you both deal with the separation and potential of someone getting in the way? 

Warnings: This fanfiction does revolve around law enforcement but I will not include any controversies. 

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: Thank you @stucky-my-ship for requesting this! I’m so excited to turn this into a series. Hope you enjoy <3 Thank you so much to those who read! Feedback and interactions are heavily appreciated. Also! Please reach out if you would like to be tagged in future parts and my other projects.

Part 1

You flickered your eyes open as a blaring noise came from beside you. No matter how many years of experience you had with this job, you swore you would never get used to this schedule. Even when you were starting out as a beat cop everything seemed easier. It was probably just the adrenaline from coming straight out of the academy but then your life changed. You were promoted from beat and finally landed your goal job as a detective. You dreamed of being a detective ever since you were little. You smiled softly at the memory of you sneaking downstairs to watch tv behind your parents backs. Often finding yourself glued to crime shows; they fueled your desires to take down criminals.

You throw your arm toward the side table and shut off the alarm. Then you proceed to roll over and frown at the empty bed space beside you. Your boyfriend, James Barnes, well you called him Bucky, just got promoted to Sergeant. He was officially in charge of the precinct you both worked at. Which was both a blessing and a curse. You were so proud of Bucky, he finally got the promotion he has been working his ass off for and the new job came with a lot of good things for him.

But, you couldn't hide the fact that it was gonna severely weigh on you. You and Buck had been partners since you first got promoted to detective. You both really clicked from that day forward. It was gonna take a lot to get used to not having him by your side. In this line of work you need a person you can trust one thousand percent. At the end of the day this person is in charge of your life and you're in charge of theirs. Bucky was the definition of what a partner meant to you. Which is why it was no shock that three years later you both shared an apartment and ended up falling in love. However you just knew the promotion would put a damper on that as well. You had to keep your affair hidden from the precinct and trusted very few people. When you moved in with Bucky, you weren't even allowed to update your address so every now and then you'd make your way over to your old place to pick up mail. Luckily, you hit it off with your old landlord and he helps with anything and everything you need. Although you were certain he did it to eventually get a legal favor. But you didn't mind. It bought you time with the man you love.

Being that the precinct didn't know about you and Bucky, you couldn't stop yourself from worrying about the future. He was no longer your equal. He was your boss and you were terrified of the thought of someone finding out about your relationship. It could get both of you fired or moved to different precincts. Which was the better of the two, but it would be hard to work without each other. You strongly believed what made you best at your job was having him beside you. Or at least in the same work place. This mindset also made you question if your relationship would ever progress more than it was. Of course you wanted to eventually marry Bucky but how would that work with your jobs? There were so many obstacles the two of you faced and it made you even more stressed for your first day without him.

While groaning, you rub your face. Then you gain the strength to pull yourself from the half empty bed. You make your way to the bathroom and turn on the water. Giving it time to heat up while you go grab a towel and pick out clothes for your day. After showering and getting ready, you stepped out of your shared room. The apartment is small and cozy. New York was an expensive city to live in but you both made it work. When you were looking for apartments, you didn't care where you ended up just as long as we were with each other. Being that the apartment was tiny, you could see straight into the kitchen from the hallway. Your eyes fell straight on a note besides the partially full coffee pot. You smile to yourself and walk over. You lift it off the counter and begin to read,

Good morning Doll

I hope you slept well. I left early this morning to get a head start on everything at the station. I made us coffee. I hope it's still good by the time you wake up.

Yours,

Bucky

P.S. Please grab our usual at the deli before you come in

You let out a brief chuckle at the final sentence written on the piece of paper. You grab a travel mug from the cabinet and place it in front of you. Then you proceed to grab the pot and pour it into the cup. After adding creamer and sugar, you bring the cup to your lips and take a small sip. The coffee was good but on the colder side. Therefore you pop it in the microwave while you quickly grab your belongings. When you hear the beep, you remove it and put the lid on. Carrying everything with you out of the door.

While driving to work, you swing by the deli up the road from your apartment building. You park on the busy New York street and quickly get out of your car and run inside. The bell above the door dings and Frank and Linda look up from behind the counter. You shoot them a large smile and they quickly return. The deli was owned by this sweet older couple since the early 70s. They were so kind to you and really cared for their regulars. So much so, they memorized Bucky and your order. Sometimes even having it ready before you arrive in the mornings.

"Good morning (y/n)! Where's Bucky?" Frank asks, his welcoming smile fading into a light frown. He walks toward the edge of the counter to meet you.

"Good morning! He went in early. First day of the new promotion. I'm still gonna bring him breakfast though," you explained while Linda grabbed a brown paper bag from the far counter and brought it toward you.

"Oh! Please tell him we wish him well, would you? We remember like it was yesterday when you both started coming in here. You've come a very long way and were so proud of you both," Linda said kindly. Her words turn your cheeks a dark shade of pink.

You could remember that day like it was yesterday as well. Bucky brought you here on your first day of the job and you've been coming to Frank's since.

-

"Why don't we stop and get food before we start our case? I know this amazing deli a few blocks away from the station," Detective Barnes suggests and you nod.

His gaze stays on you while you both get into his car. You slide into the passenger seat then proceed to put your seat belt on. You watch him do the same then start the car.

"So how long have you been a detective?" you ask softly, fiddling with your notebook and pen in your lap.

"Bout' 5 years or so. Rogers, the guy you met back at the precinct, he was my partner. We go way back," He replies while he pulls out of his parking spot. Beginning to make his way up the block.

You watched the busy street and took everything in with new eyes. You lived in New York your whole life but the city was still new to you. Your gaze shifts to your partner and you blushed lightly. His dark hair, calming smile and kind personality seemed to draw you in. But you pushed those thoughts away. This was professional and you knew that. However you found yourself incredibly lucky to be partnered with someone who already gave you such a welcoming homely feeling.

"Whatcha thinking about, (y/l/n)?" he asks. Shifting his attention from the road to you. His eyes connected with yours and suddenly all of your first day jitters went away.

His eye snapped back to the road and he began puling to a stop. Veering off to the right side of the road into an empty parking spot. Once his eyes snapped away, you took a deep breath and looked away as well.

"Just trying to get a good read on my partner. Making sure he's not dirty or part of something that'll get me killed," you say jokingly. You let out a laugh at your own stupid explanation and Barnes' attention quickly turned back to you. The corners of his mouth instantly went up and he shot you a toothy grin.

"Don't worry. If you're with me long enough. I'd let you in on my dirty cop side. No need to fear for your life," He joked back. Holding up his hands as if he were surrendering.

"All about the money in the end, isn't it Barnes?" You asked, continuing this forming inside joke.

"Oh definitely."

You both get out of the vehicle and you notice a big sign above the small deli. The name reading FRANK'S. You both walk inside and you smile as you're greeted by a seemingly older couple. You have been to countless deli's in New York State but this one gave you a great feeling. You didn't have family in the city. So it amazed you how quickly strangers could become such a crucial piece in your life.

-

She hands the order to you and you begin to pull out your wallet. Frank instantly puts his hand up and smiles, "Please it's on the house today. Also don't forget your coffee! Feel free to grab one for Bucky too."

"Thank you so much," was all you managed to reply with. Their utter kindness always brought so much love to your heart.

You notice you forgot the mugs so you walk out of the shop toward your car. You unlock it and pull on the passenger side door. You put the food in your car. Then lean over and grab your nearly empty travel mug from home and the spare from your car. You bring them inside so you can quickly fill them up before making a b line to work.

When you arrive, you walked into the precinct with your hands full. Doing your best to carefully get to your desk. You notice Bucky making himself at home in his new office and you can't help but feel an overwhelming amount of happiness for your boyfriend. He looks so excited and you were so incredibly proud of him. You set your coffee down then pull out your breakfast sandwich placing it on your desk. You grab the brown bag and Bucky's coffee wasting no time before you walk into his office. The man instantly looks up from his papers with a smile.

"Good morning beautiful. Is that for me?" He asks softly, keeping his voice low enough so no one hears.

"Good morning Sergeant Barnes," you say with a small smirk growing on your lips. You move closer to the desk and set everything down. "Linda and Frank gave us our food for free today. They wanted to congratulate you on the promotion. They're very proud of you."

"That's very kind of them. I needed this. Thanks for picking up the food. Rogers told me to come in early and I'm kinda glad I did because he was able to give me the full run down. Hopefully everything goes smoothly from here on out. Although it was weird coming in alone. I hope that won't become a regular thing. Despite the headache, I love our chaotic mornings," Bucky explains followed by a small chuckle. Your mind instantly recalls how usually your mornings consisted of you both fighting for space to get ready. Except you also both secretly adored the morning due to the fact Bucky loves to wake you up with light kisses.

"I agree. I really hope it's not regular. I already lost my partner, the last thing I want to lose is alone time with my boyfriend," you sigh then force a slight laugh. You didn't mean for it to come off in an upsetting way, but you realized it did when the room fell silent.

"Is my new partner coming in today?" You ask curiously, unable to find anything but awkwardness after your statement. You pay close attention to his face and notice a sour look appear. Maybe he wasn't taking it as well as you thought.

"Yeah. He should be in soon," Bucky replies and you nod. You walk out of his office and make your way to your own desk.

You unwrap your sandwich and use one hand to eat and the other to flip through your files. Taking in all of the new information for the case you are starting. You quickly finish your food then you take a large sip of your coffee. You haven't been given any information on your new partner so you wanted to make sure you knew as much as you could about your mutual assignment. Just in case you were stuck with someone inexperienced.

After about a half hour of being lost in thought while analyzing your papers, Bucky's strong voice fills the room. You look up and catch his gaze. He motions for you to come toward him; you get up from your chair and follow behind him into his office. Inside you see a man sitting in one of the two chairs across from Bucky's. He had on black dress pants, a light blue button up shirt and a black blazer. The outfit complimented his body quite well. Your focus moves up to his face, noticing his piercing blue eyes and his slightly long blonde hair. You hear a fake cough come from Bucky and instantly look at him.

"Detective (y/l/n), this is your new partner. You guys will be working the Reagan case together."

The man stands up from his chair and eyes you up and down. He finally extends his hand to you and you shake it.

"Hi, I'm Detective John Walker."

[aries-writingblog]

Detonation

Summary: As an FBI agent, YN deals with bad guys all day long. So does Bucky as an Avenger. When their worlds collide, it’s never pretty. Especially not when they are the targets.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 4620

Warnings: language, violence, bombs and explosions, bomb threats, hostage situation

AN: This was another request from @cherry-season and if you can’t tell by reading this I’ve been watching criminal minds again so I hope you guys like this one. GIF is not my own credit to original creator.

YN leaned back in the desk chair, spinning it halfway back and forth. Boring a hole into the scattered papers of the police department. She was exhausted. Their team had been after this same guy for a week now. A real piece of work: planting bombs in DC banks. Leaving cryptic messages with them. Fortunately, their bomb squad made it in time to dismantle the charge before it blew. But they were no closer to catching the guy than before.

“Shitty coffee?” A deep, masculine voice approached her side. Placing a coffee cup in front of her. YN smiled, gratefully accepting the beverage. She glanced up to the provider, one of her teammates, Alex Knowles. “Look like you could use it.”

“That a way of telling me I look worse than the coffee?” YN teased, chugging the lukewarm drink down. So accustomed to cheap, watery coffee, she barely even gagged at the bitter taste as it went down. “No leads?”

Alex shook his head, pulling up a chair and plopping beside her. He sighed, gazing out over the bustling police station. Watching the beat cops go in and out of the doors, suspects and victims all being questioned or held in the same room. A Mecca of activity unfolding before their eyes. Progress. Just not the progress they needed.

“Kinda hoping Bryant would bring something back in- he went to question a couple witnesses that were around the bank at the time the guy dropped the bomb off.” He reported, sitting forward to shuffle through the papers on the desk. “What’s all this?”

“Those are previous reports…” YN explained, brushing stray hair back from her face. “I thought he could’ve had a previous record… he built these bombs with some kind of knowledge- whether it be academic or street smarts, I’m not sure yet. Besides, not doing anything else.”

Alex nodded, letting the paper slip through his fingers and back to the desktop. He watched his teammate reorganize the stacks- the glittering diamond on her finger catching his eye. A devilish grin cracked his lips, whistling appreciatively.

“Barnes finally asked that question, did he?” He asked, putting his cup down and gesturing for her hand. YN rolled her eyes, suppressing a smile as she complied. Alex studied the rock more closely, examining the quality. “Got good taste for somebody as old as he is.”

“Oh shut up.” YN laughed, yanking her hand back.

She and Bucky met on a case. Their FBI team had been invited into a local investigation of suspicious activity. Turns out, the Avengers were also looking into it. Well, a team of four Avengers anyways. Bucky Barnes being one of them. He was smooth, a sweet talker. Managed to wriggle his way into her phone, later he would swing a date. Two years later, Bucky was down on a knee in her bedroom. Asking one of those life altering questions.

That had been three weeks ago. They barely had time to see each other after that night. She was pulled back into work, he was pulled halfway across the globe on a mission. He did call every night, checking in. Asking about her day. Making outrageous, silly promises about the wedding and their new home, their future. Making her smile, distracting her from her day. At the same time, allowing himself to dissociate from the mission he was on as well.

“I’m happy for you.” Alex’s tone turned sober, serious. YN glanced over to him. He leaned his elbows on his knees, smiling broadly. “You both deserve someone like the other… you deserve each other. I mean it in the best, possible way.”

“Thank you, Alex.” YN replied, reflecting her sincere gratitude as best she could. Alex was always in her corner. No matter what- he trusted her. In their world, that meant everything and more.

“Hey, LN- Knowles!” Ricky Bryant came rushing into their area, flushed and out of breath. “Listen, I think we might’ve found the bomber’s identity: Casey Griffin. ”

“What?” YN leaned forward, staring up at him. Her eyebrows furrowed, a faint pin struck the back of her head. “Griffin… Casey Griffin- that sounds familiar. Why is that familiar?”

Ricky opened his mouth, ready to spill all the information he had gathered about the man. A woman interrupted their circle, a panicked look in her eyes.

“Agent LN- there’s a call on line six for you. He claims to be responsible for the bombings and he’s demanding to speak with you.” She interjected, nodding to the desk phone. YN glanced from Ricky to Alex.

“Get Robbie on the phone- tell her we need to trace this call immediately.” She instructed, rolling to the desk to pick up the phone. She waited a moment, allowing Ricky to call Robbie, the fourth member of their team. Their tech analyst. “Ready?”

“Yeah- go ahead.”

YN took a deep, calming breath. Her fingers tightened around the phone anxiously. Swallowing back her creeping nerves, she pulled the phone off the receiver.

“Agent LN, may I ask who’s calling?” She began slowly, giving Robbie a chance to snag the call’s location. There was heavy breathing on the other end, as if he had been running.

“You know who’s calling, YN. Don’t play coy- it isn’t a good look on you.”

Recognition struck her like lightning as she heard his voice. He had been one of the hostages in the first emergency scene. YN had taken down his statement herself. She ground her teeth together, anger flooding her system. She had been played.

“You’ve got me there, Casey.” She chuckled, her free hand wiping down the thigh of her tactical pants. “This is the first time you’ve called- why are you just now contacting us?”

The sound Griffin made was far from a laugh- the dark, slow noise was bone chilling. Nauseating. She could feel it deep into her clothes, settling like frost against her skin. She bit her cheek, staving off the urge to shiver through the discomfort.

“I’ve decided I want to give you front row tickets to the show, of course.” He crowed, voice leaping in octaves. “Corner of West and Fifth. You have half an hour, unless you want all these lovely people to end up blood splatters and burn marks on the floors.” YN winced, clenching her jaw. “Oh, and YN? Come in alone.”

The telltale click and beep ended the call, leaving YN to stare blankly at the desk before her. Clenching the phone in her grasp so tightly the plastic creaked. Knuckles lightening. She swallowed, something was clutching her throat. Restricting her lung capacity. Her shaking fingers pressed the phone into the receiver. Pushing her chair back, she stumbled to her feet.

“YN- “

“I just need a minute, okay?” She snapped, snagging her jacket from the chair across from the desk. YN shoved past the incoming traffic of people, fumbling her way outside.

The city was full of noise; Blaring car horns, shouting, a low murmur of pedestrian conversations. Sirens. The thrum of the city’s heartbeat under her feet. Taking a left into the alleyway, YN dug through her pockets, fingers brushing against the carton of cigarettes and lighter.

Hands trembling, she put a stick between her lips. Blowing smoke as soon as she lit it. Tilting her head back against the weathered brick of the station. A shaky exhale following the wavering grey smoke. She clenched her jaw, bowing her head.

She knew it was a trap- Casey was asking to meet alone. But he was holding hostages in a bank loaded down with explosives. And who knew what he wanted, why only her? Why alone? And why was that name familiar? None it made sense- facts blurring together. Shrouding him from her senses.

A sudden buzz against her abdomen sent her reeling back into consciousness. Her cigarette was gone- flicking the filter to the ground. Pushing it into the cement with her boot. Her fingers scuttled through her pocket, retrieving her phone.

Bucky’s contact photo- one of him fast asleep with fridge magnets on his arm. She smiled- somehow Bucky always knew right when she needed him. Like he had a sensor on her emotions, giving him timely reports. Updating him constantly.

“Hey, Buck.” She greeted, begging her voice to not crack. It sounded normal. Or at least enough that she hoped Bucky didn’t question it. Tucking the phone between her shoulder and ear, she lit another cigarette. Blowing the stress away from the speaker.

“Hey, sugar,” She could hear his smile through the phone. That excited one he always got when he first saw her. Wide, showing off his teeth. Stretching his face so much she wondered if it hurt. “I’m just callin’ to tell you I’m home. And I know you’re busy but, I wanted to hear your voice again.”

YN laughed, falling into the regular rhythm with him. Allowing herself to feel the stress melt from her bones. Bucky always had that affect on her. Something she couldn’t quite understand. Why the man was such an addictive drug.

“Well, you’re in luck- I’m on a break right now.” She wanted nothing more than to sit and talk with him, listen to his baritone drawl. Lulling her into a state of comfort and security. But she knew she couldn’t- she had limited time. She had to make a decision. And soon.

“Are you smoking again?” Bucky asked. YN smiled, biting down on her lip. She made a noncommittal noise, neither agreeing or disagreeing with his statement. He had been after her for their entire relationship to make her quit the habit. Trying to help her kick it. Nothing ever really helped. “YN…”

“I know… I’ve only had two. I just… I needed a break.” She admitted, bowing her head. She shifted her eyes to the alleyway opening, seeing Alex and Ricky approaching her. “I’ve got to get back. I’ll see you at home?”

“Yes, I’m making that soup you like for dinner. Don’t let it go cold.” He warned.

“I won’t. Love you.”

“Love you too.” She shoved her phone into her back pocket, meeting her partner’s halfway. Their faces drawn with concern and hesitancy.

“Gear me up.” She pushed between them, not looking back. She feared if she looked at them again, she would lose her nerve. Holding her shoulders back, chin tilted with her head held high. She had to keep the air of confidence around her. If she didn’t- they would never believe her. YN needed full backup for her plan. “I’m going in.”

~~~~~~

The building seemed to loom over her, taunting her as she stood before it. The large windows were gaping at her, a threat to her minuscule presence. YN swallowed back the terror she felt, pushing it down and locking it away. Out of reach.

“We’ll be talking with you through the comms unit the whole time.” Ricky explained, securing the equipment over her ear. He carefully tightened the straps on her vest, glancing to meet her eyes. His brows dipped. “You don’t have to do this you know? We can raid the building or get a sniper down here. This isn’t the only option.”

YN shook her head, clipping her holster over her belt, around her waist. She sighed, the exhale was shaky. Biting down on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling, she clipped extra ammunition to the side.

“It’s the one where everyone makes it out. Those hostages are the main priority right now.”

“Hey.” Ricky stopped her nervous movement, hands on both of her shoulders. Forcing her to look up at his face. “Don’t do that. Don’t make it seem like some small bust… this is serious. We’re worried about you. About this. It’s dangerous. Give a little of that focus to yourself.”

“Okay.” YN agreed. She inhaled again, this time a little more steady. Giving a final affirmative nod, she squared her shoulders and backed away. She turned, facing the group of DC police officers and FBI squads. “Alright, these comms go both ways. I’m negotiating for hostages first. If anything goes wrong, clear the site. We don’t know how many explosives he has in there.”

YN watched the groups follow her orders, setting up to accept hostages. Loading guns for a raid if needed. Both ambulance and fire department had been called in. The companies were also preemptively preparing for the worst. She began walking toward the bank, eyes forward. What felt like thousands of eyes followed her to the door, fire burning against her back.

As she approached, she could see a woman standing at the glass door. She had been crying- her face stained with tears. YN stopped at the glass door, standing face to face with the woman. After several moments of staring, the order was finally given to open the door. The woman’s shaking fingers unlocked it, pushing it open.

“You’ve served your purpose.” A quiet voice spoke across the lobby, echoing on the tiled floors. “You may go.” The woman burst into tears, shoving past YN and onto the street. “Agent LN… how courteous of you to take her place.”

YN entered the lobby tentatively, keeping her head on a swivel. She turned the corner, coming face to face with the bomber. Casey Griffin stood behind the group of hostages, hands tucked behind his back. A twisted, sacrilegious grin on his lips. The group at his feet were huddled together, most were sobbing quietly. Holding people they most likely didn’t know. She knew from experience that tense situations erased all lines between humans. Everything begins to blur when terrified panic sets in.

“I’m here, Griffin. What do you want?” She demanded, her hand resting on her weapon. There was a buzz of static in her ear, the line opening.

“We don’t have a visual of you anymore, LN. Get back into sight.”

Griffin took a step forward, around his subjects. A small, black remote in his hand. Eyes steady on her face. Studying her. He exhaled sharply, coming to a stop right before her.

“I was hoping you’d be more… well, more.” He frowned, disappointed. YN’s eyebrow lifted, unable to follow his thoughts. “Such a shame… I’ve read all these great things about you. Every case you’ve solved, every step you’ve made to get here. You’re much more impressive on paper.”

“Get to the point.” YN sneered, her jaw clenched. Griffin smirked, eyes scanning down her face again. He sighed, rolling his eyes.

“All you feds- no taste for the theatrical. I much rather prefer the Avengers.” He grinned, eyes sparkling dangerously. YN felt her heartbeat pick up It’s pace. Heart threatening to burst out of her chest. “Oh, that’s right… congratulations, by the way. What’s it like- being engaged to a fossil? Are his brains still scrambled?”

“Shut up.” She hissed, fingers itching to reach out and wrap around his throat. He only tilted his head, pouting. He began pacing, orbiting around her slowly. Her shoulders tensed, defenses began raising even further. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, you see, I’m very well acquainted with Sergeant Barnes.” Griffin slowed to a stop again, on her right. He leaned in, close enough she could feel his breath against her skin. “He murdered my husband.”

The pounding in her chest seemed to have leapt into her throat. Breathing was much harder now, her skin crawled as her brain went into overdrive. Something was wrong… what was going on?

“He doesn’t do that anymore.” YN admitted, her voice lower than she thought it would be. Threatening to crack.

“But he does.” He hissed, gripping her arm tightly. Yanking her to his chest. His free hand came up to her ear, ripping the unit out and flinging it into the wall. His fingers fluttered down to her chin, grasping it tightly and forcing her face to his. He stared down at her. Anger burning in his irises, the dark circles under his eyes. His nostrils flared. “What makes it even worse is that he chose to do it. With Hydra, he had no choice. But with the Avengers? He had every decision laid out before him and he chose.”

YN flinched, flecks of saliva landing on her cheek. Her jaw clenched down tighter, eyes closing momentarily. Griffin’s hand crept down from her face, into the pocket of her pants. His fingers grasped the device, pulling it out. He held the device to her face, unlocking it then shoving her away.

“So now,” Griffin gave her a maniacal grin. YN was beginning to get whiplash from his mood swings. He was unpredictable. Unstable. Devolving before her eyes. She glanced back to the group of hostages. “He gets to flex that autonomy again. Oh, how lovely- he was your last call.”

“Why do you have me here, Griffin?” YN demanded, attempting to take control of the situation. If he was distracted, she could maneuver and gain the upper hand. “If you wanted to go after Bucky you would’ve done it. Why do any of this? Why do you need them?”

Griffin spared a quick glance to the group of shivering civilians. He hummed quietly, pressing dial for Bucky’s number. YN felt a drop of sweat bead down her neck. Rolling to meet the bulletproof fabric over her torso. She was alone in here, responsible for the lives of those petrified people. Staring and waiting for her to do something. Help them.

Her eyes fell to the remote in his hand. She could snatch it. The bomb was his power move. His leverage. Then again, the hostages were bargaining chips. He had to give something up. She had to remove variables.

“Let them go.” YN urged, holding her hands out in surrender. “You’ve got me, you’ve got my attention. Let them go.” He sighed dramatically, eyes rolling as he pressed the button for speakerphone.

“It’s no fun without an audience.” He whined, shrugging as he turned to the hostage group. “And to think- we were just getting to the good part. Fine! Leave, all of you.”

The group all scrambled to their feet, taking their leave before he changed his mind. The stampede rushed the door, cramming themselves out into the street. YN’s heart slowed, the adrenaline fading in her veins slightly. Her priority was taken care of- they all made it out alive.

“Hello?” YN never thought she would be nervous to hear Bucky’s voice. Casey smiled at the phone, eyes boring into her skull. “YN? Hello?”

“She can’t make it to the phone right now.” Griffin responded, giving her a mocking pout. The other end fell silent. YN could almost feel the paranoia settle over his body. “I would ask you to leave a message but I’m afraid she won’t be around much longer to hear it.”

An idea began to form, tingling at the base of her skull. YN gulped nervously. She had to keep him distracted- keep him focused on Bucky. But that also meant she had to stay focused on Casey. She couldn’t say a word to Bucky. Not yet.

“Who the fuck are you and what do you want?” Bucky hissed. YN closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She could pull her weapon. But could she pull it fast enough? Griffin could blow the place to smithereens. She could try to get the remote- every solution seemed to fall back to the same outcome. She grit her teeth- he had the upper hand. She could do nothing but wait it out.

“Joshua Rivers.” Casey replied. While his voice was smooth and unrestrained, his eyes told a different story. Seething, red hot rage burned in his veins. “Does that name ring any bells to you, Sargeant? Let me give you a hint anyways- I know how fragile the mind can be in the older years. He was a lead operative for Hydra. Four months ago, you raided his warehouse and instead of arresting him, you put a bullet through his skull.”

“He deserved more.” Bucky hissed, his voice crackling through the speaker. Echoing in the empty building. Casey scowled, his nose scrunching in anger. “That warehouse housed human experimentation projects.”

“That doesn’t matter!” Casey screamed, veins in his neck popping out against his skin. Pumping adrenaline in time with his heart. “He was a person- he had people who loved him, cared for him. You took that away from me. I can’t help but wonder… how you’ll feel about the same circumstances.”

“Where is YN?” Bucky demanded, keeping his voice level. YN began to creep her fingers up, toward the gun in her holster. She had one chance. He was distracted- she could gain the upper hand.

“Well, that’s a tricky question. It’s only a matter of time before she’s… everywhere.” Griffin shrugged, swinging his gaze back to YN. Her fingers faltered, halting at her hip. She was close, her thumb brushed the cold metal of the gun. “So now… now I think I’ll return the favor. You took something from me. The only person that ever mattered. You destroyed my world.”

“If you touch her, I swear to-“

“You don’t believe in God, Sergeant.” Griffin’s slow drawl interrupted the threat. His tongue ran over his lips, taking a deep breath. “He’s not real. If he were, don’t you believe that none of this suffering would happen?” There was a ruckus of noise on the other end of the phone, Bucky panting heavily. A door slamming. “This is your repentance, James Barnes.”

YN’s fingers wrapped around the metal plating, her nerves settling. She could make this draw. It would be fast enough. It would be accurate. She could end it once and for all. She exhaled slowly, counting down.

Three…

Two…

One…

In a flash, YN pulled her gun from her side. Aiming it at Casey’s chest and pulling the trigger. The loud gunfire echoed- ringing in her ears. Her heart sank. Stomach plummeting to her feet.

She missed.

Casey’s expression settled into one of contempt. Disappointment. The hell fire turned to her, his focus shifting from Bucky to YN. Surging toward her, his hand swung out, shoving the muzzle to the ceiling as she fired again. Casey’s fist tightened around her phone, a strong punch to her kidney sending her to her knees, wheezing for air. YN grunted, her hand swinging at a wide angle, but it was only deflected as the heel of his hand connected with her nose. Releasing a sharp cry, YN cradled her nose carefully. Eyes watering and face stinging. Bucky’s frantic shouts barely audible as she knelt, gasping in pain. Her thoughts muddled and slow.

Casey sighed dramatically, ripping the weapon from Yn’s hand. She groaned, disoriented as a fresh wave of pain throbbed from her face. Blood seeped from between her fingers, dripping down into a puddle on the tile floor.

“Say goodbye to your fiancée, Sergeant.”

~~~~~~

Bucky all but tossed the motorcycle onto the curb as he skidded to a stop. A blazing inferno consumed the building, scorching the blackened trees that once surrounded it. The hand gripping his throat squeezed tighter as he stumbled toward the police line. Shoving his way through bystanders.

He felt sick- choking back the nausea bubbling from his stomach. Fire bellowed from the gaping, blown out glassless windows. Portions of the building were collapsed, the rest soon to follow. He barreled through shouting police officers, desperate to reach the building.

“Barnes!” He didn’t turn- even though the voice was familiar. He had to get to her- she was still alive, he knew she was. She had to be. “Barnes- man, you can’t go in there!”

Hands grasped his metallic shoulder, pulling him back roughly. Bucky grunted, swinging his arm around, taking hold of the man’s bulletproof vest. He clenched his jaw, staring down at Alex Knowles. One of her partners. Knowles’ eyes were puffy and rimmed with red. His skin was irritated, probably from wiping tears away.

“She’s still in there.” Bucky stated, without asking if she had been pulled out yet. He knew the process of these kinds of situations. The fire chief had to clear it and the area was nowhere near safe enough. But his girl was in there, in danger. Dying slowly, the longer he stood around. It had already been too long.

“Teams haven’t been sent in yet… I know you’re scared but you could make it worse if you go in there guns blazing. It could collapse the rest of the way.” Knowles warned, his eyes begging Bucky to stay put. Bucky shoved him away. Stripping off his jacket, Bucky scowled at the man.

“I will be the something worse if she’s not alive. Don’t test me, Knowles.” He growled, tying the jacket sleeves around his waist. Bucky turned on his heel, sprinting for the blown out doors of the bank. Ignoring the shouts of the firemen and police officers on the scene.

Inside, the flames locked the walls, staying maintained. It seemed the only thing the department had been doing since the explosion was clearing the fire. They had been prepared somewhat.

Bucky stumbled through the rubble, boots tripping over chunks of concrete and twisted metal. He had to find YN, she was somewhere. He had to keep himself from thinking the worst- she was alive. She would be okay. He just had to find her first.

He turned what would’ve been a corner of the bank, his heart rocketing through his chest. The beat thumping wildly.

Two bodies. Lying side by side.

“YN!” He picked his way through rubble, skidding to his knees beside her. Deep cuts laced her dirtied features, trapped under a chunk of concrete from the waist down. For now, he didn’t care of the implications that could lie beneath the rock. His trembling fingers found the pulse point in her neck, bowing his head and stifling a sharp sob as he felt a faint, slow thrum. He brushed the hair from her face gently, biting his lip to keep himself together. “Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ve got you.”

Bucky shuffled down to her waist, hooking his fingers into the rock. Just as he began lifting, a sharp gasp startled him, almost dropping the rubble. He glanced back at YN- wide awake and sobbing. Carefully, Bucky spared a glance under the concrete. A metal rod went directly through her thigh, blood seeping from the wound.

“Shit…” It had been contained until he lifted it- now she was going to bleed out. He had to move fast. “YN, doll, I’ve got you. This is gonna hurt but it’ll be okay.”

She didn’t respond, sobs ripping from her chest as he stilled. Bucky took a deep breath, collecting his nerves. He moved quickly, throwing the concrete across the room with a loud grunt. An ear piercing shriek fell from Yn’s lips, her fist pounding the ground at her side. Bucky untied his jacket, wrapping it tightly around her injured thigh.

“Okay, sweetheart. We’re gonna get out of here.” Bucky’s chest tightened as he gathered her in his arms. She was shivering, huddling close to his body as best she could. Her skin was filthy, covered in soot, dirt, and blood. “Try to talk with me, sweet girl. Stay awake.”

“Ja- James…” YN’s fingers twisted into his shirt, tears soaking into his fabric. His heart clenched. It was his fault- that idiot had gone after her because of him. He held her closer, tighter, as he picked his way back to the doors. “I… I think I’m done- done smoking.”

Bucky almost laughed, forgetting his location. The situation fading as he spared a glance down to her face. She was grimacing, lips pulled and forehead wrinkled. But here she was- trying to joke with him.

“Why’s that, doll?” He questioned, emerging from the collapsed bank. The sunlight was strong, glaring down into his eyes. He hunched slightly, trying to block the intense light from her sensitive eyes. YN groaned, tugging weakly at his shirt. “We’re almost there, doll. Keep talking. Why’re you quittin’?”

“I’ve had enough smoke for one lifetime.” She replied, eyes fluttering. Paramedics rushed toward them, a gurney wheeled to their side. Bucky carefully lay her back, grasping her hand tightly as they rushed toward the ambulance.

Bucky didn’t reply, lips pressed together. Concern running rampant as they moved. His eyes caught Knowles and Bryant’s, averting his as soon as they landed. Loading into the ambulance.

“Bucky?” He quickly stepped up, sitting down in the back. Squeezing her hand tightly. YN gave a half- hearted return. Her fingers tangling with his, eyes closed. “Stay… please…”

“I’m here, sweetheart.” Bucky smiled, hoping his face could mask the desperate panic he felt in the pit of his stomach. “I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

[davidlikesguys02]

We Interrupt This Program

M/n= Male Name 

Bold- Means its on a tv screen. 

GIF Not mine

Word count: 2,932

“No, I can't leave Monica.” “mom? It's ok, I can stay with grandma and…” “I can't leave” “maybe I'll build a spaceship. I wanna be an aircraft pilot.” “when they were handing out kids they gave her the toughest one. Lieutenant trouble.” Monica wakes up breathing heavily and hearing crashing and people screaming as she makes her way towards the door and walks out. “Excuse me….” “they're all coming back. We don't have the capacity” the doctor tells her

“Excuse me. I'm looking for a patient. In room 104…” she asks a nurse “who, my wife? Do you have a phone?” “no” “i have to call my wife.” she makes her way towards the front desk “watch out” she bumps into a man, they both fall backwards grunting “let me help you. Are you ok? You ok?” “I got him. I got him.” “Are you ok?” she asks as she gets up groaning. She turns to the lady in the front desk.

“Excuse me. I'm looking for a patient in room number 104.” “I don't know what to tell you” she starts looking around her “Monica?” “oh, Dr. Highland, thank god!” “I can't believe it, where did you go?” “well, in her room since she came back from the surgery. I mean, I might have fallen asleep, but no longer than 20 minutes. Dr. Highland, where's my mom?” “your mom, she died honey” “what? No, no, no, no you're mistaken. My mother...the procedure went well. You said so yourself. Clean margins. You’re discharging her today”

“The cancer came back.” “Okay, stop, stop. No youre...my mom is Maria Rambeau. Look it up. I mean look it up. Maria Rambeau.” “Monica, I don't understand what's happening, but you need to listen to me Marian died three years ago.” “three? No. no. no…” “which was two years after you…” “after i what? After what?” “after you disappeared.”

Monica is walking towards big metal doors. She takes out her keycards but it beeps so she tries again but it beeped again “Ma’am? Over here please” she walked over to him smiling “hi, good morning. I work here. And…” “if you did, your badge would work, wouldn't it?” “right um… I have a meeting with…” “hey. You know who this is?” “..this guy” “Captain Monica Rambeau.” “Director Tyler Hayward”

“Acting Director. You haven't aged a day” “and you look old as hell” Tyler chuckles “come on, let's catch you up. It's been three weeks and you're the first to report. Cant say I'm surprised captain.” “How are the numbers for the astronaut training program?” “ Dismal. Lost half my personnel in The Blip and half of those remaining have lost their nerve. The program hasn't been the same since you've been up there, Rambeau. We shifted away from manned missions and refocused on robotics, nanotech, AI. Sentient Weapons, like it says on the door.”

“It also says observation and response on that door, not creation” “worlds not the same as you left it. Space is now full of unexpected threats” “always was full of threats. And allies” “Listen, Monica, I just wanna acknowledge the awkwardness of the situation. I know S.W.O.R.D.'s your home. Your mom built this place from the ground up. You grew up here. You should've been here to help name the replacement.” “you were the obvious choice”

“I was the only choice.” “I wasn't gonna say it. Look, Tyler, you know the job you have to do. I'm here to do mine.” ”Let's get you back out there.” he takes out his keycard and opens the door to his office. “The FBI is in a tizzy over missing persons case up in Jersey…” “missing persons?” “I know. But they have requested use of one of our imaging drones, and I need a chaperone.”

“Tyler, drones usually chaperone me.” “i get it” “look, if this is because of...you don't have to worry about me. I'm good.” “There's no easy way to say this, but you're grounded.” Monica chuckles “you're kidding. For how long? Who whose protocol is this?” “Your mother's. She implemented guidelines in the event vanished personnel ever returned. Look, I know it's a raw deal, but there is one positive takeaway.” “what's that?” “she believed you'd come back. You'd be doing me a big favor with this FBI thing, but if you need more time…”

“No. no. I'm good to go” “excellent. Keep me updated, captain.” Monica finally arrived at Westview “James E. Woo, FBI” “Monica Rambeau, S.W.O.R.D. what's the story here, agent woo?” “I've got a witness setup down the road in Westview, and this morning, it looked like he flew the coop?” “Your missing person is in the witness protection program?”

“I have contacted known associates, relatives…” “and let me guess, none of them have seen him either?” “No. None of them have ever heard of him. Something seemed hanky to me, so I took the first flight out of Oakland to interface with local law enforcement, which is when I encountered a new wrinkle.” “what's that?” “Pardon me, Sheriff. Would you mind repeating your claim about Westview to my colleague here?” “no such place” “you're saying the town of Westview, New Jersey, does not exist?”

“It's what I keep telling your G-man here, but he won't listen.” “I see. and , um, I'm sorry, what town are you from?” “Eastview” “Thank you, Sheriff. I'll reach out if we need any further assistance. I, uh, pulled phone numbers for all the residents. I'm only through the D’s, but so far I got Diddly Squat.” “So you can't reach anyone inside and everyone on the outside has some sort of selective amnesia?”

“This isn't a missing person's case, Captain Rambeau, it's a missing town. Population: 3,892.” “Why haven't you gone inside to investigate?” “Cause it doesn't want me to. You can feel it too, can't you? Nobody's supposed to go in.” Monica walks over to her car and pulls out a drone. “What about you?” “Me? Well, I'm from Bakersfield, originally. Growing up, other kids had Michael Jordan posters on their walls, but I had Eliot Ness.”

“No, no, no, no. I mean, why is it that you have an awareness of Westview? Or me, for that matter? Is it because we are outside of a certain radius, or maybe because we don't have a personal connection?” She looks at the screen but the drone malfunctions. She looks up and it's gone “Wait, where'd it go?” “It was right there.” she walk towards the town but stops as she hears electricity bussing “whoa..”

“What is it?” “some sort of energy field” “Careful, Rambeau. Captain Rambeau! Watch it. Rambeau! Captain Rambeau! Captain Rambeau!” she sticks her hand in and it pulls her in and she disappears.

24 Hours Later

“Hey. What's your field?” “We're not supposed to talk to each other.” “hmm? Boy scout leader. Got it. And you” Darcy asked a woman next to the boy scout leader. “Nuclear biology” “artificial intelligence” “astrophysics. We got the full clown car. It means whatever the threat is, S.W.O.R.D. clearly has no idea what they're dealing with.” “I'm a chemical engineer” “no one cares”

“Alright grab your gear.” Darcy walks around the S.W.O.R.D. camp. “Ms. Lewis?” “Dr.Lewis” “we have your gear set up inside.” the man walks Darcy inside a tent “those drones you're sending in, what kind of data are you getting?” “I'm afraid that is highly classified.” “You can't see anything? FBI, Army. I saw the Air Force Office of Special Investigations out there. Research Lab, Space Command, too. A bona fide, joint, multi-service response. Really looking forward to the commemorative T-shirt. Is there somewhere a lady could get a cup of coffee? You guys look like you might get down with those little pod things. Horrendous for the environment…”

“Make your assessment, please” “whoa… I mean, whoa..” “what are you getting?” “a colossal amount of CMBR” “CM…” “Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation.” “we've been told the radiation is within a safe limit” “uh, it is… for now” “wait what do you mean” Darcy shushes the man “there's are longer wavelength superimposed over the noise here” she looks under the desk and struggles to get something “I got it”

“I need a TV. an old one. Like, not flat.” After a few hours it started raining. “Are you good to go?” Hayward asked an agent “yes, sir” “these sewers will take you straight into town. Try to find anything you can on Rambeau” “copy that” “keep me updated” Hayward says as he walks away. “Director Hayward, between you, me, and the bedpost, I am not confident about this mission.” “Thanks for the feedback, Jimmy. If only my drones were as forthcoming.”

“There's no reason to suspect the perimeter doesn't extend subterraneous.” “There's no reason to suspect it does.” Jimmy sighs “We don't know enough about the nature of the threat to send in another agent when the first is yet to return.” “Someone must really miss you back in Quantico.” “No, sir. Softball season's over, sir.” “what do we have up?” Hayward asked agent Rodriguez “Radar, sonar, infrared” “cycle through. Will someone get me a useful visual, dammit?”

Everyone hears a studio audience laughing in the tent “what is that?” “Can I see you in the kitchen for a moment, sweetheart?” “Who is doing that?” “Who are those people?” “What are you wearing?” “Why are they here?” “Well, it's our anniversary!” “our anniversary of what?” “Well, if you don't know, I'm not going to tell you!” “is that..” “ yeah, it looks like him.” “you move at the speed of sound and i can make a pen float through the air, who needs to abbreviate?”

“Look , I know it's been a crazy few years on this planet, but he's dead, right? Not blipped, dead.” “excellent plan. Where's the tenderizer” “what am I looking at? You? What is that? Where's this coming from?” “out there” “you didn’t answer the back door. For your upside-down cake. oh hi, I” “is it authentic?” “I'm not sure how to answer that” “is it happening in real time? Is it recorded, fabricated?” “I don't know. I don't know. And I don't know” “what do you know?” Hayward said annoyed “My equipment registered an extremely high level of CMBR. That's…”

“Relic radiation dating back to the Big Bang.” “Yeah, entwined was a broadcast frequency. So I had your goons pick me up a sweet vintage TV. And when I plug this bad boy in, voilà, sound and picture.” “Dinner is served” “So you're saying the universe created a sitcom starring two Avengers?” Jimmy asked, confused “It's a working theory” “Get me a transport back to headquarters now. Are we recording this?”

“Never stopped.” Darcy says “I need immediate analysis. Now, people. Let's go!” “He’s a charmer.” “great work” “hey, thanks, maybe I could get that cup of coffee now? Or not. It's cool.” ”Aw” Darcy turns to the screen to see you and Vision kissing “Aw”

“First and foremost, our main objective is to get any intel on Captain Rambeau, but originally, this case was a missing person, so we're going to start there. We've successfully identified two individuals inside the Westview anomaly. Let's keep going.” Jimmy says as he puts two pictures up of you and Vision. “This guest is leaving your home” “yes, thank you for coming” “Mr. and Mrs. Hart. played by Todd and Sharon Davis.”

“Computational forms. And no one can process the data quite like you do, pal.” “Agent Woo” “you're like a walking computer.” “Abilash Tandon is Norm” “Harold Proctor is Jones” “we got Isabel Matsueida cast as Beverly” “John Collins as Herb.” Darcy gasps, dropping her Noodle cup and calls Jimmy over “Really?” “Does she seem okay to you?” “Well, she doesn't appear to be harmed in any way, but that is definitely not the boss lady I met yesterday.”

“So what, deep cover? Monica has to play along?” “With whom? Or else, what? All right. Brass tacks, Dr. Lewis. What are we looking at here? Is it an alternate reality? Time travel? Some cockamamie social experiment?” “It's a sitcom. A 1950s sitcom.” “But why?”

“Hey, man, we're working with the same scarcity of intel. But, listen, I do have an idea. So, you've seen that radio in M/n’s kitchen counter, right? The next time he's washing dishes, which, by my count, happens about once an episode, barf, we'll shoot a signal to that little guy. This transmitter will mimic the frequency of the broadcast, and if my theory is right, allow us to speak directly to her. This is totally gonna work. Don't touch that.”

“Agent Woo.” agent Rodrigues hands Jimmy a folder inside the folder there's a colored image of a retro S.W.O.R.D. drone “Is this from the current episode?” “aired about two minutes ago.” “What is it?” Darcy asks “what does it look like to you?” “like a retro version of a S.W.OR.D. drone?” “bingo” “but how did it change and why” “uh, to go with the production design” “or render it useless”

“why‘d you colorize it?” “I didn't” Darcy heads back to the tent. “Let's get this show on the road. Jimmy, you ready?” Darcy asks through an earpiece. “Ready” “bigger and better every season” “uh, Jimmy, Monica is talking to M/n. she's got a speaking part now.” “what is she saying?” “those jeans are peachy keen” “she likes M/n’s jeans” “we only have a few hours” “M/n’s at some sort of swim club. We've never been here before.”

“Is it the 60’s still?” “uh, uh, M/n’s with another character.” “real person?” “ohh, uh, radio on the side table. start talking.” “M/n. M/n, can you read me over?” “I don't...” “Can he hear me?” “I don't think so, keep trying.” “M/n?” “M/n?” “M/n. Who is doing this to you, M/n? M/n? Can you hear me? I'm here to help” “please give us a…” “pop quiz M/n how does a housewife or in this case househusband get a bloodstain out of white linen?”

“Wait” “what?” “I don't know” “by doing it yourself” “that's weird” “what was?” “Nothing, it's over. Mission failure” “it was worth a try. Good effort, doctor.” “yeah come in”

Both Jimmy and Darcy are watching you and Vision on TV “darling, do you think it's time to..” “call the doctor?” “yeah” “yes, I do dear” “1950s, 1960s, and now the '70s. Why does it keep switching time periods? It can't be purely for my enjoyment, can it?” “I cant believe M/n and Vision are having a baby” “you want any?” Jimmy chuckles

“Heck, I thought about it for sure. A little Jimmy Woo. Get him a tiny little FBI badge. Oh, you... Chip? Sure.” “you're doing great. You're doing great. Look at me. Look at me.” “The jig is up” you scream. After a few minutes you hear the baby cry “hi, oh, he's perfect” “what a twist.” Darcy says as she's tearing up “What? I'm invested” “he was killed by Ultron, wasn't he?” “Did she just say the name Ultron? Has that ever happened before? A reference to our reality.”

“No never” “hey I'll take a shift rocking the babies” “no I think you should leave” “oh, M/n, don't be like that” “who are you?” “M/n” “wow this is different” The Tv cuts and Monica is gone “what happened? Where she go?” “god not again” Darcy replays the footage back “who are you?” “M/n” “there's nothing here. One second, Monica is standing right there, and the next she isn’t. Someone is censoring the broadcast.”

“But where's Rambeau?” they suddenly both hear the alarm “Alert! Boundary has been breached! Alert! Boundary has been breached!”

Inside Westview

“Who are you?” “I don't..” you walk closer to her “who are you?” “M/n i'm just your neighbor.” “Then how did you know about Ultron?” you start to see the familiar red glow around your hands “You're not my neighbor. And you're definitely not my friend. You are a stranger and an outsider. And right now, you are trespassing here. And I want you to leave.”

Your familiar red glow wraps around Monica Sending her back through every wall and fence. You gulp “I… I…” you raise your hands and start to fix the hole on the wall as if it never happened. You walk over to your babies hearing them “M/n?” Vision comes in through the door turning back to his synthezoid form “where is Geraldine?” “oh she left honey. She had to rush home”

You turn around to look at Vision and you gasp making you look down “what? What is it? What's wrong?” Vision asks you concerned “Uh..” you slowly look up at him and see that he looks normal again “we don't have to stay here. We could go wherever we want” Vision tells you “no, we can't. This is our home” you move your hand to crease his cheek and he holds onto your hand “are you use”

“oh, don't worry darling. I have everything under control.” you walk over and grab Tommy “oh hi” you turn to Vision smiling “what should we watch tonight?” you walk over to the sofa, Vision sits next to you. He puts an arm around you.

Outside of Westview

“Monica, are you okay?” “it's M/n. its all M/n”

[wizkiddx]

worst case scenario part 5

finally!! so sorry its been an age to anyone still here but lives been interesting atm so....  also this really feels a bit rambley and the ending is deff underdeveloped but I just kind of wanted this done tbh x 

[previous part] [part 1] 

warnings:  hospitals - ICU, ventilation that sort of stuff, just a lot of ANGST post a difficult birth - please don't read if this could be upsetting for you, and my inbox is always open if u wanna chat :) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a complete 360 degree flip from earlier that day, after leaving the hospital Tom had become obsessively attached to Aurora. They’d got back to his parents place in Tom’s car; Aurora in the carseat Y/n and Tom had ready in their car door for her arrival. Clearly his parents had already pre-warned his brothers, who had thankfully already gone over to Tom and Y/n’s - collecting the Moses basket amongst other items Harry had been listed off from his mother. 

Apart from explaining a little behind her name to his parents on the journey back, Tom had spoken very little, choosing to keep himself to himself - physically stationing himself beside the Moses basket the whole time. Of course, there had been a bit of light conversation and almost procedural passing round of Aurora between all her uncles and grandparents, which Tom had kept a wether eye on - but ultimately not engaged. 

He also knew that physically his body was failing him. Although eating a little of the lasagne Sam had made for everyone, he could only stomach a minuscule amount, which did little to boost his energy levels. It felt as though sleeping was the enemy, because he was neither ready to leap into the car if the phone went; or to hear the smallest sound from the wicker basket, suggesting something was wrong. So as much as he tried to fight it, before even nine o’clock he began to dose off on the familiar couch of his parents sitting room - occasionally jerking himself awake before loosing the fight once again.

Nikki had tried to gently push him to take a break in the spare bedroom, which had been Tom’s before he’d moved out, but was unsuccessful - every time he retaliated with a stern shake of his head, while checking his phone just in case he’d missed a notification. Eventually Nikki relented, later in the evening both her and Dom retiring to bed; once Sam had agreed to stick around downstairs till a bit later - as a chef he worked till late in the nights, so even on his days off like today, his sleep schedule was just a little fucked. 

Left alone with his new little niece and now pretty firmly asleep brother, Sam draped a blanket over the latter just in time for Aurora to start fussing in the need of a bottle. His mum had explained how to do everything, how to mix the formula and heat it up, so after scooping up the little wriggling girl in the hope his brother wouldn’t get disturbed, Sam dealt with her. To be honest no matter how clueless and useless he felt, Aurora was just so cute - if a little wrinkly and alien looking, but in a good way. This was the first baby any of them had had, so the first time Sam experienced this instant connection and love for the little being that was his niece or nephew. It was terrifying, lifting the bottle against her lips for the first time, but then it just sort of seemed to work. She was incredibly smart for less than 24 hours old, instantly latching on, like she had done for Haz at the hospital. 

That gave Sam a little confidence in his ability as an uncle, giving himself a satisfied nod while swaying from the kitchen to move back into the living room. It was just a preference to be within reach of Tom… just in case. His poor brother still hadn’t moved, slumped against the corner of the sofa, leaning toward the now empty Moses basket. Normally, Sam seeing his supposed heart throb of a brother looking as rough as he did now - double chin, mouth hanging slightly open, deep sunken eyes - he would’ve taken a photo to blackmail him with. Now though, it was just desperately sad, seeing his brother like this, hand still clutching his phone tightly above the blanket. 

Rather hoping the calm would last for a while, Sam successfully finished off feeding Aurora; winded and then put her down to sleep again just in time. Because, perhaps expectedly, Tom’s phone began to blare off the default iPhone ringtone making Tom jump and throw the device across the room as he awoke with a start. Sam ran to grab it off the floor, mainly with the hope of turning it off before Aurora was awoken too - knowing that it was best tonight to tackle one thing at a time. 

And so he immediately swiped to answer the call, not even registering who the call was from, much rather just wanting the noise to stop. 

“Hello?”

“Sam? It’s Harrison” Tom had jumped up from his seat hovering beside Sam with petrified look. It took barely seconds for Tom to snatch the phone back, launching questions down the receiver. 

“Slow down would you? Y/n is fine I was just phoning to check in.”

“Oh er yeh… um sorry I just… just thought…”

“It’s the other way mate. Nurse says she’s starting to get there cos first she moved her arm a bit when we pinched her shoulder and then I just called because she started to like gag and now the ventilator thing is gone.”

���W-what?”

“I think she’s breathing by herself? Like she’s got an oxygen mask instead of the tubes down her throat.” Clearly Harrison was not, by any means, a medical expert. 

“They said she would have the ventilator for a few days at least.”

“I guess Y/n got bored? To be fair she couldn’t ever sit still.”

“I’m coming to you.”

“Tom it’s nearly midnight, I was supposed to be kicked out at 10. Just come back in the morning, they won’t let you in I’m pretty certain.”

“What if she wakes up!”

“Then they’ll call you! She’s getting better Tom you should be try and relax for like a second.”

“FUCK OFF HAZ! If she wakes up all alone and terrified then-“

“I’m not going to having a screaming match on the phone with you. I think we both know you wanting to come is more for you than for Y/n, because Y/n would want you to be looking after Aurora.”

Again guilt tripping using the newborn. Harsh but effective. Stopping Tom’s anger dead in it’s tracks.

“Look I can put the nurse on for her to tell you they won’t let you in and they’ll call if anything happens - but you already know that.”

“Yeh sorry fine … I know don’t bother.”

“Okay… I’m was gonna head back to my place and I know you’ve probably got your mum begging to fuss over Aurora but if-“

“Can you come?”

“Didn’t need to ask mate.”

And that’s how the night went. Until Harrison arrived at the Holland family home, Tom had spent the time pacing back and forth, blatantly ignoring the pleas of Sam just to sit down. Once he arrived though, going through all the updates in a lot more detail Tom seemed, for the first time, optimistic. By no means could you call him relaxed or happy - but compared to the rollercoaster that had been the last 24 hours, Harrison thought that was more than enough. Aurora had started fussing again at 1 but by the time it had turned into a full blown scream at Tom, Sam already had the bottle ready. It took a little bit of encouragement and promise that Tom would be able to feed her but actually, she instantly latched on, settled in her Dad’s hold while guzzling down the contents of the bottle. 

After a bit of winding she ended up falling asleep on her dads chest, only when he felt himself start to flag did Tom place her back in the basket. Harrison and him ended up crashing on the sofas, Sam retiring to his own room. Phone still tightly clutched in Tom’s grip.

////////////////////

The first thing Y/n became properly aware of was this intense heaviness all over her body. It felt as though her limbs were all composed completely of lead, meaning as much as she was just craving rolling over, it was as though her own body was holding her down. A very alien feeling that unsettled her slightly, trying to shake of the misty feeling in her head to work it all out. It took a while to drag herself out of the depths of sleep, to the point where background noise slowly faded in - an alien beeping as well as distant shuffling making her heart thump with unease. Finally, perhaps most distressingly , her eyes felt glued shut. Not because they were heavy, in the way someone extremely sleep deprived cant keep their eyes open; rather stiff like they hadn’t been used in so long they’d rusted over or something. 

The feeling  was quite horrific and isolating- as though she were locked into her body without an escape in sight. Whilst trying to calm her racing thoughts, Y/n chose to focus completely on the one thing she could do. She could listen. She listened to the beeps, focusing on the type of sound, the way it chimed so regularly; and it’s form. It was familiar, for that she was sure but for now at least she couldn’t place it. 

It felt like an investigation, trying with all her might to try and workout what the fuck was going on. To put it mildly. 

The most useful clue though, a breakthrough if you will, is when a voice sounded - clear and familiar. 

“Excuse me nurse?” It was Nikki. For sure. It was a clue, but didnt seem to make a hell of a lot of sense. Y/n was so focused on why the hell Nikki was apparently watching her sleep unconscious, she completely missed the reference to the nurse. As in hospital. As in Y/n was in hospital. “… I’m just going to swap out for my sons friend.”

“Harrison?” That voice seemed new and unfamiliar.

“Yes, he won’t be a second I’m sure.”

What was Harrison doing here too? 

It was all very confusing and hurt Y/n’s brain to try and unpick. Gradually then, everything sort of melted away, diving back into the darkness.

The next time Y/n woke up things were different. This time she woke up like she would at any time of day. She woke up and her eyes followed suit. Not particularly easily, since as soon as they cracked open she was almost blinded by brilliant white lights, it taking a build up of willpower before she tried it again - bracing for the pain. 

By now she knew something was wrong. She remembered all these patchy and hazy periods. All full of confusion and disorientation but with different voices keeping her at least semi calm. Familiar voices, all too often laced with such emotion. Especially Tom’s. She couldn’t remember what he had said, nor had she probably been able to understand it at the time - what stuck was the tone. The sadness, the hopelessness , the emptiness. 

It was scary. But it made her want to help. Made her want to open her eyes. 

After wincing at the dazzling white surroundings, Y/n blinked her eyes quickly, in an attempt to get them to adjust quicker. She saw an unfamiliar ceiling, one that was tiled in a similar way to her old school canteen. There was a  weird pressure round her mouth, eyes quickly darting down to see edges of a clear mask pressed up against the bridge of her nose. That wasn’t it though, the further she looked the more her eyes panned down this pale blue blanket, following the outline of her legs to the bottom raised edge of the bed. The hospital bed. 

Her hospital bed. 

As much as she wanted to jump up in panic; physically right now that was an impossibility. So instead, Y/n focused on trying to gleam as much information from the situation. It took a hell of a lot of effort, her muscles literally stiff and ridgid with disuse but with a small groan her neck eventually agreed to follow orders. Just a small tilt to the left and suddenly Y/n felt so much more less panicked. Everything was that bit less scary because there was Tom. 

Admittedly he didn’t look amazing, or even not bad. Tom was sat with his back pressed against the side of chair, so his body faced her. Had he not looked so ruined, Y/n would’ve laughed at the side of his face squashed into the back of the seat. But he did look horrific, for lack of a better word. His brown eyes were locked shut, but also looked puffy and red, while dark at the same time - as though he’d been attempting to gouge his own eyes out prior. He looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks, hence why he had appeared to have collapsed in the arm chair. At least though , he wasn’t in a hospital bed himself.

That was Y/n’s pleasure. 

Her next job was to get her neck muscles to pull her head to the other side. It was a slow wincing gesture, yet she was so aware of another presence that needed to be addressed too. But actually it was 3 people.

Right at the back, a nurse sat on a little spinny chair, scribbling something down in a file of papers but to be quite honest that wasn’t were Y/n’s focus zeroed in on. Instead on Harrison who was sat in chair mirroring Tom, except instead of being passed out asleep he was cradling a baby. Her baby. 

Y/n literally felt her heart in her throat at that point, eye widening almost comically. That was her baby - it must be? The monitors all started to loose their regularity as Y/n threw an uncoordinated limb to that side of the bed- already having realised her throat was way too scratchy to try to say anything comprehensible. 

Immediately that got the attention of both the nurse, who immediately leapt up and called for support, as well as Harrison - who looked like he was seeing a ghost. 

“Oh my-Y/n-?” Luckily he kept the baby safe in his arms rather than dropping her in shock, whilst Y/n kept her eyes locked onto the bundle in his arms. Nodding down, she tried to remove the mask (actually just very slightly knocking it to one side) and attempted to ask of the baby. Her throat, being inhumanly dry and scratchy, didn’t really work but Haz still got the message, scoffing in amazement. 

“Aurora… here’s your mummy.” Harrisons voice was quiet and wavering as he delicately held Aurora against Y/n’s collar bone, the babies little tuft of har tickingling her chin. Now Y/n was crying with happiness, looking up at Haz’s icy blue eyes and questioning her name. Harrison confirmed with another disbelieving whisper, whilst the arm that wasn’t still holding Aurora clasped Y/n’s hand with a death grip. “Tom’s choice.”

The mention of him had both of them shift their gaze across the room to Tom’s chair. Even with all the developments, Tom still seemed completely unaware, fast asleep with the side of his face squished against the back of the chair making his lips slightly askew. Y/n were acutely aware of the small congregation of doctors that had accumulated in the corner of the bay but they seemed to be respectfully waiting before they would prod and poke. Haz went to call Tom’s name, before he could though, Y/n squeezed his arm and minutely shook her head. That wasn’t what the blue eyes boy had been expecting, causing Haz to unfold and bring Aurora back up to his chest as he quirked his eyebrows at her.  

She didnt need to be filled in on the situation to know exactly what was happening. She had no idea why she was in the hospital bed; how long it had been since she’d given birth - but she knew all she needed to. From Harrisons unbelievably shocked face; and from the state of Tom - it hadn’t been good. Her fiancé looked almost ghostly, it seemed evident that he needed her. First then, she gestured to Haz for some water, which after a panicked look to the nurse; then from the nurse to various doctors; she was eventually given permission. 

After somewhat alleviating the sandpaper feeling in her throat, Y/n then croakily asked for a bit of privacy. Right now the doctors all were gawking, Harrison assumed it to be because they’d all led him and Tom to believe she wouldn’t wake up for a while- and even then she was supposed to barely be awake, not able to talk and drink or anything of the sort. With an ecstatic nod Harrison, shuffled out - while doing so prompting the medical people to draw the curtains completely shut round the bay.  

Already Y/n had tears welling up in her eyes, purely because she hated seeing him like this. He just looked so broken and shattered which honestly felt worlds worse than the labour she’d gone through. Her whole body still hurt, stiff and achy for reasons yet to be explained to Y/n. None of that mattered though, as she strained her arm out to the side in order to gently reach his knee that was folded up and sticking out awkwardly at an angle. After swallowing one again, Y/n squeezed round the joint and tried to shake it slightly. Instantly the man jumped up in his seat, heavy eyes blinking quickly and repeatedly as he tried to adjust to the room. 

Being so sleep deprived and stressed out, Tom’s brain was not working normally, instead with a delayed haze as he apparently skipped over Y/n in the bed, rather surveying the the closed curtains and Harrison’s now empty chair. As he was lifting himself to sit more normally up, uncurling from the armchair, was when he noticed the hand on his knee. Breath caught in his chest, Tom instinctively bit his lip as his eyes gradually traced up the hand, to the forearm, up to the shoulder. It felt like a fever dream, as though all it would take is for him to move and she’d slip away again. But there were her green eyes, gleaming in a way that literally lifted a weight from his shoulders. Her smile was tired and a little confused, but so her - after spending days of just seeing all her features lax, Tom swore that it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Only when Y/n finally croaked out a small ‘hi’ did Tom gain awareness of his body, or rather control of it, enough to leap up and leave over the bed - cradling her face in both his palms. Like a psycho he stared intently, swapping his focus from her left to her right eye like a madman. 

“Your-I-I” He was trying to speak, trying to communicate all the thoughts and regrets of things he wished he’d said to her all at once. Weakly she reached up to fully remove the oxygen mask, dragging It down to below her chin, before squeezing his wrists in comfort. Only then did Tom notice the small puddle that had collected on her cheek, which made him realise he was absolutely bawling. 

“You ‘kay?” Her voice was like sandpaper but everything about her was so completely Y/n and it was just giving Tom this unreal wave of euphoria. Physically incapable of replying, the brunette just scoffed, leaning over the bed even more so he could press his forehead on hers. He was laughing too, the fact she was asking him that seemed so preposterous, given all the tubes and wires attached to her at the moment. It took Y/n squeezing his wrist harder again to make him lean back a little, searching her eyes with his. She seemed so worried; seemed so full of concern - only then did Tom consider quite how much he’d ‘let himself go’ the past couple of days. 

It had been two days since Aurora was born, only 48 hours. But the transformation was mad, none more so than mentally. 48 hours had quite literally changed everything for Tom; changed life forever and himself too. It was showing in his unshaven face, with unwashed  greasy hair, everything just looking ‘tired’.

“‘m just really glad your awake.” It was so honest and sincere it did have Y/n wondering what had happened and for how long. What had she put her fiancé through?

“How long?”

“The worst two and a half days of my life… I got you now though, yeh?” Tom whispered wetly, while stroking the side of her cheek - wiping both his and her tears away.

“Always.”

The doctors and nurses then came in, podding and poking Y/n like no tomorrow while Harrison and Tom stood back a little - excitedly grinning at each other and the sleepy girl Haz was cradling, before Tom stole her off him. There was a momentary sick-to-his-stomach feeling after some of the professionals had cleared, seeing her eyes shut again felt like everything was crashing around him. Thankfully though, one of doctors noticed the look of despair on his face, explaining to the two men that she was just asleep normally. That although sh’ed spent along time unconscious, waking from a medical coma is in itself exhausting. 

After the initial excitement of Y/n waking the next couple of days were pretty samey. She’d been moved down to a normal ward, no longer needed all the incessant bleeping machines but still had to stay in hospital. Tom found it tricky too, he just always felt he needed to be by her side ‘just in case’. In fact, it had been a source of a bit of tension between him and his fiancé - she could see how exhausted he was from looking after Aurora, plus the stress of being in the hospital for hours a day with her. As Y/n got better and more switched on to the state of him, she realised it was inevitable he’d crash at some point.

But after a week and a half in hospital - comprising of a baby, emergency surgery, 3 days on intensive care, followed by 8 on the ward - Y/n was discharged. Nikki and Dom moved in to Y/n and Tom’s place, to provide care support both for Aurora; and Y/n for the rest of her recovery; and secretly Tom for everything he’d been through. 

She was still order on bed rest due to her surgical scars, so Tom and Nikki helped to set her up in the master bedroom as soon as they got in. Of course, everyone was aware of Toms odd mood that day. Until then the only thing he wanted was to get his fiancé back at home with him but now she was over the threshold his excitement and joy appeared to have been zapped out of him. In fact, he’d barely uttered more than a couple sentences. So once Y/n was properly comfortable and Dom had brought Aurora and the cot into the room, Tom’s parents quickly made themselves scarce. 

Tom hadn’t stopped, finding some reason to rummage around in the chest of drawers m while Y/n chewed at her bottom lip, watching him. 

“Tom?” All she got in response was a light hum. “Tom please will you come and sit down for a minute?”

“I just need to-“

“Tom!” Her exclamation finally properly got Tom to listen, jumping round to face her. “Please... please will you just stop for a second?” Y/n’s eyes felt as though they were boring holes in his skull. Really, Tom knew he’d be forced into this at some point because he couldn’t avoid Y/n. She had some power of mind reading over him. So with a defeated nod and sagging shoulders Tom rounded the bed, weaving between his side and Auroras cot - where she was sleeping soundly. 

A silence overcame the room as he heavily planted himself on his side of the bed, mirroring Y/n’s posture leant against the headboard. 

“I think we need to have an honest conversation T.”

“If you want.” Nothing about his reply was the picture of enthusiasm, causing Y/n to hesitate a little. 

“Look I am so beyond grateful for everything you’ve done while I was in hospital... and it doesn’t take a genius to tell you’ve worked yourself half to death-“

“I’m fine-“

“Don’t lie to me. I know you’re trying to protect me but please... will you just talk to me? Honestly?” 

His reply this time wasn’t completely unforeseeable but it still shocked Y/n quite how quickly it happened, especially almost unprovoked. Because that’s all it took for Tom to break, for the past 2 weeks to get their vengance, for all the repressed emotion to escape. 

He was crying- well more accurately sobbing- into his hands, his back quaking. Naturally Y/n reached out to pull him into her side, suppressing the groan of pain as she moved a little too much for her abdomen to handle. “I’m here T. I got you and I’m not going anywhere m‘kay?” 

And that’s how they stayed, for at least 10 minutes, with Tom crying into her shoulder as Y/n rubbed up and down his back. Eventually though, everything did calm down and Tom repositioned himself to lean his head on her shoulder just facing forward and focusing on playing with her fingers, lacing them fingers with his. 

In all the time since she’d woken up, Y/n was yet to broach the subject of their babies name yet. She sensed it was a sensitive topic to say the least, so had thought it best to wait till they were properly alone - not in a ward of 6 strangers where the only privacy came in flimsy blue curtains. 

“So…. Aurora huh? Thought it was too airy-fairy, head-in-the-clouds for you?”  Smiling lightly, both of them were transported back to the pregnancy when they spent hours and hours bickering over names. Aurora had always been Y/n’s favourite but to Tom thought it was more a name for a hippy kid who went around clad in tie dye and bandanas. 

“Still is a bit...but I needed a bit of a miracle and Iceland was in my head. Plus I sort of accidentally word vomited while shouting at Haz, for being nice to me.” Iceland as in when Tom had proposed under the aurora borealis in the freezing sky - when Y/n had agreed, promised even, to be with him forever.

“But you like it?”

“Of course... mother always knows best after all.”

“I think it suits her too. One of your best choices to date, listening to me.” Y/n mused, earning herself a very delicate but still playful elbow in the side before the room drifted back to a much more comfortable silence. 

“We’re gonna get through this you know? Me, you and her, we’re together in this... I’m sorry I wasn’t in the beginning and I’m sorry I hurt you but now? I promise you got me and I’m not going anywhere…” Y/n needed to say it and needed Tom to properly listen. “ ...literally, I still cant walk properly.” Tom chuckled wetly at that, which made Y/n feel a lot better too. 

To be completely honest, Tom was still hurt and he knew it’d take some mending to move past everything. By no means did he blame Y/n in anyway but just the fact he was left alone and abandoned - well, it was the worst time in his life. The way Y/n understood that and had apologised to him - if completely unnecessarily- meant everything. Meant she would help him to heal... whilst he helped her too. 

“Can we just go to sleep? I need to wake up beside you in our bed not at tiny hospital one.” It was only 3 in the afternoon but because of Y/n’s medicine she was constantly drowsy and Tom? Tom was still in this permanent state of exhaustion. So it wasn’t so much of a weird request as it was on the face of it. With a nod, Y/n shuffled down on the bed a bit more resting her head against the top of Tom’s. It was exactly what they both needed, just a bit of peace with each other. 

That lasted all of 5 minutes before Aurora woke and started to scream. 

Life had most definitely changed. Especially for Tom. Because even though he was he was mentally and physically exhausted,  he only appreciated his daughters screams whole heartedly... because Y/n was there groaning with a tired smile too. They were in this together. 

~~~~

 I really hope the ending didnt disappoint too much, im aware its rushed as hell, but thank you for getting this far! And I hope maybe this series has done a teeny tiny bit to normalise not everything in pregnancy and child birth being perfect - that there is morbidity and mortality associated. Obviously this is all fictional (esp the amazingly quick recovery and lack of neurological/other impairments) and not medically accurate in the slightest !!

my inbox is always open :) t x

Tagging : @whitewolf51 

[moonbeambucky]

Hey Neighbor (Part 25)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Word Count: 6423 Warnings: mention of injuries, fluff

Summary: You had a plan and then life came along with one of its own. With your future almost derailed you worked hard to get yourself back on track and finally everything seemed to be going right… that is, until your new neighbor moved in.

A/N: Feedback is always appreciated!

HEY NEIGHBOR PART 24 | HEY NEIGHBOR MASTERLIST

Time stands still like the eerie calm of the earth before a storm and in less than the blink of an eye things move all at once. The clouds break open with the downpour of your tears, a tornado sends you in a dizzying frenzy to change your clothes, hellish winds are unleashed that blow you across town so quickly you nearly forgot to take your phone with you as you scrambled out of the Uber that raced you to the hospital.

Sam’s call was brief. Bucky was brought into the emergency room by ambulance, fading in and out of consciousness from a car accident. Sam nearly went into shock himself seeing his friend littered in cuts and scrapes. You didn’t have time to ask much else, barely even changing out of your pajamas. You swapped thin bottoms for leggings, quickly grabbed your bra and threw a hoodie over it all, not thinking about how your hair looked or bothering to pick out the crust that just began to take root in the corner of your eyes. You grabbed a bag tossing in your keys and wallet and clutched your phone in hand to run downstairs.

The fluorescent lights are blinding as you enter the hospital, searching for Sam through the chaos of chatter and noise. The beep beep beep of machinery all around you, coughing, crying, moaning wails from people that want help or attention or just a place to sleep off their drunkenness. The ER was a maze you knew every route of but your mind pushed the knowledge out needing more space to panic.

Where is Bucky? Where is Sam?

You remembered the nurses’ station, sprinting towards it and happy to see a familiar face that does not recognize you right away. You didn’t expect Stacie to; you looked quite different when you were not put together in professional clothes and on the verge of bursting into tears and throwing up at the same time.

Together you quickly found Sam, unable to hold back the dam when you saw him and asked about Bucky.

“He went up into surgery.”

“Surgery!?” you cried out. “Is he going to be okay? Sam what happened?”

He let out a long and heavy sigh. The harsh lights above were unkind, showing the depths of the circles under his eyes.

“His leg is broken and he has some internal bleeding but we stabilized him and…”

You knew how hard Sam works, how everyone in this hospital works, getting an up close experience from your time there so you hated to be this person, frantic and begging for answers that he didn’t have.

“Doctor Palmer is an excellent surgeon. I’m gonna call her assistant now to let them know I’m sending you up.”

You nodded, biting your lip and roughly wiping away fresh tears. Sam pulled you into his chest and you felt your knees buckle. Bucky had to make it through surgery, he had to! A heavy sob wracked through you as you thought of the worst. Sam squeezed tighter, wishing he could stay with you upstairs through the surgery. Hell, he’d scrub in himself if they’d let him just so he could say he’s done everything to help his friend through this.

“I’ll be up when I can,” he promised, walking you towards the elevator.

You forced a worried smile. “Thanks Sam. Do you know… did anyone call his parents?”

Sam clenched his jaw as he thought about it. “It was pretty crazy in there, I’m not sure. I could fi–” He was interrupted by someone calling his name and you knew you had taken too much of his time already.

Your stomach dropped as the elevator went up, bringing you to an unfamiliar floor with unfamiliar faces that made you feel like an unwelcome stranger in someone’s home. You let the staff know you were here for James but a by-the-books nurse wasn’t keen on giving you information. Without thinking straight you had stupidly answered no when they asked if you were family, and when you asked if Bucky’s family was called she wouldn’t tell you.

You exhaled a deep, calming sigh, not wanting to yell at the person that was just doing their job, but as you sink into the uncomfortable chair you can’t help but silently cry to yourself. This woman doesn’t know how badly you need to know if Bucky’s okay. She doesn’t know that you spent the last few months ignoring him and wishing you could take it all back. She doesn’t know how much you miss him, how you love him. Even though he broke your heart you couldn’t help yourself from gluing the pieces back together and you needed to tell him, maybe you couldn’t tell him the truth but Bucky needed to at least know that you didn’t hate him.

The clock ticks away slowly and no one has come to speak with you. You stare at Winifred’s profile. She hasn’t updated her status since late in the afternoon. Does she know? Did anyone call them?

You decide they need to know, they need to be here just in case. A wave of nausea rolls over you at the thought and suddenly you become dizzy in your seat. You’re hot, sweating in the hoodie and yet you push on. Shaky fingers google his parent’s names and hometown in the hopes they are listed. You find a number, hesitant to call at this late of an hour. Rebecca was a few hours behind, and you debated messaging them in hopes of a fast reply. Should you do that? Should you be doing this at all?

Fuck.

If you had some answers you could at least feel a little better about all of this. You messaged Rebecca on Instagram telling them what happened and leaving your number. Your cheeks burn like lava as you rest your palm against them, dialing the number that google provided which may or may not be correct.

The phone rings and rings, and with each unanswered ring your stomach twists a little tighter. Relief comes but only slightly by way of Winnie’s bubbly voice prompting you to leave a message. Your voice shakes as you do, letting out a strangled cry as you leave them the limited details you knew about Bucky. Are they sleeping?

It doesn’t take long before your screen lights up with a number you don’t recognize and you were relieved to hear Winnie’s voice. Someone did call her and George, and they were on their way to the hospital.

“Rebecca sent me your number. I’m so happy you’re there. We’ll see you soon sweetheart,” she said, with sobs in her voice.

After hanging up you saw a message from Rebecca repeating what you already knew. They asked if it was okay to call you and you were thankful for the distraction. Together you tried to comfort each other, worrying about Bucky making it through surgery, about their parents driving with little sleep and so much on their minds.

“They’re here,” you said spotting George first from down the hallway, “I’ll call you back.”

It had been at least a half hour since their call and getting up from the chair was slow, your body ached from sitting for too long but you didn’t care. George and Winnie wrapped you in their arms, tears flowing as you embraced. The tears poured a little harder as you gripped them tightly, realizing how nice it was to see them again but wishing desperately it was under different circumstances.

George withdrew first, going up to the desk to let them know he was there. Winnie cupped your face softly, her hands were cold but it felt good against the heat of your skin. The corners of her mouth turned up into a smile that released more tears down her reddened cheeks, her eyes already swollen and full of spidery veins.

Together you waited. Talking, pacing, crying, waiting, waiting, waiting until a short woman in green scrubs called out for the Barnes family. The three of you jump up and you feel immediately sick, holding on to Winnie’s arm as you try to read the expression of the woman before she said anything.

“Mr. and Mrs. Barnes my name is Doctor Palmer, I was the surgeon who worked on your son James.”

Winnie held your hand a little tighter, squeezing as every second went by until Dr. Palmer said he was stable and in recovery.

“He came in with blunt force trauma from a crash. He fractured two ribs and there was some internal bleeding from his spleen which we were able to repair with arterial embolization. However, James had a severe compound fracture of the tibia. We debrided the area and secured the bone with plates and screws. James is in the post op recovery room and he’s awake but not fully lucid.”

A collective sigh of relief filled the waiting room, with mixed tears of happiness flowing freely again. The doctor said a nurse would come by to bring you in to see him shortly and you couldn’t wait. You didn’t know what you would say to Bucky or if he would even be alert enough to hear you but you knew it was time to let him know that the past is in the past and you want to move forward.

A beat fills the room, steady like a metronome to keep the rhythm but the sound is unfamiliar. Too soft for the drums, not high enough for strings. Quick, simple. Piano? No. The sound isn’t broad enough. Keyboard? Yes. Electric, synthy. But it still sounds wrong.

Bucky tries to open his eyes but his lids are too heavy, bolted down by invisible chains. He sees the light of the sun through them. He tries to lift his arm to shut the blinds but even they are too sluggish to move, heavy like they were coated in cement.

He feels the scratch of a rough blanket against his skin, vague thoughts cross his tired mind wondering the whereabouts of his comforter. His toes are cold, feeling like tiny icicles are hanging off them. His right foot drags against the mattress. Was it always this uncomfortable? It’s his left foot that isn’t covered, a sock that probably came off in the night.

In a state of half sleep Bucky tries to wiggle the icicles off and suddenly his whole body feels like it’s been set ablaze. The beat quickens. A terrible pain fires through every nerve. There’s a sharp sensation in his hand when he tries to move it making him wince. His left side has a dull stabbing ache that increases as he takes a deep breath. Bucky feels sore all over like he was just hit by a–

And then he remembers.

His breaths are shallow, the tempo moving rapidly like the hook of an EDM song about to drop the beat as Bucky replayed the scene like a movie. He left the premier’s after party in an Uber never expecting the violent jolt of an SUV t-boning the car into a traffic pole. Everything after was a blur. There were flashing lights, noise, a steady bright light, an angel with the face of Y/N.

Bucky’s eyes fly open in state panic as he looks around wildly at his surroundings. His leg is in a cast, elevated by a sling. Needles in his arm, tubes around his nose, wires everywhere. He felt like a mess, he could only imagine he looked even worse but then all of his worries fade away when he sees Y/N, the angel at his side.

You’re asleep on the chair, elbow propped up on the wooden arm with your head leaning against your palm. It’s not comfortable at all but you didn’t complain, it wasn’t important. It was nearly five in the morning when Bucky was moved to a room. The walls were a dreadful sage green that looked more like dirty money in the dim light of dawn. The room was small but the lack of a second bed for the time being made things seem a little larger.

George went off in search of a third chair for the room as you and Winnie pulled yours up close to Bucky, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Sam came up to visit after his shift ended, introducing himself to Bucky’s parents. The tackling hug Winnie gave him was unexpected by his sleep deprived body but he accepted it all the same, giving her a reassuring hug that everything would be okay. Before he left you whispered a thank you in Sam’s ear, for treating Bucky and giving you a call. You promised to keep him updated as told him to get some rest, he certainly deserved it.

Bucky slept peacefully as you watched over him, your head falling forward and jolting you awake every time you had begun to fall asleep. Winnie had already fallen asleep but you were fighting against your body’s needs. You stared longingly at Bucky, wanting to be awake in case he woke up. George put a gentle hand on your shoulder, nodding with silent permission that it was okay to shut your eyes. A large black cup of coffee aided him in keeping watch and so you blinked slowly, your lids growing heavier with every languid motion until they remained shut for the next few hours. It wasn’t until the sound of rapid beeps that you were alerted into consciousness again.

Your head whipped up quickly with concern at the sound that slowly began to steady, finding Bucky awake with an ever so slight tug of a smile on his lips that grew once you locked eyes. It had been far too long since you looked at Bucky, truly looked at him without anger and heartache clouding your vision.

The scrapes and bruises that littered his face did not hinder any part of his handsomeness. His lips were dull and slightly chapped and yet it didn’t stop you from wanting to press yours against them. You lifted your eyes towards his, feeling blessed to be able to stare at the most beautiful shade of blue once more. They glistened with unshed tears as Bucky gazed back at you.

Your own tears came instantly, falling down the curves of your smile as you leaned over him. Your name fell softly from his lips and hesitantly you lifted your hand, wanting to reach out and caress his face. You pulled it back, dropping your head for a moment, squeezing tears out of your tightly shut eyes. Bucky was a blur when you opened them again but he was there, he was alive and you were more than thankful.

“Hey neighbor,” you sniffled. “It’s good to see you.”

No longer caring if you should or shouldn’t touch his face, you wanted to. Your thumb gently grazed the delicate skin of his cheek, early stubble scratching lightly as you brushed against it.

Bucky leaned into your touch, feeling him smile against your palm. “It’s good to see you too.” His voice was strained, still dry from surgery.

You took Bucky’s hand in your own, careful of the IV sticking out. He asked what happened, knowing he was in an accident but unsure of the details afterwards. It was obvious his leg was broken but you told him the specifics– the emergency surgery to fix his break and stop his internal bleeding, how Sam had treated him when he came into the ER. He smiled at that.

“You broke a few ribs too.”

Bucky’s eyebrows raised in acknowledgment. “So that’s why it hurts to breathe.”

Your lips pulled tightly across your face, wishing you could take the pain away from him. The tension released when you felt Bucky squeezing your hand as if he heard your thoughts, offering you comfort when he was the one that really needed it.

“Oh, your parents are here,” you remembered, though you looked around, unsure of where they went. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think to contact Claire.” The shock of Bucky’s accident made you forget to text all your friends until the early morning.

His face twists with confusion. “Claire?” Did you really not know? “Claire and I have been broken up for months.”

Your lips move without sound as you try to process what he said. You didn’t know what to say, wondering if Bucky hid his breakup as you had yours. Now you didn’t feel as guilty holding on to the feelings in your heart. You’re about to blurt out the words, to tell Bucky what you couldn’t say back to Peter but the sound of Winnie calling his name stopped you and you turned to see her running up to his bed.

“James, you’re awake. We were so worried,” she cried in his ear, contorting herself around machines while being mindful of Bucky’s injuries.

George walked in with a cup of coffee for you and you thanked him, getting up so he could get closer to Bucky. The warm brew felt good going down even though it wasn’t the best, forgetting to warn them about the cafeteria’s lack of quality. Good thing you weren’t relying on this to keep you awake, not since Bucky shocked every cell of your body into full alertness with his news. Though you were happy to learn he broke up with Claire it still didn’t mean what you wanted it to and you were thankful you hadn’t scared him off with an “I love you.”

Pulling out your phone you saw a text from Wanda, featuring a block of caps locked screaming with question marks and sad emojis. You typed back an update about Bucky, looking over at him with his parents and back down again to the message that was still in the process of sending. It took a few minutes before the message decided not to go through at all.

You excused yourself, letting everyone know you were going to update all your friends about how Bucky was doing. George commented on the terrible service in the room so at least it wasn’t just your phone. You probably could have stood on a chair trying to force better service somehow in different parts of the room but you also wanted to give Bucky and his parents an opportunity for privacy.

“I’ll be right back,” you said with a smile, passing a woman coming in with flowers for the person who had been brought into the other side of the room early in the morning. Your gaze lingered back at Bucky one final time before leaving.

George shared a look with Winnie and staring at her son she said, “Y/N was here all night you know...”

With your phone in hand you follow it like it’s a map with five full bars leading you to treasure. It only took walking around the whole floor to find a good spot on the opposite side of the building near a window for your text to go through. In between sips of coffee you recorded a message for everyone on the group chat, it was so much easier than typing it out and you were still very tired.

You decided to finish your coffee there, giving Bucky and his parents more time as you stared out the window at what looked like a bright and beautiful morning. A slew of notifications came on your phone as half the people responded. Clint was probably still sleeping but Natasha replied asking if Bucky needs anything. Though Peggy was in England she asked if there was anything she could do. Steve wondered if he wanted visitors and asked you to pass along his get well wishes. You typed back that you would find out, promising to keep in touch as the day went on.

When your cup was empty you tossed it into a nearby garbage can and headed back, not expecting to hear your name being called.

“Y/N? What are you doing here?”

You turned to see Elena, concern etched on her face as she held onto your shoulder. Embarrassment washed over you as you remembered how you looked, feeling even worse when you realized that earlier in the week Elena was technically your boss.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Yeah, yeah… I’m okay. A friend of mine came in last night, car accident. I’ve…” you took a moment to yawn, covering your mouth, “Excuse me, I’ve been here all night.” You slapped your face lightly to wake up, now wishing the coffee had been stronger. “He’s going to be okay though,” you finished.

“He? Is this Bucky?” she wondered, and you were surprised she recalled his name since the wedding was months ago. You sighed, nodding slowly as your lips pulled into a soft smile. “I hope everything works out.”

Elena hugged you before she turned around to see a patient, reminding you she was here if you needed her. It was really nice to know she was there for you, Elena had become more than a mentor in the time you’ve worked for her.

Heading back in the room you couldn’t help the smile that graced your face when you saw Bucky. The few minutes apart you spent were more than you ever wanted to do again. George moved down a seat so you could sit closer to Bucky, letting him know everyone was asking about him, wondering if he wanted visitors.

Bucky sought your hand again, smiling as your soft touch helped to ease the discomfort he was feeling. It would be nice to see friends but he was more than happy you were here with him. It wasn’t long before a nurse came in to check vitals and Bucky was relieved since he definitely could use more pain medication.

Winnie asked you to join her to get food since no one had really eaten and even though you didn’t want to leave Bucky you weren’t going to say no to his mother. Besides, you needed to steer Winnie away from the cafeteria and the nurse seemed thankful to have less people in the room.

Bucky felt settled after a dose of painkillers, easing the radiating aches from all over his body. George poured a cup of water, handed it to him and set aside the pink plastic pitcher.

“How’re you feeling James?” he asked, forcing a smile when all he wanted to do was cry looking at the state of his son, from the deep purple bruises on his temple to the scrapes that marred his skin.

Bucky gulped down the water, quenching the arid condition of his mouth. “M’okay, a little better I guess.”

“Your head feels okay?”

Bucky nodded. “Yeah, no one said I hit it or– ”

“Are you sure about that?”

George leaned in closer, as Bucky squinted in confusion. His smile dropped and his eyes grew stern as he organized his thoughts into a more appropriate lecture despite the disappointing anger that bubbled beneath his skin.

“I really wonder James, because see Y/N, a great girl who clearly loves and cares about you and you let her go.” Bucky tried to interrupt, to fill in all the details he hadn’t told him in the past but George wouldn’t let him. “No son, there has to be something wrong with you if you can’t see it.”

“Dad, it’s… it’s complicated,” Bucky let out with a sorrowful sigh.

“James, real love is complicated. It’s wild and passionate as much as it is frustrating, but when you find someone that loves you as much as you love them it makes overcoming obstacles worthwhile. Love isn’t easy but it is easy loving someone that makes you feel alive, that makes life worth living and when you find that someone you don’t let them go. Don’t let her go, James.”

Bucky sits with the weight of his father’s words heavy on his chest. It had already been hard to breathe and now things felt worse. He doesn’t know the full story, how a stupid mistake ruined the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

He wants to make it right, to tell you everything not that it would change anything. Bucky assumed that since you spent all night waiting by his side that you at least don’t hate him anymore like you used to, so maybe your friendship can be salvaged. Still, it’s going to hurt him to see you in Peter’s arms but Bucky would rather have you back in his life because not having you there at all is far worse.

You come walking in with his mom, smiling and laughing and it’s such a beautiful sight. The smile on his face can’t help but grow. Bucky watches as his father wraps an arm around his mom, pressing a kiss to her temple. She smiles looking up at him, pulling out sandwiches from a deli you had come from.

“Ohh and someone wants to say hello,” Winnie said, pulling out her phone, trying her best to connect to Rebecca on FaceTime despite the shitty signal. The connection is spotty and Bucky ends up having a regular phone conversation with them. They were definitely happy to hear he was doing better.

After the call Bucky asked about his phone and his mom found the bag of his personal belongings in the closet. She grimaced at the lack of clothes, realizing whatever he came in with was most likely cut off him in the ER, thoughts of the whole ordeal bringing tears to her eyes. Underneath his shoes were his wallet and phone which she handed him, surprised to see the screen had not cracked.

Bucky attempted to turn it on but it was dead. Normally you carry a charger with you but in the rush to leave your apartment that was the last thing on your mind. Your own battery had just passed half its life but you didn’t really care. There was nothing else you needed to focus on today besides Bucky.

His parents stay into the afternoon, getting a chance to speak with the doctor and meeting Natasha, Clint and Steve who arranged their visit together. They left shortly after since the room had gotten crowded between everyone and visitors for the person in the other bed. You and Winnie hugged, squeezing tight for a lingering moment, fighting the urge to cry again out of exhaustion and relief for the night you went through together. George gave an equally strong hug, one that Bucky watched from his bed, overhearing his parents making sure you had both their numbers.

You looked just as tired as they did and Bucky knows you should probably go home. He wonders if you’ll leave when your friends do but when the time comes and Natasha is shrugging on her jacket you make no move to do the same, only getting up to hug them goodbye.

Alone again, Bucky finds comfort in the silence between you, as the speaker for the TV lays beside him filling the background with noise. He watches as you set up the cards he received on the windowsill, making sure Clint’s it’s going tibia okay card is angled so Bucky can see it and smile.

When dinner arrives he frowns at cold peas and carrots, eats the bland chicken and enjoys the soup more than he thought. Bucky urged you to eat something more than the bags of chips and nuts you had been snacking on since the sandwich you split between breakfast and lunch. You insisted you were fine but he forced you to eat his salad, assuring you he was not in the mood to have it.

“Are you feeling okay?”

Bucky groaned through an exhale, his eyes squeezed shut as hissed an unconvincing “yes” through his teeth.

“I need more pain meds and…” he shifted as much as he could trying to ease his discomfort.

“And what? Bucky, whatever it is I can get the nurse in.”

“I… it’s embarrassing,” he admitted.

You smiled softly, leaning close to remind him, “Whatever it is can’t be more embarrassing than the time I nearly shit myself in front of you. Remember? All my trips running to the bathroom hoping I could make it on time?”

Crinkles formed around his eyes as Bucky smiled, chuckling before he realized how much it hurt to do so, at the memory of your food poisoning and the weekend he spent helping you recover. And now here you were by his side, doing the same.

“It’s uh, my…” He looked away, blushing beet red as he squeaked out, “...my catheter. It’s not great.”

An array of expressions crossed your face. “Yeah… I can imagine.” When you finally locked eyes with Bucky again you couldn’t help but smile awkwardly, offering to go get him a nurse.

It took a few minutes to return as you looked for the nurse, coming back with a surprise, Wanda and Sam. Wanda held back tears as she carefully hugged him and Sam couldn’t help but go into doctor mode and ask how Bucky was doing.

“I’m good. Alive thanks to you.”

Sam grinned. “I can’t take all the credit, but you are lucky. Very lucky.”

The nurse lumbered in, tired from a long shift but his demeanor changed upon seeing Sam, the two of them knowing each other well. Riley had praised Sam’s skills having formerly worked beside him in the ER for a while.

“Riley, this is my boy so please, whatever he needs make sure he’s taken care of, alright?” Sam turned to Bucky, “You good? Do you need a sponge bath?”

Bucky sighed, “No Sam, I don’t need a sponge bath.” He blushed with embarrassment, rolling his eyes at his friend’s teasing. “I would really like to pee on my own though.”

“Riley, call the stream team!” Sam shouted a little too loud.

Bucky instantly regretted his admission, pinching the tender bridge of his nose as he shook his head. “It’s nice they let you out for some fresh air Sam, that padded room must get pretty boring.”

Sam wore a toothy smile, happy to see his friend was still in good enough spirits to rib him back. He and Wanda stayed long enough for the shift change and though Sam didn’t personally know the next nurse he introduced himself and wanted to make sure Bucky was taken care of.

Once again you made no move to leave when Sam and Wanda did, getting up only to stretch. Your bones creaked like old wood, stretching out stiff muscles until you felt the slightest bit of relief. The chairs provided were not the most uncomfortable but after almost a day they definitely took a toll.

Bucky notices the way your eyes grow tired, how every action has slowed. You’ve been in the hospital nearly as long as he has and he doesn’t envy you, even with his injuries.

“Hey,” he whispered softly, stirring you alert. “It’s late, you should go home.” Your head shook before you spoke, opening your mouth to protest but he cut you off. “I’m good, I promise. You’ve been here all day and night, go get some sleep in a real bed.”

It would look stupid if you argued at this point, as you tried to fight back a yawn. Bucky asked you for a favor before you left, to grab his keys and bring some clothes and his phone charger tomorrow. “Only if you don’t mind.” Of course you would.

“Oh and one more thing,” he said, his eyes pleading up at you. “Call me when you get home. I need to know you got back safely.”

You nodded, smiling softly, before entering the number from his bedside phone into yours. Leaning down you pressed your lips against Bucky’s forehead, letting them linger against the warmth of his skin. Upon pulling away you shared a moment, smiling back at each other before Bucky took your hand.

“Thank you Y/N,” he said softly, rubbing his thumb across your knuckles. There was so much Bucky meant within those words and by the way you looked at him he believed you knew.

With his body on fire Bucky still rested easier than he had in the last few months, knowing at the very least he had you in his life again.

The subway rocks gently as you travel down the familiar route to the hospital, this time not worrying about making it on time to clock in but with excitement fluttering in your belly to be able to see Bucky again.

Last night you called him just before you went into his apartment, grabbing the few things he asked for and not lingering. You were a second away from crashing, having enough energy to plug your phone in before your face hit the pillow.

In the morning you showered, drinking a strong cup of coffee as you got ready. You didn’t bother with much but it felt good to look presentable. You grabbed Bucky’s things, texting people before you lost service underground. Rebecca thanked you for the updates and said they were looking to fly in towards the end of the week. George and Winnie would definitely be happy to see them again. They contacted you this morning as well, saying they would be seeing you at the hospital in a bit.

Bucky tried to keep himself occupied, shutting his eyes and eventually finding sleep for a few hours before the nurse needed to check his vitals. He stared out his window, watching the dark blanket of the sky slowly lift over the buildings, falling asleep once more before the next round of nurses coming in. He’s not sure how he’s supposed to heal if he can’t sleep but the doctor lets him know he should be released tomorrow or the following day.

It lifts his mood but the height of his spirits soar high above the atmosphere when Bucky saw you walking into his room. You look much more rested than he does and he’s happy about it. He savors your arms around him, feasting upon the scent of your floral shampoo, your smile bringing sunshine upon a gloomy world.

You put the clothes he asked for in his closet, taking his phone and plugging it into the nearest outlet, settling down again in the familiar chair beside his bed. You were just as excited to hear about Bucky getting released soon, the thought of him being just beyond your shared wall again was comforting.

After charging for a little bit Bucky asked for his phone, just to check a few quick messages. You got up to unplug it, the screen lighting up and making your mouth fall open. Bucky’s lock screen was you! Well, it was the two of you, from that time Winnie was testing out her new phone. It was a beautiful memory, a candid capture of a moment in time when you gazed into each other’s eyes, the corners of your mouths settled into a smile; two people holding back the feelings that were written so evidently across their faces.

You pretended not to have seen it, handing him the phone with the screen down. Bucky nearly forgot about the picture himself, his eyes flitting quickly your way as he tried not to breathe too hard and have the monitors give away his panicked state.

Your head was turned up towards the TV, watching The Golden Girls through the muffled sound of the speaker resting against the side of the bed. You couldn’t look at Bucky in the moment, not when you felt as giddy as a schoolgirl. No, you needed this time to collect your thoughts, to find the perfect words to express exactly how you felt and right when they were at the tip of your tongue you held them back.

Winnie and George walked in looking a lot better than they had yesterday. They greeted you both and settled in for the next few hours. They too were excited about his impending release, offering Bucky to recover at their home.

“No, ma I’ll be fine. The building has an elevator, I’m good.”

Worry crossed her face. “What about food shopping? What about bathing?”

Bucky’s eyes grew wide. “Well you’re not gonna bathe me if that’s what you think.”

You swallowed a chuckle, shifting your expression to a serious one offering your help. “For the food shopping,” you nervously added. Learning from the past, you shut your mouth to avoid the risk of digging yourself a deeper, awkward hole.

His parents left to get lunch for everyone since Bucky was sick of cold vegetables, and the two of you were alone again. He cleared his throat, licking his lips before asking, “You really don’t mind helping me?”

Your smile answered him before your words. “Of course not. Plus we still have a lot of pizza to try.”

You bit your lip watching the smile spread across his face, relief washing over him as things seemed to snap back into place as if nothing had changed. But Bucky forgot about Peter. You had been spending so much time with him this weekend he almost convinced himself things were different.

“Peter isn’t mad you’ve been gone all weekend?” Bucky asked, doing a poor job in hiding the uneasiness in his face as he anticipated your answer. He’s a glutton for punishment, reminding himself that things will never truly be the same again and little does he know how right he is.

“I broke up with him weeks ago.”

Your answer takes a moment to register, the realization hitting Bucky more than the impact of the accident. “Why?”

Haloed by the glow of the sun behind you, the words sang like the message of an angel, because there had to be some sort of divine intervention that brought all of Bucky’s dreams true when you answered, “Because he wasn’t you.”

A tear slipped down your face and Bucky lifted his hand, cupping your cheek and brushing it away. You cupped his hand against you, exhaling staccato breaths and smiling down at the man that brought music into a world that felt silent without him.

You leaned down, the tip of your nose grazing against his, your smile matching his as you closed the distance, pressing your lips together once more. The sound of love flooded your soul as you and Bucky found harmony at last.

EPILOGUE

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[2manyfandoms2count]

Heartbeats

The famous “I-swear-it-gets-fluffier-it’s-just-this-first-part-that’s-a-little-angsty” one shot... Inspired by my brief ICU work experience and a reddit thread I read last week. Hope you guys enjoy! And special thanks @sd1970x for beta reading! 

---

Beep - Beep - Beep - Beep -

The sound of the heart rate monitor in the dark hospital room was driving Adrien crazy. It just seemed so slow, especially compared to the restless beat his foot was tapping on the ground as he waited. 

“Hey.” Alya layed a soothing hand on his jittery leg. “She’s going to be okay.”

Adrien raked a hand through his hair and looked at the resting body in the hospital bed. Alya couldn’t really understand. Sure, her best friend lay there, having been caught in the middle of an Akuma fight. But she didn’t know how.

She didn’t know it was the saviour of Paris they were watching breathe, making the sheets quietly rise and fall as she did so. His best friend, too. The girl of his dreams. He himself hadn’t known until the car had hit the chimney behind which Ladybug had retreated to feed Tikki while Chat held down the fort, their opponent having escaped their first Lucky Charm plan. 

He’d rushed to it and frantically dug out the rubble; he’d barely registered it was Marinette he was holding in his arms as he carefully extruded her from the pile of bricks. All he’d seen was the red blood that drenched her pink shirt. All he’d felt was the weakening pulse at her wrist. 

He’d dashed her to the hospital, ignoring the Akuma yelling after him to come back and fight.

She’d been rushed to the operating room as soon as they’d arrived, the doctors being afraid that she might sustain internal damage from her apparently broken ribs. Chat had just had time to snatch her earrings to avoid them getting lost. 

He’d then proceeded to kick the Akuma’s ass, fueled by the rage of it having injured his Lady. It was only after he’d purified the butterfly and everything had seemingly returned to normal that he’d realised he’d been crying. 

As he detransformed, two very concerned Kwamis floating in front of him, he’d been relieved to see a message from Alya in the class group chat saying Marinette was in stable condition, although still unconscious after her operation. He’d immediately volunteered to join her and Nino to visit their friend.

He stole another look at her. She looked so peaceful. Unhurt.

He knew the bulk of her injuries were concealed under the linen, though.

The monitor continued its incessant beeping. Adrien knew that it going silent would not be a good sign, but couldn’t help but be irritated by it nonetheless. Especially when the sound was superimposed with that in other rooms, as well as the bustling activity of the resuscitation ward.

“You’d think that with all this noise she’d be awake by now.” He mumbled. 

“Dude, relax. The doctors said she’s still sedated. She’ll wake up soon.” Nino wrapped an arm around his best friend’s shoulder. Adrien harrumphed doubtfully in reply.

“I’m more surprised that we haven’t seen Chat Noir around yet.” Nino added. “Apparently he’s the one who brought her in. He’s a cool dude.”

Alya nodded. “He really is.” Adrien’s heart warmed a little at his friends’ kind words. Then had to refrain from letting out an ironic snort at Alya’s next comment. “I still don’t understand what Marinette was doing there. It’s not like her to roam around fight scenes. It’s usually my job.”

“Your birthday’s coming up, babe, maybe she was trying to get a surprise message from Ladybug.” Nino shrugged.

As the pair bickered about how little or how much it was in character for Marinette to have been caught in the middle of offensive fire, Adrien got up to avoid betraying anything from his facial expression. He wasn’t sure Marinette would appreciate it if she woke up and found that all her friends knew that she actually didn’t need to stalk around Paris to get an autograph, or anything from Ladybug. She just had to say three little words to summon her. 

He approached the monitor screen, taking a look at his friend’s constants. He didn’t know much about medicine, but none of the numbers were flashing, which he assumed was a good sign. The electrocardiogram traced a regular curve that looked like the ones in medical shows. He took a mental note of the values. 

There was a small knock at the door before a nurse came into the room. “Marinette’s parents have returned, I’m sorry but she can’t have more than three visitors at a time and family has priority.” She said almost timidly. 

“Of course!” Alya replied with a smile. “We’ll be off.”

Adrien’s eyes stayed glued on the monitor, so she went around the bed and took him by the hand to gently drag him out of the room. She repressed a smile. For someone who claimed Marinette was ‘just a friend’, Adrien really seemed worried about her.

Tom and Sabine were waiting in the hallway. Tom looked the most shaken Adrien had ever seen him. He could tell he’d been crying.

“Thank you so much for coming.” Sabine said with a brave smile. “Sorry we had to go, but we hadn’t closed the bakery properly in the rush to get here.”

“Anything for Marinette.” Alya hugged her friend’s mother. “You’ll keep us updated? And don’t hesitate to call me if you need a bit of a breather, I’m sure we’re all happy taking turns to keep her company.” She didn’t have to turn around to know the two boys behind her were nodding.

“Of course.”

The three teenagers waved goodbye as they walked towards the exit. When the parents had entered the room, Adrien put his hands in his pockets and felt the two little studs he’d borrowed. 

“I forgot something in the room, I’ll be right back!” He said hurriedly as he turned around. He would’ve kept them safe for her, but he knew his Lady would probably panic if she woke up and couldn’t find them.

Nino looked at each other confusedly and shrugged.

When he was sure no one was in sight, he transformed into Chat Noir. It wasn’t the most discreet he’d ever been, but he couldn’t think of a good excuse as to why Adrien would have Marinette’s earrings. He knocked on the door before opening it. Tom and Sabine were sitting on each side of the bed, each holding one of Marinette’s hands. 

“Hi, Chat Noir.” Sabine said, wiping a tear.

Tom got up and engulfed him in a bear hug. “Thank you.”

Chat Noir awkwardly patted him on the back. “Anything for Marinette.” He parroted Alya. Including die for her. The thought scared him. “How is she?” He asked even though he knew the answer as he stepped away from the big man.

“She’ll be okay.” Sabine said. “The doctors repaired what they could, the rest will heal naturally. She’s going to be in a lot of pain, which is why they’re keeping her here, but they started weaning the sedatives so she can call the nurses if it hurts.”

Chat nodded. “I’m sure we’ll all be relieved when she wakes up.”

“Would there be any way for us to reach you to give you news?” Sabine asked hopefully.

“As much as I’d like to give you my contact details, I’m not sure it would be a good idea.” He smiled sadly. “But don’t worry, I’ll be around.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Anyway, I don’t want to bother you during your family time, I just wanted to make sure Marinette got these back.” He delicately transferred the earrings into Sabine’s hand. 

“Her lucky earrings.” She commented with a smile. “Thank you.”

“They weren’t so lucky this time.” He said gloomily.

“Of course they were! You found her.” Sabine squeezed Chat’s hand. “And the surgery went well.”

“We’re very grateful, son.” Tom patted him on the back.

Chat was moved by their words, which made his heart flutter in his chest. “I was only doing my duty.” 

“But you made a difference. And that matters.” 

Chat Noir wished that his father could sometimes be at least quarter as supportive as Tom and Sabine were. It would avoid him crying in instances like this.

“Will you tell her I came by?” He sniffled.

“Of course!” Sabine dug a tissue out of her bag, which he accepted gratefully, and a pen and paper. “You can write her a message too if you want, she’ll be thrilled to hear from you.”

“Thank you.” 

He scribbled a quick word on the page, aware that he really needed to head back before Nino and Alya started worrying about his prolonged absence. 

Get well soon Purr-incess. I’ll be waiting for you. Love, Chat Noir P.S.: I might come back and borrow those earrings of yours again if I need extra luck.

“You took your time!” Alya greeted him with her hands on her hips as he finally walked out of the hospital.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Nino asked, noticing the puffiness of his friend’s eyes, but not wanting to comment on it directly. 

“I think so.” Adrien smiled bravely. My Lady, at least. 

Read more on AO3

[thenameisel]

Origin Stories Part Five: Follow Me

My first impression is of the pain. Agonizing, prickling pain. Like a million tiny needles stitching me back together.

But it fades so quickly, was it even there in the first place? I’m not even exactly sure what hurt. My lungs? My ribs? My throat? Everywhere?

There's an ache in my side that's subsiding too.

What happened? Did anything happen? I feel lost. Adrift. But also weightless and uncaring like I’ve just come out of a drugged sleep.

I open my eyes.

My hands are resting in my lap. Lose, relaxed, forgotten. I’m sitting on something hard and cold. The same unyielding sensation is at my back. I find it comforting.

There's a glint of white and I jerk my head upwards to see a small flying drone less than a foot from my face. It’s star shaped, facets shifting back and forth. With something moving to focus on, the fog in my head starts to thin.

Somehow I just know it's studying me.

“Titan. Updating calculations.” The masculine voice is calm and factual. “Pleasure to meet you. I have a lot to discuss with you, but I’m going to need you to follow me. This area is not safe.”

I open my mouth to ask… and a dozen questions come to mind. But before I can decide on one a primal yell pierces the air. The ground tremors.

Any remaining shreds of apathy is chased away by a shot of cold adrenalin.

I look around quickly, absorbing my environment. I’m sitting on a wide sidewalk, concrete wall to my back. The four lane road is pitted and cracked. Rusted out cars line both sides, and various other debris litter the pavement. The buildings are tall and square. Uniform and utilitarian.

The ground tremors again. Stronger this time.

Whatever is making it, is coming this way.

The done gets even closer, filling my vision.

Somehow I can tell he's agitated.

“We need to go. Now. Whatever it is, by my figures, is approaching at a rate that would have it here in five minutes. There’s an outpost fourteen blocks from here. If we can make it there, we’ll be safe.”

“Allright.” I say, my voice sounds dry. Unused. I push myself upright, the drone bobbing impatiently. “Lets go.”

He takes off down the street, and I have to follow at a brisk jog to keep up. I manage, somehow, despite the weight of the leather and metal armor I'm wearing.

We continue for a few blocks, without seeing a soul. Each open space, intersection and break between buildings, the drone checks carefully before stepping out into the open.

Soon I pick up the habit too. I have no idea what we’re looking for, but this empty world looks abandoned and dead.

Suddenly I see movement in my peripheral vision. I stop in my tracks, absorbed with what I see.

In the cracked and pitted glass of a once reflective window, I see a man. He’s got a stern face with chiseled features. Wide square jaw. Piercing eyes set under a heavy brow. Large nose. An unkept mess of blond hair frames his face, complementing the light bronze skin. The figure fills the pane.

The drone realizes I’ve stopped and comes back to my side. He looks to the reflection and back to me and makes an odd beeping chirp.

“Yup. That’s you. That’s what you look like.” he seems slightly regretful. “I wish we had more time. But we need to keep moving.”

I tear my eyes away and we set off again. We can still feel whatever is making the ground shake, but we thankfully seem to be outpacing it. Good.

Around the halfway mark I see a figure down one of the side streets. I duck behind a vehicle and wave at the drone. But he's turned away, checking another area. I don't dare touch him, in fear of startling him into making noise.

I yearn for him to turn around.

Suddenly he does, and is beside me in a heartbeat, silent. His singular eye pulsing rapidly. A wave of worry and concern hits me like a gust of wind.

Something clicks. I understand.

I try my best to picture what I'd seen, and where. Add in a few hand gestures for good measure, hoping I can get the point across.

The drone bobs once, and I get a distinct impression of acknowledgment. Good! Not sure how he understood, but he did.

Suddenly the little drone spins as if deciding something, then zips towards my head. I throw my hands up instinctively, but before he impacts, he vanishes in a flurry of sparks!

'There. This will be easier. Don't make a sound! I'm still here. Just… not in the material 'here'. Only you can hear me. I can hear you too, if you concentrate like you just did. I'll explain more later. But just know we're linked.'

I nod. Then unsure if he could see the gesture, tried to think 'yes'.

'Good good. Just like that. And I can see what you see. And a little more. Now peek around the corner again.'

I do so and come face to face with a set of four blue glowing eyes. They blink one at a time in rapid succession.

It screams.

I punch it.

From fist to shoulder my arm is covered in arcing blue electricity. But it doesn't hurt, in fact it barely tickles.

The creature, it's certainly not human, collapses to the ground twitching. It's facial features, whatever they were, are a pulped mess of purple ichor and gore. Its neck is at an odd angle. Within moments it stops moving entirely.

I killed it. I didn't even know what it was. What it's motives were. And I killed it. I didn't even wait to see if it was a threat. Did it have a family? Friends? And I JUST KILLED IT. MAYBE IT WASN’T HOSTILE. AND I JUST-

'Stop! Please! It's ok. It's ok.' The drone says in my head. Trying to be soothing. He manages somewhat. 'That was a Fallen. An invader from another world. And trust me, if you hadn’t struck first it definitely would have attacked.'

I shudder. Try not to think about it. But I just killed-

'Let's go. There will be more on their way.'

Ok. We resume our jog, this time the drone pointing out directions from inside my head. We don't see anything else.

Three blocks from the outpost a wave of agitation envelopes me. I don't know why.

'RUN!'

The screams come from behind, hooting and hollering. A hissing bolt flies past my head. Cold fear grips my gut.

I muster as much speed I can, weaving to keep anything between myself and my pursuers.

'LEFT! The building! Inside!'

I follow the directions, ducking through a broken door. Inside, the building has seen better days. Most of the adjacent wall is gone. A good portion of the roof too.

What purpose it served I can't tell with the rubble, especially since I'm doing my best to not trip.

'OUT! Then left again.' the drone says 'I'm trying to contact the outpost.'

I hope he's successful.

We continue ducking through buildings, trying to lose the Fallen. Or at least get some distance. But we're unsuccessful, the gap is closing.

Damn they move fast.

'Ok. I got through! They know we're coming! Just right round the next corner, down the road, and the outpost is right ahead. You can't miss it!'

I dart round the corner onto a wide avenue. More of the boring boxy buildings line each side. Ahead on a slight incline is a traffic circle. Right in the middle is a newer looking concrete bunker.

That has to be it.

Unfortunately, there is very little cover.

'Don't think just run!' the drone urges.

I nod and push myself as fast as I can. Safety is within sight.

I notice the door to the bunker open and a figure emerges. It's a little far for details, especially since I'm running for my life, but I get the impression of a large figure, all dressed in white, and a bright splash of orange at its middle.

Pain bursts through my left arm and I stumble. Somehow I manage to catch myself and keep going.

'Don't look back!'

I look back. And immediately regret not listening to the drone. There's at least a dozen Fallen behind me. The insect-like creatures jump and dart unnaturally. A few of them take shots at me with long rifles.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" a new voice. Female. "RUN YOU IDIOT."

I turn back just in time to see a white figure on top of a nearby truck. This one is much smaller than what came out of the bunker. She's wearing a white and pink cape and holding a graceful silver recurve bow.

She starts firing on the Fallen.

I stagger forward. Clutching my arm I do my best to keep moving. But I'm running out of energy.

The woman sees and chucks a grenade at me. I flinch and try to dodge. There's an odd noise and a flash. Recovering, I notice my body has developed an odd transparent shimmer.

"TRAVELER’S SAKE JUST RUN!"

I do my best. But all I can manage is a jog. With the cloaking, I hope it's enough.

We clear the halfway mark, then two thirds. The cloaking fails with a sputter. The woman with the bow a couple dozen paces behind, keeping the Fallen's attention. The sound of their rifles fills the air.

Then the ground rushes up to meet me.

I crash into the pavement. Hard.

I manage to push myself up enough to see the Fallen getting way too close. The woman is almost on top of me now.

I can hear another set of footfalls, these truly deafening, coming from the direction of the bunker.

"DOWN!" she screams as she dives towards me.

The air vibrates with a sound like a truly giant bell has been rung. One deafening peal.

Something very large and very purple flies over the two of us.

The sound of the Fallen's rifles is suddenly muffled. As if a wall was in the way.

The woman laughs and stands up. The bow is gone. In her hands is an ornate hand cannon. She turns towards the Fallen and starts firing.

I push myself up on my elbows again, and I am greeted with a hell of a sight.

Between the woman and the Fallen is a massive figure in heavy armor. The helmet has bull-like sweeping horns. Shoulder pauldrons that are almost comically large. Bright orange sash at the waist. The armor is white, but a purple aura shimmers back and forth overtop like turbulent waves at sea. The figure holds up a glittering purple shield, from which projects a large translucent wall.

Amazingly, the Fallen's shots bounce off the wall, but the caped woman's pass right through. Within moments she's killed half of our pursuers, and the rest scatter, terrified.

She waits a few moments to be sure, then leaps atop a car for a better view. She snaps off a few more shots before raising her arms and hollering in triumph.

The figure in the heavy white armor drops the shield, which dissolves into thin air, the purple aura with it.

Footsteps thunder as this behemoth turns, and walks to me. Crouches and offers me a hand.

"How ya doin, New Light?" The voice is female, and synthetic sounding. Powerful and space filling.

I take the offered hand. The armored giant pulls me up. Surprisingly she's about my height.

"You can come out now little Ghost." She booms. "It's safe. Come heal your Titan."

That's the second time I've heard that. 'Titan'.

And the first time I've heard 'Ghost'.

I want to ask who these people are, what she means, but the drone appears in a sudden burst of sparks.

He makes a humming noise and hits my bleeding arm with a blue light. A weird sensation like thousands of tiny needles prick at the wound. Before I can register the fact that not only my arm, but also the hole in the leather are being rapidly closed up, both are gone entirely, as is the pricking sensation.

I stare dumbfounded.

"You haven't been around long, eh?" The giant asks, removing her helm. Wide eyed I study her metallic, almost skull like, face. It's covered in orange and blue stripes. Her eyes glow.

"Look at that wonder!” she says, “This is why I love pulling outpost duty!"

She laughs, a full bodied laugh, and pats me on the shoulder.

"Let's go inside. We can sit and chat. I'm sure you have questions." Her hand is still on my shoulder, firmly pushing me towards the bunker.

The first woman appears suddenly beside us, flashes a thumbs up, and darts toward the bunker.

"That's Chiri Ra. She's a Hunter. Damned good one too."

Another figure appears in the bunker doorway. This one is robed like some kind of priest. His outfit is also white, but accented with sky blue. Chiri runs up to him and hugs him.

"That's Chiri's husband, Sig Ra. He's a Warlock."

The little drone keeping pace beside me is twitching. I can feel the anxiety.

"And I'm McKay. Titan and leader of this little band." McKay notices the drone and grins. Or, a close approximation of a grin on that metal face. "Go ahead little Ghost. I take it your introductions got interrupted?"

The drone bobs once.

McKay pats my shoulder again and nods.

"Go ahead. When you're done, join us inside, ok?"

With that, the giant robotic woman who called herself a Titan, went inside the bunker, ushering the other two ahead of her.

Once alone, the two of us just study each other for a few moments. His tiny body, made up of metal facets, rotates back and forth around a central sphere.

Eventually, he starts.

"I am so sorry. None of that went according to plan. At all. I tried to calculate for a stress free first day but when I found your spark… I just... I couldn't control myself. Couldn't think. I just had to…. It won't happen again."

The poor drone's voice is as twitchy as it's star-shaped form. It's clearly embarrassed by the whole thing. I can't quite grasp why though.

"Hey." I say, my voice firming as I finally use it, "It's ok. Why don't you start now? It's safe here, I think."

The drone holds position in the air, his outer shell moving in measured, clipped movements. I can tell he's thinking.

"Ok." He says, sounding more confident. More like the first time.

He does a little circle, darting a few paces away, then back. On his return he seems ready.

"Pleasure to meet you.” he does a little bob. ”You are a Titan. Strong, brave, reliable. And I am a Ghost. I brought you back, from the dead. To help protect what’s left of Humanity. I will always be there to support you however I can. I'm your Ghost, and you are my Titan. "

That helps some. But now that we have a moment to ourselves, my lack of knowledge is becoming hard to ignore. As for the complete lack of memories before today… that's disturbing. Especially the being dead part.

"Can I... ask some things? I feel a little lost."

"Of course! Anything! If I can answer it I will!"

Exhausted, I lower myself to the ground, bunker wall at my back. It's solidity makes me feel… safe.

I consider what to ask first.

On a whim I rest my hands, palm up, on my lap. The drone, no, Ghost, looks first to me, then my hands. After a moment he gracefully sinks and settles into my hands. I could close them entirely over his tiny body.

The sole eye watches me patiently, waiting for me to speak next.

Eventually I make my decision.

"What… is going on? What are you? What am I?"

The eye rotates slightly. Concern. Which dissipates to humor.

"Oh. Yes. We’ve… got a whole lot to go over don’t we?”

We talk for hours.

The sun sets.

The night sky becomes rife with stars.

Eventually my head sinks to my chest in exhaustion. He’s busily recounting some grand war, but I just can't stay awake any longer. My last thoughts before falling asleep is while I’m still rather lost, I’m glad I’ve got this little Ghost by my side. He seems to know what's what.

[babi-correia]

What Could Have Been (Part 15)

Words: 1286 Warnings: None?

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |  Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9| Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14

“What do we got?” Voight asks as Intelligence gathers around him. Kevin grabs his notepad, flicking the pages to the beginning.

“The Emergency Center was heavily sabotaged, their servers have been completely destroyed, thus explaining the inability to respond to calls.”

“What about the fire here? It’s very odd for a building to randomly catch fire in the middle of the winter.” Voight continues.

“Severide says it’s foul play, for sure. Mainly with the bomb.” Jay says, leaning against his table. “It’s very weird, mainly with the fact that it would only catch the firefighters, because most of the researchers are home for the holidays.”

“What if it was directed at the firefighters?” Kim suggests hesitantly, earning confused looks from the rest of the team. She looks at Adam before she continues. “We got that package about (Y/N)… Maybe it was Eric. He has a weird grudge towards her because she knows Jay.”

“Are you sure?” Voight asks, noticing the distraught look on Jay’s face.

“Not sure, but it’s the best theory we have.” She says, wringing her hands together. “And Adam’s CI said he heard a buzz about the whole university ordeal being planned.”

“Why go after her and not me?” Jay asks, anger seeping into his voice. “His problem is with me, not her.”

“He wants to get to you, to anger you, make you drop your guard.” Adam says, crossing his arms. “He knows you’re pissed at this, and he’s counting on your anger to make you be brash and create an opening for him to get to you.”

“Well, he’s succeeding.”

“Jay, why don’t you get to the hospital? I think (Y/N) would really like to see you when she wakes up.” Voight suggests, noticing the weight on the younger detective’s shoulders. “I can give you a ride there on my way to question my CIs.”

“What?” Jay’s brows furrow in confusion. “I can take my truck.”

“I want your truck to be inspected. He rigged a random room to get to (Y/N) and was able to, I don’t want to risk your car being tampered with in any way.” Voight explains, grabbing his jacket and keys.

Jay grabs his jacket and beanie, rubbing his hands on his face as he goes down the stairs after Voight. Trudy sends him a sympathetic look as he follows Voight through the main lobby, and he nods at her in an appreciative way.

The trip to the hospital is quiet until Voight stops his car by the ER door and turns towards Jay.

“I know how you’re feeling right now, like it’s your fault.” The Sergeant says, making Jay look at him. “But it’s not. Eric’s twisted in his head, there was no way we could have predicted or prevented it. You went above and beyond, there was nothing more you could have done.”

“Will says she’s not out of danger yet.” Jay mutters. “That the rod did quite a bit of damage, she lost a lot of blood, the gash on her leg severed a muscle. She’s still in ICU and unconscious, and they don’t know if she’s going to be able to keep on being a firefighter, much less part of Squad.”

“Halstead, none of that is your fault. You helped her the most you could and quite probably saved her life. And now you’re going to be there for her through the recovery, and we’ll nail that son of a bitch down.” Voight says, nodding towards the hospital. “Be there. We’ll let you know if there’s any developments.”

Jay nods and exits the car, entering the ER and spotting Will almost immediately. The older brother leads the youngest into the waiting area filled with firefighters. Their heads turn as they see the brothers come in and Boden, Casey and Severide seem to have a silent conversation before nodding.

“51.” Boden calls, making everyone turn to him. “We have to get back to our job. Jay will stay with (Y/N) and keep us updated. Let’s go.”

The firefighters clap Jay’s shoulder or nod at him as they go by, recognizing him as a trustworthy person to stay and “keep guard” on you. It makes him feel weird on the inside, but he pushes it aside as Will guides him into your room.

He sucks in a breath as he sees you laying in the hospital bed, pale, unmoving, hooked up to numerous machines.

“This looks worse than what you told me on the phone, Will.” Jay manages to say, gingerly sitting at the foot of the bed and resting one hand on your shin. He feels the guilt gnawing at his mind along with an anger he can’t contain; he’s sure that if he’s the one to catch Eric, he won’t make it to prison.

“It does, but it’s mostly preventive.” Will says, looking between Jay and you with a confused face. “I didn’t know you knew her.”

“I’ve known her for longer than you.” Jay chuckles, spotting your dog tags on the small table by the bed and pointing at them. “We served together on my last tour.”

Will’s brows knit in confusion as he approaches his brother, leaning against the foot of the hospital bed.

“You never told me about her.”

“Well… It’s complicated.”

-

A couple of days later and Jay feels at his wit’s end: they have nothing on Eric and you still haven’t waken up. He’s sitting on the crappy hospital chair, laptop atop his legs, left hand scrolling through the little information they have on Eric while his right hand holds yours. His right leg bounces as he feels his patience dwindling and his desperation nipping at his subconscious.

Will walks into the room, making his normal rounds and taking in his brother’s nervous behavior.

“If you bounce that leg more, the laptop is going to fall.” He remarks, marking your vitals on the chart.

“Shouldn’t she be awake by now, Will?” Jay asks, the desperation evident in his voice. Maybe the coffee Mouse had brought him wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“Jay, this is a game of patience. It will take some time for her to recover even after she awakes. The wounds are closing up nicely, but they still did a lot of damage that needs to be reversed with physical therapy.” Will says, setting the chart back on its’ spot. He watches as Jay runs a hand through his face, the bags in his eyes evident, as well as the longer beard. “Shouldn’t you go home and rest for a bit?”

“I’m fine, I just don’t want to leave her side.” Jay admits, earning a nod from Will.

“You know where to find me if you need anything.” Will says, leaving the room.

Jay closes the laptop and sets it on the floor, turning to you and holding your left hand with both of his, leaning his forehead against them.

He stays like that for a few moments, listening to the steady beeping of the machines until his phone starts buzzing in his pocket. He fishes it out, unlocking it and looking at the text on the screen.

Ruzek: We got a lead. Will text details later.

Jay’s heart jumps in his chest at the news, his free hand gripping your tighter as he types back a reply.

Jay: If you get him, let Voight do his thing and let me know.

He feels excited in a weird way that makes him feel guilty for a brief moment before he looks at you again; Eric had put you in an hospital bed, fighting for your life, and there is no way that Jay is going to let him get away with it.

-

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[twihard-diehard]

What if the cliff diving went different?

This is pretty long, here's the Ao3 if you'd prefer.

When Bella woke up, she knew something was wrong. She tried to remember what led her to this place and all she could recall was jumping from somewhere. Now she was somewhere she shouldn’t be there were people she knew and people she didn’t. She seemed to be in a bed and breakfast. Once she feltlike she couldn’t stay in bed anymore she left the room. There were pirates, Victorian ladies, characters from books she’d once read.

She decided to leave the building and there was a river around the place and aa small area of green grass and then a forest. It was nice that this forest wasn’t scary like most of her nightmares. She felt like someone was following her but when she turned around no one was there. So, she kept exploring and finally she seemed to see people.

They were all fuzzy and sort of see through and they all seemed to be asking he same questions, why did you do it, do feel better, are you crazy, when are you coming back? Several of them seemed to be her dad, others seemed to be people from school, Mike, Jess, Angela, and a much smaller number seemed to be her mom. Was it sad that that didn’t surprise her? No, though it was pretty sad. She realized in that moment that she was ready to leave her mom behind, too bad that future was taken from her too. Finally as she started to stumble and curl up; a pair of arms picked her up. She would know that smell anywhere, it was her favorite smell, Edward. He carried her back towards the bed and breakfast and then she was on the grass and he was gone. She looked for him but he wasn’t there so she fell asleep again.

“How long until she wakes up,” Charlie demanded, once again, not that anyone listened. All they told him was they were waiting on a specialist to arrive. The way they said it made Charlie sure he knew who the specialist was and he wasn’t thrilled. He remembered how he ended up here in the first place….

“Hey, Charlie,” Alice’s soft voice broke his reverie. He just wanted to come home and Have dinner with Bella, maybe she’d have lasagna ready. She really dd make it the best it even beat his mom’s. This wasn’t good, if Alice was back were others back?

“Alice, is anyone else here?”

“No just me Charlie. I was just coming to see how you were. Any idea where Bella is?”

“She’s not here,” now she had his attention. She should be home she hadn’t seen her or Jacob in ages. He stomped past her and opened the door, holding open so she could come in too. He didn’t take anything off, her being here and Bella not being here seemed foreboding at best. So he stomped into the kitchen and picked up the phone. He called Billy’s house first.

“Hey, Chief Swan,” it was one of Jake’s friends.

He knew this voice, “Oh, hey Sam. Do you know where Jake and Bella are?”

“They aren’t there?”

“No, why would I call if they were here. Any idea what they were up to today?”

“Yeah, they were going to go cliff jumping. Charlie, get an ambulance down to First Beach as fast as you can. I’m going to go down and see if their there But I’m worried.”

“Charlie, want me to drive?”

Charlie looked up as he hung the phone up and lost it. He clung to her, god she was cold to the touch, and he cried. First his best friend, now his daughter who decided to go cliff jumping was missing. Finally after what seemed ages, he whispered, “Yes please. Hospital first, take the cruiser so we can speed. Hospital first and then First Beach.”

“Okay,” then she all but carried him to the car. She was in faster than should have been possible but he was under strain so maybe she wasn’t. Then again, it took less than one minute to get to the hospital. She said she’d stay in the car while he ran into the hospital.

Then they were at First Beach and Same was leading them down to the beach. There were two bodies on the ground. Charlie was only barely able to hide the hysteria “Sam they aren’t, are they?”

“No Charlie they’re alive. I think they are both in comas,” Sam answered and then it seemed like his lips were moving but he didn’t say anything.

It was all a blur until this moment. The buzzing and beeping and chaos was all that kept him grounded. He was sitting here with two very broken teenagers. Billy was trying to help Sue out because her kids were not handling Harry’s passing well. Alice had stayed by his side almost constantly. She only left twice, both for a phone call, neither lasted more than a minute.

------------------------

Leave it to Bella to cause this much chaos. That was all Alice could think when she had the vision.

“If Edward calls, tell him to get to Forks as fast as he possibly can. When Carlisle and Esme get back tell them we’re going to need him in Forks too,” Alice said swiftly as she threw some cash and a change of clothes into a bag.

“Great what in the hell did that stupid human do now?”

“Rose, if you don’t drop it I’ll walk away from you for a decade,” Emmett said. Alice was only mildly shocked, it had been coming because Rose kept muttering about the ‘stupid girl’ and Emmett kept growling.

“What?!”

“I said, disparage my lil sis one more time and I will walk away for a decade. I’m not dealing with it anymore. It because of that kind of bullshit that we ended up here in the first place. So you will stop, and you won’t do it mentally either, that girl is part of this family and I am part of this family and if you cannot see it then maybe you need a break from us,” Emmett said with quiet vehemence. Alice was really shocked because he was the only way she was going to get her head on straight and he almost never stood up to his ‘savior,’ so he must really care.

While the shock on Rose’s face held, Emmett turned to Alice, “Can I come? I want to be there if she’s hurt.”

Alice held up a finger and played through all the possibilities, he seemed to disappear in several of them, “Fine, BUT you have to keep your temper under control, there are things I can’t understand at play right now so we have to be cautious.”

“You’re not serious!”

“Yes, Rose I am. You stay here with Jasper and pack up the house. If things are this bad I think we’re moving back to Forks,” Emmett said soft but with no room for argument. And then they were out the door and on the road.

“No one is here,” Alice said as she came back out of the house. “I think Charlie’s down on the reservation, I lost his trail at the line,” Emmett said as he sat with her on the steps to wait, “Is she okay?”

“I’m not sure, did you smell or sense anything else? Yeah, it was like wet dog but stronger.”

“Hm, I’d have to ask Carlisle or Rose but I think that the wolves are back,” Alice said questioningly, “That would explain her sudden disappearance.”

Just then the phone rang. Alice picked it up, “Hey Rose.”

“I’m sorry. Can you tell Emmett that?”

“Yeah, anything else?”

“Oh, right, Edward is headed that way. Carlilse was finally within cell range and we got ahold of him but they’re still a few hours out. Any idea what’s happening?”

“No, not yet. Oh, wait I hear his cruiser. I’m going to go, I’ll let you know once I know something.”

Emmett went to sit in the car. Probably better for Charlie to just see me first me reasoned. God, Charlie looked terrible, did something happen to Bella was all Alice wanted to say but instead she said, “Hey, Charlie.”

“Alice, I wasn’t expecting you. Why hasn’t Bella let you in?”

“She’s not here Charlie,” that seemed to pull him out of his reverie. He looked at the street and finally registered her truck missing. He rushed past her and opened the door, though he paused to let Alice in.

He rushed to the kitchen and made a call, Alice put the number in her phone.

“Hey, Sam,” Charlie muttered, “Have you seen Jake or Bella?”

It was faint but Alice could still here the other side of the conversation, “No, they went cliff diving today. Aren’t they there?”

“No.”

Muttered curses, “Charlie, I think you need to get an ambulance and head to first beach I’ll go ahead of you.”

Alice tucked out as Charlie hung up the phone and dialed the number back quickly, “Sam, you don’t know me but I’m sure you hate me. Please hear me out before you hang up.”

Sam growled but listened.

“Carlisle can treat Jacob without the need to take him to the hospital, I’m sure that will help prevent questions about your physiology,” Sam made a noise that sounded like consent. “So, if you get there and there is an issue, hide Jake. And please allow me, Emmett, and Carlisle onto the reservation to help you move them. Emmett will meet you at First Beach.”

She heard Emmett get out of the car and shoot back towards the reservation. Then she returned to the kitchen and carried Charlie to the cruiser and rushed him to the hospital. While he was inside he called Carlisle.

“Hey, it looks like she and one of the wolves went cliff diving and no one has heard from them in hours, leave the packing to everyone else and get here.”

Carlisle while shocked got out, “Okay, I’m leaving now. I’m dropping the phone explain to Esme.”

“Alice?”

“I think something happened to Bella and Jacob. Apparently, the kids on the reservation are turning into wolves again. You guys pack cup and get here when you can but I needed Carlisle now.”

“Okay, see you soon. Keep me updated.”

As soon as she hung up she called Edward, “Hey, where are you?”

“Halfway through Arizona. What happened?”

“Jacob is a wolf and has been taking care of Bella. Charlie said he’s starting to heal the holes she’s got. However, today they went cliff diving, and no one has heard from them in quite some time. Charlie’s walking back out of the hospital after getting an ambulance, Emmett is on his way to first beach and Carlisle is on his way here to be of any assistance he can be. We could use you.”

“Shit, I should be there by dawn,” Edward growled and he hung up as Charlie got back in the cruiser.

“Okay let’s go,” he said in a defeated tone.

“She’s okay Charlie,” Alice said reassuringly.

Just then her phone rang, “Hey Emmett what’s up?”

“They were both on the beach. I think they are in comas. They are breathing but totally unresponsive past that. Sam and I are going to carry Jacob to our house.”

“Okay, I need to tell Charlie,” Alice said aloud, then silently, “Be back at the beach when we get there.”

“Okay, Emmett and Sam found Bella, she’s alive but they think she’s comatose,” Alice told Charlie. He kept his composure, barely. “Want to talk about it?”

“Harry died today, I cannot afford to lose her too,” the pain was so raw and deep. It hurt Alice to hear it, she pulled him closer and let him rest on her while she drove as hast as she could to the beach.

“We’re not going to lose her,” Alice said, “I want you to know I called Carlilse while you were in the hospital, he’s on a plane now and will be here by morning to make sure she’s okay.”

Charlie growled, “How can you just come back after ripping her to shreds?”

“I’m sorry Charlie, we didn’t want to leave. We just had to for a bit, a family emergency,” Alice said as convincingly as she could.

“Is it all handled now? No more leaving? I cannot watch her go through that again.”

“No more leaving, By tomorrow night almost everyone will be here, we’ll make sure Renee get’s here and you can just stay by Bella. We’ll get you food and everything, okay?”

The relief that rolled off Charlie was so profound it even shook Alice, “Yeah, thanks Alice.”

Then they were at the beach loading Bella into the ambulance.

-------------------

Bella woke back up in a room at the bed and breakfast. Jess was looming over her, “What was that? You were there and then you weren’t it was like a light switch; you know better than to mess with the fae.”

“The fae? What the hell? Where am I?”

And then she was being shoved through a crowd of people, she saw Jake and grabbed him. Then they were next to a giant tube that dropped into the river around the building, they bumped some sort of pirate captain too hard, and they fell. As soon as they hit the water they dissolved.

“Well, down you two go,” the bushy haired lady that seemed to run the place said, and then she pushed them done the tube.

“Jake, come on, there’s a blue light ahead,” Bella said pulling Jake along. She knew if Jake grabbed it, he’d wake up. She also knew, even if she wasn’t sure how that only one of them could get out that way. She also knew the only way Jake was going to wake up was if she made him.

Wait, why did she think they needed to wake up? Something was tickling at the back of her mind, but she shoved t off, she knew she had this one chance to save Jake and she wasn’t going to waste it.

“Why am I grabbing the light,” Jake asked, “You need to get beck too!”

“I can still get back, though I don’t know how,” Bella tried to explain, “You can’t though, this is your only chance Jake. Please, take it.”

They had made it to the blue light, it seemed like a handle to pull yourself out of the water. Water, that made the thing in her head tickle again. Finally, she made Jake grab the damn light and he was gone. Not sure where but she knew it was somewhere safe and away from here.

----------------------

Jake gasped and opened his eyes, “Where am I?”

Charlie practically jumped on him and hugged him while calling for a nurse. “You pulled Bella out of the water and you both collapsed. Then you must have woken up and tried to get help cause they found you in the woods.”

Jake remembered the water but he never left the beach. Then Jake registered Sam’s face at the same time he registered the smell.

“Don’t,” Sam said with the authority to make sure Jake didn’t do a damn thing. Ugh why had he given up the alpha role.

Then much more softly, “They came back to save you both. Carlisle hasn’t left you or Bella for more than five minutes. So, DON’T fight them.”

“Bella, what happened to Bella?!” Jake tried to sit up, but Quill and Embry held him down.

“No moving bro, doc’s orders,” Quill said.

“Wait, aren’t there nurses too?”

“Well, you only have one,” Quil said, “Remember, when I didn’t know what was happening and I went to the hospital out at the res?”

“Yes,” Jake said, though it sounded more like a question.

“I imprinted on a nurse that was out there. Apparently, the hospital in town is Anna’s main post but she picks up extra shifts out there. So, since she knows about us, Carlisle felt safe bring you here as long as she was his only nurse. He said it was to reduce strain on the hospital while he took care of you and Bella, and the hospital agreed.”

“Why is he back? Are they all back?”

“Yes, they are all back,” Sam said, “And you may not fight them, they have my permission to come and go from the reservation. We’ve called off the treaty, it’s more important for us to be allies.”

Before Jake could reply, a nurse walked by the door and looked in, when their eyes met it was like jumping into the riptide again. She looked like she felt the same way, she finally came in.

“Hey, you finally woke up,” she said, “I’ve been watching you for days. We were worried about you. Anna has been stressing, she’ll be so glad to hear you’re up.”

“Days,” Jake asked, then looked at her like she was he sun and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Yes, days, you don’t just wake right out of a coma,” she joked, “I’m Vanessa, but you can call me Nessie.”

“Oh, well, hello Nessie,” Jake blushed, “Nice to meet you. Wait, Bella’s still in there isn’t she?”

“What,” Sam, Quil, Embry, and Nessie all said together.

“Jynx, you all owe me pops,” Jake said jokingly, then much more seriously, “We were trapped in a boarding house or something, and Bella almost made it out. It was like she was being carried, then suddenly she was back in that place and her and I got shoved down a tube into the water. She said she could get out a different way but the only way I could get out was if I grabbed this blue light so she made me grab it and I woke up here.”

“Wait you shared the same coma space,” Nessie said with so much shock and excitement, “There’ve been theories about that when two people go into a coma at the same time due to a shared trauma. This is the first time anyone has seen it happen.”

“Yeah, it was weird cause I kept hearing her thoughts. ‘This isn’t like the nightmare.’ ‘He can save me but only I can save Jake.’ It was really weird. I’m assuming ‘he’ is that idiot that left. Is he here yet?”

“Yeah, he just left to get Charlie food, I’ll go get him and the doc,” Sam said, and he started to leave, then turned around and added, “Tell her while I’m gone.”

“Tell me what,” Nessie inquired.

“Well, I’m guessing you felt the universe reassemble itself a few minutes ago, just like I did,” Jake said with his signature confidence.

“Yeah, what of it?”

“Well, you two are like soulmates,” Embry chimed in, “Anna and Quil are like that too. That’s why she was allowed to help because she knows about us.”

“I’m so confused.”

“We’re wolves, well shape shifters really. Most of us are wolves, however a few recent members of the tribe shifted into eagles,” Quil said.

“You’re joking, right,” Nessie sounded very disbelieving.

“No, they aren’t I’m afraid,” came the calm demeanor of Carlisle as he swooped into the room and started to look Jacob over, “Aside from out of it how are you feeling Jake?”

“Not bad doc, just worried about Bella.”

“Well, aside from the coma her vitals are strong.”

“She really saved you?”

Finally, Jake remembered he was hugging Charlie, “Yeah she did Charlie. You should be proud of her. She really felt like if she didn’t get me out first, I’d never wake up. I think I believe her too, it was like being trapped in her head.”

“Trapped in her head,” Edward asked as he walked back in the room with enough food to feed an army, “I heard you woke up and assumed you’d be hungry too. Dig in you all.”

Jake never thought he’d be so happy to see a blood suck…no vampire he corrected himself, “Thanks Edward. Now you need to pull her out of the coma. I think you almost got her out of it once, but she stayed because if she didn’t get me out I was going to stuck.”

As he finished, the doc pulled the last wire off Jake’s chest and said, “Well, you’re as good as new. If you want, you can head home and let your dad know you’re okay.”

“I think I’ll call in a bit, I need to stay until she’s awake,” Jake said easily, then seeing Nessie’s face, “No, not like that, silly. She’s my best friend I need to be here when she wakes up, so she knows she saved me. Now, come here so I can hug you.”

Charlie got up and moved back to Bella’s bed and Nessie took his spot, wrapping her arms around him for about two second and then jumping up, “Holy crow, you’re burning up. Doc, he needs ice!”

Jake grabbed her before she could get away, “No I don’t, I run at 108 because I’m a shifter. Once Bella is awake and you’re not working, I’ll show you.”

“He’s telling the truth, I checked all the shifters just to ensure I kept him at the right core temp,” Carlisle added.

Nessie calmed down and relaxed back into Jakes chest for a couple of minutes, “Shift, right I have to get back. I’ll come see you when I’m off.”

“Okay, I’ll be here,” Jake said as she went back to work.

“Geez, you’re a lucky jerk,” Quil said in a joking tone, “Anna freaked out when I tried to tell her the first time.”

“Do you know how I can get her back,” Edward asked as he sat opposite of Charlie on Bell’s bed, holding one of hers and one of Charlie’s hands.

“Um, she’s stuck in the place, not sure how you did it earlier, but it was like she was in a trance, she left the building and wandered off into the woods. She said they felt safe, that hey weren’t the woods of her nightmares?”

“Nightmares,” Edward also added questioningly.

“Probably from just after you left, she’d have these terrible nightmares and before the screaming would start, she’d say something about being lost in the woods,” Charlie said softly, pain showing on his face.

“Oh Charlie, I’m so sorry. She was in your yard when I pulled away,” Edward said, his voice flooding with regret.

“I’m not going to say it’s okay because it isn’t, but I’m glad you’re here now,” Charlie said with a fierce look on his face, “Now get my baby back.”

Jacob smacked Embry as he started to sing under his breath, “I want my baby back, baby back, chili’s baby back ribs.”

Quil hid a snicker in a sneeze.

“I will Charlie, don’t worry.”

---------------------

Jake was safe, she knew he was, but now she was stuck in the water, drowning again. It was worse this time because she knew what it felt like, and it terrified her. Plus, there were no Edward hallucinations to make the passing feel bearable. How did she survive this the first time? Did she survive the last time? Now, she wasn’t so sure, maybe this was limbo.

“Hey, want to come back?”

Bella would know that voice anywhere, she turned to it, “Edward?”

“Sweetheart, we’re all waiting for you, please come back.”

She felt something brush her forehead, she tried to touch where she felt it, but she couldn’t lift her arms, “How?”

Then there was silence. She tried to fight her way to the voice, but she wasn’t suer where it was. It seemed like ages before anything changed. Then there was a darkness and it felt like someone was scooping her up, it had to be Edward, she never felt this comfortable near something cold.

“Bella, sweetheart, can you hear me?”

“YES” she tried to scream, but nothing came out. So, she started to swim, or claw, she wasn’t sure, towards the voice. He kept talking thank fully and she kept getting closer. Finally, she felt her hands and tried to lift one.

“Bella,” Edward sounded relieved and much closer.

“Hm,” well that was a weak way to say hi.

“Oh, Bella we were so worried,” then he set her down. She whimpered.

“I know, honey, but we’re in the hospital and I need to let Charlie know you’re waking up, I’ll lay next you though.”

She must have sighed because he leaned across her for a moment, “Charlie, wake up. I think I go her. Quil, can you grab Carlisle?”

Why was Quil here? She tried to ask but words didn’t come out.

“He’s here because Jake’s here,” Edward said, then hearing her pulse accelerate, “He’s okay Bella, you saved him.”

“Yep, I’m good as new,” Jacob said from where ever she was.

Suddenly was covered in warmth, “Oh Bells, you scared me. Why would you go cliff diving with a storm rolling in? You’re lucky Jake could pull you out of the water.”

Bella satisfied herself by humming in what she felt was comforting, since she still couldn’t speak, or open her eyes. How long was that going to last?

Two days, that’s how long she had to wait until she could see again, and twelve hours until her grunts were words.

“Hey dad, I love you,” those were her first real words.

Charlie wept, “I love you to Bells.”

“How long?”

“The coma was a little over a week,” Charlie said.

“You been here the whole time,” Bella did better with short words.

“Yeah, honey, I even rode in the ambulance with you. Haven’t left your side for more than five minutes,” Charlie said squeezing her hand.

“Thanks dad. If you want, you can go home and get some real sleep. I’ll still be here.”

“I’ll call you if anything changes at all,” Edward reassured.

“Thank you, for helping and for pulling her out of that,” Charlie said softly, “I don’t think she’d of made it if you hadn’t been here.”

As soon as the door closed, Edward scooped her up and held her, “I’m so sorry I left, I’m so sorry I hurt you. I hope you can forgive me.”

“S’okay,” Bella mumbled.

“It doesn’t count until she is actually better, bro,” Emmet said.

“Yep, what he said,” Jake chimed in.

“Jake? Emmett,” came Bella’s response.

“Yeah, we’re here, Emmett is the one that got me out of the way before Carlisle showed up. Kept me from taking ice baths,” Jacob chuckled.

“I’m just glad I was able to get you out,” Bella said, “I really didn’t think you’d get back if I didn’t force you.”

“Well, you definitely saved me,” Jacob chuckled, “and I met my other half. Her name is Nessie.”

“Ah, Jake that’s great,” Bella said around a yawn.

“Get sleep hon. We’ll still be here,” Edward whispered as he leaned down and kissed her temple.

Bella was gone almost as soon as h said I, thought she thought she heard something about a funeral. Hopefully, she would remember when she woke up.

--------------------------

It had been a few months since the incident. Jake and Nessie were already talking about marriage though they would wait for a few years; and Leah was becoming fast friends with Rosalie, something about ball busters sticking together. Edward was over almost every day.

Bella hadn’t heard him get here so she was shocked when she saw Dad and Edward in serious conversation as she came down. She didn’t get much except he came to get permission for something. Oh man if he was about to propose she was going to lose it. She had told him time and time again that she wouldn’t get married for at least five more years. She has hinted at immortality again though she was also willing to wait a bit, if only to have more time with Charlie. Bella stopped emailing her mom and her mom never noticed. Bella wasn’t surprised.

“Bells!”

“Hey dad. What you two gossiping about like a pair of old hens?”

“We are not old hens.”

“Okay, no need to get ruffled feathers, Eddie.”

“I am going to wring Emmett’s neck for teaching you that.”

“No, you aren’t. Besides, I like it,” Bella finished, leaning in to give both gentlemen a kiss on the cheek.

Edward looked at dad conspiratorially, “Do you want to tell her or should I?”

“Oh, let me tell her. I think it’ll be a bigger shock that way,” dad said laughing.

“Oh no, what are you two trying to wrangle me into now? I did prom and I’m not doing baseball ever again. So now what?”

“Ah, Bells, don’t worry. We were just talking about post high school life. You did decide to just commute up to Port Angels at first, right?”

“Well, yeah, why?”

“Since you seem so hell bent on trying to die every few months,” dad started to laugh like it was the funniest thing he every said, “Anyways, Edward just told me he bought a house just outside of the town so you two could live together. He also wants to see about making you a bit more durable before you start college.”

All Bella could do was sputter, she was so flabbergasted, she couldn’t even be upset that Edward had videotaped the whole thing just to show Emmett and Jacob.

And that’s how everyone ended up in a much better place and no weird shit happened at all.

[fbfh]

Light Up the Dark - [IV] Leo x reader

genre: romance + action + enemies to lovers kinda

word count: 2k

au: none

pairing: Leo x gothy!child of eros!fem reader

requested: nah

warnings: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR HEROES OF OLYMPUS!!, normal reader being mean lol, mentions of abandonment issues, a breakup over skype call basically, reader uses  seduction powers for fun and profit, i think that’s it

summary: You pull some strings to get a hotel room and some cash, the boys get to know you a little better, and you overhear something you probably shouldn’t have.

listen to: bad liar - imagine dragons

a/n: since the reader is a daughter of Eros, the characters are aged to 18+ idk i think i forgot to put that on the other chapters lol 

also requests r open uwu

“What do you mean she’s not coming?” Leo asks, all the bad feelings quickly overtaking him. 

“She said she wanted to sight see more, and that she’d meet us back at camp in a few days,” Jason says, trying to break the news as gently as possible, “I’m sorry, Leo.”

He bit back his heartache.

“Yeah, it’s…” 

The door creaks and their heads turn to you, exiting the front door. 

“Who’s driving?” you ask.

“Jason,” Leo replies. You open the passenger side door, gently place the coffin shaped box on the seat, and buckle it in. You can feel their inquisitive eyes on you, and you counter with a blank, resolute look of your own.

“This one’s special.” 

You notice Leo seems… off. His whole mood seems to have plummeted. Leo reminds you of a buoy. Even in the worst storms, even if he gets caught under a huge wave, he always comes back to the surface. Based on his current vibe, someone nuked the buoy. Wheels turn in your head, and you hand him the trout mailbox. 

“Could you put this in the back?” you direct your words at him, hoping the heat flushing to his cheeks would distract him from whatever made him upset. His hand brushes yours and you can almost feel his heart spasm. You make eye contact at him through your thick, dark eyelashes and he almost chokes. He agrees and you pull Jason aside. 

“What happened?” you hiss. 

“What?” he whispers back.

“What did you tell him to make him all lame?”

“Oh, uh…” he rubs the back of his neck and you shake your head, waiting for an answer, “Calypso’s… not coming back with us.”  You wait in silence for him to keep talking. 

“She said she wanted to see the world more, and she’d meet us back at camp in a few days.” You process this for a second.

“So he’s-” you catch movement out of the corner of your eye, “driving?” you ask Leo, who just came back from the trunk.

“Jason, I mean.” you clarify. He confirms, and you all get in the car - Jason up front, you and Leo in the back. You reach into your bag and hand Jason a cd that says ’fun sad angry music :)’. He stares at you through the rear view mirror. You stare back. You sip your coffee. 

“Well?” you ask, “Are you going to put it in the player or eat it?” His eyes dart to Leo’s. “She gets to choose the music,” he explains. Jason mutters in agreement and fumbles the disk into the slot. A smile spreads on your face as the music plays and he starts to drive. 

Leo watches you as you nod your head and mouth the lyrics. He can tell you love this song. You vibe to the music for a minute before glancing over at Leo. He realizes he’s been staring when you give him an expectant look.

“What.” you ask. 

“Uh, this song is really good,” interest tints your face, and he’s relieved he recovered okay, “what’s it called?” You’re a little surprised he likes it.

“Mr. Doctor Man by Palaye Royale.” You two enjoy the music in silence, Jason focused on the road and GPS directions. A minute later, your curiosity starts to get the better of you. “How far is it?” 

“Not far, a couple hours.” Leo replies.

“Is everyone there all… campfire songs and friendship bracelets? Cause I’ve never been like, a summer camp person,” your eyes flick to the side towards him for a moment, and he can tell you’re listening closely. He smiles a little. 

“So what kind of person are you?”

“I’m more of a… cult documentaries and obscure unsettling 1960’s Czech animations type.” He’d never heard the words “1960’s Czech animations” sound so hot. 

“What about you?”

He paused for a minute. Part of him was deciding how to respond, and the other part was just flattered giggling that she had asked him back. You talk for the next hour or two, Jason chiming in periodically, until he points out that it’s getting dark and you should find somewhere to stay for the night. 

“Okay,” you reply, “pull over at the next truck stop.” 

They’re a little confused, but Jason complies and pulls over at the next gas station/convenience store you come across. They watch you get out of the car without a word and walk into the store. You approach a guy near a soda display. He has on a fedora and a shirt with a kids video game logo on it. He stares at you absolutely transfixed. They can’t hear what you’re saying, but he has a dopey grin on his face and nods his head a lot. Your hand touches his arm gently, and he laughs so loudly (and nervously) they hear it from the car. 

“Do I look that dumb around her?” Leo asks. 

You tilt your head and he blushes and nods again. He hands you something and a second later, you two walk to the counter. The cashier looks up startled, and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. She stares at you for a second, then says something and fumbles with a cellphone you hand her. She hands you a paper a few seconds later. You give the guy his phone back. He walks to an ATM at the corner of the store. He walks over to you, but you’re in front of a display so they can’t see anything until you come back out. You get back in the car and hand Jason a piece of paper and a wad of cash.

“Got us a room at a Best Western like, ten minutes away. And some cash.” 

They stare at you in silence. You lean toward Jason. 

“The room is under your name, Kevin Grossman.” Leo bites back a laugh. 

You finally get to the hotel, and Jason flips on his turn signal to get into the parking lot. “Park at the Walmart over there,” you point a block or two up, “under a light.” He turns his blinker off. 

“Walmart doesn’t care if you park overnight. If someone sees our car at the parking lot of a hotel, we’re just leaving a target on our backs.” you explain. They don’t say anything. 

“You said monsters are after us, right?” 

“Yeah,” Leo said, “good thinking.” Jason agreed and you exit the car, remembering to grab the duffle bag with your clothes and other essentials. You all walk across the street to the hotel. You talk your way through checking in pretty easily. When the hostess asks to see your in app registry you hand her the printed ticket. “His phone died.” you say simply. The three of you are about to head up to your room, when you turn back to reception. You hesitate for a second, before leaning in to the receptionist.

“Can you put us as unlisted?” you ask quietly. 

“Of course,” she replies sincerely, “let me know if you need anything.”

On the way up to your room, you tell Jason and Leo that if anyone asks, you’re not here. They seem impressed. Your room has a small seating area with a couch, coffee table, coat rack, and a phone. Past the half wall are three beds, a desk, a TV, and a doorway you figure leads to the bathroom. You walk into the bathroom and touch the mirror. You notice the space between your finger and reflection, and move on. You call to Leo to turn off the lights. He and Jason share a look. You may be a little weird, and incredibly intimidating, but you haven’t steered them wrong yet. Leo hits the lights, and you said quietly, “Listen for any weird buzzing or beeping noises, and look out for any out of place lights,” you creep around the room very quietly. After a minute you turn the lights back on and look at the ceiling.

“What was that about?” Jason asks.

“Bugs,” you reply, not looking at him, “and not the fun kind,” you mutter. 

“Jason, can you reach that?” you point up at the smoke detector. He looked between you and the device on the ceiling. 

“Don’t think so.” You looked between him and Leo. Your head might hit the ceiling if you Jason gave you a boost, but you could probably access it fine with Leo’s help. 

“Leo,” you said, and he looked up from the wires he was fiddling with, “give me boost,” your gaze not leaving the smoke detector. He agrees, and you get up onto his shoulders. His hands rest just above your knees, and it takes all his focus to not burst into flames. You pop off the cover.

“This doesn’t look weird, right?” you ask him. He looks up and back at your face, hair angled down, and is reminded of the Spiderman kiss. He pushes away the thought and examines the smoke detector. 

“About as non-weird as a smoke detector can look,” he confirms, and helps you down. He’s incredibly impressed that you thought to look for bugs - even he hadn’t thought of that, and he’s a son of Hephaestus. 

“Where did you learn this stuff? The parking lot, being unlisted, checking for bugs?” You half exhale half scoff.

“When almost everyone in a five mile radius constantly wants to get in your pants, they can get… pushy… so you learn some stuff.” You grab your pajamas from your bag and head toward the bathroom. Leo and Jason meet eyes. It made more sense now, why you were always so intimidating. If he got constant unwanted attention, Leo would get pretty prickly, too. 

Once everyone had showered and gotten ready for bed, Jason pointed out someone should IM Chiron, but you were way too tired, and collectively agreed to update him in the morning. 

Right as he’s about to fall asleep, Leo feels like someone’s watching him. He opens his eyes, and sees Calypso’s face. His heart lurches. He pushes himself out of bed and sees the shimmery edges of the iris message. She opens her mouth and he holds a finger to his lips. He moves over to the couch, so he doesn’t wake the others. He sits down nervously.

“Hey, sunshine… I really miss you, what’s-” 

“Look, Leo, I… I can’t do this.” 

His stomach drops. 

He knows what’s happening. He had it coming, he knew that. He knew that this was probably inevitable. Still, that didn’t make it hurt any less. He tries to sputter out something, anything. Why, what, can he do anything to fix this, but he’s too choked up. 

“I need a break from this, from us…” she continues, “there’s so much of the world I haven’t seen yet, and you have your projects… I don’t want to hold myself back because I feel bad that you’re not with me. I want to experience everything.” He feels like he’s falling forward. His eyebrows knit and an unstoppable rush of memories of everyone who’s left him or kicked him out comes flooding back. 

“Calypso,” his voice cracks. He can’t finish the sentence. 

You wake up from the light sleep you had settled into, aware of an unfamiliar voice. You get up, throwing on the short black robe over your pajamas - despite their velvet material, the loose cami and shorts don’t provide much warmth. You tiptoe over to the seating area. Leo’s on the couch, staring at the floor. You walk up behind him and place a hand on his shoulder. 

“You okay?” you ask, your voice foggy with sleep. 

“Who-” you briefly see the unfamiliar voice is coming from a shimmery image of a pissed off girl floating in front of him, but he quickly swipes his hand through, and the image vanishes. He rubs his eyes and his hands come away damp. You stay quiet. You don’t want to make him feel worse. 

“Long day,” he mutters. He stands up and says goodnight without looking at you. You watch him get into bed, and you do the same. Even if you knew what was wrong, there wasn’t much you could do this late at night. You hope some rest makes him feel better, and tell yourself it’ll be dealt with in the morning. 

Maybe over coffee. 

You could use some coffee.