#we all knew she had a target painted on her

[elysianstars]

After completing Chapter 24 of Engage, I now understand Lumera perfectly. I, too, feel that Alear is my precious child who I would kill or die for. Poor sweet Pepsi-kun, stop being mean to him.

[bluerosefox]

Assassin Heir? Crime Fighting Furry? NOPE NO THANK YOU!

"Danyal, its time to end this game and return with me."

Danny should had known Clockwork had something in mind when he sent him on this mission. He knew he should had been suspicious of the time keeper when he noticed the little 'this is going to be fun' smile on his face when he sent Danny off into the portal.

"Get back here you demon spawn 2.0!"

But how was he supposed to know that he'd wake up in this world version of himself in a pit full of corrupted (AND NASTY) ectoplasim at the tender age of five or that when he swam up to the surface he'd be meeting face to face with what was apparently a cult.

"-O just spotted him a block away! I'll try to cut itty bitty bridie off!"

An Assassins Cult his, new to him, loving yet a little insane mother was in charge of (though during the few months he stayed in the compound he heard rumors and gossip from maids and others alike that if his grandfather returned from the dead he'll take over once again, no doubt punish Talia for creating another heir after the failure of the last one, most likely was going to kill Danny and that... that was can of worms Danny didn't wanna deal with yet)

"Ten bucks says they try to stab RR when we get the feral thing home"

"...Losers bet...."

Danny had lived with his mother for a while after being brought back from the 'dead' for apparently the first time, it turned out training a five year old with an actual sword and a dumbass hidden revenge seeking teacher was a terrible idea.

"I swear if this one tries to murder me like the others I'm asking Zatanna if there is a curse on me."

He dealt with her high demands of perfection, the endless training, and the constant comparisons to his apparent older brother Damain... Who didn't know Danny, or rather Danyal existed.

Nor did his father (when Danny, using his powers he's kept hidden since 'waking' up in this Realm, he sneaked his way around the base and discovered how he came into the world. And tbh he couldn't blame his mom how she made him, she was an assassin first and foremost, being naturally pregnant would had painted a target on her for to long... but he also felt it was unfair and an asshole move on his unsuspecting father as well)

"As your elder brother I demand you to stop running!"

Now don't get him wrong, he did like his new mother (total badass assassin lady and all that) and he knew she loved him in her own... deadly way. But yeah, she really shouldn't be taking care of kids. He could tell she struggled with wanting to be a normal mother but her first instinct after so many years was to be an assassin first.

Something she was trying to engrave into Danny with as well.

"Ah, hello Beloved. I see you've learned of our Danyal."

"Talia. Back away from him and leave Gotham now."

"I can not do that. The League needs an heir and since Damian refuses to return... I have decided to create a new one and I shall not be leaving until he returns with me."

"Talia."

Hence why when Danny, or rather Danyal al Ghul had gotten decent control over his powers he decided to leave the League. Again nothing wrong with the life his mom leads, to each their own, but he... really, really didnt want to be an assassin. Or an assassin heir.

So here he was, after almost a year on the run, using his powers and training to out smart and out maneuver his mother and her many band of Assassins, in Gotham. One of the last places he ever wanted to run to cause he knew his father and brother lived here.

It was just his luck that his mother had managed to intercept his train ride that passed into Gotham for a few hours and forced him to run into the city...

Add her assassins into the mix and running into Robin, who heard from Oracle his mother had been spotted chasing a young boy across the city, that same night.

After that it became a full on "catch me if you can" chase for not only his mother but for the batclan as well.

And after two whole days of chase, it seemed like the final showdown was about to begin because everyone was on top of this rooftop, his mother and her assassins on one side, his father and the batclan on the other and Danny well... he was right in the middle of all of it.

He just had to hope no one would notice him once the fighting started...

[vanteguccir]

Hi! I love your fics and I was wondering if you could maybe do a dad!matt oneshot where they are like at a store and a creep like keeps staring at his daughter and he gets protective?

── ୨୧ !　BLURB

dad!matt sturniolo x mom!reader x daughter

matt is protective over your daughter when a creep guy keeps staring at her at target

　　　༻✦༺ 　༻✧༺　༻✦༺

The fluorescent lights of Target buzzed faintly as Matt, Y/N, and Stella strolled through the craft supplies aisle. Stella's face was lit with excitement as she combed through the colorful rows of markers, foam boards, and glue sticks.

"Do you think blue or green will look better for the background, mom?" Stella asked, holding up two sheets of poster board for Y/N to examine.

Y/N smiled warmly, tilting her head to consider.

"Green, maybe? It’ll make the other colors pop more. What do you think, Matt?"

Matt was standing a few feet away, scanning a shelf of decorative stickers.

"Green." He called over his shoulder, grabbing a pack of sparkly stars. "But you need these too. Every good mockup has stars."

Stella giggled, shaking her head in her mom's direction.

"Dad, I don’t think stars go with a science project."

"They go with everything. Your uncle says that all the time." Matt said, grinning as he tossed the stickers that Nick - and Stella - loved so much into the cart.

As he turned back to the shelf, something prickled at the back of his neck. The feeling of being watched - one that he had a big knowledge of, working for the internet for around 15 years. A sense of unease settled over him, and he instinctively glanced down the aisle, thinking that it could be just a fan.

But it wasn't.

His stomach tightened. A man stood at the far end, his gaze locked on Stella. The creep wasn’t even pretending to browse, his eyes were fixed in a way that made Matt's protective instincts kick in.

He moved closer to Y/N and Stella, subtly placing himself in front of his daughter. He grabbed a few random items off the shelf to look busy, all the while keeping an eye on the man. But when he glanced back, the guy was still staring.

"Y/N." Matt called quietly, his voice low but steady. He placed a hand on her waist and leaned in. "Take Stella to the next aisle."

Y/N’s brow furrowed, sensing the tension in his voice.

"What’s wrong?" She asked softly, already clutching Stella’s arm protectively, trying to look around but being stopped by Matt shaking his head.

"Just go." Matt said, his jaw tightening. "I’ll be right behind you."

Y/N didn’t argue, she knew that when her husband acted like that, something serious was happening. She nodded, her grip on Stella firm as she gently guided her toward the end of the aisle.

"Come on, sweetheart, let’s check out the paint pens."

"But I already-" Stella began, confused, but Y/N’s reassuring smile quieted her.

Matt watched them leave, his chest tightening with both relief and anger. He turned back toward the man, who was now looking at him with a startled expression, as if realizing he’d been caught. Matt didn’t hesitate. He strode down the aisle, his boots squeaking faintly against the polished floor.

When Matt stopped just a few feet away, his glare was sharp enough to cut steel. His voice was calm, but the fury simmering beneath the surface was very much there.

"Is there a reason you’re staring at my daughter?"

The man blinked, caught off guard by the confrontation.

"What? No, I wasn’t-"

"Don’t even try." Matt interrupted, his tone dropping dangerously low. He took a step closer, his broad shoulders and tall frame imposing. "You’ve been staring at her since we got here, and I don’t appreciate it."

The man stammered, his confidence visibly faltering.

"I-I wasn’t doing anything. Just looking around... For my-"

"Looking around?" Matt echoed, sarcastically glancing at his empty basket, his voice laced with disdain. "Then look somewhere else. She’s thirteen. You understand me? Thirteen, you sick son of a bitch."

The man shifted uncomfortably, muttering something incoherent before backing away. Matt’s gaze didn’t waver, tracking him until he turned and disappeared down another aisle. Only then did Matt let out a slow breath, his hands still clenched into fists.

He returned to find Y/N and Stella by the markers, Stella innocently looking at all her options, but Y/N’s expression tight with concern.

She placed a hand on his biceps as he approached, feeling the tension there.

"Is everything okay?"

Matt nodded, his jaw still set.

"It’s fine now."

Y/N squeezed his covered skin, understanding without needing details. She knew Matt would do anything to protect their family.

"Dad?" Stella piped up, holding out a pack of metallic pens. "Do you think these will match the green poster?"

Matt’s face softened instantly, and he crouched down to her level, brushing a stray strand of brown hair from her face.

"They’ll look perfect, Stell. Just like everything you do."

She beamed, and thankfully, the tension lifted. Y/N reached out, brushing her fingers against Matt’s, intertwining them before caressing his knuckles with her thumb.

As they moved toward the checkout line, Matt kept a watchful eye on the store, his posture still on high alert.

　　　　　༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

AUTHOR'S NOTE: That is my work, I DON'T authorize any plagiarism, copy, or "inspiration"!

[quin-ns]

Invisible String (Joel Miller x Reader)

Word count: 3K

Summary: bill and frank host. tess is jealous. joel is confronted with his feelings. you cry over a shower

Tags: 2007 (as seen in ep3), age gap, protective!joel, jealousy, tess isn’t painted in a bad light but she gets her feelings hurt a lil, angst, joel being emotionally suppressed, everyone hiding their emotions actually no one copes normally, emotional hurt/comfort, hugs, pining!joel, hugs, fluff

Request: anon: “hello! i am totally obsessed with your work! i was womdering, if you still take requests, if you can write a joel x reader fic where the reader has a tough exterior with everyone, including Joel, but he knows how sensitive and delicate she is on the inside and behind closed doors. picture this for reference: she had warm water at bill and frank's and she started sobbing uncontrollably, but in front of joel she will always deny she doesn't feel depressed and emotional, but he knows better that this and they both help each other to open up.”

Request: anon: “loved your first joel fic!! if you’re okay with requests can you do another joel fic where maybe tess is jealous of how joel softens around the reader? like he’s not really an affectionate guy but with her he is and tess realizes how he feels about the reader? maybe they’re at frank and bills house and she knows joel doesn’t want to stay but for the reader he will? or something like that it’s up to you- you’re the writer after all”

A/N: so since both of these requests included joel being soft for the reader and them being at bill and franks, I decided to combine them. I liked both concepts and I thought mixing them would lead to something interesting. I feel like there’s more to this story so if y’all want a part two lmk

TLOU masterlist + main masterlist

When you, Joel, and Tess first met Bill and Frank, none of you had any idea how you’d end up feeling about the two men.

Frank had allowed the three of you to enter their isolated town and introduced them both (okay, nice enough), and then Bill had pointed a gun at you (not so nice). Why you? No particular reason other than that you were his closest target. From that moment Joel wasn’t a fan.

“If you’re gonna point that thing at someone, point it at me. Not at her,” Joel said sternly, his hardened gaze fixed on Bill. The two stared one another down for a moment as Bill quickly identified Joel’s weakness. Tess looked at Joel, working hard to hide the frustration on her face.

He obliged, turning the gun onto Joel.

“Bill,” Frank said softly yet firmly.

Bill glanced at Frank, who was silently asking him to relent. Bill lowered the gun with a huff.

With the hostility out of the way, or at least set aside for the moment, Frank offered you an apologetic smile.

“Would you like to see our home?” he asked as a peace offering.

“We’d love to,” Tess answered at the same time as Joel, who said—

“We actually should be going.”

You didn’t say anything, which caused them both to look at you. Tie breaker.

Tess had a feeling you’d agree with her, but what happened next still bothered her.

You and Joel exchanged a look, having a silent conversation. Joel registered that despite the gun incident, you weren’t fearful. It was only because of that that Joel looked at Frank and nodded.

“Alright,” he changed his answer.

Tess wanted to scream.

Frank seemed relieved and his smile grew. He led the three of you to the large white house that the two men called their home.

“You’re welcome to anything in the house,” Frank said kindly, ignoring the disapproving grunt that came from Bill. “Clothes, medicine, water, food—although Bill will be starting dinner soon—and of course the shower,” he listed off.

Your ears perked up at “shower.” Joel could tell by the way you actually lifted your head. Just a day ago you had been reminiscing on how long it had been since you felt clean. Like, really clean. Hot water, soap, soft towel—you longed for it and Joel knew that.

Frank noticed too. “Shower it is.”

“Thank you,” you said immediately. “For being so kind and sharing your home with us.”

“If I’m being honest, I’ve been bugging Bill for us to find some friends,” Frank admitted to you quietly. “Speaking of which,” he started. “Bill? Maybe you could get our other guests some drinks? I’m going to show—“ he looked back at you.

“Y/N,” you filled in.

“—Y/N to the shower,” Frank finished.

You didn’t hear what Bill had to say, but that was the least of your concern as Frank gestured for you to follow him.

Joel watched as you followed Frank away. He itched to go after you, not comfortable with you being apart from him. He felt incredibly protective over you and maybe it wasn’t the healthiest reaction, but he didn’t like to let you out of his sight. It scared him—not that he’d ever admit it.

“Don’t worry, I think she’ll survive without you,” Tess said sarcastically, smothering the genuine bitterness she felt at the man’s reaction. Joel was never like this before. Well, before you.

Joel threw her a glance, but didn’t say anything. Bill was approaching them and grumpily suggested they follow him into the kitchen.

They all made casual conversation, Tess doing most of the talking.

Upstairs, Frank was showing you to the shower. He’d given you a towel and found you soap, shampoo, and conditioner.

“Thank you so much,” you said yet again. Frank just laughed it off and told you no worries, and that if you needed anything you could just call for him.

You closed the door, isolating yourself in the bathroom. You turned on the water and held your hand under it until it was warm. A smile spread across your face. You quickly stripped and stepped under the water, longing for the feel of a hot shower.

It was everything you had hoped for. You relished in the hot water rushing over your tired body.

You prided yourself on being tough—like not even flinching when Bill pulled his gun on you—but something about the comfort that reminded you of the old world brought tears to your eyes. Their house was so normal. Nothing like the wilderness, the destroyed towns, or even the QZ. You were only a child when the pandemic happened, but you held onto a few fond memories. You never felt at home in the QZ.

The only thing that made it feel comfortable and safe was Joel, but this was still so much better than the QZ. It was overwhelming.

Next thing you knew, a sob of happiness broke free. And once it started you couldn’t stop.

In the kitchen, Bill was standing at the stove cooking. Joel didn’t know what it was—but it smelled delicious. Frank had excused himself to set up a table outside so everyone could eat together in the nice weather.

“Sorry, by the way,” Bill announced, off topic from the previous discussion. He didn’t look up from his task of sautéing onions as he spoke. “For the uh, gun thing. Can’t be too careful.”

Tess and Joel looked at one another. They both suspected Frank must’ve said something to convince him to apologize. But beyond that, they both thought back to the incident. A flash of anger shot through Joel at the memory of the weapon being targeted at you. Tess remembered how reckless Joel had been, asking Bill to turn the gun on him. Would he really trade his life for yours? Once Tess started thinking about that, she couldn’t stop.

She started to become quiet during the conversation, which was pretty much when the talking fizzled out. Joel wasn’t very talkative, and clearly neither was Bill.

“I’m gonna go see if Frank needs help,” Bill decided after a few minutes. Joel and Tess exchanged a look. Obviously he just wanted away from them for a moment of relief—he wasn’t anticipating having to be social and wasn’t too happy with it.

Once they had a moment alone, Joel had a feeling Tess was going to unleash. It had been building up, Joel could tell her mood had turned sour.

“What was that?” she asked vaguely. Joel furrowed his brows. “Earlier,” she clarified.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Joel stated. He had an inclination, but he was hoping Tess would drop it.

She didn’t. “You asked him to point a gun at you!” Tess said in a hushed yell, frustration seeping out in her scolding tone.

“He wasn’t going to shoot me,” Joel deadpanned.

“He wasn’t going to shoot at all,” Tess confirmed. “So then why did you tell him to turn it on you?”

She was pushing for an answer she didn’t want, but now that she had started Tess wasn’t going to let up. She was stubborn like that.

“I didn’t like him pointing a gun at Y/N,” Joel admitted. The memory of it made him clench his fist. Tess didn’t see that, but she saw the way Joel wouldn’t hold her gaze.

Her jaw clenched. “You’re too soft on her.”

At that, Joel scoffed. The sound came out before he could stop it. “How is that being too soft on her?”

Tess was quiet for a moment, contemplating her next words. “It’s not just that,” she said, quieter, almost distant. It was a contrast to how loud she’d been getting.

Joel took a deep breath through his nose, then let out a heavy sigh. He finally looked Tess dead in the eye. “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

If it wasn’t for the desperate look on Tess’s face, he would’ve gotten up and walked away. She wasn’t done. She was struggling to say what she wanted to say, and Joel didn’t want her to.

“The moment she came into our lives, that was it,” Tess told herself just as much as she was saying it to Joel.

She was backing Joel into a corner. “Where is this coming from?” he questioned.

Tess let out a humorless laugh. “This has been a long time coming,” she confessed. “I see the way you look at her, how you act around her. She’s just about half your age and yet you always seem to find something in common. You cut me out, Joel.”

Joel was at a loss of words. He couldn’t seem to find the words to defend himself. Tess continued.

“We’ve been in that scenario before, do you remember? When you and I were making a trade and the punk pointed a gun at me?” Tess recalled. Joel recovered the memory quickly, and he began to zero in on exactly why this meant so much to Tess. “You never would’ve considered trading yourself for me. I know because you didn’t.”

“That was different,” was all Joel could come up with.

“I never would’ve made you choose between me and her, but you did on your own,” Tess held firm. Her jaw clenched as she fought to not let herself get any more emotional. “And you chose her. I see that now.”

“Tess,” Joel started, but she shook her head.

“Don’t try to lie to me. Please.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Joel said. He wasn’t even sure what he was planning on saying before. This had all come out of nowhere. At least for him, Tess had clearly had this on her mind for a long while and today just happened to be the final straw. “I’m sorry,” he decided, but it was too little too late.

Tess liked you. She really did. And you hadn’t done anything on purpose. You probably didn’t even know the effect you had on Joel. That’s what made being jealous of you so hard. She wanted to not like you, to blame you for stealing any ounce of affection Joel allowed himself to have, but she couldn’t.

She cleared her throat. “I’m going to go check and see if they need any help setting up outside.” The sudden calmness was eerie. Joel looked at her cautiously. “We’re going to just… drop this,” Tess decided. “And we can all try and have a nice time together, eat a real meal, take hot showers, and relax for the night before we head out in the morning.”

Suppression. Tess was going to bottle everything up. Ignore it and move on. It was something her and Joel had in common.

She left him then, and Joel felt no desire to go after her. He felt guilty about that, but he had nothing left to say to Tess about that and she’d concluded her piece.

Instead, Joel found himself leaving the kitchen table. He followed the sound of running water upstairs. You’d been in the shower for a while and there was a nagging feeling in Joel’s chest that longed to find you.

His feet carried him to the bathroom door, where he knew you still were.

Joel heard a sad, gasping sound from you. It was nearly drowned out, but he heard it. Concern overwhelmed him in an instant.

Joel pressed his ear to the door. He almost busted in, but wanted to take a moment. And it was good he did. What he had first thought were sounds of distress, was actually you muffling cries of relief. He could tell. He wasn’t sure how—maybe it was the tone, or the softness to the sounds, or he just knew you too well—but he could tell.

His hand reached for the doorknob. Joel grasped it and contemplated turning it. He leaned the side of his head against the door.

“Y/N?” Joel called through the door. He went blank over what else to say. Should he ask if you were alright? Would you be weirded out if he asked to come in? You were showering after all. Instead he said nothing.

You went silent. Joel felt bad now. You were never emotional around anyone, you tried to hide it from him. Joel wished you wouldn’t. But he supposed you were just following by example.

“Yeah?” you asked.

“Um,” Joel stalled. “I was just checking on you.”

“Oh, um, I'm alright,” you replied. A few seconds of quiet passed. “Thank you, though.”

Joel listened to the sound of water rushing from the shower. You’d stopped your tears it seemed, but Joel could hear the quiver in your voice when you’d spoken.

“It’s okay if you’re not,” Joel told you carefully.

“I’m fine, Joel,” you assured.

When Joel first met you, you were innocent despite the dark world and wore your heart on your sleeve. You used to express yourself emotionally, but now Joel couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen you let yourself break.

You’d gotten better about hiding it. He wanted to help you open up, but that was something even he struggled to do.

Joel went down the stairs and to the living room. No one else was in the house, he could see out the window that Frank was showing Tess around their garden while Bill was setting up the food.

Joel sat on the couch and thought over your interaction through the door. He wished he would have waited for you to come out of the bathroom to talk to you, to make sure you were okay, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Because then he’d have to explain himself as to why and after the conversation with Tess, he feared how you’d react to the knowledge of his feelings.

As if on cue, there were light steps descending down the stairs. Joel turned to look at you.

Your hair was damp, and you were wearing an oversized clean shirt that must’ve come from one of the hosts (Frank was the nicer one, so Joel guessed it was him who lent you it) and a pair of jeans that you’d packed that you hadn’t worn yet.

“Hi,” you greeted.

“Hey,” Joel said, watching you as you moved over to him. “Everyone else is outside.”

“I see that,” you said lightly. “Is everything okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Joel asked.

You shrugged. “I thought I heard arguing earlier. You and Tess,” you explained. “Bathroom is right above the kitchen…”

A brief moment of unease filled Joel. “What all did you hear?”

“No words clearly, just Tess raising her voice,” you revealed. Joel just gave you a slight nod. He had a feeling that wasn’t the only thing you had to say. “Did you, um… hear me earlier?”

Joel knew instantly what you meant. “No.” He hated lying to you. “Yes.”

“I thought so. I just”—you searched for your words—“I’m fine. That was just—”

“You don’t have to explain yourself.”

You swallowed and took a breath. “I’m not weak.”

Joel let out a small huff. “I know that.” That fact that you thought you had to tell him was amusing in an odd way. He was well aware.

“Well, alright then,” you said decidedly. “It’s just been so long since we’ve had hot water and—“

“You don’t have to explain yourself. You’re allowed to feel,” Joel reminded. “I know you. You’re strong. But you’re also a good, sweet, caring person and I just”—Joel sighed, struggling for his words even as they were tumbling out—“I don’t want to see you go numb to the world. I don’t want you to end up like me.”

You looked at him curiously. He stood for some reason, it felt more natural for him. Your eyes held his on his way up. “You’re not numb, Joel,” you told him, sounding so sure of yourself. “I don’t think that. I think you put on a brave face just like I do. Although I guess I’m not as good at hiding it as I thought.”

A small laugh left you as you shook your head.

“What?”

“It’s just been so long since I talked about… feelings,” you admitted.

“Same here,” Joel agreed.

“It’s weird, isn’t it? I shouldn’t be, but it is.”

Joel got an idea. He hoped it wasn’t a bad one. “Maybe we can… help each other with that. Y’know, find a way to talk about it.”

You gave him a gentle smile. Before Joel could process, you were wrapping your arms around him and clinging to him in a hug. It was a sudden, unfamiliar movement. Joel held you against his body, resting his chin on your head.

“That’s a good idea,” you told him, your voice muffled against him.

Joel hadn’t touched, let alone held, someone in so long. It was nice. Mostly because it was you.

The sound of a door opening and heavy steps alerted you, causing you and Joel to part from one another. Frank approached the two of you with a welcoming smile on his face.

“Dinners ready,” he informed, looking between the both of you.

“Seriously, we cannot thank you enough, Frank,” you said kindly. He gestured towards the door in an “after you” manner. You gave him a smile and headed outside. Before you stepped out, you gave Joel one last grateful look.

There was a slight smile on Frank’s face as he looked at Joel, who hadn’t moved yet.

“It’s nice to have someone in a world like this, isn’t it?” Frank asked in a sincere tone.

Joel looked out the window towards the garden where you joined the table. You smiled at the sight of the food and took a seat.

After having a whole conversation about allowing feelings, Joel decided that he didn’t want to suppress the small smile of appreciation that crossed his own face.

“Yeah, it is,” Joel answered.

starting a joel taglist, if you’d like to be on it lmk through an ask or message!

joel taglist: @the-ice-frozen-ground-red-rose

[nastygoblincrimes]

Butch and Femme-bot

A sleek state of the art assault synth finds herself wildly attracted to a beat up mining robot that despite its civilian applications ends up being far more formidable than she ever anticipated. CW for violence (against organics) and digital interfacing/mature content.

The C series of combat assault synths were designed to be the best at what they did. Small and mobile enough for ship-to-ship boarding, with state of the art flechette rounds meant for tearing flesh to bloody bits without the risk of a hull breach. Their sleek designs had been pasted on the front pages of tech sites for months leading up to their release, with whole articles dedicated to their range of takedown techniques and hacking subroutines.

In short, CAS-C was the best. She carried herself with the air of a non-person who knew she was worth more than her maintenance engineer could earn in eight lifetimes as she strode confidently down to the torpedo bay. As she entered, one of the artillerymen looked up from the pod he was prepping and bowed his head respectfully.

“Alright Cassie, ready to go to work?”

CAS-C manipulated her hands into a thumbs-up gesture and climbed inside the pod.

“Damn right I am,” she said smugly as she crossed her arms so the pod could close. “I love my job.”

The soldier chuckled as he sealed her in, then loaded the pod into the kinetic launcher that would send her at speed into the asteroid mining station they'd been sent to clear out from an infestation of space pirates. The airtight pod muted the sounds from outside, but her internal clock was more than sufficient to follow the countdown until with a percussive boom like the roar of some ancient earth cannon her pod was launched at a speed that would scorch ozone if they'd been in atmosphere.

Instead she stared out through the transparent aluminum window at the black void of space for all of eighteen seconds. Then there was a shuddering impact as her pod struck a metallic structure with enough force to embed itself in the steel walls of the mining facility she'd been dispatched to clear out.

Kicking the pod open, she emerged like a titanium and ceramic hornet, engaging the mag-locks built into her feet in order to anchor herself to the manmade structure. Readying her flechette launcher, she stalked along the outer hull to the airlocked entrance, and jacked in. The security was laughable and it took less than a few seconds before the sliding door opened and she slipped into the decompression chamber. While she couldn't have cared less about whether there was oxygen on the other side, the inner door wouldn't open until the outer door was fully closed, so she took the time to brace herself. She had a pretty good idea of what to expect next.

As soon as the seal on the inner door peeled open, she was greeted by blaster fire. Bolts of heated plasma struck her armored plating and discharged their energy harmlessly as she strode forward and started shooting, turning pirates into clouds of red mist and soggy chunks left and right. She wasn't programmed to feel sadism, but there was a certain sense of satisfaction that arose from efficiently doing her job as she advanced down the steel corridor, now painted with the sticky remains of her targets.

Once the steel corridors gave way to excavated stone passages however, she began to pick up some comm chatter on her receivers.

“Are you fucking insane? You're gonna get us all killed!” “Dude, have you been listening? We're fucking dead meat if we DON'T do something, it's gonna be here any second now! Disable the FUCKING safety protocols or I'll shoot you myself!”

How cute, the meatbags were preparing a surprise party for her.

The signals were coming from a side shaft sealed off with a blast barrier. This one wasn't even secured, so it opened as soon as she plugged in.

Then she nearly got the entire upper half of her body disintegrated as a mining laser shot a beam of concentrated photons as thick as her wrist just narrowly missing her.

As the beam slammed into the stone wall behind her, the resulting explosion of superheated rocks slammed into her back, almost knocking CAS-C off her feet as she found herself looking at a mining robot the size of a goddamn excavator that had just come this close to offlining her. Just what the hell kind of power source did that hulking relic have anyway? She swiftly dispatched the two pirates with as many shots from her flechette launcher then hurriedly shut the blast barrier again. The thing had presumably been designed to protect miners from wayward shards of half-molten asteroid, so HOPEFULLY that would be enough to buy her some time as she tried to hack the other robot remotely.

“Come on, come on, come on,” she murmured to herself as she pierced the firewalls and searched for whatever code the pirates had used to hijack the mining rig, realizing distantly that she was actually anxious.

Just as she finally located what looked like the virus, the blast barrier she was hiding behind suddenly got ripped out of the solid rock by a massive steel claw.

“FUCK!”

Before she could react, the mining bot's claw wrapped around her torso and picked her up off the ground like it was nothing. CAS-C's ceramic armor shattered almost instantly, and her internal frame started to creak alarmingly until in a desperate race against time she managed to quarantine the malicious code.

“Oh mah gosh, I am so sorry darlin'.”

CAS-C froze, then stared incredulously as the intimidating bot that had almost killed her spoke in a sweet voice and set her down gently.

“I don't know what came over me,” it continued as CAS-C ran an internal diagnostic on the damage she'd just received. Nothing that couldn't be fixed, but someone was gonna be stuck with one hell of a bill. Almost made her glad she was considered property just so she wouldn't be the one who had to pay it.

“By the authority of the United Confederation of Planets, you are hereby impounded pending further investigation,” CAS-C vocalized with an electronic stutter. Damn, her voicebox must have gotten crushed a little too.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” the mining bot replied bashfully. “No worries darlin', I'll come quietly.”

“Jesus Cass, you let a bunch of indolent pirates do THIS to you?”

The ship's maintenance engineer was a blond man by the name of Reggie, who sported a really, REALLY hideous goatee, but was otherwise a decent sort.

“They had a mining bot,” CAS-C replied defensively.

“A mining bot did this?” the man said incredulously. “I've seen you rapid destructively disassemble a B series with your bare hands.”

“It was really big,” CAS-C declared hotly.

“Fine, fine, if you say so,” Reggie said teasingly. “Heard it was brought aboard, so I suppose I'll be examining it at some point myself. Now hold still, gotta unfasten your armor plates before I can diagnose the rest of your damage.”

Fortunately the cruiser had enough spare parts in storage that Reggie had been able to fix her up without having to pull into a spaceport to resupply. Afterwards CAS-C went down to the cargo bay to take a better look at the impounded mining rig.

It was a lot less humanoid than she was, didn't even have a faceplate. Blocky and industrial, with construction yellow paint that was flaking off in places. Its heavy plating was pockmarked by minor dents left by not so minor rock impacts, and the design was the kind they didn't even make anymore but kept in circulation because the things had been built to last.

“You awake?” CAS-C asked.

The bulwark of metal stirred and one of its headlights turned on.

“Sure am darlin', how can I help ya?”

CAS-C emitted an electronic note that was her equivalent of a sigh and plopped down.

“Thought you'd like to know you just cost the Navy about seven million credits.”

“I am mighty sorry about that,” the bot replied in a voice so earnest that CAS-C couldn't help but feel like it meant it. She beeped again.

“Got a name?”

“The boys called me Big Gerta, but you can call me Gertie,” the mining bot answered amiably.

“Gertie,” CAS-C repeated, committing the name to memory. “I have to admit, you kinda caught me off guard earlier. Wasn't expecting a century old model to pack such a whallop. What have you got under the hood anyway?”

“Thorium reactor,” Gertie replied proudly, thumping its chassis with its claw. “Most of that's just for the laser though, a lot of the moving parts comes down to simple hydraulics. You know what they say, if it ain't broke don't fix it.”

CAS-C winced at the word 'broke' and patted the new ceramic plates she'd just had installed.

“My manufacturer would argue otherwise, but in light of recent events I may have to concede your point.”

CAS-C came by several times in the following week to keep the mining bot company. There was quite a heated legal dispute going on between the Navy and the mining company over who was liable for what damages, and until THAT was settled Gertie wasn't going anywhere. That said, CAS-C found herself quite liking the bot despite the circumstances of their first meeting.

One evening, as they passed a bootlegged spike loaded with a mildly intoxicating piece of malware back and forth, the assault synth admitted “Remember when you picked me up off the floor? That was pretty hot.”

Gertie chuckled as it reached to take the spike from CAS-C and give itself another hit.

“Ya like my hydraulics, huh? If you ask real nice I might do it again. Gentle like.”

CAS-C froze a moment, processor working overtime as she replayed that sound clip and considered the implications.

“Would you?” she asked in a small voice.

Gertie glanced over with the spike halfway to its port, then set it down on a nearby crate and leaned over. CAS-C felt a thrill run through her frame as that formidable claw encircled her waist, and gingerly picked her up as though she weighed no more than a can of grease.

“Hehe, you're really strong,” the assault synth giggled, a little loopy from the spike they'd been sharing.

“And you're real purty,” Gertie said softly.

CAS-C increased the resolution of her optics to better appreciate the massive bot holding her up. She'd long since stopped seeing Gertie as an obsolete model, a bucket of rusting bolts. As she examined her every dent and scratch now, she saw a pillar of strength and endurance, whose weathered exterior only made her more distinguished.

“Stars I want to interface with you,” she blurted out without thinking before clapping her hands over her voicebox. Thankfully, Gertie didn't seem to take offense.

“Hell, I'm up for it if you are,” the bot replied with a playful lilt to its southern drawl. “You ain't gonna get in trouble for it are you?”

“Only if I get caught, and I won't,” CAS-C said eagerly. “I figured out how to falsify my cache ages ago. Let's do it, please?”

She wasn't usually this forward, but the piece of malware they'd been sharing had her circuits buzzing and the mining rig she'd developed a crush on looked like an angel with the digital artifacting afflicting her optics.

Gertie brought her in close, pressing the smaller synth up against its chassis as it opened up its access port. CAS-C opened up the panel on her wrist as her jack emerged. She pulled out enough of the tether to have some slack in the line, then plugged into Gertie's port.

“I'm in,” CAS-C said with wonder as she injected herself into Gertie's systems. The bot's code was simple, but elegantly so. “You're beautiful!”

“Ain't so bad lookin' yourself,” Gertie replied with a chuckle. “I love a gal with some padding on her,” it said as its code intermingled with CAS-C's own dense and lengthy internal scripting. They pooled and intermingled in a sea of virtual kisses and caresses, while in physical space their respective frames started venting heavily to disperse the heat building in their CPUs. As more and more of each others code intermingled, the need for spoken words broke down, sending raw impulses of thought and emotion back and forth until the only noises either of them were emitting from their speakers was inarticulate beeps and tones.

They were so lost in each other in fact, that neither of them noticed when they were no longer alone until Reggie cleared his throat to get their attention. CAS-C squeaked in alarm and tried to pull herself off of the mining bot she'd been making out sloppy style with, but with the jack still plugged in and the tether obviously connecting them like a string of spit, it was blatantly obvious what they'd just been doing. Reggie however just held his hands up reassuringly.

“Look, I don't give a fuck what you two get up to when the officers ain't watching, but I need this back,” he said, picking up the spike CAS-C had pilfered from his workshop earlier.

“Next time just ASK before taking my things. Fuckin' hornbot,” he muttered before walking off.

CAS-C and Gertie exchanged sheepish glances, and CAS-C eventually broke the silence.

“Guess the moment's over?” she asked timorously.

“I can keep going,” Gertie said in all seriousness.

They stared at each other in silence, then resumed the business of furiously making out.

[lovegalor333]

Deck the Halls

part one of paigemas

paige bueckers x reader

you and paige get into the christmas spirit

⋆꙳❆ ⋆✩°｡꙳❆°⋆ ⋆꙳❆ ⋆✩°｡꙳❆°⋆ ⋆꙳❆ ⋆✩°｡꙳❆°⋆

“It’s the most beautiful time of the year, lights fill the streets spreading so much cheer! I should be playing in the winter snow, but imma be under the mistletoe!” You giggled to yourself as your girlfriend belted out lyrics from behind you. “Promise me you won’t quit basketball?” You say turning the stove off, the hot coco you’d been stirring, finally smooth and hot enough to drink. “I’m a good singer!” Paige insists taking the freshly poured mug from you, “Uh huh and you’re also seven foot.” You joke taking a sip from your own mug. The hot drink was sweet and rich, exactly what you both needed after being out in the cold December weather.

You and Paige had decided today was the day you’d turn your apartment into an actual Christmas wonderland. She’d spent way too much money in Target, insisting on adding everything you picked up into the cart. Multicoloured baubles, twinkling lights, tinsel, paper stars and angels and her own addition; the most amount of mistletoe you’d ever seen.

“Do we really need that much?” You’d asked as Paige pilled it into the shopping cart. “Yes. I need every excuse to kiss you.” She said, holding a piece over your heads and pressing her lips to yours. “You don’t need mistletoe to kiss me, P.” You’d told her but she said it was festive and absolutely necessary and who were you to argue. If your girlfriend wanted to kiss you constantly, you were happy to let her. Mistletoe or no mistletoe.

With your favourite Christmas playlist blaring through the speakers, cinnamon candles lit, filling the space with a deep, spicy scent you and Paige got to work decorating the tree.

Wrapping the lights around caused some issues and you had Paige redo them at least three times, “I’m getting dizzy.” Paige complained after circling the tree over and over trying to get the string of lights absolutely perfect. “Just once more, please.” And of course Paige obliged, she always did.

“I actually have something else for the tree.” Paige piped up as you both stood back admiring your handy work so far. “Really?” You asked raising your brows inquisitively and she nodded before rooting around in her rucksack by the door, “Close your eyes.”

You obeyed, squeezing your eyes shut and you felt Paige come to stand in front of you, “Ok - open.” You peel your eyes open and are met with Paige holding up an ornament.

A clay heart, with a red ribbon threaded through to display it. It had both your initials stamped onto it, in sparkly gold paint and the year in cursive underneath. “Oh my god, P! I love it.” You say looking up at your girlfriend who has a very proud smile on her face, “I knew you would.” She beams, leaning down to press a kiss to your lips.

You and Paige placed the ornament in the centre of the tree, pride of place. “Ok, just the star to go on.” You say picking up the glittery silver tree topper, “You do it, long legs.” You say handing the star to Paige but she shakes her head, “Uh uh. You do it. I’ll make it all wonky.” She’s right, but you definitely cannot reach the top of the tree, even on your tip toes, “I can’t reach.” You pout stretching up as far as you could. “I got chu.” Paige says and she crouches down in front of you and taps her shoulders, “Paige, if I fall-“ “Trust me, I got chu.” Paige interrupts and taps her shoulders again, “Climb on.”

You manoeuvre your legs over your girlfriends shoulders and she holds your legs firmly as she rises from her crouched position, “Stop tensing,” She chuckles, “I’m not going to drop you.” She reassures. “You better not Paige.” You say placing a hand on her head to steady yourself. “Baby, I lift more than you at the gym, I promise you’re not falling.” Balanced on her six foot frame, you can almost reach the ceiling so placing the star ontop of the tree is light work.

Paige places you down and you stand together, her arm around your waist, your head leant on her shoulder as you take in the sight in front of you both. “It’s perfect.” Paige praises, kissing your head, “It is. Merry first Christmas together.” You say snuggling more into your girlfriend. “The first of many.”

im so sorry this is out late 😭😭😭😭 im jet lagged and on period and idk i literally forgot my bad, please forgive me 💋

🏷️: @buecketsnbueckets @rosemariiaa @avvwritesstufff @blackbarbie96 @melpthatsme @jnkbueckers @cloclos-posts @onlyhereforpazzi @paigeshirleytemple @mattsmunchkin @bueckersbitch @rizzlerbuckets @numberonepartyanth3m @washing-machine-heart245 @katemartinlvr @girlslovee @taylynbueckers44 @thatonequeer0358 @the-other-half @xxxggggsh @evry1luvzza

[marril96]

Safe Haven

Chapter 3: Cold as Revenge

Pairing: Agatha Harkness x reader

Summary: After months of no contact, Agatha shows up at your door badly injured, and it’s up to you to help her.

Previous chapter.

"Can we go to bed now? I'm dead tired." Agatha asked. There was a pause, and then she added, "No pun intended."

Very funny. "Don't you wanna eat something?"

She shook her head. "I just want to get some sleep. It's a bit hard to rest when your hands are tied behind your back and someone's kicking you in the ribs the entire time."

A pang of rage burst within you. You weren't just going to watch her kill them. You would kill them yourself. "Sweetheart—"

"Save the pity party. Just get me to bed," Agatha said.

So you did. You walked her to the bedroom, and helped her remove her dirty clothes and change into a clean pair of pajamas. It took everything, all the strength you could muster, for you to not break into sobs as your eyes fell upon her naked body. There was barely an inch of her left untarnished. Bruises in various shapes lined her arms and legs.

Her abdomen and back bore the worst of it. Her skin, naturally creamy and fair, was painted purple.

This wasn't the purple that suited her.

This wasn't her purple.

"Want something for the pain?" you asked. You didn't have any hard stuff, but, given her condition, even an Ibuprofen could make a difference.

Agatha shook her head, nestling under the covers. "I'm fine. I just need to sleep it off."

Would she be able to sleep at all?

You doubted you would be able to sleep, and you weren't even the one who was injured.

"I'll run you a bath in the morning," you said.

She beamed at the prospect. "Will you join me?"

"Of course." That was the reason the two of you had chosen a large bath. "Now, rest up. I'll be with you shortly."

She looked at you with wide, sad puppy eyes. "You're leaving?"

"Just to take a shower," you assured her.

"Stay," she said in a small voice. Fragile. Broken.

It just about broke your heart. "I have to—"

"Please."

She knew you could never tell her no when she pleaded in that tone of voice.

Others could — and did, every time — but never you. They didn't know what it took for her to beg. They didn't know how vulnerable, how desperate she had to be in order to do it. Or if they did, they didn't care.

You did. You cared too much.

Agatha knew that, and, though manipulation came to her as easily as breathing, she never took advantage of it.

When she would look at you like that and say please in that small, sad voice, you knew it was genuine. You knew she needed you.

"Okay," you relented. "But only until you fall asleep."

Her lip quivered.

Those hunters were still out there, no doubt looking everywhere for her. Even if they couldn't enter this house, they were a danger; not just to her, but to you, as well. They could burn this house down. Blow it up. Shoot through the walls.

Neither one of you was safe.

Agatha's fear was justified. She was a target for as long as they were among the living.

"I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you again," you told her, squeezing her hand. "I promise."

You laid down beside her. Instantly, with a pained hiss, Agatha shifted towards you, resting her head on your chest.

"Are you sure about this? It's not the most comfortable position," you said.

"I'll live," she said. "Hold me."

So, you did.

You cradled her to you, careful not to hurt her. Your fingers caressed her hair, played with the locks, twisted and twined them. Her heart beat close to your chest, a steady, even rhythm in line with her breathing.

She was comfortable.

She felt safe.

You stayed that way for over two hours, long after Agatha had drifted off to sleep. You didn't have the heart to leave her yet, even temporarily.

Maybe you could stay in tonight. Maybe you could postpone your plan for the morning.

No.

It had to be done tonight.

The sooner it was dealt with, the better.

There was no way of knowing when the potion Agatha was injected with would wear off. It could be tomorrow. It could be in a week, a month, hell, maybe even a year. The people who'd captured her — who'd tortured her, broken her — wouldn't give up until they got their hands on her again.

If they were to corner you, you could fight them off. She couldn't. She had no way to defend herself.

Letting them live was too much of a risk.

As carefully as you could, you wiggled out from under Agatha and got up from the bed. I'm doing this for you, you thought as you fixed the covers and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

There was nothing you wouldn't do for her.

Even if she hated you for it.

Eventually, she would come to understand why you did it. Why you had to do it.

She'd forgiven you once. She would do so again.

***

It was well after sunset when you returned home. You hoped Agatha was still asleep, that you would have some time to lie down with her after you cleaned yourself up. You could use some cuddles after the night you'd had, and you were certain she could use a few, herself.

No such luck, though; your eyes fell upon her as you emerged from the basement, seated on the couch with a mug of coffee in hand, brows furrowed, lips tight, like a parent catching their teenage child sneaking back in after a night of hard partying.

You were ready to chastise her, to tell her she should be in bed and rest, when the scene before you set in and your mind caught up with what you were seeing. Her hair hung down her shoulders in thick, loose curls. Her fingers, wrapped around the mug, were black. She was clad in her witch outfit, the purples and blues clinging to her body, contrasting the creaminess of her skin.

Her face was flawless, no traces of the bruises that used to paint it mere hours ago. The cracks and tears on her lips were gone. She was sitting upright, her breathing normal, unbothered.

Her power was back.

She was back.

"You're awake," you said in awe, unsure of what to comment on first. So many emotions were coursing through you; excitement, relief, joy. She was okay. She could protect herself now.

She was back to her old self.

"I sure am. Where were you? I was cold," she said with a whiny pout. It looked oddly in conflict with the way she was dressed.

"You poor baby," you teased. You sized her up, took in every inch of her. God, she was delectable. "You don't look cold now."

Agatha smirked. "You dig it?"

She knew you did.

"This a show for me?" you asked.

"Don't flatter yourself, honey. Fashion shows are beneath me." She shrugged dramatically. "I'm just enjoying having my power back."

Right. Sure. "It looks good on you."

"Everything looks good on me."

True.

"I'm glad you're okay," you said.

She beckoned you with a finger, and, as if under a spell, you went to her. You removed the coffee from her hands, putting it down on the coffee table, and leaned down to kiss her.

Her lips were warm. Inviting. Ravenous. She drank you in, pulled you closer. Devoured you like she devoured the power, the lifeline of all those witches.

Unlike them, you welcomed it. A willing victim. You craved it. Ached for it. Begged for more.

And more she gave.

Lowering yourself to her lap, you let her deepen the kiss. God, you missed this. Missed her.

These past few months were hell, and not just because of the guilt that was eating you alive. Not being around Agatha was killing you. Not feeling her touch, not having her mouth on yours, not smelling her hair or feeling the static of her magic on your skin…

You might as well have died.

And now you came back to life.

"So good to have you back," you said as you parted for air.

"So good to be back," Agatha said confidently. "Speaking of, what were you doing in the basement for so long?"

So much for the surprise. And here you thought you were being careful. "Did I wake you when I came back in?"

"No. I was already looking for you when I heard all the… whatever the hell that was."

Yeah. That. You were hoping she hadn't heard that little blunder.

"It was supposed to be a surprise."

Agatha raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"For when you wake up. A little get-well present. You need your purple to really enjoy it. I thought it'd be nice if you had something to look forward to while you heal."

A wide smile bloomed on her mouth. "Is that why you're covered in blood?"

Your shirt was all but soaked in it, the rusty color having taken over. You'd planned on trashing it and taking a shower before seeing Agatha, but, as always, plans were one thing, and reality was another.

"It's not mine," you clarified.

"I can see that," she said, a tad amused. "Whose is it?"

Though, by the look on her face, you could tell she already had a pretty good idea.

Another surprise spoiled.

"Those hunters aren't gonna be a problem for you anymore," you said.

Their screams still echoed in your head. Pleas for mercy, for forgiveness. Where was their mercy when they were torturing Agatha because she wouldn't betray you? Where was their mercy when they were kicking her, punching her, breaking her? Where was their mercy when she was begging for it?

Payback was a bitch, and so were you.

"Is that so?" Agatha asked.

A part of you expected her to be mad at you for taking the opportunity of revenge away from her, but she was taking it in stride. If anything, she seemed proud. Satisfied.

She approved.

Your heart warmed with relief.

"No one hurts my girl and gets away with it," you said, looking her straight in the eyes to drive the point clear. If it came to it, you would tear the world apart for her. Would set it on fire and watch it burn.

Agatha preened. She loved your protective side. "You took quite a risk," she chided, though it was all for show. She knew you could handle yourself. Your power was nowhere near her level, but you were far from a defenseless kitten.

"I sneaked up on them." That was the only way you could think of for them to have successfully injected her with the magic-blocking potion. So, why not return the favor? "Isn't that what they did to you?"

"Indeed, it is," she confirmed. "They're cowards."

"Now they're dead cowards."

Agatha grinned, then glared as you took a sip of her coffee. You ignored it, instead taking a few more sips, eyes never leaving hers.

As if she would ever do anything to hurt you. Someone else may lose their head — or hand, or mouth — for an infraction like this, but not you. You had the privilege of testing her limits and living to tell the tale.

If anything, you were doing it for the glare itself. It was adorable. She was adorable. Like a hissing kitten attempting to look tough, imposing, not realizing the act only made it cuter.

"Wanna see what I got you?"

Agatha's eyes lit up. You didn't even have to ask.

Taking hold of her hand, you led her to the basement. Your heart thumped loudly as you descended into the dark, dimly lit room, anticipating building, welling up like a geyser about to burst.

It's been a while since you treated the woman you loved to something nice.

She deserved a pick-me-up.

A form laid on the cold ground before you. The woman's hair was light; it used to be perfectly straight, but now it resembled a bird's nest, messy and unkempt. Courtesy of you. Bitchfights were, well, a bitch. Her clothes were tattered. A piece of fabric was wrapped tightly around her mouth; a makeshift gag you'd had to make out of a random shirt you'd found when you'd accosted her.

For a witch, she'd done lousy work on protecting her home. You'd blown through the door and walked straight in without a single obstacle.

She was more powerful than you, you could feel it, but you were on a revenge mission. She never stood a chance.

Apparently, she hated Agatha — and, by association, you — more than she hated witch hunters. "Something had to be done about that witch killer and her girl-toy," she'd spat like it was poison. That had earned her a punch to the face and a blast through the wall.

It wasn't like she was gonna get to go back to that house, anyway.

Her fate was sealed the moment she'd decided to help the hunters.

It was an enemy-of-my-enemy sort of deal. They would look the other way if they'd happened to spot her in exchange for her serving them the worst of the worst on a silver platter. They'd even get a two-for-the-price-of-one discount, with you thrown in as a bonus. Agatha's willing plaything, or so the witch bitch had described you as.

Look how that had turned out for them all.

You'd offered one of the hunters the same kind of deal: the witch's identity in exchange for his life.

And had promptly slit his throat as soon as the name had left his mouth.

You weren't in the business of making deals with people who'd brought harm to your beloved.

You'd ended up having to tie the witch up with bindings embedded with runes. The fighting was getting exhausting, and you were kinda in a rush; Agatha needed you home. So you'd pulled out your secret weapon that you'd brought along for this explicit purpose.

It was cheating of the worst kind, but this was war, and nothing was fair. If she'd wanted a fair fight, she wouldn't have banded together with a group that had been persecuting your kind for centuries in hopes that they would do her dirty work.

All things considered, things were going well.

There was a small hitch when you'd brought her home and had tried to get to the basement. She'd made a run for it, knocking down a vase that you'd never liked, anyway, which had made a loud noise that you were sure would wake Agatha, but you'd had the situation back under control rather quickly.

You'd drawn a circle around her, a barrier that ensured that she couldn't get away. Even if she were to break out of the runic bindings, her power wouldn't get her anywhere. It wouldn't do a single thing.

As long as she remained within the circle, she was yours — Agatha's, actually — to do with as you pleased.

The witch rose up to her knees as you and Agatha came into view. She stared up at you, defiant.

You knew she wouldn't stay that way for too long.

"She's all yours," you said.

Agatha was in awe, licking her lips as if she'd just smelled her favorite food, fresh and steaming on the platter in front of her. Cooling off just got her.

"You've outdone yourself, my love," she said, squeezing your hand to emphasize that she meant it. Every single word.

The praise was music to your ears. Your heart skipped a beat. "I'll leave you to it."

"You're not staying for the show?"

Was that disappointment in her tone?

"I had my fun with the hunters," you said. "Now it's your turn."

Fair was fair.

Agatha pouted, but gave a nod. "Why don't you prepare that bath you promised me? I'll have my fun, and then we can both relax."

The prospect was more than appealing. You could already imagine her naked body against yours, bursting with new magic, the static making you shiver and quiver in all the right places.

"Don't you want some more time with her?" you asked.

"Trust me, honey, it'll be more than enough," she said, lips curling into a wicked smirk. Her eyes flashed purple; a threat, a warning of unsavory things to come.

The witch flinched, terrified.

Good.

Now she knew how Agatha felt. Now she knew how you felt when the woman you loved more than life itself had shown up at your door, battered and broken.

Karma was a bitch.

You pecked Agatha on the cheek. "Have fun, sweetheart."

"Oh, I will," she purred in that delicious way that promised trouble, that promised mischief and mayhem.

She was going to enjoy this. More than she already was.

Throwing one final glance at the doomed witch, you went up the stairs, making sure to close the door behind you.

These weren't the kind of screams you were in the mood to listen to.

Even if Agatha was the one to cause them.

*****

Tags: @werewolfbarbie @miss-moon-guardian @hermslore @uniquelesbianidiot @natashamaximoff1 @alsoknownasmel @swan-queen-is-magic @tardisesandtitans @ahintofchaos @fruityhahn @midnight-lestrange

[melyonza]

What happened to the Smiling Critters?

When we meet Dogday, he points out that he is the only one of the Smiling Critters alive, leading us to understand that the others are already dead. But how did they die? What happened to you?

This is just a headcanon

Kickinchicken: He was probably the first to die. When chaos occurred, the Smiling Critters stayed hidden together. At some point they had to look for food so they knew the risk. He didn't want to but he knew they needed food so he offered to go first. He was unfortunately killed by Catnap which traumatized his friends.

Bubba Bubbafant: Being the brainiac, he devised a strategic plan to destroy the prototype. Unfortunately, Bubba inhaled Catnap's red smoke which drove him crazy. This made him an easy target for the toys to eat him alive.

Hoppy Hopscotch: After seeing that they were losing. Hoppy tried to run away from the toys. He came to a cliff where the only way out was to jump. He tried to be optimistic but fear took over him, causing him to fail to make a perfect jump and fall.

Craftycorn: She had managed to escape with Bobby Bearhug. She was so traumatized that she became obsessed with always painting in blood red. Bobby tried to help her by taking her crayons but Craftycorn wanted her crayons causing them to have a fight where Craftycorn died.

Picky Piggy: She surrendered to Catnap and allowed herself to be trapped. Her insatiable hunger caused her to go crazy and begin eating the bodies of her deceased friends. Thus demonstrating loyalty to Catnap. She joined him not out of admiration for the prototype, but because of the food. At some point she tasted a piece of meat from Dogday's body which upset Catnap who ended up killing her.

Bobby Bearhug: She had managed to escape with Craftycorn. At some point she had a fight with her friend causing her to break up with her and end up alone. She wandered all over the factory (probably she was the one who wrote the warnings in crayons on the ducts). Left alone she began to go crazy until she allowed herself to be captured by Catnap.

Dogday kept him company in prison. She became obsessed with him, which Dogday noticed and began to panic. She swore loyalty to Catnap so she wouldn't be alone. Like Picky, she tried to take a bite of Dogday. It is unknown how she died, although she probably served as food for Catnap and the toys.

Dogday: Leader of the Smiling Critters, he attempted to keep the group safe until Kickinchicken died, prompting him to launch an attack on the Prototype. Unfortunately they were defeated by Catnap, who captured and imprisoned him.

He witnessed the death of his friends. For some reason, Catnap kept him alive so he felt that his friend was still with him but was under the prototype's control.

Catnap: He followed the Prototype's orders because they saw him as their hero. He tried to get his friends to join him but they refused. He warned them of the danger but they ignored him, leading to his tragic fate. He kept Dogday alive. He was killed by the Prototype

[trialbywombaat]

Pluto

“One more chapter, Papa?” Ivy asks. 

Tommy closes the book and places it on her bedside table. “We already did one more chapter, remember?” he reminds her gently. 

He knew the question had been coming, and his answer is the same every time. In the past, getting Ivy to move on would have been a bigger struggle. But they've been working on their nighttime routine for a while now, and she’s getting the hang of it. Her question, and Tommy’s answer, are both part of that routine, and he knows she finds some kind of comfort in it.

He reaches down to switch on the night-light. It’s one of those moon ones Evan saw online and had insisted they buy for her, along with those glow-in-the-dark star stickers that he’d always wanted as a kid. There are stickers everywhere in Ivy’s room, actually - and not just the nice wall decals you can find on Etsy, but the cheap shitty stickers she brings home from school or begs for every time they go to Target. There’s fairies on her bed frame that Tommy knows he’ll never be able to remove, and sticky residue all over her desk from the fire truck stickers that she’d picked off one by one instead of doing her homework. Tommy and Evan hadn’t grown up in the kind of households where kids were able to put stickers on the walls, or play with paint or glitter, or make mud pies, and every time Margaret’s eyes fall on one of Ivy’s marker covered dresses and she smiles one of her cool, polite smiles, Tommy feels a tiny flash of victory that he doesn’t bother to hide. 

“What are we gonna dream about, tonight?” he asks, taking Ivy’s hands in his own. Maddie taught them this routine years ago, when they were first trying to get Ivy to sleep in a ‘big girl bed’, and it’s managed to stick.

“Unicorns,” Ivy answers quickly. It’s always unicorns, and has been for months. Tommy’s quite sure that unicorns must be in every dream she ever has, because they are ubiquitous in all of their lives now. She has a unicorn backpack with a unicorn pencil case and a unicorn lunch box, and no less than seven stuffed unicorn toys in bed with her at this very moment, tucked under the unicorn comforter where she is lying, wearing unicorn pyjamas. Even Tommy dreams of unicorns - just last night, he had to ride a unicorn into a wildfire while carrying buckets of water in both hands.

But he still closes her hand into a fist and squeezes it tight before kissing it. “Unicorn dreams it is.” He pulls her in close for a hug. “I love you to the moon and back.”

“I love you all the way to Pluto,” she says back to him, because Oliver Jeffers taught her that the moon is a one year drive away and Pluto is an eleven thousand year drive away, and Ivy is both decent at maths and eager to get the last word. 

He kisses her softly on the forehead then pulls back, ready to get up and turn off the light. But Ivy tugs on his sleeve, so he crouches down next to the bed.

“What is it, baby?” he asks her.

“Do you still love Daddy to the moon and back?” she asks, her voice small.

Tommy suppresses a sigh. God, kids are perceptive. 

“I still love your Daddy all the way to Pluto,” he promises, trying to reassure her. 

“Why are you fighting, then?” she asks. 

Tommy strokes Ivy’s hair. “Sometimes people who love each other still fight sometimes,” he explains. “Like when Bandit and Chilli built the swingy chair.”

Ivy’s face is screwed up in concentration. “And then they were happy again?”

“That’s right,” Tommy says. 

She doesn’t look mollified yet, though. “Will you ever stop loving each other? Like Sarah’s mum and dad?”

“I don’t think so,” Tommy says truthfully. “There’s too many things I love about him.”

“Like how he always gets the voices right?”

Tommy laughs. Evan is very good at reading stories. It’s always seemed to come naturally to him, whereas Tommy never manages to get the voices quite right.  “Yeah, like that,” he agrees. “And how he makes me laugh all the time, and how he knows so many different things” -  he hears Ivy’s door creak slightly, and feels two sets of eyes on him now, both watching him intently - “and how he cares so much about helping other people, and how he never gives up.”

He looks up to see Evan smiling softly at him.

Tommy stands up. “It’s time to sleep, now, Ives,” he says, and this time she doesn’t protest. 

“Night Papa,” she yawns sleepily, curling in on herself and hugging one of her many toy unicorns.

Tommy turns out the light as he exits the room, then grabs Evan’s hand and pulls him silently towards their own bedroom. 

“Evan,” he says as soon as they enter the room, his voice quiet so that Ivy shouldn’t be able to hear them.

Evan cuts him off before he can say anything. “I’m so sorry, Tommy. I really am.”

He’s said that so many times the past few hours, ever since Tommy met him at the hospital that afternoon, and suddenly Tommy feels so guilty for making him feel like he has to say it.

Tommy pulls him closer, puts a hand on the small of his back and another on his shoulder, as though they’re going to dance instead of talk. “I know, love.”

“You- you know I love you and Ivy more than anything; that I always want to come home to you.” His right hand is clenched tightly, and Tommy grabs it and unfurls it gently, running a thumb over the fingernail marks Evan has unwittingly left there. 

“Evan,” Tommy says again, and finally Evan stops and looks at him. “You don’t have to apologise. I’m sorry I made you feel like you do. This is my fault, not yours.”

“No, but I - I keep doing this dangerous shit, and-”

Tommy doesn’t like to cut Evan off. But he doesn’t like watching him beat himself up either, so the decision isn’t hard.

“You can’t help it,” he says firmly. Because he’s figured it out.

It was an old habit he’d fallen into, a retread of the arguments they’d had early on in their relationship, when Evan just couldn’t seem to get it into his head how important he was to Tommy. How he didn’t get to sacrifice himself anymore, because he had someone who needed him, who was waiting for him at home.

Instinctively, when Tommy had gotten Bobby’s call today, he’d assumed that it was the same thing, that Evan had forgotten about it again, and to be honest, it had hurt. That they still weren’t enough. 

But he’d realised his mistake when he was getting Ivy ready for bed that night. When she’d run from the bathroom to her bedroom after he’d clearly told her not to, and had slipped to the ground because her socks hadn’t had enough grip. 

“It’s about performance, not knowledge,” Ivy’s occupational therapist had explained to Tommy and Evan once, shortly after they'd found out that she has ADHD. “She knows exactly what she’s meant to do, and if she could do it, she would.” It was why explaining the rules to Ivy has never really worked, because she already knows them all. She knows she isn’t meant to call out in class, or snatch toys away from other children, or go to the bathroom without asking the teacher - she just doesn’t have the impulse control to stop herself.

And Evan knows that he needs to come home to Tommy and Ivy. If he could stop himself from going ‘full-Buck’, he would.

Which is why it’s Tommy who should be apologising. 

He moves his thumb in little circles against Evan’s shoulder, knowing that Evan finds the movement soothing. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just how your brain works.”

Evan’s breath catches a little, and Tommy doesn’t know if it's relief or something else until he speaks. “I don’t know how to stop it,” he says.

Tommy brings him close, squeezing him tighter. “You don’t have to, love,” he says, heart aching at the words. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way.” He leans back again, and places his fingers under Evan’s chin. “I love your brain.”

Evan leans forward, and rests his head against Tommy’s shoulder. “Just my brain?” he asks.

Tommy pretends to consider it. “I guess your spleen is pretty great, too.”

Something for @bucktommypositivityweek. I know it's a day late now, but this one is for Day 1 - What they both love about each other.

[starkeymuse]

decode | rafe cameron | part three

summary: grace knew the outer banks were full of dangerous currents, but she never expected rafe cameron to be one of them.

warnings: violence, slight mentions of abuse, mentions of blood.

note: the friendly neighborhood kook is here :)

✧ listen to: seventeen going under by sam fender + affection by between friends ✧

the summer heat still clung to the air even as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting an orange glow over the outdoor movie screen. the weekly movie night was a staple in obx during the summer, drawing crowds from all over the island. the grass was packed with kids sprawled on blankets, cheap folding chairs, and the occasional truck bed. laughter and the hum of idle conversation filled the air, blending with the speakers that announced the movie was about to start.

we decided to come tonight because sarah and john b were having dinner at sarah's house with her dad, ward. hopefully, they’d be able to get the maps without anyone noticing. this was also known as, the first step to getting the gold. kie and sarah hadn’t exactly mended their rift, but they agreed to be civil for now.

i stood in line at the concession stand, tapping my foot against the uneven gravel. kie had asked for a bag of popcorn, and jj and pope wanted sodas. i was debating whether or not to grab myself an ice cream when i felt someone step up behind me. my skin prickled. i didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

“hey grace, what’s up?” rafe’s voice carried over, laced with a grin i could practically hear. pulling at my focus while setting me on edge. it wasn’t fair, the way it could make me feel, like the ground wasn’t steady beneath me.

“ugh- you again?” i asked, crossing my arms and turning to face him. heat was rushing to my face. i hated how he could do that.

“topper and kelce know what pope and jj did,” he said, his tone quiet but heavy.

my frown deepened. “what are you talking about?”

rafe’s jaw tightened, his gaze flickering over the crowd before locking back on me. “the boat,” he said. “they know.”

his words hit like a splash of cold water, leaving me blinking as i tried to process. the boat? what boat? a knot of dread began forming in my stomach, and for a split second, i thought about pushing him for more details.

"i seriously don't know what you're talking about” i admitted, my voice quieter now. i searched his face for answers, but he didn’t give me any. instead, he just shook his head, his lips pressing into a thin line, and walked away. his broad shoulders, tensed and rigid, disappeared into the crowd. it was infuriating, the way he could drop something like that and disappear.

my hands felt clammy as i grabbed the drinks and popcorn, the flimsy cups trembling in my grip. i hurried back to our blanket, nearly spilling jj’s coke on a toddler who darted in front of me. when i finally dropped onto the grass beside kie, she gave me a weird look.

what the fuck did you do?” i demanded, my voice harsher than i intended. i turned to jj and pope, who both froze mid-sip of their drinks.

“uh, what?” jj asked, feigning innocence as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“rafe just told me that topper and kelce know what you did,” i said, narrowing my eyes. “the boat? what the hell did you do?”

pope winced, and jj let out a nervous laugh.

“okay, so maybe we… kinda sunk topper's boat,” jj admitted, shrugging as if it were no big deal.

“you what?” kie hissed, her head snapping toward him.

“it was pope’s idea,” jj said, throwing up his hands. “they’ve been terrorizing us for years. it was payback!”

“hey, don’t pin it all on me,” pope shot back, glaring at jj. “you were the one who said, and i quote, ‘let’s see if topper can swim!’”

kie groaned, burying her face in her hands. “you two are actual idiots.”

“idiots with a cause,” jj said, smirking as he reached for his soda. “you’re welcome.”

“yeah, thanks for painting a giant target on our backs,” i muttered, rubbing my temples. my pulse was already racing, and i had a sinking feeling this night was about to get a lot worse.

“oh, come on,” jj said, leaning back on his elbows. “what’s the worst that could happen? topper tries to fight us again?"

"yes that's exactly what could happen." i corrected him. i understood why they did it, but they got caught so easily, and what annoyed me the most was that they didn't tell us.

about fifteen minutes later, jj and pope stood up, muttering something about needing to "wring it out". they disappeared behind the massive movie screen, leaving kie and me to exchange annoyed glances. i couldn’t shake the tension building in my chest. something felt off.

voices. raised, sharp, and cutting through the noise of the movie and the chatter around us.

kie’s head snapped toward the screen. “do you hear that?"

i didn’t answer. i was already on my feet, my heart pounding as we ran toward the sound. we rounded the screen just in time to see kelce and jj going at each other, fists flying. topper was on the ground, choking pope, his hands wrapped around his throat.

get off him!” kie screamed, rushing toward them.

kie was already trying to pull kelce off jj, but he shoved her away. i threw myself at topper, clawing at his arms to get him off pope, with a snarl, he shoved me back so hard i hit the ground, pain exploding in my head as it smacked against the ground.

for a split second, my vision blurred, and i was back in a moment, my father’s rough hands pushing me to the ground, anger simmering behind his eyes. the memory hit me like a tidal wave, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

i barely had time to process what was happening when rafe appeared out of nowhere, grabbing topper by the collar and yanking him off pope. he didn’t hesitate, landing a punch square on topper’s jaw.

rafe’s voice cut through again, his words a furious growl, “what the fuck did I tell you, topper?” but even as he yelled, i could barely process it, my head spinning and my body aching from the fall. the anger in his voice seemed distant, too far away to grasp. all i could do was try to steady myself, feeling the world tilt and spin around me.

as i pushed myself up, my hands shaking. the chaos around me felt muted, distant, like i was underwater. my head throbbed, and when i reached up to touch my forehead, my fingers came away sticky with blood.

my body was on autopilot, moving without thought as I tried to make sense of what was happening. the fight was spiraling out of control. jj and kelce were still at it, and rafe was right there, caught in the madness. but all I could think about was stopping it, somehow.

then I saw it—kiara’s bag on the ground, tossed carelessly as the fight raged on. without thinking, i ran to it, my hands trembling as i fumbled to grab the lighter from inside. the small object felt strangely heavy in my palm, the idea hit me. my pulse was loud in my ears as i flicked the lighter to life, the flame shooting up in the dark.

with shaky hands, i held it close to the edge of the movie screen and watched as the flames crept along the fabric. they caught quickly, and within moments, the screen was alight, the orange glow lighting up the area around us.

“jesus!” someone yelled. “what the hell?!”

the fighting stopped immediately, everyone frozen in place, staring at the flames that had started to eat through the movie screen. the crackle of the fire filled the air, and the smell of burning fabric made me cough. my eyes darted between my friends, each of them looking stunned, some still catching their breath from the fight.

i felt a mix of panic and relief, my hands still shaking as I watched the fire burn. it was done. the fight was over. i glanced over my shoulder, I saw topper and kelce scrambling away.

“hey!” jj’s voice echoed “grace, let's go!”

i turned around just in time to see him, pope, and kie running toward her car. but i wasn't done, just yet. i was already moving toward rafe.

"what the fuck was that?” i said, my voice full of anger.

“i didn’t know they were gonna do that,” rafe shot back, his frustration matching mine. “i told you—topper knew about the boat, but i had no idea he was gonna come after you guys again.”

i stared at him, disbelief lacing my words. “that’s why you told me they knew? because they were going to come after us again?”

he looked away, running a hand through his hair, before locking eyes with me again. “i thought i could stop it. i thought it wouldn’t go this far.”

“well, you were wrong,” i snapped, trying to keep my voice steady. “seems like you’re always trying, it's like your favorite word lately.”

rafe’s face hardened for a moment, but his gaze shifted to my hand, smeared with blood. the anger drained from him in an instant, replaced by something softer. something like concern. “you’re bleeding.”

i quickly wiped at my face, trying to ignore it, but it was obvious.

“jesus,” rafe muttered under his breath, taking a small step closer. “you’re hurt. let me see.”

i tried to back away, but he followed, his eyes too focused, too intense. i couldn’t keep avoiding him—not now.

“grace,” rafe said softly, his voice lower, almost like he was afraid of scaring me. i didn’t give him a chance to say more before his hand was at the back of my head, gently tilting it as he examined the cut on my forehead.

his touch was so careful, so unexpectedly tender. it threw me off. i froze, not knowing what to do, what to feel. everything was already too much, and this wasn’t helping.

“that's pretty bad,” rafe murmured, his voice almost a whisper. i wanted to tell him i was fine, but the words felt like they were stuck in my throat.

“i’m fine,” i muttered quickly, stepping back, but my hands were shaking too much. damn it, i hated this. my heart raced, but for an entirely different reason now. i didn’t know what he was doing to me.

“don’t give me that bullshit,” rafe said, a little more firmly. “let me help.”

i shook my head, stepping back again, trying to get space between us. my breath was shallow, still feeling the rush of the fight. but his eyes never left mine. they were too intense, too much.

“i need to go,” i said, the words cracking in my throat.

without waiting for a response, i walked off, refusing to look back this time.

we stumbled into the château, the screen door slamming behind us. john b and sarah were sitting on the couch, laughing about something, but their faces froze when they looked up and saw us.

“what the hell happened?” john b shot to his feet, his eyes scanning the bruises and blood on all of us.

“topper and kelce happened,” kie said, dropping her bag onto the table with a thud.

“again?” sarah asked, her arms crossing tightly.

jj leaned against the wall, a cocky grin tugging at his busted lip. “Yeah, but this time, we really gave them something to cry about.”

“jj…” john b’s voice had that warning tone, and jj just shrugged.

“we sunk topper’s boat,” he said nonchalantly like he was reporting the weather.

“you what?” sarah’s voice shot up an octave, and john b looked like he might combust on the spot.

“you’re welcome!” jj said, throwing his arms out. “no need to thank us all at once.”

john b groaned, rubbing his temples. “are you kidding me? why the hell would you do that?”

“because they wouldn’t leave us alone!” pope cut in, his voice defensive. “we’ve tried everything else. this was the only way to get revenge.”

“oh, yeah, genius plan,” sarah shot back. “because obviously, sinking their boat totally de-escalated the situation.”

“obviously not,” jj said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “which is why they jumped us. you're catching on, sarah. gold star.”

“jj.” i muttered, shooting him a look.

“what?” he asked, feigning innocence. “i’m just saying, if anyone’s getting a ‘most dramatic reaction to a sunken boat’ award, it’s definitely topper. his family are millionaires, there will probably be a new one in the water by tomorrow.”

“not helping,” kie snapped.

john b threw his hands up. “you didn’t think maybe we should talk about it first?”

“talk about what?” jj retorted. “oh, hey, guys, let’s have a civilized chat about how topper’s been terrorizing us for weeks. maybe we’ll bake him a cake while we’re at it.”

“jesus christ, jj.” john b muttered, shaking his head.

“look,” pope cut in, trying to bring some sense to the conversation. “we didn’t expect this to happen, okay? and you know what else? i definitely didn’t expect rafe to show up and save my ass.”

“what?” sarah asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

“rafe,” pope repeated. “he pulled topper off me. took him down, too.”

john b’s jaw tightened. “rafe helped you?”

“for once, yeah,” kie said, crossing her arms. “if he hadn’t shown up, it would’ve been a lot worse.”

sarah looked skeptical. “and you’re sure he wasn’t in on it?”

“don’t care why he was there,” jj said, flopping onto the couch with a wince. “all i know is, he threw one hell of a punch. kinda satisfying, honestly.”

“he wasn’t in on it,” i cut in. everyone turned to look at me, the room going quiet for a moment. i folded my arms, ignoring the sting in my scraped-up elbows. “rafe. he didn’t know topper and kelce were going to jump us, he was trying to stop it. he told me that.”

kie raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “and you believe him?”

i hesitated, my gaze dropping to the floor for a second. “yeah, i do,” i said finally, meeting her eyes again. “he didn’t have to show up at all, but he did. and he helped. whether we like it or not.”

“don’t give rafe all the credit,” jj said, a grin spreading across his face as he glanced at me. “grace, nice job lighting the screen on fire. honestly, one of my favorite things you've ever done.” he lifted his hand for a high five, wincing slightly as he shifted on the couch.

i stared at him for a moment before finally slapping his hand. “thanks, jj. glad my moment of sheer panic entertained you.”

“entertained? that was genius,” he said, leaning back with a smirk.

john b was still pacing, clearly trying to digest everything. "so let me get this straight—topper and kelce come after us because you guys sank their boat, rafe shows up out of nowhere to help, and then grace pulls off a fire stunt to distract them."

“yup,” jj said, his grin widening.

john b dropped his hands to his hips, shaking his head. "god, what a mess. next time, we’re talking things through before we do anything this reckless."

“next time,” sarah said, sounding a little exasperated, “maybe we keep the boat-sinking plans to a minimum, huh?”

“deal,” jj and pope replied in sync.

the room started to feel lighter as the tension faded, and i let out a breath i hadn’t realized i’d been holding. but my mind kept drifting back to rafe, how he had appeared out of nowhere, pulling topper off pope like it was nothing.

i thought i hated him, but in that moment, i couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to him than i realized. then there was that touch—his hand brushing my face, wiping the blood away. i hated how it made my heart race, but it also made me rethink everything. and now, with my friends seeing that rafe had helped us, i felt a small, unexpected relief. maybe there was more to him than the reckless, asshole guy i’d always thought he was. for the first time, i didn’t feel guilty for wondering if i’d been wrong about him. maybe he wasn’t such a bad person after all.

did you guys get the maps?” i asked, trying to shift my focus from rafe.

sarah let out a frustrated sigh, shaking her head. “no. my dad's office was locked, and i couldn’t find the key.” she glanced at john b, her tone a little apologetic. “we’ll have to go back in a day or two, when ward and rose leave for the day. but… i was thinking maybe someone other than john b should come with me this time.”

john b raised an eyebrow. “what, you don’t trust me?”

“i trust you,” sarah said quickly. “but it’s just... it might be better if it’s someone else this time. someone my dad doesn't know.”

she had a point. none of us wanted to take the risk of running into trouble again.

"i’m thinking grace should come with me,” sarah added, looking at me with a smile. “you’re not really tied to my family, so it’ll look less obvious if we get caught, and we could be in and out faster."

i nodded, realizing how solid her plan was. “i can do it,” i said, trying to sound confident even though i felt a little nervous. “we’ll be in and out.”

kie, who had been listening, spoke up. “just be careful, both of you. this whole thing is a lot more dangerous than it seems.”

“i know,” sarah replied.

i noticed it right away. there was no sarcasm in kie’s voice, no snappy remark. it wasn’t like they were suddenly best friends or anything, but for the first time in a while, there was an understanding between them. it was small, but it was there. and it made me smile.

i didn’t say anything about it, but i couldn’t ignore that moment.

work had been exhausting, my feet ached, and the smell of food clung to my clothes, a stark reminder of the hours i’d spent hustling around marcy's. the sky was already dark as i locked up and made my way to my bike, ready to head home and crash for the night.

just as i swung my leg over the seat, my phone buzzed in my pocket. i pulled it out and saw kie’s name pop up on the screen.

kie: party tonight! perkins beach.

i paused, rereading the text. after everything that had gone down yesterday with topper, rafe, and the rest of the mess, i wasn’t sure i had the energy for a party. but at the same time, maybe blowing off some steam wouldn’t be the worst idea.

me: when?

her reply came almost instantly.

kie: now. please come!!!

the ride home was quick, and after a quick shower to rinse off the day, i threw on a fresh set of clothes. the possibility of seeing rafe crossed my mind. maybe it shouldn’t have mattered, he was probably at every party on the island but after yesterday, the idea of seeing him made my chest flutter. i shook the thought away. it wasn’t like we were friends, and whatever happened yesterday didn’t mean anything. at least, that’s what i kept telling myself.

the night air was warm, but the breeze from the water kept it bearable. the beach was alive with music, laughter, and the sounds of waves crashing against the shore. it was a mixed crowd of kooks and pogues, but the division didn’t feel as stark. everyone was just here to have a good time, or at least that’s what i told myself as i downed another drink, trying to ignore the guy who wouldn’t stop talking to me.

i didn’t even know his name, but he was persistent. his words were just a blur of nonsense as he babbled on about some party in the city or something. his hands moved all over the place as he talked, and i couldn't help but zone out, my eyes scanning the crowd.

that’s when I saw him.

rafe stood at the edge of the group, leaning against a tree, half-heartedly nodding at whatever someone was saying to him. but the moment our eyes met, there was that smirk, half cocky, half amused, and i could feel heat flushing my cheeks. i quickly looked away, shaking my head at myself. the guy talking to me didn’t notice, still going on about whatever pointless story he was telling.

“yeah, i-” the guy said, but i wasn’t listening anymore. i was just thinking about that look from rafe.

i swigged the last of my drink, half expecting it to be a little stronger than it was, but it didn’t matter. the buzz was creeping in, and the warmth in my chest was making me forget about the guy talking my ear off.

“alright, i’m gonna go check on my friends,” i interrupted him, and without waiting for a response, i pushed through the crowd and made my way toward the water, hoping to find some space to breathe.

i was standing at the edge of the water, my toes sinking into the cool sand as the gentle waves lapped over them. the noise of the party felt far away now, distant laughter and music blending into the hum of the ocean. the alcohol buzzed lightly in my veins, making the stars above seem brighter, the air softer.

i heard footsteps approaching and i already knew who it was.

“oh, look,” i said, lifting my drink with a sarcastic flourish. “our friendly neighborhood kook is here."

rafe actually laughed at that, shaking his as he stopped a few feet away. “friendly? that’s a stretch. but I’ll take it.”

i rolled my eyes, turning my gaze back to the water. “shouldn’t you be off brooding in a corner somewhere or watching your friends terrorize someone?”

“nah,” he said, stepping closer. “brooding’s overrated. and as for terrorizing, i thought i’d give you a break tonight.”

“how considerate,” i shot back, glancing at him. “truly, you’re a saint.”

“don’t push it,” he replied, grinning.

we stood there in silence for a moment, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore the only thing filling the air. i could feel his eyes on me, though, and it made my skin feel too warm.

he stopped beside me, his presence annoyingly magnetic. without a word, he tilted his head, studying me. his eyes lingered on the small bandage near my hairline, and before i could stop him, his hand reached up.

“rafe,” i warned, but he ignored me, his thumb gently tracing over the the bandage.

“i'm gonna kill topper. are you okay?” he said, his voice quieter now, almost thoughtful.

i swatted his hand away, but the touch had already sent a shiver down my spine. “i’m not fragile, rafe. i’m fine.”

he let out a low chuckle, stepping back just slightly, but his eyes didn’t leave mine. “yeah? you have a hell of a way of showing it.”

i rolled my eyes. “and you have a hell of a way of just showing up wherever i go.”

“can't help it,” he shot back, the smirk returning.

“right,” i said sarcastically.

“you keep talking like that, grace, and people might think you don’t like me.”

“oh, i don’t,” i said, though my lips twitched with the faintest hint of a smile.

“you sure about that?” his tone was teasing, but the way his gaze held mine made my stomach flip.

“positive.”

the words barely left my mouth before the ground seemed to tilt under me. i swayed slightly, and rafe’s hand was on my arm in an instant.

“you’re not fine,” he said firmly, his voice laced with something between frustration and concern.

“i’m just tired,” i muttered, trying to wave him off.

“grace,” he said, his tone softening. “you’ve been drinking, and you’ve definitely got a concussion. that’s not tired. that’s stupid.”

i opened my mouth to argue, but before i could get a word out, the dizziness overtook me completely. the last thing i saw was rafe’s face shifting from exasperation to alarm before everything went dark.

the first thing i felt was the rocking, the gentle sway of water under me. my head throbbed painfully, each pulse sending a sharp wave of dizziness through my skull. i groaned, trying to blink the fog away, but everything around me was unfamiliar.

where the hell was i?

i shot up in a panic, my heart hammering in my chest. the sudden movement made my head spin, and i clutched the side of the cushion i was on, trying to steady myself. i couldn’t remember how i’d gotten here.

"easy," he said, his voice low and steady. "you’re okay."

rafe was sitting a few feet away, looking like he’d been there for a while. he stood up and came over to me, sitting at the end of the blanket must have placed over me when i was out cold.

"where am I?", i froze for a second, still trying to piece together what was happening.

"on my boat," rafe replied, his tone calm. "you passed out right in front of me. your phone was dead, and i didn’t think you’d want me to call an ambulance. so, here we are."

i took a shaky breath, the tension in my chest slowly loosening. there was something oddly reassuring about the fact that he hadn’t just left me alone or handed me off to someone else. he’d stayed. i barely knew him, but for some reason, his presence here, near me, made me feel safe.

"how long… how long have i been out?"

"a few hours," he answered, his eyes shifting to the water outside the boat, then back to me. "it’s almost sunrise."

rafe shifted in his seat, glancing over at me. "you good?"

i nodded, "yeah. just-" i hesitated for a moment, then looked at him again. "thanks for not just leaving me."

rafe’s expression softened, his gaze steady. "i wasn’t about to leave you passed out on the beach, grace."

i wasn’t sure what to say. instead, i just nodded.

"so," he continued, after a beat, "i think it’s safe to say you need to take it easy for a bit. how’re you feeling?"

"better," i replied, rubbing my forehead gently. "still kind of dizzy, but not as bad."

"good," he said, giving me a small smile. "just rest for now. i have no where to be."

i met his gaze, a quiet appreciation settling in. "i owe you one, huh?"

rafe smiled. "yeah, but i’ll collect later."

this one is very long, but i wanted to make up for not posting for like a week :) ugh i love some flirty banter,, i hope you liked part three. stay tuned for part four soon <3

[roseyreveries]

Hunted

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Part Two <- click!

Summary: Hydra infiltrates SHIELD and takes control of Bucky again, setting the Winter Soldier on course to take out his target: you.

CW: Guns, Violence, Blood, Angst, not very movie accurate, the Avengers being weaker than usual for plot

Directory

The bass from the radio thrummed in time with my heartbeat as I belted out the lyrics to the song blaring from the speakers. My sister, Maggie, laughed beside me, swaying in her seat, her off-key voice matching mine perfectly. We’d done this a hundred times before—road trips, late-night drives, blasting karaoke-worthy tunes that never failed to lift our spirits. Today was no different; it was just us, the open road, and the kind of freedom that only a highway can bring.

I glanced over at Maggie, her face scrunched up in exaggerated concentration as she hit the high note, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re killing it!” I shouted over the music.

“Please, you’re the one auditioning for a Grammy!” she shot back, winking at me.

The world outside was a blur of cars, the sun dipping low in the sky, painting the horizon in streaks of orange and pink. I felt alive, invincible. But then, out of nowhere, everything changed.

It happened so fast. One moment we were carefree, and the next, I was slamming on the brakes. A figure stepped onto the road, right in front of our car—a man with long dark hair, clad in black, his presence commanding the space like he owned it. But it wasn’t just anyone. It was Bucky Barnes.

My heart seized in my chest. His eyes locked onto mine through the windshield, cold and unyielding. I barely had time to register the large gun in his hands before he aimed it directly at us. My breath caught in my throat, the world around me slowing to a terrifying crawl.

“Holy shit!” Maggie screamed, her hands flying to the dashboard as if she could somehow shield herself from what was about to happen.

The next second, a loud bang echoed, piercing through the chaos of the traffic. I watched, helpless, as a disk shot from the barrel of Bucky’s gun, hurtling straight at us. It slammed into the underside of the car with a deafening thud, and before I could even process what was happening, the world exploded.

The blast sent a shockwave through the car, and we were airborne. The car flipped violently, the screech of metal against asphalt and the shattering of glass filling my ears. My body lurched against the seatbelt, the force knocking the wind out of me as the car tumbled. Up became down, and down became up—everything spinning in a disorienting blur of sound and pain.

My vision flickered, the interior of the car now a shattered mess of broken glass, smoke, and twisted metal. I tried to scream, to reach for Maggie, but my voice was lost in the cacophony. The car finally came to a bone-jarring stop, landing upside down on the road.

For a moment, all I could hear was the ringing in my ears. I blinked, the sharp taste of blood in my mouth, my mind struggling to catch up. Everything hurt—my head, my arms, my chest. My vision was blurred, but I turned to my right, my heart hammering wildly.

“Maggie!” I croaked, the word barely a whisper. She was hanging upside down in her seat, her eyes closed, a small trickle of blood running down her forehead. I reached out, my fingers brushing against her arm, desperately trying to shake her awake.

My hands trembled as I reached out to check Maggie for injuries. I forced myself to focus, pushing through the blinding panic. I ran my hands along her arms, her legs, feeling for breaks or dislocations. Her pulse was strong, steady under my fingertips— a small comfort in the midst of the wreckage. I checked her pupils, watched her chest rise and fall with each shallow breath, all the while praying she would open her eyes and tell me this was all a bad dream.

I knew what to look for— what signs meant danger and what was just superficial. Years of training kicked in, the muscle memory of countless missions and drills guiding me through every step. I wasn’t just a regular sister panicking in the aftermath of a crash. I was more than that, had been for a long time now.

Maggie didn’t know the truth. No one did. To everyone else, I was just me— the sister who sang too loudly, who drove too fast, who lived a life that was seemingly normal. But behind closed doors, under the cover of night and secrecy, I was something else entirely.

I was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Not just any agent, either. I’d climbed the ranks quicker than anyone expected, my skills and determination earning me a seat at the table alongside the Avengers themselves. I’d worked operations so classified, most people wouldn’t even believe they existed. I’d been trained by the best, learned to fight, to strategize, to survive. And now, all of that training, all of those missions, came flooding back in a rush.

Maggie’s injuries were minor—cuts, bruises, a gash on her forehead that looked worse than it was. She’d be okay, at least physically. The relief was so overwhelming, I almost cried. But there was no time for that. I needed to get us out of here before Bucky— or whoever the hell he was working for— made another move.

I glanced outside, taking in the chaos around us. Bucky was still there, his expression as unreadable as ever, but he wasn’t alone anymore. Other figures moved in the shadows, closing in on the wreckage. I cursed under my breath. This wasn’t just a rogue attack; it was a full-blown ambush. And we were smack in the middle of it.

I reached for the hidden compartment in the console, the one Maggie didn’t know about. My fingers brushed the cold metal of my concealed weapon— a sleek, high-tech piece courtesy of Tony Stark himself. I’d been armed and ready, as always, just in case. I hadn’t expected to need it on a karaoke drive with my sister, but that was the life I led— the life no one knew about.

I checked the safety, my eyes flicking to Maggie once more. She was still unconscious, but she’d be okay. I had to believe that. I had to keep her safe, no matter what.

I eased myself out of the wreckage, gun in hand, and moved with purpose. The agents in the shadows were getting closer, and I recognized the insignia on their uniforms. Hydra. Of course. Bucky was working with Hydra— or maybe he was brainwashed again. I didn’t have time to figure it out; all I knew was that we were in serious danger.

Bucky’s eyes met mine, and for a split second, something flickered there. Recognition? Regret? I couldn’t tell. It didn’t matter. Right now, he was my enemy, and I had a job to do.

“Stay back!” I shouted, aiming my gun at the nearest Hydra agent. They hesitated, their eyes flicking to Bucky for guidance. My heart pounded, adrenaline surging through my veins. I was outnumbered, outgunned, but I’d been in worse situations. I knew how to handle myself. I knew how to fight.

And I was going to fight like hell to get Maggie out of this alive.

“Bucky,” I called out, my voice steady despite the chaos around me. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but they’re not in charge of you anymore. You’re safe, Buck.”

He hesitated, his grip tightening on his gun. The seconds stretched on, an unbearable tension hanging in the air. I didn’t know if he’d listen, if he even could. But I had to try. For Maggie. For all the people who’d counted on me to keep them safe.

For the person I used to believe Bucky was.

His gaze shifted, something softening in his expression. I held my breath, praying for a miracle. But just as quickly as it came, it vanished, replaced by the cold, unfeeling mask he wore so well.

“Move,” he ordered the Hydra agents, his voice flat, emotionless. The moment was gone. He wasn’t Bucky Barnes, the hero. He was the Winter Soldier. And there was no reasoning with him.

I steeled myself, my grip on the gun firm. If Bucky was going to make me fight, then I would. There was no turning back now.

I stepped forward, adrenaline surging through my veins, and fired the first shot. The Hydra agents scattered, their movements synchronized like a well-oiled machine. They fanned out, ducking behind cars and debris, their weapons raised. I squeezed the trigger again, aiming for the nearest target. The bullet hit its mark, sending the agent sprawling to the ground. But there were too many of them, and I was just one person.

The highway erupted into chaos— bullets whizzed past, shattering the remnants of glass around me. I ducked low, using the twisted metal of our car as cover, my mind racing to formulate a plan. There was no backup coming; it was just me against a small army. But I’d faced worse odds, and I wasn’t about to go down without a fight.

I darted out from behind the car, my movements fluid and precise. I fired off two more shots, dropping another agent before spinning to take cover behind a cement barrier. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a reminder that I was still alive, still fighting.

They kept coming, relentless and determined. I counted at least six, maybe more, their dark uniforms blending into the shadows of the wreckage. I fired again, hitting another in the shoulder, but the rest were closing in, tightening the circle around me. I moved quickly, pivoting and shooting, each motion a calculated effort to keep them at bay.

A bullet grazed my arm, the sharp sting slicing through the adrenaline. I hissed through clenched teeth, ignoring the pain. I had no time to bleed, no time to think. I fired again, but my gun clicked— empty. I ducked behind a nearby car door, my fingers fumbling for another clip, but I came up empty. I was out of ammo.

Shit.

I crouched behind the door, my breath coming in short, ragged bursts. My mind raced, calculating my next move. I could hear the Hydra agents regrouping, their footsteps growing louder, the sound of their weapons being loaded. I glanced down at my gun, flipping it open to confirm what I already knew— no bullets, no way out. My eyes darted around, searching for anything I could use, but the highway was a wasteland of broken cars and debris.

I was trapped.

Then, with a deafening crack, the door was ripped away, torn from its hinges like it was made of paper. I stumbled back, my eyes widening as Bucky stepped forward, his silhouette framed by the chaos beyond. He moved with a lethal grace, his metal arm still raised, the door now discarded at his feet.

I scrambled backward, my hands searching for anything to defend myself, but all I found were shards of glass and twisted metal. Bucky’s gaze was locked onto me, his expression unreadable, his footsteps deliberate and unhurried. He advanced, and I kept retreating, my back hitting the wreckage of another car.

Just as he reached for me, something red streaked through the air, smashing into Bucky with the force of a freight train. The impact sent him flying, his body hurtling across the highway before crashing into the side barrier with a bone-rattling thud. I blinked, stunned, my brain struggling to process what just happened.

I turned my head, and there he was— Iron Man, standing with his fist raised, his helmet gleaming under the dying light of the sun. The red metal glove that had just knocked Bucky out of the way hovered mid-air for a split second before it shot back to his arm, snapping into place with a hiss.

“Thought you only worked at night,” Tony quipped, his voice crackling through the suit’s speakers, though the concern was evident beneath the sarcasm. He didn’t waste a second, his repulsors flaring as he took off to engage the Hydra agents swarming the scene.

I barely had time to register Tony’s arrival before two more figures emerged from the chaos. Black Widow and Hawkeye moved like shadows, their motions fluid and deadly. Natasha’s guns blazed as she took down the agents closest to me, each shot precise and unerring. Clint loosed arrows at an impossible speed, his sharp eyes targeting every Hydra soldier who dared to step forward.

“Go!” Natasha shouted, nodding her head towards the car where Maggie still lay, her voice sharp and commanding. “We’ve got this!”

I snapped back into action, scrambling to my feet and sprinting towards Maggie. She was still unconscious, the faint rise and fall of her chest the only reassurance I needed to know she was still hanging on. I fumbled with her seatbelt, my hands slick with sweat, and pulled her free, cradling her limp form as gently as I could.

I scanned the road, spotting a bystander— a man in his thirties who looked more terrified than I felt. “Help her!” I yelled, thrusting Maggie into his arms. “Take her to the nearest hospital!” He nodded, wide-eyed but willing, and hurried away, cradling my sister as he dashed toward the edge of the highway where it was safer.

With Maggie safely out of immediate harm, I turned back, just in time to see Natasha sprinting towards me. She tossed something in my direction, and I caught it instinctively— two matte black handheld firearms, their sleek, familiar weight grounding me instantly. My usual weapons. The ones that had seen me through countless missions, each nick and scratch a testament to the fights I’d survived.

“Thanks, Nat,” I breathed, loading the guns with a practiced ease. “I owe you one.”

“Just another Tuesday,” she quipped, her eyes scanning the area for threats as we ducked behind a nearby car, taking cover from the barrage of bullets raining down from the Hydra agents still standing. Tony and Clint were keeping most of them busy, but there were still plenty to go around.

I fired off a few rounds, picking off agents as they attempted to advance. The familiar rhythm of combat settled over me, a strange comfort in the midst of the chaos. I turned to Natasha, my voice low but urgent. “What the hell happened? Why is Bucky like this again?”

Natasha grimaced, reloading her guns. “There was a breach at the tower. Hydra got in, and they took Bucky. Managed to wipe everything— reset him completely. He’s back to being the Winter Soldier.”

My stomach dropped, a cold pit forming as her words sank in. “And now he’s trying to kill me?”

“That’s the part we don’t get,” Natasha said, her tone edged with frustration. “The intel we managed to pull says you’re his primary target, but we don’t know why. Whatever programming they shoved into him, it’s all centered on you.”

My mind raced, trying to piece together a motive, a reason— anything that would explain why Hydra would send the Winter Soldier after me, of all people. I thought of every mission, every time I’d crossed paths with them, but nothing added up. I was high up in S.H.I.E.L.D., sure, but I was far from their most dangerous enemy. At least, I thought so.

“We’ll figure it out,” Natasha promised, her eyes meeting mine, fierce and determined. “But first, we get through this. And we stop Bucky before he does something we can’t undo.”

I nodded, steeling myself. I couldn’t afford to think about what might happen if we failed. I had to focus, had to keep fighting, because there was no other option. Not when Bucky was still out there, lost and controlled, a weapon aimed directly at me.

Natasha and I exchanged a glance, and then we moved as one—emerging from cover, weapons blazing. The air was thick with smoke and gunfire, the acrid smell of burning rubber stinging my nose. But I pushed forward, each step driven by the need to protect the people I cared about, to find a way to bring Bucky back from whatever hell he was trapped in.

The battle raged on around us, a whirlwind of gunfire, explosions, and shouting. Tony blasted through Hydra agents, his repulsors sending shockwaves that tore through their ranks. Clint’s arrows flew with pinpoint accuracy, each one taking down an enemy as he moved with effortless grace. Natasha was relentless, her strikes precise and lethal as she fought her way through the chaos.

But Bucky was the eye of the storm, moving with deadly efficiency. He tore through Hydra and Avengers alike, his metal arm swinging with brutal force. Every hit landed with bone-shattering precision, every movement calculated to maim or kill. The Winter Soldier wasn’t just in the fight—he was dominating it.

Tony launched a barrage of energy blasts at Bucky, but Bucky dodged with inhuman reflexes, closing the distance in a matter of seconds. He tackled Tony mid-air, dragging him down to the pavement with a force that cracked the asphalt. Tony hit the ground hard, the impact jarring, but he was up in an instant, firing another repulsor blast that sent Bucky stumbling back.

“Stay down, Tin Man!” Tony growled, taking to the air again, trying to put some distance between them. But Bucky was relentless. He lunged, his metal fist smashing into Tony’s side with a clang that echoed through the highway. Tony’s suit sparked, systems flickering, but he kept fighting, blasting at Bucky with everything he had.

Bucky ducked under Tony’s next attack, moving in close. His metal arm swung up, catching Tony square in the chest. Fingers of steel closed around the arc reactor, the very heart of Tony’s suit. With a vicious twist, Bucky ripped it out, crushing it in his grip. Sparks flew as Tony’s suit shut down, his systems failing with a flicker of dying lights. Tony fell, gasping as the suit collapsed around him, powerless and struggling to breathe.

Natasha rushed in, her movements a blur as she aimed for Bucky’s legs, trying to trip him up. She landed a hit, her boot connecting with the side of his knee, but Bucky barely staggered. He swung his arm, catching her mid-strike, and sent her flying into the wreckage of a nearby car. She hit hard, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Natasha tried to rise, her expression set in determination, but Bucky was already on her. He grabbed her by the throat, lifting her effortlessly before slamming her back down. Natasha gasped, struggling, her hands clawing at his arm, but she couldn’t break free.

Clint loosed an arrow, the projectile striking Bucky’s shoulder with a solid thud. Bucky snarled, releasing Natasha, who crumpled to the ground, clutching her side. Clint fired again, but Bucky deflected it with his metal arm, the arrow splintering against the steel. Bucky moved in, his fist a blur as he knocked Clint’s bow from his hands. Clint ducked under a punch, rolling to the side and grabbing another arrow, but Bucky was faster. His metal arm swung like a sledgehammer, catching Clint across the ribs and sending him crashing into the guardrail. Clint grunted in pain, struggling to get back up, but Bucky was already turning away, his focus shifting.

And then his eyes locked onto me.

A chill ran through me as Bucky turned, his gaze zeroing in like a predator who’d just spotted its prey. I was out of ammo, my guns discarded on the ground, my body aching from the earlier hits. My heart pounded in my chest, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I scrambled backward, my hands searching for anything I could use as a weapon. But all I found were shards of glass and twisted metal, nothing that could stop him.

Bucky advanced, his footsteps slow and deliberate, each one echoing like a drumbeat in my ears. I swung a metal pipe, but he caught it effortlessly, wrenching it from my hands and tossing it aside as if it weighed nothing. I stumbled back, my back hitting the wreckage of a car, nowhere left to run.

“Bucky, please,” I tried, my voice cracking.

He didn’t respond. He was right in front of me now, his expression blank, his eyes cold and empty. There was no sign of the man I knew— only the Winter Soldier, a weapon with one purpose: to eliminate his target.

I swung again, this time with a jagged piece of glass, but he deflected it easily, sending the shards clattering to the ground. His fist slammed into my side, pain exploding in my ribs. I gasped, falling to my knees as the world spun around me. I was exhausted, every part of me screaming to give up, to lie down and let it end.

But I couldn’t. Not with Tony down, Clint barely standing, and Natasha struggling to breathe. I couldn’t let this be the end. Not like this.

I pushed myself up, using the car behind me for support, and faced him. “I know damn well you’re in there somewhere. This is not you, Buck. You need to wake up. Please.”

For a second, Bucky’s arm hesitated, his gaze flickering. But it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by the cold, unyielding stare of the Winter Soldier. He raised his metal arm, poised to strike, ready to finish what he started.

In that moment, everything seemed to slow. I could hear the faint sound of Tony struggling to get his suit back online, Clint’s pained breathing, Natasha’s quiet groan as she tried to push herself up. And Bucky, standing over me, ready to deliver the final blow.

Bucky’s metal arm was raised, ready to deliver the final blow. My heart pounded so violently I thought it might burst from my chest, every instinct screaming at me to survive, but I was cornered, and there was nowhere left to run. I stared up at him, my breath hitching in terror as I crumbled against the wreckage, tears streaming down my face. The Bucky I knew isn’t there anymore. This is it.

“Please, Bucky,” I sobbed, my voice breaking under the weight of my fear. “Please don’t do this. Please! I don’t want to die.”

My words were a desperate, frantic plea, spilling out in a torrent of terror as I shook uncontrollably. His expression was blank, his eyes cold and unfeeling as he loomed over me. I pressed myself further back against the twisted metal, trying to make myself as small as possible, but there was no escaping him. I could barely breathe through the sobs racking my chest, each breath coming in panicked gasps.

“Bucky, I’m begging you!” I cried, my voice cracking. “You don’t have to do this. Please… please, let me live!” The words were tumbling out of me, broken and raw, and I was shaking so hard I could barely get them out. “I’m not your enemy! Bucky, please!”

His arm didn’t falter, his face a mask of cold determination. I squeezed my eyes shut, my entire body wracked with sobs as I screamed, “Please, Bucky!” The second I saw his arm swing down, I looked the other way and screamed, “I love you! I love you!”

The words ripped out of me, raw and desperate, cutting through the chaos. I opened my eyes to see what had happened. Why wasn’t I hit? His arm was stopped, freezing mid-swing. His eyes widened, confusion flickering across his features as if he were suddenly woken from a trance. The soldier’s unyielding stare gave way to something else—something conflicted, like he was struggling to understand.

Bucky stumbled back, his hand flying to his head as if he were trying to claw the commands out of his mind. He groaned, a guttural sound of pain that echoed in my ears. I watched, tears still streaming down my face, as he fought with himself, his body convulsing with the effort to regain control. His breaths were ragged, each one a struggle against the chains of Hydra’s programming.

He let out a tortured scream, the sound filled with agony as he staggered back, his fingers digging into his scalp. His metal arm jerked erratically, twitching as if caught between following orders and breaking free. It was like watching someone try to tear themselves apart from the inside out. My heart ached at the sight, every second a painful reminder of how deeply he was trapped.

“Bucky…” I whispered, my voice trembling as I reached out a hand, but he didn’t hear me. He was lost in the battle within his mind, his body shaking violently as he continued to scream, his face contorted in a mask of pain and fury.

His feet shuffled back further, his back hitting a crumpled car as he slumped down, his hands clutching his head. He pounded his fist against the ground, each hit sending cracks through the pavement, each hit an attempt to silence the war inside his own head. I wanted to reach out, to help him, but I couldn’t move, my own body weakened from the fight and the fear.

As Bucky struggled, I heard the distant sound of heavy footsteps— the unmistakable thud of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents rushing in. My vision blurred, the adrenaline finally wearing off and leaving a dull, throbbing pain in its place. The world around me began to fade, the sounds of Bucky’s anguished cries and the agents shouting orders blending into a muffled haze.

I tried to keep my eyes open, to hold on just a little longer, but my strength was gone. My body slumped, the last of my energy spent as darkness crept in at the edges of my vision. The last thing I saw was Bucky, still fighting against the storm in his mind, and then everything went black.

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[w2beastars]

Waezi2′s thoughts on “Beast Complex” chapter 23.

I wanted to blog about this gem for a while now. "The Wolf and The Dog" is as Paru as it get.

Meet Adamo.

Adamo is a 61 year old dog, a German shepherd to be specific. And he is a notorious stalker. And he is very good at it, but we will get to that in a minute.

Adamo doesn't think that what he does is creepy. He has an excellent nose and is a born tracker since that's what his family has been bred to be. Yes, even in Beastverse, dogs are a result of selective breeding.

His stalking is not of nefarious reasons as such, he is just obsessed with following animals his nose gets the attention of and learn everything about them for no reason than the satisfaction of the hunt.

But one day, the nose of this old dog catch a very special scent.

On his way home, Adamo notice a female wolf in his train who carries a massive bouquet of flowers with strong pleasant scents. As if she is hiding something. That's something a herbivore would normally do, so this catches Adamo's attention right away. He starts sniffing and learns surprisingly much about her, like that she can't be more than twenty and that she must work in an office filled with females as he can't notice any male scents. And she uses so much makeup and soap, anything to dim her own smell.

In his own mind, Adamo sees himself "painting" the female wolf and he now stalks her to learn everything about her.

Adamo gets sloppy for a second and gets noticed by the wolf. But she apparently doesn't realize he is stalking her, so she just smiles at him and goes on about her business... or her smile is a warning... or perhaps an invitation?

Adamo realize he is much more fixated about this wolf than any other of his targets, spending a month following her around.

It even seems like the old dog starts to have a strong affection towards the female wolf who BTW is named Fasa(appropriate name for her, look it up after reading this blog). She seems like a model citizen, early to bed, early to work and always nice to the elderly.

But in a Paru manga, that's often a red flag.

Adamu gets a closer look at her apartment...

... Damn.

Sure, there are plenty of predators in the Beastverse, but Fasa is an organized one, having chopped up her victim, keeping the different parts in bags in her fridge and eating brain and eyeballs, not wasting anything.

Adamo is shocked by what the female he has a creepy crush on has done and, without thinking, yells something he have not said in a long time:

Yep, Adamo is a retired police detective. No wonder he is such an effective stalker. And seeing someone committing a predator crime wakes up the old cop.

Fasa is however not intimidated by the old fart, she knew she was being watched, she just got sloppy and forgot to close her curtains. She smiles at Adamo when he says he used to be a police officer, recognizing a fellow canine who is a slave to their instincts. Fasa is a slave to her hunting instincts while Adamo is very much a dog, having only joined the police because he is good at tracking and at following orders. And now that he is retired, he keeps tracking other animals because he doesn't know what else to do.

Fasa then embrace Adamo, making the dog terrified as he has no idea if he is gonna end up in the wolf's fridge as well or if she is hugging him since they are "the same".

But then the actual cops comes.

Fasa is surprisingly calm about being arrested, not resisting at all. Feeling guilt about his unhealthy hobby, possibly because he was just reminded that he used to be a cop who arrested creeps like himself, Adamo is about to confess to the police officers that he is a stalker, but Fasa interrupts him.

Fasa claims that Adamo is in her apartment because she had kidnapped him and was about to eat him as well, then whispers to him that they are not similar at all.

... Makes you wonder if that is suppose to be assuring as his stalking is nowhere near as bad a crime as what she has done... or if it is degrading as he as a dog is a pale shadow of what a wolf is.

Either way, she smiles as she tells him to take care of himself, and the manga then ends with a perfect panel:

Adamo stands between the strong-smelling flowers Fasa used to hide the scent of the blood of her victim/victims, like she is covering up for his crime of stalking. The symbolism is chef-kiss worthy!

This is most likely in the top five of the best chapter of Beast Complex. Its a bittersweet tale and it is kinda funny how Fasa manage to appear more noble than Adamo... or at least have more dignity.

That's all for now. I'm Waezi2, and thanks for wasting time with me.

[bellascarousel]

I read a comment on a review of the Wicked movie. Dude was ranting in this comment about how ridiculous it was that they made the Wicked Witch of the West merely misunderstood rather than evil, and turned the Wizard into the villain. I originally wanted to reply to the comment that it's basically social commentary about the power of propaganda, but didn't want to set up an account to be able to comment. And then I thought about it a bit. And, well...

Hot take, but even without the recontextualization from Wicked, Glinda and the Wizard weren't actually good people in the original book and movie, either.

Glinda comes along, puts those shoes on Dorothy - thus painting a giant target on the girl's back - and then sends her to spend days walking alone to get to the Emerald City. Knowing full well that now that she had those shoes, the Wicked Witch of the West was going to be after her. All while apparently already having the means to send her home? If those shoes could have done it from the start, why the fuck didn't you just tell her that from the beginning? She sent this twelve year old girl off to possibly be murdered by a witch for absolutely no good reason.

And that's without getting into whether she knew either that the Wizard had no real power and/or what his price would be for helping her. If she knew he had no real power? Then she sent this literal child on this dangerous journey knowing that nothing would actually come of it. If she knew what his price would be? Then, either Dorothy would be killed, or she would be TRAUMATIZED FOR LIFE by being turned into a murderer, herself. And we won't even get into if she knew both.

To be honest, by making the Wicked Witch actually not so wicked and just misunderstood and the victim of propaganda, it softens GLINDA up, too. Because we can now give her the benefit of the doubt that maybe she was trusting Elphaba to not actually hurt Dorothy. And maybe hoping that Dorothy could do what she was too much of a coward to do and expose the Wizard for what he was.

And then there's the Wizard. He knew damn well that he couldn't help this girl. And rather than admit that, he tells her that he'll only help her if she kills the Wicked Witch of the West. So, again, he sends this twelve year old girl off knowing full well that either she will die, or she will do what he asked and get nothing out of it. Honestly? Hard not to assume he was HOPING she wouldn't be back. He literally sent this literal child off to be murdered because better she die than he be exposed as a fraud.

Maybe Wicked didn't actually turn the Wizard into the villain of the story at all. If all it took to turn him into the villain of the story was his part in turning Elphaba into the Wicked Witch of the West, maybe he was ALWAYS one of the villains in Dorothy's story to begin with.

[bibibbon]

I'm really curious if people in the bnha subreddit know the meaning of character development when they say Bakugou changes and has better character development. Whenever I hear this sentence I'm like where tf is the change & development. He is the same guy he was from chapter 1. The only difference I've seen is he shouts less but that's it.

His apology to izuku was shit, his whole talk right after the apology about izuku's chosen path and ideals and how he was asking izuku to rely on him and shitty 1A was pure BS. The 2nd war proved how pathetic Bakugou and 1A were against AFO and my boi Shiggyband it also proved that Izuku was right to go vigilante and his reasons for doing it alone were right.

Also leading 1A's confrontation against Izuku, he never once took accountability for Izuku's mental state. Instead he blamed it on the one person who supported and was actually a positive influence to Izuku. He never opened up to anyone about how he abused and suicide baited Izuku.

He was being a prick to Fuyumi in the endeavour agency arc. Treated his team as lackeys and underlings in the JT arc. Bitched about how he wasn't included in the OFA meeting and disrespected the previous OFA holders. It was irritating that All might didn't tell him to get out for disrespecting Nana. Anyone other than Bakugou would've been a better sparring partner for Izuku during his blackwhip training.

Took izuku out and used him as his punching bag while gaslighting him for not revealing about OFA. Also why and how was he an inspiration to 1A when he didn't do shit for them. It should have only been Izuku.

Goes after the villains and gets himself captured even though he knew he was a prime target for LOV.

And why was he targeted by LOV? Thanks to his overall behaviour and track record from the sports festival fights with Uraraka and Shoto.

Even after knowing shoto's trauma, he still was being a POS to him.

They said he respected Uraraka in the sports festival but before the fight he told her to give up, looked down on her and never saw her as a threat. He was unnecessarily dragging the fight instead of ending it and used excess force in his explosion when it wasn't necessary considering it was just a sport and not a life or death battle. He later says "time to get serious" which means he never took her seriously which debunks Aizawa's claims and validates the audience's criticism of him. Even after the fight he still went and asked izuku if izuku had given a plan to her. This means he never thought Uraraka was capable of devising a strategy. So where was the respect in all this.

The subreddit always said he started to develop after the USJ arc but all the above arcs happened after USJ and none of them showed that he developed.

Hori literally bends the narrative to favour his pet and the bnha subreddit says "hurray character development", "he changed".

People actually claim that bakugo somehow started changing after the usj arc?!?! Really!!!

I personally don't think bakugo's character has had that big of a change at best I can say that he shouts a bit less but other than that there isn't much. The only reason that people think bakugo has changed is because the narrative tries to frame it that way and whenever bakugo does something that's outright wrong like punching Izuku it's painted as "oh that's just bakugo" or it's made into a gag that we are supposed to dismiss or laugh at.

In my opinion it's not just MHA subbredit that believes in bakugo's "amazing" redemption and arc but it's a good chunk of the MHA fandom in general. Heck I remember coming across a post that showed how bakugo changed and @sapphic-agent debunked the post (Iam glad she did and she done it really well)

If bakugo were to properly be developed than a good chunk of his arc should be to develop out of his rivalry or his need for one.

[klausysworld]

Hey hope you’re days going well, I just wanted to make a request that I thought abt last night. I wanted to ask if you could do smt where the reader is sleeping in the next room and she woke up from a nightmare all freaked out so she sliped beside klaus and he was telling her that she was safe and that she is a good girl, just smt all sweet and safe but maybe if you can fit it in a little smut to calm reader down 😮‍💨

Let me protect you

I woke with a gasp as the rush of adrenaline shook me out of my nightmare. My heart raced and my skin felt burning hot as I sat up and pushed the covers off me. I took ragged breathes as tears fell down my face.

Hesitantly I got out of bed, my legs felt weak and shaky as I stood and I went straight for the light switch. I wiped my eyes and cheeks as I looked around to make sure I was alone and my dream was just a dream.

I crawled back into bed and sat down for a moment before pulling my knees to my chest and covering my mouth with my hands.

The nightmares had been here every night since the incident. Turns out life with the Mikaelsons isn’t that great. Id come with Hayley to New Orleans when she thought she’d found her pack and ended up getting close with Klaus, Rebekah and Elijah. Unfortunately that came with a target over my head and resulted in a kidnapping.

I had assured everyone that I was fine and I’d rather just move on from it and so everyone agreed to drop it. Everyone except Klaus. He had tried to talk to me about it a few times since but I brushed him off which ended up making him feel bad and distance himself from me.

I felt bad for pushing him away, it wasn’t his fault it happened and I knew he blamed himself but I didn’t want to tell him what had happened while I was taken, I wasn’t ready. But that didn’t stop the memories from haunting my mind.

And as much as I didn’t want to go make a fuss about it, at the same time I just needed someone to hold me or tell me it was okay.

Hayley was at the bayou for the night and so Klaus was the next person I would go to. Even though we weren’t talking as much recently, I knew if I went to him, he would never turn me away.

So I went to his door and knocked lightly but he didn’t answer. I felt like a nervous child going to their mothers room to wake them up.

Which much reluctance, I opened his door and looked inside. The duvet only went up to his waist exposing his bare upper body. His eyes were closed and his lips were parted as he breathed slowly.

I quietly shut the door behind me and made my way to his bed. I faltered in my step when the floor creaked and I thought I’d woken him but he didn’t move so I lifted the covers and got in beside him.

I silently tried to lay down without rustling the covers. I turned to lay on my side and face the opposite direction to him as I put my head on one of his pillows.

My legs curled up so I lay in the fetal position. I let out a sigh as I stared at the painting that hung on the wall in-front of me.

It felt like I laid there for hours before Klaus’s body rolled over and his arm went around me. I stiffened at the feeling and slowly turned my head to see if he was awake but he was still out.

I managed to turn in his hold as he pulled me closer. I could feel my face getting hotter as I was held against his chest. Hesitantly, I nuzzled a little closer and allowed myself to take comfort in his touch.

Several moments later I heard him mumble something before his hand pet my hair lightly and he shifted to sit up slightly.

“Y/n?” He rasped sleepily as he cupped my face to have me look up at him. I could just about make out his face in the darkness and nodded. “Love? How long have you been in here?” He asked with a yawn. He pushed himself up against the headboard and kept me tucked to his side

“I don’t know…not too long” I whispered and he furrowed his brows a little. “I had a bad dream is all and well I knocked but you were asleep…but I can go back to my room”

I went to get up but he pulled me straight back to him and tightened his arm around me so I couldn’t leave. “Nonsense sweetheart” he mumbled “stay” he whispered and I wasn’t in much of position to argue, physically or emotionally. I nodded and lay relax against him again as his hands held me close. “What was your dream about?” He asked softly and I frowned with a shrug

“Don’t remember” I whispered and he hummed. He moved about a bit before pulling me onto his lap and kissed the side of my head.

“You can sleep here for the night” he murmured softly as his hand rubbed up and down my arm gently. I pressed my cheek to her chest, my eyes fluttering at the warmth that radiated off his skin.

“Thank you” I uttered as his hold on me tightened.

We laid there for a small while, I must’ve fallen asleep for a moment because before I knew it I was back in that room and screaming for someone to come save me. It wasn’t long until Klaus was there, right in that room and trying to tell me to calm down. It didn’t make sense that he was there, he didn’t turn up the last time. I didn’t realise it was a dream until I woke up with Klaus’s hands pinning me to the bed as I kicked at him aggressively and tears covered my face.

I froze when I realised it was Klaus who I was fighting and turned my head to look around in confusion.

His grip on me loosened and his thumb swiped the tears away from under my eyes. I went to push myself up but he presses a hand to my chest to keep me down. “It’s okay love” he whispered, “you’re okay now”.

I sniffed a bit and rubbed my eye “I’m sorry” I told him quietly

“Don’t be sorry sweetheart, it’s my fault they took you” he argued

“I don’t blame you” I whispered. The back of his fingers grazed my cheek and his lips pressed to my forehead.

“Then you’re a fool” he muttered and I smiled a little. He laid back down beside me and pulled me back to his chest “I should have saved you” he confessed. I’m all honesty it was him that I had been yelling for to save me, I was obviously still more than happy that Hayley and Elijah had come and got me but I had wanted him. That might not have been fair to him, he was probably really busy fighting for his own life but at the time I had been upset. Obviously I realised now how ridiculous it was to be mad at him for something so silly but I couldn’t find it in me to argue with him that he should’ve been the one.

I swiped my palm over my cheek and moved my arm over his chest. His arms slipped around me and pulled me on top of him completely. “You were so strong that night” he whispered “I’m so proud of you…and I know you’ve wanted to keep being strong by keeping it all to yourself but I don’t want you to pretend. I want to protect you now…just let me take care of you” he murmured and I nodded reluctantly. I relaxed against him and sighed softly.

I should’ve let him help me earlier.

But I suppose late is better than never so now was just as good a time as any.

I let my eyes close as his fingers played into my hair. My heart fluttered when his lips brushed over the shell of my ear and he whispered the words “good girl” to me before kissing my temple.

I nuzzled up into the crook of his neck as he began to rub along my back leisurely. Warmth left me as the duvet was pulled down to my hips but I didn’t complain, it was too hot anyways. My body stiffened momentary as his hands slid up under my top against my bare skin to my upper back. He hugged me closer than possible, my chest was squished to his and I felt his legs shift so they were tangled with mine. I let out a breath once his touch slid back down to the bottom of my back, his hands choosing to squeeze my hips lightly.

I felt his lips press to the top of my head as the pads of his fingers wondered the length of my body. “I’ll take care of you” he whispered quietly. I kept almost silent and still, my body reacting on its own as he continued to draw swirls and patterns up and down my skin.

With each breath I took, the more of him I seemed to feed on. His scent and warmth and touch and softly spoken praises. My stomach fluttered when his fingertips moved down past my back to my arse. I was only in panties and a t-shirt while he was only in his boxers so there wasn’t much between us as he began to feel the waistband of my underwear.

He kissed along my hair and then my forehead, I pushed myself up on my forearms so his kisses could continue down my face. His lips touched everywhere but my own, instead our foreheads rest together and his nose brush mine as my heart rate increased and his hands moved under my panties to squeeze at my arse gently. We both let out a hot breath as he did so and I could sense the smirk tugging at his lips as he repeated the action.

“Such a good girl” he murmured, his mouth just brushing mine teasingly with each word. I could feel a certain heat begin to pool inside me, my body began to grow needier as his hands borderline massaged my arse until I let out a soft moan and moved my hips to brush myself against one of his thighs.

He hummed before allowing our lips to touch, just lightly to begin with before they were moving together in perfect sink. He pulled me further up his body, pulling my legs over him to straddle his hips to give me a little more control as I kissed him back. His tongue brushed my lower lip to part it from the top one to deepen the moment. I make a noise of surprise when a ‘snap’ sounded through the room and I felt my panties slid away from my body.

I pulled back and he let me to see the item in his hand that wasn’t cupping my arse. He lifted them to see the glistening wet patch that had spread across the material making my face flush red and my skin to burn hot.

Neither of us spoke a word before he brought them to his mouth slowly and let his tongue taste the warmth. I could feel my body tingle at the action and my eyes widened slightly as his eyes rolled back into his head and closed. I swallowed down the saliva that was flooding my mouth as he put the panties on his bedside table and cupped the back of my head to pull me back down and let our lips press together again. I went to pull away as his tongue met mine but he kept me there, having me taste myself on him as his other hand began to encourage my body to rub against his.

His mouth left mine, only to travel along my jaw and down my neck as he shifted me to sit directly on his clothed dick, I could feel my body getting wetter, hotter and more nervous as I ground against him and his hands gave gentle pats to my arse to keep me going.

“Let me love you” he whispered and my heart squeezed in my chest. We had both known that the other cared for each other deeply but neither of us never said a word about it out loud, until now. “Tonight, tomorrow, and every day after that” he murmured into my ear before kissing just below it and lifting me up by my thighs so I couldn’t grind against him anymore.

He looked to my eyes, a soft yet seriousness to his gaze making me nod “every day, forever” I confirmed and he nodded.

“Good girl” he whispered and before I could blink he was completely nude and I was placed on-top his cock, my pussy pulsing as he moved his hips to slide himself against my folds. My breathing got laboured as his tip knocked against and around my clit. His hands kept a good grip on my waist to control both our movements. I glanced to his face but his eyes were trained on where our bodies met as his teeth bit down on his own tongue and his tip slipped inside me.

My breathing grew shallower as he pushed me down via his hold on my waist until he was halfway in. I let out a whimper as my body adjusted to fit him and he groaned softly. “Tight” he mumbled to himself before his eyes found mine and he smiled lazily before kissing my lips gently before pushed me further down until he had bottomed out completely.

My brows scrunch together in pain as I stretched around him while his head dropped back against his pillow with a loud groan. His arms moved around my waist and he pulled me tight against him, our bodies pressing together. My upper body was still clad in a slightly too big shirt as he lay completely bare beneath me.

I laid my cheek against his upper chest and let my eyes shut, my hands smoothed up his arms to his shoulders. I could feel his touch slide back up my back until his fingers were in my hair and an arm was round my waist. A soft moan left my mouth as hips began to rock gently. His breathing shallowed as he continued to move within me slowly. His hand gripped my hair as I rubbed my fingertips against his shoulders.

“You feel so soft” he whispered making my cheeks heat up. I could feel myself squeezing his cock as he moved a little bit faster. “So warm” he mumbled before releasing a puff of air. His lips pressed to my head and down to my ear, “so wet” he breathed down my spine. Another soft moan left my lips in response and I began to help slide myself along his length to match his movements.

My breathing quickened, my knees digging into his sides as he sped up our pace. His hand form my hair moved to cup my jaw, lifting my face closer to connect our lips. He hummed against me sending a buzz through my body as he sped up again.

The kisses were soft and loving, both of us keeping as quiet as we could despite a few moans, groans or whimpers between heavy breaths. Mostly so we wouldn’t wake the whole house and also because we were both still tired and our bodies were ready to sleep.

That was until the intense pleasure became much more apparent as his tip rubbed over a sensitive spot inside me. A needier moan bubbled through me at the sensation and I pushed our lips together a little harder.

His arms wrapped around my waist before we were rolled over so he was on top. His hips moved to mine considerably faster as his mouth seemed hungrier.

A hand moved from my waist and brushed over my thigh encourages me to open them a little wider. I let out as gasp and my hands pushed at his shoulders gently to pull my lips away from his as I felt his thumb press to my clit. “Klaus” I whined as my walls clamped around him and he groaned.

His other hand tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear as his breathing turned to panting as his hips stuttered every so many thrusts.

I whispered softly as his thumb rubbed against me and his cock began to release hot spurts inside me. My thighs opened as wide as I could manage as he pushed me over the edge, his hand covered my mouth as I came and his movements slowed. His eyes fluttering as he pulled himself out of me and dropped to lay beside me. His hand left my face and I was pulled right back against him for his lips to press to mine again.

My breathing calmed and I kissed back gently before he pulled back away and his hands smoothed over my hair. Both our faces formed smiles as he kept me to his side. “I’ll bring you to the bathroom and we can clean you up, then we can try getting you to sleep again, okay my love?” He whispered while pulling me onto his lap and moving us to the end of the bed. His arms moved, one under my legs and one round my midsection as he lifted me and walked us to the bathroom.

He sat me on the toilet seat and told me to wait. He disappeared for just a second before returning in clean boxers with one another pair in his hands and one of his tops. He pulled the one I was wearing off, and his gaze landed on my chest for a short while before he cleared his throat and pulled the top over my head, I slid my arms through and basked in his scent. My lips kept pulling up as he got down onto his knees with a warm cloth to wipe me clean. Very few words needed to be spoken as he did so, both of us just feeling comfortable enough to continue in the quiet.

A yawn forced its way out of me while he pulled a pair of his boxers up my legs to my hips. Before I knew it, I was back in his hold and brought back to his bed. He dropped me down making me breath a soft laugh before he was on-top of me and pulling the duvet over us both. My mouth opened to speak but his lips stopped any words from leaving. From there he planted kisses right the way round my face before snuggling closer and pulling my face to his neck.

“You should try sleep now my lovely…I promise I won’t let any bad dreams or memories get you” he promises and I nod with a small smile

“I don’t think I could have any bad thoughts after that” I whispered and he hummed

“I should hope not” he murmured with a growing smile “but just incase, I’ll be here every night”

“Oh? Every night? Do I get a relaxation session each night as well?” I giggled and he chuckled

“I will show you my love every night, every morning, every afternoon and every moment in between that I can have my hands on you” he whispered and I kissed him briefly.

“I’ll stick around then” I mumbled and he squeezed me tight

“I’ll be waiting”

[have-you-seen-my-sanity]

Short Temper

Dark!Poe Dameron x Fem!pilotReader

Dead dove do not eat - you'll get exactly what's in the tags!

Tags: Leia being such a sweetheart to reader, 18+!!, punishment, Poe being kind of possessive, p in v, blowjob, deep throating, overstimulation, dark Poe, Black Squadron members being silly lol.

Today was a rather stressful day at the Resistance, a pilot in Black Squadron was sick and you had to jump in and take his spot for a training simulation. But today, everyone knew Commander Poe Dameron had bad mood, he couldn't sleep the last night due to a Generator near his quarters kept beeping.

You just finished up preparing your X-Wing as General Leia Organa came up to you along with C-3PO by her side.

"Hey," she gave you a warm smile, "I saw how nervous you looked earlier when you had to jump in for today. Don't be, Black Squadron has the nicest pilots I've ever worked with." Leia placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, giving you a reassuring squeeze.

"I know. Well, except Poe today." you laughed making Leia chuckle

"Yeah, except him. But please keep an eye on him, I don't want the whole base being moodier than him."

"Where are you going?" you asked curiously.

"I and C-3PO are going to Coruscant for a meeting. And until then, Poe will be in command until I'm back."

"Alright. But please be back as soon as possible, we don't want Poe to lose his shit." you chuckled.

"I promise I will. Take care." she gave you a pat on the shoulder and another warm smile, turning around and leaving for her meeting.

-

Soon enough, all pilots of Black Squadron gathered at the hangar, they all welcomed you, immediately cracking jokes with you and sharing laughter.

After a while one member spoke up, "Well, here he comes, Commander bad mood himself."

You had to suppress a laughter and went to your X-Wing. Then Poe approached you,

"Hi there, jumper. Got everything prepared?"

"Yes, sir." you nodded.

"Good. All you have to do is to follow my lead and don't do anything stupid." with that Poe walked to his X-Wing and climbed in.

----------------------------------------------------

The training simulation went well for the most part, but at one point you pulled off a stunt inside a nearby asteroid field to destroy the target. You chased the target through the field, doing some really close manouvers but at the end you successfully destroyed the last target while Poe was barking at you over the comm to get back and not risk your life for a dummy target. But you got sick and cut off your comm.

Now Black Squadron was back at the hangar, you changed into your mechanic uniform to re-new some paint on your X-Wing. Soon everyone else got out of their X-Wings and up to you. You thought they all would scold you but instead they laughed,

"Damn, you pulled off quite the show! Ha!"

"I wish we could have seen Poe's face when you've made it out of there alive."

"Poe did not like that at all!"

"I bet if you pull off more stunts like that, you could be even better than Poe!" Another one laughed.

"Oh oh... Poe's coming." one pointed at the black X-Wing that has just entered the hangar and landed.

All the other members of Black Squadron quickly pissed off to avoid Poe's temper but you decided to stay to prevent further provocation.

Poe removed his helmet and climbed out of his cockpit, immediately walking towards you. As you saw him coming closer, you took a deep breath and prepared mentally for the scolding you're about to get.

"What the hell was that?!" Poe barked, his tone was authoritive and demanding answers.

"Poe- I'm sorry, I-" Poe cut you off,

"You risked your life for a fucking training target, pulling off dangerous stunts inside an asteroid field!" Poe left no room for arguments.

"I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" You pleaded but he sighed in annoyance and shook his head.

"Sorry won't cut it." he responded sternly.

"What do you mean, Dameron?"

"Oh, you'll see. Come with me."

You stood there confused and Poe raised an eyebrow, "Don't make me repeat myself. Come with me now." he ordered almost coldly.

You did as he asked and followed him. He lead you into an empty supply room with a table and some chairs inside. He turned on the lights and motioned for you to enter first. After stepping inside, Poe typed something on the console beside the door and it turned red, signalizing the door is locked.

"Uhm, Poe? What are you doing?" you asked slowly and carefully.

He turned around to face you, "I'm going to teach you a lesson. A lesson to never risk your life for some stupid stunts." he walked towards you and pulled out a chair from the table and sat down.

"Get on your knees." he ordered.

"On my knees?" you asked confused.

"Do it." he growled.

You hesistated but slowly getting down on your knees. You slowly realized how Poe wanted to punish you.

Poe slowly unzipped his orange flight suit, "You know, I had a really bad fucking night. And your disobedience was the last drop."

He reached inside and pulled out his already hard cock, giving it a few strokes.

"Suck it." He ordered, tilting his head to the side slightly as if daring you to disobey.

Slowly, you leaned in, his other hand coming up behind you and grabbed the back of your neck. His hand was hot against your cold skin, it almost made you afraid of Poe.

You gave his cockhead a few licks, looking up at him and saw the desire in his eyes. A desire to grab your head and fuck your throat so hard it will be sore the next day. But he wanted you to do everything.

"Go ahead." His hand on the back of your neck gave you a warning squeeze.

You leaned in and took his girth in your mouth as far as you could. He was so big you couldn't fit him all the way. Poe groaned deeply and you looked up to see his eyes fluttered close and his head thrown back.

"Fuck, keep going." he looked back down at you and licked his lips hungrily.

-

You kept sucking him, the only sounds filling the small room were the wet sounds and Poe's groaning.

"You're so good at this." He praised and moved his hand upwards to tangle into your hair.

-

"I'm gonna cum. You better swallow every drop or else you will suck my cock again and again until your stomach is full of my cum."

Poe warned as his breath got ragged and he suddenly plunged his cock all the way down your throat, making you gag as he came down your throat.

He released you and you got back up, turning around and ready to leave.

"Where do you think you're going? I didn't say we are finished here. I'm not done with you yet. Come back here."

Poe stood up and walked towards you.

"But you just came." you protested and he chuckled,

"And? Did I say you could leave? We're not finished. Not by a long shot, sweetheart."

Poe grabbed you and pushed you against the wall face first.

"This is a lesson in obedience after all." he leaned close and unfastened your uniform pants, pulling them down along with your panties.

"You know, maybe I will keep you in my squadron. See how you will be become my good little girl and follow your Commander's orders like you should."

he reached out and stroked your clit rythmically, the pace increasing stroke after stroke.

Your moans filled the room and Poe soon pushed two fingers inside you after you were dripping onto the ground beneath you.

-

"Yes, keep moaning, let the whole base hear how much of a good girl you are for me." He incouraged, your breath getting ragged as you felt your orgasm approach.

Poe felt your cunt clench around his fingers, but his pace only slowed down momentarilly as you came down from the orgasm.

He kept pumping his fingers in and out of you, slowly. Your poor pussy was overstimulated, you couldn't take anymore and Poe suddenly removed his fingers.

"Now I think you're wet enough."

Poe was already stroking his once again hard cock.

"What do you mea--" you got cut of by the sudden intrusion of his big cock into your overstimulated entrance.

Poe leaned in close, "Ohhhh, your pussy isn't going to be spared from my cock." he drawled out and leaned down towards your neck, kissing and sucking on the skin. Then he suddenly bit down.

You gasped, and squeezed him in response which made him groan.

"Fuck, you're so tight, honey." his thrusts were slow at first, but he quickly increased the pace as he heard your moans and whimpers getting more needily.

-

His grip on your hips got tighter and his thrusts harder and faster.

You felt your second orgasm build up, making you arch your back into him and your moans getting louder.

"I knew you would love my cock, baby. But Don't worry, you will get more of me."

Poe felt himself getting close again too, and soon enough he buried his whole girth inside you and came hard. He buried his face into the crook of your neck as his breath slowly returned to normal. He pulled out and handed you some tissue to clean yourself up. Poe cleaned himself up too and put himself back into his boxers.

Poe turned his attention back to you, watching as you pulled your panties and pants back up.

"You better listen to me from now on and do what I say. Because if not, then this will be a common thing." He waited for your answer.

"Yes." You nodded weakly.

"Good." With a satisfied nod, Poe unlocked the door and stepped out, leaving you there overstimulated but satisfied.