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#'How would you crawl out of an engine' you ask. Imagine I made myself very jagged in shape.
sawbf · 10 months
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Anon the last good picture I took of myself/my hair was like a month ago and right now I look like I crawled out of an 18 wheeler engine. Maybe later for better poll context, when I've showered
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storm-breaker7 · 2 years
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// Missing something \\
Pairing: Cliffjumper x Reader
Summery: Your mourning the death of Cliffjumper and the newly found kids aren't making things easier. And just to note, don't go out on angry drives, you get kidnapped.
Warnings: Angst & Blood (tell me if I missed something)
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// ∆ \\
I walked up to Cliffjumper with a chipper smile. "How's everything goin'?" I had asked.
"Well if you were to ask Ratchet I'm sure he would say somethin' different." Cliff replied with, I practically knew what Ratchet was about to say. I can't forget this day.. now I nearly know it off by heart.
"Cliffjumper- Do I have to say this for the third time today. Painting my tools bright. neon. pink. Is definitely your fault." Ratchet grumbled from his place by the monitors.
I sighed happily, If only I knew... That it was my last happy day of my life. I zoned back into the real harsh world with tears streaming down my face. I sobbed quietly in some part of the base I don't know.
"I should have spent my last moments with him better-" I choked out between sobs, "Or at least told him how I- felt... But no-" I broke out in tears again knowing that because I was too chicken I'll never be able to tell him now.
I heard some talking, some voices I hadn't recognised. I pulled myself together trying to look like I hadn't just balled my eyes out for the last hour, before trying to find my way back to the main part of the base.
"Who owns the sweet ride here?" I heard a young naive girls voice call, what the hell have the bots done now...
I stomped out of the hall, a storm cloud practically sitting above me. Now I had a bit of a resemblance to Ratchets mood. "Don't touch it, sparkles." I sneered at the child, I pulled the door open of my '69 Impala got in and slammed the door closed.
Poor Baby, I don't like slamming her doors 'cause she's fragile but at the moment I don't think I was in the mood for a lecture. Just as I was about to turn the key and stay her I heard, "What crawled up her tailpipe and died.."
I slammed my hand on the steering wheel and got back out of the car, leaving the driver's door open and storming over to the kid. "Let me make this crystal clear, kid" I growled gabbing my finger in her chest, "I am not in the m-"
"Y/n, I don't believe it is wise to take your anger out on children" Prime intervened,
"Fine!" I glared at the kid again before walking back over to my car, "I'm going, for a long drive. Don't be surprised if I don't come back."
And with that the Impala roared alive, I yanked the poor girl into a U-turn and left with the almighty howl of baby's engine slowly dying out as I got further and further from the base.
/∆\ Pov change rq /∆\
"What'd I do?" Miko, the girl that had only meant her words as a joke looked around, completely baffled.
"She's in denial..." Arcee said slowly, knowing very well what you went through, but you had a larger scar from this that was still healing. Because unlike you, Arcee was more used to death of friends, much to her distaste.
"Of what..?" The short brown haired boy asked, Raf looked around for answers. Ratchet grimaced and looked away trying to put his mind back to work. Arcee slumped down, bowing her head with sorrow written all over her features. Bulkhead closed his eyes and mumbled something, Prime only looked down at the floor with great sorrow. Bee wurred sadly and Raf noodles solemnly.
"What did someone die?" Miko interjected, Everyone squeezed their optics shut, trying to imagine she didn't just say that. If Y/n hadn't left miko would be dead already.
"Yea, actually..." Arcee mumbled softly, the air around them all was so tense and thick it made all the bots feel as if they were suffocating.
"oh.." Miko dragged her words out looking to where your Impala had only left a minute ago, "I really realise why she almost exploded now..."
...
"Your not making this better." Arcee pointed out after the silence had dragged out long enough.
/∆\ Back to youuuu /∆\
I lightly but angrily tapped the steering wheel focusing too hard on the deserted road in front of baby.
I couldn't drive to my house... well, because I didn't have one, I live in base. Thats the courtesy of the decepticons. I smiled sadly, it's when I met Cliffjumper too. Happy times.
Way better than now, If those children would have came maybe a month earlier I would have welcomed them with open arms but now im just a lifeless husk of my old self... what a great person I turned out to be.
I pushed harder on the accelerator, but backed off when I saw a car on the horizon. I thought nothing of it and continued to focus some random flashy red sports car didn't bother me.
Wait- A flashy red sports car! Knockout! I thought to myself. I yanked back on the hand brake and yanked the steering wheel left, doing a hard U-turn. Baby roared when I slammed the hand brake back down and I put the pedal to the metal.
I leaned down and tried to grab my phone that went flying into the passenger side footwell. I felt it and pulled myself back up, my eyes hadn't moved from the road as I continued to multi-task. I flipped open my phone and quickly speed dialed the base.
"What did you do now Y/n?" Ratchet asked over the phone, he sounded conflicted like he was working on something and his mind wasn't actually paying any attention to this.
"Well I don't know, Tryna go for a nice drive and blow off some steam, but that was until a flashy red sports car decided to tail me!" I grumbled at the phone, I looked quickly into the rear-view mirror and noticed K.O was closer than I would have liked.
"so a ground bridge?" Ratchet asked,
"No I want a cup of tea to share with Knockout. What do you think!!" I yelled over the phone, trying to convey my message as lightly as I could, and this is putting it lightly... yea the perks of having a short temper and road rage... whoohoo.
"My audio receptors.." Ratchet mumbled,
"I don't have time for your old gears to catch up ratchet! I need a damn ground bridge! I'm going to become Decepticon chow if you can't get your head outta whatever you doing." I desperately told the phone as I continued to flick my eyes up to the rear-view mirror and the road in front of me.
I glanced down at baby's ol' gadge, We still could go a tad faster... I just need to get him off my tail... I growled curse words then proceeded to push my foot further, much to Baby's disagreement as the car spluttered for a second before catching up. Slowly I gave myself a small gap of opportunity, "Ratchet dont open a ground bridge yet, Listen very carefully." I started, He hummed sharply showing that he was listening.
"I want you to open the ground bridge and the end of this road I'm going down on my mark, and close it just before I make it in, so K.O cant follow... for safety measures..?" I explained.
"Alright. On your mark." Ratchet said, I heard some shuffling on his end but pushed it off to the not important at the moment box in my mind.
I squinted my eyes at the horizon, seeing my target. I glanced back up at the rear-view mirror once more. I had made a gap that was about a yard, that will do fine. When I glanced back at the road in front of me then to the left, my eyes widened. Well fuck.
A blue hummer-like car was off the road to my left then slammed into Baby, flipping the car. I was yanked around I heard some frantic voices but couldn't make them out with all the slamming I heard.
I don't think Baby is looking to good...
I unclipped my seat belt but when I hit the floor I noticed to large red pedes next to another blue pair. This is going from bad to worse. "Oi, shut up." I whisper yelled at my phone grabbing it quickly and pushed it in my back jean pockets. They must have listen because I couldn't hear their frantic calls now.
I was reaching for a peace of glass from the now shattered windscreen all over the roof... or rather floor... and only just grabbed it before a clawed hand grabbed my leg, I hissed in pain but quickly slipped it into a small coin pocket in the jeans.
I was lifted into the air and was dangling upside down. K.O shook his hand a bit and it made my vision go weird and my gut wants to come up and out of my mouth, not a nice feeling. "Why does Starscream even want this revolting flesh bag anyway?"
"Don't know, we best get out of here before the Autobots turn up" I groaned when knockout threw me in the air and grabbed me again in his palm. I looked back at baby....
"It'll Buff out..." I mumbled to myself, Next thing I know I see the light of a ground bridge right behind Baby, couldn't they have gotten closer, I thought to myself as I started to see black dots and my head hurled with every move Knockout made to get into their own ground bridge.
I was thrown into K.Os passenger seat just as I went to call for them. So much so a drive, I don't think me or baby is ganna make it outta this one..
Then Bam nose to the dash and out I go, something must have hit K.O because I went hurling forward and knocked myself out. Smart.
// ∆ \\
Maybe an hour later or a day, how could I know, I cracked my eyes open only to see the ground far far below in a dark creepy room. I squeezed my eyes closed trying to get my fear to calm down.
I cracked my eyes open again but I didn't look down in fear that if I do, I might fall. I glanced around, swallowing hard. I'm definitely not cut out for this sh-. My thoughts started but a loud hiss came from the door shut it up and focused on what was going to come through.
"Starscream and his need to get those Autobots is stupid, Why get a human? And why does he think he can do a better job at killing Optimus when he barely can do anything without running like a cowar-" I heard K.O say to himself as he walked in but as he noticed I was awake he cut himself off and smirked, "Good to know my patient has come out of their beauty sleep."
I groaned and dared to look down again, but instead of focusing on the ground I looked at the patch of blood on my shirt. I was stinging but I'm sure when I'm out of shock I'll feel how bad it is...
"You don't talk much do you..? Somethin' got your tongue?" K.O teased. I smelt the air and all I could really smell was the sweet smell of energon and blood, as well as sweat and a freshly buffed paint, Definitely Knockout... seen as how shiny his finish is.
"Sorry, can you repeat that? I don't speak Bitch" I hissed at the pain of talking. If looks could kill, I'm sure K.O would be 6ft under already.
"Well you sure do have some guts to talk to me like that!" K.O growled and pointed his finger at me before whipping around and rummaging through some tools.
"And who are you? The Decepticons Mascot?" I growled through my teeth, my adrenaline was slowly fading and the pain of something grabbed in my side was slowing filling it's place.
"I'll show you how this mascot cuts a human in half. Oh wait! You won't be able to see it because I'll use you as the test subject!" Knockout stomped over but stopped about halfway when a 'Con minion stormed in.
"Commander Knockout, The Autobots have stormed the Nemesis! Lord Starscream has commanded you to get over to the west wing to deal with the Autobots with most of our troops." It told K.O ominously before scurrying off, the door closing with a light slam.
"I deal with you later. I have some Autobots to dance with, per Starscreams orders" Knockout pointed at me, "Don't go anywhere"
"Oh of course, I'll just escape and break my legs from the fall! Where can I go?" I yelled at him sourly as he left but coughed up blood. I looked down once more at my wound to see something shiny. When my eyes focused I realised it had been glass, a big chunk straight in my side.
I let out a pained groan again and closed my eyes. When I opened them I wasn't in the room anymore, no I was in an endless white room. "Y/n!" I heard an all too familiar voice from behind me, My side wasn't bleeding but I didn't care if It still had a bullet in it, I whipped around and ran for Cliffjumper.
He scooped me up and held me close to his chassis, I leaned into his neck cables and balled my eyes out. "I missed you so- so much!" I choked out in between my happy crying.
"Hey, kiddo... So did I.." A happy smile speed across his features,
"Look, the last time I hesitated when I wanted to say this I never got to. So I'm saying it now..." I quickly told him then took a deep breath. He hummed his azure optics carefully studying my shaking frame.
"I love you and I really wish that I would have been able to tell you that before you passed but- but I didn't and now yo-you'll never know a- and I can't go back now-" I started to speed talk and get agitated the more I spoke but when his servo lightly touched my shoulder, my words were caught in my throat.
"Slow down, flash, You love me?" He asked, his voice sounding as smooth as the day I lost him. But I just nodded, too scared to reply. Even if this was a figment of my imagination... I still will make it feel like it's real, to calm my haywire mind.
"Don't worry, princess, I'm watching over ya' so don't cry and say hi to Arcee for me" He kissed my head lightly and then put me down on the ground with the same grace. He did the gun fingers, or digits in his case, and then faded into nothing. I sighed, looking down. I closed my eyes and ran my hands down my face before opening them again.
I was back in the dark gloomy room, which reminded me of my mind. But instead of the blaster shots being far and almost faint they were now ringing in my ears. I howled out in pain, from the large migraine and the sharp glass stull in my side.
Only moments later, after more pained groans and depressing thoughts, the door burst open. Arcee and bumblebee came running through and quickly helped you out of your restraints.
I collapsed into Bee's servos and yelled out in pain, the glass moved around and only made it feel more pleasant... That was sarcastic just for those who didn't pick up on it.
I zoned in and out of consciousness, only remembering snippits. Bee running, Optimus and Arcee with Bee, the ground bridge, Ratchet and June prodding me then a blinding light in my eyes then nothing.
I groaned lightly as I came to my scenes, my ears ringing, eyes trying to adjust, my fingers feeling the cotton blanket that had been draped over me earlier. I leaned up a tad and opened my eyes.
Home at last.... I thought, a smile on my face as I laid back down, falling back into unconscious. Happy that I was back home and could rest easy.
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rebeccccccaaa · 3 years
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𝚃𝚠𝚘 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙳𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚢
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𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢 𝙱𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛
𝚁𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍: ANON Hey you ❤️ Could I request an imagine with Bucky where you are his non-avenger girlfriend but you got really distant towards him lately as you found out you're pregnant and you're scared of his reaction? But then he finds out and is all happy and all other avengers are happy for you and insist on taking care of you and it's just all fluffy ? Thank you a lot ❤️
𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: really fluff smut 18+ (praise, daddy kink, slight mommy kink?, breeding kink, oral fem!rec, age gap, etc), slight angst, cw: mentions of eating disorders (no one has one but bucky thinks this)
𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛’𝚜 𝙽𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜: listen…. The idea of kids and having kids getting pregnant all that jazz, yeah. It fucking terrifies me! LOL! But nonetheless I really do see the appeal and sometimes i catch myself reading these kinds of fics so i really hope you like it anon! :)
PS: updates are going to slow down cuz i don’t have any drafts ready for upload and also things are a little crazy personally so yeah hope y’all understand :)
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“You like that baby?” Bucky groaned in your ear.
“Yes daddy! Oh my god,” you moaned.
“You’re being such a good little girl for your daddy. Fuck, daddy. You're gonna make me a daddy. I’m gonna come inside you and you’re gonna get all swollen and round with my baby. You want that? You wanna be a mommy; make me a daddy?” 
Bucky and you both expressed in the past that kids were something you both wanted but with Bucky still heavily involved with missions and the avengers, and you were in college studying to get a PhD in biomechanics and computer engineering, something that would let you understand and work with Bucky specifically very closely. You were too young to have a baby but that didn’t stop you from playing into fantasies of having a family with the man you were so in love with. 
“Daddy,” you moaned.
“Give it to me, baby,” you looked him into his eyes.
Bucky kissed you hard as you both came and after cleaning yourselves up you had showered together, ate dinner quickly, and soon went to bed. 
That was two months ago. 
Three weeks after that night, Bucky was gone for about two weeks on a mission with Steve. You and the girls were drinking wine but you opted out for the tempting glasses feeling nauseous that entire week. 
As a joke, the girls were saying you were pregnant but you were sure that you and Bucky were always cautious when having sex. It wasn’t a good time to have a baby. So you joked that all three of you should take a pregnancy test and when yours came out positive you freaked out. 
“Oh my god! Bucky’s gonna kill me!” you panicked.
“Hey, relax. It’s ok,” Nat comforted you.
“We can get through this. Now did Bucky explicitly say he doesn’t want kids?” Wanda asked.
“No, we both want kids it’s just, ugh, life is so fucking crazy right now and I’m still in school, Bucky’s going on missions all the time. It’s just not a good time to have a baby.”
“Ok think about it this; if life for us was normal, as boring as that is, would Bucky be upset if you were pregnant?” Nat reasoned.
“No, he would be so happy. He wants to be a dad, it’s just so sudden,” you said in distress.
“It’s always sudden with this situation. But what’s more important is that you have support. Whatever your decision is in the end we'll all support you, even Bucky,” Nat told you.
Bucky came back home and immediately knew that there was something that was upsetting you. You promised him that you were alright but you were conflicted. You tried to tell him, you really did, but there wasn’t a good time. 
One night Bucky tried to initiate sex when you two had the tower to yourselves. You were instantly distant with him afraid he’d take one look at your naked body and know you were pregnant and that freak you out. 
“Baby, are you ok?” Bucky asked that night.
“Yeah, I just don’t feel good,” you didn’t actually lie, the pregnancy did affect your appetite drastically and many foods you used to adore before were repulsive to you. 
“Oh ok, do you need anything?” he was concerned.
“No, I think I’m ok.”
Now present day, you and Bucky hadn’t had sex since. It’s been a little over two months and Bucky wasn’t frustrated per say but he missed you; he missed having his hands on your warm and soft skin. He missed the way you squirmed under him and the little whimpers you made. How good your walls felt as he thrusted in and out of you torturously slow. 
You two were in the kitchen sitting with some of the other team members. So far only Nat and Wanda knew about your pregnancy as hard as it was to not tell Vision or Steve or literally anyone. You stared at the breakfast sitting in front of you; it used to be your favorite but looking at it and smelling it was making you extremely nauseous. 
“Baby?” Bucky rubbed your back.
“Hm?”
“Why aren’t you eating? It’s your favorite,” he said.
“I’m not too hungry,” you said.
Bucky wasn’t convinced but because you were in front of other people he didn’t want you to feel embarrassed like a father scolding a teenager. His hand rested on your thigh and immediately felt your leg tense up. 
You retracted and stood up walking away without saying a word and Bucky was confused and followed you quickly shoving as much food in his mouth as he could and tossed his plate in the sink. 
“What’s going on with them?” Steve asked.
“Oh no are they gonna break up?” Sam asked with genuine concern, as much as he fucked around with Buck he did admire your relationship. You are really good for him and he loved you unconditionally.
“No, it’s just-” Wanda started.
“Wanda,” Nat warned. 
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” she rolled her eyes, “There fine. Y/n’s just not feeling well and she doesn’t want to be bothered.”
Bucky walked into your shared room and found you changing into yet another hoodie. That’s when he started piecing things together; or at least he thought. You were always wearing very big clothing and covering your body; that he thought was the most beautiful he’d ever laid eyes on. You were constantly nauseous and refused to eat even some of your favorites dishes and meals. You wouldn’t let him touch even though he’s initiated a couple of times.
“Y/n?” Bucky asked.
“What?” you played dumb.
“Y/n, what’s going on?”
“Nothing, I told you I don’t feel good.”
“That seems to be your excuse a lot.”
“What does that mean?” you asked.
“Y/n, be honest with me. Are you starving yourself?” he had tears in his eyes; he couldn’t even think about you doing this to yourself.
“What! Bucky no! I’m not, ugh, just,” you stuttered.
“What is going on, please tell me, baby?”
“I’m pregnant!”
Silence. Bucky was shocked. You were pregnant? How long? Why didn’t you tell him? 
“I’m so sorry, Buck,” you started crying.
“No, no, no, no, don’t cry babygirl,” Bucky hugged you tightly while you sobbed into his chest.
“I’m happy, I’m really happy and excited for us. We’re gonna be a family,” he smiled.
“You’re not mad?”
“Why would I be mad?”
“I don’t know, I know we talk about this and having a family but not now. I thought you’d be mad at me.”
“Well, I’m a bit bummed that you didn’t tell when you found out but no; I’m so happy. I love you from the bottom of my heart and I would do anything for you. I’m gonna be here every step of the way and we’re gonna get through this together, ok?”
“Ok,” you sniffled. 
“Are you ok? Do you need anything?” Bucky already started going into protective dad mode and he just found out.
“No I just need you,” you whispered. 
“God, I love you,” Bucky picked you up and laid you on the bed littering your face in kisses.
“Does anyone else know?” he asked you.
“Well, uh, the girls,” you said.
“You told the girls?”
“Well, they were drinking and i declined because I was feeling sick and they joked that I was pregnant so we all took pregnancy tests as a joke but mine came out positive. I took two more and they were all positive,” you started tearing up.
“Hey don’t cry, it’s ok.”
“Sorry,” you laughed.
“We’re gonna be ok, right baby?” he whispered.
“Yeah, I love you.”
Bucky leaned down again and pressed kisses to your neck making you giggle. His warm hands trailed under your shirt making your skin burst into chills. Bucky’s lips continued their assault on your neck and before you knew Bucky started lifting your sweater over your head.
You did the same to Bucky and your chests were pressed against each other instantly as he kissed you hard. Bucky trailed kisses down your body slowly, hands rubbing your skin softly, lips staying longer than usual around your stomach for obvious reasons. 
Bucky peeled your sweats from your body and didn’t hesitate to dive in. His tongue licking a long strip against your pussy. You moan softly and your hips wiggled under him. He pressed down on you to keep you from squirming but you were getting very close to your orgasm and it just felt too good. 
Bucky brought his fingers and circled your entrance before inserting a finger slowly. He looked up at you moaning at his fingers and this encouraged Bucky to insert another one. His fingers slipped in and out with ease with your arousal practically dripping from you. 
Bucky leaned forward and circled his tongue around your clit. The obsecene sounds of Bucky finger fucking you echoed in the room and you finallly climax, cumming all over his finger. Bucky crawled up your tired body after taking his pants and boxers off. 
Bucky didn’t bother putting a condom considering you’ve been his only partner the past couple years and he got you pregnant. He pumped his cock a few times before grabbing your legs to wrap around his waist and easily slipped between your folds. 
“Fuck, baby girl. You feel so good,” Bucky moaned in your ear.
“Oh shit, yes,” you whimpered.
“Oh you’re gonna be so beautiful when you're all big and swollen, shit. You’re gonna be the sexiest mommy in this whole fucking world.”
“Ugh! And you’re gonna be such a sexy daddy,” you smirked and cupped his face.
He leaned down and kissed you passionately. He thrusted into you harder and your back arched into his chest, moaning high pitched and loudly. Your hands tugged on his hair and Bucky groaned in your mouth. 
“Oh Buck, I’m gonna come,”you said against his lips.
“Let go, baby. Come for me, mommy,” Bucky said. 
You came hard; your body contracted and trembled, your stomach tightened, your toes curled, and your legs pulled Bucky deep inside you, hot spurts of his cum coating your walls. Bucky settled on you but bounced back afraid he was crushing the baby.
He went to the bathroom, well practically sprinted, and returned with a warm towel to clean you up. Your body laid still while you were cleaned and you just watched Bucky with adoration. He left again and returned wearing boxers and held a bottle of your favorite lotion that you usually saved for special nights or for Tony’s parties.
You smiled and got comfortable as Bucky poured some lotion in his hand. His hands spread the lotion evenly on your body; thumbs skimming your sensitive nipples, gently caresses all over your stomach, teasing grazes along your inner thighs. You closed your eyes and felt euphoria. 
The love of your life was really pampering you and you felt so good. 
“I love you,” you whispered.
“I love you, too,” Bucky kissed your forehead, crawling into the bed with you.
“Let’s stay in all day. My girl is pregnant and she’s gonna need all the rest she can get,” Bucky joked.
“But what about-”
“No, who cares,” bucky interrupted.
“But-”
“No buts.”
“What are we gonna tell the rest of the team?”
“Oh, well. It’s your body, your comfort. You tell them when you feel it’s best. But I do hope it’s soon because I’m so happy and I don’t think i'd be able to keep this a secret for long,” Bucky dived his head in your neck making you laugh.
“Ok,” you whispered.
“Man, I’m gonna be a dad,” Bucky sighed happily.
“You’re gonna be daddy,” you said innocently.
“I’m already your daddy,” he playfully growled.
“Then you’re gonna be two types of daddy,” you smirked.
“Two types of daddy.”
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TAGLIST:
@mathletemadison 
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luci-in-trenchcoats · 3 years
Text
If I Fell For You (Part 16) - Drowning
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Summary: The reader’s night goes from bad to awful fast but thankfully Jensen shows up at the last second to stop things from getting any worse. But the guilt the reader feels over trying to end things with Jensen to protect him starts to become too much...
Masterlist
Pairing: Jensen x nanny!reader
Word Count: 5,600ish
Warnings: language, being drunk, minor violence, scary situations, angst, fighting, fluff, offscreen death of minor character, anxiety, panic attack, minor injury
A/N: This chapter is a whirlwind! Please enjoy and let me know what you think!
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It was a close to an hour later and you were halfway through a bottle of bourbon, laying on the back porch of your mom’s house, staring at the rafters and debating finishing off the whole thing.
“Y/N?” you heard. Your skin crawled as you sat up, spotting your father at the other end of the wrap around. “Are you drunk?”
“This would be an appropriate time to tell you that yes, I am and I also have this,” you said, reaching behind your and picking up a hunting rifle. “I might be plastered but I think that’ll only improve my aim. I’ll be nice and shoot for your balls first.”
“You got so much wrong about me kid.”
You fired a shot near his feet and he held up his hands.
“Why don’t you go jump off a bridge or some shit,” you said.
“Y/N.”
You pulled the trigger as he took a step forward and he jumped when it hit the window nearby. You pulled again but it just clicked as he walked closer. 
“Your new momma never taught you that kind of rifle only has two shots, did she,” he said. You tried to stand but got way too dizzy and fell down. 
“Well I can still tear you apart with my teeth,” you said. 
“You’re drunk and judging by your face, very upset. What happened to that boy you were with? I didn’t see him when I looked around.”
“Touch me and that boy will rip your head off.”
“This doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” he said, stepping far too close for your liking. You swung the rifle at him but he caught it and kicked the bottle away before you could get at it. “All grown up. Probably enjoy it now.”
You crawled back as far as you could, eyes darting behind him when you saw movement. You barely caught the brown hair and green eyes before your father was face first on the porch. You tried to stand but he yanked on your ankle and pulled you down hard. It took a long time to peel open your eyes again, your father now at Jensen’s feet. Jensen pushed down on his back while he talked on the phone to someone and it didn’t take long to hear sirens in the distance.
“For the record,” said Jensen as he walked over to you and crouched down, his belt around your father’s wrists, “I didn’t believe you for a second. Oh and you’re a dumbass but you’re my dumbass. Forever. Got it?”
“I couldn’t…” you trailed off. He nodded and took off his flannel, wrapping it over your shoulders. “I knew he would do something and I couldn’t have him near the kids or know they exist. I couldn’t-”
“I know, honey,” he said. “But don’t you dare ever do anything like that again.”
You put your head down sniffled, dizzy still as he rubbed your back before going back to watching your dad.
It took an hour or so before you could go home and you were sober enough to stand on your own. 
“Can I ask why you made the executive decision that you did?” asked Jensen, holding your arm loosely as you got into his car to head back.
“Because I’m stupid,” you said dryly from the passenger seat as he turned on his SUV.
“I mean more so why didn’t you come to me if you were scared? Why make up a lie?”
“You did let me go. You must have believed me at least for a few seconds,” you said.
“No, I actually didn’t.”
“You let me go.”
He was quiet until you got close to the brewery, Jensen pulling off onto the plot of land he owned next to it. You leaned your head against the cold window and he turned off the engine.
“This whole, tired, don’t talk to me attitude right now? Been there. Lived it. I know it’s bullshit.”
“You let me leave so you did believe me so-” you said, Jensen pressing a finger to your lips. 
“I am certain of very few things and you are one of them. I let you go so I could figure out what scared you so badly you’d lie, to me. There’s only one thing I can think of so before you even had a foot out of that house, I was calling people and I got put on with Detective Finn who worked your case as a kid and I find out that dick for brains sack of shit just moved practically down the street from us. It does not take a genius to put the pieces together.”
“Fine! I did it in some stupid attempt to protect you,” you said. You glared at him and he shook his head. “What?”
“I’m not gonna get mad at you.” You put your head back on the window and stared out to the dark trees, sniffling some. “Why do you want me to be angry with you?”
“Uh because I didn’t forget to turn on the washing machine or leave on a light. I lied. I lied so big that-”
“You lied to protect your family from a monster. Do I wish you had told me? Yes. But I fuck up so much and you’ve never once been angry with me for making a mistake and I’ll never be angry with you for making one either. I know you want me to be angry with you, feel like you should be punished for what you imagine is hurting me. But you didn’t hurt me, Y/N. You didn’t and I know you get that because so many times you’ve been on the other side of this and I know you’ve never once thought, oh yeah Jensen’s a piece of shit, let him really have it. No. Just no. So I’m not getting mad at you and I don’t know what to fucking say to make you feel better like you always do me and I’m so sorry he got so close to hurting you again. But I’m really good at fighting monsters in this family. So please next time, I don’t care if you’re scared of the bug on the wall or you think someone’s outside the house or what it is. If you’re scared, tell me and I’ll do my best to make it go away, I promise.”
“What do you do when you want to hate yourself for being an idiot?” you asked quietly. You heard him shift in his seat and you shut your eyes, the sound of a door opening and then another. Strong arms wrapped around you and you buried your face in his chest.
“I try to treat myself as kindly as she does. She would never hate me and she hates when I’m in pain. I see it all over her face. So I try to cut myself some slack and ask myself if she would hate me and when I realize no, I’m forced to forgive myself and it normally takes a few hours but it works pretty good. A lot of hugs and cuddling don’t hurt either.”
“Thank you for stopping him.”
“Don’t.”
“Thank you. I owe you so, so much.”
“You don’t owe me a damn thing. We got each other’s backs and that’s all there is to it. I’m just sad I missed you trying to shoot his dick off.”
“How did you know where to find me?”
“Find my iPhone. Also I figured that was a good place to check,” he said. “I would have been here sooner if Jared didn’t drive like a tortoise over to the house to watch the kids.”
“I’m sorry I scared you...and you had to do that tonight.”
“Oh punching your father was a personal highlight for me. Trust me,” he said. He stroked your cheek and you turned into the touch, eyes squeezing shut. “You’re safe.”
“He’s going to get out on bail and-”
“And we have a very good lawyer. Oh, and I know the mayor so fuck his ass, he’s not getting bail.”
You buried your face once again and he put a finger under your chin, lifting it up.
“You’re still scared.”
“He’s gonna get arrested for what, trespassing? Attempted assault? I was drunk and shot at him. He can spin it. He can spin it and be out on the street like that.”
“I’m going to ask the lawyer to do something else, something that maybe can take care of that problem.”
“What?” 
“Once a piece of shit, always a piece of shit. He’s been gone for fifteen years. I have this bad feeling you weren’t the only one. Or even before that.”
“Or maybe he just hates me.”
“You don’t have to be scared. I’m gonna take care of it.”
“Jensen, I know you don’t have to worry about the money but it might still not be enough.”
“It’s enough,” he said. “Or else next time I’ll be the one with the rifle.”
“You would kill him?”
“Honestly? Yeah if it came to it. I wish people like him died in car crashes, not innocent ones. We have every right to protect ourselves and our family and I’m not letting him touch the kids or you ever.”
“I should probably say that’s bad but I don’t disagree.”
“Money works a lot. A real lot. Maybe he did something super bad and he can rot in prison forever.”
“Maybe,” you said, spotting a cruiser pull up nearby. 
“Stay here, sweetie,” he said. He walked over while the officer got out. He spoke to Jensen for a moment, Jensen’s face a bit blank when he turned around. 
“What’s wrong?”
“Your dad had a heart attack in the backseat,” said Jensen quietly. You cocked your head and he shook his. “Your father. In the police cruiser that was taking him for booking. He was just pronounced.”
“He died?”
“He was really overweight and didn’t look to be in the best health. He probably got his heart rate up too high and...the officer said he’d escort us home, stay outside the house for the night, calm our nerves.”
“He’s really dead?” you asked. You looked over at the officer and he came over, giving you a quick smile. “He really died?”
“Yes mam.”
“What...happens now?” you asked.
“We’ll file the report but you don’t necessarily need to press charges anymore. You’re next of kin as far as we’re aware so the body…” he trailed off when he looked at you. “We can talk about this with your lawyer.”
“Thanks,” said Jensen. “We’ll be on the road in a minute.” 
The officer climbed back in his cruiser, Jensen leaning against the doorframe. He tucked your hair behind your ear, letting out a deep breath.
“Y/N,” he said. He stroked your cheek, your head turning up. “What is it, honey?”
“I don’t feel bad at all. I’m actually happy. That kinda is freaking me out a little. You shouldn’t be happy someone died.”
“Most people you’re right, you shouldn’t. But there are exceptions. He tormented you. He harassed you. He came after our family. I’m gonna sleep just fine tonight knowing he’s never coming back in our lives.”
“Were you scared of him?” He ducked his head down and you took hold of his hand. “Jensen.”
“Put it this way, I’d protect my family by any means necessary. What scares me was what if I was five minutes later tonight. Ten minutes. My job is to protect you and especially from monsters like that.”
“I’m a big girl Jensen. You don’t have to protect me from anything.”
“Yes I do, just like if it were me in your shoes I know you’d have done the same exact thing. We protect each other. It’s not because I’m the guy or I’m stronger. You’re my family and that’s what we do.”
“Thank you for protecting me and forgiving me for being stupid earlier,” you said. He smiled and nodded.
“You’re my dumbass and I’m yours,” he said. “Want to go home now?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I really do.”
“He’s really gonna spend the night?” you asked half an hour later in bed, Jensen shutting the door after himself. “He knows there’s a cop outside, right?”
“What can I say, Jared...he thinks of you like a little sister,” he said. “I can’t blame him for being protective.”
“I’ll be right back,” you said. You climbed out of bed and went downstairs, the light dim aside from where Jared was reading on the couch, a blanket over his legs. He looked over the top of the book and set it down, sitting up.
“Everything alright?” he asked. You smiled and took a seat on the edge of the couch, pulling him into a hug. 
“Thanks for staying,” you said, a pair of large arms wrapped around your back. 
“Of course.”
“You do know there’s nobody to bother us now, right?”
“I know. Some peace of mind never hurt anybody though,” he said. “Go on back to your fiance. You guys had a rough night.”
“Yeah,” you said, closing your eyes. “Thanks.”
He kissed your temple and you returned to your room, Jensen pulling you under the covers. You let out a deep breath, turning into his side. 
“Here,” he said. He started to take off his bracelet but you shook your head.
“It’s yours, Jensen. I feel safe, I promise.”
“You’re tense still, honey.”
“Still working on that not being so angry at myself thing,” you said. He smiled and kissed you quickly, laying an arm over your waist. “I know what you said but I still want you to be pissed at me for lying.”
“You didn’t hurt me.”
“But-”
“You didn’t hurt me, Y/N and you know what? Sometimes, you’re gonna hurt me and I’m gonna hurt you. We’ll have bad days and get annoyed with one another. I’ll leave dishes in the sink and make a mess of the closet. You’ll chew with your mouth open and never fill up your car with gas until it’s too low. We’re not perfect. But even if we do hurt each other, we forgive each other because that’s what you do. We’re not always gonna like each other and what we do but we’ll always love each other. I don’t want to be mad at you. I want you to feel safe and know that I understand why you did what you did. I do. Please try to let it go, for me.”
“I am trying,” you said quietly. You shut your eyes and turned away, his arm over you pulling you back against his chest. “You’re normal. I can’t just stop hating myself like that.”
“You think I’m normal?” he chuckled. “Me?”
“Did you ever have to punch Dee’s psycho father? Did you ever have to talk about protecting her? Did she ever put your family in danger? Did she ever-”
“Y/N.”
“Go away,” you said, pushing his arm off of you. You moved over farther on your side of the bed, tucking your covers under your chin. The bed shifted and you tried to move again but his arm pulled you straight back to his chest, fingers dipping under your ribcage and holding you in place. 
“I might not have had to have done those things for her but I would have. For the record, you didn’t put anyone in danger. That fucking asshole did. It is not your fault he was an evil and vile person. All you did was try to protect us because you were scared and I know, I know you didn’t tell me because you’re so scared of that man and I don’t blame you. He made my skin crawl and I interacted with him for all of five minutes. Get it out of your system however you need to but you are stuck with me forever. There is nothing you could do to make me want you gone so get used to it.”
“You shouldn’t have to deal with this,” you breathed out. You pulled your sheets over your head, taking deep heaving breaths. “You have so much to worry about already. You shouldn’t have to…”
“Did you think I couldn’t handle the news?” he asked. “That your father was so close by?”
“I thought you’d hate me,” you whispered. He tugged down your sheets and you squeezed your eyes shut as he turned you around.
“Look at me.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Now you’re angry.”
“Look at me.” You forced them open, meeting a soft face and sad eyes. “Why would I ever hate you?”
“My shit’s supposed to stay in the past. You don’t…” you said, Jensen furrowing his brow. “See, you’re mad.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Your shit stays in the past.”
“It means you’ve had the world’s worst fucking year and you’re in such a good place now and you need to focus on you and not have my shit come in and fuck that up.”
“Do you think I can’t take care of you?” he asked.
“No of course not.”
“It sounds like you’re saying that you think you can’t have problems cause I can’t handle it.”
“Well at least I got what I wanted with you pissed,” you said, glaring up at him, tears welling in your eyes. You tried to push away but he held his arm around you. “Jensen, let me up.” You pushed again and he glared right back. “Stop it. Let me out of bed.” He only glared and you tore your eyes away from his face. 
“Do you think I’m weak?”
“No,” you said, keeping your head low.
“Then why-”
“Because you need a fucking break. I dealt with this shit years and years ago. I understand needing a fucking break and people need to take care of you, help you. You’re a different man than the one I met way back in January. You’re so happy and healthy and you have a different outlook on life again and that’s incredible. I’m so proud of you for that. But you’re just, just out of the woods and I’m not gonna be the one that sends you back in because of my fucking problems.”
“They’re our fucking problems,” he said. “Our problems. There’s no your problems or my problems anymore. It’s us together. Why do you think I’d hate you?”
“Jensen,” you said, pushing on his chest. “Stop.”
“Why?”
“I said stop!”
“Tell me.”
“Because I’m scared,” you said. He let his hold go lax and you sat up, getting out of bed. You walked over to the balcony door and rested your forehead against the cool glass. The bed creaked and you felt his presence behind you. 
“You’re scared of me.” You scrunched up your face and nodded. “Why?”
“Because if you realized how fucked up I am, you wouldn’t come near me with a ten foot pole. I’m not supposed to cause you problems. I’m supposed to fix them, be there for you.”
“But I can’t be there for you. You assume I’m just a dick where it’s only me and my shit that we can work on right?” he said.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Relationships go both ways, Y/N. I don’t expect you to take care of me for the rest of my life. You are allowed to need help too.”
“You don’t understand.”
“No, you don’t understand,” he said, grabbing your arm and spinning you around. He was frowning, his voice an octave higher if you didn’t know any better. “Do you honestly think I would have been angry at you if you told me about your father being in town? Do you?”
“I put the kids-”
“For the last time, you didn’t put anyone in danger,” he growled. “What is going on with you?”
“How many times do I have to say it, I’m not supposed to cause any problems!” you said.
“Yes you are! You, me, the kids. We’re all gonna have fucking problems sooner or later. Why do you think I’d hate you for telling me you had a problem, sweetheart?”
You fidgeted with the bottom of your shirt, looking past him.
“Something with your dad, isn’t it. Something got triggered in you after that phone call with the detective, didn’t it.”
“Call Ray. Tell him to come over,” you said quietly. He nodded and grabbed his phone, sending off a quick message before he was guiding you to sit on the bed.
“Honey,” he said when you pulled away from him. “Okay, no touching. Can I get you anything while we wait for Ray?”
“Probably should tell that cop that we’re expecting someone,” you said, rubbing your hands against your thighs. “Fuck, tell Ray it’s the help thing. He’ll understand.”
“Okay,” he said with a nod. You rubbed your legs harder and he stared at you. “Y/N.”
“I’m trying not to have a panic attack,” you grit out. “I haven’t had one since I was eight.”
Your head was turned and you felt his hands on your cheeks, Jensen forcing a smile. You stared for a long beat before you took a breath, his head nodding. 
“That feels better,” you said, your hands not rubbing so hard. You heard feet and the door open, glancing behind Jensen to catch Jared in the doorway. You could feel your heart rate pick up, Jared nodding.
“I get panic attacks too,” he said. You nodded and Jensen glanced over his shoulder. “I heard arguing.”
“Can you tell that cop outside Ray is coming by and to let him in?” said Jensen.
“Sure. Who’s Ray?” asked Jared.
“Her mom’s old boyfriend and foster dad. He was her therapist when she was little. Something’s not right,” said Jensen.
“I’ll send him up as soon as he gets here.”
You felt calmer by the time Ray was walking in fifteen minutes later in sweats and not much more. 
“Hey kiddo,” said Ray, giving you a quick hug before he squatted down in front of you. “Doing okay?”
You shook your head and shut your eyes, Jensen holding an arm around you. He explained what happened, Ray staying quiet. You eventually opened your eyes to stare at the floor, Ray standing and pulling over the bench from the end of the bed to sit on. 
“Y/N do you want Jensen to stay?” he asked. You nodded and he hummed. “Y/N.”
“Yes,” you said dryly. “Can I have some water?”
Jensen got up and retrieved a glass from the bathroom, the pair of them watching you chug half of it down before you sat it on the nightstand.
“Y/N, does Jensen know what triggered you?” he asked.
“Not specifically. Asking for help he figured out but not the reason,” you said, looking away. 
“Well on the bright side, you didn’t have a panic attack, you worked through it, you trusted Jensen to help you through it even if he didn’t know why and some of your coping skills helped you out quite a bit. But this is something Jensen needs to know. You’ll need help in a relationship and I know this is the big one but he needs to know so this never happens again,” said Ray. 
“What if he thinks I overreacted?” you said.
“I won’t, trust me,” said Jensen. “Secret’s safe with me.”
“Go on, Y/N,” said Ray. You took a deep breath and Jensen held your hand, stroking his thumb over the back.
“So you kinda figured out that me having a problem was the trigger and that I didn’t ask for your help earlier and kinda assumed a bad reaction if I did.”
“Yup and that’s all okay,” he said softly. 
“It wasn’t because of you that I assumed you’d have a bad reaction. It was something that happened to me that sort of...default my head to react and anticipate things in a certain way in that particular situation.”
“So if you have a problem and ask for help, you assume the person you’re asking for help from will not take it in a good way?” he asked.
“Yeah, basically. If it’s a really big problem and if I anticipate that the problem would upset the person I’m asking then my head assumes this bad thing will happen. In that case, it assumes the much better option is to not reveal the problem at all and handle it myself because then the bad thing won’t happen,” you said.
“The bad thing. It’s bad isn’t it,” he said. “Really bad.”
“Y/N, remember you can share without the graphics involved,” said Ray. You nodded and leaned your head back.
“When I was six I broke something of my dad’s. A mug. His favorite mug. I picked up the pieces but I knew it was his favorite so I didn’t throw it out. I asked him for help putting it back together,” you said. “The amount of rage he had over a broken mug...I never experienced such a horrible day in all eight years as that one.”
He didn’t say anything and you tucked your feet up, holding one up to him and showing the bottom. He stared at it and cocked his head, narrowing his eyes. It took him a moment but you saw when he noticed the small little scars. His eyes flickered back to yours and you nodded.
“He hurt me badly,” you said. “All day long.” He stared at you and you told him exactly the way the scars came to be, Jensen shuddering and closing his eyes. “It wasn’t a good day.”
“Fuck,” he said, standing up and rubbing his arm. “You were six?”
He shook his head and went to the balcony door, taking a deep breath.
“Jensen. You alright?” asked Ray.
“No,” he said, turning around, looking to you. “That many times?”
“One for every broken piece,” you said. He ran his hands over his face and shut his eyes. “The worst thing was just that it went on all day. It was long enough for me to interpret it as conditioning for a result of an event rather than just a bad memory from everything me and Ray worked out back in the day. It hasn’t been a trigger for me ever really but we knew it could be someday for a big life problem potentially. I’m guessing with it involving my dad, it kinda sent me into overdrive earlier.”
“Jensen,” said Ray, shooting you a quick glance. “Y/N’s okay. I’m actually quite impressed with her behavior. There was no hesitancy or waiver in her voice. I don’t feel as though this will likely be an issue ever again now that it’s out in the open and her father is gone.”
“You’re the closest thing to a father she’s ever had,” said Jensen, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know every horrible thing that’s happened to her and, and you just...all you did was throw him out of the country for fifteen years?”
“First off, the law was different back then and it was a lifetime ban. Second of all, buddy, violence isn’t always the answer to violence,” said Ray, getting to his feet.
“You should have adopted her.”
“She didn’t want me to.”
“You were the damn adult. She was the kid. Act like one,” said Jensen. “I mean fuck, you adopted two other kids only a few years later.”
“If I had adopted her you wouldn’t even know she fucking exists,” shot back Ray. “Her father still would have come back and this would have happened regardless.”
“You should have done what you needed to the second he popped up again when she was a teenager.”
“I did not strike you as a violent man but I do not like it.”
“She was almost assaulted by that man again tonight,” growled Jensen. “He tortured her and tormented her and he got barely any time at all for that. I would have-”
“Why’d you call the police then?” he asked. Jensen swallowed and Ray shrugged. “Why back at the farmhouse did you call the police? You could have killed him, called it self-defense and been done with it. Why?”
Jensen looked down and Ray sighed.
“The price for being a good person is making hard decisions, Jensen. Would I have loved to have rid the world of that son of a bitch the second I learned all about him? Oh you don’t know the half of it. I’m a trauma therapist, Jensen. Mostly for kids and teenagers. Do you know how much fucked up shit I’ve heard in my life? The world has so much ugliness in it. But it’s got good too and that’s why you called the police like you were supposed to and that’s why she loves you. She needs a good man, not a violent one. I’m not saying don’t think about protecting your family. But don’t act on it unless you don’t have a fucking choice, kid. Understand me?”
Jensen nodded and Ray cleared his throat.
“Say it.”
“Yes, sir,” said Jensen quietly.
“Ray, don’t get mad at him. He’s not used to this stuff,” you said. You stood and pulled Jensen back to the bed, Ray crossing his arms and nodding. “If I ever feel this happening again, what should I do?”
“You could work on reconditioning instead,” said Ray. “Work on saying I have a problem to Jensen and ask for help, even if there isn’t a problem. If Jensen responds positively or even neutrally and you two work at it maybe an hour or so a day for the next week or two, I don’t think you’ll ever have to be afraid of that trigger coming back. All of your triggers Y/N have involved your father. I know similarities can set you off but they’re small, manageable. You never have to worry about anyone hurting you ever again.”
“I know. I should have trusted my partner to have my back,” you said.
“I don’t blame you. I didn’t before and I definitely don’t now,” said Jensen. Ray smiled and pulled the bench back over to the bed. 
“Get some rest you two,” he said. 
“Ray?” you said after he gave you a hug. “Why didn’t you adopt me?”
“Honestly?” he asked. You nodded, Jensen preening his ears. “You reminded me so much of your mother and I was devastated when we lost her. I should have been the adult and done what was right but after seeing her in pain for years...I didn’t have it in me to take on a grieving teenager that would have been just as angry back at me. She already was so angry then, I would have put fuel on the flames. I didn’t have it in me to be strong anymore and that’s my mistake for not trying.”
“You can adopt adults,” said Jensen. You both looked at him and he smiled. “Adults can be adopted.”
“Not sure if…” trailed off Ray as you smiled at him. “Y/N, we’ve only just started talking again.”
“Maybe if that keeps going well...maybe things could...work out…” you said. “If you wanted.”
“Yeah, maybe we can do that,” he said with a smile. “It’s getting late. Put her to bed. Don’t be surprised if there’s a nightmare or two tonight.”
“Okay. Thank you,” said Jensen as Ray started to leave.
“Take care of her kid,” he said. Jensen nodded and you lay back in bed, the house growing quiet. 
“I’m so sorry,” said Jensen, his head lowering after a few moments. “I should have realized…”
“You did realize,” you said, sitting up. “Even when my head couldn’t come out and say I trust you and I know I’m acting a certain way because of what my dad put me through, you stayed calm and figured it out. You got nothing to be sorry for.”
“I’m sorry he hurt you. I got to pretend to be a cowboy and my dad read me stories when I was six. The worst thing I ever got was a few smacks but I know he regrets doing that,” he said. “Even then it was because I was acting out not…I just don’t understand why he would ever hurt you.”
“I stopped trying to understand him a long time ago,” you said, the door opening. You both turned, Arrow walking in with a pair of wet eyes. “You have a nightmare, sweetie?”
“I went…to the bathroom…” she said when you noticed her holding her wrist. Jensen hopped up and walked over, picking her up gently and setting her beside you. “I fell down off the step stool. It was wet.”
“Tell me what hurts,” he said.
“My hand,” she said. 
“Let daddy see,” you said. She moved her hand back and you both saw her wrist was swollen and bruised. Jensen swore under his breath and guided her hand back on it. “Okay, you hold it if it feels better that way, honey. Daddy, I think Arrow should go to urgent care.”
“Arrow, why don’t you go get your dolly and we’ll bring her with us. We might have to wait a minute,” he said. “Be careful okay? I’ll come get you in just a minute.”
“Mommy?” she asked, staring up at you. 
“Mommy’s really tired-” said Jensen when you stood up.
“Uncle Jared is staying over though, daddy. Go get your dolly and mommy and daddy will get dressed,” you said. She sniffled but climbed down okay, Jensen sighing when she left the room. “She wants me there and I want to be there. I’m going.”
“Alright but you’re going to try and get some sleep in the waiting room at least, please.”
“No promises.”
________
A/N: Read Part 17 here!
402 notes · View notes
hacked-by-jake · 3 years
Text
New Life
Summary: Finally you will move to Duskwood and start a new life. A moving with the help of the chaotic Duskwood Squad and a shamed hacker with the wrong moving box, can it be more beautiful?
Pairing: Group & Fem!MC x Jake
Words: 4,4 k
A/n: Welcome to this OneShot. After a long time something of my own. I dreamed about it and so the idea came. So I hope you’ll like it and have fun. Excuse the mistakes etc etc etc.
Take care and stay healthy! Much love.❤️
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4 a.m.
"Shit" you hiss annoyed and look at the stain of coffee on the floor, which was sweped in your haste over the edge of the cup, "My poor coffee".
Because of sorrow you forgot again why you even walked to the door.
You want to make your way to get a cloth when it rings again, "Oh right" you shake your head over your forgetfulness. It’s just too early for you.
Quickly you open the door to your apartment and look in two radiant faces belonging to Dan and Richy, your heroes of the day.
"Good morning" both say at the same time and you would just like to crawl back into bed.
"Good morning guys, come in. Careful not to step on the coffee, he did not deserve it"
Hectically you put your cup next to the door on the small dresser to go to the kitchen and get something to wipe away.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Dan asks you as you come back with quick steps.
"You look tired, haven’t you slept?" Richy asks, grinning, you shake your head.
"Only about half an hour and that was an accident. I didn’t want to sleep," you explain.
"Why?" Richy looks around the almost empty apartment. All that’s left are only the biggest furniture you’ll be taking with you and a lot of moving boxes.
"I had to pack so much stuff and besides I was really excited. Do any of you want coffee? I made more, and I left two more cups outside." You’re offering.
The eyes of both men grow big,"I certainly don’t say no to coffee," Richy jokes and follows you into the kitchen.
"Just take what you need. I still have to pack the rest of my clothes and the stuff from the bathroom" You already ran off only to then make a 180 degree turn, "My cup" you mumble and grab it.
"MC, let’s take it easy, we have all the time in the world," Dan rebukes you and you sighing.
"I’m sorry, I’m probably more excited than I thought," you apologize and drop into the chair at your kitchen table.
"This is normal. You don’t move to a completely strange and creepy city every day," Richy throws in and immediately gets a nasty look from Dan.
"Are you serious?" he asks, "You’re not making it better!"
Richy looks embarrassed in your a little desperate face, "But for that, this will be the coolest time of your life!" he tries to save the situation, "Hey, think about it, the Duskwood Squad is finally completely united in a few hours!"
The prospect of the time you are about to be with your friends, and that always without having to go home, also makes you smile like the two men
"But it’s about time, Shorty, we miss you at our place.
A visit every few months is simply not enough, or just for one night over the weekend. You should have seen the girls the last days, there was no rest"
Dan finds just the right words to calm you down. You’ve waited so long to move to Duskwood, and now it’s finally time. A new phase in your life with a group of good friends that you met during a worst-case similar situation.
Since then, there hasn’t been a day when you haven’t written or spoken on the phone. You’ve played so much Doodle Splash to pass the time for your next visit that you feel like you’ve painted more than Picasso ever did
"You are right! " you agree resolutely, "time for the best time of my life! "
-------------------------------------
"I actually thought you had a few less things," Richy stands breathless in your apartment door. Of course, the big things, like your couch, your bed and your desk, were brought into the truck first which Richy borrowed from a friend company for removals.
And now for about 20 minutes you’ve been carrying one box after the other downwards to store it. In between, even one of your neighbors came to help, who actually wanted to go to work but still had a few minutes.
"That’s because the boxes are too small," you joke, and Richy looks at you with a look that clearly says 'You don’t believe that yourself'.
Defending you raise your hands and push with your foot another box over to him, which he can bring down.
About 10 minutes later, in which you had to take out all the boxes again, and put them back in, you put down the last box in your hallway. Behind you, Dan and Richy come up the stairs as you pull the little key to your former apartment out of your pocket and sigh.
"Finish!" Richy cheers and puts an arm around your shoulders, "Are you ready?" Dan asks you and you nod. A little sad, you put the key in the keyhole one last time and lock up.
Dan takes the last box from you and you go down the stairs together. You throw the key into the mailbox as agreed with your landlord and turn around one last time.
Determined not to be sad or rather melancholic, you climb forward into the truck behind Richy while Dan closes the big cargo hatch.
He himself gets into the driver’s seat.
"Let’s go into your new life" he announces solemnly as he starts the engine.
"Into a new life"
-----------------------------------------
"I wanna be the very best!
Like no one ever was!
To catch them is my real test
To train them is my cause" you all shout the theme music of Pokémon.
Richy has turned on his playlist where all the songs you can only imagine are. You’ve been driving for about an hour and a half.
"POKÉMON!" Richy screams and throws his hand into the air.
"Don’t shout!" Dan grumbles and gives him a annoyed look, "You just screamed too!" the mechanic defends himself and twists his eyes. "I need another coffee, I’m driving to the next rest stop, otherwise I won’t make it for the next two hours," says Dan and you agree.
At the gas station you get yourself a new coffee and a snack. Actually 3 hours are not so much driving, but with the grumpy Dan and the lively Richy, who are two clowns at the same time, it can be exhausting.
After you get back to the truck, and this time Richy drives on, you actually managed to fall asleep after half an hour.
-----------------------------------------
"Wake up, Shorty" you hear the voice of the bearded man far away, "We are almost there," he explains and you open your eyes. You need a short moment to realize where you are and what’s going on, but then you straighten up. Your head was lying on Dan’s shoulder.
"Sorry" you mumble and stretch as much as possible with so little space." It’s fine. I almost slept myself" he waves off and you just nod. No wonder, the two boys also left at 1 a.m., to be with you in time.
In fact, you can already see that you will reach the entrance of Duskwood in about 5 minutes. You’ve been driving this way so many times, you know the way around, like in your own hometown.
"I’m so glad I don’t have to drive any further," Richy whines and drums with his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the song that sounds quietly from the radio.
"When the truck is empty, you have to bring it back" Dan reminds him. Without going into the mocking comment, the mechanic turns the radio a little louder.
When the sign 'Welcome to Duskwood' appears in your sight, you start to grin broadly. Nervously you slide back and forth on the seat and bite your lower lip.
Richy crosses the border into the small town with secrets you still have learned to love.
"Welcome to Duskwood" Richy congratulates you and you happily clap your hands.
Welcome new life.
-------------------------------------
When you turn into the street where your apartment is, very close to Jessy’s, you almost jump up from your seat. Just the seatbelt holds you back when you see the rest of the group standing outside the door: Jessy, Cleo, Thomas, Lilly and Hannah.
All 5 wave wildly and Richy pushes twice on the horn to greet. As far as the side of the road goes, Richy stops the truck and you quickly unbuckle yourself. You rip the door, and without using the stairs, you jump out of the car, "Leave the door where it belongs!" you hear Richy shout, but you’ve been on your way down for a long time.
"Hello" calls all of you in a choir as a tight and not quite gentle hug with the 4 girls takes place. All at the same time you fall into each other’s arms. Compliments are exchanged and joy about the move announced.
"You pretend you haven’t seen each other for four years!" you hear Richy laugh and roll his eyes. "That’s how it feels," Hannah chuckles next to you.
"Hello MC" Thomas shouts amused and you stretch an arm in the air and waves in an indefinite direction, "Hello Thomas, I don’t know where you stand but HI!"
After you finally broke up from each other, Hannah holds out your new front door key that she kept for you. She was the one who looked for apartments for you on the spot when you couldn’t be here. She took over the visits and took pictures. If it was possible, she took you with her through a video call.
"Congratulations MC, welcome to the family" she smiles.
"Thank you folks, it’s so nice to finally be here!"
-------------------------------------
After you have arrived correctly and you have looked at your apartment once again in empty state, you have started to bring everything into the apartment. Now, of course, things are moving much faster with more people.
You’ve built up in the stairwell to the second floor: Dan, Richy, Thomas, Cleo, Lilly, Jessy, Hannah and you.
In a row your carton reaches from person to person and quickly most of it is done. From your apartment comes music that you run via a Bluetooth speaker. Fortunately, you have labeled everything so that after all the boxes are in your apartment, you only have to push them into the right rooms. And then the big things come.
The three of them, Thomas Richy and Dan carry the sofa upstairs.
You just stand by with a slightly nervous face and hope no one gets hurt.
"You have to be careful! The sofa is tipping!" Dan shouts loudly as Richy tries another handle.
"I know! But I don’t want this thing to fall on my foot," Richy hisses. Thomas, who supports the side, only twists his eyes.
-------------------------------------
All the important parts are now in your apartment. Now, the truck is empty and ready to be brought back.
"Okay, I’ll bring the truck away, and you start here. I’ll come back when you’re done and I can get the beer I earned," Richy jokes as he takes the key off the kitchen table.
"You get nothing" you call laughing after him, "Oh wait until the man Without Face learns of your sin. To deny a working man his beer is bad!"
Laughing, you shake your head, "I’m waiting for the next new moon."
"How can you always joke about it?" Jessy asks without understanding.
"Well, that’s just relief," you explain and smile at her calmly.
-------------------------------------
4 hours, a lot of laughter, bad jokes, quarrels and almost broken furniture later, the most important is on the right place. The bed is built up and ready for the first night in the new apartment, in your new life.
"How’s your thumb, Richy?" Ask the sulking mechanic carefully.
"All right, I can take a lot, I’ll survive," he calms you down and presses the cooling pad more firmly on his finger.
A lot went wrong trying to build your wardrobe. Someone had forgotten a screw when the ceiling was mounted.
The moment Richy tried to hit a nail with a hammer in the lower area, the ceiling came loose and fell down.
Both side walls of the cabinet fell into each other, and Richy accidentally punched hit his thumb. For a few seconds you were all just staring at each other and then laughing. Fortunately, Richy’s injury wasn’t that bad, but you gave him something to cool down with.
And now almost everything is ready. There are only a few boxes missing, but you will take over yourself." Thanks for your great help, guys! Many thanks to Richy and Dan who picked me up and drove so long. And of course, thank you all so much for helping me here!"
You’re all sitting around the table in your living room. You’re sitting next to Jessy on the floor while everyone else is comfortable on the sofa and armchair.
"And again, for the thousandth time today; Welcome to Duskwood MC" Hannah cheers and keeps her beer up. All together you toast.
"I’m so tired," Dan mutters, sipping his drink." Oh yes, so am I," joins Richy and you nod.
"But it was worth it" Lilly smiles and looks around, "And as soon as it’s done, it can only be great!"
"Perfect!" Hannah improves her sister.
"Indescribable" agrees Jessy.
-------------------------------------
"See you guys tomorrow!" you call after the group and close the door.
Just a short and quiet moment you close your eyes exhausted. Preferably you just want to go to bed, but first you still want to unpack a little more.
The sound that tells you that you have received a message pulls you out of your mind.
You pull out your phone and smile when you see that it is Jake who wrote to you.
Jake: Hello, MC.
Jake: How did the move go?
MC: Hi, Jake. Pretty good, I’d say, exhausting and stressful, but good.
Jake: Have you finished?
MC: No, not quite, I do the rest myself, the others have done enough.
Jake: Do you like the apartment?
You grin, he has improved his skills for small talk since you met and Hannah return.
MC: Yes, it’s really nice, do you want to come? You can look around.
Hopeful you stare at the screen. It would be really nice to see Jake today.
What this is between you, you don’t know for sure, sometimes it goes ahead and sometimes back. You’ve seen each other a few times since Hannah was rescued. Mostly here in Duskwood.
After a difficult time between the three siblings and still the problem with Jake’s pursuers, everything has improved.
However he did it, he managed to turn all the tracks that linked him to the suspicion so that they no longer point to him. He is still very careful and occasionally travels from town to town for a few weeks but most of the time he is in Duskwood. This is where you first met.
After the first conversation between Hannah, Lilly and Jake and a lot of explanations, the hacker decided to take an apartment here to catch up the time with his sisters. Since then, he has also become a little more open and better in interpersonal relationships.
At some point he was in the vicinity of your old place of residence and then it happened that you have a day to drink coffee. And the next day in your apartment. The beginnings were sometimes a little difficult because of him because he really didn’t talk much, but after some time it became really nice. There was even a kiss. Your first kiss together.
It was on your balcony and it was at night, under the stars. But since then, not much exciting has happened, unfortunately.
Jake: I think I’d just bother you unpacking.
MC: Bullshit, of course not, I could use a little quieter company after the whole group was there :)
Jake: Don’t you want to go to sleep soon? You must be tired.
MC: Jake, don’t make excuses, if you don’t want to, you can just say no, that’s not bad for me. But I promise I’d be happy if you were here.
You watch him start writing and then delete the message.
Jake: I’m on my way :)
Without answering his message, you close your phone and stare at the bare wall facing you for seconds.
Then you can’t stop yourself from doing a little joy dance, "Yess!" you hisses and grins all over your face.
Jake won’t be long before he gets here, so you decide to clean up the empty bottles and candy that are still on the table.
Although it’s only about 10 minutes to wait, it feels like a half an eternity until it finally rings.
Before you open the door, shake all your limbs to loosen up and clear your throat.
Then you open the door.
The hacker, dressed in black as always, stands with a slight smile in your hallway, "Hello MC" he greets you with his melodic voice.
Immediately you get very warm and you try to keep your own smile small, "Hi Jake. Come in" you walk to the side to let him in.
-
Jake actually knows your apartment already.
Officially, you don’t know anything about this. But off the record, Hannah told you.
You couldn’t handle the handover of the apartment yourself, so Hannah did it for you, and Jake was with her. He had only told her that he was bored and wanted to come along, but when he looked around and said some things like, "MC has enough space here" and "This will be a good place for her" she realized that he just came to make sure the place was nice enough for you.
Nevertheless, he now curiously lets his gaze wander through the now filled apartment.
"When it is done, it will look really nice" he confirms after you have shown him everything, as well as explained the room layout.
"Yes, I think so," you agree and smile.
"What are you going to do next?" he asks, pointing to the boxes in which your clothes are still to be cleared into the closet.
"That’s exactly what" you answer and kick one of the boxes, "You can sit on the bed if you want, while I unpack," you are proposing and tear the tape off the cardboard.
"I can help you if you don’t mind," he offers and you nod, "Sure, if you want"
-
Cleaning up with the group was really fun, but now with Jake, it’s beautiful. The atmosphere is calm, not stressful or a mess. You talk about everything that comes to mind while Jake keeps holding clothes in front of your face so you can tell him where it belongs.
Two boxes are already empty. In your second one there is still a little bit inside and Jake is also on his way to get a new one. You watch him as he opens the box, only to close it again immediately afterwards. His cheeks turn pure red and his eyes squint nervously at you, "Uhm, I think I’ll take the box first" he mumbles and you can hear the trembling in his voice only too well.
"Why? What’s going on?" you wonder about his reaction.
"Nothing at all, everything okay, here’s another one" he scratches nervously in the neck and does not look at you when talking.
Skeptically you walk over to the box to take a look inside. When you open it, you quickly realize the reason for his shamed behavior.
Your underwear. You decide not to say anything to make it even more unpleasant for him, but you cannot hide the smile on your lips.
For the next few minutes, it’s quiet until it rings at your door. You look at your watch in wonder. It’s just before 9, and you’re not expecting anyone today.
"Be right back," you inform Jake, "And keep your hands off my underwear," as you disappear out the door, you can see him raising his head in a flash, staring at you with big eyes. Laughing you open the door, "Phil?" you ask surprised when you see Jessy’s brother standing there. Phil has also become a good friend of yours, you visited Aurora as a group several times when you were here.
"Hi MC" he greets you, "I hope I’m not interrupting? I actually have to leave right away again, the Aurora is crowded today.I just wanted to stop by and greet you in Duskwood and congratulate you on your move" he smiles his typical charming smile as you hug briefly, "Thanks Phil" you nod grateful. He separates from you and then does not joyfully pull up an eyebrow, he looks behind you and you turn around as well. Jake is standing in the living room and has the same annoyed look as Phil on his face.
"Have fun, you two," Phil grins a little cocky and puts his arms around you again, just quick.
As he disappears down the stairs, he still calls, "We have to do something together in the next few days."
You slowly close the door and turn around with a wide grin to Jake, who still looks dark at the door. Yeah, that Phil and Jake don’t like each other hasn’t changed. On the contrary.
Jake finds Phil is the most unsympathetic person in the world, and Phil thinks he’s better for you than Jake is.
When Jake frees himself from his rigidity, his attention falls on you. You bite your lower lips and put a hand in front your mouth to stop your next words. Even the hacker seems to know what is going on and looks warn, "Don’t say it"
Innocently you raise your eyebrows, "What? I don’t know what you mean, do you mean? -"
"Stop" Jake stops you and heads back to the bedroom.
"What? Shouldn’t I say that you-"
"MC" he threatens.
"Are you jealous?" it bursts out of you and groaning Jake drops his head in the neck, "You really need to say this, don’t you?"
-------------------------------------
After you keep teasing Jake with it, you decided to stop for today. You two ordered a pizza and a drink, because you don’t have much here, except for the beer Hannah bought.
You had the TV running quietly but didn’t pay attention to it. Jake asked you what your wishes and hopes are in for your new life, and you talked about the time with the Man Without a Face. Until now, you’ve only talked to him about it. Just a little bit with Hannah but somehow you’re still not ready to deal with all this. The occasional jokes about it will help you soothe your thoughts a little.
During your conversation, you accidentally fell asleep. The hacker didn’t know what to do, he doesn’t want to wake you, but he also doesn’t want to leave without saying anything. After watching you for 20 minutes and thinking about your relationship, he felt weird just looking at you while you're sleeping. So he decided to leave.
However, you seem to have noticed this immediately because the moment he opens the door, your eyes open.
"Wait" you stop him and he looks at you frightened, "If you leave now while I sleep, then I feel like I was a one night stand," you joke and and he grins.
"You’re much more than that," he replies quietly. You raising your upper body, and a little shy, stroking the fluffy pillow on your couch.
"Can you.. can you stay, Jake?" Your voice is quiet, tired and a little nervous, "I feel uncomfortable being here alone the first night," you admit. You had this feeling the first time while you built up the bed. Even though the Man without a face is in prison and you’re safe, you still have this unpleasant ulterior motive.
He seems to think about, but without you telling him, he understands what you’re worried about.
"All right" he sighs and closes the door again.
"You can sleep in the bed, I’ll take the couch," you say and get up to get a blanket and a pillow.
"No, the other way around. You should sleep in your bed, your day was exhausting and you need to rest"
Before this discussion can be extended, you decide to make a short process, "Okay, you have two options now. Either you sleep with me in bed, or we both sleep on the couch. 'Cause I’m not gonna ask you to stay here for me, and then let you sleep there!"
The hacker stops briefly, turns slightly red but then grins, "I don’t have a chance anyway, do I?" he asks.
You shake your head, "Not without a war"
-------------------------------------
Luckily, you are in possession of a much too large sweatpants which fits him only narrowly, but fits.
The room is dark and it is completely quiet in the whole apartment. You try to be inconspicuous, and slide a bit towards him. You know he’s not asleep yet, and when he doesn’t try to stop you, you get a whole lot closer.
You hear Jake lifting the blanket, the invitation to come to him entirely.You don’t take your time but slide so close that you can put your head on his chest and he puts an arm around you. Immediately its beautiful smell envelops you and your pulse accelerates many times. Even his heart you hear racing what makes you smile.
"Do you know how many times I dreamed about it?" he whispers into the darkness and your heart makes a leap, "No, but if it was only half as often as I did, then I can imagine it," you answer and a quiet laugh vibrates in his chest.
"Good night, MC, see you tomorrow"
"Good night, Jake," you whisper, and then you feel his lips flapping softly over your forehead, just a touch, like a breeze. But for you, it means the world.
Welcome new life, you mean well with me.
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ov105 · 4 years
Text
Redeye
After some delay, and a bit of coincidence. I have reached another summit. It is only appropriate I finish this exactly on Juri’s birthday (10-3-97). 
8,483 words of Takahashi Juri.
In case I don’t see you: Good afternoon, good evening, and good night!
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"Last call for Flight 62, last call for Flight 62." 
Damn me. 
If that was what an unjust sentence sounded like, there it is. Running around Narita's terminal with a suitcase in hand and a jacket in hand as I ran to the gate. Barely cutting it to the gate, breathing a sigh of relief as I handed the ticket to the gate agent, calming myself and taking a swig of sanity back as I turned into the tube and almost found it like walking to a conference. It's all quiet until you turn at the last corner, with the flight attendants, all caked up and primly dressed, greeted me as I stepped into the plane, with everybody settling down into their seats.  
Being in a first-class suite for a transpacific crossing was something I would usually never think of even when sitting in the large office chair. But here I was, a week after selection and flying off to my first international assignment in months. 
"Anything you'd like to have before takeoff, sir?" A charming young flight attendant said. Breaking the silence as the ground vehicles whirred outside as they pulled away before pushback. 
"A cola, please, thank you," I replied, still regaining my words as I tried to give my best PR smile to the young lady who just asked me. 
To be fair, she was the prettiest looking among the flight attendants. Probably one of the shorter ones as well, judging by even how her heels didn't hide her petite frame. Another thing was that she seemed to be hiding a voluptuous body behind all those tight clothes. 
The rest of the flight went on as usual, with the Triple Seven pushed back, started engines, and took us 10 minutes taxiing towards the runway. Being holed up in an airplane flying at thirty-four thousand feet, and almost being unbothered by sleepy seatmates. The opportunity that I couldn't be hijacked in my SNS accounts and watch the backlog of movies I downloaded months ago seemed the most practical choice. The in-flight entertainment wasn't bad, but I had my fish to fry.  
It was only about 20 minutes after the opening credits when somebody knocked on the sliding door of the suite I was in. It fussed me, but then I had to see who it was for myself first. 
"Good afternoon, what would you like to have for dinner?" said the same flight attendant that had led me to my seat just an hour and a half ago. Standing on the aisle but just speaking audible enough for me to hear. Sticking to the business script, I asked one thing.
"Is there a menu?"
She did so by her reaching into the cart, out of view from my perspective. My fingers took in the leather-bound menu and opening it. The laptop was to my right, earphones plugged in, but the display itself was connected to the screen before my seat. The attendant must've noticed it when she snuck some of her personality into my little world.
"Ah, this one gets exciting," she said, making me look to the screen and how her eyes were on it, connecting two-and-two.
"Already is, actually," I said, briefly closing the menu and looking up at the pretty egg-faced lady standing on my doorway, "You like these too?" 
"Ah, yes,  I think they're the best type of movies to watch," she replied. I just smiled and agreed, looking down on the menu again. However, I felt the need to put a name on the pretty face that I now just broke the ice with. 
"Hey, if it isn't too rude, what's your name?" I asked, an arm out as she returned the gesture and replied. 
"Juri," she managed to say, telling me that she was a bit shocked. A charming young passenger often doesn't reach out like this. 
"Then, Juri, I'd like this for dinner," I said as I turned the menu facing her and pointing on the set I'd want. She wouldn't know, but that small talk I had with her made me want to get something different for that one moment. I was giving the menu back to her once she jotted it down.
"I'll see you later then, Juri," I replied with my best business smile as she had her hand on the door. She blushed slightly and returned my greeting. Closing the door as she left and found myself settling down again. 
What kind of luck did I just get to do that? I thought as I pressed the spacebar and took a large swig off the cola bottle. The hours passed. The movie had entered into the third act by the time the dinner service came knocking. As expected, it was Juri who knocked on the door and gave me my meal. It was a complete surprise they had improved with the inflight meal. Though maybe it was just me being sulky and all too used to the economy class meals. 
Speaking of relationships with women, it had been a while since I had one. She was just a sex freak who just wanted to fuck so she wouldn't drink herself into a hangover. Being the bearer of her incorrect way of coping with stress, I learned some despite me telling her to see a therapist. We practically fucked almost anywhere; on the beach, in the car, or the mall fitting room - you name it, I probably fucked my ex there. She also liked it when I didn't pull out, provided she ordered it, of course - something about filling a woman up just made me crave it more.
I finished supper thinking about my past, and almost entirely sexual relationship. Last I heard, my ex was slutting up to her new boyfriend too. However, I washed that over as I took another sip to seal the meal. After that, I had all the plates already taken away. I found myself a glass of liquor, with two bottles in the fridge, and pudding to eat as I binged on my laptop. I checked my watch to see it was 11:00 pm, with a small plate of what used to be the bittersweet pudding lying beside me. That was the day's meal for me, so I pressed the call button to see who'd, if there ever would, come to pick it up this time. 
It was Juri. 
"I see you've enjoyed your dinner," She said warmly. I often get referred to by my pronouns like it was in the office, but I let Juri slide for me. 
"And I see you've been dropping the honorifics," I replied as I looked out to the night sky and took a swig. 
"I-I'm sorry..," the Japanese girl stammered out, trying to look me in the eye, but looked down once I put my gaze on her. She looked dejected. Almost like she'd been caught in her tracks being too friendly to her passengers. 
"It's fine, Juri. I didn't mean to sound like that. Trust me, it's alright," I said, trying to reassure her, and in my years of managing, the kinaesthetic element kicked in. Next thing I knew, my free hand was tapping on her right wrist. 
Looking up, I saw Juri was very much surprised at the sudden contact. I shared the same sentiment, my fingers abruptly letting go of her as I retracted it, rubbed my hands together, and took a swig from the glass to try and distract myself from how awkward every second was at that moment. 
"Sorry for that," I said as I fussed on my seat, clearly trying to distance myself as much as possible from the flight attendant, remembering the professional boundary between us. 
"It's okay," Juri replied. Feeling a hand tap my left shoulder while I looked away. I laid my hand on hers and just nodded. I told her that it was okay, though I did find it awkward. 
"I mean come on, I'm not trying to come off as awkward," she began, "I'm assuming we're just the same age, right? Besides, we don't have the purser now. She won't be awake until morning." Juri finished. A purser would be the head flight attendant, so I assumed it was a more youthful cabin crew for the red-eye.
"Hey, it's just us 20 somethings right here," She began, a million scenarios and a million tons of doubt formed in my head as my eyebrow raised a bit. She either wanted to swindle or be true to me.
"Don't tell me you've done this before and scammed the first-class passengers. I'm not falling for it," I shot back, my executive in play. Juri was shocked by the stand-off tone I dropped that in. 
"But okay, continue." 
"I'm not scamming you... can't I just watch a movie with you?" She managed to stammer out, clearly trying to get around my authoritative tone. I've done my fair bit of asking and being asked out by girls as far back as middle school, and being in that generation, if it wasn't a convenience store, and there was nothing big due tomorrow, it was always the movies. I just gulped down - I wasn't expecting it inside an airliner. I moved her aside and peered my head out, checking if somebody may come in.
"You sure nobody will suspect you here?" I asked.
"Not a soul," Juri replied.
I took her by hand and pulled her in, making sure she put her shoes inside to hide. It was a much smaller space than I had imagined, the dainty Japanese lady only having enough room with both of us inside. I moved a bit to make some space, but that wasn't her idea. She unbuttoned her jacket and hung it on the door rack, besides mine. She was crawling up beside me just as the episode started. She laid next to me, now putting into perspective how short she was. But it was not helping me keep away as she crossed her arms, her strapless dark colored bra made her tits bunched up, looking large and soft under the white cloth.
I may have attempted to brush it aside because the movie we were watching was the only one with a gratuitous sex scene in the entire trilogy. I had it spoiled to me by a friend of mine months before when it was the talk of the town and how everybody got their tissue after the credits rolled. 
During the beginning of the sex scene, I noticed she was glancing at me, catching her eyeing me and looking away, keeping to herself. I still looked straight ahead, trying not to think about the tight circumstances we were into.
"You're thinking of something?" I asked, alluding to the obvious.
"Maybe I am." Juri replied - What the fuck. 
I looked at her, and before I knew it, Juri was glancing at my lips, and her hand was below my cheek. Pushing down at her as our lips met, with her moving forward as a simple kiss became a lustful one. The sound of smooching lips soon being replaced by our tongues as I gently pushed her down. Soft hands were moving from my cheeks, past my neck, and onto my collar, feeling her unbutton my shirt as I kissed her deeper. Feeling her soft body up through the fabric like it was dough, hearing her moan ever so slightly while my fingers danced up and squeezed her dainty, yet fleshy frame. 
"Relax, it's not like they'll come looking for me," Juri said as my hand got closer to her chest, now exposed from her playful fingers.
"You've already said that I've just been thinking about this since I saw it," I said as I pressed down the third button on her shirt and popped it open, quickly moving up to the second and doing the same. Juri kept looking at me with those tempting dark brown eyes that told me to slip myself in as her hands pulled me closer. Feeling my way through the crevice and feeling that soft, milky skin, then traveling up to the hem of her bra. Smiling a bit like I just found treasure, before I slipped from below and heard her moan when she felt my fingers brush her nipples.
Stopping a bit as she felt my fingers wrap around her tits, she removed one hand around my cheek and wrapped it around my left forearm and pushed it forward, as if to squeeze her tits. I bit my lip at the feeling of the soft flesh, rightfully firm but just as fluffy as I made them out to be. I kissed Juri again to try and suppress her moans, which grew louder the harder I squeezed. I decided that her bra wasn't helping and slipped my hand out, finding my way up and making quick work of the first, then the last button.
"Let's just get rid of everything," I said as I straightened my back and removed my shirt. Juri was mirroring me as she took hers off. But before she could reach for her bra, my hands slipped under her and moved ourselves to sit against the cabin wall. Now, Juri was sitting on me, her thighs providing enough cushion that it felt warm as her weight sat on me. 
"You're quick," Juri said, talking about how we were watching one moment, and now, she was sitting, half-undressed on me. 
I just continued kissing her, now biting on her lip as our bodies warmed up, both in heat and atop one another. Slipping my hand up her back and inside her bra, unclipping it and hearing her lightly gasp as it came off. Her hands quickly moved to ease herself out, looking like a Greek maiden as she moved temptingly, watching it fall to the pillow before both of our eyes met. Juri then kept an iron gaze now, but I could tell she was just trying not to be shy. She just felt completely naked. 
With a glance on my lips, she moved forward and then had us making out again, sliding my hand up and below her tits, forming a handful and cupping one of her, then lightly squeezing the soft flesh and hearing the slightest hint of a moan as she kissed deeper. I just squeezed harder, my other thumb moving up to flick her nipple. Juri's hands were closing tighter around my neck, almost as if she was trying to deny me her tits for the moment. Moving my tongue against hers now, we've become sloppy, the sound of our lips kissing while our tongues spoke for us made me careless to how precarious our situation was. I could even sense her warmth when she grinded herself a bit. 
"You practiced?" I asked, being surprised she was such a pretty kisser.
"Must be the adult films," Juri replied as she blushed a little, myself chuckling as she avoided my gaze.
Seeing her guard down, I dived down to her tits. Quickly licking her nipple and wrapping my mouth around it, tugging as I rounded my tongue, the little bud. Juri bit her lip and moaned behind it, her hand wrapping around my neck to push me closer. I kept attacking that single nipple for what seemed to be forever. It was almost like I had missed having sex. 
Juri was bearing the brunt of that gated lust as I felt her stick herself ever closer to me. Almost like she was forcing her weight against the wall, My suckling lips and lashing tongue sandwiched between it. I can feel her shudder when I flicked my tongue hard against her nipple, pinching the other between my thumb and index finger. A few times, sucking the soft flesh and tugging it forward, almost making Juri yell as it had overwhelmed her, and giving us away. 
She gave a bit more before pulling back, watching as her nipples became coated with my saliva. Juri herself looked much different from how she did just earlier, her lips wet from how many times she bit and slid her tongue across them, her hair already somewhat messy from when I laid her down. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact she was so close to me now. 
"Still don't want me to-"I said before being cut off.
"-to eat me out? Be my guest." Juri said as she slipped back from me, her hands traveling down her body and into the hem of her skirt, pushing them down and past her thick, stubby legs. She was taking her panties with that tight dress that had covered her ass for so long. Her pussy was shaved and hidden between those smooth thighs. 
Admittedly, I was not too fond of that bold tone. Then I'd instead make Juri yell when I'm eating her out. 
Pushing her off, she took the cue and slid a pillow under her head. Sliding her skirt up and showing me the bow of her panties. I slid my hands up her soft thighs, hooked her by the hem, and pulled it down, almost like I was forcing it off of her. Once I had it out of the way, I hovered over her, my shadow above, slipping my hand between her thighs, quickly sliding my finger against her folds, placing two and rubbing again, pulling it up to see my fingertips glistening, looking at her as if she failed me.
"So much for being daring," I stated, taking control of our situation back to me.
Stepping back on my knees, Juri lifted herself against the wall, just giving me enough space to still be on the bed. Then pulled her back slightly as I put my hands behind her knees and pushed them up, before wrapping my hands around her thighs and almost leaped headfirst into her. She then had a hard time keeping quiet at the sudden warmth that jolted from inside her. Her body jerked at once as I licked her clit. Excitedly smiling, I repeated it. She bit down on her lip as she moaned at the quick, electrifying pressure that came from her. Hands-on my hair as her head dropped to one side and gritted her teeth. She wasn't expecting me to go this fast. 
I quickly turned it up to eleven by engulfing her clit in my mouth, licking away at it. Juri put her fingers around her mouth, hearing her muffled whimpers and moans as her hips rolled. Grabbing her tits and squeezing them just tripled her pleasure as she shook at the relentless pressure on her clit. Looking up to see her eyebrows furrowed as she slowly got a hold of herself and her moans. Her legs closed in, as if she didn't want me to pull back. 
Slowing down for Juri a bit, I move down and begin licking her folds, feeling some of her juices right on my palate as I coursed my tongue upwards just below her clit. Closing my eyes and focusing solely on how my tongue glided into her entrance, almost like prodding a cave. Hearing her muffled moans ever so often as her hand slowly came back around my nape and pulled me closer, with her pushing herself slightly against me. Making her weak when I suckled around her clit, as if I was kissing it. Bucking her hips every so often as breathless moans left the petite flight attendant under my mercy.
"You go any faster, I'd have to replace the sheets," Juri warned as I lifted off her, catching my breath.
"Come on. It's not like I'm going to make you sleep in here, you know," I replied, slowly sliding my hand into position before her pussy, my two fingers looking like two Sidewinders poised to enter. Her folds moist but pristine, a sure sign of her innocence. 
"Besides, it shouldn't be that hard for us to replace, right?" I continued, just as she must've felt her nerves sliding against my fingers. Averting my gaze as I pushed two in, making Juri gasp and bite her lip, hands holding on to the sheets when I combined it with my tongue on her clit. Pressing my fingers made her hips buck again, cutting out the work of having to crane my neck down as Juri ever slowly pushed herself against the wall, her petite frame playing into an advantage for me. She can't keep backing off forever, having to fall prey to my fingers inside her and my tongue as often. 
I dove back down onto her. Focused on the split flesh that had both of my fingers stuck inside it, pushing it deep as I pouted my lips out to meet her clit. Giving it a while as I fingered Juri and listened to her try and stifle her moans. Her hands were sliding back around my neck and pushing me into her. Me pressing my fingers upward while looking for her spot, pressing when she moaned the loudest, knowing I had found her spot as Juri writhed, feeling the soft skin rub ever so often against my sides. 
I guess with how thick Juri is. She bore her shaking better. Feeling her slightly jolt and rock as she hummed and moaned. The whole burning sensation came down to her thighs as she slowly closed them around me, pleading for me to go faster as I intensified the pressure against her. Making Juri slowly put her head back against the bulkhead, barely maintaining awareness whether or not some other passenger was in the suite behind us. Looking up after a bit, Juri saw my lip, all wet from my saliva, and of course, her juices. 
"I told you I'd have to change the sheets," Juri replied, tsk tsk, as she put her fingers under my chin, "Plus, your lips are dirty," she continued as she wiped her thumb over my lower lip, "You've got such a good tongue," she finished with a compliment as she licked her thumb.
"We're pretty much in a rush."
"What do you mean?" I said, an eyebrow raised. 
"How about you let me play with you?" Juri replied. How aggressive of her. I just chuckled before moving forward to kiss her. Both of us moved back with Juri's hand hooked on my belt the moment I was on my knees. Looking up at me as she pulled, it was an unwritten signal to stop before averting her gaze downward and undoing the belt, making quick work of me as I suddenly felt cold, now being more than just half-naked. 
Juri didn't say anything, apart from that sly smile once she saw what she had to play with. Quickly grabbing hold of me as her fingers wrapped around my cock, stroking it, and just as I was quick to get down on her clit, her tongue was already making circles around my head. Sending chills up my spine as she rounded it one, two, three times. Before she pulled back and let me sit down, my legs apart and Juri coming close, she said.
"Been a while for me, but I'll try and be quick," Juri said.
Without using her hands this time as she bowed her head down as her neck craned forward, turned a bit to the side as a glint of breath brushed over the head. Her lips captured me quickly as her mouth formed around my tip, pushing herself down as the warmth of her tongue slid under it. Though she did prefer to wrap her lips around the head, making circles around it until I was hard enough before she went down on my shaft. 
She took a few inches of me and bobbed her head around the shaft, being more used to quick, flame-like licks of her tongue flashing up against my head. Perhaps she wasn't one for deepthroating or getting too dirty now. She just teased a lick before taking half of me in, her cheeks hollowing out as she pulled back. 
I let out a long, low exhale as she took me in slowly. Taking a few inches in and back, and settling at that pace, looking up at me as I had my hands balled up in fists and holding back moans as Juri had her way with me. She popped off and giggled a bit at my seeming misfortune before wrapping her lips around me again and pulling me back in as her tongue danced around my tip. 
She must've guessed me correctly, seeing her eyes glance and feel that my thighs shook and felt limp whether she hit that spot. Juri had seen through me, going deep down my length, then lingering around it before dropping her neck down again. I felt her throat constrict as it reached the end of her mouth, making her pull back and lightly gasp. 
"Fuck, that was a surprise," Juri said, breaking the tension a little as she stuck her tongue out and made rounds with my cock. Before long, she was going as deep as she could, making me hit the back of her mouth, coupled with how she moved her tongue and cheek around me. It was an exercise of patience by itself. She bobbed down five more times before she couldn't hold herself back any longer.
"Don't you just wanna fuck me now?" The Japanese stewardess shot at me. I just beckoned her to come closer as she turned around and showed her ass to me. She sat down with her legs folded back, bending over just a bit to display her plump ass and lips that were begging to be parted. Pulling her back to me, Juri wipes her lips on her wrists before whispering to me, 
"Don't hold back. I wanna feel you." 
Feeling my cock poke against her entrance. I pull both of us back a bit in a position where I could enter my whole length without a problem. She held her ass open, now seeing how truly plump they were, my gaze moving up from her pristine back to see her anticipating stare. Our instincts took over as she pushed back against me, without using our hands, my cock nestled in between her lips. She moaned, biting her lip as she felt it poking against her entrance. Sliding it as I felt the tip become wet, and my impatience greater as Juri smiled a bit between her small moans. 
Suddenly, Juri sat down on me. My cock hardening as it broke through her folds and instantly filled her up. Her walls immediately squeezed as her ass smacked against my groin. Making me throb and throw my head back at the sudden tightness, with her prior orgasm having made her slick. Juri let out a shrill cry, biting her lip as her brain blanked out, reducing both of us to a whimper as she looked back at me, eyebrows furrowed and lip on her teeth. I would've paid greatly to see that. Very much proud of her handiwork as I looked, and was completely vulnerable, my elbows almost failing me as her grip scalded my shaft. Even then, I was beaten to the punch as the feeling in my groin shut me up, weak at first penetration.
"Fuck, I feel so full right now. That kinda hurt," Juri said, almost as if she enjoyed that tinge of such girth surprising her. Her pussy was still squeezing, making her whimper as she began to ride me, her grip unbelievably tight, both of us feeling each other up with my dick snugly being strangled inside her. I was gritting my teeth together, my head throwing back when she rose to the tip and sunk. 
She put her hands behind her back, laying them on my thighs as she supported herself, keeping her back as straight as she could as her ass slowly picked up the pace. Going slowly as she was trying to feel me first, watching her face as it turned sideways, seeing her trying not to lose it as my cock speared into her. Feeling her squeeze, with myself throbbing while her pussy lubricated my shaft, seeing it becoming wetter and wetter as her pace relaxed. 
"I'm going to take a while getting used to this," Juri said as she went halfway up and began to fuck herself on my cock. Beginning to moan as discreetly as she could as she made a metronome for herself, taking it neither too fast nor too slowly. My cock is enjoying every single bit of the tightest pussy and the plumpest ass I've had. Her mouth stuck open as her moans became a bit of a mess. Still not wanting to moan loudly despite our suite being soundproof. 
"If you want to be loud and ride me. Ride me," I ordered. Seeing her stop as she smiled a bit.
Turning her pace up a bit as her moans picked up, sounding like a sweet schoolgirl just as I had thought. Hearing her begin to call out my name and swear to herself in between as she felt herself become so full. I began to feel my toes tiring out from curling so much because of the pleasure she gave to my cock, having never felt this rock hard fucking a woman. Because of that, she was becoming horny enough to go fast with how hard I was, with myself beginning to moan. Almost wanting to take her by the hips and fuck her rough. But I thought it would be a waste to ruin the meal.
"You like that?" I asked as she seemed to get comfortable with her pace, making her snap out of her moaning a bit and breaking her stride.
Juri just nodded through her whimpers. I damn well knew then her stride wasn't going to stop. She's determined to make me feel her at her tightest as she grew slicker as the seconds ticked by. Feeling her constrict ever so often when my cock slid up against her walls, seeing her toes curl in tune with her walls. She wanted to cum on me. She whimpered and shook, her pace increasing immensely as her confidence grew out of that shell.
I've had one night stands with girls before. Often talking about the most mundane things you could think of, with every last one of them pinning me against the door as soon as I closed it. They missed and didn't dare ask what I wanted the most, to take it slow. Yes, it's a bit of a stretch to say Juri rushed me, yet she took her time to know at least a tiny bit of myself, aside from the cock that's inside her, that is. I just thought about it to distract myself. My eyes shut a bit to take in that choking tightness and those sweet little moans that left her mouth. 
Juri then squeezed, leaned forward with her hands down on the bed. Showing even more of our connection as my cock nicely parted her folds open. Juri then pushed back and didn't stop until she hit my groin, herself moaning at the depth. I only followed when she squeezed, pulled, and went back, almost like my cock was getting sucked as her walls formed around it. She gradually picked up her pace, her ass beginning to bounce as it hit me, with her beginning to groan and whimper as she got to speed. I didn't notice she was becoming tighter and tighter by the second as she straightened her back and kept her pace. 
She looked back at me with that look in her eyes as she put her hands back and braced on my knees, her strokes becoming shorter, all while I was deep inside her. She wanted to fuck herself hard and didn't want me to. She wanted to use me to make herself cum as hard as she could. I was feeling myself throb ever so slightly, but while I enjoyed the view of the plump girl, with her ass bouncing, and me spearing into her. I was far from my release, having done my fair share of trying to be beaten to it. Often, girls rushing themselves too much and dragging me, but not Juri. I genuinely enjoyed her.
Though I wanted to have a piece of the pie myself, despite being deep inside it already. I grabbed Juri's hips, my cock slipping out as I pulled my legs back and stood on my knees. Not giving her a second to react as she looked back with furrowed eyes, visibly annoyed as her hip suddenly felt empty. I pulled her arms up to me, and soon she was facing me. Her pretty egg-shaped face with her messy hair a far cry from her prim and proper look earlier, pecking forward to kiss her. As our lips broke away, I glanced down to see my cock wetter than ever before, then slipping it inside her walls. I gave myself a taste of doing it as I felt that tight sensation all over again. 
Quickly giving it to Juri with the short thrusts she was doing to me, but I had penetrated deeper this time around. Turning her annoyance to moans and whimpers as she tried suppressing herself. I could feel her shaking even more now, her tightness making me throb while I grazed over her spot. She was due. 
"Do you like me that much?" Juri asked, out of breath. I gave her another kiss.
"What do you think?" I asked back, "You were gonna cum, weren't you?" I added. She just smiled and gave me another kiss - yes. 
My grip on her hips tightened, and on a rampaging pace, I went, unpredictable, fast thrusts that made Juri lose composure and drop down on the sheets. One moment I went short, and another I was deep in her. Thinking of fucking her just enough to push her over. Biting my lip as I saw myself going fast inside Juri. My groin smacked her ass as it rippled, and I felt that familiar weight beginning to tease me. Having Juri entirely at my mercy as she dropped her head down. Myself wanting to give it to her as I fucked her like an animal, one who slowly had me wrapped around her loins, 
"I'm... I'm gonna cum!" Juri cried out between whimpers before grabbing a fistful of bedsheet in her mouth. Her hands clutched at the sheets, threatening to tear it as she held on. She tightened while I took the cue and dialed down. Moaning aloud as she tightened some more and completely squeezed me as she shook. Her legs were almost closing as she ebbed, backing up against me and sliding my whole length in her. She threw her head back as she felt the entire length of it mid-orgasm. That sudden, final grip made me groan as I did my best to hold back as she rolled her hips back against me. I tried my best to take the pleasure head-on as Juri let her juices out despite the grip she had on me. Finally, she let me hear her as she let go of the cloth in her mouth, her final moans making her breathless as she piped down. Giving her a bit before I pulled out of her, a wet shaft greeted me, with a few of her juices dripping down like honey as I glided my ass over soft, shapely ass. I slid my hand under her and leaned in.
"How was that?" I asked. Juri ran her hands through her hair, clearing her face, responding to me with a kiss.
"Never came that hard before with a guy," Juri replied, inches away from my face.
"Next time, I'm taking you with me," Juri said, both as a warning and as a dare for me to give it to her again.
"I'll remember that," I replied with confidence, chuckled, and put my lips on hers again. She then rolled over, and I lied down, now facing the in-flight TV as Juri blocked the view, being the better one of either. Taking my cock and pushing it against her lips. She moved and slid her lips over it, exploiting how wet they already were as she slid over my dick, teasing herself a bit, walls dripping wet on the underside—lubing it before she stopped and pushed it against her entrance—bucking her hips backward as I watched it disappear back into her. 
"Fuck."
That's what came out of our mouths after I stung back inside Juri. She was much tighter, much slicker, and far better than before. I looked up at the ceiling as my cock throbbed a few times as she went. Biting her lip as she came down the entire length of my cock down to the base, squeezing a bit as she exhaled, giving me that look that she wasn't expecting me to slide so easily. Putting her hands on my chest as she propped her legs down and pulled herself up. Leaving herself on the tip before slamming herself down again, her whole upper body arching back. Taking my chances as she pushed up again, I sat upright, much to her surprise. My lips made a beeline to her tits as she just gazed at me in surprise. Quickly wrapping them and my tongue darting out as I sucked and tugged on her right tit, making her slow down a bit as she whimpered.
"Don't you want me to make you feel good?" Juri said as she pulled me away from her. Seemingly oblivious to how amazing she felt, even more so now. 
"You already are," I replied as I moved to her other tit. Juri took the cue and wrapped her arm around my shoulder, and began riding at the perfect pace. Both of us let out sounds of our pleasure over each other's bodies as she did so. I held the stewardess tight in my embrace as she rolled her hips on me. My entire groin felt warm as her juices trickled down from her pussy while my shaft tightly speared inside of her, stirring ourselves for another orgasm.
Rolling and bucking her hips forward and back, in an exchange of slippery kisses and lustful glances. I found myself tugging on her nipples before finding myself on her lips again. Both places being just as right for me, being the beautiful woman she was. Hearing her small whimpers and weak moans as she rode me lovingly, our faces were inches away from one another, sometimes our foreheads together before I went down the sides of her neck, the smooth, milky surfaces all a pleasure to kiss while she rode my cock. 
"You're the first guy to do that," Juri said after I went up to her neck.
"You like it?" I asked, being a party trick I had learned from watching too many Western sitcoms in my youth. 
"It's gonna take a while, but yeah, I like it," she shyly replied. It was just apt, I suppose, with how pretty and smooth her neck was, much more the face it held up. She said, slowing herself down now in slow, deep thrusts, being more confident of herself now to slowly roll over me as she put her hands on my chest and pushed me down, keeping her gaze at me all the while. Her hands on my stomach, groaning as that all too well feeling struck me, reminding me as I throbbed in her while that weight built up. It was a scale getting ever more fragile.
With such finesse, I had a full view of Juri's body in the middle of it all. Her hair was a mess, made messier as she ran her fingers through it, and her face a bit tired like mine. Her soft, milky skin on my fingertips as I traced up from her full thighs, sat against me, to her hips that moved and squeezed around me, past her tummy, all that fat and muscle provided more than enough to hold onto as I was deep inside her. Then up to her breasts as my hands squeezed around them, grabbing the soft mounds of flesh as I felt myself throb in her. We were in that state for a while, the way Juri moved teasing me to either an orgasm as I throbbed ever so often. I was thinking of folding my legs up and charging it home, but I had to do something different. 
"You want me to fuck you?" I asked as she stopped and leaned in, her breath ragged as she gave her strength up fucking me instead. 
"I like that idea," Juri replied, forgetting she'd been doing almost everything since earlier.
"Good. I like fucking you from behind." 
"You don't want to face me?" Juri replied. Thinking I made her feel bad. Wanting to make up for that slight error, I put my hand around her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. 
"Hey, don't you wanna do this again sometime, when we have all the time?" I replied as I seemingly invited her to where I stayed.
"Well, I got all the time off after this, you?" She asked.
"I'll try finishing everything by tomorrow. Then you can come with me."
"Sounds like a plan," Juri replied as she crashed her lips hard on me. Reversing back against me as she reminded me - I was still inside her. Both of us moaning through our liplock as she slowly went back and forth on me before, before rising to a quick gallop that nearly tempted fate as she rocked me with her hips, and by extension, the bed. Before letting me go with a pop, a slick, sensitive mess. 
Juri remained on the bed, myself going around and pulling her further back to the edge of the bed. She just looked at me as she adjusted, with her legs closed and her pussy all for show. Placing a knee up with my leg extended down to the floor, with no hands to guide myself in as my tip homed in between her pussy lips, sliding it up and down carefully before pushing it in. Both of our gazes went straight ahead as I pushed deep into Juri. Pulling back a bit as she was much tighter with her legs closed, and all that slickness helping to suck me in, I couldn't deny I felt myself begin leaking a bit of precum then. 
"You should've closed your legs before," I remarked. 
"I know, fuck. It feels so good," Juri replied, letting out a long moan as I pushed back in again. With my hands on her hips and weight pushing her down, I quickly built up my pace, intending to make her pronebone. She let out all sorts of moans as gravity took its course. Not long after, I was kneeling on the bed, with her ass flared up, pulling her against me while I pushed against her. She looked back at me with a look of absolute pleasure as I kept running over her spot. Her squeezing at me as I throbbed inside her made me know it for both of us. I was close. 
Then, I was struck with the pleasure of it all. A supposedly ordinary flight, and now I'm inside one of the thicker women I've ever laid with, her moans and cries of pleasure, finding my name in then as she locked my cock in between her legs. Feeling light-headed for a second as she squeezed on me, moaning as it surged up my veins and hit me like a pitch. Taking it as a signal to go deeper, Juri clawed back on to the sheets as I fucked her, digging my knees and pushing all I had and gave it to her, the fastest I could without essentially doing her too roughly. With how loud she returned that pleasure, it was a blessing the walls were soundproofed. As I fucked her faster and dangerously tread that scale as I mind split itself whether to cum inside her now, or last as long as I could until we both came.
I chose the latter.
I slammed deep into Juri, earning a moan from her, tapped her to open her legs, and leaned in, moving her hair aside, noticing the thin sheen of sweat before kissing her nape as my hands moved down and squeezed her tits, going slow and deep as my lips moved to her earlobes.
"I think I'm close." 
Her head turned to face me, near breathless, our lips meeting each other before she said it.
"Cum in me"
I only replied with a peck on her lips as I pulled her back up. Now both of us only on our knees, and whosoever our hands found to hold, with Juri's dark brown eyes right onto mine, both of us knew full well that we were at the pearly gates. There were no more words to be said. She just whispered something in my ear before our tongues were deep in each other again. Beginning to thrust as I plunged deep every time inside Juri, herself returning the favor by pushing against me, essentially the perfect combination. The girth of my cock being sucked back in by her tight folds, that same tightness having never left from her lips, it was heavenly, and euphoric as she got slicker throughout. The feeling of her toned thickness on top of it all driving me on, going faster to a point where her cries of pleasure more or less began to echo throughout the room, prompting me to cover her with my hand as I laid my head on her shoulders, giving shy kisses to her shoulder. At the same time, I felt the weight beginning to take me over, that familiar tingle on me almost making me slip. I forced myself to go faster, deeper into her. Her moans now clawing down as her grip on my hands held on for dear life. She had wanted me to do her dirty with that gaze.
Juri began pulsating, me having fucked her hard enough to grant her one final orgasm. Feeling her body convulse as it shook against me, both of us letting out a groan as I began to crack against her. Her cum began to trickle down, with my cock parting, piercing between her flesh, it became too much to bear. I had flown too close to the sun.
The first, thick shots of cum left me with a groan. Juri let out a whimper as our orgasms matched in intensity. Both of us shook as we held each other tightly, barely being able to control ourselves as we hurtled over the edge. I found myself throbbing painfully in her walls as our juices mixed. Having her milk every last drop of me as I forced the last of my strength to keep fucking her throughout. She took me all in stride, her thick body bearing my brunt, slowing down eventually as I felt that sappy mess of lustful fluids pooled inside Juri. Both of us were barely able to keep standing on our knees as our lips found each other in a deep kiss. I held her as tight as I could as my hands moved down her body as my throbbing died out. Our grips became weak as humanity caught up to us.
"Fuck, I shook a lot, didn't I?" She said, dismissing herself. 
"That just means you made us cum a bit too hard," I replied.
"I guess I have something to look forward to then?" She asked, still thinking of earlier. 
Safe to say, I had just experienced euphoria. I didn't want to hold my peace forever for Juri.
"Be my guest." 
Juri ran a hand up my cheek, then kissed me there. Probably as a thank you for giving her such a pleasure, she was returning for when I kissed her immediately. I had too many things to be thankful for by then.
Juri then pushed herself off, quickly reaching for the tissue as my cum began to leak out. It looked deceptively more as we came simultaneously, almost at the expense of the tissue box as I looked and saw the creases, the dampness of the bed from two impatient lovers who earlier, just played on it. 
Juri just laughed at how much she had to get off from inside her, admitting then that she had never shaken that hard when she came. Me replying that I hadn't in a very long while, that's for sure. Both of us were boiling it down to just the perfect match as I reached over to the fridge and pulled out a drink for us both, a mere attempt to quench out human spirits amongst the many kisses that we shared as we talked amongst ourselves and dressed up. Juri spent a lot of time merely redoing her hair and hiding the creases of her shirt, spending another hour talking about the movie we had just missed because we had sex. At least, both of us didn't feel too old as we talked. I then had her lie down on my arm as I put it back on, skipping over the sex scene to avoid a repeat. 
It took me until the credits to notice myself near the oblivion of sleep that my muse had already slept. She looked just as perfect as she did earlier that day, not knowing what she would become in a beautiful chain of fortunate events. I could neither tell if it was a one night stand or the stars lining up by then. Knowing that she had to go back out, I nudged her awake. I saw a slight frown on her face as she rubbed her eyes, knowing what she had to do. 
"We wouldn't have to do this in LA. I could wake up beside you there instead," Juri said as she leaned in for one final kiss. 
I then opened the door for her, feeling a bit sorry that she had to leave for the crew quarters at the plane's back. I knew, however, we were looking forward to seeing each other after today, and every single day to come after. Both of us laughing as I saw her off, giving me one last goodnight kiss as the petite Japanese lady, named Takahashi Juri, walked off into the night with my heart in hand. 
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buckyownsmylife · 3 years
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How I Want You - Logan Delos x Reader Fluff
The one where Logan confesses that he loves you.
Warnings: angst, Logan’s crappy father, sexual themes, selfdoubt and selfhatred.
A/N: No, I couldn’t help myself. I’m obsessed with Taylor Swift and it shows.
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Y/N’s P.O.V.
It was way too fucking late for anyone to be up, and still, much too early for Logan to have gone to bed. Which was why the second my phone rang, I forsake my comfy blankets and grabbed my keys, knowing exactly who it was - the only person who would call me at such a time and the only number whose call would get through during my sleeping hours.
“Where are you?” Was all I asked, although I already knew that the answer wouldn’t be satisfactory to my plan of going back to sleep as soon as possible. “You know what? Just stay where you are. I’m coming to get you. This is why I download that find my friends app in the first place.”
“I’m home,” he interjected, his tone sounding very firm, and very tired, and very not drunk for the time of day. It caught me by surprise. “I’ll be waiting.”And then he was gone. Hung up in a show of just how quickly he needed me to get to him.
It made my skin crawl and heartbeat pick up, that intuition that only ever acted when it came to him telling me something very bad had happened, or at the very least, that he was as far away from okay as he could get. And if he was home, then it truly was the worst case scenario. 
I got there as fast as I could without breaking any laws, and I barely allowed myself the time to kill off the engine before I was running out of the vehicle and into my best friend’s arms. Logan welcomed with a silent desperation that came in the form of reaching for me as a child would for any sort of parental guidance, and the anxiety that had been coursing through my veins while I couldn’t see his state little by little began to be replaced by anger. Pure, unadulterated, blinding anger.
“Get in the car, Lo,” I called him by the childhood nickname he pretended to hate, knowing it would help in my task to calm him down. “I’ll be right back.” He wanted to stop me the second that he realized what my intention was. I knew it because he seized my wrist and held it tightly, stopping me from moving any further away from him. But the second that he saw my eyes, when I turned around to stare at him and silently order him to let go, he did just so, knowing better than anyone else that when I got into this mindset, there was no one who could possibly get me out of it.
“Okay.” He nodded, and I knew he was watching me as I stepped into the huge mansion Logan did not call home. It only made me even more sure of what I intended to do. With quick strides, I crossed the main floor in the direction of his father’s office, and I didn’t even knock before I slammed it open, fire burning inside of me.
“What the fuck did you say to him?” I yelled as soon as James’ eyes met mine after my loud entrance startled him from whatever work he was trying to do at such a late hour - work he had always prioritized over his son.
“What?” He asked, clearly not expecting my sudden outburst, and probably not immediately relating my loss of reason to his only son. It only made me grow angrier, the fact that just because he didn’t worry about Logan, he couldn’t imagine anyone else caring for him either.
“What the fuck did you tell Logan that made him so upset? Only you can make him feel bad about himself, so I know it’s your fault. Tell me.” When realization finally seemed to hit him, no ounce of regret or shame painted James’ features, but that didn’t surprise me. Even if he had never been anything other than sweet to me, being Logan’s best friend meant I knew who he really was, and that implied that I knew every single one of his flaws as a father. He just didn’t know that I did, until then.
“You’re a smart girl, Y/N. You really shouldn’t waste your time on a failure like him.” The harsh reality of what he had said hurt me so deeply that it immediately drained me of all anger, leaving only a sickly feeling of disgust behind.
“Logan deserves every single second of my attention, and he deserves yours too. I’m sorry you can’t see it, but the only one who’s missing out is you.” Cold, bitter tears of pity for the sweet man I knew flowed down my cheeks, but I was quick to wipe them away. Logan didn’t need to see them.
“How was it in there?” He asked as soon as I was inside of the car again, his lips curled in a small smile that was half self-conscious, half knowing of what his father was capable of saying when it came to him, but I couldn’t yet stomach what I’d heard, so I just clutched his hand tightly with mine.
“Doesn’t matter. How about a sleepover?”
Logan’s P.O.V.
The drive to her place was silent, but she kept reaching for my hand every time she could, like she needed the physical reminder that I was there with her, instead of back at my house. Like she knew that I needed to be reminded of that too.
What would I do without her? Ever since I could remember, it was us against the world. Or more precisely, us against my father, and as a child, he was pretty much the only boundaries to the world that I knew. But even after I grew and started to see past my father’s empire, when I started to make real, lousy mistakes, instead of the childhood errors that would get me grounded, she still stuck up for me. She was always there, whenever I needed her.
My eyes trailed up her body, taking notice of the way her sleepwear still managed to make her curves enticing. She always looked beautiful in my eyes. No matter how many women I slept with, they could never come close to the beauty that I saw in my best friend and only in her.
“What do you see in me?” I blurted out, suddenly overtaken by the realization of just how inferior to her I was. It made my chest feel tighter, and breathing became a bit harder. The tears that would never come for my father suddenly stung my eyes, and I had to rub the palms of my hands against them to stop myself from crying.
“I’m sorry?” It seemed like she wasn’t expecting the sudden interruption to the silence that had fallen between us, but the desperation that had forced me to ask the question that plagued me had been dulled by my fear of her answer. I couldn’t bear the thought of knowing she thought less of me. I couldn’t bear the thought of being less in her eyes than she was in mine.
“Logan, what do you see in yourself?” She asked, once more glancing at me to make sure I was fine, which I was certain I would be able to pretend like I was. But of course, I could never fool her. So when she squeezed my hand to get me to talk, I found myself answering honestly, “Nothing. I-I’m nothing, Y/N. I’m just a waste of space and air and energy, your energy, and I have absolutely no idea why you put up with me.”
We had arrived at her apartment complex, I realized, but only because suddenly there were arms thrown over me, and a familiar neck for me to nuzzle with a familiar perfume that seemed to be the only thing able to relax my very soul.
“Well, that’s the exact opposite of what I see in you, Logan Delos. I see so much, I see everything. I see the whole wide world in you. You’ve always meant that for me. And to see you doubt that… There’s not a day in my life where I don’t hate your father for making you think so little of yourself.” That had me laughing against her skin, but it was a wet sound, unfortunately. Still, she didn’t seem to mind, allowing me to cling tightly to her as she drew soft patterns on my back. “You can’t say bad things about yourself, ever. That’s an order.”
After that last comment made me pull away from her to freely laugh, she looked patiently at me with the most loving smile on her face. “Do you have any idea what you mean to me?” I asked, caressing the side of her face and grinning with pride when she leaned against my touch.
“Almost as much as you mean to me, I hope.” I swear, only she could have me laughing after feeling so down a few minutes before. 
“Way more than that.”
“I doubt it.”
For a while, it was a staring contest between the two of us in her tiny car. I wanted to lean in and kiss her. God, I wanted to find out if her lips were as soft as they looked like But the second my hand grazed her cheek, she seemed to snap out of whatever reverie we had fallen on, quickly putting some space between us to unbuckle her belt.
“Let’s go,” she called out, reaching out for my hand as we walked towards her apartment. The second we were in the familiar setting of her living room, I felt the last bit of weight that had settled over my chest suddenly vaporize and disappear.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” I acknowledged as I took off my coat. “I owe you.”
“You owe me nothing,” she tried to wave it off, but I couldn’t let her do that. No, I needed her to understand that this was important to me, and I started by pulling her close so I could cradle her face between my hands and force her to see the seriousness in my so often joking eyes.
“I owe you a lot.” That was all I managed to say, as my throat closed at the quickening of my heartbeat. The moment felt heavy with something we couldn’t find it in ourselves to explore, and so we just stood there in silence, eyes cautiously exploring each other’s features until one of us decided to break the tension with a joke.
This time, it was her.
“I’m glad I downloaded that app on my phone and activated your location on yours. I seriously considered buying you a nice collar, with a tracker or something, so I could always know where you were when you called me. Especially when drunk.” I didn’t expect her words to have such an effect on me, but it was instantaneous. I felt my cock harden on my pants, and I knew that she could feel it too as I hid my blushing face in the crook of her neck.
“Are you trying to turn me on or are you really that oblivious?” I tried to pass it off as a joke, hoping to calm down despite keeping her touch close to me, but when her fingers buried themselves in my hair, I knew she’d only keep me balancing on this tightrope we’d been dancing on for way too long.
“I had no idea you were into that kind of stuff. Does the idea of wearing a collar entice you that much, Lo?” She asked, and although I knew she also wanted to pass it off as a joke, her voice sounded different, raspier. Filled with desire, I realized with a jolt, finally detaching myself from her to look her in the eye again. 
This was it. This was my chance to say something that would irrevocably change the nature of our relationship forever, but hopefully, it’d become all I’d ever wanted.
Y/N’s P.O.V.
“If it’s a collar that shows I belong to you, definitely.” I inhaled sharply at the words that fell oh-so-easily from my best friend’s lips. I knew him enough - I knew him way too much - to doubt the veracity of them, but that didn’t stop me from being overwhelmed at the realization that Logan wanted to be mine just as much as I wanted to be his.
“C’mon, stop teasing me,” I pleaded, trying to put some space between us, but failing to do so. Logan kept me close to him, gaze heavy on my body and when I still refused to meet his eyes, he held my jaw and forced me to do so.
“No, you c’mon. You know this isn’t me teasing you like when we were kids. I really, really want you. And not only like a best friend.” I didn’t even notice I was biting my lip until he pried it away with his thumb, staring longingly at it. “I’m gonna kiss you now.”
Before becoming a kiss, it was just him sucking that same bottom lip into his mouth, making me gasp and hold onto his shoulders for support. But then, he fused our mouths together, licking his way inside my mouth until I couldn’t breathe anymore.
When my eyes fluttered open to find his, I could barely see his pupils anymore. “Well, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep after that,” I joked, trying to ease some of the tension in the room, but failing miserably. There was too much desire between us to disappear just like that. We’d need to find a way to release it if we were to ever move past this.
“I’d be offended if you were.” It felt nice to laugh with him after this kiss, this revelation of sentiments. It felt like, regardless of what we would become after tonight, I wouldn’t lose the most important person in my life, my best friend. The only one who could make me laugh like this, even after a breathtaking kiss, apparently.
“Wanna do something else, instead?”
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babylooneytoonz · 4 years
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200 Followers Appreciation Post
I'll be very honest, two months back when I joined Tumblr, I hadn't expected that my writings will be read by many, and the last thing I had expected was to be followed. Now look far we've come, from 0 followers to 200.
A personal thank you and a lot of love to each and every follower of mine.
I think this is the best part of our fandom. We love each other like family.
As a little token of my thank you, I decided to publish two of my requests combined as one today. Hope you like it. 💓
Tommy Shelby x Fem! Reader
Request 1- Prompt "We can’t win. Either I have you and my soul sings but your cries, or we’re apart and your soul rejoices but mine dies."
Request 2- Reader was always in love with Tommy, thinking he can't love her back she starts writing cheap novels as a way to deal with it. Her books become popular and everything is cool until Tommy finds out about her hobby and notices similarities between her writing and real life.
Warnings - Angst
GIF Credits - @thomasshelbyltd thank you. ❤️
A Maid's Diary
 You slumped against your desk, letting your head rest against the old wooden table top, your elbows on either side of your face. Your desk was a cluttered mess, with sheets of paper flooded all over. In your hand, you held a pen, as you were just seconds back, scribbling vigorously on a parchment as an idea had just hit you, and just as swiftly, the idea had vanished from your mind.
You couldn't forget and you couldn't forgive your best friend, Linda, for having betrayed you by sharing your diary to a local printing press, who had, without your permission, published your countless feelings that you had penned down in your little diary, without even your consent, although they didn't take the credit for it. You were still the writer, even though the publishers never published your real name on it, just a pen name.
As much as you hated to admit it, the little push made by your friend had worked tremendously and your popularity had grown amongst the lower middle class especially; as that is where you hailed from. They loved your modesty, they loved how humble and down to earth you were, although you were extremely talented.
Little did they know, that the book that had been published, as an act of mistake, was actually based on your life.
"What is it that you are reading?" Tommy pushed his round glasses over his eyes, as he looked through them and fixed his broody stare on his wife.
Grace was sprawled on the couch in his study, shimmering in a beautiful pearl white satin nightgown hanging loosely over her slender frame, her natural blonde hair falling loosely over her shoulders. She seamlessly brought up her ring studded hand to her hair, running her fingers through the locks as her eyes came to rest on her husband.
"Would you look at this Tommy?" She raised a red little book in her hand, showing it to him briefly, before she sat back more comfortably. Their son, Charlie, crawled about on the carpeted floor, playing with a toy train. "I don't know who this woman is, but if you read this book, you would feel like you are a bloody part of it."
"Is it one of those fucking love stories again, Grace?"
"It's much more than that, love. It's complex. It's like reading a person's life, living her memories."
"Right, well, I'm out, I've got a bloody meeting with Arthur at the pub." He stood up, sliding his hand into his waistcoat and pulling out the pocket watch, taking a quick glance at it. He then kissed his wife a goodbye, lifting Charlie up in his arms, "Be good, you cheeky little oaf."
Little did he know, how that would be the last week, that he was spending home with his wife. The next week, Grace Shelby was shot, and she couldn't make it.
As days inched by, Tommy started growing more and more morose. Although he didn't show it, those around him felt it everyday. The snapping and the yelling increased, and Tommy found himself sleeping less and less, and chugging down more and more of that alcohol to keep his mind at rest. There were weeks when Tommy didn't see his son. Although he felt guilty, for neglecting him, as the poor child had lost his mother, just like he had lost his wife, he couldn't bring himself to face him, as he reminded him so much of her.
Soon, weeks turned into months and finally, Tommy's agony subsided to a bit. It wasn't as if it was an overnight process, but somehow, over the course of time, Tommy didn't feel the hurt anymore, as he initially did— or maybe, he learnt to live with it.
One night, when the nightmares crippled him to such an extent that he found himself unable to sleep, he decided to go through Grace's belongings, something he had kept locked up in the attic, afraid to touch them. Holding a lantern in his hand, he walked up the flight of stairs, the old floorboards creaking underneath the weight of his foot as he stepped into the dinghy little room. In a corner, a brown crate was hoarded up, keeping all of Grace's belongings.
Pulling off the the wooden board that was nailed shut, he pried it off and ran his hand through the dust coated silk dresses, his fingers gently brushing against the fabric. He let out a weak, pained exhale, slowly sliding down against the floor, pulling his hand out as he started fumbling around his pockets for a cigarette.
With a lit cigarette in his left hand, he slid his right hand back in, feeling around the box until his palm hit something hard. Pulling it out, he saw a little red book that was now turning a shade of purple at the edges. The book was coated in a sheet of dust, causing Tommy to squint his eyes slightly and scrunch up his nose as he brushed the dust off its cover.
A faint smile, a fond remembrance of Grace reading this book with such enthusiasm brought a weak smile to his lips. He took a drag of his cigarette, pulling himself off the floor and pocketed the book, walking out of the attic.
It was his eyes, eyes that could hold an entire ocean in them, that captivated me. I often found myself looking at him, stealing glances, when no one was looking. A part of me begged for his attention, hoping, yearning that he would atleast give me a glance but he never did.
The more he read through the passages, the more he realized what Grace had meant. This was not just a book, it was someone's life, it was someone's feelings. The words were simple and not at all fancy, the backdrop set was not that of a fine mansion, it was a tiny little house, in a clamoured street, a family of five siblings, four boys and one girl, and the writer, who was just a servant. The writer knew the love she felt for one of the sons of the house was wrong, improper and it was forbidden because she was a servant and they were her employers but she couldn't help how she felt, no matter how hard she tried to forget. Tommy couldn't help but feel drawn— drawn to the writer's pain, her anguish and the feeling of being stuck at the end of a self destructive, one sided love. He knew what it meant to not get to be with the person you loved. He had experienced the pain, although in a different sense but somehow, he could relate. Although Thomas Shelby didn't show any feelings, he had eventually fallen head over heels in love with Grace Burgess and life with her had been a life of roses and poppies, while he was a crown of thorns; that Grace bravely adorned on her head.
It was a cold night, and I was freezing. I could feel my cheeks turning to stone and my hands fervously rubbing against my arms to keep myself warm. I could see them right in front of my eyes; the whole family. They looked happy. They brothers were teasing their sister, who had a look of dismay plastered over her face, and the youngest brother, who was just a toddler, ran about the parlour, sucking on his thumb. I wondered if it was selfishly wrong of me to think of him in this way, to imagine how our little household would have been, had I been bound to him by marriage. I wondered if it was a sin, wondering what I would have named our children if we had a handful of them.
Thomas found himself leaning back comfortably in bed, straining into his glasses, wanting to read more, although his body and his eyes were beyond tired. It was as though he could see a glimpse of his life before the war had been, right through someone else's eyes. He could see little Finn, perched on the carpeted floor, running his toy train all over it, making a weird engine sound with his mouth while John and Arthur teased Ada for something she had probably said. He could picture himself by the window, staring at the dimly lit sky, the illuminating stars, thinking of the moment Greta took her last breath, her frail hand falling limp in his warm one.
How unlucky had he been with women, he had watched the women he loved die, in in his arms.
As I scrubbed the dishes in the kitchen, I could hear the curses in the parlor. He was screaming at himself, bringing the dishes down, breaking them one by one. No one dared stop him, because no one wanted to be slammed against the wall or have to be the one taking a porcelain hit on his face. I wondered if I should step in, maybe give him some tea but I didn't. Maybe, he didn't need it. It was only later that I found out he had lost the love of his life.
He shoved the book aside and sat up straighter, running his palm through his face, his breathing shaky and rushed. He grabbed his cigarette box off the bedside table and lit himself a cigarette. Maybe reading this book had been a mistake, it was opening up all his raw wounds that he had buried away.
He was leaving. I wanted to ask him when he would be back but of course, that would have been such a silly question. And besides, he had a lot more on his plate, why would he want to speak to a servant? I stood behind the kitchen wall, listening to the solemn parting, the shuffling of feet, listening to them leave until finally I could hear them no more— I could hear him no more.
Years after years, I went on with life, with a smile on my face. I did what I always did in the mornings; scrubbing the floors clean, washing the dishes, preparing supper and doing the laundry. At night, though, I thought of him and his blue eyes. I wondered if there was any news, for I hadn't heard anything about him in ages. Maybe my prayers were finally answered, the war ended and they all were back home. Only they weren't themselves. The war had killed a part of them. They were the ghosts of war, left to meander the Earth until they finally died.
"Mr. Shelby?" Tommy sharply looked up, his eyebrows straightened into a visible frown.
"Yes, Mary?"
"Charlie's asleep, the supper's ready. I was wondering if I could get a night off—"
"Mary, you may. You have bloody worked hard enough to earn a night off. Go on then, hurry up, it's pretty dark outside."
He watched her leave, staring at the door before bringing his gaze back to the book, wondering if the writer was out there somewhere. And he wondered, and hoped, that she had finally gotten to be with the man she loved. She deserved it. She deserved all the happiness in the world.
I finally mustered the courage, after what seemed like eternity, to speak my heart out. I was afraid of rejection, but he deserved to know. I deserved to be free of this heavy secret in my heart. I didn't care if he would ask me to leave, stop coming to work from tomorrow but he needed to know I loved him. So, I stepped out into the chilly night, wrapping myself with whatever warm I could find. I walked and walked, until I was at his pub. Of course, he wasn't there. With a heavy heart then, I thought of going back home, through an alley, that was a shorter route. Little did I know, I was never going to get the man I loved for he already had the woman he loved, the woman from the pub; that barmaid. I saw the man I was in love with, from a window, the way I always imagined him to be with me, kissing her and stroking her cheeks. It was as though I heard a devastating sound somewhere close by, but it was nothing but my heart—shattered into two.
Thomas Shelby was many things, but he was not ignorant, or dumb. He slammed the book shut, shoving it on the bedside table. His heart was racing rapidly and he could feel blood rush through his veins. Arching his body forward, placing his elbows on his thighs, he buried his face into his palms. Every single detail in the book, every single piece of writing was something he had experienced before. It couldn't be a mere coincidence, could it? He slid out of bed, stomping through the hallway into his study until he was perched on a stool by the telephone his fingers frivolously moving against it. He knew what he had to do now.
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"Pol?" He mumbled into the phone the instant he heard her on the other side.
"Tommy? It's fucking midnight, what's the bloody matter?" Tommy didn't mind he had woken her up. He needed answers.
"Do you remember a maid that worked for us?" He sighed into the receiver.
"Tommy, we have hired a dozen fucking maids, which one are you talking about?"
"She was with us when Greta died, when we went to war—"
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On the other side of the telephone, Polly's demeanour softened. She remembered you, she even knew how you loved Thomas, but she could never bring it up to her lips, because she knew that you and Thomas had no future.
"Yes."
"Do you know where she is? And for fucks sake, don't lie."
Your coffee mug lay on the table untouched, smoke bellowing out of it in waves. Outside your window, snow drizzled from the sky, like tiny droplets of fur falling to the ground, your garden sheeted in pristine virgin white.
"Love, you have to bloody see this," your friend Linda's voice echoed through the closed door, loud enough to alert you.
"What is it?" You threw open your window, watching your bestfriend stand at the gate, her eyes fixed to your window, "Just get your bloody arse down here (Y/N), I have to show you something. Come on out, now."
Annoyance.
You practically ran down the flight of stairs, not even stopped to calm your breaths.
"Jesus, Linda, it's fucking snowing, I'm going to freeze to—"
"Sorry love." Linda gave you an apologetic smile, her index finger pointing towards the silhouette of a man leaning by your front gate, slowly sliding out of the periphery of gaze. Neither were you watching her. You were watching a ghost of your past, that stood leaning by the metal gate on your front door, a cap on his head, a long overcoat drawn over his scrawny body. He had gotten weaker than you had last seen him.
"Miss (Y/N)." His voice was curt, yet warm, without a trace of malice in it. After all these years, he was right here, on your doorstep.
"Mr. Shelby? Would you like to come in?"
He shook his head, rather, his eyes and you knew that he didn't want to talk in the confines of your home, under prying eyes. He slowly pulled out a book from his pocket and your eyes widened. Your fingers flew to your lips and you felt a rush of blood in your body, an instant feeling of being in the warmth of a fireplace. You wanted to reply, but you couldn't find the words.
"You read my book, you found me out."
"It wasn't that fucking difficult to figure it out, love."
"Jesus, would you please come in? It's freezing out here, you're going to bloody catch a cold—"
He cut you off as you turned to walk in, grabbing you by your arm, not hard, but firm enough to stop you from walking. He then pulled you towards him, your front hitting his hard chest, to look into his face.
"It was you all along?"
You didn't know what to say anymore. He had found you out. After all these years.
"I don't understand—" You whispered, shaking your head. You couldn't lie, his eyes were making you nervous and all the feelings that had simmered over the course of time were finally lighting up again. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it will get published."
"Do you believe in destiny?" He cut you off.
You narrowed your eyes at him, trying to mentally think where he was going with this, "Perhaps, Mr. Shelby, but you need to be clearer than that."
"I didn't believe in fucking destiny, until this minute. I can't believe I'm fucking saying this—" You could see reluctance in his eyes, an inward fighting. You could see that he was thinking hard, probably having a hard time figuring out what he should say to you. "You remember Greta?"
You were hundred percent sure you weren't smiling, but had you been smiling, it would have withered.
"Yes, Mr. Shelby, the girl that died holding your hand, the girl you loved."
"Good, and what about Grace? The woman you saw at the fucking window."
Your cheeks reddened at the remark with embarassment, making you regret how he had read that part. That was a private thing between Thomas and Grace.
"I didn't mean to pry, I was just passing through the alley and I looked up and I —" You voluntarily bit on your tongue in an attempt to silence yourself because you knew you were babbling and your words were not making much sense. You needed to compose yourself, compose your thoughts.
"I married her, yeah? And do you know what happened then?"
You closed your eyes briefly, hoping he wouldn't see the pain in your eyes. When you blinked your eyes open again, you straightened slightly, almost taking a step away from him. He caught your arm, pulling you back to him.
"We have a lovely boy together, Charlie, he's three almost."
You wondered if Tommy was here to chastise you, to make you apologize, or maybe, your book had caused a rift in their marriage.
"She was shot. Fucking took a bullet that was meant for me. I fucking watched her die. Twice, (Y/N). I think it was my destiny. Will you ask me why?"
"Mr. Shelby—" You hopelessly began, trying to tell him how sorry you were about what had happened. But what could you do? It wasn't as if you had shot Grace.
"Just bloody ask me why."
You stiffened at the harshness of his voice.
"I- Why?"
"Because this fucking destiny had something else in mind for me. Perhaps it was you all along, the one I was maybe meant to be with."
Your eyes widened in surprise at his words, a sudden palpitating feeling in your heart, a sudden throbbing in the back of your mind. You pulled your arm away, wincing slightly at his sudden outburst, instantly moving away.
"Your words make no sense. Will you please stop?"
He parted his lips in an attempt to reply, but all that shot out of his plump lips was foggy winter air and he shut it. His hand flew to the side of your face, but he didn't touch you. He merely took a loose strand of your hair, curling it over his index finger. You could feel the sudden tension, his lips so close to you, you knew if you didn't stop him, he would kiss you. And later regret it.
"Mr. Shelby, this is a mistake. If I was your destiny, I would be the one buried in a grave and not the women you loved. I did love you," you spoke, hopelessly pulling yourself one step away but this time he didn't make an attempt to pull you close, perhaps having sensed your reluctance.
He raised his eyebrow, "Did?"
"I still do, but I don't think we were meant to be."
"I see," he almost stepped closer, reluctantly, fighting for control at the back of his mind. This was a new feeling. He knew he didn't love you yet, but at the same time, he knew he was in love with the woman from the book. The woman who had always loved him.
"Why?"
A single word can hold a vast meaning. A single word can have an answer that you could probably write a book on.
"Because Thomas .. We can’t win. Either I have you and my soul sings but your cries, or we’re apart and your soul rejoices but mine dies," you whispered in a low voice, tears shrouding into your eyes.
"Yet there's a bloody thing that binds us to each other. Something neither you nor I can see," he mumbled under his breath, sliding his hand into his pocket, pulling out a box of cigarettes.
You didn't know what to say to him. Your mind was fervently throbbing through your skull. Your heart leapt with joy but your mind didn't let you be at ease. He waited a few seconds but when he realized you had made up your mind, he decided he will not push you. You had given him the answer. You didn't want him. He nodded softly, letting his eyes wander down to your feet for a bit before giving you a last look as he turned his tail and started walking off, his boots crushing the snow as he started walking away.
And just like that, you realized that history was repeating itself. But this time, it was all your fault. You were letting him walk away when you could finally be happy.
"Thomas stop.." His name flew out of your mouth even before you could clamp your mouth shut. You saw him freeze, but this time, he didn't turn your way, but with his back turned towards you, you missed the hint of a smile that crossed his lips; the way you had stopped him meant that he still had hope.
"I would like to work for you again, does Charlie need a nanny?" You bit your lip.
It was nothing, but yet, it was a start. If destiny really wanted the two of you together then you wanted to try it out from the beginning, maybe make the man fall in love with you and not the woman who wrote the book. You wanted him to love you and not pity you.
"Twenty shillings, you stay at the Arrowe House, no further will be discussed on that, yeah?"
You gave him a weak smile, although you could not see his face.
"I'll see you tomorrow then, Mr. Shelby, first thing in the morning at 9."
He nodded and then, sliding his hands into his pockets, he walked away, his heavy boots crushing the snow underneath, generating a squishing, crunching sound until you could hear him no more. You couldn't wipe that smug smile from your face as you looked up at the sky, scrunching up your nose when you felt something cold; perhaps a snowflake had landed on the tip of your nose. It was a start, a start of a new day and who knew, perhaps a new life for you. Needless to say, you were excited.
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boop-le-snoot · 4 years
Text
PARTY FAVOURS | CHAPTER 4
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Rating: Explicit.
‼️TW: Reader is EIGHTEEN! Recreational drug use, smoking and alcohol consumption, deeply internalised self-loathing, very questionable moral standards. Daddy kink taken half-seriously. BDSM themes in later chapters - explicit content will come with it's own TWs. FIRST PERSON POV. Bullying and non-explicit violence in this chapter, Peter whump.
Summary: You're Peter's classmate, a child of rich and famous but uncaring parents. Getting paired up for a lengthy project with the boy was an interesting turn of events and you don't know whether to feel blessed or cursed when you develop, seemingly, a perfectly normal, harmless crush on Tony Stark. Fueled by feelings of inadequacy and boredom, your life spirals out of control - and you're lucky your newfound friends are there to pick up the pieces even if you cannot find it in yourself to believe these amazing human (and not so human) beings voluntarily give you more than a fleeting glance and an offhanded thought. And they brought cake!
A/N: WE'VE GOT PLOT! Peter Parker deserves better. Steeb needs a vibe check cuz he keeps failing them :( Boomers are hot but ... Boomers. KitKat, anyone? Natasha is a Brain Cell™. Enjoy, deviants.
THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings @vozit​ @littlegasps​ @pilloclock​ @shereadsinquiet​ @hermione-grangers-wife​ @downeyreads​ @individualistfem​
Beta read by the lovely and patient @miscmarvelwritings 👑 - titty gators assemble! 👀
I scheduled a visit to the tower two days after my "illness" episode. Most of my lows passed without any lingering, the headache was gone and so was the nausea. My mood was still somewhere between "please kill me" and "I could eat a lot of cake right now" but it was bearable. I was very much looking forward to occupying myself with the project if only to divert my focus from overthinking about my own misery.
Peter said he was going to see Tony straight after school and offered for me to tag along with him: Tony sent his driver to pick up the boy. I didn't have the heart to refuse, seeing no point in waiting for an Uber on a rainy workday afternoon. Traffic was horrendous in New York city no matter the weather but a downpour took the congestions to a new height.
When I spotted the sleek, black brand new Audi I made a beeline for it, waving to Happy as I crawled inside as fast as I could. "Don't get the seats wet," The chauffeur grumbled.
"It's wet outside," I rolled my eyes into the next dimension. Whoever thought his nickname was in any way appropriate needed a psych eval. Peter sat on my right side looking wet and downright miserable. I had to swallow a string of expletives at the sight in front of me: the entirety of Peter's right cheek was an ugly shade of blue, eye on it's way to swelling shut and lip busted open. "What in the everliving fuck happened to you?!" Breathing through my nose, I fought bubbling rage inside of me. Peter looked like he went toe to toe with a Hulk.
"Flash happened," The boy mumbled, whining and brooding simultaneously. His cheeks glowed.
"That little runt?" I took another pause to steady my breathing, tentatively reaching out for Peter's hand. He grasped it tightly in gratitude. "Well, did you at least fight back?"
"No, I... I can't do that," Peter became even smaller, curling into the seat and in himself. I was disappointed for sure as I wouldn't just stand there and take a beating, but Pete was different. He was sensitive-a total pacifist to boot.
"Do any of the teachers know? I'm guessing this isn't the first time," Sure, I've seen Parker with an occasional scrape or a bruise but I'd always figured it was just him being a teenage nuisance. Curtain of depression I had over the previous days slowly began morphing into cold fury.
"No, well, they probably do. But Flash is the principal's son so they ignore it, I guess," Peter sighed in defeat. "Mr. Stark doesn't know either. Please don't tell him," He begged.
"Abuse thrives in silence," I parroted our sex-ed teacher but otherwise made no promises. My mind raced between comforting Peter and ordering Happy to turn the car around so I could find the shitty excuse of a human named Flash Thompson and violently make it known what happens to people when they get me pissed off.
"What are you going to tell Tony?" I asked Peter as we herded into the elevator, slightly wet and mostly miserable.
"I have an idea or two," The boy answered darkly.
"You have been summoned to the common floor, I was instructed to notify you there is food to be eaten before sciencing, per Doctor Banner's orders," Friday announced, rerouting the elevator to the aforementioned destination. Peter groaned loudly, burying his face in his hands.
"What the fuck happened to you, kid?" Bucky decided screeching like a banshee and attracting at least five of his teammates to come running from the dining room was the best way to approach an obviously spooked Peter. The boy shuffled his feet awkwardly.
"Our classmate beat him up," I answered before Pete could lie. "The fucking runt that doesn't know his damn place. His two cronies probably too," The venom in my voice could've melted steel. I was genuinely furious.
"What's his name?" Captain-Steve growled. I was taken aback at the large blonde man suddenly standing up, fists clenched. My feet moved involuntarily, taking a step back from the enraged supersoldier and Pete cowered, startled.
I stepped in front of him immediately. "I'm gonna need you to chill the fuck down, Cap," The trembling in my voice persisted but I stood my ground nonetheless. "Your roid rage is going to land you in prison if you keep going," In my own rage, self-preservation went out of the window along with common sense. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up, Peter was downright shaking behind me.
"She's right," Bucky darkly eyed his friend. "Off to the sparring mats with you." He grabbed Rogers by the shoulder with his prosthetic arm all but hauling the blonde towards the elevator. Thor immediately took the Captain's other side, not quite touching him but obviously giving his friend a vibe check. I could've clapped. Not that Steve resisted much, but still.
"Everyone calm down, please," The Black Widow piped up in an even tone. I can always count on a fellow woman to keep calm in a situation where men's tempers almost cause a disaster. "Now, tell us what happened," She approached Peter on quiet feet. The boy shuffled around me looking every bit as dejected as I felt about the situation. "And someone fetch some ice for that bruise," Romanoff's offhand gesture had Barton scrambling into the kitchen.
Peter sat down on the couch, looking at the floor. "Flash has been bothering me since, like, forever and today I just ignored his usual remarks because I had a calculus test, I- I wanted to make sure I knew everything, and I was sitting in a really quiet corner, and I- Ned was hanging out with MJ somewhere and I guess Flash got angry that I didn't answer," Peter rambled in his usual nervous fashion, sentences jumbling together. Natasha kept nodding, simply hugging the boy softly with one arm. As soon as Clint came back with a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel Natasha's other arm pressed it gently to Peter's bruised face. The assassin frowned at the pained whine that left Peter's lips.
"Honestly, that dude is a fucking piece of shit, I'm surprised how he's not in jail yet," I piped up from where I was pacing along the large window overlooking the city skyline. Wound up and tense, I couldn't stay still. "He stole a senior's car for a joyride, last year. He routinely picks on the freshmen and I've personally dislocated his wrist from slapping me on the ass in, like, eight grade," Peter's eyebrows raised at my admission and Natasha gave me a vaguely approving hum.
I caught Peter's eye the moment elevator doors opened revealing a panicked looking Tony and a worried Bruce with Loki standing behind them, talking to a man in... Robes? And a red cape?
"What happened to my science child?!" Tony's fury rang high. The engineer rushed over to Peter, frantically checking him over and growling at the state of his face, letting out a string of expletives seeing the busted lip had started to bleed again.
I gave a tiny tilt of my lips to Bruce who had the oddest compilation of worried, confused and amused in his expression.
"You should probably get him to a doctor, I think his mouth is cut on the inside," I scooted closer to Banner, informing him quietly.
"I'm a doctor," The man in the cape announced, ... strutting (!) over to Pete. There was really no other way to describe his long, precise strides. He quickly butted Tony out of the way and instructed Peter to open his mouth.
"This is utter chaos," Loki muttered, sitting down on the furthest end of the couch.
"It is and I'm living for it," I sighed. The situation was very disorganized with Tony flailing about in blind panic, Bruce just standing there, Cap's rage quit and subsequent intervention by his buddies. Then the new strange dude... Loki was brooding and honestly? Big mood. The only person who made some resemblance of order out if this cluster fuck was Natasha.
All and all, it was quite endearing. I imagined that's what a large, close family would look like. When I said I was enjoying myself - no lie there, even despite the grim situation.
"How are you? Are you hurt?" Bruce quietly asked me, laced with concern. His shoulders relaxed somewhat when I shook my head negative. "Hungry?" I nodded affirmatively and the doctor produced a kit kat bar seemingly out of nowhere, winking at me with a boyish smile. I just about melted on the spot, tearing off a block and giving it to him to avoid any embarrassing reactions I might possibly spout in the wake of my recently acquired crush.
We munched in silence as the Cape Guy explained to Peter (and anxious Tony) that a few butterfly stitches would be needed as well as CT scan to rule out a possible concussion. At that point Tony was steadily turning purple in colour, rage and anxiety combining for a large storm that no doubt will hit sooner or later.
I felt responsible, I guess. Peter must've known Tony was going to react so strongly to his science son getting hurt and well, I hated seeing Tony so mad and helpless. On soft feet, I padded over to the engineer, making sure to stay within direct line of vision. "Tones?" He shot his eyes at me. He was furious. "Look, I'm going to make that fucker's life a living hell," Tony made an agitated noise of protest however I wasn't having it. I knew I'd be in trouble later but for now, I firmly placed my palm over his mouth, enjoying the surprised widening of his eyes at the frivolous gesture. "Listen, right now you can't do shit. You guys are super-powered individuals and Flash is just a nasty kid. You'll get in a big fat mess and he'll get to go away with a slap on the wrist," Tony sagged, visibly, bodily, and I felt it was safe to remove my hand from his face.
"I hate to say it but she's right," Bruce piped up behind me, voice soft.
I nodded. "I'm going to ruin the guy without putting a single finger on him," Tony nodded grimly and Cape Guy halted his examination of Peter's head to give me a mildly concerned stare. "My mother is a litigator, a vicious one at that. I've learned a trick or two," I winked with a grim sort of amusement causing the man to snort. Tony chuckled humorlessly. "As much as I hate to be the voice of reason, it would be a shame for anybody in this tower to end up behind bars. Even if it would be for a good cause," I finished my speech, patting Tony on the shoulder. The surprised squeak made its way out of my mouth when the billionaire pulled me tight against his chest, wrapping his arms around me in a desperate hug.
Ignoring my skyrocketing heartbeat, I wrapped myself around him as best as I could. Whatever issues the man had, they had to be quite painful if he reacted to the situation so intensely. I was selfish, but not heartless, so I gave into the affectionate gesture despite the inappropriate feelings that blossomed within me.
"I don't know what I've done to deserve you," Peter whined, fat round tears beginning to drip down his cheeks. I could tell he was embarrassed beyond Hell but his feelings overwhelmed him enough to just spill through. I immediately made my meanest big eyes to Natasha and Cape Guy who immediately hugged the life out of Pete. There, all set.
"Now go get that scan done," I frowned, seeing Peter start to nod off. "I don't know your name, but can you arrange that? Since you're a doctor," I nodded to the Cape Guy.
"I'm Stephen Strange," he replied, effortlessly picking up a dozing Peter and carrying him to the elevator. Before I could react, he waved his one free hand in some sort of a circle and a glowing ring appeared with what seemed to be a ER room - Strange hastily stepped through, followed by Tony suddenly withdrawing and hurrying after the ... Wizard? The portal closed immediately after.
"What the fuuuuuck..." I gaped at the now empty space. Strange, indeed. Even Loki's scoff didn't put a dent in my perplexed curiosity.
"So, lawyer family, huh?" Natasha, who I'd forgotten about, spoke up, mildly interested.
"Just my mother," I replied casually. They were the last thing in the world I wanted to talk about, especially after being so upset for the past hour. Man, I needed a drink. My hands itched for a cigarette.
"What about your father?" The spy didn't relent, pushing the issue with deadly politeness - I was actually sure she'd threaten me into talking about it even if I refused to.
"He's a celebrity manager."
"Cool," Her tone perked up at that. "Know anyone famous?"
"Know? No," I thought about all the A-list Hollywood stars I've been around, the endless parade of one-hit-wonder musicians that my dad hung out with on a daily basis. "I've crossed paths with at least half the Billboard TOP 40 but that's about it. Katy Perry was really nice," I added as an afterthought.
"I see," Natasha gave me a thoughtful once-over, patting the seat next to her. "So tell me, what do you have in mind for this Flash kid?"
My smile came out sharp and vicious. People tended to underestimate the quiet, quirky loner and I was about to remind them exactly why my kind of kids usually ended up with either millions in their bank accounts or a lengthy criminal record. "I'm going to annihilate any chance he has with having a social life, a girlfriend and I'll be damned if he gets into college without his parents going bankrupt. It goes like this..."
The ominous beginning of my plan attracted everybody in the room, even Loki. If anything, he offered the most constructive advice and the smirk he wore was positively devilish. Steve, Bucky and Thor emerged sometime during the scheming and hastily joined us, identically grim expressions on their faces. We barely managed to get done with our nefarious cackling when a portal appeared once again, Stephen stepping out of it with Tony carrying a sleeping Peter. The boy's head was bandaged, he looked like a mummy.
I stood up, beelining for Tony. "Is Pete okay? Did you call May?"
"He's not concussed but he's taking the day off tomorrow. Yes, I called May. Pete is staying here tonight," Tony looked and sounded like an exhausted, worried parent.
The urge to squee appeared again and I stomped it down with a hard "Good. We made a plan. The fucker is going to choke on his own misery," I gestured to the people sitting in a circle behind me.
Strange snorted.
Furious. I was furious.
Hands on my hips, I swerved towards him, instantly recognizing the ridiculousness of the situation. Here I stood, an eighteen year old high school student, in my fluffy rainbow sweater and denim overalls, staring down a whole grown ass man with magic powers. I digress, my pride won the race against my common sense. "Ex-fucking-cuse you, Voldemort, that's my fucking friend on the line," I seethed, giving him my best death glare.
"Language," Tony barely held together his laughter, looking at the unfolding mess with amusement. Somewhere behind me, somebody chuckled, then I recognised Loki's signature "ehehe" and it kind of went downhill from there. It's a miracle Peter didn't wake up.
"I'd be careful, Strange, she holds up against Stark very well," Loki's quiet compliment only made me preen and puff out my chest in a display of dominance. Stephen's responding eye roll was more fond than annoyed. I counted it as a win.
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nicb0723 · 4 years
Text
Find Your Worth
John Wick x Reader
Summary: You meet John in an unconventional way.
Notes: Depression trigger warning 
Word Count: 11,754
Read Chapter 1
Chapter 2
**
Before work you go grocery shopping and run some errands. You clean up a lot and wonder how the hell John’s personality will fit in your tiny apartment. He doesn’t say much but he can be so intense. You can’t imagine the two of you together, alone, in this tiny space. 
In the bathroom you hesitate as you pick up your prescription. The doctor thought it would take the edge off your anxiety, and make the depression manageable. She also made sure you were seeing someone for therapy.  For now, the pill once a day does work. You can breathe. You can function. You’d be a fool to think all of your problems would disappear overnight. You still have a long road of recovery ahead, but this makes it less overwhelming. You place the little plastic container in the medicine cabinet, somewhere John won’t see it. You wouldn’t put it past him if he snooped, but in a way you're proud that you were able to talk about your problems and get some help. 
At work Sam is with you and currently making fun of your limp after you tell him why there’s a bruise on your foot. He’s asking if you want him to go buy you a cane when John waltzes in, hair slicked back and suit jacket blowing from the wind. How someone can look like a model in a gas station you’ll never know. He stares until you go to him and ask what the hell he’s doing here.
“Getting gas.” He answers and reaches for his wallet.
You don’t say anything and ring him up, glancing outside to his car parked in spot one. 
Sam is watching you two interact and he has the biggest grin on his face. Is that your boyfriend? He mouths behind John’s back and you cough in shock. No, and yeah right, like you could ever get a guy like John in a million years. 
“Hello!” Sam says loudly and teasingly bumps your hip with his behind the counter. 
John raises an eyebrow and glances to you first, then nods to Sam. “Hi.”
“John, this is Sam my co-worker and Sam, this is John my um… friend?”
True surprise flickers in John’s brown eyes and he looks pleased, a slow small smile spreads on his lips. 
“She’s actually my boss, but nice to meet you.” Sam says and his attention is drawn to the classic car outside and the gushing begins. 
You let the two of them talk until you hear John offer to show him the engine and they both move to go outside. “Hey, I’ll see you later?” 
Sam smirks and you nod at John, wondering how he knows where you live. It’s a little weird that he broke into your place just to fix a leaking faucet and he was in your apartment without you even knowing.  In the back of your mind, you think that it’s actually pretty thoughtful. You mindlessly wonder why he would waste his time though. Why he would do any of the things that he did. He said that he would help anyone in the same situation as you, but you’ve been thinking about that question since the day at the lake, and you’re too scared to ask him. You’re scared to see the look on his face, the look of pity because that’s all you can think that he’ll say. 
You hear John’s car peel away and Sam comes back inside, still grinning like an idiot. 
“What?” You ask, not really wanting to know.
“Nothing.” Sam hops up on the counter and he knows he’s not supposed to sit there. “I think he likes you.”
“And what makes you say that.” You deadpan, pushing at his butt with the tip of your pen.
Sam slides down and knocks over a display of gum. “He told me to look out for you.”
“Oh yeah? I can see you’d be very threatening.” You point to the packs of gum all over the floor. 
He bends down and starts to pick up the mess. “What’d you need looking out for anyway?”
“Nothing, he's just being protective I guess.”
Sam looks at you with concern. “From what?”
“Nothing. I promise, okay?”
For the rest of the night Sam shows you his karate moves and chops up air until closing time. 
**
John is folded up in the corner of your couch with his legs crossed at the knees and his black leather shoe tapping your coffee table. He’s reading one of the old magazines you have laying around. 
“How was work?” He asks, folding the magazine shut, like this is the most normal thing in the world. 
You check the locks on your door to see if they’re broken, but they’re not. You turn the handle again to make sure the door is shut all the way. 
“I should probably give you a key if you’re going to let yourself in.” 
John shrugs. “If you want.” 
Tossing your purse on the kitchen table you make your way to the living room and sit on the chair across from the couch. John looks so out of place, but you can tell he’s trying to blend in, make himself belong in your little apartment. 
“Who’s taking care of your dog while you’re here?” You ask, kicking your feet up. 
“Pooch? The little girl next door. She loves him.”
You let out a surprised laugh. “Don’t tell me you actually named him Pooch. I don’t even think that’s an actual word, I think my grandma made it up.”
John shrugs again you can tell he’s definitely not a man to waste any words. “It stuck. It’s... cute.”
“Cute? I can’t see you thinking anything is cute.” You grin and stand up to take your jacket and shoes off to get more comfortable. You can hear him mutter something under his breath, but can’t catch it.  “So do we know if Max is officially out yet?” 
“No, I’m waiting for the call though. I’ll know as soon as it happens.”
You don’t have any doubt.  “Do you want something to eat or drink?” You open the refrigerator for some juice. ”I usually have a snack when I get home. Feel free to take anything you want.” 
John tries to settle back on the couch but he seems stiff. “I’m fine, thanks.”
“You can take off your tie and your jacket at least. You’ll probably be here for awhile.” You call out to him, your head sticking in the cupboard looking for the popcorn you put in there earlier. 
John doesn’t move and you gesture for him to get up as you crawl back in your chair with a bag of food. 
“You sure about that?”
“Yes of course I’m sure. Why would I not be sure?” You look at him like he’s crazy as he slowly stands and oh… that’s why.
The suit jacket comes off and he carefully lays it over the side table. His slender waist is circled with a large utility belt with three guns, two clips, and probably a knife. The sight makes your eyes widen. He stares at you as he slowly unfastens the buckle and gently places it on top of his jacket. 
“Don’t go near that.” He points sternly and sits back down, this time more comfortable. He takes his cell phone out of his pocket and sets it on the couch next to him. 
“Definitely not. Are you planning on using any of that?”
“Scare tactic.” 
Silence fills the room as you crunch on your popcorn and you’re actually feeling pretty tired. You’d like to go to bed, but you’re not sure what John’s plans are exactly. 
“So how is this going to happen?” You ask.  “Are you going to come to work with me too? Are you going to run my errands with me? I mean, I’d love the company but I don’t see you wandering around Target for an hour.”
“I don’t mind going to Target with you.” His voice is so serious you can’t help but smile. “I don’t think he’ll come around during the day though. He wants you alone. Scared. Vulnerable. And I have my cop friend keeping an eye on you at work. It’s on his beat anyway.”
“Okay.” That all sounds reasonable. Dread and doubt suddenly take hold of you. “Look, maybe I’m wrong? Maybe he won’t bother with me and we can just forget about it? Maybe there’s nothing to worry about at all.”
John shakes his head. “I read his record. It’s not good.”
Well, crap. You don’t want to talk about Max anymore and you don’t want to ask the one question that’s been hounding your mind. You’re still too scared to know the reason John is here, so you ask something else. “Are you ever going to sleep? You can’t stay up all night waiting.”
“I’ll sleep until I know he’s out.” John says easily. “Then after that I have motion detection alerts on my phone from the camera outside your floor.”
You blink at him. “There are cameras on the door of the elevator?”
“There are now.”
“How’d that happen?” You’ve never noticed any security cameras anywhere. 
“I talked to Francis, the apartment manager. He’s a nice guy.”
You blink at him again. “I know, but he only speaks Russian. How’d you talk to him?”
John smirks and says, “Bez truda.” 
It’s all a little too much and you get up, shaking your head in disbelief. “How is this my life right now? How do I get myself into these things? I have an assassin in my apartment… I’m going to take a shower!” You announce after a minor anxiety attack. “Feel free to turn on the TV, get comfortable, whatever you want.”
The water feels good as you scrub away the day. It relaxes you until swarming thoughts of John sitting on your couch make you hurry out of the tub and wrap yourself in the flannel bathrobe you always wear. Before you lose your nerve you walk back into the living room and find John where you left him, now looking at his phone. 
“They’re just starting to process paperwork. That means it’ll be a few hours.” John’s talking, but doesn’t look up. You start to brush your wet hair out and twist it loosely on top of your head for the night. Usually you’d smear face cream all over but that obviously is not going to happen. 
“Look, John. I know we hardly know each other, but you can sleep in the bed, okay?” You start to turn off the kitchen lights and check the front door one more time to make sure it’s locked. “It’s plenty big enough and I would just feel better.”
He’s looking at you with warm eyes now, his mouth open but nothing is coming out. It’s like his brain turned a switch and decided something important. Whatever he’s thinking must be big because his whole demeanor changes. You can’t quite figure it out, but he seems content to be here with you, where just a few moments ago he had a guard up and was struggling with something on his mind. Somehow and unknowingly, you sense that you’ve just started to break down his wall.  You have no idea what you did, you’re just being yourself, but for the first time John is vulnerable. He’s blinking slowly, as if he’s seeing you for the first time in a new light, or finally giving himself permission to really see you.
It doesn’t matter though, because you know you look like a complete dork in your bathrobe and suddenly you feel incredibly stupid. Shame floods your stomach and you almost feel sick. Of course, this man wouldn’t want to be in the same bed as you. He’d probably rather die. You can’t believe you even suggested it. Also, your therapist would be terribly disappointed in you for talking down to yourself like this. 
“Okay.”
“Okay?” 
He stands up and grabs a small leather bag you hadn’t seen by the widow. “Yes. If it’ll make you feel safer.” 
No. No. That’s not how you wanted it to happen. You wanted John to want to sleep in the bed, not because you asked him. “Listen, I didn’t mean… I’ll take the couch, okay? You probably don’t want to share the bed with me, I totally understand. And you’re doing me a favor and I just want you to be comfortable.”
Utter confusion crosses his handsome face. He scratches at his beard with long fingers, trying to make sense of what you want. “What good would that do? With you sleeping on the couch?”
You stammer and can feel a flush develop on your cheeks. “I just thought… I don’t know.”
“If you rather, I can book you a room in a hotel for a few nights. I won’t… do anything to you. I can promise you that.”
Oh God. This conversation could not get any worse. You’re horrified that he thinks something like that and you try terribly to explain. “No, no that’s not what I meant. I don’t want to go to a hotel. I just meant that um, you probably don’t want to share a bed with someone like me.” 
“Someone like you?”
The flush is creeping up to your neck as you become more embarrassed. You point at your bathrobe and general dorkiness. “Yeah, like someone… not… exactly… uh… cute?”
He seems to realize what you’re trying to say and laughs a little. “Well it’s a good thing there’s no one not cute in this apartment. I don’t know how I could ever sleep.” He walks towards you and gently tucks the hair that had fallen in your eyes behind your ears. It’s very intimate and you feel yourself start to smile. “Can we go to bed now?” He moves his arm out for you to lead the way and you feel silly. John is a nice guy. Even if he really didn’t want to sleep in the same bed as you, he probably still would because it’s what you wanted. 
“Yeah, sorry.” You mumble and walk into the bedroom with him following. There’s not much clutter and it’s pretty bare besides the newly bought self help books on the nightstand and regular girly stuff littered on the dresser. John throws his bag on the floor and you grab some pajamas for yourself, heading to the bathroom to change. 
When you come back John is wearing a white t-shirt and soft blue sleep pants. He’s incredibly adorable and you can’t believe your luck of having him in your room right now. He must’ve grabbed his phone and weapons because they’re both on the nightstand on his side of the bed.
He looks you up and down in your tank top and shorts as you plop on the mattress, quickly getting under the covers. 
“This okay?” He asks and points to his own clothes. Was he expecting for you to want him to sleep in his suit?
“Yeah of course. But...  can you fight in pajamas?” You wrinkle your nose and tease him. “That’s not very assassin-y.”
He barks out a laugh and lays down, but he doesn’t get under the sheets. His feet are bare and long, and you keep peeking at his toes.  “I think it’ll be fine.”
You roll over and face him. He’s looking up at the ceiling with his arms crossed behind his head. 
“I can’t believe you’re here right now.”
He doesn’t move. “Why?”
Your eyes start to become heavy and you watch his chest move up and down in slow rhythmic breaths. “People don’t usually do nice things for me. I’m used to being on my own.”
With that he shifts on his side, towards you.  His hair falls in his eyes and you long to brush it away. “I can tell.”
“I don’t like asking for help.”
“You never asked me for anything.” John points out. There’s plenty of space between the both of you and flop your arm towards his side, pointing at him teasingly.
“Oh, I distinctly remember asking you to do one very specific thing and you failed.”
He squirms from the quick stabs of your pointer finger at his ribs. “I don’t know, I think things turned out pretty perfect.”
You scoff and roll to your stomach now, sliding your arms under the pillow. “Perfect? Yeah right, I’m sure this is the last place you want to be.”
“It is perfect. This bed is very comfortable.” John finally gets under the blankets and you giggle sleepily. His cologne is stirred by his movement and you savor the spicy smell. 
“It’s new. I got a raise at work. I’m an assistant manager now.” You tell him proudly, even though you know it’s not that big of an accomplishment.
“Oh excuse me, Miss Assistant Manager.” John smiles and acts extremely impressed. “Congratulations, by the way. I should take you out to celebrate.”
You have no idea if he’s serious or not so you just laugh and snuggle down more into the bed. After a minute you ask, “Do you think Max will come tonight?”
John pauses, thinking. “Hard to say. He doesn’t have a good past. He has friends in high places who will probably help him. How’d you meet a guy like that anyway?”
“How is that you know my name, where I live, my phone number, where I work, what car I drive… literally everything about me and you don’t know that?”
John brushes the hair from his eyes and you can see the tan line around his ring finger has started to finally fade. “That’s just part of the job.”
“Fixing leaking water faucets is part of being an assassin?” You ask, teasing again.
A sweet pink flush spreads on John’s cheeks. “Shush.” 
“That’s what I thought.”
He pretends to glare. “Maybe it is. You don’t know.” 
“You’re right, I don’t know.” You yawn and let your eyes fall close. “Can I tell you tomorrow though? I’m gonna pass out.”
You hear the click of the side lamp turn off and you want to stay awake, to soak in this moment a little more but sleep is overpowering and you drift off into a peaceful rest. 
**
Until about two o’clock in the morning, and then you start to toss and turn. You swear there’s a noise out in the living room but you also know you’re probably being paranoid. You can see the shape of John’s body just a few inches away and you want to reach over to him. 
“Hey.” He whispers and his voice startles you still. “Are you okay?”
“No.” You sit up a little and look towards your bedroom door. There’s a stream of light from the street lamps coming in through the window, but other than that it’s dark. “I thought I heard something.”
“It was just the air kicking on. You’re fine.”
“Are you sure?”
You feel John’s palm rest on your arm and squeeze. “Positive.”
“Is he out? Did you get a text or anything?”
“Hey, don’t worry about anything, okay? I promise you’re safe.”
You fall back on the bed with a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”
“Don’t be sorry.”
You're wide awake and this whole situation is baffling. John Wick is in your bed, squeezing your arm and comforting you. 
“Isn’t being an assassin illegal?” You blurt out, the darkness giving you courage, and you instantly regret asking the question because he pulls away.
“It’s the only thing I’m good at.” He says quietly. “Trust me, I tried to retire and I got sucked back in somehow. People seem to want only me for really hard jobs.”
“Couldn’t you get arrested or something if you got caught? Could I get in trouble with you being here?” 
“No. Sometimes cops need bad guys to go away too. You won’t get in trouble.”
“Oh.”
“Feel better now?”
“Yeah. Sorry, I just don’t always get myself into the best situations. I feel really safe with you, I just…” You don’t meet an assassin everyday. You have no idea what it really means. 
“It’s fine.”
“I don’t want to offend you.”
He laughs softly and his fingers brush the back of your arm now. “Nothing you ever ask will offend me. It’s actually quite refreshing. I just hope…”
You wait for him to finish, but he seems to be gathering his thoughts and you don’t want to rush him. 
“I hope you can think of me as a friend before an assassin. And I hope that I don’t scare you.”
“I don’t scare easily.” You mumble and yawn, glancing back to your bedroom door. You ignore the friend comment because you feel like you’ve already been through hell and back. You don’t know if you could consider John as a friend and then lose him someday. It might break you all over again. But then you think of how far you’ve come. “I could probably take Max. I could get him to leave me alone now that I have my mind straight.”
“You think so?” John is sincere and you can hear he’s happy at your mental growth. 
“Yeah maybe. As long as he’s clean and not hopped up on something. Then it might be harder.”
“I guess we’ll see.” John checks his phone and puts it down again after looking briefly at it. “Are you going to be able to get back to sleep?”
“Yes. I’m sorry if I woke you up.”
“Stop apologizing.” He shifts to his side, with his back to you. 
It’s a strong, solid back with his shoulder blades poking out from underneath his t-shirt. You stare until your eyes feel heavy again. You feel safe.
**
The next time you wake up the sun is blaring from the window and John is gone. His leather bag is still by the bed though, but his suit jacket and all of his guns are gone too. 
You start to go about your business, not believing John would leave you alone if you were in any kind of danger. It’s almost creepy how your phone alerts a few seconds later with a text, like he knows that you’re up. 
No need to worry. I know where he is. I’ll see you later tonight. Let me know if anything happens.
You text back sounds good and John tells you to have a nice day.
It just so happens that you have the next two days off from work and you don’t know what to do with yourself. Your foot still hurts from the baseball bat incident so you zone out in front of the TV for a while, trying to forget all of your problems. That doesn’t really work so the next best thing is to venture through the kitchen. You have snacks but not much else. Maybe it would be nice if you could fix John a nice dinner or something, for hanging out with you and like, protecting you from a shitty ex boyfriend. 
Some nice meat might do the trick. A nice steak with a potato and veggies. One thing grandma did that was awesome? Was to teach you how to cook. Wanting to actually cook was a different story for the last few years, the thought making you ill when you were practically a walking zombie, but now the thought excites you. It’s also different to cook for someone than just yourself because it’s usually not worth all the hassle.
Quickly, you get dressed and head out to the nearby grocery store. It's quiet and you take your time walking down the aisles with your cart, wondering what sorts of things John likes to eat. He probably stays healthy but a part of you thinks that he might have a sweet tooth. You grab everything you need, including some pie for dessert and head back home to get started.
There’s a ton of food so you text John to come over hungry and don’t eat any dinner. 
He doesn’t reply back immediately and your stomach starts to sink. What if this is too much? Is this weird? It’s just dinner, right? Friends have dinner together. John has to eat sometime. 
He eventually texts back a simple okay and you take it for what it is. There’s nothing you can do about it now, and since you’ve never really cooked in this kitchen before, if it turns out terrible you can always order pizza. 
It doesn’t turn out terrible, in your opinion, and you’re actually impressed with yourself. There’s a knock on the door right when you're finishing setting the table and John scolds you for not asking who it was before opening the door. He’s still in the middle of his speech when he gets a whiff of steak and sees that the table is set nicely. 
“What’s all this?” He asks, smoothing down his expensive silk tie. 
You pull out a chair for him to sit down. “It’s just a little thank you.”
He doesn’t look happy with that answer.
“It’s me making my friend dinner… randomly?” You try again. 
He laughs and nods, accepting that instead and removes his suit jacket, draping it over the back of his chair. “Do you mind if I…” He points to his waist and waits for you to nod before unclipping the belt, putting it in the bedroom for the night. 
“Wine? Beer?” You ask, debating which you want. 
“Usually I would, but…”
You understand that he’s working, even though he’d hate it if you said it aloud, and put them both away. “How about some ice tea?”
“Sure.” John sits and folds a napkin in his lap. He’s watching you and when you bring over a plate full of food there’s an unmistaken gasp. “Wow, this is amazing. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.” You sit down too and pass him the salt and pepper. “I forgot how much fun it is to cook. I haven’t made anything since grandma was sick and I stopped eating. But today it was like she was in the kitchen with me.” You stop and close your eyes, embarrassed. “Sorry, that was weird to say.”
“Not the weirdest thing you’ve ever said to me.” He reminds you hesitantly, but with a small smile. 
Heat warms your cheeks and you have to chuckle in agreement. “True. I feel like that was so long ago though. I’m like a different person now. You must’ve thought I was crazy.” You don’t say that you’re grateful you accidentally gave your phone number to a police informant.  That it was John who showed up that day. That it wasn’t some crook who could’ve used a few hundred dollars. 
“I didn’t think you were crazy.” John takes a big bite of steak and moans a little. “This is really good. I haven’t had a home cooked meal in a long time.”
“You don’t cook much?” You ask, waiting for him to make another noise of pleasure. 
“I hate cooking for just myself.” He says, but otherwise he is disappointingly quiet. 
You take a bite of vegetables and nod in agreement, trying to hide your swelling of excitement. Well, that’s that. He is single. No big deal, you tell yourself to calm the hell down in your head. It doesn't matter anyway. It’s not like anything would ever happen. “So, you didn’t think I was crazy? What did you think?”
John puts down his fork and looks at you, his chin resting on his hand thoughtfully. “I thought you looked really tired. That you needed help and had nowhere else to turn.”
You gently rub a finger under your eye, where you know there used to be darkened circles. Now your eyes are bright and alive. You blush at his observation. 
“What’d you think when you saw me?” He asks, interested again in his steak but keeping an attentive ear to everything you say.
You don’t know why, but you feel a surge of confidence. “I thought I was talking to the most attractive hitman in all of New York and that there was no way I could afford your... business.” 
John raises an eyebrow and laughs. “Really?”
Shrugging, you take another bite of food and swallow. “I don’t know what I was really thinking, honestly. It was not my best day. I just wanted to get the conversation over with. I wasn’t in the right mindset.” 
“But therapy is going well?” 
You’re not surprised that he knew about that, but it does make you pause that he actually asked. “Definitely. It’s going very well. And she’s a fan of you, by the way.”
“Me?” 
“Don’t worry, she thinks you're an undercover cop.” 
John leans over his plate, trying to get closer to you. “What exactly do you say about me?”
“That’s personal!”
“Fine.” He leans back now in his chair and crosses his arms, fake disappointment in a pout on his lips. “Then I won’t tell you about what I found out today.”
You glare at him. “Isn’t that blackmail?”
“Or extortion.” He shrugs, waiting for you to answer.
“Ugh.” You roll your eyes and sigh.  “I told her about all of the nice stuff you did for me, even though it was creepy, and how you probably saved my life.”
He blinks at that, obviously not expecting you to be so forward. “Oh. And what did she say?”
“She said to be careful about you breaking into my place and stealing my car… but that it sounded like I made a really good friend.”
John is suddenly silent and tucks a stray piece of hair behind his ear. His voice is quiet when he finally speaks. “Just… just a friend?”
Your stomach does a little flip and you’re not sure where he’s going with this. “I’m pretty sure all I can have is friends right now.” You tell him slowly, trying to get all of your words exactly right. “I need to find my worth, be happy with myself… before I can do that for someone else, you know?”
John nods and his eyes are sad for a brief second but when he looks up at you, he’s proud. “I think that’s great. And I’m happy to help remind you that you’re pretty awesome.”
“Reminders are nice.” You tell him with a small smile. “Especially considering they come from a bad ass assassin.”
John chuckles and finishes his steak. He loosens his tie and unbuttons the top button of his dress shirt. He looks a little tired and you wonder what he did all day.
“So what were you going to tell me?”
“Oh, right. Max. He seems to be doing well. He’s living with his mom across town and he was spotted going into an AA meeting.”
You’re stunned. In a good way. “Really? He was always such a heavy drinker. That’s where I met him. At the bar across the street from the hospital. When visiting hours were over and I didn’t have to work, I’d go there a lot. And well, I guess he spotted a weak one.” You think back to those days when he was nice to you at first, which quickly changed into becoming manipulative and controlling. The final straw was when he said that you couldn’t visit your grandmother anymore. You lost it and he raised a hand at you, several times. You never want to be that weak. Ever again.  “Well that’s good news, right?”
“Yeah.” John rubs at his beard. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t relapse.”
You stand up and start to clear the dishes from the table. “So you don’t have to stay the night, probably.”
“No, I’ll stay at least one more night. Just to be safe.”
You give him a disapproving look. You really hate to waste his time.
“Seriously, I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I wasn’t here. One more night and I’ll be out of your hair.”
That’s not at all what you meant by giving him a look so you just shake your head. “It’s nice to have the company. I just don’t think my apartment is where you want to spend your nights.”
“And where exactly do you think I spend my nights?”
The sink is full of soap and John stands to clear the rest of the plates and cups. “I picture this really fancy nightclub or rave with techno music and neon lights and beautiful women dancing around you.”
John hands over a plate and looks at you like you’re nuts. “You have a very vivid imagination.”
“Oh, like that’s never happened.” You deadpan.
“Well, I can’t say never... “ John leans against the counter and offers to help you. 
“No, I got it but thank you. And also, I knew it. I just don’t see you like… dancing to techno music.” You make a face and stick out your tongue a little. You hate techno.
John laughs. “I don’t go there to dance. If I’m at a club or something it’s usually for work.”
“Ah, I see.” You move to get the dish rag to dry the silverware. “So, where do all the beautiful women throw themselves at you?”
He’s not really paying attention when he answers and he’s looking at something on the ground. “Well lately it’s been at a lake and a local gas station. Is that a bruise?” John bends down and slowly traces the swirls of black and blue colors on top of your foot. The touch stings a little but you hold still. 
“Oh uh... “ God, how stupid. You didn’t think it was that noticeable. “Yeah.”
“Your whole foot is swollen.” His eyes are huge when he stands up and looks at you, his hands on his hips. “What happened?” He growls out and you push past him, considerably embarrassed and turned on all at once. 
“I did it to myself, okay? It’s not a big deal.” 
“You’re limping.” He exasperates, but he gently puts an arm around your waist and helps guide you to sit down. You put your foot on the coffee table and it does look worse than it did yesterday, puffy and colorful. 
You grimince and don’t want to tell him. “It was just a silly accident. Sam at work already made fun of me, so let’s just forget it.”
John disappears to the kitchen and you can hear ice being gathered. He comes back and sits on the coffee table, slowly moving your foot to his lap and putting a towel full of ice by your toes, where the worst of the purples are blooming. 
“You really don’t have to do that. It’s not that bad. I was just on my feet all day and I didn’t think about it. It’ll be back to normal by tomorrow.”
His fingers are so gentle around your ankle and you can’t help but to stare at his big hand surrounding your delicate bones. “Hey.” John taps on your skin until you look up at him. “You’re worth being taken care of, okay?”
Well, he got you there damnit. “Oh, that’s a good one.” You’re impressed and you let him hold your foot, sitting back to relax. Your therapist would be really pleased that you let someone help you.
“Are you going to tell me or are we going to sit here all night?”
You briefly tell him how you got the bruise and his fingers stop tracing over your skin long enough for him to laugh. Loudly.
“It’s not that funny.” You scowl at him.
“It’s really funny.” He’s snickering now and you swear there’s a tear at his eye. He moves to wipe it away and mumbles something like, “you are the cutest... “ and then clears his throat and straightens up. “You’ll have to show me your moves.”
“Uh, no, I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough for tonight, thank you.”
John rubs at your ankle again, squeezing around your leg lightly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be mean to the patient.”
“Exactly right.” You agree and smirk when you think of payback. “You gonna kiss it better?”
Without hesitation John takes off the towel and presses his lips to your cold skin. All you can do is stare at his beard and then at the teal nail polish on your toes. You’re speechless.
“It didn’t seem to work.” John says, disappointment in his voice. “I guess I’ll have to work on my technique.” 
He says that last part suggestively and you sit up in the chair, ready to change the subject. “I got dessert. You like pie, right?”
“Do I like pie? What kind of question is that?”
“Can you get it?” You smile sweetly at him. “It’s on the counter.”
He gives you a knowing look but lifts your foot to get up. You can see his reflection in the window as he moves around in your kitchen and you watch him in disbelief. You realize you’ve never had anyone in your apartment. Not even grandma, she was already too sick when you got it. Max always made you go to his place. John comes back with one plate and two forks, a big slice for both of you to share. 
“This is the best anyone has ever paid me to do a job.” He jokes and you smile back, taking a fork and scooping a bite for yourself. 
You point to an envelope on your desk. “Speaking of getting paid… I know it’s not much, but I did promise you--”
“I was kidding.” John cuts you off. His face is instantly annoyed and hurt. 
“John, please.” Your foot is still propped up on the coffee table and you can’t really move. “I just thought I’d offer.”
“Well, take it back.” He says and you put your hands up in defense, silently telling him not to be mad. “And you just lost pie privileges.” 
“What?”
He stands up and walks over to the couch, as far away from you as possible. “Yeah that’s right. I’m eating all of this myself.”
You huff and struggle to sit up. “That is a radical punishment.”
“You need to learn your lesson.” He takes another big bite, making a show of it. 
“That’s it.” You get up and hobble over to him, practically falling into his side and he lets out a grunt when you accidentally lean into his ribs. You decide to just lay where you are for now, you can’t move if you wanted to. “John, seriously. Pie please.”
He shakes his head with amusement and feeds you a small piece. You take it happily and let your head rest on his shoulder while he finishes and feeds you some more until it’s gone. Both of you are quiet. This is the closest you’ve ever been and you just want to feel his warmth. You know eventually you have to move so you peer up at him and smile. “You have blueberry on your lip.” You tell him, reaching to smudge it off with your thumb. At the same time he licks at it and you both laugh.
“C’mon, cripple. I’m helping you to bed.” He tells you, putting the plate and fork down on the coffee table. You use his thigh to get yourself up and he steadies your waist as you balance on one foot. You’re standing between his legs and he’s looking up at you with the sweetest eyes. 
“Thank you for dinner.” His voice is sincere and determined to get his appreciation across. 
You put your hands on his shoulders and lean some of your weight on him. “John… thank you. Thank you for everything.” And with that you let yourself drop down and you hug him hard. He pulls you close and rubs his hands over your back. His hair brushes your cheek and you breathe in deeply, his scent rushing to your head in the most pleasant high.
Awkwardly, you push yourself away and he grabs at your hands. “You want me to carry you to bed?”
You shoot him a glare and he laughs, letting you wobble towards your bedroom while he takes care of the dishes and turns out all the lights. 
When he’s satisfied everything is in the right place, he walks into your bedroom and stands in the doorway, watching you while you sit on the bed and tie your hair up over your head for the night.
“What?” 
John breaks his stare and walks around to the other side of the bed. “Nothing.” 
“Do you want to watch TV or something?” You ask, grabbing the remote to the set up you have on your dresser. You tend to fall asleep to sitcoms rather than complete silence with thoughts running through your mind at full speed. 
“Actually do you mind if I take a shower?” He asks. “I did a lot of running around.”
Your mouth goes dry and you try to get it together before he notices. “Did you get all sweaty tracking Max today?” You guess, smiling when he looks impressed that you got it right. “See, I could totally be an assassin!” Your smile fades when he points to your foot. “Okay, well I could be an assassin’s secretary. I could like, get all the payments and make appointments and travel arrangements and get your guns cleaned and all that stuff!”
He walks around to his bag and gathers a pair of clean sleep clothes. “And take care of all the dead bodies too?”
You gulp. That’s so disturbing. “Yep. And I could take you to the doctor if you get hurt real bad.” You think back to the bruised knuckles and the dried cut on his face.
He cocks his head to the side and thinks for a minute. “That does sound helpful.” 
“Really?”
“Yes and also dangerous. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
You stand from the bed to get him a towel. “Um, just to let you know, I’ve seen all the assassin movies.”
“Oh, so you’re an expert.”
Opening your closet, you pull out the softest towel you own. “That sounds very sarcastic.” You push it to John's stomach and he grabs it from you, but you don’t let go and tug it back gently. “I’ll have you know I’m a very quick study, Mr. Wick.”
John briefly closes his eyes and takes a step closer to you. He leans in to whisper, his mouth close to your ear, “You better get off that foot.”
A giggle escapes and you sit down on the bed. “If I didn’t have a bruised foot... then could I be your secretary?”
He walks into the bathroom, and right when he closes the door he stops to tell you no.
Frowning, you crawl back to your pillows. You notice John forgot his pajamas on the bed and you’re about to get up and give them to him, but you decide not to. This should be interesting. 
You’re watching TV innocently when the bathroom door cracks open ten minutes later. Steam is hovering around John’s form and you hide your smile.
“Um… I forgot my…” He points to the clothes on the bed and you point to your foot. 
“I would help you, but I’m a cripple.” You tell him, now smiling because you can’t hide it anymore. You’re trying not to laugh. 
He glares at you when the door opens and you see the towel wrapped around his waist. 
“I swear I won’t look.” You tell him, covering your eyes. 
“Are we twelve now?” He mocks, stepping out and picking up his clothes. 
Your smile fades when you look at him because damn. “No, we are definitely not twelve.” You murmur to yourself, and you don’t mean to gock, but he’s fresh out of the shower, glistening skin and tight muscles, toned and strong. He pushes his hair from his face and notices you watching him. 
There’s a smug grin when he turns around and your heart completely skips a beat. All you see are flashes of tattoos, black lines and shading on his back. Maybe on his arms too but it was so fast. If you could only make time stand still. 
Now you’re glaring when he comes back into the bedroom a few minutes later. He’s glancing at you very casually. “What?”
“You did that on purpose.”
He laughs and gets under the covers. “What? Forget my clothes?”
“No. Showing off all of your…” You gesture to his body. “Never mind.” You can’t believe this is happening and turn towards the TV, trying to forget the hotness laying beside you. Nope. You can’t. “John, why are you doing this?”
He sits up a little. “What do you mean?”
“Why are you here? Why are you helping me?” There. You finally asked it. Here comes the pity party.
“Why wouldn’t I?” He asks, confused. When you don’t say anything, he asks another question. “Would you help me if I needed it?”
You don’t hesitate. “Yes, of course I would.”
“Well,” he lays back down and looks blankly at the TV. “There’s your answer.”
“But you hardly know me.”
He briefly glances at you. “Does it matter? I would want to help anyone. What are we watching?”
You laugh at how simple it was all this time. You should really stop overthinking everything. “Do you want to watch Friends or Seinfeld?”
“Who and what?” He asks, not knowing at all your favorite shows. 
You caress his cheek and pet him softly. “You poor, innocent man. I have a lot to teach you about laughing.”
He shoves your hand away playfully. “I watch TV… sometimes.”
“When you’re not doing assassin-y stuff.”
John sighs and closes his eyes. “Yes, when I’m not working.”
“Mmhm.” You don’t really believe him. You figure he reads a lot or studies, or does something really smart. Never really does anything just for fun. “We should totally go to a movie tomorrow!” You say it jokingly, like he would ever agree to something so mindless, but you can hardly believe it when he nods and says okay. “Really? You would go to a movie?”
“Isn’t that what friends do together, right?”
You wouldn’t have any idea. You don’t have friends and you haven’t been to the movies in ages. You hate going by yourself and you never had enough money.
“I think so?” You respond, not really knowing.
He lets out a little yawn. “All of my friends are… well, you know. I don’t see any of them going to a movie.”
“But you would?”
“With you? Yes. You’re not in the business, clearly.”
You throw a pillow at him,  but he quickly catches it and puts it behind his head. You mumble to yourself of course and turn off the light. “Just for that, I get to pick.”
He groans and you laugh as you tuck yourself in under the covers. You feel excited for tomorrow. Your therapist was right, you did make a good friend. Even if both of you have no idea what exactly that means. 
**
You’re still in bed when John is getting coffee from the kitchen, looking at your phone for movie times. “Don’t worry, I will not make you sit through a chick flick… or a disney movie… or a musical.” 
“Do you take cream and sugar?” John asks, popping his head into the bedroom. You nod yes to both and he disappears again.
“Oh! There’s a new sci-fi movie out. You like aliens, right? It looks scary too.” 
John comes back into the room with two steaming hot cups. He hands one to you carefully and you take a slow sip. “Mmm. This is really good, thank you.”
He looks pleased with himself as he gets back into your bed, sitting with his legs crossed under him. His hair is messed up a little and he’s still in his pajamas. The sight is really cute. You’re kind of sad that it was the last night he’s here. You quickly got used to him in your apartment and having someone to come home to was so nice. He already mastered your crappy coffee machine and he does the dishes. But the sleepovers are done and you wish it had lasted a little longer, purely for selfish reasons. 
You must be staring at him for too long because he stops drinking his coffee and gives you a small smile. “What?”
Dunking your head, you’re embarrassed that he caught you. “Nothing.”
He grins, like he can read your mind but doesn’t want to ruin the moment. “What time’s the movie?” 
“Let’s see…” You tap at your phone, scrolling through the options. “How about this afternoon? Then we could get something to eat or whatever.”
Now he’s really smiling and now he really does call you out. “Wouldn’t this be like… a date? Did you just ask me out on a date?”
“What!” You shriek and put your coffee down on the nightstand, stretching your leg over to try and push him off the bed, but he doesn’t move an inch and just laughs at you. “Oh. My. God.  Absolutely not, you weirdo. Why can’t two people just hang out? Jerry and Elaine do it all the time!” You point to the TV in your defense, trying to remind him of the show you watched last night. 
“Okay, okay. Sorry.” John puts his coffee down too and grabs your foot to inspect the bruise. “Wishful thinking, I guess.”
You roll your eyes, still not being able to fathom John Wick flirting with you. It’s probably all a joke to him anyway so you continue to ignore it. “What’s the verdict, Doc?”
He slides your pant leg up and takes a closer look. “Well, it’s not as dark as it was yesterday. Still a little swollen.”
“Told you it would be fine.”
“You’re welcome.” He cracks a smile and you remember the kiss he placed there last night. “Do you need anything else to feel better?”
“Ugh, gross.” Rolling your eyes even harder. “Your flirting is terrible.” 
He grabs at his heart like it hurts. “I take offense to that.”
“Good, that was the point.” You get up from the bed and open the closet, searching for something to wear today. “It’s probably the one thing you’re not good at.”
“I could be good at it.” He says, sipping his coffee again. “I’m just rusty. I need to practise.”
You don’t turn around. “Obviously.”
“Obviously.” He repeats slowly, and then horrified, “Wait.. I’m not skeezy am I?”
That makes you laugh and you sit back down on the bed. “No, John. You’re not skeezy. You’re like the opposite of skeezy. You’re too nice to be skeezy.”
“I’m too nice?”
“Yeah.” You get up again and fiddle with your hair that’s fallen in your face. “I know you say these things just to be nice to me. I know it doesn’t mean anything. It’s sweet though, it’s fun. I get it.”
Slowly, he shakes his head, trying to comprehend your thoughts. “So, you’re saying I could never be serious about flirting with you?”
“Ha, not in this lifetime.” You gather your bathrobe and head for a shower. “Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid. I know exactly how far out of your league I am.”
Now John is the one rolling his eyes. You don’t give him a chance to say anything though and close the door to the bathroom, finally able to catch your breath a little. He still makes you nervous, you realize, and you hope the feeling fades the more time you spend with him because it seems like he needs a friend just as much as you do.
**
You’re brushing your teeth when John taps a knuckle on the door.
“Do you mind if we stop at my place before the movie?”
“You don’t want to wear a suit all day?”
“Not really.” He smiles. “And I have to pick up the dog.”
“Oh right!” You spit into the sink and wash your mouth. “I want some puppy kisses.”
John looks at your lips and then to your eyes. It’s fast, but you still see it. And if you didn’t he mutters, “tease” and leaves to go out the front door.
You grab your purse on the way out and he waits patiently for you to lock the door behind you. He has his bag with him and you’re disappointed it’s not still in your apartment. You wonder if he’s wearing all of his guns and try to sneak a peek under his suit jacket at his waist. You’re not paying attention so you run smack into his back when he stops for the elevator. 
Yep, he’s wearing one gun because you feel it hit your stomach. He looks at you oddly and reaches a hand out to steady you.
“Do you always carry a gun when you go places?”
“Usually.”
“Do you ever have to use it?”
“Sometimes.”
The elevator ride down is quiet and you wave to Francis walking by in the hallway. John nods towards him too, like they have some sort of secret understanding. 
His car is glistening in the sun and you have to admit, it is a pretty sweet ride. John opens the door for you after he throws his bag in the trunk and you move carefully, afraid you might scratch the paint job. You fold yourself neatly in the seat and stay still. 
He smoothly gets in and before you can process about how annoyingly attractive he is, the engine roars to life and he’s speeding out of your complex onto the main road. You have a hard time not watching his hands because his fingers are long and look good around the steering wheel. He drives fast but not enough to make you nervous and glances at you a few times to make sure you’re okay. You don’t say much but it’s a comfortable silence with the windows down. You watch the town go by as you start to relax. 
It’s only about a ten minute drive until the car pulls up to the most gorgeous house you’ve ever seen. Of course, this is where John would live. In a house built with huge windows and high ceilings, with a big open yard that’s perfectly manicured. 
He parks in the driveway but still pushes a button so the garage door goes up. 
“C’mon, I’ll only be a minute.” He tells you and curiosity gets the best of you because you had planned to stay in the car. 
“Are you sure? I can wait here.”
“Why?” He doesn’t wait for you to answer, obvious that he thinks your question was dumb, and he moves around to open your door again. 
“Such a gentleman.” You praise, not being able to help yourself. You can’t remember the last time anyone opened anything for you.
He smiles and leads the way into the house. “Well, I try.”
“This is really pretty.” You tell him, stepping into a long hallway where you can see the living room off to one side and the kitchen off to the other. 
“You want the tour?” He asks, throwing his keys into a glass bowl and taking his suit jacket off. There are actually two guns on his belt, the one on his right hip you hadn’t seen. 
“No, it’s okay. Just seeing the downstairs is enough to make me depressed about my small apartment.”
John scoffs and opens the front door to let in some air. “I like your place. It’s comfortable there. And the cooking’s really good.”
You laugh and he steers you more into the kitchen, which is huge with a tile floor and what looks like all new appliances. “I’d love to cook in this kitchen. There’s so much room!”
“Yeah?” He stops and looks at you very seriously. “You officially have an open invitation to cook here any time.”
“Ha ha.” You push at his shoulder and walk to the big wood dining table, looking around. There are a bunch of picture frames, but they’re all in a pile on a shelf by the coffee maker. You wonder what kind of pictures he has and why they aren’t on display. You don’t want to be nosy though, so you run your finger over the espresso machine that looks like it cost more than a month of pay. “Marry me?” You bend over and ask it, breathing in deeply the scents of coffee. 
John laughs and points at a smaller hallway. “Laundry is through there.” He points at a door. “Basement.” He walks through the kitchen and into the living room, which is sparse but still lovely. You wonder if he decorated this place himself or if he had help. 
“Evening entertainment.” He points to the TV even though you see a stack of heavy books on the coffee table, some of them well read. “Upstairs?” He asks, starting for the staircase. You shrug, trying not to seem eager and interested. 
The amount of sunlight the house gets is incredible. There are windows everywhere, but you can’t see any neighbors and it’s fairly quiet. This is like your dream house. 
“Wow.” It’s all you can say when you enter the master bedroom. A huge bed in the middle that looks so very soft. There’s a sitting couch and table, with a bureau next to the walk in closet. The view is fantastic and you can even see the lake from here. You walk to the other side of his bedroom and almost press your face against the glass. “You live right across from the community college campus! That’s so cool!” 
John is in his closet, probably getting new clothes for the day, but you can hear him say, “Yeah?”
“Yeah! You could walk there if you wanted to! Save a ton on parking.” You mutter, more to yourself. 
Suddenly he’s right behind you, now in a white cotton shirt with long sleeves. “What do you mean?”
“I applied to go to school in the fall. I want to take some classes, maybe try for a degree or something. My place is far, so it’ll be a hassle but that’s okay.” You tug on the hem of his shirt as you walk by him, throwing your purse on the bed. “What else is up here?” You ask, peering down another long hallway.
He has a proud look in his eyes and he’s still gapping at you a little. “I didn’t know you’re going back to school.”
“Oh, something you finally didn’t know, I can’t believe it.”
“Well, I saw the application on your kitchen table but I didn’t want to assume.”
You laugh because of course he did. “Were you snooping, John Wick?”
“Never. I just observe.”
“Oh, I see.”
He opens the door to an empty bedroom with no furniture. “This was supposed to be a guest room but I never got around to it.”
“What about that room?” You point to the door at the end of the hallway. 
“My office.”
“Ooh. Do you have assassin secrets in there?” You smile teasingly and walk back to his bedroom to get your purse. 
“No, those are in the basement.”
Laughing, you can’t tell if he’s joking or not. You don’t think he is. 
The windows are calling again and you can’t help but to take one more look of the view. “This is just so nice. You have everything in walking distance. The lake, the school…”
There’s a beat of silence before he says, “You should move in here.”
That makes you throw your head back and really laugh. How funny. “John, don’t be stupid.”
“How is that stupid?” He asks, his tone is serious but kind. “There’s an empty room. You can walk to school. You can watch the dog for me when I go on… work trips. You would have a kitchen to cook in.”
This man seems to keep surprising you. “You’ve only known me for like a month. What if I smell bad or something?”
He doesn’t hesitate. “You smell amazing.”
“What if I play loud music really late at night?”
“You can’t keep your eyes open past ten.”
“What if I have parties all weekend long?”
“While you work and go to school? Be my guest.”
“What if I’m messy and leave my clothes everywhere?”
John’s eyes narrow with suspicion. “Did you just pretend to be neat while I was at your place for two days?”
He’s right, you do like a clean house. “Whatever, John.” Hoping that he drops it. “Don’t you have to get the dog?”
“Damn, stay here. I’ll be right back. Their house is just down the street.” He runs down the stairs and you can hear the screen door open and shut. 
You look around the bedroom again and take it all in. What a completely different life this would be. Not that you don’t like your apartment. It’s cozy and you’re proud of what you’ve established for yourself. This is too fancy for you anyway. Plus, you like having your space. John would be the weirdest roommate ever. You can’t even imagine. 
You jog down the stairs to wait on the couch. You spot some more picture frames stacked nicely in a pile and you’re just about to sneak a look when you can hear them approach the house.
“Puppy kisses!” You cry out and kneel down to gather a happy dog in your arms. If you had any idea this was the dog driving you mad all those nights, you would have taken him for yourself. 
“Pooch! Get down.” John’s Alpha voice is hot and both you and the dog stop everything. 
He trots over to his doggy bed anyways and plops down. “Cassey, the little girl, wore him out at the park this morning.” John says. “Are you ready to go?”
The movie! You had almost forgotten with all the excitement of being in John’s house.
“Yeah, let’s do it. And don’t worry, I’ll protect you. Don’t get scared.” You tell him, in a bravado voice. 
“Can we get gummy bears?” He asks and you crack up on the way back to the garage. 
“You’re a grown man, you can get whatever you want.”
John hurries to open the car door for you again. “I meant, would you have any or would you like something else?”
“Hmm, I don’t know, that’s a big decision.” You slide back into the car and think to yourself that you could really get used to the chivalry John is showing. You wonder how long it could last. “I think I have to see all my options.”
John smiles as he starts the car and lowers the garage door. “This is really serious.”
You fasten your seatbelt and get comfortable. “When’s the last time you went to a movie?”
He turns his head to back out of the driveway, putting his arm around your seat. His face is very close to yours and you notice that his eyes are a very pretty brown when he’s not working. 
“Good point.”
You grin, breaking the eye contact because it’s making your stomach fill with butterflies that you mentally quiet down. 
The theater is busy and you realize it’s a Friday during summer, so all the teenagers are here. John’s phone rings as he parks and tells you he has to take it, so you decide to get in line and buy the tickets. He’s leaning against his car, chatting while looking around at his surroundings and smiles at you when he catches you checking on him. 
You quickly see that the movie is sold out and not knowing what to do, you walk back to John and the car just as he’s finishing his conversation. It sounds like he was speaking in Russian, but you can’t be sure. “All set?” He asks, sliding the phone in his pocket and reaching to put his hand on your back. He hardly ever really touches you, but his hand hovers over your body constantly. 
“It’s sold out.” You tell him. “Do you want to see something else or maybe come back another day?”
“Oh.” He looks disappointed. “But you really wanted to see that movie.”
“It’s okay, shit happens, right?” You shrug it off easily. This is not the worst thing that could happen. Plus, you’re hanging out with John, so you could be going to the town dump and you’d be happy.
“Hold on. Stay here, I’ll be right back.” He takes off towards the theater and leaves you by the car. You watch him go and it’s almost like he’s in slow motion again. You wonder how just his stride oozes that much confidence. 
In a few minutes he’s back with two tickets. “Here we go. C’mon.”
“How’d you do that?” You dumbly follow him to the theater doors and he guides you to walk in front of him.
“It’s a secret. What do you want?”
You’re still staring at him in a silent awe as he looks at the refreshment stand. A beautiful young worker comes to help and John’s gaze is just on you.
“Um… gummy bears? Right?” You ask him, trying to snap out of it. “That’s what you wanted?”
He leans in close, dark hair falling into his eyes. “I’m asking what you want.”
You don’t really remember what the hell you say, but somehow John pays and leads you down a long hallway and to your seats. Now he’s really close to you and the smell of his cologne is making your legs weak. 
“You okay?”
“Yes!” It comes out too fast but you realize you’re acting weird and need to get with it. 
John nods and crosses his long legs, sitting back in the chair and shifting towards you, whispering as advertisements play on the big screen. “I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“Do friends hold hands at the movies?”
You close your eyes. “No, John. They do not.”
“Not even when I scored tickets that were sold out?”
You lean in to him and smile. “If you tell me how you did that, I might reconsider the answer to your question.”
“Hmm…” He runs fingers over his beard as he thinks. “I talked to the manager.”
“And?”
“And I paid him.”
“John!”
“What? You wanted to know, so I told you.”
You shake your head in disbelief as the lights lower and the movie starts. “You’re crazy.”
He doesn’t disagree with you, but he does turn towards the screen, still touching your elbow throughout most of the first half of the movie. When it gets really creepy, he covers his mouth every time you jump in your seat, hiding his smile. 
You somehow get closer to his shoulder, shielding your eyes and turning into his body when you jump again, grabbing onto his arm. The muscles you feel are solid, and you technically knew they were there, you just never really considered them before. And you are definitely considering them now. 
John lets you hold on to him, and even offers to hold your hand when the movie winds down and you link his pinky with yours, not wanting to totally turn him down. He seems satisfied with that and smoothes his thumb down your hand a few times before the credits roll.
“That was so good!” You exclaim, getting up from your seat and stretching. “I forgot how fun the movies are!”
“You were scared.” John teases, playfully shaking your hand with his. 
“Was not.”
“Was too.”
“Whatever, you were scared too.” You tell him, pushing the heavy doors open and heading to his car. The sky is darker now and the wind has picked up, chilling your arms. You wish you had brought a sweater.
“I was definitely not scared.” John laughs, his hand hovering over your back again. You feel it because you stop for a car and his arm is suddenly pressed into your waist. He moves quickly though, opening the door for you to get inside. 
He turns on the heat as soon as he can and asks where you want to eat. 
“It’s up to you. I could go for anything.”
“Sushi?”
That surprises you and you can’t help but look at him with a raised eyebrow.
“What?”
“Nothing, I just didn’t know John Wick likes sushi. I see you more of an all meat kinda guy.”
“I have a very sophisticated pallet.”
“Oh, my mistake.” You laugh and tell him to lead the way. 
He takes you to a really nice place and you talk about the movie and the food all throughout dinner. It’s nice, not forced, and fun. These past two days, even with the weird circumstances, have been really fun. You want to pay for the dinner, but of course John beats you to it without you even realizing until it’s far too late. You glare at him and tell him that friends usually split the check. He apologizes with a sparkle in his eye and you know he’s not sorry at all.
When John pulls up to your apartment you thank him for such a great day. 
“Are you sure you’re not going to be scared?” He asks, after telling you he had fun today too.
“Yes, John.”
“I could spend the night again, just to make sure.”
You roll your eyes. “I’ll be fine. And you have to get back to Pooch.”
“You could spend the night at my place.” John offers, completely innocent but realizes what he says and adds, “I could take the couch, of course.”
“Good bye, John.” You tell him and he wants you to let him know if you need anything, or if you hear from Max. “I will.” Waving, you open the car door before he can get out and do it for you. The walk up to your apartment is quiet and just a little lonely. 
Once you get inside it’s worse, but you try to ignore it. Instead, you lay in bed where John had slept and cuddle the pillows. 
He texts you once he’s home, to make sure you made it to the apartment okay.
You didn’t let me walk you upstairs, he texts with a sad face.
Instead of telling him that you’re a grown up or you don’t need his protection, you simply text back next time. 
You really hope there’s a next time.
TBC Chapter 3
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snarwor · 3 years
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moon and old stars - chapter 1
I blame @badwolfbadwolf for every single word of this. Din Djarin/Boba Fett Daddy Kink with a side of Emotional Hurt/Comfort? I’m fuckin AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA damn it I’m writing Star Wars fic again. What’s this ship name? Link to AO3 at the bottom. No warnings so far. Also: this is my first time posting a fic on Tumblr so if there’s formatting issues yolo
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He wasn’t going to do it. He wasn’t. He was practically forty cycles old and he knew better. Here he was, without a damn starship, without the kid, bereft of enough credits to make a difference, and he was spiraling out of control due to the residual guilt and shame which had come with taking his helmet off at the refinery on Morak. He’d compromised himself, his Creed, his people.
And the damn Fett wasn’t talking to him, to top it off. That’s just great.
It wasn’t much of a Way if you kept meandering vaguely off course, listing on just this side of heresy.
Cara and Fennec had gone off in search of food on some outpost near the Outer Rim, a few days’ travel behind Gideon, and therefore Grogu. Din was left alone in Slave I with Boba Fett, and he was practically crawling out of his skin.
He’d rehearsed the bad idea so many times in his head, but somewhere between his mind and his mouth the words changed from “Wanna go shoot something?” to “I need a distraction.”
The old bounty hunter was sitting at the console near the hyperdrive, sans helmet, as he was used to. Din’s hands were shaking in their gloves, but the gloves and his armor were sturdy enough to hide it from the common man’s eye.
Boba Fett was not a common man. He was a Mandalorian, if not by Creed then by race, and he knew exactly the deadly mix of poisons which had led Din to this point better than... kriff, better than anyone else in this blasted galaxy.
His eyes, so level and sure, so calculating and sharp it felt like there wasn’t any beskar between them, regarded him and his request. Din hadn’t asked, he was past the point of asking. He was desperate to get his mind off of the vicious circle of imagining what the kid was going through. Fett stood and straightened his back.
Din wasn’t a slight man, by anyone’s definition. He was strong enough to wield and wear the armor, to make it this long as a guild bounty hunter, to survive the training and the trauma that came from just living in the wild galaxy. But Boba Fett was a clone, he was created to be the most powerful kriffing bastard this side of the stars, and he was engineered smarter, faster, and stronger. He had a hand’s length on him in height, and Din was eager to know what that would feel like, without the armor, without the boots, without—
But Fett hadn’t spoken yet, he hadn’t even given anything away that Din could overthink about. He was sweating all over the inside of his helmet, worse than when he first put one on as a teenager. He swallowed roughly, and the vocoder picked it up, a soft crackle putting his nervousness on display.
“Come with me.”
It was three words, which were more than enough of an order for Din’s head to swim, and he followed like Fett had said to. He was led to a berthing at the far edge of the ship. The matter of fact way Fett had interpreted his request for a distraction as “I’m taking you to bed” made him swoon a little on his feet. “I don’t lay with armor. You’ll have to take it off.”
“But—”
“If I wanted to lay with a droid, I’d lay with a droid. It comes off.”
Again, Din was brought to heel by three short words. And really, what was there left of himself that he could hold tight to and pretend was honorable? How much of himself had he given up in just the last few months? What part of him actually still fit, hidden behind buckles and clasps and plates and signets?
He forced himself not to think about it. His need was great. Back on Morak, he’d felt the same need take control, blurring the line in his head that was at one point, uncrossable. Now, his whole mind was blurred, and he felt the air in his helmet was hot and stifling. Piece by piece, the armor around him came off, and with it, his cares and self-respect. He was willing to debase himself for one petty distraction.
In for a credit, and all.
The chest plate acted as sort of a holding dish for the rest, keeping it nice and tidy and out of Fett’s way as he bared every part of himself. Fett watched with an unreadable expression as pale skin was uncovered, as cloth-covered elbows and socked feet revealed itself to the room. The door was shut, there was some semblance of safety here, but the recklessness with which Din stripped himself gave the old man something to worry about.
Finally, in just his soft skin-layer clothes, all that was left was the damned helmet. Din felt his lips wobbling beneath it, and set his jaw. It’s just a distraction. It’s just enough to get me by. Then I can bottle the shame and find a way to repent for my actions. This is the Way.
The light in the room was dim, like Fett had known Din’s eyes needed to adjust. The helmet sat atop the rest of the armor with a soft thud, finality in its tone. Din let out a shuddering breath, and his eyes went to the floor, his head with it. He’s worn the helmet so long that he was unused to peripheral vision when he had it.
“Look at me.” Three-word sentences were a favorite of Fett’s, so it seemed. “You are not of a Creed you can disappoint while in here. The only truth is that you are mine.”
Din’s eyes flashed up, and his jaw dropped. That strange cadence to his voice, the accent, it was unfamiliar enough to his ears that it set the stage for what came next. “Yours?” he croaked, almost flinching at the new acoustic quality his voice had.
“Mine.” Fett sat on the edge of his bed, and made no motion for Din to follow, so he remained standing. “You are unfamiliar with this kind of activity. Good. There’s nothing you can do, or have done, that will change how I treat you here. We will start small. You will follow my orders. If you are confused about something, you will ask. If something is wrong, you will say ‘beskar’ and we will stop. No one else is allowed to know about this. I will not speak of it, and neither will you. This will not follow outside of here unless we speak of it. Do you have any questions?”
Millions.
“No.”
“Kneel here.” Fett pointed with a single, gnarled finger to a point on the ground by his feet. Din made a soft noise of resistance, but a firm look reminded him that he was to follow Fett’s orders. He slowly went to his knees, and walked forward on them, closer, to Fett’s side. He thought they were going to do this on the bed. “Get comfortable.”
He spoke like he’d rather be talking in a different language, but for Din he’d keep speaking in Common. Din adjusted his kneeling stance so his back wasn’t slouched. They often meditated in the cloister and learned to stay very still despite discomfort, but Fett had told him to get comfortable, so he did, though once he’d found it, he began to fidget.
“Put your head here.” Fett patted his lap. Surely there was an easier way for him to do this…? Din wasn’t sure he’d be able to reach Fett’s cock in this position. “Your mind is jumping several steps ahead. We are not moving past this now. Relax your mind.”
“I asked for a distraction, not a guided meditation,” Din grumbled, resisting and testing the waters a little. Fett seemed quick to temper despite his glacial expressions, but in here, he took the little barb like Din hadn’t even said anything.
“You will get what you need, and nothing more unless you follow what it is I’m saying. Put your head here. I won’t repeat myself again.”
Din gently rested his head against Fett’s thigh. It was a strange sensation, to feel warmth there not brought by engine heat or the flash-burn of a sonic shower, or his own body heat trapped in the helmet. The fabric over his thigh was a rough canvas, but not too thick that it hid the warmth from the man wearing them.
“Good. That’s good.”
He nearly jumped out of his skin when Fett put a hand on his head, not grabbing, just resting. He took deep breaths and calmed his heart down.
He’d spent so many months taking a sharp blade to his hair, thinning it down as soon as it was long enough to curl. He didn’t like to meet his own eyes in the mirror as he worked, only looked at his face enough to do a cursory, impersonal shave and haircut, and only when absolutely necessary. He felt he owed it to the Creed that he didn’t indulge in time spent out of the helmet, in things like vanity and pride.
But now, with Fett’s hand on his head, and his head on his thigh, kneeling at his feet because he’d been told to, he wished he’d spent a bit more time making sure it was at least even. Insecurity and shame bubbled inside of him, and it made damn sure Din knew how unworthy he was of a signet, of the helmet, of the gifts given by his people. Through many years and lonely nights, even after he met the kid, he’d found himself in moments of physical pain, but never enough to make him cry like a child.
This simple act, it seemed, was enough.
It started slow, a prickling spark behind his eyes, a flash of radiant embarrassment on his cheeks. He swallowed past a lump in his throat. His vision blurred with tears, and they fell, uninhibited, from his eyes. If Fett noticed, he didn’t speak about it, and didn’t move his hand back. His thigh and his hand were the only two points in the galaxy that could tether Din back to himself, and he was holding on tightly to that sensation.
Those fingers curled into unevenly-cut hair, a gentle scritch against a sensitive scalp, and Din cried harder. Under the sounds of his gasps and silent, shuddering sobs, he heard humming. It wasn’t a song he recognized, but the tune became familiar the more Fett repeated it, in a deep register that matched his entire demeanor.
Din’s hands came to wrap around Fett’s calf, holding on hesitantly, but tighter once the song interrupted with a “Hm,” of assent. Now he had four points of tethering, and it was easier for Din to let the tears carry away his shame and injuries to his pride.
He didn’t know how long he was down there, knelt by Fett’s feet, but when he felt fine enough to look up, he was surprised to meet Fett’s eyes. He somehow knew Fett hadn’t looked away even once in the whole time Din had knelt. “You were very good for me,” Fett said, a soft quality to his voice that made Din’s breath catch. The hand on his head shifted and cupped the back of his neck, and Din’s eyes fluttered shut. How long had it been…? Never, his mind said. You’ve never felt like this.
“What was that song?” Din asked, his voice terribly hoarse and small.
“It’s an old one, so old time forgot the words but not the sound and story. It told a tale about an old star shooting across the galaxy, and when it sailed past a moon made of crystals so clear it looked like starlight, it stopped, pulled into orbit by a thing so beautiful it was helpless against the laws of the universe. My father used to sing it to me, and now I sing it to you.”
Din didn’t know what to make of that, but said, “That sounds like a nice story. Will you teach me the song?”
“I will. But not now. The others will be back soon. You may want to clean up.”
Din noticed the uncomfortable feeling of tears dried on his face, and felt the wave of self-consciousness return, though it was greatly subdued.
“There’s a shower on board.”
“Thank you.” Din kept his eyes down, gathering up his things again, his pieces.
“You’re welcome, any time you need it.”
“What if I don’t need it?” Din said, trying to cover his vulnerability with...something else.
“Then you don’t need it,” Fett said, calm as anything. He stood.
Sure enough, those five inches Fett had on him were made starkly apparent when Din stood in none of his armor. Certain men carried a metaphorical weight with them when they walked, and others carried an imagined height that let them look down on others. Boba Fett was bigger in both senses, but did not use his power to belittle or condescend at Din. He exuded a presence of comfort and safety, a peace that Din had thought inaccessible for himself for so very long.
He felt held, though they stood apart.
“I’ll just. Shower.” Din said, awkwardness filling his lungs.
As soon as he was in the small ‘fresher, he closed the hatch and wondered what in the kriff just happened.
Read on AO3.
Chapter two.
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calypsoff · 3 years
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Ninety One. Part 2
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Rylee is really giving the most snuggles, my whole heart is filled with so much love. She hasn’t moved her head back at all, I feel choked up. Lightly touching her bare back, she just wants some love, and I don’t blame her. My daughter is just growing up right before my eyes and those weeks I missed I feel like I have missed a lot, like with my daughter just making these little noises now, this is her communicating with us. Her strength to hold her own; I missed these precious moments and that’s on me, I am glad I haven’t missed her crawling because that is something major to miss. Rylee lifted her head up, her hair is everywhere like all over “boo” I said, Rylee’ smile grew and then looked away from me at the window, she is just so happy. To see my child happy makes me happy and I am honestly emotional about this, all I want is my daughter to be ok. I made a big mistake in life, I made the mistake of being away from her and missing it, I stressed her out, Robyn out too with no help. I could have at least took Rylee for a few days, staring at the side of her face. She is just staring outside “you can’t wait to see outside huh? Is it interesting” she turned her head to me and then attacked me again, resting her head on my shoulder “aww” twirling around with her in my arms “I love you so much” her giggles just went straight to my heart, imagine if I couldn’t have hear that again. Her giggle “I love you so much” I said in a whisper again “she is so happy isn’t she, I can’t wait for her to be able to go home. Just so she can be in her own bed too, just be a family again” nodding my head “I can’t wait for that also, it’s been a while since. Also the bedroom is clean” Robyn’ smile grew “oh yeah?” Nodding my head “mhmmm, you can sleep on the couch” I scoffed “I am pleased to hear” she walked off, Mel is just looking laughing “you’re just trying so hard” Mel can see it “exactly, I am trying” I laughed, I will get there with Robyn “baby number 2 might be on the way with you two” Robyn scoffed “no way, I am not having no more babies, not with him anyways. Have you seen the size of the babies I have with that” she pointed at me “Rylee baby she doesn’t mean it at all, she’s trying to get some attention” Robyn just wants me to bite, I ain’t taking the bait.
I just went out for a cigarette, with Mel of course she is here with me but she’s going now so I am waiting for the Uber for her “I wanted to say, can you like do the house all nice for me. Like a welcome home thing for Robyn and Rylee, mostly Rylee but I want it to be like a little get together for them both, welcome them both back and also that Rylee is ok, the main thing was that my daughter got out of this but if you can? Please” Mel cooed out “I will, I will get people together. I will be more than happy to do this, to see how much of a shit time my sister has had I would love to do that for her, I mean no offence” nodding my head laughing “none taken, I know I am to blame with most of it but thank you. I really need to make Robyn like me again, you know?” Mel shook her head, the Uber pulled up in front of us “like you? She loves you; she is teasing you so much, she just wants you to keep biting and just give her that attention, trust me. She loves you, just don’t do it again. It’s not worth it Chris, what you have with my sister you are so lucky, you both are. The love is so pure, and I just want you to use your brain, nobody out there is happy for you, I promise you this Chris, they aren’t, they rather you fuck up. A lot of men wanted the woman you have, remember that, just be good” Mel pulled me into a hug “have a nice night, I hope to see my niece at home” nodding my head smiling “I hope so too, I want that” I like Mel, I always have because she rides for Robyn a lot, that’s real ass loyalty and I want that myself.
Rylee is getting too used Robyn singing to her to sleep, every night Robyn is doing it but I don’t think she minds “I wanted to ask” my head propped up laid out on the bed “what song would you sing to me, if you was singing me to sleep?” I have to ask “I like the short shorts” I pointed, Robyn let out an oh and untucked the tee, but she knew she had it tucked “mhmm, what song would I sing to you” she said to herself, watching her pass by the bed. She got me hooked “But baby, don't get it twisted. You were just another nigga on the hit list, tryna fix your inner issues with a bad bitch” she sang with the biggest smile on her face “uhhh?” I said confused “didn't they tell you that I was a savage” she sat on the bed to lay down “fuck your white horse and a carriage” she turned to me, propping her head up also facing me “nice?” She smirked “new song” I questioned, she shrugged looking around my face and then down to my neck “I guess” she hooked her finger onto my chain around my neck “you took this?” Nodding my head “I can tell it’s mine, it looks sex around your neck” she let the chain go and the dragged her nail up my neck, oh my god I want her so bad, licking my lips bringing my head close to hers. I was going to kiss her but instead I nuzzled my nose against her forehead “I want you so bad” I admitted, I do “I can tell” I just obey her rules, moving away from her and off the bed “I’m going to pee” we are at the hospital still, so I need to be good.
Fixing my dick in my sweatpants as I made my way back to the bed “was it good?” Robyn asked, pulling a face laughing “what was good?” I don’t know what she is on about “show me your dick?” I froze midway of grabbing my pillow, is she crazy “be quiet” throwing my pillow at her head “ass” she moved it back “you just jerked off, I can tell; you’re flustered. All time low you know, jerking off in hospital” sitting on the bed laughing “you’re nasty” fixing the pillow behind me before laying down “anyways, you know I have been quiet with social media and everyone” Robyn moved closer to me, her shoulder just on mine, her head merely touching mine “so I took this picture when Rylee and you was looking out of the window, and I wrote. This” Robyn didn’t even let me finish looking at the picture “Hardest part of my life was to see my child in pain, to see her smiling and showing so much love has warmed my heart. I am happy to have my family back together, thank you for all the love and concern” Robyn read out, I cooed out “can I see the picture please” Robyn’ head is all against mine “here” looking at the picture, it’s Rylee and me. She is looking out of the window, looks like Robyn is taking picture from behind now “I like it” I really do “thank you, I am happy she is back with us Chris, my whole heart” nodding my head “same, tomorrow will bring us more joy” she knows it, I can’t wait for us to go home.
Rylee is very happy this morning, I think in my heart she can go home so we are just waiting for the doctor to say yes she can go. All I want is for my daughter to be home with us, it’s time for us to rebuild us and to rebuild our little family home but it won’t be anything without my daughter “she has a personality on her” Myriam stepped back from Rylee, licking my top lip smiling “yeah, she gets it from me” Robyn said, looking at side of me at the blatant lies “she is so sweet, but on that note I am happy to discharge her. Slight chestiness but it’s not disrupting Rylee from breathing at all, she will be ok so yes she can go home” Robyn and I gasped “yes!” I spat, it was like it was nothing as Robyn and I hugged each other “so yes it’s good news, I think I will do a follow up a week later but she is ok to go home and make all the noises she wants at home” I am so happy “this is the best news, it really is” I think the excitement got the better of us, moving back from the hug laughing “thank you” shaking Myriam hand “no problem, she is precious and as I said before. This is not just Rylee, don’t ever feel like it was your fault, parents can only do their best. I say this to all my patients, good luck with her” Rylee wants to grab everything “thank you” I said to the nurse with her “pookie! You’re going home” picking her up.
It’s wild that anyone would want to wait outside a hospital for a child, like it’s weird to me “I find it so weird to be out of the hospital” Robyn said in the backseat “I have been living and breathing, eating, sleeping in there so it’s weird” I can imagine, putting my window down “the SUV will drive out first, then you. I will meet you out there, I will then get in your car. The SUV behind will then pick up the rest of the bodyguard and then we are good to go” Rich said, rubbing the side of my face “cool, is it bad out there?” seems it, Rich gave me a look of annoyance “how did anyone know about Rylee leaving, I don’t get it” putting my window up “the nurses, I just know it. It will be one of them, sold it for a couple of bucks but they will need it when I am done” my hands gripping the steering wheel, the barrier went up, I mean it’s private entry but it’s out there. The SUV ahead of me drove off first and then I of course drive off “be careful Robyn said” I mean I will be as careful as I can with this, the SUV abruptly stopped and then honking went off, seeing the gang of paparazzi rush over. Bodyguards just moving them away “drive! Go” Rich said to the SUV ahead of me, but I think the SUV ahead has people there blocking “fuck” I said under my breath, we are just stuck here “thank god” I revved my engine, they are all on my car “move!” I spat waving my hand, shit is annoying. Rich finally cleared people so I drove off and then stopped, watching the rear-view mirror to check for Rich and he caught up and got in so I can drive off “fucking hell” I said shaking my head “they want those first picture, worth a lot, that was a lot” shaking my head.
Parking my car outside the home with the biggest smile on my face, I am arriving home with my family. Robyn is home, this is what I want in life, and I am not ever going to do that again. If Robyn says shit is not good then shit is not good and that is how we are moving from now on, I don’t care anymore “home sweet home rabbit” looking up in the rear view mirror, Robyn smiled lightly and I caught that, but she didn’t look up, she just smiled to herself “you hear that Rylee, you are home now” unbuckling the belt and getting out of the car “how bad was it in front?” I asked Rich, it seemed pretty bad “awful, they were hovering and asking where is Rihanna, how is her daughter. They all wanted the first picture of her, I was like not on my watch. I am just so happy that little princess is well, that is what we wanted. Y’all get some rest though, need it. Family time and stuff” opening my car door laughing “I will, promise. Take care” dapping him as I got out, I just want to have a peaceful life now, well I mean not too much peaceful, but I want my family and that is it, that is all I want, and I am so happy to have her back home.
Walking behind Robyn to the home “welcome the fuck home” Mel would be the first one to open the door and say that “you moved back here?” Robyn said “and you ain’t tell me” Robyn looked to me, I shrugged laughing “awww it is so good to see Rylee home, hey baby” walking into the house and stepping to the side of Robyn smiling at Rylee, Robyn held the pacifier to Rylee’ mouth, she is really just staring all wide eyed, it’s been a while since she has been home so it’s new to her “come, I need to show you girls something” Robyn looked at me “oh my god, my staircase. I love it, all clean huh” she grinned at me, I can’t believe she even noticed such a small detail about the stairs. Robyn walked off “I feel such a mess, I can’t wait to have a bath in my own home. I cannot wait for that” I will be watching her having a bath anyways, I will be doing that “oh my god!” Robyn spat in shock “welcome home!!” hearing everyone shout but Rylee didn’t like it at all, she ended up crying her eyes out, the room all cooed out.
Mel really outdid herself; I am super proud of her of what she did for me when she didn’t need to go all out, she got a party going on too. And the food, she got Debbie here feeding my stomach just right, I am happy about the food, but I am happy for the vibe anyways “I can always rely on you to keep me company” Debbie said smiling at me, I sniggered licking my fingers “I can’t help it, you make the best food” feeling a hand on my shoulder, turning around midway licking my fingers “oh, you good?” I asked “yeah, I just want to say thank you. Mel said that this is your idea, that this whole set up was you. You wanted to welcome us home, thank you” I grinned as we hugged “it’s ok, I am just happy to have you back home, I want my family back Robyn that is all” Robyn placed her hand on the back of my head “I know, trust I do. I just want my family back too, it ain’t going to stop me teasing you though” I chuckled, feeling Robyn’ nails just slowly raking the back of my head, I closed my eyes because that feels good, “but” she stopped “thank you” moving back from the hug “it’s ok, where is Rylee?” looking around “oh my mother, she is keeping her close in case someone looks at her wrong” I laughed shaking my head “why do the grandparents look like they are guarding her, that’s funny” Rylee is very lucky though.
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anxiouslyfred · 3 years
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Time Increases and Falls
Summary: Virgil doesn’t want to meet his soulmate after the things his brother has said since finding his. He doesn’t try to avoid meeting them though, not even by making choices to deliberately increase the countdown to meeting on his wrist.
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Most people didn't check the timers on their wrists very often. Society thought that chasing the timers obviously was immoral, a sign of impatience and desperation.
Arguing against that, and giving Roman a chance to actually try and find his soulmate had originally started Remus checking his timer regularly, but now it had become a game. How would making decisions in his life change the time it would take to meet his soulmate? Also how many reasons could Remus imagine for unexpected jumps up in the time they had until meeting?
The actual time wasn't really motivating for Remus. He'd meet his soulmate eventually and the timer changed too often for him to try and predict when. It was fun occasionally to make a decision based purely over which had the shortest time to meeting his soulmate, but then again, it was also fun sometimes to change decisions over which would cause the most chaos.
He was certain that his soulmate did pay attention to it though, and often made sure to chose the option that increased how long they'd take to meet. Remus had an entire list of excuses for the commiserating glances people gave if they happened to see his timer jump up, which given timers were on the back of the wrist, rarely covered by sleeves, was quite often.
Virgil didn't want a soulmate. He'd witnessed Patton and Logan meeting and how they now treated each other and something about it made his skin crawl. They'd dote on each other and insist on constantly being together through any possibly difficult situation, to comfort, protect or help. His parents though it was sweet but Virgil just thought it sounded exhausting, like they'd decided to abandon being individual people after meeting despite how different they were.
No he didn't want to lose his identity or spend every waking moment glued to the side just because a timer reached zero when they met. He liked his own space, thank you very much. That didn't mean he was trying to avoid their meeting though, just that he didn't mind each time he learnt later the timer had once again had days added to it.
Honestly his anxiety did seem to be a primary cause of delays to their meeting and that was pretty much the only good thing Virgil could say about the condition. Someone would comment asking if he was excited about meeting them when the counter got to be within a few days, and the surge of fears about what that could mean for his identity would make him back out of some event or other. Even if the event was nowhere close to the time they should be meeting dodging it would increase the time.
Of course there were also times when he'd deliberately try to keep all his appointments, to concerned about Patton and Logan attempting another intervention that he would push himself to keep to the choices he'd made. The timer would still increase, and Virgil couldn't find any explanation for it other than he would have gotten distracted by something along the way that changed their chances of meeting.
His timer had once again gotten to a matter of days before he was meant to meet this soulmate and Virgil was wondering when it would change again, double checking whenever he was alone to see if he'd inadvertently messed up their future meeting again.
His life still needed to be lived though so Virgil was doing a weeks grocery shop and trying to ignore the nosey glances everyone shot to each others wrists. They should be able to cope without knowing if he had a soulmate yet or not, but everyone did it automatically now.
“Oh, are you going to be doing something special for your meeting?” The cashier asked, making no attempt to hide her staring as she scanned all the items.
Normally Virgil would brush comments like that off, except there was something big happening on the day the timer currently indicated. He had a big presentation coming up that would be in front of far too many important people for his career to progress. On top of that stress, the shop had been busier than usual and Patton had called up halfway round to ask if he could get something from right at the front of the store for them. Pushing through the people and making sure he had everything he needed had Virgil clinging onto calm by the thinnest final thread and that question was breaking point.
He'd shaken his head violently, paying by card as quickly as he could before running out of the store, bags in hand, with no glance spared for the timer on his wrist that he'd just felt change. Experience said it would just had extended anyway.
Virgil managed to get the bags shoved into his car before leaning against it, trying to remember any grounding exercise he could to calm down. Nothing was working and he started to turn and walk somewhere, anywhere, just get the excess energy out of his limbs enough that he could drive.
He made it two steps before finding himself on the ground under a complete stranger, a shopping cart rolling further through the car park as they watched. “Dude, what the bloody hell were you doing? Trying to go cart racing with a trolley or something?” Virgil glared up, but froze as the usually unnoticeable movement of his timer vanished.
The man must have felt the same thing as he scrambled back, pulling Virgil back to his feet quickly too. “No but that sounds like an awesome idea if you want to try it. I bet there's something in there I could use to rig up an engine for a trolley too. I'm Remus and you're my soulmate.”
“Virgil and if you're doing crazy shit like that I'm not getting involved.” There was none of the need Patton and Logan had claimed came from being soulmates to stick with Remus and Virgil couldn't be more relieved about that. It still wouldn't convince him to put his life at risk for the maniac.
“Setting boundaries straight off. How long do I have to know you before I can push them?” Remus didn't seem phased by the harsh tone, just nodding along and absently watching his shopping cart as it finally stopped against a curb.
The question was one nobody had asked before, and probably nobody else would ever think of asking, but it made Virgil relax. “At least a few months. If you pull the have to be around each other 24/7 thing my brother pulls with his soulmate make it a few years.”
“I get you, everyone needs their space to do insane stunts on their owns sometimes. Can I have your number to at least stay in touch?” Remus pulled his phone out, pouting as he saw a car swerve to avoid hitting the cart. “Come on! You should've hit it! Charged the supermarket for lack of places to return carts to or something!”
Taking the phone, Virgil snickered at the yell. “Couldn't they just turn that back on you? I mean your shopping is in there.”
“And I'm stood all the way over here where we fell ages ago. Either they shouldn't make their car parks slope enough for the trolley to roll that far or they should give them like auto breaks for when the carts roll to fast.” Remus nodded as though that was entirely logical. “Also so I can test just how good auto breaks would make trolleys at sending me flying. Ro always holds back when trying to make a cart stop.”
“Okay, I'll add that to the million questions this meeting has given me. I've already text myself from your phone so we've got each others number, but I've got frozen stuff to get home before it's dangerous to refreeze it again. And you better be getting that cart back because I am not helping to replace anything you lose in your idiocy.” Virgil decided, finding that somewhere in talking to Remus he'd calmed down properly again.
Remus was chasing through the car park as soon as he'd taken his phone back, promising to call later over his shoulder.
Virgil had never wanted a soulmate, but he could be happy with whatever kind of adventure just talking to Remus was going to be.
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jaimehwatson · 3 years
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I made another Snowpiercer playlist!
After posting my Wilford/Audrey playlist a while ago, I added some songs that didn’t quite make the cut to a different playlist, intending to put together another similar one. But rather than focusing on just one ship this time, I also ended up getting really interested in theorizing about what Wilford’s relationship with Melanie might have been like before the Freeze, and exploring the idea that maybe there was something going on there and some kind of love triangle with Audrey.
So here’s my new playlist, full of absolute jams that could apply to any combination of relationships involving Wilford, Audrey, and Melanie, and/or just general Snowpiercer vibes! Read on for more detail about the songs I selected, and as before, content warning for references to canon abuse & self-harm/suicide.
1. “The Tradition” by Halsey
Oh, the loneliеst girl in town Was bought for plenty a price Well, they dress her up in golden crowns His smile hides a lie
She smiles back, but it's a fact That her fear will eat her alive Well, she got the life that she wanted But now all she does is cry
Thanks @onetrainsnowpiercer​ for getting me into this excellent album! I thought it would be fitting to kick off the playlist with one that could suit the earlier days of Wilford’s relationship with Audrey, like my previous playlist was more focused on.
2. “cardigan” by Taylor Swift
'Cause I knew you Steppin' on the last train Marked me like a bloodstain, I
I knew you Tried to change the ending Peter losing Wendy, I
I knew you Leavin' like a father Running like water, I And when you are young, they assume you know nothing
Did you think I would make a Snowpiercer playlist without Taylor Swift on it? Not a chance. I picture this one being more from Melanie’s perspective, reflecting on possibly having had some kind of ill-fated romance with Wilford when she was young and naive.
3. “No Children” by The Mountain Goats
I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow I hope it bleeds all day long Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises We're pretty sure they're all wrong
I hope it stays dark forever I hope the worst isn't over And I hope you blink before I do And I hope I never get sober
The only reason this perennial favourite of mine wasn’t on the first playlist was that I had too many Mountain Goats songs already and wanted to keep things balanced. But this one got all the ones that didn’t make it to the first playlist plus some more I thought about later, so I’m kind of giving up on that balance by now. They just have a lot of great songs about terrible relationships, and I love them all so much.
4. “Gold Guns Girls” by Metric
I remember when we were gambling to win Everybody else said, "Better luck next time." I don't wanna bend like the bad girls bend I just wanna be your friend Is it ever gonna be enough?
This is another one that I can picture being about young Melanie, gradually growing more aware of everything that’s terribly wrong with Wilford and his approach to life, and of how little he cares to try to fix it.
5. “You’ve Haunted Me All My Life” by Death Cab for Cutie
And there's a flaw in my heart's design For I keep trying to make you mine
You've haunted me all my life You've haunted me all my life You are the mistress I can't make a wife And you've haunted me all my life
And this one I can see being Wilford thinking about either one of the women, and his unhealthy attachment to them and inability to keep them around for very long—maybe once he’s finally reunited with them both on some level in season 2, but still can’t fully persuade them both over to his side.
6. “Old College Try” by The Mountain Goats
From the cities to the swamplands From the highways to the hills Our love has never had a leg to stand on From the aspirins to the cross-tops to the Elavils
But I will walk down to the end with you If you will come all the way down with me
Another Mountain Goats classic. If you divorce it from its context of being from a concept album about a horrible marriage, I actually think this song is kind of sweet in the way it describes a couple still committing to try to make things work despite a whole host of problems. But never mind that now, because I’m putting it back in the new context of a whole collection of horrible romantic relationships!
7. “Risk” by Metric
So you're beaten up but you bounce back It’s all part of the pull And the story runs like a soundtrack We repeat 'til we're full Started slow, started late Started strong, then we lost faith Started slow, started to lose control The more we accelerate, the more we accelerate
Half of arranging any playlist I make is just trying to split up the Mountain Goats and Metric songs so that they aren’t always clumped together. Anyway, this one seems especially fitting to me in its imagery of a speeding vehicle of some kind (it’s a train, I’m always picturing a train) alongside its description of a relationship going badly.
8. “Big God” by Florence + The Machine
You know I still like you the most The best of the best and the worst of the worst Well, you can never know The places that I go I still like you the most You'll always be my favourite ghost
I think this one could be any one of the three of them contemplating their complex feelings about the past at some point around season 2.
9. “I Still Do” by The Cranberries
I don't want to leave you Even though I have to I don't want to love you Oh, I still do
There aren’t as many specifics that match the characters going on in the lyrics here, since it’s more of just a general break-up song, but I also really like the creepy way it sounds.
10. “Fault Lines” by The Mountain Goats
But none of the money we spend Seems to do us much good in the end I got a cracked engine block, both of us do
Yeah, the house and the jewels, the Italian racecar They don't make us feel better about who we are I got termites in the framework, so do you
This one feels really fitting for pre-Freeze Wilford, especially the engine imagery!
11. “I Don’t Care” by Fall Out Boy
Say my name and his in the same breath I dare you to say they taste the same Let the leaves fall off in the summer And let December glow in flames
Erase myself and let go Start it over again in Mexico These friends, they don't love you They just love the hotel suites
Another song that is simply a) an absolute jam, and b) generally fitting for my favourite obscenely rich asshole and his terrible relationships
12. “You asked for this” by Halsey
I want my cake on a silver platter I want a fistful in my hands I want a beautiful boy's despondent laughter I wanna ruin all my plans I want a fist around my throat I wanna cry so hard, I choke I want everything I asked for
This one I can picture as Audrey—or maybe Melanie too, but especially Audrey—beginning to regret getting involved with Wilford, but only once she’s in way too deep for leaving to be a safe or easy decision.
13. “my tears ricochet” by Taylor Swift
And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet
Much like several other Taylor Swift songs, I just know in my heart that it’s the type of music Wilford listens to in secret, while possibly drunk and definitely singing along very dramatically. This one he dedicates to Melanie once they’ve met up again in season 2.
14. “Speed the Collapse” by Metric
All the way from where we came Built a mansion in a day Distant lightning, thunder claps Watched our neighbor's house collapse Looked the other way
This one has a lot of good apocalyptic imagery that I can imagine scoring Wilford’s life in the last few years before the Freeze, as he makes his plans to save himself and let so many others die.
15. “Ox Baker Triumphant” by The Mountain Goats
I will thank my ride and crawl my way back inside To the guts of the building where my enemies Hide in the dark like roaches And I will signal the camera crew and everyone will do What he's been trained how to do Sweat dripping from my face as my moment approaches
Click your heels, count to three I bet you never expected me A little worse for wear Practically walking on air
I love this song a lot, and listening to it lately makes me imagine Wilford plotting his revenge while on his way to catch up with Snowpiercer before the end of season 1.
16. “Firewood” by Regina Spektor
The piano is not firewood yet But the cold does get cold So it soon might be that I'll take it apart, call up my friends And we'll warm up our hands by the fire
Don't look so shocked Don't judge so harsh You don't know You’re only spying Everyone knows it's going to hurt But at least we'll get hurt trying
This has to be one of my favourite songs of all time. It’s very beautiful, and I love the piano in it. I’ve always personally interpreted it to be at least partially about someone surviving a suicide attempt, and the overall imagery about burning a piano for warmth—and this bit about not judging someone for doing that—reads to me as more of a general statement about the difficult choices people struggling with mental illness and other similar issues have to make to survive. I listened to it recently and I could picture Audrey singing it in the nightcar. I think it suits her well.
17. “Cry for Judas” by The Mountain Goats
But I am just a broken machine And I do things that I don't really mean Long, black night Morning frost I'm still here But all is lost
I think the imagery of this song suits the show a lot in general, but I can also particularly imagine it being Wilford in a rare moment of self-awareness about how much damage he’s caused to the world and the people around him.
18. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” by David Bowie
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth You pull on your finger, then another finger, then your cigarette The wall-to-wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget Oh oh, oh, oh, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
I love Wilford a lot. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him ever. I hope he kills more people, and I hope he gets his train back, and I hope he wins. But if he does eventually die in the show, I hope he’s found in the bathtub with there being some ambiguity about whether he really killed himself or whether one of his victims turned the tables on him, and I hope the climax of this song swells as the camera pans over his dead body. That’s the only Wilford death I will accept, thanks for coming to my TED talk.
19. “Source Decay” by The Mountain Goats
I park in an alley And I read through the postcards you continue to send Where as indirectly as you can, you ask what I remember I like these torture devices from my old best friend Well, I'll tell you what I know, like I swore I always would I don't think it's gonna do you any good I remember the train headed south out of Bangkok Down toward the water
Okay, I promise this is the last Mountain Goats song on the playlist. It’s just—it’s perfect. It has a train in it. And on the podcast “I Only Listen To The Mountain Goats,” John Darnielle commented that there’s barely anywhere you can go south of Bangkok before you hit the water, it’s a train going nowhere, it’s so good. It’s also one of the songs I’ve previously ripped a line off for my fanfiction titles!
20. “Sellers of Flowers” by Regina Spektor
The sellers of flowers Buy up old roses They pull off dead petals Like old heads of lettuce And sell ’em as new ones For cheaper and fairer But they die by the morning So who is the winner? Not the roses Not the buyers Not the sellers Maybe winter
And Regina Spektor closes out the playlist again! This song is another one I picked more on imagery and vibes than anything else. But since it’s about a young child in a world that seems to be moving inexorably toward an all-consuming winter, if it suits any of the characters, maybe it’s an appearance of Alex here at the end!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the playlist!
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wu-sisyphus-gang · 3 years
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Motion Sickness Chapter 59
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I rolled up on the Seventh Heaven on a motorcycle with Neo riding behind me with both arms wrapped around my waist. She exhaled through her nose in a slow sigh.
"Good evening Mantle. Good evening SDC. Good evening Mother who lives in the corner of my eye but disappears when I try and look at you. What do you think, Neo? We finally going to get what we deserve?" I asked.
She squeezed my chest tightly.
"I meant about Cinder. Though you and I probably deserve to have other shit happen to us. Don't you think? Just a little?"
I stroked the engine and it went off like a gun while I sat outside the bar and waited for Avalanche. The cobblestone street wasn't crowded with the little motorcycle. I'd seen some bigger models that called out to me but for now this little one was enough for me.
"I mean the shit we've done..." I laughed. I laughed hard. It was funny. It was all so, so funny. Why wasn't I able to laugh at me like this all the time? "The shit we've done we probably deserve some horrible shit to happen to us. Probably something like exactly what happened. They call that karma. Not what will happen to us for what we've done, the shit that is happening to us for what we did."
"You with Roman," I murmured. "I imagine you did some horrible awful shit. I'm not worried about it. I do awful shit too."
She squeezed me tighter. I embraced the feeling. The touch of another was something so simple. It was something so alien to me at the moment but it was all too Cetra. Maybe I was just stopping Neo from getting close to me. Maybe she wanted to be close to me. Maybe I was the only real stopping block.
I wanted to embrace it, even if it was something from a sadist like Neo. She got off on torture and killing people. And hey, I liked it too. I liked my boot on the necks of those who would stand against me. I liked killing Tyrian. I savored in the memory of his blood pouring out onto the street. I wasn't about pain but I was about killing. I was this sort of monster that reveled in death.
Would Ruby love me now? If she could see the things I'd become would she pull at my hair and kiss my chest? Would her heart beat faster for me still? I could distantly remember the pulse between her legs. I remembered the taste of her sweat, it was sweet like cinnamon. I remembered when she rode me out in an Anima forest and I recalled pressing her against the tile of a shower. Breathless moans leaving her little frame. The skin of her neck against my teeth. Her full lips against mine, so tender against my own harshness. The memory of it was enough to make me shift in the motorcycle seat with Neo clinging to me.
I wasn't sure I had the answer. Or maybe I just didn't want to accept the answer I had. Maybe I didn't like it. Maybe I was just depressing and wallowing in it. Or maybe I had a good point. Maybe at some point somewhere I'd crossed a line.
Bugs crawled around behind my face. I could feel it in my eyes and ears tonight. I picked at the inside of my ear and rubbed an eye, slow and hard.
The soft whisperings of Mother were fit enough to drive me mad. They were loud tonight. Or maybe not. It was hard to tell. It didn't exactly come with a volume setting or a good frame of reference. There was nothing to compare the loudness to. It came and it went. The bugs were like that too.
I was an alien monster to Ruby. I was part Grimm somewhere inside of me. Maybe that was how I'd tracked the Nuckelavee so well. I knew its heart because my own heart beat that same black. My blood and insides were red but so was that of the Grimm. I was inhuman.
Would Weiss still give me that small affectionate smile I remembered gleaming at me in the early Mistrali dawn? A teasing smirk on her blushing face with her hair down around her shoulders.
Would Yang still laugh when I bit back against her?
Could I ever go back? Could I ever be forgiven because I killed my friends? Maybe I really should just kill myself and be done with it. If I turned it on me… if I evened it out… would that make it better? Could I get into heaven if I killed myself?
My friends would want me to go on. It wasn't fair. I just wanted to die.
I pulled my pipe out and took a long draw on it. I had a lot I wanted to relax about. My thoughts were wild and creeping up on me.
I'd never have another calm and patient conversation with Ren. Nor would I ever share a bubbly dialogue with Nora. That was my fault. I may blame Mother but I had been the one to draw my blade against them.
What was Ruby feeling right now as I set off to cause more chaos? Did she still think of me? Did I deserve to have her think of me like that? No. I didn't. And it wasn't because I was born a monster. It was because I embraced it. I tortured, maimed, and killed with impunity.
Ruby would never do something like that. Her heart would go out to each and every person she ever hurt. Meanwhile I was content to smoke and forget 'em.
I exhaled a long batch of smoke out into the cool Mantle night air. I let the earthly odor and feeling settle over me. It was fast. Inhaling drugs worked quick like that. Much faster than anything other than injections. Ghostly hands wrapped over me. The cold suddenly didn't feel so bad and Neo's arms felt nice and warm.
Her hands gripped one another tight, just under my armor where she could be comfortable. "We deserve to die. Me and you. You and I." I told her. "And it'll get us, too. Just you wait and see."
Avalanche came backing out in a little turquoise truck. It backfired a little as it came rolling away from the bar.
I gestured to them with a wave and let them lead the way down the street. It wasn't busy out and I was able tailgate Avalanche pretty closely as we made our way to the mine.
Thoughts crept in on me as I drove under the influence. It was actually pretty easy. I'd fought Tyrian under the influence and that went well enough. My control was fine and as we slipped into traffic I was aware.
I put my pipe in my pocket and out of sight. I didn't need some officer to pull me over because of basically nothing before the operation even started.
We rode up on this massive open pit mine and stopped our vehicles. It had a spiraling depth of road to it for heavy machinery with the walls braced by metallic supports.
"Neo, watch the rides."
She nodded. She leaned her parasol against her shoulder and leaned herself in turn against my new bike.
It was a shallow gold and stripped with platinum. It was easier on the eyes than Yang's bike was. The colors were dull and metallic unlike the bright colors of Bumble Bee. She even named her bike. Maybe I'd name mine too. Maybe one I was a little more attached to than this. I could fucking afford it, I'd bought a whole plane. A nice bike would be nothing. Depending on just how nice it was.
I stepped away and Neo took my hand for a moment and squeezed my fingers. I hesitated for a moment and grabbed her hand back and returned her squeeze.
Then I stepped away for real.
Avalanche swung their way out of their truck. The vehicle heaved as Wenge made his way out of the back of it with his machine gun in hand. Bisque stepped out of the driver's seat, pistol drawn and at the ready. Jasper stepped out of shotgun with an easy grin and a wave at me.
I stared down into the large open pit of the mine with the spiraling road.
"You didn't forget the charges, did you?" I asked.
"Oh, right," Wenge mumbled. He tossed an explosive at my head which I caught.
"Where am I setting this up?" I asked. I began to step down the rings into the large open pit. Blowing the sides of the place would cause a landslide and bury the dust that was ready and waiting for extraction.
"One over there." Bisque pointed. "And another over… there. That should just about do it. Then we blow it remotely."
I laid down a wall of the place on both legs and I walked up to a strut he'd indicated and began to strap the charge into place with duct tape. I set it for remote activation with a push of a button.
"So far this is going very well!" Jasper exclaimed next to me.
A small Schnee Dust Company marked airship spun overhead. It came in low and fast.
"Go set the last charge." I told her. I drew my sword and advanced on two men descending from the plane. I activated my semblance and drew my sword. I flew up to match the height of the plane with a mighty leap. I bladebeamed it.
The beam crashed into the hovering plane and it began to spin out from the tremendous attack. Pieces flew off as it started to spiral into the massive pit. I watched the plane start to level out but it was clearly struggling to remain in the air. I had been hoping to outright destroy it but this was close enough.
I turned back to the two who had descended on guide wires. They were picking themselves off the ground where they fell from the spinning plane.
I stepped up to them and charged my semblance.
"You must be Cloud Strife." The redhead said. He coughed a little but stood firm. He pulled an electro-stick on me as he stood up and caught his breath. The other man just raised his fists with a quiet grunt.
"That's me," I spoke quietly. Speaking quiet is always more threatening than speaking loud. At least in my experience.
Kill the girl. And the boy.
Like that. Exactly like that.
"I'm Rosso. And this is Rude." He gestured with his stick. He brushed dust off of his slacks. They were both wearing full suits and Rude was even wearing a tie. Rosso on the other hand was wearing a pair of goggles up above his eyes and he had an exposed chest under his jacket. He had tattoos next to his eyes, as well.
"We're the Turks. We're going to fuck up six ways to Sunday."
"I'll make this quick." I lowered my sword down at Rosso.
He laughed like I didn't just cut down the plane he was riding in. "Get 'em Rude."
Rude came at me with his fists. I blocked the heavy string of attacks he came at me with using the wide side of my blade. I spaced him out with the giant sword. I swung it around my body and into his gut and knocked him off his feet.
Rosso came at me in an electric blue blur. It was bright blue unlike my deep wafting blue semblance. A speed semblance perhaps. He moved behind me and hit me in the back of the head with his stick. I spun to deal with him but he just blurred away again.
Rude came at me once more. He was enormously strong, but slow. His partner more than made up for his lack of speed, however.
"Cloud's engaged the Turks." Came through a mic in my ear. It was Jasper's voice. "How long until the charges are set?"
My semblance activated. When Rosso came by for another swing I blocked his attack on my sword and reached out and grabbed him by the throat.
"Rude! Help!" I slammed him into the ground through his words.
I was at my most dangerous in a one on one fight. There were certain adaptations I had to make in a two on one fight that made me considerably less formidable. For one I couldn't stand there and non-limit Cross Slash my enemies. It just took too much time while an enemy could come up behind me.
Rude tackled me but I rolled rather than be grabbed by him. I came back up to my feet.
I flew at Rude and brought my sword in a tremendous swing upwards. It caught him in the chest and smashed him into the air. I jumped and swiped my sword down over my head in a brutal strike downwards that slammed him into the ground.
Rosso appeared next to where I landed and hit me in the back with his staff, making me stumble forward. He moved around and hit me in the gut, lightning fast. I grunted and bent over.
He made for another pass but I blocked it with the wide side of Crocea Mors and slashed him to the ground such that he landed on his ass and a blue crackling of aura went over him. He wasn't out just yet but he couldn't keep getting hit by me while I was Limit Broken. He just couldn't afford it, didn't have the aura.
Rude came at me from the other side and I kicked him in the chest and brought my sword down on his head, forcing him to sidestep.
I pulled a lightning crystal from my pocket and crushed it. I swept my hand towards Rosso but Rude reached out and grabbed my arm. I stared at him for a moment in surprise before it blew up in both of our faces.
I kick-jumped my way back to my feet easily and was just in time to block another swing of Rosso's electro-stick. He pushed me back on a pocket of air rather than forcing my feet to slide over the ground. He pushed me all the way back into the side of the pit along the dirt road we fought on.
I flew straight up on the wall and front-flipped over his head, I swung my sword at his back in a non-Limit Break Braver as I flipped over him but he moved out of the way of the helmsplitter with a narrow dodge.
I backflipped in place in his direction and nearly pinned him against the wall with an upward slicing aerial attack. He tried to step in and do some damage with his staff but I followed him with two horizontal slashes that forced him to block the first and jump out of the way of the second.
Rude came up on me in a huge bear hug. He grabbed me from behind and suplexed me. I felt my neck slam against the ground.
I slid back to my feet, already hovering back up. Rude clubbed me once and I thrust Crocea Mors forward and caught him. Then I pulled him into the air with it and then slammed him back into the ground.
"Charges are almost set." Wenge's voice came through my head. "And done. We're good to go."
I backflipped in place and hit Rude with a devastating falling aerial attack that swung horizontally. It forced him to slide back and made his aura flare up in a deep electric yellow.
I chased after him and kicked him in the middle of the chest. Then I kicked him in the side of the leg, making him fall, then I brought my blade around on the side of his head.
Rosso clashed with my blade before I could bring it around on the side of his partner's head. He grunted under the force of my early executed attack.
"Gah! What are you made out of?" Rosso grunted.
"I'm a hunter. A real one." I put my shoulder into the side of the blade and slammed the entire thing into his chest and knocked him to the ground. “You’re both bad jokes. I’d laugh but I don’t find it very funny.”
I was still holding on to my semblance. In a two on one fight like this I needed the speed and strength buffs more than I needed to spend it. Without the movement improvements I'd be unable to keep up with Rosso's speed. So unless I cornered him with it, I'd still need it. It was a difficult balance to play.
So I chased him after I knocked him back and brought my sword down in a massive downwards swing. I gambled and spent my Limit on a Cross Slash. I only caught Rosso in the last two swings of it but it shattered Rosso's aura and slammed him back into the crater wall.
Rude came at me but even in my non-elevated state he was terribly slow. I swept my blade at him which he caught on his knuckles. Then I hit him in the gut with my blade, and after that I kneed him.
I tapped my microphone. "Set off the charges."
"But Cloud…!" Bisque's voice came through.
"Just do it!”
I felt the charges go off and the rockslide begin as the struts collapsed. I hovered above and backflipped three times against the wall of the crater and escaped. I landed neatly beside Avalanche and Neo as the walls came tumbling in.
I looked down and over and saw Rosso and Rude climbing back on guide wires in the still recovering plane. I watched it take off with the two 'Turks' in tow. I felt almost positive that I'd be seeing them again.
"Let's mosey," I told them. I straddled my bike. Neo hopped on and wrapped her arms around me again. She pressed herself tight against me.
I watched and waited for Avalanche to climb back into their truck.
Then I spun off on a cloud of dirt.
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-WG
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sarcastic-bubble · 4 years
Text
Let’s Blame it on Blood Loss
Paring: Obi-wan Kenobi X Reader
Word Count: 2.4K 
Warnings: Mentions of injury and death, mention of blood, little bit of angst, but lots of fluff at the end
Summary: Obi-wan and Reader are sent on a stealth mission and someone trips on a pile of droids.  Part two
A/N: Obi-wan is the best and deserves all the love. Now that I’ve said that I hope you all enjoy! Also, there will be a second part, at some point. 
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What had started out as a simple mission to gather information from an abandoned separatist base had quickly gone downhill. You and Obi-wan Kenobi had just rather unceremoniously stuffed yourselves in an empty closet to try and avoid a large group of lookout droids. “So much for it being abandoned,” you mumble under your breath.
The man in front of you shifts, trying to get ear closer to the door. “They’ve passed by. We should be safe to continue now,” he replied quietly stepping out of the closet. “At the very least this makes things a bit more exciting. It was you who mentioned how boring this would be, wasn’t it?” The smirk the played on the man’s lips had you rolling your eyes and forcing your way past him. The coast did look clear, for now at least.
“Why don’t you spend less time teasing me and more trying to find that protocol droid Master Kenobi,” you stated, only half-joking. The sooner the two of you were out of here the better. The whole point of the mission was to be in and out before anyone noticed your presence. When the base was supposedly abandoned that task hadn’t seemed so difficult, but all these unexpected lookout droids had you on edge. You had learned early in your years as a Jedi that exciting was not always better.
“Oh please, Master (L/N),” teased the other Jedi, “don’t pretend that you-.” He was cut off abruptly by the sound of a door opening and closing in quick succession. Obi-wan’s expression shifts from playful to more serious. He peeked his head around the corner, a few droids were walking away from the room. “I have a funny feeling we might find what we’re looking for in there.” He subtly gestured with his head to the door that you had yet to see.
“How long do you think it will take those droids to clear out? We can hardly sneak into a room when the door is more than loud enough to announce our presence to anyone in the general area?” You ask as you push yourself against Obi-wan’s back and lean your head out just enough to get a proper view of the door.
“No one said anything about taking the door, (Y/N)” He looked up to a vent only a few feet away from where the two of you hid. “I imagine that’s big enough for us to fit through. At the very least you’ll fit.” He glances up and down your smaller frame.
“You know how I feel about small spaces Obi. I won’t have a lot of room to move if I get discovered while in there.” You cross your arms and lean back against the wall. You loathed small spaces. They were cramped, dark (although the dark wasn’t really all that bad), and made you feel like you were trapped. The thought of climbing through this vent had you shuddering. If a space was too small for you to properly wield your lightsaber you took that as a sign that you weren’t meant to be there.
“You didn’t seem to mind hiding in the closet earlier. If I’m remembering correctly you were the one who pushed me in there,” he teased quietly.
“That closet was a lot bigger. But fine, whatever, let’s get this over and done with.” You very carefully remove the cover of the vent and set it down on the ground. With all the grace you can manage you hoist yourself up into the vent. It wasn’t as small as your worried it would be but naturally you were stuck crawling on all fours. The metal was cold and uncomfortable, and every creek or groan had you stop for a moment and hold your breath. When it was clear you weren’t heard you continued on slowly. This was terrible. The next time the council thought it would be a good idea to send you on a stealth mission you swore to tell no. Not that there really was much good it would do when the council gave you an assignment but everything was worth trying once.
Obi-wan waited patiently leaning against the wall. The droids walked past without noticing and he had taken the opportunity to slip down the hall and wait next to the closed door. You had been right when you said it would be too loud to open it, but he hoped to hear when you dropped down to the ground. As inconvenient as it was, he found your phobia rather endearing and respected you all the more for not letting it stop you. He heard a soft thud on the other side of the door. You must have made it. “(Y/N), does it look like the droid is in there?” he asked just loud enough for you to hear.
“I think so, it looks like what was shown to us. Just keep a lookout for a few minutes while I transfer these memory files,” you replied. You pulled out a small black device and inserted it into an open slot in the droid. While technology was never really your strong suit you had been promised that all you needed to do was plug the device in and let the program inside do all the work. This really was simple enough, but it would take a few minutes. You paced around the room finding a few more odds and ends to look at. Most of it was just broken-down droids like the one you had been sent to look for. There was a barely audible beep when the file transfer had finished. You unplugged the small device and tucked it back into your pocket.
“I’ve got it, Obi! Let’s get ready to leave, I’m not spending one more minute in this place than I have to.” You lift yourself into the vent. You feel your foot catch on something but think nothing of it a just shake it off. As you begin to crawl forward you hear the unmistakable sound of metal sliding against metal. Before you could react, there was a series of loud crashes as the various droids fell to the ground and onto one another. “Shit,” you mumbled.
“I really suggest you hurry after making all that noise (Y/N)! I’m sure half the base heard it.” Shouted Obi-wan. There really was no point in being quiet anymore.
For you, that meant there was no reason to climb back through that dreadful vent again. You hopped out and made far more noise than you meant too as you landed in the pile of broken droids. The door was already open and Obi-wan was motioning for you to move faster. The two of you run and do your best to avoid the droids looking for you and you were successful too until you reached your ship. A large group of droids were firing at it with their blasters, you could only imagine they were trying to break it. You and Obi-wan found a spot to hide and come up with a plan.
“I’m going to go see if I can distract them. Maybe draw them away long enough for you start the engines. If they keep firing at it like that we’ll be stuck here,” you stated trying to analyze the damage already done.
All you received in response was nod. You were sure he expected you to have a carefully thought out plan, but alas it wasn’t so. Your plan was to draw your lightsaber and run. Thank the Maker droids were never the smartest because it worked out quite well for you. Their attention was drawn by the sound your lightsaber made and they began to fire at you. They were terrible shots while chasing after you and it didn’t take much to lose them after you led them far enough away from the ship. Well, you thought you had lost them. Apparently, your connection to the force was suffering because you were shocked when you felt the searing pain of a blaster bolt hitting your side. You did all you could to lose them, the only thing keeping you standing was pure adrenalin. In the end, you found yourself in the same closet this whole mess had started in. The droids passed by and didn’t think to check there, something you couldn’t be more thankful for.
With the adrenaline leaving your body you began to feel the pain in your left side more intensely and in a few more places where didn’t realize you had been hit.  Every movement to try and drag yourself out of that closet was agony. You couldn’t do it; the pain had become so much that your vision was being crowded by dark spots. There were steps outside of the door again. You were sure they would find you this time and finish what they started but when the door was slowly opened you were met with concerned blue eyes.
“Obi, I think I got shot… a lot,” you managed to mumble out between clenched teeth.
“I know you got shot, know come here and let me help you back to the ship.” He slipped and arm underneath your knees and another behind your back pulling you up against your chest. His voice was full of concern. He got you back to the ship without any problems and set you down on a small cot reserved for emergencies like these. “Next time you offer to be the distraction I’ll shoot you myself,” he half-heartedly teased. He tried to keep the situation light to keep you calm but he was filled with worry.
“I need to make it back to the Jedi temple alive for there to be a 'next time',” you groaned.
He placed a gentle and comforting hand against your cheek. You couldn’t stop yourself from leaning into his touch. “You’ll make it back alive, trust me.”
“Hey Obi, just in case I don’t can I tell you something. We can blame it on the blood loss and my impending mortality if I am fine.” There were a lot of things you wanted to tell him then, but you felt your conciseness slipping. You were going to have to pick the most important things.
“Don’t talk like that. You’ll be-,“ You cut him off with a finger gently pressed against his lips.
“Shh... Obi, just let me talk.” The finger than had been on his lips moved to affectionately play with his bead. Maker how you loved that beard.  “I love you.” You felt relief as you finally spoke those words and Obi-wan’s response didn’t surprise you in the slightest.
“I love you too. Which is why you need to stay alive. I can’t do any of this without you.”
The feelings between you too had been obvious to the other for as long as you could remember, you both had come to a silent and mutual agreement to ignore how much you cared for the other, but it would’ve broken your heart and soul if you died without ever getting to say those words and hear them in return. “You’d be fine without me, dear,” you whisper. You do your best to prop yourself. You place a gentle kiss on his lips before the world goes black.
You were fairly certain you weren’t dead. You had yet to open your eyes, but you were fairly certain that wherever you would end up after you died wouldn’t have constant beeping, and there was something warm squeezing your hand. With a groan, you slowly blinked and took in your surroundings. You were in a bed in a room that must be back at the Jedi temple. The beeping was one of the few machines hooked up to you, this one busy keeping track of your vital signs. The warmth in your hand was the hand of someone else. You felt it gently squeeze once again and you looked up to see who was kind enough to wait by your bedside.
“I told you that you would make it back alive, didn’t I,” said a wonderfully familiar voice. The man’s free hand came to gently stroke your cheek. Your eye’s met Obi-wan’s wonderfully blue ones. They were filled with so much concern and love, you didn’t deserve this man in your life.
“Turns out I couldn’t leave you,” you replied relaxing into his touch. There was something incredibly soothing about it. All the aches you felt didn’t seem to matter so much now. You noticed something now you hadn’t when you first looked at him. There were dark bags under his eyes and his body seemed to slouch with exhaustion. “When’s the last time you slept?”
“I haven’t. Not since we returned. I couldn’t sleep knowing that you may not be there when I wake.” It was true too. You’d later find out that while you were being treated, he paced and waited outside the door and when you had been put in a room he sat by your side. The council hadn’t been happy with his behaviour, but not even their displeasure could pull him away from your side. Not until he knew you would be okay.
You hand come to rest on top of the one holding yours. Maker, you really didn’t deserve this man. “How long was I asleep?”
“Four days.”
“You haven’t slept in four days? That’s hardly healthy.”
“I would have waited longer by your side if I needed to.”
“I imagine the council hasn’t been pleased that you’ve been ignoring your duties in favour of waiting by me,” you say, idly rubbing circles on the top of his hand.
“They haven’t, but nothing would have pulled me from your side.” He shifted from the chair he was sitting on and onto your bed. You winced as you moved to make room for him. It was more than worth it when laying down next you and very carefully pulled you against his body, your head tucked underneath his.
As he pulled you to him there was an occasional pull on your wounds, and you winced with the movement but once you were in his arms you felt warmer and safer than you had in years. “You should rest before the council comes to whisk you away again,” you mumble against his chest.
You heard a quiet hum and felt it vibrate through his chest. He placed a soft kiss on the top of your head and in seconds you were both fast asleep.
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