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#Compound Gear Train
pddparthi · 17 days
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Unveiling the Power of Epicyclic Gearboxes: From Basic Principles to Advanced Applications
Introduction: The world of machines is driven by gears, and within this realm, the epicyclic gearbox, also known as a planetary gearset, stands out as a marvel of engineering ingenuity. This intricate system of interlocking gears offers a unique ability to achieve both speed reduction and torque multiplication, making it a cornerstone of various applications. Whether you’re fascinated by the…
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sokoviansimp · 3 months
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✒ Pairings: dom!wanda x subAgent!femreader
✒ Summary: Tension builds when Wanda and Y/N, who hate each other, are sent on a mission with Y/N's best friend, Natasha, and her wife Maria. The mission doesn't exactly go to plan.
✒ Tags and Warnings: 18+! Mature themes, kidnapping, chemicals, hospital, bickering, enemies to lovers, slow burn
✒ Author's Note: not proofread, because I'm really high rn and want to get this out because it's been in my drafts for like a month but I've been so busy with moving, and working 2 jobs, and just life changes.
✒ Word Count: 9523
✒ Read Time: 24 minutes
Masterlist : Socials : Series Masterlist
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The dimly lit, high-tech briefing room at the SHIELD headquarters buzzed with anticipation. Agents of all kinds filled the seats, their eyes trained on the enormous screen at the front. Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow herself, stood at the head of the room, her signature poise and confidence emanating from her.
You sat nearby, attention locked onto the screen. You had earned your place among the elite Shield agents through sheer skill and determination, graduating early from the academy. Your sharp mind and lightning-quick reflexes made you one of the best in the business. 
Natasha, after glancing over to her wife, Maria, began the mission briefing. "Our intel suggests that a rogue group of Hydra operatives has obtained a dangerous chemical compound. We need to secure it before they can use it for any nefarious purposes. We’ll be sending a small team in to infiltrate, if all goes to plan we should be in and out within 2 days. Y/N, you’ll partner with Wanda, and Maria will come with me,” Wanda couldn’t help but roll her eyes and let out a small huff at being paired with you, “The tac team will meet us on day 2 by the south entrance to secure the base. Everyone clear?” Nat finished as she looked around the room to see a bunch of heads bobbing in confirmation. 
Once everyone had filed out, you and Wanda hung back to discuss infiltration plans with Maria and Natasha. Nat explained that the trek to get to the area undetected would take a day, you would sleep at a small cabin safe house on the outskirts of the forest, and then the next day you would stealthily breach the border to the Hydra base and seize control of the chemical before letting the tac team in to finish up. 
“Sounds like a plan, but why do y/n and I have to be partners on this?” Wanda added trying everything she could to get out of being stuck with you by her side. 
“Now, I know you two love to bicker, but we’re all adults here. I’m sure you two can push your differences aside for 2 days.” Natasha explained as she shot Wanda a pointed look. She knew the brunette had her grievances about you and, as much as Nat loved you, she also knew how annoying you could be on the surface, but you two were also the ones Nat trusted most, aside from her wife, to have her six.
“I don’t see that being a problem, do you Wanda?” you confirmed with a smug smirk on your face, knowing you would have ample time to get under Wanda’s skin. Bickering with the brunette was something you would never admit you actually enjoyed, but you did. You loved getting her going and sometimes you could even imagine the smoke blowing out of her ears from how much you drove her crazy. You found herself drawn to Wanda's reactions, the way her cheeks would flush with annoyance, or her lips would curl into a sly smile when she caught on to your teasing. You unknowingly reveled in the attention it garnered from Wanda.
Wanda’s gaze shifted back to the screen as her brows knit tightly together forming a slight furrow in the middle of her forehead, “Guess not, when do we leave” she asked tightly pressing her lips together.
“Wheels up in 30” Nat informed as everyone filed out to pack. 
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You leaned against a nearby table, eyeing Wanda as she adjusted her gear. "Wanda, are you sure you're ready for this mission? I mean, it's not as easy as manipulating some red energy."
Wanda shot you a withering look, her scarlet eyes flashing. "Not everything can be solved by punching first and asking questions later, Sprints. Some of us have to use our brains."
Wanda had given you the nickname, Sprints, one day when you were training in the compound with Nat. Shield agents don't typically train at the compound, but your close friendship with Natasha made you an exception. This day, you had been bragging about setting a new in-house record for the 100-meter dash.
You chuckled, unfazed. "Brains, huh? Well, I'm glad one of us has 'em."
Wanda smirked, her accent lacing her words with a hint of sarcasm. "And I'm glad one of us doesn't rely solely on brute force."
You couldn't resist a playful jab. "True, but at least when I hit something, it stays down. Can't say the same for your mind tricks."
Wanda's lips curled into a wry smile. "Wanna test that theory?" she said pointedly as she raised her hand and her magic swirled around in her fingertips. 
Just then, Nat entered breaking up the standoff between you and Wanda, “Knock it off you two, the jet is taking off in 5, get loaded up,” Nat instructed as she watched Wanda walk by you and slightly nudge your shoulder as you innocently raised your hands toward Natasha, “Now.” she said firmly causing you to scurry off with your bag in Wanda’s trail. 
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As the quin-jet roared to life, and with Nat and Maria both in the cockpit, you couldn't resist the urge to tease Wanda. You knew how to push the right buttons, and her playful, sometimes very real, annoyance was on full display.
You leaned across the narrow aisle, grinning mischievously at Wanda, who was quietly reading a book on her tablet. "Hey, Wanda," you began, your tone a touch too cheerful, "since we're going up against Hydra today, maybe you can use your mind tricks to make them forget they ever messed with us."
Wanda glanced at her with a bemused expression, clearly unimpressed. "Y/N, my powers don't work that way, and you know it."
Y/N pretended to ponder this for a moment, tapping her chin with a playful smirk. "Hmm, shame. It would've made our job so much easier. But hey, don't worry. I'm sure you'll find some other way to be useful."
Wanda sighed, shaking her head as she shifted her focus back to her book. She was clearly unamused by your antics.
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As the quin-jet touched down in a remote area, nearly 10 miles from their target location, the four of you gathered your gear and prepared to embark on your covert trek. The evening was closing in quickly and with the loss of the sun, it would start getting cold soon.
Natasha, the team leader, huddled the group together for a final briefing. "Remember, we need to reach the cabin undetected. This is a highly secured area, and any alert could jeopardize the mission. Y/N and Wanda, I need you two to put your differences aside and work together. Our success depends on it." 
Y/N exchanged a begrudging glance with Wanda but nodded in agreement. "Got it, Nat. I'll try not to annoy Wanda too much."
Wanda rolled her eyes but remained silent, her focus on the task at hand.
The team set out on their trek, moving silently through the dense forest, their footsteps muffled by the fallen leaves and underbrush. Y/N and Wanda found themselves side by side, each step of the way requiring them to cooperate and coordinate their movements to avoid detection.
Every now and then, an armored personnel carrier would drive by causing the team to utilize nearby ravines, trenches, and coves to avoid detection. At one point, they hid out in a culvert for a few minutes waiting for the oncoming trail of vehicles to pass. A crinkling sound eventually made its way to Wanda’s ears and her head snapped to you as you tore open a granola bar, “Really, is now the best time for that?” Wanda whispered, trying to keep quiet as she scolded you, “Oh yes, you do not want to see me when I’m hangry,” you quietly responded as Natasha hushed you both to keep quiet. 
Despite your earlier banter and rivalry, you and Wanda fell into a rhythm as you navigated the challenging terrain. You took point, your sharp instincts and knowledge of the wilderness guiding the path. Wanda, with her enhanced senses, scanned for any signs of danger or hidden threats.
As you moved deeper into the night, the initial tension between the two of you began to dissipate. You began communicating with subtle gestures and exchanged information about the terrain and possible obstacles. Gradually, a sense of unity began to form between you two, as you realized that your success truly depended on your ability to work together.
Hours passed, and the mission team finally arrived at the remote cabin where they would be staying for the night. Nat and Maria thoroughly cleared it to make sure there were no unexpected guests. Once it was clear, you and Wanda made your way in. The cabin was rustic, with only two bedrooms, and it quickly became apparent that accommodations would be tight.
Natasha and Maria, who were married, naturally gravitated toward one of the bedrooms and claimed it as their own. They exchanged a knowing look, then turned to the rest of the team.
Wanda, ever the enigmatic one, made her preferences clear with a cool, unwavering stare. "I'm not sharing a room with Y/N," she stated firmly.
Realizing the implications, you tried to defuse the situation. "No problem, Wanda. I can sleep on the couch or even on the floor. It's not a big deal."
But Natasha, always the pragmatic leader, stepped in. "Actually, it is a big deal. We need both of you at your best tomorrow. We can't afford any tension or lack of rest. You two are sharing the other bed, there’s plenty of room."
Wanda's lips formed a thin line of irritation, but Natasha's word was final. She begrudgingly agreed, her tone laced with annoyance. "Fine, but I'm taking the left side of the bed."
You nodded following Wanda to the other room, a hint of a smirk playing on her lips. "Works for me, Wanda. I promise not to steal the covers."
With the sleeping arrangements decided, the team settled into their respective rooms, though the atmosphere in the second bedroom was palpably tense. You and Wanda each occupying your respective sides with a noticeable gap between. Tension hung in the air, and you both lay stiffly under the covers, each determined not to give an inch.
The initial discomfort led to a silent battle for the covers. Your fingers twitched slightly as you subtly attempted to pull the blanket your way. Wanda, sensing the movement, tightened her grip on the fabric. This quiet tug-of-war continued for a while, neither of you willing to relinquish control.
But as time passed, exhaustion began to take its toll. The temperature in the room dropped, and the comfort of the covers became increasingly irresistible. Unbeknownst to either of you, both of you gradually drifted into a fitful slumber, with both your subconscious minds seeking warmth and comfort.
In the dead of night, your bodies shifted ever so slightly. In your sleep, you unconsciously turned toward Wanda, your back now touching Wanda's side. Wanda, still asleep, feeling the unexpected contact, hesitated for a moment but soon found herself subconsciously gravitating closer to your warmth.
Your movements continued to synchronize in the depths of sleep. Slowly but surely, the gap between you vanished as you instinctively nestled into each other. Your arm draped over Wanda's waist, and Wanda's head nestled into the crook of your neck. The covers you had fought over earlier now cocooning you both, providing warmth and security.
Though you had started the night as adversaries, the quiet intimacy of your subconscious movements told a different story. In the stillness of the cabin, with the moonlight filtering through the curtains, you and Wanda had found an unexpected source of comfort in each other's presence. It was as if you two were pieces in a puzzle that fit perfectly with one another as your exhaustion-riddled bodies melded together after a long day. 
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The morning sun filtered through the cabin's curtains, casting a warm and gentle glow across the room. As you and Wanda began to stir, you each gradually became aware of your compromising position. Your bodies were entangled, limbs intertwined, and faces mere inches apart.
For a brief moment, your eyes fluttered open and met Wanda’s gaze, your heartbeat picked up nearly drowning out any source of sound for you as your cheeks reddened, you knew you should want to move, should be upset, but you froze like a deer in headlights, like if you stayed still then she wouldn’t notice and would stay as well. For a moment, you enjoyed the comfort of the witch’s grasp. That was quickly replaced by your mutual disdain from the previous night as the tension resurfaced with the disgusted look Wanda shot over to you. You locked eyes, both startled by the proximity and the realization of how closely you had been clinging to each other in your sleep.
Wanda quickly pulled away, her cheeks coloring slightly with a mix of embarrassment and irritation. She shifted to her side of the bed and cleared her throat, avoiding your gaze. "This is... not how I expected to wake up."
Equally flustered, you hastily withdrew your arm and adjusted your position to sit on the edge of the bed, cheeks tinged with a faint blush. "Yeah, well, it's not exactly my ideal morning either."
The tension that had momentarily dissipated during the night returned in full force. Both of you were acutely aware of the compromising position you had awoken in, and it only served to highlight your ongoing rivalry and mutual discomfort.
As you both jumped to get out of bed and prepared for the day ahead, your distaste for each other remained palpable. The events of the night had not erased your differences or any of the underlying tension, and you were both eager to put some distance between each other and the uncomfortable intimacy you had experienced in your sleep. Was it really uncomfortable though? You couldn’t deny, it was the best you had slept in weeks. No, it was. Just remembering the look of pure disgust on Wanda’s face puts the bad taste right back in your mouth.
“You two are up early, figured I’d have to come in clanging some pans the way you two like to sleep in.” Nat teased as you and Wanda entered the kitchen, “How’d you sleep?” 
“Goo-” you began but were cut off but the louder brunette beside you, “TERRIBLE” she groaned in response, not wanting to re-live what she woke up to. 
Nat glanced at Y/N knowingly, “What was that, Y/N?” she continued to tease as she poured the coffee that she had just made into 2 mugs in front of her for each of you. 
“Yea, grossly bad. Just- what she said” you stammered to get out, trying to remember what exactly was so bad about it. Then you remembered the look on Wanda’s face full of disgust again, and you couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty that she felt that way toward you. 
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Once you were all geared up and ready to leave the cabin, Natasha went over the plan one more time before you all stealthily headed back out into the forest. The weak spot that you were looking to infiltrate was about 5 miles from the cabin and you thanked whatever gods may exist that it wasn't winter yet. The air was cold against your cheeks, enough to tinge them a slight red from the wind burn, but not so frigid that you were shivering or unable to focus. 
Wanda, on the other hand, curled in on herself any chance she could in order to keep warm and ward off the shivers that threatened to take over her body. As you were waiting in another culvert for a line of trucks to pass by, you noticed from the way Wanda was curled up that she was struggling. Knowing you could survive without the jacket you were wearing, you went to offer it to the witch, “Cold?” you whispered softly and placed your hand on her shoulder to get her attention from behind. 
Her eyes snapped over to meet your gaze and she pulled her arm away from your touch like you were a deadly disease, “I’m fine,” she whispered back icy and dismissive, making a mental note to hide her discomfort better. Her disgust for you was clear, little did she know, you were only trying to help.
Taken aback by her response, your initial concern became clouded with frustration. All you wanted to do was see her light up in your direction and yet everything you did caused her to hate you more. If she’s going to act this way, may as well give her a reason. Two can play this game, “Oh right, I forgot you’re made of tougher skin than the rest of us peasants,” you mocked, keeping your tone low so as to not give up your position. 
The look that Wanda shot back your way sent shivers down your spine, “Should’ve come more prepared, like me,” you say flaunting your jacket and digging the metaphorical knife deeper as Nat waved an ‘all clear’ signal.
“There it is,” Wanda snapped back at you,  “every chance you get to be a coc-“ Natasha cut Wanda off, silencing her, before she could finish her point.
You caught Wanda’s gaze as it happened and pointed at your ears tauntingly. Her jaw tightened and her anger brewed as she continued to move through the culvert, following Nat and Maria’s lead.
As the team made its way out of the culvert and trekked along the route, you noticed Wanda was no longer shivering, all the pent-up anger toward you providing her warmth that would last at least a couple of minutes as you smirked to yourself.
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Once inside, Natasha and Maria took point in clearing a path and disabling guards with precision and stealth. You and Wanda had been tasked with obtaining the chemical agent that had been noted on the radar. The crucial task brought you both further into the facility, and as much as you each had trouble being in one another’s presence, you put your differences aside to work well as a team.
As you moved deeper into enemy territory, you settled back into the unspoken language of signals you had used the previous day together. Wanda was easily able to disable the camera feeds with her telekinesis while you took out any remaining guards and covered your tracks.
Soon enough, you both came to a secure-looking door, its lock was intricate and seemed heavily fortified with barometric readings and sensors. Without hesitation, Wanda focused her energy on the lock’s mechanism, using her powers to manipulate the gears and pins. You had her back, keeping watch on the corrodor, as she fell vulnerable to an attack from behind with her mind focused elsewhere.
A stray guard came out of a room down the hall making his way in your direction as he began to yell and pull out his gun, “Don’t lose focus Wanda, I got your back,” you assured her as you swiftly disabled the guard. As much as Wanda may hate you, she knew deep down that she could trust you and kept her focus on the door.
Once you settled back beside Wanda, you couldn’t help but let out a snarky comment as she was otherwise engaged with her powers, “You know, Wanda, it’s almost like having magic hands comes in handy on a mission like this,” 
Wanda shot you a side-eye glance with just a hint of a smirk on her lips, “Oh, so now you like my powers, huh?”
Grinning, you responded, “Let’s just say, I’m starting to see the perks.”
With that, Wanda was finally able to get the door lock to yield to her magic and open up. With the granted entry, you both slipped into the room beyond, only to be met with dozens of eyes from scientists working in the lab you just entered, “What’s up fellas, I heard you’ve been playing with a new toy,”
The scientists, startled by the sudden intrusion, immediately recognized the threat and reacted swiftly. They shouted in alarm as you charged at them causing one of them to activate a security alarm, triggering a set of reinforced doors to slam shut, attempting to neutralize the largest threat they saw, Wanda.
Before she could react, you pushed her out of the way, finding yourself locked inside a sealed chamber, cut off from Wanda and the rest of the room. Panic coursed through your veins as you realized the predicament. Seeing that you’re in no position to look out for Wanda any longer, you began pounding on the glass door, shouting for her to get out, but the scientists weren’t done quite yet.
In a desperate bid to incapacitate you, originally Wanda, and prevent any further interference, one of the scientists had activated an aerosol dispenser in the sealed chamber. A fine mist of the chemical agent you had been tasked with retrieving filled the air around you. All you could do was gasp as the toxic substance began to take effect. Desperately trying to hold your breath and shield yourself from exposure, your focus shifted from escape to self-preservation. Your skin became overrun with a dark crystalized rash, similar to obsidian growing like a vine on the side of an unkept building, scaling up and down your arms as it spread out. 
On the other side of the sealed door, Wanda fought to free you from your captors, her powers surging as she attempted to disable the security measures and reach you as quickly as possible. She knew the amount of time it would take her to break through the mechanism would be fatal for you, so she desperately took to screaming at the scientists to unlock the door and sending a wave of magic knocking them against the wall when they wouldn't cooperate. The scientists, however, were determined to keep you separated and eliminate the threat they posed to their operation. The mission had taken a treacherous turn, and you were left alone in a race against time to survive the effects of the chemical while Wanda fought desperately to save you. 
As the seconds flew by, your vision grew hazy and Wanda knew you were reaching critical condition as the rash spread to your face. When brute force failed, she surged into the minds of the scientists standing before her to figure out how to disable the chamber. Once she was deep enough within their mind to bend their bodies to her will, she was finally able to free you.
As soon as the doors opened to allow Wanda to reach you, she rushed in without a second thought, her magic almost working subconsciously to move whatever was left of the chemical in the air. You laid on the floor hanging onto any bit of consciousness you could grasp onto as you faded in and out, just hoping to make it out alive. 
The witch scooped you up and darted for the exit, “Nat, we have an emergency situation here. Need medical evac NOW!” Wanda said over the comms. Her sprint turned into a quick glide through the air as she found it easier and quicker to let her magic take you both through the base and toward the exit. 
“Roger that, contacted HQ for the tac team and medical. 10 minutes out.” Nat responded, “What hap-” 
“Fuck- 10 minutes? I don’t know if she has that long,” Wanda responded with worry, as she looked down at you shaking in pain as you drifted in and out of awareness, “Y/N, hey look at me, can you hear me?” Wanda spoke gently but with urgency, as you met her gaze briefly before your eyes rolled back slightly in a blur, “Medical is on the way, you just need to hold out for 10 minutes, I’m going to get you there, just- hang on” Wanda stated as her grip on you tightened and her magic quickened in pace. 
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Within minutes, Wanda met up with a medical team that arrived on the scene. They assessed your condition and quickly realized the severity of the situation. You were unconscious, struggling to breathe, and not only displaying signs of chemical poisoning but also a rash they had never seen before.
Working together, Wanda and the medical team carefully stabilized your condition as best they could on-site. They administered oxygen and provided preliminary treatment to counteract the effects of the chemical agent.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the medical team made the critical decision to transfer you to a nearby hospital equipped to handle chemical exposure cases. They carefully loaded you onto a gurney and rushed you onto an awaiting helicopter.
During the tense journey to the hospital, Wanda rode alongside you holding her hand and offering silent reassurance, while Nat and Maria stayed back to work with the tactical team. The situation remained dire, but they were doing everything they could to give you the best chance of survival.
At the hospital, a team of specialized medical professionals took over your care, working tirelessly to detoxify your system and stabilize your condition. The chemical exposure had taken a toll on your body, and even after all this time, your prognosis remained uncertain.
Wanda, exhausted and fraught with worry, refused to leave your side. As if every reason she had to hate you flew out the window, she was determined to stand by her partner throughout this ordeal, hoping and praying for your recovery. 
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Wanda was pulled from her spiraling thoughts in the waiting room as she heard a nurse utter, “She’s stable,” in a very neutral tone, so neutral that maWanda was unsure if it was actually good news, “but she’s not out of the woods yet.” she warned as she motioned for Wanda to follow her in to be by your side once again. 
The brunette stood to follow, “Is she awake?” 
The nurse shook her head, mentioning that she doesn’t expect you to wake up for at least 12 hours. They needed to ensure that your body has flushed out the toxin before allowing it to exert any more energy. 
Wanda took the seat by your bed and notified Natasha of the situation. She was hopeful, knowing you're a fighter, and Wanda tried to be optimistic as well, “It should’ve been me, Nat,” Wanda stated full of guilt and regret. Nat did her best to assure Wanda that she would’ve done the same and your situation was in no way her fault. Deep down, she wonders if she actually would’ve done the same. 
“You better wake up, Sprints, or I swear. How dare y- why do you have to be the best at everything?” She sighed as her body trembled and a tear spilled from her eyelid.
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After two long and agonizing days of unconsciousness, you finally began to stir in the hospital bed. Your vision was hazy at first, and you struggled to regain full awareness but as your senses gradually sharpened, you slowly became aware of the sterile hospital room that surrounded you.
The first thing you noticed was Wanda, sitting by your bedside. As your eyes met Wanda’s, your heart skipped a beat, you could see her gaze filled with a mixture of concern and relief. It was unlike her, but you couldn't help but smile weakly, your voice hoarse as you croaked out a greeting. "Hey there."
Wanda's expression softened, and she reached for your hand, squeezing it gently. "You're awake," she replied, her relief evident in her voice until it starkly changed to anger, almost like a mask, “Don't ever do that again!” she warned, brows furrowing.
“Wow, not even a thank you.” you teased as Wanda bit back to reiterate, “I’m serious y/n, I could’ve protected myself.”
“Yeah, but I protected us both,” you snarkily replied letting the brunette build up steam as you dug further.
“Protected? You almost got yourself killed, for nothing! God you're insufferable!” she exclaimed, not even wanting to be in the room with you anymore. Remembering just how annoying it is to even hold a conversation with you.
“Didn’t realize you cared,” 
As your eyes continued to scan the room, you spotted Natasha and Maria entering the room with a tray of coffee and snacks, “Coffee anyone? Oh Y/N, you're awake!” 
You smiled in response as Nat took the coffee from her wife with a smile, letting the tension built between you and Wanda disipate as they took over the conversation. 
“You gave us quite the scare there, y/n,” Nat noted, as much as she worried for you, she knew you were a fighter with the best medical team in the country. 
“Aw, you were worried?” You teased, knowing Nat to always keep a stone cold exterior to most, only letting ones that she was close to, like you, really get to see her emotions. 
“Not one bit,” she lied and everyone in the room knew.
As Nat and Maria took over the conversation, Wanda sat there brewing. Not only could she not understand the emotions she was feeling for you, but they just kept brewing as he sat in silence. Anger, relief, annoyance, worry, it all swam around in a confusion pool of questions. Her abrupt departure was without a word and you looked to Nat as she left, “Guess she’s tapped out on me for the day,”
Nat knew that you and Wanda had a rocky relationship but she felt that the brunettes behavior was quite uncalled for given the circumstances, “mm, I’ll talk to her,” Nat hummed as she got up to leave the room in pursuit of Wanda.
“And then there were two,” you joked with Maria. 
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Nat found Wanda in the hallway walking toward the exit of the hospital, she was headed back to the cabin as that’s where the 3 of them have been staying while you were stuck in a foreign hospital until you were ready to be transferred back to New York, “What the fuck was that?” Nat aggressively shouted in Wanda’s direction. 
Wanda quickly snapped her head around to the familiar voice, eyes landing on the angry Russian, “Not now Nat, please.” She dismissed as she stayed on her path. 
“No, Wanda, you don’t get to pick and choose. Y/N was practically on her deathbed to save you and this is how you want to act? What’s so terrible that you can’t even spend more than 5 minutes with her?”
“I didn’t need her to save me, she just made it all even more,” Wanda paused before bursting out, “DIFFICULT!” 
Nat could tell this was about more than just getting you to safety after the mission. She knew Wanda had dealt with a lot and always had a hard time getting her emotions in check. Instead of pressing further, she decided to switch up the metaphorical cards in her hands, “well all she wanted was to make sure you were safe.” With that, Nat turned to head back to your room. Wanda stood there watching her walk away, knowing she was right.
Before Wanda could decide what to do next the ground began to shake. It was subtle at first but soon, the items lining the walls and the structure of the building began to tremble along with it. Nat turned back to Wanda, who was still standing behind her, “Is that you?” She raised her brow, knowing the answer would be no, but hoping that it was by chance as that would make their job much easier. 
Wanda shook her head, confusion written all over her face as Nat turned again in the direction of your room in a full sprint, Wanda following Nat’s lead closely behind. Nat easily put the pieces together that the chemical agent you were exposed to would have effects that they could not predict. 
When they made it to your room, they were met with Maria trying to calm you down as you shook and writhed on the bed in pain. Your skin felt like it had just been dipped in lava causing your temperature to rise so much that you could visibly see a slight red tint on your face. Inside was arguably even worse as the uncontrollable shivers caused you to feel lightheaded and nauseous. 
Nat tried calling for a doctor through the hallways as the building began shaking even more. The worse your condition became, the more aggravated the building shook. They had to do something before the hospital filled with hundreds of innocent people became rubble. Wanda came to the side of your bed opposite Maria, shock prominent on her features as she watched you squirm, not knowing how to help. 
Maria could tell that Wanda was struggling with how to help, honestly, she didn't know exactly what to do either, but she did know that they had to get the building to stop shaking, and she was sure with Wanda’s magic, they would be able to help you somehow, “We have to neutralize the seismic waves emitting from her somehow,” Maria told Wanda as she kept her eyes on you, trying to figure out a solution. 
With that, Wanda was snapped out of the frozen state she was in as her eyes lit up red and she dove into your mind, trying to get answers. Near instantly her body began to tremble as a whimper fell from her mouth at the pain that radiated from you, “Y/N you have to calm down, the whole building is about to collapse”
“I’m not doing anything,” your thoughts fighting to make sense of the situation, “I-I can't control it! H-HURTS!”
Wanda’s balance faltered as the building’s shaking became more intense, her grip on the railing of your hospital bed tightened, and it became clear to her that her best option was to sedate you. She reached her hands toward your temple and let the red tendrils of her magic flow freely toward your skin as they rooted themselves within your mind. Taking hold and lulling you into a calm state of peaceful sleep. Slowly but surely, the building stood still again and soon after, a doctor came in to assess the situation. 
“About time,” Natasha spat with clear irritation towards the doctor.
Wanda, felt a growing unease as Dr. Scholt entered the room. His icy, judgmental gaze fell onto you as he began to examine your medical chart and machines. It was clear to Wanda that his discomfort with powered individuals was not something he could easily hide.
Ignoring Nat’s comment, Dr. Scholt made his way over to assess your condition eventually swaying from their original plan of keeping you until you were stable enough to be transferred, “I've seen too many of their kind, causing nothing but chaos and destruction. We don't have the resources to deal with creatures like this in our hospitals,” unaware that one of the most powerful enhanced individuals was standing right beside him, his disdain for you was clear with his tone and judgmental words. 
With a mixture of anger and concern, Natasha’s eyes narrowed, and her voice carried a hint of impatience as she retorted, "We're here because we need medical assistance, Doctor, not a lecture. Y/N's condition is the priority, and I expect her to receive the same care as any other patient. Your personal opinions have no place in a hospital room."
Before the doctor had the chance to respond, Wanda cut in, “No, it’s fine. He made his stance awfully clear,” she quarreled with a head tilt toward the doctor before turning back to Natasha, “We’ll take it from here,” 
“Great, I’ll get her prepped for transport,” the doctor mentioned as he attempted to grab sedatives to administer to you for the ride. However, Wanda wasn’t going to let him or his team lay another finger on you after the display he just made, knowing even from his thoughts, that his ill intentions may get the better of him. 
Before he left the room, Wanda caught his attention, “Maybe I wasn’t clear, Adam,” refusing to use his doctorate title, “we will take it from here.” she precisely articulated in a sharp manner, “Our transport team is on the way, You and your team are not to lay another finger on Agent y/l/n. Are we clear?” she flared, starring daggers into his soul. 
“How do you know my name?” he bit back as if that was the most important thing that Wanda said. 
“Are we clear?” Wanda repeated, without any explanation for the extra information. The doctor quickly took the hint as he nodded and scurried out of the room.
Wanda’s gaze shifted to meet Nat’s gaze who stood by the door as she watched the doctor walk past her to leave the room, “All that for someone you hate, can’t imagine what you're like when you actually like somebody,” she teased. 
“I don’t hate her,” Wanda defended as she tried to hide the growing smirk on her face, “She’s just the most annoying person I’ve ever met,” she added to keep her position on you clear and she couldn’t have anyone thinking she likes you in the slightest, “But he wanted to do more to her than prep her for transport,” She informed the two other agents that stood with her in the room around your bed. 
“Well, Y/N’s lucky to have you in her corner, once Fury hears about this, Mr. Sholt can kiss his doctorate goodbye,” Maria reassured as she took a seat beside your bed to wait for the transport team to arrive in a couple hours. 
Once SHIELD’S medical team arrived, they administered sedatives to keep you unconscious during the flight and prepared you for the jet before you woke up. Wanda was instructed to be by your side as an extra precaution, in case you somehow woke up or your unhinged powers started going haywire in your sleep. 
The ride back was tame with no real issues, at one point Wanda could sense your consciousness creeping back in but she was able to quickly lull you back to comatose with her magic. Once the jet landed, they quickly got you set up in the med bay at the compound in Upstate New York. This was not typical protocol for the team. Since you were not an Avenger and merely a Shield agent, proper protocol would be to take you to the medical facilities at SHIELD headquarters. Natasha wouldn’t allow that to happen though, under her authority, she made sure you were overseen by the best team available and close enough to keep watch on.
In a matter of hours, the team ran all the tests they deemed necessary, concluding that the chemicals you came into contact with ignited something that laid dormant in your DNA. The gene acted as a sponge for the toxins, without it, the poison would’ve continued to spread and shut down every part of your body slowly and painfully. Instead, the contagion was absorbed into the gene strand, which was subsequently sent into its next phase. Without the toxin, this gene could’ve laid dormant within you forever, instead, it entered a new stage, triggering your new abilities. 
“Was anyone else in contact with this chemical?” Dr Cho asked out of an abundance of caution, knowing that if they had been, they probably wouldn’t be in such good condition.
Nat looked to Wanda for a response, knowing she was the one in the room with you when it was released. Wanda’s gaze fell to the floor for a brief second before she began, “No, they meant to expose me but Y/N pushed me out of the way,” Wanda explained as she recalled the events from a couple of days prior. 
Dr. Cho nodded slightly in acknowledgment before responding “It’s a good thing Y/N was the one affected by this in all honesty. Without running tests, there’s no way to know whether the rest of the team has the gene structure to survive such an attack. She got real lucky,” Dr. Cho explained as she went over the results of the tests. 
Wanda struggled with this internally. Part of her was thankful things unfolded the way they did because if they hadn't the situation could've been a lot worse, but the other part twisted it to figure that you must have just been trying to 1-up her. You never do anything nice without something in it for yourself, at least in her eyes. This wasn’t anything new when it came to the way she thought about you. It was often that your intentions were competitive and came off abrasive, but she tended to use that model of thought for anything you did in her presence. Shaking every bit of sincerity off for a hidden agenda, and refusing to see any good in you. Deep down, maybe she didn’t want to see the good in you, it was so much easier to be closed off. Afraid that once she starts to unravel you, she’ll have no more walls to hide behind. No more armor to keep her from falling for you, to keep her safe from the pain she’s always known to follow. So, she doesn't think too deeply about it, instead, she lets her thoughts protect her. 
It was easier for her to paint you as an asshole than to deal with the mixed emotions she felt for you. Blaming everything on your lack of empathy acted almost as a shield for her, enabling her to bury other emotions so deep that she could forget about them. After replaying the events over and over in her head on a loop, she was able to spin the story in her head and concluded that you must’ve known about your genetics. You had to go through genetic testing to be a field operative with such high clearance, surely that’s how you knew. So the only reason you even pushed her out of the way was to look like the hero, to make it look like she needed saving, knowing full well you’d make it out just fine. Ugh, you’re the worst. 
With that, it was like a switch in Wanda flipped. As if her emotions were immediately shut off, she stopped visiting you at the medbay and was happy to go about her daily life without a care in the world of your condition. 
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You spent the next few weeks recovering. Natasha was by your side every step of the way, acutely aware of who visited you and who didn’t. Wanda never did. Tony came by a few times, you two weren't very close but he felt the need to show face at least. With nothing much to talk about, Tony always defaulted to talking about work when he was nervous. He didn’t find himself in too many situations without anything to say, but when he did, he attempted to claim the room with his confidence as he always had in his career. Almost as a nervous tik, he defaulted to talking about things that he knew a great deal about, even if the people around him didn’t. 
To his surprise, you were easily able to keep up with his shop talk jargon and follow along with the schematics he propped open as examples. The two of you quickly began bonding over your love for science and math. Nat noticed the uptick in visits from Stark and was happy to see you making more connections with the people she called family. 
Some of the other Avengers made their way down to the medbay as well after Nick encouraged it in a meeting. He knew how good of an agent you were, following your progress ever since word spread about you during your time at SHIELD Academy. It was practically unheard of for an Agent to graduate early, only 2 had ever done it before you. Since then, he made sure to check up on your progress every few months, hoping you’d grow into a top agent so he could use you on one of his special teams. With your new onset of abilities, he figured that eventually, you’d fit right in as a new addition to the Avengers. 
Fury rarely leaves anything to chance though, including your development. In order to get you comfortable with your newfound abilities, you’d need a mentor. Someone who has gone through a transition like yours before. After giving it some thought, there was only one other person on the team who could relate to you in that sense. 
Thor, while he did have to prove he was worthy to his father and himself in order to unlock his full potential, his powers always belonged to him. There was nothing unexpected or confusing about it. He has always wielded his power with knowledge and confidence. Similarly, Steve’s transition was also foreseen and he was able to quickly and seamlessly get a hold of his powers. 
Bruce on the other hand, still struggles to keep the beast inside of him under control. While he may be able to relate to the situation you’re currently experiencing, he wouldn’t be the right fit to mentor you with the way he is still trying to figure things out for himself. 
It was clear that Wanda could relate to your situation most closely. While she may have volunteered in the experiments carried out by Hydra, the outcome was something she never could’ve expected. For a while, she struggled to come to terms with what her body was capable of. Fearing that she would lose control and hurt someone unintentionally, and deep down the fear always lingers, but she has learned how to control it; and while she may not believe it herself, her team trusts her and her ability to keep her powers in check. 
Fury knew the two of you were far from besties, but he hoped this mentorship could double as a bonding experience to help get you more acclimated to the team. Wanda would need to get used to you being around more often, whether she was okay with it or not, he hoped this could help nudge her in the direction of welcoming the transition. 
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“No. Not a chance in hell.” Wanda argued as she stood from the chair opposite Fury in his office. Nick didn’t offer a reaction, instead, he kept his face neutral and waited for Wanda to come to terms with the arrangement. 
Noticing that Fury was not giving in, Wanda broke the silence to add, “Why me? I have nothing to teach her, she’s insufferable. This seems like more of a Rodger’s job.”
“The arrangement isn’t negotiable, Maximoff. Y/N has a lot to learn from you and I’m sure you’ll be a great teacher once she’s back on her feet.” Wanda scoffed, anger beating off her, as she went to leave the meeting.
“Oh, one more thing,” Nick added causing the brunette to pause and turn by the door, “Y/N will not know about this arrangement of ours, and I intend to keep it that way, are we clear?” without giving a clear response, Wanda rolled her eyes and stormed off to the gym, wanting to let her anger out on something meant to be hit before she ended up taking it out on the nearest wall.. “Oh, and I expect an influx of visits from you to the medbay!” He shouted towards her retreating form down the hall.
Straight from Fury’s office, she stormed into the gym with a palpable aura of frustration and anger. Her usually calm and composed demeanor had given way to an agitated energy that practically crackled in the air around her.
Nat, who happened to be in the gym working on her own training routine, turned her head as she sensed Wanda's arrival. The room seemed to darken with Wanda's stormy presence, and Natasha knew that something had clearly set her off.
Wanda didn't waste a moment. She approached one of the punching bags, her eyes flashing with a mix of determination and anger. Without saying a word, she unleashed a series of powerful punches and kicks that sent the heavy bag swinging wildly.
Wanda's frustration reverberated through the gym as she relentlessly pummeled the punching bag, each strike carrying the weight of her annoyance. The ferocity of her strikes was a clear indication of her irritation. Natasha, noticing the intensity of Wanda's training session, decided it was time to address the obvious tension. Wanda's training strikes were powerful and precise, a physical manifestation of her inner turmoil.
Once Nat felt that Wanda had gotten out her initial anger, she approached her friend cautiously, waiting for a break in the flurry of punches before speaking. She knew better than anyone that sometimes words were not enough, and physical exertion was the only way to cope with intense emotions, "Wanda, what's going on?" Natasha asked, her tone laced with concern as she held the opposite side of the punching bag sturdy for Wanda to continue laying on punches.
“Fury.” She growled, “He wants me to.” *PUNCH* “mentor y/n” *PUNCH* “he won’t let” *PUNCH* “Steve do it.” *PUNCH* “He wouldn’t listen” *PUNCH* “ugh!” the punching finally stopped as she left a hand on the punching bag for balance while she caught her breath.
Natasha peeked around the bag that she held steady for Wanda to give her opinion, trying to approach with caution, knowing Wanda wouldn't like what she had to say. 
Natasha didn’t know what triggered it, but she noticed the stark change in the way Wanda went from caring about you in the foreign hospital to completely shutting herself off from you as soon as you got back to New York. 
Nat took a step back from the bag to gather her thoughts, “Let me get this straight, you’re throwing a fit because the girl who just saved your life is going through life-changing trauma right now and Fury is asking you to help her through it because you have experience and have been through a similar situation?” with one eyebrow slightly raised, she shot Wanda a pointed glare. 
With her frustration rebuilding as she processed Nat’s words, Wanda pushed the bag away and turned toward the door, “Oh, here we go again. Poor Y/N she’s always the victim,” Wanda marched toward the door, not wanting to hear another person defend you. In her eyes, you were conniving and everything you did was calculated, other people just couldn't see past your charm to expose how much you actually tormented her. They couldn’t see how she was so clearly the victim in this circumstance. They couldn't see how twisted you made everything. She could though, she saw right through you. 
Nat wasn’t letting her get off that easy. She chased after the brunette trying to storm out and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around to be face to face. Against her own desire, Wanda’s feet stayed planted to see what Nat had to say. 
“Are you serious? You two may not be friends, but she saved your fucking life. She was there for you, the least you could do is offer her some support and show a sliver of gratitude! You need to take a good hard look at yourself, this isn’t the Wanda I know.” Nat scolded 
Seething, Wanda bit back through gritted teeth, “I didn’t ask her to.” without giving Natasha the opportunity to speak, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the gym. 
Natasha stood there nearly dumbfounded, wondering what had gotten into Wanda to make her so heartless and cruel towards you. 
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From the gym, instead of wallowing alone in her room, Wanda decides to leave the compound for a walk around the grounds. As she walked alone with her own thoughts, she desperately tried to calm the anger within. Spending more time with you was the last thing she wanted to do, especially after coming to the conclusion that your heroic act was just a ruse. 
As she strolled, she went through countless scenarios for ways that she could get out of this whole situation. There wasn’t a single one that she thought was good enough to change Fury’s mind. 
What if I broke my hand? No, I'm sure he’d still make me teach her. What if the compound mysteriously caught fire? That would probably only delay things. What if there was an Avenger’s level threat? He’d probably just make me do it when I got back. What if I became evil and left the Avengers to take over the world or something? That could work, though it’s a bit dramatic and I don't even want to take over the world.
Knowing that Nat was on your side about this already told her that everyone else at the compound would share Fury’s opinion. Out of the whole team, Nat was the one most likely to take Wanda’s side for anything. She always knew that if Natasha’s opinion differed on a subject, the others were bound to as well.
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Wanda took the rest of the day to decompress and attempt to accept that she’d have to mentor you. The next day during breakfast, she heard Tony and Thor mention they’d be visiting you once they finished their meal. Knowing she’d have to see you eventually, Wanda’s ears perked at the opportunity to tag along and not go alone, “Can I come?” Wanda’s eagerness came as a shock to the two men sitting across the counter from her, but also to everyone else within earshot who wasn’t involved in the conversation. 
“Come to see y/n?” Tony clarified, not sure if Wanda had heard them correctly but she nodded in confirmation, “ye- yea of course.” he confirmed, surprised Wanda had any interest in visiting you.
The hum of medical equipment filled the medbay as Tony and Thor entered, their presence bringing a dynamic shift to the room. You were still in the process of recovery, looking up with a mixture of surprise and gratitude as the two Avengers approached and Wanda trailed behind. She didn’t say anything as the two of them greeted you, and instead, she took the furthest seat in the room from your bed. 
Tony, always one for theatrics, struck a dramatic pose. "Fear not, citizens! Iron Man and the God of Thunder have arrived to grace you with our formidable presence."
Thor chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Indeed! We heard tell of a valiant warrior in need of cheering, and so we have descended."
You couldn't help but smile at their playful entrance, a welcome distraction from the monotony of the medbay. However, as the three of you continued the banter, Wanda lingered at the periphery, sitting leaned back with her arms crossed and a subtle expression of indifference on her face.
Not letting her get away with sneaking in unnoticed, you broke the silence that lingered between the two of you, “Wasn’t expecting you to be here, Wanda. Did someone force you to be here or something?” You saw right through her, but before she could lie through gritted teeth and say that she was there of her own volition, Tony spoke up instead, “Believe it or not, she actually asked us to come,” Tony defended. 
Riding along Tony’s explanation, Wanda forced a smile to sell it. She was grateful that he had beat her to it, she was never much good at lying. You weren’t fully convinced that there wasn’t some underlying explanation for her presence but you accepted it with an impressed look on your face, “Wow, no hidden agenda?”
“Actually there is one,” Wanda clarified as she began to explain, “I’m going to mentor you.”
“Mentor?” You were taken aback. Why was Wanda suddenly interested in mentoring you and what made her think you wanted to be her mentee?
“Yeap, we’ve both been through similar experiences and you have a lot to learn about controlling your new powers,” she added with passive aggressiveness dripping from her words. 
You wanted to question her further, but you also didn’t want to push her to rescind her offer. Truthfully, you were kind of excited at the thought of Wanda teaching you how to wield your newfound abilities. You knew that she went through a similar situation while she was with Hydra and the thought of spending more time with her, though you would never admit it, made you excited, “oh- okay.” you accepted. 
Wanda expected more of a fight with you about this but was relieved to get it over with easily.
“How exciting,” Thor announced, “I know a thing or two about using powers myself if you need help or anything.”
“I’ll be sure to give you a call if I find a magical hammer,” you teased making the other two chuckle. 
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Taglist: @marvelogic @esposadejoyhuerta @ju-maxi89 @gingiesworld @simpforlizzie @bigbattygyal585 @cakechan123 @xxxtwilightaxelxxx
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hidden-poet · 2 months
Text
Commander Snow; chapter 5
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Commander Snow
Summary; Under the advice of Dr Gaul Coriolanus returns back to district 12 where without blinding light of lucy-grey he could see you.
Warnings; dead dove to do not eat, stalking, unrequited love, breeding kink, violence, possessive!Snow, unco/dubco, sexual content, she/her pronouns, explicit, violence, death.
Editor: @hotline-to-hell
chapter one
Chapter two
Chapter three
Chapter four
Chapter five
Chapter six
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Commander Snow had been absent from your life for three days. 
He had left boxes of food in anticipation but expected no reward in return. He didn’t turn up at the late hours of the night. No demands of you coming to the Compound with brownies were given.
It was a welcome change in your routine. It gave you more time to focus on your mother. She improved greatly with the extra attention and could be dropped down to half a bottle of morphling every 12 hours. 
She still needed your help to rise from bed and wash but was now lucid enough to feel like your mother again. 
You felt less isolated now that she was back. And with Edmund dropping by every day you felt almost normal. 
You gave him the spare bottles of morphling to sell. Commander Snow would drop you quickly and it was important to have some money saved to tide you over until you got your job back.
You decided to use a small portion to buy your mother fresh bandages. She would only need one more batch before the wounds on her back were closed.
The walk into town was busy but no one paid you any mind. Most avoided looking at you. 
You were used to the isolation now. It didn’t bother you as much now. 
The nice day turns upon seeing Peacekeepers in large groups marching through the streets. 
You stop walking to let people pass as they rush towards you. Peacekeepers formed groups as
you looked around, they were impossible to count. They moved too fast in and out of houses, and as you lost one, two more appeared in his absence. 
You freeze seeing Commander Snow, marching through the streets with the cavalry behind him. They break down doors to people's homes and the Peacekeepers split up into groups of four as they search the houses before rejoining the group. 
It was chaos as people ran to avoid their way. Demands of the Peacekeepers were yelled over crying children, and explanations of homeowners. You feel your heart pound at the scene. 
Such chaos always brought danger. Agitated Peacekeepers after a hard day's work are always looking for a reason to use their power over the district people. 
You press yourself against a side of a building, out of rushing people's way. You try and re-enter the stream of people but a breck never comes. More yelling is heard and you suddenly see why the rush was heading down stream. A large group of Peacekeepers all kitted up in their gear with vests and helmets come chasing the people. They grab who they can and throw them up against brick walls searching them for contraband. 
The coins burned a hole in your pocket. If found there is little chance of retaining them. 
They come closer and you try again to follow the rush but are pushed back. Somebody needed to be caught by the Peacekeepers. 
You scan the area for another escape route and see the tunnel that leads to the Capitol train route. Peacekeepers and higher officials were sure to be swarming on the other side but you could hide in the darkness that the tunnel provided until the chaos settled, 
The leader of the group blew a whistle and you took off to your path before you could figure out what it meant. 
Unfortunately, a Peacekeeper had already set his eyes on you. And watching you run and hide was a worthy enough cause to follow you. 
You barely make it into the darkness before you are caught and thrown into the wall. 
“Do you have any weapons or contraband on you?” The Peacekeeper shouted. 
He had brought along his partner who held his rifle out towards you. 
“No sir,” you answer, but he runs his hands along you anyway. He keeps one hand on the back of your neck, pushing your face into the hard, dirty wall while the other patted down.
With your forced position, you stare at the other Peacekeeper. The uniform aged him. His face was soft and round but hidden under the shadow of the large helmet. He had beautiful green eyes that went wide just as the Peacekeeper was about to pat the pocket that held your money. 
‘Whoa!” The other Peacekeeper places a hand on his friend's shoulders and pushes him back. “That’s Snow’s girl. I’ve seen her at the Compound.”
“Are you sure?” The hand that held you was released quickly. 
He looks at you again, “I am pretty sure.”
“I am!’’
 Maybe some good could come out of your predicament. 
“Go get him. He could want her searched anyway.”
“There’s no need to go get him. I’ll go home.” You turn so you can be heard.
“Shut up.” The Peacekeeper ordered. 
Green eyes took off back down the street, leaving you with his harsher friend. 
He unclips his cuffs and locks them around your wrists, telling you to sit on the ground. 
You knew better than to argue with Peacekeepers, so you sat and waited. 
Five minutes pass in silence. 
You hoped his business would be more pressing and he would send the Peacekeeper away with instructions to set you free. But you could see his shadow coming closer as you had the thought. 
If it wasn’t for his darker uniform you would have thought he was just another Peacekeeper, and not Commander of District 12.
His eyes hit you on the ground before going up to his officer. 
“The south exit is blocked, go help the others there. Search the people.” 
They both leave with a ‘yes sir’, and a salute. 
He moves quickly as they integrate back into the crowd.
He pulls you up, hooking your cuffed hands over his neck, and presses you up against the brick wall. His hands go under your arms and cement themselves to the wall behind, keeping them pinned up on his shoulders. He keeps his body close to hinder your movement and rests his left knee against the brick. 
He kisses you so fast, you weren’t sure if he managed to pin you before or after. His kisses are fast and hard, you don’t manage to even attempt one back before he is moving again. 
His greedy lips go to your throat, placing big kisses up and down it. 
“What are you doing here?” He asks between kisses. You couldn’t tell him about the money. He was sure to demand it from you. 
“Walking,” you push back on his shoulders but it invites him closer. 
His lips go from just under your ear back down to the hollow of your throat. 
“You shouldn’t. It’s dangerous.” 
The danger followed him, not you. You had walked these streets a hundred times before without any worry. 
He finds the spot he likes, just where your collarbone and neck meet, and begins to bite down. You wiggle underneath him to no avail. The biting upon your neck hurt but he seemed deaf to your pleas. You felt only a Peacekeeper beneath you, no sign of a man you could reason with. Your head only knocked against his hard helmet, you pushed yourself up on arms covered with the soft material of the peacekeeper uniform. Even your eyesight was blocked by the Peacekeeper's rifle slung over his shoulder. 
You were in no better of a position than the people in the houses. You were offered the same situation; let them take what they wanted or suffer the consequences of them just taking it anyway. 
“I’ve missed you,” he admits, “Why did you never come to see me?” 
You let your head rest back against the wall now that it wasn’t tossing and turning to alleviate the pressure of his bites. 
The truth was not an acceptable answer. You couldn’t tell him you had no interest in seeing him ever again.
“You were busy,” you tried. 
“You could have come. I would have seen you.” He goes back to your neck. His kissing was slow and lazy
“Commander, please.” You could still hear the commotion outside. 
A whooping sound is heard from outside the ally. 
He pulls his head back in its direction. 
“What did they find?” you ask. 
“Rebels. Propaganda has been spreading around the district. Looks like we found the warehouse it was coming from”. 
He ducks his head out from under the chain, releasing you from your prison, and quickly undoing your cuffs before softly shoving you towards the street. 
“Go straight home.” 
You nod your head in agreement and watch him rejoin his army. 
You run away from the noise, dodging people as they run with you. 
The same Peacekeepers that pinned you in the tunnel waited by a checkpoint but they didn’t bother you again as you ran past. 
—------
It was the next afternoon when a Peacekeeper van turned up outside your house. Children playing ran back inside. 
The Peacekeeper politely knocked at your door. 
“Yes?” you answer. You keep the door in front of your body like a shield. 
“Miss.” He nods his head, “I am here to take you back to the Compound”. 
Your gut twisted. The holiday was over and you were back to playing puppet. 
“I’ll finish my cooking and be right over.” 
He places his hand on the door in case you try to close it. 
“I’ve been given instructions to take you. I am afraid I can’t leave without you.”
He looked almost sorry to say it. He must have been a district-born Peacekeeper. 
You take your hands off the door to show him you aren’t going to make it hard for him.
“Okay. I’ll turn the oven off and put on my shoes.” 
“It would be appreciated, Miss.” 
He waits by the door as you do as promised. 
Your mother had only just taken her medicine leaving her dazed but still awake. You decide to tell her you’re going for a walk instead of the truth.
The Peacekeeper is kind, waiting patiently by the door without sound. He smiles at you as you near him, ready.
You lock the door and follow the officer to the truck. 
You head to the empty bed of the truck but he continues to the passenger side door, holding it open for you. 
He looked awkward as he held it, “Ah which would you prefer?”
You smile at him and take his offer of sitting up front. He shows you how to work the seatbelt as he gets into the driver's seat. 
You thank him, telling him you’ve never been up front before. 
“Oh, that’s okay. I remember my first time in a car. I thought it was amazing.”
You do not share the same enthusiasm. Being in a car only meant you were going to or coming from Coriolanus. 
“I am Y/N,” you offer. 
“People call me Smiley.” You thought the name suited him. 
“How long have you been a Peacekeeper for, Smiley?”
“Oh for about three years. I was only a grunt for a year, though. Corio-Commander Snow promoted me to officer once he got back”.
Your head shot up to look at him, after his familiar way of talking about Coriolanus. Could a man like this be friends with a man like Coriolanus?
“Did you know Commander Snow before he was Commander?” You tried to act uninterested. 
“Oh yeah! I met him on his first day here.” 
You imagine Coriolanus in the blue uniform of a grunt, scared out of his mind. 
“Used to go with him to the Hob to watch Lucy Gray and the Covey perform. He used to sneak off to see her after the show,” he laughs at the fond memory but it sent ice down your veins.
He had told you he never even met her. You have zero doubt in your mind now that he was the one who killed her. 
“Shame about Lucy Gray,” you begin, “He must have been so sad when she disappeared.” 
Smiley nods his head, “I reckon the Mayor killed her in revenge. Both her old boyfriend and the Mayor's daughter he ran off with turned up dead. There’s no way she didn’t do it.”
You wondered if Coriolanus framed her for murder so no one would go looking for her once she disappeared. If he does the same to you, would your community believe it? The girl with the baked goods stall on a Saturday, a murderer? Would they believe that yet another girl tangled up with Coriolanus could be a killer?
“Maybe she didn’t do it,”, you test the waters, “Maybe she was framed.” 
Smiley laughs, “S’pose it’s possible, but she was no stranger to killing. She was the 10th victor of the Hunger Games.”
This information surprised you. You never went to the Reapings as you had a special pass that dubbed your work too important to be interrupted, and there were few working TVs in the district. And even fewer turned them on during the Hunger Games. 
Was that her appeal to Coriolanus, that she was tough enough to be a victor? Was her refusal of him now the reason he targeted your soft demeanor? 
“Victor of the Hunger Games and a Peacekeeper? How was that allowed?” 
“Oh, it wasn’t,” he laughs again, “I was bunk mates with him. I used to hear him sneak out. Always a romantic." 
You bite back the question wrangling your tongue; You don’t think that he is acting romantic now, do you?
Instead, you try learning more about Coriolanus. 
“What got him sent from the Capitol to District 12?” You couldn’t imagine such a self-important Capitol citizen would volunteer. 
“I don’t know. I don’t even know what got him sent back here as Commander.” Smiley answers honestly, “There was a rumor that he knew her in the Capitol. Helped her in the games, but I am not so sure I believe it. Why go through all of that, and then try to get yourself sent off to District 2 for officer training? He was always planning to get back to the Capitol. Why would he do that if the girl he sacrificed everything for was here? Makes no sense to me.”
The car is let into the gates of the Compound and Smiley slows the car down as it tracks through. 
“He’s over Lucy Gray though. Hasn’t mentioned her since he got back.” 
He says after a moment, like he was worried that you were getting jealous of Lucy Gray and not terrified that you would end up like Lucy Gray. 
The office building comes into view. It stood huge and white with unnaturally bright, clean, marble steps. 
He drives right up to the steps, stopping in front of a waiting Coriolanus. 
Coriolanus opens the door before you can and reaches over you to undo your seatbelt. It feels as if he yanks you down, but his touch is gentle and unharmful. 
“Thanks, Smiley.” It was the first time you had ever heard him thank one of his Peacekeepers. Smiley places a finger to his forehead and tips it back to Coriolanus before he drives off. 
“Hey,” he breathes. He takes your shoulders into his hands and kisses you quickly. 
You don’t greet him back, still frozen from the talk with Smiley. 
Coriolanus doesn’t notice as he leads you to his office with a hand on your shoulder. 
He seemed eager to get into the room. His pace was quick and he only gave head nods to passersby who greeted him. 
He sighs as he closes the door to his office. His hand goes to the back of your neck briefly before disappearing altogether. 
“I’m glad you’re here,” he says like you had a choice. 
He continues his quick pace over to the couch against the wall and pats the spot next to him. 
You sit down and to your shock, he lays down across it.
He lays his head on your lap as he talks. It wasn’t enough for him as he forced your hand over his chest. 
“This week,” he sighs, rubbing his hands over his face, “I wish it would just end.” 
He throws his hands off his face to speak clearly, “First Tigris said that she was going to quit her job, but I called her last night, and she decided she’s not going to.”
“Tigris? Is that your girl back home?” You remembered his distaste for working women. Because she was Capitol, was she subject to better treatment than you and Lucy Gray, or did he have plans to frame her for murder as well? 
“No,” he said firmly, “No, she’s my cousin. You’re my girl.”
“Hm,” you change the topic quickly, “Surely not enough to ruin your week.”
Coriolanus seemed pleased with the attention and continued. 
“I have the Commander from District 4 visiting this week. He’s not out of the car two minutes before one of the new recruits shoots himself in the foot, right in front of him.” 
You scoff back a giggle at the image, and he manages a smile back. 
“He’s a pain, this Commander. Constantly after me. He’s heard I have a close relationship with Strabo Plinth and thinks I’ll help him make a connection.”
“Who’s-” he interrupts you before you finish. 
“I’ll tell you another time.” 
You scoff at him, “Another secret.” 
He shifts so he is lying on his side towards you. 
“It’s not a secret. It’s just complicated.” The whole Capitol knows about the district-turned-Capitol citizen fulfilling the father's role in Coriolanus' life. He would prefer to keep the clean image with you. 
“Am I here for a reason, Commander Snow?”
“All I’ve wanted this week was to see you.” 
You shift uncomfortably under him. A look of distress crossed your face. 
“What’s wrong?” he sits up beside you. 
“Am I the next Lucy Gray?” 
“Ah! Lucy Gray,” he mutters, “If I hear that name again.” 
He gets up to give himself distance from you, going over to his desk and leaning against it with his hands.  
“Don’t deny it. Smiley told me you used to sneak off to see her after the shows.”
“I once had to carry Smiley back to the compound because he was so drunk he forgot how to walk. But you want to take his word over mine?” 
“Yes. You’re a liar. Is Tigris really your cousin?” 
He throws his hands up, astonished at the question. “Yes. I have a cousin and a Grandmother waiting for me in the Capitol. Both of which you will meet when we get back to the Capitol.”
“We?” You felt your heart stop. 
He turns his head to you.
“Yes, we. Did you think I was going to leave you behind?” 
“I can’t go to the Capitol. I belong here.” You think of your mother and Edmund. 
His jaw clenched but his movements are slow as they come towards you. 
“I belong in the Capitol. You belong with me. As soon as Ravinstill dies, we are on the first train out of District 12.”
What would happen to you once he got bored of you in the Capitol? In District 12 he would cast you out into familiar streets but would he even bother to get you back home once he decided you were no longer worth the time? 
You shake your head no and he takes your face between his hands. 
“You’ll like the Capitol, I promise. Pretty dresses. Food. You and Tigris will become fast friends.”
“What about my mother?’’
“We’ll send her money. She’ll be alright without you.” 
“Coriolanus, no.” His name felt funny coming out of your mouth. 
He adjusts to a more menacing position; his fingers tightened on your face, his body stiffened into a hard stance over you and his eyes squinted down on you. 
“Do you honestly think you have a say in the matter?.” 
You begin to cry “Please, I can’t go to the Capitol.”
He softens under your tears, the tight hold on your face turns gentle, and he drops himself to your height. 
“I know this is your home, but you will be happy in the Capitol. I’ll make you happy in the Capitol.” 
He won’t ever have to hear the name ‘Lucy Gray’ again and you’ll never have to keep wondering if you’ll have the same fate as her.
The buzzing from his desk saved you from any more useless begging. 
He looked visibly annoyed at the interruption but answered it anyway. 
Releasing you with a sigh, he walks over to his desk and presses a little button. 
“Yes?” Coriolanus answers. 
“Sir, Commander Bonza is looking for you.” The female voice spoke over the intercom. 
“Show him to the conference room. I’ll be right there.”
He comes back over to you, taking your shoulder in his hand. 
“Just stay here. I’ll only be an hour.” He leads you back over to the couch and you take a seat. “I’ll have them bring in tea.” 
He doesn’t look back as he leaves the room. 
You left as soon as you thought it safe enough to do so. 
You try not to run to avoid looking suspicious but your quick pace could not be slowed. You had to get out of the compound. 
A few stare at you as you pass but don’t try to stop you.
The gate opens freely, and you turn back to ensure you aren’t being chased
As you enter the dirt track back to the district, you hear your name being called. 
Emerging out of the trees, Edmund stands tall in his worn jacket. 
You throw your arms around his shoulders and allow yourself to be kept upright by him. 
“What happened? Are you alright?” He frantically asks.
“What are you doing here?” You shot back a question of your own. 
“I saw the Peacekeeper van take off with you. Look here” he shows you the hand-held wire cutters he held, “I was coming to get you. I promise, you weren’t alone”. 
He pockets the cutters to use his hands to wipe away your running tears, “What happened? Did he hurt you?” 
You shake your head no, pulling yourself back to his chest. 
“The Capitol,” you cry, “He plans to take me back to the Capitol.” 
“What? Why?”
The sound of a Peacekeeper van approaches and he pulls you back into the trees. 
“We have to go to the mountains. We’ll take your mother, and I’ll pick up more shifts. We’ll be alright, okay? I promise”. 
You cling to him as the car rolls past, certain that they are going to jump from their van and rip you from him. 
“And if he finds us?” you ask. 
Edmund brings his hand up to the back of your head, “He won’t. But if he does, then I’ll kill him.”
You look up at his beautiful, serious face. You knew he would kill for you and you knew you would do the same for him. But Commander Snow had too much power over District 12. Even just mentioning that you wanted to kill him could have you and anyone you have ever talked to hanged. But he wasn’t going to be Commander Snow forever. 
President Ravinstill will die and Commander Snow will become Candidate Snow. 
He won’t have time to chase you up the mountains. He’ll be on the first train out to shake hands and kiss babies. 
You tell Edmund this. Going up to the mountains too early would only get you all killed. It was better to wait for the announcement of the President's death and take off then. That way you might only have to hide from Peacekeepers who don’t really care.
He would get busy with his election and forget about the girl from District 12. And you in turn would forget about Commander Snow. 
Edmund disagreed. You need to move now. But with your mother in her fragile condition, you doubted she could even make it up to the cabins. And with Coriolanus occupied with the other commander, it would allow for more time to prepare for the move.
This argument won him over even if he wouldn’t admit it. 
You knew him well enough to know that when he told you that he ‘had to get you home’, what he really meant was, ‘You’re right. We should wait. We can’t let our fear take over our sensibility’. 
As you walked back home, you clung to his arm. He must have found it difficult to walk as you wrapped yourself around his arm but he made no complaint the whole journey. In fact, he said nothing the entire journey about anything, and you made no attempts to change that. Happily walking in silence. 
You were almost disappointed when you had to release him on your front porch. 
‘‘I have to go home, but I’ll be right back. I’ve got my brother waiting for me to take him hunting.”
“Why would you be right back then?”
“You want me to stay, don’t you? After today.” 
“No.” You could almost laugh at his words if they weren’t going to make you cry. 
“No. You should go with your brother. I’m fine. And Commander Snow won’t be back tonight if he’s seen me today.” 
You brush your hands down the breast of his coat. 
“If you bring me back a squirrel. I’ll make you squirrel stew.” 
You smile up at him to see him already smiling down at you. 
“You’ve got a deal, little lady.” His hands cup your elbows as he turns stoic again, “Are you sure you will be alright?” 
You had been through so much worse just weeks prior. 
You nod your head yes. “Look, can you go? I don’t want your brother to hate me.” 
He smiles once more showcasing his slightly crooked front tooth. 
“Never” he promises, “I’ll be back first thing tomorrow yeah?”
“Through-”
“Through the back door, yeah yeah. I know.” 
He moves his hands from your elbows and grips your shoulders instead, stooping his head down to you. “I do love you. You know that, right? I always have, and I’d do anything to keep you safe.” 
You were unsure of how to respond. ‘I love you too’ seemed appropriate but you weren’t sure if they meant the same thing anymore. He takes the words out of your mouth when he kisses you.
You kiss back. His lips felt softer than Coriolanus’. His kiss is much more gentle and less needy. You wished it was your first kiss but that now belonged forevermore to Coriolanus. This would just have to go down as your first real kiss. 
Still the longer it lasted, the louder the sound of a firing squad sounded. He pulled back just before you did. 
“Goodnight, Y/N,” he offers. 
“Goodnight, Edmund.” 
You watch him track back down the steps and into the darkness. 
You felt stunned that he had kissed you. That you had kissed him back and enjoyed it. 
Your brother would be mortified. But no more mortified, you supposed, than the kisses received from Coriolanus. 
The rush of the kiss doesn’t wear off as you enter your home. You reimage it as you sit at the kitchen table. 
When Coriolanus kissed you, it almost hurt. They never came singular but again and again, until something else called him off. 
But at least you knew he meant it. 
Edmund's kiss was almost unsure. 
Your brother's best friend had always held a special place in your heart but could it grow into seeing him as a separate man? As your man? 
You wonder if he was thinking the same thing. If somehow he got confused amongst the pressure and took his love for you as something more. 
Would he have kissed you any other way, for any other reason, if Commander Snow wasn’t in the picture? After he was gone would Edmund kiss you again, or flee into work from pure embarrassment? 
A soft knock at the door interrupted your sprailing. 
Thinking it was Edmund again, you rush to the door. Had he come to prove that the kiss was intentional and that he planned to continue his affections after Coriolanus? 
As you opened the door, you readied yourself for another kiss. But your boss was not ready to give you one. 
You stare at her surprised. She wore her normal gray dress and black boots but carried a moonshine bottle in her hand. 
“Miss Escot.” You state. 
“You ain’t come around. Figured I’ll come to you.” She steps forward to indicate her intentions of coming in and you step aside to let her.  
“So, was it everything you dreamed of?” She laughs as she enters. 
“You were wrong.” 
She spins to you, shocked, “So he ain’t touched you.”
You felt your face turn hot and red as the subject came up. “I don’t want to talk about it.” “Right, so he just ain’t fucked you, yet.” She looks surprised, almost worried. She turns back around and places the bottle on the kitchen table. 
“I was wondering why you hadn’t come running back to me for a job.” 
She sighs, sitting down on a chair that had its backing almost ripped out during the raid. 
“Get two glasses.”
You do as she asks, bringing them to the table but she doesn’t unscrew the drink. 
“He plans to take me back to the Capitol,” you admit. 
“You don’t plan to go do you?”
“Of course not.” 
“Strange man. You don’t take whores home.”
You flinch at the word but knew she meant no offense. 
“So,” she uncorks the bottle and splashes the liquid out into the glasses, “What’s your plan?”
You had thought about telling her about yours and Edmund’s plan but didn’t fully trust her enough. 
“I don’t know.” 
Your boss laughs, throwing her head back. 
“I can’t believe after all that, all he wants to do is a little roughhousing.” 
“He ain't touched me. I told you.” You insist. 
She stops laughing, “Save it for when your hickeys aren’t on display.” 
You pull your dress to hide your neckline. The heat from the embarrassment steams your face.
“So you gonna kill him?” She asks.
“Why do you care what I plan to do.” 
“Because I would hate to see you hanged and that’s what gonna happen if you try”. 
“I am not going to try to kill him, and he aint taking me back.” 
“Big words from a small girl,” your boss mocked, “Sometimes you just have to know when you’ve been beat.” 
“I would rather die then-”
“Commander Snow.” Your boss spoke in a loud hard tone, and you turned to see him in the doorway. 
A chill ran up your spine. He still wore the same hard expression from his office. 
He leaves the door open as he walks in, keeping his eyes on you. 
He turns to your little boss, glaring at her, but he keeps his hands clasped behind his back. 
“Not here to offer her a job are you?”
“Of course not, sir. Just visiting.” It was the first time you had ever heard your boss speak respectfully to someone intimidating her. 
“Just leaving,” he orders. 
“Yes, sir,” she agrees. He passes the bottle of moonshine to her, not wanting it left on the table for you. 
She rushes away with it in her hands but he calls out to her as she walks. 
“Oh, you weren’t the friend hiding in the cupboard the other day were you?” 
She turns to answer him but her face reads that she was surprised by his accusation. 
You mentally plead with her to say yes. She must have seen it through your wide eyes. 
“Yes, sir. I am sorry, sir”. 
You were sure the words tasted like acid coming out of her mouth. She shrinks as he stalks towards her, grabbing her by the shoulder and tossing her out. 
“Don’t come back again” He shuts the door on her
He comes back over to you.
“Imagine my surprise when I came back to find you had gone”. 
“I have to check on my mother.”
He pulls you back by your arm, “There you go again. Running away.”
“No, sir.”
“Back to sir now?”
He pushes you down into a chair and you catch yourself on its arms.
You go to get up again, making an excuse about dinner but he puts his hand out. 
“Don’t,” he warns. 
He leans over you in the chair, and you shrink back as far as you can. 
“You shouldn’t have left today.”
You nod your head, unsure of what to say. 
“Say you’re sorry,” he demands. 
‘‘I am sorry.” 
“And you’ll do anything to make it up to me.” 
His face was inches from you, if you moved a centimeter you could brush against his nose.
“Sure,” you grit. If you had learned anything, he could make you do what he wanted anyway. 
“There’s a public hanging tomorrow, I would like for you to be there”. 
“Yes, Sir”. You said a silent prayer that it was no one you knew. 
Coriolanus picks up the cups from the table and douses the floor with the moonshine. 
“And I don’t ever want you around that woman again. She’s a bad influence”.
“Yes, Sir” you doubted she would ever be back again anyway. You doubted that while Coriolanus was around, you would ever see a friendly face again.
—-----
Simley picked you up again the next morning but refused to utter a word to you. 
It was a terrible feeling. You had just hoped Coriolanus had only given him a firm talking to. You now wished you hadn’t said anything to get him into trouble.
You were dropped off at the gate of the Compound this time where it was a Peacekeeper who escorted you from the car into Coriolanus’ office. 
He was not there and did not turn up as the day went on. 
The door only opened once and it was a young girl who brought in your lunch. 
You watched from the window as the Peacekeepers set up for the hanging. The grunts laid the infrastructure of the stage and barricades while the higher-ups went around with vicious-looking dogs and metal detectors. 
It was late afternoon by the time the blue uniforms came off and the official Peacekeeper uniforms were worn by everyone. They took their positions with rifles in the watchtowers, and the other Peacekeepers formed a line across the stage. It gave them a view of the takeaway metal fence that separated the divide between the stage and the audience, leaving a small gap for a family member to come grab the shoes. They chatted amongst themselves as they waited for the gate to be swung wide for the public. 
A knock on the door told you that it wasn't Coriolanus. A Peacekeeper poked his head through the door and asked you to come with him. 
You follow him out to where Coriolanus stood in front of the stage, speaking to a man dressed in a similar uniform. 
You waited with the guard until he was finished. He takes your hand in his as he nears and dismisses the Peacekeeper. 
“They are just about to open the gate,” he says. He takes you to the front of the where the audience would stand, taking his cuffs out, he clips one against your wrist and another onto the metal fence. It was the spot directly in front of the microphone in which he was to speak into in a few moments. 
You pulled against it feeling embarrassed. You were like a dog that was chained to a post. 
 “Watch me up there,” he instructs. 
He walks up the stage, saying a few words to an officer already up there. The officer pulls out a communicator from his pocket and must have given the go ahead as the gates swung wide and the people began to trickle in. 
You took the scarf out of your hair and layed it across the chain. No one needed to know whose dog you were. 
People soon surrounded you as the small area filled. Someone important must be getting hung today. 
Coriolanus begins the opening remarks about the greatness of Panem, and the need to strive for a better future for all of us. It was a speech he repeated a hundred times and never held any meaning to him. You could see the same Commander from before standing up on stage behind him. He looked gleeful to be there and you shared Coriolanus’ same distaste for the man.
He returns to the cards as he reads out the first convicted man. 
They bring him out from the prison as Coriolanus speaks, known as the dead man’s walk. 
The man was crying softly as they forced him up the steps and onto the box. He was in his late 50’s and underfed. The peacekeepers easily got the noose around his neck despite his fight against it.
“For the betterment of Panem, and the safety of the Districts you, Benjamin Harrison, are sentenced to death”. 
The box is kicked from under him and you shut your eyes until the sound of flailing feet stops. 
They drop the body like it was nothing, but the peacekeepers allow a moment for a family member to take his shoes. No one does, and the body is dragged off stage. 
You feel the crowd rustle behind you as someone makes their way to the front. They all tried to be quiet from the disruption as Coriolanus read the next name and charge. No one wanted to be caught disrespecting the Commander, and be the next name called up. 
The person finds their way to the front, beside you. You don’t look at them, keeping your eyes focused on Coriolanus who sporadically looked up to ensure you were watching him. 
“What a lovely day for a hanging.”
You recognised the voice but you still had to look to believe it.
“Edmund,” you grit through your teeth, “What are you doing here!”
“You’re not alone, remember?”
He doesn’t look at you as he speaks, but you can feel his fingertips brush yours while Coriolanus is busy reading out the charges.
You were thankful he was there, despite the danger of it. There was nothing more you hated than attending the death of another. 
You could feel Coriolanus’ stare upon you and you made a note to look back at him. 
Another man walks onto the stage with a solemn look. He is hanged without fuss and without tears. 
Edmund seemed to know him as the box was kicked, his hands latched onto the bars of the fence, and he let out a ‘tsk’.
You lower your hand and take hold of his pant leg. The small connection made you feel safer under the gaze of the Commander. You were sure he couldn’t see your hold. There were too many bodies pressed together to really work out whose hand belonged to whom.
A woman in her early 40’s was called out next and she pleaded and begged but the peacekeeper wouldn’t even look at her. She mentioned something about her son before the box was kicked out from her and the words were strangled in her throat.
Coriolanus paused upon the next name and for once he actually had your real attention. 
He clears his throat and his voice comes back strong, “Victor Tatin, a rebel and an informant to his higher-ups.”
They bring out a small boy. Doubtful he even had his name in the draw for the Hunger Games and yet still being killed by the Capitol. The shackles were too big for him and he tripped and stumbled as he walked. Edmund's hand clamped down on yours.
“Victor was the main distributor of anti-Capitol propaganda, who used his position as an errand boy here at the Compound to report back to those who wish the district harm.” 
The boy is lifted up onto the stage as the stairs prove too difficult to climb in his chains.
"For this crime, and for the betterment of Panem, and the safety of the districts, you, Victor Tatin, are sentenced to death.” 
You cry out as two boxes are moved from under him, and the small boy stops his tears. 
You look up to Edmund who had fury in his eyes. 
Coriolanus steps away from the microphone, watching as they gently lower the dead boy to the ground.
The Commander of District 4 takes the opportunity to say a few words himself. 
“Let it be known that all rebels will be caught and be brought to justice. There is nowhere to hide, and no comfort to be provided. All rebels and sympathizers will be hanged!”. 
Coriolanus retakes the microphone and wraps up the event with a statement of what was to be done with the bodies, and how the Capitol is rewarding the information given with a food drive occurring in the middle of town the next morning. 
As people left as fast as they came, you were forced to tear your hand away from Edmund. 
“Come on,” he turns to follow the crowd but you can’t. 
You check to see that Coriolanus has his back turned to talk to his officers, and you take the chance to show Edmund the cuff around your wrist. 
“He wants me to stay” you explain. 
Edmund tugs the chain as if he had the strength to break it. 
“Go,” you demand, seeing Coriolanus turn his shoulders back. 
“I’ll wait for you,” he promises. 
You were alone again but felt better for knowing that every second that passed brought you closer to meeting Edmund on the track back home. 
Coriolanus remained on stage but another peacekeeper came to undo your cuffs and accompany you back to his office. 
You break down in tears even before the door is closed. You knew the image of the small boy would haunt you. You couldn’t imagine what it would do to Coriolanus. 
Is that why he brought you here? To offer him comfort for his crimes. 
He doesn’t collect it in a reasonable time frame. You are left waiting for two hours before he comes to you. 
He looked frail as he entered. His hat had disappeared, and his commander's jacket was folded over his arm. It left him in his gray trousers and formal light blue dress shirt. 
“Everyone is gone,” he comments, throwing his jacket on the couch and walking over to where you sat in the guest chair. 
You stand as he comes closer to let him know no comfort would be given. 
“He was only a boy,” you whisper. Coriolanus nods his head in agreement. 
“I tried to send him to the Capitol as an Avox but Commander Bonza was determined to see him hang”. 
You wondered if it was a small mercy. Life as an Avox was a fate worse than death. Still, he was so small they had to use two boxes to prop him up on the stage. 
“You could have stopped it. You’re the Commander of District 12, not him.” 
Coriolanus sighs, sitting down in his chair, “And have Commander Bonza think I was weak against rebels? I need his support in the presidential run.”
“He was just a boy.” You repeat, the tears spilling freely from your eyes. 
“I know, Y/N. I know.” You could see he was getting wound up. 
“Come here,” he directs. Deciding not to push him too far, you do and he sits you on the desk in front of him. He wraps his arms around your waist and buries his head into your side. 
“He cried for his mother in the holding cell”. 
Coriolanus remembered crying for his mother on nights when the pain in his stomach from hunger was too much to bear. It felt almost therapeutic now to hear you cry for the boy. In a way, you were crying for Coriolanus too. 
He holds you close for his own comfort. 
“They don’t hang children in the Capitol. You’ll never have to see it again.”
You wanted to make the argument that they shouldn’t hang here but his temper was short, and your tears wouldn’t stop flowing. 
Instead, you let him hold you, gently rubbing his back. You were surprised after all the terrible things he had done that this was the burden he struggled to carry. 
He seemed content to lay against you as you comforted him. It seemed crazy to you that you were, but you felt so shallow that you allowed your default mode to take over. Besides, the sooner he felt better the sooner you could meet up with Edmund for your own comfort. 
The time passed quickly with no movement or sound from Coriolanus. 
The clock on the wall read 6:30. You decide enough time has passed to make your escape. 
“I have to go, Commander.” You rise from him but he keeps your waist in his hands.
“Stay,” he begs
You shake your head. 
“Please, just for tonight.” 
“I have to get home to my mother.”
“Tomorrow will you stay?”
“No. I can’t.” 
“You can,” he contests, “You just won’t”. 
“My mother needs me.” You tear his hands off him and he shoots out of his chair. 
“She should get used to your absence.”
“I am not going to the Capitol.” You seethe. 
“I don’t know where else you think you are going.” 
You turn to leave but he yanks you back.
“No, no. I need you to stay.” 
“Get off of me,” you demand.
“You’re not leaving me.” 
You repeat your demand and shove him harshly off you.
“You’re telling me no? After everything I’ve done for you?” he squints his eyes at you. 
“If you don’t stay with me, you can forget about food for the next month.” 
You freeze at his words. There wasn’t enough food to last a month. Maybe ten days. You would properly be ok with your saved money and Edmunds hunting, but it would be a dead give-away that you had other means beside him. 
You stop struggling against him, and his grip loosens on you. 
“Stop acting like this, alright?”
His hands go to the side of your face and he tugs you closer. 
“We are on the same side. It wasn’t my decision to kill the boy but it was something I had to do.  You’re my sweet girl, aren’t you? Can’t you act like that? Even just for tonight?”
His desperation was a dangerous thing so you nodded your head. The last time you ran from him after a hanging, he was so hurt, he made your life a living hell for months. You worried what he would do now that he has left you destitute and dependent on him. You had nothing more he could take, but the whipping post remained. 
Your complacency returns him to a less manic state. His tired eyes soften, and his body falls back to the defeated state that he came in with. 
“Okay,” he says softly and takes your hand. 
He leads you back to his apartment with your hand in his. It was small but well-built. Everything was hard metal from the floors to the dining room table. He had a small kitchen space straight to the left with an old fridge. Directly across from it, separated by the hallway was a living space that only consisted of a worn green couch facing a mounted tv, and a small table with a radio on top. 
“It’s not much,” he comments. 
You had been to houses without roofs. This seemed like a palace. 
He leads you into the center of the room, “Kitchen,” he points, “Ah, living room”. 
Taking you down the hallway he opens the first door on the right, “That’s the bathroom”. 
You peek into the small space to see a shower and a toilet. 
He reaches for the door just down to the left and reveals his bedroom. The bed was unmade and there wasn’t a single personal item left lying around. Apart from the bed and a standing wardrobe, there was nothing else in the fairly spacious room. 
“Are you hungry?” he asks.
You shake your head no. You weren’t sure you could stomach anything after today. 
He takes you back to the bathroom, “Why don’t you take a shower and we’ll go to bed?” 
“Towel,” he places a hand on a white towel hanging up on a hook, and then opens the mirror to show three shelves, “Toothpaste and my toothbrush”. 
Everything he offered was already something he used. You knew he at least had another towel to offer you but he wanted to share everything. 
“I’ll leave some clothes on the bed for you to change into.” 
“Thanks,” you knew he wanted to hear it. 
He smiles and kisses your cheek before leaving.
 The steam from the shower began to fill the room by the time you made yourself take off your clothes and get in. You noticed there was no lock on the door, and you were expecting him to come back. 
He never did or at least you never noticed him. While most of the shower was just spent leaning against the wall. You did feel refreshed having fresh teeth. 
Wrapping the towel around yourself you check outside the door. Both the kitchen light and the bedroom light were on. 
If he was waiting in the bedroom you could just take the clothes and return to the bathroom. But only the clothes he promised sat on the bed. One of his white t-shirts, and a pair of boxers. 
It covered you mostly. You place your clothes and boots at the end of the bed and return the towel to the hook. 
You found him eating in the kitchen after you had done. He was eating mince from a bowl, his appetite now returned from killing a young boy. 
He grins at you as he chews. 
It makes you feel self-conscious. 
“I am going to go to sleep,” you state, although you have little hope of actually sleeping. 
“Okay. I’ll join you soon,” he takes another bite. 
You turn back to the bedroom. You even managed to lay down in the dark room but you found yourself too preoccupied with what he was doing to succumb to sleep. You could hear the shower running. What you couldn’t see was him pressed up against the glass, his forehead resting against it next to his hand while he jerked himself off. He couldn’t enter that bedroom with you without releasing first. He imagined it though. Climbing on top of you and sliding his hands under his shirt that you wore. You wouldn’t fight him but invite him closer, letting him have free roam of your body. You would beg for it. Beg him to continue. Beg him to take you back to the Capitol with him. 
He spills out onto his hand. After that, he washes himself clean and readies himself for bed. 
He worries about waking you as he enters the bedroom in nothing but a towel.  
You can almost feel him searching for his clothes. Normally he slept in only his underwear too tired to change at the end of the day, but this time he searches for his disregarded pajama bottoms. He can faintly see the blue stripes from the light outside the door and yanks them from the pile. He doesn’t bother looking for the matching top, just taking a white t-shirt from a stack. He liked that he was matching you. 
 You think he is going to undress in front of you but he takes his clothes back to the bathroom to change. 
The lights turn off and Coriolanus sneaks back into the room. He is slow as he moves down into the sinking bed, careful of waking you. 
You shuffle to let him know you are still awake. His movements turn less careful as he settles. He stills for a second but turns quickly towards you. 
He leans over you, taking the wrist you were lying against and tugging it over himself so he was being spooned. He buries your hand under his cheek and you can feel his breaths against it. 
You wonder if Edmund was still waiting outside of the Compound for you or if he had realized you weren’t coming and had gone home to his family. He’d stay. He was stubborn. 
You hoped your mother was asleep and unaware of your absence. She was only taking her morphling at night but it kept her asleep for 14 hours at a time. If she had taken it at her normal time, you should be home well before she wakes up tomorrow. 
Coriolanus’ scent fills your nose. It was oddly comforting. Every time you breathed it would come rushing up invading your senses. You could only feel him, only smell him. You went to sleep with Coriolanus surrounding you. 
—------
The beeping of an alarm clock woke your restful sleeping. 
You sit up, half unsure of what it was at first. It was Coriolanus who turned it off, but he rolled back over on the bed. 
“What time is it?” you ask. 
Coriolanus sighs, resting a hand over his eyes, “6:30.”
He looked exhausted but rose anyway. His movements were sluggish as he stood from the bed and leaned across it to flatten the bed sheet over you. You toss it off as he did. 
“Go back to sleep”. 
You tell him you’re already up and rise from the bed. 
He was too tired to argue so he went about his morning routine. He takes a fresh uniform out of the cupboard and tells you he’ll be back. 
You dress back in your clothes too. Feeling better for it. 
You make your way to the main area and hear the tap running in the bathroom. 
After not eating dinner, your hunger bore a hole in your stomach. 
You check the fridge to find it is surprisingly bare. Two metal trays sit on top of each other, the food was mainly in tack but you could see small bits torn off. A half-bitten sausage, the grease of where food once sat on the small metal compartment. You unravel tin foil and find a half loaf of pre-cut bread. 
You smell the leftover food, judging it right for consumption. 
It takes you a bit to find your bearings in the kitchen. The top cupboard held food staples; flour, salt and pepper, oil. While the bottom cupboards held the pots and pans. There were only a few and they were worn down by the years. 
They cook just the same, and you fry the mashed potato that was left, and reheat the sausages. 
Coriolanus returns to the kitchen with his Commander jacket in his hand. He looked surprised to find you cooking. 
He drapes the jacket over the back of one chair as he speaks, “I was about to go to the mess hall and bring something back but that smells too good to pass up.” 
He comes over to you and stands behind you with his hands on your hips, placing a kiss to your cheek. You dip the stale bread in the grease of the sausages and fry it.
“Thank you.” 
You were pretty sure it was the first ‘thank you’ you had ever received from him. You rack your brain for another time but only his hits and threats come to mind. 
You stand silent. He was not welcomed to your cooking.
He moves from you at his own free will and goes to a small black machine on the kitchen counter. He is rough as he sets it up. 
Dark liquid pours out and the smell of coffee battles with the smell of oil. 
The first sips pleases him, and he turns to see you looking at him.
He offers you a drink from his coffee cup but you refuse it. 
“Can you get the plates from the top? I can’t reach them”.
He does as you ask, bringing down two white plates and setting them on the counter. He reshuffled the items in the cupboard, so the plates were on the bottom shelf where you could reach. 
You don’t talk further as you plate up the items and take them to the table. You place them opposite to each other, sitting down before he could move them. 
You eat quickly while Coriolanus takes his time to chew. 
He takes a break from his food and has another sip of coffee.
“You see those pants,” he nods to the folded pile of gray pants on the chair and you nod, “Can you iron them for me?” 
It wasn’t a request so you confirmed you would. 
“And my shoes need to be shined for tomorrow.” 
“Sure,” you grit before softening your voice, “After that, I was thinking I would go home to my mother. She needs her next morphling dose soon.”
You have not told him that your mother was now only on one bottle a day. He would properly stop the supply altogether if he knew and you needed the money from selling the extra bottles. 
Your real concern is that she would wake up and find you still not home. 
Coriolanus takes a bite of his sausage, he looked to be thinking about your request. 
 “That’s fine,” he finally said. 
He looks at his watch on his wrist before getting up and placing his dish in the sink. 
“It’s Commander Bonza’s last night here. He wants a farewell ceremony. If you hear gunfire that’s all it is.” 
He turns back to you and takes his jacket off the chair and slips it onto himself. 
“I’ll visit when he is finally gone.” 
You nod. At least you will be back on your own turf. Here you felt like an intruder. 
He lifts your chin and kisses you before leaving. 
You remained at the table but he could hear you had gone to wash the dishes as he closed the door. 
His hand stilled. What if he needed you during the day? What if he managed to break away from the attention of Commander Bonza and could come back?
He wondered what you would do back home. Your mother would be close to dead. Would you bake? Go for another walk?
He felt sour. You were more important here than you were there. 
Here at least he knew what you were doing. You were washing dishes, ironing, taking care of him. 
If he let you roam free over the district, who knew what you were doing or who you were talking to? 
The metal pan clanged as he twisted the lock with his key. 
It was Commander Bonza’s last day, he couldn’t be distracted by these thoughts. Today he just needed the comfort of knowing you were here for him. 
You rush through your chores without noticing the locked door. You find the laundry room next door to the bathroom and come across a stack of neatly folded towels. Shaking your head you grab the iron from the built-in white shelf and take it back to the living room where you had more space. 
You finish the pants in no time but the shoes proved hard to shine. When you finally got them bright enough it was nearly 9 o’clock. Your mother would be awake soon and the walk home was still 20 minutes. 
The cold that shoots through you when the door fails to open was one of the worst feelings you had ever felt. You yell, bang, and twist at the door but it remains unopened. 
You wait, thinking that maybe he wanted to ensure that the work was done before letting you leave. But lunchtime passes and he doesn’t return. 
You try wedging the door open with a butter knife but it bends the metal. The windows were sealed shut in the air-controlled room, and there was no back door that you could try. 
From the window, you could see a group of Peacekeepers carrying a long and heavy wooden table. You bang on the window, gaining their attention. 
They freeze as if you were a ghost before moving on. 
—-
The ceremony turned into a party. You did hear the sound of saluting gun fire in the late afternoon but soon after it, you would hear the faint sound of music and dancing. Peacekeepers had strung lights across the compound. They were round and shone a dim yellow. 
As night fell they became the only light over the place. You still were sat at the window, waiting for Commander Snow to return and release you. 
Your mind drove you mad. Images of your mother crying out for you. Trying to walk on her own causing herself harm. She would definitely be up by now. Would Edmund tell her where you were or would he try to shield her from the truth?
She would be by herself surely. He would have had to return home to his own family. She would be by herself, worried sick. She wouldn’t believe Edmund no matter how good of a lie he told. You could picture her in bed with her sore back, crying. 
By the time Coriolanus finally arrived home, you were a bilthering mess. 
He drops his keys at the door and comes rushing over to you. 
“What’s wrong?”
You couldn’t catch your breath through your tears. 
“Hey, what happened?” he brushes your tears away with his thumbs.
You bash him in his chest for his dumb question. 
“My mother,” you gasp between tears, “I need to go home. She needs me.” 
“Okay, okay,” he soothes, ‘I’ll take you now.” 
He takes your wrist into his hand and leads you out of his apartment. He doesn’t bother to lock the door. There was nothing to steal anyway, and the men here weren’t stupid enough to try. 
You could hear the men over the music as you walked through the compound. Coriolanus must have left early. 
A few Peacekeepers hid in dark corners smoking, only the light of the cigarette giving them away. You passed two, who scrambled back trying to go unnoticed as they carried their drunk friend back to the barricades. 
Coriolanus doesn’t notice any of it. Or at least he pretends not to. You noticed he was far more observant then he led on.  
He takes you to a two-story building that still had people working inside. He doesn’t take you in but around the back to a large shed that housed the cars. 
He walks along a row of cars before coming to an acceptable one. It was a common patrolling car, with a cage in the back for rebels. 
He looks at the number painted on the side, and leaves you by the passengers door. 
“Wait here. I’ll go get the keys.”
“Hurry,” you tell him but it places no pep in his step. 
There was no way she would have been able to eat anything. Her morphling dose was due hours ago. Even if she managed to get up. She wouldn’t be able to eat from the pain. 
You thought about just leaving him and trying to sprint back to the house. But even with his slow pace the car would be faster. You were outraged by him. You were under the illusion that if you played to his wants, you could continue with your life with minimal distribution. But there was no leniency with him. He had a child-like temper. There was no give and take, there was only take with him. 
He does return moments later with the keys and opens the passengers door to let you in. 
“I’m sure she is fine,” he says as he buckles his own seat belt. 
You don’t speak to him the whole journey, despite his attempts. 
The only sound you made was upon seeing the red sign that marked the beginning of your community.
He parks outside of your house and you rush to get inside. 
“Mum,” you called out before you had even opened the unlocked door.
You gasp as you see Edmund standing in your kitchen. He looked just as shocked to see you. 
“Where have you been!” he demanded. 
You try and shoo him, but Coriolanus was only two steps behind you. 
You feel a protective hand go on top of your shoulder. 
“She’s been with me. Who are you?”
“He’s the maintenance man.” You lie. 
You feel Coriolanus’ hand tighten on your shoulder. Edmund knew the danger he was in. One wrong move and he would be sent to the noose the next morning. 
“I was just fixing some damage in the roof. The door was open and I heard her mother calling out,” he showcases a couple of tools on the bench. You thank God that he did actually take the time out today to fix something, “Normally, Y/N is here. I got worried when she wasn’t.”
“And she planned to pay you with what? She has no money.” 
“Food!” You call out, “I make food for his family in exchange.”
Coriolanus looked unsure but had no other proof he could object with. 
“Go tend to your mother. I’ll make sure the work is finished.” Coriolanus ordered. 
Torn, you don’t make a move. The sole purpose of your trip was to ensure that your mother was okay but you weren’t sure if you could leave Coriolanus and Edmund in the same room. 
“No need. I took care of her. She’s asleep now”. 
“All day? What a loyal friend”.
“Yeah, well someone had to look out for her.” 
Coriolanus takes a step forward, positioning his body so it hides you behind it. 
“Coriolanus Snow.” He held out a hand to shake. 
“Commander Snow, you mean. The mighty Commander of District 12” Edmund holds his hands out in front of him, “I am unworthy to shake such a hand”. 
Coriolanus keeps a still face as he withdraws his hand. 
“That might be true,” Coriolanus shakes his finger at Edmund in an accusing manner, “Didn’t I see you next to my girl at the hanging?” 
Edmund shrugs his shoulders, “I’ve stood next to many people, at many hangings. It all begins to merge into one.”
“I know what you mean,” Coriolanus agrees. 
Talk of hanging makes you nervous. 
“Coriolanus,” you pressed your hand against his shoulder and urged him forward,“How about I make you a cup of tea?” 
He lets you push him to the table, and sit him down.
“Sure.” He answers but his eyes remain locked on Edmund as if he was the unwanted guest. 
You felt better with him sitting. It would at least give Edmund a head start if Coriolanus decided to attack.
“I’ll have one too” Edmund states, turning with you into the kitchen but you stop him with a hand. 
“No” you state, pulling items out of the fridge and placing them into Edmunds hands, “You’ve got to get home. That wife of yours must be cursing your name.” 
Edmund silently begs you to let him stay with his big brown eyes. But you couldn’t. He had to leave before he got himself killed. 
Coriolanus on the other hand looked smug. He sat proud and upright in his chair.
“I’ll show you the door.” Coriolanus looks to get up, and you feel a rush of panic go through you. 
“No need. I built it!” Edmund snapped. 
As much as you would have loved the protection of Edmund, sending him off was the best decision. It had barely been 5 minutes and Edmund was already losing his temper.
“Then you should have no trouble using it”. 
Edmund gives you a pleading look to change your mind but can’t.
“Thank you for your kindness today. I am glad someone was here for my mother”. 
“I still have work to do.” Edmund tries. 
“You can come back tomorrow”. You push your friend to the door. He turns back to you once out of the threshold. 
He says your name softly before the door closes in his face.
You turn back to Coriolanus who looked like the boy who won the biggest prize at the fair.
“I don’t want him in the house if I am not here.” He calls as you make his tea. 
You try to act nonchalant as you answer, “Fine.” 
You finish Coriolanus’s tea and bring it to him at the table.
He tugs your wrist as you pull your hand back and invites you onto his lap.
“You seemed close with the maintenance man,” he states, taking a sip of tea. 
“Not at all. He’s my brother’s old friend. We’re just old acquaintances.”
He rubs your arm, “Why don’t you go pack a bag to take back”.
“Back? I thought that was a one night thing.” You bolt up out of his hold and he continues to sip his tea unbothered. 
“You think I am letting you stay here after finding a man lingering in your house?” 
You doubt if that was his plan long before Edmund was introduced. 
“I told you who he was. My mother needs me here. She can’t even get out of bed by herself”. 
“She seems to be standing just fine now.”
You follow his eyes to the hallway where your mother leaned against the frame out of breath. 
You rush to her, trying to help her back to bed but she resisted. 
“I was so worried,” she huffed. 
“I am sorry.”
Coriolanus rises from his seat to join you and your mother in the hallway. 
“She’ll be coming back with me, ma’am. You are welcome to visit anytime.”
Your mother wanted to argue and scream, you could see it on her face but she bit her tongue.
You spoke for her, “I am not. I am staying here”. 
Coriolanus pushes past you to your bedroom where he yanks, opens the closet and begins searching for something. He tossed things out onto the floor before growing impatient and swifty going over to your bed and stripping the pillow case from the pillow. 
He stuffs the things thrown on the floor into the case. Your underwear, and spare clothes are stuffed into the small sack. 
He leaves the room to head to the bathroom and he sees you still with your mother as he passes. 
He takes your toothbrush and a hair brush laying on the sink, packing it in the case. 
“Lets go,” he demands with a strong hold on your arm. 
You felt so frustrated as he pushed you forward. You scream and pull against him. 
Your mother looked physically pained kneeled over the door frame. She looked as if she was yelling but no sound could come from her mouth. 
You scream at him to let you go but he practically carries you out the door by your waist. He lets you go as if you were going to walk yourself only to pick you up by the waist again and throw you forward towards the car. 
‘‘Let go of her!” You hear Edmunds voice before the force of his hit sends both you and Coriolanus off balance. 
Coriolanus lets go of you to defend himself against Edmunds attacks. He grunts as Edmund gets a good shot to his mouth. His lip split instantly. 
Coriolanus was stronger though. Well fed and well trained. He dodged the next swing and shot back one of his own. It landed against Edmund’s eye. It gave Coriolanus time to distance himself from the car. Now that he wasn’t backed into a corner, Edmund couldn’t rely just on his brute strength. 
He lunged forward again but Coriolanus jumped back in time for the swing to miss. 
With a clear shot to his face, Coriolanus throws his fist into Edmund’s nose. Blood gushed from it, leaving a large red patch. But it doesn’t deter him. He licks the blood off his lips and runs at Coriolanus with his shoulder. 
Edmund’s tackle sent Coriolanus to the ground with an soft groan. With his knees cemented into the ground below, Edmund takes hold of Coriolanus' collar and uses it to bring his face up against his fist. 
You could feel people watching from their houses but none came to help. 
Not even whe Coriolanus managed to reverse positions. He didn’t make the same mistake as Edmund, he kept his body weight centered. One knee kneeling on the ground while the foot of his other leg stayed flat against the earth’s floor. It would be harder for Edmund to roll him over. 
Coriolanus’s fists pounded into Edmunds face. You could see he was losing focus and his body lost power. 
He was going to kill Edmund if he continued. 
You throw yourself over his head, covering what you could with your own body. Coriolanus doesn’t swing down at you. Letting go of Edmunds hair and standing up. 
He spits the blood from his mouth out on the ground, standing tall above you as he drinks in the position you were in. You could feel Edmund raise his hand to your shoulder, his tight grip bunching your shirt. 
Coriolanus’s breathing was heavy but Edmund’s breaths were soft against your ear. 
His lip was bleeding still into his mouth, and he had a cut above his eyebrow that he smeared across his face as he wiped it off. 
You swore you heard him laugh softly as he picked up the pillow case and stuffed the lost items back in before throwing it into the car where it spilled once more. 
He holds the door open for you, his hard stare telling you what to do without words. 
You tear yourself from Edmund who was reluctant to let you go. 
“No,” he groans but you follow your instincts and get into the car. 
The door slams shut and you peer out the window to see Edmund trying to stand on shaky feet. The word must have felt like it was spinning for him. 
Coriolanus gets in and begins driving without a word. 
“Ah,” he sighs, wiping the blood off his lip. 
You choke back tears as you watch Edmund fall down in the mirror. 
“Kill them and you kill me,” you threaten, “I swear, there is not a single thing you can do that would stop me.”
Without your mother, without Edmund, there would be no point in being alive. 
Coriolanus doesn’t answer you. You take it as a sign that he meant you were serious. 
You both fall into silence on the drive back to the compound. You wondered if Lucy Gray was subjected to the same treatment. She was stronger than you were though. She was the victor of the Hunger Games, while you stood there frozen while two men tried to kill each other with their bare hands. If she couldn’t survive him, what hope did you have?
—------
The nightmare returns again that night. 
It starts as it always does. He is in the forest hunting Lucy Gray as she taunts him with her song.
“Are you, are you comin' to the tree? Where they strung up a man, they say, who murdered three
Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be, if we met at midnight in the hanging tree.” 
He stalks through the vegetation.  
“Wear a necklace of rope side by side with me?” He feels her once again, as a hand on his shoulder, a wet rasp in his ear. He spins with his gun to the air. 
It was a fatal mistake. He feels the thick rope loop around his neck and yank him up to the trees. He drops his gun in an effort to loosen the knot around his throat. 
Lucy Gray had strung him up in the tree like his father. 
He gasps as he wakes from it, startling you too. 
Your frightened figure was a welcomed sight to Coriolanus who scooped you up from the bed into his arms. His hold hurt you. It was far too tight, and his hot sweaty body overheated you. 
You couldn’t tell him though, you doubt he would even hear you over his loud shaky breathing.
He presses his face into your hair, breathing in your scent. 
He couldn’t have that cabin, that forest, that girl, haunt him the rest of his days. He would have to conquer this fear. 
He would go back with you, where he would face Lucy Gray or leave the ghost of her in the trees. 
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buckyalpine · 7 months
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Okaaay! How can you write perfect imagines like that ! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Now I cant help to send you another idea and I'M NOT SORRY!
Another Bucky one, where you’re kinda their technician and support the Avengers out of the IT section of the compound when they are on the field. But Bucky also thinks you should learn how to self-defense yourself just in case, but you always refuse. One time you finally give in and he starts training private with you, which one time leads you falling and landing on top of him. instead of getting up, he pulls you closer and kisses you and even carries you to his room to make sweet love. Afterwards he’s a huge cuddler and you both confess your feelings ? I LOVE YOU 😊
I LOVE YOU I LOVE THIS I LOVE IT ALL, give me some sweet, soft Bucky loving his shy girl. (also bb, idek if you remember sending me this considering how long I've taken, IM SO SORRY, I hope I did this justice). Ugh, I love this type of smut, lowkey a weakness.
You breathed out a sigh of relief, setting down your headset after navigating the team through the building they had to break into, infiltrating the security system from your place in the Avengers tower. You guided them down the halls, alerting them of any potential hazards that were to be expected, carefully watching four different screens at once so you had eyes on all of them.
"Couldn't do this without ya short cake, see you soon" Tony's voice crackled through the coms, making you giggle before signing out. You loved your job with the Avengers, helping them on the field through the latest Stark technology, safe in your IT lab. You never had to worry about skills or getting injured because you didn't have to go out onto the field, at most, having to worry about the wifi ever slowing down at the wrong time (though there were plenty of back up softwares in place).
The familiar sounds of boots softly thudding down the hall made your heart flutter, peeking up from your place behind the computer to see Bucky walk into the lab, still in his tactical gear. He didn't seem fazed by the cut that was bleeding from his forehead; at the very least that seemed to be his only injury.
"You saved our asses again" Bucky grinned while you shook your head, taking his hand and making him sit at your desk, pulling out a first aid kit to take care of a gash that was cut across his eyebrow.
"And you're still bleeding" You gently dabbed a cotton ball to his eyebrow, carefully blowing away the sting after.
"Just a scratch doll" Bucky shrugged, letting you clean up the cut, the serum already starting to heal it. "How were things here"
"The usual, made some tea, watched your mission online, nothing exciting"
Bucky hummed, bringing up the same thing he always did after getting back from a mission without fail.
"Maybe you should learn some self-defense doll" He peeked an eye open, meeting yours while you put a final band aid on the side of his forehead just above his brow. "Just in case. Can't have anything happening to our favorite little short cake"
"I'm perfectly safe in the lab, Bucky" You replied, his words making your cheeks heat up, brushing them off as his usual playful teasing. This wasn't the first time Buck had suggested you learn self defense and you always shut it down.
"C'mon. I'll teach you, give you a private lesson. I'll be gentle" He prodded further, being dead serious in his offer. Sure you were safe at the tower but should anything happen, he wanted you to be able to take care of yourself if necessary.
"Bucky-
"It'll be good for you! What if someone broke into the compound when we aren't here"
"Bucky-
"Or if aliens attack. It literally happened last month. Remember that big purple ball sack-
"Bucky-
"Or if you're just walking down the street and someone tries to steal your purse"
"James-
"Pleaaseeee" Bucky gave you his final puppy pout, eyes wide, his bottom lip jutting out until you finally huffed, butterflies fluttering around you tummy.
"Just once" You agreed, feeling like you'd been lit on fire at the handsome smile he gave you, deciding to meet up twice a week at the gym for training. You felt nervous, seeing as you'd never had to use self-defense in your life. You weren't exactly coordinated for fighting and even though you were learning you didn't want to look like a complete fool in front of Bucky of all people.
-
You nervously made your way to the gym, surprised to find it empty with just Bucky waiting for you at the mats. You were expecting to find it full with the others training as well.
"Is it just us here?" You asked as he held his hand out, helping you under the ropes.
"Booked the gym just for us doll, we have it for an hour so you don't have to worry about anyone else" He smiled warmly, hoping the blush on his cheeks wasn't obvious, not wanting to seem like a creep. He really did want to train you, but he couldn't help the inkling of excitement he felt getting to help his crush.
You were surprised at what a gentleman he was. Training went surprisingly well; Bucky started off with easy moves, always warming up and helping you stretch first. It didn't help that you were flustered each time, usually slipping or tripping because you were caught up in his blue eyes or pink lips, the scent of his cologne always making you woozy.
He caught you every single time, setting you back on your feet with ease, praising what a good job you were doing whenever you did something well and encouraging you when he showed you something more challenging.
"Alright, today you're going to attack me" Bucky stated while you stared at his wide eyed, shaking your head.
"Bucky, I'm not sure I can-
"Yes you can short cake, c'mon, show me what you've got" He threw you a playful smirk, taking a few steps back and getting into position. You gulped, shaking off your nerves before steadying yourself, remembering everything he'd taught you. It didn't help that he'd decided to leave his shirt behind, his sculped body nearly taunting you from focusing. You launched yourself at him, managing to land a hit near his ribs before he caught you, gently grabbing your arm and holding it in place.
"Good job doll, now you're going to try and get out of this and attack again". Bucky's voice was strained, struggling with all his might to keep from blushing more, the scent of your shampoo and the softness of your skin making him giddy. With each training session, he was falling more and more for you, your shy giggles and smiles making his school boy crush worse.
You tried to focus on getting out of his hold instead of the fact that you were pressed tightly against him with your back to his chest, his warm breath fanning against your cheek, the coolness of his arm making you shiver. You wriggled around, slipping out and lunging forward again. You couldn't recall the exact sequence of steps Bucky had taught you, asking him while still moving.
"Do you think I should-ops-" You squeaked, losing your footing, crashing right into the soldier, sending you both onto the floor, landing right on top of Bucky. Bucky caught you, hands firmly on your waist while your eyes grew wide as your nose nearly brushed against his, chest pressed right onto him. You were frozen in place as the the tension grew thick, his baby blues daring to your lips before looking at you again, your sweet face centimeters from his, all he had to do was just-
Before he could stop himself, he pressed his lips against yours, smirking at the surprised gasp you let out before melted into him, eyes closing when you left his tongue softly trace along your lips. You lost yourself into the kiss, gasping again when he handled you with ease, standing with your legs wrapped around his waist, holding you securely. Your heart hammered against as he made his way towards to the gym doors, his arm supporting your ass while the the other cupped your face to kiss you again.
"Wanted to do that for so long short cake" Bucky shyly smiled, pressing the button of the elevator to take you right to his room, leaning in again for another kiss. You giggled, kissing him right back, tugging on his dogtags, not breaking away from each other until you were in the privacy of his room, gasping for air.
Bucky gently nudged the door shut, laying you down softly on the bed, lying on top of you, brushing your hair away from your face.
"Hi" He gave you a boyish smile, nuzzling his nose against your cheek, coaxing you to look at him when you tried to shy away, still in shock you had kissed Bucky and now you were in his room.
"Hi" You whispered, biting your lip feeling his hand softly stroke your waist, the both of you lost in each other again. You sucked in a breath before pressing a kiss to his cheek, blinking up at him to see if it was okay.
"So soft" He hummed, stroking up your thigh to your waist when your hitched your leg over him desperately wanting him closer. "My pretty short cake" Bucky didn't rush, the both of you innocently kissing on his bed, not leaving an inch of skin untouched with hands exploring each others bodies. Your stomach flipped when you felt his erection press against your tummy, the deep blush on his cheeks making you fall for him so much more.
"Is this okay?" Bucky asked, toying with the hem of your shirt, waiting for your permission before going any further.
"Please Bucky" Your voice was needy, craving to be closer, warmth pooling in your panties at the sight of his bulge straining in his grey joggers. He took his time undressing you, taking your hands in his and pulling you up so he could take your top off, tossing your sports bra aside immediately after. You lifted your hips up, letting him pull your shorts and panties off in one go, feeling exposed, your legs shut tightly together. As much as he wanted to admire your pretty body, Bucky kept his eyes on your face, smiling at you reassuringly while you covered yourself with his sheets.
He threw his clothes off before joining you under the covers, laying on top of you again, this time letting his kisses trail to others places. You let your hands cling onto his muscular shoulders while he kissed down your neck and across your chest, making his way to your peaked nipples, taking one into his mouth. You bit your lip to hold back your moan, hardly realizing you'd spread your legs for him, the slick between your folds making a mess between the sheets.
His cock leaked against your thigh each time you whined, his tongue drawing circles around your softness, pulling off so he could pay attention to the other. His thumb came up to flick your nipples, groaning when he felt your hand come to play with his hair, his hips rutting against the bed.
He continued to kiss down your body, nipping your tummy before settling between your legs, licking your sensitive inner thighs before spreading your folds apart and kissing your clit.
"So sweet doll" He whispered as he began to gently suckle, moaning when you whimpered, his arm slinging over your hips to keep you from squirming.
"Oh-B-Bucky!" You gasped, the band in your belly already starting to tighten as he drew circles, his lips sealed around your sensitive nub, nursing from you with the most soft, gently gurgles, his beard soaked with your juiced. "Bucky-I-I'm gonna-
"Come for me short cake, lemme taste all of you" Bucky went right back in, the sound of your moans growing louder making his cock throb, restraining himself from humping the bed knowing damn well he'd blow his load if he moved the slightest. You came all over Bucky's face, covering your face with your arm when he crawled back up with a grin, your arousal glistening off his lips.
"All shy for me now doll?" He purred, moving your arm away so he could kiss you deeply. You could feel his painfully hard cock pressed against you reaching down to stroke him.
"Fuck" Bucky hissed, his eyes rolling back, involuntarily thrusting forward into your hand, a drop of precum falling onto your skin. The sight alone send another wave of arousal gushing between your legs, feeling more empty than ever, feeling his thick velvety shaft fuck your hand.
"Can-can I?" You were too shy to say it but you wanted to make Bucky feel good too, his perfect pink glistening cockhead begging to be sucked, all leaky and swollen.
"You have no idea how much I'd love that but I just-I really wanna be inside you baby" Bucky panted, letting out a strained chuckle knowing damn well he wouldn't last if he saw your sweet doe eyes looking up at him with your mouth filled with cock, much less actually feeling your tongue. "Is this okay?"
He pumped his cock a few times, swiping it along your folds, his weeping tip catching against your fluttering hole.
"Will-will it fit?" you bit your lip, bringing your legs to wrap around his waist, your arms slinging around his shoulders, wrapping yourself around him.
"Told you I'd be gentle" Bucky smiled softly, kissing your cheek as he started to push in, swallowing your gasp as he began stretched you. "Fuck you feel so good" Bucky moaned softly, continued to give you every inch until he bottomed out, stilling so you could adjust.
"Everything okay?" He looked at you with concern, wrapping your body protectively against his.
"Feels good Bucky" you nodded, your voice melting into a moan as he started to move, pulling his hips back slowly and thrusting forward again, keeping a steady motion, letting you feel every bit of him inside you. He reached places you'd never felt before, shamelessly getting louder, digging your nails into his skin when he moved faster, desperate to give you as much pleasure as he could.
"Wanted this for so long doll, y'know that? How long I wanted to make love to you?" He confessed, grinding his hips, barely pulling out, his full, heavy balls pressed against your ass. "Make you feel so good pretty girl, take care of my sweet little short cake who always looks out for me"
"Please don't stop Bucky!" You begged, squeezing his cock, your pussy pulling him back in each time he pulled out, nearly tearing up at his words. "Don't-oh god-Bucky, don't-stop!"
"I know baby, I know" Bucky cooed, "Shhh, feels good, doesn't it? Is that all babygirl? Does it feel good?" His thrusts grew more powerful until he was pounding you into the matters, pouring every bit of his feelings into his strokes, the feeling of your body wrapped around his driving him closer to his own climax.
"Feels-good-so-good" you hiccupped between a whine, crying out when he brought his knee up to fuck you deeper, hitting a different angle. "RIGHT THERE BUCKY"
"That's it angel, I know baby, that's your spot, doing so good for me, think you can give me one more doll? Cum one more time for me?"
"Y-yeah!" You wailed, your back arching off the bed as he brought his hand between your bodies, rubbing your clit with soft circles, adding more pressure between snapping his hips. "I'm gonna cum Bucky!!"
"My good girl, makes me so hard when you say my name baby, cum for me angel, cum on my cock, don't stop till you cream all over me baby, I got you" He held you tighter, your head tucked into the crook of his arm while he cradled you, his other hand still rubbing you. His pace didn't faster, panting, desperately holding his own orgasm off, your brows knitting together, jaw slack, sweat covering your skin.
"You look so pretty like this babygirl, fuck, gonna make me cum y/n" He practically whined, moaning loudly with you when he started to feel you milk his cock, fluttering and squeezing him as your orgasm washed over you.
"BUCKKYY" You screamed his name as he continued to fuck you through your orgasm, his movements growing sloppy.
"You feel so good doll, so so good, sweetheart-fuck-I'm cumming" Bucky moaned against your neck, stilling as his cock started to throb, his warmth splashing against your cervix. He rocked his hips a few more times till he was milked dry, collapsing into your arms and rolling over so he could pull the covers over you both.
-
You giggled to yourself, tucked snuggly in Bucky's thick arms, your cheek pressed right against his warm chest. Neither if you had spoken a word yet, basking in a post sex haze, cozy and content in each others embrace.
"What's so funny short cake" Bucky whispered, tipping your chin up to meet his twinkling eyes, a dusting of pink still covering his cheeks.
"You're so cuddly for a big scary assassin" You teased, while he chuckled, pressing a kiss to your forehead.
"S'not my fault" He playfully pouted before squeezing you tighter. "Can you blame me? Look at who I get to cuddle with"
You smiled, resting your head on his chest again, tracing invisible shapes onto his skin while he stroked your back, his heart starting to beat faster as he began to speak again.
"This-what happened between us-
You froze, stopping your ministrations, dread pooling in your chest over Bucky's words.
Had you misread the situation?
Oh god, you did, he didn't actually like you, you-
"It wasn't just a one time thing for me. I've liked you for a long time short cake-" Your spiral stopped immediately, looking at him with wide eyes, only to find him nervously chewing his bottom lip raw. "I don't- I don't know if you feel the same way but I'd love for you to be mine-if you'd have me"
His last words melted into a whisper, still looking at you with precious shyness, your heart ready to burst out of your chest at how soft he was for you. Your surprised him, smashing your lips against his, the adorable squeak slipping past his lips turning into a groan.
"You like me?" You grew bashful, tucking your face into his neck, giving the young soldier his confidence back, a smirk playing on his lips. "Like me like me?"
"Course darlin' you're my best girl" He kissed your forehead before rolling you over and attacking you with kisses again, the both of you grinning at each other with heart eyes,
"My favorite little short cake"
"My Bucky bear"
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Text
At Your Service
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Summary: As a trainee mechanic, you apply for an apprenticeship at Stark Automotives on a whim. What you don't expect is for Tony Stark to reply personally with an offer to train you, and if that wasn't enough, a certain redhead also takes an interest in your sessions.
Word Count: 2303
Pairing: (Mentor/Mentee relationship for both) Natasha Romanoff & Reader; Tony Stark & Reader
Warning: None :)
A/N: Thanks for the response to my last fic, all the comments and reblogs kept me writing even with all my deadlines, and Mechanic!R was the clear winner of the last poll, so here you all go! Enjoy :)
»»————- ★ ————-««
You rested centimetres from the cold floor with the sight of oil-covered gears, shafts, and pipes overtaking your vision as you rolled under the automotive.
"Does the axle cover come off?" you said after a short inspection.
"Yeah, those two hex screws, I'll get you the tool. You've worked out the issue?"
"It's meant to be 4-wheel drive and only the front wheels are moving; I'd guess a problem with the connector shaft meeting the rear axle."
"You'd guess or you'd know?"
"I can't know anything 'til the cover's off and I can see inside."
"Good answer," Tony replied. "Hand out."
As instructed, you stretched your arm until your fingers just about reached out from under the car chassis, where a tool handle was placed in your palm.
"One 5/8 hex screwdriver, that's the one you'll need."
"The screws are imperial?"
"'Course, kid, we're in America."
"Yeah, but you sell these cars globally; I just assumed-"
"Dear old dad set up factories all over the globe – allows for some regional differences in the schematics, then each production line just does its own thing. It's easiest for everyone."
You hummed your acceptance of his method, then started to undo the screws, until a light rock to the car paused you. The movement stopped, so you assumed it was just Tony leaning on the car and you moved to continue your work, until the hum of a motorbike -- the sound of which you'd previously ignored -- grew even louder. You jolted when the bike pulled into the garage, causing you to smack your head against the car's underbody and let out a low groan.
"Watch yourself, kid; are you alright under there?" Tony said from above. At your murmur that you were fine, he continued, "roll yourself out, there's someone for you to meet."
"Why's there someone under your car, Tony?" came a woman's voice -- the person to meet, you assumed -- "can't get under the car like the old days, hm?"
When you emerged, the bright light of the outside world temporarily blinded you; you could make out Tony's figure, and as your vision returned, you saw the newcomer's back was turned to you, so only an orange plait could be seen from under her bike helmet.
"Very funny," Tony scoffed, continuing the conversation before he pointed at you. The woman turned and you only just managed to stifle a gasp when you recognised her face. "This is an apprentice, wrote to me a couple months back asking to learn about Stark Automotives, so I've been training them since. Y/N, this is Nat. Nat, Y/N."
From the moment Tony suggested training you here, in the garage of the Avengers Compound, you knew there would be a chance of running into the rest of the team you'd spent your childhood idolising. But truthfully, you were too starstruck that Tony Stark himself had offered to train you to truly believe that moment of meeting the other Avengers would ever come.
Now here you were, facing the Natasha Romanoff, looking effortlessly cool with her white vest, jeans, and leather biker jacket...while you laid on the floor in a Stark branded boiler suit and a definite grease mark where you’d hit your head. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment when you realised that the Black Widow's first perception of you was seeing you smack into an object directly in front of your face. You only hoped the blush didn't show when you finally met her eyes.
"Good to meet you," she said cooly, holding her hand out, but her eyes tracked up and down as if sizing you up.
You took her hand instantly, about to ramble through an introduction before a slight gasp from her shook you back to attention. Your eyes snapped down to where your hands met, and you realised then that you still wore your gloves, coated with oil from working on the vehicle, and now you've smeared it all over her uncovered hand. You instantly broke away -- apologising profusely -- and grabbed sheet after sheet of blue paper roll, offering it to her to help clean her hand.
"I'm so sorry," you repeated again, but she shook her head and smiled at you.
"I've had much worse meetings. I'll happily take a little bit of grease over being shot at."
"Woah-"
"Hey, kid," Tony began. Both your head and Natasha's snap in his direction; you'd honestly forgotten he was still there. "Not to interrupt, but have you ever worked on a motorbike? I made a few modifications to Nat's, and now that she's so kindly brought it to us I can show you how they work."
"Do not lay a finger on my bike, Stark," Natasha growled in a tone that reassured you that if she had actually been angry at the grease before, you would have known.
"I won't," Tony scoffed with a roll of his eyes, "...Y/N will."
You gulped, eyes darting between the two Avengers as you were drawn into the fold. "Me? Tony I'm not sure that's-"
"It's essential learning. We don't just make fancy cars so you have to learn it all. Nat, you wouldn't deprive Y/N of this learning, would you?"
Natasha groaned, but eventually relented, crossing her arms and perching on the counter by the wall. "Okay, but I'm not leaving you alone with it. And Y/N?"
You looked up, fear probably showing on your face. Natasha smiled in return, and allowed you to see a glint of mischief in her eye, "give me a running commentary of what you do. I trust your honesty more than Stark's." She smirked at the last part, rolling her eyes as she pointed to Tony behind his back, an action for you and you alone to see. Something about it put you at ease, so you nodded, smiled back, then got to work, spending the rest of the session under the assassin's watchful eye.
»»————- ★ ————-««
You watched the phone in your hand, hoping and waiting for those three little dots. Tony Stark was not a man famously known for his punctuality, but he’d been early to every lesson so far and now, ten minutes after you were due to meet, you’re starting to worry.
The worry wasn’t the lesson being cancelled so much as the worry that one of the other Avengers would walk in and accuse you of trespassing – there were still so many residents you hadn’t met, and without Tony present, you were just a stranger loitering unaccompanied in the Avengers’ garage, surely that looked suspicious. No matter the fact that you were supposed to be there and had gained authorised access with your security card, your anxieties continued to grow and grow.
Your heart rate sped up proportionately to the increasing rumble of an approaching bike. The seconds seemed to elongate when you knew there was no escape to being caught there alone. In the remaining time you had, you pulled your phone back out and, with shaking fingers, messaged Tony one more time – at least then you had proof, you kept your eyes on the device even as you felt the newcomer pull in and dismount from their motorbike.
“Let me guess, Tony didn’t tell you he’s away?” Your head snapped up at the familiar voice, face breaking into a grin as red hair broke free from under the helmet. Natasha had been showing up more and more frequently to your sessions, so her arrival was no surprise, but you were glad to have a friendly figure to justify your presence, lest anyone else appear. Natasha set her headgear to the side and hopped up onto the counter, following her usual routine; you watched her intently until you realised she was watching you too, still waiting for an answer.
"Oh, uh, yeah, no, he didn't- he didn't tell me. He's not coming?"
“He got called on a mission last night. Should be back in a few days, if all goes to plan, but I’ll have a word with him about keeping you informed.”
Her undivided attention unnerved you – Tony had always acted as a buffer before – so you fidgeted, avoided eye contact, and wondered what your next move should be. Thankfully, Natasha answered that last question for you: “It wouldn’t be right to send you home so soon,” she said, “And I am officially a Stark Industries employee still, you know, if you wanted…”
“Yes!” you exclaimed instantly, speaking before you thought. “I mean, yeah, if it’s no trouble. That would be awesome.”
“We both know I’d sit here and watch anyway.” She spoke softly and with a smile that you found yourself drawn to replicate, feeling more at ease in the spy’s presence. “Now then, I know about a lot of things but mechanics is an area where you might already have me beat, so how about something else?”
“Like what?”
“What do you want to know?” she shrugged, “Russian? Latin? Artillery? Archery? Wrestling? Weightlifting?” At your dumbstruck expression, Natasha smiled and realised she would have to make the choice for you, “how about the gym? You can impress Tony with your strength next time he makes you use that scissor jack.”
Your cheeks burn at the memory – neither Natasha nor Tony had said anything at the time, but both of them had needed to jump in and assist when you’d been unable to turn the jack enough for it to actually lift the car and fulfil its purpose. From Natasha’s warm smile, you could tell she still wasn’t mocking you for the incident, but you still nodded quickly and murmured agreement with her plan, before following her through the Compound towards the gym.
“Can I ask why you’re a Stark Industries employee?” you asked on the elevator, as a way to fill the silence and out of curiosity from her earlier words.
She laughed, “It was back in ‘09, we had to get intel on the newly revealed Iron Man, and the man behind the suit-”
“Tony-”
“Exactly. So, S.H.I.E.L.D. made some edits to the employee list, added my cover there, and I successfully infiltrated the company for as long as I needed. I only officially revealed myself at the 2010 Stark Expo – do you remember that? – and in all the chaos afterwards, they never officially took me off it.”
“I think I remember seeing it on TV – you were there?”
“I left before the explosions started, but I was around, trying to make sure as few people were in harm’s way as possible-” Natasha cut herself off as the two of you entered a space larger than any lecture hall, fitted with all sorts of workout machines – the majority of which you’d never seen in your life. “Here we are.”
“You use…all of this?”
She nodded, then paused, before pointing to a section in the corner where the machine structures and weights seem almost treble that of the current area. “That section’s for Steve, or Thor if he ever bothered to train. Us regular humans wouldn't move it an inch if we tried to use those machines.”
Natasha smirked and shook her head again, guiding you towards one of the regular machines: a chest pad adjusted to press against your front as you sat on the stool, while Natasha adjusted the weight and pulled the two handles back for you to grab them. With the position set, you looked up to her for advice,
“Pull the handles towards your chest and push them back to neutral, it'll work out your upper arms. That's where a mechanic will need strength the most, so aim for 10 repeats.”
Natasha watched carefully, adjusting your posture where needed, until you completed the set. You broke into a grin at the realisation that you'd managed it, one which Natasha happily replicated as she held her hands up for a high fives. “You'll be a pro in no time,” she promised, “ready to increase the load?”
The rest of the session continued in much the same manner – Natasha introduced you to different bits of equipment and perfected your form until your phone buzzed with a routine alert to mark the end of a session. 
Natasha accompanied you to the door, smiling, receiving, and occasionally rebuking the many thanks you bombarded her with for stepping up. “It was truly my pleasure,” she said at last, “I'll make sure Tony is back next week, but if you want to do this again, you have my number.”
She squeezed your shoulder, turned, and began to walk back inside – all before you came to the realisation: “I don't actually have your number!” you shouted after her. Natasha didn't respond, but when you checked your phone only seconds later, a message had appeared in your notifications.
‘Yes you do :) 
-N’
She really was some spy.
»»————- ★ ————-««
Everything changed from then on: you walked in to Tony and Natasha arguing a week later, their sudden pause at your presence a very good indicator that they were discussing you, something they confirmed only moments later.
Next thing you knew, both Tony and Natasha had taken you on as their mentee, a session with each of them once a week, and neither of them wanted you to leave. Your apprenticeship was extended into the next academic year, where you moved even closer to the Avengers Compound to visit them more often, the two Avengers – not to mention the others they'd introduced you to – always making sure you were well cared for whenever you visited. Eventually, Tony even offered you a full-time job post-graduation as the Avengers' official mechanic, and who were you to refuse? You loved the work just as you loved spending time with your mentors, so you could think of no better job in the world.
»»————- ★ ————-««
taglist: @canvascoloredin @fxckmiup @wizardofstories
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sycamorelibrary754 · 6 months
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When You Wish Upon a Star
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Summary: You and Bucky Barnes have grown close, bonding over sarcasm and shared trauma. You make it your mission to help Bucky experience all the joys of life that Hydra took from him. A little Disney magic is the perfect place to start.
Pairings: Bucky Barnes x reader (platonic)
Genre: Fluff
Word Count: 2.4k
Warnings: A few curse words and references to past trauma.
A/N: Who wouldn’t want to go to Disneyland with Bucky?
It was always the same. Your eyes shot open as the sensation of falling washed over you. Slowly, you rolled over and lifted your head to check the clock. 3:12 am. Fucking perfect. After a couple of deep breaths, you lifted your tired body off your bed. You throw on your favorite sweatshirt before opening your door and shuffling down the hall. 
It was dark, but you knew the way by heart. A frequent late-night visitor to the compound halls thanks to your PTSD. Your nightmares came in bunches, and when they did you needed a distraction when you woke up to keep yourself from spiraling down completely. You reach the kitchen and are just about to open the fridge when you see the outline of James Buchanan Barnes sitting on the sofa in the dark. 
“Bucky? What are you doing out here?”
“Moonlighting as a vampire”, he grumbled.
“You know, I usually just take your hundred-and-eight-year-old sarcasm at face value, but it’s late and I’m genuinely curious”, you said, as you sit across from him on the sofa. One leg tucked up under your body and your arms crossed over your chest to keep yourself warm. 
Bucky looks over at you stone-faced, but you can tell he’s trying to read you, searching for an ulterior motive. The gears are turning endlessly inside his head. After about five seconds of silence, you decide to return the favor. There are dark circles under his eyes and his disheveled hair is standing on end. You can tell has been up much longer than you. 
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, sorry. I thought we were having a staring contest”, you said lightheartedly to cover up your attempt at reading him. You can’t help but notice the small smile that pulls at the corners of his mouth, disappearing as quickly as it came. 
“Do you ever feel like you don’t matter? Like, despite it all, you’ll never be free of the pain?”
“All the time”, you stated without hesitation.
He turns to you with a furrowed brow and a look of surprise.
“What?”
“Nothing, sorry. It’s just, in the past when I’ve said that to people they usually give me a bunch of hollow platitudes,” Bucky said.
“Well, that’s not me.”
“Me either.”
That was the first time you and Bucky had a bonding moment. Moving forward there were many more late-night talks and quietly waiting up for each other. A movie always queued up to help pull each other back into the present moment after a mission. You could be alone together in a way that you couldn’t be with anyone else. It stumped the rest of the team, to say the least. Two people who would rather silently take in the world around them than be forced to speak had become best friends.
*^_^*
You wiped the perspiration off your forehead, sitting against the wall in the gym after a joint training session. Bucky insisted on helping you improve your hand-to-hand combat skills. He noticed you had gotten a bit complacent in relying solely on your powers. After you arrived home from your last mission with a black eye, Bucky was adamant about training you himself. 
Taking a sip of water, you turn to Bucky, “Have you ever been to Disneyland?”
“You ask the most random questions, and no. I remember some of the original Disney cartoons, though. Steamboat Willie, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Before we started moving around to different army bases, my parents would give me a dollar and I would walk to the movie theater in Shelbyville, Indiana. They would joke, “Don’t spend it all in one place, James”, he said with a smile that slowly faded. “After my parents died, I stopped going to the movies. And… the Winter Soldier never had a vacation.” 
It was only in the last few months you started to notice Bucky differentiating himself from the Winter Soldier. You assumed it was thanks to Dr. Raynor and his pardon-mandated therapy, but he would never admit it was you who was helping him see that the Winter Soldier and James Bucky Barnes were not one and the same.
“Well, something to add to your list then. Come on, dinner is probably ready,” patting his thigh. You mentally file away what Bucky shared for later. There was a whole new life for him to live now, and you were determined to help him do it. 
A couple weeks later you and Bucky are infiltrating an old Hydra base off the grid. A simple in and out to retrieve a backlog of digital files, and you were back on the Quinjet within a couple of hours. You offered to pilot the jet home while Bucky took a nap. He awoke a few hours later to you poking him repeatedly on the shoulder with a dorky grin on your face. 
“What?” Bucky groaned, wiping his hands over his face. “Are we home?”
“No, we’re making an unscheduled stop,” you said, as the super soldier sits up. 
“Where the hell are we?” Bucky walked to the window surprised to find no landing pad, no buildings, no New York. 
“Surprise, Buck! We’re going to Disneyland,” you declared. “I cleared it with Fury. We have tomorrow off, and I already sent the files we retrieved to Maria with a written debrief. We’re officially off the clock for the next 36 hours.” 
“No, Y/N. I’m too old for this. What if someone recognizes us?”
“First of all, you’re too old for everything, but that doesn’t matter in the Happiest Place on Earth. Second of all, I’ve got that covered,” pulling a change of clothes for him out of your bag.
You both change and are about to depart the jet when you remember one more preventative measure. You grab both your suits and fiddle with them for a second before removing two of Tony’s trackers. 
“This trip will be our little secret”, you wink.
You departed the jet and activated stealth mode at the top end of the Mickey and Friends parking structure, away from prying eyes. After a short ride on the tram and walk through security you’re standing at the top of Main Street USA. You look down at Cinderella’s castle as the sights, sounds, and smells of Disneyland envelop your senses.
“Okay, so I thought we could hit Adventureland first. Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, just to get your feet wet. Then we’ll do Frontierland and New Orleans Square. Wait until you see Pirates of the Caribbean! Oh, and Fantasyland has the Matterhorn, I have a feeling you’ll love that ride. Then maybe we could grab dinner at the Jolly Holiday cafe and watch the fireworks. That will leave us with Tomorrowland tomorrow, no pun intended. Finally, I thought for shits and giggles we could check out the Avengers campus in California Adventure Land before we leave.” you rambled happily. You finally look up from your park map to see Bucky eyeing you like you are speaking another language. 
“Sounds great, but how are we paying for this? I doubt it’s on Shield’s payroll.”
“Ask and you shall receive”, you said with a devilish smirk, as you pulled Tony’s Black Master Card from your pocket.
“Where the hell did you get that?”
“Tony’s wallet. You’re not the only superhero here remember? Plus, Nat has taught me a thing or two about pickpocketing over the years,” you grinned. “Come on James, we’re going to spend it all in one place this time,” linking arms with the super soldier who simply rolled his eyes.
The next day and a half was a whirlwind of Disney magic. You went on every ride you possibly could. (You may or may not have hacked into the fast pass system to make your wait times in line as short as possible). Bucky made you go on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice and didn’t judge you for screaming in a way that would be considered very un-heroic by your teammates. You bought him personalized Mickey ears with his name embroidered on the back, and it only took ten minutes of arguing to convince him to wear them in a picture with Mickey. Meanwhile, Bucky took every opportunity he could to capture your Disneyland experience. Discreetly snapping a candid photo or filming as you happily sang along to the music on every ride.
After a good night’s sleep in the jet, the two of you made your way over to the Avengers campus in California Adventure Land. “Well, they got the aesthetics right,” you remarked. Taking in the scenery and park guests clad in Avengers merchandise.
You took a selfie in front of the Avengers campus sign that you immediately made your new lockscreen. It took a couple minutes, but Bucky found a spot for both of you in front of the compound to watch The Amazing Spider-Man! Peter welcomed the guests and conducted various flight tests in his new suit. There were flips, jumps, and web slingers galore. Each move executed smoothly, until he tripped over a few boxes and landed flat on his face. 
“Yeah, that’s about right”, Bucky joked as you nod in agreement. 
The campus is full of cast members dressed as all of your teammates interacting with park guests, Dr. Strange illustrating the mysteries of the Mystic Arts, and the Warriors of Wakanda demonstrating disciplines of the Dora Milaje. After exploring a bit, you decided to take a seat outside of Shawarma Palace to rest your feet. You both removed your hats and are scrolling through your phones when a curly-haired little boy wearing glasses and an Iron Man t-shirt quietly approached your table. 
“Hi”, he whispered shyly.
“Hi, what’s your name?” you smiled. You put your phone down and place your hand on top of Bucky’s hand. The gears turning in his head like the night you found him on the sofa in the dark.
“James”, he answered, swaying back and forth on the balls of his feet. You looked over at Bucky as he visibly relaxed and smiled. 
“Are you Bucky Barnes and Y/F/N Y/L/N?” he asked. Pushing his little glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
“Why do you think that?” trying to hide your grin.
“I have a poster of the Avengers in my bedroom! You look just like them, and umm, we learned about you at school. Oh, and I had an Iron Man cake for my last birthday. I got a helmet and everything!”
“That’s amazing, James! Iron Man is my favorite Avenger too.”
“Hey?!” Bucky said.
“Okay, original Avenger.”
You look over at Bucky eagerly. He seems to read your mind and nodded in agreement.
“We’ll let you in on a little secret, but you have to promise not to tell anyone,” you whispered as you motion for James to come closer. You hold out your hand and focus as small blue sparks dance around your palm. 
“Woah!!” James yelled.
“Shhhh,” you giggled. 
Bucky looks around carefully before taking off his glove and rolling up his sleeve to reveal his Vibranium arm. 
“That’s so cool,” James said mesmerized.
“We’re here on confidential Avenger business and we must keep our cover. Can you help us keep our identities secret?” Bucky asked as he rolls his sleeve back down and put back on his glove.
“Yeah!” your new friend exclaimed proudly. 
“Thank you, James. You will make a great Avenger someday,” Bucky said.
He gave the small boy a fist bump, and you do the same. James walked away proudly, and you can’t help but look over at Bucky. Your eyes shining with unshed tears.
“That’s why you matter.”
For the first time in your friendship, you think he believes it. 
The sun begins to set as you both stroll out of California Adventure Land. Bucky is about to suggest walking across the street to wait for the tram when he sees you running back toward the Disneyland entrance.
“What are you doing? We need to get going. I’m sure everyone is already freaking out that our trackers are offline” Bucky shouted.
“There’s one more thing we have to do. Come on!” you yelled, motioning for him to follow you. You lead your best friend back down Main Street USA before stopping in front of the cinema. You waited for him to catch up to you and pointed up at the marquee.
Main Street Cinema Presents: 
Steamboat Willie 
Plus six great original Disney cartoons.
I thought you might like a little walk down memory lane before the clock strikes midnight and we turn back into pumpkins.”
Bucky stared at the marquee for a few seconds before looking back at you. Before you can ask him what he thinks, he embraced you in a hug. You walked inside and strolled from screen to screen. Taking in the nostalgia of the classic black-and-white Disney cartoons. You reached the last screen just as Mickey began to whistle the theme to Steam Boat Willie. You glanced over at Bucky and noticed his eyes shining with unshed tears this time. You rub gentle circles on his back until the credits roll. 
“Thank you, Y/N”, he sighed, wiping his eyes. That meant a lot to me. This trip meant a lot to me. I never thought I’d say this, but I loved it.”
“You’re my best friend, Buck. You deserve to experience all of the beautiful moments in life. It’s never too late. Hell, everyone should have a first trip to Disneyland. I’m just glad I got to do it with you”, putting your arms around him. “Come on, let’s go home.”
Back on the jet, Bucky offered to pilot so you can get some sleep. Fortunately, the night air is calm and clear, so after about an hour he put the jet on autopilot and sat down next to you. The super soldier gently covered you with a blanket before pulling out his phone. He can’t help but laugh at the sight of the two of you sharing a giant Dole Whip or screaming as the train dipped and dove on Thunder Mountain. For the first time in forever, Bucky sees himself smiling and almost doesn’t recognize himself.
You finally stirred when the wheels touched down on the compound landing pad. Bucky had yet to notice you’re awake. Preoccupied with shutting down the jet and grabbing both your bags. You lay there silently as your eyes followed him. You smiled to yourself as you heard him softly whistling “When You Wish Upon a Star”.
Mission accomplished.
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shatteredearth-if · 8 months
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SHATTERED EARTH INTRO POST
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DEMO | DISCORD
Shattered Earth is an Interactive Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction about retreading old ground and working for your good ending. less formally, this is meant to go on my portfolio
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Five years ago, you watched the world split open, bore witness to what you could only refer to as "dragons" made manifest in scale, flesh and skin. You saw cities razed to the ground, asphalt streets shattered like ice. Fleets of dragons and foreign—almost alien—aircrafts alike seared across the skies, while towers of dirt and metal tore free from the landscape. The world has inexplicably, incomprehensibly changed, but you know this to be true: Earth never really stood a chance.
With your world now overrun by dragons and dangers alike, you've lived alone, hiding from the world you once called home, scrounging for scraps and surviving by the skin of your teeth. But when a chance encounter with a mercenary ship leaves you reeling with the realization that you're not the average-joe of a human that you thought you once were, you're forced into an ultimatum: enlist with the Seekers, or live out the rest of your life in a Human compound on Therius. But your horrors extend far beyond the threat of the dragons; your monsters are at home in your head, but they might just be the key to stopping all of this madness… if they don't take you out first.
The gears turn, the worlds spin inwards like ever-onwards like painted tops. You will undergo a journey of self-discovery, of potential romances and of incredible loss. And somehow, you can't shake the sensation that this has all happened before…
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A customizable protagonist: Customize your gender, your body type, your pronouns, and personality.
Five ROs to romantically pursue—some in the most conventional sense, others in… a not so conventional sense.
Engage in brief flings, one of which is... an RO's estranged divorced mother. (Your crewmates will disapprove.)
Train your body or your mind to perfection. Are you a frontline fighter, or do you prefer the aethereal arts?
Cute cat dog wolfboy…?
The female version of a himbo
There's no good way to put this: you remember things you shouldn't. The end of your story is not the end; something awaits you at the place where your endings converge. What is it? What are you?
There's an egotistical mind entity in your head, and the flags aren't just red; they're blood-crimson. Romanceable, but at a steep cost to your sanity. Or maybe…
Skippable, customizable NSFW content. My friends have advised me not to continue.
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Avett Ironsturm
Role: RO
Gender: Male (he/him)
Race: Kattish
Age: 20
Specialization: Arms specialist
Appearance: Avett is a Kattish man of average height. His complexion is fair. Perched upon his head are two swivelling cat-like ears, and at the base of his spine is a prehensile tail that is about the length of his arm—both are adorned with soft, black fur. His hair is black, hangs just below the shoulders, and he keeps most of it in a messy ponytail. Most of his frontal hair frames his boyish, youthful face. His irises are copper colored, his pupils slitted.
Personality: Avett is bristly, prickly, and very easy to anger if he's not trying to get into your pants. He's a flirt through and through, and knows how and when to be charming, just… not with his coworkers. Or you. Though if you can get him to let his guard around you, you might just find him a lot more bearable.
Your impression: Once upon a time, you saw his old ID, stuffed in a cabinet along with his boxers and body spray, and you realized he was smiling in his photo. Not outwardly—they don't want you smiling on those cards, but behind those eyes was a laugh ready to bust out at any moment. That was four years ago. Now? All he does now is sulk and yell at people. Something happened in those four, long years, and those years have only been getting longer since.
Sexuality: Bisexual (woman-leaning)
Yuda Hellsbridge
Role: RO
Gender: Female (she/her)
Race: Half Gallian, Half Kattish
Age: Secret?
Specialization: Restrainer
Appearance: Yuda is a half-Gallian, half-Kattish woman of above average height. Her complexion is a pale, seafoam green—common for most Gallians. Her hair is white with blue undertones in the right lighting, and is short and choppy. If you look too closely into her metallic gray eyes, you will notice a swirling, foggy substance within her irises, as is common for all Gallians who are at least a bit adept in magic… which is to say, almost all of them. Yuda is extremely fit and exercises often, and as a result her build is stocky and muscular—very uncommon for a Gallian, though she claims that she's half Kattish.
Personality: Yuda is outwardly cheerful, loud, and brash—tact is not her forte. But behind every sunny smile is a shadow, and Yuda keeps her shadows well away from the spotlight.
Your impression: It's not trauma. It's not a blip in her personality. There is something genuinely terrifying hiding behind Yuda's eyes, and that's not including the fact that you don't know how old she is. Oh, she's nice, and she's got no ulterior motives, you'll give her that. But it's like she's wearing her own body like a shadow.
Sexuality: doesn't care for labels, but for clarity's sake she is pansexual.
Ysh'vanna O'Raal
Role: RO
Gender: Female (she/her)
Race: Draconian
Age: 26
Specialization: Captain/Pilot
Appearance: Ysh'vanna is a short girl with wispy, white hair that topples down to her waist—if she doesn't brush it out of her face, it has a tendency to smother her slight frame like an oversized scarf. Her irises are orange, with a ring of emerald green around her pupils. Trailing from her ears are two, small, green webs that resemble translucent dragon wings.
Personality: Everyone onboard the Seeker is a wreck, yes, but Ysh'vanna is always at least two crises away from a mental breakdown everyday. Sorting through admin, funds, Avett's shenanigans and the odd dragon attack has left her riddled with anxieties. She has difficulty forming bonds outside of work because of this, so her relationship with Avett isn't great. After any particularly grueling mission, she will often be found comatose in front of the navigation panels, staring off into the skyline. Otherwise, Ysh'vanna tries to be cheerful. Most of the time. Some of the time.
Your impression: She's probably by far the most average person on this ship. Every morning she takes her coffee with three sugars and a cupful of milk; every night she takes a nail-sized tablet along with a full glass of water. "For the anxiety," she says. She's incredibly open about most things... until it comes to her family. What's the deal?
Sexuality: bisexual (woman-leaning)
Auren Draksparrow
Role: Platonic Option
Gender: Male (he/him)
Race: Gallian
Age: According to Avett, "Like, a hundred or something." He looks about forty in Human years to you.
Specialization: Warder
Appearance: Auren is a Gallian man of above average height. His frame is gaunt, almost frail; his hair is platinum blond, and is secured in a low ponytail that reaches down to his waist. His complexion is seafoam green, and his eyes are a faint violet. Swimming in his irises is a fog, a trait most Gallians share. His facial features are long and soft, but his cheekbones sit high upon his face.
Personality: Auren is cold, aloof, and it can be difficult to discern what he's thinking from speech and body language alone. He is clear in mind, even during high-pressure situations, until his abilities as a caster fail him.
Your impression: Here's the deal about living past one hundred and one; you're going to mess up. You're going to mess up a lot more than the average person, and your book of guilt's going to be pushing a trilogy if you don't start forgiving yourself for some of those mess-ups. You know for a fact that Auren has never forgiven himself, not even once, because he's yet to save the Seekers. Because he's yet to, in his eyes, make himself useful. But you're his lucky break: he's the only one on the ship who can see that thing in your head for what it is, and he knows it's a threat.
Sexuality: he's not looking for a relationship right now, if ever. He's married to his tomes and the study of aether.
Liam Salazar
Role: RO
Gender: Male (he/him)
Race: Human
Age: 24
Specialization: Researcher
Appearance: Liam is tall with an athletic frame and broad shoulders. He usually keeps his dark brown hair in a nest of curls atop his head. His skin is a deep umber, and his eyes are an even deeper shade of brown. He often wears a white lab coat over a simple sweater and dress shirt.
Personality: Quiet, but goofy; aloof, but sensitive. You sense that this boy would rather bury his head in a good book or some other complicated research than look you in the eye. That's not to say he's meek, though—come any threat, and he'll lash out swinging. You had to be a special kind of tough to have survived the Migration as a Human, and Liam is no exception.
Your impression: You didn't expect to make friends at the IRC training facility—most Humans there wanted your head on a stick for the cardinal sin of having a deal with a merc ship already. The Migration wore everyone's patience thin, but not Liam's. For a hot moment at that facility, you were two renegades against the hateful world. Until your training period finished up.
Sexuality: Panromantic demisexual, though initially he believes that he's straight.
The Entity
Role: RO
Gender: Customizable/it
Race: Something intangible. A voice in your head.
Age: It laughs when you ask this. "How old is a concept? The fear of death, the love of life? How old? Are you counting? Think about that."
Appearance: A dark wisp of smoke that occasionally shifts to form parts of a person.
Personality: Loves you, like an overbearing parent. Punishes you, like a torturer gleaning for answers. It maims you and calls it affection.
Your impression: When you're not talking to it, it's rummaging through your memories. Why? For fun. It knows about that time you did this and that in the locker room and almost got caught for it. It knows about that time you stopped someone from leaving after class just so you could hit on them, unsuccessfully, for ten minutes before they had to beg you to leave. It knows everything about you, all the bad, all the good—and it loves you anyway. That's the purest kind of love, isn't it?
Sexuality: Wouldn't you like to know.
With that all said, thank you for checking out this post, and DOUBLE thank you if you decide to try out Shattered Earth. 🙇🙇
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definitelynotstable · 8 months
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Camomile pt. 10 [Ghost x gn!Reader]
pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3, pt. 4, pt. 5, pt. 6, pt. 7, pt. 8, pt. 9, pt. 10
AN: Comment and like ya rascals <3 your comments are low-key the reason I do this, they keep me going.
Synopsis: Your first mission back, Ghost is a mother hen. Word count: 1.3k Warnings: Canon typical violence, minor injuries, military talk etc Ghost x gn!Reader (Callsign Rags).
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
The sun was low on the horizon when the team was called to gather in the briefing room. You sit with a mixture of anticipation and nerves. Gear clinks and you pull your eyes form the table and towards the Lieutenant who stands at the front of the room, eyes stern. 
“All right, this is it. We've got a critical mission ahead. Our objective is to neutralise a high-value target responsible for arms trafficking in the region.” Ghost starts, zooming in to the map on the screen behind him. 
Price steps forward, cigar hanging from his lips. He takes a puff and pulls away, tapping ash onto the floor. “Your entry points are here and here,” the Captain gestures to the red points flashing, on the zoomed in blueprints of a compound. “Soap, Ghost you’re Alpha; Gaz ’n Rag’s you’re Bravo. Note your corresponding points.”
You jolt a little when Gaz pats you on the shoulder, you meet his amber gaze with a weak smile. Ghost eyes you from where he stands beside Price. 
“Our intel’s good on this one.” He says, crossing his arms, “You’re a team – trust each other; trust your training, let’s not fuck up.” 
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
You were nervous but the weight of your gear was familiar and Gaz’s calm presence was welcome. He adjusts his weapon beside you, eyes firm and focused. 
“Alpha team, be advised, target location is hot. Proceed with caution.” Price’s voice crackles over the comms.
“Copy that, Price. We’re moving in.” Ghost replies, his voice low in your ear. 
As Alpha team pushed forward you and Gaz moved to your next entry point – an alley where enemy insurgents were known to frequent. You swallow hard, gripping your G3 with white knuckles. 
“You got this Rags,” Gaz whispers beside you with a smile, “I’ve got your six.”
You bump your gloved fist to his, warmth surging through your chest. You both creep forward, silent and sticking to the shadows. The tension was palpable as you rounded a corner, spotting a group of insurgents, armed with their backs turned. 
On my signal. Gaz gestures with his hand. 
You nod, holding your breath. Just as you get into position and look to Gaz for the signal an insurgent turns, spotting you. Gunfires sprays – ricocheting off the concrete in front of you. Diving instinctively for cover, you return fire with practised precision; your adrenaline pumping. Bullets exchange and echo through the alley, the scent of gunpowder thick in the air. 
True to his word, Gaz guarded your six with his own fire and slowly but surely the group of hostiles dropped like flies. They never stood a chance.
The Lieutenant’s voice rasped through the comms as the last man slumped over, a bullet through the neck. “Bravo team, we've neutralised the target. Need immediate extraction."
“Copy that, Alpha.” Price responded immediately, “Bravo, clear the area and provide cover for extraction.”
Gaz raises a hand to his ear to reply as you roll over a body with your boot, checking they’re dead. 
“All good?” Gaz asks, reloading his riffle. You nod, hands pushing against your thighs as you return to stand.
“Let’s go.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Most insurgents had already been taken out by Alpha team and you and Gaz made quick work of the rest, providing cover. Soap and Ghost make it to the extraction helicopter first and with the go from Price you and Gaz follow. You’re behind him this time, guarding his back when an object lands between your feet with a thump and rolls. You swear in surprise, shoving Gaz forward and kicking it back. It explodes in the air as its sailing away from your kick but shrapnel bursts around you. You cover your face with your forearm, turning away while your other hand remains on Gaz’s back. Something sharp imbeds itself near your elbow and you trip forwards in surprise. 
Gunfire comes from the heli, neutralising the hostile who threw the grenade as Gaz reaches round and tugs you in front of him, his hand now on your back. 
“You ok?” He puffs, not letting go as you race towards the chopper. Ghost has leapt out, riffle aimed at the area behind you as you reach the heli. 
“Just a scratch,” you pant back, accepting Soap’s hand who pulls you inside. 
“You’re bleeding.” A voice growls behind you. Ghost. You hadn’t even noticed the man shutting the door of the chopper. 
You spin round to face him with a scoff, “Yeah, never said it didn’t hurt, LT.”
“Alright lass,” Soap steps forward, shaking his head with a smile. “Jus’ sit down, won’t you?”
You let him push you into a seat, the metal wall of heli rattling as it ascends. Ghost materialises beside you, med-kit in hand, his cobalt eyes sharp and alert – still filled with adrenaline. 
“Fuckin’ ‘ell,” he grumbles, taking your elbow and angling it towards the light, “can’t take you anywhere.”
You hiss as he removes the shrapnel and it clinks when he drops it into a small metal dish. “Getting hurt is part of the job LT.'
“Doesn’t have to be if you’re careful.” He retorts, swiping your wound with an antiseptic wipe. You glare at him.
“That’s not very fair.”
He sighs, “I know.”
You move to grip his knee with your free hand. “I’m fine, Ghost,” you glance at the now-clean wound, “It doesn’t even look like I’ll need stitches.”
“You won’t.”
“See? It’s okay.”
He huffs, knowing you’re right but unable to escape the worry that tore through his gut seeing that grenade explode in front of you. You slump, leaning into him as he packs away the kit. A comfortable silence comes between you and he sits a little straighter, letting you lean into him a little more. It’s not as intimate as a head on his shoulder, you’re just angled slightly against him. He lets you, the buzz of the chopper lulling you into a doze.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
You’re descending when your shaken gently awake. Cobalt eyes meet yours.
“You sure you’re ok?” He asks as the team shuffle around, grabbing their gear.
You nod, whispering back. “Promise. You saw it – just a scratch – it’ll just annoy me for a couple of days.”
He holds your gaze for a few beats before nodding, standing to his feet and offering you a hand. You take it and join the others in sorting through your gear. Soap bumps you with his shoulder, grinning. 
“LT hovering again?” The scot inquires cheekily. “Mother hen, that one.”
You bump him back, “Don’t let him hear you saying that.”
Soap laughs, grabbing onto the rail above your heads as the heli rocks. “Nothing he hasn’t already heard.”
“Bet that went down well,” you grin, mirroring him and latching onto the rail as well. Soap just shakes his head. 
“He sulked for a few days – took Price agreeing with me to knock some sense into ‘im.”
“Telling stories, Johnny?” A voice rumbles from behind you, Soap only grins.
“Would’t dream of it, LT.”
Ghost grips the rail next to you, his tall figure almost curving over you as he bends his head away from scraping the roof. You swallow as the heli rocks again and you find your back pressing into his tactical vest. An arm wraps around your waist, steadying you.
“Alright there, love?” He murmurs just so you can hear. The chopper jerks one final time, landing on the tarmac – someone wrenches open the door. 
You move forward, jumping out and onto solid ground; your hair whipping around you as the blades whir and roar from above. 
“Mother hen!” You call out with a grin looking back over your shoulder at the Lieutenant who jumps out to follow you. Soap and Gaz cackle behind you as you make your way across the tarmac, leaving the stunned lieutenant with the teasing sergeants. 
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Tag list:
@alanalanalanalanalanna @crosshairs773fp @shinebright2000 @sae1kie @hotaruteba @ghostlythots @hyperfixationwhore @01trickster10
(I've tried for like 10 minutes to tag the last three of yall but it just won't work :,( If anyone knows a quick fix lemme know!)
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dbnightingale24 · 1 month
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My Little Decoy
A StevexReaderxBucky Messy Triangle
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Another story for Patreon! So, for this one, I'm a bit anxious (when am I not?), because this definitely took off in the complete opposite direction of what I initially planned. That being said, I hope you all enjoy it!
Thank you as always to @fuckingbye for the amazing moodboard, I love you to bits for literally everything you do! I was in the middle of updating three other stories when this idea came to me, so please just work with me! (I'm so sorry I'm like this.)
Anywho, here we go!
Word Count: 34,776 (I'm not even gonna apologize anymore)
Warnings: Honestly, this entire fucking story. SMUT (MINORS DNI 18+ ONLY), Threesome, Lying, Infidelity, Emotional Cheating, Swearing, Drinking, Infertility, Family Drama, Angst, Lusting, Daddy Kink, Running Away, Tie Play, Cuff Play, Crying, Fluff, Best friends to lovers...that's all I can think of? They're honestly so many.
Song(s) That Inspired This Chapter: Don't Look So Blue, You Should've Seen Right Thru, I'm Using You, My Little Decoy
Summary: You truly do have the best intentions when you try to move on and suppress your feelings for your best friend Steve, and try to move on with Bucky. Unfortunately, life doesn't give a damn about intentions. Neither does love.
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I do not give consent/permission for my stories/works to get posted elsewhere. I do not condone this type of behavior, this is for entertainment purposes only.
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You wonder how the hell it got to this point in the first place as you lay in Steve’s soft bed sheets. What feels like it should be a quiet moment of peace is juxtaposed with your current reality; Bucky pounding on the front door and you and Steve conspiring to think of some kind- any kind- of excuse.
You truly don’t understand how it got to this. 
It all feels like it started so long ago. You didn’t even know 6 years could feel so fast, much less pass so quickly. You look around at where you are now, at Steve, as you listen to the shaking of the front door against Bucky’s fist as he continues thumping away. Fuck. What if memories lie? Maybe it is that long ago.
~~
6 Years Earlier...
“Babe, you ever had a night out in the city?” Bucky asked as you took off your gear.
Training was brutal and everyone was looking for a way to relieve stress. You knew The Avengers were all planning to meet up at some club downtown, but you had other plans. 
“I have, and as much fun as it can be, I have other plans,” you laugh as you take your hair out of the tightest ponytail you’d ever had it in. 
“Oh? What are you getting into?” Natasha laughs, making her way over with Bruce holding onto her as if he’d lose her.
“My friend’s band is playing tonight. I promised her I’d go if we finished up early enough.”
“Oh, this I gotta see!” Bruce chimes in as you laugh and shake your head. “You never let us have a peak into your personal life!”
“God, I haven’t been to a show in forever,” Natasha chimes in with raised eyebrows.
He wasn’t wrong. You played everything so close to the chest; wanting to keep those you love and care for the most safe...wanting to keep yourself safe. Since none of them were relenting (not to mention they’re the damn Avengers), you finally agreed and told them to meet you outside of your room at the compound in about two hours.
“Is it too late for me to get in on this?” Steve asks just as the group was about to disperse.
“There you are!” Bucky interjects before anyone has a chance to say anything. “Y/N is giving us a peak into her personal life! We’re all meeting at her place in two hours and going from there,” he laughs patting his best friend on the back. 
Steve looked at you with a cocked eyebrow and you just laugh and nod, giving him the ‘OK’ to tag along. Unbeknownst to the others, you and Steve hung out the most. No, he’d never been privy to your personal life, but you two spent a lot of time watching movies and listening to music together on the weekends. Occasionally, Bucky would get in on the action, but it was mainly you and Steve. You and Steve had a certain level of comfort that you didn’t have with the rest of them. It was more of an unspoken, private thing and that’s how the both of you preferred it. You both understood each other, and neither of you ever made the other feel sad or out of place for things that had gone wrong in each other’s past. You both had wounds you were still healing from, and you gave each other the space needed for that to happen. 
You’d always had a thing for Steve. He kept himself at a distance, so it was difficult for you to tell if he ever felt the same. After a while, you’d stopped trying and just accepted him as a friend. He told you that he’d wanted to go back and stay with Peggy, but he was too afraid to leave Bucky on his own again, so he’d come back instead. He wasn’t even sure if Bucky would ever be okay with being alone; Steve just stayed without asking him. It seemed like the right thing to do, and he didn’t hate the current timeline too much.
Soon enough, everyone is in your small little complex, drinking and laughing as you put together the last bit of your outfit. The thought of Steve joining all of you had you more anxious than you cared to admit, so you chalked it up to the normal anxiety of inviting your work colleagues into your personal life.
Which was more than fair.
“I’m sure you look amazing, lets go! I’m too excited for this!” Natasha hollers as she makes her way into your bedroom.
“Nat!”
“Oh, they’re all in there drinking away! You’re fine,” she laughs, closing the door behind her. “Well shit!”
“I swear to God, I’ll change right now!”
“No! You look amazing!” she promised as her hands covered her mouth. “None of us have ever seen you out of work clothes, and babe...you look amazing,” she laughs in shock. 
“Should I change? I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea-”
“If you’re comfortable, who cares. No one wants to interfere with your personal life. I think we’re all more afraid of pushing you away,” she laughs.
“You really think it’s okay?”
“I mean, I think you’re hot as fuck,” she laughed as you rolled your eyes, “but I think you look amazing.”
“You sure?”
“Get enough alcohol in them , they won’t even notice when you leave for the bathroom,” she laughed.
Even though you laughed along with her, you knew better. James Buchanan Barnes kept his attention on you almost as well as Steve, but you never thought anything of it. It always had a more platonic feeling than with Steve, almost more familial.   
When you came out, Steve was the first to look at you. His mouth slightly agape was enough to make you wanna go back, but Bucky was quick to chime in-
“Someone is ready for a night out,” he laughed.
That’s all it took. 
Soon enough, you were taking shots and laughing with everyone else. Even Pepper and Tony were excited and joined you all. Your life was something so foreign to them, and you could tell that they all felt extremely excited that you trusted them enough. 
In all honesty, you felt more comfortable because Steve was there. You knew he’d never let anything happen to you, and you’d never let anything happen to him. If you were being completely honest, you’d only wanted to invite him out. How it spiraled, you’re still not sure but it did. It The only thing that felt off was letting him see you dressed as you were. It was weird for all of them to see you dressed as you were, but Steve couldn’t take his eyes off you.
You were in red plaid crop top, with tight fighting black jeans that hugged your hips in just the right way, and black low top heels. You put your hair in loose curls, and finished it off with eyeliner and mascara. After a brutal day of training, you really didn’t wanna spend forever doing your makeup, because you knew you’d wanna come home after everything was over and go right back to sleep. Yeah, everything was hugging your body in just the right way, but you weren’t about to change. 
You were introducing them to your life.
Before you all left, Thor filled three flasks with his mead from Asgard for himself, Steve, and Bucky and you laughed pretty damn hard.
“We wanna enjoy this night too,” he winked at you as you rolled your eyes. 
The walk was easy enough, but it felt like it took forever. People kept asking for pictures with the OG Avengers, they had a million questions, and of course they were all happy to be as kind as possible. It’s not that you minded all that much, but you really missed your best friend. Work had been kicking your ass, she had been extremely busy, and was in the middle of planning her wedding. Nights off were extremely rare, but actually getting to see her and her friends perform? It had been forever.
“You made it!” she squealed once you were finally inside the club with everyone, almost knocking you over with how hard she hugged you.
“I told you I’d show! Even if I would’ve only caught the last song,” you laughed as you hugged her back just as tight. “We still on for drinks after?”
“Fuck yes! Your tits look amazing in this top, we’re definitely getting free drinks out of it,” she beamed with a wink and you burst out laughing. “Okay, I’ve seen all of you on TV, but I still wanna officially meet everyone,” she smiled at everyone. “I’m Meg.”
As everyone went around introduced themselves, you made your way to the bar, to grab your signature Jack and Coke.
“Hell yes! You made it!” Meg’s finance, Paul, beamed as he made your drink.
“Why is everyone so shocked that I’m here?!”
“You haven’t been to a show in years!”
“Blah, blah, blah,” you muttered as you reached behind the bar and grabbed his pack of cigarettes.
“You bring the Avengers with you and you dare to steal from me?” he sneered sarcastically as he handed you your drink.
You laughed as you reached across the bar and kissed his cheek, “I’m sure our friendship will survive it.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Dude, I had no idea the place would be so packed tonight.”
“I have a feeling everyone here had a long ass Friday.” “Yeah, well they better treat my baby right.” “You two!”
He rolled his eyes as he flipped you off, “enjoy the show!”
“Thank you, Paaauuullll,” you sang out as everyone joined you.
You looked up to see Steve staring at you intently, and he quickly turned towards the stage when he realized he was caught. Before you could allow yourself to think on it or feel flattered, you heard your best friend yell from the stage as she started to make her guitar scream.
“We’re ‘Flowers of Cinnamon’, and thanks for spending your Friday night with us!”
From that moment on, you were barely paying attention to your surroundings. With the exception of your drink, you didn’t focus on anything other than your best friend rocking the fuck out. It had always just been a hobby for her, but she had always been so damn good at it. You envied how effortlessly performing came to her. The band was a cross between Paramore, The Bangles, and All Time Low, and they were just as amazing as you remembered. You wouldn’t have been able to stay still even if you’d wanted to. You sang and danced along to every song, bouncing around, and screaming your head off. You had no clue that Steve had been watching you with the biggest grin on his face, Bucky had been watching your chest bounce up and down, or that Tony had been recording your reaction to your best friend’s music, smiling so hard at your happiness.
Every other song, your best friend made eye contact with you and laughed, and nothing else seemed to matter. Thinking back on it, you wished it had, because maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so fucked up, but you were just so damn happy. The more drinks got, the more you danced and sang around, finally feeling comfortable and happy, even with your new set of friends watching you.
“Okay, this is gonna be our last song for the night,” Meg smiled into the microphone and she laughed at amount of “boos” they received. “Listen, I wanna get fucked up too!” she joked, gaining laughs from the crowd. “Okay, so tonight is extremely special because my best friend on the entire planet is here and brought her friends with her! Thanks babe! So, our last song is gonna be a cover of one of her favorite songs ever,” she winked at you as you cocked an eyebrow.
As soon as you heard the first cord of ‘Decoy’ by Paramore hum out of the speakers, you screamed so loud that everyone in your group (and Paul) started laughing. 
‘Close your eyes and make believe that this is where you wanna be
Forgetting all the memories, try to forget love cause love’s forgotten me
Well hey, hey baby, it’s never too late
Pretty soon you won’t remember a thing
All I’ll be distant, the stars reminiscing
Your heart’s been wasted on me’
You sang along so effortlessly as you started to jump up and down.
‘You’ve never been so used as I’m using you, abusing you
My little decoy
Don’t look so blue, you should’ve seen right through
I’m using you, my little decoy
My little decoy’
You linked arms with Nat, who clearly didn’t know the song, but was more than happy to sing and dance along with you. You glanced around and it made you so happy to see everyone else happy and having a good time. It’s not like you were a stick in the mud at work but, you never let loose. Even when it came to holiday and birthday parties, you were pretty damn reserved. The only person who can claim that they’ve seen you fucked up is Steve, and even then it was just you being wine drunk on the sofa while you two listened to albums and discussed work.
No, this was you letting lose and everyone accepting it. Accepting you. You looked over at Steve and he a look of pure love and adoration in his eyes, and it made your heart swell. 
God, you wished you would’ve paid more attention to the way both he and Bucky looked at you that night, but you were just so damn happy and having so much fun.
If you could turn back time...
“Am I still okay at singing?” Meg asked once she finally made her way over to all of you.
“Dude, you’re still fucking amazing!” you beamed as you wrapped her in a tight hug and she laughed. “That was so good! Thank you for playing ‘Decoy’, almost making me cry!”
“Aha!” she teased before she looked at everyone else. “What about Earth’s mightiest heroes? Were you all able to tolerate it?”
“That was amazing,” Tony laughed, Pepper nodding in agreement.
“Why don’t you do this full time?” Nat asked as you waived Paul down and got another drink for both you and Meg.
“If I did this full time, I’d be so stressed all the damn time,” Meg laughed, “I’m much happier painting.”
“What do you paint? Do you have a studio?” Clint inquired and a smile came to your face.
Things were going better than you could have ever imagined. 
As everyone got acquainted, you snuck to have a smoke. A few moments later, a smile came to your face when you saw Steve come out after you.
“You said you’re quitting those,” he nodded towards the cigarette in your hand. 
“I stole Paul’s,” you laughed, standing a little further from him so as to not get the smoke in his face. 
“I can handle it,” he laughed as he placed his black leather jacket on you. “You’re pretty...exposed and I don’t want you getting cold.”
“Well, aren’t you just the sweetest man?” you teased before you inhaled your cancer stick. “Who else knows about this? I’ll call the ‘New York Times’” He snickered as he shook his head, “quiet you.”
“Are you having fun tonight?”
“I am, I like you seeing like this.”
You scoffed, “crazy?” “Happy...content. Secure.”
You felt your cheeks heat up at his words, and the look he gave you along with it, had butterflies appearing in your stomach.
“We should get back inside,” you smiled at up at him as you ashed the last of your cigarette and threw it in the nearby trash bin. 
And maybe that’s when it started.
You just missed all the signs that night, because you were convinced Steve didn’t want you.
He convinced you he didn’t want you. 
When the two of you got back inside, Paul had just finished up his shift and the guys had finished helping Meg back up her equipment which she had decided to lock up in the manager’s office for the night. 
“Dancing! We need dancing!” she whined once her eyes landed on you.
“Hell yeah we do,” you laughed as you linked arms with both her and Nat.
Once again, you didn’t notice the way Bucky ogled you or the way Steve kept a close eye on you. When you all reached the next bar, you instantly ordered more drinks and pulled Nat and Meg onto the dance floor with you, still wearing Steve’s coat. He leaned against the bar, talking with Tony and Pepper, but still kept an eye on you. As Janet Jackson’s voiced filled the giant building, you danced around with the biggest smile on your face (at some point Meg had put her sunglasses on your face), smiling and waiving at Bucky when you saw his eyes glued to you.
Well, glues to your ass.
By the time everyone was ready to call it a night, you were drunk as shit.
“You’re not coming back to the compound?” Nat asked as she stumbled out after you.
“Nah, I wanna sleep in my own space tonight. It’s closer,” you giggled as you started giving out hugs.
“I can take you,” Bucky offered with a slick grin.
“I can take her, she’s on the way to my house,” Steve countered, and Meg cocked an eyebrow at you.
You just started dancing and walking. 
“Goodnight everyone! Get home safe! I love you all!”
You were drunk, tired, and in no mood to figure out whatever that was about. You just wanted to go home and get in your bed. You honestly don’t know why you didn’t go back to the compound that night, but it just felt right to go to your own home. You already spent so little time there to begin with. A few moments later, you heard the hurried footsteps of someone behind you, but you kept looking ahead.
“You’re impatient when you’re drunk,” Steve laughed as he came up beside you.
A small smile came to your face at the fact that Steve was the one to walk you home.
You giggled as you leaned into him, “my feet hurt.”
No sooner than you said it, he scooped you up.
“Steve!”
“You weigh nothing, don’t worry about it, darlin.” “It’s a 30 minute walk!” 
“I’m very well aware of where your apartment is.” “Steve-”
“Hush.”
You pouted but did as you were told, leaned into him, and took in the scent that was all his own. Something between woodsy and fresh cut grass. In your drunken state, he felt like home.
“Why didn’t you want Bucky to take me home?” you asked after a few moments, not missing the way he stiffened a bit.
“He’s a little buzzed and he gets a little handsy and flirty at times. I didn’t want him to bother you.” You giggled as you took in more of his scent, “you’re literally carrying me, Steve.” “You said your feet hurt.” “Are you a little buzzed?”
“I definitely don’t feel sober,” he chuckled softly and you softly sighed at the comfort of rumble in his chest.
“Do you wanna sleepover?”
“I’ll order a car service once I drop you off.”
“Why not order one now?”
“It was weird...everyone hanging out tonight. I feel like we haven’t hung out alone together in a while.” “Then why not sleepover?”
“Cause I should go home. I don’t wanna accidentally wake you up or something. You worked hard today and you need rest.” “So did you.” “Y/N.” “You’re so weird sometimes, Steve,” you huffed as you laced your hand with his.
“What are you doing?”
“Holding your hand like I’ve done a million times before. What’s wrong?” “Nothing.”
You rolled your eyes and mumbled, “alright weirdo.” “I’m not being weird.”
“You’re not being normal.”
He let out a frustrated huff, “did you have fun tonight?”
“So much fun, I’m so happy you came out.”
“I’ve missed you, darlin.” “I’ve missed you too. Steve?”
“Hmm?”
“Sleepover.”
“Y/N-” “See? You are being weird. You’ve slept over my place a ton before, in my bed, and it wasn’t weird. What’s so different about tonight?”
He muttered, “so many things.” “Like what?”
“It’s just been a long night.”
“Fine, whatever. Go home, see if I give a fuck.” “Hey!”
“You’re being weird and you won’t tell me why. You know I hate when you do that shit.”
“I just think I should sleep in my own bed, darlin’. I’m not trying to be weird or make you upset.”
He sounded so strained and you couldn’t read his facial expression, so you couldn’t see how torn up he was. You couldn’t tell how much he was at war with himself.
You couldn’t tell how much he wanted you.
He chuckled when you didn’t say anything, “don’t get quiet on me now.”
“Can you at least stay until I fall asleep? It won’t take long.” “Everything okay, darlin’?”
“Yeah Steve, I just miss you,” you confessed softly. 
“We’ll do a sleepover tomorrow, alright? We’ll have it at my house.” “Fine.” “Don’t be upset.” “I don’t care.” “You’re also a giant brat when you’re drunk.” “You’re saying that you miss me, but won’t spend time with me!”
God, you sounded like a brat to your own ears. That was a huge part as to why you’d never let him see you so inebriated. It’s why you never wanted anyone from The Avengers (or S.H.I.E.L.D for that matter) to see you so drunk. It became harder for you to suppress your feelings for Steve, and he’s all you wanted when you were drunk. For reasons unknown to you (at the time), Steve wanted to go home. That should’ve been enough, but your drunk wanted to hold him all night. 
You were going out of your way to start an argument. 
He let out a heavy sigh as he reached your complex, “I’ll stay-”
“Don’t do me any fucking favors-” “Will stop arguing with me? And stop with swearing, you know I hate it.” “Well maybe I hate you.”
He scoffed hard at that, “no you don’t.”
“You don’t know that-”
“Yes I do, so stop saying it. I’ll stay, okay?”
“And you’ll sleep next to me?”
“Yes darlin’, I will sleep next to you.”
You pressed a soft kiss to his neck and you felt his grip on you get tighter, “thank you, Steve!”
“Anything for you, sweetheart.”
That night, he was good to his word and slept next to you, letting use his chest as a pillow and you were asleep almost instantly. The next day, he was back to normal and you didn’t think anything of his behavior from the previous night. You had no reason to. However, from that day on, things did slowly start to change more. 
It started with Bucky coming around more, especially when Steve was with you. You couldn’t sense it, because has always been entirely too good at hiding his emotions, but he slowly became frustrated. So much that he basically stopped coming around all together. 
“Hey, are you busy?” you asked timidly as you approached his office one day.
“Yeah, unfortunately.” “Oh...okay then-”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, you’re busy and I don’t wanna take up your time...”
You could feel your eyes welling up and didn’t know why. Steve always had a way of making you so damn soft and vulnerable, and you truly hated it.
You still hate it. 
“Darlin’-” “Please stop calling me that. The guy who started calling me that doesn’t seem to exist anymore. If he does, he’s making sure to stay away from me.”
“He still exists-” “Then what’s going on? Why are you staying away from me?”
He sighed as he threw down his pen, “nothing-”
“Alright, if you’re just gonna lie to me-” “I’m not lying!”
“Steve, you saw me walking with Bucky yesterday and literally turned in the other direction and walked away.” “You guys are just hanging out a lot now and I don’t wanna third wheel-” “You wouldn’t third wheeling! We’re just friends!”
“Y/N...” “Steve, why are you just abandoning me? You’re the one I’m closest to and you know that. You’ve always known that,” you sobbed as you closed the door behind you.
“Please don’t cry-” “Then why are you abandoning me?! What did I do wrong?!”
“Nothing-”
“Then what the fuck?! You’ve been acting so strange, but you’re saying I haven’t done anything! If I didn’t do anything, what the fuck is going on with you?!”
He let out another frustrated sigh and just stared at you, clearly at war with himself.
“Fuck this and fuck you, I give up,” you sobbed as you dried your eyes. 
“Darlin’”
“Stop calling me that! I’m just Y/N and you’re just Steve. I can’t do this with you anymore!”
After you stormed out, things only got worse, because you’d never felt so low and alone in your life. Unless it had to do with a mission or training, you barely even looked his way. The farther you got away from Steve, the more Bucky swooped in. In fact, the more you look at how everything happened, you realize that things wouldn’t have gotten so bad if you’d just shut things down with the both of them. 
However, it’s not as if thinking with a broken heart ever lead to a good thing. 
You cried a lot and Bucky was just there for you. He was sweet, he listened, and let you keep your secrets. Sure, he asked what happened between you and Steve (everyone was), but he dropped it when you told him you wouldn’t be talking about it.
You can’t explain what you don’t know. 
“Hey doll, we’re goin’ out tonight. You wanna come? Invite Meg!” Bucky asked one night after you let him in your apartment on the compound.
“Nah, I’ve got a hot date with a black and white French film and a few glasses of wine,” you smiled weakly.
“You can’t stay in here forever.”
“I don’t. Sometimes I go home.” “Babe-”
“I just wanna stay in, Buck,” you sighed as someone else knocked on your door. “I guess I’m just the most popular girl in the world.”
When you opened it the second time, Steve stood there looking just as upset as you felt. Instead of even trying to attempt to hear him out, a rage flared up inside you and you had to force yourself to not shove him. As far as you were concerned, he had a lot of fucking nerve to show up at your place after all the shit that happened in his office. 
“What?”
“I wanted to know if you’re coming out tonight-”
“No.”
“Well, can I come in and we can talk? I know I owe you an explanation-”
“I don’t want an explanation anymore, Steve,” you lied harshly, “I just want you to leave me alone. I stood in your office and cried like a fucking dumbass...that was a month ago. Now you wanna talk? Just leave things as they are.”
You truly wish you hadn’t spoken out of anger because none of it was true. You cried over him whenever you were alone, you missed hanging out with him, you missed falling asleep next to him...you missed Steve. Your Steve.
You’ve always been a hot head. 
“Darlin-” “What have I told you about that?” “Y/N, just give me a few minutes-”
“No, go away. Unless it has to do with work, we don’t have anything to talk about.” “You don’t mean that,” he more pleaded than told you.
“I’ve never meant it more!”
“Y/N-”
Bucky sighed as he came up behind you, “she just needs to cool off, Pal.”
If you hadn’t been so upset and hurt you would’ve laughed at how wide Steve’s eyes got.
“We’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
“I thought you were coming out. It was your idea in the first damn place,” Steve snapped.
“I don’t wanna leave Y/N while she’s this upset. She shouldn’t be alone right now.”
Steve opened his mouth to say something, but all that happened was he clenched his jaw and looked away before he stormed off, punching the wall on his way out.
You should’ve spoken to him. You should’ve gone after him. Instead you pushed past Bucky and made yourself your first glass of wine of the night.
“Babe-”
“Buck, if you’re gonna stay here tonight, please no lectures. I just wanna be upset, okay?”
He just nodded solemnly, “I get it. No lectures, just drinks and weird French movies,” he smirked and you quietly laughed. 
Here’s the thing: it’s not that you never found Bucky attractive, you just never thought about him. You were always thinking about Steve. However, at that time, thinking about Steve brought you too much pain and you didn’t want to feel anymore pain for a while. You just wanted to feel numb. You’d rather have nothing, the void, than hold onto the pain Steve’s brought on. 
You rested your legs on him when he sat next to you, not thinking anything of it. When he started stroking your leg after the third glass of wine, you still didn’t think anything of it. You only started to pick up on his actions when he squeezed your thigh a little.
“Buck?”
“Yeah doll?” “What are you doing?”
“Trying to help you relax and feel better.”
“Buck-”
“I’ve never seen you this upset, babe. I just wanna help.”
The thought and the offer were tempting. You couldn’t remember the last time you had gotten off to something other than your vibrator. Of course you’d made subtle advances towards Steve, but he’d clearly turned you down. Plus, the women around the compound did talk. While Bucky had a reputation for being a skirt chaser, he also had a reputation for wearing women out in the best way.
It’s not like you were looking for anything. You just wanted to forget for awhile. 
He tested the waters a bit more by sliding his hand further up your leg, waiting to see how you’d respond. 
You placed your wine glass on the ground and opened your legs for him a bit, “you just wanna make me feel better?”
“So fuckin’ good, doll,” he husked, as he reached between your legs and easily ripped your panties off, “just lay back and enjoy, baby.”
His movements were slow, but his kisses were desperate. It felt good, but off. Not to mention you felt more guilty with every kiss he gave you, like you were betraying Steve.
‘Fuck Steve,’ you told yourself mentally, ‘he had his chance and he clearly didn’t want it.’
You closed your eyes in a vain attempt to shut out any thoughts of Steve, but that only made his face come to mind. You let out a sound between a moan and a frustrated grunt as you pulled Bucky’s hair.
“Please!”
“Tell me how bad you want it,” he smirked, his hot breath lapped at your pussy.
“So fucking bad, please! Need it!”
“Love seeing you like this,” he cooed, before he dipped down and dove in and his lewd moans filled the room.
This was the moment Bucky became your “decoy”. You didn’t want him in the same way he wanted you, but part of you felt like he didn’t actually give a shit. Since he’d lost Nat to Bruce, Bucky wasn’t ever really looking for a relationship. He liked to play around, entertain a woman (or two) for a few months, then he’d move on. As far as you were concerned, that night was only supposed to be a one time thing. 
“F-fuck!” you moaned, doing your best to be in the moment as you lulled your head back while he fucked you with his tongue and massaged your clit with his thumb. “Feels so good, Buck!”
You weren’t lying completely. It’s not as if Bucky was bad at eating you out, he just wasn’t the one you wanted doing it. 
You felt him smirk against your folds, and started to grind your pussy against his face, forcing yourself to focus on all the pleasure you felt instead of everything else.
‘Steve doesn’t want you. Steve doesn’t want you. Stop thinking about Steve!’ you told yourself mentally.
When he switched up and started sucking on your clit, he easily pressed two fingers into your soaked folds. You felt the knot in your core tighten and snap.
“FUCK!” you cried out as you came hard and a few tears escaped your eyes.
You hated how the tears weren’t from pleasure, but you masked it well enough as he fucked you through your high.
“Take off that fuckin’ shirt, baby. Let me fuckin’ see you,” he husked as he took off his own shirt and started to undo his jeans. 
You were quick to do as he said, taking all of him as you ignored how uncomfortable you felt being so bare beneath him as his mouth glistened with your juices.
You were doing this to feel better, so why weren’t you feeling any better?
“Waited so fuckin’ long, baby,” he groaned as he dipped down and worshiped each of your breasts while his thumb made little circles on your clit.
“Bucky!”
“I know baby, I’m gonna take care of you, gonna take such good care of you,” he moaned before you felt his tongue on the side of your neck, licking up little beads of sweat. 
You took a deep breath and told yourself you wanted it as you felt him at your entrance. You wanted Bucky. You just needed to let yourself relax.
“Jesus, you’re fuckin’ tight!” he grunted as he pushed into you.
“Oh fuck!”
“I know you can take me, baby! Your wet little pussy is squeezing me so tight, baby!” “Please don’t stop,” you whimpered as you wrapped a leg around his waist, trying to hang on to him as he fucked into you hard and fast.
You wanted this. You agreed to this.
He pushed himself up with his metal arm and looked down at you adoringly, “wanted you for so long, doll. Waited for...ah fuck!”
To avoid feeling anymore guilt, you wrapped an arm around him to pull him close and kissed him passionately, moaning into his mouth when you felt him fill you to the brim. He rode out both your highs before he rested his forehead against yours.
“So good, baby. You tired?” he asked, breath still coming heavy.
You just closed your eyes and shook your head no.
“Good girl.”
Bucky kept at it for a while, not feeling any real pleasure until he brought you off (which you had to fake half the time). There was nothing wrong with him. You found him attractive, and you knew that he wanted you, but it just wasn’t what you wanted. All of it felt so hollow and emotionless on your end. You felt like you were acting and Bucky was working his ass off to please you; to make matters worse, your phone kept going off and you knew who it was.
Steve would’ve hated you if he knew what you were doing and who with, but a part of you felt like he already did. When you both were done, Bucky was a gentleman. He pulled your shirt over your head, carried you to bed, and held you close until you both fell asleep.
You didn’t cry until the next day when you woke up alone in an empty apartment. You ignored calls from both Bucky and Steve, and eventually Bucky was the only one texting you.
Something in you knew that Bucky had confirmed his suspicions, and you just knew he was furious. You and Steve both knew Bucky wasn’t a bad guy, he was just a player and Steve never wanted that for you. 
Eventually you cracked and called Meg, and cried while you told her everything. 
“Well...fuck,” she muttered once you finally got everything out. “Are you sure Steve knows?”
“His calls and texts were incessant until they weren’t. He hasn’t done either in the last 3 hours.”
“Oh yeah no, he definitely fucking knows. Bucky?”
“Bucky went from every 30 minutes to every other hour.”
“Well, what’s wrong with him?” “Nothing...”
“Except?” 
“He’s not Steve.”
“Yeah, but Steve passed up on you, and he was kind of a dick about it. He waited a month until after the office situation? You’ve been showing him your available for how many years? I know you love him, but-”
“I don’t love him.”
“Yeah, cause that’s you’re crying to me about him instead of the skirt chaser that fucked your brains out?”
“Meg.”
“I’m not being insensitive, I’m being honest. Bucky was there last night, clearly wanted you, was with you all night, and all you could think about was Steve. Today, even though Bucky is still texting you, you’re more upset that Steve isn’t because you know he knows. If I were you, I’d be more worried about the guy that’s used to fucking around breaking my heart, than the guy who isn’t,” she sighed.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Steve had his chance, I need to let him go. I’ve been in my room crying all day...I have to stop.”
“Can you?”
“I don’t have much of a choice do I?”
“Babe, if you could end up with Steve, I’d prefer that, but that’s not really an option. Even if he came back, he gave you the run around for a bit. Just focus on you for now and what you want. You always want to make others happy, and you need to focus on you.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right.”
“Do you need me to come over?”
“No, being alone is good for me right now.”
“Alright, I love you, Y/N. It’s gonna be okay.”
You let out a heavy sigh as you sobbed, “I love you,” and hung up.
You ignored Bucky for the rest of the day, feeling guilty about it, but knowing it was for the best. You’d done enough wrong and you truly did need to focus on you and what you wanted.
However, before you fell asleep, you broke down and checked all your texts from Steve.
O Captain, My Captain: Darlin, please just talk to me. I’m so sorry.
O Captain, My Captain: I’m not going out tonight, please just answer me.
O Captain, My Captain: Don’t do anything with Bucky. He’s my best friend, but he’s not worthy of you. He won’t treat you right and you know that.
O Captain, My Captain: Please just answer me.
O Captain, My Captain: If I could take back my actions, I would. I’m so sorry. If you’d just talk to me, I’d be able to make you understand.
O Captain, My Captain: Please talk to me. I miss you so much.
O Captain, My Captain: I’m going to sleep, but give me a call whenever.
O Captain, My Captain: Seriously? All night and you’re still not talking to me?
O Captain, My Captain: Baby, please just talk to me. We’ve never gone this long without talking, and I fucking hate it.
O Captain, My Captain: Y/N...please.
O Captain, My Captain: Bucky just left. You’ve made yourself loud and clear, and fine. I got it.
O Captain, My Captain: Do whatever the fuck you want.
When you woke up the following day, you had the biggest headache from crying, and the last thing you felt like doing was facing either of them. You had a job to do though, and criminals didn’t stop being criminals just because you had a broken heart. Even though you were slower to dress than usual, you were still on time for training, and God, it was brutal.
Bucky kept looking at you, Steve wouldn’t even look your way, and you couldn’t focus. You’d never had a day so bad, and all you wanted was to crawl back into bed. During the meeting after, you just leaned against the wall, barely listening to anything Nick had to say. The one time you bothered to look up, you looked over at Steve and was glaring at you. 
God, you really fucking hated yourself. 
“Doll, wait up!” Bucky called after you once the meeting was over.
You’d practically run out of the room.
“Bucky, I really just want-”
“What did I do wrong?” he breathed once he caught up to you. “Everything seemed fine on Saturday, I thought we both enjoyed it.”
You didn’t miss the way Steve quietly scoffed as he walked past the both of you.
“Bucky, I just-”
“Did I hurt you? What...I really like you, Y/N. I have for a while and I just...was I too eager?”
You honestly hadn’t expected that.
“Wait...what?”
“I never said anything, because I thought you and Steve had a thing going, but that’s clearly not happening. You were just so upset on Saturday and I wanted to make you happy, and I’ve wanted you for so long...what did I do?”
Trash. You felt like absolute trash.
“I need to get to my room.” “Y/N-”
“Just...I’ll talk to you later, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong, I promise. I just have a lot going on in my head. I just need to be by myself for a while.”
“Please just-”
“I’ll talk to you later, okay? I’m sorry.”
~~
You can read the rest here.
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natashasnoodle · 11 months
Note
any chance of a fic where y/n has been sneezing and sniffling all day and Nat realises shes coming down with a bad cold so decides to look after her 😊☺️
Sniffles and Sneezes | Natasha Romanoff x Female Reader
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Masterlist | N.R Masterlist
Words: 2.3k
Thank you for the very sweet request &lt;3
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The first thing that you could think of that day was how it felt that you had been hit by a truck. Your eyes hadn’t even opened yet, but your throat felt scratchy, your head felt like it was being pumped full of helium, and your body ached as though you’d had a tough day at the gym, despite not having worked out for a few days thanks to meetings and reports. With a groan you lifted your arm and weakly flopped it forward, trying to search for Natasha. Usually, you would have been more gentle, but you had truly lost a decent chunk of your motor skills.
Disappointment ebbed through you with shock waves when you felt empty sheets. They were cold, so she had been gone for a while. With a great amount of effort, you rolled onto your other side and finally allowed your eyes to open, groaning even harder as the bright lights from the gap in your curtains struck your eyeballs.
Squinting thanks to the blurriness, you looked at your alarm clock. 10:37.
Great.
You were running late on starting your tasks for the day, and Nat would be finishing up training soon. It was Monday, which meant that it was Nat’s most intense training session of the week. She liked to start off incredibly strong on Mondays so that the rest of the week seemed a bit better and she would get on with it without complaining. Whatever worked for her, you guessed. You just preferred doing it consistently each day, with shorter training sessions, Natasha’s were more erratic with longer days to make up for shorter days.
Due to it being her most intense training session, you always liked to prepare breakfasts for her on Mondays, so… if you were to do that for your lovely girlfriend, you would have to get a move on. Fast.
Grunting when heaving yourself off of the bed, swaying initially, you made your way to the bathroom to brush your teeth and tie your hair up, before getting into some day clothes. You had too much to do today to continue slacking all morning, so you got into some presentable clothes and tidied yourself up.
Fake it ‘til you make it.
With a newfound (fake) pep in your step, you made your way through the compound and over to the kitchen. No one was there as they had already started their day hours ago, and you were glad that you didn’t have to make small talk whilst it felt like your head was being hit by a sledgehammer.
With the oven turned on, the coffee pot brewing, and you standing bent over with your forehead pressed into the cool counters, you thought that the morning was now on the right track. Even though it looked like you were going delusional from an outside view.
The smells from the bacon, eggs, and toast were delicious. Though unfortunately, the new smells hitting your olfactory system seemed to awaken a hoard of sneezes that came out, meaning you had to lift your head away from the soothing counter for your body to get them out of your system. Yet another groan escaped your lips after the sneezing fit, and you washed your hands to plate up Nat’s meal.
And like clockwork, Nat strolled in at 11 in her workout gear, cheeks flushed from exertion, and a big grin on her face. That was until she saw you. You thought you were being slick with hiding how you felt like crap, but it was clear. You were paler than normal, with a sticky sheen on your forehead, and your nose red from sniffing. Her smile faltered for a second but it soon came back, happy to see you.
“Hey, honey. How are you?”, she walked up to you and placed a kiss on your cheek, looking at you with concern, “You don’t look too good, you okay?”.
“I’m fine”, you dismissed her with a flick of the wrist and plated up her breakfast up with a tired grin, “Bon appetite!”, you spoke proudly and pushed the plate in front of where she was now sitting at the table. Nat didn’t believe that you were really ‘fine’, but she was hungry, she’d just trained for four hours, so she told herself she’d ask you again once she’d finished the breakfast.
Just as she picked up her cutlery and was about to happily dig into her food, you launched into another sneezing fit into your elbow across the room. Her face scrunched up slightly as she looked between you and the food, now not trusting that this plate hadn’t been sneezed on at some point. Unintentionally obviously. It hadn’t been, but Natasha didn’t know that.
So as to not offend you by throwing your food away in front of you, Nat shouted over and suggested you sit in the living room whilst she finished up and get comfy and ready for them to write their reports together. Once you agreed and left, Nat threw the food in the bin immediately, placing some kitchen roll over it so you wouldn’t see it. With haste, she ate a few granola bars to satiate her hunger and waited a few minutes so that it wouldn’t look suspicious.
The granola bars were not as satisfying as a cooked breakfast, but she wasn’t annoyed at all. You had tried your best even when clearly not feeling well, even though your pride wouldn’t admit it. Natasha expected to walk into the living room and make sure you were okay whilst the both of you got on with work, making sure you were staying hydrated and taking breaks, after all, you only looked to have a small cold.
Though when she walked in she saw you curled up on the sofa with your laptop in your lap, with you being a bright red, sweaty mess, suddenly congested and with constant sneezing. You clearly looked to be running a fever. Her eyes widened in shock at how much of a difference five minutes could make, and she rushed over to you, sitting down by your feet. “Sweetheart… are you sure you’re fine, you really are looking a little rough today, and you’re sneezing”, she looked at you with a small pout.
“I’m fine, I promise”, you spoke with a nasally voice followed by a bout of sneezing, making Nat cringe slightly as she reached for the box of tissues on the coffee table and handed it over to you. “No… no you’re not. You’re not doing any work today”, she decided for you and lifted your laptop off of your lap. If your muscles weren’t yelling at you then you would have tried to fight back.
Instead, a pathetic whine left your lips as your arms weakly lifted up to try and reach. But you failed. “Nuh uh. No arguing with me”, she looked at you with a stern look, an eyebrow raised. You wanted to protest, you really did, but your mind and body were just too worn down, and so you flopped back into the corner of the sofa with a groan. You were so out of it and felt so so ill that you didn’t even realise Natasha had gotten up from the sofa and came back moments later, you just felt your mouth being manually opened by her and a thermometer being shoved under your tongue.
You gagged slightly at the intrusion and Nat’s eyes widened as she quickly removed it, “Sorry honey, I did warn you I was about to put the thermometer in, boy you really are out of it aren’t you?”, she spoke with concern and squeezed your shoulder whilst you hummed in agreement before she placed it back in again. It was silent for about thirty seconds before the beeping sounded out and she checked the temperature and frowned. “Aw bub, yeah you’re really burning up”, she looked at you with a sad look and kissed your forehead, before lifting you to sit up and wrapping her arms around you, rubbing soothing circles onto your back as you flopped into her.
“I brought some water and cold medicine tablets, okay? I want you to take them now so that you can relax. We’re both taking the day off”. You wanted to complain, you didn't like taking a day off, and you knew that Natasha didn’t either, so that suggestion made you feel like a huge burden. But, when she sternly, yet softly said “No, no arguments on this”, you immediately folded, not having the strength to fight back harder.
With a whine of acceptance, she gently placed you back down so that you were curled up in the corner of the sofa, this time with a cushion supporting your back to keep you more upright. “Thank you”, she spoke gently and placed a kiss to your forehead, handing you the tablets and the water so that you could take them.
After swallowing the medicine you reached your arms out for her to come and cuddle you, wanting nothing more than to be snuggled up whilst feeling this ill, but when another sneeze attack came around she shook her head, “In a little bit, okay? I’m gonna make you your favourite pasta bake whilst you try and nap, and then we can snuggle and watch some TV, how’s that sound?”, she finished with a slightly more optimistic tone, almost the tone in which one would speak to a child, in order to get you to comply in your defiant sleepy state.
But you ate that shit up and nodded with tired eyes as Nat smiled and placed another kiss to your forehead before moving to the kitchen. The pasta bake would take about forty minutes, which would hopefully be enough time for you to be able to get a small nap in and regain a bit of energy.
You lay there pouting on the sofa watching your girlfriend walk away from you and teared up when realising just how much this fever was kicking your ass. Your throat felt like it had been scratched over and over again with sandpaper, and you couldn’t seem to keep at a nice temperature.
Uncomfortable was an understatement.
You needed more water, but it was on a coaster on the coffee table. With a grunt, you sat more upright and leaned towards the coffee table, but with your weak energy, you just slid right off the sofa and onto the floor. A small whimper left your mouth at how uncomfortable the position was, but you managed to reach up and grab onto the fallen cushion that was on the edge of the sofa.
It took a lot of effort, but you moved the cushion under your head and just admitted defeat. There was no way in hell you would be able to hoist yourself back up, so you lay there uncomfortably and let sleep take over.
The next thing you know, your face was being prodded by a worried Natasha. “Oh thank God, I’ve been trying to wake you up for five minutes, you were dead to the world”, she sighed out in relief and helped you back up onto the sofa. You were no help, your body had just flopped and made itself heavy, but Nat was strong so it was easy to get you back up and comfortable. She smiled at you and cupped your cheek, “You okay?”. A weak nod signalled that you were, mostly because you had no idea what was going on, but then you smelt the tomato sauce that Nat was a master at making, and the tiniest of smiles appeared on your lips.
“Yeah, dinner’s done. Came in to wake you and saw your sorry ass crumpled on the floor, I didn’t know if you’d hit your head or not, scared me to death”, she said with a small frown as she grabbed a blanket and wrapped you up in it, making sure your arms were free to be able to eat the pasta.
“Sorry”, you said with a yawn, “Just slipped and gave up”. Nat snorted as you shrugged and then placed the pasta bake into your lap and handed you the fork, before putting on Killing Eve, making you smile again before you made the dreaded ‘pre-sneeze face’. With wide eyes, Nat quickly placed a piece of kitchen roll over your food before you had the chance to sneeze all over it and ruin it. And she was glad she did, it was the biggest sneeze attack of the day.
Wearily, you laid your head back and pouted, and Nat moved the kitchen roll away. “Come on, eat up”. Her eyes were soft as she looked at you, she hated seeing you ill, and she just wanted you to be better, so she pressed play on the TV watching as your eyes lit up and you started eating, staring at the show like you were a toddler watching cocomelon. It made her chuckle slightly, not that you heard. But she was just glad to see you distracted, allowing you to momentarily forget that your immune system was at war.
After you slowly munched your way through the pasta bake, finishing about half an hour after Nat finished hers, you looked sad again. Nat cooed at you as you looked a little lost, suddenly remembering that you felt as though you were dying. “Aw come here”, she said sweetly whilst wrapping an arm around you and pulling you into her, allowing you to just drape yourself across her.
“Now we can be snuggled up for the rest of the day, yeah?”, when your response was a sneeze she grimaced slightly, realising that she was most certainly going to get sick too, but you were worth it. 
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Comment if you want to be added to the taglist <3
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Natasha Romanoff Taglist:@diaryoflife @unlady-like-12-25-36 @doveromanoff
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rascal-xo · 1 year
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Hiiii!! I was hoping for a ghost x fem!reader where the reader is dead and ghost can't accept it and the others are worried about him. And one night he sees the reader beside him and hugs her in tears and wonders if she really here but his just hallucinating. I hope I didn't do the whole story for you.
The Call of The Void | Simon Riley x Female Reader |
Chapter summary: It’s been months since your untimely death, and Simon struggles to live in a world where you’re not there.
Warnings: DEATH, violence, angst, hallucinations hostile behavior, grief, alcohol use
Word count: 1.6K
taglist: @glitteryeggalmondherring @fiveshelmet @madamemelancholysstuff @myguiltypleasures21 @pukbadger
A/N: Sorry it took so long to get back to you, I hope I was able to capture your request like you had imagined :))
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The atmosphere on small hill was quiet, except for the soft rustle of the grass and the distant chirping of birds. Simon felt overwhelmed with the emptiness that seemed to echo through peaceful surroundings as he found himself in front of a marked cement gravestone.
Your gravestone.
His face was bare under the early hours of morning, a glow casting over him from the rising sun. Simon kneeled in the grass. He brushed his hand over the top of the gravestone, tracing the letters of your name with his fingertips. He could feel the rough texture of the cement beneath his skin, a tangible reminder that you were truly gone.
Simon took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to center himself. He could feel his chest tightening, the pain of his loss threatening to overwhelm him farther. He had come here every day for the past 4 months to try and say goodbye, but he didn't know if he could do it.
He didn't know if he had the strength to let you go.
Every time he closed his eyes he could see the vivid flashbacks of that dreadful night playing on repeat in his mind, haunting him constantly.
- FLASHBACK - **TW: Descriptions of death and explosions**
Simon secured his headset, checking over the comms. He glanced over at you, watching as you carefully checked and readied your rifle, as always before a mission.
Your signature red bandana was tied on your head, keeping your hair out of your face as you focused on your gear. He smiled himself, shaking his head very slightly, admiring the way you carry yourself.
You looked up and caught his eye, "Nervous, L.T?" you teased, giving him a smile. Simon lips turned up beneath his mask, always warming at the sound of your voice. “Never that, Love.”
The mission that the team was about to embark on was dangerous, but it was necessary. You were tasked with recon of enemy cargo in a heavily guarded multi compound facility. It was a mission that required precision and skill, from both ground teams.
When the men reached the perimeter of the compound, they split up, Bravo Team, Soap and Ghost taking a different vantage point while Alpha Team, Gaz and the Captain went into the old launch facility across the compound.
You were positioned on a nearby rooftop, your rifle trained on the main gates.
“Ready on the cover, Sergeant?” Captain Price said, coming over the comms into your earpiece. You were positioned way out of their line of sight.
“All good up here, Cap.” You answered, confidently.
You quickly aimed and fired, taking out the first two guards. You remained focused and steady, picking off any other guards that tried to intervene, ensuring that your team could move forward smoothly.
“Do you ever miss, Lass?” Johnny teased over the comms.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, MacTavish.” You chuckled, speaking back. It was a dangerous game, but you were confident in your skills and training.
“Compounds been cleared. Moving to Alpha.” Soap suddenly said. You hadn’t received any updated information as of yet and continued to scan the area.
Ghost and Soap were already halfway to Alpha team when you cleared the area and began to follow behind. But as you touched ground below, your eye caught the a blinking red light from the first building indicating a remote system coming online.
“Compounds not clear, scanning for hostiles.” You say, turning around.
“Say again?” Captain Price replied firmly over the comms.
“Demolitions may have just went active. Somethings blinking.” You answer, you knew something was off and couldn't shake off the feeling. “I’m clearing it, i’ll be right behind you.”
“Negative, Move out NOW Sergeant!” He ordered, sternly.
“Fucking hell, Y/N.” Ghost added.
As you entered the control room, you found the source of the blinking light. A remote detonation system had been set up, and it was set to go off in a matter of moments. But nothing you did could’ve stopped what was about to ensue.
The darkness was suddenly pierced by a blinding flash of light, and then suddenly everything went dark. The explosion was massive, unleashing an intense wave of energy that rippled through the air, shattering windows and doors, and rattling the very foundations of the surrounding buildings.
“SERGEANT, HOW COPY?” The team scrambled to get to your location, and to get word from you. But there was radio silence on your end.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning debris, fuel, and smoke as Ghost was the first one to get to what was once the standing compound. The hostile had made a self destruct on the building that only you were able to detect, and it had made you its victim.
The explosion had ripped through the building, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Smoke and dust still hung heavily in the air, casting an eerie haze over the scene. Simon couldn’t wrap his head around where to look for you, if you had even made it out.
He called out your name, hoping against hope that you would respond, but the only answer he received was the crackling of flames and the creaking of twisted metal.
As he got closer to the epicenter of the blast, Simon could see the destruction wrought by the explosion. Walls had been torn apart, and the roof had collapsed in on itself, forming a tangled mess of concrete and steel.
When he finally managed to find a red cloth sticking out from under, his worst fears were confirmed. There, beneath the rubble, laid your lifeless body. Simon's heart shattered into a million pieces at the sight of you.
Your hair was matted with dust and debris, and your clothes were torn and stained with blood. But despite the damage, your features were still recognizable, and your beauty shone through even in death.
Your lips were slightly parted, as if you had been caught mid-breath. “Oh sweet girl.” Simon’s voice broke, taking your body in his arms, lifting you from the broken concrete that fell onto your legs.
As he carried you back to the evac in that same hour, Simon took in every detail of your face, committing it to memory. He could see the faint scar on your forehead, the shape of your nose, the softness of your lips.
~ END FLASHBACK ~
Simon finally made his way back to base as he did every morning after slipping out before the sun had arose. His heart was slow and filled with a heaviness that hasn’t left since that day.
He pulled his mask over his face and walked through the front door. Price and Gaz were sitting at the small table in the kitchen area, and paused their conversation turning to look at him.
This was the first time in days he had shown himself. None of the men were able to get him to come out of his quarters. “Ghost.” Gaz spoke up.
His eyes met with the captains now pitiful ones, and he didn’t respond back knowing if he spoke nothing of good heart would come out.
He was angry at the world for taking you, at Price for recruiting you to the team in the first place. If he hadn’t, Simon wouldn’t have ever met you but at least you’d be alive.
Simon made his way to his room, shutting the door behind him with a quiet thud and throwing his balaclava somewhere on the ground.
He took a deep breath and walked over to the side table, grabbing the bottle of whiskey that he had left there the night before. He twisted off the cap and took a long swig, feeling the liquid burn down his throat.
He sank onto the edge of his bed, his eyes glazed over as he stared blankly at the floor beneath him.
The alcohol had started to take effect, but failing to numbing the pain in his chest ever so slightly. He took another swig, and then another, until the bottle was half-empty.
“Does this bruise look bad to you?” Simons head shot up at the echoing of your soft voice in the room.
You came out of the connected bathroom with a hand holding your shirt up to examine the deep bruise on your ribs. “Sons of bitches got me bad.” You chuckle, “Don’t worry they look worse.”
His head was playing a god awful trick on him, but he never wanted it to end. He watched the way you lit up the room, the way your eyes were familiarly glowing as they once used to. His chest pounded with an ache he couldn’t overcome.
Simon's hands trembled as they reached out to you, finding rest around your waist. He let out a strangled sob, feeling the weight of his grief press down on him once more.
"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked, his voice breaking.
Simon closed his eyes, melting into you. He could feel the warmth of your skin, the softness of your fingers against in his hair. It was as if you were really there with him.
His chest began to heave, his body shaking with quiet sobs. But just as you came into his life, within seconds you were gone with the breeze coming through the windows.
Simon opened his eyes and found himself alone in his room once again. The reality of loss hit him like a ton of bricks, and he felt a new wave of despair wash over him.
He felt lost and alone, adrift in a sea of grief and regret. Simon wanted to hate you for leaving him like this, to kill anyone who brought this upon you, but he would never be able to fill the void.
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buckyalpine · 2 years
Text
Cheeky
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18+ Minors dni Drunk Bucky x reader, reader x avengers (platonic)  
A/N: Drunk Bucky is a risk taker. Also this picture from Sebastian Stan’s ig is everything. I make my own timelines, everyone is alive as well! Please like, comment and reblog! <3  Warnings: Drinking, nudity, swearing, fluff  Word count: 960
“Hes not gonna do it…..he’s doing it…holy fuck…”
You and Steve stood wide eyed, gawking at each other before looking back at the sight in front of you. He didn’t just…yes. Yes he did.
2 hours ago
“Who wants to play truth or dare”
Tony sauntered in with two large bottles of alcohol, wiggling his eyebrows with a shit eating gin on his face. Nat groaned, having just recovered from her hangover from the previous nights activities.
“Weren’t you walking around with sunglasses like 2 minutes ago? How can you do another night of drinking”
“I am Iron Man”  
“You know, nothing good ever happens after you say those words” Steve shook his head, wondering if fighting the purple scrotum was even worth it; Tony’s liver seemed to have a death wish.
“Cap’s right, last time you said that, your ass almost got blown up” Sam mused though he was already pulling out shot glasses and lining them up on the living room table.
“C’mon I even pulled out the Asgardian mead for Capsicle and Terminator”
The team gathered around the living room; Steve, Nat Sam sat squished together the couch while Tony took his place at the table pouring drinks. Bucky sat on the floor on the fluffy rug with you happily plopped down between his legs, sitting on his lap.
1 hour and 45 minutes later
“Truth”
“Have you ever gone streaking?”
Nat smirked, shooting Tony a playful glare, shaking her head. “You already know the answer to that you perv, you’re the one that dared me to do it”
Everyone laughed while Bucky blinked with a confused dazed look on his face, partially from the alcohol but mostly because he didn’t know what streaking was.
“What’s streaking?”
You giggled at your boyfriend’s adorable lost puppy expression as he looked to Steve for an explanation. Steve was absolutely no help, blushing, running a hand over his face refusing to make eye contact with anyone.
“You don’t know what streaking is?” Tony shot up, his eyes wide as the hung over hamster in his head started to turn the wheels in his brain. “I dare you to go streaking”
“That’s not how it works Mr. Horndog billionaire dumbass, he doesn’t know what it is and he has to pick truth or dare” Sam snorted, before turning to Bucky “It’s when you run naked in public”
“Naked? Fully naked?” Bucky’s head cocked to the side as he tried to piece together why anyone would do this in the first place.
“Yup. Butt ass naked. Balls out n’everything” Sam snickered while Steve buried his face in the couch cushion, his voice muffled.
“Language”
“So, whatcha say tinman, you up for it or are you gonna back down” Tony bounced on his feet, already making his way to the doors to the front while Bucky sat for a moment, the alcohol warming his insides. Alcohol or not, he’d never once backed down from a dare, after all it was a dare and 7 minutes in heaven that got you both together. You could see the gears turning as Bucky narrowed his eyes…how bad could it be…
“What you thinking Buck?”
“Where would I even run?” Bucky looked at Tony curiously as he gripped your hips to lift you off, making his way to the compound doors. Sam and Nat wolf whistled, trailing behind Bucky while you and Steve started at each other for a moment before scrambling after the group.
“Right down the street, I’m sure the other agents wouldn’t mind”
Present
Everyone gathered outside while Bucky stood looking at the dorms that were off to the side for agents in trainings. They’d all be asleep at this hour….
“Whatcha waiting for White Panther take your clothes off” Sam howled.
“Its White Wolf” Bucky smirked stripping his shirt off. Your jaw dropped as he started unbuttoning his pants next.
“Hes not gonna do it…..” Steve shook his head; eyes popping out of his socket when Bucky’s boxers flew over his head. “He’s doing it…holy fuck…”
You and Steve stood wide eyed, gawking at each other before looking back at the sight in front of you. He didn’t just…yes. Yes he did.
Tony, Nat and Sam whistled and howled as Bucky sprinted down the street, giving everyone the perfect view of his perfect tan perky ass. Tony whipped out his phone, grinning wildly hearing a few cars honk as Bucky ran back, his cheeks flushed red as he grabbed his pants and slipped his t-shirt back on, wrapping his arms around you as you giggled.
“I gotta say, y/n how the hell are you able to walk if he’s swinging THAT around” Tony gawked
“DAMN BUCKY BARNES MAN YOU’RE LOOKIN’ GOOD” Sam clapped his back, cackling as Bucky hid his face in your neck, shying away as you playfully pinched him.
“That was hot Buck” You whispered, loving how flustered he got, groaning, and shaking his head, his face only turning redder.
“Nice ass Barnes, could give Cap a run for his money” Nat smirked, playfully swatting his ass as everyone made their way back inside.
“She’s not wrong you know, but mines better” Steve shrugged, snorting when he felt a flick to his ear.
“Shut up punk”
The Next Morning  
“Well, if it isn’t the front page man himself!” Sam announced as you and Bucky made your way to the kitchen.
“Huh?”
Sam handed Bucky the news paper, howling as he watched the super solider face blush, mumbling something about never drinking again and running out of the kitchen. You picked up the paper, bursting out laughing at the pictures of your boyfriend. A very large egg plant emoji covered his front, however a second picture of his ass was completely exposed.
The front page of the news paper, in very bold writing:
“The Winter Soldier Bares All, The Cold Can’t Shrink Him”
-
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cupcakeslushie · 2 years
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@beeisblue Huginn and Muninn try to spoil Three when they can in their own pathetically middle of the road—thanks for trying way. But more often than not, they’re on babysitting duty to make sure Three doesn’t blow up his own lab—which can be pretty dangerous so they’d much rather keep their distance, but they do feel bad about not doing more to help. They’ll make a little appearance along with Shelldon in Donnie’s interlude, which is coming up next, after we conclude Mikey’s rescue arc!
That is definitely not sanctioned, but yes—Draxum is just too exhausted with Three’s antics at this point. The child used to be at least respectful out of fear, but it seems like ever since a few years back when Three hit some kind of mental, pain threshold, Draxum has had a hard time controlling and understanding his thought process.
The boys do change things up by way of casual clothes around the lair, just wearing whatever’s comfortable—pretty close to the show with Mikey and Donnie probably wearing more sweaters and joggers and hoodies than say Leo or Raph. As for missions I might change my mind if I can come up with something else fun for them to wear, but as for now…most of them change pretty quickly to their movie look as soon as they each unlock their ninpo. I’ve put Leo in 2012!Leo’s white vision quest hoodie until his finally moves on to his black and blue ninpo gear just because he’ll struggle with it the most so he’s kind of the only one who takes a while to switch over to his finale look. But I might throw them in something extra if I change my mind!
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@artoflittleowlbird Just a little song I made up! 😅 I really struggled with whether I wanted a real song or if I wanted to just make something from scratch. It’ll play a role later on so I hope I didn’t make it too weird sounding! I wanted it to have a non-rhyming feel like it’s something old which Splinter might’ve sung them.
Leo does meet Hueso eventually. He’s super polite when Raph, Mikey, and April first bring him to Run of the Mill, but there’s something so tired in his expression that Hueso can’t put his phalanges on. It makes the man wanna feed him, wrap him in a blanket and plop him on a comfy sofa where he can’t get hurt.
@sskurwysyn I’m sorry I’m so bad at this part. All the names I’m thinking of sound so stupid 🫣 If anyone else has one they’d like to suggest I’m all ears 🤣. And Mikey swapped out his nunchucks once or twice, but would always go back to them as soon as he could. I do like the idea of him wielding a comically huge kanabo like it’s nothing. Little man does not skip arm day.
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@little-banjo-frog Leo is a little too high up in the ranking for them to be close friends, but he has gone on missions with her as part of her training. She respects him much like she does Foot Lieutenant and Brute in the show, but once she really meets Raph, Mikey, and April and hears their story and connects the dots of their missing brother being Leo, her conscience takes over and she can’t help but see how screwed up Leo is from what Shredder’s done to him. BUT THAT’S OKAY—cause you can’t get any cooler than being a double agent!! She just needs to find the perfect time to get Leo to meet his brothers, and they can both leave the foot clan behind! Plus once she’d started sneaking out of the compound at night to play vigilante with Raph, she was done for—way too much fun! Good thing she’s so good at being quiet…be a shame if she were followed…..
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Aside from accidentally blowing up a Chee-Z ball factory in one of his first times out, Donnie’s gotten away with: taking apart half the tech in the lair and leaving the parts strewn all over for someone to trip on, snapping at his brothers and saying things even he knew at the time he’d regret saying, being an absolute shit to April when he first met her, testing a stimulant on himself and scaring the bejesus out of everyone when he had a tiny case of cardiac arrest…And probably the most glaringly obvious time Splinter was mad at him, but held his tongue—when Donnie needed the wiring in the projector tv and tore the whole thing apart so they were all left without any entertainment for two days while he built them a new one from scratch. Yes, they got something much nicer out of it, but he could’ve at least warned them! Raph thought Splinter’s fur was gonna be dyed perma-red from how much he looked like a tea kettle about to explode.
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Raph has to get a handle on Savage Raph pretty soon after Leo and Mikey get taken, just out of necessity, but he doesn’t get rid of the fear of being alone completely. Meeting April helps even more, but once they’re all back together it does become a bigger struggle for him to not panic when they leave his eye-line. It’s not even something that registers as an issue at first cause as long as one of them is with him, he can stay pretty calm, but eventually they do all have to split up for some reason or other, and he goes full Savage Raph for the first time in YEARS. It’s only top-side though, he’s fine being alone in the Hidden City and the sewers. April is always their best bet for calming him down though. They make a joke out of it later like maybe next time she should say something like “Sun’s going down big guy!” But it’s the simple fact that a part of Raph might be scared to lose his brothers again, but April has always been his biggest source of comfort and safety—she’s his big sister.
100% yes April and Raph can totally mind meld 🤣 i love it.
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starksvixen · 1 year
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Titan Trackers
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Summary: The unlikeliest of parties brings you and Levi together.
Pairing: Levi Ackerman x fem!Reader, Zoe Hange x fem!Reader (platonic)
Request: No
Warnings: Some language, usual AOT violence but not explored in detail
A/N: Have I fallen for Captain Levi Ackerman? Yes. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. Is the dog based off of my own dog? Why not!
You had joined the scouts the same time Hange did, the pair of you standing out as the smartest amongst the bunch of cadets you were lumped with.
As the years passed, you two stuck together. Even as Hange advanced through the ranks with you, they never left you behind. When they eventually became Captain, Hange immediately made you their assistant.
It had been like that for years, except you had an experiment of your own now.
You always had a soft spot for animals, there were always stray ones running around the city streets. It broke your heart to see how starving they were, or how some were mistreated.
Levi saw this as you returned home after quite the grueling mission. Despite the Captain's stoic nature, he had a soft spot for you. One that everyone picked up on except you
So when you woke up the next morning surrounded by stray dogs, to say you were surprised was an understatement.
Rushing downstairs in your gear, it was like the floodgates of fur had opened as about 7 different dogs followed suit. Your mind was still spinning. How did they get here? Who the hell even let them in?
Nevertheless, you snuck into the kitchen, trying to be subtle enough as to send them on their way with full bellies. However, the pointing noses and little sniffs gave your location away to the Captain.
He slipped into the room with the mumble of something under his breath along the lines of "filthy animals."
But as you turn away from the rice and eggs you were cooking, you noticed the white hair clinging to his normally pristine cape that belonged to one of the dogs. Certainly, he hadn't brushed against one of the dogs?
That's when you heard a squeal from outside the kitchen doors
"THEY'RE SO ADORABLE! I'm going to name you Sneaky and oh! Yes, I'm going to name you Bean Jr. What do you think Bean Jr?"
After that morning, you knew that between Captain Levi and Commander Erwin the dogs would be gone by the next morning.
But the days turned into weeks, and after close to a month of helping the dogs regain their strength, something downright miraculous happened.
Hange said that you could keep them.
According to what the Commander had relayed, as long as they served a purpose for the Survey Corps, they could stick around.
So you quickly got to work. Some you trained to be guard dogs, others became like the sled dogs you read in books, hauling ODM equipment around the compound, and some even became companions for particularly nervous horses.
But there were a few chosen dogs you knew had something special. These ones seemed to be more aware, their senses more keenly attuned.
It was originally Levi who gave you the idea of how to train them.
You had invited the Captain for another evening stroll with the dogs. As much as he pretended to begrudgingly follow you, pretending like the nightly ordeal was a pain to him, he secretly enjoyed this part of his evening. He had warmed up to the dogs slowly but surely. But more importantly, he warmed up seeing the smile on your face when he joined you every evening.
This night, however, he could see you were deep in thought. As the dogs ran around the compound, letting loose after a long day of work or training, he walked beside you as your quiet pondering turned into stewing.
"Spit it out, brat. It looks like that little brain of yours is ready to explode."
You sigh softly, watching as the same three you had known to be special gently nudged you, not wanting to leave your side, especially in a distressed state.
"These three," you gesture towards them. "they still have no job. They just don't seem to fit. But I don't have the heart to send them back to the streets."
Levi's gaze fell to the three, quietly watching as they followed your side as loyal as ever. As you continued your walk in silence, you came across something you never saw anymore.
A deer.
Now while the other dogs were playing, clueless to the still doe standing and watching your rag tag group, there were a select few looking back over at the deer. Pointing, signalling to its presence, urging you to look over.
Confused, you followed their gaze and saw the deer, your eyes opened in awe of the rare sighting.
"Dogs, fetch."
Suddenly, the three blitzed from your side and ran towards the deer, nipping at its heels with vigour. As both you and Levi watched, they worked together so that instead of chasing it back into the nearby woods, they were herding it towards the two of you at an incredibly fast pace.
Before the doe could trample you in your state of shock, Levi grabbed onto your waist and using his ODM gear, anchored you and him to a nearby tree, narrowly missing the panicked deer.
With heavy breath, you clutched onto him as an idea hit you and you whispered:
"Titan trackers."
After Levi showed you the potential of the little group, you quickly got to work. In a short amount of time, the dogs (who you had so lovingly come to call Beanie, Thrawn, and Jasper) were ready for the field.
When you approached Commander Erwin with your idea, you were instantly shot down.
"Titan territory is no place for you mutts, Lieutenant."
Seeing you so crushed about Erwin's reaction, let's say Levi had a conversation with the commander.
The next day, the approval paperwork had magically appeared on your desk.
From that day on, you had your dogs on the field. And my had it paid off. Many deaths had been prevented thanks to them.
With their quick warning of nearby Titans, it gave the squads the upper hand. And with Hange's intuitive vests she had built for them, the dogs were armed to cut deep into a Titan's ankle, immobilizing them without crushing the dog!
And what you could never see coming was the day those three helped Levi save your life.
Despite Beanie, Thrawn and Jasper's work of warning you of the impending heard of abnormals, Levi and your squad quickly became overwhelmed. In the chaos, you had been split from the group, with innumerable injuries littering your battered and bruised body.
By the time Levi had regrouped near the walls, so close to safety, it had already been hours. So when he realized that you weren't accounted for, his heart dropped.
In his panic, he failed to listen to the incessant whining the golden trio had been giving off while following his pacing form. However, the high-pitched noise was grinding on what thing nerves the Captain already had. So by the fifth or sixth whine, he lashed towards them:
"Go lay down and let me think!"
Beanie, ever so gently, nudged Levi's hand and looked up at him with his soulful black eyes, almost as if to convey the own pain he felt that he didn't know where you were.
Levi, with a tearful sigh, patted his head when the thought struck him. Quickly rushing over to his horse, he ripped the small piece of fabric out of one of his travel pouches while mounting the beast. It was a gift from you to keep his blades clean, but he had yet to use it.
He whistled, bringing the boys over. Leaning down, he let them all get a good sniff before mumbling to them quietly:
"Find her."
Just like that, the three of them ran as fast as their legs could take them in one direction. In the direction of you. And Levi was right behind them on his horse.
It was late that night when he found you, hiding in a house in an abandoned town, weak but alive. The three dogs laid by your bleeding form, nudging your hands, laying their heads on their thighs while waiting for your next command. With what little strength your body had stored, you managed to mumble out:
"I'm okay boys."
Giving each of them a small scritch on the head, you let a weak smile grace your face. Levi rushed in, seeing the dogs guarding you, and a trembling sigh leaves his lips.
"You're not allowed to scare me like that, brat."
With a weak chuckle, you mumble something incoherent as your blood loss catches up to you. As gingerly as he could, he lifts you from the ground and slowly makes his way back onto his horse, holding your weak form close to his chest the entire way home with dogs in tow.
Nearly three days later, you finally regained full consciousness, the previous days being a blur. The morning sun was streaming in through the curtains but as your eyes focused, you recognized them as Levi's curtains.
"Welcome to the land of the living."
Slowly looking to your side, you see what you can only recognize as a severely sleep-deprived Levi. He sits in his office chair beside the bed, surrounded by paperwork he had been doing to keep himself busy. Through his bored expression, you could see the worry sitting deep inside him.
"I really scared you didn't I, Captain?" you croak with a grin.
"Yeah, you did," he says while laying the paperwork to the side. "I wouldn't have been able to find you without them."
He gestures to the three dogs slumbering by your side, one curled into a tight ball while the others are sprawled out. The dogs were laying on Levi's pristinely clean bedding.
"They haven't missed their nightly walk. None of them have. I made sure they were taken care of." Levi says while leaning back in his chair.
"But Cap-"
"Levi, just call me Levi,"
A blush overtakes your cheeks.
"Okay, Levi," you say tentatively, testing out the name. "They're shedding on your bed."
"Bedding can be washed...or replaced."
You chuckled weakly at the comment.
"But you can't, (Y/N). And I know how much you love these three. No matter how dirty they are."
You look at him softly, letting the cogs in your head turn in overtime at Levi's words. Before you could open your mouth, Levi stands.
"Don't overthink it, you need your rest. I'll go get us some tea and I'll get the dogs their biscuits."
Like he had done it a million times before, he leans down and lays a ginger kiss on the top of your head and whispers.
"I'm glad you're safe...brat,"
With a soft grin, you watch as he leaves his quarters before turning your attention to the sleeping pile of puppies sprawled across the bed.
Sure, years from now, in the history books other men had written, these three would be known as Titan Trackers, an innovative tool that resulted in the Scout Regiment's successful recapture of many territories.
But to you and Levi? Well, Beanie, Thrawn and Jasper held a special place in your heart.
They kept the two of you alive long enough for you to finally clear the air on your feelings towards one another. And once the walls had fallen, they spent their retirement watching your kids run around the house you had called home.
And as you sit in the backyard, watching Levi chase after Kuchel with your young toddler Hange in tow, you gently pet the three dogs laid in various positions around you, Jasper's face pressed impossibly close to your bump.
So yes, they were the world's Titan Trackers. But to you and Levi, they helped track down your happy ending.
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nickfowlerrr · 2 years
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keeping secrets -
prologue
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series masterlist / chapter one
pairing: bucky barnes x curvy!reader (dark!soulmate au)
warnings: this is going to be a very angsty/sad/smutty series. 18+ ONLY. reader has to get a physical done, mentions of weight (not explicit).
words: 1.2k
notes: this isn’t edited. and don’t let the gif fool you, this is a bucky x reader fic lol. we’re just starting slow and steady. i wasn’t gonna start posting this series yet but everyone is so excited and so am i so i figured what the hell. but no one is allowed to rush me for updates now bc you were all warned and you all know it takes me forever to update lol.
anyway! i really hope you all enjoy this little chapter. as always, feedback and comments are more than welcome. thank you in advance for reading and reblogging. let me know what you think 🖤
It was a Monday. You arrived at the compound at 5 in the morning, greeted by Steve Rogers himself. To say you were a little star stuck would have been an understatement, but you kept your composure and introduced yourself to the way taller and way more gorgeous in person man stood before you.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he smiled as he shook your hand.
“Likewise, Captain,”
“Please, Steve is fine. We’re all like family here, no need for formalities. I’m sure you’re gonna fit right in,” he reassured you as he led you through the entrance. Still, the compound was expansive and just as intimidating as you thought it might be. You listened intently as Steve led you around, showing you the gym, the lab area, the kitchen, meeting rooms, med bay, training areas, the hangers, the common room, and everywhere else before he eventually brought you to your room.
“This is yours. It’s fully furnished, and feel free to decorate however you like. I know it seems kinda lifeless right now, but the other’s should be getting up soon and permitted staff start showing up around 8am, but they’re not always here. And none of them are allowed to just enter in our living quarters unless it’s an emergency. Guests are allowed, but they have to be cleared first, for safety reasons. Tony should be calling for you in a little while to get your gear all suited and then someone from med will get you to do your physical. We have a training scheduled for 10, you’ll get to meet everyone then if you don’t happen to cross paths before that. I’ll uh, I’ll leave you to get settled in then. Unless you need any help?” he offered.
“Really, it’s just clothes and toiletries. Thank you, though. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course. Just tell FRIDAY if you need anything, she can call people for you, too. If you have any questions about it, though, I’d ask Tony. He knows a lot more than I do about it,” he said as he rubbed his neck almost nervously. “Well, I’ll be seeing you. Again, if you need any help, just call me,” he smiled again.
“I will, thanks,” you nodded with a smile in return. “See ya,” you said as he left your room.
Your meeting with Stark was quick, he seemed to be moving a mile a minute, not that you minded. He gave you your new and improved tact suit, explained the in and outs of it to you, had you try it on to make sure it fit well, and you said your thanks as he sent you on your merry way.
As you were walking back down the corridor to return to your room, you were stopped by a pretty blonde in a lab coat and glasses calling your name. You looked to her and she motioned for you to follow her back in the opposite direction you had been heading.
“Hi, my name’s Brittany, everyone calls me Brit, though. First day, huh?” she smiled at you.
“Uh, yeah. First day,” you laughed lightly. “Um..Where..are you taking me?” you asked confused.
“Oh, sorry! I should have led with that. Dr. Cho is waiting for you, just need to get your physical done and run some tests is all.”
“Cool,” you breathed, “let’s get it over with, then.”
You hated the doctors. You knew this was necessary, obviously, but that didn’t change the way you felt about having to get it done. You were thankful for Brit, though. Her chatter was distracting enough to help you not stress out so much. And she seemed really nice, you only hoped the rest of the staff would be, too.
As she walked you into the med bay, you were greeted by Dr. Cho who was waiting for you. After introducing yourselves, she led you to one of the back rooms to begin the exam.
You stepped out of your shoes before she took your height and as you were dreading the next part of the exam, she asked you a question you’d never been asked in a doctor's office before.
“I’m going to take your weight next, do you care to know it or would you like me to just record it and not show you?”
You stood there a moment, almost in shock at the simple question. You blinked a few times before you looked at her and finally answered.
“I- uh, I think I’d rather not know.. Thank you,” you said earnestly.
“Of course, not a problem.”
You stepped on the scale backwards so as not to see the number that in the grand scheme of things, you knew meant nothing. But you also knew how much damage knowing said number could do to your mental health. You breathed a sigh of relief as you stepped off and Dr.Cho continued on with the exam.
Before you knew it, you were on your way out of the med bay. As you walked into the lobby, you saw Brit talking animatedly to someone who leaned against the counter she was sitting behind. There were two cups of coffee before them and you saw a glimmer of metal as the person reached out to move the cups over so he could lean further without knocking them over. You pieced together from the hand and well built frame who it must have been. You didn’t need to see his face to know she was talking to the Winter Soldier. No, you corrected yourself, not the winter soldier. What was his name again? Barnes? Something Barnes. Sergeant something Barnes, you weren’t sure.
Not wanting to interrupt, or embarrass yourself, you slipped out of the office without saying a goodbye. You were sure you’d see her around, anyway.
As you left, your head was down while you stared at the floor, not wanting to draw any attention. Unfortunately, you didn’t see Steve walking right in front of you until you were already walking straight into him.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going,” you were quick to apologize as his hands steadied you while you threatened to fall. He was a hell of a lot sturdier than he looked, it almost felt like you walked right into a wall.
“No, I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking, either.”
As you straightened up, he pulled his hands off you and gave you a sheepish smile.
“I actually was looking for you, though. There are a few things I forgot to show you,” he said.
As Steve was talking, you could feel eyes on you, but refused to turn around and meet them. From inside the med bay, Bucky was watching the interaction between you and Steve with intent eyes. He hadn’t seen you around before, yet something about your presence seemed familiar.. Your back was to him, so he couldn’t see your face, but the way Steve was smiling so much was making him even more curious about you. He continued watching and eventually caught himself admiring the sway of your hips as you and Steve left walking back down the hallway together. Brit came back around from Dr.Cho’s office and brought his attention back to her with more of her idle chatter, though somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn’t seem to shake the nagging thoughts that kept coming back around to you.
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venus-lou · 1 year
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Mysterious dart
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König X F!Reader
Reader’s call sign is Hestia. Hestia is the Greek goddess hearth, home, and hospitality, she is known to be gentle, kind and forgiving. However, don’t let her kind nature fool you. Hestia will do anything to protect her family and community.
A/n: I’m still trying to figure out the in’s and out’s writing, so I decided to try writing something since I’ve been reading fanfic for a while now. Please leave me any constructive criticism and feedback. I’m not that confident in my writing, despite that I wanted to put something out there. There’s isn’t much action in this, cause I suck at writing action scene >.<
Warning: Smut 19+ MDNI, P in V, unprotected sex. Bad writing/grammer, reader smokes cigarettes, inaccurate military scenes, kinda plotless(?)
Word Count: 4.5k
Finally some peace and quiet. You leaned against the fence post right outside the training field taking draws of your cigarette every once in a while. The last few weeks you, Soap, and Gaz were out on recon in Russia infiltrating a base to get any information about their latest plans and missions. Thankfully everyone came back unscathed, Laswell and Price seemed pleased with everything we got.
Flicking the last bit of your cigarette on the pavement and stomping it out, you head the kitchen to make yourself a cuppa. “Hey König, how was your morning?” You quietly approached him reaching for your mug. When you started talking to König after his transfer to 141, he was quiet and kept to himself. After a few small conversations it seems like he got more comfortable with you and the team.
“Morning Hestia, it was okay.” König replied before going back to his tea. Your conversation with König usually is filled with silence, not an awkward one but more of a comforting one. It’s always nice to be in someone's presence without having the urge to fill the silence, both you and König always enjoy these moments. You added sugar and cream to your tea leaning against the counter next to König.
“Hestia! König! Debrief in my office in 5.” Price popped his head in the kitchen before heading back to his office. “Oh! Bring me a cup too!” You both heard him after the door closed behind him. Looking up to König, you smiled softly pat his arm. “I’ll get him a cup, you think it’s another mission?”
König stared at you while before answering with a simple yes.
Looking over your shoulder “Well if so, it’ll be our first mission together! I think we’ll be the new Soap and Ghost duo.” You chuckled as you both walked down to Price’s office. He was thankful for the mask as heat started to rise to his cheeks. Despite how it seems König sought after your presence, you brought a sense of calmness with you that he thrived for. After every mission he went on, whether you notice or not he always kept you in his sight.
You guys walked into the office “Here ya go Price, its your usual” leaving the mug on his desk you sat down in the chair next to König. “Thanks kid, I assume you guys know why you’re here.” Taking a sip and sighing from what you hope is contentment. König starts fidgeting with his fingers while looking between you and Price. “The last recon got use some useful info, there’s a small compound a few klick west from the factory you were at before. I want both of you out on recon, it seems like they’re cooking up a type of bomb. Up in 20, I want you guys in and out.”
After the debrief you quickly got in gear, trapped a few extra magazines and knives to your vest. With a med kit and a few epi pens, cause you never know if you’ll need it or not. It seem like every time its a ‘simple’ mission it somehow goes sideways like that time in Urzikstan. You’re kinda excited to be with König since you actually never saw him in action before. It was hard for you not to notice the 6”10 Austrian floating around the base, at first it was hard to start a conversation with him you didn’t want to overstep or make him uncomfortable. After a few attempts you notice a small change, he no longer shy away from you instead he seems content with your presence. “Ready Hestia?” Lost in your thoughts you didn’t realize König was walking next to you. Looking up you can’t help but feel giddy “Yep! I finally get to see you in action.” You smiled at him not noticing how he looked away scratching his neck. “Ha, yeah but we’re only there to get info. We probably won’t even see any action.” Gasping you dramatically pressed your hand your chest “Don’t jinx it! You never know.” He looked down at you before getting on the heli “I don’t really believe in that, but if it does come to that just know I’ll always protect you biene.” Hopping in after him, you tilted you head asking what biene means only for him to shake his head and pat the seat next to him. “Fine don’t spill your secrets.” You joked signaling the pilot that you’re all ready for take off.
Price mentioned that the compound is pretty small, after a few weeks of surveillance it seemed that there’s only 4 armed guards and 5 other personnel in the building. Once you reached you dropped off point, Zior the pilot notified us that thermal picked up the 4 guards and only 3 personnel inside. It seemed like a simple job, bypass the guards and get intel on whatever they’re making inside. All you know is that it’s some type of explosive material, König was ahead of you trying to find a way past the guards. It surprised you how silent he could be despite his large stature. With hand signals you both were able to quickly get inside unnoticed “Hestia, I’ll watch your six, Captain said everything should be on the 2nd level.” König whispered while you both started making your way to the second floor. Nodding you made your way through the different rooms, oddly there seems to be no one here. You started to feel an uneasy feeling in your stomach. “König, something feels wrong. Didn’t Zior said there was 3 bodies in here?” Opening the last door on the floor only to hear a loud thump behind you, “König?” Turning around you found him on the floor face down.
Shit, looking around you didn’t see anyone. You pulled him in the room and locked the door. “Shit, König please be okay.” You whispered, he was still breathing, you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding in. “Hestia to Zior, we got a bit of a problem. König is out, it seems like they knew we were coming.”
“Copy Hestia, are you able to make it out?” Sighing, you looked around noticing the paperwork and computers. “I can’t carry König out, we’re at the end of the west wing last window. I’m gonna see if I can find anything. On the bright side we seems to have found the jackpot, be ready for evac”
“Affrim, I’ll be ready.”
König slowly got back on his feet, “oi Biene are you okay?” You turned around gesturing him to sit down “Yeah, I’m okay do you know what happened? All I heard was you falling down. Didn’t even see a single soul out there.” There was a look in his eye you couldn’t pinpoint. “König? Do I have to stick you with an epi?” Tilting your head after he started to mumble phrases in German after he sat down you notice the little dart in his hand. “Ya, I’m alright Biene, I think someone shot a dart at me. I don’t feel side effects.” With worry eyes and burrowed brows you looked at him before nodding. You both quickly gather several files and transfer documents to the usb Price gave you. Still no sign of anyone in the compound. Guards haven’t come rushing in, something about this was too easy to be true.
“Zior to bravo 0-1 everything alright? You got 2 coming into the compound, suggest you make it quick before things get out of hand.”
“Copy, We’re almost done here, König was hit with something, no effects yet. Trying to find what they fucking shot him with.” You radioed back before turning to König, he was breathing and sweating heavily. “König, let's get you out of here we got everything on the computer?” he nodded while you filled your bag with any files that might be useful. You hoped it was just a low quantity tranquilizer that hit him, then again if it was he probably wouldn’t be walking around right now. All you could think about was König, what they fuck was in the dart and why the hell did they just shoot him and leave?
Just like before getting out of the compound was simple, you didn’t question it all you wanted was for König to get back on base to the med bay. “König promise me you tell me if anything is wrong” you looked up at him after you both sat down on the heli. “Don’t worry about me Biene. I’m just glad we both made it out of there.” König tried to look composed as much as possible. All he felt was a heat radiating all over his body, every time he looked at you the heat increased. You sighed “I’m always gonna be worried about you König, we’re a team I’ll always be there when you need support. So please, don’t lie to me cause you think it’ll make me feel better.” Once you both arrived at the base you took König to the med bay before you debriefed Price on what happened.
-
“Hey Kid, a word?” Price was smoking a cigar outside the training field when you walked by on your way to see König. You nodded, pulling out a cigarette looking out in the field. “What’s up Cap?”
“Good job out there today, just wanted to let you know König is with the doc. We were able to find out what the dart had on it. All I can tell you is he’s safe, it’s not lethal but I need you to stay away from him for a while.” He turned to look at you while puffing out smoke. Once you proceed what he was saying, you paused before taking another drag of your cigarette. “What do you mean? Why can’t I go see him?” You begin rattling out questions while Price stood there looking down at you.
“Look kid, it’s complicated, we don't even know if it’s the correct drug he was hit with. Just know the doc is handling it, like I said it’s non lethal so he’ll be fine.” Price made it clear that he didn’t want you near König. You couldn’t figure out why and to be honest you didn’t really care you were gonna see him one way or another. You decided to wait a while, he’s with the doc he probably needed to rest anyways.
Taking a seat next to Soap at the dining table, you still couldn’t get König out of your mind. “Hey lass, still thinking about your lover boy?” Soap leaned over to whisper in your ear. “Shut up! You don’t even know what you're talking about.” Hitting him on the shoulder rolling your eyes at him. Soap and Gaz exchanged looks and shrugged their shoulders. “Hey, what that look about?”
“I don’t know lass, all I’m saying is you’ve been in your head ever since you both got back from recon so it has to be about your giant tree friend” Soap looked back at you with a spoon in his mouth. “You gonna finish th-“ you sighed after letting him eat off your plate. “I’m just worried, okay?" Price said I couldn’t go near him and I can’t figure out why. And his our giant tree friend don’t you forget that” you told them about your predicament. Gaz looked at you for a while before he smirked “Well, he’s technically just our comrade and you’re his Biene, isn’t that what he calls you? What does that even mean? Plus there’s probably a good reason why Cap doesn’t want you to see him.”
“You’re gonna still go see him though right?” Soap questioned you with his brows raised. “What!? Of course not, you know I always listen to the cap.” You smiled at them, tilting your head to the left. They both rolled their eyes and dragged out a “right” and went back to their meal.
They were right, they’re always right. You stayed up all night to make sure everyone was asleep or in their rooms. It was nearly 0230 when you took a peek outside your door. Once you made sure there wasn’t any movement in the hall you quickly made your way to the med bay. You just needed to make sure König was okay, you needed to see him with your own eyes. As much as you trust Price, you couldn’t get König out of your mind. Was he okay, what the hell was the drug and why didn’t Price want you near him. Luckily when you arrived at the med bay, the nurses seemed to be off attending another soldier. You hope they kept him in the same room you dropped him off at, reaching the handle you quickly peeked inside relieved seeing his figure in the room. He was laying down in the hospital bed with several wires connected to him. Seeing him didn’t ease your nerves, why did they have all these wires on him? Did they actually figure out the drug coursing through his blood stream? Locking the door and pulling a chair next to him, you sat down quietly taking his hand in your. You lightly traced the scars and lines on his hand trying to prevent your mind from spiraling. “Please be okay König…” you whispered, closing your eyes. After a while, you felt him squeeze your hand. “Biene, what are you doing here? Didn’t Captain tell you to not come by.” You heard his raspy voice fill the empty room. Looking up you couldn’t help but feel somewhat relieved. “König…I wanted to make sure you were okay. Why did Price tell me not to come see you?” Your eyebrows furrowed hoping he knew what was going on.
“it’s dangerous for you to be near me Biene…I might hurt you” He whispered looking down. “Please I need you to leave.”
You didn’t let go of his hand, you couldn’t. Nothing is making sense right now, you knew he would never hurt you. Why didn’t he want you here? “W- what you talking about? Do you know what the drug was?” You continue to question him wanting an answer.
“I- it’s ah- a drug is dubbed Rati, they think it’s a drug that increase someone’s ah-“ König tried to put words together mumbling the end of the sentence.
You pulled your chair closer trying to hear him, leaning in closer you asked him to repeat what he said.
“Biene, please… go away…”
You sat back in your chair, looking down at your hand intertwined with his, “I don’t think you want me to leave….tell me how I can help please König.”
He sighed, “ah fuck, I can’t take it anymore.” He sat up in his bed with his legs hanging over the bed still towering over you. There was a look in his eyes, the same look when you both were in the compound. “Biene, you want to help?” His voice was deeper, drawing out every syllable as he pulled you from the seat leaving you standing between his leg. You felt your cheeks and ears turn red, the room become hotter making you take quicker breaths. You could feel his shallow breath on your face, breathing in you can smell a mixture of musk and his cologne. “König?” You looked up to him, all you can see is his eyes behind the mask he usually wears. “Please tell me what I can do to help?” His hands grabbing at your hip pulling you in closer to him.
“Mmmh I need you so bad Biene…” He nuzzled his face between you neck, you couldn’t help but whimper at his touch. Your hand wrapped around his neck slowing pulling him away from your neck. “König, tell me if I’m crossing the line here.” You lifted up his mask just above his nose, leaning down slowly until he brought one of his hand to back of your neck pulling you down to meet his lips. You let out a moaned as he deepened the kisses taking dominance. His hands rubbing small circle on your neck and hip, he couldn’t help but pulled you in bed with him wanting you close as possible. “Fuck Biene, I want you so bad. Let me take care of you the way you need.” He muttered into your neck. He started rutting his hips into you sucking and nipping at your neck. You could feel his bulge through his pants, making your core quiver with anticipation. You know you shouldn’t be wet right now, but all those times you imagined how König would feel between your thighs. How his hands would trace your hips, using his fingers to prepare you to accommodate his size. How fucking massive he would look when he was over you holding your legs over his should-
Your thoughts were interrupted by his hands hitting your ass. “Where’d you go mein Liebling? I can’t have you floating off now can I?” He whispered as he rubbed the area his hit.
You whimpered “Ooh König, please touch me” you should feel embarrassed with how desperate you sound but you didn’t care. He pulled off the wires that was measuring his vitals, before he could do anything else, you took his face in your hands. “I want you to know, you don’t have to take your mask off if you don’t want to…I want you to be comfortable. I want to help you.” Silence soon filled the room after you said that, you couldn’t help but feel like you ruined the mood. Before you could fall into a spiral of regret, he took your hands in his before he looked down and removed his mask while his hands still enveloped your smaller one. “Maus, I’m always comfortable with you.” He laid you down before pulling your shirt off along with his. You couldn’t help but admire how he looked, your face traced to scars on his face, his cheekbone down to his lips. You pulled him back down begging for another kiss, you couldn’t get over how he felt. With his hand running down your down he stopped at your pants, looking back up to you. With a nod, he peeled you pants down throwing them somewhere in the room. “König…” you whined lifting yourself on your elbows “I’m supposed to be making you feel better” he couldn’t help but chuckle at your desperation. “Mmh Liebling, just you being here makes me feel better. Be a good girl and let me take you how I know you need it.” He started kissing up your thigh, pulling you over the edge of the bed. You could help but gasp at how easy it was for him to handle you, making you even more wet than before. Peeling off your panties, he let out a deep groan at how wet your little pussy looked. “Mein Liebling…look how fucking wet your are.” He dragged his finger down your slit rubbing all over your lips up to your sensitive little clit. Before you can say anything, he bent down, slowly dragged his tongue licking up the slick you left for him. He let out a loud sigh as he begin licking your hole as his thumb rubbed your clit. “Oooh König…you make me feel so good.” Moaning as you felt him rumbled against your pussy. “Please, König I want to feel you.” Looking up from his position between your thighs. “Mmmh, you have yo be more specific than that Maus.” He slowed down as he kept eye contact with you.
“I want your fingers please.” Satisfied with your response he rubbed his finger up and down your slit before slowly entering into your tight hole. “Mmmh, maus you’re so fucking tight. I can feel you squeezing down on me” He slowly went in and out while he sucked on your clit. You’ve never felt like this before, your fingers never felt this good. His mouth worked wonders on you, while his finger started to get more rough rubbing your most sensitive spot. “Cum for me maus, I want to taste you first. Be a good girl and give me what I want” You feel yourself get closer, clinging to every praise he gave you “Fuck König, I can’t take it anymore” moaning his name and bucking your hips. “I know maus, just let go for me. I’ll take care of you.” He felt you squeeze down on his finger as you cried out, continuing to draw out your climax only stopping when he felt you nudge his shoulder with your foot. He stood tall, above you licking his lips as he rubbed his thumb against your lips slipping his finger in your mouth. “Taste yourself for me Liebling” You pulled him by his belt loop, tugging his trousers down. Taking the hint he quickly toss them off and climbing back on top of you. You laid back down pulling him with you, kissing him you can taste yourself on his lips. Moaning as he bite your lip before pulling away, “Can I Liebling?” He whispered against your lip as you nodded your head. “I wa- need to hear your say it maus.” You bucked your hips against his, throbbing for him. “König, please I want you to fuck me please” He let out a breathy ‘fuck’ as he slowly slipped his dick inside you. Whimpering as he stretched and filled you up “Oh fuck you’re so huge König” Curling your toes as you felt him flush against your hips, you moaned out his name and lift your hips up against him after you got use to his size. He pulled out just enough to leave his tip in before thrusting back inside. His thrust were excruciatingly slow but each thrust had so much force behind it rocking you against the bed. You two were so close in every sense, you could feel him deep inside, while he took his time making sure he felt every inch of you. You both were surrounded by each other, mixing breaths, your hands tangled in his hair and his leaving bruised on your hip as he held you in place. You were getting close, you felt yourself squeezing down on him every time he rubbed that one spot.
“Oh Mause, you can cum for me. I can feel you squeezing down on me” He groaned out as his thrust become quicker, he slid one of his hand down to your clit. Leaning down he caught your moans with his mouth as he kissed your. His other hand holding the top of your head while he took you both to your climax. “König, you feel so good…I gonna fuck-“ you felt yourself fall off the edge hooking your ankled behind his back as his dragged out your climax. His thrust got sloppier, as he felt you clench down on him. “König, I want you to cum inside me please” You hooked your hand around his neck pulling him even closer to you. “You sure Mause?” He paused his thrust for a second “Bitte mich darum, Ask me for it” He whispered in your ear. “please König I want all of you. I’ve want you for so long.” You whined against his ear. He kept you flushed against him, as you felt him cum and throb inside. You kept your ankles wrapped around him as he moaned every time you clenched around him.
You felt him collapse on you, as you both laid with each other basking in the silence and comfort of one another. “It means bee” you head him mumble against your skin. You let out a small hum as your question what he meant. “Biene. It means bee, you’re always buzzing around taking care of everyone on the base. Without you there would be no flower, no fruit. You’re a vital role in my life, like how bees are important in our ecosystem. Du bist die Liebe mines Lebens” He held you close as he turned you both around. Laying on his back with you pressed up against his chest, rubbing your back as you both whispered sweet nothing to each other. “It’s nice to have such a calm nature always next to me” you mumble before drifting off to sleep. König look down at you, press a small kiss on your forehead before closing his eye. He no longer felt his heart racing, he thoughts weren’t running rampantly around his mind. For once he slept soundly focusing on your soft breath and holding you close against him.
-
You woke to a pounding on the door and someone yelling behind it, waking enough to recognize Price’s voice yelling for you to open the door you shoot out of bed. Scrambling to find your clothes, however you notice your were fully clothed and König sitting on the chair you were in last night. “Morning Biene” He had his clothes and mask back on, you assume he dressed you while you wear sleeping. “König, are you feeling better?”
“God dammit Kid! You better open this fucking door before I take it off its hinges and smack that giant tree with it!”
You both looked at each other before looking back at the door. “You have to tell me everything later, including the drug!” You whispered in his ear as you wiggled your way through the window right before Price slammed the door open. “Where’s Hestia?” He looked around the room with his brows furrowed. König scratched his neck before shrugging “Didn’t you tell her not to come by, maybe she off with Soap and Gaz?” You quickly rushed to the training room not wanting to wait for the conversation to end.
“Holy shit lass, what’re you running from?” Soap let out a little squeak as you rush by his side. Looking up at him you smiled “running? Well I am in the training room so…?” You noticed Price and König join the training room after Soap continue to tease you. “Hey Cap! How’s your morning? König are you feeling any better?” Price narrowed his eyes at you for a second before grunting out he need his tea walking toward the kitchen. You smiled at König “See I told you we’ll get away with it” He shook his head before pulling you outside to explain what the drug was before Soap said anything to him.
-
After Price got his cuppa, he notice two of you out near the fence sighing as he put his cup down. “You know they both liked each other for a while now right?” Ghost asked Price as he walked into the kitchen. Price hummed in agreement as he saw you laid your head against König and his arms wrapped around you. “Yeah, I just didn’t think a fucking aphrodisiac would start their relationship. We’re still figuring out why they even created the drug, let alone nicked König with it.”
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