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cdyssey · 3 years

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Exit Strategies

Summary: Before they break Alexei out of a maximum security prison, Yelena convinces Natasha that they should rest, that they need to.

A/N: I finally got the chance to see Black Widow today and ugly sobbed through almost half of it. Natasha and Yelena deserved so much more—oh, my GOD, it's not fair.

AO3 Link

—

It’s only when the gas needle edges precariously below a gallon that Natasha frowns, the stark cut on her lower lip curving like a bow just begging to snap.

“We need gas,” she breaks the long silence between them. Yelena glances over at her sister’s profile, sharp and distinct even in the semi-darkness, slightly tinted blue by the BMW’s luminescent dashboard. Her angular jaw. The ribbon-like strands of red hair plastered to the side of her face. The bruises beginning to feather the column of her neck from their recent fight.

And the purple shadows beneath her visible eye.

The lines.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Yelena quips because it’s easier than being sincere, easier than dealing with all of the effed-up history between them. They used to snuggle in the same bed, wrists crossing wrists. Mere hours ago, they came close to strangling each other to death with curtains.

“We also need to rest. Can’t go taking down a multinational child soldier complex on zero hours of sleep, y’know.”

“Mmm,” comes a noncommittal reply, short, patronizing. “You sleep. I’ll drive.”

Yelena simply stares at the older woman, searching, incredulous, and frankly, a little miffed. Has she always been this much of a martyr? She interrogates her own memories—the ones from her childhood are the clearest she has—and surprisingly concludes that, yes, she’s always been this way.

Natasha would get into fights on the playground when older kids tried to bully Yelena.

And she was good with her fists.

She would always win.

“Don’t be stupid, Natalya. You’re not superhuman. Let’s pull off at an exit and get a motel room.”

“We don’t have time for that. My contact’ll be at the rendezvous spot at twelve tomorrow.”

“A few hours tops,” she promises, wheedling, glancing at the car’s central display. It’s 2:07. There’s plenty enough time for them to get some sleep and make it back to Norway, especially with how fast Natasha drives. They’ve never been under eighty-five the entire time they’ve been on the freeway. “C’mon. I stink. You stink. We both need showers and a vodka shot.”

“I don’t stink,” Natasha wrinkles her nose disdainfully. But even as she says it, she lets off the pedal and eases into the right lane. The speedometer slowly sinks from over a hundred to ninety… eighty… seventy…

“You do,” Yelena snickers, mischievous, triumphant, a little kid again teasing her older sister about a hopscotch victory. She arches a smug brow. “You smell like shit.”

“Asshole.”

“Bitch.”

But she watches, with fascination, as the corner of Natasha’s mouth twitches, the cut on her lip quivering too.

—

They get gas at a twenty-four hour station and buy a few necessities inside—some snacks, a bottle of cheap vodka, gauze, painkillers, a pack of Skittles for Yelena.

It’s been a long time since she’s had Skittles.

They’d once been her favorite candy.

Natasha had always preferred chocolate bars.

And behind their mother’s back, their papa would indulge them.

Hush, my little kittens. He would raise a conspiratorial index finger to his mouth. Don’t tell Mama now.

“Jesus hell,” the clearly sleep-deprived cashier says, taking in their haggard, bloodstained appearances.

“We just got back from fight club,” Yelena supplies cheerfully.

“Do you got change for fifty euros?” Natasha asks.

—

At 2:40, they finally pull into a motel, a dingy, little dump far away from the main part of the city. The stolen BMW looks out of place against the worn-down building, all sleek and shiny and new. This is the kind of establishment that most people settle for, not actively choose—unless, of course, said people are two Russian killers trying to evade detection from a militant Taskmaster.

Yelena and Natasha are silent as they creep into the motel room that had been designated theirs by the scruffy faced twenty-year old working the night shift at the front desk, handguns drawn as they flick on lights and canvas the room as they had both been trained to do.

Two queen sized beds.

A boxy TV that looks like it could have been at home in the nineties.

A musty smell in the air.

A spluttering air conditioner in the window.

A framed painting on the wall of something that looks vaguely phallic.

“Clear in the bedroom,” Yelena calls after she checks under each bed.

No monsters under there.

“Bathroom’s clear too.” Natasha walks out of the side door, replacing her Glock in her thigh holster. “If the front door gets blocked, our exit strategy’s the window in the bathroom. Leads out into some woods. We can climb a tree and pick threats off from a decent vantage point.”

Again, Yelena stares at the woman in front of her, trying to reconcile her bruised and scratched face with the kid from twenty-odd years ago, the one who used to make shadow puppets on the wall for her to laugh at, who’d comb her wet hair at night when Mama was working.

There’s so little light in her eyes left, the particulars of her voice perfectly calculated to be distant.

Yelena wants to pull her hair out, wants to stomp around a little, wants to throw a tantrum and scream.

They lived together for three years.

They were sisters.

And Natasha… Natasha is distant.

“Do you always have an exit strategy?” Yelena blurts out a little stupidly. Of course she has an exit strategy. They’re trained fucking spies for God’s sake! Hell, Yelena even has a tentative exit strategy!

(She's just gonna crash through the window and start shooting.)

But she is and really isn’t asking about exit strategies.

Even as her lips formed the words, she knew this. Even as the words fell from her tongue, she felt their insufficiency and knew the depths of her own vulnerability.

Is that all you can look me in the eye and talk about, Natalya?

Exit strategies?

This is our first night together in twenty-one years, and you can stand here and tell me that the trees are the best place for blowing people’s brains out?

Natasha shrugs a single shoulder before limping over to the side table, where they’d placed their singular grocery bag.

“Go take a shower, and make sure you get all the dirt outta your wound.”

Yelena’s eyes flick downwards at her bandaged arm and then back to her sister again.

“You’re such a mom,” she repeats herself numbly as Nat draws the vodka bottle out of the bag, untwisting it with a deft motion and taking a long, practiced drag.

“Shower,” she exhales once she’s done, swiping the back of her hand across her mouth. “We’re leaving in six hours.”

—

Yelena takes a quick shower, ten minutes to the dot, and feels a little like a human again, even though the water was only lukewarm at best, and she has to put on her sweaty clothes from the day before. At least her hair and face are clean, the grime beneath her nails all scraped off, her wound cleansed of dirt. After she towels her hair off, she doesn’t put her jacket and tactical vest on just yet, remaining stripped down to just her undershirt and pants.

She’s slept with her gear equipped before.

On most nights, really.

Tonight, though, just for a few hours, she doesn’t want to.

(She knows she doesn’t have to—her older sister is here.)

As she hangs her damp towel on the nearby rack, she notices that the window behind the dinky toilet has been cracked open about an inch, propped up by one of motel’s washcloths.

A handgun has been strategically placed on the back of the toilet.

A Glock-22.

An exit strategy.

When Yelena enters the main bedroom again, she sees that Natasha is sitting on the bed closest to the window—(the most vulnerable position, she briefly thinks to herself)—shirt off, tenderly probing a nasty-looking laceration just below her ribs.

The dried blood blooms across her stomach like a flower.

Crimson.

Replete with thorns.

“Damn,” she breathes, and Nat quickly looks up, eyes wide, brow furrowed.

“It’s not deep,” she says immediately. “Just long.”

“It’ll scar,” Yelena shakes her head.

Wounds like that always scar.

“I’m no stranger to scars.” A proffered grin—slight, elusive, wry. And no sooner than she says it, Yelena spots the long, telltale surgical incision where the hysterectomy had been performed, and to the left of her belly button, there’s a scar that had once clearly been a bullet’s entry point. “I collect them everywhere I go.”

It’s an innocuous enough statement, but the contents of it jog her memory.

She's reminded of what that their mama said long ago in a military camp somewhere in Cuba.

Pain only makes you stronger, remember?

Yelena has always drawn vague comfort from the words—usually when she’s nursing her own sundry wounds, doing her best to recover from them.

But tonight, looking at Natasha’s body—which surely mirrors her own—she can’t help but think that those words might’ve been bullshit said by a poor, dying woman.

Sometimes, pain can only hurt.

“Your turn to shower,” she says, jerking her thumb emphatically at the bathroom door.

A half-smile.

Her lips are dry and cracked.

“Make sure you get the dirt outta that wound.”

“Asshole,” Natasha chuckles, the sound low and hoarse, and maybe even a little painful because she winces at the end, her bloodied fingers involuntarily drawing themselves up her ribs.

“сука,” Yelena returns, throwing herself unceremoniously onto her bed, hiding her own laughter in a pillow.

Bitch.

—

When Natasha returns some thirty minutes later, she’s already twisted her damp hair into a messy plait, and she’s fully clothed, dressed like an armed gunman is going to burst through the curtained window at any moment.

Yelena had already flicked off the lamp and bunched the stiff blankets up to her nose in an attempt to get comfortable… but she hasn’t fallen asleep yet.

Waiting.

She watches, ever observant, as her sister lithely winds through the room without making so much as a sound, the graceful ballerina that the Red Room tortured her to be. She’s similarly silent as she slowly lowers herself onto the other bed, gingerly propping herself up against the headboard, angling her torso towards the door.

But this is apparently too sudden of a movement for her body to currently handle.

A hissing noise escapes past her clenched teeth.

“You should sleep,” Yelena croaks aloud, having seen enough, having heard more. “I’ll take the first shift.”

Her sister’s hawklike stare finds her in the darkness.

“What? No. Go to bed,” she snaps, obviously annoyed. “You were the one who wanted to stop for the night.”

“Yeah, because I looked over and saw that you looked like death warmed over!” She retorts haughtily. “However much you might pose otherwise, you’ve gotta have needs too.”

This quiets Natasha.

At the very least, it makes her look away.

She shifts (very incrementally) on her bed.

She plays a little with the end of her braid.

“An hour,” she says, so quietly that Yelena almost thinks she’s saying “an oar” for some bewildering reason.

“Чего?” What?

“An hour,” Natasha repeats emphatically. “Wake me up in an hour. It’s… all I need.”

“Okay.” Yelena sits up abruptly, eager to please, desperate to show that she still cares.

It’s a bit sickening, really—the woman practically abandoned her.

She got out and never looked back…

“I mean it.” Her sister doesn’t quite lay down, but she does slouch a little more comfortably against her pillows. “An hour.”

“Yah.”

—

Yelena isn’t a woman of her words, though.

She lets her sleep for two.

“Dammit, Yelena,” Natasha groans, pulling her fingers hard over her eyes. “You told me you'd wake me up."

“Don’t be so dramatic, Natalya,” she yawns, finally slumping her head against her pillow. "It didn't kill you to get a little more beauty rest."

"Asshole."

As the dark takes her away, she smiles.

Bit—

—

A soft hand on her shoulder, a gentle shake.

Yelena blearily opens her eyes to see Natasha standing over her, staring at her with that same inscrutable expression—complicated… and utterly unreadable. It gives her the impression of being pierced through all over, analyzed and deconstructed.

Even though she’s quite clothed, she feels naked.

Seen.

“We gotta get moving,” she says matter-of-factly. “There’s coffee on the nightstand. Once you wash your face, I’ll change your bandage again.”

And then, stepping away, she disappears from view. From the sounds she’s making, she’s clearly cleaning the room, thoroughly removing all traces of their less than six hour presence in this motel in the middle of practically nowhere. In mere minutes, it will be like they had never been here at all.

And so it goes for Red Room operatives.

So it went in Ohio.

When Yelena sits up to stretch, blankets that she hadn’t fallen asleep under cascade heavily to the floor.

She glances to her left.

Sees a bed that’s been all but stripped clean.

—

In the bathroom, the gray light of dawn leans against the partially opened window. Yelena sits on the side of the half-bath as Natasha makes quick and expert work of cleaning her wound and bandaging it up again, snipping the excess gauze off with her penknife.

“Looks better today,” she simply comments as she replaces the knife in her utility belt. “Might not scar if you’re lucky.”

Unspoken between them but nonetheless understood, neither of them have really been lucky.

They were orphans abandoned by their mothers.

They were children who were trained to kill.

And now they have so much blood on their hands.

Red dripping from their ledgers.

Scars on their bodies, so many wounds on their souls.

Yelena’s not even thirty yet.

(Her life has given her plenty of reasons to suspect that she might never be.)

“Pssh,” she snorts derisively as her sister finally yanks the washcloth out from the window.

It closes with a smart snap.

A decisive finality.

Yelena is just bending down to lace her boots up when Natasha suddenly speaks again, apropos of absolutely nothing.

She could have just left.

She shifts her weight from foot to foot.

Gripping the washcloth loosely in one hand, she stays.

“There was... this S.H.I.E.L.D. guy,” she says, her voice reluctant, full of clear misgivings, “who used t’complain all the time that I never had an extraction plan. No exit strategies either. I’d just go in… complete my mission… and it’d be up to my enemy’s aim if I made it out intact.”

Yelena looks up to see that her sister’s back is turned to her, her back stiff, the sharp ridges of her shoulder blades jutting visibly through the black fabric of her shirt.

Somehow, even in a bathroom barely big enough to admit the both of them, she seems strangely small.

Young even.

She curls her fingers around the nearby towel rack like a kid gripping the monkey bars.

“I used to think that maybe that was the best way to atone for everything I’d done,” she continues, her voice ever distant, so perfectly controlled. “To be so reckless with my life that if I died during a mission, someone might actually call it heroic.”

A laugh, short and humorless, entirely disaffected from the horrible words that the same voice just spoke.

Yelena wraps her arms loosely around her stomach.

And represses the primal urge to shudder.

But wish though she could, she can’t look away from Natasha Romanoff.

Mesmerized.

Horrified.

Concerned.

She should hate this woman.

For all of these many years, she has loved her unconditionally.

“But then I got with the Avengers, you know, and I was suddenly in the public eye, tasked to save people, to try and protect my team…”

A violent pause.

Natasha lets go of the towel rack rather abruptly but neatly folds the rag over the top of it.

“It’s different when you’re on a team,” she finally shrugs. “You start making exit strategies because it’s not just your life on the line anymore.”

“So that’s what we are, huh?” Yelena can’t stop herself from asking. Her voice drips its own sarcasm; it relishes in mockery; she hopes it’s enough to hide her hurt. “A team?”

They’d once been family.

Every night, Natasha told her that she loved her.

Every night, Yelena replied just the same.

And in all the years afterwards, there was always a small part of her that hadn't lost hope that her big sister was going to come back for her one day, that she was going to bring the Avengers and rescue her—rescue all the Widows—from Dreykov.

She got out.

Thousands of girls didn't.

“For now,” comes the quiet reply. “C’mon. Finish getting ready.”

Natasha doesn’t look behind her when she walks out.

Yelena is starting to think she never does.

#natasha romanoff #yelena belova #black widow #mcu #black widow spoilers #reginianwrites #f: mcu #I HAVE SO MANY GD EMOTIONS

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theyungrose · 3 years

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Chrysanthemums and Daisies (Roman Reigns X Jey Uso)

Chapter 6: Insults and Interference

“What?!”

Chrysanthemum turned to Daisy with an incredulous look on her face, following the insane demand she had just made.

“Don’t look at me like that. I want you to ban Jey from ringside for Roman’s match tonight.”

It sounded even crazier the second time she said it. Daisy was all too serious though, sitting with her arms folded on the arm of Chrysanthemum’s office couch. Surprisingly, this was the first time the two sisters had actually sat in her office and spoke since the night of Daisy’s debut; not to say they weren’t speaking outside of work, but when they were at work the duo was just plain distant.

“Why on Earth would you want me to do that Daisy?”

Daisy scoffed at her sister; sometimes her head could be just as empty as people perceived Daisy’s to be.

“Shall I write you a list your majesty? How ‘bout so it can be a fair fight for a change? What’s the point in having a rematch anyway if you’re just gonna let shit play out the same way each time. It’s boring.”

Chrysanthemum sneered at the sarcasm and spite in her younger sister’s voice, but she chalked it up to PMS and maintained her composure. She’d just finished hers and of course being sisters, well you understand.

“Daisy, let’s leave the big decisions to me okay? I love you to pieces but it’s really not your forte nor is it your business. I don’t tell you how to wrestle.”

“Because you can’t.”

Daisy quickly shrunk into her seat at the speed of Chrysanthemum’s nasty glare towards her, it was meant as only a small dig but obviously this wasn’t the forum, the tension already at a hundred. Meanwhile, Chrysanthemum once again gripped tightly to her calm sanity as she walked towards Daisy. After a deep breath she spoke to her sister again.

“Why are you in here making demands on Jey’s behalf anyways? I’m sure his mouth works perfectly fine.”

‘It sure does’

Daisy giggled quietly at her own thoughts.

“Come on sis, you know Jey is only doing this because his cousin forces him too. I mean what type of family threatens to throw you out of it because you won’t do his bidding? Your champion is an asshole, an evil one at that.”

Chrysanthemum sighed, wishing she was in a position to defend her champion. There wasn’t much she could say though; they both knew that the people they were in and outside of work were two things that would clash if they ever merged. It was a power thing, and of course only her and Roman would understand.

“Look Daisy, I bet Jey probably appreciates you sticking your neck out like this, but the answer is no. I make matches, not interfere in them.”

Daisy scoffed, an even bigger one this time, and rolled her eyes at her sister. As cute and kind as she was, she had a natural bratty side that simply came with being the younger sibling, and it always when she couldn’t get something she wanted, especially at the hands of her sister. No matter the situation it was always Chrysanthemum’s way or the freeway, and when she wasn’t on the winning side of that it irked her in more ways than she could imagine.

“You’re such a punk.”

Anticipating the strike that was most likely coming, Daisy stood up and moved out of arms reach as she said that. Chrysanthemum, though a ways past irritated now, didn’t hit her sister and instead plopped onto her couch with a groan. She knew the childish temper tantrum that was coming from years of experience, and tonight she simply would not feed into it.

“Whatever Daisy.”

Daisy’s blood was starting to boil a bit as her sister scrolled through her phone; she hated being dismissed more than she hated being told no, and when Chrysanthemum started this nonchalant bullshit with her it made Daisy want to tear her hair out.

“You and Vince McMahon, y’all protect him like he’s a boy. Next time you see him tell him I said to grow some balls between his legs if he wants to carry that championship.”

When Chrysanthemum still paid her no mind, Daisy’s fast mouth took it ten steps further before she even had a chance to think about it.

“You probably won’t though, they’ll be too busy in your mouth.”

She knew she’d succeeded in getting a reaction out of her sister when she dropped the phone from her hand, but when she saw the rage in Chrysanthemum’s stare as she stood up from the couch, Daisy knew she’d gone too far. If she was expecting a hit before, she could anticipate an ass beating now.

“Get out.”

Chrysanthemum was fuming, legit shaking, with rage as she got in her sister’s face. Her heels made her a couple inches taller than she already was over Daisy, and she could see the slight fear in her eyes.

“Look I’m sorry okay, I took that too far.”

Flames of anger still licked up Chrysanthemum’s blood stream even following Daisy’s apology.

“Get out Daisy.”

Her voice was calmer but still enraged, and Daisy saw there was no fixing this situation right now. A few salty tears pooled into her irises as she turned away from Chrysanthemum and walked out, gently closing the door behind her.

Chrysa fell back to the couch with her hand covering her forehead. The fears of her nightmares were already beginning to take root in her conscious reality, and it’d only been a few weeks. She wanted only to protect her sister from the subsequent crash and burn that her hasty actions often gifted her, but it was becoming apparent that Daisy was already beginning to resent that. Not only that; Chrysanthemum feared that this sudden uproar was not of Daisy’s own will, made obvious by the person she stormed in to defend.

Chrysanthemum could tell this was headed for a very messy direction,and usually the one to jump in front of the train to take the blow, this was the first time her position in the matter left her hands tied.

She’d just have to pray it’d blow over.

~~~~~~~~~

Daisy was still fuming following her earlier exchange with her sister, Jey had noted the fire in her eyes when she came to sit with him while he strapped up for his match. Of course, being akin to the “Head of The Table” didn’t secure you a locker room, or a maintenance closet for that matter. Instead the duo sat a few feet from the bathroom on a rolling crate, taking turns wrapping each other’s hands and lacing boots.

“Are you excited for your rematch with Liv babe?”

Jey assumed his words had fallen on deaf ears when Daisy didn’t reply, but upon a quick glance up from his fists he realized that she was staring intently at him.

“Daisy?”

It’d been a short four weeks, but even Jey could say he didn’t recognize the look in his girls eyes. He’d never seen her green eyes look so cold, and distant. What he didn’t know is that her infatuation with AJ Lee might’ve run a little deeper than attire and move set. The most advanced translator couldn’t transcript what was going on in Daisy’s head, for it was a whirlwind of emotion and angst.

“Babe?”

A dangerous sparkle was alight in Daisy’s eyes as she all of a sudden snapped awake from her trance.

“What if we interfere in your cousins match tonight? Like I can come out during the match and distract him somehow, and you kick his head off while he isn’t looking.”

Jey was floored. What scared him most was she was being serious, like deathly. She spoke with no hesitation, and stared into his eyes the entire time.

“Daisy...I appreciate that ma but I can’t have you inserting yourself in family business like that. It’s not safe.”

The rejection made her tongue thick with spite.

“Well it’s not like anyone else is doing anything about it. We have to take a stand baby.”

Daisy framed her man’s face in both her small hands, hoping the intimacy would be enough to convince him. She had already been told ‘no’ once tonight, she couldn’t accept hearing it a second time.

Jey sighed taking both her hands in his, both overwhelmed and frightened by the depths of his girl’s loyalty.

“Thank you for being a solider babe, but I made this bed and I gotta lie in it. You should focus on your match with Liv, don’t worry about me. I got this.”

Jey sealed his promise with a chaste kiss to her lips.

“I promise.”

Daisy sighed in defeat, she still hadn’t gotten her way but he had succeeded in soothing the savage beast, at least for now. A brief smile appeared on Daisy lips, but the moment was fleeting as she caught a glimpse of Roman rounding the corner.

“Let’s go.”

Roman didn’t break his stride as he passed the two, barely sparing his cousin a passing glance.

Jey and Daisy exchanged glances, the warmth of her palms still radiating on his cheeks as they fell from his face. Daisy was visibly upset again, but with his cousin already down the hall there wasn’t much Jey could do. He left her with a lingering kiss to the crown of her head before jogging down the hall to catch up with his cousin.

Daisy eyes bore flaming holes into the back of Roman’s head as the two continued down the hall. Right before they disappeared Roman glanced behind him; meeting the rage in Daisy’s features. The fierceness in her gaze shook him a little bit as was telling from his expression. Daisy smirked coyly as he turned his back to her and continued walking.

She’d just have to take him down herself.

Tag List <3

@lavitabella87 @msbigredmachine @oncetwiceandoveragain @stellarollins @saccreigns @thewrestlingobsessor @fatedxdestiny

#romanreigns #romanreigns x reader #romanreigns x oc #romanreignswwe #jeyuso #jeyuso x reader #jeyusoxoc #jeyusowwe #wwe

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mermaidxatxheart · 4 years

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Safe Place

This is for @imanuglywombat‘s challenge. I’m so sorry it’s so late, babe. Thanks for being so understanding! This is based on the beach board Laura has. But highly inspired by the pictures that you’ll see in the story at various points.

Pairing: Bucky X Reader

Word Count: 4788

Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, swearing, disgusting fluff. Seriously some tooth-rotting fluff, I’d turn back now if I were you.

Bucky leans against the car, waiting for his space case girlfriend. He told her to pack last night. He knew this would happen. He rolls onto his hip, turning from facing the parking lot to facing your apartment building. Hand on his hip, left arm resting on the roof of his old car, he balances on one foot and heaves a sigh.

Five more minutes.

He’ll give you exactly five more minutes before he goes in and retrieves you himself, packed or not.

Four minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, you come banging out the door, your duffel bag half hanging off your arm as it smacks from the door to your leg. You grin at him, clumsily brushing your hair out of your face.

“I’m ready!” You call, extracting yourself so you don’t trip.

He can’t help but chuckle as you rush at him. He catches you in his arms, your bag crashing into his back.

“You sure you’re ready? Have everything you need?” He asks, brushing your hair behind your ear. You beam happily at him and nod, pressing a kiss to his lips. He closes his eyes, pulling you closer. Kissing you is one of his favorite past times. If you let him, he would kiss you all day long.

Before he can even think about getting handsy, you pull back, squinting at him suspiciously. “Are we getting snacks?” You ask.

“It’s a road trip. Obviously, we’ll get snacks.” He grins.

“Good.” Your eyes drop to the back seat of his car and you clap excitedly. “You brought the blankets! And my pillows! Bucky!” You fling open the back door, smacking him with it as you deposit your bag in the back seat. You pause, looking up at him nervously.

“Did I just hit you?” You ask and he shrugs casually.

“I’m okay, sweetheart. C’mon, let’s get going.” He takes your hand and leads you out of the way so he can close the door.

“I’m so sorry, Bucky.” You rush and he leads you around to the passenger seat.

“Doll, I’m fine. Don’t you worry about me.” He promises, cupping your face and kissing your forehead. “I promise.” He opens the door for you and guides you in. He shuts the door gently and jogs back to the driver’s side. He climbs in and looks over at you, worrying your lower lip.

He takes your hand, lacing his fingers with yours. “Hey.” He starts and you look up at him expectantly. “We’re going to the beach!” He says excitedly and you break out into a wide smile.

“I’ve never seen the beach.” You reply, reaching for your seatbelt.

“I know, doll. You’re gonna love it.” He promises, lifting your hand to his mouth and kissing the back of it.

“I’ve already told you that, haven’t I?” You guess.

“I would listen to you repeat yourself for hours if it meant I could hear your voice.” He says, starting the car. You scoot just a little closer to him on the bench seat and twist to lean against his side. He drapes his arm around you and backs out of the space. You watch your apartment building disappear out the window and you give it a little wave. He can almost hear you whisper ‘bye’ and he smiles to himself.

You reach over to the radio and click it on, twisting the dial to your favorite station. “I love this song!” You exclaim, tapping his arm. He turns up the volume a little and you begin to hum along, mumbling all the wrong words, but you don’t care, not really.

He likes your version better.

After about an hour, he pulls off the highway to a convenience store. He has to pee and you wanted snacks. He is, if nothing else, a man of his word.

You tip your head back and look at him curiously.

“You require snacks. I require a bathroom.” He says, helping you sit up. You laugh and he swears he could die happy. He climbs out and walks around to you, opening your door for you.

“Pick out anything you want; I’ll be right back.” He presses a kiss to your temple and disappears into the bathroom.

He hates leaving you alone, especially out in public. His girl. So, he makes it quick, washes his hands in record time and he’s back out to the main store. He scans the tops of the aisles, looking for you, but you aren’t visible.

His heart skips just for a second, before he forces himself to stay calm. He walks along the back wall, glancing down every aisle until he finds you, bent over, looking at snacks on the bottom shelf. He lets out a small breath and walks over to you. His hand rests on your lower back and you look over your shoulder at him with a smile.

“What’re you looking at?” He asks, rubbing your back.

“Pringles. Cheese? Or original?” You ask.

“Let’s get both.” He suggests and is rewarded with your eyes brightening.

“Okay! Can we get drinks, too?” You bounce on the balls of your feet.

“Of course.” He takes the basket from you as you head for the coolers. He picks out some more of your favorite snacks before going over to the drink case. He finds you with your arms full of bottles.

You look at him with a grin. “Did you want something, too?”

“You’re such a shit.” He laughs, taking them out of your arms and setting them in the basket. He pulls a few more drinks for himself and drapes an arm around you, leading you towards the register. He pays for everything and leads you back outside.

“Bucky?” You start as you cross the parking lot.

“Y/N.” He replies with a grin.

You poke his side and he squirms away, catching your hand. “I have to tell you something. It’s important.” You say, pausing outside the car door.

“If you’re breaking up with me, that’s going to make this car ride very awkward.”

You push his arm, but he can see the smile. “I was going to say thank you.”

He pulls you closer, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head. “It’s completely my pleasure, doll.”

“I said I was going to, sir. But you ruined my moment with your jokes.” You say and he grins, opening the car door for you.

“And I would again, just to see you smile.” He says and you climb in the car.

“You’re so annoying.” You sigh. He closes the door after you and walks around to his side, climbing in. He gets all buckled in and starts the car as you twist to lean back against him again. “I love you.” You whisper and he squeezes your hand.

“I love you, too, înger.”

You roll down your window, using your toes on the crank and he marvels at your dexterity. You prop your feet up, wiggling your toes in the breeze. He smiles, rubbing your arm gently.

After a little while, you dig into the snack bag, pulling out the can of Pringles. You shift so you’re laying down with your head in his lap.

“Baby, that’s not safe.” He says, already adjusting his arm to keep you there.

“Of course, it is. I’m with you.” You say, opening the lid and smiling up at him innocently. He groans, playfully covering your face.

“Yes, you are.”

You laugh and lick his hand.

“Gross.” He wipes his hand across your stomach. You hold a chip up to his lips and he takes it, making sure to catch your fingers in his mouth. You squeal as his teeth nip you, yanking your hand back.

“I want to say you’re mean to me,” you sigh. “but that would just be a lie.” You roll your eyes begrudgingly, offering him another chip.

“I could never be mean to you. Annoying as shit, of course-absolutely. I’m really down for that.” He grins and you laugh.

He turns up the radio, content with his place right now, sharing chips with you.

***

“I have to pee!” You whine, bouncing in your seat, legs crossed, hands shoved between your thighs.

“Almost there.” He promises, angling for the freeway exit.

“Not fast enough.”

He pulls into the parking lot of the gas station and parks closest to the door. You’re out and running before he can even turn off the engine. He decides to fill up on gas while you’re here, so he backs up to the pump and gets out.

He hums quietly to himself as the numbers tick by on the machine. He keeps an eye on the door, waiting for you to come back out. It only takes another minute for you to bolt out the door and jump on his back, wrapping your legs around his waist.

“Feel better?” He asks, supporting your thighs as you rest your chin on his shoulder.

“Much. Do you need to go inside? I can finish this.” You offer, sliding down to the ground.

“Yeah, I might as well, since we’re here.” He pulls you close and kisses you slowly. Heat spreads through his body and you bump back into the car door. Your fingers curl into his hair, pulling slightly and he moans deep in his chest. He leans back, taking you in.

Your eyes are closed, lips reddened and puffy, still puckered and he sighs to himself.

“You need to be less good at kissing.” He mumbles and steps away, heading inside for the bathroom.

***

“Bucky? Where are we going?” You ask, following the curve of the road ahead. It winds and twists through big, tall trees-clearly not at the beach.

“I have a surprise for you.” He guides the car carefully through the dense trees before coming out onto a bluff overlooking the Georgian city below.

Clouds are barely wisps as they drifted lazily across the vast expanse of sky. It’s already turning colors as he parks and shuts off the car. He motions for you to stay where you are before climbing out and retrieving your blankets and pillows.

He spreads them out over the hood of his car and goes around to help you out. He makes sure you’re secure on the hood before climbing up and over you. He rolls over, pretending to squish you with an exaggerated groan before settling on his back and pulling you close.

“Bucky, this is perfect.” You mumble, snuggling closer.

He hums quietly, fingers trailing down your arms. The sun sinks towards the horizon, turning the azure sky brilliant arrays of purples, reds and oranges. Your hand rests on his chest as you watch the sunset.

“How much longer until we get to the beach?” You ask quietly.

“Well, if we drive through the night, we can be there by morning.” He says thoughtfully.

You pick up your head and look at him, forehead wrinkling. “You can’t drive all night, too. Bucky, you’ve been driving all day! You’re exhausted, you’re not a machine, you know.” You tell him, getting all worked up. Your fist is curled into the front of his shirt.

“Alright, doll. We’ll get a room here in town, get some actual dinner, and drive the rest of the way tomorrow morning.” He assures you, rubbing your wrist gently.

You relax your grip with a slow nod. “Good. You need sleep, too.” You mumble, resting back on his chest.

There’s no point, really, in him telling you that the only time he really sleeps is when you’re safe in his arms. It’s the only time he’s comfortable enough.

A strong wind blows across the bluff and you shudder in his arms. He pulls the second blanket up over you. You hum appreciatively, shifting closer.

“I love you.” He whispers, brushing your cheek.

“I know, silly.” You reply easily as the sun inches closer to the skyline.

“You know?” He teases, tickling your sides and you shriek with laughter. “How do you know?”

You grab his wrists, wrestling his arms over his head, he lets you win easily, and you straddle his hips. “I know, because why else would you drive through 8 states just to take me to a beach? Why else would you put up with my shitty memory and random tantrums? I know you love me because it shows in everything you do for me and in every way you touch me.” You bring his hands to your face and he cradles your cheeks gently. His thumb strokes your cheekbone and you lean into his touch.

“Of course, I know you love me. How could I not? Even on my worst days, you make sure I know you love me.” Your voice wobbles and he can see the tears in your eyes. His chest aches for you, swelling with unlimited affection for his girl.

“C’mere.” He mutters, pulling you close and kissing you repeatedly before hugging you tight. You bury your face in his neck and he can feel you struggling not to cry.

“My question is wh-...why do you love me? You know about my history; you were there when I found out. Why would you want me in the first place?” You mumble.

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re smart and funny, beautiful and I love the way you tease me. And despite your past and what happened to you, you’re still one of the kindest, sweetest, gentlest people I’ve ever met. The real question is how could I not fall in love with you?”

“You’re such a sap.” You mumble, almost unintelligible.

“But, I’m your sap, right?” He smiles, shifting you back around to catch the last of the sunset.

“I guess, since I can’t get rid of you.” You sigh dramatically.

“Well, if that’s all it takes.” He grins. You settle into a comfortable silence as you both watch the city come to life. It gets darker and all of the lights come on, turning the scene vibrant.

You both stay there for a little while longer until you’re shivering nonstop, despite the blanket.

“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go find some food. What are you hungry for?” He asks, guiding you up.

“Burgers? I want fries.” You rub your eyes.

“Okay, baby. I can go for burgers, too.” He climbs off and lifts you down. Your hands trail down his chest slowly and his jaw twitches. Your fingers smooth down over his abs, slipping under his shirt. They’re icy against his skin; he should have made you leave earlier. You’re much too cold.

You make a noise in your throat, a mix between a hum and a moan. “So powerful.” You murmur, completely absorbed in your exploration of him. He remains perfectly still with some struggle because you’re driving him crazy and he just wants to take you here and now. So, he keeps his hands firmly at his sides instead of kissing you into next week.

He closes his eyes to try and help his self-control. Your hands feel like heaven on his skin.

Suddenly, your hands are gone. “Let’s go get dinner.” You say, popping up on your toes and pecking his lips.

He opens his eyes and squints at you suspiciously. “You kill me.” He sighs, moving around to the passenger side and opening your door for you.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You say innocently, trailing your fingers across his chest as you slide in.

“Wicked girl.” He groans, closing your door carefully. He gathers your pillows and blankets up, stuffing them in the back seat. He climbs in and starts the car. You roll the window down again and rest both arms on it, gazing out into the night.

“What are we getting to eat?” You ask as he turns the car around.

“Burgers and fries, doll.” He answers.

“Oh, right. I remember.” You nod. He drives slowly through the dense trees, your arm sticks out, trailing through the low hanging leaves. “It’s so pretty out here.” You sigh.

He drives into town, finding a little bar to pull into. It’s not too crowded, yet, just a handful of locals out for dinner. He parks and helps you out, lacing his hand with yours. He leads you inside and there’s a sign just inside to sit wherever you want.

“Go pick out a table.” He says, nudging you away. You pull on his hand until you’re too far apart and have to let go. He heads over to the bar to place your orders, leaning against the solid wood.

A big man sits next to him at the bar and Bucky glances over at you to make sure you’re okay.

“You’re a lucky man.” The big guy says after a minute. Bucky glances at him expectantly. “You two just walked in here and I can already tell she’s crazy about you.” He says with a fond smile.

Bucky inspects him closer and realizes he must be in his 50s or 60s, if the grey in his beard is anything to go by. “You can tell that?” He asks finally.

“She looks at you like you hung the moon. My Dot used to look at me like that.” He replies wistfully. “Ladies like them don’t come around too often. We gotta hold onto them when we find them. Treasure them.” His dark eyes turn misty and Bucky feels for him.

“I’m sorry,” Bucky says sincerely. He can’t imagine his world without you in it.

“Just take my advice, kid. Don’t let a moment go by where she isn’t sure she knows how much you love her.”

Bucky nods thoughtfully and glances back at you.

“What can I get you?” The bartender asks.

Bucky places his orders and gestures to the table. The bartender turns away and Bucky looks at you again, fiddling with the condiments on the table.

Bucky claps the man on the shoulder and makes his way back to you. Your entire face lights up as he sits next to you. He takes your hand, bringing it to his mouth. You adjust yourself, turning in your chair to face him, leaning your back against the table.

“What are you thinking?” He asks.

You run your fingers through his hair, brushing it out of his face before cupping the back of his neck, playing with the strands. “Your hair’s getting long again.” You smile, resting your cheek on your fist.

“I should get it cut when we get back.” He says softly. You shake your head. “No?”

“No. I like it like this. All soft and fluffy.” You grin, leaning in and kissing him.

“Fluffy?” He repeats, scandalized.

You laugh and nod, raking your fingers through it. “Fluffy. I like how it feels.”

“Alright. I’ll keep it.” He agrees, leaning back out of the way as your food is set down.

***

“Doll? Did you wanna take a shower?” Bucky asks, coming out of the bathroom and toweling his hair dry. When he had gone in for his shower, you had been laughing, in a good mood. Now, you’re sitting on the bed, staring a hole into the wall with a blank face.

He drops the towel and comes around the bed. “Y/N?” He starts, reaching out to cup your face gently. You don’t react, not a blink or even a flinch. He kneels in front of you and grasps your hands. He rubs his thumbs on the back of your hands and waits for you to blink.

“Baby?” He says softly.

Your face animates and you jerk your hands back, shoving back further onto the bed. Bucky holds up his hands to show you he’s not a threat, his heart hammering in his chest. You rub at your eyes, looking around confused.

“Bucky?” You mumble.

“I’m right here.” He answers, staying where he is.

“I’m sorry.” You whisper.

“Nothing to be sorry for, angel. What’s the matter?” He asks.

“Are we going to be away for long?” You scoot back to the edge of the bed and rest your hands palm up on your knees.

He carefully places his hands back in yours. “Not if you don’t want to be. We’re going to see the beach. If you don’t want to stay any longer, then we’ll turn right around and drive home.”

You’re quiet for a long minute. “Do you think my apartment is okay?” You ask finally and he chuckles.

“I’m sure it misses you.” He brushes his thumb along your cheekbone. “This place doesn’t feel like home, does it?” He says and you shake your head. “What do you need?”

You shake your head, rubbing your eyes. “I’m okay.”

“You know I’m gonna be right here with you.” He offers.

“Bucky? Can we sleep in the car?” You ask timidly. “It’s just, it smells like you and it’s from home and I just think-“

“Of course, we can. Let’s get the blankets so we can be warm, okay?” He stands up and starts pulling you to your feet. He wraps his arms around your shoulders, holding you tight. “We can make the back seat into a little fort.” He can feel you smile into his shoulder.

“Like the tent you made me in my dining room.”

“Just without the cool lights.” He smiles and presses a kiss to your forehead. “Do you wanna take a shower while I get everything set up for us?” He asks, stepping back from you.

“Okay.” He guides you to the bathroom and shutting the door. He gathers up all your blankets and pillows, carrying them out to the car, fitting them into the back seat, making it as cozy as possible. He makes sure to set the rest of the snacks in easy reach, before going into the lobby of the motel, making two cups of hot chocolate. He sets them in the front seat before going back into the room to wait for you.

“I’m back, Y/N.” He calls through the door before lying on the bed. The door opens a few minutes later and you come out in a billow of steam.

“Oh no.” You gasp and his eyes fly open in alarm. “There’s a handsome man in my bed.” You say and he groans.

“Why are you like this?”

You climb on the bed, sitting on his lap. “Because I love you. And picking on you is so much fun.”

“Well, I guess I can allow it, then.” He grins, pulling you down to kiss him.

“You bet your sweet ass you will.” You smirk, pecking his lips once before sitting up and pulling off your shirt.

His mouth waters and he licks his lips to catch any drool because, sweet Christmas, you’re perfect.

***

You pull your clothes back on and look over at Bucky, still laying in the bed, staring at the ceiling. A small smile plays at your lips and you toss a pillow on him. He grins, catching it ad holding it to his chest.

“Come on, Bucky.” You groan playfully. “You need to get some sleep.”

“Doll, do you even know how much I love you?” He sighs, sitting up and pulling you between his thighs. He wraps his arms around your legs and rests his face on your stomach. You try not to squeal, because you love when he holds you like this.

You play with his hair a moment before answering. “Of course, I do. I might have a shitty memory, but I’ll never forget that.” You promise, kissing the top of his head.

This man has done wonders for you. He was there when he found out your birth father had abused you at such a young age that blocking those memories out somehow cause memory damage. He held you the nights you couldn’t remember where you were. He made sure, always, that you knew you were safe with him.

No matter what, he was your safe place, your harbor in the storm. He protects you from everything and indulges in every stupid idea, like building a tent fort in your living room for those nights you can’t sleep and he’s not there, or sleeping in a car because it feels like home.

You tilt his face up to meet his eyes, searching them. “Do you know how much I love you?” You counter and he nods. “Good. Let’s go get some sleep. We’re going to the beach in the morning.”

He smiles and you lean down to kiss him. When you pull away, his eyes are still closed, like he’s in a dream. You wiggle out of his arms and grab your pajama pants, pulling them on.

When you’re both ready, he opens the door for you and leads you out to the car. He opens the back door and gestures for you to climb in. The backseat looks so cozy, so soft with pillows and blankets everywhere. It doesn’t even feel like a backseat anymore. You climb in and slide all the way over and he follows, shutting the door behind him.

“Bucky, this is amazing.” You mumble, curling against him. He presses a kiss to your shoulder, his whiskers tickling your skin.

“I’m glad you like it, baby.” He says softly.

“What did I do to deserve you?” You sigh happily.

He chuckles. “Who knows, probably something horrible.” He teases.

You poke his side. “You stop that right now.”

He laughs. “Alright, alright.” He shifts you to a more comfortable position as he plays with your hair. He covers you with your blanket and hums softly.

You relax into him, melting into a sleepy puddle. He has you asleep in minutes, his hands gentle on your hair.

“I love you.” You mumble, slipping deep into sleep.

“I love you, too.” He replies softly.

***

“Baby, wake up.” Bucky says gently, rousing you from your sleep.

“What is it?” You mumble, rubbing your eyes. It’s still dark outside, but not pitch black, you notice.

“Come on, sweetheart. I wanna show you something.” He opens the back door for you and holds his hand out.

You sit up, looking around and it dawns on you that he was already out of the back seat. “Where are we?” You accept his hand and he helps you out of the car. You shiver now that you’re out of your blanket cocoon.

He wraps his coat around you and pulls you against him. “I wanted you to see the sunrise.” He says quietly into your hair.

You look around, realizing that you’re no longer in the parking lot of the motel. “Bucky, you didn’t!” You gasp, looking back at him.

“Of course I did.” He smiles, grabbing your blanket and taking your hand. “Come on.” He leads you over the curb and onto the beach.

The sand is so soft on your bare feet, squishing between your toes. “You drove all night.” You grumble, taking his hand.

“This is important. I can sleep later.” He shrugs, approaching the edge of the wet sand and spreading out the blanket. “We can watch the sunrise, and there’s a great restaurant right down the beach where we can get breakfast and then we can come back and collect seashells all day long.” He says and you have to admit, doing all of that with him sounds absolutely perfect.

“Fine. Twist my arm.” You sigh, spreading out on the blanket. He laughs and drops next to you.

“I know, this is so terrible.” He nudges your side. You lean against him, watching the waves and feeling the breeze.

You don’t have to wait long for the sky to lighten. The sun is rising from behind you, but it’s still beautiful to see the bright, clear blue of the water come to life in front of your eyes.

“Wow.” You breathe. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, you are.” He agrees and you look up to find him staring at you. In his hand is a small box. He sets it carefully in your palm, and you can see his hands are shaking. His always steady hands, he’s never nervous or afraid.

“Y/N. I have loved you since the moment I met you. You’ve made my life richer, and you’ve made me want to be a better man. You’re the most important person in my life and I can’t imagine not spending the rest of it with you. Please, please say you’ll marry me?” He asks earnestly, just as the sky turns a brilliant blue.

“Bucky, of course, I will.” You whisper, twisting to face him, throwing your arms around his neck. “Of course!”

The sun rises over your first time to the beach with the love of your life and the happiest day ever.

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boarix · 3 years

Text

Wraith in the Ruins: A Fallout 4 Story Part XX

Call My Name

Trigger Warnings: canon violence/gore/language/gun, drug and alcohol use.

......

Deacon and Wraith had finished placing the MILA at the construction site in Cambridge and were taking stock of ammo and equipment before heading back to Railroad HQ. Deacon was especially eager to move along as the building was tall and they were still at the top. Wraith was nonchalantly lounging in a chair with its deposed super mutant owner lying at her feet. She had no idea he was acrophobic, and he wanted to keep it that way.

“You almost ready, boss?” He kept his tone light, “You’ve been staring at you’re Pip-Boy for a few days now.”

She made a circular motion with her right hand, “I’m trying to see if there isn’t a quicker way back then there was to…” She interrupted herself by laughing, “a few days?” She smiled up at him, “You in a particular rush?”

“My rush isn’t so particular, just feels too open here. If I were a sniper I’d be there,” He pointed helpfully, “or there, or there. Isn’t this fun?”

“Okay, okay…” She continued to stare at her screen.

“Whisper, it’ll be dangerous to climb down in the dark. Which is soon…” He shuffled closer to her while purposefully dragging the soles of his sneakers, “I’m also starving. Can we stop at the Fast Food?”

She chuckled, “We have food at home.” She stood and stretched, “I think there’s a way to get over to the freeway from here. I want to go check it out real quick.”

He frowned dramatically at her, “But I’m hungry.”

She reached into her pack, grabbed a small package wrapped in cheese cloth and tossed it to him as she walked, “Here. It’s fruit leather.” She pulled one out for herself but rather than eat it she sniffed and frowned at it, “This batch is too heavy on the carrots. I miss bananas. These would have better with bananas. Or I could make chips! Mmm, banana chips.”

Distracted by her melancholy, for a brief moment he forgot his fear. Balling up the entire strip, he clowned for her by shoving it into his mouth, “Mmfp. Sfo… thereshf im brogdgg nofp wha?”

She snorted and laughed, “If you’re asking me about a bridge… kinda?”

His fear was back.

The gap between the building and the freeway was only about 6 or 7 feet. It was bridged by road sign that looked fairly secure, but to Deacon it might as well have been miles. His arms twitched up reflexively as Wraith skipped across.

“I’ve been meaning to see if there was anything good up here. Since it’s so out of the way I thought there might be an armored truck… Are ya comin’?” She leaned back in to view, eyebrows tented and lip sticking out, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothin’ just… how long do you suppose this has been here?”

“It’s pretty solid, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“You didn’t hardly step on it.”

“You’re just as light on your feet as me. Don’t try to jump it.” When he didn’t immediately move, she offered him an out, “Or, you can just hang tight for a sec, I shouldn’t be long.”

“No, no. We’re partners; I go where you go.”

He tried to take it in two large strides, but with his vision marred by vertigo, his second step landed heavily on a rusted edge and the whole piece gave way. Wraith lunged to grab his hand, yelling his name. Swinging forward, he yelped in pain as his right hip was punctured by exposed rebar. Hearing his cry, Wraith didn’t immediately pull him up for fear of causing further damage.

“Are you hung-up? Can you free yourself?!”

“I’m… going… grragh… to try…” Though he knew it would cause a flash of intense pain, he reached up to hold her hand with both of his. He took a few deep breaths to recover. When he tried to pivot to push off with his left foot, the pain was too intense and he felt a surge of panic. “I can’t!”

“Are you cut?! I can’t … I can’t see.”

Screwing his eyes shut he tried to calm himself, “I got stabbed. It’s not super deep but this… I don’t think I’ll be able to talk my way out of this one. Ha hahaha!”

“Deacon, look up at me. You are going to be okay. I won’t let you fall. Let go with one hand and see if you… don’t shake your head!” She smiled and lowered her voice, “I’m very strong, Deacon. I promise I won’t let you fall. Trust me.”

“I…” He swallowed hard, “believe you.” Bolstered by her smile he let go and set his free hand against the girder. Screaming through the pain he brought his foot up and pushed off with both limbs. “GGGAAAARRRKKKK FREE!”

Wraith yanked him up next to her as if he were a prized catch at the end of a fishing line. He immediately dropped to the asphalt and was very noisily sick off the side of the bridge. Wraith ignored his retching but made assorted unhappy noises at the hole in his hip that was in fact very deep and bleeding a lot.

“You liar, you’re a goddamn shish kebab!” Quickly she gave him a one-two punch of Med-X and a Stimpak. When he made a small noise of protest against the painkiller she growled at him, “You hush! Being in pain slows healing.”

“And being on chemsh makes me shlow everything!” The lightning-fast med already had him stumbling over his words.

In the midst of her tying a temporary bandage, yellow-green lightning split the sky which set the Geiger counter on Wraith’s Pip-Boy to ticking madly. A rad storm was approaching fast. “Oh, for crying out loud!” Glancing around fearfully, she spotted a semi-trailer. Popping Deacon up and over her shoulder she made for the truck and set to work picking the lock.

“No, noooo NO! Danger! DANGER AGENT WHISNMPERS!”

“Yeah, yeah; ‘never open a new can of worms while cleaning up the first’. Look, I need to get you inside someplace!”

Tipped on its side, the trailer’s interior was narrow but devoid of monsters. Wraith gently lay Deacon down atop the scattered shipping tubs and glanced around for an additional light source to supplement her Pip-Boy, “Keep pressure on it, I’m going to hop back and grab some of those lanterns…” Once she returned she pulled shut the truck’s cargo door and got out her knife. However, when she turned back to Deacon he was nowhere to be seen. “Did you just… are you using a Stealth Boy?!”

“I don’t want you t’ cut my jeans!”

Blinking rapidly, she looked down at her combat knife and then back up to where his voice came from, “Deacon… you might bleed out! I’ll make you new pants!”

“Imma try to get out… OW! Huuurrgn… of them…” Failing, he phased back into view with a miserable expression on his face.

“There’s nothing wrong with showing a little leg. Or… a lot… damn, Deacon.” She made an attempt to school the worry from her face as she worked, “Looks like you’ll need to wear skirts for a while.”

“I have the calves for it.”

She couldn’t disagree, “Actually, you have better legs then me. Turn a little more on your side…”

“Why don’t you like the way you look? I think you’re pretty.”

“Well, I think you’re pretty too, Deacon. So I’ll throw that right back at you; why do you want to change your face again? Seems a more… dramatic solution than sticking on a false mustache. What’s th’ matter? Can’t grow facial hair?”

“I grow the best bneards you’d ever shee!”

“I’ll take your word for it. Anyway, I like the face you’re currently wearing.”

He was touched and even with his chem addled brain he knew the conversation was getting dangerously close to things he wasn’t sure he wanted her to know. It was time to change the subject, “What’s that? Brobzzs… Brave… Bavarian… Bob’s Best Moonshine?”

Wraith had pulled what looked like a liquor bottle out of her pack, “Oh, no. Curie gave me a lecture on how terrible alcohol is for wounds. So, I’ve been trying to carry soapy water instead. Buuuut,” She soaked a clean rag and gently wiped at his injury, “I don’t think she realizes that soap is way more rare out here then booze.”

Satisfied that the bleeding had stopped, she helped the now shivering spy into a sleeping bag and made for the door. “I’m going to go see if there is a quicker way down from here. I want to get you back to HQ and Carrington ASAP.”

“Jump down would be fastnerest.”

“You tried that already…” Her spirits sagged as she jogged along the short span of crumbling road. Then, they suddenly skyrocketed when she noticed there was a scaffolding lift on the very edge of the partially destroyed highway, “Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!”

The storm had passed so when Wraith returned she put Deacon’s pack in the sleeping bag with him and cinched the opening until only his face showed. She shouldered her own pack and then bent to pick him up as well. She had thought he was asleep until he started giggling.

“He heee; imma worm.”

“Oh, Deacon, you’re my favorite.”

……

“HANCOCK!” MacCready watched in horror the ghoul dropped to the pavement and writhed about while clutching his head. Fearing he’d been shot, the sniper pushed away from the feral citizen he’d been trying to subdue and rushed to the mayor’s side. “What?! Tell me…”

Hancock gaped; opening and closing his mouth like a fish trying to breathe air. His eyes bulged and were completely unfocused.

“She’s attacking him! Radiance!” Fahrenheit wanted nothing more than to throw herself off the balcony and rush to her father, “Pick him up or drag him if you have to but move him away from the bar!”

MacCready stooped and hooked the ghoul under the armpits while Magnolia grabbed his legs; both calling for the Watch. They only made it a few steps before multiple ferals burst from the Third Rail and charged them. The sniper dropped to a knee and set Hancock down as softly as time would allow. Telling the singer to pull Hancock toward the Memory Den he unholstered his sidearm and started an attack of his own. Aiming for their legs as he dodged their swinging arms, he lured them away. Twisting and turning, he danced just out of their reach and quickly cut them down.

“HELP ME!

Surprised by Magnolia’s desperate cry, MacCready whipped around and then stood frozen by what he saw. Hancock had lifted the singer off the ground to chest height and was viscously shaking her back and forth in the air. Like a terrier with a rat.

Thinking quickly, the young man took aim with the syringer and hit the ghoul in the neck with a dose of Pistol Whipped. The effect was almost instantaneous; Magnolia was released and the two dropped to the pavement. As he jogged toward them past the entryway to the bar, MacCready was hit by a powerful shockwave of radiation that swept him off his feet and hurled him through the window of the offices across the street.

Radiance seemed to almost float above the ground as she moved to where Hancock lay. Determined to claim him as a prize, her blazing eyes were fixed on his face. She was confused why she lost her hold on his mind and curiosity drove her to edit her own plan, act directly and leave the relative safety of the Rail. As she crouched and reached out to touch his brow, a shot rang out and she felt burning pain as a .44 bullet tore through the palm of her clawed hand.

When MacCready stepped back through the shattered glass, he was terrifying to behold: blood steamed down his face from a multitude of lacerations, and his cerulean eyes were a promise of death, “You can’t have him.”

The glowing one rose to her feet, turned up the heat and sent out another blast of energy. MacCready suddenly found himself in the midst of revived, legless ferals. They pulled themselves after him, snarling. Dodging, he continued his assault on their mistress but found that her radiation was both acting as a shield as well as healing any damage he managed to inflict. He was getting dangerously close to cursing loudly.

“MACCREADY, GET OUT OF THE WAY!” Fahrenheit had returned to the balcony, this time armed with a minigun.

Even as the gun began its spin up, Radiance decided to make a tactical retreat. Sending out a psionic call, she dashed back into the Third Rail with her few remaining minions trailing behind.

……

“Hey, Glory; think fast!”

The Railroad heavy easily caught the beer that Wraith tossed to her. “It’s cold! Where’d you get this?”

Wraith set a cooler on the floor and pulled a chair up next to where the synth was sitting, “I’ve a buddy in Goodneighbor.”

“Oh, ha ha.”

Wraith held up another and gently rocked it back and forth in Tinker Tom’s direction, “TT, come have a brewski with us!”

The Railroad engineer’s eyes lit up and he quickly walked over to them, holding both his hands up toward the booze the entire way, “Oooh, presents!” He took a swig and made several, almost inappropriate, noises of appreciation. “Well, don’t that beat all?” He smiled down at her, “Where’ve you been, Whisper? We missed you.”

She did a quick survey of the room, “Doc told me that Deacon needed some time and Hancock had mentioned a friend of his needed work so I’ve been dragging this kid around with me while I do Minutemen stuff. I see my partner isn’t here resting, like he’s supposed to be.”

Glory made an indelicate noise, “Nope. Though if Carrington catches him out, working with that injury…”

“Doc’s just itchin’ for an excuse to holler at our boy D.”

“You called?” With an almost imperceptible limp, Deacon, dressed in Gunner camo, crossed the room from the backdoor tunnel and leaned rather heavily on the center map table. He set down the sniper rifle he’d been carrying and frowned at the three of them, “Doing some day drinking, are we?”

Wraith flashed him a bright smile, “It’s gotta be five o’clock somewhere.”

“Yeah, D! Don’t be such an old lady, man.”

“You know, I briefly was an old-lady man. It worked out pretty well too.”

Glory laughed, “I admit that was a good one. No one ever suspects a little old woman. I’m surprised you didn’t keep her going longer.”

“It was hard on th’ back.”

Wraith popped her chin at his gun, “What have you been up to?”

“Now that I know that lift is stable, it’s a great spot for… observation.”

“I think someone had told me that area was a good spot for a sniper.”

“Well, whoever that mysterious stranger was they sure were brilliant as well as handsome.” He felt a flutter in his chest when Wraith smirked while giving him a toe to crown look of appraisal. She smiled into her beer and blushed slightly when she saw that he caught her and this in turn caused all matter of mental alarm bells to start shrieking at him.

NOT GOOD! VERY BAD! STOP FLIRTING!

“So what brings you in today? You want me back on deck, huh?”

“Are you sure you’re up for it?”

“Yup! Fit as a fiddle.”

Glory rocked her beer back and forth at him, “That’s not what Carrington said.”

“Pfft, Carrington… I’ll have you know that I went to Amari for a second opinion and she said ‘Deacon, please leave. You are underfoot and I am too busy.’”

Wraith laughed, “You were probably in Goodneighbor the same time I was.” She paused for a second when she saw Deacon’s brow twitch. “Actually I came to let you know that I need more time. Desdemona says there’s nothing for us right now and this kid, MacCready, I think he might really need my help.”

“Yeah. Help. Right.” Deacon shouldered his rifle and turned brusquely away, “I’m going to report to Dez. See you ‘round, Whisper.”

Tom patted Wraith on the back, “Don’t take it to heart; he’s just sore he has to share you.”

……

The Minutemen had made it to Goodneighbor in record time. A temporary field hospital had been erected and several of the Dragoons, wielding Gatling guns, were stationed in and around the Third Rail. Hancock was still unconscious and MacCready was holding one of the ghoul’s hands while a medic worked on the lacerations on his face.

“You shouldn’t have to worry about scarring. The derma-fuse works really well on glass cuts like these.”

MacCready mumbled his thanks, his eyes on Hancock.

The medic tried to reassure him, “Dr. Amari says his brain looks no worse than usual… erm… I’ll make sure you have a dose of Radaway…”

“No need,” Magnolia interrupted, “he’s the Mayor’s boyfriend. I’m sure he’s on a suppressive dose of Rad-X.”

MacCready chuckled, “That’s really funny, actually.” Then, when he realized the medic hadn’t gotten the joke he rolled his eyes, “She’s kidding. Yes, I need a bag of Radaway.”

Magnolia was wearing a neck brace and had dark circles under her eyes. She sat on the ghoul’s opposite side and took his other hand in hers.

“You’re not scared of him?”

She frowned at him, “Of course not.” She smiled tenderly down at the sleeping mayor, “I owe Hancock my life. He’s protected me here for years, and I know he would never hurt me willingly.” Her face hardened, “Am I crazy or did that wretched hag go for him specifically?”

“That’s what it looked like to me. I think this whole attack was meant to secure him.”

“Why?” Fahrenheit had ducked under the tent flap and stood at the foot of Hancock’s gurney. She looked tired and worried, and it carried in her voice, “Also, no Wraith? Why would Radiance come here herself without her strongest piece? It’s a move that makes no sense.”

“Not everything is chess.” MacCready had a warning in his voice, “Wraith isn’t a queen and we aren’t all pawns!”

“I never said you were all pawns; Hancock is at the very least a knight.”

“THIS ISN’T A GAME!”

“Uuhhg, MacCready, are you yellin’ some more?” Hancock made a halfhearted attempt to sit up before collapsing back onto his pillow, “Someone catch the brand on the brahmin that stamped my head last night?”

MacCready, all but sobbing in relief, embraced the ghoul and kissed him soundly, “I had to shoot you with the syringer. It scared the sh… crap out of me!”

“You shot me? Why?” He brought a scarred hand to his forehead, massaging it as he tried to remember, “What happened? How long was I out? I remember I was holding Curtis… damn. Everything’s all backwards.”

“You’ve been unconscious for about four hours. Radiance came up through the Blue Line into the Rail. We all seem to agree that she intended to leave with you.”

“I saw Wraith!” Hancock sat up quickly, his headache momentarily forgotten, “It was just a flash but…”

“What do you mean? She was here?!” MacCready stood up and made as if to leave the tent.

Hancock waved him back down, “No. No, I saw her in… she was someplace dark… her eyes… I think I saw her when the glowing one had me.” He shook his head, wincing, “That sounds crazy, even for me.” He gave MacCready a wan smile, “I’m sorry I’m no help…”

“What does she want with you? What does she want with Wraith?” Frustration gave an edge to Fahrenheit’s voice, “If we could figure out what the hell her endgame is, we could make a more efficient counterstrategy. Wraith is in the dark? Well, so are we!”

Hancock nodded, “We need to be proactive and not reactive. Right. Call Curie. She might want adjust the dosage on Pistol Whipped and I want to brainstorm with Nicky so better call him too. Oh, and give me the names of all my people who didn’t make it or are still feral.”

……

“Are you trying to sneak up on me, Whisper?”

“Well, kinda.” Wraith sat cross-legged next to Deacon. She had gone to Railroad HQ in search of him only to find that her partner was once again AWOL. The broken freeway was the next place she checked.

“Trying to impress me?”

She stuck out her lower lip and dipped her chin, “Yeah.”

Her admission surprised him as well as stoked his ego, “Well, I’m sure with a little more practice you’ll be half again as good as me.”

She laughed, “Thanks, teach. I love what you’ve done with the place, by the way.”

Deacon had set up a small lean-to on the upper level, tagged with the railsign for “cash”, “Yeah, I’m glad I found it.” He had brought up a beach lounger and now, in an attempt to appear casual, leaned back with his arms folded behind his head, “So, what’s up?”

“I’ve gotten a really good lead on Shaun…” She paused when Deacon abruptly sat up and leaned toward her, “Hancock and I are going to look for an Institute scientist… in the Glowing Sea…”

“The Glowing…” He didn’t even bother to hide the concern on his face, “You’re taking Hancock?”

“Yeah, well, he’s…” She floundered, looking for the right words, “a ghoul.” she finished, lamely.

“He’s also not exactly Mr. Dependable.”

I should not be this jealous!

“I don’t know, Deacon; he’s been really supportive and helpful. He’s a good friend. Besides, I know how much you hate power armor. I promise I’ll share any information I get with you and Dez.”

“My hip is all healed, Whisper. I want you to know that you can depend on me too.”

Shut up! Shut up, shut up shutyourstupidmouthyoumoron!

Wraith’s forehead creased and she leaned away from him, “Oh, no! It’s not that! Hancock was with Valentine and me… he asked to go. I know I can count on you. Really!”

“Regardless of power armor, I would have gone with you to the end, into the very fires of Mordor.”

Wraith sputtered for a moment before tilting her head back and laughing, “That was just perfect! You know, I think you and Hancock would get along really well if you tried. You both like the same books, apparently.”

……

Infamy watched Radiance leave with an escort of ferals. Having firmly established where the other glowing one’s limit of irresistible influence was, Atom’s Assassin hid in the caves the host was occupying; waiting for just such an opportunity. With most of the ferals left to wander freely throughout the expansive catacombs, Wraith’s guard consisted of only one bloated glowing one and a few reavers.

“If I can pull you away…” At war with themselves, the ghoul couldn’t decide if they were there to try and rescue Wraith, or destroy her. “Hmm, what would Atom do?”

Pushing their will onto the reavers, they caused them to swarm the bloated one until the assassin could put their knife through its eye. As they turned back to Wraith they jumped involuntarily because she had stood up and begun to growl.

“You’ve smelled better, Sister Wraith.” Another choice popped into their head, “Or… you could be mine. Perhaps the Mother has chosen you to be a harbinger for Infamy!” They cackled wildly in excitement, “Ha! Ha haha! Hmm, mustn’t get carried away, now. First things first…” Filled with narcissistic confidence, they sent a blast of psionic energy at Wraith’s mind. Fully expecting her to be knocked off her feet, they were shocked and irritated when they hit a solid mental wall. “What is this? We should be well outside of mommy’s range!”

Wraith flexed her hands menacingly as her growl deepened and grew louder. Then with shocking speed she sprinted for Infamy. When the ghoul tried to sidestep away, she anticipated the movement and hit them with backhand that nearly sent them across the room. Recovering quickly, the glowing one sent their captive reavers to trip her up, giving them time to put more distance between them. Strangely, Wraith didn’t kill the attacking ferals but only pushed them down and away.

“Hmm. Mommy doesn’t want you to kill your siblings, ey? Well, that works for me. Let’s see if we can’t tear down that wall, hmm?”

For several long moments the group danced back and forth across the rocky floor. Wraith seemed tireless and occasionally she would knock the ferals down long enough to attack Infamy. Regretting having destroyed the bloated glowing one, the assassin found that their utter lack of progress was filling them with fear. It dawned on them that without the reavers, they may have already been killed.

“Damn you!” They hissed, “Damn you, you beast!”

Suddenly the ferals and Wraith looked up at the cavern ceiling and froze. They stood motionless for a few moments before they all started snarling. Then, Wraith put her hands up to either side of her helmet and cried out. Still clutching her head, she stepped away from the reavers and began groaning what sounded like a name. Infamy edged closer to try and hear.

“Hann… Hn… Han.. Hancock…”

……

“Remember, Wraith’s appearance will most likely have changed and she will undoubtedly attack us. Do your best to evade and aid MacCready in lining up his shot. If injured, fall back immediately! We cannot afford a bottleneck or blockage that may prevent access to the cages.” Danse took a deep breath, “Do not exit your power armor for any reason! Assume the radiation levels to be at lethal levels throughout the vault. You few have been chosen for your exceptional levelheadedness and steady aim. If spotted, you are to shoot the glowing one known as Radiance on sight. Do not hesitate, and shoot to terminate. There isn’t a soul here who hasn’t been saved or comforted by Wraith. Now, ARE YOU READY TO RETURN THE FAVOR? ARE YOU READY TO SAVE THE COMMONWEALTH’S SAVIOUR?!”

“WE ARE READY!”

“COMMONWEALTH HEAVY DRAGOONS, ADVANCE!”

After much deliberation and investigation it had been decided that Vault 88 was the most likely location of Radiance’s stronghold. A large Minutemen battalion, arrow headed by a small taskforce of the Dragoons, MacCready and Strong, led by Danse, stood just beyond the rim of Quincy Quarries finalizing the plan of attack. However, the operation was as much recon as it was rescue, due to the simple fact that there wasn’t a way to enter the vault without one’s presence known to the possible hostel force within.

Hancock had been furious when MacCready had told him to remain in Goodneighbor, “Like hell I’m going to sit at my bar while all of you are out here…”

“If I have to shoot you again, I will!”

A compromise was reached when Hancock agreed to hang back with the main force. Though, he watched the preparations like a hawk and made several of the Minutemen nervous. And he wasn’t the only one. Strong had taken to pacing back and forth through the encampment, swinging his super sledge, Smashy, while muttering murderous things to himself.

Hancock stood next to Preston with his arms crossed, tapping his foot irritably as Danse’s group disappeared into the cave that led to the vault’s entryway, “Not a bad speech. We sure nine of ‘em are going to be enough?”

Preston frowned at him, “Nine? There were only eight assigned including Strong.”

“Well, I know I have fewer brain cells than when I was a smoothskin, but I can still fucking count! There were eight suits!”

……

She could feel something. Something that wasn’t Radiance. Her mistress’s light shown so bright in her mind that normally that’s all that there was. But now, there was a smaller light. It annoyed her. Like the incessant whine of a mosquito just outside your window. You know that it can’t get in, but your skin crawls nonetheless.

She growled at it. It persisted.

She pushed it down and threw it away from her. It persisted.

She could feel something. And there was now a crack in her shield.

……

Infamy was furious.

They had fallen back when it became apparent that Wraith couldn’t be obtained by head-on force and when Radiance returned, they had found themselves a protected nook just outside of the danger zone. There they meditated: focusing all of their will onto one spot in Wraith’s protective barrier. And just when it seemed that they had a breakthrough, Danse’s team came stomping by.

“Never a moment’s peace!” They pulled their hood close and dimmed their light as much as possible to avoid being spotted. “So close. Well, I can’t follow them… we will see how this plays out. Dammit.”

……

The ferals seemed endless as Radiance sent wave after wave at the Dragoons. Because she had sentry ferals posted at the entrance, her response had been almost instantaneous. The group was equipped with rifles rather than Gatling guns to avoid accidentally mistaking Wraith for an enemy and mowing her down. MacCready hung back, spotting for them as much as possible in the near darkness, grinding his teeth in anxious frustration. Strong repeatedly called for Wraith, the desperate cries for his alpha echoed throughout the vault. Though it adding to the bedlam, no one shushed him.

The suits of Danse’s team were modded for melee and with Strong clearing multiple enemies with each great sweep of his hammer, conserving ammunition wasn’t their highest priority. As such they initially pushed forward with relative ease.

Well past the area that had been developed for settlers, the floor’s slope angle pitched sharply and as the taskforce descended their Geiger-counters began to tick with increasing rhythm.

Danse checked the map on his integrated Pip-Boy, “There’s a large, open area coming up. Don’t let them flank you.”

The tunnel banked ahead of them and the group could see an ominous glow from the chamber beyond. Rounding the corner they fanned out across the entrance in the face of a sea of powerful feral ghouls.

“STRONG SMELLS ALPHA!”

As if on cue, a group of charred and bloated glowing ones separated from the main host and rushed the taskforce. All but unseen, Wraith was in the center and using the brutal attack as a screen, she slipped behind the group and started ejecting cores. She got through half of them before they even realized she was there. Once she pulled MacCready’s core she threw it into the middle of the chamber, and as if it was a signal, the rest of the feral mob began its swift advance.

They hit the group hard. Not anticipating the loss of fusion cores was a crippling oversight. Literally. There was some attempt to close ranks as they fought to put a wall at their back. Danse, having more experience maneuvering in depleted cores than most, called out encouragement and direction as he reduced feral after feral into green goo with his plasma rifle.

Strong left the group; foraging ahead in an attempt to locate Radiance. Less concerned about securing Wraith, his goal was to kill the glowing one who had taken her away.

Wraith’s appearance was shocking: her fast-growing hair was already long enough to protrude from her helmet in a filth-ridden fringe and her once silver-grey armor was blackened by blood, offal and fire. Snarling viscously, she turned back to MacCready after throwing his core and hit him in the back of the knee before leaping into the air and double kicking him in the chest. As he crashed to the ground she straddled his breastplate and punched him repeatedly in the helmet.

Bringing his arms up to shield his head was all MacCready could manage, stunned and low-powered as he was. He had no way of engaging the tesla field now that his fusion core had been ejected and no hope of throwing her off let alone righting himself. As she swatted his defense away, his vision blurred and the metallic taste of his own blood blossomed on his tongue, an image of Duncan flashed in his mind.

Suddenly, Wraith was whisked away as a taskforce member grabbed her from behind and lifted her off of him, “MACCREADY, GET UP!” They struggled mightily with her as she braced her feet on their breastplate and tried to kick off. When it became apparent she couldn’t free herself that way she tried slamming the back of her head into their helmet. Shock caused them to loosen their grip enough for her to free her arms and she began pounding on theirs. Realizing that they could potentially kill her if they held on any tighter, they took her to the nearest corner and dropped her in it.

Her retaliation was savage. However, the team member still had their core and so was able to block her lower leg and knee attacks. Even as she rolled between their legs, they turned quickly enough to prevent her from ejecting their core. Adapting quickly, she leaped, grabbed their gorget and used the leverage to pull herself up and onto their shoulders. Hooking her fingers underneath the edge of their helm, she tried to remove it; pulling and twisting as if trying to unscrew the lid on a particularly stubborn jar of pickles. They reached up to grab her but she grabbed their arm instead. Then, throwing herself toward the ground, she was able to pull them off balance enough to cartwheel them over her and send them crashing to the cavern floor in an unceremonious heap.

I’M LOSING! I’M IN POWER ARMOR AND SHE’S GONNA KILL ME! FIGHTING WAS A POOR CHOICE!

“PIPPA,” her name ripped from him in anguished desperation, “PLEASE!”

She stopped mid-charge. She tilted her head slightly then brought her bloodied hands up and briefly rested her fingertips against her temples before slowly lifting her helmet.

“Oh… oh, no.”

Her face was greatly emaciated and she had large, deep scabs where her helm had rubbed her skin away. Her sunken eyes, made all the more pronounced by her now jutting cheekbones, were missing their normal inner light and flickered back in forth as she searched for something recognizable in the armored figure before her.

“Pippa, it’s me. I…” he choked on a sob, “I came back.”

“De… Deac…” Wraith stopped and crumpled to the ground; a syringe of tranquilizer protruding from the back of her neck.

……

Radiance’s self-preservation had won out. Retreating further into the connecting maze of sewer and metro tunnels, she was escorted by a dwindling pack of her ferals. Strong had got her in his sights and was on her like a bloodhound. Taskforce team members had made attempts to call him back but to no avail.

“Leave him be.” Danse waved their concerns away, “Let us hope, for Wraith’s sake, that he is more than up to the task.”

MacCready carried Wraith out of the vault but hesitated when it came to putting her in a cage, “I know I said this was a good idea…”

“If she wakes up and you’re still holding her she’ll tear your head off.” Deacon’s eyes were red rimed and there wasn’t a trace of his normal humor in his voice, “Put her in the cage or give her to me and I’ll do it.”

“You don’t get to touch her.” MacCready stared him down, “You. Left. Her.”

Hancock, unchecked tears streaming down his scarred cheeks, held his arms out, “Let me. I want to hold her first anyway.” He kissed her forehead and gripped her tightly to his chest, “It’s alright now, sunshine. She… she don’t hardly weigh nothin’.” His legs gave out and he collapsed to the earth; rocking her back and forth, sobbing.

Once secured in a cage, they used brahmin and moved Wraith to the basement of the former Peabody home. Now a fully equipped Minutemen safe house, it was far enough from settlements they were somewhat less concerned if Radiance was able to evade Strong and launch a counter assault.

Curie, with Piper acting as nurse, carefully cut Wraith out of her armor and bathed her. All the while making sad little gasps and sighs at her sores and how terribly bony she was.

“Oh, Blue…”

Curie hooked her up to IV fluids and was able to get a few bags into her before she woke up. Naturally, the first thing Wraith did was to pull the catheter from her arm and throw it away from her.

“Oh, Madame! Why must you always pull out my lines?!”

Wraith, her eyes wild and unfocused, snarled at her and rushed the bars. She pulled on them experimentally to the point where the metal groaned in protest, but when they proved immovable she stepped back and stood in the center of her cage. Her eyes dulled and she was motionless except for the occasional owlish blink.

Over the next several days her friends came to see her and each time a new person came into the room she would hiss, snarl and try the bars. The exception seemed to be Hancock. Instead of her usual violence, she tilted her head back and forth as if she was trying to see him better. She wouldn’t move closer to him nor let him touch her and MacCready yelled at him for putting his hand in her cage to try.

The only one who hadn’t been in to see her was Deacon. He had disappeared soon after Wraith was secured. Hancock was surprised and a little disappointed and MacCready felt guilty. The sharpshooter wondered aloud if his outburst had “run him off”.

“I doubt it. He’s gotta be skulking around here someplace. Heh, now he’s back we’re never gonna be fully rid of him, you feel me?”

Deacon hadn’t been by because he was hunting. Harkness’s report had contained a description of Infamy and unfortunately for the ghoul, Deacon placed 90% of Wraith’s condition squarely on their narrow shoulders. He had spotted them in the caverns of Vault 88 and again when they followed the rescue team to the safe house. He lost track of them soon after but now he stalked the haunted ruins of Quincy like a vengeful ghost.

Infamy was torn. They had very much wanted to follow Radiance but knew that, lacking the strength to resist her, they’d end up much the same as Wraith. They had followed the rescue caravan with no clear intention and retreated to the Quincy ruins to meditate. They settled themselves in the church there for some serious introspection. It dawned on them that they may have slipped from Atom’s path and been following the light of their own hubris instead, “Mustn’t stray like Marie did. Oh, no! Who is Wraith to you, hmm? Should I save her? Should I kill her? Hahahahaha!”

“Laugh while you can.” Deacon’s disembodied voice reached the ghoul a half second before his knife did. Although buried to the hilt, the strike pierced their bicep and wasn’t intended to be a killing blow. He wanted them to hurt.

Infamy instantly cranked up the heat and sent out a blast of radiation. This in turn caused Deacon’s Stealth Boy to malfunction and he phased back into view on his next attack which allowed Infamy to dodge. Dressed in a hazmat suit, he pursued them out the doors and into the street, taking several shots at them as they ducked into Guns Guns Guns, and cursing softly when he missed. Fully expecting an ambush, he ran in after them anyway. He blocked their knife attack with his own blade and shot them point blank in the shoulder. They sent out another blast that staggered him backward and pushed him off his feet. Rolling sideways, he tried to shoot them from the ground but his pistol misfired.

“Oh, what’s wrong? A little radiation got you down? Toy doesn’t work? Too bad.” They threw a knife and exalted when it stuck in Deacon’s blocking arm, “Should know better than to bring a gun to a knife fight!”

Their victory was short lived. Deacon pulled their weapon from his forearm as he vaulted to his feet and threw it right back at them. Using it as a distraction, he closed the distance between them. Easily ducking under their knife swing he slammed his fist into their ribs. They flinched backward, bringing a knee up before stomping down toward their opponent’s foot causing him to involuntarily back away.

Deacon knew he only had a few seconds before the glowing one could hit him with another pulse and he wanted to capitalize on the delay by staying close and inflicting as much damage, without killing them, as possible. As such he appeared to step into the ghoul’s roundhouse, but in a blur of fluid motion, blocked their hand down and brought the back of his hand back up and into their chin. Hard. This resulted in two things: one, their teeth to sliced into their tongue and two, they decided they didn’t want to fight him anymore.

“I gggan haave her!” Their irradiated blood flowed freely from their mouth and they could hardly speak around the ruin of their tongue, “I gan ring her ack.”

……

“ABSOLUTLY NOT!”

“NOT ON YOUR LIFE!”

“SHUT THE HELL UP!”

Danse, Preston and MacCready’s protests overlapped as they shouted at Deacon. The Railroad agent sighed and turned to Hancock, his pale blue eyes pleading.

“I think I want to stab them in the neck more than I want to…” he turned to face the glowing one directly, “How many goddamn people have you fucked over to mess with Wraith?!” He pointed at Danse, “You see him? He’s a friend of mine and you shot him in the fuckin’ face!”

Infamy’s mouth had already healed and they pouted like a child being scolded, “Oh, poo. It’s no fun to have your failures thrown back at you. Besides, I didn’t actually pull that trigger…”

Danse leveled his plasma rifle at them, “Yes, well, you damn well better believe I’ll pull this one.”

Deacon held up his hands and boldly stepped between them, “Whoa there, big dragon. We all know how tough you are.” He brought his palms together as if praying, “This could be the only way to undo what Radiance did to her. I want my friend back.” He swept his hands out to either side, including all of them, “Don’t you fellas want her back?”

Danse looked at the bandage on his arm and lowered his gun. “For the last time; it’s ‘Dragoons’. And of course we want her back. The entire commonwealth wants her back, but we have no guarantee that this villain will actually help her. There is no promise they can make that I will trust.”

“I am but a humble servant of Atom. If it is His divine will that Wraith be spared…”

“Stop. I don’t want to hear it.” MacCready put his hand on Hancock’s chest, “I can’t listen to this crap anymore. I’m gonna go and feed her and relieve the girls. Whatever you decide, I’ll follow.” He glared at Infamy as he left the room.

The ensuing argument gained volume when Piper and Curie joined in and lasted for the better part of an hour. Curie’s sticking point centered on whether or not they would be able to get an accurate reading from a memory lounger if Wraith was doped out of her mind on chems.

“We simply must learn the extent of any and all damage to her brain!”

Piper had her face in her hands, “Yeah, doc, but how are we going to do that if she’s trying to kill us the whole time?”

“I don’t want to see her strapped down, but…”

“Hell no, Garvey,” Hancock folded his arms, “the cage is bad enough.”

In the end no real decision was made beyond incarcerating Infamy and shelving the argument until Dr. Amari arrived. They radioed Fahrenheit to ask that the doctor join them and locked Atom’s Assassin in the spare cage in an outbuilding. Afterward each went to their separate corners to stew.

“Shaved th’ beard but you haven’t changed your mug yet.” Determined to not let him sneak away again, Hancock had followed Deacon outside.

“My guy’s in Boston. Hadn’t worked out a new one yet.”

“Sunglasses are off, yet yer still lying.” The ghoul took a long drag on his cigarette and blew an exceptionally large smoke ring at him, “I’m thinking you can’t bring yourself to do it.”

Deacon folded his arms and forced a smile that would have been convincing if it had reached his eyes, “Oh? Is that right? So tell me, oh enlightened one, why that is.”

He brought his hand up, index finger extended, to eye level and then slowly tilted his finger down and out to point at him, “That face belongs to someone that Wraith loves.”

Hancock might as well have shot him in the heart. He stood shocked into speechlessness.

“Now, I see that got ya.” Hancock’s eyes softened, “Things been different… well, they ain’t. You screwed yourself, son. But if she loves ya, there must be something good about ya. I gave Danse a chance and I gotta say I kinda love that kid.” He flicked his cigarette away, buffed his fingernails on his waistcoat and examined them as he continued, “You’re an asshole, but I’ll put up with ya for her sake.” He slowly brought out his knife and started juggling it; rotating and spinning around and through his fingers expertly, “You need to go and see her. Don’t try to run away again. I’ll find ya.”

Deacon stood outside on the small lawn while the sun went down. He remained until the lights in the house had been extinguished and he could hear the various snores and sighs of Wraith’s sleeping friends. He turned to leave but on his third step he stopped.

There was a lantern in the corner of the basement. Its low light cast a warm glow on the cold steel of Wraith’s cage. She had been lying in the nest of blankets she had made on the mattress they gave her, but stood up when she heard Deacon come down the stairs. She didn’t rush the now slightly bent bars, but stood and tilted her head back and forth much the same way that she did for Hancock. The bath and a few days of heartier food and clean water had done her some small amount of good and she no longer looked undead. He stared at her hair; now just long enough to curl, it appeared bronze when a ringlet caught the light.

“It’s almost like it was when you came up…” He stopped and swallowed hard before trying again, “I hate that you love me. I hate that I allowed myself to fall in love with you. I hate that I left the lean-to up on purpose, knowing that you’d find it. Knowing that you were smart enough to know what it meant. So that even though we loved each other, we would never be together. Because, how could you forgive me? But..” His breath caught as he sobbed and tears ran freely down his cheeks, “but… you did. You did. But now things were different. You thought that the tension between us was a lie. You thought that any minor flirting comment I made was just… another kind of lie. That I never imagined kissing you freely or holding you in my arms because, we were ‘just friends’. That I winced when we touched because I had Haphephobia, and not just because that I cannot allow myself to enjoy it.” He sat on the floor next to the cage and reached out to her, “Pippa, please hold my hand.”

She flinched when he said her name. And after blinking rapidly for a few minutes she open and closed her fists and then sat down facing him. She came no closer but her eyes we fixed on the bandage poking out from his sleeve.

“I thought that if I left I would stop thinking about you. But, it turns out I lie to myself more than I lie to anyone else. Harkness told me to retire, but if I can’t have you and I don’t have work then I have nothing.” He sighed deeply, climbed slowly to his feet and headed for the stairs, “Hancock was right; I screwed everything up.”

“De…”

At first he wasn’t sure he had heard her and when he turned back she was still sitting on the floor and staring at where he had been sitting, “Wishful thinking…”

“Don’t… leave...” She lifted her chin and met his eye, “Deacon… don’t… leave… me.”

......

Thank you so much for reading! Like what you read? Looking for more? Please see my master link post: pinned or under the tag Wraith in the Ruins. My ask is open for any questions/concerns/comments and I would love to hear from you. =^..^=

#wraith in the ruins #fallout 4 #fallout companions #fallout fanfic #fallout fan fic #fanfiction #hancock #john hancock #rj maccready #maccready #deacon #danse #curie #preston garvey #strong #piper wright

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flawlesspeasant · 4 years

Note

I don’t know if you have even been watching season 16 or if you’re still writing jolex fics but I have a prompt SPOILER FOR MIDSEASON FINALE!!! Fic: Alex’s reaction that jo stole a baby!

this is short and there are probably typos because i wrote it really quick on my phone and didn’t proofread, but yay for being inspired!

————————————

truth is, the two days in iowa made me miss her and that was something i didn’t realize until i stepped outside into the familiar seattle drizzle and waited for the blue honda to park curbside.

the uber was ten minutes late. i called him six times and he answered on the seventh, just to tell me that he was stuck in traffic on the freeway and he’d be there in five more minutes. my first instinct was to yell or look for something soft i could throw at the bathroom wall because she was right, throwing things really does make you feel better.

i’d decided to throw a starbucks cup. a sweet-talking little teenage girl left it there a few minutes ago when she took a call from her boyfriend, and it was half empty so i didn’t think she’d be coming back for it. i was going to take the cup, duck into the bathroom and toss it at the wall repeatedly, over and over, until i felt better because all i wanted to do was get home to her.

the uber came before i could make it into the bathroom, though.

and i knew that it was entirely impossible, but i started to feel like maybe there was somebody in this airport that had access to my mind. stupid, i know. but on the off chance that somebody in the place knew what i was about to do, i tossed the cup into the garbage can like it was what i was going to do the entire time. i didn’t linger around to see if anyone would come back for the cup and frankly, i didn’t care. i just grabbed the small suitcase that she convinced me to take and headed out through the double doors.

i think that was when i started to feel like i missed her.

i didn’t miss her once while i was there because i was busy, barking orders at mom’s caretakers and demanding they give her a room without steps because if she fell down them one more time, i would sue. i didn’t have time to sit down and think about how much i missed the way she’d curl her fingers through my hair in the mornings before i woke up or how she sat me down and gave me an entire presentation on how much more financially responsible it is to stuff everything into a tiny carry-on suitcase instead of paying $45 to check a bag.

but then i was crammed into the backseat of the smallest honda, watching the raindrops drip down my window, thinking about how i could make it home just in time to hear her sing in the shower. that alone was enough to make me grin. see, she sings pretty. i mean, if you asked her if she was a good singer she’d tell you that she isn’t because she can’t hit those really high notes and plus she’s humble. but in reality, she’s great.

iowa made me miss her.

and when i say that i miss her, i don’t mean that lightly.

i missed the big things. like how she always looks for me when she enters the room and how she reaches over to hold my hand when i drive her to work. she looks out the windows and counts the number of trees that haven’t lost their leaves yet and i always shake my head and tell her that she’s “goofy” but what i really mean to say is remarkable.

i missed the little things, too. like way her hair sticks to my chest when she needs to hear my heart beating in the middle of the night, and the way her nose wrinkles when i tease her with a good morning kiss. like the way her eyes wrinkle at the sides when she’s laughing because i burned toast and the small hairs around her ears that she always manages to leave out of a ponytail.

loving her at first was like trying to reign in a hurricane. she came in waves, anger then softness. harsh, then gentle. she ripped through everything that she touched, left carnage in her dust and in the eye of hurricane jo, i stood to be grounded. the eye was the calm. the gentle ways she rubbed my back if she knew i needed a little bit of her, the way she squeezed me in a hug if i needed a lot. she was powerful, and all i could do was try to predict her outcomes, but she was unpredictable. she was strong.

until one day, she wasn’t.

she was undone at the seams, falling apart at every corner. hurricane jo was waning, moving inward to uncharted territory, and the only thing i could do was watch. her strength turned to vulnerablity and she needed me in a way i had never been needed. at last, she was broken and it was up to me to do the fixing.

i was hesitant about therapy at first. i didn’t think that i needed it. funny that way, because after one session, i learned that i didn’t need to chase her. loving her was like reigning in a hurricane, but she didn’t need to be reigned in. i didn’t have to chase her, i just had to follow. she led the way and i trusted her to navigate us into new territory.

she’s back now, by the way. that wild, unpredictability is still the center of her being and i’m glad for that because i don’t know how to love anything less than her whirlwind ways. i’m finally realizing that she was never really gone, her light just burned a little less bright and she has the tools to reignite it now. and i know that i’ve gone soft for her. i mean, when most people think of alex karev they probably don’t think of a guy who sits in the backseat of an uber and reflects on how much he loves his wife. but i swear, if she was your mess — the good kind and the bad — you would go soft, too. hurricane jo has that magic inside of her.

i handed the uber driver two crisp twenties when he pulled up to the loft, and i slid out. the window to our living room was glowing from the outside, so i knew that she was up and she was ready and she was probably waiting for me.

my immediate thought was that she was pregnant, and that scared me which, i found to be a bit weird, actually. because it’s not like i didn’t want a baby with her. i wanted all the parts of her — the mess and the beauty — and maybe the best parts of me. i wanted it all swaddled up into a soft blanket for me to look down at and ogle with love. but the feeling in the pit of my stomach was like going down a rollercoaster ride. the dread and the anticipation swirled all up inside of me, trying to figure out how to coexist at the same time.

i eyed the car seat sitting by the door and closed it, silently trying to think of other reasons why a car seat would be in our loft.

i was sure that she would have told me if she was pregnant, though. if she were pregnant, there’s no way she would have been able to keep that in. jo’s good at keeping secrets, but she definitely would have called me because she’d be bursting and plus, she knows just how badly i’ve wanted this. maybe she was babysitting for hunt and teddy, that was my next thought.

she knew i was home because there’s no way she didn’t hear the door slam shut behind me. i kicked my shoes off on the rug beside the door and shrugged out of my jacket. i knew later she’d gripe at me for throwing it over the arm of the chair instead of hanging it up in the closet, but i didn’t care in that moment. all i cared about was getting to see her.

“jo...?” i called her name as i wandered into the kitchen. there was a half-eaten box of pizza on the stove, so i flipped it open and grabbed a slice. “how old’s this pizza?” i asked, mouth full and chewing.

“from yesterday,” i heard her voice behind me but when i turned around, she wasn’t there.

eventually, she came bounding from behind the divider that separates our bedroom, tongue between her teeth. she exaggerated her tiptoes, dramatic as she often is. watching her come over to me felt like i was waiting for my entire future to come. her hair was tied back in a high ponytail and it swung with every move she made. the sweatpants she got from my drawer hung off her hips and her favorite acdc t-shirt had a white stain down the front of it.

“hey,” i mumbled as the piece of pizza slivered down the back of my throat with a swallow.

“hey,” she sighed and raised up on her tiptoes to press her lips against mine. just like i missed, her fingers curled in my hair and she gave me an eye-crinkling grin. “how’s mom?”

“she’s good,” i tossed the crust of the pizza back into the box and grabbed the bottle of dr. pepper from the fridge to wash it down. “settled in, doing fine. she told me to tell you hi.”

“i’m glad she’s okay,” she continued to smile at me and rocked back and forth on her feet and i knew she was hiding something. “so.. we have to talk.”

“bout what?” I twisted the cap back onto the soda. “baby sleep?”

her eyes widened by about two sizes and she looked at me like i just said something completely forbidden.

“did link already tell you?!”

“tell me what?”

“about the baby...?”

“no? why would link have to tell me?”

“then how do you know?”

“know what? that you’re babysitting allison? the car seat’s right there, i —“

“oh! oh, god, okay, wait —“

“you’re being weird.” i mumbled under my breath as i headed for our bedroom. “how long you babysittin’ for? couple hours?”

“alex, wait. before you go into the room, there’s something i really have to —“

she jogged after me in order to keep up and probably get to the room before me, but i beat her there. i thought she was probably worried that i was going to wake the baby up, but i had no intention on doing that. i just wanted to change out of my pants because the bottoms were wet from the rain.

but when i rounded the corner and crossed the divider, there was nothing pink or blonde or blue-eyed about the baby snoozing on our bed. he was much too new — a few days old if i had to guess just by looking — to be allison. and much too... boy. i looked at jo, expression confused and she gnawed at her fingernail. she only did that when she was really nervous.

“i can explain...” she said, nervous as nervous can be.

a million things ran through my head and none of them were logical. i thought maybe shepherd had her baby and link enlisted her to babysit which was stupid, i know. then i thought that she didn’t know she was pregnant and had the baby at home while i was in iowa because the little tuft of brown hair on his head and his cream colored skin was enough to make me believe... maybe even wish... that he was ours.

“i thought i could handle it!” she started while i was still trying to process. “i told you when i agreed to be a volunteer that i wouldn’t do it if it was too much, that i would just walk away but —“

“he’s a safe haven baby? jo, look this is —“

“i know you’re thinking it’s illegal but it’s not, i checked.”

“you checked?”

“uh-huh! it’s perfectly legal! ...as long as his mother doesn’t come looking for him.”

“jo, you STOLE him. there are policies and procedures in place and certain things —“

“i know but alex, look at him! i can’t even explain it to you but i just held him and i... i just... i was done.”

“you said you weren’t ready for kids. jo, this is all too much for you. this is —“

“i know what i said! but alex, it was so weird. it was SO weird. they put him in my arms and it was like i knew. it was like... like he chose me or something. and then they came to take him away and i... i panicked! i couldn’t let them take him and put him into the system. he’s just so little and so... he’s so little. i panicked. and i told them i was his mother and i changed my mind.”

“this is insane... jo, he’s not ours!”

“but he could be! he could be! just look at him... i was going to call you and tell you but i knew you’d tell me no and this was something i had to follow. i felt it in my heart. i know you don’t understand now, but i need you to trust me. and trust what i feel. this is our baby. he’s meant for us. i knew it as soon as i held him, i knew it. i felt it. and if you held him, you’d feel it too.”

“jo... i...” i sighed and looked at the tiny guy, snoozing with his hands over his head. “this is insane.”

“i know, but just hold him.” she picked him up and handed him to me, awestruck by the little grunts he made as we shifted him. “just hold him.”

i took him into my arms and looked down at his tiny, defenseless body. and it felt wrong because i knew it was wrong. but i wanted to trust her and trust her feeling, so i held him. and i stood by her. because loving her is like trying to reign in a hurricane...

but sometimes i just have to follow her.

#jolex #fanfiction

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omgjasminesimone · 5 years

Text

Spousal Privilege Epilogue

Colt x MC

Author’s Note: In honor of hitting 100 followers (thanks followers!), a follow up to my most popular story, Spousal Privilege

Summary: Colt is out of jail, and ready to make Ellie his forever.

Rating: NSFW

Word Count: 3000

Colt walks out of the changing room, glad to be back in his own clothes after a month in jail house orange. He heads to the discharge desk, a spring in his step at his impending escape from this hellhole.

Sanchez slides a plastic bag full of Colt’s belongings across the desk. Colt opens the bag, pocketing his wallet, keys, and putting on his belt. Everything he’d had on him when he was unexpectedly arrested while leaving the burnt out remains of his father’s garage, returned at last.

Sanchez plops a stack of paperwork on the desk. “Sign these. Read it if you want, if you’re just dying to spend more time here.”

Colt skims the paperwork quickly. Conditions of his bail, instructions for the ankle monitor he’s required to wear, acknowledgement they’ve returned his property, blah blah blah, he’s just ready to get out of here. He signs his name where he’s supposed to, passing the paperwork back to his least favorite correctional officer.

Sanchez signs the paperwork as well, leaving it on the desk. “You’re free to go. For now. See you when you’re re-arrested for some other crime.”

“I won’t be back Sanchez.” Colt smirks as he stands, his chair scraping across the concrete floor. “Try not to miss me too much.”

Sanchez’ jaw clenches. “Pshh…disrespectful.” He mutters as Colt walks out the door.

Colt smiles when he steps out into the Los Angeles sun, free from bars and armed correctional officers after a long 35 days. His smile widens when he spots her.

She’s running towards him, her long braid swinging behind her. She’s wearing a simple white dress with a sweetheart neckline paired with white sneakers, and she’s beaming at him. She’s so damn beautiful. He wonders for probably the 50th time if his father is now serving as his guardian angel because if not for divine intervention he has no idea how he got so lucky with her.

She jumps into his arms and starts kissing him ferociously. Her legs wrap around his waist as he grips her outer thighs, returning her kiss with equal passion. It’s really been way too long. He’s certainly not going to miss the jail’s no touching rule. He presses her into the wall of the jail to better support her, deepening the kiss and cupping her right breast over her dress with his now free right hand.

She pulls away, eyes fluttering open. She blushes as he squeezes her breast. “Colt, we’re in public.”

“I know. But I can’t help myself. I want you so fucking bad Ellie.” He grounds his hips against hers, letting her feel how badly he wants her.

She unwraps her legs from around his waist and he reluctantly allows her to drop down to the ground. She gives him another kiss, chaste this time, stretching onto her tiptoes. “Later. We have to get married first.”

He raises an eyebrow. “We’re doing that today?”

She nods excitedly. “They had a cancellation and I got off the waitlist this morning! We’re so lucky Colt, the next appointment available is two months from now, which is after your trial.”

He looks towards the Heavens. ‘Thanks Pops.’ He thinks.

She intertwines their fingers, leading him to her car. “We need to head downtown to the courthouse now. We can’t miss our appointment. I brought a change of clothes for you from your place.”

“Our place now.” He corrects, squeezing her hand.

She smiles softly as she unlocks the doors, sliding into the driver’s seat. She passes him a white dress shirt and black slacks as he takes the passenger seat. She quickly peels out of the jail parking lot, merging onto the 405 South.

He changes in the car, kicking off his jeans and leaving them crumbled on the floor. She glances at his exposed ankle monitor before he shimmies into the slacks. He catches the glance. “You know I have to charge this thing? It only has 12 hours of battery life. What a piece of shit.”

“Do you shower with it on?” Ellie asks, curious. She always loves to learn new things, and this is a whole new world for her.

Colt finishes buttoning his shirt. “They told me I literally never take it off. Hey, take the next exit. We need to make a pit stop.”

“But we’re already running late!”

Colt rolls his eyes. Knowing her, she’s probably timed it so they’ll arrive at the courthouse thirty minutes early. “I need to stop by the bank. I found my Dad’s safety deposit box key in the garage. That’s what I was doing when I got arrested.”

Ellie merges to get into the exit lane. “Make it quick.” She warns.

He directs her to the bank, and jogs inside while she leaves the car idling in the parking lot. Ellie drums her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. Colt returns moments later, a thick manila envelope in hand. Ellie merges back onto the 405. “So, what was in it?” She asks after a few moments of comfortable silence.

“Cash. Important paperwork.” He pauses, riffling through the envelope. “My grandparents wedding rings conveniently.” They’re stuck in rush hour traffic, so she takes her eyes off the road to look at the simple but beautiful diamond engagement ring he’s presenting to her.

“I know we’re not doing this right. I didn’t get down on one knee and propose, and we’re not having a real wedding like you deserve, but if there’s one thing I can do right it’s putting a diamond on your finger. We might have to get it fitted.”

Ellie smiles softly as Colt tenderly slides the ring onto her finger, it fits perfectly. He kisses her knuckles gently before releasing her hand so she can drive as the traffic clears up. “All of this is right Colt. I don’t need a fancy proposal or a big expensive wedding. You’re the only thing I want. I can’t wait to marry you.”

Colt leans back in his seat, looking at her appraisingly. “Did you tell your dad?”

Ellie’s hands tighten on the steering wheel. “No.” She admits. “I know what he’s going to say. I’d rather ask forgiveness than permission at this point….Did you tell your mom?”

Colt looks out the window. “No. I was afraid she’d tried to talk you out of it.” He turns to look at her, smirking. “I think she likes you more than she likes me at this point.”

“No one could talk me out of this Colt. It’s what I want.”

“I don’t know. My mom could probably make a pretty compelling argument. I think she sees a lot of her in you. And a lot of my dad in me.”

Ellie exits the freeway, almost to the courthouse now. “We’re not them. We’re our own people, with our own story.”

…

“You may now kiss the bride.” The court officiant says, after seeing that all their paperwork is in order.

Colt smiles, not a smirk for once, and grips Ellie’s neck, capturing her lips. Another bride-to-be Ellie struck up a conversation with in the waiting room (they were early, just like Colt suspected) snaps photos on Ellie’s phone.

Ellie smiles when he pulls away. He takes his grandparents’ wedding bands out of his pocket, slipping the smaller gold band onto her finger. He hands her the matching wedding band and she slips it on him.

He intertwines their fingers and they walk down the aisle towards the exit.

Ellie’s new friend smiles, returning her phone. “I took a lot of pictures. Hopefully some of them are good! Congratulations you two.”

“Thank you so much!” Ellie chimes. She turns to Colt. “Ready to go to our apartment?”

He’s been ready to get her home all day. But had this been a real wedding, they wouldn’t be consummating it yet. There would have been a reception, with dinner and drinks and dancing. She deserves that. “Not yet. You’re mine now, officially, forever. That calls for a celebration.”

…

Colt throws an arm around Ellie as they relax in the VIP booth of the nightclub. Neither of them is old enough to be here, but that was easily solved with a pair of fake IDs. They’ve been dancing and drinking (he double checked that his ankle monitor isn’t one of the newer ones that can detect alcohol) for hours, so now they’re content to enjoy the VIP booth he paid for with some of the safety deposit box money.

Ellie scrolls through the wedding pictures on her phone. “This is a good one.” Colt glances at the photo. They’re kissing, her diamond ring and wedding band visible since her hand is on his cheek.

“Yeah, it’s nice.” He agrees.

“I’m going to email it to my dad and tell him that we’re married.”

Colt raises a brow. “Is that the alcohol talking?”

“No, I know if I try to tell him in person he’s going to interrupt me. He’s not going to let me say what I need to say. This way is better.” She insists.

“Whatever you say Mrs. Kaneko.” He smiles. He’s never going to get sick of that. Mrs. Kaneko.

She types for several moments, and he plays with her long brown hair. “And….sent.” She sighs, as if a great weight has been lifted off of her. “Let’s go home.”

He smirks. Finally, what he’s been waiting for all night.

…

Colt unlocks the door and carries Ellie over the threshold of their one bedroom apartment in West LA. He gently puts her down, surveying the familiar apartment. Ellie loops her arms around his neck, hugging him gently. “Welcome home.”

“You’re my home.” He can’t help but reply, capturing her lips and walking her backwards into their bedroom. He gently pushes her down onto the bed, breaking their kiss. “Sorry there are no rose petals on the bed.” He unbuttons his shirt, allowing it to fall to the floor. “And no candles.” He drops his pants, climbing on top of her and supporting his weight with his arms.

“I don’t need that. I just need you.” She replies, reaching her hand into his boxers and gripping his manhood. She starts to stroke. After 35 days of celibacy, that alone is almost enough to make him cum. He quickly removes her hand from his boxers, not wanting their wedding night to end prematurely. She looks at him questionably.

“I want to take care of you first.” He explains, pulling the white dress over her head and tossing it to the floor. He freezes when he sees the lacy white lingerie she’s wearing underneath. That’s new. He feels himself becoming uncomfortably hard at this image of her, splayed out beneath him, hair fanned out on the pillow, chest softly rising and falling. The lingerie is practically see through, erotic but somehow still innocent at the same time. He almost doesn’t want to take it off of her. He commits the image to memory, gaze sweeping over her from head to toe.

She blushes at his intense gaze. “Colt?”

“You’re so beautiful Ellie. I can’t believe you’re mine.” He admits, trailing kisses over the tops of her breasts which are spilling out of the bra. Her fingers tangle in his hair as his kisses trail lower. Over her stomach, down to her inner thighs. He nips at her hip, pulling her panties down with his teeth.

“Colt….” She breathes out as he kisses between her legs. He grips her thighs, pulling her further down the bed as he licks and sucks at her most intimate area. Her back arches off the bed, her grip on his hair almost painful. His tongue delves inside her and she comes apart, seeing white until she slowly comes down from her orgasm.

She barely notices him removing his boxers, but she feels him as his hard shaft brushes her entrance. She starts to remove her bra, but Colt stops her, intertwining their fingers and pinning her hands near her head. “Don’t. I like it.” He slowly pushes into her. He groans at the feel of being inside her again. It’s been way too long. He promises himself it will never be that long again.

“Colt, faster.” Ellie mutters, eyes closing in ecstasy as he follows her instructions, pumping into her faster and harder.

“Whatever Mrs. Kaneko wants.” He promises, the headboard slamming against the wall as he thrusts more and more aggressively. She tries to match his enthusiasm, rolling her hips in time with his thrusts.

He releases one of her hands, thumb trailing down between them to press at her clit. “Ahh…Colt.” Her free hand scratches down his back, leaving scratches but she’s too far gone to apologize. Loud moans and grunts fill the room. Colt laughs when his neighbor starts banging on the wall, wanting them to quiet down.

He captures her lips as her walls tighten around him, swallowing her loud cry as she orgasms again. As soon as she lets go, he does too, pulling out of her and cuming on her stomach. Colt rolls off of her, grabbing his shirt from the floor and wiping her stomach with it.

“That…was something else.” She comments, cuddling into his side. He unclasps her bra, and she allows it to fall to the bed. His thumb circles a nipple.

“I hope you’re not tired. I’m not done with you yet.” Colt insists.

…

Colt is awoken a few hours later by the loud knocking at his door. He looks at his sleeping wife, stirring now as the banging continues. Colt rolls out of bed, throwing on a pair of sweatpants and going to the door. He looks out the eyehole, and sees what looks like a cop outside his door.

“You think it’s my parole officer?” He calls back to Ellie, opening the door.

A fist collides with his face.

Colt clutches at his nose, his hands filling with blood. “What the fuck?!” He complains, looking at the man who just stormed into his apartment.

“You son of a bitch.” The man seethes, looking at Colt with hate.

“Dad?” Ellie calls from the bedroom when she recognizes the voice.

The man, Detective Wheeler, Colt now realizes, stalks towards the bedroom. “What is wrong with you Ellie?”

Colt locks the door and slumps onto the couch in the living room, tilting his head back to try to stem the bleeding.

“Wait, Dad,…let me get dressed first!” Ellie shouts, slamming the bedroom door just before her father can get there. Detective Wheeler glares at him anew after hearing that. Colt grimaces. This is definitely not how he wanted meeting Ellie’s father to go.

Moments later, the bedroom door opens and Ellie steps out, wearing the white dress again. “What are you doing here Dad?”

“What are you doing here Ellie?! You’re married!? To a criminal?! And you deferred college?! I know you’re technically an adult now, but you’re definitely not acting like one.” Mr. Wheeler yells.

Ellie rolls her eyes, storming past her father and into the kitchen. She grabs an icepack out of the freezer, stalking into the living room and plopping down beside her husband on the couch. She gently removes his hands from his face so she can look at it. Her father has followed her into the living room. “I think you broke his nose.” She complains, placing the ice pack to Colt’s quickly bruising face.

Detective Wheeler’s glare does not soften. “He’ll live.”

Suddenly, someone else is banging on their door. Colt sighs and opens it again, not even bothering to check who it is. He’s pretty sure he knows.

She slaps him. Hard. “What the fuck Mom!” He clutches at the red mark he’s sure is forming on his face.

“Language!” His mother admonishes, glaring at him. “That’s for marrying that poor girl. And telling me about it via text message!” She slaps him again. “And that’s for getting arrested in the first place. I told you not to come out here. I told you to stay away from your father. You never listen Colt.”

She steps around him and into the apartment. She looks around the room and seems to quickly assess what’s going on. She walks over to Detective Wheeler. “Ellie’s Dad?” She questions. He nods. “I’m Colt’s Mom, Naomi Inoue. I’m sorry about all this. I promise you I raised him better than this.” She turns to glare at her son.

“Kyle Wheeler. And I thought I raised Ellie better than this too.” Mr. Wheeler replies.

“Colt isn’t a bad kid. I think he was just trying to impress his father. But now, I assume he’ll be trying to impress his wife so hopefully that will keep him on the straight and narrow.”

Mr. Wheeler’s fist clench at the ‘wife’ comment, in disbelief that his sweet little Ellie is now this punk’s wife.

“Mom, that reminds me.” Colt leaves the living room, retrieving the manila folder from the kitchen table. “I emptied Dad’s safety deposit box. I want to pay you back for the bail.” He meets his Mom’s dark brown eyes. “Thank you, for doing that for me.”

“I don’t want the bail money back Colt. I want you to not run, to do what you’re supposed to do. Be the man I know you can be. Then I’ll get the bail back from the courts.”

“Not all of it. They keep a certain percentage. I want to give you enough to make you whole in all this since the criminal justice system is all a big scam.” Colt catches Detective Wheeler’s offended look. “No offense.” He adds.

Naomi accepts the money Colt is offering. Then, she grips Colt’s chin, checking on his nose. She’s a nurse, so she can tell it isn’t actually broken. “You probably deserved that.” She comments.

Colt looks over at Ellie, who is sitting on the couch as her father speaks to her in angry whispers. She meets his gaze with a sad smile. “She’s worth it.”

Naomi claps her hands once, getting everyone’s attention. “Well, now that we’re all family I think we all have a lot to talk about. Colt, put on some coffee.”

…

taglist: @brightpinkpeppercorn @choicesarehard @lovehugsandcandy @powdesiree0816 @regina-and-happiness @iplaydrake @hazah @sibella-plays-choices @eileendannie @maxwellsquidsuit

#ride or die #colt kaneko #colt x mc #choices fanfiction #choices #playchoices #choices rod

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beanfic · 5 years

Text

Birthday Girl

Pairing: Josh Dun x reader

Word count: 1857

Warnings: Fluff!!

Author’s note: (side note: sorry this is so late but I had my concert today!!) I wrote this on a plane to texas! And today IS MY BIRTHDAY!! WOO!!! I hope you enjoy this fic :) <3

“Wake up birthday girl!” Josh sung as he swung open the blinds that were keeping the bright morning sun out of your room. You groaned as you flipped the blanket above your head to protect your eyes from the sudden light.

“I hate birthdays,” you grumbled. You felt the blanket be tugged off your body leaving you exposed to Josh who was staring down at you. He was holding a plate with a waffle on it and you couldn’t help but smile at his attempt at a whipped cream heart on the top. There was also a candle in the middle of the waffle that was unlit.

“Make a wish,” he whispered as he pulled out a lighter from his pocket. The pink striped candle lit and made the whipped cream instantly start to melt. “Hurry!”

“Alright!” You sat up and quickly leaned over to blow out the candle.

“What did you wish for?”

“Joshie, I can’t tell you,” you giggled. He handed you the plate and you instantly started eating the waffle. It was still warm and was delicious. Josh sat down next to you on the bed and wrapped his arm around you.

“You better get dressed,” he whispered into your ear.

“What are we doing today?”

Josh raised his left eyebrow, “It’s a surprise.”

“A surprise? You know I hate those!” you sighed.

“I know,” he planted a kiss to the top of your head. “But today is different!”

“As long as there is no hiking or anything like that.”

“Nope, nothing like that,” he reassured you.

You were excited for the day even though you despised the thought of not knowing what you were doing. You also were wondering where your presents were from Josh, even though you knew it was wrong of you to just expect them but you still got that sinking feeling in your stomach that he didn’t get you anything.

Josh took your empty plate and headed down the hallway to the kitchen. You reluctantly flung yourself out of your warm bed and dragged yourself to the bathroom. You popped a few pimples while the shower was heating behind you. The water woke you up more, and you made sure to not take too long washing your hair or body but you still wanted to feel clean. It is your birthday, after all.

“You almost ready?” Josh knocked on the bathroom door before slowly opening it. You stood there in your towel while blow drying your hair.

“Almost!”

“My beautiful birthday girl,” Josh said quietly. He stood behind you, making sure to avoid the direct heat from the dryer, and wrapped his arms around your waist. His lips planted soft kisses on your neck making you giggle and squirm.

“Joshua Dun! I’m not going to go any quicker if you keep distracting me!”

“Maybe I could give you an early birthday present?” He murmured as his finger slid under the top of your towel.

“Stop it, Josh,” you were now full on laughing.

“Tonight?”

“Tonight,” you stated. Josh left the bathroom so you could focus on finishing getting ready for the day.

Picking an outfit for a day filled with events that you were not aware of ended up being more difficult than you expected. You didn’t want to be too casual, but you also did not want to be too fancy. The weather also played an important role because you didn’t want to be too cool or hot either.

Eventually, you decided on a pair of slim denim jeans topped with a nice black t-shirt and you also were going to bring your Nike sweatshirt to incase you got too cold in wherever you were doing.

“There’s my beautiful birthday gi-”

“Joshua! Stop calling me that! I don’t like my birthday!” you cut him off by slapping your hand on his mouth.

“But I love you and you deserve the best birthday ever,” he said after you removed your hand.

“Thank you, but just lay low on the birthday girl pet name okay?”

“Okay,” Josh chuckled. “I have something for you!” Josh walked over to the table in your entryway and picked up a small white envelope.

“A birthday card?” you guessed.

Josh shook his head, “Just open it!” You grabbed a hold of the envelope and opened it up to reveal another small piece of paper with some writing on it.

I want to shoot my shot

I would hate to miss

Go to the place

Where we had our first kiss.

“A riddle?”

“Can you solve it?” he teased but you just looked at him with a glare.

“Of course, the high school basketball court! Do I drive there?”

Josh nodded as he pulled out his keys to his Tesla. Your eyes widened as you realized he was going to let you drive his expensive car.

“No way,” you whispered.

“Yes, way now let's get going!”

The inside of the Tesla was smooth and you made sure to fix the seat and mirror so you could see out of it. The screen lit up as the engine roared to life. You had driven the Tesla once, and have ridden in it on multiple occasions but the speed always surprised you.

The high school was about forty minutes away on the freeway but Josh kept you entertained by serenading you to this love playlist he had made you for valentines day a few years back.

You pulled into the parking lot and immediately recognized the other car that was parked in the almost empty parking lot.

“What is Tyler doing here?” you asked Josh but all he did was smile as you sarcastically. You groaned and hopped out of the car. Tyler wasn’t in his car so you guessed he was probably inside. You swung open the gym doors to reveal Tyler standing in the middle of the court wearing a birthday party hat and holding a noisemaker in his mouth.

“Happy birthday!” He held his arms open for a hug.

“What’re you doing here, Ty?” you asked him as you pulled away from the hug. You looked over to Josh who continued his smile.

“This is for you,” Tyler spoke as he handed you another envelope.

“Thank you,” you sighed as you opened it up to another riddle.

Bunnies are white

And they like to hop

They must like caffeine

Go to our favorite coffee shop

“Pricilla’s?” you asked turning towards Josh who was now beaming. He nodded excitedly and you rushed towards the door back to the car.

“Thank you, Tyler!” Josh called out before he started to jog after you.

“I can’t believe you had Tyler hang out there just so he could hand me an envelope!”

“You just wait,” Josh sneered.

“Oh boy,” you sighed. The car ride to Pricilla’s was about the same time as before because it is right next to your and Josh’s house. Josh held your hand the entire way there which was comforting because you were starting to get nervous about who or what was going to be at this coffee shop.

You pulled into the parking lot and from what you could notice it was pretty busy. You scanned the lot for any cars you recognized but none popped out to you.

“Let’s go in,” Josh said placing his hand in the small of your back, guiding you towards the shop. He opened the door allowing you to walk in first, and the nostalgic smell of mocha filled your nose.

“Happy birthday!” the coffee shop employees shouted in unison. You stopped dead in your tracks and looked up at Josh who was grinning ear to ear.

“I can’t believe you,” you mumbled under your breath as you headed towards the counter.

“Happy birthday! What can I get for you?” the barista asked. You had recognized her from before.

“Thank you, could I order an iced peppermint mocha, please?”

“Sure thing! Anything for you?” she asked looking towards Josh but he shook his head. You started to get your wallet out but the Barista interrupted you. “It’s on the house, birthday treat.”

You smiled, “Thank you!”

“Having fun today so far?” Josh asked and you nodded.

“Is there another riddle?”

“Just wait!” he chuckled. He brushed your hair behind your ear.

“Y/N?” the barista called out with your finished drink. You headed down and grabbed it, but along with your drink was another envelope.

“Thank you,” you smiled. You quickly handed your drink to Josh as you ripped open the next riddle.

The next place is nice

Filled with sounds of barks

Lots of kids and laughter

It's one of our favorite parks

“The dog park!” you exclaimed. It was the place Josh would always take you when you were feeling down because just seeing the dogs run around filled you with happiness. Fortunately, t was only a five-minute drive away from the coffee shop.

“Yes!” Josh intertwined his fingers with yours as you quickly walked back to the car. Once you arrived at the park you were quick to recognize the golden retriever that came running to your car.

“Jim!” you squatted down and opened your arms to the puppy. Josh had gotten him a month ago but Jordan had been helping training him while Josh had been busy with recording. You missed having that little puppy lick you awake in the morning, but Josh’s kisses are almost just as good.

“Happy birthday Sis!” Jordan called out, holding the leash tight in his hand.

“Thanks, Dunk!” you stood up and gave him a hug.

“I believe this is yours,” Jordan said as he handed another envelope.

“Another one?” you looked back at Josh who nodded. You opened it up to read the next riddle.

The next place isn’t fancy

Nothing like Rome

But its the best

Now go home.

“Well, this one got straight to the point didn’t it?” you giggled. “Bye Jordan! Bye JImothy.” You made sure to give the puppy lots of kisses before heading back to the car to drive back home.

“That was the last one!” Josh stated as he got buckled.

“Really? That was fun!”

Good!” Josh smiled over at you.

“What’s at home?” you asked but Josh shrugged his shoulders and started to whistle.

“You annoy me, Joshua Dun.”

“I know,” he laughed. You pulled into the driveway and followed Josh up the stairs to your front door where he unlocked it.

“Surprise!”

You jumped back as the room filled with people jumping out at you and yelling. Balloons were hung up everywhere along with streamers. There were your family, as well as Jordan and Jim, Tyler and Jenna, and some of your other girlfriends.

“Josh you did all this?” you asked looking up at him. He nodded and all you could do was pull him for a kiss. You couldn’t believe that he had set up a scavenger hunt so then he could surprise you with a party.

“I wanted today to be special for my beautiful birthday girl.”

“Thank you, Josh, I love you so much!”

“I love you too, now you have a party to attend!”

#josh dun x reader #josh dun #twenty one pilots fanfiction #twenty one pilots imagine #Twenty One Pilots #twenty one pilots fanfic #josh dun fanfic #josh dun fanfiction #josh dun imagine #josh dun one shot #top fanfic #top fanfiction

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sassycassie-s-writing · 5 years

Text

Not According to Plan

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): DC, BatFam - Dick Grayson/Nightwing

Rating: PG-13/T

Original Idea: Ant-Man and the Wasp, I guess

Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) I’m not sure what this is, apart from long. It’s just kinda one one of those that’s a bit of a word-vomit... @welovegroot @batboys-and-other-messes

^^^^^

Dick scooped Mary out of her bed while I picked up her packed backpack and my and my husband’s duffel bags for the mission. We left our apartment and headed down to the garage, where Dick buckled our daughter into her car seat. We started driving from Blüdhaven to Gotham. The outskirts of Gotham, more accurately. The Palisades.

Wayne Manor.

“I hate this,” I muttered while Dick drove the semi-abandoned freeway.

“I know you do, sweetheart,” he said. “But it’ll just be a couple days. And she loves staying with Great-Grampa Alfred, Grampa Bruce, and Uncle Damian. It’ll be okay.”

“If there’s one thing I hate more than leaving our girl it’s leaving her in the middle of the night without saying a proper goodbye.”

Dick let go of the steering wheel with one hand to take mine. “I know babe. But it’ll be easy. Quick in-and-out. The whole mission will take us three days, max. And Mary will be having so much fun with Uncle Damian and all his pets that she’ll barely notice we’re gone,” he said.

I sighed. “I guess you’re right,” I said.

“I know it’s your self-proclaimed job in our family to worry about everything, but just relax a little bit, okay?”

“I’ll try.”

He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

When we arrived at Wayne Manor, Damian was waiting for us on the front stairs. He was still in his Robin uniform so he must have just gotten back from patrol. Dick got Mary out of her car seat while I got her bag. Damian accepted both, slinging the strap over his shoulder and curling his niece into his arms.

“What shall I tell her if she asks where you’ve gone?” he asked.

“Tell her that we’ve gone to Coast City for Mommy’s work and we’ll be back soon,” I said.

“And tell her that we love her,” Dick added.

“Yes. Please do.”

“Of course,” Damian said.

“And take good care of our girl, okay? You, Bruce, and Alfred,” I said.

“Of course, Mrs. Grayson.” He nodded to Dick. “Richard.”

Dick smiled. “Thanks kiddo. We’ll be back in a couple days. Max. You won’t even have time to miss us.”

“Tt. We shall see,” Damian said.

Dick put his arm around my shoulders. “We need to get going. We’ll see you soon. Thanks for this, little bird.”

Damian nodded. “Good luck.”

I nodded. “Thanks Damian. We’ll need it.”

After each of us kissed our daughter’s cheek, Dick and I slid back into the car and headed off for our mission.

^^^^^

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!

I dragged Nightwing behind a heavy concrete pillar. His limp form was trailing blood. “Nightwing! C’mon! Wake up! Please, baby!”

His eyelids fluttered open. “Heeey sweetheart,” he said. His voice was breathy and exhausted. “I… I don’t think this went according to plan.”

“No. No it didn’t,” I said.

“Babe… I can feel myself checking out.”

“No! Nonononono! You can’t! Please! Mary needs you. I need you.”

He reached one bloody glove up and rested it on my cheek. “Tell Mary… her dada loves her,” he said.

“No. You’re gonna be fine, Nightwing. You’re gonna pull through this. Like you always do!”

“Not this time, honey. I… I love you too. My love. My one and only. My greatest adventure has been our family. I love you.”

His eyelids fluttered shut and he grew heavy in my arms.

“Dick? Dick? NO!” I shrieked. I checked Dick’s pulse. Nothing.

I wept, wave after wave of my powers exploding out of me as my heart wrenched.

^^^^^

Damian knocked on the door to the room in Wayne Manor that used to be Dick’s—and then Dick’s and mine. I was curled up on the edge of the bed, weeping. Damian was sweaty and in his Robin uniform—fresh off patrol. “Are you alright, Mrs. Grayson?” he asked.

I sniffed and wiped my eyes. “No,” I answered.

He cocked his head to the side. “I understand. It hasn’t been long. Is there any particular reason besides the obvious that you are upset?”

I raised a hand and used my powers to bring something out of the bathroom that adjoined the bedroom and let it float through the air to Damian. He caught it with two fingers, stared at it, and then looked at me. “You’re having another child,” he stated.

I nodded. “Our kids are never going to know their father,” I mumbled.

Damian set the test on the dresser and sat next to me on the end of the bed, giving me a hug. “Mary will remember him,” he said. “She’s old enough. But they will know their father was a hero.” He paused. “I miss him too, Mrs. Grayson. Richard was like a second father to me—more so than just a brother. My deepest apologies and sympathies for your loss. I hope you know that I share your grief.”

I nodded. “I know,” I said, hugging him back. “And thanks, Damian.”

“Of course. You know that if you ever need anything, the whole family is here to help.”

I sniffed. “Yeah. I know.”

^^^^^

“Dude,” Tim said, on the phone with someone. “You are going to be so mad at Bruce when you get back.”

“When who gets back?” I asked, picking up my utility belt. Ever since the others found out I was expecting I wasn’t allowed on patrol, but I couldn’t find my chapstick so it was probably in my belt.

“Jason. Bruce sent him to Colorado without all the intel he had,” Tim said.

“Oh. Hi Jason!”

“Mrs. G says ‘Hi Jason.’ … He says hi,” Tim said to me.

^^^^^

One Year Later…

^^^^^

“Listen, Babs, I’d love to have a girl’s weekend but I have two kids to take care of on my own,” I said with my phone crammed between my ear and my shoulder. “Yeah I could drop them off at Bruce’s but the last time I left Mary for more than one night I lost the love of my life. I'm not interested in… Yeah I know it’s not likely to happen again but I just can’t. I'm not ready for that yet… Hey, I just started reconditioning, okay? I did just have a baby a few months ago.”

Speaking of, my infant started crying.

“Shh… shh… it’s okay Peter. Mama’s here. Mama’s got you.” I bounced him on my hip, trying to soothe him. “I gotta go, Babs. I’ll think about it and call you later, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. Thanks for thinking of me, though.” I hung up the phone and dropped it on the sofa.

Mary bounded out of her room. “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”

“Mary, shh! For just a moment, okay? Just let me get your brother to stop crying and then you can tell me whatever it is you’re gonna say.”

“Okay,” she said.

I soothed Peter by bouncing him and giving him his pacifier and then turned to my daughter. “Okay. What’s up, honey?”

“I drew us!” she held out a picture made with crayon of four stick figures. Each was distinctly a member of our family, but still labelled. Daddy, Mommy, Me, Baby Pete

I could have broke down in tears right there. She hadn’t seen her dad in a year and still drew him as part of our family with his black hair and blue eyes. She’d inherited his black hair and bright personality. She had my eyes—brown was dominant over blue—but the glint she had in them, the humor and the joy, that was her dad’s.

“Oh sweetie, it’s beautiful. I love it. Should I put it up on the fridge?”

Her smile reminded me of Dick too—just the unbridled happiness. “Yeah!” she said.

With Peter still on my hip I put the drawing on the fridge while Mary babbled to me about a kid in her preschool class not liking the way she drew. “Baby, what that kid thinks doesn’t matter to you. If you like the way you draw, then keep drawing that way, got it?” I said.

“Mmhmm,” Mary said. “Guess what, Mommy?”

“What, baby?”

“I had a dream about you and Daddy last night,” she said. “You were in a building, wearing costumes with masks on. But it was you and Daddy. The building was on fire and you were crying, asking Daddy not to leave you. He was in a black and blue costume but it was covered in blood like the time I fell off the swing at Grampa Bruce’s.”

I froze completely. I’d hoped that I wouldn’t pass on any sort of superpower to my children and with how much they both took after Dick I thought for a long time that I’d gotten lucky and hadn’t passed any meta-gene on. Apparently I was wrong. “That’s… an interesting dream, baby,” I said.

“It felt like it really happened,” Mary said matter-of-factly. “Is that how Daddy died?”

“No, honey. Daddy died while we were on a business trip for Mommy’s work,” I said. It was definitely a lie but she was way too young for me to tell her the truth.

It had taken Dick three years of marriage to convince me to have kids in the first place since I was so scared of them ending up with powers. Now Mary was dreaming about the night her father died.

The doorbell rang, knocking me out of my thought process. I went over to it with Mary leading the way. she wasn’t quite tall enough to reach the lock yet though, so I peered through the peephole.

“Uncle Damian,” I said as I opened the door.

“Mrs. Grayson,” he greeted as Mary shouted, “Uncle Damian!” and threw her arms around his legs. He patted her head absentmindedly. “I need you and your children to come with me. Right now.”

I blinked. “Okay. Do I need to—”

“No. Don’t pack anything. We’re just heading to the Manor. But this is urgent.”

I grabbed the diaper bag I kept near the door. “Okay,” I said.

Damian hoisted Mary up onto his hip and jogged down the hallway. I locked the door behind us and followed after him while Peter barbled and pulled on the hair that had escaped my extremely messy bun.

Damian led me and my little family down into the garage of our apartment building. He had one of Bruce’s fancy SUVs—equipped with Peter’s baby seat and Mary’s four-year-old car seat. We buckled my kids in and drove out of Blüdhaven for Gotham. “When is your move into Gotham finalizing?” Damian asked as he drove.

I sighed. “Most of the important stuff is already at the house. I just gotta find time to… dismantle… y’know. The subway. And then sell the apartment lease.”

“Tt. I see,” Damian said. “Should you require, I could come by and assist—”

“No. It’s… it’s fine. I just… I can’t make myself go in there right now. The display cases and everything is just as it was and I wouldn’t even know what to do with most of the stuff we have stored. All our old suits. All our equipment. I just… there are too many memories.”

“What are you talking about, Mommy?” Mary asked.

“Just the place where your dad and I stored the rest of our things after you were born and we needed to make room in the apartment,” I said. “And our house in Gotham where we’re gonna move.”

“How come we’re moving?”

“To be closer to Grampa Bruce and Uncle Damian so they can help me out with you and Peter.”

“Babababa…” Peter babbled quietly. I glanced over my shoulder at him in his car seat. He was gumming his pacifier contentedly.

“Two months old and making noises,” Damian remarked. “Mary didn’t make a sound until she was four months.”

“Mary didn’t speak till she was nearly two and then busted out full sentences,” I reminded him. “Both of my kids were born with a lot to say. They just decided when to start saying those things at different times.”

“Indeed,” Damian said.

“So what’s so urgent that you’re here at eight in the morning on a Saturday?” I asked.

“Tt. Best not to tell. Just to show,” Damian said evasively.

The drive between Blüdhaven and Gotham was about a half-hour, but with Mary talking about school in the backseat, endlessly, it seemed to be quicker than that. Damian loved listening to her stories, even if he wasn’t terribly expressive at showing it. Still, I caught him grinning as he drove.

Once in the Manor, Damian intercepted Alfred. “Pennyworth, if you would keep an eye on the children, I'm going to take Mrs. Grayson downstairs.”

“Of course, Master Damian. It’s always a pleasure.” Alfred took Peter from me and took Mary’s hand while she smiled and giggled and talked to Great-Grampa Alfred about how his outfit looked very nice.

Damian led me immediately to the grandfather clock and down into the Batcave.

He turned to me in the elevator. “Mrs. Grayson… no one will judge you if you cry,” he said. “This will come as quite a shock.”

The elevator dinged open to the cave. Damian led me out. I followed. I hadn’t been down here in… months. Since Peter was born at least. Alfred had used the med-bay to do a lot of my check-ups while I was carrying Peter but I hadn’t been down here since I went back to Blüdhaven.

I trailed behind him to the med-bay. I knew the path well after years of treading it, even in the darkness.

When we reached it, I stopped in my tracks and gasped.

“Dick?” I whispered.

He wasn’t wearing a shirt and was bandaged up. His hair was a mess, his lip was split and bleeding, and he had a black eye. But it was him. Sitting on a gurney with eyes half-closed.

He glanced over at me and gave me an exhausted smile. “Hey sweetheart,” he greeted.

I took a few cautious steps toward him—

And promptly smacked him.

“Mrs. Grayson!” Damian exclaimed.

“Stand down, kid,” Dick said, rubbing his cheek. “I deserved that.”

I grabbed his face as gently as I could and kissed him, ignoring the blood on his lip. “I just… I had to make sure you were real,” I said.

“I'm real. I'm here. Are you okay? You look different. What have I missed? Tim said I was going to be mad when I got back,” he said, kissing me back enthusiastically.

Tim was talking to Dick?! That little liar—he said he was talking to Jason!

I slid my hand down his arm and took his hand. “Come with me and I’ll show you,” I said.

He hopped off the gurney gingerly and pulled on a loose-fitting blue T-shirt.

We headed for the elevator. “What happened?” I asked. “Why did you… why? I was there! You were dead!”

“I'm so sorry, love. I had to. Nightwing had to die to keep you and Mary safe. It was the only way.”

I wanted to just curl up in his embrace and cry for three days. Instead, I muttered, “I'm going to kill Bruce for this.”

“It’s not one-hundred-percent his fault.” Dick paused. “Okay, maybe it is, but the undercover mission I did was… really important.”

“Right,” I deadpanned as we reached the main body of the Manor. I took him to the playroom. “You asked what you missed and why I look different. Well, here it is.” I pushed the door open.

Mary was sitting on the beanbag with a picture book in her hands that she was reading while Alfred sat on a chair with Peter on his lap and read to him. Peter wasn’t paying any attention but he was staying quiet.

“Peter, baby,” I said.

He looked up from where he was chewing his fingers and smiled at me.

Dick gasped quietly from the shadows beyond the door. “We… we had another baby?” he whispered. He didn’t even question that Peter was his. How could he? Peter had his exact hair, both color and texture, and the same eye shape. Though Peter was probably going to have my nose.

“Yup,” I said. “And I'm going to kill Bruce for not ordering you home the second he found out I was expecting.”

Dick stepped into the light of the playroom.

Mary saw him and dropped her picture book. “DADDY!” she shrieked, bounding off the beanbag and running over. Ignoring his injuries, Dick dropped to his knees and gave her the gentlest but firmest hug he could.

“Hi sweetie! Oh I missed you!”

“Mommy said you went to heaven!”

“She thought I did, but I didn’t. Because Grampa Bruce told me to let her think that. But then I came back because I couldn’t leave my babies.” He held her tightly as Alfred got up and brought Peter over. I took our baby in my arms.

“Peter, do you wanna say hi to your dada?” I asked quietly. He kicked his legs but didn’t say anything.

Dick got to his feet, still holding the back of Mary’s head while she clung to his leg and held his hand out for Peter. The infant caught his finger and stared. Peter had green eyes that stared at Dick like Peter was searching his dad’s soul.

After a moment, Peter beamed and started babbling, just making noises.

Dick carefully took him out of my arms and looked up at me. “I'm so sorry,” he said. “I'm so sorry I missed this. Can you ever forgive me?”

I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. “I can. I don’t blame you for this. I blame Bruce. But… give me a couple days.”

“I can’t believe I…” Dick’s eyes watered and spilled over. I wiped the tears off his face. “I can’t believe I abandoned you to go through that alone. I'm so sorry.”

“I know. And it’s gonna be okay, Dick. Just give us all time,” I said.

“You’ll have it,” he promised. “I'm never doing that again. I'm never leaving you, or our children, ever again.”

“Good.”

#Not According to Plan #Dick Grayson #Dick Grayson Imagine #Dick Grayson FanFiction #Nightwing #Nightwing Imagine #Nightwing FanFiction #DC #DC Imagine #DC FanFiction #BatFam #BatFam Imagine #BatFam FanFiction

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coloredseouls-blog · 6 years

Text

[ Retaliation ]

// Chanyeol Fanficiton Series //

[ THREE ]

Xena woke up from her nap on the couch slowly as her eyes opened and adjusted to the bright light invading her vision. Things had been calm and mellow the entire week that Xena and Chanyeol had been residing inside the old home. Thankfully, no one had come knocking on the door or sending any mail, resulting in her anxiety levels to creep down quite a bit ever since the day the two of them had exchanged names and fates. He seemed to wind down quite a bit as well, but that still didn't stop the mafia member from taking many precautions and being very careful with what they did.

One thing that was hard to understand was the fact that she wasn't allowed any contact with her father. Yes, the two barely had a relationship, he never showed any affection for her or even love, but she still wanted to check up on him. Chanyeol did, however, ease away her suspicions when he told her that the other gang would 100% be keeping tabs on the cell lines and they would know their location right away if she tried to give her father a call.

After drinking some water and successfully shaking the familiar feeling of grogginess off, Chanyeol informed Xena that they were moving to their final destination. And as she slid into the passenger seat once more, she couldn't help but notice the feeling of eerieness taking over her senses, even as Chanyeol proceeded to pull out of the parking lot and make his way down the highway. The faint sound of music and the truck engine became predominant in her ears, lulling her to sleep. It wasn't until she took notice of the speed increase in the vehicle and the facial expression of Chanyeol become hardened and serious as he began checking his mirrors.

"Shit." Chanyeol muttered, his hand opening and reaching into the glove department, pulling out a gun.

"What are you going to do with that?" Xena questioned, her eyebrow raised. A sigh left Chanyeol before he spoke once more.

"I need you to shoot because clearly, I can't drive and shoot at the same time."

"Um. No thanks. I'm not trying to catch a murder case."

"It wasn't a question. It's either you do it or we die." Chanyeol announced, neglecting his turn signal as he swerved in between lanes, reducing his speed in sight of a patrol car.

"We? Since when was there a we? As far as I'm concerned, we're still on first bases."

"Just do it. Please. I said please." He threw the gun into her lap, the heaviness evident on her legs.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the gun with shaky hands, the feeling terrifying yet almost familiar. Time seemed to still as she rolled down the window, head coming out the window as she took aim. The sound of the bullet leaving the gun and her body jerking in reaction brought her back to modern time as she watched the bullet puncture the tire. The car swerved, heading straight for the guard-rail before making contact and going over the edge. She slid back into her seat and rolled the window up, the breeze cutting off. Her heartbeat rapid as she sat the gun down in her lap, the guilt setting in and weighing heavy.

"I'm impressed." Chanyeol spoke, nodding his head as he checked his mirrors once again, his speed reducing tremendously.

She glared at him, her eyes rolling into the back of her head before she spoke.

"Thanks, I guess."

"So you're really related to Alexandra."

Silence admiting the car, thoughts buzzing in her mind as she looked at the man next to her. "You knew my mother?"

"Well, I didn't exactly know her. I knew of her. On the other hand, are you alright?"

"Oh yeah, definitely! I couldn't be any better."

"You know, the sarcasm is unnecessary." He chuckled, taking the exit off the road.

"Just like me shooting and practically killing that guy, but you know, its whatever."

"I can assure you he's alive."

"You don't know that!" Her voice became loud before she slumped down into her seat, arms folded over her chest.

The car went silent as she leaned her head against the window, her mind replaying the scene that had just played before her.

"Everything will be alright, Princess."

However, she was pulled out of it when she felt a large hand on her knee, her body going rigid as she looked at Chanyeol.

''I promise."

They pulled into an underground parking garage, their surroundings going immediately dark. He looped around and pulled into a space nearing some expensive-looking vehicles. Hopping out, he strides over to the passenger side, adjusting his black dress shirt unbuttoning the first two buttons. Xena stays in her seat waiting to see what his next move would be, her door swings open revealing the tall man she was currently accompanying.

"Come on, Princess. We have people that we need to see."

"Again with this we word. This we was never discussed."

"You know I don't have to be nice to you, right?"

"Touché. "

As she proceeded to step out the vehicle, she took in her surroundings. The garage was dark, the only source of light being the minimal pole lights marking each section. Yet, despite it being a parking garage, there was not a large number of cars. For the most part, the truck and a few other vehicles occupied the space.

Chanyeol was quick to drag her towards the elevator, pressing the X button before the elevator closed and moved downwards.

"Is this some sort of secret base?"

"Precisely Princess." He nodded to her, watching through the window as it transformed from the busy streets to the bright lights of a space. The elevator came to a soft, jerking stop and dinged, Chanyeol's hand clasped in hers. He pulled her out, a gasp leaving her lips as she took notice of the busy atmosphere.

"Welcome to EXO's home-base." He announced proudly, his hands now resting on his hips. She looked around, catching the eye of a familiar face.

"Xena!" Baekhyun shouted, jogging over to the pair. He embraced her in a hug, pulling her back at arm's distance to take a good look at her.

"Not too bad in attire. How was the ride?" Xena immediately looked from him to Chanyeol, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders.

"I'd rather not talk about it." She mumbled, head tilted with hair dangling in front of her face.

"Let's just say she's definitely related to the boss." Chanyeol patted her on her shoulder. Moving his enlarged hand to the center her back, he guided her around.

They soon came to a set of large doors, the symbol of a dragon displayed across both of them. Placing his hand on the scanner, the doors were automatically pulled open, a whirl of fresh and cool air rushing past and against their face. From afar, she noticed the two men going at each other, one obviously dominating the other. They walked towards them, coming to a stop when one of them was flipped over the other's shoulder, pinning him to the floor as he repeatedly tapped at it. The man on the floor made eye contact with her, smirking and pulling his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Whose the lovely darling we have here?" His eyebrow arched and Xena found the sudden urge to kick him in the throat.

"Kai, this is Xena. Xena, the guy on the floor is Kai and the guy above him is Xiumin, whom you met earlier."

"Oh, so she's-"

"Alexandra's daughter."

"Wow, you all must have known her well, considering I've heard about her a couple of times today."

"Does she live up to the expectations?" The man named Kai asked as he was pulled from the floor.

"Well, she did send a man off the freeway. So as far as I'm concerned now, yes."

"We'll have to see further based on her training."

"Um, hello. I'm right here."

"My apologies. You'll get further introductions later though. As of right now, I'm positive Junmyeon wants to meet with you." Xiumin looked to Chanyeol, nodding his head and gesturing for the door. They waved goodbye as he lead her through a series of hallways and sliding doors, stopping when they came to yet another massive one. This time, however, three letters arranged, spelling E X O branded them. He rocked twice, before barging in, the man sitting at the desk looking at him with annoyance.

"Chanyeol, what have I told you about barging in on me? There's supposed to be a pause between those knocks."

"Sorry Myeon, but I brought someone special." The man rose from his chair, stepping from behind his desk, circling Xena.

"God, you look like your parents."

"Not this shit again. Enough about my parents, why the hell am I here?" She demanded, her eyes going wide with the build-up of anger. However, before the man could give a response, the phone rang. He immediately picked it up, answering professionally.

"Hello? Yes, this is he. No, I have not. What? That's fucking bullshit, you better not be lying to me. How did this happen, I thought- Okay. Thank you, I'll be sure to keep in touch. Yes, please authorize the transfer of the files. Thanks again. Goodbye." He placed the phone on the receiver, looking from Chanyeol to Xena with a sad expression.

"I'm going to need the both of you to sit down." He announced formally, pulling at his suit jacket.

"What's wrong?" Chanyeol asked, fear evident in his voice. This set his anxiety in motion, his throat slowly closing in on him. His boss was rarely one to show emotions, unless dire circumstances.

This had to be one of those circumstances.

"From the phone call, I've just received horrifying news. For all of us, actually," He paused.

"Unfortunately, Anthony Takahashi has been reported dead."

#kpop #kpop scenarios #kpop fanfiction #kpop imagines #exo #exo k #exo m #exo l #Park Chanyeol #chanyeol #chanyeol fanfic #chanyeol scenario #chanyeol imagine #hitman #hitman scenario #exo mafia

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green-eyeddragonfanfiction · 7 years

Text

Time: Chapter 10

Summary: Soulmate!AU/Reincarnation!AU. Female!Reader lives in a world where alien invasions and hordes of death robots occur and past lives and soulmates are very real. Like most people, she gets brief glimpses of her past. although a person’s past lives and their current life may have little to nothing in common, soul mates tend to transfer between lives, the core of a person staying the same throughout the eons. Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader, Steve Rogers x Female!Reader Warnings: Language, angst, fluff Word Count: ~5,510 A/N: I think I wrote a sitcom on accident. Oh well. This chapter is 15% Steve fluff, 20% angst, and 65% Team Cap banter.

Masterlist // Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

You looked inside of yourself, trying to assess the damage. You were shocked to find nothing there. You felt nothing.

Bucky hadn’t broken your heart, he’d obliterated it.

You hadn’t realized you’d fallen asleep until Wanda’s quiet voice woke you from the doorway.

“We have to leave, Steve. We’ve been here too long as is,” she said, apologetic.

“I know, Wanda. Just a little long-”

“You’re leaving? Now?” you asked, alarmed, as you sat up and rubbed the sleep from your eyes. It had gotten dark out while you’d been asleep. Light had been streaming in through your windows, filling your room with a warm glow when you’d first come in, but now shadows painted the walls of the neighboring buildings. It was dusk.

Steve looked down at you and frowned, regret clear on his face. “Sorry, darling. We can’t stay any place too long, least of all New York. This was only supposed to be a quick stop, anyway,” he said as he began untangling himself from the blankets and sheets.

“Please don’t go,” you whispered. You needed to reach out for him, make him stop, but your body wasn’t listening to your orders.

Something in your voice made him freeze. He pulled his arm from around you and cupped your chin with his fingers. “I can’t take you with me, (Y/N). It’s too dangerous,” he said, sorrow clear in his voice. This close, you could see the flecks of green in his captivating blue eyes.

You shook your head stubbornly, jaw set. “I want to go with you, Stevie. It’s my choice. I was in New York and D.C. I watched the videos of Sokovia. I know the kind of danger you get into. I don’t care,” you said as you took his hands in yours. You squeezed his fingers hard, willing him to understand. He didn’t seem convinced and opened his mouth to say something else, but you spoke before he could say anything.

“I can’t lose you, too. Not after everything that’s happened. I know you understand that. Please, Stevie,” you whispered, tears filling your eyes.

His face twisted in sadness. That had been a low blow and you knew it. Steve had dealt with your and Bucky’s deaths once before. His best friend and soul mate both gone before thirty, and he’d watched both times; you’d died from disease and Bucky had plummeted from that train in the mountains. He still probably blamed himself for Bucky.

Steve glanced at Wanda, who stood in the doorway, question clear on his face.

She looked between you and Steve before she sighed and shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “I don’t care what you decide; It’s really your decision anyway. Just choose quickly,” she said, then walked back towards your sitting room.

“It’ll be dangerous,” he said, turning back to you. “I don’t know if I can keep you safe,” he said softly, worry clear in his voice. He wished you’d stay. You’d be safer here, without him. But he knew how much you had to be hurting right now. He didn’t have it in him to leave you alone.

“I know,” you said, lip quirking into a tentative half smile as a tear slipped down your cheek. He gently wiped it away with his thumb and kissed you on the forehead.

“Get packed. We’ll leave in fifteen,” he said, finally extracting himself from the bed.

“Ten, Steve!” came Wanda’s voice from the living room.

“Ten, then. Need any help?” he said, extending his hand to help you up. You took it gladly, his warm, well-worn hand helping to keep you grounded. Now that you knew he wasn’t going to leave you, your heart felt lighter, even just a little bit.

You shook your head as you hopped off the bed, swaying slightly. His hand came down to steady you and he eyed you with concern. “I’m mostly packed already. Never really unpacked, actually,” you explained, trying to ignore the way he looked at you as though you were about to break.

“Alright, if you’re sure, I’ll be out in the sitting room with Wanda,” he said, giving you a peck on the cheek, which made you blush. He gave you a melancholy smile as he walked out of the room and went to join Wanda on your squishy couch.

Nine and a half minutes later you walked into your sitting room, bulging duffel slung over your shoulder, a dirty manila folder clutched at your side in your free hand. Wanda and Steve were already standing by the door. Steve smiled at you, taking your bag wordlessly. “Thanks,” you said, giving him a small smile.

“Are we ready?” Wanda asked, raising an eyebrow at you and Steve.

“I have one last thing to do. You guys go ahead, I’ll be right behind you,” you said, opening the door for them.

Steve seemed unsure and didn’t immediately follow Wanda down the stairs.

“It’s fine, Stevie. I’ll only be a minute, I promise,” you said as you clutched the manila folder to your chest.

He studied you for a moment before he nodded his head. “Alright, get outside as soon as possible. Wanda seemed nervous, which makes me nervous,” he said. You nodded in agreement, and he gave you one last smile before he closed the door. You could hear the stairs creaking under his weight as you opened up the manila folder in your hands and placed it on the small table next to your door. You grabbed the pen off the table and quickly flicked through the documents, signing your name and initialing wherever it told you to. With one last flourish of your pen you snapped the folder closed and grabbed the keys to your apartment. You yanked the door open and bounded down the stairs. You weren’t sure if it was luck or not, but Dean was in the back, likely getting ready to close down for the night.

“Dean!” you said, jogging up to him.

“Hey, what’s up, (Y/N)? When did you get back?” he asked, looking from you to the staircase that led to your apartment then back to you. He spotted the manila folder in your hands and the look of confusion on his face only grew.

“Doesn’t matter,” you said as you grabbed his wrist and dragged him over to the nearest counter. You pulled out your pen and opened the manila folder. “Sign this here and here and initial here, here, and here,” you said, marking the spots you mentioned with x’s.

“What’s this all about, (Y/N)?” he asked, glancing from you to the papers.

“Trust me, please, Dean. I don’t have time to explain,” you said, desperate. You didn’t know how long Steve and Wanda would wait.

“Alright, alright,” he said, quickly filling out the paperwork.

You beamed up at him. “The cafe and apartment are yours now, Dean. For real, this time. The apartment’s been paid for till the end of the year,” you said. The look of delighted shock on his face was something you’d never forget.

“What? Wait, (Y/N)- What-!” he tried to get your attention, but you were already headed through the door to the cafe’s main room.

“Take good care of my damn cafe, Dean!” you yelled back to him. “You too, Tali, Kate!” you said, waving to them as you opened the door. Not understanding the situation they happily waved back, promising they would with yes, ma’am!’s.

You stepped through the door, Dean hot on your heels, but when he stepped through the doorway and blinked against the light of the sun, it was like you’d vanished from right in front of him. He looked up and down the sidewalk in alarm, but you were nowhere to be found. A car came down the street and something about it caught Dean’s attention. He glanced at it and he swore he saw you waving at him through the back window, index finger over your lips in a conspiratorial smile. He also thought he saw Captain America throw him a salute from the seat beside yours in the back. Was that the Scarlet Witch driving?

Dean blinked rapidly, but, just like you had a moment ago, the car seemed to vanish; there one minute and gone the next.

“I trust Captain America,” came your voice in his memories. You’d said that a few days ago when he’d insulted the Winter Soldier and the Captain.

“Oh, you sly bitch,” he said, grinning. “You could have at least introduced me,” he said, laughing as he turned back to the cafe. His cafe. “Can’t even tell anyone that Captain America was in the damn place,” he groaned quietly, resigning himself to the fact that telling people Steve had been there would only cause problems. “Stay safe, Boss,” he whispered, throwing one last glance over his shoulder before he went back inside.

You made it out of the city and began traveling west. Steve dozed quietly in the seat next to you and you briefly considered joining him in his napping endeavors, but decided to try to get to know the other person in the car a little better, instead. You carefully clamored towards the passenger seat up front, deftly avoiding bumping Steve’s outstretched legs. Wanda watched you with amusement as you not-so-gracefully plopped down into the seat next to her.

“Hi,” you said lamely. You were careful to speak quietly so you wouldn’t wake Steve.

“Hi,” she said, smirking at you.

“Where are we headed?” you asked, peering at the road ahead of you. You were out of the big city now, so trees and residential areas lined the freeway.

“We’re meeting up with the rest of the guys, then we’re headed somewhere safe... Well, safer,” she informed you.

“’The rest of the guys’?” you asked, confused.

“Ah, yeah. The rest of the pariahs on the run from the combined might of the world’s governments. Scott, Sam, and Clint,” she said, ticking them off on her fingers.

“Clint is Hawkeye, right? And Sam is the Falcon?” you asked.

“Yeah, that’s right,” she said, smiling at you.

“I have no idea which one Scott is, though,” you said, racking your brain for a face to place the name to.

“New addition as of a few days ago. His alias is Ant-Man,” she said. You snorted and she grinned at you. “Yeah, I agree, not the best name, but he’s not someone to mess with. He can make himself so tiny he could kill you and you’d never see him coming... or he could make himself one hundred feet tall and squish you under his foot. Plus, he’s a good guy,” she said, chuckling at your stricken expression.

“Right, don’t cross Ant-Man. Got it,” you said, sighing as you leaned back in the seat.

She bit back a laugh, glancing into the back seat to make sure your conversation hadn’t woken Steve up. “No, they’re all softies. They’re excited to meet you, in fact. It’s not often Steve throws tactical logic to the wayside. There’s always a good reason for it, though,” she said, smiling softly at you. You felt your cheeks heat and looked out the window in lieu of facing her.

“We’re almost to the exit,” Steve said suddenly. You jumped at his deep voice, not expecting it.

“I know, I know. Stop backseat driving, grandpa,” Wanda said, turning on her blinker to merge into the right lane.

“Hey, I just want to make sure we don’t miss the exit. We don’t have time to turn around if we miss it,” he said leaning forward between the front seats. You turned to look at him and he smiled at you, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes and you could tell he was trying to gauge how you were feeling. Not willing to disappoint him, you put on a brave smile.

“And whose fault is that?” Wanda asked, rolling her eyes as she turned off the freeway.

Steve winced slightly and turned to give Wanda an apologetic smile. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry about that,” he said amicably.

“Apology accepted,” she said, smirking at him. “They said they’d meet us at the Waffle House, right?” she asked, peering at the freeway sign that directed travelers to the nearest food and lodging.

“Yeah. Looks like it’s a left at the light,” Steve said, ducking his head to look at the sign through the windshield.

A few minutes later you pulled into the Waffle House parking lot. A few cars were parked here and there, but Wanda pulled up next to a large nondescript black SUV.

“Why is it always the large black SUV’s? Don’t you people realize they’re conspicuous in that they’re always thought to be inconspicuous?” you asked, looking at Wanda and Steve in exasperation.

Wanda laughed and Steve opened the door and hopped out, opening yours before you had the chance. Ever the gentleman, your Stevie.

“Actually, that’s our ride,” Steve said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder and you laughed.

“Nice one, Stevie,” you said, walking over to the black SUV.

“Uh, (Y/N)... I wasn’t joking,” Steve said, raising an eyebrow at you.

“Though I wish he was,” Wanda said, grimacing at the monstrosity Steve had pointed at.

Across the parking lot was an ugly, decrepit yellow and white van straight out of the mid 70′s. The paint was peeling at the bottom and you could tell from here the current paint job was hiding countless ones before it. You could still barely make out giant, loopy flowers all over the sides.

“Well, I suppose I’d never expect to find an Avenger in there,” you admitted, glaring at the van as though it had killed your dog.

Steve grabbed your bag out of the trunk of the car and together you, he, and Wanda walked over to the vehicular eyesore. Steve knocked on the double side doors, glancing around as he did so. You glanced over your shoulder, too, suddenly aware you were with the world’s most wanted people on earth. This wasn’t how you expected today to go.

“Password?” came a voice from inside, the source of which you could see moving behind the bright orange curtains that seemed to be on every window but the front three. The person who said it seemed to be going for a Gandalf-esque voice.

“Scott, is that you? Open up,” Steve said, shifting uncomfortably as he threw another look over his shoulder.

“Incorrect, try again,” said the voice again.

“Scott, it’s me, Wanda, and-” Steve began

“Man what are you doing? Open the damn door,” said a different voice.

“Hey, it could be a-” the voice’s protests stopped abruptly as the door swung open, squeaking horrifically.

“Shit, I need to oil that thing,” one of the men behind the door said. You recognized his voice as the one asking for a password.

“Man, you need to do a lot of things to this rust bucket. Maybe get your head checked while you’re at it, too, Tic-Tac,” said the second man.

“Scott. Sam,” Steve said in greeting, tossing the bag to the second man, who threw it behind him into the back of the van.

“Oh, hey, Cap. Wanda. You must be (Y/N). I’m Scott, AKA Ant-Man,” the first guy said, nodding his head in greeting. You nodded back, smiling slightly. You recognized the other Man as the Falcon; Sam Wilson.

“Move over, Scott,” Wanda said as she clambered into the van.

Your eyes adjusted to the dim light inside and you laughed out loud. It was covered from top to bottom in atrocious orange shag carpet. Only the front two seats remained. The rest had been gutted to make room for a huge, equally orange and atrocious couch. A smaller loveseat behind the driver’s seat faced backwards. It was, at least, not orange. It was, instead, a hideous, stained zebra stripe pattern.

“You guys are running from the world government in a shaggin wagon?” you asked, hand clamped over your mouth in an attempt to stifle your giggles as you climbed into the van.

“Yeah, well, it was all we could get on short notice,” came a voice from the driver’s seat. “I’m Clint, by the way,” he said, extending a hand to you. You hunched over so your head wouldn’t hit the ceiling and shook his hand.

“I know. Nice to meet you, Hawkeye,” you said, winking at him. He beamed back at you.

“See? She knows who I am,” he said, inexplicably proud.

“Yes, we’re all very happy for you, Clint,” Wanda said, rolling her eyes as she sat down in the passenger seat. “Are you still upset about what T’Challa said?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“No,” he said obstinately. He was clearly still upset.

“It’s okay, Clint. I still don’t think anyone on their team knows who I am,” Scott said, shooting Clint a commiserative look in the rear-view mirror.

“Thanks, Scott,” Clint said, grinning. “Are we all ready?” he asked as Steve hopped in after you and closed the doors.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” Steve said, taking a seat on the bright orange couch. The van jolted as it came to life. The engine didn’t sound healthy and you wondered for a second if it would explode, but Clint shifted gears and soon it was rolling out of the Waffle House parking lot towards the main street.

You took a seat next to Steve on the couch, not entirely comfortable around the others yet. They seemed nice, just like Wanda said, but you weren’t up to snuff yet after everything that had happened today. You weren’t sure you ever would be, but Steve’s presence offered you some relative safety. There was a short scuffle for the Zebra seat, which Scott lost. Sam plopped down in it, looking superior as Scott sat dejectedly down on the floor.

“Better luck next time, Tic-Tac,” Sam said, shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

“You say that, but I’m pretty sure those stains should be considered bio hazards,” Scott said, smirking up at Sam, who suddenly looked much less pleased with himself.

“Sorry for showing up so late,” Steve said, scratching the back of his neck guiltily.

“Don’t sweat it Steve. You still had a half hour to spare,” Sam said, throwing his friend a grin.

“Yeah, and now it’s obvious why you arrived so much later than we expected,” Clint said from the driver’s seat. You saw him glance at you and Steve and wink to the blond beside you. You glanced at Steve out of the corner of your eye and smiled. His cheeks were distinctly tinged pink.

“Gear safe in the back?” Steve asked, glancing over his shoulder, eager for a change of topic.

“Yup, loaded it all myself,” Clint said as he turned onto the freeway. “Did you stay out of sight in New York?” he asked, glancing at Steve and Wanda.

“Define ‘out of sight’,” Wanda said, grimacing.

“Really, guys?” Clint asked, exasperated.

“Wanda made sure no one noticed us,” Steve said defensively.

“Do her powers work on street cameras now, too?” Clint asked.

“Well I short-circuited the ones I noticed. But no, I can’t guarantee I fried all of them. It’s why I made sure Steve didn’t dawdle any longer than necessary,” Wanda explained.

“Well, what’s done is done. We’ll just have to hope Tony and Nat still like us enough to keep the government off our trail long enough for us to get underground,” Clint said as he cajoled the van into a legal freeway speed.

“Sorry,” you said quietly.

“Hey, now. This isn’t your fault. It’s that big blond idiot next to you’s,” Sam said as he crossed his arms and smirked at Steve.

“Thanks, Sam,” Steve said sarcastically, grinning back at Sam.

“No problem, man,” Sam said, toothy grin lighting up his whole face.

“How far out are we?” Scott asked Clint from where he laid on the floor.

“If you ask me ‘are we there yet?’ I swear I’ll kick you out of this car while it’s speeding down the freeway,” Clint threatened.

Wanda snorted. “Does it count as speeding if we’re only going-” a pause as she checked the speedometer “- fifty-three?”

“Yeah, I think I’d probably survive that. It might not even hurt,” Scott said, brows furrowed as he, presumably, played the situation out in his head.

“Not the point, Scott,” Clint said, sighing.

“Looks like we’re about eight hours out,” Wanda said, looking up from the road map you’d only just noticed.

“A physical map? Why are you traveling so low tech?” you asked, eyebrow quirked.

“Oh, right. Can I see your phone?” Steve said, holding out a hand.

“Which one?” you asked, pulling them both out of your pockets.

“Both, actually,” Steve said as he took them from you and threw them up to Wanda, who caught them with her powers. She rolled down the window with one of her hands and you enjoyed the fresh air for about .3 seconds before Wanda crushed both of your phones and threw them out of the window into the roadside brush.

“What-” you began, shocked.

“Tracking devices, built in GPS, all that shit,” Scott said. Sam nodded along as he spoke.

“Yeah, but why my-” you began again.

“There’s a chance there’s footage of you with us. Of your own accord. Can’t risk your phones being tracked,” Wanda said, smiling apologetically at you as she rolled up the window.

You let out a long sigh, wiping a hand over your face in exasperation. “Fine, fine. I understand,” you said as you leaned back into the lumpy orange couch.

“Hey, how did you find Steve in Berlin, anyway?” Sam asked, leaning forward to stare at you.

You squirmed at the sudden attention as everyone but Clint turned to look at you. Even Steve looked at you expectantly.

“Well, uh, you see- that’s a funny story-”

An hour later you’d told them about everything that had happened to you starting from the Battle of New York. You made them promise to keep their questions till the end.

“You mean you fought off those Chitauri bastards with two teenage baristas?” Clint asked, clearly impressed.

“And a small army’s worth of ammo,” you said, embarrassed.

“Huh,” Scott said eloquently, looking at you with newfound respect.

“You were the one who found Steve on the riverbank in D.C. after everything had gone to shit?” Sam asked.

“I just stumbled onto him by accident,” you said, cheeks heating as you remembered him latching onto you as though he was still drowning. You realized now the man you’d seen leaving the clearing was Bucky. Steve seemed to sense your tempestuous emotions because he reached over to hold your hand in his. The gesture wasn’t something the rest of the team missed, but they didn’t say anything.

Instead, Scott spoke up. “Wait you really didn’t know you’d been hanging out with the Winter Soldier? His face was plastered all over the news,” he said, raising an eyebrow at you.

“I, ah, don’t watch the news much. I was pretty busy moving during the time the news about D.C. was airing.” You had more to say, but you couldn’t do it. Even thinking about Bucky was starting to bring back that dark feeling in your heart. You squeezed Steve’s hand. It was, once again, the only thing keeping you grounded. He realized you were starting to spiral so he pulled you into his lap, hugging you to his chest.

If you were able to see anything but Steve’s broad chest you would’ve seen the matching looks of surprise on Scott and Sam’s faces. Wanda had already seen Steve act like that around you, so she wasn’t surprised, and Clint nodded his head as though a question he had had just been answered.

“Wanna take a nap, Dollface?” he asked, the nickname he and Bucky used for Rosie slipping out.

If you noticed, you didn’t show it. You nodded, cheek rubbing against his chest. He smiled and cradled you in his arms as he stood, careful not to hit his head on the van’s low ceiling, and placed you gently down on the couch. You reached out and grabbed his hand, pleading with your eyes for him to stay within reach, not wanting to say it aloud around so many strangers. He smiled sadly down at you and sat in front of the couch and leaned up against it. He sat close to your head, slightly blocking your face from view of the others. You threw an arm over his shoulder and he reached up and held onto your hand, rubbing your palm gently with his thumb.

You fell asleep more quickly than you thought you would. Your mind seemed to choose to knock itself out rather than have another breakdown and you didn’t feel like fighting it on its choice, the gentle sway of the van helping to lull you to sleep.

Steve’s POV

Steve didn’t have to look over his shoulder to know you’d fallen asleep. Your grip on his hand had loosened and your breathing had evened out, but he continued to rub your palm gently.

“There’s more, isn’t there? Stuff she left out?” Sam asked quietly, eyeing the way you and Steve sat together.

Steve let out a sigh. “Yeah, there is,” he said quietly, not wanting to wake you.

“Wanna start with... this?” Sam asked, gesturing to the two of you.

Steve sighed, glancing back at you before he gently released your hand. You frowned a little in your sleep but otherwise didn’t stir. Steve pulled back his left sleeve and held it out for the others to see.

“Your... brand? RAF? What does that have to do with anything? Those aren’t even her initials,” Scott said, brows furrowing in confusion.

“No, they’re not... but they were,” he said, frowning. Comprehension dawned on Scott, Sam, and even Wanda’s face from where she sat in the front seat, listening in on the conversation.

“You mean she’s the reincarnation of this RAF?” Sam asked, stunned.

“Rose Alice Foster was her name back then. We met when we were five. I knew the second I saw her she was my soul mate. Still, we didn’t show each other our brands right away. We were both scared they might not match, y’know? But when we were eight Rosie convinced me, and, sure enough, they matched.

“She loved reading. She’d read while I’d draw. Bucky would join us sometimes and read comics. She loved lilacs and hated celery. She was fascinated by cars and technology; it was her dream to meet Howard Stark,” he said, his gaze eighty years in the past as he reminisced.

After a moment his gaze darkened. “She was always kind of unwell. She had a lot of health problems, like I did, back before the serum. But hers were worse, and by thirteen she had trouble going outside. She couldn’t go to school anymore for risk of catching something and getting even sicker. By fourteen she was in the hospital year-round. For two years I watched as she lost the fight to the diseases that ate away at her until she finally passed in her sleep the day after her sixteenth birthday. Her family, Bucky, and I had had a get-together in her hospital room for her birthday. She didn’t even have the energy to blow out the candles on her cake. Bucky and I did it for her. Her parents had smiled as they cried, not wanting to make her sad, too,” he said, staring at the ground. Eighty years hadn’t done anything to soften the pain of that time.

There was a long pause. “Jesus, Steve, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dredge all of that up,” Sam said, voice solemn.

“It’s alright, Sam. I know you didn’t,” Steve said, giving Sam a sad half smile.

“There’s still more, isn’t there?” Wanda said, eyes searching Steve’s.

Steve let out a year’s worth of sighs. “Yeah, there is,” he said.

“You don’t have to-” Scott began but Steve shook his head.

“But I should. I think it’s better you guys understand what’s going on so you don’t say anything to set her off accidentally, but I think it’s too painful and fresh for her to say it herself,” he said, taking a deep breath. His team members frowned, but they trusted his decision.

“Back when we were ten or so I was staying over at Bucky’s house. In the middle of the night I woke up to Bucky hitting me in his sleep. I moved his arm off of me but not before I noticed his soul brand. I’d never seen Bucky’s brand because he just told me what it said, instead. I remember he told me it was ‘HRL.’ That was a lie. On Bucky’s left wrist was an exact copy of the letters on my wrist,” Steve said.

The was a collective gasp from the others. “I’ve... never heard about that happening before,” Wanda said, raising an eyebrow at Steve.

“Me neither,” Scott said, confused.

“I hadn’t either at the time. I never said anything to him about it. I didn’t want to lose my best friend. I didn’t want Rosie to lose hers, either. Bucky meant as much to us as we meant to him, I think. Still, a part of me always wondered why he never cut us out of his life. It must have been painful. A lesser man would have been broken by it, I think. But not Bucky. He was with me, no matter what happened. Always there to help me, especially after Rosie passed. He was the only other one who understood how much she meant to me,” Steve said, glancing back at you. He smiled softly and brushed a piece of hair out of your face. Your frown lessened slightly as you slept.

“Hell, I think I owe that stupid tin man an apology... and a beer,” Sam said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Steve nearly let out a chuckle at that. “If I knew all it took to get you two on good terms was to tell you about our tragic pasts I would have sat you down for story time a long time ago, Sam,” Steve said, smirking.

“Oh shut up, Steve,” Sam said, smiling, and turned his head away, waving a hand dismissively.

“She wasn’t just hanging out with him in Bucharest, was she?” Scott asked from his spot on the ground. Sam gave him a swift kick in the side. “Ow! Dude!” he protested.

Sam gave him a distinct what the fuck gesture, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

After a second they both turned their attention back to Steve, who stared at the ground. After a moment he shook his head slowly, mouth pulled in a tight line.

“Man, you’re not even mad at him, are you?” asked Sam resignedly.

“How could I be? He loved her just as much as I did. Should I hate him for falling in love with her again? Should I hate her for falling in love with him?” Steve asked, heart heavy.

After a moment Sam let out a long sigh. “Fine, fine. I still don’t like it, though,” he said, crossing his arms.

Steve opened his mouth to respond, but Clint cut him off. “We’re getting off at this exit for food and supplies. We could really use your girl’s help, Steve. She’s much less conspicuous than us,” Clint said, glancing at your sleeping form in the rear-view mirror.

“No, I’m not putting her in danger like that,” Steve said obstinately. Something in his voice roused you from your sleep. You let out a small noise of discontent as you sat up, rubbing sleep from your eyes. You stretched, grimacing. There was a horrible crick in your neck.

“Wuzz goin’ on?” you asked eloquently, glancing around the van.

“Mornin’ sleeping beauty,” Sam said cheerily. Scott gave you a little wave which you returned absentmindedly.

“Wanna go shopping?” Clint asked from the front seat.

“Clint,” Steve said, warning clear in his voice.

“Shopping? For what?” you asked, glancing between Clint and Steve.

“Food and supplies, mostly,” Clint said, smiling.

“Clint-” Steve began again.

“It’s a shopping trip, Steve. Not a mission to break into the Pentagon. It’ll be okay,” Clint argued as he pulled off of the freeway.

“If anything happens, we’re better equipped to deal with it,” Steve argued.

“Wait, I have an idea that’ll make everyone happy,” Scott piped up from the ground.

“Well, let’s hear it, Tic-Tac,” Sam said, eager to end the bickering.

Chapter 11

This series is finished, but if you want to be tagged in my other fics, check out this post! Sorry, but responses to this post asking to be tagged will be ignored, so send me an ask or like one of the taglist posts!

☕ Buy Me a Coffee! ☕

#steve rogers #steve x reader #steve rogers x reader #Bucky x Reader #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #marvel fanfiction #wanda maximoff #sam wilson #scott lang

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daveshevett · 5 years

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Road Tripping with a Tesla Model 3 - Thoughts and Ruminations

New Post has been published on https://planet-geek.com/2019/10/14/ev-cars/road-tripping-with-a-tesla-model-3-thoughts-and-ruminations/

Road Tripping with a Tesla Model 3 - Thoughts and Ruminations

This past weekend I finally got to let TARS, my Tesla Model 3 Performance, stretch its legs a big and go for some long distance driving. Over 3 days, we covered almost 700 miles, from Boston, MA to Rochester, NY.

This drive is almost entirely interstate, with the absolutely mind numbing stretch of the NY Thruway between Syracuse and Rochester coming to mind as the most tedious part of the trip. I was looking forward to using Autopilot for that bit in particular, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Preparation

Fully charged, oh, and have a software update.

My Model 3 is normally set to charge to 90%, which gets me about 270 miles of range. According to Tesla, this helps preserve the lifetime of the battery. But for short term trips, it’s okay to go into ‘trip mode’ – charge the battery to 100%. That brought my range up to about 307 miles. Golden!

The next step was to plan the trip a bit. With my battery topped up, the trip analyzer said that I could make it to the Utica, NY supercharger in one go. That’s about 270 miles, and I in theory would have 35 miles left when I get there. Now, I treat these estimators with a heavy dose of skepticism. There’s a lot of factors that impact battery consumption – a static analysis would have resulted in a lot of ‘Yeah, but what about…’ questions. However, this estimation was being done by the car, while I was driving it, with active traffic reports being reported in in realtime. It should be pretty accurate, we��ll see!

Departure

We rolled out around 2pm on Friday and immediately ran into unexpected traffic (later we learned from some friends that it wasn’t just us – all the routes headed west were problematic). TARS kept updating the route onto more and more secondary roads, to the point where I was expecting us to be routed through someone’s garage and down their garden paths. Hopefully I could avoid any empty swimming pools.

Finally, we got past the traffic and on the open road. The car settled into the traffic fine, and I was able to enable autopilot for a large part of the rest of the trip.

Autopilot

There’s an awful lot of jawing going on about the Tesla Autopilot. It’s not full self driving (FSD), no. It’s also not ‘just adaptive cruise control’ (as I’ve heard others yammer). It’s somewhere in between. On an open highway, without much traffic, it’s dreamy. Lane changes, slowing down / speeding up according to traffic changes, dealing with people merging in or passing, it works well. The car software is updated often – anywhere from once a week to every few weeks. And each time a new version comes down, the autopilot gets better, smoother, and less janky.

Here’s a good example. When I received my car in May, it was just after the ‘automatically change lanes’ function was enabled. And it was sketchy AF. Yes, it would signal, change lanes, and continue. But the signal ranges were all goofy, and if there was someone anywhere near your blindspot, the car would sort of ‘stall’ – leaving the blinker on, waiting for the other car to move. If they backed off to let you in (like all nice New England drivers do, right?), the autopilot wouldn’t pick up on the situation change fast enough, so would just sit there with the blinker on. Naturally, the other driver would speed up thinking I wasn’t changing lanes, and then Autopilot would decide there was a threat, and ‘phantom brake’ or jog back into lane. it was unnerving.

With the current version (v32.12.1 – one patch level beyond the v10 release), this process is FAR smoother. I was comfortable letting the car decide when to change lanes to get around slower traffic, or move over to let other cars by.

Interstate changes and ramps were still a little off. When the car does not have clear lines on the road on ramps (which tend to be wider than normal highway lanes), it tends to disconcertingly head toward the outside of the ramp until it’s close to a line, then sort of jog back. It’s jarring and uncomfortable, but it will do it. I let TARS make 2-3 highway changes for me, keeping my hands and brake-foot ready for a sudden takeover.

First Recharging Stop

Eventually we made it to Utica, and pulled into the charging station. At this point, the display was showing we had about 20 miles of battery range left. I had been watching the numbers the entire drive, and even with the traffic, rain, etc, the numbers really didn’t change much. The computer had the advantage of having access to traffic, weather, temperature, and route information, as well as how my batteries were behaving. It didn’t get it wrong.

We jacked into the supercharger and got the message “20 minutes until you can continue your trip” – Huh! 4+ hours of driving, and a recharge in 20 minutes? I’m good with that. Lets grab dinner.

So we walked to the local food joint and had a quick meal while the car recharged.

Getting back in, we were at something like 240 miles of range, plenty of electrons to get us the last 2 hours to Rochester.

We ended up going to our friends house first, then to the hotel, which left us with about 90 miles of range. Plenty for the next day, but we should top it up at some point.

On Saturday, we topped up the car with a very fast stop at the local supercharger (20m on the charger), which got us back up to about 200 miles. This is where I start having some questions.

It looks like not all superchargers are the same. Some have very good high speed charging (500+ miles per hour charging speed), others are lower. It’s not because there’s more cars at the charging station or anything, the level of power coming from each station just seems to vary. This is disconcerting, because when you’re trip planning, some stations may be able to charge your car up to full trip-level charge in 40 minutes, others may take an hour and change. Now, the charging ‘curve’ for a Tesla isn’t flat. To go from 0-75% charge can take as long as it takes to go from 75% to 100%. If you’re doing long distance driving, the time it takes to top up gets important. The station near the hotel was not charging as fast as the one in Utica. That was concerning, because we should be able to fill up before we drove home on Sunday. Timing would be important.

Departure

At the end of weekend, we did the happy party trick of showing off Enhanced Summon in a crowded private parking lot (there were half a dozen cars in our friends driveway, and rock walls all around. I walked a hundred feet away and did a “HOLD MY BEER” by summoning TARS to me. It did it BEAUTIFULLY. The summon feature has improved greatly in two or three weeks it’s been out. Very smooth, and doing exactly what a human would have done to back up, move the car forward and back 2-3 times to line it up with the exit, then roll over to where I stood.

It’s a great trick to impress your friends with. I asked our host “So, getting a Tesla now?” and he, a normally very conservative skeptical person, answered “I hadn’t thought about it before, but now I’m seriously considering it. I’m very impressed.”

Victory!

We headed out to the charging station I had used on Saturday, and had the same rate problem I saw before. So it wasn’t load or anything, it was just that this station sucked. We went for a walk in the local mall, and decided to head out. The mapping system set our next recharge in Lee, MA, about 270 miles away. We should arrive with 20-30 miles of charge left. So off we went.

The drive back was uneventful, with autopilot doing it’s thing for most of the drive. Oddly, my biggest issue was I rest my hand on the steering wheel giving it a little ‘tension’ to let the car know I’m there. After 20 minutes of leaving my hand in one spot, it would get tired and sweaty, and I had to switch hands. Talk about first world problems!

Charging in Lee

We got to Lee and plugged in, and YAY! Plenty of high speed charging! What a relief. We were able to top up the battery enough to get home in under 15 minutes, and we got home to a dog that was extremely happy to see us after such a long time away (Yes, we had people taking care of her, don’t be like that. But she did miss us).

Conclusions

All in all, the road trip was everything I expected it to be. Smooth, fast, comfortable, and best of all, 100% electric. Assuming our chargers were getting elecricity from standard sources, we produced 1/3rd as much carbon as we would have in a normal gas car. I personally buy my electricity from a wind farm, so at least 1/3 of the trip was from renewables, so that reduced our footprint even further.

Someone asked me from a cost perspective, was it cheaper driving an all electric car? I found an article that summed it up like this:

The long-range version of the Model 3 has a 75 kWh battery pack with a 310 mile range. If we still assume the average national electric pricing of 13 cents per kWh and a charging efficiency of 85%, then a full charge will cost $11.47. This is $3.70 per 100 miles of mixed city and freeway driving, or 3.7 cents per mile. This is almost 80% less than the cost per mile to drive the most popular gas-powered cars, which is approximately 20 cents per mile.

This fits my back of the envelope fiddling. I looked at my bill, and the entire charging costs from Sunday’s drive (about 370 miles) was $11.47. So not only was it not putting out any CO2, it was far far less expensive to operate than a traditional car.

I can easily see a future where more and more of these trips are automated, and my input into operating the car will be needed less and less. We’re not there yet, and we won’t be for I’m guessing another 3-5 years. But the progress is absolutely there, and I welcome it.

#ev #evcar #roadtrip #tesla #EV Cars

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ridiculousn3sswrites · 7 years

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Escape - Wave Pt. 4

*Peter Parker x Reader

*Summary: Sam and Reader devise an escape plan, but only one of them will be able to leave.

*Warnings: Swearing

*A/N: Writer’s block sucks ass Written by Admin R

Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five || Part Six || Part Seven || Part Eight || Part Nine

You and Sam were essentially locked in the house, shock bracelets keeping you from leaving. Your two captors, who you had learned were major dicks, went to extreme measures to keep you and Sam from escaping, making sure that neither of you could really use your powers. They were heavy handed with the spray, which you now noticed left a black, tar-like substance on your hands, and were often trying to get you sick so you wouldn’t be able to use your supersonic cry. Admittedly, you would rather just have the muzzle, especially since Sam had figured out how to take it off of you the first time they had muzzled you. Sam wasn’t as much of a threat as you were, seeing as his powers all came from his helmet, but the two of your were always scheming, trying to come up with ways to escape.

The house they had you in was a two-story in a nice neighborhood, a stretch of desert behind you, leading to what looked like a freeway. You and Sam still hadn’t managed to find out just where you were, seeing as your wardens were touchy about that information. It wasn’t until they slipped up that you got some piece of information. There was a landline in the house, which you expected was for briefings and such, but it was never left where you and Sam would be able to get ahold of it. One day, the two wardens had gone to do something and left you to your own devices. Sam found the phone from where it was hidden in the warden’s quarters. “Hey, (y/n), look at what I found,” he said, emerging with the phone in his hand, waving it victoriously.

“No way,” you breathed, trying not to show your excitement too much. “If we find out the area code for this thing, then maybe I can figure out where we are.”

“Alright, I’m on it,” Sam said, pressing buttons on the phone. “Got it, it’s a 760 number, that ring any bells?”

“Okay, so that’s either San Diego or San Bernardino county, and since it’s dry as hell out there, I’m betting we’re in the desert,” you replied. “I can make a rough escape plan, but we’d still need to figure out which direction to go from here. If we go south, we’d make it to Mexico.”

“And what would we do from there? Come back and get shot down at the border?” Sam asked. He raised a good point.

“I have no idea, maybe I can get high enough in the air to not really be seen by the naked eye?” you suggested, just throwing ideas at this point.

“That’ll work for you, but I’d slow you down. We need to get you out of here, you can come back for me later,” Sam told you with finality.

And so it went. You and Sam devised a plan for you to escape, leaving him behind despite all your arguments. It was a simple one, running and then trying to fly high enough that you wouldn’t get shot down. You knew that you needed to find a way to stop the spray that was keeping you from using your powers, and it wasn’t until a few months later that the plan finally saw fruition. Your wardens had become lazy, in a way, figuring that you wouldn’t attempt to escape, especially since you and Sam had almost completely stopped your escape attempts over the past few weeks.

“(Y/n), go get the pliers from the garage,” the guy warden said as he attempted to fix something in the kitchen. A quick look to Sam told you all that you needed to know: it was time.

“Sure thing, can Sam come with?” you asked, knowing that you’d need his help to get the spray off. Your wardens still had you in bright jumpsuits, but you’d be able to ditch that as soon as you got the spray off.

“Yeah, whatever,” he grumbled. Sam followed you out into the garage, immediately searching for something to remove the spray.

“Maybe pliers? Scissors? Would these wire clippers help?” Sam asked as he rummaged through the toolbox.

“Pliers and wire clippers, pull it off a bit with the plier and then cut through it with the wire clippers. Seriously pray that this works,” you said. Sam nodded, already working on removing the goop. There was the stinging sensation as the film got ripped from your skin, tears prickling the corners of your eyes. A few minutes later, Sam had managed to get both of your hands free. By the time he was done, your hands were completely raw, a bright red. “It must’ve torn off like two or three layers of my skin, dude,” you muttered, rubbing your hands on your jumpsuit, wincing as the scratchy fabric didn’t help at all.

“Get that off, then you can run. We have maybe five more minutes before the dingus comes to check on us,” Sam informed you before turning around so you could peel off the jumpsuit. You were left in a black tank top and running shorts, giving you at least some ability to blend in with civilians. You quickly went to work, melting off the shock bracelet so you’d be able to actually leave.

“You can turn now,” you told him, looking around for some shoes. You knew you’d have to ditch them the second you needed to use your flames from your feet, but you’d be more suspicious running without them. Sam seemed to know what you were thinking, tossing you a pair from the workbench beside him. “Thanks, Sam. Really, thank you.”

“Don’t get sappy on me,” Sam teased, going to hug you. “The second I open that garage door, you need to run. I’ll try to hold back dingbat, but I don’t know if the lady will get back before you get all that far.”

“Right, I got it,” you said, releasing him from the hug.

“Just don’t forget about me, yeah? I still need to raise hell about this whole thing out there,” Sam told you, that mischievous glint from before back in his eyes.

“I’d never dream of it,” you replied. You went over to the garage door, already ready to take off, as Sam went to the button. He held up three fingers, reminding you of a cameraman, but instead of being three seconds away from filming, you were three seconds away from freedom. Hopefully. Two fingers, his hand hovering over the button. You crouched into a runner’s position like you were taught in Freshman P.E. One finger. Your heart was racing. None, Sam’s hand slamming on the button. There was a shout from him. Run, just run. You took off the second the garage was high enough.

Your feet pounded against the sidewalk, taking off down the street. You could hear Sam and the man yelling, even as you got further away. You could feel your lungs burning as you ran one, two, three blocks, not knowing where you were going. You had been running for twenty minutes before you reached the edge of the neighborhood, happening across a park. You tried to calm yourself down, but you knew that you needed to get further. You jogged, going into another neighborhood as you tried to orient yourself. You were free. You didn’t know for how long, but you were free. You needed to leave. You needed to find someone that would help you. You heard yelling. Yelling?

You looked over to the source of the sound, seeing a small family not too far ahead of you. You saw the parents arguing as their daughter held her hands over her ears, still walking with them. You were torn, you knew that you needed to keep running, but you wanted to help. The daughter fell behind a bit, sitting down as her parents kept arguing. That made up your mind as you walked up to her. “Hey, what’s wrong?” you asked in a soft voice, one you often used with your little cousins, as you crouched to her eye level. You noticed her Captain America shirt and smiled. “I like your shirt, I know him.”

“You do?” she asked, eyes lighting up. You nodded, smiling. “He’s my favorite.”

“That’s great! Let’s get you to your parents, okay?” you said, reaching for her hand. She gave it to you, letting you lead her to her parents.

“Daddy doesn’t like that I like Captain America, he says that it’s boy stuff and I shouldn’t be liking it,” she told you as you walked. “Mommy says I can like whatever I like.”

“Well, between you and me, anyone can like heroes. They protect everyone, not just boys or girls, so they’re for everyone,” you replied as you reached her parents. “Excuse me? Your daughter was sitting back there and I just wanted to bring her back.”

“Oh, God, Gabby, what did I tell you about doing that? Thank you so much,” the mom said, taking Gabby’s hand from yours. You would leave it at that, but you could tell she was still fuming.

“I know it’s none of my business, but do you mind if we talk a bit? Gabby told me what was going on,” you said, lowering your voice a bit. The mom nodded, letting Gabby go off with her father. “You know, if it’s worth anything, you’re doing the right thing. My parents let me like whatever I liked, and it’s gotten me a pretty long way.”

“Really? How’s that?” she asked, looking at you unbelievably.

“I mean, I’m kinda next in line to become a Captain America. Well, after Falcon and Bucky,” you told her. “I don’t want to do this, but I need help. I’m Wave. You seem like you try to do the right thing, so please do it here. I need a place to hide out just so I can find out how far from the border we are.”

“I’ll need to talk to my husband about it, but I want to help you. I saw what you used to do in L.A.. I’m only worried about how much danger my daughter would be in if you do,” she said, a steely look in her eyes. It was one of fierce determination, not unlike what you saw in yourself. You nodded, knowing you had made the right choice. She went up to her husband, speaking in fierce whispers with rapid hand movements. Gabby watched, turning to you briefly and smiling. The mom came back after a couple minutes. “We don’t live too far from here, we’ll give you some food and things so you can go wherever you need to.”

“Thank you so much,” you breathed in relief. She didn’t say anything, just looked around and motioned for you to follow them. The walk was maybe another block or so, Gabby chattering excitedly beside you, asking all sorts of questions about Steve. You heard a helicopter overhead, but it sounded too far away to be looking for you, so you figured it was just another CHP copter.

When you approached the house, you saw the dad tense slightly, looking overhead. “I think we’ve got trouble,” he muttered, just loud enough for you to hear. You looked up as well, seeing the helicopter from before coming by again much closer, close enough that you could clearly see the absence of any CHP logos.

“I am so sorry, get in the house and I’ll deal with this,” you told them as you heard cars approaching as well. You knew the sound, familiar from the night you got arrested. The dad nodded, picking Gabby up and ushering both her and her mom into the house. Even though he was a dick about Gabby liking heroes, you could tell he cared for his family. You knew you needed to protect them, or at the very least get the attention away from them, and kicked off your shoes, knowing they’d be goners anyways. As the black SUVs pulled up, you stood your ground, not going down without a fight. They all rolled to a stop, one of them releasing a man you recognized. He pointed a gun at you without hesitation. “(Y/n) (L/n), come with us now or we will use force.” That was all you needed.

Tag List: @potterjamesharry

#peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #marvel imagine #wave series #Mexican Reader

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charllieeldridge · 5 years

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Where To Stay in Playa del Carmen: Neighbourhood & Hotel Guide

In this guide, we’ll take a look at where to stay in Playa del Carmen, including the various neighborhoods as well as some of the best Playa del Carmen resorts and hotels.

Located just about an hour drive from the Cancun Airport, Playa del Carmen is one of the most popular places to visit in Mexico. This beach town is famous for its pedestrian-only 5th Avenue, which is home to a wide array of shopping, dining, and nightlife options. (Learn how to get from the Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen in our Cancun airport transportation guide).

There are several beaches in town and many more that are just a short trip away. If you’re looking for sun and sand, you’ve come to the right place! If you need some more excitement, this is a great place to go scuba diving or snorkeling. Other adventure activities include SUP (stand up paddleboarding) and skydiving. There are plenty of things to do in Playa del Carmen to keep you busy.

My wife and I just spent six weeks living in Playa del Carmen as a digital nomad, mostly so we could see our favorite band play a 3-night show at a nearby resort. During our stay, I scouted out the different neighborhoods that are popular with visitors and put together this list of where to stay in Playa del Carmen, including the best areas, resorts and hotels to help you plan the perfect trip to this fun beach town.

Where To Stay in Playa del Carmen: Best Neighborhoods

A good thing about planning a trip to Playa del Carmen is that it’s a pretty small city. Most of the best hotels in Playa del Carmen are located between the highway and the beach — stretching from the Playacar neighborhood in the south up to Colosio.

Here’s a quick guide to the best places to stay in Playa del Carmen:

Playacar

The area known as Playacar is an upscale gated community. It’s home to a world-class golf course as well as several Playa del Carmen resorts. This is still primarily a residential area and a popular place for expats to call home.

This neighborhood is divided into two phases. Phase one is mostly homes, but there are a few hotels here as well. Over in phase two you’ll find the high-end Hard Rock Golf Club as well as some of the top Playa del Carmen resorts.

Playacar is a very safe place to stay and is a favorite among families. There’s a security checkpoint at the main entrance as well as plenty of security guards patrolling the area. It’s also a much quieter place to stay than other parts of the city.

One interesting thing about Playacar is that there are actually some Mayan ruins right on the beach here. They’re nothing spectacular like Chichen Itza but they’re fun to visit on a walk up the beach.

The Playacar neighborhood does feel a bit cut off from the rest of town, but that’s a draw for some people. It’s far away enough from the madness of 5th Avenue but close enough to where it’s still easily accessible if you feel like checking it out. If you’re wondering where to stay in Playa del Carmen that’s quiet, this is it.

Centro

Once you get out of Playacar and go past the airport, you’ve arrived in Centro. This neighborhood goes from the beach up to the freeway and north to Constituyentes Avenue.

As the name would suggest, this is the center of Playa del Carmen. Here you’ll find the main ADO bus station, the ferry pier to Cozumel, and the collectivo vans that run up and down the coast. That makes Centro the best place to stay in Playa del Carmen for easy access to other points of interest in the area.

The scenic Los Fundadores Park is also located here in Centro. Here you’ll find the stunning Portal Maya sculpture and the colorful Playa del Carmen sign that’s a favorite spot for photos. You can also catch the amazing Dance of the Flyers here, as well as Mayan dance performances.

This is also where the city’s famous 5th Avenue – commonly known as La Quinta – begins. This pedestrian-only street is packed full of shops, restaurants, tour offices, and bars and it is always busy. Taking a stroll along La Quinta is one of the most popular things to do here.

Centro is where you’ll find some of the best shopping, dining, and nightlife options in Playa del Carmen. This part of town has several supermarkets including Mega and Walmart. It’s got plenty of tasty street food as well as all kinds of restaurants. For when you want to party, Calle 12 is where you’ll find the city’s famous nightclubs.

Since it’s the main tourist area, Centro is home to plenty of great Playa del Carmen hotels. There are a few all-inclusive resorts on the beach and there are several excellent boutique hotels and B&Bs as well.

Gonzalo Guerrero

This neighborhood is basically just an extension of Centro. It has the same east/west borders of the ocean and freeway and runs from Constituyentes Avenue to Calle 38.

The Gonzalo Guerrero neighborhood is where you’ll find Playa Mamitas. This beach is popular with both locals and tourists alike and is usually packed on weekends. There’s also another pier here that runs ferries over to Cozumel.

If you want to get some exercise to counteract all those tacos and cervezas, you can head to the stadium. There’s a running track here as well as a few basketball and tennis courts. Evolve Gym has a location in this area and they sell both day and week passes to accommodate visitors.

La Quinta still runs through this part of town and starts to get a little quieter as you head north. You won’t find the offensively loud clubs here, but you will find some great restaurants and bars.

As this is still very much in the tourist bubble, you can find a ton of different options for accommodation here. This is where you’ll find some of the best hotels in Playa del Carmen.

☞ SEE ALSO: Complete Guide to Travelling Playa del Carmen

Zazil-Ha

This is a really small neighborhood that only runs a couple of blocks from north-south (Calle 38 to CTM Avenue). It has the same beach/freeway borders as Centro and Gonzalo Guerrero.

Zazil-Ha is a more local neighborhood than the others, and is a top choice among expats and digital nomads in Playa del Carmen. Here you’ll find a few daytime beach clubs, tons of great local restaurants, and a few chilled out bars.

Things really start to mellow out on La Quinta in this part of town. By the time you reach CTM Avenue, there isn’t much going on. It actually becomes a bike path here, so it’s a great place to go for a ride or a jog.

Zazil-Ha is really small but still has quite a few options for hotels in Playa del Carmen. This area is good for people who want to be close to all the action but not right in the middle of it. My wife and I stayed here for our six weeks in Playa del Carmen and I’m really happy with that choice.

☞ SEE ALSO: Top Things To Do in Tulum You Don’t Want To Miss!

Colosio/Nicte-Ha

After Zazil-Ha, the next neighborhood you arrive in is Colosio. This is a very large area, stretching all the way from CTM Avenue up to Calle 110. It’s primarily residential, but there are plenty of options for accommodation close to the beach.

For those who prefer a bit of peace and quiet on their vacation, the small Nicte-Ha neighborhood is a good choice. It’s located just past Colosio and has a few cool options for Playa del Carmen hotels.

Beyond these areas, it’s hard to say that you’re really even in Playa del Carmen anymore. Sure, many of the all-inclusive resorts located further up the coast (and down past Playacar, for that matter) may advertise as being in Playa del Carmen, but they’re all pretty far from the action.

Best Playa del Carmen Hotels and Resorts in Playacar

Iberostar Tucan

Neighborhood: Playacar

Rated: 9.0 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $215

This all-inclusive resort in Playacar is a great choice for those looking to have a relaxing beach holiday. All your meals and drinks are included here, and you can choose from five different restaurants. This is definitely one of the best Playa del Carmen resorts. It’s also a Green Globe certified property thanks to their ambitious “Think Green” program.

Days here can be spent lounging by their huge outdoor pool or on the beach, where they have plenty of umbrellas and sun loungers. If you’re traveling with little ones, you’ll be happy to hear that they have a fun kids club here as well. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Luxury House B&B

Neighborhood: Playacar

Rated: 9.6 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $45

For those who like to feel at home on vacation, Luxury House B&B is the place to be in Playacar. This lovely bed & breakfast gets rave reviews from travelers who especially adore the hosts, who are said to be incredibly helpful and friendly.

They have several options for rooms to accommodate 2-4 people. Many of the rooms also have a nice terrace that’s perfect for chilling out on. There’s also a large outdoor pool here and it’s just a short walk to the beach. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Casa Almendra

Neighborhood: Playacar

Rated: 9.0 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $75

If you’re wondering where to stay in Playa del Carmen that’s near the beach, but don’t want to pay a fortune for it, Casa Almendra is a solid choice. This quaint B&B only has four rooms, so it’s a good choice for those who prefer to be away from crowds.

They cook up a delicious made to order breakfast for you to start your day here before hitting the beach. When you want to relax, you can enjoy their garden area with loungers and hammocks. Casa Almendra is definitely one of the best hotels in Playa del Carmen. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Best Playa del Carmen Resorts and Hotels in Centro

The Fives Downtown Hotel and Residences

Neighborhood: Centro

Rated: 9.3 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $91

It’s really tough to beat the location of this place. Located just a few blocks from the ADO bus station and right around the corner from where all the colectivos hang out, staying here makes getting around a breeze. It’s definitely one of the most conveniently located hotels in Playa del Carmen.

The highlight of the Fives, though, is definitely its amazing rooftop. It’s got two infinity pools and a jacuzzi as well as a full restaurant and bar. Our friends stayed here when they visited and we spent every day enjoying the rooftop. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

La Pasion Colonial Hotel Boutique

Neighborhood: Centro

Rated: 9.1 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $65

There are plenty of bland-looking hotels in Playa del Carmen, but this certainly isn’t one of them. La Pasion is a gorgeous hotel with a few different pools and hot tubs as well as a lovely garden area. A tasty breakfast is also included with your stay here.

This hotel is in a great location on 10th Avenue and Calle 10, so you can quickly walk to the beach and La Quinta. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Antera Hotel & Residences

Neighborhood: Centro

Rated: 9.6 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $63

Antera is one of the most highly-rated Playa del Carmen hotels in Centro. They’ve got tons of options for rooms here, ranging from a Luxe Queen room up to a 2-bedroom suite with its own private rooftop and jacuzzi.

There are a couple of different pools to choose from here and with plenty of space to relax. Breakfast is also included in your stay here. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Best Playa del Carmen Resorts and Hotels in Gonzalo Guerrero

Hilton Playa del Carmen

Neighborhood: Gonzalo Guerrero

Rated: 9.3 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $300

When it comes to Playa del Carmen resorts, the beachfront Hilton is definitely one of the best. It’s located right on Mamitas Beach and has all the amenities you’ll need for an amazing stay. There are several pools and hot tubs, a full gym along with fitness classes, water sports, a spa, evening entertainment, and much more.

When choosing where to stay in Playa del Carmen, it’s important to think about the neighbourhood, but also the vibe of the hotel. If you’re a couple or a group of friends, you’ll be happy to know that this all-inclusive resort is adults-only. With seven different restaurants and five bars, you’ve got plenty of choices here! Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Mahekal Beach Resort

Neighborhood: Gonzalo Guerrero

Rated: 8.9 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $161

This place is definitely one of the most beautiful Playa del Carmen hotels. It has lovely palapa-style bungalows, some of which are set right on the beach and others in their lush garden. Designed to blend in with the surroundings, this is a great example of eco-tourism.

Mahekal is not an all-inclusive resort, but they do have options for meal packages when you book your stay. Guests can choose between several different bars and restaurants. The accommodation also offers pools, a fitness center, a spa, and even a dive shop. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Quinta Margarita

Neighborhood: Gonzalo Guerrero

Rated: 9.5 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $39

This highly rated place advertises itself as a “boho chic hotel,” and you’ll see exactly why upon your arrival. It’s definitely one of the hippest hotels in Playa del Carmen.

A big highlight of this hotel is its beautiful pool area with sun loungers and hammocks. It’s the perfect spot to chill out after a day of exploring the Riviera Maya. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Best Playa del Carmen Hotels and Resorts in Zazil-Ha

IT Residences

Neighborhood: Zazil-Ha

Rated: 9.4 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $67

This luxury hotel is located a stone’s throw from the beach. It’s a beautifully designed building, and for under $100 a night it’s a great bargain.

You can choose to book just a room here or go for one of their 1 or 2-bedroom apartments. All guests get to enjoy their nice outdoor pool with plenty of loungers. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Newport House Playa

Neighborhood: Zazil-Ha

Rated: 9.6 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $68

This is the top-ranked hotel on TripAdvisor that’s actually located in town and not a secluded all-inclusive Playa del Carmen resort. It’s a boutique apartment hotel with a sleek and modern design.

Newport House is a great choice for those who like to feel a bit more at home, as you’ll have a living room and kitchen in your place here. Add in their awesome rooftop pool with plenty of sun loungers, and you’ve got one of the best hotels in Playa del Carmen. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Hotel Morgana

Neighborhood: Zazil-Ha

Rated: 9.3 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $55

Wondering where to stay in Playa del Carmen that has a unique character? Hotel Morgana is an excellent choice. Each of the 20 rooms are different — with their own distinct furniture and art reflecting Mexican culture and history. It’s definitely one of the coolest Playa del Carmen hotels around!

There’s also a rooftop terrace here with a pool and a bar/restaurant. Breakfast is included in the price of your stay. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Best Playa del Carmen Hotels and Resorts in Nicte-Ha

Itaka Glamping

Neighborhood: Nicte-Ha

Rated: 8.1 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $14

The only reason I included the tiny Nicte-Ha neighborhood in this guide is because of Itaka Glamping. This unique eco-friendly place has cabanas and lofts to choose from. It’s certainly one of the coolest hotels in Playa del Carmen!

It may be a bit far from the center of town, but that’s part of its appeal. It’s nice to be away from the madness of 5th Avenue and all its noise. If you want to head to town, they have free bikes you can use. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Mareazul

Neighborhood: Nicte-Ha

Rated: 8.3 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $91

This condo-hotel is one of the best places to stay in Playa del Carmen for those looking for some quality R&R on their trip. The accommodations here are 1 and 2-bedroom apartments, many of which even have their own little pool. Even if you don’t land one of these rooms, there are several large pools on the property.

The beach is just steps away here, and it’s one of the nicer and quieter sections of beach in Playa del Carmen. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Sandos Caracol Eco Resort

Neighborhood: On the coast just north of Nicte-Ha

Rated: 8.3 on Booking.com

Rooms from: $493 (For 3 Nights)

This place is pretty far out of town, but it’s worth mentioning in this list of the top Playa del Carmen resorts and hotels. This gorgeous resort is the perfect place to disconnect with the modern world and reconnect with nature.

You’ll never be bored here, as the resort features a full water park, tons of adventure activities, nightly entertainment, and so much more. They have lots of great eco-friendly initiatives going on here, including their mini-farm where they’re rescued dozens of animals. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Enjoy Your Stay in Playa del Carmen!

As you can see, there are plenty of amazing Playa del Carmen hotels to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a boutique hotel with a rooftop pool, an all-inclusive resort on the beach, or even a unique glamping experience, you can find it here.

Wherever you decide to stay in Playa del Carmen, be sure to get out of your hotel and explore the town a bit. Take a walk on La Quinta, hit the beach, eat some street tacos, watch the performances in the park, and enjoy all that this fun town has to offer.

Have you been to Playa del Carmen and have a good hotel recommendation? Leave a comment below and let us know!

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