Tumgik
#eventually they made the fix I knew was the fix all along and it hurt like hell to do it
medicinemane · 1 month
Text
I don't know, here's my problem with all that gratitude stuff people are always pushing
I'm here finding myself grateful for the really bad unexplained stomach problems I had for months that randomly flared up so bad I couldn't leave the house safely somedays (literally missed my last doctor's appointment cause it turned out that wasn't a day to be out and about)
Like unprompted, not as some kind of exercise or something, I find myself being like "yeah it may have royally sucked, but it really has helped me get a feel for how my stomach is doing so maybe I appreciate it"
Feel like that's fairly gratitude minded when you can find yourself being grateful for basically months of being sick, you know?
...so fuck off an let me be. If me organically being grateful for a painful time in my life where a lot of nights I'd be worried about going to sleep and dealing with issues so bad I was worried about how I was gonna be able to take this trip unless I got lucky... if I just on my own end up being grateful for that and still want to put a bullet in my head, maybe gratitude isn't a cure all
Maybe piss off with it, you know? I'm the first to say it's good to be grateful for shit, and frankly even walls (even when there's insulation issues) are a fucking blessing and I'll always thank my house for everything it does for me
Still not a magic bullet against depression and I get fucking sick of everyone talking like it is one... like if I just gratituded harder I'd feel better
#as always; this is why I have my no advice without being willing to help implement it policy#I don't get to tell people what to do to feel better#I just get to offer support and get stuck in with helping try to change things for the better for them in my small ineffective ways#and you know they may never feel better; and that would fucking suck cause they deserve to#but I'm not gonna make them feel bad for being open and honest about how they're doing#and I'll just keep telling them the things I like about them till maybe one day they can internalize it#and... and I'll keep trying to do the small things I can to help support them in making changes#or if at all possible directly participate in making a change for them#rather have someone be miserable and honest about it than ever try to spare my feelings#no I never want them to be doing bad but I'd rather try to just sit with them through it than make them sit alone#and I'd rather fix it all... but sometimes neither of us fucking can right now... and it's time to wait with them#had someone dealing with a real shit situation#and you know what? I knew the exact fix for the shit situation#but here's the problem... people can't do shit till they're ready and me trying to force it would have made it worse#so I just hung out and let them vent and repeatedly made sure they knew they were making sense; validated their perception of reality#made an introduction so they had more people around who'd be in their corner building them up instead of tearing them down#eventually they made the fix I knew was the fix all along and it hurt like hell to do it#and yet things started getting better pretty much immediately; cause it was always the problem#and if I could go back and do it again I'd do it the same; I wouldn't force the fix any sooner cause it had to be their choice#and frankly me pushing could have sabotaged shit#and it's still hard; and often all I can do is sit with them as they ride shit out right now and... I don't like that#I want to fix things in every way for them; they deserve that#but I can't... so I'd rather be with them as things are than make them repair everything so I feel comfortable#that's my opinion on all this#and frankly if you want to dig up my nasty bitter fucking side I try to keep tamped down#this shit is a good way to bring that side of me out#like fuck off; either you're gonna help or you're being a fucking busy body#and you can shove your advice up your ass cause spoiler I fucking tried it#I never stop putting one foot in front of the other and it's got me a house and I cleaned that fucking trailer#so how about you stuff it if you don't like how miserable I am
0 notes
talkdutchtome · 1 month
Text
"Let me take care of you" - Max Verstappen
Tumblr media
pairing . . . max verstappen x reader )
genre . . . smut )
summary . . . after a disastrous race, you take care of max the best way you know how )
warning . . . smut, 18+ MINORS DNI, oral (m receiving), p in v, unprotected sex, creampie, nipple play, use of petnames, sub!max, very soft dom!reader, traumatized maxie, not proofread )
word count . . . 2800 words )
a/n . . . this actually ended up a lot more emotional than i intended it to be but i hope everyone likes it anyway. i don't know if my smut writing is getting better or worse tbh. any and all feedback is always appricated <3 )
Max was a perfectionist; anyone could see that. He also had a desire to win like nobody else. He never let up. It didn’t matter to him if it was a title deciding race or a completely meaningless one, he needed to win. It had been instilled in him for as long as he could remember; second place is first loser after all. So naturally, when his brakes failed, and his car very literally caught fire in the Australian Grand Prix causing him to have to retire three laps into the race; you knew he was not going to take it well.  
You were watching along in the garage, and the only thing you could think about as his smoking car pulled up to the pits was how hard on himself he was going to be. The fact that it was through no fault of his own was irrelevant. He had just handed a win to Ferrari, and that made his blood boil.  
In typical Max fashion, you barely saw him after he retired too. He gave you a quick hug as he reached the garage but after that it was straight back to business. He made his way to the pit wall and immediately began discussing with Christian and GP what exactly happened and how do they fix it for Japan. He sent you a text that he was going to stay late at the track with the mechanics so that you should just head back to the hotel.  
Truthfully, Max was avoiding you. You had only been dating Max for a couple of months, and so far you had only seen him dominate on track. And whilst you were concerned that that he would be beating himself up for disappointing himself or the team, he was busy focusing on how he had disappointed you. You had taken time out of your busy university schedule to travel to the other side of the world to see him race, and he had to retire three laps in. He was used to people living through him, taking his wins as theirs. He had never considered that all you cared about that he was safe and didn’t get hurt.  
So, you went to the hotel and waited for him; or at least you tried to. Tiredness and jet lag eventually started to catch up to you, and you had just started to drift off to sleep when you heard the door open. Looking up greet Max, you could see immediately how heavy the weight he bore on his shoulders hung.  
“Hey baby, how are you feeling?” You asked him sleep in your voice still evident. Max just hung his head and walked into the bathroom. He half expected you to berate him. To question him on exactly what went wrong and what he’s going to do to fix it.  
“Maxie?” You asked again, as he came in from the bathroom and made his way to his side of the bed, his eyes routed to the floor. This time he just grunted at you in response before getting into bed and turning away from you. He did not have the energy to be told everything he did wrong and why - he had already had that from his dad.  
“Please talk to me Maxie, I’m worried.” You pleaded at him, fighting the urge to wrap your arms around him. You wanted that more than anything, but you sensed that he maybe didn’t feel the same.  
“What do you want Y/N?” He finally spoke, his voice cracking.  
“Are you okay? I know that was tough result to take but it’s only once race. We both know you’ll be back better than ever for the next one.”  
To your words, Max just grunted again. And this time you couldn’t help but reach over to hold him. Wrapping one of your arms around his waist and the other coming up to brush through his hair. You waited cautiously for him to pull away. A moment passed and he began to move, your heart sank; he clearly didn’t want to be anywhere near you right now. But instead of moving away, he just turned around, bringing himself closer to you, resting his head on your chest.  
“I just hate to let the team down” he spoke, his voice no more than a whisper, like he wasn’t 100% convinced if he should be saying anything.  
“But baby you didn’t let them down, you did nothing wrong. There was an issue with the car that isn’t your fault.” You gazed down at his face, your hands smoothing through his hair.  
“I could have done something. Maybe I pushed the brakes too much. Maybe I went too hard. All I know is that I let the team down. I let my dad down. I let you down. You cam-“ He started to ramble, but you had heard enough.   
“Whoa Max baby slow down. I can’t speak for the team or your dad, but you certainly did not let me down. All that matters to me is that you didn’t get hurt. I was so worried; you were literally driving a car that was on fire. You could have been hurt.”  
As the words left your mouth, he looked up at you. Almost as if he was trying to see if you were telling the truth. When his eyes met yours and he realized you were being sincere, he hugged tighter into you.  
“I love you Y/N” he spoke and before you could say anything, you felt him bring his mouth to your neck. Leaving hot open-mouthed kisses from your collarbone up to until he met your mouth. His lips crashed against yours. The kiss was hungry and desperate. His hands found your hair and his teeth nipped at your lips. He quickly found himself getting lost in you and you weren’t too far behind. But when his hands wandered towards the bottom of your pajama top, you had to pull away.  
“Wait, Maxie. Are you sure you want to do this? You’ve had a rough day, are you sure you want to do this. We could just go to sleep if you’d prefer.” You didn’t want him to feel like this was something he needed to do.  
But when his lips once again found your neck, it was clear you had your answer. “Please” he mumbled against your skin “I just want to forget” between each word he left a kiss on your neck, before beginning to nibble against that one spot on your neck that he knew always sent you completely insane. He left deep purple marks all down your neck and you couldn’t help but let a moan slip through your lips.  
You were about to completely cave into his touch before you had an idea, and before you could overthink whether it was a good idea, you swung your legs over him until you had him pinned underneath you, your legs either side of his. A smirk plastered across your face 
Max looked completely taken aback at your action, but the second you leant down to kiss him, your lips just slightly brushing against his; he was starstruck and could feel himself growing harder by the second, which only deepened your smirk.  
“Let me take care of you baby” you whispered in his ear before beginning to grind your core against him. The whimper that left Max’s lips took you both by surprise but, taking that as confirmation that he wanted you to take control; you attached your lips to his neck, trailing kisses down his chest until you reached the waistband of his underwear. It was clear from the way that his hard dick strained against the cloth that Max was enjoying this new side of you, and you could be lying if you said it didn’t give you a bit of a confidence boost. 
You started to tease him, placing warm kisses over his underwear, but when you hear him try and fail to beg you to touch him, it becomes clear that maybe today isn’t the day to tease him. So, you hook your fingers around his waistband and release him from the tight confines of the cloth. Immediately, your mouth found his cock, your lips wrapping around his tip. Max’s moans filled the air as he came apart like putty in your hands. The way that your tongue swirled around him made him go crazy. He reached out his hands to grab your hair in a makeshift pony, but you dodged him. Max honestly thought he was going to cry when you took your mouth off him. 
“No baby, I told you I was going to take care of you, you just sit back and let me do everything” you told him before quickly placing a kiss on his lips before reattaching your mouth to Max’s throbbing dick and bringing your hand to the part of it that you couldn’t fit in your mouth. Max felt lightheaded; it’s not like you hadn’t given him a blowjob before, but never like this. He couldn’t ever remember being this turned on before. He had never even considered letting you take control, letting you take care of him so intently before; but now that he was experiencing it – he kicked himself for waiting so long. 
The sounds coming from your boyfriend were music to your ears and only encouraged you to make him feel better and better. You could feel yourself getting wetter, completely desperate to feel him inside of you; but today was about Max, you’d happily wait longer for your own pleasure to take care of him. You began taking him deeper and deeper into your throat, earning more moans from Max. You had never heard him be so vocal before. Things got even better for him when you hallowed your cheeks and brought your hand up to his balls, massaging them in your hands as you worked his dick in your mouth.   When his tip hit the very back of your throat and you gagged around him, he was so loud you were just slightly concerned that whoever was in the room next door would be up for a rude awakening.  
“Oh, fuck baby, oh my god. I’m so close” Max just about managed to get out between moans, promoting you to once again let go of his dick. For a second Max looked at you with puppy dog eyes, silently begging you to take him back in your mouth. But as soon as you stood up and very slowly pulled your pajama shorts down, he realized that there were better things to come.  
“Do you want me to ride you, Maxie?” you asked him breathlessly earning another groan from the man lying on the bed. 
“Fuck, yes. Please please ride me I need to be inside of you more than anything” Max’s voice was weak; it was becoming all too much for him. And when you finally rid yourself of your pajama top, Max started to see stars. Your tits were his weakness, and you knew that all too well. All he wanted was to take them in his mouth, to suck and bite on your nipples. So, when you straddled him once again, that's exactly what he did. You thought about stopping him again, reminding him that tonight was about him and his pleasure; but when you caught sight of his eyes – usually so bright and sparkling. Now they were so dark, so filled with lust and desperation, you didn’t have the heart to deprive him of one of his favorite things to do.  
You leant down to kiss him again, and the taste of his own precum on your tongue made him groan feverishly against your lips. Unable to wait anymore, you finally lowered yourself onto his dick. Now it was your turn to let out a string of moans and profanity. The way that he stretched you out was a feeling that you could never grow old of. After a beat to get used to having him inside of you, you began to bounce on top of him, pumping his dick in and out of your tight desperate pussy.  
“Oh my god Maxie you feel so good, your huge dick sends me so crazy” You moan out, completely cock drunk. “You fuck me so good, god nobody makes me feel like you can” Your praise made Max moan louder than ever and then he simply couldn’t help himself anymore; he brought his hands up to your hips and began thrusting hard into you. You wanted to tell him to stop, to tell him to let you take care of him – but when he rammed his cock into g-spot you physically couldn’t ask him to stop doing something that felt so good.  
“I love you so much Y/N baby” Max croaked out, bringing his mouth back to your tits and his hand down to your clit. Him touching you for the first time tonight meant it was now time for you to see stars. His expert hands rubbing against your clit brought you closer and closer to release and you could tell from the way that Max’s thrusts became deeper and harder that he wasn’t far behind you. 
Wanting to finish what you had started; you placed your hands on his chest – signaling him to stop for a second. Max did so very reluctantly, but when you started to bounce on his dick again his eyes rolled back into his head. After each bounce you grinded yourself down on him, desperate to get him as deep as you possibly could. Your climax was getting closer and closer and soon you felt like you were ready to burst. 
“I’m going to cum on your dick okay baby? You just make me feel so good I can’t help myself.” you told the man beneath you breathlessly, prompting Max to resume rubbing circles into your clit. 
“Please do. Please cum all over my cock I need that so much” Max croaked out and with that you fell over the edge. A wave of pleasure washed over you and you screamed out for Max. It felt so good you thought you were going to pass out, completely taken over by the pleasure that Max’s hard dick had given you. For a few moments, you simply had to still yourself to let yourself recover. 
Once you had ridden out the last of your orgasm, you were ready to go again; ready to make Max feel as good as you possibly could. You began grinding down onto him, squeezing yourself against him. After feeling you cumming all over him, Max knew he wouldn’t need long before he was right behind you.  
“Fuck Y/N I’m really close, get off and I’ll finish in your mouth” Max just about got out between moans. When you didn’t get off and instead began bouncing faster and harder, Max really thought he might just die.  
“Cum inside of me Maxie please, I need your cum fucked so deep inside me”  
“Fuck really?” 
“Yeah, i need it so bad.” 
“Oh my god Y/N, you’ll be the fucking death of me” 
The second those words left his mouth, he fell apart. A string of profanity left his lips, and you could feel his dick pulse inside of you as he painted the insides of you white with his cum. Max couldn’t believe how good it felt, sex with you was always great but that was on another level, he couldn’t remember ever feeling that good before. 
“I love you so much Y/N” 
He gently slipped himself out of you and you collapsed next to him on the bed. Exhausted wasn’t the word for how tired you felt after that. And apparently that was true for Max as well as in the time that it took you to waddle to the toilet to clean yourself up, he had managed to fall asleep. You couldn’t blame him of course; even before that it had been a very long tiering day for him. So, as quietly as you could, you got ready for bed and slipped yourself into bed next to him.  
Looking at the very peaceful sleeping man next to you, you couldn’t help but snuggle down close to him. Placing a kiss on his temple before assuming the big spoon position that you know he loves so much from you. Your movement causing him to ever so slightly stir awake. 
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me” he spoke so softly you almost missed it before falling right back into a very peaceful sleep. You couldn’t help but feel so lucky to have a man like him cuddled close to you. 
“Sleep well Maxie, I love you more than anything.” 
2K notes · View notes
angelltheninth · 6 months
Text
Solomon Accidentally Forgets About Your Date and Makes Up For It
Pairing: Solomon x Fem!Reader
Tags: nsfw, smut, make up sex, kissing, clit stimulation, apologies, edging as punishment
A/N: Honestly I have trouble remembering important dates too, I get him.
Tumblr media
"Do you really think that... fuck... that fucking me will make me forgive you?" He forgot your date again. Once could have been a mistake, but it kept happening. Either he would forget or he would be late, and clearly winded on arrival from running after eventually remembering it.
Worst of all was that Solomon always acted like it wasn't that much of big deal because he would always want to make up for it. Granted his apologies were always very thorough and lately he has been showing up on time more often the not, so you knew he was at least putting in an effort. But it was his almost nonchalant attitude that made you doubtful.
You grabbed his face and pulled him close, forcing the eye contact, "Do you even want to date me seriously?" Solomon's gray, stormy eyes widened in surprise at your question and the evident hurt in your voice. For the longest time he had trouble focusing because your pussy felt so good around his cock, you kept pushing back against his hips and using your leg to keep him inside but maybe that wasn't the compliment he thought it was.
"Of course I do." He responded along with a long kiss, "If wasn't serious about you we wouldn't have gone this far. I care for you." His forehead pressed against yours, seeking more closeness then before, "I can't, I really can't help it you know. But I promise to try harder for you, I hate seeing you sad because of me."
It took all your willpower not to flip him over and punish him, but maybe you could do it in a different way. You noticed when he was undressing, he had no real patience for it, his pants were barely down his legs even now, he was almost in a frenzy as he pulled your pants and underwear down and shirt up. He was close before he even put his cock in your pussy, way closer then you were.
"Don't come." You commanded with a fistful of his hair.
"W-What?" His cock have an involuntary twitch at your words, "Why?"
"That's your punishment for tonight. You don't get to finish." You clamped down around his cock with the deliberate intent to stimulate his cock. His almost painful hiss made you grin, "If you make me come I'll give you a blowjob tomorrow morning, get all that cum you've been saving up in my mouth, down my throat. But if you can't," Your pussy fluttered again, feeling so good when his pace picked up desperately, "I will edge you for a week, I swear to God."
Solomon started pounding like his very existence depended on getting you to orgasm. In this moment that was likely how he felt, but it was his own fault for forgetting your date in the first place, you had to punish him somehow, and you wanted to have fun while doing it.
"I'll make you come on my cock so good." He panted, sweat gathering on his brow, "I'll give you all my cum as an apology. That'll be okay right? You'll accept it? My cum? All of it down your throat in the morning." His sounded like the ramblings of madman, "Come for me." He pleaded, cheating by sliding his fingers down to rub your clit in quick, frantic slides, up and down, "Come on my cock, I wanna feel it."
He wasn't this agreeable most of the time but even a man like him could be brought to his knees, metaphorically speaking, by a punishment like this. Although he looked to be enjoying it as well, no doubt from the images of your mouth filled with his thick, white cum. "Hold still. I want all of it in me." Your legs closed shut, halting all of his thrusts, keeping his cock balls deep in your pussy as it trembled and fluttered around him, your toes curling and body washed in pleasant waves at least. "Still mad at you by the way." You panted against his neck.
"Uh-huh. I know. I'll fix it." He promised and unlike his attitude before you could sense real emotion behind his words and his look, "Wanna fall asleep with my cock in you? Promise I won't fill you up." Your pussy gave a needy squeeze at his words, making his promise harder to keep, but he did keep it. And so did you, because the first thing you tasted in the morning was his cock, and soon after, his cum.
682 notes · View notes
vioartemis · 1 year
Text
Falling for her
(Amber Freeman x fem! reader x Tara Carpenter)
Tumblr media
Summary: Amber reveals herself as one of the killers, and you, her girlfriend, are as shocked as everyone else. A year after all this shit, you and Tara become closer, eventually leading to something more than friendship... Part 1 || Part 2 Warnings: blood, injuries, death of characters, slight angst a/n: might do a part 2 👀 (English isn't my first language, I'm sorry if there are mistakes or if something doesn't make sense TvT)
Since the beginning you defended her, telling everyone she was incapable of killing someone. Telling them she wasn't like that. Telling them they were wrong.
Turns out you were the one who was wrong this all time.
And even now that she shot Liv in the head you couldn't believe it. You simply couldn't.
You were frozen in place, incapable of running away with the others. You only moved because Amber dragged you to her room, along with Tara, whom she taped and put in her closet before kneeling in front of you.
"You okay baby..? I know I lied, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to hurt you I promise"
She whipped your tears away with her thumbs and placed a peck on your lips.
"You're coming with me after this right? We'll run away from Woodsboro and start a new life together, just the two of us. No more Ghostface, no more blood, no more Tara."
As far as you could remember, she had always been jealous of Tara. Not that you felt anything for her, you loved Amber and her only, but your girlfriend didn't seem to understand that.
You fought a lot because of that, which led you to spend more and more time away from her. More and more time with Tara. You knew it wouldn't fix anything, but you couldn't handle your girlfriend's jealousy 24/7. You needed space.
“P-please d-don’t hurt her… I’ll come with you… j-just… leave her alone… please…”
“Oh baby… you’re so kind even in that situation… but I can’t let her live, she’d snitch on me and the police would be after us…”
She smiled at you. Not the smile that made you fall for her. A crazy, psychotic smile.
“Now come with me baby, you wouldn’t want to miss the spectacle, right?”
She gently took your hand and guided you downstairs before dragging you to the kitchen, when she told you to wait for her.
You wanted to run away the second she left, but your legs didn’t seem to agree. All you could do was cry on the floor, re thinking everything, every time Amber told you she had something to do, probably killing someone.
Killing someone with the same hands she touched you with.
Knees against your chest, you couldn’t stop crying. Your eyes were all puffy and red. Your chest hurt. Your heart hurt.
When Amber got back, gripping Sidney’s hair, followed by Richie and Sam, you were still there. Not even looking up.
“Y/n..? You… you knew..?”
That made you tilt your head up slightly.
“S-Sam I swear I didn’t know… I would never hurt anyone… let alone Tara…”
She looked at you with suspicious eyes, along with Sidney.
“N-no.. I.. please you have to believe me..”
“Yeah, believe her.” Richie said, grabbing your arm to make you stand up. “Maybe that’ll help you trust her”
He sunk his knife into your abdomen, five times, his other hand on your mouth to prevent you from screaming. He threw you back onto the floor, as Amber entered the room.
“Okay Gale’s here, now we can-” she stopped as she saw you bleeding on the floor “Y/n!”
She rushed to you, a worried look on her face. She took off her costume and tried to bandage you up with it, to stop the bleeding.
“What the fuck did you do to her?!”
She turned to Richie, glaring daggers at him.
“Touch her again and I will fucking kill you."
She kneeled in front of you, gently cupping your cheeks.
"I'm sorry baby... he wasn't supposed to hurt you... y-you're gonna be fine don't worry... we'll end this quickly..."
She kissed your lips softly, before standing up.
You didn't see nor hear anything after that, barely conscious due to the amount of blood you were losing. When you opened your eyes, you were alone in the kitchen.
You could hear fight noises coming from the hallway. You stood up painfully. Once at the door, you felt your heart drop for the second - or was it third? - time this day.
Amber and Tara were fighting. She was going to kill her. You had to do something.
You managed to get in front of Tara just as Amber was about to stab her.
"Baby what are you doing...? You should rest you're not-"
"Amber... please stop... you can't kill her... she's our friend... they all were..."
You could see she was hurt. She thought you would be on her side, even after her reveal. But you weren't. You'd rather protect Tara than stay with her.
"Okay then..." she said
You thought you convinced her. But you were wrong. There was even more craziness in her black eyes.
"If I can't have you no one will."
She raised her knife, but before she could do anything, she got shot in the head. You watched in horror as she fell, remember all the moments you spent together.
You fell on your knees, heartbroken at the sight of your girlfriend's lifeless body. Even if she tried to kill you at the end, you knew she loved you.
Tara placed herself in front of you so you didn't have to see Amber any longer, thinking it wasn't good for you. You looked up at her, tears in your eyes, before pulling her into a hug she gave back.
<><><><> ♡ <><><><>
After "the incident", you spent a month at the hospital, in a room you shared with Tara. You were more than happy to have her by your side, and she felt the same about you.
Sidney came to visit you once, before going back home with her husband and children. She apologized for killing Amber, to what you replied she saved both your life and Tara's so there was no need for excuses.
Six months after that night, you moved out of Woodsboro with Sam, Tara, Mindy and Chad. You all agreed on the fact that to heal and move on, you needed to get the fuck out of this city.
New York was your new home, and you wouldn't deny you were doing much better since you moved in with Tara and Sam.
Eight months after your arrival at New York, you found yourself thinking about Tara a lot more than just a friend would.
Was it bad that you were falling for her, only a year after Amber died..? Did it make you a bad person? What would Tara think about that? Was there even a chance she'd like you back?
"Y/n? I've been calling you for like ten minutes, are you okay?" Sam said as she entered your room
"Sorry, I was... thinking"
"You want to talk about it..?"
"If you don't mind listening.."
She sat beside you on the bed, taking your hand in hers.
"Hey, remember what we said when we left Woodsboro? I'm here for you, I'll always be"
"Thanks..."
You gave her a grateful smile.
"Now tell me everything"
"It’s Tara… I-I think I'm falling for her..."
The older girl looked at you with a slight smile.
"You have every right to fall for someone you know? That means you're over her, you're healing"
"Yeah..?"
"Plus I'm pretty sure she likes you back, given the way she looks at you and talk about you"
She squeezed your hand slightly.
"C'mon now, dinner time"
A few days had passed since you talked to Sam. It was night, and you were on the balcony, watching the sky and the city, when you felt a blanket falling on your shoulders.
“I thought you might get cold..”
Tara’s sweet voice made you smile as you turned to face her.
“But you don’t even wear a jacket! Tara..”
You pulled her closer to you, wrapping the blanket around her too, before realizing how close you were now.
You only ever saw her freckles from afar, but now you could see them perfectly. She had more than you thought.
She was so pretty, face illuminated with the faint light of the city, head slightly tilted up to look at you.
“Y/n…”
Her eyes shifted almost imperceptibly to your lips before going back to your eyes.
Neither of you said a word, yet you understood each other. You placed your hands on her waist, while she placed hers behind your neck, pulling you close, her eyes never leaving yours.
She stopped, only a few inches away from your lips, making sure you really wanted it to happen. You were the one closing the gap between you.
One of her hands went in your hair, soft lips moving against yours tenderly in a passionate kiss.
You could kiss her for hours, and she could say the same. You stayed here for a while, only pulling away when the lack of air forced you to.
No words were needed, and none was said during the next hour you spend on the balcony. You watched the stars, her head resting on your shoulder while she intertwined your fingers.
When it started raining, you both returned to your rooms after one last kiss.
You sat on your bed, smiling like an idiot, while Tara did the same on the floor.
She took a bag from under her bed, opening it silently, and taking something out of it.
“Now that I have you..” she brushed the white mask with her thumb “no one else ever will”
[Next part]
1K notes · View notes
steddieas-shegoes · 4 months
Text
if i could turn back time
for @steddieholidaydrabbles prompt 'time travel' rated t wc: 997 cw: mention of canonical character death tags: fix-it, light angst, happy ending, first kiss
-------------------------------------
"I'm telling you Robin, this is probably when things went wrong!"
"And I'm telling you, things probably went wrong in the 60s! This isn't gonna change anything!"
Eddie shouldn't have been listening by the door of the RV, especially not when they thought he was hiding in the back, but he couldn't help his curious nature.
Curiosity killed the cat, but it entertained the banished.
"What are you gonna do, huh? Stay with him and Dustin? Sacrifice yourself? I'm not letting you do that!"
Eddie's brows raised.
"No, but with the three of us, we can remember to close everything off this time so none of us have to sacrifice ourselves. It keeps us all safe."
The voice suddenly stopped and Eddie barely managed to get away from the door before it was flying open and Steve was storming inside.
Alone.
Robin must have gone to help the kids and Nancy with their weapons.
Steve sat down on the couch, put his head in his hands, and groaned.
"Alright there, big boy?"
Steve jumped, his face turning to see Eddie awkwardly standing in the doorway to the back.
"Fine, yeah. Just stressed," Steve relaxed a bit, though Eddie could still see his white knuckles against his knees and his jaw clenching.
"You and Robin having a lover's quarrel out there?" Eddie asked, knowing damn well they weren't together.
He didn't have to know to know that Robin wasn't interested in Steve for the same reason Eddie wasn't interested in Robin.
"We just don't see eye to nose on some things," Steve shrugged. "She knows I'm right, she's just stubborn."
Ignoring the eye to nose comment would go down as one of the most impressive feats of Eddie's life, but he decided to focus on finding out what they were actually arguing about.
"She thinks you're gonna get hurt?" Eddie asked, moving over to the couch.
"More like killed."
Eddie couldn't hide the flinch at his harsh words.
"None of us are gonna die, man. We've got a plan."
"Yeah," Steve sighed. "I'd feel better if I was with you and Dustin though."
"I won't let anything happen to him," Eddie said softly.
He knew how much Steve cared for Dustin, felt that same protectiveness for the kid.
"It's not him I'm worried about."
"I'll be fine. I mean, even if not, it's not like we're friends. You'll all be fine," Eddie shrugged.
Maybe a part of him actually believed that, believed that everyone would go about their days if something happened to him. He didn't think anyone but Wayne would actually miss him, and he'd be fine eventually.
Steve was blinking at him.
"No, we won't." Steve's hand grabbed his knee, squeezing. "You think you don't matter to us, but you do. You have no idea how much you mean to everyone. When something happens to you, none of us will ever be the same."
Eddie's mouth felt dry, and then it hit him what Steve said.
"When?"
Steve's eyes widened.
"I meant if!"
"Steve. Does this magic girl you keep talking about know something? Did someone talk to her?" Eddie stood up and started pacing. "I know I said it'd be fine if something happened to me, but I'd rather not know. And now I'm thinkin' you might know something I don't and maybe Robin does too and-"
Steve grabbed his face between his hands, his grip almost hard enough to leave a bruise.
"Eds, I promise you, I am not letting anything happen to you. Not this time."
Eddie had a million questions, but as he looked into Steve's haunted eyes, he decided to wait.
He decided to trust Steve Harrington.
"Okay. Nothing's gonna happen to me."
----------------------------------
When Eddie made it back through the gate in the trailer, a few bruises on his shoulders and arms, but alive, Steve was there.
Looking at him in a way Eddie couldn't quite recognize.
And then touching him in a way Eddie wouldn't have expected.
His hands were everywhere, feeling along his arms and neck and shoulders, taking inventory of his bruises and cuts, the one bite mark he had on his side.
"You're okay?" He asked breathlessly.
"I'm okay." Eddie responded, just as breathless. "Steve. I'm okay."
His tone made Steve stop what he was doing and look in his eyes.
"Fuck, Eddie," Steve fell into him, pushing his face into his neck, breathing Eddie in as Eddie wrapped his arms around him.
"You gonna tell him or should I?" Robin asked from behind them.
Steve just whimpered in response and Eddie felt a wetness against his skin.
"Are you crying?" he asked, trying to push him away to see if he was okay, but Steve just held him harder.
"He's just happy you didn't die this time," Robin said.
"This time?"
"Yeah. You died the first time and it destroyed him. When we woke up back here, he spent so long trying to focus on you living, he forgot we had a real job to do. No offense."
"None taken," Eddie said. "Stevie, you gotta breathe."
Steve had started gasping for air against him, his whole body shaking as he came down from the adrenaline.
It took ten minutes, a cleared out room, and gentle hands massaging his back for Steve to calm down.
But Eddie sat with him and held him, talked him through whatever he was feeling and assuring him that he was okay.
"We all made it, sweetheart," Eddie whispered against the top of his head.
Steve stiffened in his arms, then instantly relaxed.
"Was it..." Eddie let out a long breath. "Before. When I died. Were we something?"
Steve shook his head and Eddie tried not let the disappointment be visible.
"We weren't yet. But I think we would have been. I wanted to be. Didn't get the chance."
"But this time you do."
Steve's lips pressed against his collar, lingering for a minute before he pulled back.
"This time we do."
343 notes · View notes
dckweed · 5 months
Text
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND ➺ bob floyd
summary: In which bob floyd gets himself into a bit of a pickle and calls on his hot, recently single neighbor to help him out, the situation is mutually beneficial..in more ways than one.
warnings: fake dating, violence, domestic violence mentioned, nicknames, slowburn, eventual smut.
this is an x reader fic where reader is referred to as sunshine or sunny as a nickname, also i know the moodboard is a lil wonky no one say anything im gonna fix it! i made it on my phone half asleep lmao.
comment below for taglist!
wordcount: 2260
 PART ONE - THE LIE. 
The music was soft in the background for once, his friends laughter the loudest thing in the room. Bob couldn’t help but to laugh along with them as he took a swig of his third beer of the night, a little more than tipsy but not completely drunk. He knew he was a lightweight, and this was the only time he ever preferred to drink, in the comfort of his own home surrounded by people he trusted. His friends were all gathered around his coffee table, some of them on the couch, some of them sprawled on the floor as they laughed and goofed off, the NHL game they had all gathered to watch together no longer a top priority. 
Bradley and Natasha had been talking about the blind dates they had been on recently, set up by each other, each of them pointing out the flaws in the others choosing with racious laughter as they knocked back their alcohol and made a mess of Bob’s coffee table as they playfully fought each other, Bradley flipping over the bowl of potato chips that was sat out as he kicked his leg across the table from the floor to hit his friend. Bob laughs at the scene, not minding the mess because the situation was just so funny and he was for once in his life, enjoying being in the moment. 
“Look what you did, numbnuts! You spilled all the chips!” Hangman shouts, tossing his couch pillow at them from where he lay on the love seat across from Bob. Bradley catches it mid-air and tosses it back to Jake, a terrible throw and a clear enough window into how drunk he is because it doesn’t get any air and knocks clear into the row of open bud lights, knocking them over and causing what was left to slosh out onto the floor. Javy groans, slipping out of the chair he was sat in to pick up the bottles as Bob gets up to get a towel to sop up the wet beer from his outrageously expensive rug so his little shih tzu, Cosie wouldn’t go licking it up when he passed out tonight. 
He was only gone for a few moments but by the time he came back the subject of dating had suddenly been turned to him. He shakes his head, trying not to think to hard about how he was way more than tipsy by that point because the whole room started to spin when he did that. “No, not dating right now.” He says, kneeling down to start cleaning up the mess as Javy comes back from throwing away the bottles. 
Jake scoffs from next to him taking a long drag of his own beer, and Bob braces himself for whats coming next. “Of course not,” He says, a small bit of disdain in his tone, but Bob knew it was all just friendly teasing, even if it did hurt him. Even if he was so tired of constantly hearing from everyone about how he needed to get out into the dating pool. Truthfully, he was tired of being single, but he didn’t need these jack offs meddling in his love life the way Natasha had been doing with her blind dates with girlfriends she’d made off base. It just didn’t work out for him, it never did. 
But god, he was tired of hearing it from Jake about how he was ‘too afraid of girls’ to actually go out and date one, they were grown ass adults, weren’t they? Why did it matter what he did with his personal life outside of work and the friend group? He didn’t like to date around, he liked relationships. Besides, he wasn’t afraid of girls either. That one was starting to piss him off, wither away at that self control that his mama swore he was born with too much of. Not that any of them needed to know that..so why then, did he feel like proving them all wrong?
He knew in the back of his drunk mind that his next choice of words was not a good one to make, and he had just dug himself into a terribly deep hole that would haunt him for the rest of his life (good god he would probably have to change placements if they ever fucking found out, or better yet, retire from the navy altogether). But Lord help him, he opened his mouth anyway and let the words out. 
“I don’t think my girlfriend would like me seeing other people.” He says, taking a kind of sick pleasure in hearing Jake snort beer out of his nose as he sits up so quickly he falls off of the couch, his words catching the attention of his other friends too. “What?” He asks, looking around at all of their gaping faces. He regretted his lie immediately. “Is it so hard to picture me with a girlfriend? I am capable of getting one, you know.” A dig at Jake just for the fucking fun of it. 
There was a long moment of silence before all of their voices were flooding his ears at once, questions coming from all directions. It was almost as if the news had shocked them sober. 
What did I just do? 
THE WEEK PREVIOUS- 
Sunshine Y/L/N, was many things, a bitch, a whore, a liar, a psycho (all depending on which of her ex-boyfriends and family members you asked),..but a fool was not one of them. You were not foolish enough to let a man raise a hand to you and cower away and accept his apology because you thought you deserved it or because it would placate him. And so when the asshole you had been in the midst of arguing with because he swore to god that you were fucking the bouncer at work (you would never, you weren’t in to bald men who looked like broke versions of mr. clean) cocked his arm back and slapped you across the face so hard that blood splattered from your nose, you clenched a fist and let all hell break loose. 
You had screamed, and screamed and screamed and had thrown anything that you could get hands on, drawing blood on his forehead as an empty flower vase shattered against the wall that she shared with her neighbor. “Look what you did, you crazy bitch!” He yelled, holding a hand to his forehead, offended that you had dared to retaliate against him. 
You sucked in a deep breath, fists clenching. There was nothing you hated more than being called crazy. You were not crazy. You were not fucking crazy. “Get out.” You breathed, a surprisingly steady hand pointing towards the door that was being banged on from an outside source. The man looks at you as if you were a bull with three heads. “Are you deaf? I said get the fuck OUT!” You had bellowed, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and dragging him to the door, it took all of three seconds to throw open the chain locking the door before tossing the sorry fucker out, straight into your neighbor, Bob, who had very obviously been banging on the door. 
“Woah-” The tall, lanky man had said, catching the rat bastard who had been flung out at him. He pushes him off of him, noticing the blood on his face and looks at you, the blood streaming from your nose. “Are you okay?” He asks, his immediate thought on his neighbor as watched the guy storm off towards the stairwell at the end of the hallway. 
You sniffed, jaw clinched as you nod, watching the jerkoff walk away before running back inside. Bob follows as you yank open the window in the living room before running back down a hallway, to the bedroom he assumed. Bob had looked around at the mess of glass and blood splatters on the floor, wondering what the fuck had taken pace. He had heard yelling, and glass shattering and had run over trying to open the door. “Mother fucker, DON’T YOU EVER COME BACK HERE!” You scream, tossing a heap of clothes out of the window and down onto the street, Bob heard a mans yell and knew they must’ve landed directly on the offending asshole. “Stupid fucking son of a fucking bitch.” 
“Um, Sunny,” Bob says, placing a gentle hand on your slender shoulder. You were shaking, with fear or anger he isn’t sure but he wants to help. “Are you okay?” He doesn’t know what else to ask, what else to do. He’d never been in this kind of situation before. 
He watches you raise a hand and use the back of it to wipe your bloody nose before turning around to face him, your friendly neighbor whose dog you often watched when he had to work overnights at the base or when he had been on his deployment for the uranium mission. Blood smeared across your upper lip and cheek as you look up at him, eyes watery and full of an emotion he couldn’t quite decipher. The smile on your face is terrifyingly sexy. “Just peachy, bobby,” You whispered, blinking the tears in your eyes away as you set your shoulders squarely. “My step-daddy didn’t raise no fucking bitch, a man like him wants to hit me, he better be prepared for me to hit him back ten times fucking harder.” 
Bob didn’t know what to say, so he resulted for saying a simple okay and stayed around to help you clean up the mess that littered your normally spotless living room. He had even ordered you pizza while you were in the bathroom cleaning up your face, paying for it without telling you because he knew you would argue. He knew you made good money in your line of work, he knew you liked paying for your own things, but he was a gentleman nonetheless and wanted to take care of a neighbor who was clearly in some kind of need of support. He had stayed until you had fallen asleep, silently letting himself out of your apartment and the pair of you hadn’t crossed paths until a week later, granted, you hadn’t left your apartment much (you couldn’t very well go to work with a bruise on your face, it certainly wouldn’t bode well with your bosses nor with your customers) for your paths to have crossed to begin with. 
You were surprised to say the least when a knock sounded on your apartment door early in the morning on Saturday, and even moreso when you opened to find none other than your adorable next door neighbor (and, in a way, your savior) standing in your doorframe, hands in the pockets of his jeans and a cute little crease in between his eyebrows as he looked up at you from where he was looking at his shoes. “Hey Bob, everything okay?” You ask, wiping the sweat away from your forehead. You had been doing an intense pilates session in your living room, a good way to keep you limber and fit for your job. “Are you going on deployment or something? Do you need me to take Cosie?”
“No, no..” Bob shakes his head, he felt stupid for coming over here, for not just immediately fessing up to his friends about his dumb lie. He should just turn around and go back to his apartment and call it a day, and he was going to until his fuckin’ phone buzzed in his pocket and he was reminded of why he had told the damn lie in the first place. “Um, actually, do you think I could come in? I have a favor to ask of you, and it’s..a big one.” 
You were confused but allowed him to come in nonetheless, shutting and locking the door behind him as he did. What could he possibly need from you that wasn’t watching his dog while he was away? You couldn’t say you weren’t keen to find out, you were bored out of your mind and you couldn’t help but wonder what he needed from you of all people. Bob had literally seen you at your worst last week, and yet here he was inside of your apartment with his hands awkwardly shoved into the front pockets of his boot cut jeans, his pretty eyes flitting about, finding anything to look at that wasn’t your breasts that were pushed up in your slightly too small lulu lemon top. 
“What’s up, Bobby?” You asked, headed to your kitchen that over looked the living room. You grabbed a bottle of water out of your slowly emptying fridge and twisted open the cap, taking a hefty sip. 
“Um..” He says, his lips pursing as his eyebrows furrow together somehow even deeper. He blows air out of his nose and finally looks up at you, taking his hands out of his pockets only to place them on his hips, awkwardly. “I need you to be my girlfriend.” He says and you snort your water out of your nose on accident, choking on it at the first mention of the words as you tried to process them. “Oh fuck-” 
TAGLIST-
@mamachasesmayhem
337 notes · View notes
workingbynyx · 1 month
Note
hello baby I love your theme !! i saw you were doing jason todd x readers so i’m gonna shoot my shot OFC NO PRESSURE
so we all know bruce is rich so jason must be as well but WHAT IF reader also came from a rich powerful family of Gotham, I think they would maybe meet through a gala or something and Dick would joke to Jason about how he is drooling at the sight of reader IDK BABES IT’S UP TO YOU, i hope it inspires you <3
City of Stars — Jason Todd x F!Reader
Tumblr media
↷ summary — what happens if one of the bat sons meet the striking heiress of another powerful family? ˎˊ˗
↷ pairing — jason todd x f!reader ˎˊ˗
↷ genre — romance, fluff, slight comedy and eventual angst ˎˊ˗
↷ warning/s — a few curse words here and there ˎˊ˗
↷ a/n — hey!! tysm for this prompt oml its the cutest, and ik its a bit of a cliché but reader is an heiress to stark industries here 😭 i figured it would be interesting since, contrary to popular belief, tony and bruce wouldn't get along so it offers the question what would happen if their children got together (tea 👀🍵) this isn't based on anything btw! so there might be some ooc instances. OH AND I'll probably make a part 2 of this soon if i get motivationekehwjd soooo i hope you enjoy reading! ˎˊ˗
Tumblr media
— wayne manor, present day
bruce fixed yet another gala for the year, inviting multiple billionare ceos and business owners to the humble party. gotham city strived under the great care of his trusted partners even when crime and corruption still runs in the city. the bat took care of that of course, with the help of his sons and daughters who also attended the event in simple dresses and suits and ties tailored to their liking.
the gala had been going on for a few hours or so which eventually became boring enough for jason to take a few shots and drinks by the bar as he scanned the crowd with people in bejeweled clothes and shimmering jewelry that blinded him as the chandelier shined on them. "is all that really neccessary.." he mumbled to himself, taking a sip of his 3rd drink of the night. "yes it is, would you rather people come into sweats like you would?" dick suddenly chimed in as he walked up towards jason and leaned against the counter of the bar, asking for a drink of his choice.
"It wouldn't hurt to try next year" jason said with a stern look on his face, occassionally shooting up a short smile to people walking by. "if bruce allows it, i doubt he would. the man practically lives in a suit and tie" dick replied, "well, tough shit grayson. you might be forgetting being the rebel is sort of my thing" jason shot back with a smirk. "ah, my bad" grayson said with a chuckle as he sipped on champagne. "so, anyone caught your eye yet?" "If you mean spoiled little kids running around with chocolate smeared on their faces then yeah" jason sighed while dick suppressed a laugh. "c'mon man, there's at least gotta be someone" "dick, i didn't come here to look for 'someone' nor do i ever plan to"
and right when jason uttered those words with no remorse, he immediately swallowed them right back when he caught a glimpse of you in the crowd. the dark yellow dress you wore complimenting the red of his suit, its like a match made in gotham, as one would say. the man had to double take in your way when you slowly walked through the room with your father, tony stark. the man behind stark industries, one of the richest companies based in new york. jason knew they recently opened a branch within the city to make way for new advanced technology and scientific engineering. that was probably the reason why you're here from jason's assumption.
"i'd say otherwise" dick snuck up beside jason and whispered to taunt him, his eyes following the lady that caught his brother's attention. "..what?" the other finally said, snapping out of it. "you should go up to her instead of drooling over here, you look like a total loser dude" dick patted his shoulder which annoyed jason. "cut it out dick, i'm not going up to her" "why not?" "i have other things to tend to" "like?" "...shut up" "jason, this is your only shot. are you gonna waste it on brooding the whole night?" "i'm NOT taking any of your dating advice" "i didn't say you have to date her dipshit, what could a friendly conversation lead to?" "a can of worms, go figure" jason then started walking away from dick as soon as he sets the glass down on the counter.
"jay c'mon," dick caught up to him which released a frustrated groan from jason. "she seems like a nice woman" "you're really living up to your name right now, stop it" jason said through gritted teeth.
in other people's point of view, it looks like two grown men are silently arguing in the corner of the big hall which then caught your attention soon after. you wanted to get to know bruce's children after he warmly welcomed you and your family to gotham before they got down to talking business, it obviously lost your interest so you quietly excused yourself from the conversation to wander the mansion.
you stumbled upon one of his daughters and had a nice conversation, they didn't seem intimidating as they said they'd be— not until you went up to his sons. you mentally prepared yourself as you slowly walked over to the duo, straightening the slight wrinkles on your dress and patting down your necklace.
"uhm, hello there. i hope i'm not interrupting" you called out to them which caught their attention. dick and jason quickly arranged themselves to look presentable, even if they were just arguing seconds ago. "hey" jason said as he cleared his throat, to which you replied with a smile. "its a wonderful party, i see mr. wayne has good taste" you tried to sound polite as possible...was it even worth trying?
"yeah, definitely" dick nodded his head. "i'm richard by the way, richard grayson. but you can call me dick" "oh uhm, pardon?" "it's unusual, i know. but trust me its fine" you couldn't help but slightly giggle at his statement, he was quite the charm. jason, on the other hand, couldn't stand seeing the two of you almost get along. he had to do something if he wanted to win you over.
you then looked over to him in anticipation, "jason" he says. "jason todd" he added. "it's nice meeting you, i've heard..interesting things about you" you said as you reached out your hand for a shake as he returned the gesture. "mhm, that's..great i guess" he nodded. "well uhm, i just wanted to come over and say hi. if our dads are gonna work together i should probably get to know his children too as a courtesy" you said with a smile, talking to bruce's oldest sons was quite nerve wrecking to say the least. they were tall, fit, sharp and certainly attractive, they're also intelligent one might add.
"huh" jason blurted out. "i didn't know bruce and mr. stark had to work together" he said. "oh, mr. wayne didn't mention anything?" "he never does" he replied. "hmm, that's a bit odd.." "trust me, everything's odd when you're around him" you couldn't help but chuckle which took jason back a bit, seeing you find his 'joke' funny enough. it was...adorable.
"i'll take your word for it, jason" hearing you say his name was like hearing angels sing to him. he didn't even realize he was developing a crush on someone he just met at a random gala, that never happened before. it must be something about you that attracted jason a lot.
"oh and, do you know where to get some fresh air? all this business talk has been making me ill for the past hour" you asked, a bit embarrassed to say it in front of them. but they seem to get your pain. "I'll let my brother show you, he knows this place a lot more than i do" "wh— you literally live here" jason whispered loudly. "i'll see you around ms. stark, i look forward to working with you soon" and just like that, dick had left you and jason alone.
your eyes followed dick as he walked back into the crowd until he was no longer seen, your gaze returning back to jason who was just staring at you unconsciously. at some point, you found yourself admiring his features for a moment. his eyes that shined against the light, his ruffled hair that sat prettily on his forehead, and his prominent jawline. 'he's cute...i guess' you thought to yourself, not until he cleared his throat when the silence got too loud.
"sooo, shall i show you around or are you gonna keep staring at me?" he said which made you lift a brow. "staring at yo— weren't you the one staring at me first?" you argued, making jason laugh at your protest. "relax, i was kidding" he added, flicking his head towards the staircase for you to follow him. "y'know, for a sec i thought you were a royal of some sort" jason started as the both of you went up. "how so?" you asked. "i don't know, you look all elegant and..the way you speak" you chuckled at his remark. "should i be flattered or is that a bad thing?" "not at all" jason said, a short smile forming. "well, that's what my mother taught me. she didn't want me to be a 'smartmouth' like my dad. he's probably annoying mr. wayne by now because of it" "bruce has already been around smartmouths enough," he turned towards you, "exhibit a" then gestures to himself.
you couldn't help but chuckle at jason. "is that so?" you asked with an exaggerated tone. "i didn't take you for a smartmouth if i'm being honest, more quite the opposite really" "well you might've if we met under different circumstances" "maybe, maybe not" you looked up to him with a mischievous glint in your eyes, a slight smirk forming on his face.
as the two of you walk through the empty halls of the mansion, you both reach the huge balcony where the doors are wide open. the cold breeze seeping through the curtains which sent shivers down your spine. you tried to fight the chills around your skin, but it was evident to jason you were clearly freezing. he unbuttoned his blazer and wrapped it around your shoulders, giving them a quick squeeze when you thanked him. "ahh, this is nice" you exhaled, relief washing over you when the distinct conversations are finally blocked. you stared into the dimmed city lights of gotham, poorly glistening from where you stood.
"it kinda is" jason added, his hands now both in his pockets as he admired the view...and you.
the longer you stared, the longer a thought began lingering. you cracked your head to the side to look at jason standing behind you, ushering him to come forward. "so uh, how long have you been here?" you started. "since birth, i'm pretty much stuck here" jason answered as he leaned against the railings. "but either way, gotham is my home afterall. i don't think i'll ever have the chance to leave this behind, even if i wanted to" there was a bit of sentiment behind his words, but you understood him. you were also pretty much stuck in one place before your father finally agreed to take you elsewhere, to finally let you handle things your own way when you came of age.
he was always protective over you which partially hindered you from living up to your true potential, but now that he's giving you a part of his legacy you have the chance to prove yourself.
"how was it like? y'know, growing up in a city like this" you followed up. "nothing to sugarcoat i'll tell you that, but uh...that's probably a story for another day" jason says, a quick glance to your direction. "another day?" "yeah another day" he said, studying your reaction. his eyes gleamed with hope, hoping that you'd understand where he's getting at. "are– are you saying—" "yes, ms. stark. i, jason todd, am hoping to see you another day"
your cheeks flushed pink, the heartfelt conversation suddenly turning into whatever this was. it was a pleasant surprise. "i— well, i don't see why i'd say no to that offer" you said with the brightest smile on your face. jason contained a smile however, letting his head fall down between his arms while he sighed in relief. that could've gone the wrong way. he tapped against the stone railing and brought his head back up, his cheeks also dusted pink. "a'ight so, when can i see you then?" he raised a brow.
"i'm in the city for the next few weeks, come visit at the flat two blocks away from the stark industries site. i'm at the third floor, second door to your right" jason took note of that mentally, making sure he got every detail down. "right," he nodded. "uhhh, how do they say this— so it's..a date?"
"it's a date, mr. todd"
164 notes · View notes
riptideripley · 5 months
Text
Muscle Mommy
Tumblr media
summary:Abby notices the contact name you picked just for her.
wrd count:1,968
a/n:bottom top abby👀
You and Abby had been childhood friends since you could remember. She was like a best friend to you,but truth be told you had a major crush on her. Only your shared friend Ellie knew,keeping it a secret the best she could just like you did when she told you she liked Dina.
It was a regular day for the three of you,going to a local park that you had found. Ever since this place you all called home got infected and finally fixed,things felt peaceful for once. Ellie had left Dina to herself,bringing the baby along with you two so Dina could relax. “Hi JJ” you spoke excitedly,taking the baby out of Ellie’s arms holding him close to you. You treated that baby like he was your own at times when they needed a break from everything,it became a true tradition. Abby smiled softly at your mothering nature,she loved that about you. You cared for everyone and every living thing. Through everything you two went through together that never changed about you.
Once her and Ellie had finally settled their differences,they were brought closer through you. Both of them grew up with you and didn’t want any tension. You quickly turned your attention to a giggly squealing Ellie,who was currently being tickled to death by Abby. “J-Jesus Abby!” Ellie spoke through small giggles,making JJ start giggling as well. You smiled at this and laughed at the two,seeing them bond made your soul happy. Abby eventually let Ellie go,carefully taking JJ from your hands. Abby had MAJORRRR baby fever,so when she got close enough to Ellie and Dina to the point were they let her hold JJ she was extremely happy. You glanced over at Ellie who giggled softly,slyly pushing you closer to Abby who seemed to not notice. You found yourself staring at her muscles,like usual. Her tight black shirt did not help the fact that they were practically screaming to be let free from her shirt. Ellie caught onto your staring and cleared her throat,”Sooo,(your name) how is everything with your boyfriend?” she spoke. Right..your boyfriend. Truth be told things between you two were getting rough and you couldn’t stand being with him,you wanted Abby. But Abby’s sexuality was..confusing. You,Ellie,and Dina couldn’t tell if she was straight or a full on lesbian. She looked the part but she was with owen..was. You never questioned why they broke up,Ellie did though. She was too curious not to ask like she’s always been. Turns out she wasn’t into Owen as much as she thought she was,plus he cheated.
“Things are..ok I guess” you spoke after thinking about how the fuck you were gonna respond to that question. Abby could tell something was wrong and looked at you,confused and concerned. “What do you mean you guess? Is he cheating?” Abby asked,carefully watching your facial expressions. “Yeah..but don’t worry Abs,I can handle everything on my own I promise” you spoke reassuring her,you knew how crazy and overprotective she was over you. You were the closet person she had and she wouldn’t dare let someone hurt you.
Ellie checked her phone,seeing it was a message in the groupchat you four(Dina included) had made. Naturally you checked your phone as it went off,forgetting how close Abby was to your side. It was a message from Dina,asking if any of you three needed something since she was on the way to pick up JJ. Abby glanced over at your phone unintentionally and was caught completely off guard. Due to the conversation you four had last night showing up,Abby saw her contact name..“Muscle Mommy👀”. She truly didn’t know how to react and chose to ignore it,feeding JJ some of the baby puffs.
Dina eventually showed up with water and a bottle of beer in hand for Ellie,the water being for you and Abby. “Thanks honey” Ellie spoke smiling as she took the beer,giving JJ a small kiss on his forehead as Dina took him. Abby saw you struggling a little to get your water open,taking it from your hand. Purposely she flexed her muscles a tad when opening your water,your eyes quickly flickering to her arms. “Here you go cupcake” she handed you the water smiling innocently,watching you slightly blush. Ellie seem to slightly catch on and chuckled to herself,downing some of the beer. “Jeez Ells,whose taking you home after that?” “Oh shut it Abby,you know you’re taking me home.” Ellie spat at her,rolling her eyes. You giggled and drank some of you water,glancing down at Abby’s arm once again. You three sat there on the swing set talking and just blabbering about whatever came to mind for the next hour,taking time to catch up on everything.
Time passed quickly and soon enough you three were all in Abby’s car,passing a joint between the three of you as she drove to drop Ellie back off at home. Abby was always careful when it came to smoking while driving,she valued you and Ellie too much not to. Eventually y’all had arrived to Ellie and Dina’s shared home,Ellie stumbling out of the car making you and Abby laugh. Dina signed a thank you to Abby which she signed you’re welcome back. You always wondered when the two of them had time to learn sign language but never questioned it. As soon as Ellie left,the tension rose between you two.
“Muscle mommy huh?” she broke the silence with a question,watching your face through the mirror. She smiled watching you slowly realize what she was talking about,blush creeping to your cheeks ears turning red. You were already high,so was she. Abby suddenly pulled over into a secluded empty parking lot,crawling into the backseat with you. She suddenly pulled you onto her lap,grabbing your chin so you wouldn’t look away. “Abby..” you whined,shifting around on her lap feeling something poking your already wet throbbing cunt. “I’ll give you everything you want..if you answer this one question.”she spoke,looking into your eyes. She wanted this just as much as you did,no matter what she did to escape these feelings it never worked. “Do you have feelings for me?” she asked,watching your face closely. You nodded but that wasn’t enough for her,she wanted to hear your voice. She wanted you to say how much you really loved her. “Words sweetheart” she spoke softly,sliding her muscled arm around your waist. “Fuck..I do Abby,I always have just- please..” you pouted,wanting her to touch you more.
Abby smiled and decided to finally give in,pulling you into a lustful kiss. She moaned softly,enjoying the taste of your lips on hers. She reached for your zipper,pulling away from the kiss and looking at you for a sign of consent. You nodded,giving her the green light to continue so she did. She unzipped your jeans,letting you slip off her lap to pull them completely off while she slipped her sweatpants off. Your eyes were immediately drawn to her strap poking through her boxers. She pulled you back onto her lap,making you let a soft whimper slip from your lips at the sudden feeling of her strap pressed against you. She loved the sound of you whimpering against her,leaning forward trailing soft kisses along your neck. You gently ran a finger under the waistband of her boxers,sending a shiver down her spine. You mentally cursed feeling her happy trail along your finger,continuing to run your finger against her sensitive waist. “Fuck it.” she whispered lifting you up and sliding her boxers down,switching her position so she was laying on the seat. You immediately got the hint and crawled between her legs,taking the tip of the strap in your mouth. She slightly whimpered,watching you take the whole thing in your mouth without choking once. She was slightly surprised,I mean the strap was 8 ½ inches and she didn’t expect you to handle the whole thing down your throat like this.
She left a moan slip,watching you bop your head up and down on her cock feeling it pressing against her throbbing clit. You looked up instantly,smiling mentally at this and continued making sure she felt it. Abby was damn near a whiny mess the entire time and you absolutely loved it. She suddenly tugged your hair pulling you off of her strap making you whine but nonetheless you knew what was coming next. You crawled onto her lap,lowering yourself slowly onto her strap letting out the sluttiest moan. She watched you carefully,loving the sight in front of her. She felt so damn grateful and lucky to be able to see you like this,she felt like she was the chosen one. Letting yourself adjust for a moment to the feeling,you slowly began bouncing. You were only doing this to hear Abby start whining again to which she did. “f-fuck..just like that- please..” she started whining almost instantly. “Please what Abs? Use your words honey” you cooed softly,stroking her face as you sped up your bouncing. Abby couldn’t even speak,the feeling of her clit being stimulated everytime you slammed your ass onto the base of her strap making the harness rub and slam onto her clit made her unable to think of any words to say. You smiled at the sight,her mouth gaped open letting out the most pathetic whines sweat forming on her forehead making her soft blonde hair stick to her. It was beauty to witness this and to believe it was all for you,you couldn’t believe it. Your eyes trailed to her nipples poking through the tight shirt she wore,taking note that she didn’t have a bra on. Perfect. You reached down gently toying with her nipples,making her completely lose it. “m’want..want you to-“ she tried speaking,giving up and letting the intense pleasure she was feeling take over her. You could only mentally chuckle to yourself,for a person as touch as she is she was such a slut when pleased just right.
Abby’s eyes shot wide open feeling you change from bouncing to grinding,her clit feeling every single movement. You threw your head back moaning,still playing with her nipples,pinching twisting and pulling her sensitive buds. “m’want you to c-cum on my cock..please” she whimpered out through her moans and whines,bucking her hips up into you. You were on the verge and desperately needed this,resting your knees next to the sides of her thighs. “Want it that bad hm pretty girl?” you teased,rocking your hips slowly. She could only nod,feeling herself on the brink of an orgasm. You finally let go,letting out the loudest moan heard to mankind. Abby valued the sight of looking at you,her own orgasm clouding her mind quickly though making her mind go blank. She laid there for a second,chest rapidly rising and falling seeming as if she couldn’t even catch her breath.
Slowly you got off of her,damn near falling over. Gently scooping her into your arms pressing her head against your chest to calm her. She listened to your heartbeat,slowly being able to catch her breath. You looked down at her,completely in love,she looked so fucking pretty when she’s like this. “Abs..I love you” you whispered out softly,pressing soft kisses to her forehead.
“I love you too sweetheart..”
211 notes · View notes
lillsisamarshmallow · 8 months
Text
Nurse Y/n (4)
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Chapter Summary:  When the Jungkook and Hoseok show up at the café without Jimin, Y/n does her best to help them, but she can only do so much. When she meets the pack leader who hates her will she be able to help him? Will he let her help? Who did this?
Word count: 3.4k
Warnings: Implied Violence, Violent Aftermath, Implied Hate crime?, Injuries, Blood, Lots of Blood, Bleeding, Nurse Reader, Crying, Medical emergency. Let me know if I missed any!
Previous | Next >>
Masterlist | Series Masterlist
Tumblr media
"We need your help."
My face dropped at the serious tone in the younger boy's voice, uneasiness settling throughout my body waiting for a further explanation.
"Jimin's hurt and we don't know what to do. Please we need your help."
Before my mind could even process what was happening my feet raced me across the kitchen slamming open one of the cupboards and snatching out the first aid kit we kept on hand. Ducking my head through the doors to the front I told Seoyeon there was an emergency and I'll be back later to which she sternly nodded her head understanding, since it was still early, she'd have to call someone in to help her out.
Running back to Jungkook and Hoseok, I gave them a look before telling them I'm ready, as we ran through the alleys, I recognized most of the turns but not all, my legs were burning from the constant running yet the boys in front of me didn't seem to struggle so much.
Eventually we made it to the cross section of alleys, they ran down but I stopped behind them staring into the alley not stepping forward remembering what happened last time. I stared down at the ground, knowing that beyond the line was their territory. Looking up through the alley I could see Namjoon lying down injured.
He's hurt...
He must have felt me staring at him as he looked back at me staring, it felt as though he was searching my soul looking of any bad intentions, finding none he gave me a slight nod before dropping his lead back into its laying position.
I raced into the alley only to be taken aback by what I saw, it looked like a bomb had gone off in such a small space, scanning the area I could see that Jungkook and Hoseok as well as one of the men I had spoken to last time were attending to their friends whom were all lying on the ground, spotting Jimin I raced over to him dropping to my knees besides him.
"Y-Y/n..?" He grumbled, despite having his eyes closed he knew exactly who I was, not questioning how he knew, I rushed out questions asking him what happened but didn't get much of an answer deciding it was more important to patch him up first.
"Where Jimin? Where are you hurt Jimin?"
Jimin's trembling hands reached the end of his shirt slowing pulling it up, realizing what he was doing I grabbed hold finishing the job for him before dropping the shirt holding my hands in front of my mouth gasping at what I saw.
Littered across Jimin's torso were large forming bruise's along with small tears all around them, shaking hands reaching for the first aid kit I scrambled through it looking for some alcohol wipes and a bandage, getting them out I turn back to Jimin gulping.
Slowly I wipe over his bruise's disinfecting it before moving on to the cuts, Jimin flinches from the sting of the alcohol, apologizing I continued placing Bandages on the cuts after disinfecting. I started wrapping a compression bandage around his torso telling him how sorry I was every time I had to lift him up to get the wrap all the way around, thankfully Jimin wasn't too hard to lift but he did his best to help me out. Fixing up the clasp securing the compression bandage, I pulled Jimin's shirt back down before looking over his face and rest of his body to check for more injuries.
"Okay, all done" I spoke out slightly relived there wasn't any more injuries on him.
"P-please help them..."
Staring at Jimin I turned around seeing everyone else who was injured, pursing my lips I stood up from my crouched position looking at the hurt men, Namjoon, the Panther hybrid, and the Cat hybrid. Deciding the cat was the least dangerous and seem to hate me less I went over to him first where Hoseok was already trying to help.
The cat hybrid faced me before turning right back to face Hoseok trying to ignore my presence, but I persist.
Crouching down beside him I went to reach for his hand, but he moved it away, Hoseok seemed to notice and looked up at him, pleading with him to let me help. "Please let me help you."
We made eye contact as I spoke, knowing he couldn't fight and I won't give up he gave in moving his hand over to mine, I smiled at him trying to reassure him as I held his hand bringing it up to my face to closer inspect it.
He's dealt a few hits.
His knuckles were bleeding from the punches he clearly threw, grabbing the alcohol wipes I passed one to Hoseok so he could copy me as I saw him watching me intently, carefully I wiped down his knuckles, as the alcohol made contact with his raw knuckles his hand wrapped around mine gripping it so impossibly tight that my face twisted in pain, he seemed to notice and let go moving his hand away but I was quick to grab hold it. He mumbled out what I can only assume was an apology before letting me continue.
I finished wiping down his hands then got bandage wraps and tightly secured them around the cat hybrids hand. Hoseok passed me his other hand where I did the same, looking at the cat hybrid I could tell he'd been hit a few times but not enough to be seriously injured, besides, I don't think he'd let me touch his face.
I'll have to bring back some ice packs.
Giving a little tap on his hands to let him know I was done I returned to my full height slightly stretching before locking eyes with the next person who needs help, the panther hybrid.
What even happened here? Why are they all hurt?
Thank goodness they made me take basic first aid in school.
I waltzed over to the panther hybrid glancing down at him and Jungkook as well as the sugar glider hybrid, scanning his body it seemed as through most of his injuries were on his face, unfortunately due to where he was sitting propped up against the wall in between the chair and some boxes would make it hard to get to his face.
I stood in front of him crouching down coming face to face with him, he looked slightly surprised by my fast movements, his velvety brown eyes staring right back at me holding both pain and curiosity. Seeing his injuries, he had a busted lip which was bleeding and he had clearly been hit in his nose, as well as a cut along his eyebrow, he was covered in blood, his deep brown hair wet with the liquid. Biting my lip, I got to work starting with basic wipes to get most of the blood off followed by an alcohol wipe disinfecting the larger areas, but I had to get a cotton bud to help with the rest.
Slowly I swiped the cotton bud over his lips, he winced in pain but I kept going, moving up to his eye brow he kept staring into my eyes not looking away the whole time, it made me nervous but I couldn't stop, the pain must have been way worse because as soon as the coated cotton bud touched his eyebrow wound his arms snapped up grabbing hold of my thighs squeezing them and wincing in pain. Shocked I froze at the sudden contact, I had been so side tracked trying to help that I hadn't realized that I was crouching, hovering over his lap, blush spread up my neck blooming on my face at the realization of just how close we were. Opening his eyes, he looked me over seeming to notice my state before smirking at me, this only made my hot skin even worse, trying to get his attention off of me and release me from my embarrassment I put the cotton bud back on the cut below his eye.
This seemed to work as he grimaced in pain coughing a bit making me feel bad, but I continued cleaning up his face and adding small butterfly bandages where needed, when I finished, I tried to stand back up, but he kept me in place with his strong grip, my face started heating back up as I tried to hide it and look away. The smirk was almost audible on his face as he let out a light laugh before letting go of me.
Immediately I got up grabbing the first aid kit and stepping away a bit. Looking around everyone seemed to be doing okay now, they were either all patched up or looking after someone who had been injured. Thinking I was done I sigh slightly relaxing before I realized.
Namjoon.
Spinning around so fast the box almost dropped out of my hands I hastily made my way over to Namjoon before stopping just a few feet away from him, anxious I wasn't sure if I should step closer, he had his back facing me so I couldn't see his face. It wasn't until I started scanning his body for obvious injuries that I began to notice the dark, wet circle around him and the dark red growing up his worn grey shirt that I realized.
That's blood. He's bleeding... bad.
Standing closer to him a heard the familiar growl but this time it was different, it was laced with pain.
"T-That's a lot of blood...Namjoon-"
"Go away. I don't need your help."
Hesitating I considered just leaving him here, but I can't do that, I need to help him. Shoving the fear, I have of this man who is now clearly riddled with pain and writhing on the ground I pressed.
"Yes, you do." I sternly said stepping around him to face him meeting his eyes, anger and pain swirled in them as he looked at me, I crossed my arms and rivalled him own anger with my own at his sheer stubbornness. "I am going to help you."
I crouched down to get a better look at his wound but to no avail I still couldn't see it, huffing I put my hands on his chest using all the power I had and to attempted to push him over, thankfully due to his state Namjoon didn't fight back much, just groaning from the movement.
When he was finally facing up, I got a small idea as to where his injuries were, his shirt was mostly soaked in blood, but the source seemed to be right at the centre of his upper chest. Reaching to grab his shirt to pull it up he grabbed hand of my wrist stopping me, shooting me a glare, I shot one right back at him.
"I can't help if I can't get to the wound."
"I told you, I don't want help form you. I'm Fine."
His ice-cold tone striking my heart like a spear going straight through my chest and out my back, slightly taken a back I just stared at him before noticing, not only did his eyes hold anger for me and pain from his chest but they also held fear, pushed back as far as it could go, but still there.
He's scared of me...
Immediately my expression softened upon the realization that he was just scared of me, he was worried I'd hurt him or his pack, changing my approach to this I wrapped my other hand securely around his hand that was gripped on my wrist, encapsulated it as much as I could seeing as he had much bigger hands than me.
Staring into his eyes I spoke softly. "Please Namjoon, let me help you. I want you to be okay, for them." I nodded towards the others but kept eye contact with him. He stared into the eyes before begrudgingly letting go of my wrist and lifting his shirt up himself, giving him a small smile, I looked over to where his shirt once was my face dropping.
Across his upper chest were countless slashes, they didn't look deep enough to affect any of his organs but the sheer amount of them made him bleed like crazy, whoever did this clearly wanted to seriously harm him and whoever it was had got him good. My mind was running miles an hour not knowing where to start.
There's so much blood...
This is serious I can't patch this up.
"We need to get you to a hospital." I spoke is disbelief, his wounds were too severe for me to be able to help sufficiently, he needs proper medical attention, and I was worried about the amount of blood he was losing, it was pooling around him, and my legs were covered in the crimson red liquid that was pumping out of his body at an alarming rate.
"No, no hospitals. They won't help me." He grunted seeming to be losing consciousness.
"W-What? We have to! I can't fix this I-"
"No!" He yelled at me. "If you can't help me then I don't need help" He moved his hands trying to pull his shirt back down but my hands shot out stopping his, staring at his chest, knowing that if I don't help him, he won't get any help, for whatever reason he doesn't want to go to the hospital so I need to do my best what I have and my basic training.
Trying to clean up his chest was a mess, every time I wiped blood away more would ooze out from the cuts, I could tell it was hurting every time I did because he would tense and hiss out incomprehensible words. My hands by now were soaked with blood having it seep into my nailbeds where it appeared darker, it was all over my clothes and my face from wiping the sweat away, or at least I hope it was sweat.
Deciding against wiping the blood away anymore as it kept coming back, I started wrapping it figuring I can clean and disinfect it another time, Namjoon was not like Jimin, and I could not so easily lift him. "I need you to sit up so I can wrap it up." Namjoon was very out of it right now due to the blood lose but he needed to do this so he would stop losing blood, I'm starting to get seriously worried.
Weakly, Namjoon sat up, but I had to help him, I started wrapping around the bandage, it was going smoothly until Namjoon leant his weight on me throwing me off balance, smacking a hand to the ground to keep me sitting up straight, and the other went around Namjoon to stop him from falling. "Namjoon?" He didn't respond, panic spread through me as I tried to find a pulse, thankfully he had one, but it was weak.
Slightly adjusting our position, I kept wrapping the bandage around him trying to get it done fast and tight as my arms were aching from holding us up. Getting to the last round I secured it over his shoulder putting the wrap down and shifting slightly to lay Namjoon down. Not wanting his head to rest on the dirty ground still flooded with blood I placed his head on my lap and leaned against the wall behind me.
Before I could truly relax, I looked around making sure everyone was okay and patched up, Jimin was still out of it, but he was patched up, the panther hybrid seemed be drifting in and out of consciousness and the others were all sitting quietly scattered about the alley. A final sigh excited my mouth as I looked up to the sky closing my eyes trying to process everything.
Why are they all so hurt?
Who did this to them?
Was this normal?
"I'm sorry."
Breaking my thoughts, I opened my eyes and looked at the alley way only to see Jungkook staring at me, I hadn't noticed it before, but his eyes were red, liked he'd been crying. Confused by his words I softly spoke to him, too exhausted to be much louder.
"What do you mean?"
"I shouldn't have brought you here, I didn't mean to, but we weren't sure who else to go to."
"I'm happy you came and got me Jungkook. I would've been more worried if you didn't show up and I wasn't able to help." I said trying to ease the tension, it seemed like everyone was going to be okay which was good. "What happened?" I asked him finally making eye contact with the bunny boy.
"Well..."
As Jungkook went on to explain what had happened with a few of the other conscious members filling in gaps and details, I felt the bile rising in my throat at what they were saying. How this had happened before, and it was normal for them although it had never gotten this bad. Tears started to pool in my eyes, I hadn't realized how bad they were living, and it all came crashing down on me just how bad it was.
People would beat them up this badly, just because they were hybrids.
Growing up I had never met a hybrid, but I knew they existed, I thought they were cool, so I never had anything against them. I know Seoyeon had nothing against them either, she treated them just as she would treat anybody else. They don't deserve this, being treated like that, people who beat up hybrids or have establishment with 'No hybrids allowed' are just sick.
I know that it's mostly older people who have problems with hybrids these days, but they pass their beliefs onto their kids and the younger generations, and some people are just jerks for no reason. I was thankful that my parents never had anything against hybrids and just simply didn’t know much about them.
Knowing I wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, I settled down a bit more shifting under Namjoon’s weight trying to get a bit more comfortable. It was rest time for the boys, most of them had now lied down and closed their eyes trying to recover from the traumatic events from today.
Tumblr media
Jungkook kept talking and answering a few of my questions occasionally going quiet at some, which I took as stepping too far and moved on to a new question, by now pretty much everyone had passed out, it had been a few hours and I stuck around to keep an eye on them especially Namjoon, constantly checking his pulse making sure it didn't get any worse.
The stress of the situation was beginning to dawn on me, and my eyes kept closing, Jungkook had also drifted off muttering a quiet 'Thank you'. I slowly reached for my pocket which had my phone, getting it out and unlocking it I sent a brief message to Seoyeon letting her know I was okay and won't be back for a while before turning it off and stuffing it back in my pocket.
The exhaustion coming over my body my eyes started to close as my body went limp succumbing to the comfort of darkness.
Tumblr media
A/n: New chapter! I knew where I wanted this chapter to start and end but I had such a struggle writing it. I have never taken any sort of medical course, but my mum used to do first aid for our local football club, I kept asking her questions about injuries, bleeding out and whether you’d need proper medical help, she thought I was planning something 😭. I’ve never written about Injuries or stuff like this, so sorry if it sounds a bit weird, I’ll keep learning! Also, the support has been so amazing! I love reading all the kind words and thoughts about the book, I took a break from writing this week but I’m ahead in chapter writing so it’s not a big deal, I’ve written up to chapter 7 and I’m working of what’s going to be either Chapter 7.5 or 8, I’m thinking of just doing weekly updates since that’s how long it usually takes me to write a full chapter as I don’t have a lot of time and tend to have a short attention span. But anyways, I hope you all have a lovely day & Thankyou all for reading! 💜
367 notes · View notes
Text
I loved you once B.B
Tumblr media
Bucky Barnes x Reader 
Masterlist
Summary: Loving Bucky Barnes was never easy but breaking your heart seemed to come naturally to him. A love story about your heartbreak,his betrayal and a chance at redemption.
19.1 k words
Content Warning: ANGST, heartbreak, cheating, mature themes, +18 SMUT, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT (Pussy job, penetrative sex p in v, sad/angry sex? Rough sex mixed with a little pain. It will make sense once you read it) . Fluff, mentions of bad mental health from both Bucky and reader, graphic violence, character's death, mentions of women trafficking as well as assault.
A/N: Wow 19k words. Im sorry this took so long to finish but as you can tell it is super long as I promised. Buckle up y'all, this is sad. Also this is my first time writing a proper cheating fic so if you can/want let me know if you like it or not. You're welcomed to send me an ask with any comments, questions, etc., you have on this 😊
Post dividers by @firefly-graphics and @cafekitsune
Tumblr media
Now  
"Fuck you," you spat the words.    
Tears fell from your eyes as they made their way down your neck, making dark spots in the collar of your red turtleneck. Even when pain was drowning you, beauty never left you. Bucky felt as if he were watching a beautiful Renaissance painting—a tragedy of sorts.   
"Is that all? I really don’t have time for this."   
He didn’t recognize his own words or the indifference they came out with. He didn’t mean to say them, but it was as if his own body was working on autopilot, and he was only a spectator to the shitshow it was causing. He wanted to stop. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to say so many things, but the only thing he was capable of was hurting you.   
"Are you kidding me? That’s all you’re going to say?"   
"What else do you want me to say? You know what happened, you saw her with your own eyes. Anything I say is either going to make you angrier or make you cry even more. Let’s just be done with this, you’ll eventually get over it."   
The sound of your hand connecting with his face put an end to his sentence. The hit didn’t feel as such, his skin barely processed it as anything more than a simple graze, but once the initial shock wore off, the sting came along. But it didn’t compare to the pain he felt in his heart when his eyes connected with yours once again.   
"I always knew you were capable of many things, but not once did I think you would ever be this cruel."   
Your eyes drifted to your hands, your right hand playing with the ring you wore in your left. A sigh left your lips, and more tears fell before you finally slid it off your finger, placing it on the table next to you.   
A bucket of iced water. Painful, burning, scorching coldness— that’s how Bucky would describe looking at you while silently breaking your engagement. His mind was telling him to get on his knees, beg, and try to fix everything he had broken. But the darkest part of him, the one that had taken over his life was assuring him you were bluffing. You couldn’t leave, you always stayed. You always fought for him, even when he didn’t deserve it.   
"What are you doing?" he asked, his eyes rolling with the uninterested façade he had perfected.   
"I’m done, I can’t keep doing this anymore." You turned your back, strong and determined steps leading to his apartment door.  
Please, fix this.   
His trembling hands made their way to your wrist, anything that could mend the cracks in your heart that seeped with pain, the cracks he had caused with his own selfishness. Before his fingers could even graze your skin, your hand quickly swatted away his pathetic effort to stop you.  
"God, stop being so goddamed drama—"   
"Don’t fucking touch me. Don’t try to contact me ever again, I won’t answer."   
"Can you just—"   
"If I ever see you again I swear I’ll murder you. I didn’t kill you the first time we met but I swear I’ll do it if you even dare to breath in my direction."   
Your words hurt, it seemed as though each one stabbed him right through the chest in a taunting way, a reminder of how much he had screwed up. Bile rose to his throat when you recoiled at his proximity, and the hate in your eyes burned him with such force that he was sure you wouldn't wait until the next time you met.   
He deserved it either way.  
Bucky's eyes opened just as the car jolted, his heart racing against his chest, his ears buzzing. For a fraction of a second, he's confused, not remembering why he was in the car, but the fogginess of his thoughts was replaced with anxiety when he heard the tracker beeping on Sam's thigh. 
"Good, you’re awake. I think we’re almost there." Sam kept his eyes on the road, occasionally glancing down at the device that told him where to go. Judging by his demeanor, his friend didn’t seem as nervous as he did, if at all. It wasn’t like Sam had a reason to, he was the only one who had fucked up.  
He looked out at the vehicle, and the passing trees in the darkness of the night numbed his mind while he tried to forget about his dream. No, it wasn’t a dream, it was his worst memory to date. Usually, his nightmares were about the crimes he had committed while being the Winter Soldier, and he could blame them on his consciousness not being there with him. His own body didn’t belong to him, so he couldn’t keep blaming himself for the things HYDRA had forced him to do.  
With you, on the other hand, he could not blame anyone else but himself. His mind wasn’t tortured by a secret organization in hopes of ruining his relationship, nor was he forced to hurt the person about whom he cared the most to save thousands of lives. He did it all by himself, and now the nightmares have not only scared him but hurt him all over again.  
You started to show up in his dreams more frequently once Sam told him they needed your help. As expected, the super-soldier's first reaction was total and complete refusal. His friend thought it was a childish reaction the former winter soldier was having to avoid the awkwardness of meeting you again, only knowing your relationship had ended on bad terms without hearing the specifics. But the blue-eyed man wasn’t doing it for himself, he was doing it for you. The night you left, you made it clear you didn’t want anything to do with him, or even anything related to him, your resignation from the Avengers Team and subsequent evaporation from the face of the earth was a strong message to leave you alone.  
After a few hours of arguing, with both men going back and forth on why they did or didn't need you, Bucky finally agreed to go look for you. Lives were at stake, and no matter how hard he tried to look for a solution that avoided you, there seemed to be none. Before he could ask where to even start looking for you, Sam pulled out a device that seemed familiar to a phone. You had given Sam, and only Sam, a tracker that could find you anywhere in the world and could only be unlocked by a password you had whispered to him  
The depth of his tormenting cycle of thoughts didn’t let him register they weren’t on the road anymore until his partner stopped the vehicle. They were surrounded by tall, dense trees, and the crickets and cicadas that hid in the dark made an orchestra that filled the emptiness of the night. Sam grabbed his gear, the sound of a duffle bag being opened broke the rhythm of nature.  
"Why are we stopping here?" Bucky asked with a frown. His own duffle was placed across his back, the tinkering of the metal inside it annoying him slightly.  
His friend threw an annoyed look at him before rolling his eyes and scrambling through his belongings. "As I said like twenty minutes ago while you were brooding and having your own pity party, this thing shows her inside a building in the middle of the woods. I’d like to take a look around the area before going in blind."  
"Oh."  
Normally, the super soldier would’ve had a comeback for the annoying yet harmless insults his friend and partner would throw at him, even a snide comment. But this was different, no matter what Sam would say, he could only think of what was about to happen. So he let it slide, submerging himself in his own thoughts while Sam threw the little flying robot he nicknamed "Red Wing" into the air. Once it was hovering above them and Sam made sure to have full control of it, they began a walk that would last about thirty minutes before the device would find any signs of life.  
Sam and him were waiting somewhere near the alleged building, Sam's robot scanning the surroundings.The thumping in his chest returned, and his fingers became ice cold.He was so close. Close enough to see you, close enough to talk to you, and perhaps close enough to apologize. 
How would you react to seeing him? Would you be happy to see him? Probably not, considering the last thing you said to him was that you would kill him if he ever came near you. He knew he deserved it, but hopefully time changed your murderous resolution. Maybe even forgave him.  
Could you ever forgive him?  
A slight swat from Sam brought him back from his thoughts, silently letting him know they were ready to go. Bucky could sense it before the place was even visible, the vibrations of the music resonating through the ground. The smell of smoke, alcohol, and humanity reached his nostrils right as they saw the line of cars parked in a plain field next to what resembled a warehouse.  
To an untrained eye, it would look like a normal, unsanitary, and probably unsafe rave done by stupid people. But the polarized windows of the cars, the shine coming from the inside of the guards' jackets, and the lot of security cameras installed in the building told another story. Whatever or whoever was in there was dangerous, and as usual, you had gotten yourself in the middle of it.  
Bucky wasn’t an idiot. He knew you couldn’t stay away from helping people, no matter how hard you tried. He saw the breadcrumbs, microscopic, little clues that he could recognize as your style. A missing girl suddenly returning to her family, a kidnapped journalist in the middle of war returning to their respective embassy. A child trafficker falling from his hotel room in the twentieth floor. You had always been... effective when it came to missions, sometimes going overboard with your methods, but Tony, Steve, and himself had always guided you towards the good and righteous path that a person with your abilities was supposed to take. 
You lost all three of them in the span of a year.  
They were lucky that it was relatively easy to get inside, and even luckier that their clothes didn't draw too much attention to them. Sure, they seemed to be wearing more clothes than needed, as most people seemed to enjoy themselves topless and/or pantless, but with the darkness of the room barely being lit by the flashing blue and red lights, no one really noticed them.  
Guys, girls, and people he wasn’t sure how to label were grinding against each other. Hands touched him, pulling his jacket, and he had to push them all away, trying to make his way through the sea of people. The inside of the warehouse could pass for a functioning club, with couches, dance floors, and screens accommodating everyone inside.  
Bucky wasn’t sure he had ever seen anything like this; the debauchery that people showed shocked his old-fashioned ways. He was sure he had seen several people inside each other, whether it was fingers, tongues, or dicks, no one seemed to mind that everyone else could see them. How had you gotten yourself into the middle of this disguised orgy? What were you even doing here?  
Both men made their way to the front of the place, where a private section was installed looking over the dancefloor. Two large guys guarded the stairs that connected the lower and upper levels, allowing mostly attractive girls to ascend. Both men agreed that if you were to be found somewhere, it would undoubtedly be there. They scanned the room, looking for any way they could access the VIP level without having a pair of tits and long legs.  
He had never understood scenes in movies where they showed time slowing down. Every time he had been in a fight, whether it was as himself in the forties or as the winter soldier, everything seemed to happen too fast to process. Even the night you left, time had seemed to go at an abnormally fast pace, and by the time he could finally react the way he wanted, it had been too late.  
He never understood those scenes until he saw you walking to the protective railing surrounding the edge of the private section. Above the deafening music, the moans, and the music, he could hear your voice talking to someone else.  
It was as if he was seeing you for the first time. Your beauty had remained the same your hair, your eyes, and your lips all looked the same, yet his heart started racing just as it did all those years ago. You weren’t dressed like everyone else dancing around him, your black dress with a dangerous deep cleavage was sensuous, but it held a certain level of class that made you stand out from the crowd.  
Thump, thump, thump.  
Time moved at a slow pace, the slowest he had experienced. He was grateful for it, as it allowed him to appreciate every detail from you. The way your lips came close to the drink you had in your hand, the drumming your fingers did on top of the railing, the glint in your eyes—he knew it meant you were lost in your thoughts.   
Bucky had never been more grateful for the way time passed. Until he saw a pair of hands sliding across your waist, fingers gripping your hips so roughly, he was sure they would leave a mark on your skin. A semi-attractive man whispered words in your ear, his beard scruffing against your skin. You smirked, turning around to plaster your lips against his in a kiss that could make a pornstar blush.  
He knew you'd moved on; nearly a year had passed since the last time he saw you, and you'd probably found someone to sleep with, but he wasn't ready to watch you become someone else's. His mind was prepared to face your happiness, but his heart wasn’t. And even now, he was sure you were just tagging along with the man, using him for information for whatever mission you had gotten yourself into, yet he felt as if what remained of his heart had been ripped out of his chest.  
With strong, rough movements, the man turned you around, pressing your body against the railing. As his hand grabbed your neck, your hips grinded against his, your mouth open as you licked your lips. 
The super soldier couldn’t take it anymore, his heart begged him to stop the torture. He wasn’t even sure where Sam was, nor did he care. He cared about you, and he could only think about what he had lost. With the last of his dignity, he began to look away from you and your companion, who had leaned over to your ear once more. Except this time his eyes found Bucky’s, his fingers tightening around your neck.  
He knew. Somehow the man knew who he was and, most importantly, who you were.  
Your eyes widen slightly, searching through the sea of people dancing downstairs. But it didn't take you long to find those blue eyes you once adored. He was there, looking exactly the same as the night you left him, along with your heart.  
"I know who you are." The man whispered in your ear—a threat not so subtly hidden behind every word.  
But you couldn’t dwell long on his words because ice-cold eyes looked back at you. Ice cold eyes brought back the pain you thought you left behind, and the rage surfaced once more as you remembered the promises you made him.  
Cold metal was pressed against your neck, the edge of it grazing your skin. Bucky’s eyes widened in alarm, and his hands turned into fists, making him look like he cared. Like he actually had a heart.  
He barely took two steps in your direction when the wicked smile you wore stopped him. It was sinister. It was deadly. And when you turned to the man to say something, his grip faltered as one word left your lips.  
"Good"  
Your head connected against the man’s nose, a crack let you know it was most likely broken. You barely heard the man’s yells when bullets made their way to you, a couple of them grazing your skin. The room that was once filled with hips swaying, alcohol, and moans had transformed into a frenzy of screams and people running to get out of the building.  
The crowd tried to take Bucky away; their desperate attempts at escaping dragged him away as he fought his way through the sea of people. Seconds passed, and he could hear your grunts as well as more shooting coming from the upper floor, with girls running down the stairs, some of them with splashes of blood staining their clothes.  
He didn’t know whose blood it belonged to, and that frightened him.  
Sam’s voice pulled him out of his trance. "What the hell happened?"  
His friend had managed to make his way to him, both of them still getting pushed around. Bucky offered him a quick glance before resuming his previous task of making his way to the stairs.  
"Her cover is blown," was all the explanation Bucky offered, and somehow it was enough. Before any of them could add anything, screams came from the front door, three bulky men were making their way there while carrying very large and dangerous guns. "Take care of them, I’ll go help her," the super soldier said without leaving any room for discussion.  
When his fingers finally grabbed the banister of the stairs, Bucky was close to losing his mind. Climbing two steps at a time, he finally found himself a scene that froze him in the spot.  
You were there, your black dress ripped in some places, your makeup ruined by mascara running down your cheeks, and blood splashes tainted your flawless skin. Bucky had managed to get there just in time as you twisted a man's arm to an unnatural angle, the crack of his joint popping out of place was followed by his screams. You had managed to kill/knock out everyone except for the guy who had previously had a knife to your throat, and Bucky knew better than to think that was just a mere coincidence.  
After the last man fell to the ground, blood sputtering out of his neck, you lifted your gaze towards him. He couldn’t read you as easily as he had once been able to and he hated it. Before, he was sure he knew you better than you knew yourself, more than once already sure of your likes and dislikes before you asked him for an opinion. He had treasured those times in his mind, and the memories were as comforting as they were painful. A constant reminder of what he had lost.  
He was right there, right in front of you. The man you fell in love with when you still had a heart. The man who still had a tight grip on it and who would probably always own it. He could keep it for all you cared, your heart was tainted with memories you didn’t wish to keep.  
It was the first time both of you were this close, every scream gone as you were absorbed by your own bubble. He looked so familiar that your own body reacted the way it used to whenever you saw him. Your heart stammered in your chest, and even after so long, the butterflies in your stomach appeared for a millisecond. He was the man you had once loved, he was the man with whom you imagined a future together.  
Then, you remembered why all your hopes and dreams had been destroyed.  
Bucky noticed the hurt flashing through your face, your jaw tightening right before you made your way to him. For a moment, he thought you were about to hug him, your desperation to reach him in your long strides mirroring his as his body begged him to touch you. He wanted to apologize, beg for forgiveness at your feet, and profess the love that he wasn’t able to forget.  
Perhaps if his mind hadn't been plagued with all the things he wanted to do, he would’ve noticed your foot rising to give him a solid kick on the chest.  
The force and unexpectedness of your attack launched him back to the railing, throwing him over it. His back landed with a loud thud on the floor, fortunate enough for him, everyone else seemed to have dissipated and his fall wasn’t that high up. A second later, you jumped from the banister, landing on top of him with your knife in hand. Your knee found it’s place on his chest, feet pressing his hands flat on the surface. Before Bucky could even muster a word, the blade was pinned against his throat.  
"I told you if I ever saw you again, I would fucking kill you." 
Tumblr media
Then  
Steve had changed so much in the years they had spent apart. His friend, who had once been the fragile little Brooklyn boy he would protect with his life, was now a fully grown man with a strength that could crush a person if he wasn’t careful enough. He was also now his protector, not from bullies that would harass him because of his own stubbornness but from a secret organization that wanted to take over the world. That and his own fractured mind.  
He had lost control once the man had given him the commands to bring back the deadly assassin they had turned him into. He remembered it all, but it had felt as if he was under water the whole time, falling deeper and deeper the more he tried to fight against it. His own body didn’t belong to him, no matter how hard he tried to control it.  
For a year, he had thought it was possible to lead a normal life; his time spent in Romania had given him false hope that he had gotten away from his captors. How foolish he had been, thinking he could ever be far away from his grasps. He wasn’t the man he was before, just a weapon designed to hurt people.  
He supposed he was lucky Steve still saw good in him, at least enough to turn against his teammates and friends to help him clear his name. And now, as they drove to one of Steve’s friends' hideouts, he couldn’t help but feel guilty about everything that was going on. If he hadn’t lost control, Steve wouldn't be a wanted criminal. If he wasn’t captured, a shit ton of innocent, good people would still be alive. If his mind had been stronger, he could’ve broken free of HYDRA's mind control.  
Maybe it would’ve been better if he had actually died when he fell from that train.  
Steve parked outside an abandoned apartment complex, it seemed no one had lived there in years. He threw a questioning eyebrow at Sam, who just shrugged before getting out of the vehicle. Another of Steve’s friends had decided to help him out of loyalty to Steve, not because he particularly liked Bucky or entirely believed in his good side.  
All three men walked inside the building, not a sound inside other than their footsteps and heavy breathing. Steve looked around for a couple of seconds before making his way to the second floor, his intuition telling him where to go. He stood in front of a door with a big C plastered on it, his friend's hand hesitating before knocking on the wood.  
After the third knock came back without an answer, Steve decided to open the door. He had called a name while crossing the threshold, looking around for any signs of life inside the apartment. Bucky was surprised to find the apartment filled with computers, blueprints, documents, and lots of military-grade equipment. Everything gave away the signs of someone working there, yet there was no one who took ownership over them.  
It was too late when Bucky heard you standing behind him, with his feet being swept by your leg and effectively knocking him down. The wooden floor amplified the echo of his fall, catching Steve and Sam’s attention. Your frame landed on top of his, gun aimed directly between his eyes.Bucky's hand reached to grab your ankle in an effort to destabilize you, but the barrel of your weapon was pressed right on his forehead.  
"I wouldn’t do it if I were you," you said coolly. "I promise you, I’ll blow your brains out before you can even land a hit."  
After your words filled the room, Bucky’s eyes finally took their chance to look at you, actually look at you.  
God, you were beautiful.  
Maybe it was only your physical beauty that had taken him by surprise, or the fact that you had taken him down so easily with just one leg movement. Or even the fact that you seemed to have no fear towards a man who was being marketed as a "dangerous and armed terrorist." Whatever it was, Bucky couldn’t deny the fact that you were the most beautiful human being he had seen.  
After a few explanations from Steve’s part and some begging for help, you released the super soldier from your hold, weapon holstered in your back. Your hand extended to help him get off the floor, and you offered him a charming but wary smile.   
You told the three men to make themselves at home and take anything they needed. Bucky had chosen to keep guard, being by himself in the top floor while looking out through a window that hid him from everyone else. He was stewing in his own complicated thoughts when he heard a knock on the wall. You were there, standing a few feet away from him with a shy smile on your face as you extended to him a cup filled with hot coffee.  
Thump, thump, thump.  
"Sorry about the whole thing holding you hostage," you said as he welcomed the cup.  
His fingers accidentally grazed against your own, and it was as if he had touched electricity itself. Heat extended from his hands all through his body, and his ability to think was thrown out of the window. He looked at you, and he couldn’t tell if you felt the same or not, but he could feel how your eyes burned him, with a curiosity behind them that was so easy to read that he was surprised you were the black ops/spy Sam had told him.  
"It’s whatever, I would’ve done the same thing if I were you." Bucky answered after a few seconds.  
He turned to look through the window again, trying to keep his thoughts in order. You settled down next to him, the warmth of your skin reaching his own. Nothing could be heard other than your breathings, not even the cars outside or the sound of the busy city that hid you. And for the first time in a long time, Bucky felt relaxed with someone he didn’t know from the past.  
"I’m James."  
He could’ve sworn he heard you smile before you gave him your name. 
Tumblr media
Now  
"What the fuck are you doing here, Barnes?"  
The music was still on, as were the blue and red lights that lighted up the darkness in the room. Bucky could feel the breeze of your breath on his face and the smell of expensive whisky and tobacco in every word you said. He wasn’t surprised, the man that you knocked out probably tried to impress you with them.  
But behind the traces of blood, alcohol, and gunpowder, he could smell your shampoo. The same peony smell mixed with lavander filled his nostrils, and it brought him back to the many nights you had spent together. Your fingers were drawing circles on the skin of his back, and his nose was buried in your hair.  
You, on the other hand, were reminded of the suffering he caused you with every passing second.  
"I told you to stay away from me," you muttered.  
Your hand pressed the edge of the blade on his skin, and you were sure if you kept going you were going to start drawing out blood, but you couldn’t care less. Bucky Barnes had always been an expert at instilling unwanted emotions in you, and it was difficult to keep those emotions at bay right now. 
You felt anger. You felt resentment. You felt pure, long-lasting hatred.  
"Maybe I should slit your throat right now, that’ll make you stay away from me permanently."  
Your words were intimidating, filled with the same promise you had made him that fateful night. This was his chance, his chance at the apology that had died out in his throat when you closed the door behind him. This was the chance he had chased in his dreams for almost a year.  
But he couldn’t say anything.  
He loved you. God, he loved you so much. He missed seeing your face other than in the few pictures he kept or in the memories that did no justice. Because even now, as you threatened to kill him, you were a dream come true, just like the first time he saw you. 
"Say something!"  
"You’re beautiful."  
Your grip faltered on the knife, your eyebrows slightly furrowing at his words.  
No, he couldn’t do this. He couldn’t come back out of nowhere, say some cheesy, basic compliment, and make the walls of hate you had built crumble. Even if he had only managed to knock down one brick, he didn't deserve it. You knew it, he knew it, and everyone else who knew what happened between you two knew it.  
Then why did your heart flutter at his words?  
"Hey," Sam said, breaking the silence, your head snapping in his direction."I know he’s an asshole, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t kill my partner."  
You look back at Bucky for a few seconds before giving up, throwing your knife to the floor. Sam leaned over, his hand extended to help Bucky get up.Your murderous eyes went from Bucky to Sams, your gaze softening at his friend.  
"I told you to only contact me in emergencies," you grumbled.  
A hiss left your lips when you touched your arm, one of the bullet wounds was still seeping blood. Bucky thought about telling you something, but this time he listened to the rational part of his brain that told him to shut the fuck up.  
"Believe me, if we had a choice, we wouldn’t have come," Sam said.  
Your eyes flickered between both men, not convinced about helping them. Well, on helping the blue eyed super soldier. A pathetic excuse for why you couldn’t help them died on your lips once you saw his blue eyes. Please, help us they begged.  
You didn’t owe him anything. You shouldn’t help him, but in the back of your head, Steve’s voice rang through. Good ol’ Steve Rogers and his everlasting moral lessons. That's what we have to do, he said. 
So you put aside your feelings because helping people mattered more than an idiot who broke your heart.  
"What do you want?" You sighed.  
"We’re looking into something... odd. A bunch of pregnant women missing, still in their early stages of pregnancy. Most of them show up dead after giving birth, but the babies are nowhere to be found."  
You shrug. "They take the kids, so?"  
It was cold, you were aware of it. But after the things you had seen, the things you had done, you were aware that people kidnapping woman for their babies wasn’t something out of the ordinary, let alone something that required Captain America to look into it. Things like that were always forgotten, pushed back into a slew of cases alongside more missing women. 
"They had traces of the super serum."  
Fuck.  
You laughed. A joyless, cynical type of laugh. Destiny, of course, had to be a jerk. 
"Well, you’re in luck. I think we’re tracking down the same people." Sam raised an eyebrow at you with a simple request for you to elaborate. "A girl showed up dead in México a couple of months ago, she’d been missing for almost a year. Autopsy showed she had a miscarriage before dying, the bleeding killed her. The remains had traces of the serum too."  
"Are you saying that—?" Sam couldn’t finish his sentence, the thought sending chills along his spine.  
"Yeah."  
The air is somber between the three of you. Sure, the flag smashers were a problem when they appeared, as you knew from all the news reports you'd seen.People with ten times the strength of a normal human being were dangerous, especially if they were associated with a terrorist organization. 
This was different, though. This was sinister.  
Groans coming from the top floor broke the eeriness that surrounded you, making you finally remember why you were here. You tore apart part of the black dress that was once pristine and wrapped it around your arm.  
"Look at this guy over there," you said, motioning behind you. "He has intel on this, he’s the one that gets the girls and delivers them."  
"Well, let’s take him in and—"  
You cut Sam off. "No. Look, you came looking for me because this is my specialty. I know how to handle guys like him, and I sure as hell know he won’t tell us shit if we take him to a precinct and threaten him with some jail time. He’s a big fish. A few phone calls and he’ll be out in no time." They knew you were right, but they didn’t like your arguments. "We do this my way, or you better pray you find them before I do."  
Sam looked hesitant. He knew what you were going to do to the man, and his good conscience chastised him for even thinking of letting you torture someone. But the rational part, the part that knew that in this case there wasn’t much of an option, knew that they needed you, and perhaps you also needed them.  
"Just, don’t kill him." Sam said before walking away.  
Compromise. You could do compromise.  
"Fine," you said, rolling your eyes. 
After Sam slammed the door shut on his way out, you were reminded of the fact that you weren't alone. Bucky’s eyes were already looking at you, the same apologetic eyes you had seen before you kicked him in the chest.  
"Thanks for helping us." He spoke, thinking it was an appropriate way to break the ice, but it only managed to make you scoff.  
"Let’s make something clear, I’m not doing this for you." you spat. "I’m doing this because Sam needs my help and so we can save those innocent girls and stop any more from being taken. This doesn’t change anything between us, as soon as this is over, you go back to leaving me the fuck alone, got it?"  
Say something. Fight for her. Explain what happened, his mind begged him.  
But he couldn’t, because even if it had been almost a year since he last saw you, he was still the same coward who let you walk away without a fight.  
So he agreed.  
"Yeah."  
"Good. I’ll meet you outside." 
Tumblr media
Then  
"Thanks for the coffee." Bucky said before taking a sip.  
Droplets of water fell from his forehead, a strand of unruly black hair was hanging on the side of his eyebrows. The towel that hung from his waist, showing his torso all the way down to that sculpted V of his abdomen, made it too difficult to concentrate on the files you were trying to organize.  
The man was hotter than the sun.  
"No problem." you smiled at him.   
You had no idea it would be the best and worst decision you'd ever made when you suggested Bucky stay with you while Steve went to rescue the others.You liked Bucky, and the few days you spent with him while Steve and the others gathered everything they needed so they could go find Zemo had been nice. Sure, he was a man of a few words, but it didn’t bother you. It was weirdly comforting to be able to enjoy someone’s company in silence. And the times he spoke, he did it out of pure curiosity, curiosity about the world, about what had happened while he was in the ice, but mostly about you.  
He asked about your cases, how you met Steve, and how you came to partner with some of the most powerful people in the world. He asked about your life, about your childhood in the orphanage, and what made you choose to help people. He asked so many questions, yet he still respected you when you didn’t want to answer some of them. He asked, not to pry, but to get to know you, and in return, when you asked him something, he was as honest as he felt comfortable being.  
And that was the problem. No matter how much you tried, you knew your days with Bucky Barnes were numbered. Ever since you were young, you knew that being in this line of work would prevent you from having a normal life. You couldn't have a normal relationship. You weren’t meant to have the love story your favorite movies portraited, the white picket fence and the family of five wasn’t in your future.  
Neither was he, maybe in the forties he would’ve came home from war and found himself a pretty girl to marry. But now, after everything he had seen and everything he had unwillingly done, he probably wouldn't want a relationship any time soon. Or maybe not at all.  
But after three weeks of being cramped up in the same little apartment, you were getting used to him. You had developed a little routine together that always ended up with a cup of coffee at the end of the day. Sometimes both of you would just sit in silence, taking in each other's company while you sipped on your cups. Other times, just like now, he would sit next to you as you watched whatever movie you had decided to put on.  
You had to cut this at the root before it became too hard to let go.  
"So, you’re going to Wakanda?"  
He sighs. "Yeah. Steve says they have someone that might be able to help with... help with my..."  
"I know." You finished for him, suddenly placing your hand on top of his. He tensed at your touch, both of you looking down at your hands before you took away yours, embarrassed at your own lack of control. "Well, if you’re not too busy there, I could go visit you sometimes."  
"You would?" he questioned.  
"If you want me, too," you shrugged, trying not to reveal your excitement. 
He looked at you, his thoughts unreadable through his face. For a moment, you thought he was going to reject your offer, but something changed in his eyes. He smiled, the faintest, littlest hint of a smile you had seen, but it was there.  
You made him smile for the first time.  
"Yeah. I’d like that."  
If someone were to ask Bucky when he first felt he could love you, it would be right now. With the dim light of the TV lighting up your face and a shy smile on your lips as you told him you were willing to travel such a long distance just to see him.  
And as you lay next to him, your head against his shoulder, you thought to yourself that maybe you could be selfish for once and allow yourself to enjoy his company a bit more. 
Tumblr media
Now  
There were drops of water leaking out of a pipe, he could hear them from the other side of the room. Everything around him was dark, it seemed the only source of light was on top of him and the woman on the floor pleading for her life.   
"Please don’t do this," she begged with a Spanish accent. "I don’t want to die, please."   
He wanted to move, he wanted to throw away the gun in his hand, but it was like he was a spectator of his own life. His body was not his, or his breathing. Not even his heartbeat listened to the inner panic attack he was having. Nothing belonged to him.   
"Kill her," a distorted voice told him. His eyes glanced at him quickly, and he noticed the man had no face. No one around them had one.   
Everything felt like it was in slow motion. His finger moved, pressing the trigger of the gun, but he refused to give up. He had to try, even if his own consciousness was trying to kick him out, sucking him into the pool of darkness he had been resting in for a long time.   
But even if he tried for years, he couldn’t win. He was powerless.   
Broken.   
He could only witness how the other "him" obeyed. The woman's eyes changed from scared to lifeless in less than a second. A splash of crimson staining his combat boots kept his attention. He couldn’t hear what the other people in the room were saying, he didn’t exist anymore, or he didn’t want to. The sound of the water leak was deafening now. Growing louder and louder until it consumed everything around him   
He didn’t want to be awake. Not like this.   
And as he felt himself disappearing, he hoped this was the last time he came back to the surface. He would rather be surrounded by emptiness.   
Yet something interrupted him, pulling him back up.   
A woman's voice, so familiar it made his heartbeat change.   
"Bucky!"  
Bucky's eyes opened wide. His head was spinning, his breathing was rapid, and his heart felt like it was going to burst through his chest. The adrenaline in his system made him dizzy, and he could feel his hands shaking. And he was feeling. A lot. Scared, angry, hopeless. So many emotions constricted his chest, burying him under their weight.  
"Bucky," you repeated. His head snapped at you, showing you a pair of wide, terrified eyes.  
Your feet almost moved. A pure protective instinct filled you with dread at the fact that you couldn’t help him anymore. Your head and your heart were in conflict. In one hand your heart begged you to go to him, stroke his back as you peppered kisses along his shoulder. Then you would lie back in bed while your hands surrounded his body, your front pressed to his back in a way to say, I’m here, I love you, and everything will be alright.  
On the other hand, your brain told you to turn in the other direction. Walk away from the night terrors that plagued his mind and let him suffer in silence. He wasn't your responsibility anymore, and you shouldn't be concerned about helping him with whatever was wrong with him. 
Was it possible to hate and care about someone at the same time?  
"Nightmares?" you couldn’t help yourself from asking. 
His left hand rubbed his eyes, a sigh leaving his lips. "Yeah. Sorry if I woke you up."  
"You didn’t."  
You sat at the table in front of the couch he was lying on, a steaming cup of lavender tea between your hands. The cling of the spoon clashing against the ceramic filled the uncomfortable silence between you.  
"Where’s Sam?" he asked, sitting straight as a couple of droplets of sweat fell down his forehead.  
"He has a contact in the city. He left to meet them."  
"Oh."  
Whatever else he was about to say died on his lips. You noticed he seemed to do that often since meeting again, his eyes speaking the words he would never say. Sometimes you would catch him looking at you, the frown on his forehead deepening with the passing of time. It made you wonder if he would now be open to answering your questions.  
"He said you’re going to therapy."  
He was taken aback by your question. It probably was the first time you said more than the necessary to him. Also, it was the first time that you showed any sort of interest in his life.  
"Uh, yeah. Court mandated."  
You hummed, sipping on your tea.  
"Does it work?"  
You saw the hesitance in his eyes. The way his jaw clenched and his grip on the couch made his knuckles white made you think he was about to change the subject with a witty, bitter, or sarcastic remark, or maybe even just ignore the question at all. You wouldn’t be surprised if he did, by the end of your relationship, he was an expert in it.  
Bucky didn’t change much after all, you thought to yourself  
But he broke the silence.  
"In some ways." he started, his gaze dropping to the floor. "The nightmares don’t come as often anymore, and I don’t feel the need to shoot every asshole that drives a shitty car with a shitty exhaust pipe." You chuckled at his confession, making a slight smirk show on his face. "But she’s too much."  
"What do you mean?"  
He sighed. "She pisses me off. I hate that she keeps trying to make me feel better by just saying my life is better now and I shouldn’t feel like shit anymore. But it’s not that easy. Just like it’s not easy to follow the stupid set of rules she gave me."  
He looked up to see your reaction to his words, expecting to see the same hardened look you’ve given him the past couple of weeks. And it was just that what greeted his eyes, your lips slightly pressed together and your eyes decorated with a slight scowl that only showed up for him.  
But behind the tough exterior, he could see your eyes had softened. For a brief second, your eyes showed care and understanding to what he siad before going back to the usual void stare you gave him.  
"She sounds like a bad therapist." He shrugged in agreement, he couldn’t say anything against the truth. "She also sounds like a bitch."  
He laughed. The type of laugh that caught him off guard and made his lungs run out of air. Granted, your joke might’ve not been as funny as his laugh was giving it credit for, but he had always been fond of your bluntness.  
You couldn’t help but laugh with him too.  
Laughing with Bucky felt foreign yet so familiar at the same time. It felt like reminiscing on a memory you didn’t remember you had, a bittersweet memory that brought back the same good feeling of the memories you built together  
But moments like that couldn’t last forever. Your heart couldn’t afford to remember.  
A text message from Sam lit up your screen, saying his contact had useful information. You stood up from the table after texting him back and drank the rest of the cup's contents. 
"You should try to get some sleep, we have a long day ahead."  
His shoulders dropped slightly.  
"Yeah, you’re right. I’ll try to."  
With nothing left to say, you walked away, leaving Bucky in the loneliness of the night.   
You didn’t go right away to the room you had adopted as your own, though. He heard you going through the kitchen, a dim sound of clinking and pouring reaching him due to his enhanced hearing. He didn't think anything of it; maybe you needed more tea before going to bed. 
Your steps brought you back to him before you placed an object on the coffee table right beside him.  
A cup of lavender tea. 
Tumblr media
Then  
"It’s kinda late to be outside, huh?"  
Bucky jolted at the sound of your voice, your presence taking him by surprise. He was completely sure that when he left a couple of hours ago his house was empty and you hadn’t sent a message of your arrival.   
Something had happened? Was someone injured? Were you in trouble?  
His questions died on his lips as you cut the space between you and him short, your arms tightly embracing him. Your head found its place in the crook of his neck, his long hair falling on your face. His hands took a second to respond, but they eventually wrapped around your waist, bringing you closer to his chest.  
You stayed like that for what felt like ages, just taking in each other's warmth. He missed you, even if he tried to deny it every time his thoughts would wander to you. He tried to convince himself that his reclusion made him miss everyone he considered a friend, and in a world where everyone seemed to want him dead, you were one of the few people he trusted.  
He had been staying in Wakanda for nearly six months, and out of those six months, you had visited him at least once every month. The duration of your trip would vary, sometimes you would stay only a few hours, with most of your time spent in his hut while sharing stories of the outside and his progress. Other times, you'd stay for days, with the longest stay being a week and a half. In those cases, he would show you the surroundings, the forest that surrounded the back of his hut or take you on a long walk alongside the river that crossed his home. Sometimes you'd sit outside and stare at the stars, your only company being the animals and the flora. 
He also came to hate every time you would leave, feeling like a part of himself was leaving with you.  
One of his hands landed on the side of your hips, the other searching for your face.Your grip on him grew tighter once his fingers brushed the skin on your face but you eventually let go, allowing his hand to guide you slightly away from him.  
"What happened?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.  
You didn’t respond, but one look into your eyes, and he knew the answer. Whatever it was, it had affected you to the core, the broken look in your eyes could only be compared to the one he saw every time he looked at his reflection in the mirror.  
His forehead rested on yours, both your eyes closing at the contact.  
"It’s ok. I got you."  
His hand found yours as he guided you toward his bed. It wasn’t until then that he noticed you still had your tactical gear on, dirt and crystals still hiding in some places. He grabbed the buckle of your vest, his eyes asking for permission to get it off. A slight nod gave him the confirmation, beginning the process of somewhat freeing you of the events you had seen. He got rid of his own garments too, leaving you both standing in front of yourselves with only underwear covering you. He dragged you into bed, your frames covered by the light white sheets on his bed. 
Not many times had he allowed himself to think of you in a sexual manner, knowing how his body would react in a lustful way. But as he found himself looking at you with barely any clothes on, the desire was left on the back burner of his brain. You needed him. You needed his comfort, and he was more than willing to give it to you.  
He would give you anything you asked for.  
His hand rested on your face, tracing circles across your cheek, your eyes closed at the soothing action.  
"I’m sorry." Your voice trembled. He could see you wanted to say more, but words failed to come out of your mouth  
Bucky’s heart ached. He had never seen you in such a vulnerable state, and his mind was going cray at the thought of not being able to do anything to help you.  
"It’s ok, sunshine. You don’t have to talk about it."  
So you lay there, head against his chest, as he kept you between his arms, with nothing other than the sound of the crickets outside his hut surrounding you. And for the first time in a long time, you felt what being loved felt like.  
That night, you kissed him for the first time. You didn’t stop, not even the next morning when he woke you up with breakfast already made and a cup of lavender tea. 
Tumblr media
 Now  
"Bring him to the table!" you yelled.  
Your hand swept across the surface, knocking over every piece of paper, pencil, and piece of equipment. The vibrations of the heavier objects on the concrete floors matched the beating of your heart.  
Bucky dropped Sam on the table. The man had gone unconscious on the ride to the safe house, the bullet wound that oozed liquid crimson was most likely the cause.The same crimson color now stains Bucky's clothes, and his leather gloves were also covered in a thin layer of it.  
You brought your knife to slash through his clothes, the sharp metal cutting through them as if they were butter. The hole on his shoulder seemed to have no exit, the bullet was still inside him. You were glad Sam wasn’t conscious for the next hour.  
The super soldier hovered over you for the entirety of the time you spent cleaning through the fragments that splintered from the bullet. Everything went relatively well until Sam started waking up, his body contorting in pain as you dug through his wound. Bucky brought him a bottle of vodka while you injected him with some local anesthesia.  
Hours later, the wounded man was now resting on the only bed the safehouse had, his breathing bringing great comfort as it meant he was still alive. After half a bottle of vodka and a some painkillers diluted on his IV, you were sure he wouldn’t wake up until tomorrow.  
The faucet sprayed cold water onto your palms. Your nails desperately tried to scrape away the traces of blood that still lingered in your skin, leaving red marks all across your knuckles. Dirt and dried blood were trapped underneath your fingernails, and no matter how much you tried to dig it out, it would stay right there.  
Bucky’s footsteps brought you out of your trance, the heavy sound of his combat boots felt deafening with each step he took. You tried to tune him out, focusing once again on the sound of water, but it seemed as if Bucky had made it his purpose to be as loud as possible. You held onto the sink so strongly that you were sure it would snap.  
A deep rage came from your stomach, spreading all over your body. The anger constricted your chest in such a way that you weren’t sure if somehow you were buried under a collapsed building, its weight invisibly crushing you.  
It was his fault. It was all his fault.  
You didn’t remember walking outside the bathroom, nor did you remember walking up to him and slapping away the cup of water his hand held.  
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" you barked at him.  
"I—"  
"I gave you one task. You had to wait until I gave you the signal so you could come in. Not guns blazing, not punching everyone that comes your way, not drawing everyone's attention to us. Your only fucking job was to wait for the distributor to show up and wait for my goddamn signal."  
"What did you want me to do? Just stand there and do nothing?" he argued.  
You were taken aback by his response. Part of you expected him to just let you scream at him and give you the same soft eyes he always gave you when you spoke to him.You weren't expecting him to snap back at you or to defend himself. 
Maybe if things hadn’t gone sour between you two, you would’ve listened to what he said, and in return, he would’ve listened to you. But the anger was too strong to be subdued.  
"I wanted you to follow the fucking plan."  
"He was about to torture you!"  
Bucky's thoughts returned to the old factory turned whorehouse.The way you had purposefully gotten caught and how they had tied you to an exposed pipe line. He could still hear the sound of the man’s hand smashing against your cheek.  
"I can handle myself! I told you guys to stay put until the distributor was there. He knows I’m after him, and this was our only chance to catch him. And now he’s god knows where and Sam got fucking shot."  
A heartbeat passed before Bucky came close to your face. His big frame towered over you, and his breathing hit your face.  
"You’re fucking delusional if you think I was just going to let anything happen to you."  
You scoffed, "Oh, so now you care?"  
"I’ve always cared."  
You pulled away from him, your eyes rolling at his pathetic words.  
"Sure."  
Perhaps it was the fact that you had been in danger no longer than a couple of hours ago, or maybe it was the heat of the fight that had left some residues on him. Whatever it was, it made Bucky courageous enough to reach for your arm.  
"Look at me."  
You swatted him away.  
"Don’t fucking touch me."  
But this time he wasn't going down without a fight.Not again.  
"I know I was an asshole at the end of our relationship, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care for you anymore."  
A bitter laugh came out of you. All of this had to be some sick joke. "When you care about someone, you don’t treat them like that. You didn’t care about me, and you sure as hell didn’t love me."  
His hand tried to touch you again, and this time you let him. You were tired. Tired of fighting with him. You closed your eyes as soon as his skin came in contact with yours, his touch consuming all of your senses.  
You opened your eyes to find him staring back at you, the blue eyes that once hurt you shining the same way they did the first time you kissed him.  
"I did love you," he whispered into your lips. "I still do."  
His words burned you like someone had branded you with hot iron in the chest.Even after all this time, he could still hurt you, Why couldn’t he just leave you alone? Why did he have to bring back the past you so fiercely tried to leave behind?  
"Don’t." Your lower lip quivered. "Y-you can't just break my heart and then come back into my life and just say you still love me."  
"I never stopped loving you."  
Those five words were all it took to tear down what little control you had over yourself. A year ago it would've broken you to hear them but now they only brought a deep sense of indignation. 
With a quick move, you pulled his hand away from you, your hands pushing against his chest until he hit the wall. You wanted him to hurt. You wanted to carve his heart out of his ribcage and throw it far away, maybe then he would understand what it felt like.  
"Where was your love when I needed it, huh? Where was your love when I had no one else? Where was your love when I reached for you every night but you were already gone? Where was your love when I begged you to love me, to be there for me?" Your hands were clutching his jacket, and your vision was blurred by tears."Where the fuck was your love when you brought that girl to your apartment?"  
Bucky never saw you like this, not even when he stomped on your heart with his indifference. Under the anger, the hate, and the surface indifference you showed him, he could see how broken you were. He could see how you were constantly struggling to put the pieces of yourself back together that he had torn apart. 
He hated himself for extinguishing parts of you. 
"I’m sorry."  
A lapse of judgment.  
That’s what you would tell anyone who asked you why you kissed Bucky that night. You would say that you had been blinded by the pure rage his mere presence would bring you. Or perhaps you would take the easy route and you would say that with everything that happened that night, almost being tortured and Sam getting hurt, you had acted in a primitive instict of searching comfort.  
The truth was different. You could lie to yourself and say that you didn’t needed Bucky, not after all the things he had done. You lied to yourself constantly when you told yourself you were over him. You also lied to yourself when you claimed that your one-night stands had fulfilled you in the same way that Bucky had. 
You couldn’t feel anything, not ever since you walked out of his apartment. You had tried different people, different cities. You had tried different alcohols and different drugs. You had tried anything that could help you fill the emptiness that had found a permanent home inside you. You felt nothing, not until you saw those cerulean eyes again.  
Your kiss was aggressive, your lips smashing against his with strength and your hands finding their place in the back of his head. It took a second for Bucky to kiss you back as he thought his mind was playing tricks with him. But after you pressed yourself against his chest, his body reacted on muscle memory alone, his arms surrounding your waist.  
It wasn’t what you expected, though. You thought that the specks of love that remained between you would be enough to bring back whatever it was that you were missing. Instead, you were met with the most intense hatred you've ever felt, mixed with the melancholy of what could've been. 
He tasted like the past, but he still hurt like the present.  
So you made a decision.If you couldn't bring yourself to love Bucky Barnes anymore, you would hate him with all that remained of your soul. You would hate him until both of you burned in the flames of your agony. You'd despise him until you'd ripped every part that matched the ones he'd so easily broken. 
"I hate you," you whispered between kisses. "I fucking hate you."  
Your words were daggers to his heart. His chest tightened, and his grip on you faltered for a second before he snapped out of it. This wasn’t about him. If you needed to tell him how much you despised him, he would gladly let you kill him with your words. It was the least you deserved.  
"I know," he mumbled against your lips.  
He felt your body guiding him through the room until the back of his legs hit against the couch where he would sleep. Your hands pushed against his chest, making him sit on the couch while you straddled his lap.  
Clothes flew across the room, and you found yourself tearing his shirt apart in two while he only pulled yours off.You'd worry about that later; right now, nothing was more important than feeling your skin against his. 
Your hands traveled over his chest, fingers grazing every part of his abdomen as you trailed down to his zipper. You palmed him over his jeans, his cock already hard, and you felt it twitch against the fabric with every touch you gave him. Groans left Bucky’s lips.  
"I hate you," you repeated as a mantra.  
He shouldn’t make you feel this way, but as you see his head going back when your hand opened his fly and found it’s place around his cock you felt your own desire pooling in your lower belly and the aching in your core became unbearable.  
With swift movements, Bucky got rid of his pants and his underwear while you remained on top of him. With your frame still covered by a black lace bra and your black tactical pants on, he couldn't help but feel exposed when he looked at you.Deciding he didn’t wanted to be the only one naked his hands went to the side of your hips in efforts to get you rid of the fabric but your hand swatted him away.  
Beg me, your eyes said.  
For a moment, he considered tearing your pants apart the same way you had done with his shirt. However, the seriousness behind your eyes warned him that he might end things too soon if his stubbornness got in the way. So he gave in.  
"Please, Sunshine." His hands gripped your waist, his hips grinding against your still-wrapped core, sending shivers down your spine."Please, let me see you."  
You relented, unbuttoning your pants and throwing them away with your panties. In what were the longest seconds of Bucky’s life, you unclasped your bra, finally getting rid of the last barrier your body held on to.  
You stood there, completely naked, staring at Bucky.He remembered the way your breasts felt when he held them. He remembered how soft your skin was. He remembered that if he bit on the skin of your neck, right where the jugular is, you would clench around him. He remembered. In the lonely nights when he needed some release, he would close his eyes and imagine your lips around his cock as he fisted himself in the solitude of his apartment. 
All those memories didn’t compare to watching you in the flesh, with hungry, hateful eyes on him as you walked back to straddle him again.  
His cock twitched once your legs fell to his sides, the heat of your body settling on his crotch. You sat on top of him, your wetness welcoming him once you lowered yourself. His length placed itself right between your lips, and a groan left him.  
"Fuck."  
Your hips began rocking in slow but sharp motions as he felt his cock coated with your slick. Slowly, you built up a rhythm that made both of you moan. His hands landed again on your hips, his fingers pressing on your skin in a way that was certain to leave bruises the next day. Your own hands gripped on Bucky’s biceps for stability, and you squeezed them every time you would feel him brushing against your clit.  
You felt amazing on top of him, but that wasn’t what made his heart pound against his chest.  
It was your eyes. Your eyes never left him, no matter how much pleasure you were pulling from both of you and how badly you wanted to roll your eyes as the coil inside of you tightened. Your eyes, which once showed him what love could look like, now looked at him with a simmering hatred he could not shake.  
His chest tightened at the thought of never seeing them again. The electricity that ran through his body was replaced by a deep sense of hopelessness, and the more he kept his gaze on you, the more it amplified. You must’ve sensed the change in him because your movements stopped.  
Broken eyes now stared at you with the ghost of tears in them. The anger that had driven your actions and your thoughts through all this had now subsided, allowing itself to mix with melancholy.   
I love you. I’m sorry. I miss you. His eyes said.  
I hate you. I’ll never forgive you. I wish I never met you. Yours answered.  
And in the middle of the lust that was taking place right on the couch, both of your hearts broke again.  
You pulled him back for a kiss that tasted of desperation and sorrow as tears fell from both your eyes. The saltiness of the tears bled into the kiss and mixed with it.Quickly, your hand guided his tip to your entrance. You needed him inside you like a person lost in the desert needs water. You craved him with every cell in your body, and it tore your heart apart.  
"So tight." He moaned in your mouth as you sank into him.  
The stretch of his length burned as you forced yourself to take him fully. It hurt, and even with your arousal completely covering him, you weren't prepared to take his thick length.You didn’t care though, you hoped it would make you forget your heartbreak. Bucky tried to stop you as he felt you struggling to take him in. His hands held your waist, but you shook your head before you started bouncing on him.  
You didn’t want love from him. You didn’t want tenderness or care. You wanted roughness. You wanted strength and aggressiveness until the only thing you could feel was the ache between your legs.  
The super soldier gave you what you wanted.  
Bucky’s pace was brutal, his cock hitting the sweet spot only he could reach. The sound of his hips colliding with yours filled the room, bouncing off the walls and echoing through the hallway outside.In the back of his mind, Bucky was thankful Sam was knocked out with meds so he could be spared from the obscene orchestra your bodies played.  
The pain quickly turned into pleasure. Your walls hugged him tightly, each thrust carried a strength that left you breathless. At some point your legs had given in, the only reason why you kept bouncing was the snap of his hips pushing you. He didn’t let go of you though, instead he pushed you against his chest in an embrace that surrounded you tightly.  
Your head rested against his while your hands stayed on his chest. The sadness that mixed with the pleasure numbed everything else except for the bubbling up of your release. It pained you to admit that no one else could make you feel like Bucky, you had tried to find someone who could replicate what his touch could do for you, but no one ever came close.  
You hated how much you missed him and how much you needed him.  
"I wish you would’ve stayed dead." you panted. The poison behind your words shredded his heart. He knew you were saying it to hurt him, he knew you didn’t mean it, but the conviction behind it felt like a kick in the chest. "I wish we never brought you back."  
"Me too." he finally admitted.  
Bucky felt your walls constrict around him, and he could tell you were close. He drew you in for one last kiss, the kind that took your breath away. The type of kiss that was a solace in a world of agony. The type of kiss that meant a promise that carried forever.  
You tightened around him as you came, and his thrusts slowed down as he rode you through your high. As you closed your eyes, more tears fell from the corners, so he reached out to wipe them away.Once you had recovered a little, his brutal pace came back, this time chasing his own release. You brought your lips to kiss his neck, feathery, soft kisses, and he felt his balls tightening. He was so close.  
He tried to pull out so he could fist himself to the end but you didn’t budge, instead whispering in his ear.  
"Inside."  
He came harder than he had done in the last year. You felt his cock twitching inside as he covered your walls with his cum, the mess between your release and his own dripping out of you. You kept bouncing on top of him, making sure to return the favor by guiding him all the way through the end.  
You stood up, the feeling of emptiness making you shudder when his cock left you, and his cum started leaking out of you. You turned to go find something to clean yourself up, but his metal hand stopped you. He guided you back to the couch before he walked towards the bathroom. A few minutes later, he came back with a towel, and he positioned himself right between your legs.  
He cleaned you up just like he had done for so many years before.His other hand caressed your thigh as he made sure to wipe everything. And just as he always did for years, once he finished, he kissed your inner thigh, a couple of inches away from your pussy.  
Bucky threw the towel to the floor, he would worry about it in the morning.As for right now, the only thing he wanted was to hold you close. So he did. He thanked the couch was big enough to fit you both as you layed together. He pulled the blanket he used to warm himself every night over you, and his arm surrounded your waist, his grip making your back settle against his front. His left hand traced lazy circles over your stomach while the other was used as your pillow.  
For a few seconds, both of you allowed yourselves to reminisce in the past. He kissed the top of your head as you snuggled against him like you usually did. And as you felt his warmth behind you and inhaled his scent, everything seemed to be alright once again.  
Except they weren’t. Bucky wasn’t the man who made you feel secure anymore, and you weren’t the woman who trusted him with all her heart. Both of them belonged to the past.  
"I don’t love you anymore. I will never love you again." you broke the silence.  
Bucky held you tighter as his heart broke once again.  
"I don’t deserve your love." He whispered. "But I’ll still love you forever." 
Tumblr media
Then  
Loving Bucky Barnes was never easy.   
It wasn’t all bad, though. For many years you had been together, three and a half to be exact, where you could imagine a life with. Three years where there was no one you trusted more or preferred to be with.Three years that were the happiest of your life.  
Those were a few of the reasons why he had asked you to marry him. And those were also a few of the reasons why you had said yes.  
You had told yourself at the beginning that you couldn’t get attached to him for the safety of your heart. It didn’t matter that his touch felt like home or that during the times you spent apart, his eyes would be the only comfort you would find in your dreams. He would bring more heartbreak than love.  
Oh, how right you had been.  
Unfortunately for you, the heartbreak would come in a way you couldn’t have prevented.  
The snap came and took him away from you. One second he was standing next to you, the next he was turning into dust that flew into the wind. The last thing he had said was your name and after that half the population was gone.  
The years went by in a blur. Between nights filled with drugs and alcohol and days spent cramped up in your apartment, you were wallowing in the type of sadness that the rest of the population could understand. You kept your ring in your finger, it reminding you that what your memories craved for were real.  
Bucky had been real.  
With his departure, he had also taken your heart. 
After a particularly bad night where you crashed your vehicle into a contention bar, Tony had taken it upon himself to help you, offering you a home close to his secluded one. You took it, not because you wanted to get better but because you wanted solitude. But if life had taught you anything about Tony Stark, it was that he was as stubborn as they come.  
Every morning he would bring you breakfast along with a visit from a certain little baby that always wanted to be held by you, and sometimes she would be able to bring a small smile to your face. With time, the little baby turned into a little girl that would ask for a sleepover every once in a while, and you would gladly accept the offer to allow Tony and Pepper a night alone.  
Things got better. You visited Steve and Natasha at the compound and even allowed yourself to go in missions of your own, as it turned out not even The Snap could make criminals take a break. You even went to one of Steve’s depressing support group meetings, never returning for the next one.  
You couldn’t be strong all the time, though. Some nights, when the pain was so strong that it drowned you and the grief was too powerful to keep at bay, you would find yourself staring at the hundreds of pictures you had taken of him. Most of them were of you together, but there were a few you took when he wasn’t looking. The sunset behind him as he breathed in the clean air of Wakanda, or the small smile on his face as he tasted the food he cooked for you both.Even when he was reading some of the books he kept under his bed and a few wrinkles would show on his forehead as his whole focus remained in the text, he always looked beautiful.  
With time, everything felt like a routine. Waking up alone, eating alone, going outside alone. Sleeping alone. Everything seemed to be stable, not good or bad, but just stable. You were sure this was the best you could do, or at least the best it could get.  
That is, until a ray of hope appeared. 
Time travel was the answer. Taken as a whole, it seemed like something out of a science fiction film, but it made sense.Bring the stones back and along with them everyone that had died. Surprisingly, it had worked, everyone that had been snapped away came back just as they had left. It should have been a moment of joy. It should've.  
The thing about hope is that it comes with a price. Natasha and Tony were the price to pay.  
Steve left shortly after.  
You understood him. You understood why he left everything and everyone behind to go live a life with the woman he had always loved. You would be a liar if you said you wouldn’t have done the same if you were in his position. You understood why he did it but it still hurt to know you weren’t enough of a reason to stay and live a life together.  
It seemed like you were on a streak of losing people. Wherever you turned, more people kept leaving your life. Wanda was gone, turned into the madness that grief could bring. Thor left to save other planets that needed him. Bruce... well, you weren’t sure where Bruce was, but he didn’t try to contact you.   
Everyone was gone but Sam and Bucky.  
Bucky. Your Bucky. The man you had spent the past five years crying for. The man who made you the happiest you'd ever felt.The man who felt like home.  
But he wasn't your Bucky any longer. 
This Bucky didn’t kiss you with the same tenderness he did so many years ago. Instead, he'd barely move his lips once yours touched his in what you'd call a mediocre peck.He also never initiated a kiss, it was you who always reached out for him.  
This Bucky didn’t held you at night. Instead, he'd turn around, his back to you, and even if you reached for him between dreams, he'd guide your hand back to your side of the bed.Some nights, he would even choose to sleep on the floor of the living room when he thought you were asleep. It was as if the thought of touching you seemed appalling to him.  
This Bucky never hugged you. 
This Bucky never talked to you with love  only with annoyance and indifference.  
This Bucky never woke you up with breakfast.  
This Bucky never tried to sleep with you.  
This Bucky never said I love you.  
Because this Bucky didn’t love you.  
But you held hope, foolishly. Every day you tried to talk to him, show him in every possible way that you were still here with him. Every day you tried to make things better between you, you poured your heart and soul to try to fix what you didn’t even know was broken.  
Things got worse a couple of months later.   
As it turned out, time had taken a toll on Steve’s body, and one night he went to bed and never woke up. You found it a bit ironic the man out of time had finally run out of time.  
His funeral was held on a sunny spring afternoon. People from all over the world showed up to say their final goodbyes to the man who had saved the world so many times. Friends, people he had saved, and heroes paid their respects to him. The first super soldier had finally been put to rest.  
After everyone had cleared out, you went back to drop one last token for his departure. It was a picture of the both of you. Steve’s arm hung over your shoulders while both of you held a couple of beers. It had been the first time you had seen Steve outside of work related situations. That was the beginning of your friendship.  
As you got back to his tombstone, you saw Bucky standing in front of it. His eyes were void of any expression, and he didn’t seem to be talking to Steve’s grave either. Bucky was just there, staring at the place where his best friend was buried.  
He didn’t seem to notice when you stood next to him, nothing in his body gave any signs of acknowledgement. You gave him a couple of minutes before you reached for his hand. You knew that, even if he didn’t show it, he was in great pain. He had lost his last connection to the life he had once lived.  
You wanted to be there to help him through his pain.  
The contact only lasted a few seconds. Your touch surprised him, as he had jolted once your skin grazed his own. He turned his head to the side to give you a glare that you’ve never seen before. His eyes had been filled with pain, as you guessed, but they also carried hatred and disdain. He must’ve seen your expression, because a second later his eyes changed to a neutral expression.  
"What are you doing here?" he muttered.  
The shock of his stare lingered in you for a moment, but you quickly returned to yourself, a friendly smile on your face."I came to leave a little parting gift."  
He hummed in acknowledgement, not sparing another glance at you as you put the photograph against the headstone, right in between the dozens of flowers that decorated it. Both of you stayed silent after that, the sounds of the birds and the faint rumbling of cars were the only sounds keeping you company. It was peaceful. It was good. Just the two of you enjoying a moment's calmness in silence. 
For a few moments, you felt comfortable next to him. The first time in months since he came back. But good moments like that never lasted long.  
Without notice, he turned around. Long, desperate strides guided him towards the exit of the graveyard. He wanted to create distance between you and him, find somewhere that was as far away from you as he could be. You felt how you were losing him.  
But you fought for him, even when he seemed to not deserve it.  
"Bucky." You called for him. He stopped in his tracks, but he didn’t turn around, so you took that as a sign to keep going. "I know you’re hurting right now, I am too, but I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you."  
He didn’t answer for a few seconds, and you thought you had made a breakthrough. Maybe this was the time when things went uphill. This was the little push he needed to start healing and perhaps to try to rebuild the bridges that had burned. This was the little thread of hope you'd hung up on.  
You were wrong.  
"You have no idea how I feel," he said before leaving.  
That night you came back to your cabin, and Bucky’s things were gone. The only thing left was a note that rested in the middle of the bed.  
I found an apartment in the city. I need space.  
You didn’t see him for a couple of months after that. You considered tracking him down but ultimately gave up as he had asked for space. He needed time on his own, and you could give it to him. You would give him anything he asked for.  
You kept your word until Strange came to visit you, announcing news about Wanda. She was dead.  
You barely remembered tracking down his address or making your way there. It wasn’t until you were facing his door that you realized what you had done. He asked for space but in that moment, you couldn’t give it to him. You needed your Bucky.  
Knock, knock, knock.  
It was late in the night, and you could hear the TV going on in the living room. He had to be home. After a few minutes without an answer, you knocked again, but the only thing that welcomed you was silence.  
"Bucky," you called. Your voice was broken, you tried to fight the tears away, but saying his name broke what little self-control you had left. "Please open the door."  
You rested your forehead against the door, finally allowing yourself to feel everything you had been pushing back ever since the fight with Thanos. Pain, grief, loneliness, hatred, sadness, despair. A cocktail of emotions ran through you in an overwhelming way and seemed to want to drown you.  
"I know you’re in there." You cried. The tears that ran down your face landed on the floor. "I just— I know I said I could be strong for the both of us, but... I need you."  
You knocked on the door again, this time with the side of your fist. The desperate sound of your knocking bounced through the walls of the deserted hallway.  
"Please Bucky, please open the door. Wanda is dead." Your own cries stopped you from talking, the hole in your chest seemed to get bigger and bigger with each passing second. "Nat, Tony, Steve, Wanda. All of them are dead, and I—I can’t. I can’t keep losing people. I can’t lose you."  
You couldn’t do this alone, not anymore. Your heart couldn’t take it anymore.  
"I love you. God, I love you so much. I know you want space, but right now I need your love, Bucky. I need you to love me like you used to. Please love me." You begged.  
And you waited. You waited for what seemed like hours, but it probably was just thirty minutes until you accepted he wasn’t coming out.  
 You left with half a heart that night.  
Two weeks later, you came back to his apartment, ready to demand an explanation. Your love for him was strong, but you needed him to talk to you. You were ready to fight for your future. You were ready to fight for your love.  
"Bucky!" you yelled as you knocked aggressively. "Bucky, open the fucking door!"  
The door didn’t take long to open. It surprised you, your confidence and anger faltered for a second. This was a sign, perhaps it was him being ready to fight for you too. This was him showing you he still loved you.  
Except the person who opened the door wasn’t Bucky.  
It was a girl. A short brunette that was covered by Bucky’s black T-shirt and nothing more.  
"Hi."  
You wanted to scream. You wanted to burst into tears. You wanted to burn the world and leave everything behind. You wanted to die. But the only thing you could do was stay there and stare at the girl.  
"Umm, Bucky is not here." She said awkwardly, your intense stared made her uncomfortable.  
"Do you know where he is?" You questioned her. The words came out rougher than you intended, but as the heartbreak and despair set in, you couldn't care less. 
"No. I, um, when I woke up he was already gone." She pulled the hem of the t-shirt down in an effort to convey her nervousness, but it only infuriated you more. "Are you a friend of his?"  
You wanted to laugh. God, this couldn’t be happening.  
"Yeah, of sorts."  
"I can let you in so we can wait for him, but I have to leave in like twenty minutes."  
"You can’t call him?" you asked, bitterly. You knew Bucky had gotten a new phone but he never gave you his number.  
Her face blushed before she answered. "No, uh. We met last night, and he didn’t give me his number.  
"Oh."  
You didn’t know what would be worse, if he had seen this girl ever since he left your cabin or the fact that he had a one night stand with a random girl. It didn’t matter, though, Bucky Barnes had crushed your heart.  
The girl, whose name was Clara, kept her word, leaving minutes later as she had to go to work. She seemed like a nice girl who had no idea the man she had slept with was engaged. And perhaps in another world you would’ve been nicer to her if your heart hadn’t collapsed in on itself when she opened the door. Maybe she was a little naïve, as she let you stay inside the apartment so you could wait on Bucky. She had also asked you to give him her number, the digits scribbled on a piece of paper.  
You broke down the moment she closed the door behind her. You thought of trashing the place, breaking every piece of furniture he owned, and burning all his clothes in a pit in the middle of his living room. You imagined yourself hurling the stupid leather jacket he seemed to be fond of lately.You also thought about settling for burning everything to the crisp, wanting to see the look on his eyes once he saw his apartment consumed by flames.  
You didn’t do any of those things, though; instead, you waited. This time, hours actually went by, the once bright morning turned into the darkness of the night, and you never moved from your spot on the couch, not even to turn on the lights.  
Bucky came back to his apartment around 11 p.m. When he noticed the apartments' lack of lightning, he felt relieved not to have to deal with the girl he had taken home the night before. By the looks of it, she left a while ago.  
He turned on the light before taking of his jacket, placing it on the coat hanger next to the door.As he walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water, he tossed his keys on the counter.He had to change the sheets on his bed and do laundry tomorrow. The glass was half full when a voice behind him spoke.  
"You have a nice place here."  
The glass dropped from his hands into the kitchen sink. His head snapped quickly towards you, finding you seated in the middle of his couch. He turned off the sink, before making his way toward you. You couldn’t be here, not today of all days.  
"How the hell did you get in here?" he barked.  
He didn’t mean it like that, not in the way it sounded. He wasn’t angry at you being inside his apartment, he was scared. Scared that you had arrived at the wrong time and seen something you weren’t meant to see.  
He finally stood in front of you and saw it. Your nose was slightly puffy and red, like you had been crying for some time. Your shoulders were slumped, defeat washing over your posture. But the thing that hurt the most to see was the pain behind your eyes. It wasn’t the normal type of pain of loss or grief as you had experienced these past months. No, it was something else.  
It was the pain of heartbreak and betrayal.  
It couldn’t be.  
You couldn't have been here when she was still in his house. There was no way, life could not hate him this way. It had to be something else that broke your heart, he had hurt you many times this past couple of months, and today was probably the day it all crashed down. It had to be that.  
"Clara let me in."  
No.  
"Nice girl, she left her number for you."  
You knew, you had seen the girl who was apparently named Clara, he didn’t really remember it. Bucky knew he had to do something, anything that could save your relationship. Perhaps if he begged you not to leave him, to let him explain everything that had been going on with him, and if he spent the rest of his days making it up to you, then you would stay. Maybe you could forgive him.  
He didn’t do any of that, though. The same thoughtless attitude washed over him like it had done ever since he came back. It was as if his brain forced him to act this way in order to protect his own heart in the long run. 
Instead of doing everything he could to fix this, he shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest.  
"How long?" you asked. Bucky could see your eyes watering as you tried to keep yourself together. He hated himself. "How long have you been cheating on me?"  
His mouth answered without his permission.  
"Does it even matter?"  
Maybe he was right. Maybe it the answer wouldn’t change the way you were feeling; if anything, it was bound to hurt you more. But a part of you wanted to know the truth, to extinguish the other half of your heart.  
You didn’t budge, so Bucky finally answered, not before rolling his eyes. "She’s the only one. I met her yesterday in a bar. "He shrugged. "It just happened."  
You knew the answer, yet it still hit you with the force of a thousand bricks. He admitted it. He fucking admitted it and he didn’t even show a single morsel of remorse. There weren't any apologies or begs, no promises, or big romantic and sorrowful speeches. You could feel your own love being smothered, the flames that had once brought so much warmth to your soul were replaced by cold and emptiness.  
Bucky Barnes didn’t love you anymore. 
Tumblr media
Now  
Bruises covered your body as well as new injuries that would probably give you more scars. Dirt and blood slid down the drain, exhaustion settling in as your muscles relaxed. The droplets of water fell against your body, washing away everything that had happened today.  
You found the intel, you knew every single name of everyone involved with the heinous experiments you were chasing.  
You had almost died, one of the guys Bucky and you had cornered, had a bomb attached to his chest. You tried to stop him, your gun pointing at his head, but you were too slow. The explosion shook the entire structure, causing a chain collapse of the floors around you. 
Bucky had jumped to protect you, his body acting as a human shield, deflecting some of the impact.His flesh arm had a large metal piece embedded in it, as well as some burns on his back. The explosion had knocked you both out of the air, and the resulting wave had thrown you both across the room. 
As you tried to shake away the confusion and the ringing from your ears, you felt his hand find its place along your face and travel to your stomach. As he scanned you, blue eyes looked at you with fogginess but also deep concern. 
"You ok?" he had whispered.  
You nodded, but your mind was still fuzzy, perhaps you had hit your head, but you couldn’t remember much.  
But you remembered the desperation. You remembered everything crumbling apart as you tried to make your way to the exit. You remembered Sam’s voice screaming through your earpieces to get the fuck out of there. You remembered Bucky's hand always keeping you safe, guiding you through the clouds of cement and smoke.  
You also remembered how Bucky’s steps faltered before collapsing. Neither of you had noticed he had a second piece of metal scrap buried between his ribs. If he had removed it, his enhanced healing would have taken care of it, but the extenuating movements had caused damage to his lungs, bleeding, and a lack of oxygen, causing him to pass out. 
You remembered screaming for Sam’s help, begging him to help you save Bucky. You remembered the tears falling from your eyes as you tried to pull Bucky to safety, begging him not to die, begging him to wake up. You remembered the fire catching up to you, it’s warmth burning your skin. You wanted to kill Bucky, you would be happy if you never seen his face again, dance on top of his grave as you celebrated the end of his existance.  
Then why were you fighting so hard to save him?  
"Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. You can’t do this to me!"  
"Bucky wake the fuck up!"  
"Please! I can’t lose you like this!"  
Fortunately, Sam came for you, him and all his Captain America glory had saved both of you, his wings protecting all three of you as you carried Bucky outside. You had barely gone a few steps ahead when the building finally set one last explosion, ending with everything on it's way.All three of you landed on the floor with a thud as the shock wave reached you.  
You focused your attention on Bucky's wound, which was already healing, but his lack of response worried you.His breathing was barely existent, and his heartbeat was decreasing. You had straddled his lap and began performing CPR on him while asking Sam to go fetch the adrenaline shot you stored in the vehicle. You had punctured Bucky's chest with it, and after a few seconds, he had woken up.  
You remembered clinging to him as he tried to sit straight, the desperation finally gone from your body.  
The body behind you wrapped his hands along your waist, pulling you out of your memories and spreading the soap he had covered you with. Bucky's fingers traced all the way down your body, removing every trace of stress. 
After everything happened, Sam told you to go back to the safehouse while he met with Joaquin to try and start locating people with the intel you had gathered. You thought about fighting him, but one look at Bucky and any fight you had left was done.  
A knowing look from Sam told you this wasn’t just to let both of you rest and get cleaned up. It was a second chance.  A second chance at the talk you had avoided to had with Bucky ever since that night you slept together.  
You drove back to the safehouse, and once you had gotten inside, everything crumbled apart inside of you. As you reached out to Bucky, your tears had fallen, your hand lingering in his fleshy arm, right where his wound was.His hand cupped your face, his thumb tracing the stream of blood that fell from your eyebrow. In the silence of the room, no words were exchanged, but both your hearts understood.  
Just for today, you would allow yourselves to comfort each other.  
His lips peppered kisses along your shoulder as he cleaned you, his lips sometimes finding your neck or your lips when you would press yourself against him. As you spread the shampoo over his head, your fingers massaged his scalp with the tenderness he had missed, his eyes closing every time you hit the right spot. 
After drying yourselves and changing into new clothes, you both layed on the bed, covered over the head with the thin white sheet you had. You faced each other, blue eyes meeting yours. Your fingers found his face as you traced along every crevice and line you hadn’t seen before. Bucky appeared to have aged years in the time you hadn't seen him, but he remained as beautiful as ever. 
Your heart ached in your chest, and you couldn’t fight it anymore. You had denied yourself the other feelings that remained inside of you other than hate and betrayal, but today, as death seemed to call for both of you, it was clear you didn’t want Bucky Barnes to die. A part of you hated him so deeply you weren’t sure you would be able to stop, but no matter how strong the hatred was, you were sure a part of you still loved him.  
However, that part of you was broken. Battered and bruised to death by his own doing but it was still there. It was locked inside the thousand-foot wall you had built around it to keep it safe. Refusing to ask questions, refusing to talk to him, and refusing to admit the pain you were in. But in doing so you hadn’t given yourself the opportunity to heal. To move on.  
So you allowed yourself to feel and to talk. For both your sake and his. 
"Why did you do it?" you broke the silence. His breathing faltered as your hand retracted back to your side. "Why did you hurt me like that?"  
Bucky struggled to find the right words. You were asking him the same question he had asked himself for many, many nights. He asked himself that question when he wouldn’t reach for you at night. He asked himself that question when he didn’t open the door for you.  
He asked himself that question when you walked out of his life.  
You deserved the truth. The whole, unapologetic, heartfelt truth. So he gave it to you.  
"The first time I came back to myself, after fighting Steve in the helicarrier, I realized the world had moved on without me. My plans, my family, and the people I knew were all left in the past. They all moved on without me, everyone was gone except for Steve. I had a plan, after the war I would go back and find myself a beautiful girl to marry." A sad smile posed on his lips as he reminisced. "I wanted the white picket fence and three kids package. Cookouts with my family and friends while I was still a war hero. But all of that was gone the moment I woke up in a time that wasn’t mine. My dreams were gone."  
He paused before reaching for your face, his eyes closing before opening again, tears streaming down his cheeks."Ever since I woke up, I was a man drifting in a time that wasn’t mine, in a life that wasn’t mine. I didn’t have any dreams, or aspirations other than to survive and perhaps discover the truth. Nothing made sense to me, not until I met you." His thumb wiped away the tears you didn’t know they were falling. "You were the very first person, aside from Steve, that was kind to me. You talked to me, listened to what I had to say. You showed me what this new world was about, how to survive in it, and above all, you never doubted my innocence. It wasn’t because you knew me like Steve did, or because he had asked you as a favor. You were my friend, the very first I made when I was lost. And along the way, you turned into more, you were my new dream. I fell in love with you, and suddenly it didn’t matter that I wasn’t supposed to be here, or what it could’ve been because with you, I finally felt like I belonged somewhere."  
A sob escaped you, his words burning your heart, branding them with the love you once felt for him. The heartbreak and the pain came once again, but it felt different. It was comforting in a way that scared you, terrified you. You knew he had loved you once, but you had stored those memories far away where they couldn’t hurt you. Because it was easier to tell yourself that Bucky had never actually loved you than to think he had loved you and had still betrayed you.  
"But no matter how much time passed or how loved or comfortable I felt, I was still scared. I was terrified. Terrified of the same thing happening again. Every day, I'd tell myself, 'Something is going to happen, something is going to take me away from you, and when I come back, another hundred years will have passed.' And it did happen. When Thanos snapped me away, I came back, and to me only seconds had passed, but for you it was five years. Everything had changed again, even you. There was this sadness that seemed to have nested behind your eyes every time you looked at me. And every time I looked at you, I could see how much you had suffered because of me, it was my fault, and I couldn’t do anything about it."  
"It wasn’t your fault." You tried to argue, but his words interrupted you.  
"I felt like it was. I felt like I must’ve had some sort of curse that would always take me away from what made me the happiest, and in return, I would hurt everyone around me with it. I had died once again and the world kept going, once again. And I tried really hard to fight those thoughts, but it was as if a cloud of darkness would whisper to me that I didn't belong here anymore.That everything had changed once again, and it would happen again and again and again until I finally died. And I didn't know what to do; it was as if this voice was drowning me, washing away every ounce of happiness I had left inside me until all that remained was anger and resentment." 
His voice had broken, as had his ability to hold back the tears.He had buried this for so long, too embarrassed to say them aloud, to admit how he had messed up everything because he was afraid.He wasn’t the man who had sworn to protect you against everything, he was a coward. A coward who had let his own fear hurt you in ways he could never fix.  
"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry." Bucky kissed your forehead. "You didn’t deserve any of what I did to you, and I don’t think I could ever forgive myself for doing that. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me, I’m sorry I pushed you away when all you did was trying to help me. I’m sorry I slept with someone else. I'm sorry I messed everything up because the truth is, you have been the best thing that has ever happened to me, past and present, and if I had to go through all of the pain, torture, and heartbreak all over again just to meet you, I would." 
You stayed there in silence for minutes. Neither of you dared say anything else that would break the silence. Both your hearts had been through a lot today, from the threats of death to the realizations of love and pain that had been confessed. But amongst the suffering and the torment, both of your hearts began to heal, and the pieces that had been ripped apart came back to where they belonged.  
You took his hands into yours, your lips kissing his knuckles. "I don’t know if I could ever forgive you for what you did." Bucky’s eyes closed in ache, he knew it was a possibility, but it still hurt to know there was no hope, but your words stopped him from spiraling. "But I would like to try."  
Hope. A tiny silver of hope. 
"Do you think there is a chance for us in the future?"  
You considered it. Your mind and your heart still pulling towards different directions but none of them letting you decide. Would you be willing to risk your heart once again for Bucky Barnes, or has the damage been too great to be fixed and covered? "I don’t know."  
"That’s ok. I'm not going to ask about it again unless you want me to." 
He kissed you one last time. His lips still had a subtle taste of smoke and burned, but above it was something overpowering, something both of you felt as he deepened the kiss. You both tasted redemption and forgiveness. 
Tumblr media
Forever 
"Thanks for helping me."  
"Don’t thank me, I’m only doing it for the beer."  
Bucky and you chuckled at his poor attempt at a joke, your footsteps echoing in the half-empty apartment. A couple of seconds later, your mattress landed with a loud thud in your bedroom, making you happy to be finally done. You threw yourself on the bed, Bucky following you close behind, his heaviness bouncing you off. You turned to your side, resting your head on your hand, and he replicated your pose.  
It had been a year and a half since you decided to bring Bucky back into your life, and things had changed dramatically since then.You stopped doing solo missions and moved to New York, where you split your time between assisting Sam and Bucky with their shenanigans and volunteering at the woman's shelter Sam had connected you with. 
In the beginning, it was difficult to adapt to a tamer lifestyle than the one you had lived in the past year, but listening to all those women, the things they had been through, showed you that sometimes the thing people need to start healing is to have someone along the way.  
Bucky and you had become friends, just as you had been when you first met. It took time to get back to the beginning, but soon you found out how much you needed him as a friend, not a lover or a soulmate but just someone with whom you could talk. And, over the course of the many nights you spent talking, forgiveness found its way into your heart.You didn’t forget the past between both of you, but along the way there was understanding and care.  
"How was your date?"  
You shrug. "It was ok, not that great to be honest." 
During this time you had gone on a couple of dates, even went out with a guy for a couple of months, and since you and Bucky were ‘just friends’ you thought it would be uncomfortable to talk to him about them. But he had developed a habit of surprising you, and as it turned out, he was okay with it. When you asked why he was okay with it, his response surprised you. 
"I love you, I’ll always love you. But if you need me as a friend and nothing more, then I’ll be your friend."  
Your heart was still reluctant about him, after all, pain is a thing you can hardly forget. That had been the reason why you had tried to find someone else. Someone who could make you laugh as hard as he did, someone who could make you blush with just a cocky smile, someone who could calm you down and make everything better by simply holding you close at night.Someone who could make you happy. But all of them failed, because they weren’t Bucky Barnes.  
No one ever compared to Bucky Barnes, because after all the lies, heartbreak, and death surrounding you, he was still the only person who felt like home.  
Blue eyes stared at you and all you could feel was your heart racing. He was the man you had once loved and he had betrayed you, but time had mended your heart. The part of you that hated him was gone, and instead the love you felt for him came back, maybe not as strong as it once was but it didn’t matter. Your love was willing to build itself up, your love was willing to let him in one last time.  
"Ask me" you uttered. Your voice was so quiet that you thought he wouldn't hear you, but his puzzled expression told you otherwise. 
"What?"  
Your hand grabbed his, your thumb was drawing circles on his skin.  
"Bucky, ask me."  
Bucky’s heart stopped. A part of him had always told him that you would never want him back, and he couldn't blame you. He had hurt you in so many ways that he could never forgive himself. He had been sure the best he could have from you was friendship, and he had made his peace with it. Having you as only a friend was better than not having you at all.  
But you were giving him an opportunity, and he would be damned if he didn’t take it.  
"Would you—" he paused, clearing his throat.The nervousness inside him erased his ability to speak. "Would you like to go out for dinner? As in a date?"  
You made it seem as if you were thinking about it, but he didn’t worry about it. He knew your answer already.  
"Yeah, I guess I can make time for one date."  
You smiled. You gave him your biggest, most genuine smile in a long time.He smiled too.  
Loving Bucky Barnes hadn’t been easy. But as you both lay in your beds, his hands caressing your face and new hope brewing between you, your heart told you that this time would be different. 
He wasn't the same tormented man from another time you'd fallen in love with, and you weren't the same broken but hopeful girl he'd loved with all his heart.You both had hurt each other, but you had also grown, both of you in your own ways, and yet destiny had brought you back together.  
This time, neither of you was scared. 
This time, loving him would come as easily as breathing.
Tumblr media
If you like the story please interact: reblogs, likes and comments go a long way. Feedback is always appreciated! Feel free to message me about it.
Tag list: @wintasssoldier @fallenoutofrose @cjand10 @nouk1998 @smplymrvl @littlemiss-yeehaw @magnificentsvn @kentokaze @gostodosopa @musicgirl44 @rebloggingmyrecs @mbindzus-blog @pampeop @buckystwilight @blackhawkfanatic @miss-i-ship-it @bibliophilewednesday
989 notes · View notes
aemonds-sapphire · 1 year
Text
Weakness
Tumblr media
Summary: Aemond can’t afford to care about you. Life has long taught him that he’s underserving of such feelings. It’s safer this way. Right?
Warnings: Hurt/Comfort. Mentions of blood and neglect/abuse. Aemond’s POV.
A/N: I’ve been wanting to explore Aemond’s mind for a while now. From his POV. This feels very personal and even though it’s somewhat different from what I usually write, I hope you can still connect to Aemond somehow and that this feels true to his character.
Word count: 1k
Aemond knew the pits of rejection far too well. It had become second nature to him. It consumed him whole and it had morphed into something way darker as he grew older.
He was certain that if there was driving force behind his thirst for revenge then that the fear of abandonment was the root of it all.
Feelings were doorways to suffering. However, Aemond had learnt long ago that some doors are better left shut. Allowing himself to care for someone was a weakness he simply could not afford.
It was a nuisance.
A dangerous one.
Slowly, he lifted one hand and brought the pads of his fingers to trace the rough edges of the scar that ran across his face.
A painful reminder.
No. Just a reminder.
Pain had forsaken his thoughts. He had made sure it stayed that way.
His body was now a reminder of what happens when one allows feelings to overcome reason.
He was a vessel of hatred and revenge, fully committed to having thise who had wronged him pay for it.
Even his beloved mother had forsaken the idea of changing his mind, devoting herself to praying for him in the hopes that some invisible force might rein him in.
He had several cuts across his face from the practice he shared with Criston Cole earlier that day. Aemond made him swear he would not hold back and he complied, unleashing all the swordsmanship knowledge he possessed.
Flesh heals and these were evident wounds that he was still not as skilled as he had hoped.
In truth, he could always ask you to aid him, but the mere thought of having you so close made his stomach turn.
No matter how strong someone was. How well trained they were. How disciplined their mind was. There came a time when something — or rather someone — slippped through the cracks and managed to become a weakness.
Much like the sun insisted on shining through the curtains of his bedchamber. Or much like the drops of blood that eventually found their way down his face and were as tears.
You were a weakness he couldn’t afford.
Deep down, in the depths of his heart, Aemond feared that he was not enough.
That he was broken beyond repair and no one wanted to be left with having to fix both his body and his mind. He utterly feared that if you turned him down it would awaken something darker inside him. That he would feel as small and insignificant as he did when he was younger.
When they all laughed.
When he lost his eye.
When his father demanded no justice for his loss and was willing to have him questioned for the depravities of others.
Aemond Targaryen was ten years of age when he realised he was but an afterthought on his father’s mind. Someone who was supposed to love and care for him unconditionally, saw him as an insignificance.
He could feel another bloody droplet streaming down his face, prickling the skin along the way.
Unconsciously, he brushed it clean before examining the red stain tainting the pad of his thumb.
It was the closest thing he had to tears these days.
He no longer cried. There were days the flames of hatred raged deeply within him, but it was never enough to bring him to tears as before.
Aemond had far better control of his mind now that he was older and wiser.
Truth be told, he didn’t mind that at all.
And he’d rather have it this way.
Suddenly, there was a faint knock on the the door.
It was you.
“Aemond… can I come in?”
He wanted to say no. He needed to say no.
His body had become so numb to physical pain that he only realised he was gripping his knees too tightly when he saw his knuckles turn white.
Another knock. “Aemond…”
“Leave,” he firmly said.
“Do not push me away.”
He had to.
“Please,” your voice was but a whisper, but it was enough to cause his heart rate to quicken. “Your... wounds… I can help.”
He scoffed. You really had no idea that his fixing was beyond skin-deep. That was why he couldn’t stand being near you anymore. You triggered so many feelings within him.
Feelings were weaknesses.
You were a weakness.
He couldn’t afford having one.
He had promised himself that he would be a good son to his mother, a good brother to his sister Helaena and brother Daeron, and that he would tolerate Aegon. But that was as far as his courtesy would extend.
Aemond cared not for others.
Or so he tried to convince himself.
You.
He cursed you for haunting his thoughts. He cursed you for being you and for being so... 
“I do not need your help. Leave.”
His words betrayed his heart, but he was used to it.
The doorknob rattled briefly. “I’m not scared of you.”
You should be. He could easily burn you to the ground if you kept on pushing him.
With one swift motion, the door swung open.
There you were.
The newfound source of his turmoil, standing quietly and determined to defy him.
Aemond briefly considered demanding you to leave at once, displaying the unpleasant side him that he had honed over the years.
However, surely enough, the moment you started pacing towards him and knelt at his feet with that loving face of yours resting on his thighs, he knew he had no will left in him to push you away.
“Good morning, dragon,” you taunted him in a low voice, offering him the sweetest smile.
A smile he most certainly did not deserve.
“Hmm,” he mumbled as he allowed his hand reach your cheek.
You immediately closed your eyes, welcoming his touch.
“Let me help you,” you said after a moment, brushing your lips across the palm of his hand. “Please…”
Help? Did you even know what that proposition entailed?
Before he could measure his words, Aemond spoke, “Help with what?”
You opened your eyes and kept them locked with his.
“Fixing you.”
2K notes · View notes
0cta9on · 5 months
Text
Unlikely Duet - 1
length: 3k+ words
Genre: Fluff
NewJeans Minji x Male OC
Tumblr media
【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★
“Yuno Lin! Detention! NOW!”
The sight of Principal Geier’s screaming face was nothing new to me. The bright shade of red on his furious expression combined with his shiny bald head made him look like a ripe tomato. I’d chuckle at the thought if my chest didn’t hurt every time I so much as breathe.
A crowd of students and teachers had huddled around Bryce Merten’s unconscious body. The football player’s face was all bloodied and bruised, but he was breathing, for better or for worse. I grabbed my bag I had tossed on the ground and trudged my way back into the main building of the school. 
It was the end of the school day, so some students were still hovering around their lockers, getting their stuff or talking to their friends. The echoes of my footsteps reverberated throughout the hallway, alerting others of my presence. The look of fear and confusion as they see my face full of cuts and bruises is also nothing new to me. I pay them no mind as I walk the familiar route to the detention room.
I pushed open the door, its creak announcing my entrance. Instead of the usual stern expression of Ms. Rusnak’s wrinkly face, I am suddenly face to face with Minji Kim, the golden girl of Evergreen High School. She’s the student council president and ranked #1 in the entire school, basically the poster child of perfection.
“Oh my god, are you okay?” Her voice, laced with an unexpected sincerity, caught me off guard. She stood up from her desk and walked towards me, her face full of concern. I shrugged, ready for the usual judgment or disdain, and walked past her, taking a seat in the front row of desks. She sat back down at the teacher’s desk where she had been working on a pile of paperwork before my arrival and glanced at me with a worried expression, tracing my wounds with her eyes.
“What happened to you?” she asks. 
I hesitated for a moment, not used to the genuine concern in her voice. Reluctantly, I recounted the events that led to the fight, how Bryce had been tormenting a freshman for weeks, and how it ended up with him face down on the concrete.
Minji listened, her expression shifting from stern to contemplative. When I finished, she sighed, her shoulders slumping.
“Look, I get it. You just wanted to help, but you can’t be doing it like this. You could get expelled. You should have spoken to a teacher about it,” she suggested, her voice gentle yet firm.
I scoffed, bitterness seeping into my tone. “You think they would have done anything? They knew about it the entire time, but that fucker is on the football team, so they turned a blind eye to the whole thing.” I let out a deep breath, glaring at her. “He needed a good punch to the jaw. I just happened to be the one doing it.”
Minji frowned, her eyes searching mine. “I know it’s frustrating, but taking matters into your own hands isn’t the solution. You could get expelled for this, and then what? You won’t be able to help anyone.”
I avoid meeting her eyes, my gaze fixed on the scuffed surface of the desk. “I had to do it,” I muttered. “No one else would.”
She sighed, realizing the impasse between us. “Just… be careful. I’m sure your friends wouldn’t want to see you hurt,” she remarked as she turned back to continue her paperwork with a sigh.
Her words stuck in my head as I continued to stare at the desk. She was right. Of course she was right. If the teachers actually did their job and reprimanded the bullies the first time, then I would have never had to fight. Hell, I never enjoyed fighting in the first place. But I had to do it. Someone had to knock some sense into these sons of bitches and that responsibility was unfortunately bestowed upon me for whatever reason. And… Did she say “friends”? What friends? Everyone was too afraid to even look at me. Surely she knew that… right?
The minutes ticked along, our conversation lingering in the air. Eventually, a bell sounded on the PA system, signaling the end of detention. Without a word, I gather my bag and start to leave, but something stops me. I glance out the window and notice the darkness settling over the school grounds. It would be easy for me to just leave and move on with my life, but a voice inside at the back of my head was urging me to do the right thing. Despite my better judgment, I turned back around.
“I’ll walk you home,” I said, the words leaving my mouth before I have the time to process them.
She looked up at me, a look of surprise in her eyes. “O-oh, you don’t have t-”
“It’s dark outside,” I interrupted, my tone leaving no room for argument. “It’ll be too dangerous if you walk home alone.”
Minji offered a small smile, appreciating the sentiment. “Thank you for the offer, but I can manage. I don’t live that far anyways.”
“Let me walk you home then,” I insisted, my voice surprisingly unwavering. “If you don’t live far, then I’ll be out of your hair in no time. Just let me make sure you get home okay.”
She studied me for a moment, uncertainty flickering on her face. Finally, she relented with a small nod. “Fine. But just this once.”
I merely grunted in response as I held the door open for her. We walk through the dimly lit hallways and exit the main building into the cold, gray night. A heavy silence hung between us as we left the campus, greeted only by the faint glow from a couple street lights casting long shadows on the pavement.
We walked side by side, the echoes of our footsteps reverberating through the empty streets. Minji seemed lost in her thoughts, her gaze fixed on the path ahead. I maintained a distance from her, not wanting to make her uncomfortable as we approached the street that led to her house.
As we near her house, the first droplets of rain pattered onto the pavement, foreshadowing the impending downpour. 
Minji glanced up and snapped out of her trance, her expression shifting from contemplation to annoyance. “That’s just great. We’re gonna get soaked.” Without exchanging words, we quickened our pace, hoping to reach her house as soon as possible. 
Our slight jog turned into a sprint as the rain intensified. The glow of her porch lights beckoned to us like a lighthouse guiding us toward its welcoming shine. Reaching the shelter of her porch, we stood there and watched the rain get heavier and heavier, transforming the world around us into a blurry, mesmerizing dance of droplets.
Deciding it was time to leave, I shifted my weight, preparing myself to step back into the heavy downpour. But before I could move, I felt Minji’s hand gently touch my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
“Wait,” she said, her voice barely audible over the sound of the rain hitting her roof. “Stay here.”
I glanced at her, my eyes wide in confusion. “What?”
Her cheeks turn a bright shade of pink as she shakes her head. “I-I mean until the rain lets up.”
“I'll be fine. It’s just a little rain,” I say. As if on cue, the sound of thunder booms in the distance.
Before I could protest anymore, Minji opened her front door and gestured for me to come inside. “You’ll catch a cold if you go out like this. And it’s the least I can do to repay you for walking me home.” 
I glance back at the unrelenting rain one last time and sigh. “Okay. I’ll leave once the rain lets up.”
Minji smiled at me, leading the way inside. The warmth of her home enveloped me, a welcome contrast to the cold rain outside. I stood awkwardly near the entrance, the sound of the rain becoming mere background noise as Minji shuts the door behind us.
“Wait here, let me get you something dry to wear,” Minji says as she kicks off her shoes and disappears up the stairs. Curiously, I peer into her living room while I wait for her, being careful not to drip any water onto the carpet. A comfy-looking brown coach faces a large flat-screen TV, one that I’ve only seen in the electronics aisle at Walmart. Various pictures line the shelves around the TV, including family photos, a wedding photo of what could be her parents, and a graduation photo of an older boy I haven’t seen before.
The sound of Minji’s footsteps breaks me out of my thoughts. She appears in front of me with a blue sweater and black sweatpants neatly folded in her hands. “Here. It’s my older brother’s. He’s away for college right now, so I’m sure he won’t mind if you borrow them.” She hands them to me, a small smile on her face.
I took them from her, scanning her outfit. She had changed into a simple graphic T-shirt and black cotton shirts, a far cry from the usual school uniform that I see her wearing. Then, a sudden realization hit me - by some odd twist of fate, I was standing inside Minji Kim’s house. The atmosphere shifted and I brought my guard up in this unfamiliar setting.
“Thanks, Minji,” I muttered, unsure of what else to say.
“No problem, uhh…” Minji’s voice faltered as she suddenly brought her hands up to her face, the light pink hues of blush peeking through the cracks of her fingers. “Oh my god… I never asked for your name…”
I raised an eyebrow, surprised by the oversight. “Yuno. Yuno Lin.”
She uncovered her face as her embarrassment transformed into a sheepish smile. “Right, Yuno. I’m so sorry, it’s been a long with the rain and all this work I had to do.” She walked past me, into the living room area, avoiding my gaze. “There’s a bathroom right around this corner that you can change in. I’ll make us some tea in the meantime,” she said with an apologetic look on her face. I simply nod and kick off my shoes before following her deeper into her house.
I enter the bathroom while she disappears into the kitchen, presumably to make the tea. I strip off my uniform shirt, completely drenched from the rain, and examine my upper body in the mirror. A fist-sized blob of bluish-purple and red adorned my chest like a shitty tattoo, alongside another bruise on my arm and a couple more cuts on my cheek and lips. I shrugged. Not the worst thing that’s happened to me.
I quickly remove the rest of my wet clothes and change into the clothes Minji gave me, leaving my soaked school uniform in a messy pile on the bathroom counter. The warm fabric felt foreign, but welcoming. As I stepped out of the bathroom, the comforting scent of black tea hit my nose, leading me to the kitchen where Minji was steeping two cups of the stuff.
She turns to me, a warm smile on her face. “The tea is almost ready.” I watch as she reaches into a drawer and pulls out a first aid kit.  “Let me help you with the cuts.”
I shake my head, “I’m fine.”
Minji frowns at me and gently pushes me back into a chair. Before I can protest, she’s already cleaning the cuts on my face with antiseptic, her touch surprisingly gentle. I feel an odd sensation in my chest as I steal a glance at her, her face almost uncomfortably close to mine as she focuses on her task. 
“There,” she says, finishing up with a small bandage on my cheek. “You’re good to go.”
I grunt in response, still feeling a little flustered. Minji hands me a cup of warm tea, our fingers brushing briefly. I take a sip, the warmth of the liquid heating me up from the inside.
“Thanks,” I muttered, avoiding her gaze as I stared down at the contents of the mug in my hands. 
Minji, seemingly oblivious to the hint of awkwardness that I feel, takes a seat on the kitchen counter across from me. “No problem. It’s the least I can do.”
I take another sip of tea, unsure of how to navigate this foreign scenario. I try to rack my brain, searching for something to say, but nothing comes out. Thankfully, Ms. student council president manages to save the day.
“Soo…” she starts, her eyes peering into her cup. “What do you usually do when you’re not getting into fights?”
I glanced up at her, surprised by the sudden question. “Um… I don’t know. Nap, I guess.”
Minji giggles softly, trying to lighten the mood. “Really? That’s quite… unique.” She flashes a bright smile at me.
I shrug, feeling a little embarrassed by her reaction. “What about you?” I ask after a pause. 
Minji chuckled, a smile lingering on her face. “Well, when I’m not studying or dealing with student council stuff, I like to sing.”
I look up at her, genuinely curious. “Really? I would’ve never guessed that.”
“Yeah, I haven’t really told anyone this aside from a few close friends. Sometimes I would tell my parents that I’m studying at the library, but in reality, I’m at the karaoke place with them.” She giggles to herself before her expression suddenly darkens and her gaze drops to the floor. Minji lets out a sigh before saying, “My parents would never approve. They want me to go to a good college and probably become a doctor or something.”
The room fell into a thoughtful silence, aside from the thunder and rain that continued to pour outside. I saw a side of Minji that was kept hidden behind the cheerful facade she usually wore. Despite the two of us being strangers before today, I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic towards her. I racked my mind, thinking of something to say that could offer her comfort.
“I-I’m sorry,” is all I managed to stutter out. I mentally facepalmed myself for not being able to help her more.
Minji looked up, her eyes meeting mine, and for a brief moment, I could see a deep sadness within them. She managed a small smile before looking back down at her mug. “It’s okay, Yuno. It’s just a silly hobby anyways.”
She steps off of the kitchen counter and downs the remainder of her tea before placing her mug in the sink. I watch as she peers over at the clock hanging on the wall, the arms pointing to 9:00. “It’s getting late, but…” Her gaze turns to the window above the sink, a sigh escaping her lips. “The rain isn’t letting up.”
I stand up from my chair, mentally preparing myself for the treacherous walk home. “It’s okay Minji, I ca-”
“You can spend the night here.”
My eyes grow wide in shock, staring at the back of her head as she continues to face the window. “H-huh?”
A million thoughts run through my head as her unexpected offer hangs through the air. Spending the night? At Minji’s place? It felt like I had suddenly woke up in an alternate reality and didn’t notice until now. 
Minji slowly turned to look at me, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush as she met my bewildered gaze with a sheepish smile. “Yeah… Look, it’s pouring outside and you could get sick. My parents are both gone for a business trip, so they won’t be back until this weekend.”
I hesitated, completely baffled at the situation I was faced with. No words come out as I continue to stare at Minji in shock. “I-I uhh… w-what?”
Minji briskly walks past me without another thought. “You can crash on the couch. I’ll get you some blankets.” 
I suddenly find myself alone in Minji’s kitchen. Me. In Minji’s house. Alone. With Minji. I don’t know how long I stood there in silence. I was like a deer caught in headlights, completely still despite the feeling of impending doom heading my way. My mind was running at a thousand miles a minute.
“Yuno!”
My head snaps towards the source of the sound. Minji’s head pokes out behind the wall leading to the living room. “Are you okay?”
I scratch my head, feeling a bit awkward. “Y-yeah, I’m good.” I come to my senses and walk towards the living room, where Minji placed a couple of pillows and two neatly folded blankets on the couch.
“Make yourself comfortable. Oh, I went ahead and put your uniform in the wash. It should be all nice and dry in the morning.” She says, flashing me a reassuring smile. I notice a twinge of anxiety deep within her eyes.
“T-thanks,” I reply sheepishly.
“If you need me, I’ll be upstairs in my room. Just knock.” Minji begins to walk away but stops at the foot of the stairs. “Um… Good night, Yuno.” She gives me a small smile before disappearing up the stairs.
I plop myself onto the couch and stare at the ceiling, unsure of what to make of this day. I replay the events in my head - The monotonous school day, followed by me kicking Bryce Merten’s ass. Meeting Minji in the detention room. The rain. And now I’m in Minji Kim’s house, drinking Minji Kim’s tea, and sitting on Minji Kim’s couch. What the fuck.
I lay down on the couch, the exhaustion of everything catching up to me. The plush cushions carry me gently, enveloping my body in comfort. My eyelids begin to get heavier and heavier until my vision eventually goes black. 
______________________________________________________________
Minji’s POV
“Hanni!! What should I do?!” I whisper-screamed into the phone.
“Girl, you’re gonna have to explain all that again, I could barely understand you,” I hear my friend reply in a snarky tone.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves before I relay the events again. “Okay, so I was just doing paperwork in the detention room because Ms. Rusnak was out and all of a sudden this guy named Yuno walks in with his face all bloody because he got into a fight somehow, and then I was gonna leave after detention ended, but he offered to walk me home, which was nice I guess, but then it started raining so I invited him to wait inside until the rain calmed down because I didn’t want him to get sick, but for some reason, the rain NEVER calmed down, so now he’s sleeping on my couch.” I stop to catch my breath at the end of my rambling, waiting for Hanni’s response.
“Wait, Yuno? As in Yuno Lin? The guy who knocked out Bryce Mertens?” she asked.
“Y-yeah… I think so.” I hesitantly admitted.
“I mean, I didn’t know you were into bad boys, but whatever floats your boat,” Hanni teases.
I groan in annoyance. “Hanni now is not the time for jokes! My parents will kill me if they find out I have a boy staying over!!”
I hear Hanni chuckle at her own joke. “Relax, Minj. Your parents won’t be back for three more days, you’ll be fine.”
I collapse face first into my bed, feeling defeated. “I guess so…” My muffled voice says into the mattress. I let out a long sigh, turning onto my back and staring at the ceiling.
“Sooo, what’s he like?” Hanni asks. “I always see him alone all the time, so I assumed he was just some creepy weirdo or something.”
I pause, contemplating my answer. “He’s… different from what I thought he would be. He’s not a creepy weirdo at all. He’s quiet and a little awkward, but he means well and seems nice enough.”
Hanni’s curiosity peaks. “Oooh, mysterious bad boy with a soft heart sleeping with the student council president. Sounds like a plot to a K-drama.”
I quickly sit up, my cheeks burning red with embarrassment. “Hanni!! It’s not like that at all!!” Hanni’s laugh can be heard from the speaker of my phone. I hang up and collapse back on the bed, too tired to deal with her for tonight. I let out a sigh and tightly shut my eyes, hoping that I’d wake up and find out all of this was just some weird dream.
157 notes · View notes
jaxangel · 6 months
Text
THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS THEORY!
Why caine does not want people venturing out into the void! And the history of the circus
What we know:
The void is a mysterious place, a vast expanse surrounding the circus with no known "purpose" all we know is that its considered dangerous
In the pilot, we see Caine talk about the void briefly. Telling Pomni:
"Not even I know whats out there"
Tumblr media
Kind of warning Pomni to not attempt to venture into the void. When she tries to ask about the exit door he completely shuts her down, not even wanting to talk about it. Which might be for a darker reason than we might think
Eventually coming across the exit doors again, she actually ignores his warning and goes through the exit doors anyways, eventually finding her way into the void.
Tumblr media
Caine obviously doesnt like it, and scrambles to get Pomni back to the tent where he can keep an eye on her, but this may also be a way to actually protect her along with the others
Later he admits to lying about the exit doors, that they do exist but claiming that he didn't know what to put on the other end and never finished it. Which makes the doors lead to the void instead. They all kind of accept this as fact and go about their day while Caine neve brings it back up. However this was also a lie, to protect them.
Other evidence:
During the exit doors sequence, we see in one of the rooms a Logo with the initials:
C&A
(Filter put over the screenshot to brighten the logo and make it more clear)
Tumblr media
I theorize that the initials stand for two names
Caine & Abel
We already see how there are some references to the Bible in the pilot, one example being the feat at the end symbolizing the last supper. So it would make sense that caine was a refrence to the bible Cain and the other initial would most likely be Abel
Now there could be multiple things that could of happened, some similar to the Bible story and some different. I'm mainly gonna talk about one that strays from the original Bible story.
The Actual Theory:
I theorize that Caine and Abel both ran the digital circus. Whether they were both trapped there or were never apart of the real world to begin with, they were both in charge of everything.
The amazing digital circus was a fun website/ vr game for people of all ages to have "adventures" but then eventually leave. Caine and Abel both made NPC's and stuff for the players to do.
Tumblr media
Eventually the players started to get "trapped" and were unable to leave. This became a big problem for Caine and Abel, they both now had the responsibility of helping this players try to "escape" and to help keep them mostly sane. However eventually they would abstract, and there is nothing they could do to help them.
They technically would have the ability to fix their bodies, but as Caine said
"The one thing I don't have control over is your mind"
They would not be able to fix their minds, anyone who got abstracted had become compeltey insane and there was nothing they could do but keep them locked away as to not hurt the others
Tumblr media
Eventually all of this lead Abel to venture out to the void in search of an actual "exit" or some information that could help with the trapped people/ abstracted people's situation. Caine may or may of not agreed with this decision but Abel left anyways. Neither of them really knew what was out there, which really scared Caine. He didn't know what Abel would be dealing with out there. And Abel never came back
Caine slowly lost a bit of sanity himself waiting for Abel to come back with a solution to their problem. He would be happy if Abel came back at all. But after many years he never did.
Caine found other ways to distract himself and the others from their problems. Creating adventures. Giving them lots of activities, making digital food and allowing them their own personal space to process their thoughts and have the digital sensation of "sleeping"
For Caine himself, he created Bubble and possibly other npcs to distract himself. He would hang out and talk to Bubble like he used to with Abel. He made the moon fall in love with him as a fake scenario to help his sanity or possibly keep himself from abstracting
Tumblr media
And thats what Caine has done for years. At this point anyone who even knew about Abel Has already abstracted. Everyone currently still going barley knows anything about the void and the exit. (And yes I know that they said that Kinger has been there the longest, however I think they meant that he's been there the longest out of everyone who has not abstracted yet. Kinger had not been around long anough to know Abel. There have been people before Kinger that are long gone by now)
With every new person, Caine fears that they will try to go into the void and never come back. He doesn't want that, he wants to protect them from the same fate that Abel had. So they are forever stuck on a tiny island in the middle of a vast void, with no way of escaping, fixing the abstracted minds, or even preventing people from getting trapped in the first place.
Tumblr media
Closing thoughts:
Thank you, whoever you are, for reading all of this! I don't usually share my theories however I wanted to share this one because of how much I've thought about it! I've not seen many people talk about this, many bits and pieces based on the evidence but not a full theory!
There is not much evidence for this theory however, given how we only have one episode, so most of this is just speculation and headcanons. However I think its interesting!
Some small bits of this theory might of been talked about by others, so let me know if you see other people talking about similar things! I did briefly talk to @therearenonutsforsomeendermen about this so some ideas may of come from them
I'd also like to hear what you guys think about this so reblog or comment your thoughts, wether you agree or disagree!
I tried to keep it organized and coherent however I am typing this in the middle of the night so some parts may be confusing. Let me know if your confused about anything and I will edit this post to clarify what I mean!
Anyways please tell me your thoughts!
The amazing Digital Circus is created by @gooseworx
None of this post is meant to try to be canon, this is all this fun theories made by a fan!
308 notes · View notes
yelenasdiary · 5 months
Note
I love sibling focs!! Maybe it’s the only child in me that feels the comfort in these anyways….
Can you do a reader x Kelly Foster one where we are her younger sister -but in our teens- and she wants us to starts helping out around the zoo with the animals but we’re not the biggest fan of it and would rather spend the day with our friends instead. If somehow or someway you can add in some angst that would be amazing but ends with fluff
I’m not the greatest at sending in ideas but something along this would be cool but feel free to change it up if you want!!
Arguments & Ugly Trees
Pairing: Kelly Foster x Younger Sibling! Reader
Summary: Kelly struggles to get you to help more around the zoo, especially around the holidays. 
Warnings: Angst/Comfort, No Warnings | 1K
AC: Been so long since I wrote for Kelly! Enjoy x
Holiday Special Masterlist
Tumblr media
"Come on! Get up!" Your older sister, Kelly, repeats herself as you feel the heavy blow from her throwing a throw pillow at you. "Go away!" You mumbled, your eyes barely opened wide enough to look at the time but a faint 5 told you it was way too early for you to be awake. 
"You promised you'd help today, let's go! There's a lot to do before opening" Kelly reminds you. Of course you made the promise unintentionally just to get her off your back so you could hang out at the mall with your friends. Growing up on a zoo had its perks, as a child you loved it and grew close to the animals but as you grew older and into your teens, the zoo lost interest for you. Kelly knew this would happen eventually, she just wished she had a little more time before your teenage hormones kicked in and suddenly you couldn't stand to be around her anymore. 
"Kelly! Go away!" You snapped once your older sister pulled the covers off you, exposing you to the coldness of an early morning. You heard her loudly sigh with disappointment before the loud slam of your door closing added to her anger. Within a few short seconds you were asleep once again while your sister picked up your slack around the zoo. 
By 10am you were up, dressed and waiting on the porch of the small cottage you shared with Kelly. You had plans to meet your friends in town at 10:30 for the day, well you did. 
"You might want to text your Uber and cancel" you heard Kelly's voice as she came walking up the path. 
"Why would I do that? I have plans" you frowned. 
"You haven't heard? There's a snowstorm coming. Everything is closed, you would've known sooner if you were up when I asked" she stopped in front of you, her hands on her hips as you rolled your eyes. "Go get changed into something a little more work friendly, it's all hands on deck. We've gotta make sure the animals are secure before the storm hits" she adds. 
"Seriously?! This is bullshit!" You grumbled as you turned on your heels and stormed into the house to change. A sigh left Kelly's lips as she mentally prepared herself for the attitude, she knew you'd be giving her. 
——
Fixing fence after fence with a loud sigh and yet another eye roll, Kelly couldn't take it anymore. 
"What is your problem?" She snapped, throwing the hammer to the ground. "What? I'm doing what you asked!" You turned to her with a frown. 
"I don't know what to do with you anymore, you're never happy to do anything around here and honestly, sometimes I think you even hate looking at me and I'm sorry that living on a zoo is so problematic for you but give me a god damn break for once! All the eye rolls, the sighs, the grumbles, it's getting old!" Your sister went on. Her sudden outburst took you by surprise, even reminding you as to why you began to lose interest in the zoo. 
"I'm doing my best with what we have here! A little thank you doesn't hurt!" She went on, bringing your attention back to the argument. "J-just go back home, I don't need your help" 
You could see the hurt in her eyes as she let them fall to the hammer on the ground, maybe you were being a selfish little brat and forgot just how much Kelly does for you but she also forgot something along the years. 
"You care more about this zoo than me" you replied in a soft tone. Kelly instantly looked back at you, "why would you say that?" She asked. "Because it's true, you forgot that in your sister, not some other zoo hand that you can boss around. We never get time together anymore and when we did try to make plans, you bailed because something more important came up" you explained with honesty, letting all your built up emotions pour out. "Christmas is literally like two weeks way and we still haven't even put up the tree, it's just sitting in the living room in a box…Christmas used to be our thi-"
Your words were cut short as Kelly pulled you into her arms the moment she saw the tears pooling at your eyes. "Shhh, I know" she whispered as you wrapped your arms around her. She held you until your tears came to a stop, you pulled away and wiped your wet cheeks on the sleeve of your jacket. "Can we make a new rule?" Kelly asked, her hands still on your forearms. 
"I need to help out more, I know" you replied. 
"No" she shook her head, "promise me you'll talk to me instead of letting things bottle up like this? I'm not a mind reader you know" she added. You chuckled at her joke and nodded, "only if you promise to we can finally put the tree up" you raised a brow at her playfully. 
"Let's get this job done and we'll call it a day, go inside and out the tree up" she smiled softly. 
——
"It looks terrible!" You chucked before taking a much-needed sip of your hot chocolate as you watched Kelly put the star on top of the Christmas tree. The tree looked like a mess, fairy lights still slightly tangled up, the two of you too unbothered to make everything perfect. 
"I think it's" Kelly paused as she stood back and took in the sight of the tree, "unique" she added chewing her bottom lip. "Let's just remember to turn the lights off before we go to bed, the last thing we need is the house burning down" she joked as she took a seat beside you on the sofa, reaching for her hot chocolate from the coffee table. 
"So, tell me, should I be worried your dating yet?" She asked after sipping her drink. You playfully slapped her arm, "between you, school and the zoo, what makes you think I have time?" 
Kelly smiled at you before resting her head on your shoulder while the two of you admired the ugly Christmas tree. "It'll always be just us kiddo, against everything" she spoke softly to assure you that you never lost your sister. Sometimes things go unsaid and you made a promise to yourself to never let distance grow between you both ever again.
Tumblr media
Taglist: @red1culous | @sayah13 | @charl-lally | @when-wolves-howl | @bentleywolf29 | @fxckmiup | @natasha-belova | @blackwidow-3 | @lissaaaa145 | @high--power | @parkerdaramitzzzz | @mmmmokdok | @wackymcstupid | @kiwiana145 | @observeowl | @nattyolw | @ripofflizzie | @goofy-goonie | @makegoodchoices | @apollo2907 | @wandaroman0ff | @dumb-fawkin-bitch | @lovelyy-moonlight | @santana1437 | @ahintofchaos | @fluffyblanketgecko | @puta1 | @inluvwithfictionalwomen | @tintedrose12 | @jaymieflorissssssss | @tita001 | @youralphawolf72 | @donnietarantino | @randomnessbecausewhynot | @natashamaximoff69 | @hehehehannahthings | @pandaemonium111 | @imnotslouching | @secrettoallofyou | @romantic-slaps-on-the-asss | @marvel-fan-2021 | @mmmmokdok | @riveramorylunar | @ripofflizzie | @marvel-madnessx | @scarsw1fe | @toldthatdevil | @itsmv3 | @natashaswife4125 | @katiemay-025 | @aphrcdtes | @romanoffs-widow | @natsxwife | @maria-403 | @boredandneedfanfics | @wandamaximoffspuppup | @xox-little-troublemaker-xox | @shibugs | @music-4ever | @hyper-fixated-delusions | @carol-romanoff | @jono723 |
133 notes · View notes
whumpshaped · 5 months
Note
Hypnotic music box!
- @oliversrarebooks
tw gaslighting, hypnosis, magic whump, tiny whump, lady whump, captivity, memory loss
The song filled her mind and body as she kept spinning, keeping completely still for her owner’s enjoyment. She was a perfect little ballerina, her master’s favourite, never stumbling and never ever disappointing them.
Her dress was as pretty and perfect as the body it served to accentuate, with a soft face and shiny hair to match. A work of art, her master had called her. A masterpiece.
The music was gentle as it wrapped around her, settling deep in the creases of her mechanical body and soothing her every worry. She let herself be carried around and around, her glassy eyes fixed on something invisible. Her master was in the room with her, she noted distantly. She could only ever catch glimpses of them, but it was enough to motivate her to do well.
She would always do well. She was perfect, a product of her owner’s genius.
“The battery in your music box is running out,” Master said one day. “I’ll get new ones soon.”
She didn’t doubt it. She was grateful to be informed ahead of time, that way she didn’t panic when her little personal carousel started slowing, and eventually came to a complete halt. She stayed motionless, staring out into the empty room with the last remnants of the song playing only in her mind.
Her owner must’ve been at the store by now, getting the new batteries so they could continue to enjoy her dance. She only had to be patient for a few more minutes, at most an hour.
The stillness was unnerving. She almost felt like her arms were getting tired in this demanding pose, even though she knew that was quite impossible. Dolls didn’t get tired. And while her master was a particularly skilled tinkerer to have created something as lifelike as her, they would’ve had no reason to make her susceptible to exhaustion. That would’ve been cruel, given her purpose.
Still, the feeling continued to spread. Her joints started aching, her mechanical muscles were burning, and despite her best efforts, she eventually had to lower her arms. It felt sacrilegious to do that while the music box was open… but there wasn’t any music now, nor an audience to dance for. Maybe it was okay. Maybe she could treat this unusual circumstance as if the box had been closed.
It kept bugging her, though; the bone-deep exhaustion that suddenly plagued her now that she was off duty. And what were all these new worries? Why did she feel so anxious? Was she shaking from fatigue or nerves?
Why was she shaking at all?
She glanced towards the empty room again, suddenly seized by an overwhelming desire to crawl out of her box and explore. Her whole body protested as she carefully crossed the threshold into the outside, walking along the table with a sense of odd familiarity. It felt as if she had gone on walks like this before, even though she had no recollection of anything but the box.
She didn’t make it far. She crumpled to the ground in pain, curling up in an attempt to soothe her aching joints. Everything hurt. Nothing had ever hurt before, not since her owner had created her.
Oh, lying down like this would definitely put a few wrinkles in her pretty dress. Bad, bad, she was being a bad doll.
‘What a bad doll you’ve been.’
‘I’m not a doll! Stop calling me that, stop– what are you doing? You can’t lock me in there!’
‘But I can. Dolls belong in boxes, after all.’
The hallucination made her sit bolt upright, eyes wide and full of terror. What was that? Where did that come from? She hugged her knees close to her chest, barely understanding why she was suddenly crying.
The box seemed scary now that she was out. It seemed like nothing but a prison instead of a home.
She stared down at her realistically painted legs, blinking at the level of detail she had never noticed before. She couldn’t help it. She gently scraped against the layer, consumed with a desire to see the paint flake off, to see her metallic endoskeleton underneath… But it hurt, and all she found was a layer of flesh with blood bubbling to the surface.
It couldn’t be.
She was a doll.
She was just a doll.
‘I’m not a doll!’
She buried her face in her hands, taking quick, shallow breaths. This wasn’t real. This wasn’t real. None of it was real. She had to get back into the box. She had to get back and dance and look pretty. She had to be perfect, she had to be nothing but a beloved object.
The door opened and she flinched, scrambling to her feet and promptly falling again. She was so tired. She was so scared. She had to get back to the box before her owner realised what a bad doll she had been.
“Oh… The battery ran out sooner than I thought…” Her master walked over to the table, and their presence held none of the usual gentleness that always put her at ease. She felt nothing but the dread of a prey animal, trapped and about to be killed. “How unfortunate. I need to fix this box, this is the second time in only a few months.”
Second? In a few months? No… She had never had the box stop before.
“What’s going on?” she asked, startled by her own voice. She didn’t know she had a voice box. Was it a voice box? Or was it her voice, natural and painfully alive?
“Shh, it’s alright.” They quickly inserted the batteries into the bottom of the box, then set it down on the table again. “Come on. In you go.”
“No! No, I want– I want you to explain! Why am I bleeding? What’s going on?”
“You’re bleeding? Oh, my. What a mess.” They flipped a switch and the song started back up, and she didn’t know why she covered her ears. She just knew she had to, it was crucial that she did, it was the most important thing in the world that she blocked out the song completely.
“Just tell me what’s going on!” she cried, shrieking when her owner pinned her down against the desk, securing her limbs with clear tape. “No, stop, stop it! Please! I don’t understand, I don’t understand!”
“Shh… Calm down, sweet… It’s alright…” They winced when they saw the wound above her knee, swiftly grabbing some ointment and a cotton swab to treat it. She struggled against the makeshift restraints, unable to stop the music from infiltrating her mind any longer. “Oh, what a bad doll you’ve been again…”
“I’m not a doll!”
Her captor gave her a pitying look, gently dabbing the injured area and making her cry harder with the sting of it. “It’s going to be alright.”
The empty box continued playing the music, and she felt her anger slowly give way to resignation. Her struggles became weaker before they ceased entirely, and her pain dissipated before she was even freed from the clear tape. She wasn’t tired anymore. She wasn’t hurting.
“There you are,” they murmured. “My most perfect little creation. My little ballerina.”
New clothes were brought out for her, and she lay completely still as her owner changed out the old ones. She was placed back in the box, where the song was the loudest, and she let it wash over her. It was so heavy, like a comforting blanket.
“Get into position for me, won’t you?” She raised her arms and tried to mimic the grace of a real dancer, making her master smile. “Perfect. My little mechanical doll. My toy box dancer. What a little wonder I’ve created.”
The song filled her mind and body as she kept spinning, keeping completely still for her owner’s enjoyment. She was a perfect little ballerina, her master’s favourite, never stumbling and never ever disappointing them.
120 notes · View notes
amoristt · 9 months
Text
Tumblr media
a/n: yaaay back with part 2 hehehe. im glad you guys r enjoying it so far! i have big plans for this series
- as always comments/reblogs are appreciated! - want to support me? heres my kofi!
Tumblr media
The Accused | Simon "Ghost" Riley/Reader, Pt 2
prev | next
-
The hours that followed Ghost leaving you to your own were brutal. It took a few long moments to collect yourself, all tears and trembling hands, but eventually, your legs found the strength to haul your body up to your feet. Your mind replays the last couple minutes on loop tauntingly.
If Ghost hadn't caught you in time, you'd be nothing but a broken egg on the pavement below. Your brain tried to think about what it would have felt like if you had plummeted without haste, but your body reminded you angrily how it felt to hit the wall on your way down. Surely, deep bruises of purple and blue would climb like vines up the side of your frame. Your body would make sure to ache, to remind you of the damage you'd inflicted onto it.
Damaged, but alive.
It feels odd being alive, now. You really had made your choice, fully accepted the gravity of your life cut short. Perhaps it was cowardly. But, ultimately, you knew that it would have been the better outcome between death and eternal imprisonment.
Still, guilt eats away at you. The image of Ghost's eyes through his mask haunts you- that primal fear in those beautiful eyes engraved in the back of your brain. If he hadn't been as fast- if he'd hesitated for even a second, you'd have slipped right through his fingers. You'd have dropped all the way down to the unforgiving concrete and ceased to be right in front of him. It hurts you- the thought of him grieving you like that. Surely he would have hated you for it.
When night came (rather quickly), you took your chance to escape. Wherever point 'A' was, it wasn't so nearby you couldn't scurry down those five flights of stairs and dart into the darkness. You ran from bush to bush, building to building, and even through a knee-deep marsh. You were grateful that this October was warm, but you would be lying to say you appreciated the bugs. Mosquitos ate away at your skin despite your efforts to battle them away.
You'd only been a few miles away from base, so it wasn't long before you were skirting along the trees, staring at the mile-high electric fences surrounding the fort you'd become so familiar with. The base you and Ghost had been staying at was a nice one- with all the fixings and even single-person 'homes'. They were small, one-bedroom trailer-looking flats with all the basic necessities, but compared to the places you'd slept before they may have well as been your own little personal heaven. Warm water and an AC unit-they'd spoiled you and your fellow soldiers. You remember on your first night, cuddled up under the blankets on your very own bed, praying they'd keep you stationed here for the rest of your military days.
But, now, here you were, creeping along the greenery, feeling more foe than friend. From outside, you could see military vehicles parking for the night and soldiers standing guard. Sneaking up on your own base, your own friends, you really did feel like a spy. You linger outside, wondering what to do.
Then it hits you.
And you know exactly where to go.
You disappear back into the trees. It's barely another mile out, but with just the moon overheard to guide you, you struggle to find your way. You pass by trees and boulders of every size, before you enter a small clearing, and tucked all the way to the side is exactly what you were looking for. A dingy half-finished shed engulfed by the canopy of trees and shadows.
And god, there he is, standing there and waiting for you.
In this light, Ghost really does look like he could be a monster. His mask nearly glows. Half covered by murky shadows, dotted by the glowing streaks of the moon passing through the leaves overhead, he stands and waits for you. Like he knew you were coming.
And he was right. Because here you were.
You snap a twig on accident and his body visibly tenses as he searches for the source, but when his eyes find your figure in the darkness it only takes a second for him to realize it's you.
"Been a while since I've been here," you start. He moves to the side as you pass him. The door opens with a dull creak.
"I'm glad we both had the same idea." Ghost grunts.
"You're telling me. I had to ditch my phone and everything, so if you weren't here I'd have no way of contacting you. And y'know what, that's two phones in two months. Talk about bad luck." You sigh.
"Never did find you're old one, hm? Not good, soldier."
"Oh, I'm sure it's lost in the ocean or blown to bits by now."
Ghost scoffs. "Hope so. Get inside."
When you'd first been stationed at his base, boredom often ate away at you until it felt like you'd go crazy. Ghost had been off on his own mission, the few friends you did have at that time never left the base of their own volition. But you, on the other hand, craved exploration. So you found yourself wandering the perimeter around the base, thinking about nothing and everything. That's when you discovered the beat-up old shed. At that time it was nothing more than a caved-in roof, rain-soaked flooring, and a broken window. Over the course of a couple weeks, you began to work to fix it up, glad to have something to focus on during your between-missions time.
When Ghost had returned to base during Christmas, and he realized that you too had no home to return to for the holidays, he began to join you.
Over that Christmas, you both turned it into somewhere you could both go to talk and occasionally share a few drinks. That was when you'd truly bonded with him. That was when he'd finally started letting you in willingly.
Dirt flecks off the frame of the door as you step inside, and it's just as dusty as you remember. Two chairs sit in the center with patchy blankets serving as cushions. An uneven table sits between them, one leg broken half off but supported by water-logged books stacked atop each other.
The moon filters in through the cracked window and paints the brown walls a beautiful blue.
Ghost sits with a grunt, kicking his feet out and sighing. It invites you, calls you in to shut the door behind you and settle beside him. So, you do. The chair creaks underneath your weight and you breathe out the frustrations of the day, gone into the air. For the first time that day, your guard lowers.
You just... breathe.
"What a nightmare this is." You sigh.
Ghost shrugs. "No one knows what 't think. They know something's not right."
A pang of relief visibly flushes through you, cut short when he shakes his head.
"Don't get too excited." He says quietly.
"...And why's that?"
"Graves called in his shadows." Ghost taps his finger against the table, lingering, picking and choosing his next words while you feel anxiety start to bubble within you. When he speaks again, it's forlorn. "He isn't exactly pushing for 'em to bring you in alive."
The weight of your heart dropping could have burst straight through the chair you sat on. It settles into your gut like an awful stone. A dull, pained chuckle escapes you.
"I knew he didn't like me, but damn."
Ghost shakes his head. "He's panicking. Thinks you can tell us where the missiles are."
"Missiles?" You ask, eyebrows raised in concern.
It must have struck him then, that Ghost hadn't yet updated you on the situation arising off-air. And judging by the way he tenses and leans forward in his chair, it must be pretty grim.
"Hassan... He's got our missiles. Three of 'em." As Ghost speaks with newfound hesitation and urgency, you can feel your nerves lighting up with each syllable. "We can't find the damn things. They get out... 'Lot of people will die."
"Jesus Christ." You wipe your palms down your face, eyebrows knit together. "How the hell did he get our missiles?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out. 'Pparently there's some messages and photos of you chatting with one of Hassan's men. That you might know a thing or two on where to find 'em."
"I haven't talked to anyone that wasn't our own." You groan. "God, what the fuck. And pictures?"
"From what I heard. They haven't shown 'em to us. Refuse to, actually." Ghost leans back in his chair, eyeing you like he's holding something back. "Like I said, no one knows what to think."
You stare down at your lap. Though you already know the answer, you find yourself asking anyways, with an uneven voice.
"...You trust me, right...?"
"God's sake." He scoffs, and you regret asking at all.
"I just have to be sure. Pictures can be convincing-"
"Pictures none of us have even laid eyes on. You think I'd be here right now if I didn't believe you?"
Guilt eats away at you, eyes downcast. "I know. I'm sorry. I just... I can't wrap my head around why of all people it had to be me."
"We'll find out. Shepherd won't give us hardly any information, and anything he does give us is... vague." Ghost is choosy with his words. "...Shepherd found and turned the evidence in himself, supposedly."
You feel an actual strike of nausea pulse through you.
"There's no way Shepherd would frame me." Though you try to say it with an even tone, your voice exposes your lack of confidence in your General. You suck in a breath when there's no reply. "Ghost..?"
Ghost doesn't answer, but his eyes do flick to yours. A silent, cautious confirmation.
You swallow. Hard.
"But... But what good could come of this? I mean up until now I've been an exemplary soldier. Like, not to brag here, but I graduated at the fucking top of my squad and I damn well aced every test they threw at me."
"I know all this." Ghost chimes. "Everyone knows all of this. I don't know what the big plan is. I don't even know if there is a big plan. I just know something isn't right."
There's a pause, and his eyes soften.
"I know you wouldn't do this."
Tears well at the waterlines of your eyes and you struggle to hold them back. With the military against you, Shadow's snapping at your heels at every chance they could get, and now faced with the chance that your own fucking general would frame you, you're completely unsure of what to do next. Ghost leans over the table and sets a firm hand on your shoulder.
You bite your tears back, refusing to let him witness you cry again. Twice in one day was just too much on your already shattered ego.
"What do I do?" Your voice betrays you, uneven and breaking.
Ghost stands up and sighs. "You aren't doing anything. You're staying here."
"For real?" You frown up at him, pawing at your eyes angrily. The sight of him preparing to leave makes your stomach churn- the thought of being alone in this shed all night slinking into your mind. "I can't just sit here and do nothing-"
"That's exactly what you're gonna do. Get some rest, tonight." Ghost doesn't even give you the chance to argue, already pulling the door open. You gape at him from your chair with wet eyes. You see the way he lingers, see the way he considers stepping back inside, but his resolve remains firm. For just a brief moment, he turns to look at you from outside.
You sit on the chair, bringing your knees up to your chest. Sounds from all directions reach your waiting ears as you take a final glance at him.
"I'll be back in the morning." He offers. The door shuts, and darkness encases you.
Shrouded in pitch black, listening to the sound of his footsteps growing further and further away, you fear tears sting your eyes once more. All alone, you let them slip down your cheeks.
You'd never felt so alone.
279 notes · View notes