i just heard the most stereotypical owl sounds outside my window followed by a haunting ghostly scream

When The World Is Free: Chapter 2 -  La Valse de Paris

MASTERPOST PREV | NEXT

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader, WW2 AU.

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1.7k

AuthorsNote: Chapter 2 of new multi-chapter fic based on a request by the lovely @amillcitygirl! Please see the masterpost for a synopsis of this story. This details our reader settling into Paris and the outbreak of war. Benedict turns up next chapter. Thanks to @colettebronte for beta reading. Enjoy! <3

Paris, September 1939

Your first few weeks in Paris are a delightful blur. 

Spending late summer exploring the city - with Solène as your occasional guide and Eloise when she is not at work. You soak up every moment, from the windswept magnificence of standing atop the Eiffel Tower, your words being stolen by the wind, to the monastic silence of the Louvre on a quiet Monday morning. And everything in between - from Notre Dame's atmospheric incense-laden gothic darkness to the airy, resplendent glass dome of Galeries Lafayette that glitters like a prismatic jewel even on cloudy days. 

But perhaps your favourites are the little slices of city life: sitting watching the world go by at a corner cafe, the crunch and warm, pillowy softness of the first bite of freshly baked baguette as you wander back from the boulangerie, the lingering fragrance of the rose garden at the Château de Bagatelle in Bois de Boulogne... It's all pieces of a puzzle that fill your heart in ways that make your life before now seem drab, almost in black and white, like a photograph.

You have written to Stanley once since you arrived, effusive in your praise, a homily to your new home, however temporary. While proclaiming his happiness for you, his response tempered, a touch dismissive of your wonderment. I can scarcely believe any city could truly live up to the praise you so readily heap upon Paris, my love, he wrote back. That was a week ago, and your urge to reply has been muted. 

It's during an idle lunchtime by the Seine, eating a sandwich as you dangle your feet over the river wall, that you genuinely feel a local. An elderly French couple, likely visiting from the provinces, approaches you and asks you for directions to the Musée de l'Homme. Part of you aglow they think you sophisticated enough to look Parisian, and French. And you are able to help them, giving them the information in French, not fluent but sufficient that they are surprised when you confess “je suis américaine”.

In your third week, you secure the art gallery job Eloise had seen posted. An opportunity to meet many new people, primarily British and American, who share your love of art of all persuasions. You spend many a happy hour answering questions and building your knowledge of art, not just in your gallery but across the city. Part of you is wistful to study the subject in even greater depth than the books you borrow in copious quantities from the library where Eloise works.

You grow so close to Eloise so quickly that it’s as if you have known her your whole life. A sense of kinship, a near familial bond. You know, on some instinctive level, she will always be a part of your life somehow. Your evenings are often spent in lounge bars together—venues awash with art deco splendour as you listen to jazz through a cigarette haze and flirt aimlessly with a carousel of handsome men. Life seems so full of potential, a hum in your very being.

“What do you think the purpose of life is, y/n?” Eloise sighs as she flops onto your bed after returning from one such decadent night out.

“Aaaand we are done with the brandy…” you declare, taking the bottle of Martell cognac from her grip and placing it pointedly on the dresser, your high-handed point only mildly undermined by your own unsteady gait.

You collapse down next to her, the intricate ceiling rose around your light fixture swirling slightly before your very eyes.

“Love?” you hazard in answer to her question.

“Boo! Cliché!” she jeers, elbowing you good-naturedly.

“I don’t just mean romantic love,” you protest, “the love of family… friends…”

“Ah, yes, family. Endlessly large family. Don’t suppose you want an extra sibling or two, do you? I could be persuaded to let a couple go,” she squints comically.

“Depends… can I have the artist?” you jest.

“You have to stop staring at that painting; it's getting weird,” she opines with her typical bluntness, “and no, you can’t. You know he’s my favourite,” she pouts.

“I think he’s my favourite too,” you opine over a stifled yawn, any embarrassment about being called out for your unbridled admiration overridden by the sleepy state your comfortable bed lulls you into.

“If you end up being attracted to my brother, I will have to disown you, you know,” she pats your hand drowsily.

“Hmm, good thing he’s so far away…” you trail off with a lazy giggle, eyes drooping heavily.

It’s the last words you exchange before you both fall asleep on your bed.

–

Perhaps, as with all things that are too good, the idyll is temporary. It's the news you wake up to that following morning, September 4th, which throws everything into uncertainty. Solène knocks on your door early with an uncharacteristically sombre expression, wordlessly handing you the morning paper and flicking on the wireless on your mantelpiece, the fine lines on her face deeper etched, furrowed with worry.

‘La Guerre!’ the headline screams from the newspaper. And the voice on the airwaves, your ear more attuned to the language now, details how Britain and France have jointly declared war against Germany for their invasion of Poland a few days prior.

At the sound of the radio, Eloise emerges from your room, blinking and hair asunder, a little delicate from your previous night's revelry. You sip coffee at a loss for what to think or do. It’s an odd cognitive dissonance when life at once seems identical but also changed by an invisible shape - an undercurrent of fear, of the unknown, a punch to the pit of your stomach that you don’t know how to acknowledge - even as you go through the motions of your daily routine and head to work.

By the evening you are more phlegmatic about the situation. Your spirit dampened, yes, but not crushed. You feel an immense sense of privilege that conflict is not yet at your doorstep, but equally knowing being in the capital city of a nation that just declared war against a neighbouring country is not exactly safe.

You and Eloise splash out on dinner at an upscale brassiere that night, one you have both passed and commented you’d love to dine in some time. Both of you seized by the unspoken “what if”, the previous reluctance to treat yourselves entirely absent.

Talk on all the tables around you as you dine - on heavenly butter-soft steak - is about the war. What it could mean for Paris, fear of another major European conflict so soon after the last, the economic concerns - the bite of the early 30s depression just relinquishing its hostile grip on the somewhat bruised denizens.

Afterwards, you wander the cobbled streets back to your apartment, arms looped, bellies full, occasionally staring up at the starry night sky in mostly contemplative, sober silence. It’s a beautiful evening, but something in the warm breeze feels melancholic.

When you open the door to your building, Solène is waiting, rocking on her heels.

“Eloise, a telegram has come for you!” she announces, shoving a piece of paper into her hand. “And a telephone call from England earlier,” she adds, gesturing to the black rotary phone outside her place—the only one in the building.

Eloise gives you a brief glance and then opens the message. You watch her eyes ping across the text before her shoulders slump.

“My mother,” she sighs in explanation, “it appears she is summoning me back home.”

“What?!” the selfish reflex of not wanting to be left alone is the first thing flaring in you.

“It’s not fair!” she whines in a flash of child-like defiance before continuing in a more subdued tone. “She is sending my brother to come get me. She doesn’t specify which, but seeing as Anthony is a Lieutenant General in the Army and has likely been called to Churchill’s side, I'm presuming Benedict,” Eloise surmises. 

Your thoughts instantly fly to that painting hanging in your apartment upstairs. A strange flutter under your ribs at the idea you could be about to meet its creator. Quickly followed by a wash of guilt that you could even focus on such a frivolous thing.

“What will I do without you?’’ You fret aloud, grasping her arm tighter.

“There was a call for you too, y/n,” Solène pipes up. “Your father wants you to exchange your return ticket for a sailing home as soon as possible,” she relays.

“But.. I just got here!” your lament as defiant as Eloise’s. A frustrating sense you are losing a fleeting opportunity you already hold so precious - like a new toy being ripped from the meaty fist of a truculent toddler.

“Mes amis, what can I say?” that trademark Gallic shrug seizing Solène’s shoulders. “While Paris is safe for now, we do not know how much longer that will hold true… it is likely best you return home. Perhaps this will be over in weeks, and you can return?”

You know your parents have paid your rent upfront for a whole year, likely similar for Eloise, your landlady not impacted financially by your leaving, merely a wish for you to enjoy your Parisian adventures.

As you unlock the door to your apartment and wander in, both of you sigh; the illumination from the Eiffel Tower that refracts upon your window pane just adds to your melancholia, a sight that before had never failed to warm your heart.

“When will your brother get here?” your inflection dull.

“Tomorrow, most likely. It only takes a couple of hours to cross the Channel, and as you know, the train ride from the coast is just a few more. I expect he’ll be waiting for me right here when I return from work,” her tone is just as flat as yours.

You want to ask if she will pack tonight, but you stop yourself, seeing the flame that usually burns so bright behind her blue eyes dimmed. Wordlessly, you draw closer and pull her into a firm hug.

“I will miss you like a sister,” she whispers into your hair, returning the embrace just as fiercely, “maybe moreso.”

You nod and band your arms tighter briefly before letting go, bone-deep exhaustion overtaking anything else you see in her mirrored stance.

The last thing that captures your eye as Eloise turns to her room is that painting of her childhood home and, strangely, how it feels closer now than ever before.

Benedict taglist: @foreverlonginguniverse @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @baebee35 @crowleysqueenofhell @fiction-is-life @lilacbeesworld @broooookiecrisp @queen-of-the-misfit-toys @eleanor-bradstreet @divaanya @musicismyoxygen84 @benedictspaintbrush @miindfucked @sorryallonsy @cayt0123 @hottytoddyhistory @truly-dionysus @fictionalmenloversblog @zinzysstuff @malpalgalz @panhoeofmanyfandoms @kinokomoonshine @causeimissu @delehosies @m-rae23 @last-sheep @kmc1989 @desert-fern @starkeylover @corpseoftrees-queen @magical-spit @bunnyweasley23 @how-many-stars-in-the-sky @amygdtjhddzvb @sya-skies @balladynaaa

MINE FOR TODAY — KSJ (M.)

synopsis. as part of a special valentines day sale, you make a bid in hopes to get a special discounted date with one of the dreamy bachelors of club ardor. you decide to choose The Romantic. 

pairing. seokjin/reader genre. angst, fluff, smut au. fake dating!au, date-for-hire!au wordcount. 6,171 contents. sad!seokjin, lonely!seokjin, light pining, teasing, protected sex, breast play, fingering, size kink (?), scratching, overstimulation, doggy style, pet names, light aftercare note. seokjins was by far the hardest to write. i have such a difficult time writing him ): i apologize, i did my best for him!

— club ardor masterlist.

© httpjeon 2020. do not repost, modify, or translate.

Your phone let out a startling ding, making you jump as you hadn't realized you'd forgotten to silence it. Taking a look around your cubicle, you made sure no one had noticed before you pulled it out and went to put in do not disturb mode. Before you did, however, the preview notification caught your attention.

"CLUB ARDOR VALENTINES DAY SPECIAL: See Inside for Details."

As you were about to unlock your phone to take a look, you heard the light clicks of your boss's heels coming towards you. You quickly slid your phone back into your drawer and turned your attention to your screen, feigning reading something.

Her footsteps paused outside of your cubicle before she called your name. You spun around in your chair to meet her gaze curiously.

"I really need those expense reports within the next hour, can you do that?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," you nodded, turning around once again to face your desk, "I'm actually almost done, I can probably have them on your desk in 30 minutes."

"That's perfect," she smiled, "Thank you."

You returned her smile and let out a sigh once you heard her footsteps disappear. Shaking your head, you let yourself become absorbed in your work once again -- forgetting about that email you'd received.

You caught a taxi to head home, not feeling like walking even though your apartment was only 5 minutes away. Your feet were aching and you just desperately wanted to take a shower and eat dinner as you'd accidentally missed your lunch break by working through it.

It wasn't the first time you'd considered yourself a bit too much of a workaholic.

It was nearing 11PM by the time you finally were able to settle down on the couch. Your hair was freshly washed and you were wrapped in a soft bathrobe with a nice face mask.

Reclining as the TV played in the background, you unlocked your phone to check after spending most of the day without. You responded to texts and checked your social media before suddenly remembered the email you had received earlier.

"CLUB ARDOR VALENTINES DAY SPECIAL: See Inside for Details."

It sat at the top of your emails and when you opened it, you were greeted with an image similar to a party invite. In pretty, cursive font it was written; "Once in a lifetime chance to meet the man of your dreams!"

There was a link beneath it that you clicked, causing it to open a new Safari page. The search bar indicated it had taken you to clubardor.com. It wasn't the first time you'd been on the website.

You heard of it's grand opening half a year ago and went to check it out. Unfortunately, you discovered that even the most basic package was 2 grand for 12 hours. The deluxe had a price that nearly sent you into cardiac arrest.

In the end, you just signed up for newsletters and things to be sent by email.

It seemed it paid off, as you found yourself on a page detailing a Valentine's special.

For the entire month of February, they were hosting a giveaway. According to each Date's schedule, a lucky woman would be chosen from a lottery to get a date with them for just $500 instead of $2,000. The insane discount had your jaw dropping.

You weren't embarrassed to admit that you were curious about the date-for-hire service. Biting your lip, you decided to throw your hat into the ring and place a bid on the special.

"Full money-back guarantee if you're not chosen!" was written in bold letters above the credit card input.

You had no worry about being scammed, Club Ardor had risen to the top in terms of dating services in the country -- after just 6 months of activity and just 7 bachelors available. They had an excellent reputation and were known for having an extremely high-class clientele.

With your lip caught between your teeth, an excited smile on your face, you put your payment information in and hit 'Enter'.

"Thank you for your bid! Please keep an eye on your email within the next week to determine if you've been chosen! Your lottery number is 1-241-994."

You opened up your note app and typed down the number on a blank note for safe keeping.

Returning to the website, you began to do some digging into each of the men available to hire. While their pictures weren't viewable -- for safety reasons, you supposed, there was plenty of information about them.

"Each Date has full control over creating his own scene. Location, dynamic, and length of time will vary. Please speak to your Date for more information on his plans to be sure you have allotted the correct time-frame. Abide by rules and limits he sets."

You flicked through the profiles of each man, eying their listed physical and emotional qualities.

That night, you went to sleep with excitement stirring in your heart.

Somehow, you managed to work through a couple days and ended up forgetting about even signing up for it. You were working so hard to get a promotion so you could escape the shitty cubicle that somehow spending $500 completely slipped your mind.

At least, that was until you were eating a bowl of cereal at nearly 3 in the morning on a Friday night -- 6 days after you had signed up, and your phone pinged with the alert of an email. Holding the spoon in your mouth, you picked up the device and unlocked it without even looking at the notification.

You went to your email and paused when you saw the email was from Club Ardor.

With shaking fingers, you opened it.

"Below are the applicants who filed for the lottery that won. If you do not see your number, expect a monetary refund within the next 24 hours."

You clicked out and went to your note app to check the number you had gotten. Refreshing your memory, you returned to the email and scanned down the list. There were a lot of numbers listed, you quickly realized. But by some miracle, you spotted your own number listed there in the middle.

"If your number is listed, please check your email for further instructions."

You backed out of the email and refreshed, sitting up straight when you realized you had a new one from Club Ardor.

"Congratulations on winning a special night, please follow this link to register for a date with the man of your choice!"

Clicking the bright red hyperlink, you watched the screen load for several seconds and go from white to black.

You flicked through all seven of the men passing the boyfriend, the romantic, the quiet one, the playboy, the softy, the bad boy, and the alpha male. It was easy to rule out the playboy, bad boy, and alpha male -- deeming them a little too hard of scenes than what you would be able to handle.

After a bit of deliberating, you decided on the romantic. He seemed to be the oldest at 26 years old and from the silhouette of his picture, you could see he had a very nice build with hide shoulders and pretty, thin waist. You assumed he would be closer to your type and you did enjoy romance so with a couple of clicks, you were registered for a date with him.

You were brought to another page which held instructions for downloading an application called Club Ardor along with a code it told you to input.

You did as you were instructed, highly impressed with the company's extensive work on the hiring process. It was very obvious to you that Club Ardor was, in fact, suited for those of high class. The service held an obviously high regard for discretion and safety for both its bachelors and clients.

Once the app was downloaded, you opened it and found a box to enter the code you'd been given.

You were then brought to a page to input information such as your name, age, height, likes, dislikes, and preferences. After entering it all, you were brought to an empty text message thread.

Before you could attempt to look around, your phone let out a jingle and a new text message popped up.

From: Seokjin Hi cutie! Our date is set for tomorrow night. Meet me at the Club Ardor building at 7PM sharp. Wear something nice and pretty, but comfortable. Can't wait to see you!

You read the text several times, surprised by the quick work he made before typing out a response letting him know you understood. The final thing he texted was a an address to the building you would meet him at.

Thankfully, your job has required you to dress nicely for business dinners in the past so you had a decent amount of things to wear. You decided on just a flowing dress that was breathable but complimented your figure. Placing it in the front of your closet for easy access, you went through your nightly routine and got into bed.

You worked through the day, it was a Friday so you compiled the information of the entire week and input it into the data system. It kept you busy and the hours passed by quickly.

You got off at 5, having made sure you finished everything as quickly as possible so you wouldn't have to work over time.

"You're in a rush today, _____," your boss smiled as she met you in the elevator, carrying a couple files.

"I um...I have a date tonight," you confessed sheepishly, face flushing when she gasped.

"Congratulations, I hope you have a wonderful time," she said, patting you on the back, "Stay safe, I'll see you on Monday."

The elevator opened to the 3rd floor and she got off, shooting you a little wave before the doors closed again. You were dropped off at the lobby and you adjusted your bag on your shoulder, bidding a goodbye to the receptionist as you exited your building.

Grabbing a taxi, you made your way home.

As soon as you stepped out of the shower, you heard your phone go off from your bedroom. The notification bell for the Club Ardor app was extremely hard to miss.

Wrapping a towel around yourself, you wandered into your bedroom and picked the device up.

From: Seokjin [5:45PM] Super excited, cutie! Can't wait to see you!

You smiled, typing out your response immediately, "Me either! See you soon!".

You were ready earlier than you would have liked. There were still 20 minutes until you could leave and be at Club Ardor on time. You didn't want to be too early or too late.

Timing it just right, you grabbed your purse and slipped your phone into the side pocket before slipping your heels on. The Uber you called pulled up right on time as you exited the lobby of your apartment complex.

Exchanging pleasantries, you crawled into the back seat and let out a nervous breath. Of course it wasn't until you were literally on your way that the nerves would kick in.

Club Ardor came into view at precisely 6:58PM.

The building was a huge high rise building with several floors. Club Ardor was a brightly lit neon sign atop the building. The Uber pulled up to the front curb and you stepped out, checking the time to see it was 6:59PM.

As the Uber sped away, you stepped up to the door, unsure of what to do. Deciding that you should probably let him know you were there, but as you unlocked your phone, the lobby door opened and a man stepped out.

He was dressed in a tux with a bowtie and he looked around for a second before his eyes landed on you.

"_____?" he smiled, walking up to you with his hand out, "It's nice to meet you, I'm Seokjin."

"Hi, Seokjin," you greeted, noting how big his hand was in yours before he pulled away.

"My cars in the garage," he jerked his head in the direction around the building, "Do you want to come or I can pull up."

"I'll...wait here," you said, making him laugh before nodding his head.

"I get it," he waved it off and began to jog around the building.

You could hear the rev of a car engine echo from the garage before a sleek white car came into view. Seokjin got out and jogged around the car to open the door for you.

You thanked him with a soft smile before getting in, pulling the seat belt on as he slammed the door shut.

Once in an enclosed space with him, you were immediately aware of how good he smelled. An almost sweet, fruity perfume wafted off of him and if you looked closely you could see he had a lip tint on.

"So, what's the plan?" you asked, breaking the silence that had settled.

"A romantic date on the water for two," he sighed, almost dreamily.

It couldn't help but laugh, which in turn brought a bright smile onto his face. The atmosphere became increasingly less tense as Seokjin drove to somewhere unknown.

"I'm so hungry," he complained from the driver's seat, making a turn onto a less populated road, "The food is honestly to die for."

"Whoa, what is this place?" you asked, not fully hearing his comment as you watched him pull up at a parking lot near a huge lake.

"This is where our date is, silly!" he grinned, getting out of the car and rounding to open your door for you.

He took your hand, escorting you towards a pier where there was a large boat bobbing with the waters natural movement.

"Hop aboard, lovely," he kept h is hold on your hand as you got onto the boat. He followed you and tugged your hand to get you to follow him.

Your body wavered as the boat suddenly took off but Seokjin was there to steady you with a broad grin.

"Have a seat," he motioned to a small table with two chairs across from one another.

"So," you huffed a laugh as you took a seat, "When you said...dinner on the water."

"I meant it literally," he shrugged, reaching over to click a button and several strings of white fairy lights illuminated everything around you.

"Whoa," you gasped, looking around.

You could see the lights from the buildings on shore and there was a beautiful cast of the moon shining over the water. It was beautiful and as you turned your gaze back to Seokjin, you were surprised to find him leaning his chin on his hand as he watched you.

"Your eyes are sparkling," he said, an almost serene smile on his lips.

In more proper light, you could make out his features more. He had wide shoulders, pretty, plump lips and flawless skin. His eyes were sparkling as well, the dark irises looking like stars were shining within them.

"Would you like to start eating?" he asked, reaching across the table to place his hand over yours. His skin was soft and warm and it made you smile as you nodded.

Dinner was a blur, he had a few dishes available to choose from since he didn't know exactly what you would like. You chose the steak, which seemed to make Seokjin quite happy as he ordered the same thing.

You could see where his romantic title came from as he reached across the table to feed you a couple bites every once in a while. Once the main course was over, the two of you shared a strawberry cheesecake slice after he lit the candle at the end of the table.

You had a good laugh when he failed to light it a few times because the breeze kept blowing it out.

"Now, the next portion of our date I'll admit...it's a little lame," he confessed sheepishly as he walked you back to the car.

"Oh?" you climbed into the seat after he opened the door for you.

"We're going to head back to Club Ardor, drink, and watch movies," he said, turning the key in the ignition.

"It's not lame," you giggled, resting your head back on the seat, "I think it's a great way to unwind."

"I'm glad you feel that way," he said, sounding relieved.

When you finally pulled back up to Club Ardor, Seokjin was blasting music and singing obnoxiously to it. You had your hand over your mouth to keep from laughing too much. Every once in a while, he'd take a look at you and end up laughing midway through his singing.

He pulled into the garage and pulled into a parking spot that had his name on a sign in front of it.

There was a door that he had to scan a card to unlock which led into what appeared to be a lounge room. He didn't waste any time in clicking the button to call the elevator.

Seokjin was comfortable. He had such a calm, relaxing demeanor that it put you at ease.

The two of you sat on the couch and clinked your glasses together before you both downed the shot he had poured. You cringed as it burned going down your throat, leaving a horrible taste in your mouth.

A bit of a lightweight, it didn't take much to get you tipsy and soon you were both losing it over some horrible movie he had accidentally picked.

"I swear it looked good in the previews!" he argued through laughter when you teased him about his choice.

"I'm picking the next one, you've lost movie-picking privileges!" you laughed, stealing the remote from his hands, making him gasp in shock.

He immediately began to try and get it back from you, his body pressed against yours. His perfume once again and it made your eyes flutter.

Pressed against the arm of the couch with Seokjin's body dangerously close to yours, you both paused. He met your eyes, seemingly searching for something in your gaze. As you searched his, you couldn't deny how...sad they looked.

Your breath began to quicken when his face slowly got closer to yours. You could feel his breath against your lips but before they could meet, he was pulling away. He took the remote with him and took his seat beside you once again, leaving you pressing your hand to your chest as your heart raced almost painfully.

There was a terrifyingly loud alarm that rang throughout the room, making you jolt awake.

Looking at the clock, you were disgruntled to see that it was 7 in the morning. Sitting up, you realized you were in bed when you were positive you fell asleep with Seokjin on the couch.

"Hey," he said, making you jump as he suddenly appeared in the doorway, "It's 7am."

"I see that," you mumbled, sliding out of bed, still sleepy.

"Our 12 hours are up."

And just like that it was over.

However, Seokjin didn't leave your mind after that though. Even when you stepped into your apartment, you couldn't stop thinking about him.

Especially how you almost kissed.

You were, of course, aware that Club Ardor dates would occasionally participate in physical intimacy. You hadn't expected it to happen to though. You could still remember the way his scent wafted around you and how close his lips were to yours or that sad look in his eyes.

A week passed by quickly and painlessly. You fell back into a rhythm with work, giving vague replies to your boss when she asked about how it went.

Somehow, Seokjin kept slipping into your mind. You couldn't shake him.

A measly 12 hours with a man you had only just met, and he seemed to have invaded your very subconscious.

That day, after work, you decided to take a detour to a local bar. It wasn't a very big, popular bar but the people in your neighborhood frequented it quite often. The atmosphere was buzzing inside and you made to take a seat at the bar but paused when you spotted a figure you recognized. You blinked several times, making sure you weren't hallucinating him.

"Seokjin?" you asked, making him jump.

His head snapped over to look at you, his eyes wide. He took you in for a second before his face morphed into confusion.

"What're you doing here? How'd you know I was here?" he sounded defensive and it made you frown, shaking your head.

"I live in the apartment complex down the street, I stopped here after work for a nice Friday drink," you motioned to your work attire and he seemed to relax. Part of you was offended that he thought you were some kind of stalker but you supposed in his line of work, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

He was drinking a beer slowly, seemingly lost in his own little world as he turned away from you. You got the hint, and went to walk away from him but you stopped when he called your name.

"Um...why don't you sit with me?" he asked, motioning to the empty stool beside him.

You were relieved he asked you to join him because that's all you wanted. You took the seat and he ordered you a drink, for which you thanked him. Being in his presence again felt nice and you already began to relax.

It seemed Seokjin had been drinking there for a while. His face was a little red and he was openly giggly and friendly -- a complete difference than what he was when you first sat him sitting there.

Time flew by with him but eventually you realized it had gotten dark outside and you'd stayed far longer than you had intended.

"I really need to be going," you sighed, the words painful as they slipped out of your mouth. You didn't want to leave him, you'd thought about him so long.

"Wait!" he cried, grabbing a hold of your blouse sleeve, effectively halting you.

"What is it?" you asked, alarmed by the saddened look on his face.

"I...Can't you stay?" he asked, voice soft.

"I...I really need to get home...I've got some reports to go over for work..." you explained, wincing when you watched him visibly deflate, "You...you can come over, if you want?"

"Really?" he looked hopeful again as he hopped off the stool.

He wobbled a bit and you laughed, reaching out to steady him even though you were a little tipsy yourself.

The two of you walked outside, the cool night air hitting your heated skin and making you shiver.

"I really...I'm not supposed to go home with clients..." he mumbled, as if talking to himself, "But I guess you're not technically a client anymore, right?"

You chuckled, cheeks burning when he pulled you close against him, "I guess I'm not."

"Yeah, so it's fine!" he chuckled.

Once the two of you stepped into your apartment, things seemed to shift. He took a seat on the couch and relaxed.

It gave you a moment to take him in; he wore jeans and a t-shirt, looking even better in casual clothes than he did in formal wear.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" you asked suddenly, unable to hold back your smile when he visibly perked up, "I'll make you some."

You disappeared into the kitchen, letting out a deep breath as you realized your heart was racing. Seokjin seemed to have the effect. He didn't even do anything and he had you flustered.

You heated up some milk in the microwave, not wanting to bother with stove top. Pouring the powder into the cup you stood and waited for the milk to be done.

Before it could finish, you felt a presence behind you that had you jumping out of your skin. Turning around, you were face to face with Seokjin's incredible visage. His brown eyes were wide, almost curious and a smile lingered on his pretty lips.

You subconsciously licked your own lips and you swear your saw his own eyes drop to your lips. The energy was tense between the two of you and his perfume was permeating off of him once again. Seokjin opened his mouth to say something but before he could the microwave beeped.

The spell was broken and he backed off, wandering back into the kitchen as you began to mix the powder and milk in the cup.

You took a seat beside him, handing him the cup before turning the TV on. The two of you relaxed, you pulled your throw blanket over you shoulders as Seokjin sipped on his hot chocolate.

As you watched him, you couldn't help but find him cute.

"Hey Seokjin?" you asked, earning a hum from him, "How come you work at Club Ardor?"

"Why do you ask that?" he questioned, frowning as he sat up straighter.

You followed suit, shrugging your shoulders, "I mean surely being a date-for-hire wasn't the job you dreamed of," your words brought a smile to his face and he let out a soft chuckle, "Plus, you're crazy good looking, funny, and charming...I'd expect someone like you to be a model or something."

"Well...thanks..." he smiled, cheeks a little red, "To tell you the truth...I've dated quite a bit but..." he seemed to deflate as he spoke, "It never worked out, they all just wanted me for my money and looks."

"How shallow..." you sighed, shaking your head in dismay.

"Eventually, I just decided to stop trying but...if I'm honest I get so lonely," his confession made you frown, "But I just...don't want to be open to anyone so...this job makes me feel loved, even if it's fake."

"You won't even try to find a girlfriend again or something?" you asked, pained at the idea of him just giving up.

He shook his head, "No one ever wants me for me. Do you think I haven't tried my hardest? It never works, I'm sick of feeling left like I'm worth less than I am."

"Seokjin..." you muttered, reaching over to place your hand over his that was curled up in a fist on his knee, "You...deserve to have someone genuinely love you. It seems impossible but...it can't be like this forever. Someone will come along that will see you for you but you can't just...shut down. You should keep trying," you squeezed his hand, feeling it relax from the fist, "Maybe you've been dating the wrong women!"

"You're right," he mumbled, surprising you, "I think someone more like you is my type."

It took a second for those words to sink in,"Wha--" you shook your head, letting out a soft laugh, "Don't tease me like that!"

"No, I really mean it, _____," he whispered, meeting your gaze. It held such conviction and sincerity that you felt your heart speed up, "I think you're beautiful and you're so sincere. When we had our date," he paused after saying the word before sighing, "I had never wanted to kiss or touch someone more than I wanted to with you. You are absolutely captivating and you don't even know it."

He shifted on the couch, turning to face his body towards you. Your proximity was closer than you expected once he faced you, if you leaned in just a bit more your noses would touch.

The tension between you rose, something hot building that neither of you could deny.

Then, his lips were on yours -- soft and warm with the taste of hot chocolate lingering on them. It wasn't even a thought to hesitate, you were immediately returning the kiss.

It became more heated as the seconds ticked by. You found yourself pinned to the couch with him above you, never breaking the kiss. You wrapped your arms around his neck, tangling your fingers in his hair. Whimpering, you felt a shiver go down your spine when he softly nipped at your bottom lip.

When you pulled away, there was a minuscule thread of saliva connecting your lips. Once you met his heated gaze, you both knew what the other wanted.

The walk to the bedroom was a blur of shared kisses and wandering hands pushing clothes off. By the time you were pinned to the bed, you were both naked. 

Seokjin's pretty, plump lips found purchase on your neck, making you shiver as his breath fanned over the sensitive skin. Kisses trailed down to your chest, over your collarbones and sternum before reaching the gentle swell of your breasts. 

Your chest rose as you inhaled sharply at the feeling of his warm lips enveloping a perked nipple. His fingers caressed your skin so delicately you could almost miss it completely  

His digits dipped between your thighs to find your folds already wet. He groaned, lightly grazing his teeth against your nipple before looking up at you through his lashes.

“All this because of some kissing?” he teased, making your cheeks burn.

He huffed a laugh and moved to take your other nipple into his mouth. At that same moment, his fingers parted your folds and found your clit. You gasped, spreading your legs further for his access. 

His digits were skilled and graceful, circling your clit to make you whimper before dipping into your entrance. His fingers were long and found your sweet spot quickly, chuckling when your hips twitched upwards at the stimulation. 

He sat up, pulling away from you as he sat back on his heels. His fingers were still inside you and he eagerly watched the way your entrance stretched to accommodate his two — three fingers. 

Your eyes fluttered, rolling back in your head as he fucked you with his fingers. As a result, you missed him wrapping his left hand around his own cock, biting his lip as he finally got the stimulant he needed. 

Precum dripped down his shaft and he eagerly used it to lubricate his movements. He scissored his fingers inside you, making sure you were stretched enough to take him. 

When he pulled out, you whined at how empty you felt. 

“Have you got a condom?” he breathed, tightening his fist around his cock when you reached into your bedside drawer and pulled one out. 

You settled back, spreading your legs once again. He groaned, shuffling forward to cover your body with his. Your eyes met as the tip of this cock kissed your entrance. 

Both your mouths fell open as he sunk into you. Your tight walls squeezed him so wonderfully that he groaned. He stretched you open even more than his fingers had, giving you that wonderful burn you needed. 

He met your lips in a sweet kiss as he angled his hips toward your sweet spot. You whimpered, wrapping your arms around his shoulders to ground you as the pleasure ran rampant. He hissed, cock twitching at the sting of your nails on his back. 

His pelvic bone ground against your clit every time he sunk in, edging you closer and closer to release. Seokjin could feel the way you fluttered around him and he groaned.

Sliding a hand between your bodies, he circled the bud until you arched with a cry of pleasure. 

He eased you through the high, grinning when you trembled through the overstimulation. Finally, he slowed to a stop and pulled out. You whimpered, feeling your hole clench around nothing. 

“Roll over,” he breathed, cupping your hip to urge you onto your front.

With your face buried in the pillow and your ass in the air, you looked like a delectable treat for him. Standing on his knees, he sunk his cock back into your cunt. 

You both groaned. The angle had him hitting your spot with painful accuracy. You cried out, muffled in the fabric of the pillow, as he fucked you into even more overstimulation. Your recent orgasm had you much more sensitive and this position allowed him to abuse that. 

An almost sadistic grin crossed over his face as he enjoyed the little cries and whimpers you released the harder he fucked his cock into you. 

Reaching down, he tangled his hand in your hair. You gasped as he tugged until you were up on your knees as well. Your back was against his chest and you could feel him panting against your neck.

His lips found the junction of your neck and shoulder, nipping at the skin there. Your walls fluttered around him and he released your hair to reach around and cup your breast. 

“Fuck,” you gasped as he pinched your nipple, making your eyes roll back in your head.

“What is it, baby?” he groaned, the pet name making you flutter around him again. 

“M-Make me cum, please,” you begging, making him groan once more.

He didn't say anything further, simply slid his hand down your body until he found your swollen clit. The second his fingers touched the bud, you clenched tight around him in sensitivity. 

He circled the bud until you were trembling and gushing around him. You cried out his name as pleasure coursed through your body from your high. Seokjin didn't stop circling your clit and fucking his cock into your spasming walls until you were near tears.

He finally let you fall back down to the bed and began to chase his own high. He spread your ass cheeks apart, getting a good view of the way your cunt tried to suck him back in on every out stroke. The sight made him groan. 

It took you deliberately squeezing tightly around him tightly for him to cum. It was sudden and knocked the air out of him. He gripped your hips tightly as he spilled into the condom, his cock twitching the entire time.

Everything was still for several seconds before he pulled out. 

You rolled over to lay on your side as Seokjin got up and went into the bathroom. He came out a moment later with a wet cloth that he used to clean your thighs and folds with, laughing when you playfully smacked his shoulder from the oversensitivity. 

He finally crawled into the bed, the two of you wiggling until you were comfortable. 

You laid with Seokjin's chest beneath your head, the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat the only thing you heard. His hand softly combed through your hair and you smiled.

"This...This is what I've been needing for so long," he whispered, "No one trying to get something out of being with me. Just a sincere...caring touch."

"This is what you deserve, Seokjin," you sitting up to look at him. His hair was messed up in an adorable way that made you smile, "You can have so much more if you just...open yourself to it again."

Seokjin's gaze turns glassy as he opened his mouth to speak, "I'm just...scared."

Your heart ached when you saw a tear trickle from his eye. Reaching up, you swiped it away, "I know but...you deserve to be loved, Seokjin."

He didn't reply, simply reaching up to pull you back down into his arms. You held him in return, running your fingertips over his skin until you felt him relax as sleep finally overcame him. Adjusting yourself more comfortably, you let yourself fall asleep in his arms.

You opened your eyes to the morning sun shining into your bedroom. You licked your lips as your mouth felt dry and moved to sit up. As you did, you remembered what happened last night.

Looking beside you, you realized he wasn't in bed and the sheets were cold. Standing up, you wrapped your fuzzy robe around you and crept out of the bedroom.

"Seokjin?" you called, frowning when you received no reply.

Your heart was pounding as you made a round around the apartment to see if he left a note of anything. When you couldn't find anything, you returned to your bedroom to pick up your phone.

You froze, realizing you never actually got his phone number. You'd only communicated through the Club Ardor app.

Clicking on the icon, you waited for it to load.

Instead of being brought to your profile, you reached a page with a simple notice on it.

"Your date has filed a report, you are now blocked from using the Club Ardor service. If further contact is attempted, Club Ardor will be forced to take legal matters."

You stared at your phone for several seconds.

Everything that happened flashed through your mind -- the way he kissed you and confessed his feelings of loneliness and hurt to you. You wondered if any of it was true. Were you a game to him?

Your view of the notice on your screen became blurry as you realized you would never know.

She's Everything

Pairing: Yoogni x Reader

Summary: You moved and started anew in Korea, where you were so lucky to meet your favorite KPop idols. You've been happier the past two years than ever and all because you chose to leave romantic love in your past but you're unaware of your friends' feelings.

Warnings: maybe cursing?

Author: Based on She's Everything by Brad Paisley because this picture does things to me. Noone can tell me they don't listen to country. Part 2?

Words: a lot, I was copy pasting it to a word counter and got tired. For the record, wrote this after work so....

"Night guys," Yoogni pats all of the guys on thier shoulders. It had been a long day and he just wanted to go home and pick some strings, relieve stress. He sighs and leaves, twirling his car keys on his finger as he walks out of the studio. The sun had set hours ago and the stars lit up the sky now, he stops to look up at it for a second before walking to his car and slipping in and noticing that he had gotten a message saying he needed to do a live video. He slid his phone up on his dash and leaned his head back on his chair and groans before sighing and driving home, well the hotel room. Quiet, it was quiet, he wished he was back in Korea with you as he tosses his phone on the couch and keys on the kitchen bar table and flicks the lights on. He kicks his shoes off by the door. He made his way over to the couch and sets the laptop up for a video. Reminding himself to put on a smile as he leans over and grabs his guitar. Immediately the video has comments flooding up, he waves and gestures his guitar and explains he had a long day and wants to play. Just like that, song suggestions fly in, he can't even keep up to read them all but he catches the one that he was hoping to see. Yours. "Play something country," he shakes his head and smiles. He can't out right say Y/N and acknowledge you but he finds the chord and starts playing and you know he saw your comment. He plays and his mind wanders, he just focuses on the music and memories of the past few years flood his mind

She's a yellow pair of running shoes

He doesn't realize he is about to laugh as he starts singing because of the memory. It was maybe six months ago when you and Jungkook, being the idiots you both were and the same age, decided that you wanted to race to see who would buy the other cake at lunch. You won, despite your legs not being as long they carried you just as fast. You wanted to do it barefoot but Jin and Namjoon wouldn't allow it, you insisted the shoes slowed you down. Truth was you just hated wearing shoes. You did start taking off barefoot but they said no because it was on pavement, much to your annoyance. Your shoes were yellow because they were a dirty pair of what used to be white knock off converses and they just got dingy with age. Come to think of it, you may have actually been faster without them, you had some powerful feet.

A holey pair of jeans

All of your damn pants had holes in them. All of them that fit you at least, you either bought them ripped or there was one pair you sandpapered a rip into and wore so much that the fashionable little rip turned to a giant gaping hole in the knees because the strings popped and faded away. God, your jeans aggravated him.

She looks great in cheap sunglasses

You were frugal. He remembers a trip to a mall one time with you and Jungkook, and Joon. Joon wanted to visit the sunglasses shop because he had broken yet another pair. As Namjoon tried some on and he leaned on the door waiting for you all because he just wanted to sleep that day. "Y/N, try these," Joon hands you a pair and he remembers watching. "Ray-Bans, ey~ she got them Ray Bans-," you tried them on, "I can dig it," you make your rapper face in the mirror until you see the price. "What the fuck? Oh hell no, you just gonna break them anyway. Come-on." Then you dragged the boys out by their hands and told Namjoon to drive to a gas station. You walked out wearing a pair of shades, your hair blowing in the breeze and sun shining down on you. Ofcourse he was looking at your cut off daisy dukes but his eyes in that moment trained in on the sight of your face and he was glad you and the guys weren't paying attention. You looked so damn good in them, and you looked like for a split second you felt like you looked good too. You walked over to them, "three dollars, you're welcome," you smirk giving them to RM who immediately broke them trying to put them on his face. "Okay, six dollars, I'll be back"

She looks great in anything

Despite what you thought, you did. His favorite thing for you to wear would be lingerie but he's never seen that, imagined it yes, but that's different. His favorite thing he has seen you wear is a good pair of jeans. Jeans when they don't have holes. They hug you nicely, paired with a navy blue v neck blouse you have and he is done for. It's all he can do to not say something to you. You did maybe three times a year max do this, but, wear lip gloss, that made his knees absolutely weak. He has known you for two years now and you've done that three times, once to church, once to go clubbing with them at a beach, and once just because but it had to be a somewhat special occasion for it to happen.

She's: "I want a piece of chocolate"

This was a recent memory, last month. Your cycle came while you happened to be staying over with them. He, Jimin and Hobi went to get you some things, upon Namjoon's request. He knew what to grab because he is a grown ass man but you texted him that you wanted specially that you wanted just a little bit of chocolate. You were adamant as always that there was a such thing as too much chocolate. He was going to just grab a candy bar but Hobi was for some reason hell bent that you needed strawberries. You did like strawberries but still? Jimin said that chocolate to dip them in would be perfect. You were pleased.

"Take me to a movie"

You would be perfectly happy if you went to work and on your days off went to see a movie, then came home and had dinner and just talked the night away on the porch or sat there silently. You knew what movies you wanted to see and the trailers gave you something to look forward to.

She's: "I can't find a thing to wear"

This. You will complain about not having anything to wear while trying on a million outfits. He and Jin don't hesitate to groan and complain, but really, he wished the door was open and he could see the little fashion show

Now and then she's moody

Moody wasn't really it, what he narrowed it down to be was that you were like him. You were nice, sweet, most times but now and again life becomes too much and you bottle things up so it explodes like when you shake a bottle of soda and open it

She's a Saturn with a sunroof

That was true, you weren't fancy. He smiles to himself, thinking about you trying to drive a family vehicle like that and he laughs as he sings. He imagines you screaming at Jin and Jungkook in the back and threatening them that they can't have fries if they don't be quiet and pictures himself sitting front passengers seat next to you and just watching you. This hasn't happened, but he can imagine it.

With her brown her a blowing

He loves watching your long brown hair blow in the breeze. If it's a gentle breeze it looks like in the movies and music videos; like princess Pocahontas. However, when it's strong wind it's one of the funniest things in the world to him. It's slapping your face, going in your mouth, getting hella tangled which would hurt later but it pissing you off was funny. He would always be there to help you brush it and wipe your tears later

She's a soft place to land and a good feeling knowing

He may not realize it but all the girls watching are cooing at the warm face he has as his eyes close. He wished you were here and he could lay his head on your lap now, feel you stroking his hair and drift to sleep there but it was a good feeling knowing you were watching this live he had long forgotten about

She's a warm conversation

That I wouldn't miss for nothing

She's a fighter when she's mad, and a lover when she's loving

When you got mad, it ranged from cute to damn with hot somewhere in the middle, damn being scary. Youre so small but just damn. As far as loving, you wouldn't let yourself do that romantically but he sees how you are with him and the guys.

And she's everything I ever wanted

And everything I need

I talk about her

I go on and on, and on

'Cause she's everything to me

She's a Saturday out on the town and a church girl on Sunday

Cross around her neck

Seven, no, eight months ago. Back in the summer, blinding light came into the room waking him up. He shielded his eyes and sits up. "Wake up Suga," he heard your voice, filled with something, a emotion he couldn't place. "Wha-," he was hungover, "what? W-Why are you awake? We slept for," he looked at the clock, "two hours? When did we get back?" You shrug. It was then he realized you were wearing a pale-ish clam pink silk dress with spaghetti straps on your shoulders, no bra, paired with wedge high heel sandals. He let his eyes scan you apply your lipgloss, the one that's the same kind JK uses, the uh, Rosy lips Vaseline. You leaned over the vanity mirror of the hotel room to see what you were doing and he remembers taking in the sight. Contrary to the jeans you wore the night before with the black t-shirt. "What's going on?" "I need to start going back to church"

"mmk, have fun," he laid back down, just feeling hungover as fuck. How are you not? He looks over his shoulder at you downing two Excedrins dry before coming over and sitting on the side of the bed. You put a hand on his bare shoulder, "Please," he couldn't look at you, in this, look in those eyes and say no. "Mmk"

And a curse word cause it's Monday

Fuck was your favorite word, there was no doubt. You love how versatile it was. It could be a verb, an adjective, a noun, you even somehow managed to make it a proper noun. He heard you say it shamelessly every way possible, except one

She's a bubble bath and candles

Candles gave you migraines, the scents were overwhelming, but you kept unscented ones on hand. If you've had a day anything like his today you'd light some for aesthetic purposes and sink yourself into a nice hot bath and most likely forget your bubbles in another room only to call him or one of the guys to get it for you and giggle happily upon being able to use it. After ofcourse smelling it and humming contently

Baby come and kiss me

You had only said this to them all in a playful platonic way, to kiss thier head or cheek. There was one time when you were all drinking around a fire at the lake house when you did say it and kiss Jin on the lips. It was a peck, you were all drunk, but he can't help the frown appearing on his face

She's a one glass of wine and she's feeling kinda tipsy

"No! Stob it Y/N!" The smile returns remembering this night. You decided to have a glass of wine and unwind. Your logic was that the bottle itself was made of glass to justify your actions

She's the giver I wish I could be

Stealer of the covers

Every time you sleep over, the guys agree on one thing. No matter who you sleep with, you are a blanket hog. You don't do it on purpose. It's just that you start sleeping in fetal position and without realizing it go into a deep sleep and somehow maneuver into some sort of rogue pelican formation. Not to mention you're always cold

His wallet falls out of his pocket onto the floor as he's getting into it, he comes back to reality and stops playing for a second as he reaches down for it and stops. He stops and smiles at the flap that's open with a picture in it. A selfie you took of you and him randomly one day because you caught him smiling and wanted evidence. You wanted proof and since you never had a open mouthed smile like in this one he wanted it to so he had it made into a photo card. He remembers and gets back to singing, noticing the comments demanding it.

She's a picture in my wallet

Of my unborn children's mother

He doesn't even realize that he stops this time for quite a long moment at the memory that comes with this line. Or that he is crying much less.

It was one day when you saw a pregnant girl and everyone was swooning over her and her son who was with her. Her son wanted to play with the guys to which they all happily went along. You walked away and he followed noticing something was up.

"Y/N...."

"Oh hey," you smiled up at him, weakest one possible.

"Something wrong?" He sat at the picnic table across from you.

"It's silly..."

"Tell me anyway?"

"I've known I've wanted to be a mom since I was 16. One day I was riding home on the bus and I just decided, someday that's what I wanted. I never wanted a huge family, I just wanted one or two. Not then, obviously, I just knew someday. I moved here after a long term relationship ended, y'know that....I wanted one with him, I cried, I can't even remember how many times I cried and practically begged, but there was always some reason we couldn't he'd come up with.....so," you shrugged, "it's silly, it doesn't matter anyway. Never going to happen.....girls like me don't get that," You got up and left him there and walked back to the car

He now realizes his face is wet and reaches up to wipe the tears that went down his face

She's the hand that I'm holding

When I'm on my knees and praying

The memory of the morning of the hangover returns again. He could tell you were nervous, eyes were on you. He knew it because you were so beautiful but you probably didn't. When the church cleared and it was just the two of you you dropped to your knees but stood back up just as quickly.

"Hey, Y/N, you can pray if you want..."

You shook your head, "I've messed up a lot, I'm scared...."

Nothing scared you. He took your hand and got on his knees too. "I'll do it too"

The two of you prayed in silence, holding hands. He finished before you did and just stared at your interlocked hands, rubbing his thumb over your ring finger

She's the answer to my prayer

She's the song that I'm playing

And she's everything I ever wanted

And everything I need

I talk about her

I go on and on, and on

'Cause she's everything to me

She's that voice I 'd love to hear

Someday when I'm ninety

Every day that passes

I only love her more

Yeah, she's the one

That I'd lay down my own life for

And she's everything I ever wanted

And everything I need

She's everything to me

Yeah, she's everything to me

Everything I ever wanted

And everything I need

She's everything to me

Sitting the guitar down he smiles at the camera, says goodnight and blows a kiss. With a little heart fingers he says goodnight and signs off and gets ready for bed

Top Shelf: Chapter 11- The Pages in Between

Pairing: Bucky x reader (Bookshop/bartender AU)

Word Count: 1,637

Summary: You tell Bucky your idea on how to save the bookshop 

Author’s Note: Hey everyone, Happy Monday! I know I say it every time but I’m so thankful for those of you that have stuck with me through this story. It makes me so happy. I’m sure you all saw this coming and that’s ok. As I’ve said before this really is just a love story that hopefully makes you feel good and happy. Thank you again! Thank you all for reading! All my love always! ❤❤❤

Warnings: SUPER FLUFFY LOVE FLUFF, implied sexy times :)

Previous Chapters (* indicates smut)

Chapter 1: Enchantment

Chapter 2: Cookie Crumble

Chapter 3: Sweet Anticipation

Chapter 4: Read Between the Limes

Chapter 5: Secrets on the Shelf

Chapter 6: Love Between the Covers *

Chapter 7: Love Lines & Soul Finds

Chapter 8: Drunk in Love *

Chapter 9: Pour in onto the Page

Chapter 10: Recipe for Love *

His response is almost immediate, your phone lighting up as his message comes through. ‘Really baby?? I can’t wait to hear all about it! I’m not going to lie I’m pretty excited.’ You smile at your phone as your fingers fly over the keyboard. ‘I know, me too. I mean it’s just the beginning of an idea and of course we have to talk about a bunch of things but I’m eager to hear what you think.’

You sink further into the tub, a sigh of contentedness leaving your lips. Just as your eyes begin to close your phone buzzes again. You grab it and read the message. ‘Send me one more pic. I have another two hours before I can get home to you.’ Stifling a giggle, you snap a photo of your legs resting atop the edge of the tub and send it his way. ‘Longest two hours of my life,’ is his reply, followed by, ‘you better be awake when I get home…’

Deciding to leave him hanging you enjoy the rest of the warm water, allowing the bubble bath to do its magic. By the time you get out you’re softer than a baby’s bottom and very relaxed. You put on Bucky’s tee shirt and get into his bed, cuddling into his pillow so you’re enveloped in his smell.

He gets home around 2 am, quietly shuffling into his room to find you peacefully asleep in his bed. The blinds are still open, and the light of the moon reflects off your glowing skin. Bucky sits at the edge of the bed, delicately tracing his fingers over your bare shoulder. Brushing some hair from your face he leans down to kiss the corner of your mouth just as it curls up into a smile.

You roll onto your back and blink open your eyes, tugging on his arm so he lays down. “Hi beautiful,” he whispers as his hands smooth over your silky skin. “I’m sorry if I woke you. I was just…” You silence him with a kiss, any excitement over your idea momentarily forgotten.

For once Bucky sleeps later than you, his bare feet slapping against the floor and jolting you from your thoughts. “How long have you been up doll?” You run over to him and throw yourself into his arms. He easily catches you, peppering your face with kisses. “I made coffee. BUT IT’S SO BAD. So now you have to make coffee.” You give him a sorry look, pushing yourself up and onto the counter while he starts a new pot.

Minutes later he hands you a cup, the delicious, hot liquid warming you from head to toe. “Ok, now that we’ve both had a sip of edible coffee and I can concentrate on what you’re saying rather than trying to get you naked, let’s hear it!” You almost spit out your coffee at this last comment, shaking your head in amusement. “Ok, so. Eeeeeeeee, ok, this coffee isn’t helping, I’m practically buzzing!” you say before you jump down from the counter.

Pacing the floor, you chew your bottom lip as you try to get your thoughts in order. To Bucky’s credit he waits patiently, sipping his coffee quietly and letting you do your thing. “Alright. So, I hate to sound all about myself, but everyone really liked the pie last night, right?” Bucky agrees with no hesitation. “And grandma, you and Nat went nuts over my chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, yes?” Again, Bucky nods enthusiastically, smiling big. “And you and grandma really loved my chocolate pie and chocolate chip cookies?”

Bucky gently grabs your shoulders, bringing you into his chest and looking you straight in the eyes. “Yes, yes and more yes. Your baking is amazing and there is no doubt that everyone agrees.” You can feel the blush creep up your cheeks, your head dropping to hide in Bucky’s chest. Feeling the rumble of his laugh makes you smile, his finger hooking under your chin to bring your eyes to his. “I mean it.”

With a kiss you continue. “Thank you. So, if you guys like it there is no reason that other people wouldn’t like it. What if we added a café or bakery to the bookshop? Or both! I realize that it will cost money and right now that’s the problem. But I haven’t really thought all that through yet. However, I think if we add the baked goods and maybe even coffee and hot chocolate and stuff like that it could draw in more of a crowd. Also, you have a bartending license. Maybe we can do poetry slams and/or trivia nights. We can serve drinks and treats and charge at the door.”

Your hands are flying every which way and you’re talking a mile a minute, your enthusiasm warming Bucky’s heart and making him fall even more in love with you. It isn’t until you’re out of breath and he’s finished his coffee that you finally slow down. “Well?” He stares at you for what feels like forever before he puts down his cup and takes you in his arms.

“I love you. And I love your idea. I definitely think we have some things to figure out and a lot to go over but together I think we can make anything work.” You shake your head yes, too many emotions welling up inside you to speak. You simply press your lips to his and tell him everything he needs to know.

Later that morning you head home to do laundry and clean up, missing Bucky the moment you walk through your door. Luckily, he had the idea to stay over at the bookshop tonight and sleep up in the secret attic space. To say you were excited was an understatement.

You pack a light bag and head over to meet him, but not before grabbing the tin of chocolate chip peanut butter cookies you baked earlier as a surprise for him. The bookshop is closing just as you arrive, and you smile at the customer who is leaving. Bucky runs around the cashier counter and plants a firm kiss on your lips.

“Hi. Missed you.” You shove the tin into his hands and say, “I was just about to say the same thing. I made you something.” Bucky’s eyes widen as he starts to open the tin, bringing it up to his nose and inhaling the delicious peanut butter and chocolate smell. “You made me more?” he asks, face still half inside. “Yes, and you can eat as many as you want, as long as you share with me.”

Popping one into his mouth he gives you a thumbs up, placing the tin down and turning the sign to closed and locking the door. “The pizza just got here 5 minutes ago, and they gave us paper plates and everything.” Your mouth waters at the mention of food. “Ok, great. I’m starving. I have water and more snacks too. Are we eating upstairs?”

Bucky nods, taking the cookies and pizza and walking toward the back. When you get up the stairs and open the door you’re surprised to see that Bucky has hung a small string of star lights over the love seat and made a pile of blankets and pillows in the middle of the floor.

“Aw Buck, it looks so beautiful and cozy! This is going to be so fun.” The two of you settle on the floor surrounded by the pizza box and snacks, your feet touching while you dig into your first slice.  “You have some sauce right there,” Bucky says, leaning in to brush his thumb over your bottom lip. You take his thumb into your mouth and suck off the sauce, closing your eyes and letting out a moan.

When you open them again his lips are only inches from yours.  He carefully takes the pizza slice from your hands. “I was eating that,” you whisper, your eyes dropping to his mouth. “I have something better,” he teases, before pressing his lips to yours.

Laying on the floor amidst the soft blankets and pillows, cradled against Bucky’s chest you watch the rain drops pitter patter against the sky light above you, the lights from the city dancing along the dark walls. The low rumble of distant thunder echoes through the quiet space as you trace small patterns along his bare skin.

“I love summer thunderstorms.” Bucky hums in agreement, his eyes closed and his head resting against one arm while the other holds you close. “Do you think we should tell my grandma our idea?” Bucky’s question catches you off guard and for a second, you’re unsure of what to say. “Well. I think your idea of doing our research and talking to some friends, like Sam, is a good way to start. Maybe after we have a more solid plan we can sit down and show her everything.”

He’s quiet for a few moments, the sound of his breathing and the city below all you hear now that the rain has stopped. “That seems smart. Sam will probably be a big help since he opened the bar at the beginning of the year. And I know he has some other friends in the restaurant business too.” You prop your head up on your elbow and he turns to face you. “Good idea! I like it,” you say, tracing over the stubble on his jaw.

Grabbing your waist, he rolls over and sits you on top of him, the blanket falling from your shoulders. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” You gently roll your hips against him, smiling softly. “Oh Bucky.” The words fall from your lips with a quiet tenderness and the world falls away with every brush of his fingertips.

@aesthetical-bucky @auro-ora @azurika-writes @bugsbucky @buckys-broody-muffin @bucky-on-my-mind @book-dragon-13 @devynsdiary @eurynome827 @hiddles-rose @hailmary-yramliah @emilylyoness @hawksmagnolia @ikaris-whore @itsunclebucky @imgaril-lindru @jhangelface0523 @jewels2876 @loricameback @littledarlinhavefaithinme @littleredstarfish @mushyjellybeans @marvelandotherfandomimagines @marvelgirl7 @nano--raptor @randomfandompenguin @sallycanwait68 @softpeachbarnes @scarletsoldierrr @the-wayward-robot @when-the-hell-is-bucky @throwmyheartawayagain @flyawaybay @amandatar-06 @nd1998sc @captainchrisstan @vherriepie @godofplumsandthunder​ @fire-flv @jamesbarnesappreciationclub @irishflutiegirl​ @rinthehufflepuff​ @moonybarnes​ @nordlysinthewoods​ @inflxmes @lauratang​ @my-favorite-fics-and-imagines​ @buchanansebba​ @addikted-2-dopamine​

Wonders of the Younger

A/N: Hey all! I’m back at it again with a fic of one of my mans, Alex Iafallo. As always, part of it’ll be under the cut.

You and your friend had just moved to Manhattan Beach about a week ago from a small town near the California/Arizona state border. Sure it was a bit more expensive to live in such a beautiful area, but you couldn’t complain too much since it was better than being in the desert. To be honest, you both were still getting yourselves familiar with the city especially after spending a couple days moving into your two bed apartment. 

“Hey Y/N, you wanna go surfing?” your friend, Sarah, asked. “The weather’s perfect!!”

“Yeah, why not,” you responded as you got up from the couch. “But you should know that I’m still not very good at surfing.”

“Hey what counts is that you still have fun right?” Sarah asked once again, with an excited tone in her voice.

“Aha yeah true,” you added as the both of you started to get ready. 

It wasn’t like you were in a hurry to go since it was literally a fifteen minute walk from your place to the beach. At the same time, you just wanted to be in the water already. Luckily, you both were ready to go and the walk was quick.

You picked a spot to sit down, and you watched Sarah go to the water first as she surfed. It felt like a good twenty minutes before you decided to join in the fun and give surfing another try. 

“Hey look who decided to come in,” Sarah said playfully as she swam next to you.

“Yeah, I can't get better if I don’t try, right?” you asked as she nodded. It felt like hours passed by while you surfed. It was great, even if you fell off your board a few times since it seems like the problem for you was perfecting your form. 

2:54 pm 

“Hey Y/N, are you ready to go?” Sarah asked as she swam closer to the beach.

“Oh yeah, we’ve been here for a while,” you replied as you caught up with her. You both got off your boards and walked on the sand. Of course, you hated how the sand stuck to your feet when they were wet. A terrible feeling, truly. 

The both of you were deep in conversation about what you two were doing the rest of the day and tomorrow, barely paying attention to whatever else is going on. You were startled as you accidentally bumped into someone. 

“Oh my gosh!! I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” you exclaimed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” the man chuckled, seemingly unbothered. “You good? I’m Alex by the way”

“I’m good too. I’m Y/N and this is my friend Sarah,” you replied as Alex smiled at your friend. 

“Hey, not to sound weird but you seem new at surfing. I can give you some pointers if you’re interested.” Alex stated. 

“Oh I’d love that! I’m not that good at surfing and she’s better than me,” you stated as you took out your phone. “Here, you can put in your number.”

“For sure,” Alex said as he quickly put in his number. “There ya go, you can text me anytime Y/N. Anyways, my friend’s waiting for me so I gotta go. It was nice meeting you both.”

“Yeah, nice meeting you too,” you and Sarah said in unison, waving goodbye as he walked away. You both walked off and lord, he’s good looking. 

3:23 pm 

“Oooohhhh, he’s cute,” Sarah said as she unlocked the apartment door. You nodded in response, putting your board against one of the walls. You decided to take out your phone and text him real quick so he can have your number.

“I guess he’ll be my new surfing instructor,” you cooed. 

The next few days turned into a couple weeks and you both have settled in your apartment. You’ve also been able to keep in touch with Alex and meet up with him at the beach so he can help you with surfing. And honestly, it’s been going great. You loved hanging out with him even though sometimes he’d be away for a week or so at a time. Sometimes you’d think you did something wrong when he didn’t text back, but you’d be over it since you figured he was busy and forgot to reply. 

Saturday, 7:03 pm

You and Sarah had decided to go to one of the local bars just to get out and have some fun. Sarah had come back to the table with some drinks and also focused her attention on the one of the televisions that was showing a hockey game. 

“Oh, I forgot that the Kings were playing tonight!” She raised her voice a bit so you could hear her. God, you hated that it was crowded and loud, but it was a Saturday night so you dealt with it.

“Right. I don’t really understand hockey but it seems interesting,” you responded, also slightly yelling. “We should go to a game sometime and you can teach me all about it too.”

“Oh hell yeah Y/N-”

“Kings score! Iafallo scores with his fourth of the season and puts the Kings in the lead for the first time tonight! 2 to 1, Kings,” the announcer exclaimed. “And there goes the second period. We’ll see ya back for the third.”

“Hey isn’t that the surfing guy you’ve been hanging out with?” Sarah asked, just as surprised as you were.

“Yeah????? What the hell, I wouldn’t have known that he played hockey!!” you replied with a smile. You took out your phone to text him, of course you didn’t expect him to respond immediately.

Y: ‘Hey I didn’t know that you play hockey! Nice goal btw!’

A: ‘Hey glad you caught the game… And thanks!’

Y: ‘You’re on a road trip right?’

A: ‘We are and should be coming back late tonight. Something on your mind?’

“Oooh who are you texting??” Sarah asked, a smirk on her face.

“It’s Alex. I’m surprised he responded quickly,” you responded.

“Are y’all gonna hang out again? Do you know?”

“I haven’t asked but he said they’re coming back late tonight and I don’t want to seem too pushy in asking to hang out. I mean we’ve been hanging out a lot lately and I’m sure he has other friends he wants to hang out with,” you stated, frowning a little. 

“I’m sure he likes hanging out with you,” Sarah said, putting a hand on yours to reassure you to try to not overthink.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Y: ‘Nah, not really. Just let me know when y’all get home so I know you got back safe.’

A: ‘Ahah will do. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow or Monday if you’re not busy, yeah?’

Y: ‘I’ll see ya Monday. I want you to rest up tomorrow.’

A: ‘Sounds good. Anyways, I’ll text ya later.’

You both continued to watch the game at the bar with it going into overtime. It didn’t take long for the Kings to score once more, ending the game with a 3-2 score. Sarah had called up an Uber since it was already past 10 pm. It was about a 20 minute drive back to your place and you both immediately went to bed. You were too tired to scroll through your Instagram or any of your socials, even if it helped a little to fall asleep. However, you saw a notification pop up that Alex had found and followed you on Instagram. Surprise, surprise. 

You laid in bed with your eyes closed, but your mind felt like it was going 40 miles an hour. You wondered if Alex liked you. Sure he’s hot and looks like he can get with whoever, but you still wondered as you both continued to hang out. You didn’t want to ruin anything of course, but you opened your eyes again only to see that it was just past two in the morning. You checked your phone real quick to see that Alex did follow through and had just texted you that they landed. Smiling, you texted back with just a ‘glad to hear’ and went back to sleep. 

Was this one of the many wonders of the younger? Somehow your heart felt full, even though you had just met Alex weeks ago. Maybe there is something more.

CS ff: “I Come Close” (Part 3/3) (au)

Summary: They’re not really rivals, but not really friends. What they are, instead, is the best sex they’ve ever had. It’s easy and simple, even with the rules they have in place. So what happens when those rules start falling apart?

Rating: Explicit - This chapter contains dirty talk/phone sex

A/N: It took me until just now to discover I’d never added a summary to the last chapter. Y’all do know you can let me know when I fuck that shit up, yeah? Anyway, here’s part 2! Part 3 is finally finished and in edits so I figured I could get this whole thing posted before I go on vacation next week.

Part 1 | Part 2

Find it on Ao3!

-x-

Part 3

It’s not that Emma hates business trips. In fact, she actually quite likes them. She also perversely likes traveling, even though everyone else in the office complains and whines and drags their feet. Not Emma - she has her packing done three days before she has to leave.

The day before her flight, she double checks everything. Her business travel card is turned on with no balance due. Her carry-on bag is just waiting for the last few essentials which she’ll put in when she wakes up tomorrow. She takes a moment during her lunch break to check in to her flight and double check her seat. She scowls at the one beside her that’s still currently showing as unoccupied and closes out of the app, moving instead to the one that has her hotel reservation.

There’s only one thing that has not gone how she planned, and that’s the empty seat next to her. Not that she should care. She travels alone all the time. She’s more used to traveling alone than she is with others. So why does it piss her off so much that Killian won’t be sitting next to her when they take off tomorrow?

Their arrangement has been the best thing to happen to her in a long time. And that’s purely from a sexual standpoint. He walked in her office that day asking what he could do, and her brain screamed back “Do me!” so loud that she could only follow what her body wanted. 

She took him back to her place, wrung every drop of pleasure out of him that she could, and told him she’d see him in the office bright and early the next day. He’d smirked, cocking his head to one side and considering her for a moment before he walked out the door.

A week later, they did it again. No talk of work, no backstories, no kissing. He bent her over her kitchen table and fucked her so good she almost asked him to carry her to bed before he left. 

And so it began. It was a weekly thing. Once a week only. Always on a weeknight to avoid things like sleeping over and cuddling. 

One day when she got home from work, though, she couldn’t get him out of her head. She figured it was just a rougher than normal day and she just needed a quick fuck to get it out of her system. Instead of changing into something more comfortable or even just keeping her work clothes on, she hatched a better idea to immediately get him onto the same page as her. 

Off went all the other items she wore that day, keeping only her stockings and her shoes. Sliding on her coat again, she buttoned it all the way to her neck and tied it tight and hoped an Uber wouldn’t be too far away. 

It took a lot of careful maneuvering to make sure she didn’t flash the driver or the doormen at either of their residences, but there was a strong sense of accomplishment when she made it into the building without incident.

The look on Killian’s face when she dropped the coat to the floor was worth it. 

Even after they got done having sex, however, there was still a pit of something in Emma’s stomach. Something missing. And that’s when her dumbass brain decided that she should kiss him. 

The frequency that they’ve been seeing each other for the last month is quite possibly a problem. It’s every other day, now. Still no kissing. But he kind of, almost, just a little bit slept over the night she asked him to tie her up. 

Not that she fully blames him for that one. That was a marathon of a night, and by the time he came, he’d made sure she’d had six orgasms. Six. She’s never had a partner try harder for her pleasure than their own, and that’s including Ruby, who gives out orgasms like she’s handing out candy on Halloween. 

Emma knows she wasn’t sleeping long when she felt the shifting on the other side of the bed. Maybe he realized where he was and what was going on, so when the bed dipped, she expected it was him getting ready to take off. Instead, she felt his lips press against her forehead so sweetly, so tenderly, that she’s surprised she held it together until after he left.

Things went back to normal after that night. 

Sometimes they play with the restraints. Sometimes it’s something slow and sensual and just fucking incredible, but they still always part ways when they’re done. She’s been to his place a couple times now, too, and it feels a lot more like something than nothing.

Two nights ago, when she’d been getting ready to leave his place, he’d informed her his travel plans had changed and he wouldn’t be flying out until Monday morning. That left her on the Thursday night plane with no seatmate. She’ll still be with her team, but there was something intriguing about making this one “together” when they’ve always avoided each other on previous work trips. Plus, it’s four whole days she’ll have to go without seeing him, which just feels wrong at this point. 

With a heavy sigh, and knowing that all her travel accommodations are secured, Emma throws herself back into her work. 

When she shuts everything down for the night, she’s surprised to see Killian’s office still lit up across the way. She’s even more surprised to see him pacing and arguing with someone on the phone, his brows furrowed down. He’s usually so put-together at work: hair in place, suit pristine until the moment he leaves, shoes shined every single day.

Right now, his sleeves are rolled up, exposing the brace that holds his prosthetic. His hair is messed up, a product of the argument he still seems to be having. 

“Well call me back when you get it right,” he growls out, and Emma feels her knees go weak just a bit at the tone of his voice. Fuck, she finds him way too attractive. She would give almost anything to be spread across his ostentatious desk right about now. 

He turns as if hearing her thoughts from the doorway. 

“Swan? Anything I can help you with?”

She wanders into his office, her fingertips grazing the dark oak she was just picturing herself draped across. By looks alone, he’s had a shittier day than she could’ve imagined, and yet he’s still the one asking if he can do anything for her. 

“Uh, no. All good. Your place or mine?”

He checks his watch, another slew of curse words falling from his lips as he sees the time. “Bloody hell, I hadn’t even seen the time. Give me an hour and I’ll be at yours? I know you have an early flight so I’ll try to get there sooner if I can. I promise.”

“Take your time. I just plan on sleeping on the flight anyway,” she comments, coming close enough. Why is she so close to him? His tie is loosened and askew. Why is she reaching for it? 

Killian stops moving all together, instead focusing intensely on the way Emma is nimbly pulling the tail of the tie from the knot that looked better this morning. She works the knot out entirely, sliding it free from under his collar and staring carefully at the fabric between her fingers before looking up to meet his gaze. 

“Don’t work too hard,” she tells him, placing the tie on the corner of his desk. 

His hand grips her wrist loosely when she turns to retreat, and Emma does her best to stay steady. He’s looking at her with an unreadable expression, his eyes darting between hers as if he’s studying her files. He glances a few times at her lips and she wants him to kiss her. Wants it so bad that she almost goes for it again. But his phone is ringing and she can see the moment he waves a white flag. 

“One hour,” he tells her, letting his touch fall away from her wrist in order to answer his phone.

He’s there in forty-eight minutes, his mouth hungrily moving across her neck, biting at her earlobe as her hands make their way down to grab at his ass. 

All in all, worth the wait. Again, she almost kisses him, and somehow they both resist. 

But it’s still lonely boarding the plane by herself. It’s not until she’s in her hotel room later at night that the pit in her stomach opens - a chasm of unknown depths. The curtains are all wide open. She got an upgrade - corner room, river view, a little extra space with a couch… 

She turns on the TV for extra noise as she unpacks her suitcase, meticulously hanging her outfits for her meetings next week and the conference this weekend. She’s just finishing up when her dinner is delivered, and she forces herself to relax on the small couch while she eats, the TV long forgotten in favor of texting Killian pictures of the bridges visible. It’s certainly not the skyline she’s used to from their apartments, but from this far up, Pittsburgh doesn’t seem so bad. 

Her phone rings just after 8pm, and Killian’s voice greets her low and sultry. 

“It’s been a long day without you in this building,” he says plainly after she answers. “Your perfume wasn’t lingering around any corners today.”

“Why are you still at work?” she asks, more curious than anything else. 

“In my defense, I’m currently leaving the building.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“I was working on the Apollo account,” he says, and while she’s pretty sure that’s not a lie, it doesn’t sound like the full truth. “I’m hopping in a car. Do you want to stick with me or should I call you when I get home?”

She wants to tell him he doesn’t have an obligation to either option but she stops herself. She’s sitting by herself in her hotel room. The company would be nice. 

“I’ll stick with you,” she responds after a moment. 

“Excellent. So why aren’t you out with your team, who I know for a fact are downstairs in the hotel bar getting absolutely pissed on the company’s dime?”

“I got room service,” she says, as if that will cover the whole answer.

“A better choice, in my opinion,” he admits. “Is your room nice? Where are we staying again?”

“The Renaissance. They upgraded me to a corner room. I have this great view from up here.”

“As good as the view from my apartment?”

“It’s lacking something… extra.” 

“Darling, you tease.”

“I could do a lot more than tease, Killian.”

He’s silent for a moment, maybe weighing the pros and cons of having an erection in the backseat of an Uber. She can picture him cradling his phone in his lap, likely scrolling through work emails as they talk, his airpods snugly in his ears, judging how much the driver is even paying attention to him and his conversation.

“You could,” he says after a drawn out silence. “But will you?”

She chuckles, pushing aside the reports she was pretending to look over when he called in favor of sitting back. “I think I will,” she responds airily, taking a second of her own to decide how she wants to approach this. “The only thing missing in this room is you, preferably naked, stretched out on this king size bed.”

“Go on,” he requests, his words a little clipped.

“I packed before you told me you weren’t going to be here until Monday,” she tells him, stretching languidly as she stands from the couch. “Brought this cute new set of underwear. I think I might wear it tomorrow to the cocktail hour.”

“Or you could wait to wear it until Monday.”

“I could,” she sighs out. “But you know how much I love wearing new things as soon as I get them. They’re all black. Quarter cups. Lace.”

“Bloody hell, Swan. Hold that thought. Just -- hang on one moment.” She’s able to track his movements from the car to the entrance of his building.

“Tell Smee I said hello,” she says coyly, turning off the lamps until just the glow of the lights beyond her windows illuminates the room.

“Evening, Smee,” he says a moment later. 

“Are you in the elevator now?”

“I am,” he responds. “Thinking about how much more I’d enjoy this tent in my trousers if you were here with me.”

“Did you just have to walk past Smee with a noticeable hard-on?”

“Aye. And believe me, I’ll get you back for that.”

She hums, listening to the sound of the elevator dinging when it gets to his apartment. She tracks his movement, listening to him set down his computer and keys. Then hears him suck in a breath between his teeth as he obviously reaches for himself. 

“Feel better?” she asks, enjoying being able to do this to him so easily. 

“Tell me what you’re wearing right now,” he says. 

“I showered while waiting for my dinner, so I’m in nothing but a robe.”

He groans. “The things you do to me,” he utters, and the sound of his voice ignites the fire in her belly. 

“Yeah, I can think of several things I’d like to do to you right now.”

“Tell me,” he says, his voice wavering. “Imagine I’m there with you. What am I doing?”

“You’re getting undressed like you’re putting on a show, as you always do.” She closes her eyes to picture it: the way he slides off his tie, the way he slips open each button on his vest. “You’re taking off each layer like you’re exposing a gift to me. Until you’re down to just those gray slacks.”

“How do you know I’m wearing the gray ones?” he asks, his voice quiet and tinged with disbelief.

“You always wear them on Thursday,” she answers simply, missing the sound he makes as she barrels on with her imagination. “You leave those on while you move to the side of the bed, looking at me like you don’t know which part of me to taste first.”

“You know what part I want to taste first,” he says quickly.

“I do, but you always look like it’s some life-changing decision.”

“I’d argue that tasting you was a life-changing decision, love.” His voice when he says it is low and rumbly, pressed right against her ear, and she gasps.”What am I doing now?”

“You’re taking off those fucking pants,” she says, not even bothering to untie her robe but slipping her fingers between her legs. “And you’re climbing onto the bed with me.”

“Damn this case, I should be sinking into you right now,” he groans. 

“Yeah,” she says. “You should be.” 

Her fingers are still moving, dipping inside herself before coming out and swirling around her clit. It’s a pattern she knows for a fact that Killian makes with his tongue all the time, and maybe that’s what she can blame for the next words out of her mouth.

“I miss you,” she breathes out before she can stop herself. The moment she finishes speaking however, she realizes her mistake. 

“Swan?”

Struggling for a second, she has no idea what to say. Her fingers pause their actions as her eyes fly open and she works her jaw a few times but can’t come up with anything. 

“I gotta go. See you Monday,” she rushes out, ending the call. “You fucking idiot,” she says to herself, ignoring the phone as it buzzes in her hand. She lets the call go to voicemail. Next come the text messages, and in a fit of panic, Emma does the only thing she can think of. 

She turns off her phone.

In the morning, she forces herself to believe that it’s all going to be okay. She’ll just distance herself from Killian. She has a couple days before she has to see him and while she knows it’s going to suck - they really had a great thing going - she’ll get over it in time. 

Taking a deep breath, she goes through her morning routine, taking a moment before she starts to order breakfast. After that she focuses on getting ready, brushing her teeth and hair, applying moisturizer and a set of under-eye patches to try to fix the bags that formed from her fitful night of sleep. 

Moving to the closet, she finds her outfit for the first part of the day - some panel that she would rather sleep through if given the choice. She holds up the undergarments she told Killian about last night and sighs, pushing them to the back of the drawer and grabbing something more sensible. 

She’s only managed to slide on the underwear when there’s a knock on the door. That couldn’t possibly be breakfast, right? Last night, she accepted that she would be waiting for at least forty minutes before her food was delivered. She throws on her robe again, unlatching and swinging open the door without even bothering to check the peephole.

It’s not a room attendant with a tray waiting on the other side. 

“Killian,” she whispers, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that he’s here, standing at her door. “How did you…?”

“I may have bribed a member of your team to give me your room number,” he says. He’s forcing his voice to be casual but there’s a tension rolling off of him that she can tell he’s trying to hide. “May I come in?”

She almost declines, but instead she moves aside. As she carefully shuts the door again, he moves to stand behind her, waiting until she’s finished her task to turn her towards him and press her against the door. 

With delicate movements, he glides the patches from beneath her eyes, smiling softly as he does. Only after they’ve dropped to the floor does he brush his fingers across her cheek.

And then he’s kissing her. Not the quick press of lips that she gave that first time she showed up at his place. These are deep, open-mouthed kisses that she reciprocates immediately, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. 

“Did you mean it?” he asks before kissing her again. 

She could pretend to not know what he’s talking about, but her heart lurches. She can’t lie - not about this. 

“Yeah,” she replies, shuddering as his hand moves to the tie on her robe.

“Say it, Emma.”

Working up the nerve to say it in person is different than blurting it out on accident during phone sex, but as he pulls back far enough to wait, she realizes he’s not going to do anything else until she follows through. Opening her eyes is the first challenge, but he’s right there with her - his gaze patient as it meets hers. 

He leans forward, ready to kiss her again, but there’s a knock at the door again. He steps back, pressing his lips together as she pulls her robe closed.

“Breakfast,” she says, giving him time to move further away before she opens the door. 

He’s standing by the windows when she turns back to the room, directing the attendant to place the tray on the desk while she signs the receipt that she’s handed. When they’re alone again, he hesitates before he pivots to look at her. 

“Emma,” he starts, but she cuts him off.

“No, let me,” she says, moving slowly across the room to stand in front of him. “I missed you last night.” Her voice is quiet, and she swallows hard when she’s done speaking, trying to maintain eye contact and not fidget. 

He reaches out, grabbing her hand and urging her forward a few more steps so he can wrap his arms around her waist, his palm splayed across her back.

“I missed you, too. I was finishing the Apollo case so I could submit the proposal and fly out here early. That’s why I was at the office so late last night,” he tells her, and she can see why he kept that card close to his chest now. 

“To surprise me?”

“Aye, though originally it was just so I could fuck you against those windows, but now, I have the stones to tell you that I want something different. Emma, I want more.”

“We work together. Don’t you see how complicated this is?” she asks, pushing against his chest lightly so she can move away and pace around the room. He lets her go but waits until she makes another pass by him to hook his prosthetic around her wrist and guide her back. 

“I do. Believe me, I have thought of this so many times and so many ways, and every time I try to talk myself out of it, I just want it more. I have spent months just wanting to kiss you every time I see you. I’ve spent hours trying to figure out what I wanted out of this beyond a physical release, and I kept coming back to the same answer every time.”

“What was your answer?” She has a feeling she knows what he’s about to say but she wants to hear him say it.

“Don’t you know, Emma? It’s you.” His voice trembles just the tiniest bit as the words come out, and it surprises her when a tear rolls down her cheek. 

All this time, they’ve both been exercising the most restraint they could manage, and now it’s all out in the open. His hand trails up her arm, moving until he’s cupping her cheek and bending slightly to kiss her softly. 

She’s the one that shifts the tone this time, melding against him as one of her hands ends up in his hair and she’s lost to the way he tastes. Does he always taste this way in the morning? What is that hint she’s getting?

“You taste like tomato juice. Bloody Mary?”

“A spike of confidence. Light on the vodka. When does the revenue management panel begin?”

“Who cares? No one will miss us. Spend the day with me, instead?”

“As soon as I retrieve my luggage from the front desk, I’d be happy to.”

“That’s easy enough to take care of,” she responds, reaching for the phone beside her bed. After arranging to have his luggage delivered to her room, she has a thought. Covering the receiver of the phone, she turns to where Killian is helping himself to her coffee and flipping through the notes for the conference. “Hey, do you want to stay with me for the week?”

After a moment of shock, he wanders over, kissing her forehead quickly before taking the phone from her. “Yes, hello? This is Killian Jones. I had a reservation starting on Monday but I won’t be needing it any longer. Can you change the name on that to Will Scarlett? Yes. Thank you.”

At her questioning look, Killian shrugs. “He had to add on late and is stuck sharing a room with Victor. At least now he can move to his own room on Monday.”

“So gentlemanly of you.”

“I’m always a gentleman, Swan. Now, why don’t we split this breakfast and see what’s on Netflix, hmm?”

For the rest of the day, they lounge in the bed, dining on nothing but room service, and it’s not until well past lunch that Killian works apart the knot tying her robe, taking his time to savor every inch of skin he comes across. 

When Emma wakes up in the morning, Killian is still in the bed beside her, and there’s no movement from either of them to escape away. Instead, where they’d rolled apart during the night, she shifts across the distance and tucks herself into his side to snooze for just five more minutes. 

By the time they fly home on Thursday, they’ve set up a time for an actual date to take place during the weekend, and the rules they’d established before go right out the window. And during this flight, she doesn’t glare once at the seat next to her because it’s occupied by the right person this time.

Same Difference, Ch.10

A/N: FYI, more violence with a spritz of character development~

Chapters: 01  |  02 |  03 |  04 | 05  | 06 | 07 | 08 |  09

AO3 | Fanfic

A month had passed since Nanami began training with Rappa. Though she regularly checked her eardrums to make sure they hadn’t ruptured from his teaching style, aka yelling 24/7, she was already seeing the benefits. Thanks to his recommendation to add some more proteins and healthy fats to her diet, she noticed her muscles were more toned. And thanks to his “be ready for a fight at all times” attitude, she noticed her reflexes had improved. It was an effective way of teaching as it carried over to her life outside of the gym, much to the disappointment of Dr.Tanaka who was notorious for his practical jokes and jump scares around the hospital.

“It’s no fair, you’re always so ~*cool and reserved *~ now. How am I supposed to get in my midday pick-me-up pranks in now?” Tanaka whined as they sat in the café for their coffee date.

“Oh, so I’m cool now? Besides, if you need a mental break, just lock your office door and hide under your desk like the rest of us functioning adults.” She replied, casually sipping her drink while checking her phone.

“You kids nowadays, always so depressing. What’s got you so zoned into your phone anyways?”

“One, you’re literally only 5 years older than me. And two, you wouldn’t get it, old man.”

Tanaka gasped dramatically clutching at an imaginary dagger in his heart. “You wound me—oh thank you!” he responded as the barista brought his drink over, cutting off what Nanami was sure would have been a Shakespearean performance. “Anyway, so how’re your classes going? You look like you’re getting shredded already.”

“Oh please, it’s only been a month or so. But to answer your question… it’s been awesome! Super tiring, but awesome, nonetheless. I feel… more secure.” The conversation was meant to be light, but the last part came out more sincere and thoughtful than she intended.

From across the table, Tanaka could see a far-off look in her eyes as she gazed out the window for a beat, fiddling with the crow keychain on her phone. He knew there was something more going on that she wasn’t telling him since her fiasco at the construction site but also knew better than to pry. From her residency until now, Nanami proved she could handle herself and he trusted that if she wasn’t saying anything, it was probably for good reason. However, it did little to alleviate his worry.

Looking back across the table, Nanami could see her friend deep in thought. Tanaka was a goofball, but he knew when something was off and when to get serious. Though she was protecting him, Hitomi, and everyone else close to her by lying, the guilt persisted. Now realizing they were staring at each other, they shared a moment of realization and then a snicker, and a laugh. A knowing smile crept across their faces, Nanami patting Tanaka’s hand.

“You’re a real bro, you know that?”

“Always.” He smiled warmly as his beeper went off, “Oop, duty calls. We’re still on for dinner next week though, right?”

“Oh yeah, let me write it down before I forget. I’ll meet you at the restaurant, sound good?”

“You bet, I’ll see you later—be safe getting home, ok?”

“Of course,” She smiled, nodding. Nothing was said directly, but she knew what he meant. He left the café, Nanami now enjoying her mocha and treats at last.

Looking back at her burner phone for what felt like the millionth time today, there were still no further messages. It had been a week and a half since she’d seen Overhaul. It was Sunday night when her phone vibrated, the text simply reading “Out on business. Be back in 2 weeks.” The follow-up text coming a minute later, “Don’t burn the place down.” Looking back at them she found herself almost sad she wouldn’t be seeing him for a bit before slapping herself back to reality. I am not sad, I do not miss him. I am elated to have a break from that moody asshole.

As she cursed into her cup, a crow perched itself on the windowsill by her table. It pecked at the glass, cawing, interrupting what would have been a peaceful break. Nanami leered, irked at the timing. Tch. Still better company. She mused, comparing the two birdbrains. She smiled smugly as an idea popped into her head that she was just bored enough to entertain. Pulling up the camera app, she snapped a picture of the winged nuisance, sending it with the caption “Found your replacement.” After a quick chuckle to herself, a sense of panic came over her as she realized what she’d done. That was definitely too casual. He’s probably carrying out a hit or something and you sent a dumb picture of a bird? Why am I such a cornball? She bemoaned inwardly as she hurriedly locked the phone, laying it face down on the table like the bad decision would go away if she simply ignored it. He probably won’t even reply anyway… He’ll just give me a judgmental look when he gets back and never speak of it again…First order of business is finding a rock to crawl under.

Just before she facepalmed herself into oblivion, the phone vibrated. Her eyes shot wide as she stared at the offending object, knowing she’d have to pick it up at some point. Clearing her throat, she worked up the courage to turn over the phone, the text reading, “Same here.” with an attachment. She opened it up, choking on her drink when she saw a picture of a dumpster.

Yup, I walked right into that one. She thought, shedding a single tear inwardly, having only the strength to send a sad face emoji.

“Busy now. See you Monday.”

Sighing in defeat, Nanami gathered her things, hoping whatever had him so busy would make him forget her blunder.

  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It was now Thursday evening and Nanami was in her workout gear, walking briskly towards the training room. Hearing Rappa completing his usual sets, she knew it was time to put her game face on. They’d been sparring twice a week after each session, but beforehand, he had her doing a myriad of drills and weightlifting. As she approached the door cautiously, she heard his voice booming, “DON’T JUST SIT OUTSIDE, GET IN HERE AND ON THIS BENCH.”

“Yes sir!” She piped, knowing he was officially in drill sergeant mode.

Dropping her bags and plopping in her earplugs, she headed over to the benches, completing her sets as Rappa counted aloud each repetition while throwing motivational insults in the mix. She knew the words “Get to it you sad sack of bones” and “you wreak of failure” had to be on a Ballmark card somewhere.

Finishing out her final squatting reps with a grunt, she wracked the bar, breathing heavily. Just as she was fantasizing about the water bottle in her bag, she heard him yell “NO BREAKS YET, MAGGOT” as he swung at her. She barely had time to dodge, but a week ago it would have grazed her and two weeks ago it would have had her doubling over as it made full contact. Without a second thought, she had her guard up and she was in the proper stance to launch a counterattack. They traded blows, Nanami landing 5 for every 10 of his. She’d made great strides, but becoming a master fighter in a matter of weeks just wasn’t realistic, quirk or not.

This continued for an hour, Nanami only taking a break to heal her injuries. Though it wasn’t the main goal, she’d cut her healing time in half, but it came at the price of pain. Having to repeat this over and over on small parts of her body, she could see how it would be slightly maddening to perform it on a large scale over the course of a lifetime. Interrupting her thoughts, Rappa landed another punch to her gut before tossing her across the room. Her recovery was better than the first time, but it still hurt like hell. She staggered, rushing to heal and counter him as he charged forward.

She was knocked down again and again, but refused to stay down. Today, she felt he was being particularly hard on her, but she wanted to rise to the occasion striking back every chance she got. Now feeling her stamina running low, she stumbled to her feet again, assuming her stance as she had the first time.  

“Why don’t you just use it?”

A bit dazed from the last blow, Nanami asked what he meant.

“Your quirk. Why aren’t you using it to defeat me?”

“What’s with this all the sudden?” She rasped, still out of breath, “I’ve been using it this whole time.” She defended, weakly gesturing to the pillars she’d created to help her maneuver around the arena.

“No. I mean on me. You could have ended this an hour ago… Is this a game to you?” He spoke gravely, sounding a tad annoyed.

“What? No, not at all. I ju—”

“NO EXCUSES. You think your opponent will care about your little hang-ups when it’s life or death?” He cut her off as he charged forward, barely missing her as the punch landed on the floor leaving a small crater. Her eyes widened at the realization that the punch would have split her in half.

“That could’ve killed me!”

“THAT’S THE POINT!”

The adrenaline began rushing through her veins as she felt the air in the room shift. Behind every blow there was killing intent. Confused as to why he was now hellbent on escalating the match, she managed to blurt out “W-why are you doing this?!” as she rolled to dodge another potentially fatal blow.

“YOU’RE MESSING AROUND. TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY AND STOP BEING A FUCKING COWARD!”

Still not understanding his anger, she continued to try and dodge like her life depended on it, because in that moment, it did.

“THERE’S NOTHING MORE DISRESPECTFUL THAN HOLDING BACK WHEN YOUR OPPONENT IS GIVING THEIR ALL. YOU’RE GONNA DIE RIGHT HERE IF YOU DON’T FIGHT ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT!”

She knew what he wanted her to do, but the fear of losing control was still there. In her moment of doubt, he landed a blow that sent her flying into one of her pillars. She heard a sickening snap as her leg bashed into the corner of the structure, undoubtedly shattering her femur. The pain was more than she expected, and she cried out bitterly for a moment before stifling it once again as blood welled up into her mouth from the previous blows. Spitting lazily, she saw him stalking towards her as he continued to speak, “Do you think someone in a real match is going to use restraint and wait for you to have your little breakthrough? Plenty of weaklings would kill to have a quirk like yours, but here you are wasting it. Makes me sick.” He spat, as he bent down to hold her up by the neck and she thrashed in vain to break free. “I dunno who I saw during that trial, but you sure as hell aren’t her. Let me end this pathetic existence for ya,” he said squeezing tighter.

Suddenly, the fear turned into anger and a calm rage came over her as she stopped thrashing and used her right hand to grasp firmly on his wrist. “You don’t know shit about me, but you’re about to fuck around and find out.” Taking as deep a breath as she could while still in his chokehold, Nanami focused on his anatomy, surveying every cell, every blood vessel, and every hair. In the next instant, she dropped to the floor as red coated the arena. Looking up, a moment of pure terror took over her being as the flashbacks to the first time she’d done this took over. Hyperventilating, a million thoughts raced through her mind. Just as she was felt she was drowning, she felt two hands grabbing her shoulders, squeezing firmly giving her a gentle shake before letting go. It may have been part of the episode or her brain trying to regain control, but it was enough to bring her back to earth long enough to calm down.

After a few, centering breaths, she managed to recompose herself, taking stock of the situation. Rappa was now all over the room, literally coating it. No. No more panicking. You have to focus before it’s too late to put him back. Remember the structure. Remember the shape. She repeated to herself like a mantra before gaining a clear picture in her mind of how to assemble him. Pressing her hands to the floor he was now embedded in, the pieces of him came rushing back, snapping back into shape before her eyes.

He took a sharp inhale, staring at his hands in almost disbelief that he was real. She watched him closely, hoping she hadn’t forgotten any pieces of him. He stared in her direction for a beat and she wondered if “he” was still in there or if she’d brought back some empty husk. Her question was soon answered.

“TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH! I THOUGHT I WAS A GONER, BUT YOU DID A BANG-UP JOB!” He boomed.

“I…I almost had a mental break and you’re critiquing me on my timing?? You almost killed me!”

“Yup, but you got me first. Good job today.” He reassured her, now serious.

Still reeling, all she could manage was a weak, “Thanks.”

He closed the distance between them, extending a hand in front of her. They clasped forearms as he pulled her up and she quickly remembered she hadn’t fully healed since the last couple blows. Leaning on him a bit she recovered, hoping to never have to fix injuries like them again, at least on herself. They walked over to the seats lining the walls and sat down, both recovering from the mini trauma session.

“Hey doc,”

“Yeah?”

“What made you wanna train?”

She flinched reflexively, posting up before he reassured her it wasn’t the pretext to another barrage of attacks. “Well… to get stronger, obviously. Why do you ask all the sudden? Never figured you one for deep conversation.” She remarked, taking a swig from her water bottle.

“Just curious. You and the boss got the same quirk. I think man-to-ma—or person-to-person combat is the greatest thing in the world, but you don’t have to go through all this. Most people with quirks as powerful as yours just kinda coast off that.”

She thought for a moment, reflecting to give an honest answer,” I want to be more than this.” She said, studying at her hand, outstretched in front of her. “A lot of people become reliant on their quirks--  and I did the opposite-- but in a way it’s just a different side of the same messed-up coin. I still let it define me. I just want to be capable, quirk or not… Does that answer your question?”

“Yeah, I think it does.” He said giving her a firm pat on the back, “Go get some rest, doc. “

He rose, leaving the room and Nanami alone with her thoughts. Thinking back to what grounded her earlier, she remembered a detail and quickly shook it off. He’s not even here. I really need to go home and sleep this off. And promptly call my therapist…

As she grabbed her things to go, she was so focused, she hadn’t noticed the familiar figure in the room. Clearing his throat to get her attention, she nearly jumped out of her skin. So much for the awareness training...

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

He raised his brow at the obvious question.

“Well, not like that. I mean of course you’d be here; I just mean... like what are you doing here now?” she managed to get out. Why the hell am I nervous?

“I finished my business early, decided to see how you’d progressed.”

“Oh, ok. So… you saw all that, huh?” she cautioned a glance, more than a little embarrassed.

“Most of it.”

“…Any thoughts?”

He paused, before answering,” Rappa was correct. Your hesitation will get you killed. Don’t make the same mistake again, I might not be there the next time.”

She nodded, walking past him towards the door before taking a moment to register what he’d said, “Hey, by the way… when I… disassembled him—I know this is a silly question—but did you… do anything?” she almost immediately regretted even asking.

“Like what?” His expression was blank.

Sighing to herself she decided it had to have been her brain throwing her a bone back there to save her from a mental break, “You know what? Nevermind. I’m just tired, must’ve been imagining things. See you later.”

As he watched her leave, he retrieved a clear bag with his bloodied shoes and gloves, glad he had returned earlier than planned. Replacing his subordinate would be an inconvenience, but replacing a partner would have been infinitely more difficult.

Ain’t Life A B*tch - Chap 2

Well for me... aint editing a bitch so I’m sorry if there are mistakes but I’m finding it hard to concentrate lately. 36th day in Quarantine!! 

Chapter 1 if you need a refresher or whatever :)

. . . . / 2 / . . .

The next week was spent sorting through forms and getting your new probie up to speed. She was a young buck, raised in New York, father was a cop and mum was a naval officer. So serve and protect was in her blood as she'd say. Alex Edison was her name but she preferred to go by Eddie, a nickname she hated in school but grew to love when she got older.

You managed to video call your other Agent who was flying in from Miami on the weekend. He had to sort a few more things before making the move permanently to DC. Agent Hunter, Ben Hunter, was how he introduced himself and you couldn't help but roll your eyes. You'd met him once when his case brought him to your ship a few years ago. You worked well and was happy when Vance mentioned his name as a candidate for your new team.  

"Ok, Alex. You got the form for HR?" You sighed, leaning back in your chair. You desk was perfectly positioned the next row over from Gibbs Team which meant you heard and saw almost everything that happened over there. They'd been chasing a murderer for over a week now. Everyone was running on fumes. Especially Gibbs and you couldn't help but cringe a few times when he yelled at his team.

Eddie was shocked the first time she heard him yell and you reassured her that it was ok. Her face clearly didn't believe you though.

"Just about." She answered tapping away at her computer, her desk was beside yours. So you could see her screen when you leaned back in your seat. She'd added a few picture frames around her desk, one of her dog, another of her and her mum and the third was an old grey and white photo of her grandparents.

You smiled as she hurried up. "All good, once you've finished that. Send it to HR and if you want we can grab a drink?" You suggest, it had been a paper heavy week and you needed to unwind away from a computer screen.

"Aww, I need a drink." A sad voice piped up from over the divider.

You twirled your chair around to see Ellie standing and looking over at you. You'd managed to chat to her a few times, mainly in the break room when she escaped to get a snack which was quite often. "You're more than welcome to join."

She smiled at your offer but her eyes darted down to where Gibbs mustve been sitting and you shrug. It was almost 1800 on Friday. They hadn't had a break in the case all day, you knew because you caught their huffs and complaints about it all day. "Gibbs?" Ellie said with so much hope, you could tell by the bags under her young eyes that they'd been working longer hours than usual.

"Yeah, there's nothing we can do tonight."

"You can join to if you want Gibbs." You shout and laugh at Ellie's and Eddie's reaction to his invitation. You knew all too well what his reply was going to be, what it always would be in the middle of a case with no leads.

Gibbs stood up, leaning over the divider and smiling down at you. As he said the words, you mimed his answer. "Bourbon, boat, basement." Everyone chuckled at your response. "Why'd you ask?" His eyes were curious. Clearly bemused by you miming and knowing his answer as he said it.

"I'm being polite and a nice colleague." You smile, seeing Eddie send off the form so you began to gather up your things.

"Hey Jack!" Ellie beamed, as the other blonde strode into the bullpen and you stilled for a second. Your back was now turned to Gibbs, you could feel his eyes burning into your back, he saw you freeze. You'd successfully avoided Jack all week. Only catching glimpses of her on the promenade and once when she came to help Gibbs team with profiles. Neither of you gave each other a second glance and as much as you were thankful for it, your gut was getting more and more twisted with every glimpse you saw her. Not to mention your subconscious derailing you every night by replaying the break up and the moment outside of MTAC when you came back.

"Ellie, you heading out?" She tried her best to sound up beat but you could hear the hostility in her voice.

You shucked on your coat, slipping on your gloves and packing up your desk. "You ready?" You look over at Alex who is shutting down her computer.

"Yep." She jumps up, stretching and grabbing her coat and bag.

"Hey y/n, can Jack join us for drinks?" The words you hoped you'd never hear but knew it was coming. You knew Jack was close with the other team and why wouldn't she be? She's a friendly, warm - shut up brain. Trying to gather as much composure as possible you turn with the best painted smile you could muster.

"Ellie I'm sure-" You were ready to make up any kind of excuse but as soon as your eyes locked with Jack's you couldn't finish.

Without a missing a beat Jack picked up your excuse. "I'm busy tonight. Just heading out now to go on a date actually." Her eyes look back to Ellie who is now too curious about Jack's date. You on the other hand are trying your best to ignore that stab to the heart that had nothing to do with Jack's words about a date. Or the way her eyes darted to Gibbs and he shared a look when she said date.

"I'm ready." Alex smiles, you can tell she's trying to distract you. Your composure mustn't be as good as you hoped.

You clap your glove covered hands. "Right.. Ellie, we'll meet you there?" You wait a tick to get Ellie's reply, not daring to look at Jack again. Ellie looks from you to Jack curiously. You were trying so hard not to let anyone notice anything between you and Jack, Gibbs didn't count, and it was starting to come through.

"Sure. Devil's?" You nod and follow Eddie to the elevator.

"See you there. First rounds on me!" You shout over your shoulder and hop into the elevator.

"I'm coming!" Nick shouts and you just hake your head with a smile.

The night wasn't as awkward as you thought it might be. No one brought up the moment in the squadroom even though you could see the question on Ellie's lips. You had a few drinks and got to know each other a lot more. Nick even got up and danced when one of his favourite songs came out of the speakers, he tried his best to drag Bishop up but she held on tightly to the post next to your table. It was nice, you felt like you were settling more and more into living and working in DC. Something you thought would take a while.

You and Eddie hung around a while after Nick and Ellie had to call it a night. They unfortunately still had to work in the morning both hoping they'd have a lead or this was going to be an awfully long weekend for them both.

"How are you liking DC?" Alex's eyes wondered to the tv screen above the bar, you could see she was trying to seem disinterested but you'd tried your best all night to avoid your personal life all night. Always flipping it back to the asker, it had worked, Nick always liked talking about himself.

You wanted to be open with Alex, to create a partnership with her more so than being like a boss. You wanted to create that boundary but this job was going to get serious really quickly and you wanted to create a bond that you could lean on each other as well. After all these people were going to be in your life for hopefully many years to come. Drawing in a deep breath you thought about your answer. It was a simple question but it could lead to harder ones.

"Colder than I like but I did always enjoy the snow." A bit vague but you wanted to see where Alex would take it. To see if she was willing to go straight to the question she really wanted to know. "What about you?"

Her eyes snapped back to the table, taking a sip of her drink. "I like the pace of DC. Managed to find a somewhat decent place to live."

"Yeah you mentioned that earlier. Seems like a score for me and being a short drive to work as well." She was really impressive for her age, stepping out and following her ambitions, you admired that.

"You don't have to answer but.." Her eyes shifted nervously, you knew what was coming. "You and Agent Sloane? Did something happen before I came along?" Her eyes flicked to yours, you weren't hiding your feelings on the subject. The alcohol may have had something to do that by now. You'd kept it steady all night and now it was finally taking it's toll.

"Something did.. a long time ago." You shrug as nonchalantly as possible, bringing your glass to your lips and taking a long swig.

"Must've been -"

"We were in a serious relationship and I-" You sigh, dropping you head back. You really didn't want to talk about it, alcohol or no alcohol. Bonding or no bonding, you weren't ready for this admission. Out loud anyway.

"So when does Ben arrive again?" Alex gave you a comforting smile and you relaxed at the subject change.

The night soon came to a close, you made sure Alex had a ride before making your way home. It was nice to have a night together outside of the office. To get to know each other more and with other friends as well. The crisp night air made you shiver and you hugged yourself closer to the wall of the bar while you waited for your Uber.

The weekend you managed to keep yourself busy by shopping and finding things to decorate your apartment with. You managed to find some cute things at the local markets on Saturday morning. Your apartment was slowly filling up with things you liked and you felt content with your efforts. Shopping was never an pleasure for you but you needed to make your apartment feel more like a home. After all you would be staying around for hopefully a long time. On Sunday you managed to find a small dining set that would fit perfectly in your small dining area and a cute, round, wide chair that you thought would be great curling up on after a long days work. Come Sunday afternoon you were all shopped out and curled up on said new purchase with a blanket and cup of hot chocolate, testing the new furniture out.

There was no case come Monday morning however Agent Ben Hunter had arrived and kept you busy catching up and filling out his paperwork for his transfer. "So I filled in the form for payroll and have the other documents are being sent through to HR."

"Excellent." You smiled over at Ben. He was very to the point and full steam ahead. You just hoped that was the same when it came to being in the field and on cases.

You got distracted by the team over the divider. They'd caught a cast late Sunday afternoon and apparently had been going since then. Nick was very loud about the lack of sleep he'd had and Ellie would bite back every so often saying they were all in the same boat.

"Alright team. I have profiles for you." You heard her voice, the pep and energy clearly evident compared to the rest of the team. "Come on. The quicker you look into these guys the quicker you could get some sleep. Or you know, Gibbs. Send them home. They need rest." She was all too blunt and head strong about it and you were waiting for Gibbs' snark remark about it's his team but it never came.

"'robably right Jack but we gotta get this guy. Grab a coffee and we'll follow up on the profiles." He grunted and you heard his chair squeak meaning he'd gotten up and you watched as he and Jack walked around and waited at the elevator.

You sunk further into your chair, hiding slightly more behind your desk as you watched Jack and Gibbs walk into the elevator turn around and Jack was laughing at something with a smiling Gibbs. Your gut twinged and you grunted at it to shut up. The elevators door shut and you went back to the emails you were following up on.

"Everything alright y/n?" Ben spoke up, clearly noticing your reaction to Jack's presence.

"Fine." You tried to smile but doubted it came across as convincing. You shot a look at Alex not to say anything, not that you thought she would. "Going to get a snack from the break room. Want anything?" You looked between your teammates.

"Good, thanks Boss." Alex smiled at you then returned to her computer.

"Can I have a kitkat? I'll pay ya back when I have cash." He dug into his top draw to find some money but only came up with a few coins.

"It's fine." You genuinely smile at his efforts. "Think I can handle it." You wink at him and he chuckles.

"Thanks Boss." You shake your head at the name. It was still very new to you. Being the leader and in charge but Boss did have a nice ring to it, even if you and Ben were around the same age. You walked around the bullpen, coming up to Tim's desk.

"Nutterbutter right?" The sound of his favourite snack snapped McGee's face from his computer screen.

"Right." He beamed and you just kept walking. Same old McGee.  

You're in the middle of bashing the vending machine after the nutterbutter gets stuck, Tony probably did something years ago to the machine to annoy McGee, when your phone rings. "Agent Y/n. Yes, ok, we'll be there." You give the vending machine one last bang and the nutterbutter falls free. You walk, pick up your coffee and snacks and exit the room.

Gibbs is back, you hear him before you turn the corner. The site of the older blonde almost has you miss a step but you don't. You've got a murder to solve. "Timmy!" You shout, drawing everyone's attention and McGee beams as you chuck him his treat in passing. "Good catch. Gibbs been giving you pointers?" You wink at him, trying your best to not seem effected by Jack's presence.

"Nah, having two kids, you learn quickly how to juggle." You both share a laugh and you continue onto your team. "Not to mention years of avoiding Tony's antics."

"We still need to have that dinner Tim. Maybe after our cases are solved." You say over your shoulder, doing your best to avoid eye contact with Jack. She's been looking back and forth between you and Tim the whole time. Mainly looking at Tim. At least that's what you could see without looking at her directly.  

"We got a case boss?" Alex pipes up as you walk around and grab your sig and badge out of your desk, slipping into your NCIS jacket. It fit like a glove, it was several years old but there was no way you were letting Vance give you a new one. This one had seen you through most of your Agent Afloat adventures.

"You betcha. Dead Petty Officer downtown. Grab ya gear." You straighten up and look over at Gibbs who is smirking, you ignore the blonde beside him and give him a wink. "Old habits. Let's go." You were probably too eager about getting a case, it was exciting, your first case with your own team plus you were itching to get out of the office with your beautiful ex standing right there.

Is that what she'd become an ex? Like obviously she was an ex but to be just another number in a very short list of relationships? You never wanted to add her to that list but she'd ended up on it all the same.

. . . . / 2 / . . . . 

Like Happiness is in your Reach Aaron Burr x Reader Chapter 11

Tags @fangirlandnerd @ milena-millennium @fangirl570 @studysafeplace @bees-are-more-important

Chapter 1 Chapter 2  Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9  Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12

Masterlist

I’m back (sort of!) I had an insane year, and a few months ago I posted a life updated here BUT I want to start writing more consistently again! I’m also going to try to write for other fandoms too- so hopefully this goes well!

Without further ado, here is chapter 11! I’m thinking a few more chapters. I have a couple more things I want to accomplish in the storyline, but it won’t be long now.

************************************************************

        The next morning you’re woken up by your alarm clock. You glance and see the 5:30am flashing and you reach over to hit the off button. Before you could groan about getting up to take your daughter to school, you hear three identical groans from around you. You smile sleepily and start to wake Charlotte up by gently shaking her. When you see her smile, you sweetly say,

        “Come on, Charlotte. Time to get ready for school.” You reach over and lightly tap Peggy and John as you climb out of bed. “Time for work, you two.” Normally, you hate waking up early, especially when you only got four hours of sleep anyway. However, this morning, you didn’t have to force your smile to go along anyway. 

      You don’t remember changing into your pajamas, but you’re grateful that you did. The soft and warm red flannel pants and worn out PTA shirt were comforting, and you opted to stay in it as long as possible. In fact, everyone dragged their feet off to school and work today. Peggy and John left shortly after waking up so they could go home and grab a change of clothes, and Charlotte stood in the bathroom brushing her teeth for a solid five minutes before she realizes she’s just standing there. She eventually snaps out of it when you undo her braids and brush out her hair for the day. Charlotte skulks off to get changed into her clothes while you stare at your closet, combing your hair out.  At about 6:15am, before you can figure out what you want to wear, you hear a knock on the door. As you walk to the door, you loudly ask Charlotte,

        “Did John or Peggy forget something, Charlotte?” You open the door and simultaneously hear your daughter’s grumbled response and find Theodosia and Aaron in front of you, Theo holding a small box from a local donut shop, and Aaron holding a drink carrier with coffee and chocolate milk in it. .

        “Good morning, Y/N!” Theo exuberantly greets you.

        “Oh!” You reply, a little bit surprised. “Good morning, Theo. Please come on in.” 

        “Thanks!” the young girl replies cheerfully. You move to the side as she literally skips past you and sets the box down on an island in the kitchen. A little shocked that anyone could be so energetic in the morning, you turn back to face Aaron. He also walks in your home and you shut the door behind him. 

        “Good morning, Aaron,” you stumble to say when you realize you only greeted his daughter. He smiles and leans down to place a kiss on your cheek and replies in kind. Before he could pull away, you turn your head and place a chaste kiss on his lips. The smile on his face is contagious and exhilarating, and you almost forget that you were exhausted less than five minutes ago. After a moment you ask, teasingly,

        “Does one of those coffees happen to belong to me?”

        “Hmmm, maybe,” he teases back, inching his way closer to you. You can hear Charlotte closing her bedroom door and walking out into the living room. Aaron hears her as well because he hands you the coffee and faces your daughter. 

        “Good morning, Charlotte,” he greets your daughter cheerfully. “Theo and I thought we would bring the two of you breakfast and head to school together today.” Charlotte nods groggily, and says a quiet “thanks” heading to her food. 

        “Charmander here,” you explain, walking over to the table where she had just sat down. “Is not a morning person, coupled with the fact that her Uncle John and Aunt Peggy let her stay up way too late last night.” You stroke your daughter’s hair. 

        “Mama, can you braid my hair into pigtails again?” She looks up to you with a smile and a bit of chocolate frosting on her face. You hand her a napkin and nod, picking up sections of  hair and beginning to plait it for her. 

        “Theo, did you have a good time at the Hamiltons’ last night?” You inquire about the giddy girl, sitting next to her father who is eating his donut and taking a drink of his coffee. She nods her head enthusiastically as she finishes her donut. 

        “Yes ma’am! We played hide and seek and then watched the Spongebob movie before we went to bed.” Charlotte gasps, and it makes you jump because you weren’t expecting her to make such a loud noise this early in the morning. Aaron lets out a small laugh at your surprise, a blush appearing on your cheeks. Your daughter didn’t realize your reaction and added to Theodosia’s story,

        “That’s my favorite movie! Me, Uncle John, and Aunt Peggy watched that movie last night too!” Charlotte, finally waking up, continues to chat energetically with Theodosia as you finish your daughter’s braids. You give Aaron a knowing look and he shakes his head with a smile. Theodosia had sat down first, and made sure Charlotte sat next to her. On the other side of the counter/table is where you sat down - within inches of Aaron. The donut and coffee disappear pretty quickly from everyone’s grasps. While you were watching the girls talk to each other, you see Aaron looking at you from the corner of your eye and turn to face him, noticing a soft smile on his face. He really does have an incredible smile, you think to yourself. He reaches out his hand and you do the same, intertwining your fingers together. Both of you missed the smiles between your daughters. 

*****************************************************************

Two days later you receive a text message from Nathaniel in the morning.

“Are you available to meet for coffee at 1:30?”

Without hesitation, you replied.

“Yes. Starbucks on Broadway sound okay?”

“Sounds good! See you then.”

        It only took you 15 seconds of consideration before you’re hitting the call button and speaking to Aaron. It wasn’t that you felt like you needed permission, but you wanted to talk to him about Nathaniel.

        “Do you have a moment?” You ask carefully.

        “Sure. What’s up?” Aaron says in a calm, but concerned voice. 

        “Nothing’s up, really, but I’m ready to tell you a bit more about Nathaniel.”

        “Okay,” he replies. You can hear the chatter in the background, but Aaron’s attention was on your voice. 

        “Before Charlotte was even a possibility, I was a workaholic.” You take a breath and clarify, “Well, a worse one than I am now. I never took breaks, and I always found reasons to stay at the cafe rather than hang out with friends or family. My logic was ‘If I see my brother and best friend at work, why should I spend time outside of my job to do just that?’. My focus was the cafe and nothing else.

        “One night Peggy and John dragged me out of the cafe and forced me to go out with them to a bar to let off some steam, which in their definition meant me getting drunk and going home with a random guy.”

        “Let me guess,” Aaron interrupts your soliloquy. “The random guy was Nathaniel?”

        “Ding ding ding, we have a winner.” I let out a chuckle. “I remember meeting him and talking to him, but I never learned Nathaniel’s last name. I just learned it the other night at the restaurant.” Aaron makes a noise to signify that he understood. 

        “So we both know that you don’t need my permission to do anything and vice versa, but I assume you’re bringing me in the loop because you’re meeting Nathaniel today, right?”

        “That’s correct.”

“Is there anything I can do for you?” You think about it for a moment, but nothing comes to mind - not even a joke.

        “No, but thank you though.”

        “Thank you for sharing, Y/N. I hope you didn’t feel obligated to do so.”

        “Oh no, not at all. In fact, I feel as if I can rely on you with the information I’ve never really shared before, and I really appreciate that about our relationship.” The word falls out of your mouth before you could catch it, and you aren’t even given enough time to walk your statement back because Aaron is suddenly saying in a sly voice, a bit quieter than his initial volume.

        “I know our relationship hasn’t been defined, but I would also like to inform you that my feelings for you are very real, and of a romantic nature.” You’re grateful that you’re sitting in your office with the door closed because you don’t want anyone to see the bumbly mess that you are turning into as a result of Aaron’s words.

        “Well the definition could be quite simple as I return those real, romantic, feelings towards you, Aaron.” A moment passes, and you could picture the wide, full tooth smile that he had on his face.

        “I’m glad to hear that, Y/N.”

*********************************************************************

        Over the next two weeks, Aaron and Theo would come over for breakfast before school, sometimes bringing coffee and donuts, other times giving you a heads up, allowing you to make the coffee and breakfast. Theodosia said your eggs were the best she ever had, and Aaron complimented you on your ability to hide the veggies so the girls would actually eat them. Each morning started with a greeting from Theo and a kiss on the cheek from Aaron, which would turn into a kiss on the mouth from you (“they already know we’re dating, Aaron”). On the second Monday after your first date, you ask Aaron if he was free on Wednesday evening for a second date. He happily agreed. This time, you paid. 

        Wednesday nights became date nights. From finding the “best ice cream cone” in your part of New York to riding the bumper cars ten times in a row at Coney Island (Aaron let you drive, and he held his arm around you the whole time), the time you’ve spent together allowed both of you a much needed release from your everyday lives. Fridays became sleepover nights. Whether Charlotte went to the Burr household or Theodosia spent the night at your place, the girls were growing in their friendship just as quickly as you and Aaron were growing in yours.

        It was the Wednesday a week before Thanksgiving when Aaron asked what you were doing the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, and you replied that you would be deep-cleaning your apartment for family coming in the following day for Thanksgiving festivities.

        “It’s a big celebration, really”, you explain. “My parents HATE New York, but they love Charlotte, so they compromise. Mama and Papa come here for Thanksgiving so we go to them for Christmas.” Your fingers are intertwined with Aaron’s and you are walking back to your apartment. Before Aaron could get out why he asked about your plans, you (hopefully) nonchalantly add, 

        “I would love for you and Theodosia to join us for Wednesday and Thursday family festivities if you don’t have any plans”. Aaron stops in his tracks, naturally stopping you as well. A bit worried that he stopped in abject horror, you’re pleased when you see a shocked smile start to curl on Aaron’s face. Aaron had confided in you on your last date that he had lost his parents shortly after he passed the bar exam, and Theodosia Sr. lost her parents before they had met, so Theo grew up without grandparents or extended family, really, which is the opposite of your daughter. 

        “Would your parents mind?” He asks carefully, not hiding his smile at all.

        “Not at all. In fact, they’re dying to meet the little girl who is best friends with their granddaughter,” you tug on his hand for the two of you to start moving again. “And, your name has come up once or twice,” you add, coyly, while your cheeks start to turn pink.

        “Theo and I would love to attend your family’s festivities. Count us in on both days. Would you come with me on Tuesday evening to my work’s Thanksgiving party? Alexander and Eliza will be there, so you’ll have other friendly faces besides mine.” This conversation could not have gone any better. You’re smiling widely as you respond enthusiastically.

        “Sounds like fun.”

A Toast to Whiskey: Chapter 1 / 2

Summary: You work in an old bar hidden away from the modern world. It's almost charming, but not quite. That's probably why Bucky likes it.

Words: 2,325 Pairing: Bucky Barnes/reader Characters: Bucky Barnes Additional tags: Bucky needs a hug, recovering Bucky, mostly canon compliant (Infinity War and Endgame didn’t happen, Stark Tower still exists), angst, she/her pronouns, more tags/characters to be added with part 2, brief mention of Nazis, mental health will be prominent part of part 2

Note: Find this fic and others on A03 - click here. And follow this Tumblr! I post lists of Bucky/Reader fic writers and reblog all my favs. I’ve just started it, so would love the support! xo Rhi

Dedicated to: @browngirlmagic for the conversation. The next chapter is the Lush one!

A Toast to Whiskey Chapter 1 / 2

There were a lot of things in the dusty, old bar that made the man's jaw clench in annoyance, distaste, or anger. You were compiling a list of these things, doing your best to minimise their occurrences. There was one you couldn't avoid though, and it was almost amusing that it bothered him at all. Each time someone ordered a drink - beer, cocktail, shot, whatever - a clean glass was given. The man didn't like it. Was it not like that in his time?

If James Buchanan Barnes thought he'd gone unnoticed in the hole-in-the-wall bar you worked at, he was mistaken. Not entirely, to be fair; the baseball cap and quiet stopped the other patrons from even giving him a second glance. 'Patrons' might have been too civilised of a word to call them. They were old, sickly, local men that had been drinking the same beer from those same taps forever. Harmless, mostly. Unobservant, entirely. Not you though. The first day Bucky walked in and taken a barstool on the very corner, closest to the door, you knew exactly who he was.

Like a lot of people that came and went from the establishment, Bucky's seeking of anonymity was granted. You pretended to not recognise him. You were kind to him, a little more gentle than you were to others, but mostly just a good bartender. And in time, you grew accustomed to the charade. He came in a couple of afternoons a week, but never during the nights when it would be busy. Eventually, he even started to speak more than a couple words to you.

"New cap?" you greeted Bucky with a grin, putting the only drink he ever ordered down in front of him.

Bucky wrapped his right hand around the glass of whiskey. He glanced at you, smiled and shrugged.

"Speaking of new, can I ask you something?" you asked.

The expression on Bucky's face was guarded, but definitely one of concern. You realised you should have just asked, rather than let his mind spiral.

"What’s your problem with clean glasses?"

He looked surprised. Surprised was an experience Bucky wasn't particularly used to or fond of. He wouldn't hold it against you though.

"How do ya know I got a problem?" he asked back, genuinely curious.

Shrugging, you looked around casually. "Guess I notice a lot of things about people,"

"Right," he said slowly, knowingly. "I don't know… Just seems wasteful… Is it the law?"

"That we have to use clean glasses?" you asked with a laugh. "I don't know… probably not. I mean, it's more hygienic. Probably makes the drink taste cleaner or whatever. Board of Health might have a problem with us if we didn't… Not that I've seen one of them in here in years."

Bucky picked up his glass and finished the whiskey. "Fill her up," he quipped. He'd made a half-joke, and you appreciated the effort.

"Yes, sir. Lemme know if you, you know, what anything else," you told him, topping him up, knocking your knuckles on the bar top, and walking away.

…

Bucky Barnes certainly wasn't the most chatty person you'd met. It was better to ask questions if you wanted to pass time with conversations. Easy conversation was one of your special skills, being a bartender and all. However, it was incredibly difficult to do this when you were purposefully avoiding topics that would put Bucky in a position to have to, you know, admit his identity and all that. So, things stayed superficial.

No, Bucky didn't watch the game.

Yes, the weather's been insane.

No, he doesn't want any nut mix.

Okay, maybe yes to pretzels.

Yes, he can see your hair has changed colour.

Yes, he likes it.

For as long as it had taken to get to the point of superficial conversation, it didn't take any time at all to run out of things to say. As it turned out, neither you nor Bucky had lived, or were living, shallow enough lives to sustain it. There were questions you were begging to ask, and if he was honest with himself, Bucky was kinda just counting down until you finally spoke up.

…

"So, I got a question,"

"Mmm. You have a lot of questions," Bucky said, smirking then taking another sip of his whisky.

"You could ask me somethin' if you want a change of pace, pal."

It was a joke. Just banter. But a dark expression flashes across Bucky's face for only a split second. You didn't catch it.

"What's your question, Y/N?"

He knew your name?

Of course he knew your name. He was The Winter fucking Soldier. He probably knew everything about everyone that worked and frequented the bar. How had you not thought of that before? Suddenly, it seemed risky to ask what you had planned to.

Bucky watched you hesitate. He sighed and looked around at the empty room. It was a Monday afternoon and it was just before the regulars showed up to knock beer bottles together and catcall you across the bar. It was just you and him.

"Ask," he said softly, taking his cap off and setting it down on the barstool next to him. You watched Bucky run his hands through his hair, tucking some of it behind his ear.

"Why do you drink whiskey?"

Bucky laughed. Like, a proper heartfelt laugh. "What?" he said, nose still scrunched up in amusement.

"What?"

"Why do I drink whiskey?" he repeated.

"Yeah… I mean… It's disgusting… and, like, you… can't get drunk, right?"

There it was. You did it. Admitted you knew him. Which he figured out. So none of what was happening was really a big deal. But it sure as fuck felt like it.

"Right. I can’t- Well, I can, but it takes a lot,"

"Asgardian mead a lot?"

Bucky grinned and tipped his glass towards you. "How do you know about Asgardian mead?"

You snorted. "Everyone does. Everyone knows everything these days,"

"That's what we want you to think," he said, not skipping a beat.

It made you laugh. It was already better talking to him without false pretences. "So, whisky?"

"Ah… Guess it's that everything's different now… An' that's mostly good. But… You know."

No. No, you didn't know. How could you even begin to understand? "Yeah," you said, your voice far more quiet than you meant it to be.

"Whiskey's still whiskey,"

"It tastes the same?" you asked.

"Almost. Not exactly. Close enough,"

"Makes sense… But why here? S'not like this bar been here since the 40s or anything."

Bucky was visibly trying not to smile. Or make eye contact. "Ah… Not sure how to answer that without… offending ya,"

"Huh? ... Oh, I don't own the joint or anything,"

"You don't?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"No? You think I did? Why?"

"You're…" but he shrugged, still guarded. "I don't know," he lied. "But, ah, I was just lookin' for somewhere…"

"Pretty much stuck in the 40s or thereabouts?"

He nodded, smiling. "But without the Nazis,"

"Mmm… I mean… Have you watched the news lately?" you very quickly said.

"I try to avoid it," he admitted solemnly.

As people started to wander in, the conversation waned. Bucky watched you serve cold beer and pour bags of crisps into bowls. He listened to the worst songs being picked on the jukebox and he sat truly shocked you weren't even at least the daughter of the owner. Despite what you may have thought, he hadn't bothered to investigate you at all and finding his assumptions to be wrong was unsettling.

See, Bucky was a little bit smitten with you. He thought you were smart and sassy and timelessly beautiful. You were the ultimate perk of randomly picking this as his hideaway from the world. But, he figured you were only here because it was a family business. Why was someone smart, sassy and beautiful working strange hours at a shitty bar?

It was hard to say which of you was more curious about the other.

…

Something about what Bucky said had stuck in your head. Whiskey, his drink of choice, was the closest thing to his own time he could find. You could do better than that though.

About a year into working at the bar, you were finally allowed to venture into the cellar to clean it up. There were boxes of shit from forever ago down there and you just wanted it sorted, gone, and the space put to better use. Most of what lived beneath the floor was trash, but every hour or so you'd find something cool. A few vintage beer signs. Empty bottles of collector edition Coke. That kind of stuff. But, there was one thing you had found that you now wanted to stumble across again.

Nobody could remember where it had got to.

It took two days of searching to find it.

The bottle of whiskey was shoved under a bunch of paperwork in the office's bottom drawer desk. Not exactly where you'd store something worth a lot of money, but hey - the barely-there owners of the bar were eccentric, to put it nicely. You didn't recognise the brewing company on the peeling label, but that wasn't the point. The date on the bottle quite clearly read 1940.

When Bucky took his usual spot that afternoon, you bounced over to him with a grin on your face. He looked up at you, keeping his cap.

"Aren't you gonna ask me why I'm so happy?" you said, elbows on the bar and head in your hands.

Bucky smiled a little. He seemed sad. Sadder than usual. Good timing.

"Why are you so happy?"

"'Cause I found something that's gonna make you real fuckin' happy. Check this out!"

You produced the bottle from where you had it stashed under the bar and handed it to Bucky.

Bucky's lips parted slightly and his eyes went all glossy. He read the label carefully, probably trying to place the brand you couldn't. He handled it so carefully, even more than you in your fear of dropping it.

"This is real," he finally said.

"Yeah. I found it in the basement ages ago and just remembered it. 1940, so I figure it's like, first or second batch after Prohibition, yeah?"

Bucky nods. "I guess…" he replied, smiling, remembering Prohibition. "And before all the distilleries had to stop again,"

"For what?" you asked.

"The war," he said so matter-of-factly that it hurt a little. He looked up then, saw your confusion. "Dunno if it was law or if they just did it, but most places stopped making drinking alcohol and started making stuff to help win the war. And ah, whiskey stopped being made because it took up too much crops. I don't know. Something like that."

Something like that. Like he hadn't lived history.

"I didn’t know that. That's…" Not 'cool.' "That makes sense… Anyway. Open it," you ordered, getting out two clean glasses.

Bucky put the bottle on the bar and looked at you seriously. "Y/N, that's gotta be worth… a lot… Can't open it for no reason,"

"Nobody here cares about it. And besides, it's not really no reason, is it?" He didn't move or say anything. "Bucky." He flinched at his name, glanced around to make sure nobody heard. They hadn't. "I think you kinda earned this one, yeah? Now do me the honours."

Why was everyone in Bucky's life so goddamn stubborn?

He sighed and opened the bottle silently. You nodded in encouragement, letting him pour.

"A toast," you posed, holding your glass up. Bucky mimicked your action. "A toast to…" Everything in your head sounded either very cliché or very sad.

"Whiskey," Bucky finished.

"Whiskey," you agreed.

Drinking at the same time, Bucky swallowed in two gulps while you struggled with a sip.

"Jesus fucking Christ it tastes like cat piss now and it did then," you whined, pouring the liquid left in your glass into Bucky's. He laughed at you.

After drinking that down quickly, Bucky reached across the bar and took your hand in his. "Thank you, Y/N. Really."

A toast to finding things that make us less homesick.

…

After the 1940 whiskey, Bucky came in more regularly. He stayed longer, despite the place filling with people. He even began to talk to the other regulars when they sat at the bar and argued with you about politics, the news, and kids these days. You watched him play devil's advocate, siding with the old men, sarcastically poking fun at you with a quick comment every now and then.

You weren't sure when it happened, but you realised Bucky had grown to be comfortable in the space. And there was something about that that made you ridiculously happy. Like, sunbeams bouncing around on the inside of you making you all hot and tingly and full of joy whenever he was there kind of happy. It was gross.

Bucky would walk in, sit, place his cap down and grin at you with his cute little teeth and sparkly blue eyes. It made your day without exception, and you started to notice more little things about him and how they made you feel. When he hooked his hand behind his ear it would make your stomach flip.

One time, when he was telling you a story about carnival rides and baby Steve throwing up, a loose strand of hair fell across his face and you immediately and unconsciously leant across the bar and folded it gently behind his ear for him. Bucky froze, and you went to apologise, but he spoke first. "Thanks," he said softly, with more meaning than the situation called for, then continued on with his story.

It was like that for just over a month. Then he stopped coming in. There was nothing in his final visit to indicate he wasn't coming back. Bucky just disappeared.

CLICK TO READ PART 2/2

A Cure I Know // Part 4

Part 1  II Part 2  II  Part 3  II 

Pairing: Elliot Alderson x fem!OC (Emerson)

Summary: A sex addict & a nut case - what a perfect pairing, don’t you think?

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 2k

A/N: Sorry this took so long to produce, but here it is! If you enjoy this series and would like to be tagged in future chapters, let me know and i’ll happily add you to my tag list. Enjoy xx

-

It was like clockwork and to no fail that following Monday we were both once again sat on the train in the same exact train car. I wondered a lot of things. One: did he always aim for this exact train car? That seemed a tad repetitive and manic, but after our little ordeal the weekend before I wouldn’t put it past him should he be a character of mindless repetition. He himself seemed as though he hadn’t a clue what he was doing and whether he was doing it right or wrong or down or sideways. I suppose you couldn’t say much better things about me either because ever since I saw him that first day on this very train, I aimed to catch this exact car as well, just in case, though the chance was more rare than rubies, I would once again come across this intriguing stranger. However, I never thought that me and him would actually create this morning routine of avoiding eyes whilst on a crowded rush hour train.

Now, onto Two: who the fuck is this guy. Truly. He could be anyone -- an assassin, a dull sales person, even a fucking male prostitute. He was a complete mystery to me and for some god forsaken reason I was intently drawn on getting to know him, but not the rough and tough bad boy he oh so attempted to seem to be. That was a lie. I can spot a lie because I too am quite the liar. Except, you know, I'm good at it, but this man--this man was not accustomed to lying, at least not conjuring up a good lie that would be pleasing or believable to others. That’s sorta cute in a way if you think of it. A grown human being not being able to lie well means they still have this sort of innocence to them, but I knew he couldn’t be all innocent.

I did catch him in a dusky alley having an altercation with some wealthy so and so after all, and that was anything but innocent. Not to mention he was deeply insistent on making sure I hadn’t heard or seen anything that he didn’t want me to see or hear. Honestly, the only reason I was upset that I hadn’t any clue as to what he was up to that night was because I didn’t have anything to dangle over his head and tease him with. Though he did seem like the type to have quite a temper and yes, he did frighten me ever so slightly, I knew he was harmless deep down. Simply put, he was just a boy who was lost and seeking out something, I could tell that much. His eyes were quick to give that way.

Today wasn’t any different than the other times I'd seen him on the train. We would make quick eye contact every so often and within a millisecond he was diverting his eyes to the nearest spot that wasn’t my gaze. I never took my eyes off of him, especially not today. Suddenly I felt brave and curious about him all at the same time. He was something that I could see myself chasing after which he should see as a huge compliment seeing as I loved people who were disposable. I wanted the intimacy of a good fuck and that was all. Don’t take me to dinner, don’t try to fucking cuddle with me, and, jesus fucking christ, don’t even try to ask me for my number so we could ‘do this again sometime’. That's not what I want. Well, that is until now.. Which was terribly frightening and intriguing to me all at once.

“Stop fucking staring at me.”

I smirked, recognizing that deep voice seeping out from between clenched teeth. “Am I bothering you?,” I questioned.

“Yeah you are.”

“Guess my plan is working then,” I answered with the most over confident smile I could muster together while his cold gaze was peircing through the even colder atmosphere that seemed to loom around him wherever he went.

The stranger huffed loudly. Loud enough for most other bystanders to notice and grimace at his rather rude behavior on public transportation, but this is where I realized we were alone in this steel built train car and immediately my confidence began to dwindle away. Especially when his hands reached for the long metal bars that went from the floor to the ceiling, and pulled his body up to a standing position. 

His dark attired body sauntered over in my direction until he was directly stood in front of me; I could feel my knee’s brushing along the fabric of his dark, wrinkled pants. He craned his neck down so his face was closer to mine and, should I not feel so intimidated by him right now, I would’ve seen this as a tempting opportunity to have some fun on public transportation. But he was different. He didn’t make me feel like the fem fatale that I usually felt like when I was with other men and women. He was the alpha, but a lost and sad alpha. An alpha who seemed to not understand what he was doing, yet he held so much natural power over others.

“What are you trying to do?”

I shrugged, feeling my eyes grow owlish as they blinked furiously trying to process the harshness of his voice. 

Maybe I was afraid of him? Maybe I wasn’t? How he was able to take me from cocky to nervous and scared was still something I was trying to process, but he was beginning to make me feel..not like myself. I suppose in general he made me feel like a different person entirely.

“I--I’m not doing anything,” I answered with shaky hands that his eyes immediately seemed to notice.

His brow instantly relaxed and the crease set in the middle of his forehead seemed to dissipate as he moved his face back a good foot or so from mine. I watched as his teeth dug into his bottom lip while his eyes searched the train car once more to ensure nobody was within earshot of our conversation, but this only made me feel more nervous. 

“Listen, I just want to know why you’re doing this. Just tell me. I’m not going to hurt you or anything… did someone send you looking for me? Was it-“

Before he could finish his sentence, I shook my head in response as my brain tried to wrap itself, yet again,  around this man and why on earth anyone would be looking for him or why someone would send me to find him. Who was he?

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Immediately he coward back both physically and mentally as he released the metal bars and let his body balance itself as the train moved at a fast pace.

“I just don’t get it.”

“Don’t get what?,” I questioned, but he didn’t seem to want to say anything else. Instead he took one of his hands underneath the black hood covering his head and ran it through his hair, causing a small strand of black to fall onto his forehead.

I watched the strand, almost in slow motion, as it relaxed onto his tan skin and the urge to be cliche and fix the hair back into its place was there. Infact, my hand twitched as if it was going for it, without letting my brain grant it permission, to touch this strangers stray hair. Usually only a gesture made for couples or those who sustained close and precious relationships, yet I took had the urge for this man.

“Elliot?”

An unfamiliar blonde woman had entered the train car, along with a few dozen other people, as she made her way over to this stranger who evidently wasn’t a mystery to her. She placed her hand on his shoulder as the stranger looked between me and the blonde haired woman--he seemed cautious and nearly scared by her or rather what she could say.

“Elliot, I haven’t seen you in days. Why haven’t you been at work?”

I watched as the stranger took his hand, that was still underneath his hood, and gently lift the black fabric from his head as he shrugged. “I’ve just been busy with some stuff.”

The blonde scoffed at the man, who I presumed to be Elliot, as he mumbled his words and seemed annoyed as she began versing him in why it’s essential to let your friends know what’s going on in your life, but frankly I was much too distracted to pay attention to their conversation in its entirety.

Elliot. What a sweet name. It was somehow fitting for this stranger that had a dark and cold outer appearance; the opposite of sweet, yet it suited him well, very very well. I was surprised I never even thought about naming this mysterious person, but never once did I stop to think of his name, his backstory, and what made him who he was.

The scary part was that now I was thinking about all of that. I was thinking of his middle name, does he have any pets, is this blonde bitch going to get in my way of getting to know him, also, why the hell did I want to get to know him? Why was I having monologues with myself regarding this man who, up until a minute ago, I hadn’t a clue of even his name. I hated this and most importantly i hated who I was right now because I wasn’t the type to pine and day dream after another. Why was he different. Why on this god forsaken earth is there a creature say as he that would make me feel such foreign things that I hadn’t felt in decades.

“Are you okay?”

I hadn’t noticed that I zoned out, with my eyes still fixed on Elliot, until his now much perkier, yet still lifeless, voice questioned my dead eyed gaze.

I nodded, gulping back a breath I hadn’t realized was being held captive in my throat as I looked around for the blonde woman, who had been previously scolding a grown man on proper friendship etiquette--how precious. Thankfully, she was nowhere to be found. I must have been so deep in my thoughts that her departure had gone unnoticed to my zoned out stare. 

“You sure?,” Elliot questioned again, ending his sentence this time with a brief and deep chuckle that made me smile, but I quickly removed the grin from my face in the hopes that he wouldn’t see it. I didn’t need to give him any sort of leverage in whatever it is we were (friends, acquaintances, etc.).

“I’m fine,” I lied, but like I said, I was always convincing when it came to lying and this time was no different.

Elliot nodded just as the loud speaker announced the stop I was needing to get off on and only then did I realize my belongings were nowhere near being close to gathered and ready for me to descend into a crowd of thousands of others working at a miserable job. I began scrambling manically for my things as Elliot just watched me with some sort of look in his eyes that seemed sympathetic in nature, but what for?

I didn’t bother to acknowledge him as I stood to move past him and out of the train car. We never really said or entertained any sort of greeting when we departed so it wasn’t anything unusual.

“Bye.”

I stopped dead in my tracks, directly in the middle of the automatic doors, as he spoke the words. I’m sure I was blushing or wearing some sort of smitten grin and god how I hated that my feelings were from something as small as a ‘bye’ from him, but now wasn’t the time. I wouldn’t let these unusual feelings I was having for this man cause me to shatter the outer appearance I worked hard to convince others of. Not today, not ever--no on was worth that much.

“See you tomorrow, Elliot.”

-

Tag: @sassystrawberryk​ @itsme690​ @imnottiredofgettingoveryou​ @lovelymalekk​ @mezzomercury​ @sherlollydramoine​ @rami-malek-trash​ @amcquivey​ @txmel​ @crystalmethchristmas​ @ramimedley​

Blood, tears and sea breeze.

Warnings: ANGST, mental health issues, graphic depictions of violence, blood, cursing, mentions of sexual assault, mentions of sex, substance abuse.

Summary: The not so peaceful town of Broadchurch face dead again, while Alec Hardy continues his journey to redemption will this school teacher be the key to solve the mystery or just another victim of the ever watching evilness that seems to reside in the town.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 5: Walls made of love

The diaries started as a joke, and Alec Could see Y/N was not taking her assignment seriously, he could even imagine Dr. Florence exasperated expression reading them, as much as he remembered the way she looked at him when talked about his own dreams. But every now and then there was some real opinion about her life.

Monday, April 8, 2019

08:00 am. I get to school and I didn't take breakfast, I had a boring morning, as boring as this bloody activity. Sorry doc, but you clearly fail on this one.

10:00 am That was rude I know, but what else you want me to tell, I had a boring lunch and I have a call from Jonathan's mother, I get it the ring was important and I know how much she doesn't me to take away her son, she doesn't have to be that bitchy about it.

By the time he reach the last five days he listened to the tape as he was reading, there were just little more details about what she ate, barely anything, and the people she talk around the day. One detail call his attention, apparently Paul was indulgent enough to let her drive for brief moments in straight lines, and Hardy was not sure if it was relevant for the case or not.

Then he finally found the recollection of the night she went out drinking with Ashley, she usually put on hours before writing so the doctor would follow better her descriptions.

2:30 - I just came home and took a shower, I'm sorry Doc, you will be receiving this one way late than usual, and please don't worry, I went for drinks with Ash as I told you yesterday I would, do you actually read this? I would hate to imagine a woman like you sitting at home alone waiting for my poor written crap. Anyway, I'll tell you a secret I didn't drink today, we were at the club at 10 but stupid Jonathan called me to tell me that I shouldn't be going out with, I told him where he could put his opinion, but I listen and took only mocktails, Ash didn't notice I think, she was so funk I even drove back, thankfully the streets were empty, I hope she didn't eat me out with Jonathan, and I will apologize to him lateer in the morning, I will tell him: I can't wait to be doing this for the rest of our lives.

I haven't told hin about your plann of putting me on medication, I will surprise him with it when he gets back, that would definitely make him happy.

"Hardy, Paul Coates is here, he wants to talk to you" One of the agents said and he immediately pull the papers behind some other files, they felt like something private not sure why.

"Sure, tell him I'll be out in a minute" He said and once he was away he move to close the blinds and the door of his office.

But if I'm completely honest I'm not sure if he actually wants me to get bettr or just wants me to be what he wants, as you said we all put on walls, and as I tried to move on from mine and from the memory of parents stopping me from getting out of Broadchurch I let Jonathan trapped me in litral walls in our huse, and the walls made of love that I built to keep me from telling him that I want to drive, that I need to work, that I'm capable, anyway have a nice night or morning or whatever time is you are reading this, I'll send you the next entry tomorrow.

Alec checked the time when Dr Florence received the document 2:53 am, so a few minutes after she wrote it, wich was obvious since it had several misspellings and missing letters.

He had already checked the traffic cameras around her home and all her movements checked out, there at 1:52 am just a few miles before the dirty road to her cottage he identified the car that should belong to Langford, and then the same car leaving at 2:05 however the first time he didn't notice that she was the one driving, and then Ashley driving back, apart from that her story checked out.

He stood up and walk to a waiting room where Paul was sitted , he respected the reverend but sometimes his good intentions could be too much.

"DI Hardy" He said always polite standing up to shake his hand "I'm sorry to bother you but is about Y/N"

"Do you have new information about the case?" Hardy said dryly, and sitedin front of him "I believe Miller already talked to you this morning, and I don't have more to say apart from that"

"No, I already say everything I know, is just I figured since Y/N is not going to be able to go back to his place because of ... the investigation and that" he frowned thinking about Jonathan's body "I thought maybe she could stay at the church, we always have a spare room and well since her family is not around I figured ..."

"How did you know she is getting free?" Alec interrupted him.

"Well I don't think she is responsible for anything" He started clearly surprised that he questioned that.

"Ah, you think you can do my job better than me?" Hardy said, clearly about to loose his temper.

"I just think, or at least I like to think I'm better at knowing people" Paul was more serious, and Hardy was shock by that, maybe it was the years of tragedy he had face with the town, or maybe it was something more personal.

"Oddly how things turn out isn't it? The fiance is gone, and now she goes back to you, and you even want her to live with you. And you are no longer with Becca do you? All seems way too convenient don't you think?" He said looking for something in the priest face, but there was only indignation.

"What are you suggesting? Really? You are going to questioning me?" He said and Hardy just remained silent with her arms crossed "Fine if I you need to know, and I'm surprised Ellie hasn't told you yet, I know her ages ago, her, Ashley we went to school together, and we were together for about one year, I don't know she was 26 at the time. And we broke up because I was busy with the church and we have been friends since then." He said quickly and Alec nodded.

"And you were friends with Norbury?" Alec asked not sure on why he wanted to know.

"I introduced them, a few weeks after he move here he began helping me at the church, and she often volunteers to watch the trouble makers, she must have watch Tom and Danny a couple times back in those days" a shadow of sorrow crossed his face remembering the young kid, something that happened often in broadchurch "I actually forgot to tell something to Ellie" He said remembering suddenly "I don't think is relevant but anyway, I am I meet Jonathan at a AA meeting, and that's why he started helping at the church. He had troubles with drinking at London that's why he came here."

"Did he ever relapse?" Alec ask suddenly with all his alarms on "Like recently?"

"Not that I know, he didn't want Y/N to know about it, and I ask him to talk to her before the wedding, I'm not sure if he did" The sad look was back now for his lost friend.

"She'll be out in fifty" Alec said standing up, and walking towards the door "You can wait for her here"

"What? Oh thanks, she has been trough a lot already, I hope I can help her out on this at least."

"You said her family is not around, what ever happened to them?" He said suddenly stopping at the door.

"They died, in a car accident ten years ago, she was about to leave town, she was not living with them anymore, she was the youngest and they care for her a lot, but after that she felt guilty I guess, she started coming more to church and her problem got worse for a few weeks, I hope that doesn't happen again".

"Sure" Hardy said and walked fast to the interrogation room where Y/N have spent the night. He found her sitted in the same place, and she had clearly been crying, he felt sorry for her, but he had to get things clear first.

"You lied to us" He started siting in front of her. "You drove home on Friday morning out of the bar" She only nodded and took a sip of the water bottle she hasn't touched yet.

"I'm sorry" Y/N said with a throaty voice "I did, I know I'm not supposed to but I actually can drive very well, and I haven't drink that night it, I thought it was safer if I take the wheel than Ash, but she was stubborn enough to drive back herself"

"Any particular reason on why you don't drink?" He asked not giving it much importance.

"I really don't like it that much, and it worsens my anxiety, so I may take a glass of wine here and there, I think that's why I blacked out so long two weeks ago I did drink a few more shots than my usual three" she said putting her hair behind her ear "He was in AA" She said biting her nails "Or at least I think he was, someone left a voice message about changing the hour for the meeting" She face Hardy with red eyes but she didn't cried, not anymore.

"Do you ever saw him drinking?" He asked and his mind was still in the coroner report trying to remember what he said about the content of the stomach.

"No, also he always had "Boy's night" with Paul on the day I knew he had his AA meetings, is weird how any of them thought I will figure it out" She had a sad smile on her face "I always thought he was a terrible liar because of it"

"You can leave, reverend Coats, amm Paul is waiting for you" She gave him a surprise look.

"Why is Paul here?" She asked then putting up her hands so he could uncuffed her.

"You can't go to your own place, we are still looking for evidence there" Alec said avoiding her gaze.

"Detective Hardy, do you believe me?" She asked caressing her wrist, they felt numb after all that time.

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?" He asked looking at her straight in the eyes.

"No, but earlier it felt like you thought it was me" She said.

"I don't have to believe you or not, I make questions and I follow evidence, and evidence doesn't suggest you did it" He avoided answer her directly.

"Then can I ask you a favor?" She said standing up. "When you find who did this to us, and I have faith in you to do it, if is someone I know, please don't tell me" Her voice was low and almost imperceptible and he had to bend over the table to listen better.

"Why?" He asked in a whisper almost as quiet as hers.

"Because I would hate them, and I would want to kill them, and I don't want to be that kind of person" She said and he could see the fear and sorrow in her eyes, and felt grateful that another officer entered to take her way from him. He went back to his office trying to forget that look when Miller walked in.

"Did you let her go? Paul told me on the way out she would stay at the church, that seems fine for now" She said looking at him but he was apparently not listening. "Ready to go see his apartment?"

"What does the coroner said about his stomach?" He asked suddenly leaning back on his chair.

"Vodka? Whiskey? Some sort of alcohol, why?" She asked curious.

"Yeah, something like that, come on Miller we can't lost more time" There he is, Miller smile when he put on his coat again and start walking outside. "By the way, I haven't told you this" He turned at her with a odd expression in his face "I am in therapy with Dr. Florence, I have been there for a few months now, is not important, I just thought you should know" He nodded and kept walking.

"Ok, sure, fine. That's great" Miller said against her impulse of asking more, she was glad he shared that of course, but she knew how hard must have been for him to admit it. "Anyway Becca Fisher owns the apartment where Norbury lived, she gave me the key"

They walked out and Alec started telling her about Jonathan's problem with alcohol, and a few other details he learned that morning but leaving out all about the diaries. He was sure as much as Ellie that Y/N was innocent but that only made things more complicated and he was hoping for a new lead to appear at the apartment, Please don't tell me her voice resonated in his mind and when he closed his eyes he could see her face. This was getting more and more difficult every minute.

I wasn't sure if people was actually reading this, but I'm glad they are, so if you want to be in the tag list just say so and I would gladly add you.

@allonsymexgirl

A Walk in the Park

Chapter 3

Description: When your husband dies in an accident, you try to move on with your life. When the memories of your shared home become too much even after two years, you make a drastic change and move to California. A new career, a new way of life, and an attractive new friend help you move on to find the happiness you need. *This will be a slow burn*

Pairings: Chris Evans x Reader

Warnings for this chapter: A curse word or two, minor injury, mention of character death, fluff.

Unbeta’d, so all mistakes are my own. This is purely for fun. Comments and reblogs are always appreciated. Tags are open. Please send me an ask if you would like to be tagged. @flamencodiva @the--blackdahlia @deanwinchesterswitch @thefandomzoneisdangerous @symonlyjen5

Read chapter 2 here

Your alarm sounded at 8 in the morning. Even though the Mayor’s Ball was tonight, you weren’t required to be in before the sun this morning. You threw on a pair of running shorts, a pink sweatshirt, sneakers, and threw your hair in a ponytail. Your hair never did that cute and messy bun thing. Since you wouldn’t be home until the wee hours of the morning, you decided to get your walk in early. You were tempted to start running, but since you never were a runner, you were hesitant to start. A nurse friend once said if you didn’t start before the age of thirty, don’t even bother trying. Now, you didn’t necessarily believe that, but since you weren’t the most graceful, and often tripped over your own feet, you thought maybe she was right in your case.

Grabbing a pair of earbuds and your cell phone you loaded up your music app and opted for a little 80s rock this morning. Motely Crue’s ‘Kickstart My Heart’ really got you going. 80s rock was one of the things you and Caleb had in common. You loved your pop music and let’s not forget your obsession for boy bands in your youth. Caleb was a classic rock guy who liked the occasional obscure band most have never heard of. 80s rock is where you met in the middle having gone to a few concerts in your years together.

Losing yourself in your playlist and memories of Caleb you ended up at the fountain in the park. The breeze blowing through the trees and catching on droplets of the water misting your skin. Or was it tears? Some days the loss hurt more than others. Some days you were strong and you barely thought of him. However, times when you were alone, those were the harder times. Since you were 23 years old you had a constant partner. Someone to be by your side for the big moments and for the times when you just wanted to run to the store to get a pint of ice cream. Ten year later he was gone. Wiping your cheeks with your fingertips, you took a couple of deep breaths and headed back home.

It was ten minutes to three and you were on your way to the venue with your black pencil skirt, long sleeved white blouse, and black peep toe heels in your back seat. Most of the day was spent at the office making phone calls, answer e-mails, and confirming next week’s events. Arriving at the venue you dropped your wardrobe in the back office the team was using at the hall. You needed to find Victoria to see what needed to be done. She had been texting you all morning and afternoon, mostly idol chit chat, so you knew she was here. Walking into the main event room which was mostly complete you were in awe. It was gorgeous. Maybe Colleen wasn’t wrong with changing the color of blue out last minute. Large, round tables were set with large gold charger plates with pristine white plates on top of them. The silverware was laid correctly as well as the water glasses and wine glasses. The chairs were all tied with the True Blue fabric you had picked up. Sheer gold fabrics were hung from the center of the ceiling and swept the walls pinned back so that it hung elegantly. The lights were on a system so they would be dimmed throughout the night, but were shining brightly now so that everyone could finish last minute details. Dinner was being served by a hired staff rather than hors d’oeuvres being passed.

Victoria was on the other side of the room speaking with one of the bartenders that had already arrived. “Victoria, I’m here.” You said as you walked toward her. She turned her head to you and smiled. Here shoulder length black hair swooshing as she turned. She looked back to the bartender and finished her instructions. When she was done, she made her way to you and hugged you tight. Even though you were technically her assistant, you rarely saw each other.

“Thank goodness. You know it’s hard to handle Colleen on my own.” She said.

“Um, hello, I see her everyday for more than half my day!”

She laughed and nodded conceding that you were correct. You were directed to help with setting place cards in their designated spots. Luckily, these decisions weren’t your own. The Mayor’s office had sent very specific instructions on who sat where and with whom as well as how close they were to be seated to the Mayor. The wonderful world of politics.

 The night went off mostly without a hitch. Toward the end of the evening, when plenty of people were nice and buzzed, some more than others, from the open bar, you found yourself on your ass. A gentleman who was far too old not to know how much liquor he could handle had been dancing, even though there wasn’t music to dance to, rather just background instrumentals. While showing off a particular jump and spinning move to his wife, he spun right into you. A woman who was skilled at wearing heels more than 2 inches may have taken the bump in stride, but not you. First you grabbed on to the man’s suit jacket hoping for stabilization but then you started to wobble and your left ankle gave out promptly knocking you to your ass. Son of a bitch! You apologized to the man as the customer is always right and clearly you were in his way. Side eye. His wife insisted he help you up off the floor. Plastering a polite smile on your face and offering him your hand he pulled and you were lifted from the ground but internally groaned in pain. This wasn’t good. You grabbed the back of the chair to steady yourself as the couple walked away. You put a little weight on your foot and nearly sank to the ground from the tenderness in your foot. Lowering yourself in the chair you were gripping on to, you called out to Victoria with the walkie talkie you were given. Victoria made her way to you within a few minutes. You explained what happened and she examined your foot.

“Y/N, it’s already swelling. Do you think you can get to your car? I’m excusing you for the night. Guess this means no hiking this Sunday either.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so clumsy. I hate to leave you guys high and dry with cleanup.”

“I’m sorry to say that I don’t think you would be much help.” She smiled and bit her lip.

You laughed a bit. “Think you could wrangle a couple of the servers to help me to my car?”

After getting into your car, Victoria urged you to stop at an urgent care clinic to make sure it wasn’t broken. At the very least they would be able to wrap your foot properly. You agreed and went on your way. Luckily you had a pair of sneakers in your backseat. You opted to leave the left foot bare. Now, getting from your vehicle to the clinic’s door was interesting. It involved a lot of hoping and the assistance of the night guard stationed at the door. Thank goodness for helpful strangers. Diagnosis was a sprained ankle. The nurse assisting you wrapped your ankle and was sure to explain how to do it properly and how tight. They recommended keeping it elevated and staying off of it if you could for a couple of days. They offered crutches and you gladly accepted. The clinic had a 24-hour pharmacy so you were able to pick up a pair there.

Since you were internally clumsy, this wasn’t the first sprain you had dealt with, so using crutches was second nature to you. The stairs were tricky, but you managed. Quickly changing into your pjs and arranging pillows on your bed to prop your foot up, you laid down and drifted to sleep.

 You texted Victoria in the morning letting her know you would be using a sick day and hoped to see her Monday. She ended up calling around lunch time to check in. You had previously told her about the man you met, leaving out the fact that it was Chris Evans. She was happy that you had made a friend knowing how hard it was for you to leave your friends back home. You mentioned game night to her last night before your less than graceful moment, so she was really calling to urge you to still go. “I don’t know. The doctor said I should keep off it as much as possible for the next few days to give it time to heal.”

“It’s game night, Y/N. It’s not like you’re running laps and doing jumping jacks. It’ll be fine. When you get there just ask for a pillow to put it up. I’m sure he��s got an extra chair you can use to elevate it.”

You nodded, knowing she couldn’t see you quickly replied agreeing with her.

“This is good for you. You need to get out and just hanging with Mr. and Mrs. Smith isn’t exactly socializing.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll go. But if they think I am a lame loser, that’s on you.”

She laughed and wished you a good night.

You decided to get up and crutch it over to your kitchen for snacks to sustain you for the rest of the day. Crutch it, that’s a word, right? Grabbing a bag of cheese popcorn, two bottles of water, and two granola bars, you called that lunch and dinner and retreated back to the solitude of your bed. You were determined to rest your foot until this evening in hopes the swelling will have gone down.

Six hours later you decided to shower and get ready for the night. Being that it was being held at Chris’ house you didn’t feel the need to dress up and you for sure weren’t going to be wearing heels. You opted for a long navy tunic tank, a green cardigan, and your dark wash jeans. You put on denim colored slip on flat leaving your left ankle wrapped with the bandaged. Luckily, you had a pedicure a few days ago so at least you had cute toes. Grabbing your crutches and gingerly making it down the stairs, you eased into your car to drive the few miles to Chris’ place. You pulled up the long driveway of the white colored house and parked behind a couple of cars that were already there. You hoped out of your seat, opened the door to the backseat and grabbed your crutches. Pausing to take a deep breath and then headed for the front door. You rang the door bell and waited. A few seconds past then you heard Chris’ voice before he opened the door. “What? Oh my God Y/N, what happened?!”

You gave a small laugh. “Well, I’m pretty sure I told you I was clumsy. But really it involved a drunk man attempting to dance at last night’s event.”

He gestured for you to enter while he held the door open. “Wait, you were dancing with someone and you fell?”

“Ha! No, he was trying to dance and ran into me. It was a great time. Luckily it happened at the end of the evening so my boss let me go home. It’s just a sprain, so I’ll live to walk another day.”

Chris smiled and lead you to his living room that opened to a large kitchen with a huge long island. Sitting at the island were three men. Two women were standing in the kitchen next to the refrigerator helping themselves to glassed of wine. Dodge was walking next to you desperately trying to get your attention but you found it too hard to give him a proper greeting while trying to stay standing.

“Hey guys, this is Y/N. The one who found Dodger a couple of weeks ago. The men turned around and the women looked up from their conversation.

“Geez, Chris. What did you do to her?” A guy with sandy colored hair and bright blue eyes asked.

“Nick, first of all, I did nothing to her. Y/N just explained to me that she was tackled in a dancing accident at work last night.”

You laughed and shook your head. “You make it sound like I work at a strip club.” Everyone laughed and kept their eyes on you. “The company I work for put on the Mayor’s Ball last night and a guest at the event accidently plowed me down, resulting in a sprained ankle.”

They all nodded and the two women approached. A pretty, petite woman with a dark hair and a pixie cut extended her hand and you feebly tried to extend yours while keeping the crutch against your arm pit. “Oh my gosh, I am sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” She said as she pulled back her hand. “I’m Erika.”

“And I’m Emma.” Said a pretty blonde with long hair.

“No worries. I’m Y/N, nice to meet you both.”

“Let’s go take a seat in the living room and get you off your feet.” Emma said while the three of you walked to a pair of couches.

You sat down and placed the crutches to the side of the couch so they were out of the way but wouldn’t fall. “Hey, Chris? Do you have a chair I can use to put my ankle up?”

“Of course, I’ll be right back.” He said as he disappeared into another room.

Erika got back up to go grab her wine glass from the kitchen counter. “Y/N, do you want anything?” She asked.

“I’ll take a glass of water. I probably shouldn’t drink and drive with a bad foot.”

“Good point.” She said while reaching in the refrigerator for a bottle. She poured it in a glass before walking it over to you.

Chris had come back in the room carrying a dinning room chair and a throw pillow. He placed it in front of you and gently picked up your leg placing it on the pillow on top of the chair. The touch gave your goose bumps and you hoped he didn’t notice. “Does this feel okay?” Chris asked.

Oh God yes. “Y-yeah, that feels good. Thank you.”

“No problem. Hey guys, why don’t you come in here. Bring that stack of games too”. He said to the guys in the kitchen. Chris walked into the kitchen grabbing various bowls of snacks and attempted to balance them while walking back into the room.

The guys all took a seat and introductions were made. Besides Nick, the other two were Justin and Will. All of Chris’ friends were attractive. Once again proving your point that everyone in California is good looking. Emma sat next to you with Nick next to her. On the other couch sat Erika, Will, and Justin. Chris sat in an arm chair facing your couch. The first game up with Trivial Pursuit. You did not dominate but it gave you great insight to the friendships they all shared. Lots of teasing and bragging which was right up your alley. You moved on to a Hollywood who’s who trivia game that Will had on his phone. You were beyond embarrassed that you knew a little too much about pop culture and which celebs were married and to whom. There was even a question about Chris which you purposely blew to avoid the added embarrassment.

Most of game night was spent talking and laughing. Chris laughed a lot and with his whole body. You completely understood why everyone wanted to be near him. Mostly you observed as you didn’t know the inside jokes, although the ladies made sure to explain things and include you as much as possible.

After the games were put away and everyone had a fresh drink, you switching to a Fanta Orange, people split into little groups and just chatted. Chris switched spots with Nick and Emma switched places with Erika. “You know, Tim would be perfect for her.” Erika said looking at Chris who furrowed his brow as well as you.

“Who’s Tim?” You asked.

“Tim is another friend of ours that is normally here but he had to work late tonight. You’d like him, he’s tall and really hot.” Said Erika.

You let out a loud laugh which attracted a look from the others. Taking a drink from your glass you raised your eyebrows to Chris who still just sat there bewildered. “She doesn’t need you setting her up within anyone.”

“Hey, wait a minute, I like tall.” You said sending Erika a wink.

“Y/N, what’s your status? She asked.

“My status? What do you mean?”

“Single, taken, not looking?”

“Single.” You said cautiously. “Widowed.” You said with a quiet voice.

Both Erika and Chris looked at each other and then back at you. Both faces filled with sorrow. Before they could speak you jumped in with a dismissive wave of your hand. “It’s fine. It’s hard to work that into a conversation. I should just stick to single.”

Chris reached across Erika and cautiously grabbed your hand. “Y/N, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine, honestly. It’s been a little over two years now. Caleb. Caleb was my husband for 8 years. He was in a car accident.” They nodded their heads listening intensely. “I’ve dated a little here and there this past year, but nothing really beyond a first date or two. It’s hard to get back into it. I met him when I was 23, it’s hard to remember how to do the whole dating thing.”

“I don’t know what to say. But honestly, I’m here if you ever want to talk or just go out.” Erika said with a small smile and a shrug of her shoulders.

“Me too.” Chris added.

You squeezed his hand before letting go of it.

“Thanks. To both of you, really. I would like that.” Looking Chris dead in the eyes. “But before I ruin good makeup, what Endgame spoilers can you tell me?” He busted out the biggest laugh you had heard while throwing his head back. You and Erika irrupted in a fit of giggles.

 It was almost one in the morning when everyone started to clear out. You grabbed your crutches and headed toward the door where Erika and Emma were standing. “You can give Tim my number, but please don’t pressure him. If he calls, he calls. I’m not even going to worry about it. But, maybe have him wait a week.” You said gesturing to your ankle. “It’s not a first impression of myself I like to give out too often.”

“Oh, he’ll call.” Said Erika with a smirk while Emma nodded her head.

“Who’s going to call.” Chris asked suddenly appearing next to you.

“Tim. Erika’s giving him Y/N’s number.” Emma said.

Chris’ face fell. “Oh.” He said, quickly recovering and throwing on a smile.

Why does he seem disappointed? He’s Chris Evans. I’m just me. Maybe he just doesn’t think Tim and I will be a good fit.

Hugging both ladies as best you could, given you were still holding your crutches. You said goodbye with promises of getting together soon. Chris grabbed your arm with a light touch. “Thanks for coming out tonight Y/N. Everyone loved you.”

“And I loved meeting your friends. Thanks for including me.”

Chris pulled you into a gentle hug. One of his hands rubbing circles in your back. Nothing was said as you both held each other longer than necessary. He smelled so good. A nice combination of manly spice and the ocean. Once he let go you pulled back and smiled. “I’ll see you around Chris.”

You started walking to your car and saw that Dodger was following you while Chris stood at the door while holding it open. You placed your crutches in the back seat and sat in your front seat. With the door still open you petted Dodger a few times before carefully closing your door and starting your car for the drive home. Once you managed to get upstairs and throw on your pajamas you laid in bed and grabbed your phone.

Pulling up Chris’ contact info, you sent him a text.

Y/N: Just wanted to let you know I made it home safe in sound. I almost took Dodger with me.

A few minutes passed before your phone buzzed.

Chris: While I’m glad you made it home, I’m heartbroken to hear my first instinct of you buying a dog napper is true.

Grinning from ear to ear and suppressing a laugh. You typed your response.

Y/N: If anyone’s breaking hearts, it’s you Mr. Evans. Sleep tight.

Chris responded with a sleepy emoji and a heart.

Chris: Night beautiful

You may have just died.

Chapter 4

living on the edge of the law - Chapter 2 (Biadore) - lily2

santa monica is crowded and full of traffic but bianca is beginning to feel a bit more place with shea who is doing a wonderful job at showing her around and pretending to not act smitten for her own best friend & katya who is a case in it of itself, bianca’s job has yet to see the first chapter in it’s story.

Blog

— *.✧ “See you! We will go and catch up end of the week, have a great break and please sleep.” Jinkx screamed from the window, honking at her friend, trying to cause as much ruckus as possible for the poor girl, laughing loudly as Bianca snickered, used to anything with Jinkx, her antics definitely wouldn’t scare I’d Bianca, her hands waving her off and knocking on her car’s window glass and sending her off with a small air kiss, catching herself and her three suitcases, dragging them before quietly realizing she was the third floor.  “If there isn’t a damn elevator I will absolutely piss myself.” Muttering under her breath before praising to god himself that there was indeed an elevator right in front of her face, she worringly clicked all the buttons until a vacant door opened, she stepped in the middle as she threw her luggage into the elevator with her, squatting right on top of her carry-on, texting Jinkx as she waited impatient to reach the floor: Gotta say, it was pretty damn fucking good, missed you asshat. See you Friday, pick a good bar! Sending the message, her eyes blinked heavily, she felt battered and bruised and was close to her first bed and would collapse on top of it, Jinkx was extremely quick to mention that Bianca had no food and made sure they stopped by a local store and got her some food for atleast the night up until lunch time, usually she would be appreciative that a friend cared so dearly for her sanity and health however, it was an extra two hours of stopping, traffic, stop lights: Bianca was about to murder every driver who lived in the county of Los Angeles. Brisbane was almost decent compared to this shit and she already got into her old habits, honking Jinkx’s horn so long and loud that other cars around them would sync in time for them, more as a complaint but Bianca decided to take it as a good thing, like a welcome present wrapped with a cute little bow,

Welcome to Santa Monica! Fumbling with her key’s she opened up the door and tossed the grocery bag full flight into the first counter she saw. Turning on the light she finally begun to take in the actual scope of the place. The fact of the matter is was that it was smaller than her last living space but in Los Angeles county? This size probably meant a hefty price tag though Courtney mentioned it was only about 2,000 USD montly, very decent something definitely bigger than what Bianca expected for sure, which in turn made her only twice as angry at her Australian best friend who must’ve pulled some money or special strings to get the price lowered, there was no way the original cost was 2,000 USD, that’s what most people spend on groceries in three weeks here.  “Courtney I’m gonna murder you—” a hushed tone from her lips as she threw her suitcases next to the lavish and fully furnished living room area, complete with a large window which Bianca was quick to close, only wanting to find the damn bed.  Taking only her phone, charger and water she dizzily threw herself into the first bed she saw, as long as it had covers and pillows, she didn’t care where she slept or when, she truthfully wasn’t paying much attention to the time, not wanting to drag herself on about timezones though Jinkx helped her change it to their local one so Bianca’s own phone would stop showing the Brisbane local area time. “Good night.” She said aloud to herself and herself only, yanking her trainers and jacket off before letting herself hit and black out onto the bed, hoping she wouldn’t wake up for a long while— hell just make her wake up Monday and she can start looking like a piece of lagged shit! *.✧ Awaking in the middle of the daytime she felt as if her eyes were blood red and she had just risen from the dead, she noticed a few notifications on her phone though most would probably be from Courtney and possibly Shea who promised to introduce her to the area whenever she woke up and was feeling ready enough to go on out in public. “I might feel like shit but atleast I don’t look like shit!” She yelled to her phone’s camera before checking the time and realizing it was almost 3PM, she stretched her arms before standing up and beginning to sort through her clothing that was all nice, folded and ready to go thanks to Courtney who was far less wasted when they decided ever so smartly to down wine and vodka while packing for the departure. Eyes wondering towards her phone before finally taking enough of the bright screen and opening it with her fingerprint so she could finally text back Courtney, glancing at the text and smiling as she read it aloud to herself. Of course you will, I’ll kill you if you don’t! ;) How is the studio my love? It’s fully furnished I’m hoping and all the little knotches should be all good! Morning from Brisbane! Her fingers begun to swipe before she pressed send to a small message back reading: Good morning asshole, hope it’s burning hot as usual, there’s actually wind here and it shakens me. This apartment is so fucking gorgeous I’m about to stab you, it’s about 2PM but the lag got to me as always!  Shea’s message was much more formal which signaled either Bianca was too old that Shea would think she didn’t understand regular lingo or she was new and didn’t want to be attacked for poor grammar, both of which didn’t sound too great in Bianca’s head.  Bianca! I hope you are not too jet lagged, just call me if you want me to show you around, you can meet Katya to, we were thinking of going to the pier since it’s just about the most basic thing you can possibly do! Please join us :) !!! xx Sauntering over the message she slowly pressed send to a quick: Yes, I’ll come, I don’t have a car but I can send you my address if that’s all right with you. Dropping her phone on the bed so it could stay in the charging cable she begun to organize all the things she possibly could given that Shea would probably come and get her in about thirty minutes judging by how fast she responded to things, it wasn’t an awful quality, she probably needed to explore a bit more considering she would probably just sleep if she didn’t.  Just as expected, once Bianca came from her closet and felt a little more freshed once putting on a new layer of makeup and changing clothes, a text from Shea appeared.  Great, I will take you in about half an hour, is that okay with you? Just send your address. Reading it aloud Bianca whined, even though gaining a better understanding of her new work and city would definitely be beneficial she really, really wasn’t a fun of sweating and laughing as if the heat wasn’t about as hot and dry as the fucking third layer of Dante’s Inferno. Sure. That was all she wrote before throwing her phone away from her and grabbing sneakers not exactly knowing the emviorment and area around, they were close to a beach and going to board walk so heels most likely weren’t the most intelligent option. She debated taking her phone but decided to so she could prove to Courtney she wasn’t just gonna be in a fucking cocoon and she was indeed going to try and make friends! 

*.✧ A honk and then two came from the driveway right outside and Bianca had to wince, dropping her bag before sighing, “I’m coming!” She shrieked before the window of the red Mini Cooper rolled down laughing, a blonde driving and another in shotgun who she recognized as Shea, “I’m so sorry Bianca!” She yelled before getting out of the car and making sure Bianca could fit into the back before Shea collapsed into the front and turned so her face was facing Bianca, reaching over and hugging her best she could, she was definitely the affectionate type.  The blonde driving licked her lips and extended her hand, “I am Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova but you can just call me Katya.” She smiled ear to ear before flipping her thick hair back which only slightly smacked her face, “Great, I’m sure I’ll remember all that.” Katya laughed wholeheartedly, “I’m just joking, no wonder you’re working for us, everyone at this company is also a hardass.” Bianca had to snicker a bit, rolling her eyes and relaxing into the back seat as Katya pulled out, “So you’re from Australia right, no accent?“  “I was born in Louisiana, I moved to Australia basically seven years ago and became personal assistant and a head of department for a record label in Brisbane.” They both nodded and smiled, seemingly genuinely intrigued by her story which made the American a bit surprised especially since they also worked in the field. “You were Courtney Act’s assistant right?” Shea gasped, Katya almost slamming the breaks and yelling, “No way!“  She raised her hands and calmed them, "Whoa now bitch, keep driving, I don’t need to die my second day back— but yes, she is my best friend, she’s very pretty, not sure about her singing.” She joked to Shea’s laughter and Katya’s warm grin, “I would abuse the fuck out of you right now and play her music but I won’t."  "So what about you and your long ass name, you don’t seem American, bold of you to assume I wasn’t.” Bianca turned on Katya as the blonde girl tilted her head and smacked Bianca behind her, already warming up as they stopped at the stop light, she turned for a quick second checking behind her before turning her attention to the wheel, “Well I wasn’t, I’m originally from Russia, Krasnoyarsk. Forests and all that fuckery, moved before high school, just couldn’t take it anymore, Eastern Europe isn’t too wonderful for being anything but straight.” She admitted quietly before Shea rubbed her shoulder and nodded, “My best friend, she picked me up yesterday, she’s half Ukranian, she said the same but said it’s lovely to visit.” Katya seemed genuinely intruiged, “Oh really? It’s lovely really, I still speak Russian but I revoked my citizenship, you aren’t allowed to be a dual citizen so I just picked what I thought would be more useful and worth it and here I am, an American citizen after god knows how many years.” She said tracing the fine line between her age and leaving out any details of why exactly she came which Bianca could respect as someone with immigrant parents, it’s just something not really told to someone they just started working with. “To the pier we go!” Shea clapped happily, wanting to pry away at another subject that was a bit more happy and freeing though questions about Bianca’s job kept coming up around her. “Do you know yet who you’re gonna work with? Like who you’re assisting I mean!” Shea corrected quickly, a bit intrusive even. “Curiousity killed the cat, it also might kill the bitch in this car.” Bianca yelled before slapping Shea’s shoulder who also laughed along best she could, Katya giving an amused smile. “Truthfully I just found out, she’s apperantly an up and coming singer, Adore Delano."  The minute the name came from her lips, Katya almost hauled the car on the break again, though it was also a red light to be completely fair to the Russian girl. "Do that again and see what fucking happens!” Bianca yelled as she was almost flipped to the other side of the car on such a screech, “Like Adore Delano?” Katya repeated, beyond unable to comprehend herself at the stop light, “I don’t even wanna say how many of her songs I have on my Spotify playlist.” Embarrassingly jealous that the women who just came to work had possibly one of her personal favorite artists assigned.  “I didn’t have much time to look or read about her, apparently she must be young.” The inference earning a nod from Shea who turned to her again, turning the air conditioning up in the meanwhile, “Not extremely young, I know she’s about five or six months younger than me, I know because of Katya over here who might have an absolute fit."  "So what she’s a singer?"  "A very good singer—” Katya begun before putting a finger up and beaming, “She has her own specific style but most would say she does her own thing, she does some pop but mainly it sticks within grundge, alternative, rock, you know that sort of thing.” Bianca was intrigued but definitely worried, that screamed in her mind attitude problems and family issues. Not trying to sterotype however Bianca nodded pleasantly, tapping the seat of the car. “Well then Monday should be very fun.” *.✧ Monday did indeed come and it only just dawned Bianca the night before that she didn’t have a car, a bit of an inconvenience considering she lived in a city that pretty much just roads though Shea of course backed her up with a ride until she could go to the dealership after work, “We’re friends now, I’m just being a good friend.” She claimed, Bianca wanted to throw up knowing there were truly that compassionate and kind in this damn world.  Sleeping had been the worst part so far, she would begin to drift in the middle of the day, fall dead asleep and then wake up in the middle of the night and then just watch whatever sitcom was on television until sunrise came and she was considered a normal time to be awake and functioning. Luckily she managed to knock herself out at the right time which made her wake up at exactly 8AM, when she needed to.  Showering, make up, clothes and paperwork done, about thirty minutes later came the notification from Shea that she was outside, she quickly slipped on whatever heels she found and huffed, locking her door and going down the stairs before quickly texting Courtney back a reply, saying it was her first day and that she would call her with all the news later.  “Well hello! Good morning to you.” Shea laughed seeing her dressed so proper and fancy though Bianca always dressed like this, you had to have the entire fantasy and be prim and proper all the time, not just for yourself or your job: “Well it’s a lifestyle choice.” She replied as she put on the seatbelt and let her things drop gently near her feet, Shea seemed very into leather. Which wasn’t necessary a bad thing, not like Bianca was going to call PETA but she could tell she had more of an edgy style which was completely ironic considering her personality thus far.  “Starbucks?” She asked before Bianca groaned in happiness, “Please. I’ll pay you back when we actually get out the car.” She swore before Shea waved her off, turning at the light, “Oh please, save it.” She seemed very strict and prideful on not taking the money which normally Bianca would admire but now she was starting to loathe, she was too damn nice. “Oh you bitch, take the 5$, you’re driving me and getting me coffee."  Persistence was broken and Shea grumbled, accepting the cash and stuffing it somewhere in that wallet of her’s before finding herself in the drive-thru of Starbucks which Bianca noted heavily was just right by her own apartments block. The employees voice came over on the window and Shea smiled happily, her makeup absolutely glowing. "Hi! I’m great, how are you?"  "What do you want?” Shea whispered as the employee replied casually, “Great! So I can get a venti shaken White Iced Tea, sweetened please as well as a tall Skinny Latte, extra foam and I’ll just have a grande, no ice, Caramel Macchiato? Thank you!” She called out before driving next to the window, Bianca curious: “So you like tea and coffee?"  "Oh no, the iced tea is for someone else.” Shea insisted, a small red flush forming across her cheeks as she waved her arm, keeping the other on the steering wheel. Happy that the drinks were ready after only about two minutes, paying and driving off, Bianca letting the drink rest in one of the drinkholders before she grinned, definitely catching onto Shea’s plot. “So who’s the lucky lady?"  "Oh god.” She chuckled, closing her eyes before pulling out of park and beginning to drive across the highway sighing and returning Bianca’s ever so patient glance. “I’m not a fool you know, this dog knows some tricks."  "She just got out of her relationship with her boyfriend, we’ve been best friends for years, I could never.” Shea remarked bitterly before Bianca wanted to gag, “Oh so what you’re telling me is she loves your delusional ass and is single and you’re just scared?” Both of them defensively jumped and laughed, Shea trying to focus on the road and screaming from the pressure teasingly, “Her name is Sasha! Sasha, she’s from Russia—"  "I’m starting to realize why you like Katya.” That earned her a beating from Shea which she probably deserved but Bianca’s point was made visibly seeing Shea visibly melt, groaning. “She’s perfect what can I really say."  "Well If you don’t take her I will.” Another joke that left Shea with her jaw dropped before Bianca cackled, hitting her shoulder, “I’m joking you bitch, I would never but if you don’t talk to her I’ll explode, is this common knowledge?” “Everyone in the department knows expect Sasha.” Jesus Christ. “Well we will definitely fix all of that soon enough, I have to be there to witness it.” She promised before taking a small slip of the latte, growing more and more custom to the roads and how damn slow everything was, might as well just skip work all together.  *.✧ “Welcome to the studio!” Shea yelled from the parking lot before spotting someone and waving, “Aja come here!” She screamed, the other girl rolling her eyes and prancing on over forcefully so. Bianca grabbing her things before making direct eye contact, “Aja! This is Bianca, she’s working with us now, she just transfered from Brisbane."  "Work.” She whispered before holding out her hand politely, her and Bianca seemed to be sisters when it came to their color choices, the brighter the better. “I’m Aja, you’ll probably see me around but it’s nice to meet you, I know you were Courtney’s assistant."  Jesus if that’s all I’m gonna be known for this entire job.  "Yes I was, I see you are one for color.” She noted before Aja shrugged, “I guess you could say that, the adjustment will seem awful at first maybe but I promise after a week you start pulling through with no issues, especially since you have so much experience."  Acting as if she gave a shit Bianca nodded, walking towards the building and making sure to have her ID ready and handy as Shea warned, both of them having clips to attach to their dresses/jackets, Bianca noted this as well while taking in the scenery, it was a typical studio: lavish on the inside, marble floors, large lights, ceilings so high you had to practically bend over to take it all in. It wasn’t to Bianca after about six years of it in Brisbane but this one definitely looked more polished and by that she meant: clean but no personality, nothing interesting to it.  "We are the second floor.” Shea noted before pulling for an elevator and smiling seeing one open, two men coming out before the three entered, Aja playing on her phone’s screen before the door closed, Shea still holding her and Sasha’s drink. “Oh of course you got your girlfriend a drink.” A scoff from Aja who was kicked in the knee with Shea’s leg. Bianca grinning, “See, exactly what I said in the car, I’ve known this bitch for all of one day and she already is getting on my nerves with this situation."  She clapped laughing, putting her phone away before she exited first, turning left and waving before Shea and Bianca walked to their floor, the older woman a bit done already, just let her hop on the flight already back home: she hadn’t even met Adore Delano yet but didn’t need to judging by her research last night.  "I’ll show you to your desk, I just need to give this to Sasha real quick."  "Of course you do."  In no rush they eventually swirled into a office, Bianca noticing the girl at the desk immediately perk up in happiness, standing and hugging Shea, she assumed this was Sasha. She was just a bit taller than Shea, very thick and very blonde hair, glistening eyes. Shea revealed her drink and the Russian girl scoffed, immediately hugging her best friend and happily putting it down, "You didn’t have to, really."  "I did.” Shea coughed before introducing Bianca, Sasha quickly setting her drink down and shaking hands politely and welcoming her to the office. “I saw you were coming over from Australia, I hope you like your office here, it gets better after the first week I swear."  "Well I sure hope so.” She joked before Sasha smiled, “Have a good first day!” She yelled before sitting down again in her chair, spinning around and taking a sip of the tea, waving at Shea who only blew her a kiss and waved back.  “She seems nice enough, I’m beginning to piece you and your love life together. She seems a bit—"  "Quiet? Introverted? I know, she’s not shy or anything, she just prefers her space and I respect that.” Bianca had to admire that, she was loud as she was obnxious and extroverted, she hadn’t much experience with dealing with those kinds of people though she was sure everyone wanted space at some point in the week but she could see the disparity between Shea and Sasha’s personality. It could work. “Well, They always said opposites attract." 

The King of Gods Pt 6

Tom Hiddleston/Loki x reader

Lady Death: This is a sequal to the Interview with a God series I completed a few months ago. This picks up months after the original story ends. If you haven’t read IWAG, HERE is a quicklink to Part 1 or you can find it on my Master List !

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

The King of the Gods Part 6

It had been a week since you returned to Midgard and you had managed to retain a steady level of intoxication most of the time. The first few days, you would wander into different bars, only moving on if people began giving you too much attention, whether from a tipsy woman trying to hold onto you for support on her way to the bathroom or an intangible man trying to cop a feel.

You wanted to be drunk and left alone.

Trying to drown your worries, you stayed out of your apartment to the best of your abilities, but by the third day you knew you couldn’t avoid it any longer.

You had to go home.

When you finally decided to go back, you stocked up at the liquor store. A few bottles of off-brand whiskey sat on your kitchen counter, along with wine and little random mini-bottles. If you had to be in this awful place, you weren't going to be sober.

After taking a sip from one of the bottles, you inhaled sharply at the throbbing behind your eyes. Days of drinking until you passed out were beginning to weigh on you, eating away at your body until moving hurt and your head was sore.

The reason you kept going?

It drowned your soul enough that you could think about Loki without feeling your heart shatter into a trillion pieces. It even helped you walk around the corners of your apartment without flinching from the images that were ingrained into your conscious from your nightmares.

Alcohol may not have been the best solution, acting as a bandaid for an amputated arm, but it got you by.

On the fourth day, you woke up on the floor next to the couch, the pressure in your neck so tense you had to be careful as you rose up and stretched.

You hadn’t remembered doing it, but at some point in the night you had started binge watching Tom’s movies. You had gone through Kong, Crimson Peak, and halfway through the second Thor, you were out. Looking up at the TV, the option for Ragnorak was frozen on the screen with Tom in his Loki costume standing side by side with Chris as Thor.

Rubbing a hand down your face, you quickly looked away to find another bottle until you realized you actually had formed a smell from days of not showering or changing out of his black shirt. Rubbing your hair back out of your face, you resided it was time for a shower.

When you were finally rid of the lingering funk, you dragged your feet into the kitchen to search your medicine cabinet for something to ease your headache.

After popping some Advil, you turned back to the pile of Tom’s things that had remained untouched in days.

Letting out a sigh, you kneeled beside the bags and opened one up. Tom never had a shortage of black and white t shirts, button ups and books, including his copy of Much ado About Nothing. Pulling out a plain shirt, you slipped it on and laid against the couch to face the TV.

It felt like Loki’s green eyes were watching you when you let the movie play through, wishing more than anything you could reach out and touch him.

Feel him.

Hold him.

Swallowing hard, you drifted in and out of the days between alcohol, movies, and Tom’s clothes until finally waking up Monday morning for your first day back at work.

Yet as your alarm began to screech, you felt your nerves waver.

“I have to go,“ you convinced yourself, “I still have to live my life.”

In all this time, you tried to make yourself feel like you could be whole again, that all you needed was a few days to heal. Loki had only been a part of your life for a few months, you lived before him and you would have to live after him.

This was your life, the same life you had before you knew the god of mischief.

Urging yourself on, you managed to get out of bed and start getting ready. After drinking some coffee, you dug out a white button up from Tom’s luggage. You shrugged it on, slipped into some leggings and pulled your hair out of your face. Giving yourself a last glance in the mirror, you looked away in disgust.

Your skin was a pale, lustless color while your eyes sat upon dark, swollen patches. Taking in a breath, you tried to paint a more presentable version of yourself, lining your eyes, brushing pink on your cheeks. But even behind the colors, you looked ill. Giving up, you threw on Tom’s grey hoodie, packed your work bag and walked out only to freeze in the doorway.

Passing one last glance at his things, you reasoned you had to go. You needed a break from this place and these memories. Work was a necessary distraction, besides, you couldn’t keep avoiding life.

Before closing the door, you couldn't help but think, 'I hope Loki’s doing better than me.’

*****

The sun was beginning to creep through the palace, illuminating the golden walls and floors as if the kingdom of Asgard was the sun itself. The halls were busy with those that worked in the castle tending to their daily tasks, while dignitaries and nobles began to rise from their luxurious beds.

Loki, however, only stared up at the top of his canopy not making an effort to move even as servant walked into his room.

"Good morning, your highness,” the thin man in tan robes offered, “Would you like another moment to rest-”

“No, I’m awake,” Loki said flatly as he rose from the sheets.

It was the same routine every day now, beginning with him lying in bed all night while he thought about you and what you could be doing back on Midgard without him. Without even your memory of him. Were you happy now or did you feel the same emptiness he felt, even if you couldn't quite place where it came from?

Could you feel that something, deep down, was missing?

Loki hadn't realized how much his life had revolved around you and the time you both shared until your abrupt absence. Never in his long life had he imagined the loss of a single Midgardian would leave him so numb to the world that he would barely feel his own existence anymore. He moved through his day, hardly a word to anyone, simply going wherever he was needed and finishing his work so that he may return to his room to sit in silence. In the days since your departure, he had turned away Thor countless times, even ignored Elsa outside his door for hours while he withdrew into himself.

In a palace full of people, he had never felt so alone.

The only obligations he concerned himself with were that of the kingdom of Asgard, more specifically the work he did with his father. Every morning, his servant would come to tell him what duties he would be attending to that day at Odin's side as he readied to take the crown. It was unbearable, but he did what he had to in silence.

It wasn't until a week later that he was alerted to a new development.

"I overheard some truly incredible news for you this day," the servant started as he gathered his lord's clothes together. "It seems the Allfather is most impressed with your diligence and dedication. He sees you fit enough to set the coronation for tomorrow evening, we are to meet with him to begin preparations."

Loki's eyes cut across the room in surprise, certain he had misheard. "So soon? But I thought traditionally coronations were held at a certain time of year with the blessing of a priest, I haven't even prepared-"

"That's superstitious nonsense that Allfather has no concern with, I assure you," came from the doorway. Baldur had cracked the door just in time to interject himself into the conversation, being sure to close the door behind him. As he was about to go on, a sudden tremor broke out across the land of Asgard, shaking the homes and palace of its inhabitants. Loki steadied himself as the servant went to his knees, hands folded over his head. Baldur backed against a wall, feeling the vibrations of the quake move up his back while they waited it out.

When the motion stopped Loki shot a curious look towards Baldur. "That's the third one since I've been back," he noticed. "When did earthquakes become so prevalent in the realm of the gods?"

Baldur stood up and shrugged his robes out as he answered nonchalantly, "Allfather says it's a sign of his powers weakening, it's been steadily getting worse over the last month or so. Just another reason to get on with the coronation."

Loki walked behind his dressing curtain with the servant when he commented, "Still seems a bit hasty, don't you think?"

"Not at all," Baldur sold, "Allfather is in desperate need of rest and the tremors are becoming more frequent. He has been ready to pass on his legacy for some time now, it's just taken a long time for..."

Baldur's words trailed off when he couldn't find a suitable way to finish his statement until Loki filled in, "For what? For me to become worthy of his kingdom?"

Sucking on his teeth, the advisor saw he had made a poor choice in terms as he soothed, "It's all over and done business, really, why don't we just get on with the good side of things? You get to be crowned, Thor gets to return to his family, and you'll be granted the rest of your powers along with that of the Allfathers. Surely you can find a reason to celebrate in that? "

Loki looked down as his servant began fastening his traditional style chest and shoulder plates into place. In truth there had been a time when he wanted nothing more than his father's approval, even craved to possess his power, but that time had long since past. He had developed his own dreams and ambitions outside of these palace walls, had lived a lifetime it seemed without all the grandeur of Asgard.

But even giving up his life in Midgard paled in comparison to the crippling agony of losing you.

Of all the things he could have in the universe, the one thing he wanted most of all was out of his reach, living life without a second thought of him.

"I know it hasn't been ideal, Loki, given your  circumstances and all, but this is what's best. This is your destiny, these are your powers, they're your birthright." When he still didn't show enthusiasm, Baldur added with a grunt, "There was a chance for you to not have this opportunity, you do realize that? This is not the punishment, Midgard was. This? This is a reward-"

"I'm aware," the god of mischief cut him off.

"Then shouldn't you be thrilled? You're getting everything you ever wanted, yet here you are still sulking over, over what? Some mortal girl?"

That comment sent fire through Loki's veins as he stepped out from behind the curtain, his golden cape flying back as he locked eyes with Baldur. "I never asked for any of this and you know that. I didn't want it when Thor abdicated his crowned prince title and I didn't want it while I was making a life for myself on Midgard. The only reason I even returned was at Allfather's request, because I assure you, I would never had asked to return. If it were up to me, you would be the one taking this kingdom in my stead."

Baldur looked like he would speak but the comment left him without the ability to form any more of an argument. Instead he took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, that was a rude thing to say," he apologized, going towards Loki. "And as for the king, well… That's kind of you to say but you know Allfather would never allow me to take the throne, I don't have his blood running through my veins. Besides," he clasped Loki's armored shoulder and shot him a sympathetic grin, "I know you'll make a great king."

Loki met his stare but didn't reflect the sentiments. Instead he walked past Baldur towards the door, letting out a sigh. "Let's just get on with it."

*****

When you finally dragged yourself into work, you had managed to get through the building and slip into the office without anyone speaking to you. Logging into your computer, you breathed out in relief.

The last thing you wanted was to explain anything about what happened during your time off.

Settling in, you laid out the contents of your bag to get ready for work, pausing when your eyes caught the small picture frame sitting on the corner of your desk.

It was a 4x6 cut out of the kiss between you and Tom during your first date, the one that was pastured all over the cover of magazines. Sue had framed it for you as a joke, though it was anything but funny now. Taking the image in your hand, you didn't know how long you stared at it before finally laying it face down in your bottom drawer.

'That was a fantasy. This is real life,' you told yourself, 'Work, eat, breathe, sleep, repeat. Just gotta go one day at a time.'

Working for the first couple of hours on responding to emails, returning missed calls, and setting up your schedule for the month's projects, you actually could feel a sense of normalcy begin to return to you.

It wasn’t until closer to lunch that you heard a quick set of knocks grace your door. “Come in,” you called out, looking up in time to see your office friend Sue twirl in.

“Y/n!”

Before she even started, you knew this would be the turning point in your day. “Hi Sue."

“How was your vay-cay? You and Tommy have a fun time? Where did you guys go, it was to do something with family right?” Sue was absolutely beaming at you, her smile wide and bright against her artificially tan skin and short blonde hair, completely oblivious.

“Actually…” your eyes went over your desk, trying to find the words to say, but a wave of nausea passed over you at the thought of saying it out loud.

“Oh, I get it, it's personal, that’s cool. Real low key stuff, I know how Tom is about yalls business. I bet you guys had a blast, though, I couldn’t imagine spending a week with a mega star like Hiddleston!”

“Well, that’s…”

Sue’s smile didn’t waver while her head tipped to the side. “You okay, sweetie, you look a little… ?” Her nose scrunched but she didn't finish.

Your hand rubbed down your face as you tried to form the words. "Actually, Sue, Tom and I are no longer… seeing each other…"

Glancing back up, Sue's face was broken up as she digested the information. "Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry, y/n! Are you doing ok?"

Reflecting on the last few days of drinking until you passed out, wearing all his clothes until they lost his scent, watching all his movies on repeat, you put on a forced smile, "Yeah, I'm alright."

Sue looked sympathetic as she was about to say something else, but was cut off when your magazine director Mrs. Lynn came into your office with a passive knock. "Hi, y/n, glad to have you back. Did you see my email about-"

"Y/n and Tom broke up!" Sue blurted.

The air itself felt awkward as Lynn's brow quirked at the comment, looking back towards you before going, "Oh, um. I'm sorry?"

"It's fine, I'm fine, we're all fine," you went on, begging the moment to dissipate.

"Oo, you know what you should do?" Sue asked, bouncing at her own idea. "You should come out with me and Carmen! We were gonna go to Poison to check out a new band I'm doing an article on. You should totally tag along!"

"Carmen? From the advertising department? I, I don't know about that," you answered honestly, "I don't feel much like going out…"

It's not that you disliked Carmen, but you knew she was a friend of Elliot Stringer. After the fiasco at Chris's party and the death of Hela, Elliot got into a heated debate with the director and CEOvs of People magazine about publishing a story on the whole event.

Everyone thought he was crazy and brushed it off. That was the last time you saw Elliot, learning later through coworkers that he had reclused away with some family while keeping a heavy presence on Facebook. You wanted to ask Loki if he knew why Elliot was allowed to keep his memory, but just chalked it up to everything assuming he was nuts.

What was the point of making him forget if no one believed him?

Lynn, still standing there unanswered, threw in her two cents. "You know, going out with other women could do you some good. After my second divorce, some ladies and I went out to Vegas for a weekend. Absolutely best time of my life."

"Reeeeally?" Sue pressed, "So what did you wild girls get into?"

Lynn, who was in her fifties, had always been straight laced, and never a hair out of place in her short bob haircut, straightened her thin rimmed glasses on her nose, a slight blush lighting up her cheeks as she quietly quoted, "What happens in Vegas, ahem. Stays in Vegas."

Sue passed a very impressed nod to her boss before looking back down at you. "So what do you say? Come out with us?"

They were both grinning at you now, and you just couldn't find a way to argue staying home alone to drink yourself stupid. Looking between them, you finally gave up. "Alright," you resided, "I'll go out with yall."

*****

"Did you feel that tremor this morning?" a servant girl asked Elsa as she refilled her glass with wine. "It felt like it lasted longer than the one the other day, didn't it?"

Elsa didn't answer at first, merely resituating herself in the lounge chair. Finally, she went, "Yeah, it did feel longer."

The servant watched her take a deep breath before guzzling down her drink. Folding her arms around the bottle, she tried to think of something more to speak about. “Oh, did you hear? They intend to crown Prince Loki tomorrow evening!”

Elsa nearly gagged on her drink, spitting into her cup out of reflex. She cut her eyes up at the servant, pressing, “What? Why so soon?”

Shaken by the strange response, she only shrugged, “I’m not sure. But I’m told Baldur would like to take you shopping for a dress this afternoon if you’d like-”

“No,” she said flatly as she set the wine glass aside, “I wouldn’t. You may let his jerk-ness know I have plenty of gowns to choose from.”

In the week since you had left, she had wracked her brain for days trying to plan a way to help you and Loki. However, she was incapable of speaking to Loki about it, Baldur was acting bizarre, and Thor had shut the topic down permanently. Being in Asgard made it all the more difficult, only knowing a handful of people in the palace but none well enough to ask for help with what she needed, or trusted not to run back to Odin with what it was she was doing.

Even without knowing the full details, she knew her father in law was pulling the strings and she would do well to keep to herself for now, but what was troubling her the most now was this strange dream she had been having over and over the last few nights.

It started the same every time, her waking up in bed with Thor, the sun blanketing their room like it has done a thousand times before. But something was different about this day. As she got up to walk onto the veranda, she could hear faint shouts just before the ground began to shake. The closer she got, the louder the cries became, though none of the calamity seemed to alert her sleeping husband. As she walked outside, she took in the full cataclysmic activity that had stirred her from sleep. Out before her, lay Asgard in ruin. People screaming, children crying, the ground broken like glass with lava flowing through the streets. Even the once bright sky was now dark with the mountains in the distance spewing sulfur into the air. And then, out in the distance, just beyond the golden gates of the city, she could make out Loki, dressed in torn rags with you lifeless in his arms. He was on his knees clinging to your body, screaming out in anger just before being swallowed by a black smoke that began to run over the land from the Bifrost. Just as Elsa got ready to cry out, the world would fade and she would wake up in a cold sweat.

After the first night she had the dream, Elsa shrugged it off as her nerves getting the best of her. She was getting stir crazy, she reasoned throughout the day, nothing more. The second time she considered telling Thor, but as angry as she was with him, she didn't feel he would be any sort of comfort. So instead she kept quiet, trying to make herself believe it was nothing. By the fourth reccorance, the oracle was beginning to think something more was going on. After years of training to become Thor’s oracle, she couldn’t simply dismiss the vision, dwelling on it endlessly during the day until it felt maddening.

Through with all her aggravation, Elsa's handmaid Iona had been a small comfort. She was the only person she felt she could really talk to but still kept the dealings between you and Loki to herself. Instead she talked about her children and how desperately she missed them.

It was one of her main reasons for spending the day out on the veranda drinking, trying desperately to ignore the void of her children being on Midgard.

"In any case, Lady Elsa, would you be interested in a walk through the city? I'm sure there won't be anymore tremors and it's such a lovely day-"

"Everyday is 'lovely' here," Elsa snorted, the resentment for the kingdom boiling up to the surface. "I've walked the city, shopped the market, rode horses, swam the waters. I'm sick of being here, I just wanna go home."

If it wasn't for this place, she would be with her children. Taking them to school. Tucking them into bed, kissing them goodnight.

Taking another sip from her glass, she closed her eyes, sick of even looking at the golden city before her.

At this point, it could burn like it had in her nightmare and she wouldn't miss it.

Iona bit down on her lip as she looked at the beautiful Midgardian laid out in the sun. In the months since she had been there her heartbreak from being away from home had become apparent. The drinking had become more common, her distance from Thor was even noticeable. The servant wished she knew of a way to help her lady but nothing came to mind.

Later that afternoon, Iona was making her way towards the kitchen for another bottle of wine when she overheard a pair of guards not so quietly whispering amongst themselves. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, simply making her way past them until their words struck her.

"I thought it wasn't possible to communicate with other realms with the Bifrost closed?" one asked.

The servant slowed her pace to listen better, trying not to be obvious.

"That's what I thought, but it turns out that Allfather has a telecommunicator in his room that can reach beyond the portals. I don't know who it was he was speaking to, but it was obviously someone on Midgard."

"Could you tell who it was he was talking to?"

"I didn't recognize the voice, but it was definitely a woman-"

Iona had stopped listening when she realized what they had said. Hugging the wine bottle close to her chest, the servant quickly made her way back to her lady with what she had overheard.

"A telecommunicator? Like a phone?" Elsa asked in disbelief.

"I wouldn't know particularly, but isn't that wonderful? You can speak to your children!"

Elsa brought her thumb to her mouth, gently nibbling her thumb nail as she tried to think. As much as she missed her children, she knew she needed to fix the damage done between you and Loki. Somehow, she needed to get in touch with you, but even with a way to communicate with Midgard, there was no way to ensure she could reach you. Regardless, she knew what she had to do, but if it was in Allfather's room it could prove tricky.

"Would you like me to get Thor so that he can call them with you-"

"No!" Iona looked confused, but Elsa simply lied, "He has been busy, I don’t want to bother him with this just yet." The girl's brow furrowed and for a moment Elsa was afraid she had startled her. "But I would love to call them now if you think you could help me? It would mean the world to get to hear their sweet little voices… "

Thinking it over, there was a genuine sympathy from her as she offered, "What do you need me to do?"

*****

It was nearly eight o'clock when Sue texted you from out in front of your apartment building. Wondering one last time if this was the right thing to do, you looked back into the living room you had cooped yourself in for days. Empty bottles lined your kitchen counters, Tom’s clothes were now strewn across your couch and ottoman, and the TV was perpetually replayed Thor: Ragnarok. You reconsidered, just one last time, to stay hidden away from the world just one more night.

Your phone dinged and you read the message from Sue asking if you were coming down or not.

Taking a deep breath, you walked out and locked the door.

This is what moving on looked like.

Downstairs, you saw Sue and another woman waiting in a powder blue Beetle with masses of stickers clouding the back window. Her horn honked as you got closer, making you trot faster. After throwing yourself into the back seat, you looked up to find the women turned around to stare at you.

“Hi, you must be Carmen,” you stared, extending a hand out, “I think we met once at a Christmas party.”

Carmen, with her thick ruby red lips and deep caramel skin tilted her head to the side before squinting your way. “Oh, I think I remember that, yeah!” She flashed you a brilliant, large toothed grin before adding, “So Sue says you got dumped by Tom HIddleston? Tough break, nena, he is a fine piece of gringo.”

“Carmen!” Sue snapped. “Don’t mind her, she’s blunt to a fault. Now…” Her eyes went up and down you. “About what you’re wearing…”

You looked down, unsure how to take her comment. You had opted for a pair of old jeans, black shirt of Tom’s and some plain knee high leather boots. It may have been a bit plain, you realized, but you didn’t think it was that bad. “I thought we were just going to see a rock band, what’s wrong with how I’m dressed?”

“Nothin, ‘cept you’re literally wearing the enemy’s clothes!” Sue realized as she stared harder.

Carmen gasped, “That’s breaking the breakup laws of nature, we need to fix this!”

“But it’s not a big deal, we’re just going to listen to a band?”

“No!” they both shouted in unison before Sue reiterated, “No, I’m going to watch a band. You’re going to get over this breakup, to live it up, to party it out!”

“I am over it,” you mumbled.

“Then why are you wearing his shirt, y/n?”

At that you were speechless, looking down at the tshirt and feeling a sour pit form in your stomach.

Maybe they were right?

Maybe you were using his things as a crutch?

“Why don’t we just run up to your apartment and help you pick something out, we don’t mind waiting-”

“No!” They both looked taken aback by your outburst but you knew there was no way you could let them see the mess you accumulated. “I mean, is it really such a big deal? I’m not worried about my clothes, I’m just coming to hang out…”

Carmen’s thick black curls bounced as she shook her head, answering, “No, nena, you’re wrong, it’s more than just hanging out. You want to mend your broken heart? Then you need to go out on the dance floor, get lost in another man’s arms, forget all about ole’ whats-his-name. You need the rush and butterflies of passion to keep you going, just respark the life inside your womanhood! You need to know that you are ONE HOT MAMACITA and ain’t no man that can bring you down!”

After such a riveting argument, you gave up and the women started altering your outfit in the car, despite a few aggravated drivers that were having to pull around the Beetle. First, Carmen gave you her bedazzled black and silver hoop earrings, then Sue had stripped down to the lace bralet she wore in order to give you a black vest that left most of your chest and midriff exposed. Searching through both of their purses, they took turns coloring your eyes, lining your lids, and lifting your eyelashes. The piece de resistance was the flaming hot red lip stain Carmen finished your face with, waiting until it was perfectly set before she glossed over it.

“Now, your boots are fine, but those pants…” Carmen reached into her clutch and pulled out a sizable knife that made you flinch when she unsheathed it with a flick of the wrist. “Let’s upgrade them, shall we?”

Before you could utter an argument, she reached over and started easing through the denim of your jeans.

“Alright, you look awesome!” Sue exclaimed, looking over you like some new creation.”Come on, get together, Girl Power selfie!”

The three of you crammed your faces together, Carmen’s arm slithering around your shoulders to pull you closer as she poked your cheek. “Smile, nena, you’re a beautiful, powerful, independent woman! You’re about to have the night of your life, we are gonna make you forget old what’s his face!”

It may have been the sultry way she rolled her r’s, or maybe the way her smile just begged to be received, but she managed to get a grin out of you. The three of you grinned into the camera, taking several in a row with different expressions before finally starting the car. “Now, off to Poison we go!” Sue hollard while Carmen posted the pictures to her social media accounts.

*****

Elsa tried her hardest to appear calm while standing just down the hall from Odin’s room as her servant walked on ahead of her. They had waited in this area for some time, trying to track when guards walked by so they could slip in unseen. Yet with every second that passed, she felt her nerves waver.

Glancing around, Iona timidly knocked on the door to see if anyone would answer. When no one came, she slowly opened it to step inside. Elsa’s heart pounded when the servant disappeared into the room, wondering if she was doing the right thing by involving her at all. Being married to Thor could help if she were to get caught, but there was no telling what sort of repercussions could befall a simple worker. When she peeked her head back out to signal the coast was clear, Elsa took in a deep breath and darted across the hall into the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Her heart thudded harder inside her chest as she took in the chamber of the king of gods.

The room was not as brightly colored as the other rooms in the castle, a blue color illuminated most of the space with a swirl of motion as if the room itself was the ocean. A massive tankless aquarium held a distorted blob of water with multicolored glowing fish swimming inside. The colors splattered across the blank walls, traveling with her eyes as she took in only one piece of furniture: a massive, white sheeted balcony bed made of gold.

"Homey," Elsa breathed out, walking forward as she tried to figure out where the telecommunicator could possibly be. "Now, if I was the most powerful person in existence, where would I keep my intergalactic cellphone?"

"Cellphone?" the servant repeated.

"It's how Midgardian's call each other," she explained, trying to fight the urge to reach out and touch the seemingly free floating water. "I have one, bit it's back on Midgard."

"But if you have a method to communicate with your children, why not simply bring it here?"

Elsa looked back towards the questioning eyes. "Allfather doesn't allow any technology from a Midgard here,I couldn't even bring my hair curler," she answered, her annoyance in this situation evident. If Odin forbade communication between the words, why would he keep something like that hidden away in his room?

Better still who would he be talking to?

Elsa traced her fingers over the white marble walls, feeling for a seam, a notch, a hidden lever, anything that could reveal whatever sort of fanciful tech the god may have hidden away. "It would be so helpful if I knew what the heck I was lookin for," she sighed.

Iona mimicked the search as she racked her head for any helpful insight, but the truth was she didn't know what it could look like either. With nothing else to suggest, she wondered, "What does your device look like? Maybe they're similar?"

At the thought, Elsa couldn't help but snort. "Yeah, I can see it now, 'All Hail the Allfather, king of gods and Iphones'."

"Well, where would you put it away for no one else to use? Perhaps the Allfather keeps his the same way? "

Elsa had just made her way to the foot of the bed when Iona posed the question, though she really felt it was useless. Walking around to the head, she commented, "Honestly, I slip it under my pillow at night so I can feel it vibrate and grab it quickly."

For the hell of it, she slipped a hand under one side of the pillows. Nothing, though she wasn't surprised. Iona did the same motion, but stopped when her hand was halfway under. Her eyes went large as she pulled out a small flat box unlike anything she had ever seen before.

"What the actual hell?" Elsa whispered as she reached across the bed and took the phone out of her grip.

"Is this it? The telecommunicater?"

Elsa was speechless as she looked it over, noting the word Samsung etched across the smooth black back panel. Swiping her finger across the screen, the phone lit up with a default background. There was no security code, no password. At the second swipe, the home screen appeared with only two apps: call and message.

"I…" Elsa turned the phone over in her hands, bewildered by the whole thing. Why would an all knowing god- that seemed hell bent on keeping other worlds out of Asgard- keep a Midgardian cellphone under his pillow. The hair on the back of her neck stood as she realized there may be something more going on.

“This is good, right, Lady Elsa?” Iona asked with a shaky voice. “Now… now you may call your children.”

“Yeah… my children…” Her finger went down and selected the call button, lighting up the screen with the button keypad. She was about to dial a number when she glanced back up at Iona and thought for a moment. “Do you think you could perhaps wait outside? Let me know if someone is coming?”

“Oh,” Iona gasped, “Yes, yes of course!” She went out the door, not quite closing it behind her while Elsa looked back down at the screen.

She knew she didn’t have time for two calls, so she had to make one count.

“I’m sorry, my babies,” she whispered with a crack in her voice and tears swelling in her eyes, “But I have to do this.” Clicking several numbers, she held the phone to her ear and waited with bated breath for a voice to answer on the other line.

“Yes?” a man spoke quickly. The sound of someone else on the other end, someone from Midgard, speaking to her while she was on Asgard took her breath away. An agitated voice went on at her silence, “Hey, this better not be a collection call, I’ve paid all my shit up! And if this is the New York Times, you should have answered my first call-”

“Um… Who is this?” Elsa asked, not recognizing the voice.

The man scoffed loudly into the phone, “WHO. IS. THIS. You realize you called ME? Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m waiting on a very important call,” the voice went to hang up, but Elsa spoke up.

“NO! Please! I’m sorry, I’m looking for Jared? Jared Stringer?

An audible eye roll came through the line. “No, this is Elliot Stringer, you’re talking about my uncle, hold on, Jare- HEY!”

There was shuffling on the other line and Elsa called out in a hushed worried tone, “Hello? Hello!”

“Elsa?”

She sighed with relief, “Thank goodness. Jared, I need your help-”

“Are you still in Asgard? What’s going on? How come you’ve been up there so long, what’s happening?”

“Hush, I don’t have the time, I need you to listen. You have to get in touch with someone for me, she’s an oracle by the name of y/n. She’ll be staying in the city, she works for People’s magazine, but that’s all I know.”

“Get in touch with her? What for? Elsa, what’s happening up there? I’ve been having these intense visions, over and over for weeks now of, of, of volcanoes erupting, people dying, building collapsing. I’ve been afraid something terrible had happened-”

“You’ve been dreaming it, too?” she whispered into the line, not really meaning to but just so stricken by his words that it slipped out.

The phone was silent.

It was one thing for an oracle to have a dream mutliple times.

It was another matter entirely if more than one oracle shared the same dream.

“Jared, are you still there?”

A reluctant, “Yes,” came through.

“I need you to get in touch with her. I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but something doesn’t feel right. We’ve been having earthquakes, Baldur has been sketchy and Allfather, he’s…” She couldn’t put it into words, but everything about Asgard was beginning to feel off. “Just get in touch with her, there’s a chance she may know something about what’s going on. If nothing else, she needs to talk to Loki. I don’t know what’s happening, but I have a gut feeling about this and you always taught me to go with my gut-”

“Wait,” she heard in the background on the other end, “Did she,” some shuffling, a short slur of curses between the men before Elliot’s voice came back over the line, “Did you say y/n? At People magazine?” She could hear him clicking buttons on his cellphone, opening an app and scrolling through as he finished, “Because I actually know where to find her right now…”

“Then do it! Get her back to the cabin, help her contact Loki.”

“You know we’re not supposed to just summon the gods,” Jared cut in after hitting the speaker button on the phone. “Those are just for ritualistic purposes, and those must be deemed by the king. You can’t just-”

“Jared, please. You know this goes beyond protocols. Something is going on and if we were ever going to act, now would be the time.”

The line was quiet for a long enough moment that Elsa was afraid they had hung up. She breathed out in relief when she heard her former teacher agree, “Yes, alright. We’ll get her in touch with him. Just, you be careful. If Allfather really is planning something, it’s best to not get into any trouble up there. Thor can only keep you so safe-”

Looking down at the phone, Elsa went cold at the realization of what she was starting. “I’ll play it safe,” she got out as she glanced around Odin’s room, “Just get her in touch with Loki. And tell her about the visions. Go through the books, something has to be written somewhere about this.”

“Stay safe, Elsa.”

“You, too.”

When the line went dead, she erased the call and shoved the phone back under the pillow. Hurrying out, she held her breath until she heard the final click of the door as she closed it. Looking towards Iona, she tilted her head to let her know to move on and the pair made their way down the hall in silence as they passed a set of guards.

As nerve racking as this had been, Elsa could only hope her efforts weren’t in vain.

GUESS WHO’S BACK

BACK AGAIN 

(Everyone’s favorite person to hate! Also, extra points to people who get that song reference cause I sang it as I picked that gif for ya’ll XD)

Like my garbage? Read more of it! Master List

Tags are open! You can request a tag view comments, private messages, or asks! I will always respond to let you know when you’re added! If you requested to be added and didn’t get a notification, let me know!

TKOG: @youveseen--thebutcher–thebutcher–thebutcher–  @therealityhelix   @m4shtyx @canoodlincanary  @just-the-hiddles@hisxblackxqueen@imjusthereforthehiddlesfanfic @casteelle,  @xmichellax @ohmygoditsanthonyedwardstark,  @alexakeyloveloki    @godhateskyleigh    @teylacarter91

LOKI TAGS: @socialheartbreak @kcd15 @maladaptive-ninja-returns @nephalem67@jessiejunebug @woodyandbuzz20-01@imasultforlokiandspencerreid   @bambamwolf87@avenging-blackwidow   @kitsuneharo12 @yzssie@macbetheliza @lokilvrr@lokixme @li-ssu @j-u-s-t-4 @letskillthefuhrer  @lou-makes-me-strong @wolfsmom1, @noplacelikehome77 @unicorniorosacomefrutillas@justiceiswater