#okay but she's buzzed and busting into his office to drag him away from work
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BTS Reaction || Dysfunctional Family || Maknae line
WARNING: Some things may be triggering to you and if they are I advise you do not read this reaction. WARNINGS INCLUDE: Mention of abandonment, drug use, alcoholism, physical and verbal abuse, death of a family member
Jimin:
“Jimin I can’t come tonight, I want to but I can’t.” You said down the phone as you packed up an overnight bag, you were throwing in a bunch of your mum’s clothes, trying to find a book for her to read and then some bathroom supplies.
“What’s going on? You’ve been avoiding me all week.” You stopped in your tracks and looked at the phone, his voice wasn’t coming from the other end anymore he was standing in the bedroom door watching your every move.
“Jimin…I said don’t come round here.” You whispered looking at the state of the house, it was a mess, ever since your mum got admitted into hospital you’d been all over the place trying to keep your sibling going to school and work, as well as cooking, cleaning and trying to get back and forth to the hospital all the time for the check-ups.
“What’s going on? Why are you packing?” You knew you couldn’t avoid the subject anymore so you decided to tell him, you continued packing though, you didn’t have time to sit around.
“Mums been admitted, she’s sick, really sick. The girls are at dance school, the boys are in a football club and I have to get to the hospital in the next hour or I don’t see her.” You said throwing the bag over your back and looking out of the window, the bus you were aiming the catch left.
“Where’s your dad?” You wanted to break down and cry, you turned to look at Jimin and then at the empty drawers, he’d walked out on you as a child, wanting nothing to do with any of you or your siblings, he saw you and avoided you, you began to tear up at the thought of him. He’d seen you many times before but avoided you, you’d never told Jimin about your dad before, scared he would judge you for it.
“He left us when we were kids.” You managed to whisper out to him, feeling guilty that you hadn’t told him any of this before now.
“I’ll give you a ride come on.” He took your hand in his and walked with you out towards the car, you both stayed silent as you walked.
(X)
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He questioned once you were back home, the doctor mentioning that your mum was recovering fast and at a good rate, she should be out by the end of the week but to take it easy.
“I didn’t want you to see us falling apart.” You whispered, finally putting the final load of washing into the machine and going to start cooking, but Jimin stopped you.
“Look, I’ll cook tonight, you go and have a bath or a shower, then we’ll have dinner with your siblings and put them to bed.” You nodded and kissed him on the lips, wondering how you ended up with someone so perfect and kind.
(XXXX)
It had been a few months since the incident, your mum was back to her healthy self, she was working again, your siblings were in better moods because she was home and your relationship with Jimin was stronger than ever, you were all having a meal together at home when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it, it’s probably desert.” You said grabbing your purse from the counter and going over to the front door, you swung it open to reveal your dad standing there with a bag on his shoulder.
“Who is it?” You heard your mum yell, you turned your head to them.
“No one, stay here.” You pushed him down the steps, he stumbled but stayed upright, you shut the front door behind you and kept pushing him until he was out of the gates of your house.
“What are you doing here?” You questioned looking at him, he stared at you, you looked different to when he first left when he left you were a crying mess of a child but now you were a grown woman who could fend for herself.
“I heard your mum was sick.” You scoffed at him and saw his eyes were on your purse, you threw it behind you, it hit the door and it opened, Jimin was standing there.
“I don’t have any money,” You spat at him but his eyes were on Jimin, looking at him as if he was taking his place,
“Who the fuck is that?!” Your dad yelled trying to act like a protective father, you pushed him again and he was finally out of the garden altogether.
“My boyfriend, he’s like a father figure to your kids.” You stated, looking him up and down.
“I’m their father figure, I’m their dad!” You began to laugh a little at him and then looked him in the eye.
“Now you wanna play the father role? Do you want to be their dad now? What? Now all the hard work of raising them is complete? You abandoned us!” You yelled at him and it was his turn to laugh now, Jimin watched as you stood up for yourself.
“It made you stronger didn’t it?!” You wanted to smack him across the face, you wanted to drag him down to the floor and treat him like the good for nothing he was.
“It made me stronger?! I was a kid! I didn’t need to be stronger! I need support!” Your mother had come to the door by now and saw him standing there, bags in his hand.
“Y/N, get back inside, he’s just trying to get a reaction,” You turned your back on him and went back up to the porch, hugging Jimin as you headed inside the house and slammed the door on your father for good.
Taehyung:
Dating with a dysfunctional family wasn’t easy, you would frequently avoid going out on dates, or bringing dates home, you wouldn’t call them or facetime in front of your family just in case anything were to happen while you were on the phone, but you had been together with Taehyung for three years, you avoided taking him home to your parents because your house was a warzone, they were constantly fighting with one another, and you were constantly having to break them apart, you didn’t want to bring your sweet boyfriend into their world, so you didn’t. You kept them as far apart as you possibly could, that was until now,
You woke up at 3 am to your phone buzzing beside your head, you frowned checking the caller ID, it was blocked, you slid it open and pressed it against your ear.
“Hello?” You spoke groggily into the phone, there was a pause on the other end and you frowned.
“Hello, this is Detective Park down at the police department am I speaking to Miss Y/L/N?” You frowned, sitting up in the bed and humming into to phone, you moved away from Taehyung, you’d managed to convince your mum and dad that you were spending the night with a girl-friend from work, it didn’t take much convincing, they believed you were staying with one of the friends they’d met before.
“Yes, what’s this about?” You questioned getting out of the bed and going over to the balcony door, you slid outside and sat on the deck chair that was out there, you didn’t want to wake Tae up and hear this.
“Well we tried to come out and see you, I’m afraid I have some bad news and I’m going to need you to come down to the station,” You felt your heart sink to the bottom of your stomach,
“I’ll be right there.” He gave you the address and you went back into the bedroom where Tae was still sleeping, you took your jeans and pulled them on, leaving his oversized shirt on and going out of his door and heading down the stairs.
(X)
“You’re Y/N Y/L/N?” You nodded to the female officer and she led you through a series of hallways finally coming to a door, she opened it and inside was a large window, you could see your dad who was handcuffed to a table and covered in blood, the worst possible images coming to your head.
“Is that your father?” You nodded and she sighed looking down at the folder in her hand, you knew what was coming before she even said it.
“At 1:04 am police were called to the scene where they found him and your mother, he was searching around in what we think was your bedroom, screaming out your name and shouting threatening things, he was arrested and taken into custody, paramedics at the scene tried all they could with your mother but she unfortunately-” You drowned out the rest of the words, your eyes wandering over to your dad who was covered in your mothers blood.
“Is there anyone we can call?” You looked at her, tears rolling down your cheeks and you nodded following her out of the room again and towards another seating area, where she sat you down with some tissues.
“I’ll call your boyfriend, will he hear his phone?” You nodded, Tae had you as one of his favourites on his phone so no matter what it would ring instantly.
(X)
“Y/N?” Your thoughts were interrupted by Tae who was standing in a white shirt and PJ bottoms, he was staring at you when you both heard yelling, you stood up and clutched onto Tae as they brought your father out in handcuffs, still covered in blood, once he spotted you he began hurling insults but you buried your head into the crook of Tae’s neck and he wrapped his arms around you.
“You’re okay, I’m right here.” He whispered, handing you some water as you sat down together on the same sofa as before.
“You didn’t tell me he was that bad.” You frowned looking at Tae, you shook your head going to ask what he meant.
“I met your dad two years ago, I’d come by to pick you up for a date because I wanted it to be a surprise and he told me I wasn’t allowed to come near you…I ignored him obviously but…why did you tell me he was this bad?” You wanted to sob into his arms but you knew it wouldn’t solve anything.
“I didn’t think he would kill her Tae…they said he was trying to find me too…to kill me…what if I wasn’t at yours tonight? He would have-” He stopped you midsentence by pulling you into his chest and kissing the top of your head.
“Don’t think about that right now.” He pleaded, to try to calm you down by singing softly into your ear,
“I’ll take you back to my apartment, we can make a plan from there.” You nodded in agreement and he helped you to your feet, taking you towards the exit of the station.
Jungkook:
When you turned up at your boyfriend of one year, Jungkook’s house with a black eye and busted lip at 2 am he was shocked, he took one look at you standing there and moved you inside shutting the door behind him, you’d come to the dorms at 2 am before, sometimes even later but never with a black eye or busted up lip, you moved further into the house and he went to look for a first aid kit, he was the only one of the boys awake because he’d been playing video games all night, you sat down on the sofa and he came over, cleaning up your lip first and handing you some painkillers for the eye, he didn’t want to pressure you into talking but he also wanted to know what happened and who he had to hurt back for hurting the one he loved,
“Stay here.” He whispered going off to his room to get you one of his hoodies and some pants you’d left before, you looked behind you as he walked away and then back at the wall in front of you, you knew you were going to have to explain it to him.
“Y/n?” You heard someone say from beside you, you turned to see Hoseok standing there with a glass of water in his hand looking at you, his eyes instantly going to the black eye and lip.
“Are you-” Jungkook came back into the room and was shaking his head at his Hyung, Hoseok left without another word and Jungkook came down next to you.
“Kookie…I-” You couldn’t finish the sentence, you’d been thinking of it for a long time now and it was the only way out of the place you called home.
“What is it baby?” You looked at him, your eyes welling up from the pain.
“I need to get out of there…Can I come and stay here, it’ll just be until I can find my own place. Kookie if I have to stay there one more night…I’m- I’m scared.” He frowned, you’d never complained about your life at home before so he didn’t think there was a problem.
“Who did this to you?” He questioned going to touch your eye but you flinched away, you’d done that before and it was all starting to make sense, whenever he would make a sudden movement you’d flinch or cover your face as if he was going to shit you.
“The eye was my brother…my lip my dad…dinner wasn’t ready for him when he got in so he -” You didn’t want to remember your dad throwing you against the floor and hitting your head on the oven door, you rubbed your face as tears rolled down your cheeks.
“You can stay here as long as you want, I love you and so do the boys, why didn’t you come to me sooner?” You were about to answer him when he shook his head.
“That’s a dumb question don’t answer that, we’ll go back around tomorrow and get all of your things.” He took hold of your hand and walked you towards his bedroom, where he left you to get changed into his clothes.
(X)
“Is she here?” You heard someone yell the next morning, you sat up in the bed with Jungkook and his bedroom door flew open, your dad was standing there with your brother, both of them red in the face with anger.
“Excuse me, we don’t know you,” Namjoon said coming into the room, you were shaking on the bed while Jungkook stood up, your father came closer and he swatted him away.
“You won’t lay a finger on her.” He ordered, by now the rest of the guys were standing outside the door watching as your brother and dad tried to get you to leave with them. None of them except Hoseok had seen your black eye yet.
“I suggest you leave before I call the police,” Namjoon said, taking charge of the situation, your dad laughed at him and looked at you.
“You told them we did this? What?! Is she sucking all of your dicks? Is my daughter just that good that you all get to dip in.” You gagged at the sound of the words coming from him and Namjoon had enough, he grabbed him by the shirt and Jin grabbed your brother walking them out of the dorms and into the streets,
“Don’t bother coming back home! All your shit is gone!” Your father yelled before the door was slammed in his face, you let out a sob as you fell into Jungkooks arms.
“We’re your family now Y/N, You don’t need them.” He whispered while the other boys all agreed with him.
#bts#bts reaction#bts imagine#bts x reader#seokjin#hoseok#yoongi#namjoon#taehyung#jimin#jungkook#seokjin x reader#jin x reader#yoongi x reader#suga x reader#hoseok x reader#jhope x reader#namjoon x reader#rm x reader#jimin x reader#taehyung x reader#v x reader#jungkook x reader#jin smut#yoongi smut#namjoon smut#hoseok smut#jimin smut#taehyung smut#jungkook smut
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as you are | iv.
word count: 4.880k
warnings: drinking, intoxication, cursing, references to ptsd, nudity, nc-17, sexual innuendos, flirting, cuddling, fluff
a/n: this is the fourth chapter of my aaron hotchner fic! as always, if you would like to be added to the taglist, please let me know! i always appreciate the kind words and feedback, more than you guys know :’) <3
also, a huge shout-out to @sapphicstars for helping me with some dialogue, listening to my rambles, n our mutual thirst over thomas gibson. ily <3
| ii. | iii. |
(i do not own this gif)
“you coming with us?”
a brunette blinks, startled, “oh, um, no, i think i’ll pass.”
jj, prentiss, and garcia are on their way out, coats slung over their shoulders, bags in hand. rowan remained perched at her desk, gathering the rest of her things. it was well past nine o’clock, the lights of the office dimmed, everyone stating their goodbyes.
“you sure?” jj arches a brow, “it’s karaoke night. spence is coming too. it would be fun!”
“i’m fine,” the brunette bore a weary smile, “i have a bit of a headache so i would be a bit of a downer. but have fun guys.”
“whatever you say,” prentiss whistled, “you could always hotch what he’s doing after he’s finished with that endless stack of paperwork.”
“you think that man has a social life outside of his office?” rowan snorted, letting out a chuckle, “it’s best to leave him be. he seems irritated tonight anyways.”
“maybe you could go perk him up a bit huh?” garcia teased, a bubbly giggle echoing through the office, “you know he probably likes--”
“that’s enough,” rowan’s tone was firm, “have fun guys, i mean it.”
“you’re missing out,” prentiss sang over her shoulder, shooting rowan a wink, “goodnight rivers! we’ll miss you!”
waving a meager goodbye, rowan sucked in a sharp breath, lips falling to a frown. slowly, her eyes traveled towards his office, beams of light cascaded from the blinds onto the carpet. through the slits, she could pick out his frame, how he was hunched over, knuckle pressed to his temple, brow furrowed with intense focus.
rising from her seat, she bit her lip, forcing herself to cease the staring. all around her was nothing but darkness and empty seats, a chill running through her body, an unsettling feeling creeping in. how could aaron hotchner always be the first one in, but always the last to leave? did the silence not get to him? was he not fazed? why was he even still hard at work, busting his ass?
all of the team was gone. the unsub was apprehended. the only thing left was the void of an office. the only noise the hum of the unit, the occasional chirp of a bird or honk of a car from outside. the only person left was her, but she was seconds away from leaving.
and what was he going to do the moment he stepped into his apartment? pour himself a glass of scotch? call his son? go to bed? would he drink to forget? drink to drown out the horrid images?
whatever the answer was, rowan would never know.
she was on the elevator before she even mustered up the courage to ask him what he was doing after all that paperwork.
elbows deep in paperwork, aaron hotchner let out an exasperated sigh. it was one thing after another. first it was the receipts for the travel expenses, where there was a discrepancy somewhere in the budget. then, it was the lawyers of a murderer from years ago, claiming that their defendant wished to plead not guilty under the reasoning of insanity. why they were contacting the behavioral analysis unit? aaron had no clue. it was not a matter of his concern.
he longed to get up from his desk, trudge towards the door, and not come back till morning. but he couldn’t. not now. he was almost finished. if he finished this tonight, then he wouldn’t have to stay late tomorrow night. he could go home and enjoy a nice drink. something to take the edge off.
leaning back, his shoulders slumped, fingers rubbing circles into his temple, just above his brow. any moment now, he would be receiving a call from haley, asking where he was. of course, jack would be waiting for him, eager for just a few minutes with dad before bedtime.
the second his phone chirped, buzzing, his hand flew to the device, bringing it to his ear, “hotchner.”
“um, hi. i didn’t think you’d pick up.”
“rowan?” his lips parted, “i don’t recall giving you my number.”
a tiny hiccup flooded his ear, “i had garcia give it to me. what are you doing right now?”
her words were slurred, the question dragging out for a moment longer than needed, her breathy giggle erupting afterwards. aaron’s eyes squeezed shut, “rowan, are you drunk right now?”
“it appears i might be a little intoxicated. well, maybe a lot. but, i don’t think i can drive, like at all. you know what they sayyyyy! don’t drink and drive! driver sober or get pulled over!”
his jaw clenched, “please tell me you don’t want me to come get you.”
“m-maybe i do,” she slurred, “maybe i want to see you, aaron.”
aaron. his heart fluttered, softening just for a second.
“where are you? if i remember, you live forty minutes away.”
there was a pause, the flurry of breaths against the speaker, “i think i’m at a park. i’m sitting on top of my car so i can look at the stars.”
“listen to me,” aaron sprang to his feet, “don’t you move a muscle, rowan. i’m going to come get you and just take you to my place for the night. we have a stop to make first, though.”
“what’s this stop? is it an errand?”
“we-- i have to pick up jack,” he was moving at a rapid pace, shoving papers into his briefcase, frantically searching for his coat, “i have to get jack for the night. i guess haley is going on a date.”
“oooooooohhhh,” her laugh was contagious, ringing like bells, “are you mad?”
“i’m not upset,” using his shoulder, he kept the phone against his ear as he threw on his coat, “rowan, you never answered my question. where are you?”
her response was instant, “i am parked at the park off north and second. how funny is that? i’m parked at a park.”
“listen to me,” aaron was now approaching the elevator, “you’re going to stay on the phone with me until i get into my car, okay? i don’t want anything happening to you.”
“okay, okay,” there was a yawn on the other end, “i’ll be awaiting you for, my knight in shining armor.”
“i’ll be there in ten minutes,” no matter how much he resisted, a blush still spread through his cheeks, “stay with me on the line though, i might need help with directions.”
“okay,” she chirped, “i’m right here. sitting so patiently.”
within a matter of minutes, aaron was pulling up to a mint green ford 500, a shadow poised on the roof. turning off the engine, he threw open the door, his throat tightening as he saw her.
her legs were dangling from the passenger side, eyes fixated on the stars, a dumb-founded grin plastered across her features, hair down, strands flowing in the breeze. she was still in the clothes from earlier: a pair of black skinny jeans, black v-neck sweater with white lines around the neckline and cuffs of the sleeves. the thick heels of her docs thudded gently against the windows as she kicked her feat rhythmically.
even in the dim light, he noticed the rose tint painting her cheeks, the way the reflection of the stars glossed over in her stare.
god, she was so beautiful, her skin glowing softly in the moonlight.
“hey,” he cleared his throat, concern creeping in as shards of glass glittered on the pavement below, “d-did you drink an entire bottle?”
“i like to drink my liquor like water,” rowan shrugged, her eyes brightening as they fell on aaron, “i’m so glad you came to get me.”
“c’mon,” aaron tsked, “haley won’t stop texting me. she’s getting impatient.”
“okay, okay,” rowan slid off the side, stumbling as her feet landed, “i’m so tired.”
“i bet you are,” he scoffed, “you need a change of clothes, some water, and a couple aspirin before you sleep though.”
offering her his elbow, aaron helped rowan into the car, spews of incoherent rambles flowing from her lips. every second she was onto another topic, giggling and mumbling to herself. as much as he wanted to be cross with her, as much as he wanted to scold her, he knew he couldn’t. he couldn’t make her upset.
he couldn’t blame her for her actions, for how she would cope with the horrors of the job.
a week had passed since the incident on the jet. afterwards, aaron avoided the subject like it his divorce. he wouldn’t accept that it happened, the emotions and feelings that came along with it. he didn’t want to face the facts. they carried too much weight.
but as she was sitting in the passenger seat of his car, her laugh so melodic and sweet, dripping like honey from her lips as she played with the radio, had him in a daze, corner of lips tugging into a smile, heart swelling at his new favorite sound.
and aaron hotchner wasn’t sure if he was beyond the point of no return, or just starting the journey there.
about an half an hour passed before he was leading her to his bedroom, careful that she didn’t slip or stumble, “you’re going to sleep here tonight.”
“what about you?” her lips curved into a pout, lip jutting out.
“i’ll be on the couch,” the response was cool, his voice low, “since you don’t have a change of clothes, i’m going to let you borrow some of mine, okay?”
“okay,” she nodded enthusiastically.
rummaging around in his dresser, aaron fished out a plain black shirt, along with a pair of sweats, “here, take these.”
rowan grasped the clothes, setting them on the bed. plopping on the edge of the mattress, she fiddled with the laces of her boots, kicking them off with a huff. aaron hovered, lingering as he discarded his coat, suit jacket, tie, and dress shoes. glancing down at his phone, his attention shifted as she rose to her feet, giving her some privacy as she changed.
one message in particular piqued his interest. a text from haley.
who was that?
shoving the phone back in his pocket, he bit back a sigh, “rowan are you-- oh my god.”
her body was exposed, a lace black thong on her lower half. beams of moonlight reflected off her flesh, like a sculptor highlighting the most beautiful aspects of his sculpture. but god, every part of her was so beautiful. from her soft thighs, to her strong shoulders, she was alluring, drawing aaron in.
blood flowed to his lower half the longer he stared, completely savoring the sight, his cock throbbing against the constraint of his slacks. a smirk crept onto her lips, cheeks still tainted a crimson hue as her gaze drifted towards his pants, “what, aaron?”
“rowan--”
“you want to suck on ‘em, aaron hotchner?” she cooed, grasping a breast in each hand, bouncing them ever so slightly, “i know you do.”
“rowan,” aaron swallowed thickly, scrambling to regain his composure, “you’re inebriated. please, put on a shirt.”
“do you not want to suck on them?”
“we need to get you to bed,” his tone was assertive, as if he was scolding jack, “please, put on a shirt and get in bed.”
“i wish you could sleep with me,” rowan mumbled, sliding into the shirt.
once again, he caught himself glancing over. the shirt was huge, barely clinging to her frame, tapering off about mid thigh. rowan folded her arms over her chest, eyes narrowing, “what aaron? are you going to help tuck me in or not?”
“sure rowan,” his annoyance dissolved, crumbling into a bliss as he padded over to the bed, helping throw the blanket over as she curled up, sinking into the sheets.
if only he could see her in his clothes every night. if only she could sleep in his bed every night.
if only she was sober enough to remember all this.
“goodnight aaron hotchner,” her voice was thick with sleep, eyes closed, slurred speech from the liquor, “thank you for being my knight in shining armor. even when i annoy you.”
“you’re welcome rowan,” a chuckled bubbled up in his throat, “you can always count on me to be there for you, even when you piss me off.”
“thank you,” she whispered.
“you’re welcome.”
running a hand through his hair, he exited from the room, pausing in the doorway. giving one last look over his shoulder, he ensured that she was asleep before he left. with each step, exhaustion seeped in, the idea of sleep so tantalizing. even if he was designated to the couch, he would be content. as long as it was a place to rest.
slumping onto the couch, he pulled a blanket over his body, finally at ease now that his son was asleep, as well as rowan. it seemed as if no matter how hard he tried to avoid her, to veer away from her path, they were always bumping into one another.
perhaps they were on separate paths, but always somehow intertwined.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
a wail pierced his eardrums, cutting into the night. blearily, aaron rubbed his eyes, checking his watch.
3:23 a.m.
concern grew as another cry echoed through the apartment, reverberating off the walls. fighting back a yawn, he got off the couch, prepared to comfort his son from a nightmare. it would only be a few words of reassurance, a pat or two on the back, and staying for a couple minutes. nothing that he wasn’t familiar with. clambering to the kitchen, he drew a glass of water, taking a sip.
however, as he approached the bedrooms, his heart lurched in his chest, an icy cold feeling coursing through his veins.
the cries were from his room.
pushing open the door to his room, his eyes widened at the scene unfolding before him. rowan was sobbing, tears streaming down her cheeks, clutching her head, rocking back and forth.
“we should have saved them. we should have saved them. we should have saved them.”
“rowan?” he called out softly, in an attempt to pull her away from her nightmare, inching towards the bed, “rowan.”
“aaron?” she blinked, eyes glazed with tears.
“i’m here,” setting down the glass, he sat on the bed, “rowan, it’s okay. i’m here.”
carefully, he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her head against his chest to alleviate any nausea. fingers glided through her hair. she buried her head into his chest, tears staining his button down, “we should have saved them.”
“i know, i know.”
“why are you still in your work clothes?” she sniffled, “you should get out of them.”
“i fell asleep on the couch.”
“you should stay here and hold me,” her voice faltered, words a broken whimper.
“do you want me to?” the words were delicate, his voice low and hushed.
“yes please.”
“give me a second and i’ll hold you,” lips brushed the crown of her head, “let me change into something more comfortable.”
minutes passed before a tender hand connected with her shoulder, “scoot over. you’re on my side.”
rowan obeyed, rolling onto her right side. his arms engulfed her, bringing her closer to his chest, head nuzzling into her neck. the moment his arms were around her, holding her snug in his tight embrace, she collapsed, any anxiety or worry disappearing completely, sleep taking hold.
“you need to rest, ro,” his breath fanned against her ear, “you’ve been through enough tonight.”
“you’ve been through a lot too,” she mumbled, “if anyone needs rest here, it’s you.”
his throat vibrated against her shoulder blade as he chuckled, “well i’ll sleep soon ro, i promise.”
“promise?”
aaron pressed one last kiss to her cheek, “i promise.”
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
sunlight filtered in through the blinds, her nose wrinkling as she stirred. reaching over, her heart skipped a beat as there was nothing but an empty void of cold sheets. jolting awake, rowan shot up, panting slightly.
“well good morning to you too.”
heat flared in her cheeks as she peered over in the direction of the all too familiar voice.
aaron hotchner was clad in a pair of pressed ink-colored slacks, and pearly white button up, threading a crimson tie around his neck, “how’d you sleep?”
the sound of his voice sent a shiver down her spine, the words gravelly, loaded with exhaustion.
“what time is it?”
“6:49 a.m.,” he straightened the tie, crossing over to his closet to retrieve the final piece of his uniform, “your clothes are in the bathroom, washed and folded.”
“oh god,” the blush deepened as fingertips grazed the soft cotton tee, “oh my god.”
“i’m giving you the day off,” he stated, shoving his arms into the jacket, “from the look of it, you need it.”
“but my car--”
he raised a foot to the bed, tying the laces of his dress shoes, “you can either stay here and completely sleep off that headache i know you have, or i can drive you up to your car. but, if you do end up staying, i have a favor to ask.”
“where’s my car?” her mind was foggy, her skull throbbing, “i can’t remember anything from last night.”
“the park off north and second.”
“oh,” chewing the inside of her cheek, rowan assessed the situation, “what’s this favor?”
clearly, she had done something to end up here. to end up in her boss’ bed. the only clear memory she could recollect was driving to the park, turning her car off, and bringing the bottle to her lips.
the rest was a blur.
“i need you to watch jack for me. his daycare provider has the flu and she doesn’t want him contracting it,” his tone was monotonous, as if he was speaking to her the way he did when they were at the bau, “also, you were beyond the point of coherence last night, called me, and i let you spend the night. i didn’t want you driving home or staying at a motel. i’m shocked that you could even speak cohesive sentences.”
“aaron, did i do anything weird?” rowan inquired, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
he paused, exhaling as he plucked the briefcase off the floor, “i mean, you were pretty much naked in front of me.”
“what--”
facing her, her neck burned as a smug grin enveloped his features, eyes glittering with amusement, “you’re quite the flirt when you’re drunk, you know that?”
beads of sweat formed as her forehead, palms clamming up, “oh my god that’s so unprofessional-- you’re my boss--”
“rowan, everything that’s happening right now is unprofessional. now, i don’t really have a set list of rules when it comes to watching jack. just make sure he gets an afternoon nap in, and no bullshit for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you got that?”
“you realize that i’m trashed right now, right?”
“you don’t look it one bit,” he shot her a wink, her heart fluttering, “i’ll let you meet him when he wakes. he usually sleeps in till about 7:30, so you have a good half an hour to compose yourself. i would suggest taking a shower or at least brushing your hair to look nice.”
“he’s a child--” rowan scoffed, rolling her eyes.
“he’s my son,” his eyes hardened with a glare, “and you better take care of him.”
“aaron i can barely take care of myself.”
“well it’s good that i’m here, isn’t it?” he mused, glancing at his watch, “i have to go. call me if you need anything. i would’ve given you my number, but it seems that garcia already gave you it.”
“bye,” rowan murmured, “i’m sorry that i can’t be there.”
“don’t worry about it,” aaron leaned over the bed, pressing his lips to her temple for a chaste kiss, “i suggest taking a nap when jack does. you need it, ro.”
and just like that, he was out the door.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
“what’s up with him?” rossi’s eyes narrowed as hotch stepped out of the elevator.
“i have no idea,” prentiss followed his movement, lips pursing, “is he.. is he smiling?”
“he never smiles.”
“hey,” reid cleared his throat, “you guys haven’t seen rowan today, have you?”
“who?” derek chimed in, cup of coffee in his grasp, “rivers?”
“she hasn’t come in yet this morning and she hasn’t answered her phone,” garcia announced, eyes widened with worry as she sipped her coffee, “i don’t know how legal this is but she had me track her car one time when she went on blind date with a guy from the town over. well, that’s besides the point. what worries me is that she left her car at some local park last night and it hasn’t moved since.”
“also,” prentiss stuck out a hand, “hotch was late.”
“he’s not late,” reid countered, “he’s--”
“we know he’s not late,” morgan snorted, “what she means is that hotch is always the first one here, no matter what. today he didn’t even show up till we were all here.”
“should we ask him about it?” prentiss arched a brow, “i mean, maybe he knows where rowan is. after all, he is the unit chief. he’s the one we call for sick days.”
“well lucky for you all you can hold an interrogation before we discuss this next case,” jj cut in, arms loaded with files, “since we’re all here, let’s head into the conference room.”
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
the child teetered over to rowan, wide-eyed as she scoured the freezer, “ro-ro, what are you doing?”
“looking for pizza,” her voice is muffled by the door.
“pizza?”
“do you want some pizza?” she turned, a cardboard box in her hands, “i promise i won’t tell your dad. here, we can watch some cartoons while we wait for it to cook in the oven. would you like that?”
jack hotchner nodded, his blonde locks bobbing, “yes please. i won’t tell dad.”
“do you want to put the pizza in the oven?”
“yes!” jack jumped in place, nearly melting rowan’s heart.
swiveling on her heel, rowan searched for a pizza pan, ripping the box and peeling away the plastic covering. once she was finished, she placed the pizza on the pan, handing it to jack. carefully, rowan opened the door of the oven, “all right jack, be very careful. it’s really hot.”
“i’ll be careful,” he protested, allowing rowan to help guide his arms without touching the heated door.
“would you look at that,” rowan beamed, “you did such a good job jack! you can shut the door now.”
jack gripped the handle, pulling it shut, “i did it!”
“good job buddy!” the smile widened as she witnessed the pure excitement in his gaze, how he gushed and giggled at the praise.
god, he was such a cute kid.
scooping jack into her arms, rowan carried him over to the den, placing him on the couch, “what do you want to watch jack? do you like tom and jerry?”
“i love tom and jerry,” rowan couldn’t help but crack a smile as jack giggled, the sound utterly contagious.
“well, we’ll watch some tom and jerry then,” she chuckled, throwing the blanket over her, sharing some with jack as she plucked the remote off the coffee table.
“ro-ro how do you know my daddy?”
the question nearly sweeps rowan off her feet, desperate to formulate some sort of suitable answer. one that he would understand.
“we met at work. do you always ask so many questions? you sound like your dad.”
the t.v. flickered on, rowan clicking the button of the remote to find the right channel.
“i like uncle spencer but i think i like you more.” his words were slurred as he struggled to enunciate a few words, but it melted her heart nonetheless.
“am i your aunt?” rowan chuckled.
“no you were in the house this morning with daddy so obviously you’re my new mom.”
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
“hotch, you’re never late, what was the hold up?” morgan’s tone was light with a tease, almost conniving.
“sorry, i had to arrange a new babysitter for jack. his usual daycare provider has the flu so i had to meet the new sitter to make sure everything was going to go smoothly,” the unit chief didn’t crack one bit, his focus honed in on the file before them.”
“well that’s inter--” morgan licked his lips, the words ceasing as a shrill ringtone filled the conference room.
“i better take this,” as his eyes scanned the called i.d., hotch rose from his seat, stepping away from the table.
“what is it? everything okay?”
“must be the babysitter,” rossi mused, drumming his fingers on the table.
“uh yeah your son thinks i’m new his mom,” her voice was light, shrill with laughter.
“did you tell him that?” fingers gravitated towards his temple, annoyance flaring.
“no he just thinks it,” he could picture her shrug.
“tell him that you’re not.” hotch shook his head, rubbing his forehead.
“aw well i’ve always wanted to be a mother someday--” she whined.
“rowan.”
“what am i supposed to tell him? just ‘no i’m not’? hotch, that sounds so mean,” hotch could almost hear his son in the background, giggling at whatever was going on.
“rowan we are not dating nor do i intend on having a child with you.”
“that’s not what your eyes said last night,” rowan murmured, the way her voice shifted nearly coating his cheeks a pink hue.
“i gotta go,” he muttered, “i’ll text you later.”
“wait--”
the line clicked before rowan could even finish, hotch shoving his phone back into his pocket. sucking in a deep breath, he faced his team, their eyes hungry, gleaming with satisfaction, a variety of smirks stretched across their lips.
“hotch, did you just say rowan?” prentiss folded her arms across her chest.
“no i said sharon.”
“so where is rowan again?” garcia inquired, pen scribbling doodles.
“she called in with a headache,” hotch responded coolly.
“well her car says she’s at the park off north so where is she?”
“who’s shannon? did you have date with her last night? tell us about it!” morgan jeered, taunting.
“rivers called me earlier this morning informing me that she had a migraine,” hotch muttered, “so are we done acting like children?”
the team nodded, their expressions unwavering. discussing the case was pure agony, everyone oogling at hotch as if he was some sort of creature, an alien from outer space. as much as aaron didn’t want to crack underneath their banter, he was well aware that they were profilers, trained to pick out every single fiber of one’s mind and behavior.
they could see right through him.
and he was an awful liar no less.
as the team departed from the room, scampering out, giggling like idiots, rossi lingered, coughing before he spoke, “i didn’t know rowan started a babysitting service.”
“i-i don’t know what you’re talking about.” hotch stammered, tripping over the words.
rossi laid a hand on his shoulder, patting it gently, “mmmm okay, say hi to her for me when you check in later. i kinda miss the kid.”
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
the apartment was silent, the t.v. on mute, light dancing across the room as aaron strolled in. jack was nowhere to be found, the silence nearly defeaming. heart thudding in his chest, he flocked to his room, relaxing as he saw his son sound asleep, chest rising and falling, in a pair of mickey mouse pajamas.
he was curled up with his favorite bear, night light illuminating the room with a soft golden glow. a weary sigh tumbled from aaron’s lips as he backtracked, making his way towards the den.
rowan was upright, head propped up by a hand as her lids drooped, lashes fluttering. believing she was deep in slumber, aaron, plopped down on the couch, throwing his head against the leather.
a single word, so soft and gentle, startled him, “hey.”
“hey,” he whispered, “i’m sorry for getting back so late.”
“what time is it?” rowan brought a hand to her mouth to conceal a yawn, stretching out her legs.
“a little past one in the morning.”
“oh shit,” she chuckled, the noise hoarse from sleep, “what was the case?”
“nothing that we couldn’t get taken care of within a matter of hours. i’m afraid the team was a little more rambunctious than usual today.”
“rambunctious?” rowan snorted, “that’s definitely not the same behavior analysis unit of quantico, virginia that i know. they’re never rambunctious.”
there was nothing more that he could have wanted more in that moment than to come home to her every night.
if only every night could be like this.
where he could come home, burdened by the stressors of his job, muscles sore from the physicality of it, head loaded with nothing but images of what he saw. what he heard. the monsters that lurked in the shadows.
yet, the moment he saw her, everything would just disappear.
nothing would matter.
nothing but her.
nothing but the heat of the moment.
“hey,” fingertips brushed her jawline, the touch feathery and light, “rowan?”
“yeah?” her irises were a stormy ocean, a torrent of blues and greys, glimmering with apprehension.
“come here.”
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
tagged: @sapphicstars @colorlessfl0wers
#aaron hotchner#hotch#criminal minds#thomas gibson#criminal minds fic#hotch x oc#hotch fluff#hotch smut#nc-17
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HP FESTS: Strictly Dramione (Part 6)
Strictly Dramione Valentine’s Day Fic Exchange Fest 2020:
Busted Valentine by Anonymous - G, one-shot - Draco and Hermione find themselves stuck together on Valentine’s Day.
The Secret Admirer by Anonymous - M, one-shot - When the Ministry mandates mail boxes be put on the outside of everyone’s offices for a Valentine’s Day valentine exchange, single and proud Hermione Granger cannot contain her hatred of the idea. But when a surprise greets her on the most love-filled day of the year, she can’t help but be transported back to her Hogwart’s days and a certain secret admirer. Voldemort died/no horcruxes AU. Rivalry between Slytherins and Gryffindor was just house pride based.
Item Number Seventeen: Complete by Anonymous - E, one-shot - Ticking off another item from their list, Hermione has a surprise in store for her husband on Valentines Day.
It Was Always You, Falling For Me by Anonymous - E, WIP - It was nothing.It was a game.Yes, a silly little game, played by silly people who, in spite of their differences, often came together to drown their grief in excessive amounts of firewhiskey and spiked butterbeer.The first time Hermione Granger kissed Draco Malfoy she hadn’t known it was him.She couldn’t reiterate enough: It was a game, nothing more; one she hadn’t particularly wanted to take part in (but she was buzzed and glad to prove a point).
A Proper Field Agent by Anonymous - E, one-shot - Hermione and Draco go undercover as a married couple on a Valentine's/honeymoon retreat to a Beauty Expo in Las Vegas to take down Marcus Flint and his Squib trafficking ring.
It Could Be Good by Anonymous - E, one-shot - Sent in search of a lost city, Hermione and Draco fall under the spell of elemental magic in ways neither expected but both welcomed.
The Proposal by Anonymous - G, one-shot - Hermione and Draco discuss their options after they've been matched by the Ministry in a marriage law.
In Your Dreams by Anonymous - T, one-shot - When Draco agreed to test a new product for Fred and George before Valentine's Day, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. But it just might change his life.
An Unexpected Evening by Anonymous - G, 5 chapters - Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger have worked together for the past year to bring Death Eater's to justice. Neither of them knew they'd have a date for Valentine's Day, but plans change, and opportunities are created.
Implicit Intentions by Anonymous - M, one-shot - When words can't properly express the way they feel, Hermione and Draco rely on body language to guide them through an unspoken relationship. Unfortunately, sometimes communication is key.
The Last First Kiss by Anonymous - E, one-shot - “You’ve been avoiding me.”She stepped out of his presence and hummed. “You know why.”“Granger— ”“Oh look,” she crossed her arms and tilted her head in the direction of the common room door where Harry and his girlfriend Daphne had just entered alongside Daphne’s little sister, Draco’s betrothed. One Astoria Greengrass, who’d been kept home to finish her last year of schooling so that she could finish the lessons that would prepare her for a life as a pureblooded society wife. Draco’s pureblooded society wife.“Here's the reason why.”
Thank Luna Later by Anonymous - G, one-shot - Luna has an existential crisis and decides that the way to solve it is by getting Draco and Hermione together. Part of the 2020 Strictly Dramione Valentine's Fest.
Make It Real by Anonymous - T, one-shot - They were just pretending. And then they got stuck together. What now?
Love With Me by Anonymous - M, one-shot - Draco and Hermione make amends during 8th year. Feelings develop, but who will be the first to admit it?
Worshiping at the Alter of You by Anonymous - E, one-shot - Draco Malfoy is certain of only one thing: that his wife is a goddess and its his job to worship at her feet.
Her Secret Admirer by Anonymous - T, one-shot - Valentine's Day is coming up and Hermione has discovered she has a secret admirer. What will they gift her next! Written for the Strictly Dramione Valentine's Day Fic Exchange, 2020.
Getting Ready by Anonymous - T, one-shot - If Draco Malfoy is her boyfriend, why is Hermione Granger going to the Valentine’s Gala alone?
Crash Into Me by Anonymous - E, one-shot - Hermione runs into a familiar-looking blonde on a particularly bad day. At her wit's end, she throws herself into his arms and kisses him soundly. Surely he can pretend to be her boyfriend for a minute right? What's the worst that could happen?
Picking Daisies by Anonymous - not rated, one-shot - Draco is obsessed with Hermione, but she won't even look his way. But that doesn't matter, because Malfoys always get what they want... One way or another.
A Valentine's Day Ghost Story by Anonymous - not rated, one-shot - The torch was passed to the new generation. Can those lost in history be found?
This Day by Anonymous - T, one-shot - She pursed her lips, “ha bloody ha, I too have no date. But misery loves company, so we can get drunk together.”“Granger, I think you may be drunk already.”She waved him off as she drank more, “Potato, potahto. As long as I’m drunk, I hate this day.”
Half Crazy by Anonymous - G, one-shot - When the Ministry hosts a Valentine's Day exchange, Hermione has strong feelings about participating. Draco, unsure of the reception, also has feelings of a completely different variety.
Stuck in the Middle by Anonymous - M, one-shot - Harry Potter plays matchmaker for Valentine's Day and chaos ensues.
As You Wish by Anonymous - M, one-shot - "A Ministry-mandated Valentine’s disco/networking/fancy-dress event? It’s pathetic! And besides, Valentine’s Day is the worst holiday of the year.” A chorus of groans and ‘oh come now’s’ came from around the table of Hermione’s DMLE co-workers.“No, it’s true!” she said, “It does nothing but put enormous pressure on people to make grand romantic gestures, buy gifts and flowers and stupid cards, while making others feel terrible because they haven’t anyone to buy them for. And if you’re in a relationship, it’s inevitable that at least one partner feels obligated to go out - to some packed to the gills restaurant with run-off-their-feet waitstaff and a pedestrian three course, prix fixe menu marked up 50% because it includes a glass of shitty South African sparkling wine and a straggly red rose at one of the place settings! And I won’t even get into the sexism that underpins it all. The whole thing infuriates me.”“You not get any cards this year, Granger?” Draco Malfoy’s drawl sounded from behind her as he approached the table with a fresh round of drinks.“Fuck off, Malfoy,” she said reflexively.
Six Hours to Midnight by Anonymous - E, one-shot - With little else planned for the most romantic day of the year, Hermione Granger is begrudgingly dragged to the Greengrass Valentine Masquerade. But as she assumes her new persona, she can't help but run into Draco Malfoy again and again...and again.
Thunderstruck by Anonymous - T, one-shot - "Even a tiny bit of deceit is dishonourable when it's used for selfish or cowardly reasons." Jeanne Birdsall Draco Malfoy is deceiving himself, lying to his son, and existing in a bubble of misery and loneliness. He yearns for love, for companionship, for something to make him feel anything but the sadness that consumes him. When his truly Slytherin friends turn to Hermione Granger, will she pick up their subtle clues and offer to help him? A story of new beginnings, second chances, falling in love, and air guitars.
Together is a Wonderful Place to be by Anonymous - T, one-shot - When an old flame returns to town, can Hermione put their troubles in the past and start over?
Howlers and Pearls by Anonymous - M, one-shot - They are just friends. Until some bad dates and insightful friends make them reconsider
Strictly Dramione - Valentine’s Day Fest 2021:
Platonic Roommates Will Never Be A Thing by StrawberryBrownies - E, one-shot - A typical day of drunken brunch and drunken Quidditch with friends turns into more than Hermione could have hoped for.
My Favourite Book by LaBelladoneX - M, 4 chapters - What do two Slytherins, a Gryffindor, a Time-Turner, and a vat of Polyjuice have in common? No? Well, let’s just say they have the power to make Blaise Zabini a very, very satisfied wizard, Dean Thomas a wealthy one, and Draco Malfoy even more in love with Hermione Granger than ever before.
This story also reveals the identity of Draco’s favourite book. Any ideas what it might be? Let me give you some clues, okay? It’s not to be found in the libraries of Malfoy Manor, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or Sunnydale High School. You also won’t find it at the Bodleian Library at Oxford or The Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Nor can it be located in the home improvements or large print sections of your local libraries. But you might just find it sitting behind a desk on Level One of the British Ministry of Magic, pining away, and wishing Seamus Finnigan would just drop dead. Written for Strictly Dramione’s Valentine’s Fest 2021
Hands Up by SlytherinHermione - E, one-shot - It's Valentine's Day and Professor Hermione Granger still doesn't have a gift for her boyfriend.In her mid-thirties and a single mom, the thought of having a boyfriend makes her giddy... The fact that said boyfriend is Professor Draco Malfoy, well that causes a whole different slew of reactions.She wants to spend the rest of her life with him, but she's still keeping certain aspects of herself secret. Maybe showing him her deepest desires might be the perfect gift...
Will You Be My Valentine? by Snowflake_Dazzle - T, one-shot - The Valentine's Day Dance is coming up and there is one person Hermione wants to go with. But Draco hates being back at Hogwarts and doesn't want to do anything more than just survive.
We Can't Be Friends by psiphifan - E, one-shot - Draco Malfoy has been a widower for two years and his mother is pushing him towards suitable second wives. Hermione Granger has been divorced for over a year, but as Minister for Magic, she has little time for dalliances outside of work. What happens when they both happen to venture into the muggle world on Valentine's Day weekend in 2021?
Divinyl Intervention by Elliac77 - E, one-shot - Hermione and Ginny embark on a mission to find Hermione a man. When the perfect man is found, it seems he needs a little convincing. Will their ‘staged intervention’ succeed?Written for the Strictly Dramione Valentine's Fest 2021Prompts : “I am way too sober for this” / “Can you two get a room please?”
Exeunt, Pursued by Bear by Maira - M, one-shot - “If I see one more bloody pink bear, I’ll bloody well decapitate it.”Wherein Draco Malfoy visits multiple bars, encounters fruity cocktails, and falls into Hermione Granger's lap. On Valentine's Day. Because, of course.Written for the Strictly Dramione Valentines Fest 2021.
Unexpected Champagne by rowbee - G, one-shot - Hermione wants to spread the love this Valentine’s and a too-helpful Draco might’ve made it more exciting for unsuspecting people.
5 Million Galleons by Sexidebater - G, one-shot - Submission for the "STRICTLY DRAMIONE - VALENTINE’S FEST 2021" Prompt chosen: "I am way too sober for this."Pansy has roped Hermione into a charity auction where a Valentines Date with Hermione is the prize to the highest bidder. What does Hermione's V-Day look like when Draco drops 5 million galleons for her hand in date? Absolute fluff that will leave you wanting more!
Haste by Lostinthenightrain - M, one-shot - no summary
Linger by Lostinthenightrain - M, one-shot - It's too early to get up.
This fest is ongoing.
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Unforeseen Chasm (Part 52)
Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.
Word Count:4918
Warnings: Language, Jealous Tony, uncontrollable powers, dangerous situation, arguing, Tony done fucked up, unwarranted action, talk of the past,
Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my novels). It’s a collaboration with the amazing @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo. It started as a funny “What if…?” and it evolved and got huge. This took two years to write. We are both proud and happy and we hope you enjoy it. It follows from Thor 1 to Endgame in the MCU. Some of the timelines may be off in order to fit certain people, and some characters may show up earlier or in different ways than they have in the movie. But for the most part, it follows the MCU. It also has a bit of crossover with some other Marvel characters throughout the story.
Masterlist for Unforeseen Chasm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days have passed and the closer they were to completely removing the powers from Shannon, the weaker she got. At some point it had been too much that she could no longer stay awake long enough to do much. She and Bruce had rescheduled the garden walks for when she had more strength. Tony had been seen around the mansion more often but each time it seemed as though Bruce was always around to keep Shannon company. He knew he would eventually have to confront Bruce about his feelings towards his wife.
Bruce would frequent the room to check up on both women then it was noticeable that the real person he went to see was Shannon rather. He would often sit next to her and read to her or just stayed and chat. You personally didn’t mind that he was here so often, you just hoped that he wouldn’t get too attached because after all Shannon is a married woman.
On one of those days that he had come to visit her, they had been sharing the bed and you had been sleeping off the exhaustion from the recent transfusion. Tony walked in holding a tray of her favorite food when he found the two all snuggled in the small bed. Shannon had her eyes closed leaning her head on his chest as he massaged her head and read one of her favorite books.
“What the hell is going on here?” He dropped the tray harshly on the table near the door. “You two are looking extremely fucking cozy.”
“Tony, relax and lower your voice. You’ll wake up Y/N,” Bruce said as he pointed over to you curled up to your pillow. “Shannon wanted me to read to her.”
Shannon was listening to them argue and had had enough of it. She opened her eyes.
“Please. Can you two not start right now? I'm exhausted and I’d appreciate it if you two didn’t fight while Y/N is sleeping.” She attempted to move and Bruce helped her, adding a few more pillows around her.
“I’ll leave. You two to talk.” He smoothed her hair back. “I’ll go check on the tests we did today give me a shout if you need me.”
“No need, Mr. Nurse, I'll be here.” Tony remarks as the other man leaves. “Care to explain what the fuck is going on here?”
“Would you lower your damn voice, Stark! My head is pounding.” She rubbed her temple. “He’s just been keeping a close eye on me.”
“Maybe a little too close, wouldn’t you say?” he snapped, his eyes hard on hers. “Keeping an eye on you? Seriously, Shan? Does he cuddle Y/N too? Either he’s being professional or he’s not, and curling up in bed with you goes way beyond being a helper.”
“I asked him to sit next to me so that he wouldn’t have to raise his voice.” she shook her head. “What’s gotten into you lately? it’s like you are being a child.”
“I’m the child?” he asked, fuming, pointing to himself. “You’re the one flouting around with Banner! We just got married, Shannon. Does that mean nothing to you? How the fuck would you feel if you saw me cuddled up to Pepper on our couch and my response was, ‘Oh, sorry, hun, she had a headache and I wanted to keep an eye on her.’?”
“Oh you wanna talk about cuddling up to other people?! Okay fine. How about the times I've seen you getting real cozy with Pepper back at the office? Or during one of your famous parties and you’ve taken countless women back to the room?” Shannon growled back getting mad that he’s getting upset over nothing important. “Yes I did get married to you and it means more than you think, Stark but if you think that for a second you're gonna get to act like this then you’ve got something else coming your way.” the lights slowly dimmed and her hand was shaking
“I’ve never been unfaithful to you, ever. Pepper is a good worker and a close friend, you know this. Those women and parties were long before you and I even had our first date. How can you tell me I can’t get mad? My best friend is lying in bed with my wife! You’ve barely looked at me or talked to me since you’ve been admitted to the mansion for these treatments. But every time I turn around, you’re with Bruce. What the hell else am I supposed to think, Shannon?”
“You only recently started showing up and that was after you found out I was sick! Half the time you're here, you're somewhere else doing who knows what.” she crosses her arms to hide her shaking hands. “I can’t just get out of bed and go find you and drag you back here.” there was a light buzz of the electrical system. “The only people who even stay long enough for me to spend time with are Bruce, Wade, and Remy and half of the time he’s here for Y/N. For Christ sake even Logan, who doesn’t always like to talk, would come see me.” By then her anger was growing and she had no idea where it was headed.
Tony stopped for a moment, trying to reel his anger in. “I can’t fucking believe this. I’m getting attacked after I found you in bed with another guy. This is fucking backwards.” He rubbed his forehead, shutting his eyes tight. “I’m here for you, Shannon! I always am! Every time I come here, it’s to see you. Sorry if i have an obligation to do some work while I'm here too, but I do.”
“What’s fucking backwards is that my husband is acting like a fucking asshole and treating me like I’m sleeping with someone else!” Her powers helped her get up and her eyes had gone red and she had no control of her powers. “What work could you possibly be doing that's been taking up your time.” she dared him to say something else to push her buttons. “So don’t you come in here acting like the victim.”
“Fine. Fuck it. Have it your way. You and Banner can cozy up all you want. I’m out of here.” He started to grab his things, ready to leave. He saw that she was beyond control and maybe it was actually best he leave.
The door slams shut cutting him off from leaving. “You are not about to run off after starting this!” her voice booms.
All anger vanished at her voice and the sight of the door. “Shannon,” he started carefully. “Let’s just let this go. You don’t want to do anything you’ll regret,” he warned. The fight was officially over. It was time for him to go into survival mode. He didn’t have a suit on or near him, and the only person who could save him, was you, who was somehow miraculously sleeping through this entire ordeal.
“Aww does the Great Tony Stark feel helpless now?” the lights flickered harder. She was losing control of her powers.
At the sound of the door slamming and loud voices, you woke up. Your eyes snapped open and you heard Shannon. You immediately jumped out of bed, adrenaline charging you. Shannon was standing while Tony seemed to be shrinking away from his wife. You immediately moved to stand in front of Tony, your hand out.
“Shannon,” you began softly. “Whatever’s going on, you need to fight it,” you encouraged. “Your powers have taken over and you’re about to hurt your husband, Tony, whom you love very much,” you reminded soothingly.
“Why are you defending him!” She got angrier. “He’s acting like I’ve betrayed him. I've done nothing wrong.” She felt like she was fighting really hard to take back control. There was a look of confusion on her face. It's like there was something wrong.
You narrowed your eyes before glancing at the door, using your power to open it.
“Tony, go get Logan, now,” you ordered quickly before whipping your face back to Shannon’s. Tony ran out into the hall, shouting for Logan.
“Y/N, you know i’d never do anything to hurt him.” She groans. “I can’t control my powers.” she managed to grunt out. “This is your doing Tony!” she said as the two entered the room.
Logan ran back into the bedroom, with Tony in tow.
“Jesus, Shan,” Logan remarked.
“Grab her,” you instructed. You threw your powers out, wrapping around her, electrifying her for just a second, just enough to throw her off guard. Long enough that Logan could grab her. He lurched forward, grabbing her in a bear hug, toppling over with her on the bed. You ran over, put your hand on her head, and again, robbed her of all of her senses. When she finally stopped writhing in Logan’s grasp, you let go. She seemed to go to sleep, which wasn’t what you were doing to her. “Logan?” you asked, peering at him, wondering if he’d somehow accidentally hurt her.
“Wasn’t me,” he assured as he got up, letting her go.
Shannon lied, motionless on the bed. Her eyes closed. She’d passed out, possibly, her powers over taking her.
“Shit,” you breathed, terrified you’d hurt her somehow. “Someone go get Hank,” you ordered, your voice shaking.
Logan ran off to go find Hank and came back a few moments later.
“What happened here?” Hank asked as he noticed that some of the lights were busted.
“We had an argument and then something went wrong it’s like her powers went haywire.” Tony said. He walked over to where she was.
“Well it looks like what Charles and I had predicted, we predicted her powers would try to control her once more and it caused her to enter into a comatose state.” He moved to set the monitors into a new setting to watch for any changes in her during her new state.
“She’s what?” Tony looked up. “That can’t be true, right? Tell me it’s not true!” He looked exasperated. He had been the reason that she entered this phase and it was going to kill him if she didn’t come back.
----------------------------
Shannon was now in her comatose state next to you. The only light in the room was the moonlight. You’d been lying on your bed for hours, staring straight up as Remy lay beside you. You’d already explained that Shannon and Tony got in a fight, causing her powers to finally take full control and shut her down physically. You told him you were worried it was your fault, even though Hank had assured you a million times it was her powers that did it.
“You okay?” he suddenly asked.
“Not exactly,” you admitted with a sigh.
“Well, physically though. Between the session from today and having to use your powers on Shannon yesterday...” he said.
You shrugged. “I’m a little weak.”
“What got them fighting anyhow? Tony and Loki?” he questioned, curious. It’d been a day, but Remy’d heard about the fight between Loki and Tony. He decided to give you some space, seeing as within 24 hours your boyfriend was fighting your best friend’s husband, and you had to use your powers to basically deactivate her. Now she was comatose.
You bit your lip, thinking if you wanted to confide in Remy what the fight was actually about.
“They were… Loki’s jealous of you,” you blurted out.
He made a noise of disappointment. “I don’t like speakin’ out of turn, chere, but he ain’t no good for you.”
“Remy,” you moaned, exasperated. “Don’t do this. Not now, please.”
“Well when the hell should I do it?” he challenged, his voice more stern than normal. “When you’re married to that maniac?”
Your eyes glowed purple. “Don’t,” you begged through clenched teeth.
“Y/N/N, what can he possibly give you?” he asked, a pleading in his tone.
“A life,” you answered, turning your head towards him.
His face was still soft as he peered at you. “What kinda life is this? This is an idea of a life. This ain’t no real life.”
“I love him, okay? We’ve been through everything together. He understands me.”
“And you think I don’t?” he asked as if he were offended. “Both of us orphaned. Both of us have got this odd power in us. Both of us don’t really belong anywhere. Come on, you know you love travelin’, that’s why you’re always doin’ your science out in the field. We’re both nomads.”
You shook your head, turning away from him.
“I can’t do this, I love him,” you said in return, your voice thick. You flung your legs off the side of the bed and tried to get up and leave the room. You only made it to the doorway when Remy’s voice caught you.
“Look at what he’s doin’ to you, darlin’. Every time he is around, there’s a fight. Shannon’s wedding, here, New York… Confrontation follows that guy like a shadow. Life with him has not been easy, and it ain’t gonna never get any better,” he stated, begging in his voice.
“You don’t understand, alright? I love him. I nearly died for him.”
“Well maybe that’s what’s wrong. You’ve done all this for him. What’s he done for you?” he asked.
“He’s done more for me than I can ever repay,” you assured, your voice ominous, and Remy had no choice but to believe you.
“Is that all you want your relationship to be? ‘I owe him this’, ‘She owes me that’, ‘I owe him my life’.”
“Don’t cheapen the situation,” you ordered. “Loki didn’t trick me or ask me to do anything. Everything I’ve done, every choice I’ve made was on me.”
“And what about now? I understand before, but now. You’re not in jail any more together, you don’t have to be together.”
“But I want to be,” you insisted.
“Really? Because when we were dancin’ earlier, I felt the spark. You can lie and say you didn’t feel it too, but I know you did.”
"Why now? Why are you telling me this now? You have had years."
He frowned at you incredulously, as if you'd lost your mind. "Years? When exactly was I supposed to tell you? When we were kids and you were about to leave for college and I couldn't follow you there? Or how about when you graduated and went all over the world for research. Or maybe when you skipped out on the entire planet to go play Prince and Princess, and wound up in prison. Tell me, when was I s'pose to tell you mah feelin's?"
You threw your hands out to the side, exasperated, shaking your head. "I don't know what you want me to say. I'm in love with someone else and I can't change the past."
Without much warning, he closed the distance between you two and his lips were on yours in a warm embrace, his hands in your hair. The sensation hit you as if you'd been electrified. His energy and yours combined and for half a second, you forgot everything but Remy LeBeau - then suddenly you remembered Loki, and nothing but him. You shoved Remy away, only taking a split second to charge your fist.
You slammed your knuckles into his jaw and it nearly sent him to the floor.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" you demanded with rage, your fist still charged with purple energy.
While he was still bent over rubbing his jaw, he answered, “I was thinkin’ I’d change your mind. Shoulda seen that comin’,” he noted. He straightened up, his hand still touching his jaw. “You pulled your punch,” he remarked.
You crossed your arms. “Yeah and now I’m wishing I didn’t. Remy...I love Loki. You don’t get to do this to me. You’re my oldest friend.” All you could do was shake your head and walk off to your room, having nothing further to say to him. You laid on your bed, your chest tight as tears rolled down your cheeks.
------------------------------------
The following evening, Tony came up to visit Shannon. You were absorbed in a book. You’d still been healing Shannon even while comatosed, but now that she was unconscious all the time you had no friends. Remy kept his distance and you think word had gotten around the mansion and now no one spoke to you. You honestly thought they were being courteous and giving you room.
However, Loki hadn’t been back since the fight and this didn’t help your morale. No Loki, no Shannon, no Remy, no anyone.
Except Tony. He was here, looking like someone had taken the light out of his life. You eyed him up and down for a moment before finally getting the courage to ask, “Gotta long face, Tony… What’s up?”
Maybe it was the fact that Shannon was comatose and couldn’t talk to him. Maybe he was desperate. Maybe he was lonely, but for whatever reason, he opened up to you. “I put her here. And it’s not just fighting your pretty boy that did it.”
You frowned. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“I pushed her away from you. You’re her best friend and here you were the one to fix her. I just… I didn’t trust you, Y/N/N. After New York, you were this different person. You were vivid, full of life, curious. Then you went up there, came back, and suddenly you’re trying to kill us for… him. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I still can’t.”
You pressed your lips into a firm line. “Did Shannon ever tell you what happened? While I was gone.”
“Other than you were brainwashed, no. Why, does it matter?”
“Depends on who you ask,” you noted with a bit of a humorless laugh. You put your book on the nightstand and looked back to him. “I met Loki here, on Earth. I was able to see him. This got Thor and Loki wondering if I was Asgardian. Well, we went there and sure enough, we found out my parents were Asgardian and Frigga started to raise me with Thor and Loki. I felt as if I belonged somewhere. Don’t get me wrong, Earth feels like home, but so does Asgard. Earth is what I know, what I grew up with, but Asgard has this familiarity to it. Like a childhood home.”
Tony sat there, listening.
“So here I am, I finally find out who my parents are, what race I am. Not to mention this magic I have. Then suddenly… Loki learns he’s adopted too, he’s not even Asgardian, well he’s half. He became consumed with rage. He’d been lied to. He’d been treated differently his whole life and now he knew why… In his fit of rage, Thor had to stop him from killing another race - the Frost Giants, his true race. When he did that, Loki ended up trying to commit suicide. Odin held onto him on the bridge, and Loki he… he just let go,” you recalled, the feeling bubbling back up inside you. “I’d gotten somewhat close to Loki. I’d cracked his hard outer shell a bit. And for some reason, that day, when I saw him falling, all I could think was ‘not him, I can’t live with out him.’ And I jumped after him. I mean, I was kind of raised with him, we were both lost people tied to Asgard, orphans - you know? There was this common ground.We had gotten to know each other very well in two months. I was completely in love.” A fond smile pulled at your lips as you remembered those easy days. “Shannon was the same way with you. I don’t know if she ever told you,” you stated.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“She didn’t care much for you, until she worked in your lab. She admired your work, and your mind, but it wasn’t until she worked with you every day that she really fell hard. She just kind of saw you for the persona you put on.”
Tony didn’t even argue the point you made. He knew that you knew him well enough to know he was mostly show, all a distraction for his insecurities and fears.
“But she saw you for this sensitive, sweet, intelligent guy. The same thing happened with Loki. He was this cold, rigid man. But once I got him to open up, he was the most romantic, caring man I’d ever met. He’d just been looked over all his life. No matter how hard he worked, no matter how many battles he won, no matter how many academic challenges he crushed, he never earned the praise of his people or his father.”
“Maybe we have more in common than I thought,” Tony muttered. “But why go through all that, for him? I mean, the brainwashing, torture, nearly killing the avengers and Shannon… All that for him?”
“It was never, ever our intention to kill any of you, let alone hurt you. We were sincerely hoping that we could at most turn Bruce into a wrecking machine that you would have to focus on. That was the best case scenario… But it didn’t happen.” You bit your lip. “Thanos said he would kill Loki if I failed… What would you have done? If it came to fighting Rhodey and your friends, to keep her alive?” you questioned, your tone slightly challenging.
Tony’s eyebrows slowly rose as he gazed at the floor.
“I was just trying to save him, save us, save our lives. We’d endured a year of suffering and torture… I didn’t want it to all be in vain. What would you have done?” you asked.
After several moments, he finally spoke up. Tony Stark being speechless was something you never thought you’d witness.
“Can’t say I’d have done much differently,” he agreed begrudgingly.
You gazed down at your hands, toying with your fingers.
“Tony, I still mean what I said years ago. You’re still one of my greatest friends, and you’ve always been great to Shannon. Don’t be so hard on yourself. She loves you more than anything. I wish we could go back to what we were,” you noted with a half grin. “I know we can’t but… I’d like to at least start over.”
A smile played at his lips. “Yeah, I’d like that too,” he stated. “But no starting over. Too much work and I don’t want to have to remember all your favorite things. Let’s just call it even and say it’s water under the bridge, yeah?”
A laugh escaped you. “Agreed.”
“I guess everyone is turning over a new leaf,” he commented, seeming amused.
“How so?”
“Well after Lokster and I went rounds, we went out for drinks.”
“Really?” you questioned, a skeptical laugh escaping you.
“Yeah.”
“How did that go? I miss him. Even though he’s an ass, I wish he’d come around.”
Tony winced. “Yeah, about that….”
You frowned. “What about it?”
“Remember that we’re friends again when I tell you this--”
“What?” you questioned, your eyes narrowing as you started to get off the bed. “What did you do, Tony?”
“He was feeling really… well homesick. I guess. He thought maybe he’d be better off just going back to Asgard and I said, ‘Well why don’t you?’”
“What!?” you all but shrieked. “Tony, why? How could you do that?’
He stood up to meet you at eye level. “Hear me out. Look, he misses his home. He thinks his dad will you know, go easy on him since he served a sentence out here. He confided some things to me and I thought maybe… Well… you just changed so much since you met. I just wonder if maybe you aren’t better off without him.”
“Better off without-- That is not your place to decide!” you yelled.
“I know.”
“How did he even leave? He was under probation here and you’ve got a travel restriction on him.”
“I may have lifted that so he could leave.”
“You did this on purpose!” you accused angrily.
“Y/N/N, listen to me,” he begged, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m just thinking of you here. Ever since you met him your life has been one train wreck after another. Did you ever wonder if maybe you two aren’t meant for each other? Maybe your lives would be easier apart. You want to live here on Earth, and he wants to be on Asgard.”
It seemed as if Shannon could feel strong emotions that her friend was feeling and that caused her to wake up. It’d been so long since she’d been awake but it's like she was perfectly fine.
“Y/N, what's wrong? Did Tony tell you something to piss you off?” She sat up looking from her best friend to her husband who she remembers she still had to finish talking with.
“Babe, you're awake!” Tony exclaimed, rushing to her side to hold her hand. “Are you feeling okay? Do you need something to drink?”
“I’m fine, Tony. I'm more worried about Y/N. What did you tell her?”
“I told her that I gave Loki permission to leave New York and go back to his family on Asgard. I figured that he should get to go back, seeing as he missed his family.”
“Tony, what were you thinking?! He shouldn't have left, let alone by himself. They still had things to fix. You had no right to do that.”
"Shan, sweetie, you need to rest. I can take it from here. I'm going after Loki," you said defiantly as you started to grab clothes and a suitcase.
“Y/N, I can’t let you do that by yourself. The least I can do after everything you’ve done for me is go with you and help you sort out this problem.” She looked over at Tony, giving him a look. “As for you, we’re going to finish our conversation before I passed out when we come back.”
Tony looked away, knowing he was going to get an earful from her when she got back about everything that’s happened.
“Y/N, finish packing. I’ll go shower and get dressed really quick. Think you can pack my bag?”
"Of course," you said solemnly.
“You just woke up. I dont think it’s a good idea for you to be going to another planet just yet, babe.” He watched her get up and start heading for the bathroom.
“I know I probably shouldn’t be doing this but it needs to be done. Who knows how things will go when they talk? I need to be there in case of anything.” And with that, she walked into the bathroom. A little while later she was showered and dressed. Just then Bruce walked in to do his routine check on her.
“Shannon! You’re awake. You shouldn’t be up and walking around just yet.” He rushed to her to make sure she didn’t fall. “Where are you going?” He noticed the two packed bags.
“Y/N and I are going to go find Loki and have him come back to earth so those two to talk things out.”
“Where exactly are you going?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t too far
“Asgard,” she simply responded.
“No, Shannon! I can’t let you do that. Who knows how your body will react to you entering their planet.”
“I’ll be fine. If anything, the doctors over there can check me, plus my healing factor has been active this entire time so I’m okay.”
“I’d rather me or someone else go with you two just to make sure,” Bruce said, not seeing how Tony reacted to him saying that.
“Babe, he’s right you two shouldnt go, healing factor or not you are not at 100 just yet.”
“I am a grown ass woman I can go where I please and if you really want to come Bruce, I’m not stopping you. Just don’t think I’m going to do everything you say,” she called over her shoulder as she grabbed her bag and both women headed out the door.
“Wait, let me grab some things and I’ll go with you both. Just to keep you girls safe.” He went to the room that was close by, no one had realized he had switched rooms to be closer to Shanon. “Alright, I've got everything, you want to lead the way?” He gestured to you to go ahead of them.
“On it,” you said confidently as you walked out of the mansion, far away from it, and out into the field behind it. Shannon and Bruce were just behind you, following you out.
Tony pulled Bruce back. “You better not dare try anything while you three are there, got it?” he warned the taller man. “Remember who she’s married to, Banner.”
“Relax, would you? As her doctor, I’m keeping it professional.” He walked away in hopes of ending the conversation there.
As soon as everyone made their way beside you, everyone’s luggage in hand, you took a deep breath. “Heimdall, open the bifrost, please,” you requested. It was so odd, you hadn’t been to Asgard since the fall. You wondered how it would feel returning to your ‘home.’
Heimdall opened the rift and within the blink of an eye, a rainbow shroud formed around you to take you away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Here Be Dragons, Chapter One
Molly Hooper is happy. Undeniably, sun shine and rainbows, happy. Then Sherlock utters the name Charles Augustus Magnussen and her world goes spinning. She watches as her friend’s lives fall apart and she struggles to hold hers together.
The third major installment of the Isn’t She Beautiful series.
I’ve been working on this for some time now (about two years) and I did post part of a chapter or two about a year and a half ago, so if this sounds familiar, that is probably way...but I’ve edited it since them.
Prologue:
MYCROFT: I’m glad you’ve given up on the Magnussen business.
SHERLOCK: Are you?
MYCROFT: I’m still curious, though. He’s hardly your usual kind of puzzle. Why do you..hate him?
SHERLOCK : Because he attacks people who are different and preys on their secrets. Why don’t you?
MYCROFT: He never causes too much damage to anyone important. He’s far too intelligent for that. He’s a business-man, that’s all, and occasionally useful to us. A necessary evil – not a dragon for you to slay.
SHERLOCK: A dragon slayer. Is that what you think of me?
MYCROFT: No…It’s what you think of yourself.
---
MYCROFT: I have, by the way, a job offer I should like you to decline.
SHERLOCK: I decline your kind offer.
MYCROFT: I shall pass on your regrets.
SHERLOCK: What was it?
MYCROFT: MI6 – they want to place you back into Eastern Europe. An undercover assignment that would prove fatal to you in, I think, about six months.
SHERLOCK: Then why don’t you want me to take it?
MYCROFT: It’s tempting ... but on balance you have more utility closer to home.
SHERLOCK: Utility?! How do I have utility?
MYCROFT: Here be dragons.
Sherlock smirked at his brother and took another long drag on his cigarette.
“Besides,” Mycroft said as he dropped his cigarette on the ground and treaded on it, “Your loss would break Molly and Mina’s hearts……and mine as well.” Sherlock choked on the smoke he had just inhaled and turned to his brother, a confused and doubtful look on his face. “You’re still my brother Sherlock and despite everything that has passed between us, I do…care for you.”
Sherlock squinted at his brother, trying to read him.
“Did Molly promise you something if you were nice today?” he asked skeptically. Mycroft smiled and gave a small shrug.
“Merry Christmas, Sherlock.”
Chapter 1
“I shouldn’t have reacted that way – You deserve for me to be better than that. I will be better, for you and Mina.” Sherlock took Molly’s hand in his. “Don’t give up on me.”
“I won’t ever give up on you.” She kissed him hard. “I promise.” She smiled at him when she saw the look in his eyes – the love and security that was his promise to her. His promise that he would always be there for her and protect her and love her. His promise that he would take care of Mina no matter what and that nothing and no one would ever hurt her. The promise she would hold on to when things got hard and she struggled to keep her promise.
- With All My Heart, Chapter Five
“Mhmm!” Molly moaned as she dropped her head back, still supporting herself on her elbows. “Oh god! Yes!” She laced her fingers through Sherlock’s curls as he buried his face between her legs. “Oh Sherlock…yes!” He picked his head up and smiled at her.
“If you aren’t quieter, you’re going to wake Mina.” He leaned back down and bit her thigh, making her whimper. He gave her a devilish grin and returned to his ministrations. Molly fell flat on her back, biting her lip hard as she tried to keep herself quiet. The more he worked at her center the louder her moans and whimpers grew.
He knew she was close by the way she wiggled and clenched around his fingers. She protested when his fingers and lips left her skin but Sherlock quickly settled above her and gripped her hips tightly.
“Please,” she begged and he drove into her, his mouth swallowing her gasp. Within minutes Sherlock had her on the edge and falling apart in his hands, followed shortly by his own release. They stayed intertwined as they caught their breath and their heart rates slowed. “I love you,” she said as she peppered his chest with her kisses.
“I love you too,” he whispered to her as he tucked her head under his chin and feel asleep.
--
“Here baby.” Molly set a plate in front of Mina who gladly dug in. “Who is taking you to school today?”
“Can daddy?” Mina asked around a large bite of food.
“If he ever gets out of bed…SHERLOCK!” Molly hollered.
“Minute!” His muffled voice floated down the stairs. Molly and Mina looked at each other, a knowing smile on each of their faces – Sherlock was never ready on time.
Molly made herself a cup of tea and grabbed herself a plate of food just as Sherlock came trotting down the stairs.
“Morning Munchkin,” he said and kissed Mina on the head. “Mhm,” he hummed as he kissed Molly. “You smell delicious,” he whispered, making Molly’s cheeks heat.
“Daddy, can you take me to school today?” Mina asked as he walked around the peninsula.
“Of course.” He looked at their plates and frowned. Molly smirked and pointed to the extra cuppa on the counter. “Thank you.”
“New case?” Molly asked, noticing his lowered appetite.
“A new…something.” Sherlock smirked and stole the extra piece of toast off of Mina’s plate.
“Daddy!” Mina chastised him as she tried to steal it back, her little arms stretching out. She quickly gave up and dissolved into a fit of giggles as he waved the toast in victory.
“John and Mary should be getting back today from their holiday, will you be dragging him along with you?”
“What am I without my blogger, Molly?” he asked in mock sincerity.
“What’s a blogger?” Mina wrinkled her nose.
“A very useful pet.” Sherlock winked at Mina and Molly rolled her eyes at him.
--
Molly was having a good day! A good week she should say! Sherlock had been very attentive to her needs the last three nights, Mina had been behaving even more so than usual, she had discovered two very interesting causes of death that morning alone, and her lab cultures were looking beautiful when she checked on them that afternoon! She was having a very good week indeed!
Until she was getting ready to go home.
“Molly!” Sherlock’s voice was urgent as he busted into the morgue.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she pulled him into her office.
“I…I need to ask something of you and you’re not going to like it.” He sat down and waited for her to do the same. He took her hands in his and held them, not looking at her.
“Sherlock, you’re scaring me,” she placed her hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “You know you can ask me anything.” Sherlock swallowed hard and nodded at her.
“Charles Augustus Magnussen….have you heard of him?”
“Of course, he owns several newspapers,” she replied.
“Magnussen is like a shark…it’s the only way I can describe him. Molly, he turns my stomach in no way anyone else that I have ever dealt with has.” His eyebrows were drawn together and his voice was hard.
“You’ve dealt with terrorists and serial killers…yet, you’re telling me that he is the worst?” she asked in an amused tone.
“Yes!” He squeezed her hands tightly. “This…I wouldn’t be asking you this if it wasn’t important.” She nodded her head in understanding. “Lady Smallwood has asked that I intercede for her with Magnussen. Now, Magnussen won’t make a deal with someone unless he has determined their weaknesses, their pressure point, as he calls it, and because I will be interceding for Lady Smallwood, he will try to find my pressure points.” Sherlock stopped talking abruptly. Molly’s head was spinning a bit as she fully digested his words.
“Mina and I,” she whispered. Sherlock closed his eyes tightly and exhaled slowly.
“Not unless I can convince him I have a stronger pressure point…something from my past.”
“No!” Molly pushed away from him and stood up. “No, Sherlock. You can’t!” Her voice echoed in her office.
“If I don’t, you and Willamina could be in danger.” He stood up and reached for her, but she batted his hands away, keeping him at a distance. “I won’t be getting high off of anything…I just have to make it look like I am, to spend time in those places again.”
“You’re an addict and I knew that coming into this relationship but you’ve been clean for almost two years now…why would you want to jeopardize that?” He reached for her again, this time she let him pull her against his chest. “Why?”
“Because you and Mina are my world and I can’t have you two in danger.” He tightened his hold on her.
“Have you and John talked about this? Doesn’t he have any other ideas?” she asked, looking up at him.
“I haven’t told John…no one can know else can know this is fake.” She pulled out of his arms, her anger rising again.
“You not only want me to let you go back into the drug den but you want me to lie to our friends about it?!” she shouted.
“Molly, please...keep your voice down.” He motioned towards her office door.
“I am not okay with this!” she said between clenched teeth. He sighed heavily and shook his head.
“I know…but I need to keep you two safe and this is the most plausible situation…given my background.” He held his hand out to her. “Please let me keep you safe.” She hesitated for a moment before taking his hand.
“Okay.”
--
Her mobile buzzed loudly on the bedside table. Molly groaned as she rolled over and grabbed it.
“’ello?” she mumbled.
“You need to meet us at the lab.”
“John?” She sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“You need to meet us at the lab…now.”
“Okay.” She swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood up. “I just need to get Mina around.”
“No, drop her off with Lestrade or Kathy if you can.”
“John what is this about?” she asked as she pulled on a pair of jeans.
“You’ll see when you get here.”
--
Molly gripped her purse tightly against her shoulder as she walked down the long hallway leading to the lab. She had tried to call Sherlock twice on the way over, but he hadn’t answered. He had been spending most of his free time the last month at Baker Street or anywhere else that wasn’t their home. Molly hadn’t liked the idea, but understood that if Magnussen knew where they lived, Mina could be in danger.
She pushed on the door of the lab, slowly, unsure of what to expect. She stepped inside and saw Mary wrapping some young man’s arm, he looked like a junkie. Next to her stood their neighbor, Isaac – Mary was always telling her how much trouble he was getting into.
Molly’s heart sunk when she made the connection between the two men Mary was dealing with. She turned and saw John, anger radiating off of him, and Sherlock, leaning on the counter, facing away from her.
“John?” Sherlock’s back stiffened when she spoke and she knew.
“You need to test him.” John pointed to the small jar on the counter. Molly dropped her purse on the counter and walked over to the equipment she would need. She pulled on her gloves and set to work, still hoping that she was wrong.
She wasn’t.
She snapped off her gloves and threw them on the table. She slowly walked in front of Sherlock, his eye’s finally meeting hers for the first time since she had gotten there.
“Molly, let me –”
She pulled her hand back and slapped him across his face. And then again. And again. Her whole body was shaking and she felt like she was going to explode.
“How dare you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “You promised me! You said that this was for our safety! YOU SAID IT WAS FAKE! THAT YOU WOULDN’T GET HIGH!”
“What? You knew!?” John stepped closer, interrupting.
“It’s for a case!” Sherlock groaned in frustration. “And yes, she knew!”
“No!” She looked at John. “What I knew was that he had to make it look like he was back on drugs…not that he would actually be doing them!” she yelled as she turned back to Sherlock.
“Molly, I swear to you that last night was the first time!” He quickly pulled up his sleeves as he talked. “I didn’t inject anything.”
“How does that make it better?” John demanded.
“Last night was the first time.” He grabbed Molly’s shoulders, bringing her eyes up to meet his. “I promise.”
“You’ve promised before.” She turned to John. “Can you take him back to Baker Street?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.” She turned back to Sherlock and rested her shaking hand on his chest. “You can come home and see Mina once you’re clean.”
--
“Did you call my brother?!” Sherlock asked in a disgusted voice as he got out of the cab.
“I bloody well did!” John called as he paid the cabbie.
“He always fixes the damn knocker.” He moved the brash knocker off center and pushed the door open. He frowned when he saw Mycroft sitting on the steps, waiting for him.
“The siren call of old habits, I see.” Mycroft stood up. “How dare you do this to Molly!”
“Leave her out of this!” Sherlock growled.
“Fine…why don’t you save me a little time and tell me, where should we be looking?”
“We?” Sherlock asked in confusion.
“Mr. Holmes!” Anderson’s voice called from upstairs.
“Fucking hell, Mycroft!” Sherlock stomped past his brother and up the stairs. “Get out of my bloody flat Anderson!” he boomed as he burst into the kitchen.
“Sorry, Sherlock. It’s for your own good.” Anderson held his gloved hands up in protest.
“You’re a celebrity these days, Sherlock. You can’t afford a drug habit.” Mycroft looked at him pointedly.
“I do not have a drug habit…it was one hit…a mistake.” Sherlock could feel his head pounding as he talked. Too many people. He pulled his hood up and curled into his chair, laying his head on the arm rest.
“Must’ve been a rather large hit…” he heard John mumble.
“What have you found so far?” Mycroft asked Anderson.
“THERE’S NOTHING TO FIND!” Sherlock bellowed from his chair.
“Really? John informed me that your test was positive.” Mycroft turned on his heel as he talked.
Sherlock stood up abruptly, swaying a little on his feet.
“This is not what you think, this is for a case,” he said as calmly as he could.
“What case could possible justify this?” Mycroft wrinkled his nose in frustration.
“Magnussen.”
Mycroft turned to Anderson.
“Get out now and never mention that you heard that name in this room.” He waited until Anderson had closed the door behind him before turning back to Sherlock. “Magnussen is not your business, Sherlock. He is not to be messed with.”
“He’s even pulling your strings!” Sherlock said in disgust.
“You don’t know what you’re doing…you’re going to get someone hurt.” Mycroft stared his brother down. Sherlock pressed his lips together and nodded his head.
“Well, I’ll let you know if I need a hand.” He swung around Mycroft and opened the door. “Bye-bye,” he said pointing to the hallway.
Mycroft sighed and turned for the door, but stopped.
“She deserves far better than you, brother-mine,” he whispered. Sherlock’s nostrils flared and he hooked his hand under Mycroft’s elbow, bending his arm behind his back and pushing him into the door frame.
“Brother-mine,” Sherlock took a shaky breath and pushed harder on Mycroft’s wrist, “don’t appall me when I’m high.”
“Let him go, Sherlock.” John stepped up to the pair and waited until Sherlock dropped his grip. “Mycroft, he’s hurt you before and right now, if you don’t go, I think he just might do it again.” Mycroft watched as Sherlock went back to the living room and sat down in his chair. “Just go.” He picked up his umbrella and left without another word. “Magnussen?” John asked as he turned to look at Sherlock.
“Yes.” Sherlock nodded and then looked to John’s seat. He sat down, gripping the arm rests.
“You say this is all for a case then?” He motioned to Sherlock’s disheveled appearance.
“I swear.”
John leaned forward and ran a hand over his face; it felt like it had been days ago that Isaac’s mum had knocked on his door. He looked at his friend and he could tell the high was wearing off – he looked even more ragged than when he had pulled him out of the drug den.
“Why?” he asked, leaning back.
“Magnussen!” Sherlock scoffed at him.
“No…why did you do it?”
Sherlock took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“The others, they were…they were getting suspicious because they hadn’t seen me getting high. When they offered it to me last night I knew I couldn’t refuse if I was going to convince the papers I had a drug habit.”
John gave a loud huff and clasped his hands on his knees.
“You are lucky that Molly is a fucking saint and didn’t break off your engagement right then and there.”
“I know,” Sherlock whispered.
#kate writes#sherlolly#there is a short love scene at the very beginning of the chapter#but nothing else after that#for those of you who don't like that sort of this the rest of the chapter is safe!
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Jackieboy Man Origins: Chain Letter
Another Origin story, I did one for Silver a while back and I wanted to do one for Jackie.
Summary: For an Irish web developer, it’s been a long night. A long night that turns into a strange morning when he wakes up in the hospital and no memory of how he got there.
~::~ 25 Years Ago ~::~
As a young man was dragging himself and his friend back from a haunted, twisted mansion in a half-dead hypnotic stupor, an Irishman was sitting at his computer in the dark early morning. Unseen to him, something in the wires of his computer were waiting, watching him for the slightest mental distraction, a fatigue to help it.
For the man at the computer, it was late. Later than Sean usually liked to be up. Especially in the cabin he lived in with its thin walls and out in the middle of absolutely nowhere, Ireland.
At the moment he was getting a call from his old friend, Chase. Both of them worked as coders and web designers for the same company.
“Look, it’s not that I don’t believe ye,” Sean told him. “It’s just that yer full of shite.”
“Hey, I did what I could, an’ it’s not workin’,” Chase answered, contacting him over the phone.
Sean audibly groaned, “Fine, send it. If it’s because yer wife downloaded another virus again, I will personally come over to Brighton and kill ye and yer computer.”
“If yer gonna buy me a new computer, then bring it,” Chase dared.
Sean groaned, “I’ll tell you when I’m done with it. Prolly gonna be done later in the week. I’m tired as shit.”
With a goodbye and a couple barbed insults, Sean hung up. He was about to shut down his computer and go to bed. Closing up programs until the email from Chase came in.
“Come on,” the Irish man groaned, and against his better judgement opened up Chase’s email and started reading through some of Chase’s notes.
Two paragraphs in though his eyes started to get itchy, and his throat began to feel dry.
“I’m tired,” Sean muttered, not meaning to say it out loud.
“I’m tired.”
Sean looked around, trying to find the voice.
“Tired”
The Irishman was looking around for his glasses, his eyes tired and having problems focusing. It made it look like the whole monitor was going fuzzy with static.
“Tried”
“Ugh,” Sean groaned, scratching at his own throat. “Arrrghhh!”
“Aren’t you just sooooooo tired?”
Sean stared at the screen, hazy with static and it seemed to be reflecting his smiling face back at him.
“Ch—” Sean scrambled for the phone. Something was wrong, as if thousands of strings were being tethered to every muscle in his body. “Chase—”
The Irishman’s head hit his desk and then . . . like a stiff marionette puppet being suspended by strings . . . he got back up again.
The next thing Sean became aware of was lying down on a slightly cold surface, with a beeping noise echoing off the walls.
“Ugh,” Sean coughed out, more and more of his body aching by the second. “Am I dead?”
“No, but you’ll wish you were when the guards get back in here.”
Sean startled and saw another of his friends sitting in the chair next to him was one of his friends, and his roommate, Marvin. “Marv, the fook happened to your face.”
Scored down Marvin’s face were long claw marks, stitched to hold the wound closed. Marvin glared at him, looking like he was about to punch him in the face.
“Yah get inta a fight with a cat or somethin’,” Sean tried to joke.
Marvin leaned over him, glaring murderously at the other Irishman, pointing to his own face. “You did this to me?”
“What?” Sean tried to sit up, but found out that he had both hands closely handcuffed to his hospital bed.
“Yah scratched up my like a fookin’ demon cat,” Marvin spat at him. “Ye almost tore yer own throat out, an’ then ye tried to take my eyes out.”
“I didn’t,” Sean tried to defend, but a sinking pit formed in his stomach. As if his body knew what he’d been up to last night, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember a single thing that had happened. The web designer was pretty sure he’d fallen asleep at his desk while working. “I wouldn’t—”
Suddenly, Sean felt like a lump was forming in his throat, and it itched. The urge to reach up and scratch the skin of his throat was eating at him. His brain spiraled into a panic attack, and it felt like his body was physically spinning out of control.
It took Marvin, two nurses, and a doctor to calm Sean down again. Now with Sean knocked out, Marvin was left to think. He’d known Sean for a long time, and the last thing he expected the other man to be, was violent. Marvin was pretty sure Sean didn’t actually have a violent bone in his body. He could get loud and belligerent, but never violent.
But thing Marvin had stumbled upon while entering the cabin, that wasn’t Sean. It had taken everything Marvin had to convince everyone that Sean wouldn’t have purposefully tried to burn the cabin down, or attacked Marvin or the officers. Which got harder when his blood work came back clean as a whistle.
But everyone was letting Sean rest. Sean was still sleeping while Marvin had to think. Yeah, he’d talked Sean out of getting thrown in a cell for arson and attempted murder. But that wouldn’t stop it from happening again.
Desperate for anything to help, Marvin ran out to a store he typically got his candles and magic supplies.
“Hey, Marv,” the girl behind the counter smiled at him, using his stage name since he could count on one hand the people he told his actual name to.
“Hey, Clara, ye still got those weird doll parts?” Marvin was already running towards the back of the shop.
She just stared at him, “Yeah, why? You inta puppets now or somethin?”
Then she got a good look at the scratches on his face, “What the hell, man, what happened ta yer face?”
“If I told you you’d stop me,” he told her, and handed her the money to walk out with his kit.
“Be careful,” she warned him.
“Will do,” he promised, and then rushed back to the hospital, smuggling in his kit back into Sean’s room.
“Okay,” he took a steadying breath, over Sean’s still unconscious body. “This is such a bad idea, but yah can thank me after it works.”
Then Marvin began working, trying to make the doll look as close to what he saw in the cabin. The dark, glowing green eyes, the slit throat, the wraith-like form. Once he was done with the life-sized model, he waited for the nurses to make their rounds and check on Sean. Marvin smiling, having the doll hidden from them in the bathroom. Cause a life-sized model of a guy was a sure fire way to get him supervised in the room at least.
Then Marvin waited for them to leave before setting up the room for his Plan A: exorcise his friend and roommate. If he needed a Plan B, Marvin would burn that bridge when he crossed it.
“Hey, Jackaboy,” Marvin tried to smile. “You awake?”
No answer.
Marvin frowned, then he took out a spellbook, “Good.”
He uttered a quick summoning spell, standing outside the containment spell he’d drawn on the floor. Sean began to convulse and scream, his skin literally buzzing.
Sean’s screams were so loud, the door flew open as a passing nurse came in, “What the fook?”
Then a force of pure static electricity shot out of Sean, as a creature that looked almost exactly like the Irishman still passed out on the hospital bed, except for the gash on his throat. The being of malic and chaos just floated in the air above Sean’s bed.
“Well, well, looks like I found myself a street magician too big fer his own britches,” the creature cackled. The nurse was still at the door, staring at the creature in horror. It smiled back at her.
“Hey, you almost got my friend arrested,” Marvin tried not to show any fear.
“Still got time fer that,” it dismissed.
“Here’s the deal, ye go into this image I made, and I don’t destroy you,” Marvin threatened.
The doppelgänger just cackled, sounding like Sean just with a crackling, static-like tone to it. “An what? Let yah rip me apart, I don’t think so Two-Bit Copperfield.”
“Yer going to do it, or I’ll make yah,” Marvin threatened.
It just laughed again, the very air charging with static electricity, and the creature lightly touched down on the floor, looking at the symbols and lines that were keeping him in. “Yah pay for those magic tricks?”
“None of your business,” Marvin finally started actually getting brave.
It took one of its feet and stubbed out one of the lines, blowing back the power onto Marvin, who flew into the wall.
“Cause, ye got yerself ripped off,” it cackled and moved closer to stand over Marvin’s pain wracked body, the magician slumped against the wall as muscles in his body shook and trembled with electricity.
“When you want ta learn some real tricks, call me,” the thing took its claws and scored a name into Marvin’s arm: ANTI. Marvin screamed in pain and watched the cop that had been taking questions early bust in.
Anti looked back at him, standing up and walking back over to Sean’s bed. Marvin heard Sean make a confused groan. “Well, this place has gotten a bit stale. I’ll be seeing you around Copperfield.”
Marvin tried to pull himself back up, his arm burning. “Wait,” he growled.
“Hey, get away from them,” the officer barked, rushing for Anti.
“No, I don’t think so,” Anti grinned, his head almost glitching. “So, buddy, yah got a gun or a TASER? Cause I’m itching to have some fun.”
There was a loud grunt, and everyone, even Anti, looked over to see Jack struggling weekly against the cuffs tethering him to the hospital bed.
In the distraction, the officer grabbed onto Anti, trying to wrestle him onto the ground, and got jolted with visible electricity for his troubles. The officer dropped and convulsed on the ground, screaming in pain. The nurse closest to the door rushed to him.
“Aww, what’s wrong?” Anti smiled at Sean as he walked over to him.
“No,” Marvin panicked, trying to weakly scramble with his good arm for anything to make Anti go away.
“I’ll be with you in a second, Copperfield,” Anti summoned a dagger from almost a violent tear in reality itself and threw it. It perfectly nailed Marvin’s other shoulder. Effectively disabling him. Marvin screamed.
Another dagger got the mannequin Marvin had made, electricity catching it on fire. “And there we go,” Anti’s smile got wider, “get rid of that eyesore.”
With another step, Anti was leaning over Sean, barely out of reach as Sean. “Hello, well, it has been fun, but I’m tired of you. So, let’s have a little fun with you and your friends before I go.”
“Get away from them,” Sean threatened.
“Oh? Puny little human,” Anti cackled, grabbing the Irishman still cuffed to the hospital bed and started to jolt him. As the glitch demon shocked and coursed electricity through him, his whole body glitched the very air around him. “What ye gonna do about it?”
Sean screamed and sudden his whole body seemed to move, as if every part of his body was just vibrating and shaking, rattled by the electricity.
Three things happened almost at the same time, and to Marvin’s perspective they did. Time seemed to slow down as Anti reached for his throat. Sean gave a final tug and the cuffs came free. As quick as he could, Sean hit Anti in the face, what felt like electricity coming off his entire arm, but he didn’t see anything.
The glitch demon recoiled back, mostly in shock, holding the side of his face and just staring at the Irishman who was struggling to get out of the hospital bed and to get in front of Marvin. Adrenaline was coursing through his body, keeping him upright.
“Yer goin’ ta regret that,” Anti warned.
“Get away from him,” Sean told him. “Yer not gonna hurt him again.”
Anti cackled, his body glitching, “What are yeh goin’ ta do? Bleed on me?”
Sean took a nervous step back, almost stepping on Marvin’s leg, Marvin was able to pick himself up enough to lean against Sean’s legs, placing a hand on the back of his leg, and starting to draw something, his hand shaking as he screamed out in pain.
“When I kill you, I’ll enjoy it,” Anti promised.
“If I hit yah once, I can hit ye again,” Sean threatened, just hoping that his body wasn’t nearly as hurt as he thought it was. The police officer seemed to finally be getting up, coughing and holding his arm. Sean hoped it might help get Anti under control, even if he didn’t think whatever Anti was could even be arrested.
Anti just walked over, “I will enjoy tearing you apart.”
Sean winded back for another punch, but when he tried to hit Anti, the glitch just stepped to the side. Giving Sean an amused, chortle.
“Little fly,” Anti chuckled, the glitch demon’s eyes glowing, the iris of his mostly black eyes green. “Somethin’s never change.”
Then, Anti scratched Sean across the chest, making him stumble back as Anti floated above him and gave him a smug look. Sean already felt drained, a mix of the painkillers, his throat, and the fact that he’s been mentally out of it for hours. But his body also felt absolutely wired with adrenaline.
He lifted his arms but Anti froze, jolted by something. His eyes almost crackling with static. “You!” he snarled at Marvin. “What’d yah do ta me?”
Marvin let out a chuckle. “Plan B, thanks fer jumping outta my friend.”
With a harsh scream, Anti began to glitch and distort, screaming as he was trying to reach out for Jackie but burst into static and seeming disappeared.
“Is he dead?” Sean gasped.
“Prolly not,” Marvin coughed. “Should leave us alone fer a while, though,” Marvin slumped over onto the ground. Sean just sat down as two nurses raised over to them.
“Well kid, yah off the hook,” the officer said. “I don’t think the boys are gunna take ghosts as an excuse. Sorry I couldn’ta been ‘a useful back there.”
“No prob,” Sean told him. “I’m tired, can I got ta bed?”
“Try to stay with me a bit longer,” the nurse told him, checking his eyes and all the deep scratches on him. The nurse that had been treating the police officer was now treating Marvin, calling on the radio for back up. Sean’s tied mind losing the voice in all the medical jargon.
“What’dya do back there?” The officer asked. “I lost sight of yah and suddenly yah were in front’a yer friend.”
“I just hit him, think it surprised him,” Sean admitted. “Marv’s got a spellbook or whatever the hell he calls it.”
Looking over, Sean saw the cheap journal Marvin used to store and record his “notes” lying all the way across the room. “Give me a sec,” Sean said. “Maybe Marve took some notes on the bastard.”
“Wait, you shouldn’t,” the nurse began but Sean was already up.
He took a couple steps and faster than his brain could process it, Sean had slammed into the opposite wall, knocking him flat on his back. At the sudden loss of air in his lungs, Sean began coughing, trying to roll over but found that the adrenaline in his body was already starting to drain out. “Ugh,” Sean groaned in pain.
The room went dead silent.
Then, the nurse swore. “Did you just?”
“Ugh, everything hurts,” Sean complained, and then passed out.
Next thing Sean process was that he was in a new room, about three doctors in the room and sensors monitoring his pain. But at least, he had enough painkiller not to feel how absolutely destroyed his body probably was.
“Hey, jackaboy,” Marvin greeted, he was sitting next to him, his shoulder and arms bandaged up. “So, quick question, yah have any secret identities I should know about?”
“No, why?” Sean asked, already feeling pretty loopy.
“Good, cause I’m pretty sure some suits have been in here, and they walked away with a lot of yer blood,” Marvin told him. “Mine too.”
“Pretty sure, they can’t do that,” Sean reminded.
“Well they just did,” Marvin told him, “I tried to fight them, but they were about to arrest me if I didn’t comply.”
“Fer what? Doin’ magic without a license?” Sean tried to joke.
“No, cause you went 0 to 15 with just yer feet, before colliding with a wall and took a chunk outta the plaster,” Marvin told him.
“Huh, yah’d think I’d remember that,” Sean thought out loud. “But hey, if I did, I can maybe become a superhero or somthin’. Wouldn’t that be funny?”
“He awake?” a woman’s voice got Sean’s attention.
“An’ drugged ta hell,” Marvin warned.
“Then this won’t take long,” she said and walked over to where Sean could actually see her.
“Hey,” Sean smiled.
“You’re Sean McLoughlin, from Althone, Ireland?” she looked at him, studying him up and down.
“Yeah?” Sean answered. “Who’s askin’? Is this about the wall I broke?”
“We’re more concerned with how the wall broke, than who broke it,” she corrected.
“Shit,” Sean shrugged, immediately regretting it because of how sore he still was, even with the painkillers. “Ow. Why did I do that?”
“Are you still hurt?” she asked.
“Nah, it’s just sore,” Sean correct. “What were we talking about?”
The woman didn’t seem to even be frustrated. “Do you know what happened, Mr. McLoughlin?”
“Nah,” Sean dismissed. “I think there was some glitchy reject video game character, an’ now everythin’ should hurt, but doesn’t cause’a these awesome drugs.”
She looked at Marvin, but Marvin shrugged, “Hey, guy’s as high as a kite, what do ye want from me?”
“Mr. McLoughlin, my name is Agent Laine,” she told him.
“Kay,” Sean smiled.
“We’ll let you get back to sleep,” Sara told him. “I’ll be back.”
“Hopefully with an actually reason to take our blood,” Marvin reminded.
“Only if we find anything out of the ordinary,” she said and left.
“Finally,” Marvin growled.
“She doesn’t seem nice,” Sean commented.
“Alright, you might not remember this, but last night you moved fast, like superhuman fast, and I did actual magic. It was amazing.” Marvin smiled. “Unfortunately the suits figured out.”
Sean just laughed, “Yeah right, an’ I’m a superhero.”
Marvin shrugged, “Sleep it off, I’ll try and keep the suits from locking you in a padded cell.”
“Yer the best, Marv,” Sean told him, and they just kept talking, more joking than anything else until Sean got tired again.
In five days Sean would run through town in a colorful, oversized hoodie and an old Halloween mask he’d find in Marvin’s box of things. In five days, Sean would race around the city, testing out his newfound super speed.
But today there were just two friends in an isolated room, talking and laughing. Both of them enjoying the little bit of peace they had while it lasted.
#Superhero AU#Masks and Maladies#Egoton Origins#Jacksepticeye#Jackieboy Man#Chase Brody#Marvin the Magnificent#Antisepticeye#Possession#accidentally getting superpowers from a glitch demon#pre-divorce Chase
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late night (colin ritman x reader)
hello, this is my first colin fic; hope you enjoy! ~
synopsis: (Y/N) works at Tuckersoft with Colin and is overwhelmed during a stressful workday. Fluff!
word count: 2134. i got carried away
___________________________________________
“(Y/N)!” You jumped as Thakur slammed his arms down on your desk playfully, shaking both your computer and Colin’s, who worked on the other side of your desk. He glanced up, shooting an annoyed glance at Thakur before shoving his headphones down harder over his ears and returning to work. “Whatcha workin on today?”
“Uh, still working on James’ proposal for next week. Why?” Your job at Tuckersoft was essentially to draft documents describing and proposing new games being developed at the company and send them off to major distributors to convince them to purchase the games in bulk when they came out. Developers would give you a demo of their game once it was completed, and you would use the power of persuasion to sell it to stores.
“Listen, I know this is last minute, but GameStuds down the street is struggling financially, and the manager told me today that they would double what they were previously gonna pay us for two new games if we get the proposals to them by tonight. Computer games are apparently their main sell, and he thinks they might be able to stay afloat longer if they can sell more. He wants Andy’s and Lola’s new games.”
“So you’re saying I need to have two new proposals for them by tonight?” Your heart sped up; that wouldn’t be nearly enough time.
“Well... I mean...” He sighed. “Yes. Yes, that’s unfortunately what I’m saying.”
“What the hell, Thakur?”
You glanced over at Colin, grateful for his interruption. He was standing up and walking around to your side of the table, headphones hung lopsided around his neck.
“You know how much work she puts into those things, and it’s the reason so many stores distribute Tuckersoft games. You can’t just make her bust out two full length proposals in a day.” You could feel Colin looming above you, the weight of his hand protectively on your shoulder, but you didn’t look up. Colin was always much more outspoken with Thakur than you ever were.
“Yeah, I know it’s not ideal, but it’d really boost profits for months to come if we can get double pay for two new games. And you’d obviously get double, too, (Y/N).”
Your eyes darted from him to your computer, Colin’s grip on your shoulder growing stronger. “Yeah, okay, I guess. I’ll do it.”
“Great. It’s 2:13 now, so, can you get them in by 2 am? That’s almost twelve hours. You don’t even have to run them by me, just email them straight to GameStuds.”
“Okay,” you nodded.
“I’ll have Andy and Lola send you their demos.” Thakur flashed you a grateful thumbs up and disappeared into his office.
“Well, I guess it’s gonna be a late night,” you said, spinning your chair around to face Colin.
“Jesus.” He was angrily staring in Thakur’s direction. “Are you gonna be able to do that?”
You shrugged. “I’ll have to. I don’t get off easy like you programmers, with months to work on one project. Spoiled assholes,” you grinned.
“Oh, fuck off,” he swiped at your arm. “I’ll be here for moral support if you need me.” He stuck a blunt in the corner of his mouth and winked, returning to his seat.
“Thanks, Col.” You ran your hands through your hair, preparing yourself for the long night before you.
You and Colin had been close for nearly a year, since you started working at Tuckersoft. You took classes at the nearby university and had picked up the job randomly for some money on the side because the job description had consisted of writing. You were not a computer science person, and, frankly, not a gamer. Because of this, you had no idea who Colin was when you started working at the company, and therefore were unfazed by his ego and blunt personality which could come off as intimidating to some. His frequent sarcasm and emo taste in music matched completely with yours, and in a short matter of time you two were practically inseparable, waiting for the other to finish what they were working on so you could take your lunch breaks together, and picking up breakfast for the other person when they were running late to work. When Colin needed a break from constant programming he would meander over to your side of the table and sit next to your computer until you payed attention to him. It made what was initially a meaningless side-job into something you genuinely enjoyed every day. Days like today, however, were much less enjoyable.
Your inbox beeped with an incoming message from Andy, a programmer who had been working at Tuckersoft for a little over a year. You opened the file and pushed your earbuds in, hitting the “RUN” button on your computer to test out the game. After about thirty seconds of smooth gameplay, the screen buzzed and glitched, revealing a blue and pink pixelated screen before ultimately crashing.
“Fuck,” you whispered under your breath, ripping out your earbuds and walking over to the other side of the room where Andy’s desk was. “Dude. Your game isn’t stable.”
“What?” He glanced up at you.
“Look, I usually wouldn’t mind giving you a few extra days, but Thakur needs this proposal in addition to Lola’s in by 2 am. So I can’t waste any time here. You have one hour, or I’m gonna be here literally all night.”
“Okay, you got it. Sorry (Y/N).”
By the time you returned to your seat, Lola had sent you her demo, which thankfully was stable. You breathed a sigh of relief and opened a blank document.
“What was that about?” Colin poked his head around his computer, looking at you from across the desk. He was wearing a faded grey graphic tee and a blue collared shirt on top, unbuttoned. He looked damn good, as usual. But you knew he wouldn’t feel the same; you two were friends. Just really good friends.
“Oh, Andy’s game isn’t stable. But it’s okay, Lola’s is ready, so I’ll just write her proposal first.”
Colin frowned. “Well, listen, if you need me to threaten that kid until he gets his shit together, just say the word, yeah?” He leaned forward in his seat. “And Thakur too, for that matter. You don’t need all this fuckin’ work.”
“I’ll be okay, Col, no threatening necessary.” You forced a smile, but Colin wasn’t fooled; he could tell you were stressed out. You were bouncing your knee and biting your lip, telltale signs of your anxiety. He knew them inside and out by now.
“Hey.” He leaned forward and grabbed your left hand. “Look at me.” You did. “You’ll be completely fine. Just relax. You’re a bomb ass writer; you’ll get it done.” He stroked your hand lightly with his thumb, and it sent a jolt through your entire body.
“Thanks, Colin.” You tried to calm your heart rate, but couldn’t be sure if it was so high due to the work ahead of you or the boy in front of you.
~10 hours later~
You had finished Lola’s proposal but only received Andy’s demo a few hours ago, and it was nearly 12:30. Most of the office had left already, expect for you, Colin, and the secretary at the front desk. Even Thakur had checked out. You and Colin were usually the latest workers anyway, but you had to control a whimper at the thought of finishing this entire proposal by 2 am. Andy’s game was complicated, and to write convincingly about it you had to learn all the ins-and-outs of the game, which took even more time in addition to the writing. You worked feverishly, eyes glued to the screen.
“(Y/N). Hey.” You jumped nearly all the way out of your seat, Colin’s voice having brought you out of your computer-induced trance.
“Jesus, Colin. Don’t do that.”
“Sorry, sorry,” he chuckled. “Just trying to wake up the zombie. Let’s go take a break, yeah?” He kicked your leg lightly.
“No, I gotta finish this proposal first.”
“Nooo, you need to take a break,” he said, steering your chair away from the computer. Usually, you were the one dragging him away from his programming, forcing him to drink a cup of tea and clear his head for a bit.
“No, I need to keep doing this, Colin, just let me do this first, I need to--” your voice broke, eyes tearing up. You were utterly exhausted.
“Hey, hey.” Colin kneeled down and held your shoulders. You avoided his eyes; you didn’t want him to see you crumbling under the pressure like this. It was embarrassing.
“You’re doing so well. You’re almost done, love.” He brought his hands up to your cheeks, lightly stroking them. “Hey, look at me.”
Grudgingly, you met his eyes. His touch was at least calming you down a bit.
“I promise you, you’ll be done soon and it’ll all be okay. I just need you to come with me for two minutes, okay? Just for a little break. Alright?” He touched his forehead to yours, breathing in slowly. You tried to match his pace and calm yourself down.
“Okay,” you said weakly.
“Okay. Come on, sweetheart,” Colin murmured softly, practically dragging you up out of your seat for the first time in ten hours. He wrapped an arm around your waist and led you to the break room. You leaned against the counter in an exhausted daze as Colin moved around the small kitchen. A minute later, he was by your side again, holding a cup of tea.
“Here, love.” You accepted the cup, your fingers sliding off of his as he gave it to you. He smiled supportively down at you, and you couldn’t help but to smile back despite the wrecked mental state that you were in. It was times like these when you wished you could just reach up and kiss him, but lacked the courage. You didn’t want to ruin a perfect friendship, anyway.
You swallowed a few sips and began to feel a bit better, the warm drink comforting your throat. Colin reached down and rubbed your back, and you leaned into his chest, closing your eyes and breathing out deeply for the first time in hours. You two stood like that for a minute, until you remembered the time, and the fact that you had less than two hours to finish your work. You slowly moved away from Colin, gulping down the rest of the tea.
“Feeling better?” he asked softly, his hand still lingering on your back.
“Yeah. Thanks, C. I just gotta finish this now.”
Colin nodded, taking your empty cup and following you back to your seat.
As you continued working, Colin moved his chair over next to you, as he was done with his work for the day. He sat there with his headphones on, eyes closed, reclined and quietly listening to music as you typed away, occasionally resting a hand on your arm or rubbing his knee against yours if you let out a frustrated noise or got too antsy.
At 1:52, you typed the last word and fell back in your chair, scrolling through the impossibly long document you had just written to make sure everything you needed was there.
Colin scooted closer to you. “Done?”
You nodded, did a quick spell check, saved the proposal, and sent it off to GameStud’s manager. “Oh, my God. Finally.”
“And look at that! Seven minutes before the deadline! What a pro,” Colin said, his voice husky with tiredness but happy.
“Hey, I’m sorry I kept you up so late. You didn’t have to stay with me.”
“I know, but I wanted to.” He reached out to wrap his arms around you, and you leaned in, falling into his lap, your arms around his torso and your head buried in the crook of his neck. He pressed a light kiss to the top of your head, and your heart nearly burst right there. If this was the way you two were going to be, you knew you wouldn’t be able to conceal your feelings any longer.
Raising your head up, you prepared to take your chance-- but Colin beat you to it, grabbing your chin and pressing his lips to yours. Fiercely, you kissed him back, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off your shoulders.
After a few seconds, you pulled away, still in shock. “You feel the same way?”
“Well, obviously,” he chuckled, and pulled your head down to peck your lips again. “Since the day we met.”
_________________________________________
whEW that was longer than i expected lol. anyway, i might do a sequel for this if you guys want-- let me know! i will try to respond to any requests as well.
#black mirror#bandersnatch#bandersnatch imagine#colin ritman#colin ritman imagine#colin ritman x reader#will poulter imagine#will poulter#will poulter x reader
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Unforseen Chasm (Part 52)
Part 52 of Unforseen Chasm
Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.
Word Count: 4918
Warnings: Language, Jealous Tony, uncontrollable powers, dangerous situation, arguing, Tony done fucked up, unwarranted action, talk of the past
Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my other fic series). first major Collab with my best friend @thorne93 what was first a simple “what if” moment turned into a two year writing session and I’ve never been more prouder of myself than when i started my first series. goes through most of the MCU plots there are some changes to accommodate for what we wanted and there is a bit of a crossover between the MCU and other characters. I hope you guys enjoy reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it
A few days have passed and the closer they were to completely removing the powers from Shannon, the weaker she got. At some point it had been too much that she could no longer stay awake long enough to do much. She and Bruce had rescheduled the garden walks for when she had more strength. Tony had been seen around the mansion more often but each time it seemed as though Bruce was always around to keep Shannon company. He knew he would eventually have to confront Bruce about his feelings towards his wife.
Bruce would frequent the room to check up on both women then it was noticeable that the real person he went to see was Shannon rather. He would often sit next to her and read to her or just stayed and chat. You personally didn’t mind that he was here so often, you just hoped that he wouldn’t get too attached because after all Shannon is a married woman.
On one of those days that he had come to visit her, they had been sharing the bed and you had been sleeping off the exhaustion from the recent transfusion. Tony walked in holding a tray of her favorite food when he found the two all snuggled in the small bed. Shannon had her eyes closed leaning her head on his chest as he massaged her head and read one of her favorite books.
“What the hell is going on here?” He dropped the tray harshly on the table near the door. “You two are looking extremely fucking cozy.”
“Tony, relax and lower your voice. You’ll wake up Y/N,” Bruce said as he pointed over to you curled up to your pillow. “Shannon wanted me to read to her.”
Shannon was listening to them argue and had had enough of it. She opened her eyes.
“Please. Can you two not start right now? I'm exhausted and I’d appreciate it if you two didn’t fight while Y/N is sleeping.” She attempted to move and Bruce helped her, adding a few more pillows around her.
“I’ll leave. You two to talk.” He smoothed her hair back. “I’ll go check on the tests we did today give me a shout if you need me.”
“No need, Mr. Nurse, I'll be here.” Tony remarks as the other man leaves. “Care to explain what the fuck is going on here?”
“Would you lower your damn voice, Stark! My head is pounding.” She rubbed her temple. “He’s just been keeping a close eye on me.”
“Maybe a little too close, wouldn’t you say?” he snapped, his eyes hard on hers. “Keeping an eye on you? Seriously, Shan? Does he cuddle Y/N too? Either he’s being professional or he’s not, and curling up in bed with you goes way beyond being a helper.”
“I asked him to sit next to me so that he wouldn’t have to raise his voice.” she shook her head. “What’s gotten into you lately? it’s like you are being a child.”
“I’m the child?” he asked, fuming, pointing to himself. “You’re the one flouting around with Banner! We just got married, Shannon. Does that mean nothing to you? How the fuck would you feel if you saw me cuddled up to Pepper on our couch and my response was, ‘Oh, sorry, hun, she had a headache and I wanted to keep an eye on her.’?”
“Oh you wanna talk about cuddling up to other people?! Okay fine. How about the times I've seen you getting real cozy with Pepper back at the office? Or during one of your famous parties and you’ve taken countless women back to the room?” Shannon growled back getting mad that he’s getting upset over nothing important. “Yes I did get married to you and it means more than you think, Stark but if you think that for a second you're gonna get to act like this then you’ve got something else coming your way.” the lights slowly dimmed and her hand was shaking
“I’ve never been unfaithful to you, ever. Pepper is a good worker and a close friend, you know this. Those women and parties were long before you and I even had our first date. How can you tell me I can’t get mad? My best friend is lying in bed with my wife! You’ve barely looked at me or talked to me since you’ve been admitted to the mansion for these treatments. But every time I turn around, you’re with Bruce. What the hell else am I supposed to think, Shannon?”
“You only recently started showing up and that was after you found out I was sick! Half the time you're here, you're somewhere else doing who knows what.” she crosses her arms to hide her shaking hands. “I can’t just get out of bed and go find you and drag you back here.” there was a light buzz of the electrical system. “The only people who even stay long enough for me to spend time with are Bruce, Wade, and Remy and half of the time he’s here for Y/N. For Christ sake even Logan, who doesn’t always like to talk, would come see me.” By then her anger was growing and she had no idea where it was headed.
Tony stopped for a moment, trying to reel his anger in. “I can’t fucking believe this. I’m getting attacked after I found you in bed with another guy. This is fucking backwards.” He rubbed his forehead, shutting his eyes tight. “I’m here for you, Shannon! I always am! Every time I come here, it’s to see you. Sorry if i have an obligation to do some work while I'm here too, but I do.”
“What’s fucking backwards is that my husband is acting like a fucking asshole and treating me like I’m sleeping with someone else!” Her powers helped her get up and her eyes had gone red and she had no control of her powers. “What work could you possibly be doing that's been taking up your time.” she dared him to say something else to push her buttons. “So don’t you come in here acting like the victim.”
“Fine. Fuck it. Have it your way. You and Banner can cozy up all you want. I’m out of here.” He started to grab his things, ready to leave. He saw that she was beyond control and maybe it was actually best he leave.
The door slams shut cutting him off from leaving. “You are not about to run off after starting this!” her voice booms.
All anger vanished at her voice and the sight of the door. “Shannon,” he started carefully. “Let’s just let this go. You don’t want to do anything you’ll regret,” he warned. The fight was officially over. It was time for him to go into survival mode. He didn’t have a suit on or near him, and the only person who could save him, was you, who was somehow miraculously sleeping through this entire ordeal.
“Aww does the Great Tony Stark feel helpless now?” the lights flickered harder. She was losing control of her powers.
At the sound of the door slamming and loud voices, you woke up. Your eyes snapped open and you heard Shannon. You immediately jumped out of bed, adrenaline charging you. Shannon was standing while Tony seemed to be shrinking away from his wife. You immediately moved to stand in front of Tony, your hand out.
“Shannon,” you began softly. “Whatever’s going on, you need to fight it,” you encouraged. “Your powers have taken over and you’re about to hurt your husband, Tony, whom you love very much,” you reminded soothingly.
“Why are you defending him!” She got angrier. “He’s acting like I’ve betrayed him. I've done nothing wrong.” She felt like she was fighting really hard to take back control. There was a look of confusion on her face. It's like there was something wrong.
You narrowed your eyes before glancing at the door, using your power to open it.
“Tony, go get Logan, now,” you ordered quickly before whipping your face back to Shannon’s. Tony ran out into the hall, shouting for Logan.
“Y/N, you know i’d never do anything to hurt him.” She groans. “I can’t control my powers.” she managed to grunt out. “This is your doing Tony!” she said as the two entered the room.
Logan ran back into the bedroom, with Tony in tow.
“Jesus, Shan,” Logan remarked.
“Grab her,” you instructed. You threw your powers out, wrapping around her, electrifying her for just a second, just enough to throw her off guard. Long enough that Logan could grab her. He lurched forward, grabbing her in a bear hug, toppling over with her on the bed. You ran over, put your hand on her head, and again, robbed her of all of her senses. When she finally stopped writhing in Logan’s grasp, you let go. She seemed to go to sleep, which wasn’t what you were doing to her. “Logan?” you asked, peering at him, wondering if he’d somehow accidentally hurt her.
“Wasn’t me,” he assured as he got up, letting her go.
Shannon lied, motionless on the bed. Her eyes closed. She’d passed out, possibly, her powers over taking her.
“Shit,” you breathed, terrified you’d hurt her somehow. “Someone go get Hank,” you ordered, your voice shaking.
Logan ran off to go find Hank and came back a few moments later.
“What happened here?” Hank asked as he noticed that some of the lights were busted.
“We had an argument and then something went wrong it’s like her powers went haywire.” Tony said. He walked over to where she was.
“Well it looks like what Charles and I had predicted, we predicted her powers would try to control her once more and it caused her to enter into a comatose state.” He moved to set the monitors into a new setting to watch for any changes in her during her new state.
“She’s what?” Tony looked up. “That can’t be true, right? Tell me it’s not true!” He looked exasperated. He had been the reason that she entered this phase and it was going to kill him if she didn’t come back.
----------------------------
Shannon was now in her comatose state next to you. The only light in the room was the moonlight. You’d been lying on your bed for hours, staring straight up as Remy lay beside you. You’d already explained that Shannon and Tony got in a fight, causing her powers to finally take full control and shut her down physically. You told him you were worried it was your fault, even though Hank had assured you a million times it was her powers that did it.
“You okay?” he suddenly asked.
“Not exactly,” you admitted with a sigh.
“Well, physically though. Between the session from today and having to use your powers on Shannon yesterday...” he said.
You shrugged. “I’m a little weak.”
“What got them fighting anyhow? Tony and Loki?” he questioned, curious. It’d been a day, but Remy’d heard about the fight between Loki and Tony. He decided to give you some space, seeing as within 24 hours your boyfriend was fighting your best friend’s husband, and you had to use your powers to basically deactivate her. Now she was comatose.
You bit your lip, thinking if you wanted to confide in Remy what the fight was actually about.
“They were… Loki’s jealous of you,” you blurted out.
He made a noise of disappointment. “I don’t like speakin’ out of turn, chere, but he ain’t no good for you.”
“Remy,” you moaned, exasperated. “Don’t do this. Not now, please.”
“Well when the hell should I do it?” he challenged, his voice more stern than normal. “When you’re married to that maniac?”
Your eyes glowed purple. “Don’t,” you begged through clenched teeth.
“Y/N/N, what can he possibly give you?” he asked, a pleading in his tone.
“A life,” you answered, turning your head towards him.
His face was still soft as he peered at you. “What kinda life is this? This is an idea of a life. This ain’t no real life.”
“I love him, okay? We’ve been through everything together. He understands me.”
“And you think I don’t?” he asked as if he were offended. “Both of us orphaned. Both of us have got this odd power in us. Both of us don’t really belong anywhere. Come on, you know you love travelin’, that’s why you’re always doin’ your science out in the field. We’re both nomads.”
You shook your head, turning away from him.
“I can’t do this, I love him,” you said in return, your voice thick. You flung your legs off the side of the bed and tried to get up and leave the room. You only made it to the doorway when Remy’s voice caught you.
“Look at what he’s doin’ to you, darlin’. Every time he is around, there’s a fight. Shannon’s wedding, here, New York… Confrontation follows that guy like a shadow. Life with him has not been easy, and it ain’t gonna never get any better,” he stated, begging in his voice.
“You don’t understand, alright? I love him. I nearly died for him.”
“Well maybe that’s what’s wrong. You’ve done all this for him. What’s he done for you?” he asked.
“He’s done more for me than I can ever repay,” you assured, your voice ominous, and Remy had no choice but to believe you.
“Is that all you want your relationship to be? ‘I owe him this’, ‘She owes me that’, ‘I owe him my life’.”
“Don’t cheapen the situation,” you ordered. “Loki didn’t trick me or ask me to do anything. Everything I’ve done, every choice I’ve made was on me.”
“And what about now? I understand before, but now. You’re not in jail any more together, you don’t have to be together.”
“But I want to be,” you insisted.
“Really? Because when we were dancin’ earlier, I felt the spark. You can lie and say you didn’t feel it too, but I know you did.”
"Why now? Why are you telling me this now? You have had years."
He frowned at you incredulously, as if you'd lost your mind. "Years? When exactly was I supposed to tell you? When we were kids and you were about to leave for college and I couldn't follow you there? Or how about when you graduated and went all over the world for research. Or maybe when you skipped out on the entire planet to go play Prince and Princess, and wound up in prison. Tell me, when was I s'pose to tell you mah feelin's?"
You threw your hands out to the side, exasperated, shaking your head. "I don't know what you want me to say. I'm in love with someone else and I can't change the past."
Without much warning, he closed the distance between you two and his lips were on yours in a warm embrace, his hands in your hair. The sensation hit you as if you'd been electrified. His energy and yours combined and for half a second, you forgot everything but Remy LeBeau - then suddenly you remembered Loki, and nothing but him. You shoved Remy away, only taking a split second to charge your fist.
You slammed your knuckles into his jaw and it nearly sent him to the floor.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" you demanded with rage, your fist still charged with purple energy.
While he was still bent over rubbing his jaw, he answered, “I was thinkin’ I’d change your mind. Shoulda seen that comin’,” he noted. He straightened up, his hand still touching his jaw. “You pulled your punch,” he remarked.
You crossed your arms. “Yeah and now I’m wishing I didn’t. Remy...I love Loki. You don’t get to do this to me. You’re my oldest friend.” All you could do was shake your head and walk off to your room, having nothing further to say to him. You laid on your bed, your chest tight as tears rolled down your cheeks.
------------------------------------
The following evening, Tony came up to visit Shannon. You were absorbed in a book. You’d still been healing Shannon even while comatosed, but now that she was unconscious all the time you had no friends. Remy kept his distance and you think word had gotten around the mansion and now no one spoke to you. You honestly thought they were being courteous and giving you room.
However, Loki hadn’t been back since the fight and this didn’t help your morale. No Loki, no Shannon, no Remy, no anyone.
Except Tony. He was here, looking like someone had taken the light out of his life. You eyed him up and down for a moment before finally getting the courage to ask, “Gotta long face, Tony… What’s up?”
Maybe it was the fact that Shannon was comatose and couldn’t talk to him. Maybe he was desperate. Maybe he was lonely, but for whatever reason, he opened up to you. “I put her here. And it’s not just fighting your pretty boy that did it.”
You frowned. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“I pushed her away from you. You’re her best friend and here you were the one to fix her. I just… I didn’t trust you, Y/N/N. After New York, you were this different person. You were vivid, full of life, curious. Then you went up there, came back, and suddenly you’re trying to kill us for… him. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I still can’t.”
You pressed your lips into a firm line. “Did Shannon ever tell you what happened? While I was gone.”
“Other than you were brainwashed, no. Why, does it matter?”
“Depends on who you ask,” you noted with a bit of a humorless laugh. You put your book on the nightstand and looked back to him. “I met Loki here, on Earth. I was able to see him. This got Thor and Loki wondering if I was Asgardian. Well, we went there and sure enough, we found out my parents were Asgardian and Frigga started to raise me with Thor and Loki. I felt as if I belonged somewhere. Don’t get me wrong, Earth feels like home, but so does Asgard. Earth is what I know, what I grew up with, but Asgard has this familiarity to it. Like a childhood home.”
Tony sat there, listening.
“So here I am, I finally find out who my parents are, what race I am. Not to mention this magic I have. Then suddenly… Loki learns he’s adopted too, he’s not even Asgardian, well he’s half. He became consumed with rage. He’d been lied to. He’d been treated differently his whole life and now he knew why… In his fit of rage, Thor had to stop him from killing another race - the Frost Giants, his true race. When he did that, Loki ended up trying to commit suicide. Odin held onto him on the bridge, and Loki he… he just let go,” you recalled, the feeling bubbling back up inside you. “I’d gotten somewhat close to Loki. I’d cracked his hard outer shell a bit. And for some reason, that day, when I saw him falling, all I could think was ‘not him, I can’t live without him.’ And I jumped after him. I mean, I was kind of raised with him, we were both lost people tied to Asgard, orphans - you know? There was this common ground.We had gotten to know each other very well in two months. I was completely in love.” A fond smile pulled at your lips as you remembered those easy days. “Shannon was the same way with you. I don’t know if she ever told you,” you stated.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“She didn’t care much for you, until she worked in your lab. She admired your work, and your mind, but it wasn’t until she worked with you every day that she really fell hard. She just kind of saw you for the persona you put on.”
Tony didn’t even argue the point you made. He knew that you knew him well enough to know he was mostly show, all a distraction for his insecurities and fears.
“But she saw you for this sensitive, sweet, intelligent guy. The same thing happened with Loki. He was this cold, rigid man. But once I got him to open up, he was the most romantic, caring man I’d ever met. He’d just been looked over all his life. No matter how hard he worked, no matter how many battles he won, no matter how many academic challenges he crushed, he never earned the praise of his people or his father.”
“Maybe we have more in common than I thought,” Tony muttered. “But why go through all that, for him? I mean, the brainwashing, torture, nearly killing the avengers and Shannon… All that for him?”
“It was never, ever our intention to kill any of you, let alone hurt you. We were sincerely hoping that we could at most turn Bruce into a wrecking machine that you would have to focus on. That was the best case scenario… But it didn’t happen.” You bit your lip. “Thanos said he would kill Loki if I failed… What would you have done? If it came to fighting Rhodey and your friends, to keep her alive?” you questioned, your tone slightly challenging.
Tony’s eyebrows slowly rose as he gazed at the floor.
“I was just trying to save him, save us, save our lives. We’d endured a year of suffering and torture… I didn’t want it to all be in vain. What would you have done?” you asked.
After several moments, he finally spoke up. Tony Stark being speechless was something you never thought you’d witness.
“Can’t say I’d have done much differently,” he agreed begrudgingly.
You gazed down at your hands, toying with your fingers.
“Tony, I still mean what I said years ago. You’re still one of my greatest friends, and you’ve always been great to Shannon. Don’t be so hard on yourself. She loves you more than anything. I wish we could go back to what we were,” you noted with a half grin. “I know we can’t but… I’d like to at least start over.”
A smile played at his lips. “Yeah, I’d like that too,” he stated. “But no starting over. Too much work and I don’t want to have to remember all your favorite things. Let’s just call it even and say it’s water under the bridge, yeah?”
A laugh escaped you. “Agreed.”
“I guess everyone is turning over a new leaf,” he commented, seeming amused.
“How so?”
“Well after Lokster and I went rounds, we went out for drinks.”
“Really?” you questioned, a skeptical laugh escaping you.
“Yeah.”
“How did that go? I miss him. Even though he’s an ass, I wish he’d come around.”
Tony winced. “Yeah, about that….”
You frowned. “What about it?”
“Remember that we’re friends again when I tell you this--”
“What?” you questioned, your eyes narrowing as you started to get off the bed. “What did you do, Tony?”
“He was feeling really… well homesick. I guess. He thought maybe he’d be better off just going back to Asgard and I said, ‘Well why don’t you?’”
“What!?” you all but shrieked. “Tony, why? How could you do that?’
He stood up to meet you at eye level. “Hear me out. Look, he misses his home. He thinks his dad will you know, go easy on him since he served a sentence out here. He confided some things to me and I thought maybe… Well… you just changed so much since you met. I just wonder if maybe you aren’t better off without him.”
“Better off without-- That is not your place to decide!” you yelled.
“I know.”
“How did he even leave? He was under probation here and you’ve got a travel restriction on him.”
“I may have lifted that so he could leave.”
“You did this on purpose!” you accused angrily.
“Y/N/N, listen to me,” he begged, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m just thinking of you here. Ever since you met him your life has been one train wreck after another. Did you ever wonder if maybe you two aren’t meant for each other? Maybe your lives would be easier apart. You want to live here on Earth, and he wants to be on Asgard.”
It seemed as if Shannon could feel strong emotions that her friend was feeling and that caused her to wake up. It’d been so long since she’d been awake but it's like she was perfectly fine.
“Y/N, what's wrong? Did Tony tell you something to piss you off?” She sat up looking from her best friend to her husband who she remembers she still had to finish talking with.
“Babe, you're awake!” Tony exclaimed, rushing to her side to hold her hand. “Are you feeling okay? Do you need something to drink?”
“I’m fine, Tony. I'm more worried about Y/N. What did you tell her?”
“I told her that I gave Loki permission to leave New York and go back to his family on Asgard. I figured that he should get to go back, seeing as he missed his family.”
“Tony, what were you thinking?! He shouldn't have left, let alone by himself. They still had things to fix. You had no right to do that.”
"Shan, sweetie, you need to rest. I can take it from here. I'm going after Loki," you said defiantly as you started to grab clothes and a suitcase.
“Y/N, I can’t let you do that by yourself. The least I can do after everything you’ve done for me is go with you and help you sort out this problem.” She looked over at Tony, giving him a look. “As for you, we’re going to finish our conversation before I passed out when we come back.”
Tony looked away, knowing he was going to get an earful from her when she got back about everything that’s happened.
“Y/N, finish packing. I’ll go shower and get dressed really quick. Think you can pack my bag?”
"Of course," you said solemnly.
“You just woke up. I dont think it’s a good idea for you to be going to another planet just yet, babe.” He watched her get up and start heading for the bathroom.
“I know I probably shouldn’t be doing this but it needs to be done. Who knows how things will go when they talk? I need to be there in case of anything.” And with that, she walked into the bathroom. A little while later she was showered and dressed. Just then Bruce walked in to do his routine check on her.
“Shannon! You’re awake. You shouldn’t be up and walking around just yet.” He rushed to her to make sure she didn’t fall. “Where are you going?” He noticed the two packed bags.
“Y/N and I are going to go find Loki and have him come back to earth so those two to talk things out.”
“Where exactly are you going?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t too far
“Asgard,” she simply responded.
“No, Shannon! I can’t let you do that. Who knows how your body will react to you entering their planet.”
“I’ll be fine. If anything, the doctors over there can check me, plus my healing factor has been active this entire time so I’m okay.”
“I’d rather me or someone else go with you two just to make sure,” Bruce said, not seeing how Tony reacted to him saying that.
“Babe, he’s right you two shouldnt go, healing factor or not you are not at 100 just yet.”
“I am a grown ass woman I can go where I please and if you really want to come Bruce, I’m not stopping you. Just don’t think I’m going to do everything you say,” she called over her shoulder as she grabbed her bag and both women headed out the door.
“Wait, let me grab some things and I’ll go with you both. Just to keep you girls safe.” He went to the room that was close by, no one had realized he had switched rooms to be closer to Shanon. “Alright, I've got everything, you want to lead the way?” He gestured to you to go ahead of them.
“On it,” you said confidently as you walked out of the mansion, far away from it, and out into the field behind it. Shannon and Bruce were just behind you, following you out.
Tony pulled Bruce back. “You better not dare try anything while you three are there, got it?” he warned the taller man. “Remember who she’s married to, Banner.”
“Relax, would you? As her doctor, I’m keeping it professional.” He walked away in hopes of ending the conversation there.
As soon as everyone made their way beside you, everyone’s luggage in hand, you took a deep breath. “Heimdall, open the bifrost, please,” you requested. It was so odd, you hadn’t been to Asgard since the fall. You wondered how it would feel returning to your ‘home.’
Heimdall opened the rift and within the blink of an eye, a rainbow shroud formed around you to take you away.
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The Lily Farm - Chapter 38
AO3 | Masterpost
Rating: M (Mature) - sexual content, violence, and adult themes
Summary: To help her process Sean’s death, Mary Beth asks Arthur to take her on a hunting trip, somewhere far away. He agrees, and on their journey to the north, they find quietude and take comfort in their easy bond. They’ve been friends for a while now, but life, like the wilderness, is full of uncertainty and complications, and as they embark on their desperate search for meaning together, they endure many trials, some small, some big—all of which bring them closer to one another, and to their future.
Chapter 38: Wild Horses
Childhood living
is easy to do.
-The Rolling Stones, "Wild Horses"
“Your wife,” said Eagle Flies. He and Arthur were up on the top of a hill, looking down at the great oil refinery of the Heartlands. It was bustling, sundown. “I noticed that she shielded her stomach, when she was defending you, back in St. Denis. She is pregnant.”
Arthur did not look away from his binoculars. “Yep.”
Eagle Flies sighed. “I understand now why you were so reluctant to help us, and why money is so important. I am sorry.”
“No need to be sorry, son,” said Arthur, chewing on a reed. “What’s being done to you is beyond repair, and Mary Beth was right. Standing idly by is an old habit for me. I’m trying to be better. Granted, I never thought that being better would mean stealing from the State Government, but as I said the other day, morality is relative.”
“Morality is relative,” said Eagle Flies, staring off into the distance, at the pink clouds. “That is a wise sentiment. Is it yours?”
“No,” said Arthur. “Belongs to some German.”
“A German?”
“A writer. I can’t even pronounce his name, but when you live like I do, you got a lot of time on your hands.”
“What does that mean?” said Eagle Flies.
“It means I’ve read practically everything. Now come here, take a look at this.” Arthur handed him the binoculars, directed him to watch the covered wagons rolling in through the front gate. “Wagons are going in and out through there, on supply runs. Probably a couple times a day.” He squinted into the sky, glanced around, tipped his hat backward so he could assess the weather. “There’s a storm on the horizon, over that way.” He pointed south. “I wait till dark, I may not beat the rain.”
“It is unsafe for you to go during the daylight. Also, if those files are as incriminating as we believe, Mr. Cornwall’s men will destroy them if they see you coming.”
“On that I agree with you,” said Arthur. He took a deep breath, put his hands on his hips and thought hard. “Okay. Here’s what’s gonna happen. The sun’ll be down in one hour. When it is, I’m gonna stow away on one of them wagons, next one comes through. If nothing comes in due time, I will find some other way in, but I reckon this will work.”
“Do we need a contingency?”
“Hopefully not,” said Arthur. “But you hear bullets start to fly, son, that means I may need your help.”
“I am on it,” said Eagle Flies.”
“Who am I looking for.”
“The foreman’s name is Danbury,” said Eagle Flies, handing the binoculars back to Arthur. “He has the files we need in his office, above the refinery room. It’s that window, with the blinds drawn up.”
Arthur glanced through the binoculars, quickly. “I see it. What will the files say, the ones I’m looking for?”
“There’ll be a report from Leland Oil Development Company.”
“Very good,” said Arthur. He sat down, leaning against a great rock, studying the refinery and how it was this huge and ugly mass, leaking poison into the heart of the land. He lit a cigarette, offered one to Eagle Flies who politely declined.
“You got a wife, Mr. Eagle Flies?” said Arthur after a little while, taking off his hat, smoothing the lining within.
“No,” said Eagle Flies. He sat down next to Arthur, took to sharpening his hunting knife.
“You want one?”
Eagle Flies shot him a look, but he was curious. “One day. There is a girl.”
“A girl, huh.”
“Yes.”
“Well, do yourself a favor then,” said Arthur, smoking, “and refrain from starting any wars. Women, you see, they’re smarter than us, and they don’t take too kindly to that sort of stupidity.” He closed his eyes to the breeze, blowing northerly. He could feel the rain on it, like a bite.
“Sometimes, war is an unavoidable consequence.”
“Indeed it is,” said Arthur. He plucked up a long piece of grass, started shredding it in his fingertips. “Just—I know that you’re young, Eagle Flies, and you got a lot of blood running through your veins and your ego, but try to listen to your father on this. He may know a fair bit more than you think he does.”
“Is your father living?”
Arthur laughed to himself. “No. He died when I was a teenager.”
“Did you listen to him. When he was alive.”
Arthur studied the tip of his cigarette, watched the ashes burn off and fall into the dirt. “Only as far as I had to to survive. But my father was a bad man. Yours is a good man. I can just tell.”
“Good men fail all the time, Mr. Morgan,” said Eagle Flies. It was a sad sentiment. Arthur was staring into the advancing twilight, how it fell in purple hues across the land and over the refinery. The wind was picking up. The clouds now covered half the sky.
“You got a point,” said Arthur.
He knew exactly what Eagle Flies meant. He saw no clean answer.
Meanwhile, back at Shady Belle, John and Abigail were slated to head to St. Denis, where Dutch wanted them on a job together, scouting the trolley station on a tip from Angelo Bronte. Initially, he had planned on doing said recon himself; however, Hosea said no. After the wedding and such business as Hanging Dog, Dutch needed to lie as low as possible, and with Arthur out on other business, it was pretty much John and Abbie or bust. It was good to use a pretty lady on a job like this, said Hosea. Trolley clerks are idiots. Desperate for somebody to think they’re important, they’ll bite the first baited hook they see all day.
It had been raining something awful that morning in the swamps. A nasty storm whipped through off the Lanahechee, headed north with alarming speed. A straight-line wind came through, tipped Pearson’s wagon over. Nobody got hurt, but it was an awful mess. The storm left behind it some humidity, and a brand new heat in its wake. The sun came out, drying everything, illuminating the destruction. Mary Beth and Abigail were tidying the chickens, gathering eggs. Abigail chose two to put on the slaughter, as the stew had been destroyed and the camp needed food. Charles had left to find boar, and Sadie was out on the perimeter. John, now that their trip to the city had been delayed half a day, was hauling up the wagon with help from Bill and Javier. It was hot and he was smoking, and he stripped shirtless along with several of the men doing the heavy lifting that day. Mary Beth had a skirt full of eggs, and Abigail held those two chickens that she had broke at the neck. They stood watching the boys haul up that wagon to its busted axels. Pearson stood by in shambles, complaining like his livelihood had been destroyed. John barked at him to shut the fuck up. It wasn’t so bad. It was just a goddam hiccup.
Mary Beth watched Abigail, who watched John. She seemed bothered. Both women were in white sleeveless blouses and sweating in the sun.
“You okay?” said Mary Beth, nudging.
“What?” said Abigail, as if disturbed. “No. Or, yes. Goddammit. I’m fine.”
“I was just askin,” said Mary Beth.
Abigail sighed, looked at her. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little on edge. This heat is makin me itch.”
“I hear you. How’s John?”
This seemed to stir up something. They could hear him shouting out orders then, and the other men followed. Miss Grimshaw was comforting Mr. Pearson, who sat on a wet log with his head in his hands.
“Abigail?”
“What?”
Mary Beth shrugged.
“Oh, shit,” said Abigail. She took Mary Beth by the hand then, dragged her over to the porch where it was they could not be overheard.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” said Abigail.
“Okay,” said Mary Beth, pushing the sweaty hair off her face. There were flies buzzing, too. “Did something happen, with you and John?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No,” said Abigail, shaking her head, reading Mary Beth’s mind. “No. That’s just the thing. No. Nothing." She took a deep breath. “Something keeps…coming close. To happening. But it never does.”
“Hmm,” said Mary Beth. “I see.”
“Yeah, well.”
“How long has it been for you two?”
“Lord knows,” said Abigail, studying her nails. She dropped the chickens into the long leather sack she had flung over shoulder. “Years. We ain’t been—I mean, we ain’t really been on any kind of terms in a long time. It just…it’s been a lot of complications. With Jack. But Jack is his. He’s his. I swear it. I slept with other of these fools but not then, not no more. I picked John, and after that, I didn't touch a one of them.”
“You don’t have to explain it to me,” said Mary Beth. “I understand.”
“Don’t know how you could,” said Abigail, gazing at John as he worked. “I don’t mean that like, any kind of insult. Just the opposite. You and Arthur, you seem so sturdy? He’s such a—a man, you know? Just such a goddam man. He always has been. Like he was born that way.”
Mary Beth swatted at a fly that was getting up in her hair, and then she sat down on one of the chairs there, right by the front door. Abigail followed suit, sat beside her. “He’s got his own albatross to bear, Abbie,” said Mary Beth. “It ain’t that simple, I promise.”
“Oh, shit. I know. I didn’t mean nothing by it.”
“It’s really okay,” Mary Beth went on. “I just, I know how we must seem. Like a whirlwind, getting married. And I love him so much, I do, but it ain’t pie, being with Arthur. He ain’t a easy man. Maybe his demons don’t manifest like John’s, but he’s older. He’s different. It’s just different.”
“I get it,” Abigail said, breathing. She placed her hand on Mary Beth’s knee. “I do.”
Mary Beth cradled the eggs in her skirt, looked down at them, counted. There were fourteen in all. “I know you do.”
“You worried about him?” said Abigail.
“Yes,” said Mary Beth, taking a deep breath. “It’s strange. Before we got together, I loved him still, but I didn’t worry about him, not really. It’s like, like I knew he was coming back, no matter what, back then. He was like a knight of legends, a hero who could never die. But now? I don’t know. Maybe because I know him better, because I seen him in the dim light of the evening, because I've lived with him, right on the cusp, and the two of us, we been together under some awful predicaments, but also a lot of joy. Loving him, knowing what he does, and knowing what's out there, I worry all the goddam time. I mean, I shot a man to save his life. What if I hadn't been there? I think about that, constantly. Sweet Jesus.”
Abigail nodded like she understood. “You’re pregnant, too,” she said. “Being pregnant makes you feel all sorts of…anxiety. Trust me, I know.”
“I keep having these vivid dreams. More like nightmares,” said Mary Beth, “that he’s dead, or that he never existed at all, but I’m still pregnant. In one, he was being dragged away by a wild horse on a mountain. Drug him right off a cliff. It’s terrifying.”
“I get that,” said Abigail. “I do. I had the same sorts of dreams when I was pregnant with Jack.”
“And I’m so goddam thirsty. Like, just so thirsty. I drink so much water, and yet, I’m always thirsty. Why?”
“I don’t know,” said Abigail. “But that ain’t really gonna go away for a long time. Try fruit juice? Juice always made me feel better. I liked orange juice with Jack.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” said Mary Beth, smiling.
“Me, too,” said Abigail.
They looked back at the boys then, out in the yard. John was taking a break, drinking some water and finishing his smoke. He had his hair knotted off his face. He glanced at them, waved sarcastically.
“John Marston,” scolded Abigail, but she blushed. He smiled and looked away.
Mary Beth found this very sweet. “So what do you think?” she said. “You gonna let him back into your bed or what?”
“Excuse me?”
“In St. Denis. You guys are going tonight, right? You’ll stay the night, won’t you?”
Abigail looked down at her boots. “Yeah, we're staying the night,” she said. “But I don't know. He kisses me goodnight, every night lately. Since your wedding, in fact. We been sleeping in the same bed, sometimes. We just ain’t been, you know, doing anything but sleeping.” She seemed nervous as she spoke of it, fidgety. She kept fussing with her hem. “I don’t know why I’m so goddam anxious.”
“I do,” said Mary Beth, shrugging. “It’s a big deal, Abbie. The two of you is…you’re getting strong again. It only makes sense, that you’d be thinking about it. Do you want to?”
“Yes,” said Abigail, without hesitation. “I just—I keep feeling like I’m ready, but then the time comes, and I choke. He ain’t never once pushed me or even made the suggestion. And he's been drinking less, so he's not even his idiot self no more, looking for a bite anywhere he can. He's changed. I know he’s waiting on me, but I just don’t know what’ll get me there.”
“You’ll know,” said Mary Beth, confident. “Like you said, it’s been real complicated for you guys. But when the time is right, you’ll know. Trust your gut. And don’t put no pressure on tonight. I was just kidding with you.”
Abigail blushed, her eyes bright. “Thank you, Mary Beth.” She seemed young and looked so pretty in the sunlight. It always felt like she was so much older, because she had a son, but her and Mary Beth were the same exact age. “You need anything, picked up in the city?”
“We was just there,” said Mary Beth. “So, no.”
“Maybe I’ll get you some juice. What kind you like?”
“Anything,” said Mary Beth sighing. “Juice would be good though. I ain’t had none in years. Thanks.”
“Arthur is fine,” said Abigail. “He’ll be back in less than a week.”
“Yeah,” said Mary Beth, trying to smile. “I mean, he should be.”
“He will be.”
Jack came running up then, comically, as he had to pee and wasn’t brave enough to go by himself yet. He was prancing about and had two toads in his possession, one in each of the pockets of his jeans.
Later that night, John and Abigail were in St. Denis. They rode in after straightening out that business with Pearson’s wagon, and it had gotten dark, and the lights of the city were buzzing overhead in advertisement of a finer, more organized and upscale existence. They had not shared in any such romance for some time. Abigail recalled how, once in Denver right after they met, they had stolen tickets to a show off a southern gentleman with an alligator briefcase. They sat in the back, reveling in the mystery of ladies dancing on stilts, and then they left and took a walk to a little lake there, holding hands and looking up at the stars. John remembered, too, as he tied up their horses outside the saloon and guided her through the doors and into the tasteful raucous within.
“You was wearing a green dress,” he said, bashful. “I remember, it had moons on the collar.”
“Geez,” said Abigail. “Not even I remembered the moons.”
“Well it looked good on you.”
They got a table toward the back. A girl came around and took their orders. They got a plate of fish to share and a couple glasses of whiskey with water splashed in.They ate and drank and talked a little. John went up to pay the tab and came back to the table with two keys.
“We should hit the hay,” he said. “It’s late. Trolley station opens early.”
“What you got there?”
“Oh. One for me, and one for you.” He gave her one single, solitary key.
She held it in her hand, and she looked at him. “Two, huh?”
He shrugged. “I just figured.”
“Yeah,” she said, nodding.
He gave her his hand and helped her up from the table and they walked past the bar, saying goodnight to the bartender, and then they went upstairs. As they parted, John said goodnight, and he kissed her in his sweet way that was becoming more reliable with each night, a little like he was. When she went into the room and closed the door behind her, she sat down on the bed and thought about what had incited this change inside him. The bed was vast and soft, and the covers were full of decoration and tassels and things, and there were these pretty glass doors that led out to the balcony, which overlooked the bustling city below.
John had started being different almost the very day he went on that fishing trip with Arthur. Arthur’s proposal that they travel up to find a better life had infused him with something, shaped him up a little bit. Some tiny seed of opportunity had taken root and started growing and he had just become a better person, and for her, the quiet, far away hope of lily farms in Wisconsin—and whether they were even real or some symbolic figments of the imagination did not matter—it had brought stillness and comfort and made her better, too.
She started digging through her valise and found a tin of tobacco and some rolling papers. She made up a few cigarettes, kept one out to smoke and put the rest in her pocket. She went outside, out the glass doors with a book of matches. Leaning against the balcony, she smoked and took her hair down and enjoyed the cool air of the evening, listening with intent to a conversation going on below between a couple of guys who sounded drunk and like they were going in on some cockamamie business venture together. They looked young and educated and all kinds of stupid. She was smiling.
“Sounds like they got it all figured out,” said John. He had come out as well, to the balcony. She was surprised to see him. It seemed the balcony was one big affair and it wrapped around the whole building, connecting all the rooms in all the hotel above the saloon.
Feeling warm around the rim of her collar, she offered him one of the cigarettes from her pocket as well as a match. He thanked her, took the cigarette, but he had his own match. He leaned on the balcony same as her. He’d taken a bath in the lake before they left for St. Denis with some of Mary Beth’s lavender soap she had stolen off a well-to-do passing through Valentine. He smelled clean, even as the ride over from Shady Belle had been rough and long.
“This ain’t nothing like Denver City,” said John, smoking, “but it sure is something.”
“Yeah,” said Abigail, looking down at her hands on the rail. “That was a whole different life.”
They stood beside one another, smoking for a while. At some point, John finished his cigarette, tossed it to the floor of the balcony and stamped it out with the toe of his boot. “Well, Abbie,” he said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Wait,” she said, grabbing his hand.
“Something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong,” she said. She held his hand in both of hers. She looked down at his veins and how they traveled through his hands and his whole body, their outlines raised in his skin. His hands were big and rough, and like the dirt just lived inside them now. They had always been like that, from the first time he held her. “Come inside,” she said, finding his eyes. “With me. Stay with me tonight.”
John seemed to fix on her, focused. He was searching for the second thoughts back there, but he was coming up empty, because there were none. "Okay," he said.
She got up on her tip-toes, and she kissed him. This time, it was not a goodnight kiss but something more. He seemed taken by surprise at first, but he gave in fast, put his hands on her waist. When they parted, they looked softly at one another. John seemed expectant, but nervous. She took his hand and led him through the door to the bed where they undressed and found each other again, by the lights of the big city. Mary Beth had been right, in that Abigail would know when it was time, and it was. In truth, as she felt his warmth and his dedication to her and to her body, and she guided him inside of her and together, they left their old lives behind them, Abigail was no longer sure what she had been waiting for.
That night, Mary Beth was looking after Jack at Shady Belle with some help from Tilly and Miss Grimshaw. Together, as Mr. Pearson worked tirelessly to reorganize his provisions, the three of them baked a dewberry pie with berry crop that Charles had foraged and brought back upon his hunting excursion in the bayou. They shared the pie with the whole camp, and everybody had a piece save for Micah who sat in the shadows like some sort of outsider, cleaning his shotgun and whistling a tune. Javier played his guitar, and Uncle slapped his thigh and drank and led them together in a song. The Reverend went to bed early. Dutch had even come downstairs at some point. He seemed a little lost without Molly, even as it had been him who’d asked her to go. Hosea sat with him in the gazebo and they ate together, Mary Beth thought probably talking about the old days or the new days coming, or perhaps talking about nothing at all. She slept in her and Arthur’s bed with Jack, as there had been coyotes cackling in the distance, and he was frightened for some reason and did not want to be alone.
“I don’t like coyotes,” said Jack in his little voice.
“Don’t be afraid,” said Mary Beth. She told him a story of a nice coyote who wore a hat and a jacket and went into town one day to buy a Christmas ham for him and his wife. Jack listened and asked if she could include a knight in her story, and a battle with a dragon on the top of a mountain, and of course she obliged before they both fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Arthur sat alone, under the stars beside Moonstone Pond in Ambarino, thinking of Eagle Flies and how he had saved his life back in them oil fields, and the operation had been successful. It complicated everything. He’d caught a fish for dinner and cooked it plain and smoked and nursed a cup of gin. The earth was damp, and he had to sit on a log, but generally speaking, where he sat now was the same spot he and Mary Beth had camped some months before, on their way up to the Roanoke Valley, as they pried each other open for the first time and bonded over their broken dreams. A couple of busted umbrellas. That is what she had called them. The sounds of nature were loud and familiar here, and Diana slept soundly. He missed Sarah. He thought of her often, but he had promised Diana to Kieran, and it was getting to be time that he moved on, got himself a new mare.
That next morning he was gonna ride over to Annesburg to meet up with Texas Rangers Call and LaBeouf. The hideout they were gonna raid was in Roanoke Ridge near the Kamassa, and he had a pretty good idea of where. He hoped to stop through O’Creagh’s Run to say hello to Hamish and perhaps get some fishing in, and so he planned to get going real early. Even still, sleep eluded him. He drew a picture of Mary Beth’s face by the light of the fire, how he remembered her from their wedding day, and he drew the pond, too, and how the moonlight glanced through the broken clouds that still lingered after the storm. Sometimes lately, he would stop to remember how things had happened, and the fact he was a married man, and he would look down at the ring given to him by Mary Beth. It comforted him beyond the edges of the earth. He took a deep breath and tried thinking of horses. He knew there was a good stable south of Annesburg near Van Horn, or else he could always head back to St. Denis. That is where he might find a quality steed. He did not feel up to breaking a new horse. That is what he decided. The timeline was already tight, with him scheduled to get back just a day or two prior to the riverboat job, and if he was gonna break a horse, he wanted it to be a prized girl. A real nice filly he could take with him anywhere. He had heard of wild Arabians living like nomads up in the Grizzlies, and he thought, maybe one day, once he got all this shit behind him and they were actually headed north, they could stop in them mountains for a day or two, and he’d catch one, maybe two, maybe even one for each of them if John was willing to help and his patience held out.
#red dead redemption 2#rdr2#arthur morgan#mary beth gaskill#rdr2 fanfic#john marston#abigail roberts#arthur x mary beth#john x abigail#arthur morgan x mary beth gaskill#john marston x abigail roberts#some big romance in this one#but not what you think#^.~#a day earlier than expected#i had time to finish it today so i just did#and i posted#<3#i'm sorry for the long wait#i hope you enjoy
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mountains and valleys (and all that will come in between) - chapter three
Jake, Amy, and four distinct yet painfully similar times the universe pulled them apart and pushed them back together.
read on ao3
part three: prison
Amy is falling apart.
It’s after the jury says “guilty”, the judge gives two of her favourite people on the planet each a sentence of fifteen years in prison, and the court is adjourned.
It’s after two officers handcuff Jake and Rosa, respectively, and she’s overwhelmed by how wrong it feels to see them on this side of the law.
It’s after Amy makes desperate eye contact with him for only a split second and attempts to convey everything she can with such a look - predominantly “I love you and I will bring you home” - but worries that her fear and pain are more evident.
It’s after Gina’s arms wrap around her and her cold fingers come up to stroke Amy’s hair and provide her with some semblance of comfort.
It’s after the squad, which is noticeably too small, convenes briefly in the hallway of the courthouse and they try to comfort each other while also making a plan, which they will begin to execute tomorrow, to bust Hawkins.
It’s after she receives offers from every one of her friends to take her for drinks or drive her home or, if going home might be too painful, to stay at one of their places.
It’s after she politely declines said offers and accepts one more hug from Charles, immediately afterwards retreating to her car in the parking lot.
It happens when she unlocks her little sedan and climbs into the driver’s seat. She turns the key in the ignition and the Enya CD automatically starts to play, but in stark contrast to their drive back from Pennsylvania only a few hours ago, there is no Jake sitting in the seat next to her and singing along or squeezing her thigh periodically while she drives.
Right away, she ejects the CD and chucks it haphazardly into the back seat, leaving her in complete silence.
That is when breaks, because life with Jake is never this quiet, but life without him - a life she knows all too well from his time in witness protection - is painfully so. Her heart feels like it’s shattering inside her chest, making her entire body physically ache, and she releases the pain with a strangled sob.
Her forehead comes to rest against the steering wheel as tears stream down her face and cloud her vision. Her ears are still ringing with the “guilty” verdict, her brain is still replaying the image of him being dragged away from her.
She doesn’t pull herself together until the sun begins to set over the courthouse parking lot. Her phone buzzes incessantly, to the point that she can no longer ignore it, and she picks it up without checking the name on the screen.
“Hello?” Her voice is weak and a little hoarse - it’s the first word she’s spoken in almost an hour.
“Amy, how was the trial?”
Her dad’s firm, formal tone shrouds most of the fear in his voice. He’s been a rock for them the past few months, offering to help pay for legal fees or come to New York and assist her in digging for evidence to indict Hawkins.
She opens her mouth to answer and no words come out, no sound other than a quiet whimper, the aftershock of the wails that just wracked her body.
“Oh, no, honey. They didn’t…”
She hadn’t been sure until now - until this horrible, awful circumstance - if her father even liked Jake. Now, with the slight trembling in his usually steady voice, she thinks he’s begun to see him more like an eighth son than his daughter’s boyfriend.
“Guilty on all charges,” she chokes out. “Jake and Rosa. They both got-they got fifteen years.“
“You’ll get them out, mija, I know you will,” Victor cuts in firmly. “You have a strong detective squad, your captain is brilliant-”
“What if we can’t, Dad?”
There’s a brief silence. If he were here, she’s sure she would see the typical pensive, thoughtful look on her father’s face as he tries to formulate the best possible response to ease his daughter’s worries. He’s always, always known the right thing to say for every situation life has thrown at her.
This isn’t a B on a math test or a mean girl who didn’t invite Amy to her birthday party, though.
“We’ll figure something out, Amy,” he responds with vague uncertainty. “Do you want your mother and I to come stay with you for a while?”
“I-I don’t know. No. I think I need to be alone and…and try to process this.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Whatever you need.” Another long pause. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“I hope so.”
She drives home, climbs into his side of the bed, and cries until it’s no longer physically possible.
-
Around half past four in the morning, Amy wakes with sweat on her forehead and bits and pieces of the dream she’s experienced every time she closes her eyes tonight still fresh in her memory.
The dreams have varied slightly, but all of them start with her in Jake’s arms, in the bed that is currently half-empty, and subsequently end with him being dragged out of a courtroom.
Needless to say, going back to sleep is not an option - she isn’t sure if her heart can take seeing his desperate eyes and shaky hands another time. Instead of closing her eyes and attempting to get more than one or two hours of rest before work, she accepts defeat.
The apartment is cold, too cold for summer, and it doesn’t help that her primary heat source is hundreds of miles away. That doesn’t help anything, actually - all it does is make her want to scream about the injustice of the state of New York and America and, really, the universe.
(She’s a good person. Good people don’t deserve to watch their boyfriend go to prison for a crime they didn’t commit.)
She proceeds with her morning routine hours ahead of schedule, filling out the crossword and drinking her coffee. She grabs a pantsuit from her side of the closet and tries not to look at the half occupied with plaid shirts and hoodies.
By six-thirty, she’s parked her car in front of the precinct. She recognizes that in order to maintain her regular workload and work on the case, there is no time to be wasted.
She’s engrossed in a witness report from one of the first robberies, her nose buried in one of the many files on her desk, when her ears faintly register footsteps and a concerned voice calling out her name.
Still, she doesn’t look up from the file - no time to be wasted.
“Santiago,” the voice says again, closer this time, followed by a much softer: “Amy.”
Only when she strays far enough from her train of thought to register who is speaking to her does she look up from her desk, a quick glance to acknowledge Captain Holt’s presence before resuming her careful perusing.
“I didn’t expect to see you today,” Holt says.
“Why not?” she asks without looking up.
“I can imagine this must be very difficult for you. Jake being convicted.” He adds the last part like she doesn’t know, like she hasn’t spent the past sixteen hours hearing the word guilty echo in her brain like a gunshot. “I thought it went without saying, but you are welcome to take a few days off is you need time to process this.”
“I can’t.”
“I’m sure your colleagues will be more than willing to cover your cases-“
“No.” She cuts him off with firmness that surprises both of them, shaking her head. “I can’t just sit at home while Jake is alone and probably terrified and in danger in a goddamn cell in the middle of nowhere. I have to find a way to get him and Rosa out. I need to be working.”
She braces herself for the speech - the reprimanding that will almost certainly end in her going home and realizing the error in her approach - but, even if the captain has crafted such a message in his mind, it never comes. He simply nods and takes a step back.
“Okay,” he speaks quietly, voice lacking its usual authoritative quality. “Just please let me know if you need anything.”
She barely manages to rasp a “thank you” before he’s in his office and closing the door behind him, his desk already covered in a similar array of papers and - maybe, hopefully - some sort of clue that will lead them to Hawkins’ arrest.
-
The first day she visits him, with Captain Holt and Charles in company, she’s left feeling much worse than before.
She’s able to hold it together during the visit, with Jake’s eyes so intently watching her every move. His analytical gaze hardly leaves her face for the entirety of the hour, and she knows that he can see the dark circles she tried her best to cover up with concealer in the airport bathroom and the smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. She wishes he didn’t know her so well, or that he wasn’t such an observant person - maybe then she could fool him into thinking she’s okay.
She listens to him talk about the crappy food in the dining hall, his quirky cellmate, and the general gist of life as an inmate. She laughs when he makes a joke and smiles when he smiles at her. She tries to ignore the pit in her stomach.
Finally, she hugs him goodbye; his stubbly face brushes against hers and she can feel the loss of weight when her hand curls around his back, and she’s overwhelmed by the ways prison has already changed him physically. When she thinks about the mental and emotional toll it’s inevitably going to take, she begins to feel a little bit nauseous.
The nausea takes hold and refuses to relent when they step out of the visiting room and she hears an announcement over the P.A. that an inmate has just been stabbed in the cafeteria. She knows it’s not him - he was in her arms less than two minutes ago, there’s no way he got there that quickly - but it could be him tomorrow, or the next day, or any minute of any day until she gets him out of here.
Amy is strong, so she shakes her head when Holt asks if she needs a moment before starting their rental car and heading back to the airport to catch their flight (back to New York, back to being thousands of miles from the other half of her heart).
Amy is strong, but her stomach is decidedly not - they only make it twenty minutes down the empty South Carolina backroads before she’s blurting out a request for Holt to pull over and Charles is holding her hair back while she throws up.
The rest of the trip home - the drive, the flight, the taxi back to the precinct - is completely silent.
-
The collective concern for Amy among the Nine-Nine grows substantially after the South Carolina incident.
Gina, now on maternity leave and only weeks away from giving birth, invites her over to gossip about the other women in her prenatal class, drink tea and watch TLC shows.
Charles makes her dinner at least a few times a week after realizing how little she’s been eating at work. Nothing too weird, either - mostly pasta, casseroles, the sort of food he thinks she’s most likely to actually eat.
Holt extends an open invitation to dinner with him and Kevin, which she accepts one night when her apartment is feeling even more eerily empty than usual. Kevin tries to crack jokes about that morning’s New York Times crossword puzzle, and she tries to let herself laugh and enjoy that this would be her dream dinner under normal circumstances.
Terry comes over one Saturday morning with Ava while Sharon is at a birthday party with the twins, and Amy does feel a small resurgence of warmth in her chest while playing with Jake’s two year-old goddaughter.
While she’s incredibly grateful for her friends and their support, it doesn’t really fill the void that is drinking tequila on the couch with Rosa (the very thing that got her through much of Jake’s time in WITSEC) or making out with Jake in their kitchen on a lazy Sunday afternoon. There is no substitute for Rosa Diaz or Jake Peralta (the latter she learned the hard way years ago while trying to convince herself she could be happy with other men).
She only cries at work once. She’s been at the precinct for twelve hours, working tirelessly on a lead concerning one of Hawkins’ subordinates that ultimately led to another in a long string of dead ends. The moment she realizes she’s made zero progress in nearly five weeks - five weeks of Jake sitting in prison - she feels the floodgates open, her feet carrying her to the evidence lockup as quickly as possible as to not break down in front of the entire bullpen.
It’s no surprise, really, that a paIr of footsteps follow her and strong arms wrap around her before the first sob is released.
“It’s okay, Amy, you can let it out,” Terry says softly, patting her back.
“I can’t keep letting him down,” she whimpers. “I need to find something.”
It’s a thought she’s entertained a few too many times - that if she or someone else had been incarcerated in his place, Jake surely would’ve figured out a way to get them out by now. Jake, the brilliant detective, dedicated friend and perfect boyfriend. God, he always figures it out.
“You aren’t letting him down, you’re doing the best that you can,” he assures her. “And it’s not just your burden, okay? We’re all with you. We’re gonna get them out, together.”
She nods against Terry’s chest as the tears staining his white shirt continue to flow freely.
“I miss him so much.”
“I know, Amy. I know.”
-
It’s a Tuesday afternoon when she gets a phone call from an unknown number, and her heart nearly stops for a variety of reasons, the most worrisome being the fact that she’s Jake’s emergency contact in prison -the first person to be called if he’s injured or, god forbid, worse.
“Hello, this is Amy Santiago.” She tries to keep her voice firm and steady.
“Ames, it’s me.”
The phone almost slips out of her fingers as soon as she hears the familiar voice.
“Jake? How are - you got the contraband phone?”
“Yep,” Jake replies cheerfully on the other end. “All it took was giving a murderer some ramen.”
He sounds happy - happy for someone in his situation, anyways - and despite the way her throat tightens at the thought of him colluding with convicted murderers, she tries to be a little bit happy, too.
“I’m glad you managed to get one, babe,” she says softly, leaning forward in her desk chair. “Especially after our last visit was cut short.”
He sighs happily, and she can almost see the content, dreamy look on his face that often accompanies such a sigh buried deep in her memory.
“I can’t believe I’m hearing your voice.”
“I know.” She clutches the phone a little tighter, trying to memorize the sound of his breathing. “It’s so amazing.”
“And now every day can be like visiting day, and we can talk about whatever, whenever-“
He’s cut off abruptly, and Amy tenses as she hears the faint sound of another man’s voice in the background.
“I gotta go.”
“Jake?”
The line goes dead before she can receive a response or ascertain for herself what kind of situation had arisen that required him to hang up so quickly.
She doesn’t get much time to dwell on it; a brief moment later, Terry is calling her over to look at something in one of the robbery files.
They’re getting closer, she thinks. She’s going to get him out.
-
The spark of hope in the form of an address for a bus station is quickly extinguished. On the drive home from Linden, New Jersey, Amy feels her optimism deteriorate more with every mile. Hawkins was one step ahead of them.
Hawkins is always one step ahead of them. Maybe she always will be.
She’s trying to find some other solution, some desperate Hail Mary to save them, but not even the deepest corners of her mind can come up with any route they haven’t already explored.
Once Captain Holt comes out of his office rambling about finishing pigs, everything is shoved into hyper speed: running to change into tactical gear; storming the Slaughterhouse and the sweet vindication of Melanie Hawkins’ face as she realizes she’s lost; reluctantly complying with Holt’s orders to assist Terry in arresting the remainder of Hawkins’ men up in Queens, letting Charles and Holt go to retrieve Jake and Rosa, respectively; finally seeing every one of the people responsible for making her and her loved ones’ lives a living hell for months behind bars; scrambling to finish arrest reports without even double-checking for grammatical errors because she needs to get to the airport.
She doesn’t even have time to process what’s happening until she’s standing at the arrivals gate, her eyes glued to the TBD next to Charleston, wringing her hands together as she awaits for the ARRIVED to appear in big, green letters.
He’s coming home. After the two most gruelling and emotionally exhausting months of her life, she will finally get to hold him with no guards yelling that their time is up and kiss him until her heart pieces itself back together.
He’s coming home, he’s coming home, he’s coming home.
She repeats it like a mantra in her head to keep herself grounded to reality, so preoccupied with reminding herself she isn’t dreaming that she doesn’t notice as the sign changes - the plane landed six minutes early - and is completely unprepared and lost in her own thoughts when she hears Charles’ voice cut through the noisy room.
“Amy!”
The scene that follows is almost too cinematic to be real. The crowd seems to part serendipitously, their eyes meet at exactly the same time, the bag Jake is carrying is abandoned on the ground at Boyle’s feet as he sprints towards her. She’s too shellshocked by the perfection of it all that she only makes it a few feet before he reaches her.
His momentum nearly knocks her off her feet, but he scoops her up in his arms and spins her around - a full three-sixty - with ease, her joyous laughter ringing out through the swarm of New Yorkers reuniting with loved ones (most of them in less dramatic manner) and going utterly unnoticed by anyone other than them (and Charles, obviously).
He doesn’t set her down for a few seconds, her arms winding around his neck while she burrows her face past his hoodie and her lips connect with his collarbone.
“Oh my god, Ames,” he sighs, pulling away to look at her with hands firmly gripping her upper arms, “I can’t believe this is happening. This is real.”
She doesn’t completely register that she’s crying until she’s nodding rapidly and the tears fall from her eyes. A bright smile forms on her face, not unlike the awestruck grin on his.
“It’s real, babe.”
She isn’t sure she believes it until she says it herself: Jake is wearing a t-shirt, hoodie and leather jacket instead of an orange jumpsuit; he smells like his cologne and not the cheap prison soap; his face is completely shaven, no trace of the beard remaining. He looks like a dream.
“You got rid of the beard,” she murmurs, her thumbs brushing over his cheeks.
“With a crappy razor in a gas station bathroom, but I wanted to get rid of all evidence of prison by the time I got home. I had Charles bring me a bag of my stuff.” She manages a smile despite the ache in her chest, a small voice telling her that the ramifications of this traumatic time will not be fixed with cologne and a gas station razor. “Do you miss it?”
“Nope,” she says without thought. Then, a little quieter: “I missed you.”
“Same here, babe. You have no idea how much.”
She raises herself onto the tips of her toes to pull him in for a long, searing kiss. Her hand strokes his hair, slightly longer than the last time she ran her fingers through it. Other than that tiny, minuscule change, it feels strikingly similar to every other kiss she’s shared with her boyfriend - beautiful, right, full of love.
“I love you,” she whispers after pulling away, pecking his lips softly.
“I love you t-Boyle, c’mon man.”
She spins around to face their coworker, whose presence she had completely forgotten, where he stands only a few feet away from them, holding his phone up.
“Did you seriously film all that?” Amy asks, laughing a little because she can’t bring herself to be annoyed right now, not when Jake is stroking the small of her back.
“Can you blame me?” Charles exclaims, throwing his hands up defensively. “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
She rolls her eyes, wiping a few stray tears away and leaning into Jake’s side for support. She can’t really disagree with him.
“Believe it or not, mine and Charles’ reunion was actually much more emotional,” Jake states, tilting his head down so that his nose barely brushes her temple and he can see her laugh.
“Oh, I believe it.” She takes his hand and slides her fingers into the spaces between his. “We should get going. I told the squad we’ll be at Shaw’s in half an hour and it’s gonna be a nightmare getting out of here.”
Jake sighs happily, squeezing her hand as he retrieves his bag from the floor.
“Is it weird that I actually missed New York traffic?”
-
Amy’s never been completely certain what her favourite place on Earth is.
Before today, she could’ve made an argument for a few different spots: the small reading nook off in her apartment, the fireplace at her parents’ house in New Jersey, the main branch of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue.
Now, as she’s nestled into a booth with Jake and Rosa on either side of her, Jake’s arm around her and his chest vibrating as he laughs at a story Charles is telling, she is certain there’s no completion.
As glorious as the sounds of her reunited squad’s laughter and as warm as the look on Jake’s face is making her insides, there are certain things that cannot be done or said until they are alone. With every kiss he presses to her cheek and every stroke of her hand on his thigh, she longs for the privacy of their apartment.
“Let’s go home,” she murmurs in his ear after an hour or so.
He doesn’t argue or even hesitate, he just nods, presses a subtle kiss to her head and begins saying goodbye to each member of the squad.
As she watches him hug Charles, who is reluctant to let go, shake hands with Captain Holt and Terry, squeeze Rosa’s shoulder and stop to smile brightly at Hitchcock and Scully, she feels the tectonic plates of her world begin to shift back together. It isn’t exactly normal, but it’s on its way to being something resembling normal. Maybe something better, some time in the future.
He wraps his arm around her waist, his fingers grazing the material of her soft, pink sweater as he thanks everyone one more time and says he’ll see them at work on Monday, which is the most delightfully mundane statement Amy’s ever heard.
Their limbs tangle in the back of the cab; her leg is crossed and draped over his and his arm is hung around her shoulders. It’s intimate yet casual until his hand reaches down to rest on her thigh, starting close to her knee and inching upwards. It’s warm and comforting at first, but his touch ignites her body with ease after two months without this kind of intimacy.
She glances up at him to find his eyes already on her, dark and focused. He knows exactly what he’s doing to her, and it’s fully intentional.
It’s not an easy feat, but she restrains from kissing him until she unlocks their front door - she isn’t sure if she’ll be able to stop kissing him once she begins - and he has a moment to take in their apartment for the first time in way too long.
The apartment is dark, lit only by the small light above the stove and the glow of the city through the window, and neither of them move to turn on the lights. Instead, they move towards each other like magnets, her hands cupping his face and his tugging at her waist as their lips meet.
All of the tenderness of the kisses they shared at the bar is gone as they relish in finally, finally being alone in a room together. It’s been months since she’s kissed him this deeply. She’s missed the ability to prove her love for him through her actions rather than just telling him repeatedly through the speaker of a cheap prison phone.
She doesn’t realize she’s been gently pushing him forward, unknowingly moving through the apartment, until the backs of his legs connect with the couch and he’s pulling her down next to him. Never breaking the kiss, Amy shoves the leather jacket and hoodie off of him all at once and lets them fall to the floor, her hands immediately flying to run up and down his newly-exposed biceps.
Still feeling far too separate from him, Amy swings her leg over to straddle his waist and slowly thrusts against him while simultaneously deepening the kiss, a move which earns her a low moan from Jake’s lips. He tugs off her sweater and the tank top underneath in one swift movement, discarding them in the pile of his already-removed garments. Warm hands sweep over her back and pull her closer.
“I missed you so much,” Amy mutters frantically when she takes a second to pull away for air.
“You have no idea, Santiago,” Jake groans, his eyes trailing her lacy black bra that she definitely wore on purpose for his homecoming while his hands unbutton her jeans and stroke the sides of her matching underwear.
Amy kisses him again and pulls at the bottom of his t-shirt until he frees his arms to assist her in tugging it over his head. Her fingers drift downward, grazing his ribs, and quickly pull away as soon as she feels him tense below her.
“Sorry, babe, are my hands too cold-“
She glances down, her eyes widening as she takes in the array of faded bruises and scars covering much of her boyfriend’s torso.
“Jake...” she whispers, her hand covering her mouth as she takes in every inch of discolouration on his ribs, abdomen, back and shoulders.
“I’m okay!” he cuts in quickly, glancing down in surprise as if he’s seeing this for the first time, too. “It’s really not that bad, Ames. Trust me, it looks a lot worse than it is.”
She shakes her head, blinking back the tears that have already formed. “What happened? Was this that Romero guy? You promised me you didn’t do anything dangerous to get the phone-“
“No, babe, it wasn’t him,” Jake assures her, gently guiding her waist so that she’s sitting next to him, her legs still draped over his lap. “He asked me to kill a guard, so I decided to let the guard beat me up on camera to try to get him fired instead. It was weeks ago, I’ve mostly healed, I swear.”
Amy nods, biting her lip to stifle a sob and reaching out to grab one of his hands between both of hers.
“So you were safe after that, right? Nobody else touched you?”
“Yeah. I mean, things got kinda complicated, in a weird turn of events my cannibal cell mate ended up getting stabbed for me, but-“ Jake stops as he sees her eyes widen with fear once more. “I was mostly safe. Don’t worry. I’m fine now, really.”
She can hardly process the idea of him locked up with murderers and cannibals, her boyfriend with a heart of gold surrounded by so much evil makes her feel queasy, but she tries to suppress her emotions for his benefit. He’s just been through hell, he doesn’t need to see the pain she’s endured through this experience just yet.
“I’m going to speak to Captain Holt in the morning and file an official complaint against that guard and the prison,” Amy says with a slightly clearer voice, squeezing his hand a bit tighter.
For a moment, Jake looks like he’s going to tell her to let it be and leave this all in the past, but he just nods and pulls his hand away to wrap his arm around her shoulders and bring her closer.
“Let’s not talk about it any more tonight, okay?”
She buries her face in his neck, fully aware that he can feel the tears leaking onto his skin, and nods slowly.
“You’re home,” she murmurs, her hand rubbing small circles on his thigh. “You’re really here.”
“I’m here.” His lips press a kiss, long and warm, against her forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
His lips move back to hers and his hands back to her jeans, pulling them down to her ankles while they kiss as fervently as before.
“We should-”
“Yep,” Jake says against her lips before she can finish. His hands swoop down to lift her up and she curls her legs around his waist in response, continuing to distract him with her tongue as he slowly walks them towards their bedroom.
-
The birds aren’t yet chirping and the sky is still dark, but it’s indisputably morning by the time Jake pulls out of her and presses one long, lingering kiss on her lips before flopping down on his side of the bed.
They made love slowly and softly, neither in a hurry for it to be over, holding on as long as possible to keep it from ending. In one word, it was incredible.
(If more words were to be used, Amy would describe it as more passionate and loving and emotional than she knew it could be, even with the man she knows to be the love of her life.)
“Have I told you how much I love you?” Amy asks as she curls into his side and places her head on his chest, dropping a few light kisses before settling in comfortably.
“A few times in the past hour. But you should probably say it again for good measure.”
She does, and she kisses his knuckles, which are intertwined with hers, after each syllable.
“I love you too, honey.” It’s a new term of endearment from him, and it warms her heart almost as much as the words that precede it. “So much.”
“Life really sucks without you,” she says, absentmindedly playing with his fingers.
“Agreed. Let’s never do it again.”
It’s not a proposal, but her detective brain takes note of the glint in his eye and the way he’s noticeably staring down at her left hand. She certainly doesn’t need a diamond ring or a white dress or any legal confirmation of their love to be happy, but she really wouldn’t be surprised if those things are a part of her near future.
Regardless of whether they exchange proper vows some time six months or a year or ten years from now, there isn’t a shadow of doubt in her mind that she’ll love this man for the rest of her life.
#i'm not gonna lie to u guys this is essentially 5k of amy missing jake + some gratuitous sexy timez#jake x amy#peraltiago#b99 fic#this caused me physical pain to write#but i guess that's what i signed up for when starting a 4 chapter fic about them being separated from each other jsdskksks#myfics
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5.2
The highway had been overwhelmed by noise and motion only moments before, and John was still getting his bearings. There was no sign of the mutie pack. Apparently the high-beams from the trucks - and three well-aimed shots - had been enough to send them packing. The strangers in suits now lay bleeding silently on the ground.
John walked among the trucks and surveyed the damage. There had been six of them, all dressed to the nines. Like at La Salle, except these suits were white, not black and red. The white showed the blood clearly, even in the low light. The woman - Sailor, she had said her name was - had slit their throats from behind in only seconds.
Cody was handling the conversation with Sailor, which John was grateful for. It left him time to collect himself. His ears were still buzzing. The bike was busted. He needed to sit down. All was silent except for the rhythmic hum of the trucks, still waiting for their drivers.
“John, over here,” Cody called.
John watched from several feet away as Sailor climbed into the front seat of one of the trucks and tossed a dead body out the door behind her.
“Okay, load the bike up,” she yelled down.
Without its wheels, the bike was impossibly heavy, and John and Cody struggled to move it the few feet to the back of the truck. Eventually Sailor climbed back down to help them with it. Cody was swearing the entire time, sweat gleaming in the white headlights.
“I don’t know why we’re bothering. We don’t have the money for new tires,” Cody said, panting with effort. He, John, and Sailor gave the bike a final heave, and John climbed quickly up into the truck bed to pull from the other side.
“I know some guys,” Sailor said. She didn’t seem concerned.
“Guys who work for free?” said Cody.
“I’ve got something in mind,” Sailor replied. But that was all she said.
With the bike in the bed of the truck, Sailor started for the driver side, waving them along behind her. Cody started to follow, but John pulled his arm, hard, and gave him a wide-eyed, severe look. It was all John could manage just then.
“It’s her or we take our chances walking,” Cody said. “I don’t think we’re gonna get lucky again.”
John had to agree, but he didn’t have to feel good about it. Cody climbed into the car, then reached down to pull John up behind him. They hadn’t yet closed the door before Sailor took off, making a wide U-turn through the roadside brush.
When Sailor finally killed the engine, the truck was parked outside a motel that looked as if it had just lost a fight with a junkyard. There were cars up on cinderblocks, piles of metal scrap, batteries, and oil pans. Two lights were on - room three’s, which was the room deepest in the labyrinth of scrap, and that of the motel office, though no one was manning the desk.
Sailor parked the stolen truck in front of room six.
She hadn’t finished climbing down from the cab when a man with a shotgun and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth appeared in the doorway of room three.
“That better be you, Sailor, or I’m blowing your tires,” he called.
“Then you’ll be kicking yourself, Rabi, because these ones are for you,” she sing-songed back to him.
She slid easily down from the truck and walked over to him. Cody began to climb down, too, and John followed. The twenty minute ride had given him time to get back to baseline. Sailor hadn’t talked much - at least not as much as Cody, who had become John’s metric. But she had explained herself, more or less. She was a bounty hunter who had moved south a few years ago to claim a big bounty, but had found plenty of smaller bounties to keep her in business when her initial mark didn’t pan out.
“It’s not that I’ve given up, it’s just that he’s thought of everything. I can’t get close, so I’ve settled for picking off his men,” she had said, almost deadpan, over the roar of the engine. “Christ, this car needs a better muffler. He’s such a coward that he’s got twenty armed guards at his place, random shift changes…it’s fucking ridiculous. I keep killing his guys, he keeps hiring new ones. And putting them in designer suits. White suits. The money never ends.”
John felt Cody tense, crammed next to him in the cab.
“So that’s the head of Hemisphere? I thought she was supposed to be a girl. A woman.”
“What are you talkin’ about?” Sailor cracked a smile. “He’s not the head of anything but his own house - but shit if it isn’t a house.”
“But he’s…”
“Yeah, he’s a gang leader. Well, he’s more of a one-man gang. He’s the boss, and then there’s the hired guns, and he makes his money doing…” Sailor waved her hand dismissively. “I’ve been looking into it all for years. I could tell you a lot. Big picture is, he bullies his way in, gets control of as much water as he can get his hands on, and sells it back to the people at three times the price.”
“And he’s Hemisphere?” Cody asked.
“Associated with Hemisphere. You practically have to be, to do business on that scale.”
Cody looked exhausted. He had pushed his driving goggles up his forehead, and John watched his face intently. It had been a while since he’d had the chance to look at Cody. Since what happened at La Salle they’d been driving all day and all night, trying to make up for lost time, praying Ethan wouldn’t be pushing as hard as they had been. And it had clearly taken its toll; Cody’s eyes barely focused on anything. At the confirmation that once again they had run into gang trouble, just a handful of days after La Salle, Cody looked defeated. And John didn’t blame him. They had no bike, no money, and their only friend was a bounty hunter who had just killed six men on a powerful crime lord’s payroll.
“You two are on the wrong side of Hemisphere? That’s some shit luck.” Sailor laughed.
“We are now,” Cody said.
The conversation had ended there until they arrived at the motel.
Sailor waved Rabi over impatiently.
“Got you another one,” she said, slapping the side of the truck. Rabi took a drag on his cigarette, looking it over. He had thick black hair and deep brown skin that reflected the headlights, like Cody’s. He was tall and wiry, though, while Cody was stout. He had very recently been dressed for bed, wearing nothing but an undershirt and pants that looked like they had been thrown on in a hurry.
“It’s shit. You keep bringing me the same truck like it’s not shit every time.”
“And every time you scavenge something and make it worth your while. Is Celeste still up? Celeste always takes my side.”
“I know he does, which causes a lot of marital stress for us. You’re ruining my marriage, Sailor.” Rabi finished his cigarette and flicked it into the dust. “Alright, I’ll buy the tires and...What’s that?”
Rabi’s attention had fallen on John and Cody’s bike. He hopped into the back of the truck.
“Now this is something I can flip - shit, look at that…”
“That’s not for sale, actually,” Cody piped up. “I was hoping you could fix it for me.”
“Two new tires? That’s not cheap…”
“Yeah, yeah, they’ll pay, we’re working on a payment plan.” Sailor said. “We can sort it out in the morning. These paying customers need a place for the night, should I wake up Celeste?”
“Celeste is awake, just bang on the door.” Rabi waved her off. He took a pocket flashlight out of his pants and shined it over the bike. “Jesus, did you throw this thing off a mountain? Not cheap, Sailor.”
“I heard you the first time,” she said. She gestured for John and Cody to follow her to the motel office, which was still unmanned.
Sailor rapped on the window, loudly, several times, until a man appeared from the back room. When he saw her, he gave her a broad smile. He had short locs which hung at odd angles, and wore mismatched glasses made of one pink frame and one blue - the plastic had been artfully melted together in the middle.
“Sailor! Covered in blood, as always. Who are your friends?”
Sailor shrugged. “Didn’t ask their names. Can they have a room? I’ll vouch for them.”
For the first time, John realized that Sailor had taken them under her wing for a reason, and it wasn’t just the giving spirit. This woman was a bounty hunter. She was hard. One of her legs had been welded together out of scrap metal - probably in this very junkyard. And in the warm glow of the motel office, John got a real good look at Sailor’s scar. It ran from the top of her forehead to the bottom of her chin on the right side of her face, pink and jagged. It hadn’t really registered before, half-hidden by hair in the low light of the truck cab. But now that John was looking, he noticed buckshot scars on her arm, too. And there were probably more, out of view.
He and Cody had needed her, and had been too shell-shocked to ask why Sailor needed them.
“They’re dead on their feet, Celeste. They’re good for the room, or you can add it to my tab.”
“Alright, alright…” Celeste took down a key from the wall behind him. “I see you brought Rabi another one of those horrible gang cars. You know he can’t flip them when they’re so obviously Mr. Waters’s.”
“His name is Mr. Waters?” Cody groaned, just loudly enough for John to hear.
“I thought you were on my side,” Sailor said with a smirk.
“I’m only on your side when you’re up on rent,” Celeste said, returning the smile. “Okay, away with you. Go sleep off your crimes.”
“Good man, Celeste,” Sailor returned. She practically pushed John and Cody to their room, even going so far as to unlock the door for them. She herded the two of them inside, then stood in the doorway, grinning toothily at them. John felt the urge to go for his gun.
“Well boys, rest up. We’ll talk through the job in the morning.”
With that, she was gone, leaving the door wide open. Cody sat down hard on the bed and took off his boots. He looked up at John as John hastily crossed the room to close the door.
“She just hustled us, right?” Cody said.
“The job,” John replied in the affirmative.
“There wasn’t a job before. Before, it was ‘do you boys need a ride?’ You remember that too, right?”
“What kind of job?” John said.
Cody rubbed his temples, hunched over his knees.
John didn’t need him to reply. What else, but killing Mr. Waters?
5.1 || 5.3
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Words and Paper - Part IV
Summary: Y/N is a brilliant young lawyer who was hired by Tony Stark himself. She didn’t expect half of the things that would happened, but she was sure glad Bucky happened.
A/N: Thanks for all your continued support! I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in this!
Pairing: Bucky x Reader
Word Count: 2.6k
Warnings: None
MASTERLIST
PART I | PART II | PART III | PART V | PART VI | PART VII | PART VIII | PART IX | PART X | PART XI | PART XII | PART XIII
Y/N had been eager to get started working since her big move to New York. Now that the day was finally upon her, she wasn’t feeling so sure. Her nerves were getting the better of her, and she was suddenly rethinking her decisions. The only decision she wasn’t rethinking was Bucky. Ever since he had finally kissed her, the two of them had been as giddy as two teenagers experiencing their first crushes.
She let out a sigh of exasperation as threw the dress in her hands onto the her bed, making it join the other ones she had already rejected. She didn’t want to be over dressed, but most definitely did not want to be under dressed. Nothing was calling out to her. She reached back and settled on a mid length dark blue dress with a lace overall that she could easily pair with a blazer. She deemed it professional, but still showed off her personality.
She glanced at her phone and saw that she had wasted more time than she had wanted on picking an outfit. She quickly pinned back the sides of her hair and threw on some makeup. Her phone lit up as she slippe on her shoes and grabbed her jacket. She picked it up without looking at who it was, “Hello?”
“Good Morning, Princess,” Bucky’s warm voice brought an instant smile to her face.
“Hiya Buckaroo,” she grabbed her saddle back and headed into the kitchen, “I’m so not ready for today! I think I’m going to have a nervous breakdown.”
“Hey, you’re going to be fine. They wanted you for a reason after all,” he reassured and hear her taking a few deep breaths, “have you had coffee or breakfast yet?”
“No, I’ve been trying to figure out what to wear,” she sheepishly admitted.
“Open the door,” her brows knitted together for a moment as she realized he was going to be waiting for. She hung up the phone and swung the door open to reveal Bucky standing there, two coffees in his hand and some breakfast tucked under his arm.
“Oh yes! You are the best,” she stepped aside and let him. He set the items down on the counter. He gave her a smile in return and kissed her cheek.
“I figured you’d be nervous, so I tried to help a little bit. Were you planning on walking to work or taking a cab?” He sat down at the bar and pulled out a bagel he had gotten for himself. She grabbed her coffee and took a sip - it was just the way she liked it, with plenty of milk and a hint of sugar.
“I was planning on walking, it’s not too far. Would you like to accompany me?” She gave him a small wink.
“I would love to,”
“I just, ugh,” she started and stopped herself, trying to choose her words carefully. She didn’t want to hurt Bucky’s feelings or anything.
“What’s up?”
“I think we maybe shouldn’t go in together. Not yet anyway,” she avoided meeting his gaze but could feel his eyes on her.
“Oh?” He didn’t sound upset, just surprised.
“I just thinking with starting a completely new job, I don’t know how good it would look to come in with your coworker, that you’ve started dating,” she shrugged her shoulders lightly. She knew all about conflicts of interest and how much harshly people judged dating in the workplace, and it could lead down a path she didn’t necessarily want.
“That’s what you’re worried about?” He chuckled a little bit, “but don’t worry, we don’t have to tell anyone yet. It’ll be okay eventually, but you’re probably right.”
“It’s not you, Bucky, really. I just don’t want to start anything,” she keep rambling, relieved he wasn’t upset with her.
“It’ll be fine, Y/N,” he reached over and grabbed her hand kissed it gently. She felt a blush creep up in her cheeks at the small, intimate gesture. They were interrupted by the Y/N’s phone vibrating. She picked it up and saw that it was a text from Tony wishing her a good first day.
“I guess we’d better get going,” she said softly. She exhaled and slipped on her jacket, grabbing her bags and the rest of the coffee and bagel. Bucky followed suit and went ahead and opened the door for her.
The two of them walked hand in hand towards the Avengers Tower where they would both be working. It was a chilly New York morning, where the leaves had suck started changing color. Y/N tried to take everything in as she fought off her nerves.
“Tell me something about yourself,” Bucky suddenly said as he pulled on her hand and got her to stop about a block away from the tower. She loved that he always remembered to ask her for a fact and then tell her one in turn.
“Another day, another fact,” she chuckled as she tried to think of something interesting, “let’s see. My first job in law school was working as a clerk at a family law firm , and on my first day I accidentally deleted half of the stuff on the company server.”
Bucky let out a hearty laugh. She had confessed to him she was a bit unlucky, mixed in with some clumsiness, but this was hilarious to him, “how? How do you even manage to do that?”
“I leaned on my keyboard and apparently had a bunch of stuff selected and deleted it. Luckily, the server was backed up everyday, so it wasn’t a huge deal. Needles to say, I didn’t last long there, “ she cringed a little bit at the memory of having to tell her boss what she had done, “your turn.”
“Back before the War, I thought I was pretty smooth with the ladies,” Y/N raised her eyebrows at him and tried to imagine being suave, “and one night Steve and I were at a pool hall and I was trying to impress the girls. Long story short, I tried to play some pool and ended up giving a girl a black eye with the back of the cue stick.”
“Wow, Buck. Real smooth. I’m guessing she didn’t give you her number?” She smirked at him as he stuck out his tongue at her. She placed her hands on his shoulders and observed him, “I would still have given my number.”
“Ha ha. Isn’t it time for you to go?” He joked and it was her turn to stick out her tongue at him. She stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss.
“I’ll see you later. Wish me luck?”
“You don’t need it, but of course. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Sounds perfect,” she pulled away from him, turned on her heel and cast him one last glance before making her way down the block.
‘I can do this’ she repeatedly mentally to herself over and over.
She walked into the tower and headed for the front desk where a young woman sat at the receptionist's desk.
“Good morning, may I help you?” She gave Y/N a pleasant smile.
“Yes, I’m Dr. Y/L//N. I’m here for my first day,”
“Oh yes! It’s nice to meet you, there’s been a lot of buzz about you coming! The legal department is on third floor. This is your access badge. The team is there waiting for you,” she handed Y/N a few papers and a key card and pointed in the direction of the elevator.
“Thank you so much,” she put the papers in her bag and headed for the elevator. She gave the receptionist a small wave as the doors closed. She clutched her bag tightly and leaned against the wall of the elevator with closed eyes as she waited for the ding.
When the doors opened they revealed a large, spacious and open suite. There was natural light filtering in through the many windows, which gave it a homey feel. Y/N smiled a little to herself. She walked over to the front desk and was about to introduce herself just as she was interrupted.
“Dr. Y/L/N?”
“Yes?” She turned around saw a middle aged woman with a stern expression on her face. Y/N was not getting good initial vibes from her.
“You’re late,” she said simply. Y/N glanced down at her watch and saw that the time displayed 9:01.
“A minute is considered late?” She said it almost without thinking, “I had to get my papers and key card, it took a few minutes.”
“I suggest you come earlier tomorrow then,” she had a wicked grin on her face, “if you’d like to follow me, I can show you to your office.”
“May I ask who you are?” She wasn’t about to let this woman break her on her first day.
“Mary Greene,” she stopped for a moment, “senior associate here and head of the legal department for Stark Industries.”
“Oh,”
“Make no mistake, Dr. Y/L/N, you may have been picked out by Mr. Stark himself, but you are still a child. You have much learn , and your place is one you should learn quickly. You will work here but you will answer to the me. Is that clear?”
Y/N trudged after Mary down the long hallway, past other offices. This wasn’t exactly how she imagined any of this would go. She was also not one to let things go. She paused for a moment, “Mary? May I just ask you a question?”
“Go on,” she stopped in front of Y/N’s office and narrowed her eyes.
“I was just wondering who died and made you the queen?” Y/N knew she would probably regret this later, but she wasn’t about to be bullied around, “I have worked hard to get where I am, just like I’m sure you did. Make no mistake, but my age makes me no less competent than you. If you expected me to just be some kid you could bully into doing your bidding, then you were wrong, Now, I believe this is my office?”
Mary’s mouth was hanging open as Y/N swiped her key card and opened the door. She let herself in and swiftly shut the door behind her. Her heart was racing; she half expected Mary to bust down the door and drag her out. One thing she had learned very early on in her legal career was that you had to stand your ground, otherwise people would just walk all over and use you.
Y/N took a look around her spacious office. It was almost exactly like her old one, she realized Tony must have gotten her and desk and furniture sent over. She walked over to antique globe she had by the side of her desk and have it a small spin. She would get used to this. People would learn to accept her, hopefully they wouldn’t all be as bad as Mary.
She sat down in the familiar chair and sighed. So much for a first impression. She noticed she had a brand new top of the line computer and looked at it in awe, but of course Tony would only have the best. There was a bright sticky note on the corner of it, Y/N picked it up and saw that it said there was a meeting at noon. She sighed and laid her head down on the desk. She jumped a bit at the sound of knocking on her door,. She gathered herself for a moment before going to answer it. To her surprise, there as Tony waiting for her.
“Mr. Stark-”
“Please, Tony. Mr. Stark is my father,” he stepped without her saying anything, “I just came by to wish you good luck and I must say, apparently you’ve made quite the first impression.”
“I’m sorry, sir, Mary was just so…”
“Awful? Yeah, she’s not the best people person. But she’s a talented lawyer and that’s why I keep her. You’re smart not to let her push you around. Just like I hand picked her, I hand picked you for a reason. Make sure they know that,” he set some flowers he had been holding down on her desk.
“I will try,” she with a small grin.
“After the department meeting where you’ll introduce yourself and they’ll explain procedures and blah blah blah, take the rest of the day to settle in. Tomorrow morning, come see me when you get here, and I’ve got a case for you to start working on,” he didn’t let her get a word in edgewise but gave her a mock bow and left her office.
Y/N’s head was spinning with everything thrown at her. But to already be working on a new project was exciting enough. She spent the rest of the morning put away her supplies and making sure everything was just the way she liked. But when the clock struck noon, she got up, held her head high and went to the meeting.
She wasn’t expecting to walk into a room so full of lawyers, a very varied group of lawyers to be fair. She looked for an empty seat but couldn’t spot one. She was about to go into panic mode when Mary’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Dr. Y/L/N, why don’t go to the front and introduce yourself. The whole department is here and exciting to get to know you,” the whole room fell into a hush and she could feel a nervous flush rise in her cheeks.
“I’d love to,” she lied as she walked up to the podium at the front. She set her notebook de and took a moment to gather her thoughts, “my name is Y/N Y/L/N. I work as a civil and human rights attorney, and I’m from San Francisco. I spent part of my time in law school working for the attorney general, dealing with criminal matters, as well as working for a family law firm, and have my doctorate in law and political science. I’ve been practicing since I passed the bar early last year, and I look forward to working here with all of you. I know everyone has different backgrounds and I think that beneficial so we can all learn from and help each other.”
“Y/N? If I may be so bold, how old are you?” She cringed for a moment at the question from one of the older men.
“I am 25, if you must know. But, let me make this very clear,” she paused for a moment for dramatic effect, “if you have a problem with my age or experience level, please say so now. I am an as competent and capable as you. Let me put it this way, young attorneys are needed because we bring a new perspective onto things: times are changing and we must adapt. We can’t handle things the way we did fifty years ago. I don’t want there to be any issues with any of us, but I will not tolerate being bullied or treated less because of my age. Now, are there any questions?”
No in the room moved or made any objections. She allowed herself a small smile as she backed away from the podium. That had shut them right up.
Maybe she did have a place there after all.
Taglist: @sebstanwassup @ladyabby-1996 @bookaddic @jems8241
#marvel#mcs#avengers#bucky x reader#bucky barnes#imagine#sebastian stan#winter solider x reader#winter solider#tony stark#ironman#captain america#steve rogers#chris evans#mcu#mine#original#llaw#law#infinity war
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Here Be Dragons, part one
Molly Hooper is happy. Undeniably, sun shine and rainbows, happy. Then Sherlock utters the name Charles Augustus Magnussen and her world goes spinning. She watches as her friend's lives fall apart and she struggles to hold hers together.
The third major installment of the Isn't She Beautiful series (it is suggested that you read Isn’t She Beautiful and With All My Heart first to understand that relationships).
This story will parallel the events that happen starting in His Last Vow through The Final Problem. *I do not own nor do I claim to have created the dialog from the TV show*.
Prologue:
MYCROFT: I’m glad you’ve given up on the Magnussen business.
SHERLOCK: Are you?
MYCROFT: I’m still curious, though. He’s hardly your usual kind of puzzle. Why do you..hate him?
SHERLOCK : Because he attacks people who are different and preys on their secrets. Why don’t you?
MYCROFT: He never causes too much damage to anyone important. He’s far too intelligent for that. He’s a business-man, that’s all, and occasionally useful to us. A necessary evil – not a dragon for you to slay.
SHERLOCK: A dragon slayer. Is that what you think of me?
MYCROFT: No…It’s what you think of yourself.
---
MYCROFT: I have, by the way, a job offer I should like you to decline.
SHERLOCK: I decline your kind offer.
MYCROFT: I shall pass on your regrets.
SHERLOCK: What was it?
MYCROFT: MI6 – they want to place you back into Eastern Europe. An undercover assignment that would prove fatal to you in, I think, about six months.
SHERLOCK: Then why don’t you want me to take it?
MYCROFT: It’s tempting ... but on balance you have more utility closer to home.
SHERLOCK: Utility?! How do I have utility?
MYCROFT: Here be dragons.
Sherlock smirked at his brother and took another long drag on his cigarette.
“Besides,” Mycroft said as he dropped his cigarette on the ground and treaded on it, “Your loss would break Molly and Mina’s hearts……and mine as well.” Sherlock choked on the smoke he had just inhaled and turned to his brother, a confused and doubtful look on his face. “You’re still my brother Sherlock and despite everything that has passed between us, I do…care for you.”
Sherlock squinted at his brother, trying to read him.
“Did Molly promise you something if you were nice today?” he asked skeptically. Mycroft smiled and gave a small shrug.
“Merry Christmas, Sherlock.”
Chapter 1
“I want you, Molly Hooper.” He gripped her arms and pulled her to his lap. “I desperately want you…right now.” He kissed her shoulder. “Tomorrow.” He kissed her neck. “Always.” He cradled her face and kissed her softly. She gave him a small smile, but didn’t say anything. “I love you…with all my heart.”
“I love you too,” she whispered.
“What are you scared of, Miss Hooper?” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear that had escaped from her pony tail.
She hooked her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his.
“Of this feeling going away.” She breathed in his sent, letting it permeate her senses. “Of you not thinking I’m worth it anymore.”
“You’ll always be worth it.” He wrapped his arms securely around her. “And I’ll always love you.”
With All My Heart, Chapter 3
“Mhmm!” Molly moaned as she dropped her head back, still supporting herself on her elbows. “Oh god! Yes!” She laced her fingers through Sherlock’s curls as he buried his face between her legs. “Oh Sherlock…yes!” He picked his head up and smiled at her.
“If you aren’t quieter, you’re going to wake Mina.” He leaned back down and bit her thigh, making her whimper. He gave a devilish grin and returned to his ministrations. Molly fell flat on her back, biting her lip hard as she tried to keep herself quiet. The more he worked at her center the louder her moans and whimpers grew.
He knew she was close by the way she wiggled and clenched around his fingers. She protested when his fingers and lips left her skin but Sherlock quickly settled above her and gripped her hips tightly.
“Please,” she begged and he drove into her, his mouth swallowing her gasp. Within minutes Sherlock had her on the edge and falling apart in his hands, followed shortly by his own release. They stayed intertwined as they caught their breath and their heart rates slowed. “I love you,” she said as she peppered his chest with her kisses.
“My heart,” he whispered to her as he tucked her head under his chin and feel asleep.
--
“Here baby.” Molly set a plate in front of Mina who gladly dug in. “Who is taking you to school today?”
“Can daddy?” Mina asked around a large bite of food.
“If he ever gets out of bed…SHERLOCK!” Molly hollered.
“Minute!” His muffled voice floated down the stairs. Molly and Mina looked at each other, a knowing smile on each of their faces – Sherlock was never ready on time.
Molly made herself a cup of tea and grabbed herself a plate of food just as Sherlock came trotting down the stairs.
“Morning Munchkin,” he said and kissed Mina on the head. “Mhm,” he hummed as he kissed Molly. “You smell delicious,” he whispered, making Molly’s cheeks heat.
“Daddy, can you take me to school today?” Mina asked as he walked around the peninsula.
“Of course.” He looked at their plates and frowned. Molly smirked and pointed to the extra cuppa on the counter. “Thank you.”
“New case?” Molly asked, noticing his lack of appetite.
“A new…something.” Sherlock smirked and stole the extra piece of toast off of Mina’s plate.
“Dad!” Mina chastised him as she tried to steal it back, her little arms stretching out. She quickly gave up and dissolved into a fit of giggles as he waved the toast in victory.
“John and Mary should be getting back today from their holiday, will you be dragging him along with you?”
“What am I without my blogger, Molly?” he asked in mock sincerity.
“What’s a blogger?” Mina wrinkled her nose.
“A very useful pet.” Sherlock winked at Mina and Molly rolled her eyes at him.
--
Molly was having a good day! A good week she should say! Sherlock had been very attentive to her needs the last three nights, Mina had been behaving even more so than usual, she had discovered two very interesting causes of death that morning alone, and her lab cultures were looking beautiful when she checked on them that afternoon! She was having a very good week indeed!
Until she was getting ready to go home.
“Molly!” Sherlock’s voice was urgent as he busted into the morgue.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she pulled him into her office.
“I…I need to ask something of you and you’re not going to like it.” He sat down and waited for her to do the same. He took her hands in his and held them, not looking at her.
“Sherlock, you’re scaring me,” she placed her hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “You know you can ask me anything.” Sherlock swallowed hard and nodded at her.
“Charles Augustus Magnussen….have you heard of him?”
“Of course, he owns several newspapers,” she replied.
“Magnussen is like a shark…it’s the only way I can describe him. Molly, he turns my stomach in no way anyone else that I have ever dealt with has.” His eyebrows were drawn together and his voice was hard.
“You’ve dealt with terrorists and serial killers…yet, you’re telling me that he is the worst?” she asked in an amused tone.
“Yes!” He squeezed her hands tightly. “This…I wouldn’t be asking you this if it was important.” She nodded her head in understanding. “Lady Smallwood has asked that I intercede for her with Magnussen. Now, Magnussen won’t make a deal with someone unless he has determined their weaknesses, their pressure point, as he calls it, and because I will be interceding for Lady Smallwood, he will try to find my pressure points.” Sherlock stopped talking abruptly. Molly’s head was spinning a bit as she fully digested his words.
“Me and Mina,” she whispered. Sherlock closed his eyes tightly and exhaled slowly.
“Not unless I can convince him I have a stronger pressure point…something from my past.”
“No!” Molly pushed away from him and stood up. “No, Sherlock. You can’t!” Her voice echoed in her office.
“If I don’t, you and Willamina could be in danger.” He stood up and reached for her, but she batted his hands away, keeping him at a distance. “I won’t be getting high off of anything…I just have to make it look like I am, to spend time in those places again.”
“You’re an addict and I knew that coming into this relationship but you’ve been clean for almost two years now…why would you want to jeopardize that?” He reached for her again, this time she let him pull her against his chest. “Why?”
“Because you and Mina are my world and I can’t have you two in danger.” He tightened his hold on her.
“Have you and John talked about this? Doesn’t he have any other ideas?” she asked, looking up at him.
“I haven’t told John…no one can know else can know this is fake.” She pulled out of his arms, her anger rising again.
“You not only want me to let you go back into the drug den but you want me to lie to our friends about it?!” she shouted.
“Molly, please...keep your voice down.” He motioned towards her office door.
“I am not okay with this!” she said between clenched teeth. He sighed heavily and shook his head.
“I know…but I need to keep you two safe and this is the most plausible situation…given my background.” He held his hand out to her. “Please let me keep you safe.” She hesitated for a moment before taking his hand.
“Okay.”
--
Her mobile buzzed loudly on the bedside table. Molly groaned as she rolled over and grabbed it.
“’ello?” she mumbled.
“You need to meet us at the lab.”
“John?” She sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“You need to meet us at the lab…now.”
“Okay.” She swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood up. “I just need to get Mina around.”
“No, drop her off with Lestrade or Kathy if you can.”
“John what is this about?” she asked as she pulled on a pair of jeans.
“You’ll see when you get here.”
#sherlolly#kate writes#i felt inspired to post this after seeing that others also feel like there is a lack of sherlolly on their dash#smut#well kind of smut#its very tame
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Moving Business Part 4
Pairing: Taehyung x reader
Genre: Mafia!au
Warnings: Angst, um Violence? Taehyung swears a lot?
Summary: Part of you actually wanted to believe being around Taehyung meant you were going to be safe but after the one and only time he let you out. You slipped from his grasp but not the way you had intended.
(Credit to original owner of gif)
Part (1) (2) (3) (4)
(A/N I WROTE THIS IN ONE NIGHT BE PROUD OF ME)
When you woke up in the morning, you were met with Taehyung’s bare back sitting upright and you smiled warmly and sat up,while wrapping your arms around him causing a deep chuckle to emit from him “Well good morning to you too.” He breathed in his raspy morning voice.
You felt somewhat guilty knowing your plan to escape was falling through just because you simply loved him so much. He turned his head slightly and you smiled at his tired face but you gave him a kiss anyway and he turned his whole body and pulled your onto his lap and you giggled as you remembered when you guys would do this when you were younger.
Flashback
“Tae, stop it.” You giggled as the alcohol found its way straight into your head as Taehyung kissed your neck in the middle of some frat party.
No one was really paying attention to the two of you but you felt like everyone could see you, the room was buzzing and you had wanted to sit down but not on the couch that was a disgusting yellow but from months of use and no cleaning was now looking like it could be brown. There was no denying frat boys owned the place and didn’t seem to give a shit. Taehyung had noticed you shifting foot to foot to displace weight because your heels were starting to hurt so he pulled you down onto his lap and against his chest and grinned a big boxy smile that made you laugh drunkenly as well. You were both in college and you had only met the week before but Taehyung felt that you were the one for him straight away and you couldn’t help but think exactly the same thing.
“Come on baby isn’t my lap so much better than this grungy couch or would you prefer to stand on those heels all night?” He asked into your neck while rubbing circles on your hips with his thumbs.
You found yourself laughing once more and pulled his face back and gave him a deep but very drunk kiss and you hoped that in the morning you would remember this moment and just the night in general and hoped Taehyung would as well.
Present
You remembered that night for a very long time, since then every time Taehyung would pull you into his lap it always made you weak as it wasn’t unbearably sexy, it also held a deep meaning for the both of you. For him it was the moment he didn’t want you for just one night, he wanted you that night and countless more after that.
You stayed like that on his lap for a while before he much to your displeasure, lifted you off his lap and stood up then dragged his feet to the closet while you got up as well and made the bed noticing how Taehyung was pulling on a suit “You going out today?” You asked curiously.
He finished buttoning up his shirt and slid the tie round his neck he then moved over to you so you could tie it for him, a ritual you both stuck too while he had been working in the office. You hesitated for a moment but tied the tie anyway “I am, I won’t be long though and I’m going to send Jimin and Jungkook over to keep you company.” He said watching you tie his tie.
You glanced up at him with slight doubt filling you eyes. “You mean to make sure I don’t throw myself out the window.” You said coldly, surprising even yourself.
You hadn’t meant for it to sound harsh but the lack of trust was getting to you but part of you knew he trusted you he just didn’t trust your intentions, he bit his lip nervously as you finished it and got up to pull your dressing gown on then moved away from him. “That’s not what I meant.” He said while pulling his black suit jacket on.
You didn’t respond and moved into the kitchen and started making tea making sure your back was to him “Come on sweetheart after last night don’t start this again.” He teased while holding your hips against his own and nipped at your neck.
You tried suppressing your grin but despite your best efforts a soft smile graced your lips and Taehyung knew he had won “Okay I’ll be back around noon, don’t have too much fun without me.” He teased before kissing your cheek one last time and exiting the kitchen then the shut and the sound of the lock on the door let you know that you were now alone in the large apartment.
You had wandered around the apartment and had no clue what to do, surely Jimin and Jungkook should have been here by now? It had been 20 minutes since Taehyung had left and the men still hadn’t arrived. As you were lost in your train of thought someone knocked on the door and you groaned. You mentally prepped yourself for hours of a shitty Jungkook and a very protective Jimin. You didn’t bother checking the security camera or the peep hole as you expected them there and no one else apart from maybe the maid. Taehyung had given you the ability to open doors from the inside now as a sign that he trusted you and so you unlocked the door and opened it wide to meet a few angry looking men and you didn’t miss a beat as you slammed the door back in their face and locked it.
You bolted for Taehyung’s office where you knew he kept his gun but he had locked it and hadn’t given you the key. You could hear the men banging on the door, trying to bust it open and it only fueled your adrenaline further. You went to find your phone and called Jimin knowing he must have been close by “Jimin, there’s people-” crash “Oh god they got in, Jimin please for the love of god get here please.” You begged desperately.
You ran into the bedroom and shut the door and hid in the closet the only hiding place you could find and crouched in the corner while listening to Jimin’s voice which was breathy as he ran to your location. You shut your eyes and thought about Taehyung, about how you first met and about all the times he took care of you. “I love you.” You whispered and heard the bedroom door fly open.
Flashback
You were walking to class when Taehyung had met you and saved you for what would be the first time in a long series of rescues. You had been tugged into an alley and pushed into a grimy, ice cold, brick wall. The day was dark considering it was the mid afternoon and rain clouds were dark and heavy and threatened water at any passing moment. “Hey pretty lady, what you got in your bag there?” The creep had asked and yanked your purse off your shoulder.
He was rummaging for something for something and when he found it he pulled it out with a triumphant look, you were smart enough to not say anything or put up a fight. There was about $10 in there so you would just cancel your cards on the way to the police station. “Hey didn’t your mother ever teach you any manners?” A deep voice from the entrance of the alley asked.
You looked over in his direction and felt relief wash over you at the sight of your leather clad savior. “Fuck off dude, just a squabble between a man and his girl nothing more.” The man in front of you grunted.
Your savior tilted his head and strode forward with confidence until he was standing directly in front of you “Uh huh cause the look of absolute sheer terror in her eyes screams love.” He taunted, holding himself tall, though he didn’t need too, considering he was much larger even when he was not standing straight.
The man was bouncing his options around in his head, so while he was thinking Taehyung snatched your stuff back and pushed the guy hard enough so he was pressed against the opposite wall and cowering. “You think its fucking cool, stealing? Why don’t you get a fucking job? Now fuck off before I rearrange your god damn face.” He snarled and the man scurried off with his tail between his legs.
You watched as the tall man turned around to face you and his whole demeanor changed into something completely different “Hey are you alright? Did he hurt you at all?” He asked not wanting to frighten you so he stayed at an arms length.
You shook your head then stepped away from the damp wall which had left your coat grubby and slightly wet as well. “I never want anyone to see me act like that let alone a very lovely girl, so I would love to make it up to you? Perhaps a date?” He asked brazenly.
You were definitely surprised and taken aback when he had asked but how often did an attractive guy save you and then ask you out? You had exchanged names and numbers after you had said yes and watched his whole face light up.
Apparently his idea of a date was a party but you had fun none the less and the sex that same night was mind blowing so when you woke up with a head ache and expected with an empty bed but saw him sitting there with a cup of tea and some toast to help with a possible hang over. You knew that he was someone you wanted in your life.
Present
You knew it wouldn’t take them long to find you so you weren’t shocked when the closet door opened, you were just unbelievably frightened. A man grabbed your elbow and dragged you out of the small room and across the bedroom floor. You screamed and kicked as you wanted to make it as difficult as you could for your abductors. “Jin she’s making a fuss can you help me?” The man asked someone else who you couldn’t quite see.
He came over and grabbed your other arm and pressed a cloth to your mouth, it didn’t have a strong smell but you weren’t stupid, you knew what it was and it took all your strength to not breath it in but the man named Jin pinched your nose. After a while you sucked in a deep breath and inhaled the sickly sweet smell into your lungs. Your eyes began to droop but you fought against it but the two men held you in place. “Dude her guards are on the way and the boss won’t be far behind can you just not carry her and do that.” One of the other thugs spoke up.
You looked at him through lidded eyes and felt your position shift into a bridal like style in the man named Jin’s arms. You were so exhausted and your body just felt so heavy. Your head was throbbing and you were very aware of the headache, you felt the phone drop out of your hand and smack into the wooden floors as the last sign of consciousness left you.
#Taehyung x reader#Mafia au#Bts mafia au#Taehyung#Kim Taehyung#Bts#Bangtan#fanfic#kpop#Taehyung imagine#taehyung scenarios#Bts imagine#Bts x reader#Bangtan imagine#Bangtan x reader#bangtan scenarios#bts scenarios#Kim taehyung imagine#Kim taehyung x reader#Jungkook#Yoongi#Namjoon#smut#bts smut#Seokjin#Hoseok#bts au#Taehyung mafia au#Bts fanfic#Bangtan fanfic
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