You're getting ready for a job, checking your rifle, your gun, packing things in three different cases and a backpack at the same time when unbeknownst to you Barney passes by, stopping at the last moment to admire everything about you.
You don't notice him at all, too busy tinkering with your things and trying to pack in time for take off. The mission ahead is intricate and dangerous, more so than others and being prepared is of the essence.
Barney on the other hand is still there, stuck dead in his tracks, staring at you lovingly, a hint of pride in his eyes. You really have earned your spot on the team and he's proud to not only be your comrade in arms, but also your man.
He loves the fact that his girl can take care of herself, a part of him loving the fierceness, independence and no bullshit attitude; and a small part of him being terrified of what you'd be like if someone truly came after you. That part riles him up like nothing. The thought alone is usually enough to make him feral.
He makes a mental note about that, eager to get back home and show you how much he adores you.
He notices you shift, stop and turn abruptly his way. He catches your gaze, lifts one eyebrow wondering what caused the flash of sour mood that crossed your features, and gives you a small smile hoping to ease whatever it may be that troubles you.
You return that smile and he swears you warm his heart like nothing ever did. To him, you're an angel and he'd give anything to bask in your warm light.
Imagine going on a date with Dwight. For him this is the first time he's going out with anybody since leaving prison.
He's super nervous and thinks it doesn't show, but his fidgeting gives it away. He's constantly looking over as if checking to see this is real, that you are real. He can't believe his luck to have found a woman as beautiful as you. Occasionally, he rubs his palms together and you have to fight real hard to contain your laughter. He's just utterly adorable.
Imagine Barney being unable to wait until you get home to blow off the adrenalin and steam from the mission you just did, so he shoos the guys home and corners you right there in the plane, trapping you between his hot body and the cold metal as he takes full control, restraining your arms above your head before going full feral, breathing hard on your neck, lavishing it with open mouthed kisses, rutting his hardness against your slick panty clad core.
It's been a few weeks since you've joined the team, in a sense that is. Your first meet with the big burly teddy bear Barney (that's what you call him in your head) was over a cup of coffee as he vetted your skills at managing some books.
A few weeks in and you got the hang of it just fine, bringing some much needed order in this ground zero he called business. Most of the time you stayed to yourself, a choice of yours, just in case. And some good portion of the time you could have sworn Barney tried his best to keep you from interacting with he guys, or the other way around, you're not completely sure yet.
It was now 4.30PM and you were almost done for the day, just compiling the last bits of a file to be handed over to the IRS first thing in the morning. You were also glad that Barney told you the guys would be here after lunch, packing for a mission and due for takeoff at 5PM.
You decided to wait it out.
The day's hard work staring at papers and the computer screen quickly caught up with you, eyes burning with exhaustion. Pinching the bridge of your nose and closing your eyes, you let out a big sigh. That though, was abruptly replaced by a stiff feeling of urgency. "Oh shit." you muttered as your eyes landed on the very bottom of the tax form in front of you.
This one required Barney's signature or else you'd both be screwed.
You practically jumped out of your chair, knocked over the pencil case and albeit kicked the trash can trying to get to the window displaying the hangar below.
A sigh of relief. They're still here.
And now the hard part. You actually have to walk out there, heels, dress and everything, in front of the boys to get the boss' sign-off.
"Just breathe."
"You can do it. It's no biggie. It's just some boys, that's all." you told yourself as a desperate attempt at hyping yourself up.
With the time ticking, you made your way down the metal stairs to the hangar floor, the clicking of your heels resounding through the large space.
You saw them all turn towards the sound, baffled by it in such a place. Face set and papers in hand you pretended not to notice the stares, the elbow bumps they exchanged, and the shift in energy as you made a beeline towards the man himself.
"Barney, I need these papers signed right now, unless you want to get fined by the IRS." You could bet your voice was notably shaky and all you could think about was how badly you just wanna get this over with.
Meanwhile, Barney turned around as though he had all the time in the world, gave a calm "yes, ma'am" and took the papers from you at snail's pace, finally singing the damn thing.
As soon as he handed them back, you spun on your heels and without glancing anywhere else, you made your way back to the office with a brisk walk.
Once out of their view, you felt the energy shift again as commotion rose up; the clanking and clicking of guns and ammo boxes being loaded up on the plane bringing a familiar wave of calm.
You heard the plane's engines roar to life and in a minute they were gone.
-----
As the plane rose to a comfortable altitude, Barney heard a snicker from the man in the co-pilot's seat. When he looked over though, he was met with the boyish excitement and tight lips of Lee Christmas trying hard to keep his laughter in.
"What?"
Lee barely got the words out before he burst out into a bellowing laugh.
"Didn't think bossy was your type."
At that, Barney felt a heat rise up to his ears and he couldn't help the bashful smile that stretched over his features.
"Yeah. Unfortunately." responded Barney, voice laced with regret and guilt.
"So that's all you've got now?" Doc followed up, meaning you and the guys.
"Yeah." "Might wanna thank the guys. And her. She's the one who helped me find you." Barney added, pointing straight at you as you helped the guys load up onto the plane.
When he laid eyes on you, Doc's jaw dropped and it took him a moment to speak again.
"Sweet mother of God"..."I must be dead and in heaven, cause I'm looking at an angel".
Barney snorted at his remark, a sense of pride washing over him. "Careful, Doc. She's spoken for" he warned.
"What? You?" Doc teased, his tone full of disbelief.
Note: Purely self indulgent. Please excuse. But if you're wondering, naked bikes are cool AF. 😁
-----
"Hey Y/N, do you ride?" Christmas shot your way as you walked into Tool's shop.
"Yeah. I do. I'm into nakeds." you happily announce.
"Do you ride naked?" Gunnar ads, snickering in the corner. His flirty nature taking the best out if him, not even noticing how inappropriate the quip might be.
"Gunnar, c'mon" warns Barney, afraid his rag tag gang might chase the newest member away on the first day.
You're caught of guard with Gunnar's comment, not expecting such a thing really. But soon you recover, thinking these guys just don't get a lot of women working with them.
Taking the opportunity for a sort of a comeback, and to pass on the flirting, you respond, all the while keeping your eyes in your boss's Barney's direction.
"I do. But only when I know I have a proper beast under me, a true Italian stallion." The smirk that formed on your face had you literally in pain, but seeing the boys' reaction was priceless.
Gunnar's jaw dropped, Christmas stood there incredulous but barely holding back his laugh, Tool just snorted and continued to laugh in the far corner while Caesar and Toll Road just facepalmed.
But Barney, facing away from you, visibly froze. You didn't have to see his face to tell he never in a million years expected you to be so forward, and in front of others at that.
It felt like ages before he moved, and even then he did it despite his reluctance, only to meet your flirty gaze as you nodded in his direction.
He kept his composure for long enough and now he was walking towards you, his large hand and his pointer finger in the air like when a parent scolds a child and all you heard was "Y/N. You, me, outside".
A smile crept up your features as he passed you, loving the chance to take this further.
POV: your boxing coach Barney is giving you tips to improve your punching, but you're barely registering a single word. You're nodding your head alright, but your heart is thumping hard against your chest, making you chase your breath at the sight of the man before you.
His deep voice, his stance, his stature, bulging biceps with veins popping out in places.. God! you want him to just take you roughly against the wall, to devour you like an animal.
It's hard to focus on his words, your mind rewinding the same fantasy you've gone to bed with every day the past week. His hands were all over you, exploring every inch of you like it was a mission. Gentle touches have long been left behind, you remember the way his fingers dug into your sides, as though it was real.
Goosebumps erupt over your arms, and he takes notice. "Y/N, you good?" he asks; concern lacing his tone. Finally being torn out of your funk, you clear your throat only to weakly reply "yeah".
If he ever found out, you're not sure what his reaction would be so you try your hardest to get back to punching the bag. At least punching it offers you some release from the built up frustration.
"Barney!" you exclaimed in excitement as you slammed your body against his, arms automatically wrapping around his thick neck. He was battered and bruised but you were happy to have him back in one piece.
"Hey baby", he basically whispered right into your ear. You could hear the fatigue in his voice as well as the sigh that came after it. Like he was holding on just enough to come back home.
"I've got something for you" he continues and it piques your interest right away. He looks down at his hands and starts "you know, this mission had me thinking. I believe this is far overdue."
You're all ears, waiting to see what he's on about. You stare down at his hands, hoping to catch a clue.
"It's been a while, and you know I'm not a man of many words." he trails on. "I love you.. and I always will. I just hope you feel the same." He pauses and when he opens his large fingers, in the palm of his hand is a gold ring.
You're speechless. Your breath caught in your throat as the surprise hits you like a freight train and your head starts spinning. You brace against his broad chest to keep your feet from giving in under your weight and when you meet his whiskey colored eyes, you see nothing but love and adoration.
You open your mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. He notices your shock and chuckles. "I told you before I left that when I come back I'll marry you."
You laugh at that. You thought it was just a thing he said. Never thought he truly meant it.
"Barney!" you exclaim once more, this time crushing your lips hard against his in a bruising kiss, giving him the answer you couldn't word yet. You feel his arms tighten around you and you swear you could cry from happiness.
From afar you hear whistles and hollering from the boys as they celebrate this moment finally happening. Unable to contain it, you break the kiss and burst into laughter at the childish behavior.
"I don't have anything against new members on the team. But you brought a girl on, Barney. I'm not going to be a babysitter." Christmas exclaimed.
You knew you weren't overly welcome among the guys. It wasn't your idea to tag along anyway, it was your job, as per Church's orders.
But when you overheard the guys complain to Barney about you being on the team, just because you were a woman, it made your heart sink and your blood boil.
You wanted to leave and go punch something but your curiosity got the better of you and you stayed to see what Barney would say.
"Look, I agreed to bring her on for this mission, she's my responsibility. Not yours-- or yours" he said as he pointed from Christmas to Yang.
"I'll take care of it" he added before he stormed out, leaving Christmas and Yang staring at each other.
---
You can only image he went off to speak to Church, but it seems it didn't work since you were now neck deep in crap with bullets whizzing past your head like crazy.
The guys were right there with you, pinned down, taking cover behind shipping containers to your left and right. You chuckled internally at the predicament and shot a look at Barney, wondering if he had an idea how to proceed.
You locked eyes and saw no reaction. That's when you reached into the side pockets of your Kevlar vest and fished out a smoke grenade from each of them.
Looking to Barney again, you mouth smoke?, to which he nods. You toss one his way, and one to your left, to Christmas. You yelled "smoke" and threw the grenade as hard as you could, noticing the guys following your lead. As the smoke spread, it created the perfect cover for the team to advance and take the bad guys over.
---
Later, at the bar as you grabbed a beer, Barney was the first one to speak.
"Y/N, I believe we owe you an apology" gesturing to the rest of the team.
"We doubted your skills and in the end you saved our asses. What I'm trying to say is..thank you." he offered with a sincere smile. The guys raised their beers in your direction, nodded and collectively exclaimed "To Y/N!!".
Imagine Barney falling hard for you after that job in Mexico.
So hard, that he's sitting in his car right now, parked outside your building, having doubts about whether to go up to your door and ask you out or not.
He instantly thinks of all that could go wrong. He could put you in danger again and get you hurt. He'd never forgive himself for that.
He could be too old for you. He could just simply not be your type. He could be coming on too strong. He could be unprofessional from your point of view and that would ruin everything.
He can't admit it to himself quite yet. His chest feels tight, heart thumping hard enough like it's almost in his ears. It's ridiculous. Feeling like a fresh recruit, anxious and afraid to get to the battlefield for the first time.
But he also can't quite picture the last time he felt so light, so eager too prove himself, and felt the silence that comes over his mind like a shadow, putting the racing thoughts to an end. You pulled him in like a magnet does a piece of metal and if he were honest, it scares him a bit. Him; a big, strong, badass.
You disarm him effortlessly, strip him of his armour and reach the vulnerable part of him like the walls he worked so hard to put up weren't even there.
And yet, he knows he can't just give up on you. Something deep within is telling him to go and be happy for once; go and grab you and never let go.
Exhaling audibly, Barney squares his shoulders and when his eyes open again, he fells the fresh breeze daft across his face as he steps out of the car, ready to say 'fuck it' and take the chance.
Like a man of renowned faith, he charges across the street and into your building, finding himself breathing in your air as you stand face to face at the threshold of your apartment.
To his own surprise, Barney finds the courage to get the words out, trying his hardest to sound confident. "Y/N..wanna go out and have dinner with me some time?"
Arriving at the small town somewhere in Mexico you and the guys began to setup camp in an old building. It was barely a story high with a flat roof and had exposed sides like the second floor construction was halted half way. You didn't like the felling of this place much, the warm and humid air getting to you despite the sun setting down behind the cityscape.
Running out of daylight, it was imperative to know what's around you, just in case. Barney had scoped out the area earlier, but still a nagging feeling in the back of your mind urged you to explore and see for yourself. Also, one never knows what potentially useful things can be found in neighboring abandoned houses in case shit hits the fan.
As the guys set out to move the luggage from the trucks into the house, you and Barney remained outside. You signaled him you'd be around and found yourself going from room to room in the first two houses directly opposite the one you were settled in.
Rummaging around the abandoned place, you found some interesting items. An old revolver with just one round left in it, some old almost rusty wrenches and other tools, but nothing else useful. Until, in the far end of the house, in a tiny room full old stale air you stumbled upon a 9mm handgun.
You were about to check it for ammo and possible jamming when two trucks approached down the road and stopped right outside the first house, next to your base. This piqued your interest, as this area was supposed to be relatively empty. You made your way to the roof to get a better angle and maybe catch some faces, but by the time you got there the sun had already set and it was properly dark, save for the small amount of light being projected by the moon.
You crouched next to one of the exposed walls, right shoulder leaning against it while your left side remained exposed uncomfortably. You didn't like it one bit. If you were to end up being seen by the wrong people you'd be toast.
Just as you were thinking about this, cussing under your breath that this roof was designed in such a way, you caught the sight of the men from the trucks hopping down, inspecting the truck you came with, parked right outside in the street. A quick glance over to the house where Barney stood, you noticed him not far off, about to close the gates to your joint house, his back turned to the street.
In a split second, the moon shone down in just the right angle to reveal the familiar metal sheen of a gun, something akin to an Uzi or a Tec-9. The two men kept approaching Barney, slowly, like wild cats prowling their prey, unnoticeable and silent.
When they got really close, a sense of dread washed over every nerve in your body and panic started to set in. You didn't have time to think much, just acted. You put down the wrenches you found earlier and got closer to the edge of the roof, gripping the old revolver and aiming at the guy closest to you down in the street, the guy who dared to raise his gun and point it at Barney.
You trailed him with the metal scope of the revolver, praying to God that if it comes down to you firing this gun, it actually does so without blowing your hand apart, or worse, jam and not be of any help. The fact you had another gun in your left hand, and probably much better one, didn't cross your mind. You were too focused on reacting and saving a friend.
When the man appeared like he was about to fire at Barney, you said fuck it mentally and pulled the trigger as hard as you could, bracing for the blow of the heavy recoil.
Firing off that shot, hitting the man straight in the back made him fall to the ground and had set off utter chaos.
Heavy gunfire erupted all around. The rest of the assailants now firing at Barney as he hunkered down behind our truck, glued to the grill of it as the bad guys tried to advance from its back. In a flash, the rest of the crew was out of the house, strategically positioned and absolutely blasting back at them, covering Barney enough so he can get his revolver out and be ready.
A couple goons managed to make their way from the back to the side of the truck, one even finding a way around the house you were in, coming to the right side of the wall you were hiding next to.
Hearing some rustling from the leftover trash in the yard below, you made sure the 9mm handgun you'd been holding onto was action ready. Luckily, the magazine looked intact, with at least 4 bullets left in it and the main shooting mechanism not being jammed. You counted your blessings there; this had to be a miracle.
Cocking the gun as quietly as possible, you got up to a half squat, making sure the others haven't made you already, heart heavily pounding in your ears, and took aim at the man, shooting him straight in the head. No mercy, you justified it to yourself, my boys were under attack. It had to be done.
You saw Barney hit the next guy, directly below and in the heat of it all you emptied the remaining three bullets in the direction of the man sneaking down the side of the truck where it was impossible for Barney to see him or peek out properly. In a second, he was down too.
When the firing died down, Gunnar and Christmas started to clear out the area and when they announced the all clear, you gave out the biggest exhale of your life, unaware you were holding your breath.
As you did so, you looked down and locked eyes with Barney to whom you looked like just a shadow, backlit by the moon until you gave out a small nod and a salute. At that, he nodded back and relaxed visibly.
Charged by the adrenaline, you climbed down from the roof and were out of the house in no time, joining the gang at the gate and making sure everyone was alright.
Barney didn't say a word even when the others lamented "nice shooting Y/N". You found it strange, but it also made sense for a veteran macho like him. You let it go and just focused on the fact everyone came out of this alive.
Later, when others were asleep, Barney approached you over the dim light of the tiny lamp that had been lit in the corner, surprising you how a big man like that can move so softly, like a cat.
"You saved my ass out there, kid" (as he likes to call anyone remotely younger than himself) and gave a meaningful look, holding eye contact for a bit longer than usual.
"No problem, don't mention it" was all you could get out, underselling the actual whirlwind of emotion inside, as you dealt with the fact you had just ended a couple men's lives for the first time in over 5 years. It didn't get easier, that's for sure.
Aside from that, since day one, you had intense feelings for the man himself, being the pure embodiment of the macho type you grew up simping over, watching action movies as a teen. It didn't make matters better.
In response, you gave a small smile, which soon faded into shock and disbelief as Barney offered you a permanent spot on the team; a quite different one from what you did now.
"You have a knack for scouting and you took the high ground position on instinct, protected us. We could really use someone like you out there, having our backs."
You couldn't help but stare back motionless.
"Know how to handle a sniper rifle?"
After a second you realized he asked a question. You cleared your throat and swallowed thickly.
"No." you finally manged to get out without sounding pathetic.
"Alright, I'll have one of the guys show you the basics. Think it over." He added.
You were left speechless as he turned around and disappeared to his spot in the darker corner of the room.
