here's the written out version of this scenario. because someone asked, and because i wanted to explore this more. law might be out of character because i thought it was funny like this and decided to just go with it. [f!reader]
this is part one - part 2 - part 3 - masterlist
"what do you mean you found her?", law asks in a tone that does little to hide his agitation.
"well, we ran into her on that island and she was really funny."
"yeah, turns out she's an engineer and even has some basic medical knowledge."
"so we thought she'd make a good crew member."
"and we just asked her."
"and she said yes."
law looks at his crew with a mixture of aggravation and disbelief.
he leaves them unsupervised once and the first thing they do is pick up a random stranger off some remote island and now, apparently, he has a new crew member. and the worst thing is that he came back three days ago and it took him until now to even notice. but there you are, having dinner with them like it's the most normal thing in the entire world.
"how come no one thought to ask me, let alone tell me about this?"
"well..."
"you weren't exactly around."
"you were away."
"exactly."
"i am your captain. who enters my ship and joins my crew is not your call to make", he says, voice stern.
"technically you said that bepo's in charge while you're gone."
"yeah, bepo approved."
law gives bepo an accusatory look.
bepo drops his head.
"i approved", he admits.
to bepo's defence, you were being really nice to him.
the surgeon of death closes his eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh.
he tells himself it's out of annoyance, because he can't look at his crew anymore, so disappointed in their poor judgement and the fact that they didn't consult him. but in reality it's because he knows it can only be so long until it starts looking suspicious that he can't even look in your direction.
he knows that if he looks at you, he will die.
you're just sitting there with big eyes, seemingly a little overwhelmed by all of this commotion. at least you have the decency to look uncomfortable at the awkward situation law is undeniably putting you in by interrogating his crew about you, while you're literally right there. but he still catches you chuckle quietly at penguin's humorous remarks. apparently the situation still manages to amuse you, even though he believes the embarrassment radiating off your shoulders to be real, and not just an act you put on.
if law is being honest with himself he doesn't actually mind your presence. quite the opposite, if he's being very honest. and that is exactly the problem.
you are adorable.
he thinks you are so. fucking. cute.
he doesn't know what's gotten over him, to be so smitten by someone whose presence he apparently didn't even notice for three whole days. which, by the way, he is thoroughly questioning himself and his abilities for. but he is absolutely overwhelmed by your proximity (you're sitting four chairs down) and the fact that when he looks at your face he immediately forgets his own name. he liked it better when he hadn't noticed you yet.
"captain, pleeeeease can we keep her?", shachi begs, putting on his best rendition of what law thinks are supposed to be puppy dog eyes, but honestly it's hard to tell because shachi's wearing fucking sun glasses.
"we promise to take good care of her!"
"you won't have to lift a finger", penguin adds.
a bunch of "yeah"s and agreeing hums are heard throughout the room.
and law thinks that, wow, his crew must've grown very fond of you in this short amount of time, if they insist on you staying so adamantly. and the worst thing is that he can probably even get behind that.
"i'm not a pet, you know", you say all of a sudden.
and he immediately realizes that this is the first time you said something in this entire train wreck of a conversation and it's the first time he registers your voice and it sends him into a whole frenzy.
once he's recovered he braces himself before he hesitantly looks in your general direction.
he catches your gaze immediately.
fuck.
he swallows, chokes on his own spit and has to look away, coughing slightly.
well, that was embarrassing.
"ohh", ikkaku suddenly announces in an amused tone. "i know what's happening."
uh-oh.
"huh? what are you talking about?", bepo asks. not helpful.
law's trying to look anywhere but you, but he makes the mistake of looking at shachi instead, who, to his dismay, immediately catches onto what ikkaku is on about.
and, shit, it can't have been that obvious, right?
but shachi grins knowingly and elbows penguin wiggling his eyebrows, eyes darting between you and the captain.
law wants to be swallowed by the ground. he wonders if, considering you're on a submarine in the middle of the ocean, that would just mean he drowns, but honestly, he'd be fine with that too.
penguin snickers and leans over to jean bart to whisper something in his ear.
soon enough the whole table is bustling with excited whispers, menacing grins, and muffled chuckles and law finds himself questioning why he ever came back to this madness in the first place.
his gaze lands on you again, sitting innocently amidst the chaos. apparently no one bothered to fill you in, because you give law a look of utter and slightly terrified confusion.
he inhales, he wants to say something to you, hopefully something that will make the disaster about to ensue less catastrophic (which he admits, is a utopian thought) but someone on the other end of the table laughs so loudly that your attention is torn away from him and then it's already too late, because you ask, in all your innocent confusion:
"what's going on?"
and suddenly all eyes are on you.
and for a moment the entire table goes quiet and law suddenly feels hope again, that maybe the gods have heard his prayers, maybe the universe has mercy on him, maybe karma won't strike him this time.
unfortunately, as per usual, luck is not on his side. karma's a bitch. the universe hates him. the gods are evil.
because they all burst out laughing and through the loudness of his entire crew's amusement he catches shachi say suggestively:
"captain thinks you're pretty."
and he dies. just a little.
and then penguin says:
"but he's an awkward nerd, so he can't cope."
and that's it, that's enough to make his soul leave his body, and he's pretty sure he watches himself go through all five stages of grief before he decides he needs to get a grip and gain back control over the situation. he is your captain after all and he'll be damned if his crew's antics make him forget who he is. (and also he really doesn't want to admit that they're right.)
"that's enough", law says in his best captain voice, calm es ever, as he rises from his spot at the head of the table.
"you", he points at you, "come by my office later so i can assess your skills."
he looks at his crew.
"the rest of you - get back to work."
and he turns and walks out of the room.
law exhales. situation evaded successfully.
but he swears, just as he's out the door, he hears penguin say:
Primal Fears AU content but don’t worry it’s still sonadow
That last one is a repost from last year so if you saw the silly drawings but then read the thing in the bottom left corner and went “wait what the fuck”
It’s because it was an AU thing but I literally only had that drawn out and now you get some context at least:
In this universe Sonic is an assassin/bounty hunter/whatever you wanna call a guy that is hired to specifically to kill other Entities. He meets Shadow when they run into each other because they’re both following the same Avatar. Then they do the normal canon sonadow thing where the first interaction they have always ends with them fighting and beating the shit out of each other. And then they kinda calm down but then Shadow has a similar moment from the beginning of the IDW Sonic comics where he gets absolutely pissed that Sonic managed to distract him from catching the bad guy and zooms away before the two have another chance to speak again.
Here Shadow is a GUN field agent except in this universe GUN isn’t really military and it’s more focused on not only investigating (like the Magnus Institute) but also actively dealing with the Entities. Which sounds great except remember how I said they aren’t military well actually they kinda are because “dealing” with Entities and Avatars just means: throw it in the high-security prison that is guarded by other various Avarars that all work for GUN because it means they don’t have to get thrown in prison. So GUN is kinda like The Magnus Institute + Section 31 working together. So actually I guess it’s like the SCP Foundation.
One day Shadow goes into work and Sonic and there and I’m not really sure on what I’m gonna do in the plot to make him end up there (like maybe he’s undercover and just using GUN to get to his next target or maybe GUN does the “hey we’re gonna throw you in jail if you don’t agree to work for us” idk again not sure yet) but now he’s working with Shadow because they still need to catch that Avatar.
So now we’re sorta caught up, they’re at Club Rouge (and I realized I didn’t specify which Entity she serves in my drawing of her but people who guessed the Stranger ding ding ding here have some sonadow) because Sonic and Shadow need to kinda interrogate Surge and Amy, who are associated with the Slaughter. They have a band called Poison Rose and it’s basically just Grifter’s Bone but they perform rock music instead. And are also probably dating.
Anyway the Big Case™️ Sonic and Shadow are working on is investigating a bunch of spooky murders and they’re pretty sure whoever’s behind them is a Slaughter avatar. But not specifically Amy and Surge☝️ They’re kinda “allowed” to perform the Music That Makes You Die because GUN also has like an “informant” group of avatars they can rely on. These avatars don’t work for GUN, but they agree to chill out on the spooky stuff if it means they don’t get arrested for spooky crimes. So for Poison Rose, “chilling out” on the spooky stuff means that they have to force people to wear earplugs while they perform, which wasn’t specifically stated in MAG 42 if that works or not, not really sure of the magic rules of the Music That Makes You Die phenomena but yeah they gotta do that and probably some other stuff so GUN doesn’t arrest them. Like maybe no swearing or something lol.
Okay gonna stop there before this gets even longer explaining my AU because this was supposed to be just a normal sketch post but whoops.
Oh also I made a playlist for the kind of music Poison Rose performs but it was made private because I didn’t want anyone to stumble across it and be like “pshhhh this dumb person who makes public playlists of their AU that no one knows about what a loser” (me when I make up completely unrealistic scenarios in my head) but now here’s a post explaining that part of my AU so that person can’t make fun of me anymore
After the incident with Whitehall, everything seemed to have gone back to normal.
Well, as normal as an Avenger’s life could be.
Due to the nature of your work, you were sent off for a mission that took a month of your time.
You were sent for reconnaissance with Sam and Wanda. Rumours about an underground group recruiting younger individuals for experimentation with drugs that gave them super-human abilities started circulating online with minor incidents that were cleaned up by SHIELD.
The intel received coincided with the information gathered from Whitehall’s interrogation after he had woken up after being knocked out, which you profusely apologised to everyone for.
The destination? Belgrade, Serbia. Which meant being away from home for the time being.
Away from the Avengers Tower. Away from Tony. Away from Bucky.
Bucky. An enigma in your life that has been plaguing your mind ever since that night. Words were left unsaid, between the two of you.
Fast forward to present day with you coming back home, a sigh of relief after a gruelling month of nothing but waiting and tailing your targets.
As you walked up to your room, you notice a familiar figure standing by the door. You would probably have thought he was some random stranger if it weren’t for the metal arm giving it away.
You felt your face slowly grin as you made your way up to Bucky who was nonchalantly leaning by the wall with his arms crossed, a smile on his handsome face making your heart flutter with every step.
“New haircut?” You asked him as soon as you reached him. His hair was shorter now, he looked cleaner, a little boyish and way too charming for you to handle at the moment while slightly sleep deprived.
Bucky grinned and shrugged. “Thought I’d try a new look with me starting therapy and all that.”
Your eyes widened in surprise before instinctively reaching to grab Bucky by the arms, shaking him a little bit. “Holy shit! That’s a great first step, Bucky. I’m so proud of you.”
“Yeah well, I had a lot to ponder on this last month.” Bucky smirked making you eye him suspiciously. This was new territory for you and Bucky, he seemed much more carefree.
“So…” you decided to explore this newfound connection with him, the only way you knew how. By teasing him. “You’re saying that I had to disappear for a whole month for you to treat yourself better? Maybe I should leave more often.”
Bucky squints at you, his eyes shining with mischief. He licks his lips, your eyes following the action, before he sighed dramatically. “Then I guess I’ll be going on a road trip. Go to wherever my muse takes me.”
You blushed, not knowing how to really respond to that. His hand then reaches out to push a stray strand of hair from your face, his touch soft and light as he tucks it behind your ear. It made you want to rest your cheek against the palm of his hand and just fall asleep right then and there at the hallway.
But then you remembered this was new territory not only for you but also for Bucky and as much as you really would love to explore this newfound bond with him, you needed to give him the space he needs to find himself again.
“I think I’m going to hit the hay. It’s been a long month.” You told him as you painstakingly took a step towards your door, opening it and going into your room.
Bucky smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. A flicker of disappointment flashed across his face.
“Of course, doll. I’ll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.”
You thanked him and wished him a good night before closing the door and heading to bed. You tried your best to ignore the blossoming feeling in your chest by going to sleep but you were left tossing and turning in your sheets as your restless dreams were just about the metal armed man.
The next morning, you got out of bed a little groggy. Making your way to the kitchen, you noticed that Steve and Bucky were already up and making their own breakfast.
At the sound of your footsteps, Steve turned around from where he was sitting by the kitchen island and raised his cup to you. “Good morning kid, we missed you.”
You smiled at Steve and at the fondness in his voice, giving him a side hug before settling yourself opposite of the island where he was at.
“Thanks Steve. Anything special happened while I was gone?” You noticed Steve took a sip from his cup, his eyes flickering to something behind you for a second before shrugging.
“The same old stuff. Training, saving the citizens of New York, watching Nat bully Clint, watching Nat bully Tony and then watching Tony inhale cheeseburgers while checking up on you on his satellite.” Steve listed off, making you chuckle at everyone’s usual antics.
“You know,” you shifted in your seat. “For a man who spends most of his days in the lab, you’d think you’d get some privacy while you’re doing top secret Avengers work.”
Steve smirked at you, rolling his eyes. “He’s just being the overprotective older brother in your life, let him have this one.”
You groaned, opting to look down at your hands that were fidgeting the whole time. “I’m happy he saved me from Hydra and practically adopted me but I’m not a Stark and I can handle myself just fine, isn’t that right Tony?”
A small buzz was heard through a nearby intercom in the kitchen aisle, Tony’s voice cracking through. “Of course and with that lovely voice of yours, you could crack someone’s rib if you so much as whistled in their direction. Also I take slight offence at you not considering yourself a Stark with how much of your stuff you signed off on with the Stark name.”
You winced in response as you see Steve trying very hard not to laugh at your expense.
“I’m not gonna live that one down aren’t I?”
“Nope, we’re gonna have a long chat soon about what you’ve been buying, Mr Stark.” Tony’s voice echoed through the intercom.
Steve snapped his fingers loudly making you jump at the sudden but very much needed disruption and then pointed behind you. “Oh and Bucky’s got a new haircut!”
You looked to your left, just in time to see Bucky stand next to you. His shoulder bumping yours as he slides a cup of coffee right into your hands.
“Oh.” You blinked down at the cup. “Thanks Bucky, you didn’t have to do that for me.” Bucky said nothing as he took a sip out of his own cup, you doing the same.
Once the coffee touches your taste buds, you gave an appreciative hum. “Wow that’s really good coffee, did we get a new brand while I was away?” You turned to Bucky, who smiled as he took another sip.
Turning your attention back to your cup, you took another sip and closed your eyes to savour the taste. You couldn’t really tell what made it so different. Cinnamon maybe?
You feel a small pinch and looked down to see Bucky’s hand wrapped around your waist. You turn your head to see his face a few inches from yours, you could practically smell his coffee breath and your sleep addled brain still hasn’t registered this as something unusual for Bucky to do.
“Didn’t sleep well?” Bucky softly asks as you continued to down your coffee. You shook your head, sighing as you finished your cup.
“I just need to get used to my bed again. My sleep schedule’s a complete mess and I still have to type up my mission report and send it to Maria before the day ends.” You rambled on, missing the way Steve has been eyeing the hand possessively curled around your waist throughout the whole interaction.
You walked to the sink, letting Bucky’s hand fall lamely against the kitchen island as you started to rinse your cup before loading it into the dishwasher.
“I’m gonna go take a shower and freshen up before I actually start my day, thanks for the coffee Bucky,” You lightly touched Bucky’s arm, giving him a soft smile. “I’ll see you later, Steve.” You bid the super soldiers goodbye as you left to your room.
Steve eyed Bucky the whole time, watching his best friend watch you walk away, noticing how Bucky’s eyes dropped down for a second before retuning to his own cup of coffee.
“So…” Steve trailed off.
Bucky glared at Steve, his gruff manner returning. “What punk?”
“You’re interested in him.” Steve said carefully, not wanting to spook Bucky away from the conversation.
Bucky was quiet for a few seconds, not really sure how to respond. It’s been a long time since he’s had a normal connection with anyone else other than Steve, he can’t even begin to think about a possible romantic one but with you it almost felt natural.
“I like him.” Bucky replied, making Steve raise his eyebrows at how upfront his best friend was being.
Steve stood up, cup in hand as he made his way to the kitchen sink. “Those therapy sessions must be doing really good if you’re just stating that outright.”
“I have to get better Steve. It wouldn’t be fair to him or me if something goes wrong, I don’t wanna end up hurting him.” Bucky dejectedly said as he felt Steve’s hand squeeze his shoulder for support.
“Then take it slow, Buck.” Steve replied, his tone shifting to a softer one. “You both deserve a chance to be happy. Just keep working on yourself and when you’re ready, you just have to take the simple step of being honest with him.”
The intercom goes off making both men jump in surprise as Tony’s voice cuts in. “And watch those hands, Barnes. My little brother isn’t a stress ball.”
Bucky rolled his eyes and groaned. “I got it, Stark.”
Steve smirked before leaving Bucky alone in the kitchen, the metal armed man left to his own thoughts.
A couple of days go by and you slowly got back into your old routine at the Tower. Grateful that not a lot was happening and you could just relax and enjoy the limited time you have left until a new disaster strikes.
You noticed a few changes around you, mainly in the form of one James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes.
Like how he’d started to have a cup of coffee with a dash of cinnamon prepared for you every morning right as you walk in the kitchen. In return, you’d make some breakfast and have an extra plate prepared for him.
Sometimes he’d walk by as you were cooking and rest his chin on your shoulder, looking over to see what you were making.
“Smells good.” He’d whisper to you before bounding to the kitchen island to take a seat. He’d always thank you for the breakfast before scarfing it down like a starving wolf. It felt nice to have someone to chat with over breakfast, the two of you were usually the first ones up anyways.
In truth, it felt a little domestic. You tried to shake those thoughts away, rationalising that it was Bucky slowly opening up to you with his current therapy sessions.
You liked sitting and chatting with Bucky about literally everything. He’d let you talk his ears off, only a few “hmm”s and “ahh”s were injected into the conversations to show that he was actively listening.
It made your traitorous heart flutter.
When it came time to train in the gym. You usually were with Natasha, honing your hand to hand combat skills.
You usually had fun sparring with her but today was a little different as an unexpected guest decided to join.
Natasha raised one of her perfectly curated eyebrows and nodded towards the door, making you turn to see Bucky walk into the room. He was wearing his sinfully tight black shirt that showed off his bulging muscles along with gym shorts showing his powerful legs, turning your brain into mush.
“Barnes, nice of you to join us.” Natasha told Bucky, with slight amusement in her voice. Bucky nodded in response, sitting by the water bottle that you coincidentally left on the bench.
“Let’s take a breather, time to hydrate.” Natasha tells you, before walking away to get her own bottle. You gulped, feeling your throat a little dry from training and definitely not from the very gorgeous man on the bench watching your every move.
As you walked up to the bench, Bucky gives you a soft smile as he hands you your water bottle.
“Thanks, Bucky.” You panted as you quickly chugged down some water.
Bucky grinned at you. “No problem, sweetheart. How’s training going? You look a little red.”
Sweetheart. He hasn’t called you that since that night and you immediately feel your face heat up, hoping that training was enough of an excuse to hide the blush you were sporting.
You shrugged at him. “Nothing new, Nat always pushes me to do my best even while training. What’s got you here, I thought you always trained with Steve?”
“The punk’s in the lab with Tony doing god knows what,” Bucky chuckled. “Thought I’d drop by and see what you were up to since I’ve got nothing going on. Maybe train a little bit too, if you don’t mind having someone else around.”
You scoffed at him. “Bucky, come on. The room’s free for everyone to use, there’s not a designated rule saying only one pair at a time. You’re always welcomed here.”
“Hey,” Nat calls from across the room. “Why not you train with Barnes for a little bit. Steve just texted saying Tony needs my help in the lab.”
She turns to Bucky. “Barnes, you mind?”
Bucky shrugs and your shoulders drooped a little bit realising that you’d be alone with the man haunting your every waking thought.
Trying to maintain a safe and platonic distance with Bucky is giving you a slight migraine when all you want to do is climb that man like a tree.
Natasha walks off and you watched as Bucky made his way to the training mats, waiting for you to join him. His face resting on a smirk.
“Let’s see if Romanoff’s training paid off.” Bucky said, making you laugh in surprise.
“Wow,” You raised your fists up, getting into position. “Didn’t think you’d be so cocky. This is THE Black Widow we’re talking about here.”
“She hasn’t beaten me yet.”
You sent out a quick jab at Bucky, who expertly weaved away from the attack before grabbing you by the wrist and pulling you, making you tumble forward.
Using the slight momentum to your advantage, you quickly recovered by balancing yourself with your hand on the mat and then delivering a backwards kick at Bucky’s chest.
He stumbled backwards, reeling in from the kick before moving forward and sending out a punch that you dodged but it was enough to let him get into your space before he grabbed you by your arm and threw you over his shoulder, letting you fall onto the mat.
“Not bad, doll.” Bucky taunts, standing over you and reaching his hand out to help you get up. You took it, chuckling as you got back into position.
“Don’t tease me.”
You and Bucky walked around the mat, eyes locked into each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Getting impatient, you rush forward to strike again but Bucky takes a side step letting you trip before grabbing your fist to stop you from falling face first into the mat.
You feel him pulling your arm back, turning you around and dragging you towards his body. As you stumble right into him, your hands land on his chest for support while you feel his arm snake around your waist to help you stand. His face now inches from yours, a grin plastered right on it.
You blushed furiously as you hear Bucky chuckle. “You’re telegraphing, doll. You need to center yourself.”
“Yeah, well you’re firm and comfortable.” You sputtered out, your brain malfunctioning at how close the two of you were.
Realising what you had just said, you quickly pushed him off you before delivering a hook kick with your right leg which he blocked with his arm before doing a roundhouse kick, which he anticipated by grabbing it and locking it between his arm.
Using the stability to your advantage, you jumped and let your other leg hook over Bucky’s shoulders before using the weight of your body to pull yourself backwards and flipping the two of you onto the mat.
Bucky falls, his hands grabbing you by the waist as you both go down. His body cushioning most of the impact as you landed on top of him.
You pushed yourself up into a sitting position, a victorious grin spread across your face.
“How’s that for centering yourself?” You looked down at him, he grinned back at you with his hands around your waist.
“Looks like you got me, doll.” Bucky said as his hands traveled up and down your sides before letting them settle on the curve of your ass.
You then realised you were practically sitting in his lap and his hands were very much exploring a place that’s not appropriate between two people who were just supposed to be friends.
You notice his eyes dilate as he licks his lips, you following the action with your eyes. You wanted nothing more than to lean down and feel that tongue for yourself.
Those thoughts were quickly diminished however once reality kicked back in and you realised where you were before scrambling away from him.
“Oh my god, Bucky. I’m so sorry!” You said as you stood up before reaching your hand out to help him up.
He waved you off. “It’s okay, I’m gonna need a few minutes to take a breather.”
“Okay!” You squeaked out a response, extremely embarrassed by your own lustful thoughts before making your way to the bench to grab your water bottle. “I’m gonna go and take a shower now, I’ll see you later.”
Bucky watched as you practically ran out of the gym, a sly grin forming on his face. He was starting to realise that you were receptive towards his advances after all. Also, that he definitely needed to go take a cold shower.
Back at the lab, Steve and Tony watched as Natasha smirked at the screen that showed the gym.
“Guess Barnes can play a little dirty.” She hummed to herself making Tony roll his eyes at her.
“Well, I don’t really appreciate having to watch him practically dry hump my brother.” Tony complained, making both Steve and Natasha laugh at his expense.
“Who do you think’s gonna make the first move?” Steve asked.
Natasha and Tony looked at each other, Tony smirked as he leaned on a nearby desk. “Wanna make a bet?”
After the gym incident, your relationship with Bucky changed again. Now Bucky became the watered-down version of a cuddle monster whenever he’s around you with his wandering hands.
It didn’t matter if any of the other Avengers were in the room or not, he was all over you. His hands practically glued to your waist now. You didn’t mind it as much, thinking that Bucky’s finally getting comfortable with everyone else on the team.
You’ve seen him hug Steve, laugh loudly with Sam and you’ve even seen him at one point high-five Tony of all people. You still wonder why he’s doing so much more with you but a small selfish part of you didn’t want him to stop if you ever decide to ask him about it.
You were shaken out of your thoughts when Wanda slides up next to you with a few empty bowls. “Popcorn ready yet?”
It was movie night for the Avengers that were living in the Tower and Peter Parker was invited since his Aunt was busy with work anyways. Tony picked out Dawn of the Dead since almost everyone hasn’t watched or heard of it.
Steve even took his notebook out, noting down more films that Tony began to list down as masterpieces.
“Yeah, most of them are ready. I think I have one more bag but it’s a small so why not I just keep this one and then you can pass the rest to the others?” You told Wanda as the both of you began pouring all the popcorn into different bowls.
Peter appeared at the kitchen, volunteering to help carry the bowls with Wanda as you were still waiting for the last bag to be ready.
Once the microwave goes off, you picked up the bag and made your way to the living room where everyone was already seated.
Tony was on one end, comfortable in his own armchair. Natasha, Wanda and Sam were sat on the couch with Steve and Peter sitting by their legs. Lastly, there was Bucky on the other end in the loveseat.
You were gonna sit on the floor with the rest when you felt an arm pull you in by your waist, making you fall backwards into something firm.
You looked up in surprise to only meet Bucky’s grin. “Looks like you needed a place to sit.” At that moment you realised you were very much sitting in Bucky’s lap, in the loveseat, in front of everyone else.
When you turned your head to look at the others, everyone’s heads swivelled back to the tv as Tony quickly started up the movie.
You were extremely glad the only light that was shining was from the tv and the movie was loud enough to mask both your blush and your voice as you leaned in to talk to Bucky.
“You know, I don’t mind sitting on the floor with Steve and Peter. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” You squeaked when you felt Bucky tug you closer to him, forcing you to wrap one arm over his shoulder for support while gripping your small bag of popcorn as if your life depended on it.
“No worries here, sweetheart. I’m extremely comfortable, are you?” He practically purred in your ear, making you feel a little lightheaded as you nodded your head and let your body rest against his. Both of his arms now wrapped around your waist as you both watched the film.
The movie was intense to say the least, the tension practically bled out of you waiting for the next jumpscare to appear on screen.
It helped that Bucky was soothingly rubbing your side to calm you down. You opted to eat your stress away with the popcorn in your hands.
“Can I have some?”
Your eyes widened, realising you haven’t even offered one flake to him. You tried to pass him the bag but he shook his head.
“My hands are full right now.” He nodded, referring to your body in his lap.
You smirked at him. “And whose fault is that?”
You felt him pinch your side, causing you to yelp. “Brat.”
You glared at him before rolling your eyes and feeding him a flake. He smiled as he began to chew with his mouth open, knowing that he had won the argument.
You scrunched your face in disgust at him. “Chew with your mouth closed, you caveman.”
That caused Bucky to laugh and hide his face in your neck, which made your heart flutter in response.
So, the both of you sat comfortably in each other’s arms. You continued to feed Bucky popcorn when he asks for it by rubbing his stubble against your neck making you giggle.
Between the both of you, the popcorn was finished before the movie even reached the third act so you discarded the empty popcorn bag on the floor, promising to pick it up later once it was over.
As you finally calmed down, now used to the film’s jumpscares and knowing when they’ll strike, your eyes get a little droopy and you let out an involuntary yawn.
Bucky chuckled. “Getting sleepy, doll?” You shift slightly in his arms, getting even more comfortable in his lap. You hear his breath hitch but didn’t think much of it as you felt him nuzzle his face against your neck. The combination of his stubble and his warm breathing against your neck, slowly lulled you to deep sleep.
The next time you opened your eyes, it was still dark out. You hear little snores and realised Bucky slept with you on the loveseat, his face still breathing into your neck and his hands were now loosely wrapped around your waist.
Your eyes drift to the center of the room and realised everyone had left the both of you alone.
You squinted at the digital clock hung across the room and noticed it was six in the morning. You sighed, feeling Bucky shift from under you while murmuring something incoherent in his sleep causing you to softly smile at how peaceful it was.
This was nice.
Being with Bucky and having the privilege to be in his arms felt natural, like two perfect pieces of a puzzle.
You weren’t sure how to proceed from here. Never really having been in a relationship before, let alone being in such an intimate position with someone else.
You liked Bucky. You wanted to be with him but you weren’t sure if it was the right thing to explore now that he’s started therapy. You’d hate if he were to suddenly drift away from something that’s been so helpful and beneficial to him just so he can balance his lifestyle while being a superhero. You’d hate it even more if you were the reason for him giving up on something productive in his life.
“Stop thinking.” You jumped at Bucky’s voice cutting through your train of thought. You blinked a few times, feeling Bucky shift so he could face you properly while you were still sitting in his lap.
Bucky gave you a sleepy smile as he reaches out to push a strand of hair against your ear. The action making you seek out the palm of his hand so you can rest your cheek on it.
“Did you know your whole body tenses when you overthink, sweetheart?” Bucky said, making you chuckle. He lets go of your face, opting to hold you by the waist instead while rubbing small circles on your hip to soothe your thoughts.
Your hands fiddled with the front of his shirt, pulling it and rubbing the material between your fingers. A habit you’ve picked up when you were a kid whenever you needed something to ground yourself in the moment.
“Take it slow,” Bucky told you. “Find your voice, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.”
You looked into his mesmerising steel blue eyes feeling nothing but love and adoration coming through.
Love. Huh, what an unfamiliar yet wonderful feeling.
You took a breath. “I like you Bucky. A lot.”
When he opens his mouth to try to speak, you stopped him by covering his mouth with your fingers. “Hold on, baby. Let me finish.”
Bucky nods and leans back, his hands rubbing your sides as a sign to go on.
“I’ve never imagined in all my life that I’d find someone so beautiful and kind as you are. You have been through so much and yet you still chose to be good to the world that turned its back on you.” You looked down, shutting your eyes to focus and power through the rest of your speech to him.
“You’re amazing Bucky, you deserve to have your own time and place to heal and I don’t want to be the one that distracts you from it. I refuse to hurt you.”
Bucky was quiet for a few seconds before you felt his hand caressing your cheek. “Look at me, sweetheart.”
You opened your eyes, not realising how close Bucky’s face was. Your eyes drop to his lips for a second before looking back into his eyes, waiting for him to say something.
“I like you too.” You felt the air punch out from your lungs at Bucky’s confession.
“You’re right,” He paused. “I needed time to heal. When you were away for the past month and we didn’t get to finish our conversation in your room, I was devastated.”
You feel Bucky rubbing your sides again, something you found that he’s been doing lately with you whenever he’s nervous or stressed.
“I’ve wanted you for so long but I never knew how to say it. I didn’t know how to handle it without the past coming back to haunt me. I was scared that I’d hurt you too.” He took another breath, grabbing your hand and turning the palm towards his face to give tiny kisses, tiny apologies with every peck.
You weren’t sure why he was apologising, deciding to caress his face instead. He leaned in, eyes closed as he lets out a tired sigh.
“So I went into therapy the month you were gone because I wanted to be better. Not just for you but for me. I knew if I could have you in my arms, I’d feel grounded. In fact, last night was the best sleep I’ve ever had for the longest time.”
You snorted, making him lift an eyebrow at you. “I’m not making fun of you. It’s just that ever since I came back from Belgrade, I’ve had trouble sleeping too but being in your arms last night made me feel safe.”
You feel his hands tighten around your waist.
“Bucky,” you began. “Just promise me that you’ll continue therapy until you feel like you’re ready to move forward.”
“Okay.” Bucky replied easily. “Then promise that you’ll stay with me throughout everything. Promise to correct me if I ever go out of line. Promise to tell me if you feel uncomfortable or uncertain with what we’re doing. Give us a chance to live before deciding that our spark needs to be put out.”
You nodded shyly at him, feeling your heart grow double in size.
“And promise to call me baby again, like you did earlier.” He teased making you blush.
“Doll,” Bucky whispered. “Can I kiss you?”
Not trusting your voice, you could only nod. You see Bucky smile softly at you before leaning in, you doing the same.
Once your lips touched his, it felt like heaven was covering your entire mouth before you let that heaven slip in right between your lips to play with your tongue.
You moaned out loud and Bucky inhaled it greedily. His arms now snaked around your upper torso while you were clinging onto his neck and shoulders for dear life.
You feel his hips role up into yours and you used every fibre of your being to push yourself off him to try and stop what basically was soft core porn playing in the living room where any of the other Avengers could walk in at any time.
You hear Bucky growl softly before latching his lips onto your neck and sucking, making you gasp.
You grabbed the back of his head and pulled him away from the bruising that he was leaving on your neck, making him pout up at you.
“I wasn’t finished.” He grumbled, making your head swirl at how adorable he was being at the moment as if he wasn’t just being ravenous a second ago.
You chuckled.
“Baby,” you touched his lips making him playfully snap his teeth at one of your fingers. “Can we take it slow? I’ve honestly never done this before.” You shyly, told him.
His hands go back to your waist and squeezed. Trying to calm himself down at the new information he was given. A revelation in his eyes.
Taking a calming breath, he nodded. “Of course, sweetheart. Anything for you.”
He watches as you nod and blush while reaching out to fiddle with his shirt again. A sign that he quickly learned was something you do whenever you’re nervous.
“Come on sweetheart, talk to me. What do you need?” His soft voice calming you down and making you smile at how considerate he was being.
“I was planning to head back to my room and I was wondering if you wanted to join me?” Bucky raised his eyebrows at the implication and you quickly sputtered out that it was just to cuddle and rest.
“You’re so cute.” Bucky proclaimed as he stood up with you in his arms making you laugh in surprise before wrapping your legs around his waist for support. “I’m never letting you go.”
It was safe to say that the both of you slept soundly in each other’s arms the rest of the morning.
When the both of you walked into the kitchen together, a few hours later than your usual breakfast routine. Steve, Natasha and Tony were already sat in the kitchen.
Bucky leaves you by the kitchen island with the others while he prepares the morning coffee for the both of you.
Rubbing the sleep away from your eyes, you blinked a few times before noticing how the others were staring intently at you. “What? Do I have drool on my face?”
“Nah.” Tony replied. “Just wondering what kind of monstrous mosquito left that mark on your neck.”
You gasp automatically covering the part of your neck where Bucky was sucking on not that long ago. Steve and Natasha snickering behind their own cups.
“That would be me, Stark.” Bucky came up next to you, handing you your coffee before wrapping his hand around your waist.
“Who made the first move?” Natasha spoke up next, which Bucky proudly replied. “That would be me as well.”
You and Bucky stared at the three of them in confusion when Tony and Natasha groaned while Steve smiled smugly at them.
Steve turned to the two of you. “So how are you gonna let the others know?”
“Well,” You began to reply. “I don’t think it’s any of their concerns but I don’t think we’re gonna be exactly hiding it either.”
You feel Bucky squeeze your waist, the others nodding in understanding.
“I could just leave more marks on your skin to let them know you’re mine.”
This causes everyone to laugh as you stared at Bucky, horrified.
“Bucky!”
*********************
This took a couple of days to write, I definitely got carried away
Do I know how many words were written? Absolutely not and I don’t want to dwell on that
Anyways, I tend to flicker a little spiciness with each Bucky fic I write so I’ll probably try a full smutty fic soon :)
Also! If any of you caught on, the sparring scene with Bucky is heavily influenced by Justice League Unlimited’s scene between Green Arrow and Black Canary (a straight couple I trust!)
T | 1.4k | Eddie and Pepa | Buddie | Eddie being So Normal |
Eddie pulls open the last window, watching as wisps of smoke snake out and fade into the outside air, wishing he could follow them instead of having to turn around and face the interrogation he knows is waiting for him. Yes, he knows, technically, he could've just hired someone to do this for him—a stranger who wouldn't have "expectations" of "answers"—but he also knows himself, and he knows that while his superstitious tendencies are behaving themselves for Pepa, they definitely would not be for a stranger—a stranger who would most likely probably end up being a scammer anyway, but he digresses.
Eddie sighs—he's been lingering by the window for what's probably becoming a suspiciously long time to Pepa—turning and making his way to the dining table where she sits watching him—probably judging him. "Thank you," he says, dropping down into the seat next to her, a little embarrassed by what he asked her to do, and even more embarrassed by how relieved he feels now that it's done. He can't let anyone know about this…well…no one other than the people that already know. That's why he asked her to come over as soon as Chris was far away on school grounds, that way the smell will be long gone before Chris gets home and he won't have to answer questions like 'Dad, why are there tiny piles of ashes everywhere?' or 'Dad, why does it smell weird in here?' or worst of all 'Dad, why is Tía Pepa laughing at you?'
He's not crazy. He knows he's not because Karen told him he was handling this whole thing extremely well, and she's probably the smartest person he knows. This was, of course, after multiple margaritas, and Karen, of course, gets very overly supportive when she's drunk, but Eddie's still counting it.
"Edmundo," Pepa begins, staring at him expectantly.
"Are you hungry?" Eddie asks before she can get any further than his name. "I can make us something," no, cooking just means the interrogation will gets moved to the kitchen, new plan, "or do you want takeout? There's this new burger place that's really good, I think you're really gonna like it. Y'know what, text me what you want, I'll go pick it up." He moves to stand, but her hand's already on his arm anchoring him to his spot.
"Sure," she agrees easily, though she doesn't release her grip on him, "after you explain what's going on."
"I just thought, y'know," he fumbles for an explanation, collapsing back down into his seat, "that a lot's been going on lately," not a lie, "and maybe the house needed some good vibes."
Good vibes? Who is he, a TikTok obsessed teenager? Shaggy from Scooby-Doo?
Pepa just stares at him, which is fair, he wouldn't believe himself either if he were her.
"Eddie, you—mr. skeptical—asked me to bring over incense, sage, and una vela de bautizo," she says it with concern, but also with the cadence of someone who's speaking to a person who insists they just saw the Mothman.
"Yeah, well, Athena said an arson investigation would be too risky so burning it was out of the picture," Eddie mumbles. She had seemed more than willing to try and help him get away with it though, a fact that had filled him with a warmth that was unrelated to the tequila that had been in his system. Pepa's mouth drops open a little, the arson mention apparently throwing her for a loop. She lets out a small sigh before getting the conversation back on track.
"Edmundo, it's me. You can tell me anything," she tells him, "even if it's to confess your crimes," she jokes.
Maybe it's because it's Pepa, and a part of him has been anticipating telling her since he called her, maybe it's because the only other people who he's talked to about this were under the influence of tequila and a shared…lack of fondness for the topic of conversation, or maybe it's just the lingering smoke in the air making him light headed and loose lipped, but he immediately folds, the words spilling out of him like they're trying to escape his mouth.
"When I was still in El Paso, Buck brought his ex boyfriend back here and they," Eddie grimaces, the images he so carefully forced out of his mind coming back full force, "had sex, in my room by the way." He rolls his eyes, feeling guilty immediately—this was Buck's house at that point—Eddie has no right to be annoyed by that. Not that that's gonna make him stop feeling it though. "Then, the next morning, in my kitchen, he told Buck that they should try again because the 'competition'—who's apparently me, by the way— was gone and, like the jackass he is, tried to make Buck feel bad for living here. So, then Buck told me he said some mean stuff to his ex—he wouldn't tell me exactly what, but I know whatever it was it wasn't mean enough—and then his ex left."
"And," Eddie continues, because apparently he's not done yet, "Buck wasn't even going to tell me about it, I had to find out from his sister." His sister who froze up and wouldn't tell him anything beyond her initial, margarita induced, slip up. "He was letting me live here with the essence of that man's bare ass still lingering in my house," Eddie whispers harshly, as if trying to spare the house itself from hearing him and having to relive the memory.
Pepa's staring down at the table by the time he's done, a deeply contemplative look etched on her face. Eddie waits, as patiently as he can, for her to pass her judgment. Does she think he is, in fact, a little insane or does she agree that this needed to be done?
"Eddie," she says his name softly, "you wanted your house to be cleansed because Buck brought someone here?"
Eddie shakes his head, that's not it at all. "Not someone. His ex, who, honestly, barely even counts as a person."
"So, it wouldn't have mattered if it was a stranger?"
Eddie opens his mouth to say that no, it wouldn't have mattered, but he finds that he can't. He thinks about it, thinks about if it was some random man or woman in his bedroom with Buck, being pinned down by him, fucked by him, flirting in the kitchen with him, and his stomach turns a little—not as much as it does thinking about Tommy doing those things, but enough to know that he if he says anything other than yes to Pepa it would be a lie.
He's never been able to lie to Pepa, so he says nothing at all.
Pepa nods, taking his silence for the answer it is. "You don't think that's something you should talk to Buck about?"
"Buck said that Tommy calling me the competition was ridiculous," Eddie says it softly, letting out a little laugh that rings hollow in his own ears, "I don't think there's anything to talk about."
She reaches out to squeeze his hand. "I can't tell you what's going on in his head, but I've seen the way he looks at you, Edmundo. I've seen the way he acts with you, and, as much you're gonna hate to hear this, his ex boyfriend has a point."
Eddie lets out an exaggerated groan that makes Pepa laugh.
"You were his competition, whether you and Buck knew it or not, he was always going to be competing with you, because Buck was always going to put you first."
"Then why did he say it was ridiculous?" Eddie asks, feeling like a twelve year old talking about a crush, but he knows that what he feels for Buck is something twelve year old Eddie would've never been able to fathom.
"Fear, stubbornness," She suggests with a shrug, "do either of those sound like the Buck you know?" She asks knowingly. Eddie has to admit that yeah, those both are extremely on brand for Buck. "Talk to him," she implores, "even if nothing happens, even if I'm wrong, at least you'll know for sure, at least you'll be able to say that you took that risk."
It's always nice to hear that someone loves you. Eddie knows that, has told multiple people that in an attempt to help their own love lives, why should it be any different for himself, for Buck.
"Okay," he agrees, "you're right."
"I know I am," she crosses her arms, leaning back in the chair, "I'm always right."
"Can it wait until after we go to the burger place, though? I'm actually really hungry."
The worst ending 22 : A Name That Shouldn’t Have Been Given
The worst ending 21 | The worst ending 23
Yandere!Sebek Zigvolt x GN!Reader
A/N : In my country right now there is an exam going on and I swear everyone is suffering from it terribly right now (including me).
It's nothing, but the teacher gave me a different test than what he said he would give. I'm going crazy, it's so difficult!!!
P.S. Sebek's ending is a little similar to Lilia's because I can't figure it out And he was the first person I decided to let speak in the beginning.
Warning : emotional manipulation , possessiveness , and an unexpected tragic ending. , Be careful not to rupture your eardrums while reading.
Tags :
@iris-arcadia @yuu-twisted
If you want me to tag you please tell me.
English is not my first language.
The child sat stiffly in front of you, eyes sharp, unmoving. He didn’t speak. He didn’t nod or shake his head. He only watched, like a soldier awaiting orders, like he was measuring you.
You sighed, kneeling down to his level. " Do you understand me? "
No response. His green eyes flickered with something unreadable, but he remained still.
You exhaled. " I can't keep calling you 'hey, Little boy' forever. You need a name. "
His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Instead, he tilted his head just barely.
" Sebek. " you decided after a moment.
A strange expression crossed his face. Not joy, not confusion something deeper. His lips pressed together, and for the first time, he moved. He raised a hand to his chest, gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly. Then, slowly, he looked up at you.
" ...Sebek? "
His voice was so quiet, so unsure, that it almost didn’t sound like his own.
You smiled. " Yeah. Your name is Sebek. "
For a moment, there was silence. Then, his mouth stretched into the tiniest, stiffest smile. It was awkward, like he didn’t quite know how to move his face that way, but the effort was there.
From that day on, everything changed.
Sebek learned fast. Too fast. Within a year, he spoke fluently though he still carried himself like a soldier, standing straight, always ready to act. He was disciplined, sharp, and fiercely loyal.
And unbearably loud.
" WAKE UP ALREADY!!! "
You nearly jumped out of your skin as Sebek’s booming voice filled the room. Heart pounding, you shot up from your bed, hair a mess, vision still blurry.
" Shit—I mean, what—Sebek, it's only 5AM! "
" WAKING UP EARLY IS GOOD FOR THE BODY! " Sebek declared proudly, standing at the foot of your bed with his arms crossed.
You groaned, rubbing your face. " Sebek, normal people sleep at this hour. "
" WE ARE NOT NORMAL PEOPLE! "
You glared at him, groggy. " ...Sebek, I swear, if you don’t lower your volume, I’m going to throw this book at you. "
Sebek who acts like a little soldier, sensed the danger in your tone. In the split second it took for you to reach for the book on your nightstand, he was already gone bolting out of the room like his life depended on it.
You stared at the open door, exhausted.
" I hate mornings... " you muttered, flopping back onto the pillow.
Sebek was...overprotective.
At first, it was endearing how he would stand between you and strangers, how he’d scold people for speaking too informally to you. But over time, his protectiveness grew suffocating.
" THAT PERSON WAS STARING AT YOU FOR TOO LONG! " Sebek barked one day after you walked past a shopkeeper.
You sighed, adjusting the bag in your arms. " Sebek, he was just giving me my change—
" HE LOOKED SUSPICIOUS! "
" He’s Sixty years old, Sebek... "
" EVEN MORE REASON TO BE WARY! ELDERLY PEOPLE HAVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE! "
You stared at him, unamused. " Sebek, if you start interrogating old men, I’m making you sleep outside. "
" …that’s unfair… "
Despite his nagging, there was something endearing about how much he cared. He had no idea how to express emotions properly his affection was loud, overbearing, sometimes terrifying but at its core, it was genuine.
" You should stop worrying so much. " you told him one evening.
Sebek furrowed his brows, clearly displeased. " i don’t like it when you say that… "
You raised an eyebrow. " What? "
He looked away. " YOU’RE NOT AS STRONG AS YOU THINK YOU ARE! "
Your eyes softened. " Sebek… "
" I’LL PROTECT YOU, NO MATTER WHAT! " His voice was as fierce as ever, but his hands, curled into fists, were trembling.
You smiled. " I know you will. "
Sebek stared at you for a long moment before muttering something so quietly, you barely caught it.
" ...so don’t leave me behind. "
It started subtly. Your world growing smaller. People keeping their distance.
Whenever you tried to leave the house, Sebek was there. Not in an obvious way he never outright told you no but the obstacles kept piling up. A missing coat. Broken shoes. Sudden, convenient rainstorms.
You started feeling trapped.
" Sebek. " you said one evening. " Did you…tell my friends not to come over anymore? "
Sebek, sitting on the couch with arms crossed, barely glanced at you. " THEY WERE NOT WORTHY OF YOUR TIME. "
Your stomach twisted. " Sebek, you can't just decide that for me— "
" I CAN AND I WILL! " His voice cracked with emotion, his normally confident stance wavering. " THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT YOU! THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU! "
" And you do...? " you whispered.
Sebek’s eyes widened. His hands curled into fists.
" ...O—of course i do! "
His voice was quieter now, uncertain.
You sighed, rubbing your temples. " Sebek, I care about you, but I can’t— "
" DON’T SAY IT. "
You froze.
Sebek was trembling, his face twisted into something desperate. " DON’T SAY YOU WANT TO LEAVE ME. "
Your breath hitched.
" ...Sebek. "
He took a shaky step forward. " PLEASE. "
One night, you tried to run.
You waited until Sebek was asleep something that was nearly impossible, given his habits and slipped out of the house. The cold air stung your skin, but you pushed forward, your heart pounding in your chest.
You didn’t make it far.
" YOU’RE LEAVING!? "
You skidded to a stop.
Sebek stood at the gate, panting. His hair was messier than usual, his expression wild with something you’d never seen before.
" SEBEK— "
" WHY!? " His voice wavered, his hands shaking. " WHY ARE YOU LEAVING ME! "
Your throat tightened. " Sebek, I— "
" YOU SAID YOU WOULDN’T! " His breathing was ragged, his green eyes gleaming in the moonlight. " YOU SAID YOU’D STAY WITH ME! "
" Sebek— "
He stepped forward. You stepped back.
A mistake.
The ground beneath your foot crumbled. You didn’t even have time to scream.
For a moment, all you heard was wind rushing past your ears, your body weightless as you tumbled down the rocky slope.
Then—
Pain.
Darkness.
A faint, distant voice calling your name.
Sebek found you. He always found you.
He cradled you in his arms, his entire body shaking. His voice, for once, was a whisper.
" ...y/n...? "
Your eyelids fluttered, but your body was broken, unable to move.
Sebek choked on a breath. " PLEASE...DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES. "
Your lips barely moved. " ...Sebek… "
" YOU CAN’T— " His voice cracked, his grip tightening. " YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS! "
You wanted to comfort him. Tell him it was okay. But your strength was fading.
Sebek’s tears fell onto your skin. " DON’T GO! "
Your vision blurred.
The last thing you saw was Sebek’s desperate, broken expression.
The last thing you felt was his grip, unrelenting, as if he could hold you together by force alone.
Malleus was never jealous, let alone upset. Well, never is used rather lightly.
Right now? Malleus was probably the most upset he's been in quite a long time, normally he was very very refrained. Calm. Regal. But as that wretched cat keeps chatting up Yuu, he finds it more and more tempting to fill the air with that ever so horrible scent of burnt cat fur. Well, now the question is why? Why would such a calm fae be foaming at the mouth to beat up a twink catboy..
"Yuuu! Nyaaa! Did'ya see the unbirthday party Riddle threw yesterday? You should've come with, nya!" Alchemi exclaimed, only his torso and head visible as he stood right behind Yuu. He wore his signature bright catlike smile as his tail swished slightly from side to side. When Yuu only shrugged he pouted. "Comn, it'd have been soo fun! I for sure missed youu, nya" He reinforced the idea of Yuu coming along next time.
"Sorry, Che'nya. Grim needed some more Tuna and Jade needed a food tester. I'll try to attend next time though." Yuu would reply, their hands in their uniform pockets. "Oh, it's getting late. Trey needed help with some baked goods- I'll talk to you later. You have my magicam, don't be a stranger!" With that, Yuu sprinted off. Probably just trying to get an out to go sleep or pet Grim instead of being berated for not attending some event they aren't even in the dorm for.
Very upset. That is exactly how Malleus Draconia felt as he watched from behind a building.. why was he watching behind a building? Irrelevant. As he glared at the back of Che'nya he made a decision to check in on the Child of man that night. To see their well being, of course. Not to interrogate them about if that stupid...smug...strangle-able cat mattered much. I mean, of course not! Regardless, Malleus waited until nightfall. Yuu never seemed to mind him popping into Ramshackle at late hours, or if they did they never voiced it. That's exactly what he does.
Throughout the day, Yuu is helping people from the other dorms. Whether that be made into a pillow for Leona, or helping Ortho build a bomb. They did it without complaints most of the time, now Yuu was in Ramshackle! Comfortable in their home, laying down on the couch watching a movie with their beloved Grim sat on their lap. Couldn't be any better...as long as there were zero distractions this night would be-
"Child of man! Hello. And hello to you Grim." Well, there goes the peace and quiet Yuu was yearning for. "I apologize for the late night intrusion, I know you must be tired after your long day. But I wanted to greet you and have a discussion with you. If you were free that is." Malleus, partially knew what he was doing was rude. Of course he did, Lilia had taught him enough about what was deemed acceptable or not. Either way, he knew Yuu probably wouldn't say no to a conversation.
Yuu just put on a calm face, somewhat annoyed but Malleus was never that irritating to the point that they would outright say no. Now, if Ace or Deuce asked for a 1AM chat? That'd be a different story. Oh well. "Ah, hey Tsunotaro. What's up? Come, have a seat! What'd you need to talk about?" Grim only frustratedly looked at his henchman, slightly annoyed that Malleus would show up so late while he was trying to take a catnap! As Malleus probably planned, Yuu had said yes. Much to his glee.
"Oh nothing much, child of man. I just saw you with... Alchemi Alchemivich Pinka. He seems, nice. Something about an Unbirthday party if I wasn't mistaken?" Malleus replied calmly, his horns reflecting the light of the moon as his emerald green eyes almost glew in the light of the tranquil atmosphere. Though, despite his rather calm nature it was more than obvious he was annoyed by something as his eye twitched as he recalled Che'nya's full name. "He seems to be a very energetic young man.. nya's a lot.
A brow raised on Yuu, relatively confused on Malleus' seemed dislike of Che'nya. "Uh, Che'nya? Yeah him and I were talking. What's up?" Malleus' face faintly contorted as he hid a small scowl at the confirmation. "Is something up with Che'nya? You seem kinda off at the mention of him, Malleus." Yuu was overall a little concerned for the Fae, maybe him and Che'nya had gotten into something... or, well they didn't know. Malleus wasn't one to start conflict.
"No." Malleus interrupted almost immediately, very clearly not appreciating the assumption. "I have no problem with the cat, I just find him to be slightly irritating and I think your time could be better spent with others who know how to control a constant meowing. I mean, "nya?" That is who you, child of man, choose to spend time with?" He blurted out in a fit of irritation. "Or. I more-so mean... Your time is very valuable. That is all."
Yuu at this point was shocked, not used to Malleus getting mouthy. "Malleus, are you okay? You never act like this, it's not normal for you to lash out like that." They were concerned, obviously. It wasn't normal or usual for Malleus to have a freak out. Even if that was rather small. "You wanna talk about it?" They asked politely, extending a hand to have Malleus sit by them. Malleus, a little embarrassed at the fact he rose his voice sighed. Taking the prefect's hand and sitting down by them.
"I apologize, that was rather brazen of me. I suppose having a conversation would probably be best fit." Malleus recomposed himself, sitting on the Ramshackle couch with Yuu. His hands were in his lap, though his pinky touched Yuu's. "I guess.. Sometimes, I do not appreciate when you are around Alchemi. It makes me feel covetous, very.. I guess upset is a good word. I don't appreciate having you around that cat, he enjoys your attention far too much for my liking. I understand, I'm not your suitor and I have no right to feel this way. However I do, and I cannot just..." Malleus paused, taking a breather to word his sentences correctly "I can't simply will it away. Despite wanting to, it's very troublesome."
"Oh, wow. Okay. That is a lot of feelings, well. I get it, being jealous SUCKS. Not wanting to feel jealous is even worse, if it makes you feel better you can stay here for the night after we talk." Yuu offers, thinking over the points he stated. "Okay, so you feel upset when I'm around Che'nya? I can't entirely stay away or avoid Che'nya but I can assure you, I'm not very interested in him. I do consider him a friend which is why I will not stop talking or associating with him." Malleus' eyes open a little, a small smile appearing on the young Fae's face
"Ah. Alright then, Child of man. That... I feel like that cleared a lot up, I apologize for interrupting you late at night with this." Malleus said sympathetically, though the confirmation of the fact they didn't like Che'nya made him feel warm inside. What made him more shocked than anything was when Yuu leaned on his shoulder, falling asleep rather quickly. Grim passed out in their lap as Yuu drooled on Malleus' shoulder. He grabbed a blanket and threw it over the three, laying down comfortably.
(NOTE: First fluff kinda fic I've written and posted on tumbler, this is a cross post from my AO3 fic. User on there is "Pyrokirb")
I stared at the switch. I felt my stomach sink as I tried to slowly understand my situation, and I proceeded to move mindlessly around the apartment.
For the life of me, I couldn’t think. This isn’t me. I don’t sleep with strangers. I don’t listen to crazy people.
Adrenaline gone, the ache in my pelvis brought me out of my musings. I placed a trembling hand on my lower stomach as my mind raced back to yesterday. The bed banging against the wall, the splatter of my wetness on his thighs, the painful stretch of him in me, the head of his length bruising my cervix. I felt shame crawling up my spine. I carefully walked into my bedroom and hastily gathered my clothing and hair products. I entered the bathroom, pulled out Tylenol, and popped two pills before rushing into the shower.
No electricity meant no air conditioning and no hot water.
Even better, it was sweltering.
I needed to talk to Ms. Laudie.
After scrubbing myself down, I sprinted out of my apartment, my white skirt flowing around my ankles as I ran down the stairs. The further I went downstairs, the more I noticed the doors were open wide and neighbors were in short, loose clothes.
“You don’t have electricity either? It looks like the whole neighborhood’s out. It flooded last night, too.”
I paused.
The voice came from my left. My neighbor, a woman I often saw with her gaggle of children streaming in and out of the building, stood at her apartment door. Her brown hair stuck to her face, stringy, as she picked at the sweat-drenched t-shirt that clung to her stomach. She fanned herself with a child’s book, but the beads of sweat kept coming. Wiping her face, she gestured to her apartment.
“My kids are going crazy, I think I’ll take them to the library on something.”
“...Yeah.” The whole neighborhood? Is that possible? I turned my head back to the stairs, trying to maintain my composure. “They should have power.”
I rushed out of the building into absolute chaos. The streets were, in fact, flooded. The drainage did nothing to dent the water flowing down the street. Men and women trudged on the street. I looked at my feet.
White sandals.
Of course.
With no choice, I lifted the hem of my skirt as I walked into the nearly one foot of water outside.
By the time I reached Ms. Laudie’s, I was sweating, and the bottom of my skirt was wet.
I gazed at the door, the moon beads obscuring the entrance, but it was clear that the building did not have lights.
Nonetheless, I knocked on the door in panic.
The door opened, and Ms. Laudie stared at me, worry embedded in the crease of her eyebrows and her deep frown.
She pulled me into her shop quickly. My wet sandals dirtying up her linemloum floor.
The slam of the door and the schlick of the lock echoed in the space.
I looked around the shop. The aisles filled with herbs were barely illuminated by the one candle situated on the counter of the shop. St.John’s, chamomile, sage, yarrow, lavender a seemingly endless array of herbs, did very little to ease me as they normally would.
I turned to look at Ms. Laudie, but there she was, staring at me.
She pulled me behind the counter and immediately started interrogating me.
“What happened last night?”
Her eyes searched mine frantically.
“What? Nothing.”
Her hands started to grip my wrists tightly.
She jerked on them as she asked again.
“What happened?” she stressed.
I felt tears burning the back of my eyes, and my chest started to heave.
I couldn’t look her in the eyes.
I started tugging my hands back.
“Nothing. You’re hurting me!” I cried out.
She pulled on them even harder.
“You look at me!” she barked.
My eyes immediately went to hers.
Tears burned my eyes as they ran down my cheeks. Overwhelmed, I yanked my hands out of hers.
“I said nothing!”
As I yelled, an electric surge went through the building. Lights briefly turned on, notes of “My Girl” by the Temptations crooned briefly from her old cd player before shuttering down, the light bulb of the lamp we were under exploded.
The shards of the fragile glass hit Ms. Laudie’s cheek, urging me to reach over and brush them off her face.
I started crying.
“I- I don’t know, I think I’m going crazy, I’m so so sorry.”
I moved to cover my face, hands trembling as I did so.
Before I could, she grabbed my hands.
“Look at me. You are not crazy. You. Are.Not.Crazy!”
Her voice carried so much conviction, I looked up.
Her voice softened, “You’ve never been crazy. I know what you can do.”
I stilled.
“There are others like you. Thi-this is a gift baby girl.”
Her hands came up to cup my cheeks and she looked deep into my eyes. Suddenly, her eyes clouded in worry.
“Where is he?”
“Who?”
She reached over the counter to get her keys and purse.
As she closed down her shop, she stated,
“You’ve started the bonding process, and you need to complete it. Now.”
She grabbed a couple of candles and some herbs and elixirs from the cabinet.
“We haven’t had much success with seeing many bonded pairs. Of the little we know, we know bonding has to be completed within 72 hours of initial contact.”
We? My brain couldn’t compute. Was she one of them? How could I not have known?
I stepped back towards the door in fear.
Sensing my movement, she stopped bustling about the store.
“I know you’re scared and overwhelmed. If you don’t trust anything I am saying, at least trust me.”, she pleaded.
She walked up to me and grabbed my hands, staring deep into my eyes.
“You need to complete the bond,” she stressed. “It may not affect you as much as it will him, but it will get to you.”
“We need to go back to your apartment and get some things. Do you still have the necklace I gave to you?”
I felt myself disassociate.
I heard fingers snap multiple times before I was brought back into the present.
“No, no, come back. I know you want to shut your brain off; that's part of the problem with the bond. Do you have the necklace?
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Good.”
She turned back to the herbs and elixirs she started gathering and placed them in a brown duffle bag.
“I’m taking you home, and you’re going to call him.”
I don’t remember entering my apartment with Ms. Laudie.
The mature woman was seen packing my bags when I came to.
I jumped off my bed.
“Ms. Laudie, what are you doing?!” I exclaimed.
She didn’t pause as she responded.
“It doesn’t look like you have much time, you’ve been gone for 30 mins. That’s not a good sign.”
She started packing my socks and underwear.
“Wait. Wait!”
“You tell me everything right now, or so help me God, I will disappear and you nor he will ever see me again,” I shouted hysterically.
Ms.Laudie calmly put down my hairbrush.
“He already showed you, you just don’t want to believe it.”
“No, no, no, no.”
I muttered to myself, incessantly shaking my head.
“I know you grew up catholic. You don’t want to believe in extraterrestrials. You don’t want to believe in anything outside those pages. You don’t want to believe in the fact that you are gifted, not cursed. You don’t want to believe…”
She pulled my body closer to hers and searched for my eyes, forcing eye contact.
“...you are real.”, she finished in a whisper.
“You have no choice.” Her eyes started glowing a greenish -white hue.
I gasped, stunned.
“You have no choice because it is the truth. It simply is.”
“Now, do you want me to tell you everything or not?”
The lavender and chamomile tea did very little to calm me down.
Ms. Laudie sat across from me with the very same tea, her cup full as she stared outside my window..
She took a sip from the steaming cup before gently placing it down.
She turned her head and spent a moment in silence, staring at me.
“Your intended already showed you how we got here. Memories can be passed down through bloodlines. The explosions, the tests, the time it took to get here.”
She shook her head in exhaustion.
“When we got here, we landed on what you can today, the African continent. It was perfect, and we created deeply melanated beings similar to ourselves. Tough we only manipulated your DNA, the African spirituality you fostered over time was one step away from being able to unlock the abilities we were working on. All we had to do was tweak a couple of things to get you to where we needed you, or so we thought.”
She sighed, grasping the cup.
“What we did not anticipate was colonization from your race. Lower-level civilizations are strictly off limits in terms of historical manipulation. Higher-level civilizations are not supposed to expose themselves to lower beings unless consciousness is high enough on the planet. A group bent the rules, causing the colonization of Africans and others on the planet.”
“..you’re saying that they got 'help” from someo–something else to colonize the planet.”
“...yes.”
I scoffed and took a sip of the tea.
“It’s a very well-hidden fact, well, not so much anymore. There are some people that know, but refuse to believe. Just like you refuse to believe.”
I ignored her last statement.
“Keep going.”
“With colonization came the subjugation of Africans. Consciousness was lowered with the introduction of the Bible, and the work we had done thus far was pushed back. Our council debated for years as to whether or not we should bend the rules as well. It was not until recently that our leaders decided that we should. “
“We had placed countermeasures on the ground. Hoo-doo, voo-doo, santaria, anything to connect you spiritually back to your ancestors. We didn’t get the numbers we needed, so we pushed other measures out.”
I opened my mouth to ask, but before I could, she lifted her hand.
“Measures even I can not disclose to you.”
We sat in silence for a bit.
“So what now?” I asked.
“We are getting the numbers we need for compatibility, and we need to reproduce quickly.”
“You already slept with your mate, but haven’t completed the bond. When we bond, it is..”
She struggled to find the word.
… primal. Our minds are reduced to the simple act of procreating and bonding. We are an incredibly sexual species, but when we bond, it’s amplified.”
“It goes on for days, we—
I felt myself go faint.
“ the stronger the pair, the longer and more powerful the bonding is. When I saw that the entire city of New York flooded and lost power…”
“...the entire city?” I felt my stomach drop.
“I knew it was you. The longer you wait to finish the bond, the more explosive it will be.”
I felt a frown etched deeply in my face.
I stood up.
“..and if I don’t?”
Ms. Laudi let go of her cup and stood up as well.
“You don’t bond? There’ll be a few changes.”
She shrugged her shoulders as she went on.
“You’ll start spacing out more, your bones will start to ache, and as time goes on, you’ll lose your mind and the very little hold you have on your powers.”
“You’d create life-altering weather patterns and will eventually commit suicide.”
“Oh.” I sat back down.
“Indeed.”
She gazed at me as I stared at the wall.
She gently took my hand.
“I know it’s not what you humans envision as 'falling in love', but this is our version. We are a monogamous species, and when we bond, it is for eternity. Our bonds are chosen at a quantum level. Your soul recognized his and lept at the chance to intertwine. He will never leave your side, no matter what. He is a part of you, and you are now a part of him. Give him a chance.”
I pulled my hand back.
“Just—just give me a minute.”
She sighed and went back to my room to pack.
“I wish we had more time, but based on what happened yesterday night, you don’t have much. You wait any longer, he might come here already feral. There will be nothing I can do to help subdue him. You need to call him.”
After she finished packing my items, she went into the kitchen, grabbing granola bars and energy drinks.
“What are you doing? Why are you packing food?”
“You are hard-headed, and you are going to learn the truth the hard way. Once he comes here, he will be on you. The bonding itself won’t hurt, but you will be overwhelmed. You won’t have the liberty to eat a proper meal, you’ll be lucky if he lets you use the bathroom by yourself.”
“What?” I whispered in shock.
She put down the Gatorade she had in her hand with a thud.
“Call him,” she stressed.
I stood up and walked to her.
“I don’t even have his number. God, I met him while I was looking for a job. I don’t know the man.”
She tapped her head.
“But I-”
She shushed me and tapped her head.
“Concentrate on him. Visualize him and send a message through the ether.”
I looked at her skeptically.
“Close your eyes and visualize.”
I closed my eyes, visualizing him. His height, his strong jaw, his mustache, his eyes.
I gasped.
Feeling as though I was sucked straight into the void, I called for him.
It was around three in the afternoon. My bags were packed and ready for a week’s stay. Bags of granola bars and dried fruits were stuffed deep into the duffle bag.
Another heavy bang pushed me to open the door as quickly as I could.
Terry stood at the door, his hands gripped onto the door frame, and his eyes were covered by sunglasses.
He struggled to speak.
“Come.”
His voice came out rougher and deeper than yesterday. He gritted his teeth, waiting for me.
“Do you nee–”
“Come now!” he suddenly exploded.
I jumped. Stuck, I called for Ms.Laudie.
“Ms. Laudie, can you bring me my bags, please?” I called out as calmly as I could.
I maintained eye contact with him and didn’t move an inch as I waited for her.
Ms. Laudie came into view with my bags in tow.
“Terry?”
“..auntie,” he growled, recognition barely tinged in his voice.
Auntie?
Ms. Laudie brought the bags to the door, keeping her eyes on him. She whispered, “Go.”
My voice quivered. “He’s fe—”
“---ral. I know, you need to leave before he loses it completely. Now,” she stressed.
His arm closed around my arm as he dragged me downstairs. He ignored the passersbyers as he bulldozed his way through. We made it outside to his car, and the water level was down, allowing me to walk much more easily.
I suddenly contemplated whether Ms.Laudie would lock down my apartment.
I hesitated for a second, stumbling over my feet.
It was enough for him to all but throw me into the seat of his Mustang before slamming the door shut.
We left New York City, and soon I saw green foliage zooming past us.
I figured we were going north.
I sat quietly in my seat, keenly aware of his struggle with civility, not wanting him to lose it.
Within the next hour, we found ourselves near a cabin located lakeside.
He left the car, and I finally moved. I turned my head to the driver’s seat only to see hand indentations that were deeply left on the steering wheel.
I turned back nervously.
He opened my door, staring me down, waiting for me to exit.
“When we–”
“Get out.”
“--but will—”
“Get out of the damn car!” he snarled.
His voice shook the car, and I promptly leaped out.
The cabin door was open, and I was practically thrown in.
I looked around the beautiful two-story cabin. An open concept kitchen with low lights was slightly to my left. Accents of teal popped in the decor. The living room boasted a large dark brown leather sectional, and I sat at the very edge of it.
Terry locked the cabin door—I heard one bolt move, then two, then the sound of chains moving around.
I sank further into my seat.
Terry walked over to me and grabbed me by my arm, pulling me up to lead me upstairs.
I said nothing.
He tossed me onto the mattress and removed his sunglasses as I quickly removed my shoes. I looked up and gasped. His eyes were blazing white, the color seemingly bleeding out. His hands trembled as he yanked down my skirt with my panties.
He quickly tossed it onto the ground and started working on my shirt, but not wanting him to tear it, I pulled it up and off.
He grunted in pleasure and placed his head down to suck on my bra covered nipples.
Back bowed, I moaned, unfamiliar with the sensation.
My vision suddenly changed, and before I realized it, I was face down on the pillow.
I stiffened and looked back only to see him undressing frantically, and within five seconds, he was completely nude.
His dick stood proud and purple. His member pulsed before he jerked it off to take the edge off.
I fought the urge to close my legs and turned my face back, bracing myself for the pain.
I felt him grab my ass cheeks pulling them apart roughly. I felt my face flush.
“Be gen—ugh!”
He spat on pussy, watching the spit drop down my slit before hanging on to my clit. He dug in, giving me one long lick. He pulled back and used his fingers to spread my pussy lips wide. I felt the pain of the stretch and whined. He pulled back and spat inside me, causing me to moan loudly.
Placing his hand on my waist to pin me down, he placed a finger into me, gently sawing in and out before adding another and then another.
I was a moaning mess.
By the time he entered all three fingers, I was delirious. My eyes were rolled up in pleasure, I had no concept of time of how much time passed.
He roughly pulled his fingers out and using my wetness, he covered his dick with it before quickly entering me.
I yelped and picked my head up, and unable to move, I cried out.
My cries were drowned out by his groans of pleasure.
With only the head of his dick in, he started grunting. I felt his dick jump inside me before wet heat filled me. It kept filling me for another 30 seconds before he slumped on my back, pulling out as he did so.
I sighed in relief. The first round was done, and maybe now I can—
He pushed back inside me, causing my eyes to bulge out.
“But you just cam–
He didn’t reply but continued to mindlessly rut inside me. Skin to skin, I felt his sweat slick onto my back. I held onto the sheets, crying out in pleasure and pain. His moans and grunts echoed in my ear as he heaved into me.
“I’m so–” his breath hitched.
I felt tears hit my back, and I turned my head in shock.
Still heaving into me, Terry’s tears fell down his face as he attempted to talk.
“I can’t–”
He dug deeper into me, causing me to curl my toes in.
“–stop. I’m sorry I’m tryi-ugh”
He put his head down and grabbed my throat. His tongue found its way at the base of my throat before gliding up behind my ear.
His voice deepened.
“You can’t leave.”
He panted and turned his head to lick the base of my neck. His thrusts increased in speed
“I’m so sorry, I don-”
He suddenly pulled back, placing both hands on my waist, arching my back the way he liked it.
My voice pitched high as I was practically dragged back and forth on his dick.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
He heaved a final time into me, making sure that every inch was buried deep inside me before letting go.
My head lifted in shock as I felt his cum splatter inside me.
I felt his tears hit my neck as he continued to come inside me.
“I’m so sorry.”
I turned to see his eyes switch from their blue-green to white.
“It’s ok.”
“I can’t stop- I can—”
I wiped his cheek before cupping it. I felt his dick continue to pulse inside me.
I pulled his neck down for a slow and gentle kiss.
“I know. It’s ok, let go.”
I pulled back before landing another gentle kiss.
“I know,” I whispered.
He dropped his head in relief.
“Thank fuck.”
He looked up at me again, this time his eyes completely white.
He put me back in doggy style before pulling my left leg up.
He continued heaving into me before I lost consciousness.
Hey! Can you please write something for Aaron Hotchner with the prompt ‘I never saw such a woman, she would certainly be a fearsome thing to behold.’ ?
YOU ARE IN LOVE
PAIRING: Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader
WORD COUNT: 800+
SUMMARY: Hotch is in love and you’re trying to figure out who. Little did you know…
A/N: can u tell i love writing confessions ;-; and peek the ts reference! anyway hotch has my whole heart. thanks for the request! note: paragraphs in italics is a flashback.
WARNINGS: swearing. reader being kinda clueless. mentions of a gun. no beta we die like men.
PROMPT: “I never saw such a woman. She would certainly be a fearsome thing to behold.” [from this prompt list]
MASTERLIST
“I know that look, Hotch,” you hint with a natural inquisitive tone, “You are in love.”
This was normal for the two of you – an unlikely friendship with a shared need for coffee to survive late-night paperwork, rudimentary for a budding friendship of otherwise Quantico strangers. You crossed paths from your work with the CNU on the floor below and first backed the BAU a year ago with a hostage negotiation. You were new to the job but rose quickly up the ranks. Ever since, you kept seeing each other everywhere.
11 pm. Coffee. You’d always meet.
He isn’t sure how the topic of being in love came about, but he suspects you had a hunch for quite some time. For a moment, Hotch’s heart drops at your words but quickly catches the curiosity in your tone, and the general ignorance to the fact that your prying means a lot more to him than you realised.
You really haven’t got a clue.
Hotch feels a beckoning of warmth flaring in his cheeks, spurring a sheepish smile and a passing light chuckle. His gaze trails the rising steam billowing from his black coffee and disappearing into the expanse of his office.
He shifts his eyes to you, casually hunched in your seat, legs stretched out, and your coat hung at the back of the chair. You’re watching him with a curious look.
“In love is a bit of a stretch.”
That’s a lie. He’s very much in love with you.
Your smile curves into a sly smirk. You know he’s lying.
“So, you don’t deny it?”
“Are you interrogating me?”
You scoff, shifting in your seat to cross your arms. “Look, be thankful I’m not using hostage negotiation tactics on you right now. Answer the question, Hotch.”
Hotch laughs, and it leaves him with a small smile. He shakes his head, gaze falling to his mug once more. “I don’t deny it.”
You simply hum. “I won’t pry, but I believe it’s customary to tell me how you met and what she’s like.”
Hotch raises a brow, and you reflect his expression – it’s a challenge. He’ll never make it out of Quantico if he doesn’t tell you.
With a heavy sigh, he ultimately gives in.
“We first met on the field. She assisted us on a case…”
“Agent Hotchner!”
He spins around to see you trudging across the road while strapping on your tactical vest. You introduced yourself with a polite smile through squinted eyes under the glaring sun and shook his hand. Firmly.
You’re CNU – hostage negotiator. A fresh face.
“We appreciate you coming on short notice,” Hotch says curtly, though the smile that tugs his mouth betrays his usually serious demeanour.
“Well, anything for our upstairs neighbours.” You beam up at him, and Hotch prays that his suddenly flushed cheeks are hidden under the shade of the nearby trees.
You make a final adjustment to your vest with a light huff and unclasp the holster that secured your gun, withdraw it and extend your firearm to Hotch in a heartbeat. It’s a silent request and an act of trust.
Hotch hesitantly took the gun from your grasp. “You sure about this?”
You pressed your lips in a thin line. You were terrified. “Yeah... Unsub isn’t gonna talk with a gun in his face.”
Another smile his way. “Just cover me while I’m in there.”
Your words resonate with a heaviness that strikes directly at his heart. There’s a clear passion for your job despite your horrified disposition. It isn’t noticeable, but he sees it. He respects that about you.
Hotch just nods assuringly, “Always.”
“– Alright, pause. She’s highly intelligent, an excellent communicator, fears nothing, and I’m assuming incredibly hot...” You stop yourself and laugh to yourself, expression gleaming with amusement. “I never saw such a woman. She would certainly be a fearsome thing to behold.”
You don’t mean to, but he can see you trying to ‘crack the case’: the identity mysterious woman. He knows you’ll uncover the truth eventually. Despite harbouring a confession for months, Hotch understands there may never be a right time. It needs to be now.
So, he allows you to piece it together.
“She certainly is.”
You’re not listening anymore, brows shooting up like you just had a revelation. “Wait, you mentioned she’s a negotiator?”
“Yeah, she’s from the floor below.”
Your brows furrow with confusion.
“The floor below?! But there’s only Annie, who’s very much happily married, and–”
A beat. Realisation settles upon your face, and Hotch’s heart leaps.
Oh.
OH.
You blink at him, dumbfounded.
It’s you.
“...You’re in love with me?”
Your words are barely audible and careful, bearing their fragile weight and gravity. There’s a crease between your brows, eyes gleaming with expectancy.
He has never been so sure.
“Yeah, I think I am.”
A beat. He says it so plainly that it assures any doubts you had before. Your breath hitches.
Hotch is in love with you.
Instantly, your face splits into a bashful smile as you reach for his hand, a gentle touch to your palm, fingers intertwined with your own.
