Din was thrilled from the moment you announced your pregnancy, he would sit down with Grogu explaining the responsibilities of a big brother.
When you give birth, he helps you. It was his fault that you were on a deserted planet after all. He feared the worst, but you were strong and so was your child.
When he first held his daughter, she was still covered in blood, but in his eyes, she was the definition of perfection.
Jack Daniels
This wasn’t the first time he was about to become a father, but this was the time he was super cautious. Making sure you were safe at every second, he doesn’t want to go through the same pain as before.
When you gave birth, he was on a mission. He was called by Ginger and he immediately dropped everything. But he was late.
By the time he arrived to the hospital, you were sleeping and so, he let you sleep while he walked over to the glass so he could see his child. And surely enough Jack found him. The only baby with just a last name, meaning you wanted to wait until he was there to name him.
He felt a tear fall from his eyes as he looked at him, he knew he would do anything to keep his family safe.
Marcus Moreno
It was a quiet night, everyone was sleeping when you woke up. Marcus didn’t even move an inch when you got out of bed. You were in desperate need to pee.
But on your way back to the bed, you felt a terrible pain.
Of course, when you woke Marcus up, he was running around like a chicken without a head, thank God for Missy who was able to help you out.
This wasn’t the first time Marcus her his own baby and standing there he wouldn’t want this to be the last either. He cried. Tears rolling down his face while he held his youngest daughter.
Of course, Missy took multiple pictures of him which she planned on blackmailing her father later on in his life.
Oberyn Martell
Childbirth was something he was used to. He had many daughters before you even came into the picture.
But this was the very first time he held a son and not a daughter. It felt special, and as much as he loved his daughters, his heart still felt a different way to see the youngest addition to his ever-growing family.
He swore his entire life to protect him as he would be his rightful heir. You even caught a glimpse of a tear running down his cheek before he whiped it.
Javier Pena
Panic wouldn’t even begin to describe what he went through that day. He thought he would rather go after another Escobar guy instead of going through this hell, and he didn’t even had to do anything. He held your hand and that’s all. You did all the work.
His mind often went to that dark place, that dark place which told him to just run, leave and never come back, but he stayed.
And that dark voice in the back of his head disappeared when he held his daughter for the first time. And how glad he was that he didn’t leave.
Tiny little girl with his eyes. Perfection. He just stood there, frozen as he looked at her. Not even giving her to the nurses when they asked.
Pero Tovar
After your third child you thought Pero would have enough. You thought he would have enough and not want more children. But you were wrong. Two girls and a boy weren’t enough. He wanted more. And you were happy to give him more.
Each birth was more terrifying to him than the last. He loved his children all the same and he just loved you a little more as he held his second son. Each time he was reminded just how amazing you were and it made his heart explode.
Him, a rough swordsman, such a soft and kind father and husband. He never saw himself in that position. As you finally fell asleep, he watched the kids, showing them his youngest, like the proud father he was.
Warnings: SMUT, making out, oral sex (m and f receiving), PinV sex, hand jobs, voyeurism, mentions of PTSD, mild angst, mentions of Marcus’ late wife as well as fluff, sweetness, affection, polyamory, M/M and M/F smut ahead as well as group sex because everyone is in love with everyone here
Summary/Notes: So here it is: my first throuple fic!!! I’ve been wanting to write one forever and once I decided on Frankie and Marcus the words started flowing! I love poly fics and thought the fandom could use more. I recognize this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I hope those who like it do enjoy! And I am very much open to writing more for them in the future if anyone is interested. As always, likes, comments, reblog appreciated!!
Taglist Form (or feel free to message me I’m nice I promise)
…
It’s such a relief every time Frankie pulls in the driveway and sees both your and Marcus’ cars already in their spots. He hops out and goes inside, excited to see everyone after his latest appointment. His road to recovery has been hard, harder at times than he thought he could stand. But knowing you and Marcus and Missy were at home, rooting for him? It’s kept him going on some of the toughest days and nights he’s ever experienced.
He’s brought out of his reminiscing when he opens the door and you’re walking through the living room with a basket of folded laundry. When you hear him coming in, you set the basket down and immediately jog over to him to embrace him without a word. Frankie relaxes immediately in your hold and buries his nose in your neck, breathing deep.
You don’t say anything while he leans against you, letting him get himself reacquainted with being home after the emotional upheaval that therapy always brings. He lets you know it’s okay to talk by lifting his head enough to press his lips to your cheek, planting a firm kiss there just for you.
“How was it?” you ask, watching his expression up close now that he’s looking at you.
“Good,” he says with a sigh, “hard. But we’re making progress.”
You grin at him and lean in to give him a sweet kiss on his plush lips, gasping a little when he presses his hand into your lower back so you’re flush against each other. You don’t get a chance to say anything else because Missy comes bursting into the room, proclaiming dinner is ready and she’s hungry.
I’ve had this idea for a fic in my mind for MONTHS… it’s a one shot but, you know later who knows! I might write more of this if people are interested. Enjoy!
Warnings:WCBH au: absolutely no kids, coffee shop au (kinda), mentions of violence, body injuries, some cuss words. If this makes no sense I’m sorry, I’ve had like 300 words of it on my WIPs for months and finished it this afternoon. No beta we die like men. Word Count: 2k+
The bell of the shop rings to announce a new guest, causing the owner and the other two baristas behind the counter to automatically glance towards the entrance. Your own peeping is interrupted by the toaster oven going off, and you hurry to pull out the croissant inside before it burns. By the time your mindless task is done and you turn towards the register, there’s already one of the new girls taking the customer’s order.
comments : wanted to write a cute little picnic date fluff and i chose marcus bc it felt right hehe hope yall like it! (got the gif on pinterest by Jane R!!)
You and Marcus agreed to have an annual monthly date after realizing you hadn’t been on a date in a long time due to his and your respective jobs. It was his turn to plan the date this month. His dates were more laid-back, preferring a calmer atmosphere to one full of adventure, as he believes his life is already full of excitement.
Marcus had arranged a charming little picnic date this time. He enjoys the planning stage so much that he packed lots of food, drinks, and even games to keep them entertained. Not to mention the fact that he leased a pick-up truck just for this date, as his own car would be unsuitable with his plans. He also crammed a lot pillows and blankets.
Marcus drove with one hand while the other was interlaced with his sweetheart on the way to the picnic area, which was accompanied by a comfortable stillness.
It wasn’t long before they arrived at their destination, a lovely meadow brimming with vibrant flowers. Marcus was the first to exit the vehicle and set up the back of the pickup truck, neatly arranging the pillows and blankets. When he was done, he assisted you in climbing the cargo bed and then hopped up himself.
The meadow is tranquil and devoid of people, with the exception of the two of you. What a great date it is, nibbling on delectable treats, laughing together while playing games, and generally enjoying each other’s company.
When you’re having fun, time flies, and before they realized it, the sun was sinking, signaling that their date was coming to a close. “I wish we could stay here forever.” You frown as you draw closer to his figure. “As wonderful as it sounds, honey, our forever will have to wait.”
“But the sun hasn’t completely set yet!” Can’t we stay a bit longer? Please?” You looked at him with the sweetest puppy eyes, trying to prevent him from refusing. Little did you know, this man would go to any length for you, and those eyes you gave him only added to his love for you. “Of course, we can stay an hour or so longer. It’s been a lovely day, hasn’t it?”
Summary:Marcus Moreno, head of the Heroics, meets Missy’s new teacher.
Word Count:1,881
Rating:G
Warnings: None, it’s a meet cute!
A/N:@creativekat and I came up with the idea to write a story together and see how it went. This is the result. We really enjoyed ourselves and will definitely be doing it again!
You stood at the small mirror above the sink in your classroom, double checking your appearance. You were dressed professionally but comfortably in a pair of fitted trousers, sweater, and ballet flats. Your hair was pulled away from your face, though you toyed with the idea of taking it out of its ponytail. You did that, but then decided it looked more “put together” pulled back. So, you gathered it at the back of your head and secured it once again.
Once you were satisfied with your appearance you took a deep breath and began to run through your motivational mantras, “You can do this. Sure, you aren’t a Heroic … but, that doesn’t make you’re unimportant. You have skills. You’re smart. You deal with kids five days a week. What’s a few meetings with their parents?” With a sigh, you added, “Their Heroic parents.”
My first post on tumblr and I thought it deserved to got to the author who’s writing got me on tumblr in the first place!! I absolutely love this series so far and cannot wait for more!!
First of all, this, THIS, is a huge HUGE compliment and I am CRYING at your generous words.
I cannot take complete credit for this story because my wonderful co-author @creativekat is the genius behind many moments in this story!
Thank you so so much for loving my work and loving on my blog I hope you have a wonderful upcoming week!
^^My exact reaction when @the-purity-pen showed me this! Thank you so much for your kind words and appreciation for our story. We’ve been having such a great time collaborating on this and I’m so grateful knowing there are others out there who love it as much as we do!! <3 <3 <3
Warnings: heavy petting, serious making out, unintentional piercing play
A/N:@the-purity-pen and I are so excited to share the next chapter!! Things are heating up and this ended up being our longest chapter yet!! We hope you enjoy and if you want to be added to the tag list let me know!!
Marcus’s hands were shaking and sweating as he drove to your house. He had no intentions of going inside in your house but when he offered to pick you up for the date you had bid on and won, you couldn’t help but smile and tell him yes.
At a nearby stoplight, he wiped his hands on the thighs of his suit pants. He opted to go semi-casual with suit pants and jacket but just a dark grey t-shirt underneath. Missy told him that a tie would be too much and she wanted him to be comfortable on his first real date in a long time.
When he finally pulled up to your house, he waited in the car for a minute to calm himself and remind himself that this was just a casual first date. Nothing serious had to come of it even if he had been crushing on you for nearly an entire year. He finally got the courage to go up to your door and give it a hearty knock.
You had gotten ready early, worried about making a bad impression by keeping Marcus waiting. So, you paced the living room of the small house you rented, trying to avoid walking to the hallway mirror to double check your appearance. You’d worn a dress and heels, though Marcus had told you it would be casual. The dress wasn’t fancy or anything, just a simple summery dress, which you paired with a cardigan sweater.
When you heard the knock on the door, you nearly jumped out of your skin, you were so keyed up. Taking a moment, you took a deep, calming breath and released it hoping Marcus wouldn’t notice how jittery you felt.
As you walked to the door, you couldn’t help but glance at your reflection. You actually felt pretty cute and paused to smile at yourself in the mirror. You grabbed your purse from the console table and answered the door. The sight of him took your breath away. People could rave all they wanted about Marcus Moreno’s Heroics gear, but you’d take him looking like this any day of the week. “Hi,” you breathed out.
Marcus was just as dumbfounded seeing you dressed like that. Your hair looked immaculate and your smile was heart-melting. He blinked a few times, taking in your form before he finally swallowed a large lump in his throat and croaked out a soft “hi.”
You smiled wryly, finding it adorable how flabbergasted he seemed. His hands were wringing together in front of him and you stepped forward to place your hand on his which calmed him. He looked up at you and felt his heart skip a beat from how close you were.
“You look wonderful,” you complimented him and his cheeks started to flush pink.
Marcus shook his head, as if to clear it, before responding, “So do you. Stunning, in fact.” He laughed self-consciously at the admission.
He turned, only let go of one of your hands, keeping the other firmly in his grasp as the two of you walked to his car. When you reached the passenger side door, he reached out to open the door and helped you into the seat before closing it and making his way around to his side.
You hadn’t really discussed where the date would take place. Marcus had simply said he wanted to surprise you and that it would be “casual”. Anticipation swelled within you and your mind raced with the possibilities of what was in store tonight. You noticed that Marcus drove very carefully and you appreciated the fact that his regular persona seemed to be all about care and protective nurturing. You supposed this was because his hero persona faced so many risks. He glanced over at you and smiled and you returned it easily.
Marcus finally pulled into the parking lot of the science center and you gave a soft gasp. Your secret passion was science and while you had adored many field trips to the science center over the years, somehow being here with Marcus was bound to be far more romantic and memorable.
As the two of you walked in, Marcus gave his name and the woman behind the counter gave you both paper bracelets that allowed access to every part of the center. His hand only left yours briefly to try to attach his bracelet but you giggled and helped him put his on. The close proximity had your pulse racing in your ears as you looked at his eyes when the bracelet was on all the way.
“Where are we going first?” you ventured in curiosity as you grabbed one of the center maps and unfolded it. It was much larger than the last time you had been there and you wondered what new exhibits had been added.
“How about the cute animals first?” Marcus asked as he started to walk backwards to lead you down the small hall to the exhibit. You bit your lip slightly when his eyes met yours, eyebrows slightly raised. It felt like he wanted to make you happy and your entire body warmed at the promise of what that meant.
“When I came here as a kid, they let us hold a tarantula.” You tilted your head proudly, “I was the only girl in my class who was willing to do it.”
Marcus returned to walking beside you and squeezed your fingers lightly, “I have no doubt. Any woman who can handle working with a bunch of pre-teen kids daily wouldn’t be fazed by a silly spider.”
As the two of you entered the first room of the animal exhibit you saw that several parrots were flying freely about the room and laughed out loud when a small blue and gold Macaw landed on Marcus’ head. “I think that one likes you.”
Marcus’s whole body froze when the bird landed on him but your words caused him to let out a short burst of laughter. “Well he’s not pecking my head so I guess so,” he answered with a small chuckle before the bird was flying off his head and landed on your shoulder.
“Hmmm, it seems like he has good taste in women too,” he said with a wink and you swear your heart leapt from your chest at the simple gesture.
After some more venturing through the reptiles and the “exotic” exhibit that showcased sloths this month, Marcus took your head again and led you down a narrow hall. Just then, a small group of children decided to rush past you. “Whoa!” Marcus exclaimed as he turned and caged you in against the wall, trying to stop the both of you from being trampled on by the tiny feet as they all yelled and hollered past you.
You felt Marcus’s body pressed against yours shielding you from danger and the air left your lungs. Your skin tingled at his proximity and as the tiny army of children made their way into the room you’d just left you took a moment to try and catch your breath. Licking your lips you lifted your gaze to look Marcus in the eyes and spoke softly, “Thank you… for saving my life.”
Marcus chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated from his chest to yours, causing more tingles throughout your body. You laughed with him and though you were feeling the humor of the situation, you also felt something else. A yearning for him.
He was feeling the same yearning as the two of you locked eyes in the narrow hallway. He hadn’t moved from his protective stance, even though the children had disappeared, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just startled.” As you spoke you realized how close his mouth was to yours. Either one of you could move slightly and you’d be kissing. He did just that and his lips were just brushing against yours when a voice from just outside the hallway broke the spell. You weren’t really alone and that was a stark reminder of the fact.
Marcus pulled away from you, clearing his throat, and you gave him a lopsided grin, “Remind me to thank you more thoroughly later.”
Moving together toward the next room, both of you reached for the other’s hand as Marcus replied, “I look forward to it.”
An hour later and you had explored the exhibits that were actually open. The last one to see what the constellation one but there was some time before the next show would start. You stood with Marcus, your fingers intertwined, your back against the wall near the entrance to the stargazing exhibit.
“Do you want a snack before we go in?” Marcus offered, gesturing down the hall a bit to the vending machines. You nodded with a smile and he led you over to grab a couple of snacks and a soda to share. You were surprised his taste in soda was similar to yours.
The two of you were ushered in and took your seats. Before the show even started, your eyes were looking up at the domed ceiling. “Oh! That one is my fave! Machina Electrica,” you said happily as you pointed to the faded star shape on the ceiling.
Marcus looked up to where you were pointed and squinted. “You can see that?” he asked and you chuckled.
“I just know where it would be based on how they run the shows. Usually they start by showing you the current set up of the stars based on the earth’s rotation and then they slowly slide you through the seasons to show how-” you looked over at Marcus to see him staring at you and immediately clamped your mouth shut. “I’m sorry. I’m such a nerd about this stuff and I-”
Marcus placed his hand over yours gently and interrupted your rambling. “I like it.” You had immediately stopped talking assuming he was getting annoyed by your overwhelming passion for the star exhibit. But, his words were like cupid’s arrow, piercing your heart. If you liked him before that was nothing compared to the fact that he said he liked your geeky rambling.
“Oh, well… umm, okay … good.” You felt your cheeks warming and Marcus smiled at you, thinking you look extra-beautiful with your shy smile and eyes shining with happiness. He felt the urge to kiss you again, but this was a public place and the seats were filling up quickly now that the show was close to starting.
The lights dimmed and suddenly the ceiling above resembled the clear night sky. Several kids in the audience made an “oooh” sound and Marcus heard you gasp, one palm covering your heart. “It never gets old,” you whispered, and he thought to himself, he would bring you here every day if he could just see that look on your face.
The show ended and the two of you walked out hand in hand. Your heart was racing from the pure excitement and beauty of the star show. Marcus found that his heart was racing as well but it wasn’t from watching the stars.
As the two of you walked out into the chilly evening air, you felt your body shiver slightly as you adjusted to the new temperature. Marcus moved closer to wrap his arm around your shoulders and rubbed at your arm lightly. “You okay?” he asked. You nodded and told him you were okay, just adjusting to the night air.
You both started to walk slower as you reached the car. Marcus let his arm slowly slide down your body and you turned to face him. “Do you have anything else fun planned?” you asked as you looked into his eyes. The softness of his smile nearly melted you into a puddle on the ground.
“One more stop,” he told you as a playful smile crossed his lips. “And, if you want, we can make a bet,” he offered, his voice dropping an octave as he took a step closer, his hand resting comfortably on your hip.
“Oh yeah? A bet on what?” you asked, the playful smile echoing to your own face.
“If I win, you come home with me for a night cap.”
“And if I win?”
“You get whatever you want.”
“How about a kiss?”
“We don’t have to wait for that,” he said, his lips now brushing against yours before his hand came to the side of your face and his lips pressed against yours softly. Your hands came up to rest on his lower back as your mouth opened for him. Your tongue pressed against his in a sultry dance, pleading for more.
You pulled away long enough to say, “I guess I’ll have to think of something else if I win then.” Your mouth searched for his again for another kiss. Your body stirred with longing to be closer to him than you already were, to feel his hands on your intimate places, to feel his breath against your skin.
You both seemed to realize you were still in the science center parking lot and pulled apart reluctantly. “I’m not sure I can think of anything better than that though.” You could, but it was best to keep those thoughts to yourself right now. Marcus pulled you close to his side as he unlocked the passenger door for you, then teased you with another slow drag of his lips across yours. Eyes closed, you attempted to follow his mouth as it retreated.
As you settled into the seat, you could feel your body’s reaction to him. And he hadn’t even used his power on you. He hadn’t known what he was doing the previous two times. You wondered what would happen if you told him about your piercing and how he could control them. Again, a conversation for another time.
As he slid into the driver’s side, you asked, “So, any hints as to where we’re going? Other than it involves one of us winning something?” You smiled sexily in his direction. He looked over at you and narrowed his eyes a bit in a big smile.
“It’s a game. That involves a ball. Or two,” he offered simply before changing his attention to the car to start it up and take off. He drove for a few minutes but his hand rested on his thigh, his fingers tapping nervously as he drove down the freeway.
Your eyes caught the movement and you turned and placed your hand gently over his, your palm resting against the back of his hand, your fingers slowly interlocking with his. As he pulled off the next exit and waited at the red light, he pulled your hand up to kiss the back of it softly, lingering his lips against your skin.
Your heart raced at the gentle moment before he was placing your hand and his back down to his thigh as he took off towards the miniature golf course. You immediately let out a laugh when the sign came into view. “Petey the Pirate’s mini golf?” you asked with a laugh and Marcus just smiled brightly and nodded.
You laughed, a bright unfiltered sound, “I don’t think I’ve been here since high school!” It probably hadn’t been quite that long, but back then you’d spent a lot of hours at the mini-golf course. Not that you were going to admit that to Marcus Moreno. “So… whoever wins mini-golf gets to choose how the night ends, eh?” Glancing at your date, you wink at him then laughed again.
Marcus grinned, “I take it I chose well when planning this date?”
“Oh yes, you’re two for two so far, Mr. Moreno.” You had been having a great time and it seemed like every time you thought the day couldn’t get any better, Marcus surprised you. Your heart raced just thinking about how he’d planned this special night for you and he’d gotten everything so perfect.
He got out of the car and rushed around to open the door for you. The two of you walked hand in hand toward the booth that sold the balls and putters and you couldn’t help but laugh giddily in anticipation. Taking your putter and ball, you bit your lip looking at Marcus, “You should know that I’m … not very good at this game.”
After paying the guy for the balls and putters, Marcus looked to you as he waited for his change with a raised eyebrow. The way you bit your lip was instantly driving him crazy but he cleared his throat and turned back to get his change before grabbing his putter.
“Yeah? Well, erm,” he cleared his throat again, “Maybe I can show you some tips and tricks,” he offered nervously, trying to sound smoother than he actually was. He nearly tripped over the little divider between the entrance walkway and the first green.
He straightened himself up and you found yourself snickering quietly. “Alright, alright. Let’s get to it so we can see what happens with our bet,” he said playfully as he set his ball down and took in a deep breath. He felt a familiar vibration through his hands as he guided the putter exactly where he wanted it to go to land the ball just outside the pocket.
You watched as Marcus lined up his shot and then the ball zipped it’s way toward the hole, stopping just short of dropping in. You looked at the ball then looked at him and raised your eyebrow, “I can see my work is cut out for me.”
You dropped the ball onto the little dark circle that marked the tee. Looking down the astroturf lane, you lined up your shot. In truth, you could easily make this shot. You’d practically lived at Petey’s as a kid, but you wanted Marcus to win. Not to make him feel good about himself. You knew he wasn’t the kind of man to care about that stuff. But, the more time you spent with him the better that night cap sounded.
So, you lined up the shot, then hit it just to the left of where you wanted it to go with more effort than the putt required. The ball overshot the hole and bounced hard off the little wall that lined the hole and stopped halfway back to its origin. “I might need that help,” You snickered.
Marcus’s gaze snapped back to you after having watched your ball go too far and bounce back. He was smirking but trying to hide it, trying not to make fun of you for being so bad on such an easy first shot. He nodded with a tight smile before moving closer to you. He leaned down and grabbed the ball and placed it just to the right of the mark instead of directly on it.
“Okay, first. Don’t trust the tee mark,” he told you as he stood up and turned towards you with a smile. He moved beside you to place his putter against the little fence to store it there. He turned back towards you and rubbed his palms together. “Alright. Show me your stance,” he told you and you stared at him for a moment with a cocked eyebrow. He laughed before moving to mimic as if he were holding the putt. “How you stand. You know, like this?”
You moved your feet apart, showing off a decent stance for mini-golf. Marcus nodded, “That’s good… but you don’t have a good grip on your putter.” He walked over to you, placing himself behind you. A slow smile spread across your face. He was doing exactly what you’d hoped he would. He began to manipulate your limbs, placing your arms where he thought they needed to be. Everywhere he touched you seemed to burn in reaction.
Then Marcus’ arms wrapped around you, placing his hands over yours. His torso was pressed to your back and you practically moaned. You managed to keep the sensual sound to yourself. Marcus’ hands were tender, but you could feel the exact moment his powers manifested, working their magic on the putter in both your hands. The magnetic sensation tugged lightly at your piercings and this time you couldn’t help yourself. You whimpered quietly, feeling the vibration in your nipples and your clit. Suddenly your knees were weak.
Marcus didn’t hear you the first time but he absolutely heard you the second time as he swung your arms together and hit the ball. It bounced off the back wall gently, landing just a few inches away from his own ball. But he didn’t move. He felt like he couldn’t. His body was vibrating in a whole new way with the noise you were making. “A-are you.. Okay?” Marcus asked in your ear, his hands still covered yours over the putter.
Your lips curled into themselves as you nodded slowly. You couldn’t find the words to tell the man that you were on an official first date with that his superhero powers were tingling the piercings in your tits and clit. Marcus leaned a bit closer and his lips barely grazed the shell of your ear as he spoke again. “If you’re sure,” he spoke softly as he pulled away from you. You bit your lower lip, trying to stifle the whine you were tempted to let out from the loss of contact with him. All you could think about was being close to him, all the time.
Marcus was just as affected and immediately turned around to grab his putter and took a deep breath in, trying to calm himself. He knew he liked you, and from the way things were going, it was very clear that you liked him back. But was it appropriate to get that physical on the first date? It had been too long since his last first date but he was pretty sure that the sounds you were making were not ones he had made anyone make on a first date.
You watched him collect himself. He had turned away and part of you wondered if you’d done something wrong. It wasn’t like you’d been able to control your reaction to him. And it wasn’t like he’d intended to turn you on like he did. He didn’t even know about your piercings, so you knew he hadn’t meant to tweak them. When he’d been standing behind you, it had felt like maybe you were having an affect on him as well.
Finally, he turned back to you and smiled, “Next hole is the Cave of Mystery!” Marcus added a spooky element to his voice when he said the name making you giggle. You were quickly figuring out that he was kind of a goofball, in the very best way. The more time you spent in his presence the more you liked him. As his daughter’s teacher, you told yourself you shouldn’t feel this way about him, but you couldn’t resist the desire to get closer.
As you walked to the next hole, he took your hand once again sending a ripple of pleasure throughout you. The cave entrance loomed in front of you and as you both stepped inside, you commented, “I hope you aren’t afraid of the dark.”
“If I was afraid of anything, I likely wouldn’t be the world’s greatest superhero,” he replied playfully as he set his ball down to take his first shot. The ball bounced the corner and disappeared around a cave wall and he hoped it didn’t land in the sand trap.
He stepped to the side and turned towards you. “Do you need help on this one too?” he asked, feeling his heart ramp up in rhythm at the thought of being closer to you again.
You smiled wryly at him with a small shrug of your shoulders. “If you wouldn’t mind,” you offered quietly and took your place. Marcus took a moment and came up behind you again to hold you and guide your ball. The familiar vibrations ran down your body and you bit your lower lip with a soft moan again. The ball bounced just the same as his ball had done and around the cave wall it went.
But Marcus didn’t move except to put his face closer to your cheek. You could feel his light scruff tickling your cheek and you felt your body heat up at the closeness again. His breath was warm as it fanned over your skin and you could have sworn his lips had pursed to kiss the shell of your lightly. Before you could think about that or even react to it, he’d pulled back, “We should see where our balls went.”
You bit your lip to keep from laughing at what he’d said. Spending all day with pre-teens meant your sense of humor sometimes took a dive into low-brow territory. This didn’t escape Marcus’s attention however and he chuckled lightly, “Can you even play mini-golf without everything sounding dirty?”
Finally letting loose with a soft giggle-snort, you shook your head, “I don’t think so. Unless maybe you’re a saint.”
Marcus gave you a look, his gaze full of heat and replied, “I’m not a saint,” as he pulled you around the corner. The light was much dimmer here. You remembered this had been a popular make out spot for the kids in your class when you’d been in high school. It was private and you could always hear when people were coming so getting caught was easy to avoid.
As soon as the memory had formed in your head, Marcus was turning you into his body and kissing you again, his hand gently gripping the back of your head. Stepping back, you found yourself pressed to the uneven wall of the “cave”. You moaned deeply into his mouth as your hands ran over his ribcage and over his hips so you could cup his ass.
Marcus’s lips slotted against yours and he groaned when your hands found his ass. He pressed you more against the wall, his hand sliding to your jaw to hold your face. His other hand slid up from your waist and tentatively explored over your stomach before sliding up over your breast.
Within an instant, his hand was buzzing with power and his palm attracted something hard from under your thin shirt. A piercing? His mind whirred with lust as he broke from the kiss for air and moved his lips down to your neck.
His hand on your breast placed his power directly where it could have the most effect and you responded immediately, making a sound between a gasp and a moan. Marcus continued to pull and twist gently at your nipple piercing, making you whimper softly, as he suckled at the curve of your neck. You were on the verge of coming already and he hadn’t even found your other piercing. As if reading your mind, he pulled away from your neck long enough to whisper in your ear, “What other surprises do you have for me?”
Jaggedly, you replied, “Why don’t we … say you won … and we can go … to your … place … and you can … find out?”
You looked around the large rented ballroom and shook your head nervously. You had brought up the idea of taking the kids out on field trips to facilitate their learning and the Heroics school board had decided to hold a fundraiser to help take this from an idea to reality. You hadn’t imagined that they might opt to raise said funds by auctioning off dates with the Heroics themselves. Since the event would be opened to the public, it couldn’t be held at HQ (a logistical nightmare) so a local Events Center had been the next best option. Now, as you watched the room beginning to fill with people you could see why. This was, apparently, the event of the century.
Soft classical music was being piped in from speakers in the corners of the room as people mingled, getting drinks from the bar. Your students were all wearing black outfits and acting as greeters and coat-checkers so the gathering masses would see just who their money would be helping. You quickly realized, for some here, it wouldn’t matter where the money was going. A night on the town with one of the Heroics was a hot commodity.
Warnings: sweet moments, some dirty thoughts here and there
A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and commenting! It’s so amazing for @the-purity-pen and I to know that people are enjoying what we are writing! We have been having a blast writing it together!!
The individual pizzas had been a huge hit. The kids had loved deciding what toppings went on their own crusts. And the twins, Fast Forward and Rewind, had especially liked the fact that they didn’t have to share with one another. Everyone had finished eating and you were packing up the leftover food while Marcus put popcorn kernels into the air popper.
You carried a short stack of tupperware to the refrigerator and placed the items inside. Once the door was closed, you turned and leaned against it, releasing a small sigh of relief that the chaos of dinner was over. The kids were pretty active inside the classroom, but that was nothing compared to what they were like on their own time. Your ears rang with the laughter and happy shouts from earlier.
Turning your head, you watched Marcus load the air popper, his biceps moving just below the short sleeves of his shirt. Your eyes started to drink in the rest of him, but you stopped yourself. You were afraid to let your body react to him again like it had earlier. Suddenly thirsty again, you pushed away from the fridge door so you could open it. The cold air felt good on your warm skin. “So, that was a success,” you commented as your eyes searched the chilly space without seeing anything inside.
Marcus finished popping the corn and turned his head towards you before placing the popped kernels into separate little brown paper bags for the kids. He nodded with a soft smile on his face. “It was. I’m glad you were here to help,” he commented quietly, feeling himself having to turn away from staring at your body.
He focused on the popcorn and scooping an approximately even amount of popcorn into each bag. He moved slowly and carefully so as to not waste a single kernel. He knew that if Missy’s friends were anything like her, they would be devouring the popcorn and would definitely want more. He was thankful for the concentration because the more time you were closer to him, the more he felt the need to explain his feelings for you.
You sighed quietly and shook your head and when Marcus heard you, he swiped his hands on his jeans of butter and salt and came over. “What are you looking for? Can I help you find something?” he asked as he tried to lean into the fridge to look with you but the sudden closeness of him had you holding your breath. Marcus turned his head and realized he’d made a mistake. He could smell your shampoo and it made his head swim.
“Uhh… just trying to figure out what I could have to drink…” you stammered the words out and turned your eyes back to the fridge contents.
Clearing his throat, Marcus did the same, “Help yourself to anything… Do you want a beer? I think I’ll have a beer.” He reached back behind the orange juice and retrieved an IPA. When you nodded, he handed it to you and felt the immediate absence of your body next to his when you backed away from the refrigerator to find the bottle opener. When he closed the door he had his own beer in his hand.
You popped the top off yours and held the bottle opener out to him, which he took, careful not to let his fingers graze yours in the process. Trying not to stare at him, you took a long swallow of the cold beverage. Just then Missy burst through the door from the living room, “Is the popcorn done yet?”
You startled slightly as Marcus smiled, focusing on his daughter, “Yes, hija.” The three of you made yourselves busy as you took the bags into the living room to hand them out. You followed Marcus and Missy and finished handing out the bags to which all of the children said thank you. You smiled at each of them but you gave Wheels a little wink which he reciprocated.
The kids all started to dig into their popcorn and get back to watching their little movie marathon that Missy had turned on. You had no idea what the movies were about but they all seemed to be very excited about it.
Marcus left the living room with you, the two of you nearly walking side by side down the hall. Your shoulders just grazed each other as he took a few steps faster and you felt your breath hitch for a moment before you were clearing your throat and walking over to where you had set your beer down. Marcus grabbed his and walked over to the table and you opted to follow him to sit at the table beside him.
At first there was a silence between you and Marcus as you focused on the beer bottle label which had become loosened with condensation. You began to pick at it, peeling it bit by bit. Suddenly, Marcus cleared his throat, “So… tell me about you. Is your family local?”
Family was an interesting subject for you. You knew you didn’t fit in with them, so even though you all lived in the same town and you saw your older brother quite regularly, you still felt as if you were hundreds of miles apart. You let a small smile lift your features, “Ummm… yeah… but, we aren’t very close unfortunately.” You wondered if he would push the subject. You knew a lot about Marcus Moreno. You heard many stories about him over the years. Some of them you knew were true. Others you wondered about. “It must be nice having your mom around to help you with Missy.”
You went back to peeling at the label on the bottle. Half of it had come loose now. You paused in your hyper focused activity to take a drink, startled when Marcus met your eyes. You swallowed hard and set the bottle down, feeling incapable of looking away as his dark eyes searched your face.
Marcus couldn’t help his staring, that’s just how he listened. And when the conversation turned back to him, he sat up a bit straighter and swallowed a lump that had formed when hearing how you weren’t close with your family. He couldn’t imagine that and how lonely it might be.
“My mom certainly is great,” he said with a small nod. It was true though. Anita had been around much more after his wife died and was more than willing to help train Missy and her friends during the first alien attack last year. Marcus had a brief moment of wondering if you were a mother because seeing how you were with the kids made him think you’d make a great one.
But that comment was lost on his lips as he watched you, his eyes dancing over your features. He swallowed hard again and your own eyes couldn’t help but follow the movement of his throat. Your heart was racing and your nose flaring, which Marcus would later admit was very cute, as the two of you had a moment of intensity.
The moment seemed to draw itself out but neither of you looked away. Instead it seemed as if the space between you was closing. You inhaled sharply as his hand came up to your shoulder, stroking it lightly with his thumb, making you shiver. All the reasons you shouldn’t do this, right now, flooded your thoughts. The kids, his daughter, your students were in the next room. He was a Heroic and … your history with Heroics had not been good.
A protest formed on your lips as you whispered his name just before his lips found yours. The kiss was gentle but firm. There was yearning there, but no demands. Your mouth opened, inviting him to deepen things and your tongue pressed against his, sweetly. A soft moan escaped your throat as your hands reached for him, finding purchase on either side of his torso. You could feel the way his ribs expanded with his own labored breathing.
Marcus leaned in closer, if he could even manage that, when he felt your hand on his torso. Your touch was electric in ways he would have never imagined. He had been pining after you for so long and it was finally the moment he had thought of for so long.
His mind whirled with emotions as he kissed you deeper, slowly pressing his lips and tongue against you and into you, like a slow motion dance. The hand on your shoulder came up to cup your face, holding you to him as you kissed him with emotions you didn’t know you were capable of. It was a silent message between the two of you, a love letter written in the dark of night with whispers spoken into the ink.
Marcus pulled away in what felt like a too soon moment and you couldn’t help the soft whine that escaped you. Both of you were breathing hard, trying to catch your breath. Marcus rested his forehead against yours for a moment, his thumb tracing over your jaw before he pulled back just enough to look you in the eyes.
You licked your lips and treasured the taste of him for a moment longer as you tried to catch your breath. Your eyes searched his face, yearning for more, but wondering if you should even want that. Hesitantly, you pulled your hands away from his body, letting them rest a moment on his knees only for a moment, like a butterfly searching for a place to land.
Finally, you reached for the bottle again, taking a drink trying to quench the rampant thirst Marcus had brought out of you. Nervously, your hands moved to the label once more, peeling the last of it off in one swift pull. You laid it flat on the table, letting your eyes wander to the shiny paper, then returning to his immediately. He had a pull on you that you couldn’t seem to resist. With a shaky breath, you finally voiced one of the many thoughts you were having, “What, uhhh …. What does this mean?”
Marcus felt you shift back and he let his hand drop from your face but not before sliding it down to your arm slowly. His heart wouldn’t calm down as he watched you pull the label off but his eyes were only watching the movement in his peripherals. He was watching your face, watching your eyes, your lips and he could feel the way his own still tingled from the contact.
Your voice broke his stares and he cleared his throat. His lower lip quivered a moment, unsure of how to answer it without feeling too forward. Hell, you had just kissed in his kitchen with kids in the other room. Was there really such a thing as being too forward at this point?
“It uh-” he paused, his other hand coming to the label you had peeled off and picking at it slightly. A momentary distraction to try to gather his racing thoughts, ”I guess it’s me telling you that I like you. Ha- have liked you. For a while now,” his words stammered out. He let his gaze fall upon the label as he nervously picked at the corners, feeling the plastic coated paper peel away from itself as he touched it.
You couldn’t help but smile at his words, his shy movements. This was the great Marcus Moreno, leader of the Heroics, confessing that he liked you. “For a while?” You wondered aloud. You’d had no idea. A warmth filled your chest at this new knowledge and Marcus finally looked at you from the corner of his eyes, smiling shyly. Your heart hitched at the adorableness of that look.
But, then reality came roaring back to the forefront of your thoughts, forcing you to look away again. You thought of the kids in the other room. Of the way your family had always looked down at you, when they were the ones who were supposed to love you. The way you’d rebelled as a teenager, lashing out and getting into trouble. “I … uhhh, I like you too… but…” you didn’t want to tell him this wouldn’t work between you. But, some part of you wondered if that was true. Were you just getting in your own way? Letting your past affect your future.
Marcus waited patiently for you to gather your thoughts, even though he was dying to know what came after that “but”. He couldn’t imagine what it could possibly be. He hadn’t felt anything like this in years.
Finally, you shook your head and finished your thought, “why me? I’m nothing special.” You’d heard that enough times to know it was the truth. Marcus’s face dropped. That wasn’t the end of the sentence he was expecting. He thought it would be one of the other numerous excuses he had heard from others he had shown interest in. “Too busy.” “Too focused on work.” “Not good at relationships.”
He wasn’t expecting this but when he saw your own face change he reached over and held the underside of your chin gingerly. He slowly lifted your face to look him in the eyes. “You are though. So special,” he reminded you quietly as he leaned in and let his lips press against yours softly.
There are days where you’re just…lazy. It’s not a bad thing. Those are the days where there’s nothing pressing to attend to, no rushing out the door to battle traffic or sit in on a meeting to determine where in the world he will be spending the next few days or weeks. The days where it’s just peaceful.
Those are the days Marcus enjoys reading in the silence. Or discovering a new movie he hadn’t watched yet, even rewatching one he had seen 500 times. And finding another reason to fall a bit deeper in love with it.
He saw the way you swallowed. Your throat tightening and moving as you blinked away the sudden sheen to your eyes. He wondered if you felt like he did, like your stomach was on a rollercoaster.
“Mr. Moreno…” You started.
That makes him scowl. “Fuck that. You haven’t called me that since the second damn day you’ve worked for me.”
Summary: Everything that’s happened to you and Marcus since the plane-crash finally comes to a head, all the pieces put together across both space and time falling into place, and suddenly you’re out of time.
Author’s Note: Okay, my loves. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I’m not going to write out the full warnings on this chapter, but if you’re hesitant to read without more details, just message me and I’ll be happy to tell you. I do recommend reading this with a large quantity of Oreos handy, or whatever your favorite cookies might be. It’ll help against the angst. Also: This is not the final chapter!
Rating: Mature18+ONLY Warnings: Cursing, angst, end of the world-themes, mentions of strained family relationships. Word Count: 7034 Masterlist (this story) Author’s Masterlist
If the portal/gateway/hellhole/asshole ever reappeared, you were gonna fucking kill it.
That was the prevailing thought on your mind as you made your way through the hallways at HQ, back in your time, where your Marcus had clearly not been returned. The thing had plopped you out inside your own office, suddenly holding the sapling in your hands again, and a quick glance at your screens had informed you of the date and time. You’d then wasted half a day looking for your Heroic, before finally accepting that the goo was no longer an ally and absolutely couldn’t be trusted.
Oh, you were not lying when you said it gets worse I cried while reading the ending. Pita just walking out to plant the tree, if she had waited a minute or two more Marcus might have been able help her but the tree taking her at the end
@tintinn16 Sorry This was hard to write, partially because of what’s gonna happen next, but also just because this is Marcus’ worst fear
Summary: You’re back on the island, trying to figure out what the hell is going on, whilst suddenly standing face to face with people you’ve lost and grieved. Meanwhile, Marcus lands in a heap of problems of his own.
Author’s Note: My head genuinely does hurt after having spent all day wrestling with this one. I do know how to complicate things for myself, but I love this story all the same, so I hope you’ll follow me through the magical mystery tour :)
Marcus stepped out of the gateway straight into his own kitchen, and immediately called out for Missy.
“Whoa, dad. What are you shouting for? I’m still right here.”
She came from the living room, holding her index finger in between the pages of a book she was reading, and when she spotted him, her face turned puzzled.
I’ve somehow missed this chapter! But the portal putting them in different timelines is propably for the best and what needs to happen but it feels so bad atm
Summary: Everything that’s happened to you and Marcus since the plane-crash finally comes to a head, all the pieces put together across both space and time falling into place, and suddenly you’re out of time.
Author’s Note: Okay, my loves. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I’m not going to write out the full warnings on this chapter, but if you’re hesitant to read without more details, just message me and I’ll be happy to tell you. I do recommend reading this with a large quantity of Oreos handy, or whatever your favorite cookies might be. It’ll help against the angst. Also: This is not the final chapter!
Rating: Mature18+ONLY Warnings: Cursing, angst, end of the world-themes, mentions of strained family relationships. Word Count: 7034 Masterlist (this story) Author’s Masterlist
If the portal/gateway/hellhole/asshole ever reappeared, you were gonna fucking kill it.
That was the prevailing thought on your mind as you made your way through the hallways at HQ, back in your time, where your Marcus had clearly not been returned. The thing had plopped you out inside your own office, suddenly holding the sapling in your hands again, and a quick glance at your screens had informed you of the date and time. You’d then wasted half a day looking for your Heroic, before finally accepting that the goo was no longer an ally and absolutely couldn’t be trusted.
You walked into the Science Department, storming through the work area fuming like a thunderous cloud about to release millions of volts of electricity, passing the desks and various machines without a glance at anyone. There were seven people in there, all of whom fell silent as you made your way through the room, continuing into an adjoined lab where you placed the sapling inside one of the bio-scanners and then returned to the control desk back in the work area.
“Run it.”
The poor biologist at the desk didn’t even glance at his Department Head, Jennifer, before starting the scan, making you wonder just how angry you looked right now. You didn’t care enough to find out. The machine ran its cycle, the pressing silence of the room becoming more and more suffocating as the seconds ticked by. And then the computer beeped and all the data it had managed to collect about the plant was displayed on the huge observation window.
“What am I looking at?”
Jennifer, being the only one in the room familiar enough with you to dare speak, came to your side and studied the screen thoroughly.
“From what I can tell, this plant is not terrestrial.”
“Damn it, Jen, I know that already, I need to know what’s significant about it.”
“Nothing. As far as the machine can tell.”
“Nothing?”
“It’s a plant. Normal structure and growth parameters, no obvious mutations or variations in the DNA, nothing molecularly deviant from what appears to be its natural state. If I knew more about the origin-world and had access to more data, I’d be able to give a more comprehensive analysis.”
“If I told you that I was given this sapling by a matriarch tree the size of a small moon, in order to help me stop a deadly outbreak of mutated spores, would that help your analysis at all?”
“Are you serious?”
You merely glared at her, and she took the hint, immediately shifting from casually answering questions, to actively assessing the situation.
“What kind of spores? What’s the threat level?”
“Alien, originally from an unexplored territory. The spores are a mutated form of either pretty much ordinary pollen, or bacterial spores, used as a source of nutrients for the indigenous lifeforms.”
“Do you have any idea how they were mutated?”
“Yeah. Human blood.”
“Shit… that’s not good. That might make them much quicker to adapt to our environment, we might be looking at a global spread within the space of just a few years.”
Oh, how you wished that that had been the case.
“Jen… The mutation started here, within our environment. They’ve already adapted. The information I have suggests that these things could wipe out all biological life on this planet, within months. If that, even.”
She was struggling to believe you, which was understandable, but unhelpful.
“Listen, that tiny little tree over there is somehow connected to how we stop this, and I need you to help me figure out how.”
“Right, okay… Well, if we’re talking defences, I know that some trees can release spores of their own, to protect against other species trying to land on them and take root in their trunks. But that wouldn’t protect us, only other plants, and probably only for a brief time.”
“What about… I don’t know, like an antidote? Something that could neutralize the harmful aspect of the mutated spores?”
“In theory that should be possible, but not in this short of a timeframe. Something like that would take months of cultivations and careful testing. It would be like trying to create a vaccine for a new pathogen, only in a fraction of the time and with no chance of testing it before distribution. It’s just not a workable solution.”
You both stood there, staring at the digital information still being displayed in front of you, each trying to work the problem, and each coming up empty. You tried to backtrack, returning to the basics of what you knew and how you’d thus far approached a solution (clearly not successfully), tried to think in odd angles and look with a wider lens. And soon enough, something occurred to you.
“Maybe microbiology isn’t the solution, here.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I need to see a botanist. I’ll be back, but call me if you figure anything else out, and DO NOT let anyone touch that sapling until I get back. Only you, got it?”
She nodded while you made your way to the door and left the lab, heading for the Heroics HQ Gardens, and the colourful Mrs. Bates. The gardener was a super, but not only that, she was one of the first known generations, one of the first ever to allow herself to be studied by scientists for a chance to better understand the super-gene. She was almost a hundred years old now but looked no more than sixty and had the energy and strength of someone even younger, still just as passionate about her craft and always happy to lend a helping hand to anyone that might need it. Later generations seemed to have lost this longevity, aging largely like ordinary people, but those first few were different. In more ways than one.
“I do believe I hear the footsteps of a troubled soul.”
“What gave it away?”
“You mean aside from the thunder that’s rumbling over your head?”
You sighed and lowered your head, trying not to let your mind veer off towards Marcus, but failing spectacularly.
“That’s not what I’m here about.”
“No? I struggle to fathom how you could possibly focus on anything else.”
“You and me both. But, desperate times… and all that.”
“What can I do for you, my dear?”
“I have a plant-based problem and I’d like your input.”
“Ah, my speciality. Let’s hear it.”
“Do you know of a way that plants can somehow neutralize threats from other plants?”
“Oh, nature is full of clever solutions. All plants have means of protecting themselves from all manner of problems.”
“What about aggressive spores? How would a tree protect itself from something like that?”
“Hmm. You’re talking about parasitic bacterial spores. That’s a tough nut to crack. They’re designed to be hardy, to survive under unfavourable conditions in order to allow a lifeform to spawn, once it encounters more favourable circumstances. They’re aggressive and generally very adaptive little things, which is why most biological lifeforms won’t have a natural defence against them.”
Your heart sank, hearing that.
“So, if spores that had been severely mutated and become extremely aggressive were to attack our flora, there wouldn’t be anything in nature that could survive them?”
“Not likely. Why? Are we facing such a threat?”
“Yes.”
She’d been calmly tending to a bush of some sort while she spoke to you, but now she put her hands down and turned to face you fully, looking genuinely worried. You took a step closer to her, feeling an urgency come over you, a need to move or act, probably just because you were truly starting to fear that you wouldn’t be able to solve this.
“I was brought to the world where these spores were naturally developed, over eons, and while I was there, a matriarch tree gave me a sapling from its own roots, and I just know that it somehow connects to how I’m supposed to stop what’s about to happen here, but I don’t know how.”
She instantly perked up, hearing that.
“What kind of tree was it?”
“I don’t know, it was alien.”
“That’s not what I mean. Was it coniferous or deciduous?”
“It was a leaf tree, millions of years old.”
“How fascinating. Did you speak to this tree?”
“Um… yeah. I mean, as well as I could, I didn’t really know what I was doing.”
“That’s of no concern. If a lifeform that old and that strong allowed you to connect to it, then you already know everything you need to.”
“What? How? I’m not following?”
“Bring the sapling, go where it told you to go, and you’ll find the answers you seek.”
“No, wait, it didn’t tell me to go anywhere, I don’t know what you’re ta-argh…”
Your words faded away into a frustrated growl, as Mrs. Bates herself faded away. Her powers had always been a bit of a mystery, however turning herself into dust and disappearing into the air was a well-used party-trick of hers. As far as anyone knew, the botany was only a hobby, but you wouldn’t put it past the old girl to have some influence over the growth or resilience of her plants. She was certainly mischievous enough to simply not tell anyone if that was the case, even though she’d volunteered to be a guinea pig. Perhaps as a challenge to see how long it would take science to advance enough to figure it out anyway, which you could respect. Still, you were abruptly annoyed again, because apparently you were gonna have to figure this crap out on your own, anyway. A quiet buzz in your pocket alerted you to your phone ringing, and since you didn’t have a plan on how to relocate the damn gardener yet, you picked it up.
“What?”
“Hey, it’s Jen.”
“I know that; what do you want?”
“Wow, you’re really in a mood today.”
“I’m losing my fucking mind, actually, so get to the point!”
“Alright, alright… After you left I put the house to work, sending alerts to all medical facilities to look out for any unusual cases, and we just learned that some folks have come into a hospital in southern California today, with symptoms that seem to be some sort of reaction to an unidentified substance. No one knows exactly what kind yet, they’re working on getting samples to us, thus far it’s just scans that have confirmed the presence of foreign parti-…”
“How many?”
“Uh… thus far… ten.”
“Shit. What kind of symptoms?”
“Difficulty breathing, vomiting, liver and kidney disfunctions, and apparently some of them are exhibiting some aggressive behaviour.”
Ice flooded your blood where you stood, surrounded by lush green plants and their flowers, sporting every colour of the rainbow and so many more. How long would it take before it was all gone?
“It’s already happening.”
You’d known, just from the fact that the portal had been so adamant about making you and Marcus understand all this, that it had to happen soon, but you’d still hoped to have a few days to figure out exactly what you were meant to do to stop it.
“What do we do, Sec?”
What could you do? All you had was a fucking plant and a presumed hint from a barely sentient being, that this could be halted. But the portal had never claimed as much. It had only showed you what had happened, not what would, everything else was your own assumption. Yours. Not Marcus’. Not anyone else’s, because you were the one that somehow just knew things. Right now, though, you felt like you didn’t know anything at all. What did your soul have to do with this? What had Bates meant about going somewhere?
Why had the portal separated you from Marcus?
Was that the answer… rather than a question? Had it moved him to a safe place, because the truth was that this wasn’t survivable, and he was more important to protect? More important for the future. You could believe that. Perhaps your part in all this had never been to stop the destruction, but instead… to simply plant a tree. Maybe that little stalk would survive, carrying the legacy of something so old and wise that it now knew how to shield itself, and would still be here when the dust settled, ready to bring life back to the Earth anew. All your life you’d been out of sync with the world, scrambling to understand even the basics of how to just live. Only to now, when you’d finally begun to figure it out, have to try and understand how to die. How to be alright with that, even though it seemed so unfair and cruel. Not so much that it had to be you that knew about the end of the world, someone apparently had to, but that you couldn’t have gotten to be with Marcus for your final time. You’d never feared laying down your life for others, but this was different. Because this wasn’t taking a bullet for a colleague or friend, this was accepting that everything that had ever lived, would be destroyed. There’d be no one left to protect any records. None to safeguard history. It would all be turned to dust in the thousands or even millions of years that you imagined it would take for the planet to recover, if it even could.
So… what could you do?
“Sec?”
“I need to see my brother.”
<><><><><>
Marcus knew that something was wrong. He could feel a kind of charge around himself that had nothing to do with his powers, and it was growing with each passing day. It might just be that he was in the wrong place, that the universe was being stretched the wrong way because of his misplacement, but if it was, what would happen the day that the cosmos decided to push back? And if it wasn’t that at all… then what? He’d easily fallen back into the routines of life, having already been stranded in this time for two weeks, the only drag being that he already knew everything that was going to happen. The Belgian worm that ate cars, Tech-No breaking his knee (it healed within five days), Guppy and Wild Card getting in trouble in school because of a particularly clever, albeit ultimately disastrous, prank that saw the entire basement of HQ completely flooded. He could’ve prevented those things, but since they weren’t life-threatening, he chose not to, for fear that intervening could somehow tamper with his chances of getting back to you. Missy didn’t seem at all bothered by knowing that he wasn’t technically the same dad she’d grown up with. He acted, spoke, moved and treated her exactly the same, and that was enough for her to accept that they were the same person after all. The only problem was that Marcus didn’t feel like he was. He felt out of place, literally. It was there in every movement, every ray of sunshine that hit his skin, every bite of food and sip of drink… like it didn’t actually happen to hisbody.
When three weeks had passed, he was getting desperate. He’d seen no hint of the portal anywhere, gotten no information at all about what was happening on your end, and he was beginning to fall apart. That evening at dinner, Missy could tell that something had changed, that he’d begun to break, and it didn’t matter that he could see how much it scared her, he just couldn’t conceal it anymore.
“Dad… is there anything I can do?”
He hated that she even asked. That she felt that same desperation. No kid should know what that felt like.
“No, sweetie. You get going on your homework, okay. I’ll clear the table.”
“But, dad-…”
“Missy, I can’t-…!”
He stopped himself before he could finish that sentence. Firstly, because he’d raised his voice at her, which he never ever did, and secondly, because he’d been about to say that he couldn’t take her kindness right now, which would be a terrible thing to say to a ten-year-old. Especially when she was looking for comfort.
“I’m sorry. …I’m sorry, honey.”
She was on the verge of tears, watching him sit there, shaking with a feeling he couldn’t name but which haunted and tortured him, right before her eyes. She stood up slowly, and came to wrap her arms around him, offering him the comfort that he’d been unable to give to her, and his heart shattered. His arms wrapped around her almost without his knowledge, squeezing her too tight, but she let him. In her endless kindness, she let him, and he didn’t deserve that, but he took it anyway, because he was drowning.
“I don’t know what to do… I’m so scared for her.”
“Don’t be. You know as well as I do, Ace is the toughest Hero there is, powers or no powers. And if she loves you, she’ll find you. I know it.”
Her confidence eased the worst of his fears, although not his guilt. But when they’d said goodnight and she’d disappeared into her room, he found himself outside in the backyard, quietly whispering to the stars just like he had every night since he got there. It was pointless, he knew that. To hope that the words would matter somehow, that they’d carry over between the impossibly large bridge that he hoped still connected the two of you. But standing there among the trees, amidst the mumbled wishes of ‘please, keep her safe’, spoken to figments of his imagination, a very real memory snuck into the forefront of his thoughts. And as his focus shifted, it was followed by a whole string of adjoining ones, all on the same subject: Chief Akela, talking about you.
–We might be able to help her. If you will let us.
–She has a strong spirit, that’s what truly saved her.
–Yes. Love can be a weakness. But it’s also the greatest source of power known, when you dare to wield it.
–We’re not meant to fight these heaviest of battles on our own, none of us would survive that.
Flashes, moments in time, all so significant as he’d lived them, but all equally significant now, for entirely different reasons. Akela had named you Mana, one of their very strongest words, but he’d never disclosed what Kahele meant. Now, standing out there under the stars, Marcus could almost feel the meaning of his name through the energy that the Chief had imbued it with. He heard the man’s voice as if a record was skipping inside his head. And with each repetition, the meanings seemed to deepen, burrowing further down into the depths of his soul. Hearing these phrases back-to-back, knowing the same man had spoken them, a man that saw things other people couldn’t, put them under a whole other light. Suddenly, Marcus knew that he had to get to you. Right now! All these phrases had been warnings, cemented into his brain long before they would become truly relevant, because Akela had somehow known that you would end up the sacrificial lamb on the altar of time. The portal had showed Marcus… it had fucking showed him what would happen, and still he hadn’t understood it. His dreams had been filled with your eyes, staring back at him as you took that final step into the unknown, but he’d seen only peace within you, and assumed that it meant victory. He had to get to you! But how!?
“Akela… help me! Please!”
He screamed at the treetops, ready to believe that the magical old man was still alive in some form, reaching out to him from some other world, or time. But the answer didn’t come to him from up there. It came from within himself. This time, the memories that berated his senses were all of you, as you’d unknowingly prepared him for this very moment.
–There’s not a single shred of all this that’s easy, but the fact is: we’re alive. And as long as we are, there’s hope.
–Are you seriously telling me that you’re prepared to just roll over and die, just because someone might try and stop you from going home?
–You’re a leader and a fighter and a hero. When did you become a quitter?
–You’re stronger than this.
His lungs emptied in a kind of subdued shock. And when the air flooded back in, the sky turned black, lightning flared high into the atmosphere and struck the ground all around him, not just the house, the trees, the pool, but the entire neighbourhood. Dark purple threads spread out around him by the thousands, searching and waiting. The lightning intensified, but became more and more focused, eventually drawn to the same spot, just fifteen feet to his left, where something was taking form. He let the threads join the lightning, one by one attaching them to the thing, pulling it closer and closer until it was forced into his timeline. The portal. Trapped by his power, the real power of his being, awoken by you, by his immeasurable love for you, it had no means of evading him as he approached it, noting that the surface of it, which was usually in constant turmoil, was now smooth. Like a doorway of silk, gently billowing against the simultaneously both light and dark forces that locked it in place through Marcus’ true strength. He knew that it would take him where he wished, it had no other option, so he didn’t hesitate to step towards it.
“Dad…”
Her voice, small and absolutely terrified, reached him like glass cracking under his feet. He’d never be able to ignore that voice.
“Sweetheart, it’s okay.”
Holding his powers in place, he closed the distance between them as he spoke, pulling her into a hug. Her voice was even smaller when she whispered in his ear.
“How are you doing that?”
He pulled back to look at her, putting his face in front of her eyes to force her focus away from the frightening spectacle.
“Because I have to.”
His own voice crackled, precariously close to dying out on his tongue as the tears filled his eyes with the knowledge that he had to walk away from her. Again. All he had to lean on was the blind faith that the timeline would somehow reset, and all of this would never have happened for her. But he’d always remember.
“You were right about what you said after dinner, except it’s the other way around. I’m the one that has to find her. I have to go, baby, but everything will be okay, I promise.”
“I’m scared…”
Her tears nearly broke his resolve.
“I am too. More than I ever have been before. But listen to me, Missy, because I need you to remember this, no matter what: You are stronger than your fears.”
Something sturdy seemed to brace her shoulders as she absorbed those words, and he backed away from her with a small hope kindled in the depths of his heart. That perhaps those words, once given to him on the ocean wind, existed outside of time, and that she’d remember them always, in all versions of the cosmos. He turned away from her, and without pause, stepped into the portal.
<><><><><>
You found him only hours after you’d hung up on Jen, even though he was several states away, by commandeering one of the Heroics helicopters and flying out there yourself. It had been years since you’d last flown anything at all, but you were a certified helicopter pilot and the training came back to you quickly once you were in front of the controls, the familiar abbreviations and dials somehow feeling like old friends from a past life. These machines were bigger and heavier, operated by more advanced engines than the one’s you’d flown back then, but you adjusted easily, using your fingers and feet to feel how the bird moved and responded. Ms. Granada had called you about half an hour after you left, not to yell at you, but to let you know that an additional eighteen hospitals along the coast had now called in suspected cases of spore-infections. That changed the projected timeline for how long it would take before this went global, into a mere fraction of the time you’d originally thought. Not that it made that much difference, in the end.
The base where Chris was stationed right now was inland and had rarely seen a visit from a Heroic helicopter, so when you approached the marked out landing pad, just a stones-throw from the training grounds, everyone stopped what they were doing and just stared. You came in fast, having alerted the base’s flight operator and tower that you were inbound, and for the first time since becoming Heroics Chief of Security, throwing your weight around in ordering them to clear the air for you. It was a bigger position than many would think, your job. For the sake of protecting the people that protected the world, you had the authority to assume command over any agency or company, civilian, military or other, as well as any location anywhere in the country. An authority you would ordinarily never have used for a personal matter, but the fucking world was ending. You landed smoothly, leaving the engine running idle while you climbed out and identified yourself to the armed guards around the helipad, who promptly stepped aside, saluting you as they recognized you as a superior officer. You asked one of them to direct you to Chris Hadley, having to scream over the sounds of the engines, and the guard pointed you towards the mess hall. Both of you had changed surnames after learning about your parents, but while he had stuck with a family name, after your maternal grandparents, you’d chosen something completely unrelated.
There was a loud buzz of voices in the large room as you stepped inside and stopped to look around, but it died out quickly when the people closest to you recognized you, and started spreading the word, until every eye in the room was on you. They weren’t required to stand in attention unless you ordered them to, or if you appeared in official attire, so you simply studied them, looking for a familiar face. You were just about to call out his name when a tall frame rose above the seated diners. You had the same eyes and chin, the same hair, albeit his cropped short along the sides, and only slightly longer over the crown of his head. It had been at least five years since you’d last seen him, and even though there had never been any animosity between you, he felt somewhat estranged, given that you hadn’t been close for a lot longer than that. You’d kept tabs on him, but only ever contacted him for birthdays and thanksgivings. Still, you’d grown up together, and knew each other accordingly well, so when he took in what had to be a strained or possibly even desperate expression on your face, he immediately made his way over to you and pulled you into a bearhug. He was a full head taller than you, broad-shouldered and muscular, so you all but disappeared into his embrace.
“What’s the matter, Sunshine?”
The whisper of his voice in your ear, the nickname he’d given you the first time he saw you and never stopped calling you since then, the love he still offered you so freely, even though you were the one that had pulled away from him, all threatened to break you. But you didn’t get to do that. You’d have to be strong now.
“I need to talk to you.”
He let go of you but kept his arm over your shoulders as he moved back to the door, holding it open for you and following you through. He brought you to an empty area outside, that you recognized as a practise ground for driving military vehicles, but which was currently unused. There were no obstacles or buildings anywhere nearby, so no one could get close enough to eavesdrop without being noticed.
“Tell me.”
Ever the military man. Straight and to the point. But how did you tell someone that the world was ending? How did you tell a beloved family member that you were there to say goodbye?
“Chris… I’m sorry. I know I’ve said it before, and I know that you would’ve forgiven me even if I hadn’t, but I need to say it. I need you to know that it’s not just about what happened back then, but all the years since, that I’ve avoided you. You didn’t deserve that.”
His stance softened, his hands coming to hold your shoulders, as he realized that this wasn’t an official visit, despite the Heroics helicopter.
“Hey, I know that, of course I do. What is this? Are you in trouble?”
“No, not trouble, just…”
…My last chance to tell you… Oh, to hell with spores and fuck time-travel for making you do this!
“Something’s gonna happen soon. Something really bad, and we can’t stop it.”
“The Heroics can’t?”
“…No one can.”
He stared at you for a minute, taking his hands off your shoulders and bringing them to his own hips instead. He was reading you, gaging the severity of your tone and everything else about this strange situation, and then he dipped his head and swallowed hard, having apparently landed on a conclusion.
“You’re talking end of the world-level bad… aren’t you?”
You only just managed to nod once in confirmation, and saw his eyes close, trying to avoid having to absorb that. But he did. No matter what, Chris had always believed you, always known when you were joking and when you weren’t. Your being there, coming to him like this, in the end it was probably all the proof he’d ever need that this was real.
“How long?”
“Days… at best. It’s gonna get bad. People going mad and then dying like flies. We know what’s causing it, but we just don’t have enough time to stop it.”
“But you’re gonna try something anyway.”
Your chest pinched at his words, just because of how sure (and correct) he was, your eyebrows knitting together with equal parts grief and solace. Because he knew you, down to the smallest damn detail that not even Marcus had managed to figure out yet.
“What gave it away?”
“You left the engine running.”
You couldn’t help but chuckle at how matter of fact he made it sound.
“Don’t I always?”
He knew what you were really saying, you could see it in his eyes. That you were always ready to run. Always kept an escape route open, because the world had taught you that even the parts of life that you’d thought were safe, sometimes weren’t. He pulled you into another hug, and this time you felt sorrow in the uneven breaths that tugged at his chest.
“Whatever’s coming… whatever happens… I love you.”
You gave yourself permission to break, just for this one little moment in time, standing in his embrace, holding him as tightly as your arms could, wishing that the world would just stop being so cruel.
“Love you, too.”
The actual word goodbye was too hard, though, so you merely pulled out of his frame, and walked away, back to the chopper and into the pilot’s seat, grateful that he didn’t follow you to stand there and watch you leave. Like you had so many times before. Once airborne, you pointed the nose of the bird towards the Pacific Ocean and gunned it. It didn’t really matter where on the coast you ended up, you just figured that planting the tree where the infection was spreading the fastest, was a logical conclusion. Whatever Mrs. Bates had meant about the matriarch telling you to go somewhere, was completely lost on you, so you chose to work on the basis of Occam’s Razor instead. Don’t make assumptions or attempt to draw conclusions without facts to support them. Stick to what you know. Easier said than done when something had been putting presumed facts in your head for… however fucking long you’d been in this time-travel rollercoaster. The dampened humming of the rotor, through the protective earpieces in your helmet, was the only sound you heard for the two-hour flight, but the rhythm had a calming effect on you. With each quiet whoof-whoof-whoof above you, it was like your brain was sorting itself out, and by the time you were closing in on your undefined destination, you’d both cried and laughed at old and new memories, fears and hopes, but ultimately reached acceptance. Whether it was fate, or just circumstance, the simple fact was that you had been chosen for this. No one else knew the things that you did. And even though you didn’t know exactly why the sapling had been given to you, you did know that you had to plant it. That it served a purpose. Made all the clearer now when you reached the coast, and flew into a literal red cloud.
The body of the chopper was sealed, the spores had no way of reaching you as long as you stayed inside it, but you’d have to step outside to plant the tree. It was less than five hours since you’d left Los Angeles, and in that time, the coast had been completely overrun by the deadly infection. You flew lower, identifying the city you’d reached as San Diego, and finding the streets littered with bodies that had already decayed enough to release freshly born spores in incalculable numbers. A fresh volley of pain coursed through you at the thought that this cloud would’ve already reached LA too, and that the reason you hadn’t heard anything more from HQ was likely because it was already devoid of anything living. Your mind violently revolted against the image of Missy and Anita having been reduced to these petri dishes of biological matter, shocking you back into focusing on your task. Landing anywhere in the city was out of the question, because any people that were still alive would be out of their minds and extremely violent, which presented too much of a risk against your success. So, you aimed for South Coronado Island instead, the closer of the two islands that sat just eight miles off the coast. It was more of a cliff than an island, sitting in the bay like a knife laying on its back. But on the southern half of it, around what looked like the tallest section, there was a more flattened out area where the chopper should fit.
You landed a little less smoothly this time, because the winds out here were stronger, and coming at the craft from a downward angle as they were pushed up along the steep side of the island. Once you were safely down, you cut the engines and pulled the brakes on the rotor to help slow it down quicker. The cloud was less dense out here, being pushed inland by the winds, but the moment you opened the door, you’d get infected. There was no avoiding that. The frail-looking little plant sat on the second pilot’s seat next to you, making you wonder how the hell this little thing was meant to survive against all this… And then you remembered that that was still only what you’d been made to believe would happen, based on the magical insights that came from inside your own head. In reality, no more reliable than a wish upon a star. And yet, you trusted it. Was that what Bates had meant?
Go where it told you to go, and you’ll find the answers you seek.
Perhaps it wasn’t about going to a physical place, but to a place where you believed that this would succeed. Perhaps it was all a leap of faith. You took off your headgear, picked up the baby tree, tucking it safely against your chest, and opened the door. The spores actually stung your skin, they were so potent, and the burn in your lungs was instantly unbearable, making you cough and struggle for air after just one small inhalation. You dropped to your knees right outside the chopper, quickly digging a little hole in the tough, rocky soil, before putting the sapling down in it and covering the base. It couldn’t have taken you more than a minute in total, but as you finished, you could already feel your mind being invaded by the infection, stripping you of thoughts, wishes and memories. Instincts took over, trying to protect you, but there was nothing that could be done. With each passing second, a little more of you was burned away, aggression becoming more and more prevalent to your being.
And then it suddenly stopped. Something moved over your skin, soothing the burn from your toes to your scalp, even under your clothes, and then a movement to your left caught your eye. A man had appeared there, out of seemingly nowhere, and for some reason, your body was reacting to him. Wanting him closer. You were scared and angry, but you didn’t know why. All you knew was that this man looked safe and protective, so you allowed him to put his arms around you. And when he did, something seemed to wake up inside of you. Something so powerful that it felt like you might burst with the force of it suddenly churning through you, making you tremble and spasm in his grip. He took your hand and brought it to the ground right in front of a little plant that had somehow grown all alone up here on the cliff.
“That power you feel, I need you to give it to that little plant. As much as you can spare, can you do that?”
His voice made your body still, calming the whipping waves under your skin, even though you had no idea how you were meant to do what he was asking.
“Look at it. Helpless and all alone out here. Let’s help it grow.”
Something seemed to fall into place inside you as you heard that. You liked to help. To be of use. You didn’t know how you could possibly aid this frail little thing, but he seemed so sure. A thin and shiny thread flowed from his index finger to the sapling, and when it landed, through him, you could feel the thing. Its tiny roots looking for nutrients, and all at once, you knew exactly how to help it. The power inside you flowed through that one little thread, guided by whatever power he had, to be able to do that, straight into the lifeblood of the young tree that eagerly sucked it all in, quickly draining you of strength.
<><><><><>
You didn’t know him. That was the first thing he realized as he stepped through the portal and found you right there, right in the same spot he’d seen in his dreams. His shield could protect you from absorbing any more spores, but it couldn’t undo what damage had already been done. Why hadn’t the portal brought him there a minute earlier? Two minutes… however long you’d been exposed. He could’ve made sure that you’d never needed to inhale a single particle. But you were still alive and letting him touch you, and you seemed calmed by his presence, so perhaps something inside you did still remember. He only knew about the tree because of what the portal had showed him, since he hadn’t been there when you’d received it, or met you at all since then, but he knew that it was the key to everything. When he felt it take the power from your soul, he was terrified at how quickly and effectively it drained you, and he tried to break the connection, to pull his thread back before it killed you. But he couldn’t. The tree grew before his eyes, one foot, then two… five… ten… twenty… fifty, its roots breaking the ground it stood on, turning the south side of the island into rubble under its increasing size and weight, but without letting the two of you get jostled. A thick root settled underneath you, keeping the ground steady so you wouldn’t fall or get buried under the rolling masses of dirt and rock that sent the chopper crashing down into the ocean. But Marcus stopped caring what happened around him when he felt your body go limp in his arms.
“No, no, no… hey, Pita! Look at me, come on.”
He turned you so that your upper body was resting in his lap, gently tapping your cheek to get you to open your eyes. But when you did, ice filled his heart. Because this was the moment. The one he’d seen, over and over, thinking that it was the moment you won. The one he’d clung to in his exile, needing to believe that he had to be absent for, so that you could succeed, but which he now knew was the moment of your sacrifice. You didn’t look scared or confused, angry or sad. Only accepting. His lips, hands and arms started trembling, his stomach clenching in a tight knot, as the tears burned his eyes and a choking pressure clamped down on his throat. In his mind he was begging.
Don’t go. Don’t leave me. I can’t do this again. I need you. Please…
But not a word managed to claw out of his tortured body. And then his thread suddenly snapped, as your soul left you. A single, agonized breath was all he got, and then the roots shifted, something snared you, and you were torn from his grasp, pulled into the ground and buried, without pomp or circumstance. Without choirs or hymns. The roots settled themselves over the spot where you’d disappeared, and the tree and the ground finally stilled.
—————
Link to Chapter 18
Yeah, um….. My apologies, I was cleaning my tearducts and this fell out. Thank you for reading, and I’d love to know what you thought :) Have a wonderful day/night!
Give me a shout if you wish to be tagged on updates, and same goes for being removed from the taglist.
Poorly Wired Circuit Chapter 11 or “Playing Tetris, Bodies on the Mattress”
Parings: Marcus Moreno x Female Reader
WC: 5.4k
Rating: 18+ SMUT, P in V, Oral sex (male and female receiving) Body fucking Worship. So rating is just gonna stay this way from here on out. Strong physical violence, Mentions of death, infertility issues, strained parental relationships, and curse words. The movie may have been for children. This fic is definitely not.
And a new title card for this very special episode.
“So where’s Missy tonight?” You ask, leaning against the counter, watching Marcus as he pours whiskey into a cocktail shaker.
“She is at a sleepover with some girls from her swim team.” Marcus had hardly believed it himself when Missy had told him her plans for the evening when he casually began fishing if she would mind another night at her grandmother’s. He suspected there was an additional influence at play here. One that was currently letting her fingers dance across the drink ingredients laid out on the countertop.
Hi bbys heres some quick fluff I thought up also so sorry for how long it is
*Gender Neutral reader
(Gif is not mine credit goes to the artist who created it)
Din Djarin
The first time you glide your hand through Din’s sweaty locks it feels like he gets punched in the gut. It feels good, like really good and he just got back from this difficult ass hunt so all he can do is just let out a long drawn out groan into your neck. Thank god you two are shrouded in darkness in the safety of Din’s bunk because he would cringe in self embarrassment if he could see your amused smile.
Javier Peña
Javi loves it when you play with his hair. It’s thick and curls slightly at the ends, perfect for gripping during all occasions if you get what I mean. Any time he’s stressed he will sit next to you and just lean his head on your shoulder, a surprisingly vulnerable moment for Javi.
Frankie Morales
Stick your hands in this mans hair and he immediately melts into your side. Its his weak spot he just loves it. His hair is in a casually messy style most of the time anyway so you brushing your fingers through his hair really doesn’t bother him. He will also return the favor with a neck massage if you need one
Ezra (prospect)
This man will purr like a damn cat that caught the canary. He loves it and its the fastest way to ease him to sleep. Ezra’s a sucker for scalp massages and literally whimpers out in appreciation when you rub gently at his scalp if he awakens from horrid dreams of past traumas.
Max Phillips
Only at home will you be able to run your fingers through Max’s cropped hair. Even though it really makes no difference when you do, Max thinks it does. He has a lewk to uphold y'know. However when you do he’s all obnoxiously loud moans and groans. He uses the dumbest nicknames too like sweetcheecks and dollface.
Pero Tovar
Fastest way to make that scowl melt. For real Pero cannot help the tension he always holds, he lives a stressful life so when he returns to you after months of selling his sword expect an exhausted Tovar planted face down on your chest as you rub his scalp. He needs these quiet grounding moments to ease him into the quiet winter months.
Agent Whiskey
Not to say Jack can be annoying but…Jack can be annoying with this. He just likes to be like glued on top of you and that’s all fine a cute until all his weight finally settles on top of you. But also if you complain then he complains on how you’re breaking his yee-haw heart.
Marcus Pike
YES YES GOD PLEASE YES PLAY WITH THIS MANS HAIR. He’s so freaking cute with it because he tries to not groan but he can never hold back how relaxed he feels with you gently tugging at his hair. This man lives for small intamacy so sign him the fuck up.
Dave York
Dave loves hair skritches and always finds your lap to rest his head on when he’s stressed. Often times keeping his eyes closed while you play with his hair, his hand holding yours absent mindedly playing with your wedding ring.
Marcus Moreno
Again, yes please let this man rest his head on your shoulder as you stroke through his hair. His back is sore, he bent his glasses, and its finally Friday please, please just let him drift off on you. His soft snores are the cutest.
Maxwell Lord
Another one that will only let you play with his hair in privacy, he has some confidence issues already so you understand his request to keep his hair in perfect condition in public. He always seeks you out to vent that eventually turns into you perched on his lap as you stroke through his growing out locks, brunette beginning to bleed into the bottle blonde.
Omar Assarian
Another privacy snug bug. He absolutely adores intamacy when you two are alone. So many times you two will be chilling on the sofa and he will grab your hand and place it on top of his head so he doesn’t have to verbally tell you what he wants.
Zach Wellison
Wow touch starved boi here, hello. For real when you first glided your hand through his hair while you two had a casual at home date night you could see the goosebumps rise on his exposed arms and chest. He tries his best to keep a cool look but eventually he gets a bit overwhelmed and needs to hide his face in your neck.
Warnings: Threats of violence, swearing, questionable morals, questionable loyalties, dilemmas, lots of frustration, some angst.
Work count: 1.6k
A week later, you were beginning to question your decision. Not because of Marcus - he was patient and supportive and sympathetic. Not even because you were regretting giving him information on Jupiter and the others.
No, you were regretting your decision because this was so fucking hard.
Honestly, you had thought it would be easy. Marcus would ask you a question, and you’d spill your guts and tell him everything you knew. Which was a lot.
Instead, Marcus asked you a question and you struggled for words, for phrasing, for anything other than the paralyzing feeling of wrongness stuck in your throat.
“How many of the team are there?” Marcus asked softly. He had a recorder on the small table between you two, a notebook on his knee and pen in his hand.
