Outcasted Safeguard

Outcasted Safeguard

[Shadows of Rose] Rosemary Winters x Female Reader

Summary: Rose is generally isolated outside of training, but because of this, it's hard for her to be reasonable about standing up for the one person she's grown attached to.

Word Count: 2.24k Content Warnings: Language (?), a small argument Category: Angst + Fluff || One-shot

[A/N]: None.

Enjoy!

“Why don’t you just fuck off?” “Rose, for god’s sake!” You watched with growing frustration as your friend scoffed at your girlfriend, Rose, before spinning on their heel. “Hey, wait,” you called out, trying desperately to get them to stop. “No, fuck this. We can talk when your freak of a girlfriend isn’t breathing down your neck,” they barked back, lifting their middle finger high in your direction before storming out through the small entrance of the library and into the parking lot.

Sorrow mixed with fury contorted your features, the lines across your skin creasing further upon noticing the way people around you murmured and glanced between you and Rose. Grumbling under your breath, you huffed and took off toward the other exit. Just as quickly, Rose followed behind, calling out your name in confusion. “Where are you going?” She questioned once you made it out onto the sidewalk.

“Anywhere but here. You really know how to cause a scene.” The words instantly seeped into her mind and nipped at her insecurity. “I wasn’t trying to cause a scene,” she replied, “I just didn’t like the way they were speaking to you. You don’t deserve that.”

All you were able to do was glare at her in that moment, unaware of how her heart throbbed under the weight of your piercing gaze. Upon making it to your car, you fought the urge to leave her behind and head home alone, watching through the corner of your eye as she timidly climbed into the passenger seat and swiped her palms against her jeans to try and dry the molded sweat forming on her palms.

Wordlessly, your keys found their way into ignition, then allowed you to start the engine to begin the painfully silent journey home.

You could see in your peripheral vision as she shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. Her fingers moved to fidget with the ring given to her by her father, and a pang of guilt found itself eating away at your conscience. She had done the same thing in the past. After a while, you had managed to ask her why she always touched her ring when she was under pressure, and she explained to you that she tries her hardest to speak to her father from the other side and ask for advice on how to carry on.

Knowing that, you were already feeling horrible for causing her to worry. Then, however, you remembered why you were so upset. Ever since you had grown close to Rose – and ultimately became her girlfriend – she had only become more and more protective. It was to the point where you couldn’t even have a civil conversation with anyone without her glaring daggers at them.

Most of the time, you weren’t even able to defend yourself. She insisted on doing it for you, though she never made sure you were okay with that, and that’s what annoyed you the most. You were more than capable of standing up for yourself. You had worked so hard to build your confidence and do so on your own, but she seemed to never pay any mind to it. In the past, you had quietly asked her to let you handle it, but she always managed to convince you to let her “defend you,” as she put it.

At first it was fine. She only did it with strangers when she could tell they were annoying you. As time went on, however, her aggression began to trickle into normal conversations with your friends. The subject didn’t even have to be something combative for her to step in and get defensive. The most trivial things could be deemed as threatening to her, and that always led to her pushing those friends away from you. You knew that wasn’t her intention, but it was aggravating nonetheless.

It felt like hours had passed by the time you pulled into the lot of your shared apartment with Rose, the entrances and exits guarded heavily by the same BSAA guards that had practically raised your girlfriend with the intention for her to be a bio-weapon. After the car was checked, you were allowed to park and head inside. Rose trailed after you up the stairs and watched as you wrestled the keys from your pocket to unlock the door leading into the apartment.

You stepped inside, held the door open for her, and shut and locked it once she slipped past you. Softly, she whispered your name, confused from your silence and trying to get you to say anything at all.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, her hand lifting to rest on your arm. When you shrugged her touch off, her frown deepened. Acting as though you hadn’t heard her, you dropped your bag down by the door and hardly managed to force yourself to put the keys away properly before trudging into the bedroom and sitting on your side of the bed. You made sure to face away from the door when you shifted to lie down on your side, though you could hear when she came in and stopped in the doorway.

Something had struck a chord with her, and you knew that whatever it was was because of you. Her feet carried her forward until she sat on her own part of the mattress. Barely a minute passed before you felt her hand once again squeezing your arm to gain your attention. “Was it something I said?” You scoffed and shuffled away from her touch.

Her voice broke when she spoke again, then shook after she cleared her throat. “Was it what they said to you? I told them to stop, but they didn’t want to–”

“Dammit, Rose, it wasn’t what they said, it was because of you!” You hollered, bolting upright and turning to look her in the eye. She flinched back at your sudden tone and instinctively slid her hand back up to toy with her ring. “Why did you do that?” You continued, standing up from your spot. “Do what?” The timidness had returned to her tone. She truly didn’t understand why you were so upset with her.

You huffed out a strained laugh and ran your hands down your face. “Seriously? God, okay, fine. Why did you get involved in something that had nothing to do with you? Why did you tell them to fuck off when all they had done was barely raise their voice? Why do you always do that? Why can’t you ever just let me deal with my problems on my own?”

It was her turn to stand. She stared at you, almost in a challenging manner. “You mean why do I always try to protect you? Hm, I don’t know, maybe because I have to! You weren’t doing anything about it. They were treating you like shit, and you don’t deserve that, so I was trying to fix it for you!” Again, you laughed. “Fix it? All you did was make it worse! They weren’t treating me like shit at all, and you would know that if you actually bothered to get the full story before deciding to try and step in.”

“I don’t care about whatever happened beforehand,” she retorted. “Clearly,” you grumbled. She rolled her eyes and continued. “I’m not just going to stand by and watch you get picked on!” The familiar feeling of your fingernails digging into your scalp returned as a burning sensation greeted your eyes. When you glanced back up at Rose again, she was blurry. “Oh my god, I wasn’t getting picked on! Why can’t you get that through your head? Do you not trust me? Do you really not think I’m capable of taking care of myself either way? Am I seriously that pathetic in your eyes?”

You cursed to yourself as the tears fell. “Dammit,” you blurted out, wiping furiously at your eyes and sniffling. Briefly, you looked up at Rose, and you paused. A realization had visibly dawned on her when she saw you cry, and she tensed at whatever thought was clouding her focus. Your head dropped down as you stared silently at the carpeted ground beneath your feet. Once more, her hand found itself planted on your shoulder. This time you didn’t shrug it off, and as she took notice of this, her arms instantly wrapped themselves around you to pull you close. “Don’t cry,” she mumbled, squeezing you reassuringly. “Please don’t cry. I’m sorry.”

A hiccup unwillingly slipped past your lips before you urgently tugged her further against you. “Of course I don’t think you’re pathetic,” she continued. “I know you can take care of yourself. I’ve never doubted that, and I never will. I promise I trust you.”

Just as you had done countless times before, you found yourself melting into her touch and crying onto her shoulder. The tips of her fingers grazed over the back of your neck soothingly, and ultimately you managed to even your breaths and will the tears to stop. She always knew how to calm you down, even if she had been the reason for your crying.

When she was sure you were okay, she leaned back and cupped your face in her hands. “Can you please talk to me? Tell me what’s upsetting you. I can’t help if I don’t understand how I’m hurting you.”

A weak nod was your only response at first. “I just,” you croaked out while she brushed another tear away with the pad of her thumb. “I feel so pitiful when you don’t let me stand up for myself. It’s like you don’t want me to do things on my own, and it’s so suffocating all of the time. I just wish you would let me deal with my own problems. I don’t always need someone to come swoop in and save me. I can take care of myself.

“I wish you would leave me alone sometimes.”

The thick silence returned between the two of you. Your mind had barely begun to settle when she let out a small “oh.”

You thought finally getting everything off your chest would make you feel better, but the growing tension only threw that same weight of guilt back onto your shoulders. She stepped away from you and pocketed her hands. Although her eyes were partially covered by her cap and were concentrated on a random pattern on the ground in front of her, you could still see the glossiness forming in them.

“So,” she started. “Is that it for us then? Do I need to leave for good? I-I can if you want me to.”

“No! No, god no,” you replied, pulling her back into an embrace and squeezing her as tightly against yourself as you could. “I don’t want you to leave. Please don’t leave me.”

A small turn of the head let you press a featherlike kiss to her cheek. “I just need you to let me handle my own issues alone sometimes, okay? I promise you I’ll ask you right away if I need help with anything. I just need to be able to be independent sometimes.”

Rose hummed, her fingers digging into the fabric of your shirt. “I know that,” she murmured. “But I just want to make sure you’re safe. I know you already know how to take care of yourself, but I just… I’ve never been anywhere near as close to others as I am to you, and I’m so scared of losing you. You’re all I have left.” She chuckled. “I guess I’m just worried you’re going to realize how much of a freak I am if someone who doesn’t like me starts to hate you too. And, I mean, let’s face it: none of your friends like me.

“Makes sense, to be fair. That’s why I’ve always been the outcast, you know? People don’t like me. I never really learned how relationships work because of it, so I’m really sorry if I haven’t been the girlfriend you deserve. I’ve only ever been around Chris and his team, and we’re always just picking fights with strangers who threaten us, so I guess that’s where I get it from.”

She stepped back to look you in the eye again. “I don’t know if it’s working, but I’m trying really hard to get this right. I just want to make you happy. I’m sorry that I can’t do that all the time. I’m glad you told me what was wrong.”

Swiftly, she wiped her tears from her skin before sucking in a deep breath and taking your hands into her own. “If it really would make you happy, then I’m willing to start taking a step back so you can handle your problems on your own.”  Relief, for the first time that evening, flooded through your senses at her words. A grin broke out onto your lips before you squeezed her hand. “Thank you,” you whispered. She nodded and mirrored your smile. In an instant, you were pulled into yet another hug.

“Of course.”

Her lips briefly met your shoulder in a chaste kiss before her chin landed to rest delicately against it. Nails traced random patterns against your skin, and you knew she was trying to distract her mind until she was able to calm her racing heart. After a moment, she snickered.

“Just make sure you let me know when I need to kick some ass for you, okay?”

Pure Admiration

[Shadow of the Tomb Raider] Lara Croft x Female Reader

Word Count: 2.03k

Proofread: No

Content Warnings: A really corny ending (bear with me), very brief mentions of death, soft anxiety

Categories:

Angst Fluff Mix

One-Shot Preference Headcanon

[A/N]: This was more of a drabble than an actual individual chapter. Not proofread, but the ending is still extremely cheesy, so feel free to ignore it if you'd like.

[A/N] #2: Most likely going to rewrite this sometime in the future, but I currently have six more characters I plan on writing for first.

Enjoy!

Throughout the time she spent during and after the trip to Yamatai, Lara was often seen with a deadpan expression and heard with a cold or uninterested tone by anyone who happened to stumble across her path. Trinity soldiers, paparazzi, Jonah, Sam, and everyone alike had grown accustomed to glancing over at any given moment, and even when she was talking about something she was passionate about, there was always a sense of stress or frustration laced within each crease that lined her face.

Even before her first independent expedition, it wasn’t uncommon to see her scowling down in confusion as she reread over pages and pages of books she had carried to study with, murmuring that she had to be missing something. It had taken a toll on her appearance too–due to the countless nights she spent staying up to continue her research, her eyes had grown dull and heavy with fatigue. It only added to the look of exasperation that seemed to constantly adorn her features.

 To most, it was almost seen as a trademark feature of hers–a part of her that would never fully disappear. It was why it was such a surprise to the people closest to her when [Y/N] came into the picture. For once, it seemed as though Lara was finally at ease with someone other than herself. When Jonah or Sam would glance over at the two, it was hard not to mirror Lara’s contagious smile as she chatted away happily with [Y/N] about whatever came to mind.

Not once did Lara hold an ounce of resentment or irritation in her tone or eyes when she would gaze over at the younger woman. Instead, there was a sense of admiration, one in which seemed to bring out the best of her. In cases where she’d usually grow stubborn and aggressive toward whoever she was bickering with, [Y/N] was somehow able to extinguish even the smallest feelings of fury that might’ve sparked to life beneath her skin, always steering the conversation to something everyone could seemingly agree with before things escalated too far.

And over time, the effects [Y/N] had on Lara began to shift into her everyday way of looking at things. Where she’d once swipe everything off her desk and clutch handfuls of her hair in utter frustration, her head pounding from lack of sleep and confusion as to why she couldn’t figure something out, she’d instead take a moment to herself and focus on something else before moving back when she was ready. She found it helped her get things done much quicker, as well as prevent the high levels of stress she had grown used to, though she wasn’t entirely aware it was [Y/N] who had ultimately caused it.

Even when Lara wasn’t with her, doing so much as talking about [Y/N] was enough to lighten her mood. It was evident to anyone who even managed to glance over at the right time. Something had lifted her spirits with the mere mention of it, that much was obvious, though they never knew what. Although Lara didn’t visit Sam often, Jonah made sure to fill her in about every time the brunette would start rambling on and on about the other woman, much to Sam’s amusement. When Lara would visit here and there, she’d be gently teased about her “little crush,” in which she’d deny her feelings and try her best to change the subject.

Sam eased up on her taunting remarks after a while, but eventually asked Lara when she planned on asking [Y/N] out, her previously chipper tone suddenly serious. Again, Lara denied how she felt and shifted the topic before she made an excuse to leave. As she went to bed that night, however, she found herself pondering whether or not she had actually fallen for someone.

She didn’t get any sleep, too busy tossing and turning as she desperately tried to get the image of [Y/N] out of her mind. Each time she’d think about her kind smile, her comforting hugs, her cheerful and comforting demeanor, Lara would hide her face behind her hands or bury it in her pillow, groaning at the feeling of a burning warmth enveloping her skin.

After another night or so of this, she somehow found that she was able to fall asleep, although she had to hold one of her pillows to her chest. Unwillingly, she pictured it was [Y/N]’s sleeping form against her own. Her face burned with embarrassment the next morning when she discovered she had clutched onto the plush surface rather tightly throughout the night, and she hesitantly found herself shoving the pillow back up against the headboard. She scolded herself before forcing her weakened body out of bed to start her day.

There was no way she could possibly be in love with someone she had known for such a short amount of time.

Was there?

It took months for her to finally come to terms with her emotions enough to finally ask for advice, and since she was away on a trip without any way to talk to Sam, she confided in Jonah. As they pushed their way through the ground of the forest, hacking down loose branches and bushes that blocked the path with a makeshift machete, she not-so-casually admitted she might actually feel something for [Y/N]. She had expected him to be surprised in one way or another, but he quickly let her know she wasn’t great at hiding it.

Sheepish, she tried to brush it off and ignore the fact she ever brought it up, but Jonah insisted that he didn’t mind. He told her how relieving it was to see her so happy with someone–that she deserved to find someone special and spend time with them rather than constantly hiding away in her study to bury herself in research.

Even with a grumble rebutting the remark of essentially stowing herself away, Lara couldn’t deny that it felt nice caring so deeply for someone. She had cared for others before, sure: Jonah and Sam were like family to her at this point. But this felt different. It felt intimate and passionate in all the right ways.

Trudging their way up a hill to set up a base camp for the night, she and Jonah cautiously talked about ways to get Lara to confess, both too worried of crossing a boundary and upsetting the brunette. Jonah knew it was a touchy subject when it came to romance and settling down to start a family with her, but Lara was terrified of messing things up more than anything. She had finally found someone she loved like no other, and given that she had no prior relationship experience, the question of whether or not she would ruin things hung heavy in the back of her mind with every thought that flashed through.

Nothing else was mentioned about Lara’s feelings for the remainder of the journey, but once the two of them were seated in the plane headed back home, the testy topic was picked up again. Jonah had to keep reminding Lara that there was no reason to get defensive, that it was okay to be open about how she felt. It took nearly an hour, but she finally got it.

She had never had any kind of crush before–never understood why girls back in junior high and high school would gossip about the people they had their eyes on–she had no idea how to express how she felt. Although it was difficult, she knew she could trust Jonah, and she finally managed to talk about exactly how she felt.

Another few months had passed, and it had almost been a year by the time Lara was ready to confess how she felt to [Y/N]. Every time she thought of how long it had taken to muster up the courage, she felt ridiculous. It had taken her nearly a full year to realize how she felt and actually act on it. Normally, when she felt something strong bubbling up within her, she acted on it right away. Granted, those feelings were usually ones of annoyance at someone going against her wishes or determination to find an ancient ruin she had been studying for weeks.

Regardless, she scolded herself for being so cowardly, reminding herself that she’d need confidence if she were to ever get rid of the feeling of anxiety that stemmed from how she felt about the other woman–who seemed to increasingly plague more and more of her thoughts with every passing day.

At first, she thought she could go all out for her confession, wanting it to be special. She decided against that quickly, however, upon remembering something as simple as a location or a certain activity could be special on its own. She also cringed at the idea of a large event for something that could go wrong, though she hated the idea of a huge confession either way.

Yes, she wanted things to be special and go smoothly, but that didn’t mean other people had to be there to witness it. Whether or not it went well was nobody else’s business. Plus, the mere thought of being around other people made her anxious. The idea was discarded faster than it had even crossed her mind.

Finally, after getting different ideas from Sam and Jonah, Lara setup something small, invited [Y/N] to join her, and eventually managed to confess how she felt, unable to look the other woman in the eye as she awaited her response. Pure relief washed over her senses once [Y/N] voiced that her feelings were mutual. A short while later, Lara asked [Y/N] to be her girlfriend, to which she said yes as well.

Jonah was the first to congratulate Lara, given that he was essentially the wingman in the situation, and Sam was quick to tease her about what she planned to wear at the wedding. Lara brushed her off with a playful laugh each time, though she wouldn’t deny that she had already begun planning out the wedding anyway.

Somehow, each time anyone saw the two of them together, Lara always seemed to be in a cheerful mood, uncharacteristically lively and energetic. She was friendlier towards others, so long as she knew they weren’t making [Y/N] uncomfortable.

And just like before, when they hadn’t been dating, anyone with a set of working eyes was able to see the absolute admiration swelling up in Lara’s eyes whenever they’d land on [Y/N]. Her eyes never dimmed with disinterest or disgust, but rather lit up with love and genuine joy. Her fingers would often be seen laced with the other woman’s, allowing her to give a squeeze here and there, whether it be reassuring, teasing, or simply because she enjoyed being there with her. As they talked about anything and everything, [Y/N] would lean into Lara’s side, and in turn, Lara would rest her head atop the younger woman’s, still glancing down at her here and there just to see the face of the one she had fallen so deeply in love with.

The look in her eye only grew stronger as the years went on, and the two ultimately married, ready to settle down for good. During the vows, Lara spoke about how gleeful [Y/N] made her feel over the years, and Jonah and Sam couldn’t help but smile at each other in understanding. They had been there to witness the joy. They knew it wasn’t temporary.

Even when Lara and [Y/N] would argue, as most couples do, it never caused that gleam in Lara’s eye to falter. It grew and grew, all the way into their thirties, then forties, then fifties, and continued to grow until their eyes closed for the final time. Had anyone outside looked into their life, even the most cynical of onlookers couldn’t wholeheartedly deny how in love they were, nor could they ignore the admiration that had burrowed in and made itself at home in Lara’s gaze, there 'til the day she died.

dude you fed us so well with good luck charm. one of my favourite parts was how you wrote jinx first processing being called a token of good luck. idk there was something about it that was both in character yet paid homage to how such a thing can feel, and you captured an outside view's pov of watching it happen in real time so well

AAAA I'm glad you enjoyed that fic because it was really fun to write! I love that so many people liked it as well.

And yeah, I wanted to give it more of a realistic feel in regards to her character when the reader calls Jinx her good luck charm, so I'm really happy that it came across the way I intended! I'm trying to also improve on showing rather than telling, and it seems it worked for that fic specifically, which makes me very happy! :)

I have a few more fics planned for a couple of characters, and Jinx is one of them, so I hope you'll enjoy those as well if you'd like to stick around! Thank you so much for your kindhearted words, they really do mean a lot to me! 🩵

For anyone interested, the link for the fic mentioned above is here.

I Adore You

[Five Nights at Freddy's] Vanessa Shelly x Female Reader

Summary: She loves everything you do, even if you aren't aware of it.

Word Count: 2.40k Content Warnings: Oblivious reader, brief mentions of anxiety Category: Heavy Fluff || One-shot

[A/N]: Not proofread. Requests are currently being worked on.

Enjoy!

It seemed as though people were chatting away and snickering at you each time you were with Vanessa. You couldn’t understand why. She was your best friend, and you were just hanging out together. What could be so funny about that? Out on walks at the park, a group of girls would lean over to whisper to each other when you and Vanessa passed. When shopping at the mall or the local grocery store, the customers nearby and the clerks seemed to gossip about the two of you with teasing grins on their faces. Even when you would just go out to eat somewhere, it seemed as though the people who noticed the two of you together were talking about you.

What was so interesting about two people hanging out? Why weren’t they gossipping about other people nearby instead? You couldn’t wrap your head around it no matter how long you thought about the constant glances and hushed words. At first, you had thought it was just a coincidence that you and Vanessa were singled out, but as it happened more and more, you started to wonder if it was something about you. There was no way they could be making fun of Vanessa. Even so, looking down at yourself each time and taking note of your appearance, you had no idea what was being discussed so quietly.

The one place, aside from home, where you could escape the chatter was the Diner that Mike worked at with the animatronics. There, with Mike and Abby to keep you company, you could relax and just spark up a normal conversation with Vanessa without worrying about judgemental glares focused directly on you.

However, it seemed that as of recently you had no escape anymore aside from home. Mike, and even Abby herself, were constantly smirking knowingly whenever you and Vanessa would sit down and speak about your days. You couldn’t figure out why, and it was really starting to get under your skin. Surely there was something that you weren’t seeing. That had to be it.

You had to figure it out. It was driving you insane.

As you sat at one of the dusty tables lining the floor of Fazbear’s Family Diner, your eyes trailed over the shapes etched into the party-themed fabric across the wooden top of the surface in front of you. Each small movement of your eyes symbolized a new thought being formed as you desperately wracked your brain to develop an understanding of the gossip.

When a hand came down to squeeze your shoulder and pull you out of your trance, you jumped and twirled in your seat to see who had disturbed you. “You doing okay?” Mike questioned quietly beside you.

Your mind seemed to falter in processing his words, and you only stared up at him for a moment because of it, prompting him to stare down at you in concern. Quickly, after catching a glimpse of Abby wandering nearby, you nodded. The last thing you wanted was to worry Abby as well. As Mike took a seat beside you, his worried expression shifted into a teasing smirk. “Thinking about Vanessa, huh?” For a reason you couldn’t pinpoint, your face flustered at his words.

“Yeah, kind of.”

“Kind of?”

“Well, I just…” You paused, gaze returning to the table as you struggled to form the right words. “People seem to keep laughing and gossipping about Vanessa and I whenever we hang out, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s because of me.”

“Are you serious? Of course it’s because of you.”

You scoffed, swatting his arm. “Mike!” He laughed at the motion and leaned back before you could smack him again. “What?” “Are you kidding? What do you mean “what?” You didn’t have to be that blunt about it!” He chuckled again and shook his head. “Sorry, but it’s true. It’s not because you did anything, it's more so because you aren’t doing anything.”

Brows furrowed and features contorted from confusion, you glared at him. “Huh? What do you mean I’m not doing anything? What the hell am I supposed to be doing? We’re just hanging out when that happens, it’s nothing special.” At your words, he rolled his eyes. “Maybe not to you, but it’s pretty clear that Vanessa feels the opposite.”

He was met with silence. You could only continue to peer over at him as you tried your hardest to grasp his words and what they meant. “God, you really are clueless. Holy shit. Do you seriously not see the way she looks at you or notice the way she talks to you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone that lovestruck before. Kinda thought you were just playing hard-to-get with her for a while, but I guess you really are just that dense.”

Again, your knuckles met his shoulder in offense. “What the hell, man? She doesn’t like me like that. Even if she did, that wouldn’t explain why people are being so weird around us.” “Yeah, it does, actually.” “Huh?” The pads of his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. “You genuinely haven’t noticed how she acts around you?”

When he managed to look back up at you, it was clear your attention wasn’t fully on him anymore. He followed your eyes and turned around. Vanessa had walked in through the front door and immediately took notice of you. She beamed ear to ear and waved, and Mike didn’t even have to look back over at you to know you were smiling just as widely. He could hear the rustle of your sleeve as you waved back.

Before the grinning officer could trail over to you, Abby ran up to her and bounced for a bit before taking her hand and pulling her over towards the stage. There, she had Vanessa sit down with her as she picked up her drawings and began to show them to her. Briefly, Vanessa lifted her head enough to shoot a nervous smile your way before devoting her focus on the artwork being displayed for her.

The corners of Mike’s lips perked up in a small simper. He turned back to you to find you staring at the two. Instantly, he knew your eyes were fixated more on Vanessa.

Playfully, he nudged your arm. You finally turned around to face him. You whispered as softly as you could manage when you spoke again. “How would the way she’s acting around me affect the reactions we get from other people?” “Because she bends over backwards just to make you smile. Haven’t you noticed the amount of gifts she’s given you? Even if you haven’t, surely you know how she looks at you.”

“Looks at me?”

“She’s staring at you all the time, and she’s always got this weird, like, dorky grin when she does. It’s not hard to tell that she likes you.”

“I already know she likes me, Mike.”

“But do you know that she loves you?”

Your skin burned at the question. Instinctively, your hands flew up to cover your face in embarrassment. “There’s no way she loves me like that, Mike. No way at all. Don’t lie to me like that.” He groaned and bumped your shoulder again. “C’mon, just acknowledge it already. It’s not like she’s being very subtle about it. Are you really that oblivious?” You stayed silent. “Just think back on the past couple of months, would you? Anything she’s done for you or with you.” As if your mind wasn’t already racing fast enough, his suggestion only accelerated your thoughts.

Shit, he was right.

All the small presents she would drop off for you or hand to you each time you spent time together, with her small smiles as she explained how she thought of you when she saw whatever it was she had gifted to you.

How each day she had off from work would be spent together, and she would assure you that you were the only person she wanted to be with on those days off.

Every time she’d invite you to a nearby cafe or just to go out on a walk together and talk about whatever came to mind.

The soft, comforting touches when she tried to get your attention, or the firm hugs when you needed it, or the gentle jokes passed between the two of you whenever you were alone watching movies and eating the snacks she had bought specifically for the occasion.

The look in her eyes resembling someone so smitten anytime she so much as glanced in your direction.

Had she really been that obvious about everything? Were you really that blind to the meaning of her actions and words? If Mike’s words were true, that meant that everyone you had worried about in the previous months were all aware of it too, and you were the only one who had no idea. You grimaced at the idea of possibly upsetting Vanessa with how ignorant you had been. What if she thought you didn’t feel the same way?

You glanced over at her from your spot at the table. She looked so beautiful as she smiled and chuckled at whatever joke Abby had made. How had you not noticed how incredibly she had treated you?

“Why don’t you go tell her how you feel?” Mike asked gently beside you. You turned to him, muscles tense from unease. “I don’t know. What if I waited too long? What if she doesn’t actually feel that way about me anymore?” A quick shake of his head seemed to help settle your nerves just enough to look over at Vanessa again. “No way she doesn’t feel as strongly about you as she always has. Just go talk to her, okay?”

You weren’t sure if you could do it, but you stood without thinking regardless. A glance in his direction combined with his nodding aided your ability to suck in a sharp breath in an attempt to steel your nerves. Eyes glued to the floor beneath you, you meandered forward shakily until you stood beside Vanessa and Abby. The two looked up at you curiously, and you caught the way Vanessa’s eyes immediately lit up at the sight of you.

“Hey, uh,” you started, clearing your throat at the sound of your voice breaking. “Can I ask you something?” The officer nodded and slowly stood. “Is everything okay?” You nodded and tucked your hands behind your back to pick at each other. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I’m just… I have to ask you about something, but I don’t want it to sound weird.”

“Go ahead. I promise I won’t get upset.”

“Do you like me? Like, romantically?”

The space between the two of you seemed to fall completely silent. Vanessa’s face seemed to fluster as badly as yours and she swallowed the lump in her throat. “Oh,” she whispered.

“Well, I–”

“I thought that was obvious,” Abby blurted, still seated on the ground.

Vanessa laughed when you covered your face and gently took your hands into her own. “Abby,” Mike called from across the room. “Come over here for a minute, okay?” The little girl stood from her spot on the floor and skipped over to her older brother without paying any mind to how sheepish she had made you. When a sigh slipped past your lips, Vanessa shrugged. “I really did think I was being obvious about it. Honestly, I thought I was coming on too strong. Apparently not.”

You slid your hands out from hers and hugged your arms tightly, eyes averting in embarrassment at her words. “I just,” you murmured briefly before sighing. “I didn’t know. I thought you were just being really nice to me for no reason.”

“I mean, kind of, but it was mainly because I was too nervous to just ask you out. I was hoping you would get the hint and it would make it easier. Guess I should’ve upped the ante, huh?” Just as you had done to Mike, you swatted Vanessa’s arm gently and huffed, to which she chuckled at.

You waited a moment before peeking up at her. “Do you really like me that way?” She nodded with a wide smile painted across her lips. “I do. I really do. I adore every single part of you, good and bad. In fact, could you wait here for just a moment? I’ve got something out in my car for you.” You could only nod, barely registering anything past the confirmation of her confession.

Her hand patted your arm softly before she jogged toward the entrance and out through the large glass door. Only a moment later, she returned to her previous spot in front of you, now carrying a large bouquet of roses. She let her arm extend outwards to you and she waited for you to take the gift from her. “I was actually planning on confessing to you tonight after we were all ready to head home, but you kinda beat me to it. I guess I should honestly be thanking you for making it easier on me,” she explained with a timid laugh.

As you took the bouquet from her hand, she scratched the back of her neck. “So,” she murmured. “Do you… feel the same way?” Using the flowers as a makeshift shield, you hid part of your face as you whispered out a soft “yes” in response. A sigh fell from her lips as her tensed body finally relaxed. “Oh, thank god.” She stepped forward and took hold of your free hand. A quick tug in her direction caused you to practically fall into her embrace, and she held you close, her hold on you strong and comforting.

“I love you so much,” she finally confessed. It took a moment for the words to fully process themselves into your brain, but you ultimately hummed and returned the hug, unable to bite back your smile. “I love you too.”

When she leaned back, she cupped your face in her hands and let the pads of her thumbs stroke soothingly over your skin. She leaned forward and pressed a swift peck against your nose and then your forehead. Briefly, her lips met yours before she pulled back again.

“I hope you know I’m going to spoil the hell out of you.”

She smiled gleefully when you eagerly tugged her back into the kiss.

You Don't Wanna Know

[Until Dawn] Samantha Giddings x Female Reader

Word Count: 3.52k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Sam quite literally falls into insanity, mentions of blood, stabbing, knives, language (?), OOC Sam

[A/N]: This was fun to write, ngl, but I also wrote the whole thing fairly quickly in one sitting, so I apologize if it's kind of hard to read. I did read back over it, but I was sleep deprived, so there are probably mistakes.

Enjoy!

Blade in hand, Sam trembled, readying herself to strike the moment the creature lurking in front of her charged. She steadied her breath, her hazel eyes shooting toward Mike. She gave a subtle nod, a signal that he needed to ready himself for when they both took off running. With another puff of air to steel her nerves, Sam lifted her leg and slammed it down, her foot stamping the cold, cracking cement beneath her, echoing throughout the vacant room. A screech rang out unlike anything she or Mike had ever heard. The Wendigo that had been desperately trying to find the two in the room lunged forward toward the blonde. She timed her movements, ducking down when it came too close and managing to hook her arm around its inhumanely thin bicep. Willing her strength into the right spot, she shifted her weight and forced the Wendigo backward with a twist of her body, essentially throwing it to spiral toward the ground behind her.

“Mike, run!” She hollered, briefly glancing back to make sure he did so before her attention returned to the creature now scrambling to get back to its feet. Once regaining its bearings and balance, the Wendigo thrusted itself in Sam’s direction once again. Sam gripped the handle of her knife even tighter and made sure to angle herself to strike. The moment it came towering over her, Sam propelled the blade forward, listening with a grimace as it tore through the skin and thin muscle of the beast’s chest. It staggered backward, unfazed as the sharp steel was pulled out from its cavity, and quickly ran closer yet again, somehow unbothered by the gaping wound now pouring blood by the heart.

Upon seeing that the Wendigo wasn’t going down, Sam panicked, wondering how she could permanently keep it pinned. She couldn’t die here–she had someone she had to get back home to. She needed to be there for her, and she needed to be there for her friends, who had all likely made it back to the lodge and were needing a plan. If she could figure out how to kill these things, she could help the group defend themselves as well.

How could she kill this thing?

How the hell could she kill this thing?

Maybe she couldn’t kill it, but there had to be a way to hold it off long enough to get away.

She studied it as urgently as she could, barely coming up with a half-batched plan as it closed the distance between them. Her hands trembled, and she internally screamed at them to still. As the long, bony fingers of the Wendigo’s hand grasped Sam’s arm, she yelled out, jabbing the beast’s jugular as violently as she could and shoving it backwards. Still gripping her arm, the Wendigo yanked her to the ground as it fell onto its back. Before it could get the upper hand again, Sam shuffled up and gripped the handle with both hands. Planting both knees on either side of the creature’s torso, she dug the knife in further with all the force she could muster, yanking it sideways and slicing the thin muscle of the throat, trying her best to decapitate it. She made it about halfway to the nape of its neck before it screamed out louder in agony, instinctively picking her up and hurling her away in defense.

With a loud howl of pain, Sam slammed against the floor, skidding across the concrete and rolling away for a moment. She hissed as she propped herself up on her elbows, nails digging into her scalp as she tried to clear her vision. Tugging her hand away, she found blood now drizzling down from her fingertips, spilling out and wrapping around her digits like ribbon until it pooled across her palm and the backs of her knuckles. Almost entranced by the way it moved, she wriggled her fingers before clenching them together to form a fist.

The scars on the sides of her hands burst open at the sudden tensing, spilling out into more rivers that joined the staining streaks already there.

Then, upon hearing the echoey gurgling from her attacker, now several feet away, Sam’s head shot up. Her head throbbed harsher at the sudden motion, but she still managed to gain her bearings and assess what was happening ahead of her. The Wendigo, letting out scratchy, broken whines as blood oozed down its form onto the floor, shook and clawed at the skin now torn open on the side of its throat. Aside from the groan when she had been thrown, Sam hadn’t made any noise, meaning the beast ahead had no way of knowing where exactly she was.

She took this as her opportunity, noticing that the Wendigo was struggling to even stumble around, clutching at its throat and letting out another shrill wail. As soon as it collapsed to the floor, Sam turned and slipped against the concrete as she took off toward the direction Mike had gone, wrestling against the urge to look back. Against her better judgment, she clutched the bloodied knife toward her chest, praying she didn’t have to use it again.

A safe distance away, Sam called out for Mike.

Months after Sam and the others had left the lodge, they finally finished giving their statements to the investigators on the case. As far as she knew, everyone other than Josh had survived, though none of them had talked since they were picked up by the rescue helicopter. Sam had refused help from any of the counselors the police had recommended, not wanting to live through the horrors she had witnessed down in the mines all over again.

Instead, she focused on returning home to her girlfriend, who had no idea of what had been going on the entirety of the time she was gone. She had promised to only be gone for half a week at most, but after all of the interviewing, it had been well over three months. The officers on the case let her make a call to [Y/N] so she could explain the situation, but Sam had kept the details very minimal. The last thing she had wanted was to upset [Y/N] even further. And to her relief, the majority of the details hadn’t been released to the public yet, considering they hadn’t gone down to discover the monsters themselves.

Even when they went down to seek them out, Sam knew most of them wouldn’t survive.

Finally, after an excruciatingly long ride home, Sam had made it. She was quick to stumble up to the front door and let herself in, making a beeline to her shared bedroom with the one she was looking for. Before she got upstairs, however, she snuck into the garage and placed something down, then heading back inside. Briefly, she caught a glance of her reflection in one of the mirrors hung on the wall. She noticed the scar leading from her forehead up past her hairline had started to slowly heal, the one she had earned from her first full battle against a Wendigo. Her hand trailed up to gently let her fingertips graze alone the rough tissue, tracing the shape as she hummed.

For a moment, she considered splitting the scar back open, desperate to relive the thrilling moment she had suffered through down in the mines. She ultimately decided against it, figuring it wouldn’t make a difference. The scars would all still be there, even after they healed. She huffed out a small sigh and started toward the stairs again, finding herself standing in front of the bedroom door for a moment before nudging it open.

Normally, when Sam and [Y/N] saw each other again after being separated for an extended period of time, they’d hug one another tightly and spend the entire day together. Despite this routine, when they finally saw each other then, all Sam could do was wobble forward onto the bed before pulling the smaller girl into her chest. “Sam? Holy shit, you’re back,” [Y/N] whispered, sighing in relief as she tugged the blonde closer and turned her head to listen to her heartbeat. “I was so worried.” Sam grinned at her words, silently stroking her hair for a moment before she gave a response.

“Ah, no need for that. Things just got weird.”

In the back of her mind, Sam knew that “weird” was a severe understatement. However, she had no idea how to put what she had seen into words. She managed to dryly answer [Y/N]’s rapid questions for a bit longer, but ultimately fell asleep in the middle of the one-sided conversation, the exhaustion from the whole ordeal finally kicking in.

Days passed, and it was clear right away that Sam had changed. Instead of being the openly kind, considerate woman [Y/N] had grown to love over the years, she had become cold and distant, growing increasingly defensive and aggressive when anything was mentioned about her trip. How could she have grown hypervigilant over a trip with friends? She wouldn’t open up about anything, no matter what [Y/N] tried. She eventually shrugged it off, however, assuming it was just exhaustion and stress from whatever had taken place while she was gone.

She made it her goal to help Sam relax again. She’d cook her meals, get her clothes and everything ready when she’d shower, let her latch onto her when she would occasionally sleep in, and would practically baby her in some aspects, watching her like a hawk to make sure she didn’t collapse or grow visibly sick from whatever thought might’ve crossed her mind. This lasted quite a while. [Y/N] had been hoping Sam would finally start opening up after some time if she was just given the support and space she needed, though that moment never came.

Desperate, she had even researched possible ways to work through whatever was swarming through Sam’s mind. She reached out to a few licensed therapists here and there, but they weren’t able to do much since Sam wouldn’t cooperate with any of their questions. Nothing seemed to work. She just wanted the woman she fell in love with to come back to her.

As painful as it was to see her lover and best friend slipping away and becoming someone new, [Y/N] eventually respected her wishes and let her be, gradually halting her questions about the trip to the lodge. She couldn’t get into contact with anyone else from the friend group either–and she wondered if it was for the same reason that was causing Sam to treat her so differently as well. She hoped they wouldn’t all shut everyone else out the way the blonde was already doing to her.

The days would all go by the same way: [Y/N] would get up early when Sam would finally let go of her, fix breakfast for the two of them, eat alone in the kitchen, and head out for the day, usually catching a glimpse of Sam sauntering downstairs and sitting down at the table to finally eat. It was like she was running on a survival schedule. She’d only eat and sleep when she absolutely needed to. Anytime she tried to take a nap, she’d end up springing up from the cushions in a cold sweat, always out of breath. It didn’t take long for her to stop trying to rest throughout the day.

During those times, when she wasn’t able to sleep, she’d tap at the scar adoring her forehead then bring her hand back down, picturing the way the waves of her blood had danced against her skin months prior. She’d find herself staring at her palm for hours, losing track of time. It was hard for her to remember to eat when this happened, so she had to be reminded.

[Y/N] would text her at lunch, checking up on her, and hardly ever got a response. She’d carry out the rest of her shift for the day, then head home, always finding Sam blacked out on the sofa in the den or in their shared bedroom, struggling to stay asleep for more than a few minutes. She’d never greet [Y/N] anymore, but she would still make some kind of motion to let her know that she acknowledged her coming back into the house: a small hum, a little nod, or just a simple glance in her direction. Not once did she utter anything.

Then, to end the evening, [Y/N] would prepare dinner or order takeout. To her surprise, Sam would actually sit and eat with her most nights, though she never made conversation.

The two would then trudge up to bed once they finished cleaning up, shower and get changed into their nightwear, and then collapse into a deep slumber the moment they made it under the covers. This repeated for days, which shifted into weeks, and then shifted into months. As the time passed, Sam seemed to get a little less aggressive, though she was still relatively mute. One night, Sam got a call as they sat in the living room, picking at their fast food and watching something random on the TV. She seemed to grow relieved at whatever the caller had told her.

When [Y/N] asked what it was about, Sam simply pocketed her phone and shook her head, returning to her meal. “You don’t wanna know.”

[Y/N] frowned at this, but gave up instantly, forcing herself to push through her sudden nausea and finish her dish. As she took her last bite, she glanced over at Sam, who had put hers down on the coffee table and began to stare blankly at the wall across the room. With a small sigh, [Y/N] stood and picked up both plates, carrying them over to the kitchen to toss the remaining food and rinse off the forks and plates.

As she turned to slide the rack of the dishwasher open, [Y/N] blinked and froze upon seeing Sam wander out into the garage.

The blonde made sure to shut and lock the door behind her once inside the large space, her socks coming into contact with the chilled stone beneath her and hardly doing anything to keep her feet warm. She didn’t mind it though. Instead, she ignored the chill that shot up her spine and waltzed to a loose panel being pressed into place behind the multiple boxes she and [Y/N] had piled up for storage.

She lifted a few boxes, sliding them across the ground after moving them behind her, then wriggling the loose wooden plank from the wall and propping it up against a few heavier boxes a few feet away. Her hand reached inside the dark opening now revealed to her, not flinching so much as once at the feeling of cobwebs grazing her skin and entangling themselves around her fingers. She rummaged around momentarily, but cracked a small smirk upon feeling the thin plastic top of the bag she was searching for.

With a quick tug, she lifted the bag up and towards her chest, lazily moving the panel back into place before turning around and retracing her steps to the door leading back into the house. She flicked her wrist and unlocked the door with ease, pulling the door open and letting herself inside. Barely closing the door behind her, she casually walked into the kitchen, planning to stroll straight past [Y/N] without being noticed.

She was noticed, though. It wasn’t just her presence that was acknowledged.

Instantly, [Y/N]’s eyes trailed down and landed directly on the bag pressed tightly against Sam’s chest. She bristled at the sight of the rusted knife in the bag, coated in dried, flaking blood. Her gaze shot back up to Sam’s, who was now staring blankly at her.

“Sam?” She started cautiously. The blonde had no reply, only blinking at the sound of her name. “What is that?” Still, she was met with a deafening silence.

Finally, fed up with the lack of responses over the months, remembering each time Sam avoided the subject of the lodge, [Y/N] stepped forward and feigned her best look of strength. A newfound sense of anger bubbled up underneath her skin and up her throat. The questions began spilling from her lips before she could stop them. “Sam, what the hell is that? Why do you have it? Has that been here this whole time? Is that from the lodge? Did you fucking kill someone?”

For the first time since she made it home, Sam smiled, though it sent a chill down [Y/N]’s spine. The blonde’s grin only widened as she stepped forward. A sound mimicking a chuckle erupted from her throat, more of a low, broken rumble. She shook her head and lowered her tone as she spoke, adding onto the signs that were triggering alarm bells in [Y/N]’s head. She got her answer, even as Sam gave an indirect one.

“You don’t wanna know.”

She brushed past the trembling girl, calmly heading upstairs and into her office down the hall from the bedroom. There, she found the stand she had purchased shortly after making it home. Her fingers traced the lines of the bag still in her hands, toying with the corners before tugging it open. With a sickening smile, she slid the knife out at a painfully slow speed, marveling at the way the light overhead made the browning blood staining the rusted steel glisten.

A hum of admiration slipped from her lips as she dropped the bag by her feet, lifting the knife up higher to get a better view. With a gentle motion, she lowered it to rest on the wooden stand in front of her. Her feet led her backward enough for her to get a better view.

From the corner of her eye, she could see [Y/N] peering in from the doorway, beads of sweat trickling down her face and neck. Sam beamed at her, motioning for her to come in and stand next to her. Afraid of what would happen if she refused, [Y/N] did as told, hesitantly planting herself beside the blonde, whose hazel eyes were trained on her form. Finally, Sam waved her arm forward, motioning toward the knife.

“You sure you want to know what this is?”

With a loud swallow, [Y/N] nodded. “This is the knife that I used to save myself back at the lodge. I slit open a Wendigo’s throat to survive. Thought I’d keep it as a kind of token of sorts. Anytime I start to feel unsure about something, I can look to this as a source of motivation. It saved me once, it can save me again.”

[Y/N] could only stare ahead, her mind spinning as she struggled not to faint. What was a Wendigo? How would this knife be a token of motivation? How was Sam so disgustingly calm about murdering something? That wasn’t like her at all. She hated seeing the smallest of animals being hurt–how could she just murder one? Was this even the same Sam that she had been waiting for back when she was at the lodge to meet up with her friends? Who was the woman standing by her side?

She had so many questions–too many questions–and she wasn’t sure if she would ever get answers to any of them. Or even if she wanted to.

Finally, she tore her eyes away from the source of her spiking nausea to look up at Sam. Her blood ran cold when she turned to find the blonde staring down at her already, something in her eyes confirming [Y/N]’s fear that she had changed. That stomach-churning smile still painted her lips, though now it seemed far more menacing. A hand slid down to clasp [Y/N]’s, making her yelp and jump at the contact.

She glanced down to find Sam now interlocking their fingers, then back up to find the smile gone.

“What’s wrong, [Y/N]?” Sam questioned, her tone flat and devoid of any emotion.

She leaned down, now uncomfortably close to the smaller girl’s face, seemingly staring dead into her soul. She cocked her head to the side, almost in a mocking motion. “Did you not want to hear about this after all? I sure hope that’s not the case. It’d be a shame. After all, I’m trusting you to keep this little prize of mine between us, and only us. Will you do that for me?”

[Y/N] couldn’t speak, terrified of saying the wrong thing. She screamed at her mind to say something, anything at all. All she could do, however, was stare. She gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod after a torturous string of silence. One in which Sam only stared, unblinking, into her eyes.

Finally, Sam’s lips split into a grin again. It didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Good. Let’s see just how long you can keep that promise.”

Serenity

[Shadow of the Tomb Raider] Lara Croft x Female Reader

Word Count: 5.12k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Touch starved Lara (?), feelings of homesickness, fear of death, mentions of mourning, brief descriptions of wounds

Categories:

Angst Fluff Mix

One-Shot Preference Headcanon

[A/N]: Wanted to try a bit of a different format for the summary, hope it makes sense.

Enjoy!

Harsh winds whipped past the shape of the land, bending around every mountain and down every ravine and valley like ribbon. Shivering harshly and clutching onto her heavy coat, Lara sighed, planting herself in front of the campfire she had set up. As the flames crackled to life and began to grow, she scooted closer, holding her hands out towards the blazing heat in an attempt to warm them. She huffed out hot air into her cupped palms before rubbing them together and shifting to hold them out again.

She repeated this motion a few more times before wriggling her fingers around a bit. Once she was sure they were warmed up enough, she slipped her journal out from her traveler’s pack and took her pen out. She flipped over to the next blank page, beginning to jot things down with stiff hands. It started with her summarizing all that had happened during the current expedition up until that point, but quickly shifted to her feelings of homesickness. It wasn’t the manor or her private apartment she was missing, however. She was missing the woman waiting for her back home.

A small smile of content formed on her lips at the mere thought of her.

“God, [Y/N], I wish you were…”

She shook her head as a chill ran down her spine, as if she was being reminded of the brutal conditions she was in. With a small struggle, she scribbled out the ending of the sentence before starting a new one.

“No, I wish I was there with you. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss you. Especially how warm you are. It’s freezing out here, although I’m not sure what I was expecting. Even when we stayed by the hot springs for a bit, my hands were too frozen to do anything. Writing this right now is extremely difficult because we’re headed toward the peak of a mountain where the snow is really dense. The altitude levels are getting high, and it’s making some of the crew sick, so we had to set up camp in the meantime. Aside from Jonah, the crew here doesn’t really care for all of this. They’re either doing it for the media exposure or for the money. The majority of them have made it clear that they aren’t doing it for the sake of discovery. I do kind of wish you were here in all honesty. Jonah is interested in what we’re looking for, but it always takes some convincing with him. With you, you’re always on board immediately. And, according to the others, you share the same level of enthusiasm as me. I guess I never really noticed it.

“Which is honestly a bit of a surprise. I know I can get a bit…aggressive about these things, or obsessive. People tell me I start getting picky about things once I realize they don’t have the same interests and intentions as me. And Sam wonders why I don’t like hanging out with other people.”

She laughed softly to herself, skimming over her words before she continued writing.

“Except you, of course. I wish I could bring you along with me to these expeditions, but I’m just…worried Trinity is going to get to you somehow, and aside from Jonah, you’re the only one I have left. If they got ahold of you, I don’t know what I’d do with myself. I’ve lost too many people already. I can’t lose you too.”

A small pause. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself during these trips anymore. Before she had met [Y/N], she had gotten used to sleeping alone and spending the majority of her time alone. She could go on journeys without worrying about returning home to someone. She didn’t want to die, that wasn’t what she was thinking of. She just didn’t feel guilty about trips taking longer than she initially planned. Deep down, though, she knew [Y/N] understood. Each time she’d make it home to her girlfriend, she was always greeted with relief and excitement rather than annoyance and resentment.

During the nights where she was alone on the expeditions, she could eventually get herself to fall asleep for short periods of time, pretending she was back home in bed with her girlfriend, cuddled up together under the blankets and sleeping in.

Another thing she had to readjust to was doing things solo. The only thing she tended to do on her own at the manor anymore was paperwork. [Y/N] would do everything with her there: researching, reading, cleaning, taking trips to different cities, and so on and so forth. She had grown so accustomed to that to where she found herself itching to talk to someone or move around at the campsites when she used to just sit there and think to herself.

She genuinely enjoyed the idea of having someone to come home to every time, but it still caused guilt when anything went wrong. There was a near-constant worry that her job was straining the relationship, regardless of what [Y/N] told her.

She had never been in a relationship before, so she really had no idea what to expect. It was stressful trying to learn how to open up to someone, but once she realized she could fully trust [Y/N], she found it much easier to start talking about her past.

Another sigh slipped past her lips, her gaze dropping down to the page of her journal again.

“I can’t wait to get home to you again. And honestly, I never thought I’d be able to say that. With how often I’m traveling, I figured I wouldn’t find someone who was willing to put up with my constant researching and preparing. I suppose I could take you on easier trips where I know Trinity won’t be. I could teach you how to go rock climbing and the basics of how to survive out in the wilderness.”

A sense of fondness washed over her, remembering how Roth would take her backpacking and traveling to random places so she could learn all of his tricks.

“If Roth were still here, I bet I could’ve convinced him to let you come with us to one of our training expeditions. He loved teaching all about journeying. He probably would’ve talked your ear off the way he did with me.”

Once more, a soft laugh escaped her.

“I’d honestly give anything to hear him lecture me about trusting my instinct again. You would’ve loved him. He was a good man.”

She studied her entry, repeatedly skimming over Roth’s name scribbled out in her shaky handwriting. 

“I wish you could’ve met him.”

She frowned at the memory of what happened in Yamatai, guilt beginning to bubble up to the surface again. She sighed, trying to shift her focus to something else.

“I can’t wait to get back home to you. I miss you. Hopefully I’ll be able to see you sooner rather than later. I already want to come back just so I can be with you again. I love you.”

Gently, she shut her journal and tucked it away again, dropping her pen in on top of it before zipping the bag shut. Once she placed the bag to her side, she shifted to turn back to the fire, which had grown to a decent size. Her unfocused gaze watched the flames in front of her dance wildly to the bitterly cold gusts of wind. Soon, as she waited for Jonah to call her over, her mind wandered off, her body shivering, aching, and craving to be in her warm, plush bed by [Y/N]’s side again.

The expedition finally came to an end. Unfortunately, it had taken an extra three days thanks to Trinity’s operation disrupting everything. Lara was returning home with another artifact, one which she planned to donate to a local museum instead of adding to her personal collection. She asked Jonah to drop the artifact off for her, her expression alone telling him all he needed to know. He agreed, knowing she just wanted to get home to [Y/N] again and rest. Once the plane landed and they disembarked with their luggage, Lara instantly found her car still parked in a private garage she had paid for ahead of time.

She hopped in instantly after tucking her small amount of luggage into the trunk, started the engine, and sped off toward her home. The majority of the drive there, she reflected on what had happened during the expedition. Although she had been in a warm environment for hours on the way back, she still felt chilled to the bone after swimming in glacial waters for hours on end. All she craved was to get home and warm all the way up so she could sleep comfortably, even though she knew the moment the numbness subsided, her joints would ache even more.

Once she finally arrived, she parked her car in her usual spot and headed inside, completely forgetting about the bags in the trunk. Her body felt like it would collapse any minute, so she was desperately trying to get inside and find [Y/N].

With a great deal of effort, straining the aching muscles in her arms and back, she shoved the main door open leading into the front parlor. Before any of the servants could lead her somewhere to get her injuries treated or get changed into warmer clothes, Lara made a beeline to the stairs leading up to the second floor of the main building. She wobbled down the hall to her bedroom door, weakly pushing it open with a small grunt of pain. She didn’t spot [Y/N] in the bedroom right away, so she checked the bathroom attached to it.

She wasn’t there either. Odd.

With a groan, she forced herself to trudge back out of the room and down the hall, planning to check the library next. And if she wasn’t there, she’d search the main study. Before she could make it to the doorway leading to the library, [Y/N] stepped out carrying a couple of books. When she spotted Lara, her face lit up, excitedly placing the books aside on a nearby console table and rushing over to the brunette. At the sight of [Y/N] heading her direction, a small surge of energy bolted through Lara’s senses. She beamed over at her and opened her arms, sighing in relief when the smaller woman leaned heavily into her embrace.

“Lara, you’re back! How was the trip? Find anything good?”

Lara grinned wider at her enthusiasm–a breath of fresh air to have someone show genuine interest in her own passion. “Yeah, we found an old artifact, but I told Jonah to just go donate it to the local museum. I don’t have much space left on the shelves in my study, and I don’t want to clutter our room with them.” [Y/N] chuckled at her words, a small nod as her response as they remained in their embrace a moment longer.

At length, much to Lara’s dismay, [Y/N] leaned back. One hand dropped down to gently take hold of the brunette’s, and the other lifted to cup her cheek. At the feeling of warmth against her face, Lara leaned into the touch, her eyes shutting as she sighed. “C’mon,” [Y/N] started softly with a warm smile, “let’s get you patched up and changed. Then you can get some sleep.” Before she could try to refute, Lara yawned and nodded, wearily following the smaller woman’s lead as she carefully tugged her toward the bedroom again.

Once in there, she sat Lara down on the bed, retrieved the First Aid kit from the medical cabinet in the bathroom, and joined her on the mattress, which the brunette seemed to immediately sink into. She pulled out a damp rag she had also grabbed and began to dab cautiously at the scratches and cuts littered across Lara’s skin. When she began to apply the antiseptic, she earned a few hisses of pain, though they quickly died down with each passing second. All the while, Lara’s eyelids were growing heavier. She did her best to bite back her yawns, though most of them still snuck through.

After cleaning all of the visible marks, [Y/N] stitched up what she needed to, and applied bandages to what was left. She quickly packed the kit back up and stored it in the bathroom once more. Then, she helped Lara head into the bathroom and get undressed, helping her step into the bath when the warm water filled up enough. Once the brunette was situated and comfortable, [Y/N] took her hair down for her and began to rinse and lather it with the shampoo she had set up beforehand. Once her hair was clean, she then washed Lara’s back, shoulders, and mostly everything but her stomach, legs, and mostly whatever was underneath the water, which she let the Croft do on her own.

By the time Lara was clean and wrapped up in a towel after stepping out of the tub, [Y/N] left and came back in carrying a pair of clothes that had just been pulled out from the dryer. She gave the brunette a bit of privacy to get dressed. Lara hummed contentedly at the warm, soft fabric brushing across her skin: a pair of black fleece pants with a slightly oversized gray t-shirt.

She stood after tugging her clothes on. After folding the towel back up enough to hang on the rack on the wall, she flipped the lightswitch off and left the bathroom, finding [Y/N] standing by the bed with a tray in her hands. Curiously, Lara walked over and sat down at the foot of the bed with an eyebrow raised. Before she could question what it was, [Y/N] moved to hand the tray to her, revealing her favorite dish warmed up and placed nicely on a plate.

At the sight of it, she blinked, and soon looked back up at her girlfriend, who had moved to her own side of the bed. “Go ahead and eat. I wanted you to have something in your stomach so it doesn’t growl and wake you up like last time.”

With a pleased grin, Lara nodded and shifted up to her spot in bed to prop herself up against the headboard. She was quick to pick up her fork and dig into the dish, clearly grateful to have something prepared for her instead of needing to fix something for herself the way she had done the past few days in the wilderness. It saved her a lot of time and energy, all of which she could spend on recovering from the trip. Within minutes, the plate was clean and her cup was empty. She moved to get up and bring it to the kitchen downstairs, but [Y/N] was quick to stop her and take it from her hands. “Hey, no, go ahead and stay here, alright? I really just want you to relax for a while.”

Even if Lara had planned on refusing the help, it would’ve been no use, as [Y/N] was already by the door by the time she finished speaking. She quickly slipped out of the room, leaving Lara there to wait. She hadn’t even had a chance to nod. She sighed, shuffling downward to bundle up underneath the thick blankets layering her mattress and tugging them partially over her head. The moment her head made contact with her pillow, she groaned in relief, the plush surface welcoming her and pulling her into a partial slumber already.

She fought to stay awake a little longer, however, wanting to be cuddled up against [Y/N] as she slept so she could hear her heartbeat. Ever since the two had started sharing the bed, that’s how Lara fell asleep. It’s why going on long expeditions was so difficult sometimes–she had no heartbeat to listen to, no breathing she could hear but her own, and no warmth to lean into when she got a chill or had a strange dream that kept her eyes pried open in alarmed confusion. Another yawn pushed past her lips, her eyes slowly fluttering shut. Just as she was close to being lulled into sleep, the bedroom door creaked open again. [Y/N] stepped inside and turned the lights off, then headed over to the windows and closed all the heavy curtains, leaving a very dull light in the room.

She then crawled into her side of the bed, though she was quickly met with Lara scooting over and pressing her head against her chest, planting her ear directly over the girl’s sternum to hear the steady thumping of her heartbeat resting safely behind her ribs. A sigh of relief made its way from Lara. She wriggled over a bit, nuzzled her face further into the blankets, and finally settled for a position. With a small smile, [Y/N] rolled over just enough to wrap both of her arms around the brunette’s torso. She pulled her closer as softly as she could.

“Did you wanna talk about the trip?” She whispered softly. A bit of a delay, but Lara answered with a small shake of her head. “No,” she murmured almost inaudibly. “Maybe tomorrow.” [Y/N] nodded in response. She slid one of her arms over a bit, earning a groan of disapproval, though it was quickly replaced by an even fainter groan of pleasure once her fingernails began to gently rake through Lara’s brunette locks. [Y/N] repeated this motion for a while before changing to let her nails scratch soothingly at the sore muscles of the taller woman’s back. “Mmm, what about you?” Lara finally managed to slur out after a few minutes.

[Y/N] hummed, confused. “What about me?” She questioned quietly. Again, there was a pause before she got a response. “What about your day? Tell me…about your day.”

“Oh. Well, it wasn’t very eventful, to be honest. I just helped some of the maids and then read a few books. That’s why I was leaving the library when you made it in.”

“Mmh.”

Lara groaned and shuffled even closer. “I missed you so much,” she whispered. [Y/N] beamed down at her, pure adoration in her eyes. “I missed you too.” She pressed a kiss to the brunette’s forehead, to which Lara responded by scrunching up her nose and leaning her head forward, wordlessly asking for another one. The smaller woman complied after letting a gentle giggle slip in between breaths and pressed a longer kiss to Lara’s head, earning a small huff of satisfaction.

For a while longer, [Y/N] continued to talk about whatever came to mind. Lara wasn’t entirely listening, she just wanted to hear her voice, but [Y/N] already knew that. She didn’t mind. She could talk about seeing a bird on the window sill, and Lara would still find it calming solely because she could hear her speaking. She could hear the low rumbling and vibrations in her chest with every word spoken, and on top of the sound of her heartbeat, it was like the ultimate white noise for Lara.

She wasn’t entirely sure why it brought her so much comfort, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. It helped her fall asleep and stay asleep, which is something she struggled with for the longest time. Being able to get a proper night’s rest felt so refreshing.

Especially after having to be on high alert and sleep lightly for weeks on end during most of her journeys.

After a while, [Y/N] ran out of things to talk about. However, knowing that hearing her make noise was what helped Lara fall asleep, she opted to sing softly instead. An hour or so must’ve passed before Lara’s breathing deepened and slowed, evening out as her body signaled she was fully asleep. After finishing the song she had been practically humming at that point, [Y/N] stopped singing. When she fell silent, her own eyes beginning to droop from fatigue, Lara tugged her closer, unconsciously trying to find the source of the noise again. She settled after a moment when her hearing focused in on her heartbeat once more.

She mumbled something under her breath, though the blankets muffled most of it. The other half of the incoherent speech was caused by her lack of conscience. [Y/N] didn’t mind it though. Finally being able to hold Lara safely in her arms again after two and a half weeks was all she had been wanting. She glanced down at her, smiling tiredly and pressing a gentle kiss to her head again before yawning and closing her eyes.

Soon enough, she fell into a deep slumber as well.

The following morning, the sun crept in through the blinds, alerting everyone of its wake. Bright golden beams trailed their way into the bedroom, sneaking up the covers and making Lara suddenly aware of her surroundings again. She grumbled, calloused fingertips grasping at the hem of the comforter that had slipped from over her head and tugging upward, desperately trying to block out the warmth that stirred her awake. It had been years–until she met [Y/N], anyway–since she had been able to sleep in peacefully without the overwhelming worry of needing to constantly accomplish something. She wanted to stay asleep at least long enough to finish her dream.

For a moment, she smirked to herself, noticing just how soft she had gotten once her relationship had been established with the other woman. Had they never met, nor had they gotten as close as they did, she’d likely still be awake at this hour, buried away in her personal study with stacks of books and loose files strewn about.

With a sense of bitter hesitation, one in which she debated falling back into the dream she had been having just a moment prior–which thankfully wasn’t another nightmare keeping her awake–she let her weary eyes flutter open. A small shove downward let the covers fall free from over her head again, begrudgingly allowing the sunlight to caress her features in a more willing manner. A sigh of relief slipped past her lips once she was able to let her eyes adjust to the blazing beams of light dancing around with each small movement.

After a moment of gaining her bearings, she yawned, drowsily rubbing the exhaustion from her eyes as she shifted over to find [Y/N] still resting at her side. The corners of her lips perked up into a small smile of contentment at the sight. She hummed, shuffled up to let her head rest even in front of [Y/N]’s, and gazed over at her.

The light that had disturbed Lara of her rest now brought her a sense of peace. The warm glow of the amber streaks lighting up the room seemed to embrace every little mark across [Y/N]’s skin, highlighting each scar and stray freckle. Never before had she seemed so at ease in her slumber–or maybe Lara had been too focused on holding her close to have noticed. She noticed it now, though.

And she intended to savor every minute of it.

Moments passed, and her hands were itching to feel the softness of the woman’s skin. With a slight ounce of uncertainty, worried she might stir her awake, she finally lifted her hand from the spot on the mattress next to her and drove it up to let the backs of her fingers graze over [Y/N]’s cheek, huffing out a small sigh at the warmth as though she hadn’t been pressed tightly against her mere moments before.

Her fingers trailed up to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind the sleeping woman’s ear, slowly and silently shuffling forward to press a featherlike kiss to her forehead. At the feeling of soft lips and touches against her skin, [Y/N] began to wake, her brows furrowing together momentarily in thought, as if she were stuck between her dreams and lucidity. Her features softened just as quickly as they tightened, followed by her eyes flitting open and instantaneously focusing on the smitten gaze in front of her. She hummed, grinning and letting her hand slide up to gently take hold of Lara’s. With a small squeeze to her lax hand, [Y/N] turned her head to press an equally soft kiss to her palm.

“Morning,” she murmured against her skin, letting her focus flicker back toward the deep brown eyes now somehow filled with even more love than before.

“Morning,” came her faint reply.

“Are you feeling better now that you’ve slept?” Lara grinned, nodding almost unnoticeably. She carefully slipped her hand from [Y/N]’s, then letting it trail down to the smaller woman’s hip. Once moving a bit closer, as well as shuffling back down further into the comforter, she wrapped both arms around [Y/N]’s waist, tugging her closer and letting her head fall against her chest. Once [Y/N]’s chin moved to rest atop the brunette’s head, Lara sighed, her eyes fluttering shut once more. “Yes, but if I’m being completely honest, my entire body is aching right now. So much happened before I got back.”

She chuckled, wincing to herself at the sudden jolt of pain that erupted from the nerves in the skin taut against her stomach. “I don’t know if I can physically get up yet. Or if I'll be able to at all today.”

A playful snicker sounded above her, prompting her to lift her head and look up at [Y/N]. “Are you sure that’s why? Or do you just want to stay in bed and cuddle like this for the day?” Lara rolled her eyes with a smirk of her own. “I’m telling you: every single muscle in my body is painfully sore. I could get up if I absolutely needed to, but I don’t, so I’d really just prefer to stay here.”

With a moment in between the playful banter, Lara dropped her head back against [Y/N]’s chest. She waited, pondering what she wanted to say as her nails gently scratched at the soft fabric of the shirt she leaned against, sighing silently at the feeling of the motion being reciprocated in a far more soothing way. As she focused on [Y/N] tracing random shapes and words against her scarred skin, subconsciously wondering if she could make out anything specific if she focused, she closed her eyes.

“But even if I somehow wasn’t sore like I am now, I’d absolutely want to stay like this for the day. I missed you,” although her voice had already started off gentle, her tone only seemed to drift further into silence. Whether it stemmed from sheepishness or fatigue, [Y/N] didn’t know. She didn’t mind it, however, and instead pulled her closer. “I missed you too. So very much.”

She paused, one of her hands stroking the brunette strands sprawled out on the mattress behind Lara as her brow creased in thought. “I do worry about you though,” she admitted after what felt like hours, not sure if Lara was still even awake at the moment or if she had heard her. She had, however, and was quick to gaze back up at her, partially hidden way beneath the comforter. Her eyes, which had just been staring at her with a mix of blissful fatigue and love, were now a concoction of bleary concern and confusion. “Why?”

“Because sometimes I worry that something is going to happen to you while you’re away, and I’m never going to know. I mean, I know you won’t go down without a fight, but I’m still terrified that there will be a day where I see you alive for the last time. That thought alone plagues my mind every single time you leave, and it just…scares me?” She scoffed. “No, it’s so much more than just feeling scared. I’m terrified beyond belief that a thought like that could somehow become a reality.”

She hadn’t realized she had begun rambling until Lara shifted up to be eye-level with her again, a far more serious expression taking over. With her features creased with concern, Lara cupped [Y/N]’s face, the pads of her thumbs stroking away the tears that she hadn’t even realized had fallen. When had she started crying?

“I promise you I’m never going to let that happen, alright? There’ve been so many times I shouldn’t have been able to survive, but I did. Like you said: I won’t go down without a fight. And now that I have you here, I have all the more reason to fight to stay alive. I couldn’t bear the thought of never coming home to you. Just…don’t ever worry about me not coming home, okay? One way or another, I’ll find a way to get back to you.”

Her tone softened with every passing word, her heart and mind filling with relief upon seeing a gentle smile grace [Y/N]’s lips. She returned her grin and leaned forward to rest their foreheads together. “Even if it means I have to admit to Jonah that I’m wrong,” she added with a fake annoyance and a small roll of her eyes. [Y/N] couldn’t help but chuckle at her words, allowing Lara to finally let out a small sigh of solace.

“I wouldn’t trade my time with you for anything,” she reassured, trading roles and pulling [Y/N] into her chest instead. “Not for an artifact, not for a trip to some uncharted land, not for my studies, not for anything. I know I may not be the best at showing it, but I truly love you, [Y/N]. I promise you that I’ll always find my way back to you.”

At her reassurance, [Y/N] nuzzled closer to focus in on her heartbeat, unable to bite back the wide smile that stretched across her lips. “I love you too,” she whispered.

Her words were true, she just wished she could find a way to prove it to her every day. Regardless of how invested she could get in her studies or research for her next expedition somewhere far away, she wouldn’t trade these moments of serenity for the world. She treasured them far more than any artifact she had discovered, and would do anything to ensure more of those memories could be made. Not even the strongest forces out there would stop her from returning to the one person she could call home, and she vowed, one way or another, to make sure it stayed that way for good.