#mission impossible reader insert

Ethan huffed loudly in exasperation. Where were you? There was no way you couldn’t be here. Assuming that August still had you, he would have taken you here to explain his genius master plan before...he didn’t want to think about that right now. You were alive, he could feel it. He came across a large open field where two helicopters sat stationary. Casting his gaze around wildly, his eyes landed on a small run-down house to his right, where he noticed two men standing on the front veranda. He could easily identify both of them, his heart hammering in his chest as his hands balled into fists at his side. One was Solomon Lane, and the other was definitely Walker. You had to be close by. “Guys, I found Walker-” “You what? Where?” Luther questioned over the coms. Ethan huffed loudly “Just on the outskirts of the medical camp...” he informed “...however there is no sign of Y/n”. 

“Okay, just stay calm and we will meet you there shortly” Benji stated, causing a wave of anxiety to surge through him. Ethan couldn’t wait too long, he might miss his chance to get you back. It wasn’t long before a third and fourth figure appeared on the veranda, which caused Ethan’s heart to skip a beat. There you stood, and from what he could tell you looked horrible. He could see that there was a large bruise over your right eye and a small cut on your lip. The man behind you held you at gunpoint, that much he could tell, but it was enough to make him feel nervous and furious. 

He watched as August harshly grabbed your shoulder, forcing you down the rickety staircase and in the direction of the helicopters, who's blades now began to spin. “We’re running out of time...” Ethan mused, his fists tightening further as he watched you stumble into the helicopter with August close behind you. It wasn’t long before the helicopters began to take off, and Ethan realised that he had to do something now. Otherwise he wouldn’t get another chance to do so. Ignoring the distant calls of his team, he raced forward across the stretch of grass and latched onto the bottom of the helicopter as it began to take off. As the helicopter flew higher and higher, Ethan began to realise that he had not thought this through. The ferocious winds tugged and pulled at his limbs, eventually tearing him from his hold. Grabbing onto the rope of the payload which dangled below him, he fell down on top of the said payload, clinging onto the net that surrounded it for dear life. 

As he gathered his thoughts, and allowed the thrumming of his heart in his ears to slow down, he began to climb back up the rope to get back to the helicopter, the muscles in his arms protesting with his every move. He could see the other helicopter flying ahead, where he knew you would be with August. He had to get to you, and he would do whatever it takes to do so. Climbing up into the helicopter, he knocked out the pilot and successfully hijacked the helicopter, thankfully not alerting August to anything out of the ordinary. 

The reflection staring back at me wasn’t my own.

Strands of (hair/colour) hair were sticking up at odd angles, a split lip stood out amongst the paleness of my skin, along with a bright purple bruise that was beginning to form underneath my left eye. The (eye/colour) eyes that stared back at me appeared to be hollow and devoid of life, which wasn’t surprising given the things I had seen and done.

It is hard to believe that only a few months ago, I was a civilian nobody, brought into this whole espionage mess by accident. And now...I had had to kill and defend myself from ending up in the hands of August Walker. The thought of that man alone caused me to shiver, suddenly becoming cold as small goosebumps formed on my skin. Completely engrossed in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed that the door beside me had opened to reveal the last person I wanted to see at this given moment.

Seeing Ethan’s reflection beside my own as he entered the bathroom was enough to bring angry and sad tears to my eyes, causing me to direct my gaze downward as he approached. I didn’t want him to see me like this, especially not now in the state I was in. Both physically and mentally. My hands balled themselves into fists as I watched him from the corner of my eye, placing his hand gently on top of my shoulder. My muscles involuntarily tensed, having not been used to such contact in the months that I was kidnapped. Everything felt so off, but I felt safe being in Ethan’s presence. “Is everything okay?” he asked softly, to which I shook my head immediately in response. I turned to face him, this time with tears flowing freely from my eyes as I spoke “I have been on my own for almost a month and a half, on the run from August and his men who will stop at nothing to hunt me down...I am not okay...” I sniffled, before beginning to sob softly.

In response to my current state, Ethan removed his hand from my shoulder and stepped forward, wrapping me in his embrace and pressed me close to his body. Just being near him, and having him hold me the same way he did when we were in Rome caused me to break entirely. I shattered in his arms, sobbing loudly as I buried my head in his chest. Through my cries, I could hear Ethan whispering softly into my ear, telling me that everything was going to be okay. I had never felt like this before, so lost, so afraid. Eventually, as my body began to tire, the sobbing stopped and was instead replaced with small and somewhat calm breaths. Months of being on the run had taken its toll, and all my pent up emotions had rushed out in one exhausting wave. 

Slowly pulling away from Ethan, I wiped the remainder of my ugly tears from my bruised, dirt-covered face and looked up at him, smiling through the pain as I sighed heavily. In that moment, he steadily lifted his hand to cup the right side of my face, staring down at me with a look of compassion, worry...and love. Instinctively, I leaned further into his touch, not at all realising the close proximity between us. Everything began to move in slow motion as our foreheads pressed together, our lips ghosting over one another before Ethan suddenly leaned forward and captured my lips with his. All the sadness, all the hurt that I had felt these past few months all but disappeared as the kiss deepened. 

To hell with all my injuries.

As Ethan’s hands found my waist, I wrapped my arms around his neck and gently pulled him closer, his body pressing against mine as the kiss became more passionate. At some point, I found myself being pressed against the bathroom sink, as Ethan’s hands continued to roam my body in gentle caresses. Running my hands through his hair, Ethan pressed me further against the bathroom sink, before carefully lifting me up to sit on the bench beside the basin. He then moved in between my legs, before returning his hands to their original position on my waist. All too soon, we broke apart to catch our breath, once again placing our foreheads together as we tried to calm ourselves from our heated moment of passion. “I love you...” Ethan whispered, staring up into my eyes with a kindness that I had only seen him show me once before. It was back in Rome, when he had promised me that he would protect me, that he would keep me safe. When he promised me that no harm would come to me.

I felt my chest tighten, as I stared down at him with a similar expression. For the time I had been away, I had wanted nothing more than to be with him. I had wanted nothing more than for him to hold me in his arms, to hold me close, to whisper sweet nothings and to keep me shielded from the likes of August Walker. Everything that had happened had led me to this moment, where I found myself saying ‘I love you’ in return. He kissed me again, this time it was more gentle and sweet than the last. It was more of a confirmation of our feelings, a promise sealed with a kiss. 

August Walker doesn’t want to kill you,  but it’s what he’s been trained to do.

He’s been following you for over a week now, and you were none the wiser to his being there. Even when you were working together, August had always watched you from afar, and this was no different. You couldn’t know he was following you. You had to feel safe and if you found out that he was there, those feelings, that weakness that August was playing off of, was gone. His advantage gone with it.

When he’d heard about his mission, he was instantly confused. You, framed for a murder? It seemed wrong. It seemed like a set-up, and after August had done a little digging by himself, behind the back of his superior, he’d realised he was right. You hadn’t killed the man that they said you had. You were running from nothing, yet running from everything at the same time.

You’re sitting at an outside cafe, hat and sunglasses blocking your face from the world as you slowly drink whatever you’d ordered. He’s across the cafe in a corner, watching you as you take in the world, the sun glistening off the river to the right of you, watching as regular people walked past. Families, couples, people walking calmly, people in a rush.

To everyone else, you look like a normal person, prepped for the sunny London summer day. To August, he can see how tense you are, how ready you are to move at a seconds notice and slip into the crowds without anyone seeing.

A few days ago, he’d figured out what he was going to do. When he was ready, he’d follow you to wherever you were holed up for your time on the run and dispose of you in the night. No one would know, it’d all be quiet and quick. But the longer he hesitated, the more he thought that killing you wasn’t an option.

It was the job, though. They trusted him to kill you. He didn’t trust himself to do that.

August sighs and takes a sip of his coffee before folding the newspaper he’d been pretending to read and wandering across the cafe to where you’re sitting. You look up at him as he takes the seat opposite you, panic flaring through your system.

You have a few options: run and likely be caught, stay and listen to what he has to say or slowly grab the gun that’s hidden underneath your jacket. Meeting his eyes, you opt for the second option, but your hand slowly moves closer to the gun under your jacket just in case.

“How long?” You ask, lifting your sunglasses off of your face and sitting them on the table in front of you. If you’re going to talk to him, there’s no point in hiding anymore. He’s found you.

“Two weeks,” he replies, simply.

You clench one of your fists. Two weeks. Two weeks that you thought you were safe, when in reality, you could have died hundreds of times. Yet here you were… the man clearly sent to kill you sitting across from you, and your life still in your hands.

“If you’re going to do it, August,” you start, trying to keep the fear out of your voice. “then don’t do it here.” The second you’d been framed for the murder, you knew there would only be two ways this could end – with you dead, or with you on the run for the rest of your life. You weren’t sure which one you’d prefer.

August frowns a little, eyebrows furrowing. “I’ve been tasked to kill you quietly. No evidence, nothing left of your life even existing. If I was going to kill you, I wouldn’t do it here.”

“Then let’s go,” you move to stand, but August grabs your hand and pulls you back down to the chair. You meet his eyes and see the conflict within them. He doesn’t want to do this, but he also doesn’t want to betray his superiors. “August…”

“Don’t,” he says, letting you sit back down. He takes a deep breath and knots his fingers together on the table in front of him, preparing him for what he’s going to say next. “I’m expected to be back in the States in five days with evidence of your death.”

“And what would you use for that? You can’t transport my corpse in a plane.”

“No one there has any reason to doubt me in completing my job,” August states, voice harsh. “I always dispose of the bodies on my own. I bring back a relic that they can test. Something with DNA to confirm the death.”

“So, what, you want a finger? An ear?”

August cringes and then shakes his head before standing. “Walk with me.”

You follow after him without question, leaving the cafe and your half empty mug behind. Your hands move to your pockets as you walk down the street with him, passing people that have no idea what you’re talking about. People that’d be horrified to overhear anything.

“What are you doing, August? Just get this over with. You shouldn’t have even spoken to me.”

“What I’m doing,” he bites back, “is saving your goddamn life.”

Frowning, you glance up at him. “Are you insane? They’ll kill you!”

“They won’t know.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

August flashes a glare your way. “We’re going to walk into that alley and you’re going to cut your hand and wipe blood on your jacket. I’m going to take that jacket and leave. You’re going to give yourself a new identity and you’re going to live.”

He’s walking into the alley before you can respond and you hurry after him, mind running a million miles an hour. He knows you. He knows that killing you will ruin him. He’s an assassin – he’s not supposed to feel that way. But he does, and he can’t risk killing you. A colleague. A friend. Maybe, possibly, something more. He can’t risk ruining himself.

You don’t even question him when you get to the end of the alley. You know that once he’s made up his mind, there’s no stopping him. He’s not going to kill you. He’s going to save you. And while living life on the run never particularly sounded fun, you can’t say no to him now.

August cuts your hand for you and helps you put blood onto the jacket. He’s been carrying a briefcase this whole time and, when he’s done, puts your jacket inside of it. You wrap up your hand with a bandage he gives you.

“Why?” You finally ask, looking up at him just when he’s about to disappear out of the alley.

He looks conflicted once more as the thinks over your word. Why? Why had he saved you? Why hadn’t he been able to kill you like he should have been? He’d killed people he knew before. But you… you were different. He couldn’t do it.

August meets your eyes again before stepping forward and pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Stay safe, keep yourself out of the public eye, don’t do anything too suspicious,” he mutters. “Keep living.”

He turns away from you and walks out of the alley before you have a chance to say anything else, and when he disappears outside, you break from your stocked stupor and run after him. Your eyes scan the crowd for any sign of him, but he’s disappeared completely, sinking into the crowds like only a spy or assassin could do. You sigh and squeeze your eyes shut.

He didn’t have an answer for you. He didn’t know why he had to save you.

August had been on dangerous missions before. He’d risked his life to save the world, to save his team. He’d fired a gun at bad guys. He’d killed bad guys. But the one thing he’d never done was worry so deeply about someone he thought it might tear him straight in two.

As he did another sweep of the room, his heart was racing a million miles an hour. He wasn’t worried about what your father would think, nor what Sloane would think. He was just worried about you. Worried about where you were, what was going on. Worried about what you’d think of him having lost you. It was all that he could think of as he searched the faces of the crowd around him.

The music was deafening and he suddenly wished that he’d said no to the two of you going to the party. Because at least that way he’d still have you by his side. Cursing under his breath, August walked towards the nearest door, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he did. He walked up the staircase and out onto a small and empty balcony overlooking the city, though the view meant nothing to him as he looked down at his phone.

There was still nothing from you.

He dialled your number instantly and held the phone up to his ear. At least outside there was some solace from the party inside. The music was still audible but it wasn’t so loud that he couldn’t hear anything but the music. He was grateful.

For a second, at the start of your voicemail, August’s heart jumped a beat – he thought you’d actually answered. Though your voice continued, telling August that you were sorry you couldn’t get to the phone right now but to call you back later.

He swore and almost threw his phone straight down onto the ground. Where the hell were you? Why couldn’t he find you? And why weren’t you answering your damn phone? God, if he’d actually lost you… if he’d actually lost you it didn’t matter how mad your father would be at him. The anger and regret he’d feel against himself would be enough to ruin him for life.

He tried your phone again. Nothing.

And the only reason you’d gone to the party was because of Teddy…

Anger flashed through him and he was pushing back inside before he knew it, snaking his way through the crowd over to where he’d seen Teddy before. If Teddy wanted a bit of fun, August would be more than happy to give it to him – surely a night in the emergency room with a broken nose would be a fun story to share with his friends for years to come.

Lights were flashing, the music was loud once again and the room was hot yet all August could focus on was finding Teddy. His eyebrows were furrowed and his face full of unmistakable anger as he walked towards Teddy, not far from where he’d left him fifteen minutes ago.

Teddy saw August only seconds before August reached him. His face broke into an even bigger grin at seeing him and he raised a hand in a wave just as August clenched a hand into a fist and prepared himself to swing it at Teddy’s face and break his nose.

He was only seconds away from slamming Teddy’s nose in when more lights flashed and he caught sight of someone a few people away from Teddy – someone that was undoubtedly you.

You were okay. You were still here.

He let out a breath of relief as he dropped his first and pushed past a very confused Teddy towards you. If anyone gave him dirty looks for pushing past them, rather roughly, in his attempt to get to you, August missed them all. All that he could think about was the fact that you were almost right in front of him.

You saw him just before he reached you, eyes widening in your relief to see a familiar face. And not just any familiar face – the familiar face. The one you’d been looking for ever since you left the bathroom and couldn’t see him anywhere.

August saw you say something as he reached you though he couldn’t hear it because of the music, even though he wasn’t paying attention to any of that anyway. It was like the whole party had stopped the second he saw you and he barely even registered that music was playing anymore – everything was silent.

When he reached you, he had no plans on what he was going to do and out of all the things you’d expected him to do, him wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into his chest wasn’t one of them.

It was just second nature.

You wrapped your arms around him too, exhaling all of the stress of trying to find him as you let yourself properly breathe for the first time since you’d lost him. Hugging in the middle of a dancing crowd wasn’t really what you had in mind for the first hug, but as you hugged him, none of that mattered. All that mattered was that his arms were around you and he was really and truly there.

August didn’t think he could ever let you go again. He was so relieved to just have you back that he didn’t even think about the personal and professional line. It was already blurred enough that adding to it by hugging you didn’t matter.

You didn’t know how long you were standing there hugging, but it had to have been a while. When, eventually, August pulled away, he kept an arm safely wrapped around you and led you from the crowd. His eyes spied the door he’d gone through before when he called you. The balcony would do.

Neither of you spoke as you walked out of the party and up the staircase. When you both emerged on the balcony, you let out a long breath. It was chilly outside and there was misty rain falling from the sky. In the distance, the New York skyline was slightly foggy because of it.

August let go of you and braced himself on the railing, taking a deep breath.

Your eyes moved from the skyline to him, eyebrows furrowing just a little as you looked at him, worry clear on your face. You crossed your arms and hesitantly took a step towards him.

“I thought something bad had happened to you,” he hissed.

You took a breath. “I couldn’t see you when I came out of the bathroom. I thought you’d wandered away… I tried to find you but there were so many people and I just got lost in them,” you explained. “I’m sorry.”

August stood up and shook his head. “No, you don’t have to be sorry. I should have kept a better eye on you. I should have stayed right beside the bathroom door rather than a few steps away… there was a group of people. I think they stood between us. I didn’t even register that you mightn’t see me behind them.”

“It’s not just your fault, August. If anything, we both hold a little of the blame.”

You took another step closer to him.

“No, I’m your bodyguard. I’m trusted to know where you are at all times. To know that you’re safe. To know that you’re okay. To protect you. And I couldn’t even do that,” he sighed. “Your father would kill me. Hell, I’d kill me.”

“We’re not telling him,” you shook your head. “I’m not telling him anything about this night and I’m going to make sure Teddy doesn’t say a word either. He won’t know a thing about the party. He won’t know a thing about this, I promise. This… this is just between us. And nothing happened, August. I’m okay. I’m here. We found each other… it’s okay.”

August took another breath and looked up and out at the foggy New York skyline ahead of you. It was much later, now, then he’d intended to stay, and though he’d finally found you after worrying for so much that he’d lost you, his heart was still racing and adrenaline was still running through his veins.

He was so worried. He was so worried that he’d lost you. And now you were there, right behind him. He could still hear your voice in his head, still feel the way you’d sunk into his arms back inside when he hugged you.

It was almost the same feeling when he woke up hugging you the other morning. Or the feeling that he got when you smiled at him, the feeling that rose in the pit of his stomach. The way you joked with him. The way he joked easily in return. The way you treated him so normally even though he was only your bodyguard. The way he found it so easy to treat you more like a friend than his employer. The way you’d taken him into your home. The way he’d made it his home, too. The way you’d let him sleep in your bed. The way he’d discovered he liked sleeping there. The way you’d happily cooked dinner with him. The way he liked treating you with the food he cooked. The way you’d brought him into your workplace without a second thought. The way he’d come to think of your workplace as a comfort. The way you’d opened up your life to him. The way he was starting to open his life up to you.

It was like everything was happening at once. Every single moment he’d shared with you was flashing in his mind. Like a reminder of everything he’d almost lost.

He spun around quickly and took you off guard by cupping your face in his hands and pressing his lips to yours. The kiss started off rough, passionate, as if he was kissing you like he never would again. His lips were moving against yours, hands holding you like he was afraid to ever let you go. Then, as you moved to press your hands softly to his chest, the kiss changed. It was slower, still passionate, but calmer. As if August had suddenly realised that he would kiss you again. That this wasn’t the end of it, it was only the beginning.

The rain started to get a little heavier, though neither of you noticed. You were too wrapped up in one another to care about the weather, the party below or anything that wasn’t the feeling of the others lips on yours.

When August reluctantly pulled away, you let out a long breath.

That… you hadn’t been expecting that. But you didn’t hate it. How could you?

“If you want to fire me now, I won’t be too mad,” August breathed.

Your face broke into a smile. “You think I could fire you after that, August? Think again.”

Neither of you bothered to find Teddy and say goodnight. Instead, August gave you his jacket to shield you from the rain and the cold and led you from the party to the car and then back to your apartment.

The ride home was silent for the most part. You only exchanged a few words, none of them too important, but, as usual, the silence was nice. After listening to such loud music all night, it was something the two of you were glad to have, even after the events that had taken place on the balcony. You liked that you didn’t have to talk to him about it. It was all hanging in the air between you, but there wasn’t any awkwardness. Just bliss… simple, post first kiss bliss.

When you arrived home and decided to head to bed, August started to excuse himself to his own room, not wanting to jump the gun. You stepped in before he had a chance to take a step towards his door.

“Will you stay in my room tonight?” You asked, trying not to sound as nervous as you felt. Hell, you’d just kissed the man, yet asking him to sleep in your room was an entirely different thing and you didn’t want to embarrass yourself.

August furrowed his eyebrows and turned back to look at you. “Of course I will, when you need me to. If you need me, come and get me. I’ll stay with you.”

“No,” you shook your head. “The whole night. From… from now. From now until the morning… the whole night.”

Your words took him off guard.

“The whole night?”

“The whole night.”

How could he say no?

August, for the first time, crawled underneath the covers of your bed rather than on top of them. You didn’t have to tell him to. He could just see it in your eyes – after the balcony, sleeping on the covers seemed silly. He agreed.

As you laid down and buried your head in the pillow, you turned towards him.

“Tell me about yourself. Tell me something about you that nobody knows.”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “Maybe you should do the same.”

“Works both ways,” you smiled. “You go first.”

“Something nobody knows about me…” he thought it over, staring up at the ceiling as he did. There were hundreds of things he could tell you. August was good at keeping things to himself. But over the few weeks he’d known you, you’d probably learnt more about him than anyone he’d worked with for years. Suddenly, the answer hit him. “I’ve got it.”

“Go for it.”

“Something about me that nobody knows is that I like you,” he said, rather bluntly – if he was an expert at anything, being blunt was it. “I like you quite a lot, actually. Have ever since I met you. And after tonight? Well… I don’t kiss just anyone.”

You buried your head further down in the pillow as his words hit you. You hadn’t been expecting that. You’d expected a fact about his childhood or something, not him admitting that he liked you. Yet, you weren’t displeased.

“Your turn,” August smirked.

“Well, since we’re sharing…”

August couldn’t keep the smile off of his face.

“I like you too. And I’m flattered that I’m not ‘just anyone’”.

August jokingly shook his head. “No, I’ve already said that. Pick another.”

You kicked him under the sheets and his face broke out into an even larger smile. It was gorgeous, not that you didn’t already know that. He was gorgeous all the time, even when he wasn’t smiling. But when he was? It was a whole different definition of the word. A definition that no one had even come up with yet. It was one you just wanted to capture and burn into your mind forever. Something you never wanted to forget. You doubted that you’d ever forget what happened that night.

He shuffled closer towards you and slowly wrapped an arm around you.

“Sorry, I take it back,” he muttered. “Since I liked your confession so much.”

You liked the feeling of having his arm around you at a time when you were both conscious. You liked the feeling that him smiling at you gave you. You liked the way that he looked at you and the way you were both so close. It almost felt strangely normal.

The two of you fell asleep that night wrapped in each others arms. The fact that August was your bodyguard didn’t even come into it because he’d become so much more than that over the past few weeks. He’d become a friend. He’d become more than a friend. He’d become this.

August expected to wake up in the middle of the night to one of your screams, to have to calm you down like he usually did when he woke up to them in the night. And he was prepared to do that, but when he woke up the next morning, it took him a few minutes to realise that you hadn’t woken up once. You’d slept through the entire night without one nightmare.