#[john & annie — “i'm really glad you're here.”]

[kaizsche]

in my dreams, you love me back

a starlight/homelander fic set during s3e06, a missing scene (kind of) inspired by red velvet's in my dreams.

warning: delusions. angst. more delusions and more angst.

note: thank you thank you thank you so much to DelightfullySad and @finnismyoriginalsin for being the numero uno numba one enabler. if it weren't for them i wouldn't be here writing for starlander. i owe them my life. period.

crossposted on ao3

He felt the absence of her presence like a phantom limb. 

They have been inseparable the past few weeks. Ashley had coordinated their schedules to accommodate their PR relationship stunt. Where he went, Starlight naturally followed. Silly interviews about their relationship and public appearances were staged. 

He even began to enjoy her company despite her corpse-like enthusiasm. The moment he realized this, he began seeking more of her. His lips lingered long after their perfunctory kisses and his hands, he found, if not at the small of her back, were either wrapped around her waist or intertwined with the softness of her hands.

There was an odd moment of embarrassment but also smug satisfaction when a reporter wrote an article about them. How sweet! Homelander can’t keep his hands off his girl!

John supposed his recent business venture as the new CEO of Vought made him forget about everything else. He was lost in the technicalities and in turn had lost sight of what was important. 

Starlight. Annie.

To make matters worse, Soldier Boy rose from the dead, his appearance a cause for immediate concern. Nobody at this moment would be able to make the connection that Soldier Boy was behind all the explosions but the instant someone did would be ruining everything he worked hard for. 

Before that could happen, he needed to kill Soldier Boy. Fast. 

That was when he remembered. 

“Don’t you think that maybe the best way to handle this is to find him?”

If there was anyone who had information about Soldier Boy, it was Annie. Though, if it had been a day since she hadn’t reported back to him on the matter, maybe she wasn’t better off.

Her apartment was empty, much to his confusion. He was under the impression that she was scheduled to shoot an advertisement for a skincare company and yet her costume sat idling inside her walk-in-closet. 

For a moment, his traitorous mind entertained her connection to Soldier Boy’s reemergence. 

What did you expect, you fucking idiot! A distant voice in his mind screamed for attention. You killed her ex, you think she wouldn’t retaliate?

John whimpered, But she did it first. 

Just shut the fuck up and let me think.

He spied his gleaming reflection off a white telephone and dialed Ashley’s office.

She answered on the first ring. “Starlight? Where the fuck are you—”

“Where’s Starlight?” He questioned, ignoring the sudden spike of her heartbeat at the sound of his voice echoing from Starlight’s telephone. In Starlight’s room.

Ashley answered with a long suffering sigh, “I don’t know, Sir. She just took off without informing anybody.”

He drummed his fingers in silent contemplation, his eyes taken to examining every intimate detail of her room and stopped, glaring lasers at the offending image positioned right next to her bed.

“Alright. Call me when she comes in.”

He left the comfort of her room not before accidentally bumping into her framed picture with Hughie.

You’re acting like a spoiled brat. 

John dismissed the voice as he retreated to his quarters. It continued to whisper nasty things in his ear that Annie was likely an accomplice. He knew how much Butcher and his skinny side-kick Hughie (who happened to be her boyfriend) detested him. John wouldn’t put it past them to summon Soldier Boy in an attempt to level the playing field.

The voice grew louder, snapping insults in his ear about his weakness—that he had too much humanity in him. That it was disgusting and he was absolutely embarrassed to be him. 

He grabbed for the remote blindly in an effort to distract himself. 

“...he children had all signed a letter thanking Starlight and Homelander for their generous donation to the hospital. Starlight met with patients with kidney failure whose lives were dependent on machines. They are on dialysis three times a week for four hours — until they can have a transplant. The process, however, takes years because of a shortage of donors.”

Annie sat cross legged, surrounded by children. She held a children’s book in her hand, reading to them in silly voices. Different camera shots of children bursting into laughter at her antics flashed through the screen, some of it even catching teary-eyed parents. 

The scene changed. Annie was speaking to a kid with sunshine locks and blue eyes. 

“Dominic for instance has been…”

A lump formed in his throat at the sight of her arms around the boy. The screen transitioned to another shot of Annie cradling him in her arms like a babe as she spoke with a doctor. 

What the fuck? Get your shit together, man!

He closed his eyes, lost in the image of Annie and the boy.

John you fucking halfwit! Get back here! I’m not done with you yet! JOHN! YOU MOTHERFUCKER—

He stirred to the faint sensation of being rocked to consciousness. 

“Dad!” The voice screamed. “Wake up! I’m going to be late for my recital!”

John stuffed his head deeper in the sinking softness of his pillows. A hand snatched it out of his chin, his forehead making contact with the headboard in a loud bang.

“Wha…” A woman mumbled beside him. 

“The fuck?!” He exclaimed.

“Mooooommm! Dad said a swear word!” Before he could recover from the damage upon his forehead, there was another blow to his head—too soft to ever bruise him but a hit that took him off guard.

He rose to meet the attacker, the heat of his lasers igniting the low rage simmering within him. 

And stopped at the peculiar yet welcome sight of Annie’s bed head and her legs tangled in cream sheets. A smaller figure dressed in pajamas blocked his figure, meeting his rage with a smug smirk so reminiscent of his own. 

“Pay up!”

He blinked. His throat was so dry he was simply unable to respond. Bewildered, he sought Annie’s help. 

She frowned, but complied nonetheless. Annie laid a hand on the girl’s shoulder, her voice raspy in the quiet morning. 

He was unable to follow their conversation for he had been occupied with the room he seemed to have been sleeping in. It was a modest bedroom, he noted, filled with mementos. There was a compilation of images of his unlived life with Annie.

His temple throbbed with the effort of remembering. A continuous ringing occupied his hearing the more he examined each picture. Memories flickered in his mind like sifting sand through a screen.

What is reality and what is not?

At the center of the images was a baby girl swaddled in his colors. 

Something itched at the back of his head, a memory long forgotten.

“Wendy?” He tested.

His daughter faced him with a beaming smile, her lips thinly pursed like his own but she had her mother’s nose. 

“Are you—”

John tackled the two of them in a tight hug, dotting kisses to whatever part of their faces he could reach. Twin echoes of shrill laughter brightened the morning as they struggled against his sudden display of affection.

“Dad, stop! It tickles!” His daughter cried, short of breath. 

He pulled away, reluctant to not be within her presence but remembered the urgency of the situation. “Chop chop, ladies! We don’t want to be late for the recital!” 

Annie smiled at him with a question in her eyes once Wendy left to go prepare for the big day. 

“What was that all about?” 

He leaned to press a gentle kiss against her lips but moved to her cheek at the last second. Somehow he knew she didn’t like to kiss with morning breath. 

“It was nothing.”

Her soft fingers gripped his wrist, “Are you sure?”

John chewed on the inside of his cheek in contemplation. Should he tell her the truth? That he wasn’t the man she married but a fraud? A momentary lapse of insanity to give peace to his troubled mind? But doing so would be akin to ruining the dream. 

John wasn’t quite sure he was ready to face the world just yet.

And so, he said, “I love you.”

“I love you t—”

His consciousness spoke to him in loud banging noises. Like what he did as a child when he begged for any scrap of attention. 

Welcome back, you fucking pussy. I’ve taken the liberty of actually getting our shit together. This’ll be the last time you do this to me. Do you hear me, you absolute piece of—

John heard her before he saw her. He had locked on to the gentle cadence of her heartbeat drowning all but the sound of her.

Annie sat down, sighed, and cleared her throat.

He moved without knowing, driven by the remains of his dreams, seeking her touch. The comfort, the soothing balm she alone could provide. 

“I’m really glad you’re here.” 

When all he wanted to say was, “I love you.”

He continued, driven by the questioning look in her eyes so reminiscent of the wife in his dreams. 

“I missed you.”

When he wanted to tell her, “In my dreams, you love me back.”

[nztsume]

i think the thing that interests me the most about homelander is 10000% the fact that hes redeemable and likable just because of the fact of how much he loves the people he loves and how much he needs to be loved by them. like that makes him SO interesting to me, and the more we discover about him the more his insanity makes sense. the fact that nobody ever in his life saw him as any other than a product or a message or a pennant but never a HUMAN, and the fact that he himself doesnt want to see himself as a HUMAN when he so clearly is because all of this!!! the fact that hes gets so pathetically obsessed with any woman that shows him some love and attention, even if its fake! the way he refused to kill maeve because a part of him genuinely loves her still, the fact that when annie kissed him for the fake dating thing he was genuinely GENUINELY into it, and not in a sexual way. he fucking SMILED into the kiss??????? 'i'm glad you're here'???????????? the way stormfront never gave him any genuine show of affection, when it was clearly all about the sex and the power she had over him and he still didnt see it because he was so glad there was a woman who was willingly giving him what he understood as affection (that for her was just sex) idk i just feel like theres something so innocent about his character that the rest of the guys in the boys dont have - which is a clear reflection of how traumatized he was in the lab, how he never quite understood how to navegate his emotions as a grown up and develop actual self love. he loves homelander, but does he love john? everyone loves homelander, but who loves john? im obsessed. and i love how this spills into things that men who stan him actually would never accept or understand- like the fact that he doesnt even care about looks, he doesnt even care about his own supposed ideals where he considers supes superior to humans. he doesnt even care about loyalty!!!! otherwise hed loved firecracker. he simply wants a woman who will love him, really love him, like nobody ever loved him in his life. (and if you think about it thats soooooooo tragic. imagine not even having parents that love you... not even your own fucking child!!!! despite you doing everything to make him not have to go through what you went through!!!! despite giving him your undivided attention- even when youre one of the most important people in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and by the way, im really glad they didnt go for a super easy and predictable storyline where sister sage would pretend she loves him to manipulate him- because that would have been incredibly boring. and one last thing: this is soooo silly and petty but this is why the single most infuriating and insufferable thing in the fandom is the way men stan him, because in universe, theyd literally be the kind of people homelander would fucking hate LMFAOOOO because they ignore all of these essential parts of his character because they are too busy wankin over ashley look at me

[inposterumcumgaudio]

I would love to see what you can gather about Roger

(btw, your James one is super interesting! I'm excited to read part 2)

I'm so glad you sent this ask because as you may have guessed, it is very difficult to talk about James without talking about Roger because neither of them really exist separately of the other. There are very few details about either of them that happen in the vacuum of themselves. If there's something notable about one, it's almost always informed by the other.

For that reason, I pretty much covered everything I would've said about Roger's main game appearances in the James post. If I think of anything I missed, I'll add it, but frankly, I think we're well positioned to proceed into Roger & James in They Came From Below.

Indeed, making this ask the continuation is probably a good idea, since the DLC is from Roger's perspective. Despite that, this story is about the both of them, their relationship, and the (perhaps insurmountable) ways in which they differ as people.

So at the start of the DLC, you're given two objectives that don't seem to serve any purpose except to cut the tension off the robot attack preamble: go shopping and collect a Bobby helmet borrowed from Dr. Faraday. They are, in order, meant to achieve two things:

Make clear that Roger and James are not Out.

Reinforce and remind you that Roger gets female attention (and that he could act on it if he wanted to).

The exchange with Viv is meant to illustrate that the two of them are not so cavalier with their orientation as the main game might have implied. As it was, all three times you encounter the two of them in the main game, they seem to think the player's character already knows they're a couple. There's no way to know that this is actually highly circumstantial to those three main characters. So to make the point, they give you this little scene where Viv thinks she's cracked the secret of Faraday's Workshop, but with the fun misdirection that she thinks they're from a lesser country, not sexual deviants. Very droll, very British.

Meanwhile, the scene with Peggy is to show you how Roger actually approaches the female attention he's getting. The argument in Sally's Act is shaded by the fact that most of the dialogue is cribbed from the lyrics of "John, I'm Only Dancing" so it's not clear then that Roger's really isn't seeking that out or even encouraging the women who approach him. He might even be oblivious to it; he's not looking for it after all and he seems quite surprised by Peggy's admission.

You could come away from the I-was-only-dancing argument thinking that Roger was just as much a smooth talker to Annie as he is to James. Here, we can see it's just that he's emotionally intelligent and has his upper class air that marks him as a good prize for the girl who can bag him. That he makes the effort to let Peggy down gently speaks to that.

I think, though, that if James were a little craftier, he'd realize the tactical advantage of this. If you're worried about people finding out you're gay, there's really no better way to defend against that than by being seen with women. Really, he should be taking notes and offering a dance or two himself. Then again, maybe that just goes to show that the military wasn't his true calling if he's got no mind for strategy.

And really, James is worried about the entire wrong thing. It's not women (and the easier, acceptable life they offer) that could tempt Roger away from him... it's the adventure that lies outside Wellington Wells.

The story starts out with Roger soliloquizing about how he used to wonder about other people on other planets. The quest note for finding the basement mentions he reads a lot of speculative fiction. Unvisited, the note he writes to James about the tribesman and the aviator, is basically a little Tarzan metaphor. Like a little tank engine, Roger wants to see the world.

But as it happens, he lives on just about the most boring holm in Wellington Wells. If you had told me that "Inis" meant "dull", I would have believed you (it's actually Irish for "from the river island".) It's basically just Faraday's Workshop and a single general store. The one interesting thing going on is that a building on the rotunda has burnt down, leaving children's toys in the rubble, but this ain't about that.

Suffice to say, a guy as social, educated, and curious as Roger is probably suffocating slowly in this place. And as he gets older (it's his 34th birthday, recall), he's probably also realizing that the door to adventure is closing on him.

As an aside, here's a bit of trivia: the birthday cake James has made Roger is actually the cake Victoria made Dierdre in the prologue. If you look really closely, you can see her name in the icing. Which is especially funny to me because you never get close enough to this cake in the pinata cutscene to see her name on it in the first place.

Anyway, let's go back to Unvisited for a moment. It's not a one-to-one Tarzan thing, that the subject is specifically an aviator makes me suspect it might be a reference to something further, but the thing about it is that Tarzan was written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burroughs is American, which is a rare (but not unheard of) departure in the reference department. What's more interesting is that he wrote, among other things, the Barsoom series starring most notably the character John Carter. The first book in this series is probably the most well known, since 2012's John Carter is based on it. But its title as a book is A Princess of Mars.

Arthur has a line upon approaching White Tree Park: "Sally and my favorite tree. We used to sneak out at night and smoke, and talk about who we were going to be when we grew up. I wanted to study engineering. And her plan was to be a princess of Mars."

I didn't know all that up there at the time, but I guess I wasn't far off in writing this chapter where Sally and Roger discuss their shared yet suppressed interest in space travel. It's kinda cool that there actually is a six-degrees connection for that comparison in the text. The difference, though is that Roger wants to travel to new worlds for the sake of experiencing culture, whereas Sally just wants to be anywhere but here.

I think Roger's overt interest in other cultures, particularly dead and primitive cultures, is also the means by which to give him a character flaw.

Because he is one of the few characters in the game - and certainly the only starring one - who is a bit short on those. Sure, he's reckless but the game presents that to the player as endearing. The preoccupation with other civilizations could be an avenue for folly.

Let's suppose he had chance to talk to Victoria Byng. The topic of India is already a fraught one for her, but Roger wouldn't know that and would hardly be able to help but ask. And let's be real, he's (the son of) a wealthy Englishman in the 60's: odds are he'd approach that conversation with an uncomfortable reverence for such an exotic culture (perhaps also out of guilt for all the imperialism).

The game is largely avoiding this kind of thing by the fact that the robots are a - if not advanced - equivalently civilized race compared to humanity. We can afford Roger some grace here and assume that he views Indian culture the same way. That's why he approaches this situation with this very optimistic Heart of Darkness notion of "we all could learn so much from each other!"

Indeed, it's probably quite easy to think that when confronted with a race of friendly robots who are showing such mercy and care in response to the cruelty they were shown. Watson sort of hints at this even, when he ask "Do you destroy human beings even when they can no longer cause harm?" To him, humans probably seem quite barbaric just to assume the robots would execute Dr. Faraday; it must follow from their primitive culture.

But how do you suppose Roger would look upon the reality of cultures with less savory aspects of humanity: slavery, body mutilation, cannibalism, human sacrifices, that kinda thing. How would Roger react to those cultures? I figure it could go two ways: either he obstinately sticks to the idea that all culture is valid and insists on "learning" from it, in a way that probably reads to modern eyes is fetishistic and patronizing... or his English proprietary wins out and he looks down on them as uncivilized with nothing to teach a culture as advanced as his. At the very least, he might pity these people, same as Watson probably pities humans on the whole.

Hell, you could just put Roger in the Garden District and he'd be confronted with the same conflict. All that same shit exists out there. He's really not being permitted to see any of that as is because James has him locked in the house for his safety. Rightfully so, lest Roger's bleeding heart end getting them spitroasted (and not in the fun way).

James is put in opposition in the story quite often for his refusal to entertain the idea that the robots are a people and this is correct for this narrative, but I do also think there could be scenarios regarding this where James would be in the right, even with the robots who are generally presented as benign and blameless. Watson is awfully evasive about where the people who built them are, only stating that "they... died". Sounds like a thing that Just Happened when it's said like that. Faraday puts a finer point on it though, asking, "Who do you think killed their creators?" and "Did they ever tell you how their creators died?" during her boss fight. They gave you just enough to know there's something there worth thinking about.

Because Roger's impulsivity and adventurousness are presented to the player as positive attributes (without which the story cannot happen and that turn out to be in service of the just cause at the end), James' cautiousness and devotion to Faraday's designs are presented as negatives. I would say these are actually neutral values outside of the context of this story. James has plenty of net negative attributes though. He's unimaginative and uninquisitive.

James is also condescending to Roger a lot of the time, treating him as a naive child and deriding Roger's particular and relevant talents. He's dismissive of Roger's attempts to understand the robot language and read their markings. At every point where it's brought up, James makes a snide comment about Roger's education ("Sorry, Pup, I forgot to go to the best schools." "Roger, this isn't some philosophical hypothesis to wank on! This is an actual fucking situation!"). The only time he seems to have any interest in it is very early on, when he thinks it will keep Roger busy and out of his way. You know, like a child.

There was a cut scene right before the boss fight (that frankly was really very necessary to make the choice at the end make any sense) where it's made more explicit that James has always thought of Roger as helpless and in need of someone to care for him.

0036600_WellM You’re really willing to risk all our lives?

0036700_PC_Rog You’re really willing to kill off a whole people?

0036800_WellM They’re not people!

0036900_PC_Rog You’re not her bloody parrot! Think for yourself!

0037200_WellM You’re a bloody child! A dangerous bloody child!

0037300_PC_Rog When did you bury your imagination?

0037400_WellM You DO look down on me!

0037500_PC_Rog Ohhh, self-pity does not look good on you.

0037600_WellM If you didn’t need me to survive, you’d drop me like a horse chestnut, wouldn’t you!

0037700_PC_Rog Somehow I managed to survive till I met you.

0037800_WellM Mummy and daddy provided.

0037900_PC_Rog You’ve never taken me seriously, have you?

0038000_WellM Fine. If we survive the next few days, I’m leaving.

0038100_PC_Rog I don't even know who you are any more.

0038200_WellM And you're a fucking idiot, you are!

I find it very funny that James protests that Roger looks down on him, when in fact, it's mostly been James doing the sneering down his nose this whole time. And it's, I think, a conflict a lot of us have come to recognize in our own lives. For example, I live in a city, I don't have a college education but I'm pretty good at self-teaching, I learned critical thinking at some point and made my choices accordingly. But I've got rural yokels in my life who can barely read thinking they're somehow smarter and wiser than me, that they have some "common sense" that's better than just knowing things or knowing how to find out if you don't. And then they accuse me of looking down on them because I'd rather take an expert's opinion on any given subject than theirs. It's all projection.

Roger, for his part, seemed not realize it went to this deep with James until this point. The disdain mostly seemed centered around Roger's mastery of linguistics and how useless that skill probably is in Wellington Wells. That he would have found, in this moment, that James thought he was a soft little rich boy who couldn't take care of himself and moreover, thought Roger wouldn't be with him if he could, is quite insulting!

However... I also think Roger both enabled James in this attitude and was himself enabled to lean into it. Even if you're fully realized and capable person, sometimes it's nice to let someone take care of you, especially if they're insisting that they want to. But if you do it long enough, you might lose a bit of your own self-reliance.

When the story starts out, Roger is fearful and reluctant to act. When James says they have to find Dr. Faraday, Roger argues that they don't know where she is but concedes at James' insistence. After James is attacked by the robot after Roger gets the ray gun (with a little hint at the later conflict "I just hate to think how you'd manage if I was dead"), Roger again suggests they run from this situation instead of pursuing Faraday, to which James insists again.

It's this moment that breaks the roles they've assumed in the relationship. James was injured in this attack and so Roger was "forced" into the active role of the story that James would have probably claimed for himself. In fact, James has a petulant (childish!) fit at the end of "War of the Worlds" when Roger points out that he's still injured so it must be him who continues into the facility. "Damn it, Roger! I'm the soldier!" he says.

And Roger realizes that he's let himself be coddled when - after the argument in the gondola - he clears the crevasse and muses aloud "Have I become brave?" Personally, I think he was always brave and just forgot after so long of having James defending him from the world.

And by the end of the DLC, they've re-contextualized themselves to each other. Roger offers to take care of James, has proven that he can. James sees now that Roger is just as capable and determined as he is. There's a new equilibrium to the relationship. Surely they'll be even better for each other now.

The core concept behind the DLC revolves around the questions above: if Roger and James hadn't met during the war, would they have gotten together? Do they really understand each other as people or are they only sticking it out because there's no other options?

Obviously convincing James to come along on the fantastic adventure beyond the portal is the "correct" ending, but consider that regardless, Roger does come back and resumes his life with James. Romantic! Clearly they were meant to be!

Well. Consider too that everything that happens in the main game, all the times we see them arguing, the absolute discord of the Faraday Workshop that even possesses mere visitors to the house? That all happens after the events of the DLC.

So in my humble estimation, no, they wouldn't have gotten together if not for the war and if they weren't the only two "like them", they probably would have broken up by now.

But look, that's just my world view. I've always been of the opinion that love (and marriage, de facto or otherwise) isn't hard and that the conventional wisdom that it is is only borne out of the fact that until very recently, you had a much smaller selection to choose from and necessarily had to make concessions if you wanted to meet life goals that were similarly expected of you. When you don't have access to the entire planet and you need to get a move on with the house and kids, yeah, you're going to put up with more and settle for less. Add onto that being gay, you're probably regarding him as the only chance you're ever gonna get.

If you really need it to not be as cynical a story as that, you can disregard all the why's of it. They are still together after everything and will probably remain so. If They Came From Below was a shifting of the tectonic plates their relationship is built on, it's conceivable that they have more of those shifts over the course of their undoubtedly long relationship, every time coming to understand each other a little better.

Miscellaneous Roger and James thoughts:

I think Roger's repeated attempts to leave Faraday to the problems of her own creations early in the story contrasts very interestingly to his later sentimentality for her when asked to give up his bee cannon. As much as his relationship to James has changed in this story, I think Roger's relationship to Faraday has also changed... for the better, despite all logic. And frankly, I love that for them.

I think both of them are quite grateful to her in general just for her disregard for their private lives (and she does know, because she'll call Roger a "deluded old maid" if you stall long enough during the last phase of her boss fight). Prickly as she is, they really are very fortunate she took them on. Conversely, I think she chose them over more traditional Help because having a man in the house necessarily discourages other men from trying to intrude. They're a buffer not only from the general public, but also any unwanted suitors.

Roger mentions in one of his quest notes that James also makes a decent salad. I prefer to extrapolate this out to suggest James is probably a decent cook in general, his skills not limited to baking and preparation of raw vegetables, but on the other hand, it's hard to say how much they could be eating this isn't flour or plants even if he can do more.

In the big argument in the gondola, James tells Roger to go fuck himself because "I left everything for you". I think there was a point at which any civilian presence on Ravensholm was no longer permitted while at the same time, the term of enlistment had also gotten a lot more nebulous (read: indefinite). So I think there was a point at which Roger was made to leave the camp and James, not wanting to lose his one shot at love, leaves the military for him. Practically, we from the future would know there's no career advancement in the military in Wellington Wells, but James would hardly know that then or now. For someone who values having a job and belonging above all else, it was a very large risk to take.

Moreover, I like to think that Ollie might have caught him at it. It's suggested that someone spends a lot of time drinking in the air raid shelter and it is also the quietest way off Ravensholm. Additionally, it would explain why James would speak so openly in Ollie's act and also why Ollie might not realize why. If Ollie was real fuckin' drunk when this happened, he'd not know James was gay but James would think he did.

Did Ollie know that was why James was leaving? Well, he was a lot more observant back then. He's forgotten a lot since. But the thing I think really sells the idea for me is this line Ollie has when talking to Victoria.

Victoria: Please, Ollie. You were never cruel.

Ollie: I'm a soldier, Ma'am. They teach ye to be cruel.

Maybe for Ollie it wasn't really anything about James and that poncy lad he was inordinately chummy with, so much as that if James learned this cruelty, we never see it. Yes, he's callous and uninterested in anything outside his small domain, but he's not malicious. And maybe if you're Ollie and you've just caught this bespectacled young man barely out of his teens with his rucksack all packed for his French Leave... well, maybe he's better off in civilian life. Maybe he deserves the chance at it, merely for having the initiative to take it. Maybe a guy who spends that much time wearing oven mitts doesn't belong on a battlefield anyway.

[thekillingjoke-haha]

Can you maybe write a poly romantic content for the seven from the boys with a fem reader with also lots of jealousy and possessiveness with the og team from s1?

Just The Assistant Right?

Warning: Assault,Blood,Physical fighting,domestic dispute,jealously, possessive,angst turn heated.

Y/n was a name that could bring the seven most popular and well know heroes drop to their knees. She was their personal assistant hired early on in the sevens rise in popularity she was mainly their to keep the teams image clean and their behavior in check. Yes of that lead to a relationship between the team and her although that was unknown to the public which was best for business said Stillwell.

So back to the main focus in time she was in a chair off to the side as John and Kevin or Homelander and The Deep was being interviewed before her and she was actively watching another interview with the other five partners silinently playing live with captions on as she worked on the laptop. "Here is my final questions your love life..." "Lets get to the juicier questions." Y/n rolled her e/c orbs at the statements they always asked to fuel the fires that lit in the horny bitches pants that lived and breathed to have the slim chance of fucking the seven members. Their was a set response to these questions they say their single and could never imagine settling down with so many people to protect blah blah blah. "Rumors are going around about the team falling for that pencil pusher assistant L/n so is it true?" The bubbles younge women asked the five of the seven members,but her eyes snapped up from reading the captions looking up at the differently phrases words."Word has been spreading g about a potential relationship with Ms.L/n care to shed some light on this?" Slowly moving Y/n turned up her volume slightly to her the live interview. "L/n is just a close influence in our lives,but she is only just our personal assistant that handles our affairs." John was the first to speak up smiling full of charm as Kevin's brown eyes widened slightly before he nodded along feeling the headed glare only a few yards away. "Y/n? She nobody really low ranking supe that need a place." Reggie said with a chuckle adjusting his blue and white shades as Maeve responded after. "Just our assistant that helps us out haha." She said nervously it was clear for someone that knew her and the h/c women knew her inside and out. The others only agreed with their statement and she closed her laptop and stood from her chair her eyes seeming to cut the two supes infront of her. Her face held no emotions as she leaned over to the PR Ashley and whispered something before turning on her heels and strutting out of the interview early. The team knew right then that they fucked up,but they were supes and the assistants lovers mad can she be?

The stone and steel of the vought table creaked under her hand that layed on top of the surface as the team sat at the table looking at her. "Why are you so angry,baby? You know we can't out our relationship." John spoke up as he looked at her a smirk pulled on his lips like he could do no wrong. "So by doing that you disrespect at my job a,d as a person oh that so much better,Johnathan really let me give you all a hand." Y/n clapped sarcastically as her hard gaze roughly panned over all of them. "Glad to know I'm nothing,but a joke to y'all."

Annie shook her head as she look up at her girlfriend in distress. "No n/n it wasn't like that it was j—" but shebwas cut off by the blonde male as he let out a emotionless laugh. "Yes its exactly what it looked like. Compared to us you are nothing without us you wouldn't have anything so yes you're nothing more then or little pencil pushing,bend over,order taking assistant nothing more." The room fell silent not a single sound heard and it stayed that why for a lifetime which was only a few minutes. "You all have a meeting with Ashley and Stillwell about up coming projects and I'll be taking a much deserved vacation away from you assholes. Take the time to forget about what we had." Y/n spoke deathly calm the eye of the storm making them all choke on a breath as the realization that this moment of silence will be broken with their unkempt rage as she walking with her head held up high out of the room and out of the building to her apartment. All hell broke loose as they supes caught up the same chapter in the book. She just broke up with them over their mistakes and was leaving them and they didn’t stop her. The room was in shambles and it barley reflected their pain and anger. Noir who was off to the side looked to the only other team member calm enough to listen as he signed to him.

"Its all our fault we pushed her away and brushed her all. Not even defending her and now she's out there looking for someone that won't make the same mistake we made that will hold on and won't let go" Grant or Translucent said for Noir as he look at the team rubbing a hand down his face balling up his fist as it went opast his chin. "Are we just gonna sit here and ponder or are we getting her?!" Maeve said as she stood up already rushing towards the double doors Kevin following after her. The seven broke off into groups of two while John was on his own since he could fly and see through buildings he'll notify the team quicker. The sun was setting on the supes face as he landed at the front door of her apartment opening the door with his copy of the key.

The whole space was clean and put togther the only evidence it wasn't a model apartment was the decorative pillows and the photos of the team separate and togther littered on the walls and shelves. Stepping deeper into the cluches of the pale walled living room he couldn't hear anyone inside ignoring this he kept going forward to the office it was empty and papers scattered on the marble desk yet none spilled to the floor with a sigh he moved on. The bedroom the clothes she was wearing a hour ago was balled up in the hamper the lid not closed and the closet door was wide open with the light on. Johns eyes did catch something that was purposely placed. A note.

'If I'm just your assistant than please keep this business casual. Relationships in the work place wow a HR nightmare. So I'm gonna find multiple someone's to fill the space...being a great fuck is a bonus tho.~

—The Seven

John crunched the paper up before pressing his comm telling his findings. They now had a idea where to find her a club and their is only one place open at this time. Supernova. They all rushed,but only after changing into civilian clothing cause suits meant business in the supe nightclub.

Back to Y/n~~

Walking through the doors Y/n immediately had eyes on her maybe because shr was normal it was like these supes can smell it and those that had a particular kink for normies where like a flock of birds and she was a new shiny toy. Perfect. Men and few women alike gravitated towards her as she stood at the bar ordering a glass of red wine. The first brave soul was a black haired man that had a cleanly shaved face. "Hey,doll. What's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?" He asked liking his lips as he looked at her cleavage. His tongue was forked like a lizard and on a closer look green scales were on his neck seeing to thin out in the front. "Why is anyone here? To get drunk and get fucked." She grinned.

The man groaned as he held her hips turning her away from the bar and pulled her close. A warm breeze passed against her shoulders and she saw two people a man and woman there. Both of them dawned blonde hair and blue eyes. Must be twins and from the looks of it where a small town heroes. "Now look at you two straight from a wet dream. Just gonna stand and watch or lead us all to a booth?" Togther they nodded and lead them to a large c shaped booth that should hold more than four,but it was best than those couches. Y/n was there to forget about the Seven and if it meant warming her bed for the night so be it. What she didn't expect was for the seven to walk through the doors and a certain translucent supe saw flickering with his powers. The others noticed and asked what was wrong. "They are touching what's ours!" Grant hissed in anger and the others followed his eyes and their own filling to the brim in jealous rage.

Anthony was the first to make it to the table removing the blonde man throwing him over the side of the leather booth. Annie and Maeve were next and grabbed the second twin the blonde seven tossing the girl to the waiting brunette that punched her lights out as Noir seemed to come up from nowhere knocking out the unconscious girls brother with the handle of his knife.

Grant was dragging the two away to another area for someone else's problem. Kevin grabbed the black haired serpent breaking the connection he had on his girlfriends lips his fist met his jaw repeatedly before pulling him around the curve of the c shaped bench and dropped him to the ground. The supe shook his head gaining his barings and spitting out blood that had collected in his mouth. Spitting it right on the boots of the sevens leader. The serpent hybrids eyes trailed up the jeaned pant legs to looking into the eyes of the devil himself. Blue and full of possessive jealously that his blood curdling smile over shadowed. "You shove that disgusting snake tongue down her throat and now you spit not at,but on my feet." John hummed and his eyes started to glow red his orbs fading.

As he was about to burn holes into his head a gental hand grabbed his chin and another rested on his arm. "Now Johnny boy not here. Behave and I'll come home and give ya a treat." Y/n purred into his ear and his eyes dimmed the man crawling away with his life in hand. "Good boy." She hummed kissing behind his ear making the blonde relax before wrapping his arms around her his face in her neck taking in the perfume he bought her. She was his. She was theirs and losing her today only proved that they wanted her more than anything even if it meant killing. Y/n might not be super,but she heard the distinct sound even over the music and mosns, skull cracking and brain matter meeting a thick boot. Noir.

"You're ours,darling. We know we fucked up,but seeing you gone and with them was nothing compared to you not being ours." Margaret brushed her h/c hair off of her shoulder gently playing with the strap of her dress as a four hand went to hold the side of her chest just under her arms. "Ours we'll scream it if we have to. Ours to touch." Kevin said his fingers teasing the lace. "Ours to hold." John hummed his arms still around her. "Ours to kiss." Grant kissed her shoulder blade. "Ours to please." Annie uncharacteristically grabbed at her exposed thigh massaging the flesh. "Ours to tease." Anthony nipped at her earlobe. "Ours to love." Noir said lastly his hand sliding down her back resting at the small of it above John's arms.

Y/n smiled her e/c orbs full of lust and passion coated in love for the suoes around her. She wasn't just the assistant. She was theirs as much as they were hers.

"And mine to fuck."

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A/n: hope ya liked it never did suck a large poly and fuck I don't know Translucent at all so many of them are out of character.

[happys-crazy-queen22]

I Feel A Sin Coming On

Gif credit @bodybebangin

Taglist @ackles-nhl. @cbouvier23.

I hope you all enjoy.

Warning: abusive boyfriend. Abusive relationship. Abusive language. Murder. Mention of blood. Disposing of a body. Abuse. Caution when reading.

Lee being the bestest man ever!!!!

Song: I feel a sin coming on by Pistol Annie's.

"Please, be nice. I've known the Dutton family since I was a kid. John's like a dad to me. Please don't be rude". You begged your boyfriend Ted, he wasn't a people person especially people you knew. He always hated to be around people that you liked.

"I'll be good". Ted smirked. You really wanted to smack the smirk off of him and throw him in with a bull since he already caused a scene on the way over because of how you were dressed. It took you three hours to find the perfect outfit. You looked nice.

Sighing you knocked on the door, Jamie answered. You and him didnt get along but you were glad to see someone other than Ted's ugly face. "Hey Jamie". You smiled. Jamie motioned for you two to come in.

"Jamie, this is Ted". You introduced Ted who looked Jamie up and down.

"Hi". Ted plainly said.

"Okay, everyone is in the livingroom having a cocktail. Can I get you anything"? Jamie offered.

"She'll have a water and I'll take a beer". Ted interrupted before you could say anything.

Jamie looked at you and you nodded. You followed Jamie and went into the livingroom. Everyone was there. But you were actually surprised to see Lee. He wasn't a big partier.

"Hey everyone, this is Ted. My boyfriend". You tell them. Ted comes up behind you and puts his hand on your shoulder with a squeeze.

"You didnt say there were men here your age". Ted whispered in your ear pretending to kiss your cheek.

"Be have". You warned but got a rotten dirty look from Ted.

"Lee, I didnt expect to see you here". You giggled going over to him.

"Dad, told me you were coming. So here I am".

"That's great. I'm glad you came. We should catch up sometime".

"Yeah. Is he waiting on you or somethin"? Lee pointed to Ted, who had his hands on his hips staring at you two as you talked.

"Um, I better go. It was nice seeing you Lee". You walked away and over to Ted. He grabbed you by the arm. Lee saw it and he wanted to say something but it wasnt his place.

"You flirting with him you fucking slut"? Ted got into your face, you looked down to the ground and shook your head. "Sit your ass in that seat and dont fucking move". Ted pointed to the empty chair. You did as you were told. Gulping down your tears.

"Y/N, it's so good to see you sugar". John came out of his office with a hug.

"Good to see you too". You gave him a side hug. Not one of the hugs where he takes your breath. John thought it was odd. But didnt say anything.

"Who's this"? John looked behind you to Ted. He had a look that could kill.

"Ted, my boyfriend". You smiled through the discomfort.

"Nice to meet you". John nodded and turned his attention to Beth who asked him a question.

"What's wrong with you"? You whispered to Ted.

"Have you slept with everyone in this room"? Ted scoffed.

"No. They're good people and you're being an asshole to them". You gulped, you never stood up to Ted like this before. Well once you did and it didnt go over well.

"Can I see you in the kitchen for a second". Ted said loud enough so everyone could hear it and grabbed your hand dragging you into the kitchen.

As soon as you got into the kitchen Ted slaps you across the cheek. You gasped, holding your face.

"I've warned you time after time. Dont make me mad. But you seem like you dont listen. You're in there flirting and throwing yourself all over these men. You filthy whore". Ted quietly screamed in your face.

"I'm sorry". You whimpered as he moved his hand closer to your cheek that he slapped.

"I dont want to hurt you baby. But you just do stupid shit and need to be punished for it. Do you understand"? Ted said cocky.

"Yes, sir".

"Okay. Get back in that chair and sit down and shut up". Ted gritted his teeth.

You hurried along not looking behind you to see if Ted followed. You sat in the chair quietly. Not speaking to anyone.

"Hey, Y/N? Lee's talking about that time you and him went skinny dipping in Mr. Wilson's pond". Kayce laughed, with a beer to his mouth. He was probably drunk.

"How did I not know about this"? John laughed along.

"We were sixteen. It was hot that night. It's not like you havent done your share of teenage mischief". You laughed.

"She was the ring leader. I just followed". Lee held up his hands.

"Oh please, Lee Dutton. I didnt see you stopping and getting out". You giggled.

"Well, I had great company". Lee winked. His brothers and sister gasped. A blush formed on your cheeks.

"You two dated"? Ted's voice caused everyone to stop. You looked over to him beside you.

"Yes. For a year". You softly spoke.

"Dont worry, man. It ended after she left for college".

"That's great. But I was talking to her. Not you". Ted sneered.

"Dont talk to her like that. She didnt do anything wrong". Lee stepped up.

"Stop. Okay. We dated. It's over. I'm with you now". You went to grab Ted's hand but he jerked it away. You felt like you could cry. All eyes were on you. Not judgy eyes but sorrow eyes.

"Y/N, why don't you sing for us? Like you use too". Beth walked over to you holding a microphone. She was trying to cut the tension.

"I didnt come here for karaoke, Beth". You shook your head. 

"Come on".

"Alright. No laughing". You pointed to everyone.

Beth put on a song and sat back down. 

"I feel a sin comin' on. I feel a right that's about to go wrong. I got a shiver to the bone. I feel a sin comin' on.

I got a buzz in my brain. Drunk on a love goin' down like champagne. I got a feelin' that its gonna leave a lipstick stain. I'd be the only one to blame.

And you can see it. All over my face. Sweet Temptation. All over the place". You started to sing. All eyes were on you. Ted, had his fist balled up and ready to give you a beating. But you didnt focus on him and that's probably why he was mad.

Your eyes were on Lee the whole song. You forgot how much you loved him. Not seeing him in years you forgot that he was your one true love. You thought it was Ted but tonight proved that he wasn't.

"Stupid whore". Ted yelled, throwing his bottle across the room.

"Ted, wait". You hurried after him. Lee followed and so did Kayce. John came along too.

"Whoops". Beth laughed. She had a trick up her sleeve.

"Ted, please".

"I thought I loved you but it turns out you're nothing but a fucking mega slut. Slobbering all over these guys dicks. Go suck some more". Ted pushed you away.

Lee had had it. He ran after Ted and punch him in the back. Making Ted turn around and go after Lee. Lee was a man that could hold his own. He didnt need any help like Ted did when he got into a fight.

Lee was on top of Ted, punching his face in. Kayce tried pulling Lee back but he pushed Kayce away.

"Lee stop, you're going to kill him". You begged with a sob. You didnt care about Ted. But Ted was the kind of person that would call the cops and have everyone there thrown in jail.

Lee panted as he stood back. His knuckles were bloody and a sweat across his forehead head.

Ted laid still on the gravel. His face smashed in.

John went to check on Ted as you looked Lee over.

"Are you okay"? Lee asked you instead.

"I'm fine. Are you okay"? You took his face in your hands.

"I'm great". Lee chuckled.

"Why did you do that"? You asked through tears.

"You dont deserve to be treated that way. I dont care if you love the guy. I wasnt going to let him talk to you like that". Lee panted his chest heaved up and down.

"I dont love him. I hate him so much. I just couldnt get away".

"You're free now. What are you going to do"? Lee smiled, his smiled lights up your mood and you completely forgot how bad it was before.

"Something I should've done a long time ago". You smashed your lips to Lee's. It took him by surprise but he relaxed into the kiss. Grabbing you by the waist he brought you in close. His hand held you back softly.

You broke the kiss, leaning your forehead against his. "I've loved you since I was sixteen Lee. That hasn't changed. I've tried to move on and forget about it but I can't do it anymore. I love you".

"Fuck, it took you along time". Lee chuckled making you giggle. "I love you too. I'm going to make this up to you. For dealing with those kinds of men. I'm going to treat you like a queen".

"You don't have to do anything. Just love me like you did when we were sixteen". You pressed your lips to his.

"Wanna go skinny dipping in Mr Wilsons pond"?

"It's cold".

"I'll keep you warm". Lee kissed your lips and you two ran off down to his truck. You hopped in and drove off. It was like you were two teenagers sneaking off again.

"My plan worked". Beth came up behind everyone.

"What plan? I think he's dead". Jamie knelt down beside Ted.  

"Serves him right.  Laying a hand on Y/N". Beth walked over and kicked Ted.

"He hit her"? Kayce asked shocked.

"Yeah, I saw them in the kitchen. That's why I made her sing. I knew it would piss him off and Lee would step in. They're right for each other. He just had to go". Beth spat on Ted.

"Have Rip help with the body. Bury him deep. No ones going to find this fucker". John gave his orders to his sons.

"Will do". Kayce went to get Rip.

"It was great knowing you Ted. Bye now". Beth poured her drink on him and walker away. Jamie followed.

There was a sin committed that night. But no one was going to tell.

[kaizsche]

you are an absolute fucking menace. why are you doing this to me. what did i even do to deserve this. we have a research paper we are supposed to work on. why?

@namiisei