#Just about an hour ago something heavily explode in the air
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wistfulpoltergeist · 7 months ago
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Ask Game: List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers :)
Things that make me happy: 1 - My art 2 - My cat 3 - Sunny days 4 - Damn good sleep 5 - Збитий російський літак, або корабель, або ракета, або дрон, або ще яке лайно, що суне вбивати українців.
Here's ma dancing boys to make this post fun!
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I used poses by @simmireen
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reviiely · 1 month ago
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!!!!!!!
The MayDaisy !!! Still as good as the last time I read it from your universe ! Thank you so much for all the crumbs !!
If you don’t mind, could I ask that you expand a bit more on Skye and May’s reactions to Skye getting powers ?? Like if Skye was worried about how May would react, or if May was worried that her little girl was gonna turn out like that little girl in Bahrain ???
Hi Anon! I'm not sure if you're the same one from yesterday, but you're welcome all the same.
Now to the main event: Skye's powers and how they come to light!
I don't especially feel like writing this, mostly cause I'm still a little blocked and I'm not really sure how it would go, but here's the next best thing (AKA me forcing the words out and hoping it sounds fine).
--
(2x11: Aftershocks)
(In the quarantine room.)
"Hey."
Skye glanced up from her hands. "Hey," she croaked. "What's up?"
May slid inside the glass box. Skye wanted to protest, but the words died in her throat when she saw Fitz nod at her from the outside. May tapped her hand. "Feeling like you’ve been in that glass box your whole life yet?" her mother asked her. "You doing okay?"
Skye nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I- I just…" She sighed. "I feel isolated and exposed at the same time. Being a caged animal is no fun." She cracked a small smile. "I'm used to it."
"I wish you weren't." May held onto her hand gently, like she was afraid that Skye had changed in that chamber, like she'd become glass. In a way, she kind of had. "Fitz said that you had something to tell me."
Skye didn't need to look up to see the engineer sitting by the door, effectively guarding them inside the soundproof box. Instead, she looked up at May.
"Please don't be... I don't know, mad, or something. " I don't want you to leave. "I didn't hide this from you. I barely... I found out from Fitz maybe an hour ago." Please don't be mad. Please, please, don't be mad. Please don't hate me. Please don't hate me because I changed. Please don't flinch. You never flinch. Skye swallowed. "I, uh..."
May tilted her chin up so that their eyes would meet, gazing at her, through her, and Skye knew that the jig was up. May could read her like an open book. May knew that something was wrong with her. May knew.
Skye's eyes burned. Her lungs burned. She squeezed her eyelids shut as tears came unbidden to the surface, and she clutched May's hand like a lifeline. She couldn't breathe.
Please don't hate me. Please don't go.
"Hey, hey, angel..." May's quiet voice came to her like a light in the fog. "Hey. Can you take a deep breath for me?"
She gulped in air, but it only made her more dizzy. She held onto May tighter.
"Can you open your eyes for me?" The world was too bright. She hated the lab. She hated how pristine and bright it was. "Good, thank you. Can you name me five things you can see?" Stupid fucking bright lights, stupid lab, stupid powers, stupid brain. "Skye?"
"Fitz, the lights, the lab..." She squinted. "The potted plant over there. You."
May tapped her hand twice. I love you. "Okay," she said, "what's four things you can touch?"
They went through the exercise, and only when Skye finally forced some water down her throat, did May let them talk about it. Her. Her powers.
"So." Skye swallowed slightly. Cracked a smile. "Where were we?"
"Don't." May gave her that look. "Don't do that."
Skye let out a small breath. "Well, what do you want me to do?" she demanded quietly. "What do you want me to say? 'Sorry for having a panic attack, please hold, I'll be right with you'? 'I have weird powers that make things explode and I have both survivor's guilt and regular guilt about killing one of my closest friends'? 'I feel like a murderer and like I'm truly, truly, my biological father's daughter'? Do you want me to say that?"
The silence between them hung heavily in the air. Skye's chest was heaving. I fucked up. I fucked up. This is bad. Fuck.
When May didn't say anything else, Skye dared to look up, finding her mother just staring at her. No heat. No anger, no sadness, just her eyes boring into Skye's soul. Skye knew that look. It was the one May got whenever she was thinking about Bahrain. She used to babble happy conversations to that look, trying to ease it away from her mother's face in time for dinner.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "For becoming this way."
May's face slowly melted back into her careful neutral. She tapped Skye's hand, once, twice. I'm sorry. I love you.
"Don't be sorry," May said after another moment. She held onto Skye as tightly as she could. "You're still who you are, powers or no powers."
"I'm different now," Skye protested.
"That may be true, but that's not all there is to you, is it?" May studied her expression. Skye felt her eyes rove over her face. "You're not just your powers. You're my daughter. You're Phil's daughter. You run this base. You're a genius in CS. You're one hell of an agent." May squeezed her hand again. "You're still you. Now with added..."
"Danger," Skye finished.
"Impact," May countered. Skye could see her mother wavering. She hated it, hated that she was the cause of it. "Once we get these powers of yours under control, they're just another tool in your toolbox."
"I'm a ticking time bomb."
"You're more than just a ticking time bomb."
"I'm still a ticking time bomb, even if I'm more than that."
Skye tried to pull away, but May held firm.
"You can learn how to control them," her mother said firmly. "And you will. I have faith that you will."
"What if I can't?" Skye asked. There was a buzz underneath her skin, like everything had been freshly slapped and blood was rushing to the surface. She wondered what that meant. "What if I hurt people? What if I..."
Repeat what happened down in the underground city, destroy lives and people and beliefs, turn into the girl that you have to take out to save everyone else, force us into a second Bahrain. What then?
"We can get through this," May said, knowing everything that passed through Skye's mind. "I trust you."
Skye knew her mother wasn't lying to her, but it seemed as if that she had misplaced beliefs. It wouldn't be the first time. It probably wouldn't be the last.
"Okay," she said anyway. "I trust you, too."
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abluehappyface · 1 year ago
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Typing a touhou related thing here but I'm not tagging it because idk how to feel about it. This is like a weird au involving HecaJun but Wrong™ I guess. If you personally like it and tag it that's on you, but I don't know if this counts as "good to post" with touhou tags so eh.
Haunted
Breathe
Just breathe
But quietly of course
You don't want her to hear you.
...
Hecatia didn't know what had gotten into Junko, but she's angry, angrier than usual, which is really saying something. She's so angry that she's been quite literally been blinded by her fury, unable to see past the purple fox tailed light waves flowing from her eyes. Along with that, for some reason Hecatia couldn't shoot bullets. She was being chased by Junko in a hyper-aggitated state, and she had NO way to defend herself!
Her heart felt like it was going to explode from how bad her chest hurt. How long had she been running? For some reason she couldn't float either, just making it easier for Junko to try and catch her. She was breathing so heavily, yet there was never enough air. Between the running away and the sheer panic she felt, her whole body felt pained, suffocated, and weak. All of it felt sickening.
She didn't even know WHY Junko was chasing her, but that just made it scarier. Here she was, chasing you while fully furious, and she didn't know why or how to fix it. Talking to her wouldn't work, she already tried that. Did this involve Chang'e or something!? No, that didn't make sense, she would be chasing Chang'e if that were the case.
She didn't know where she was either. This place felt familiar, but she just couldn't figure out how. All she knew is that she needed to keep running so that Junko couldn't get her. The overbearing heat in this place would've caused her to stop a long time ago had she not been running on pure panic. All that mattered now was getting to that something she knew was there.
She was tripping over herself now, her body not being able to keep up anymore, it must've been hours at this point. No matter how many times she fell she HAD to get up again. She could feel Junko getting closer and closer, just mere seconds from getting too close. She knew she couldn't keep this up for much longer, but her brain just refused to let up. Everything was getting hazy now.
Dizziness was setting in and she wasn't running in a straight line anymore. The vision around the edges of her eyes were going dark. The pain was beginning to hurt too much. She couldn't take it. She fell down onto the surprisingly hot ground beneath her.
She knew Junko was slowly creeping towards her. She began with a slightly muffled laugh, her deep voice echoing all around this familiar yet dangerous place. She wanted to scream, to tell her not to hurt her, but all that came out were sharp, gasping breaths as she broke down into a frenzy of panicked tears. What was Junko going to do to her!? Junko began by grabbing her by the shoulders, lifting her off the ground, and started shaking Hecatia back and forth, laughing as she cried and squirmed as hard as she could.
...
"LADY HECATIA WAKE UP!"
Clownpiece was shaking Hecatia back and forth by the shoulders trying to get her to snap out of... whatever THIS was. At this point Hecatia was an unhealthy shade of pale, trembling REALLY hard, murmuring about something, breathing too hard, and she was really REALLY scared. It was as if Lady Hecatia was supposed to be waking up from a nightmare, but just couldn't wake up. All Clownpiece could do was keep trying to wake her, even if it felt pointless. Shaking her didn't seem to work either. Junko was in the other room dialing the number for Eientei. She was startled awake when she heard Hecatia crying, seemingly panicked. No matter how many times she tried to wake her up, she just couldn't, and now it's gotten worse. She wasn't so pale before, nor was she trembling like that, it looked like she could barely breathe! She began explaining the situation to Eirin on the other line. After that, all she could do was wait for the emergency services to show up. Was this a curse!? Something WORSE!? Junko was worried, but also angry, but not in her usual way. No, Junko was angry because of what was happening to Hecatia. It had nothing to do with Chang'e this time, and if it did she'd KILL her.
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rcksmith · 4 years ago
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Secret — Five Hargreeves
Requests: “For Five Hargreeves — can I get 97, 91 28 and 35 for a heavy smut? And 40 from fluff? If it isn’t too much trouble!”
“If it’s not too much trouble could I do 40,53 & 91 from the smut prompts for Five ty honey 💕”
Smut prompts:
28. “Such a needy little thing, aren’t you?”
35. “Try to keep quiet. We don’t want to get caught.”
40. “I guess I’ll just get off all by myself.”
53. “Well, since you want to cum so badly, why don’t we see how many times I can make you cum right now.
91. “guess i'll just have to cum in you then’
97. “You know, you always look so much better when I mark you up.”
Fluff prompts:
40. “Come cuddle.”
A/N: We not tolerate any pedophilia here !!
I write about Five with their 20s. I write the same about the characters of Harry Potter.
I hope you guys like💖I decided to compile these two requests, since they were the same central plot. I added all the elements that were asked for individually, and made sure that all ideas were respected and written down. Good reading.
Guys, I really understand who doesn’t feel comfortable reading or writing Five’s smut. But I always say that I only write with him (any genre: romance, fluff or angst) with the notion that Five is 20 years old here. All of my fanfics mention swearing or sex, even if it is a memory or something shallow, but as I am writing with Five as an adult, it is consistent that the fic has aspects of an adult life.//
English is not my first language, so I so sorry if have a mistake.
Requests are open. Love you ❤️
Couple: Five Hargreeves / Fem! Reader.
Warnings: explicit heavy smut, swearing, fluff too.
— — — — —
It was one of those warm nights, which carry a searing and heaving sensation in the back, which had a malicious tone in the air, which stirs your body to choose bad decisions, making your hands itch and your heart racing for something...intense. It was one of those hours that passed midnight, that breath was heavy with the expectation of something extraordinary, that skin prickled just with the images in mind.
And you were in that state. Heart pounding heavily, yearning for something, caustic breathing, the environment with an energy of lust. Well, at least you was like that.
Five did not share your line of reasoning, or, if he were not oblivious to the malicious moonlight that rose in the sky, he was pretending very well. Sipping a margarita at the bar in the Hargreeves mansion, with calculations in front of him taking all his attention. Normally, you loved that he focused on his own things. But now... you were seething with something that only Five could placate.
It was a few months ago that you went from just being friends with his siblings to someone he fucked hard at night. The sexual energy between the two of you was very strong, and it was very easy to make bad decisions when the bad decision in question was so fucking hot.
Five Hargreeves did things to you. You wouldn't know how to explain it with clear phrases, but his gaze made you shiver, his body made a very specific part in the middle of your legs vibrate, and his voice and that self-centered smile... God!
It was no accident that you surrendered. You would have surrendered to that battle a million times.
“Five.” You sighed softly, taking a sip from your own drink. “Can't you do this tomorrow?”
“No. I am close to solving this.”
You controlled yourself not to roll your eyes. You were never the most needy type, especially with people as reserved as Five, but, damn it, you were on fire. It was logical that you could go out and choose someone to placate that, but that would trigger many things between Five and you. He hated that you were with someone else, even though he himself didn't assuming out to you.
It are a delicate situation, you were friends with all the Hargreeves siblings, and it would be a racket if they knew that their brother was fucking one of theys best friends.
The warm evening breeze came in through the window and collided with the chill of the drink running down your throat, awakening even more lustful anxieties.
“Five..." You purred, got up from the armchair on the counter, still behind Five and slid your hands over his shoulders "Maybe...you might want to finish this later.” You whispered at the foot of his ear.
Even without seeing him, you could feel that he was letting go of one of his arrogant and malicious smiles. Five rotated the seat to be face to face with you, his legs spread wider to accommodate you between them.
“And what are you going to do to distract me?” That same defiant, boastful voice.
But the look he gave you made a shock of desire reverberate through your body. Five wanted to play? Okay, you were going to play a game whit him.
“Why did you…” you leaned forward gently, resting one hand on his hot thigh, leaving your cleavage exposed “don't try guess?”
You realized that he had swallowed hard, even though his posture had remained unwavering. Five looked down at you cleavage, waist, and slightly elevated butt. You approached him a few more inches, your mouth a breath away, the heat of the bodies being shared without even touching.
Five could drive you crazy and screaming, but you knew it could also drive him insanity.
When you leaned over a little more and your mouths were so close to meet, you changed the direction and reached out with your free hand to pick up Five's margarita behind him. You straightened up and away, with a mischievous smile on your lips that revealed that everything had gone as planned.
Five semi closed his eyes at you, a fiery glow going through his eyes.
“Do you want to play with me?”His voice was low, dangerous “You know what happens to you when you challenge me.”
It was a warning, clear and resonant. You were a good girl for Five because you knew the strength that he could fuck you. Fuck, he could break you if he want. But now you were sexually frustrated, aroused, with a racing heart and wheezing from the expectation of something.
A night of bad decisions.
“You don't want to get out of your equations.” You turned your voice into something innocent, soft, provocative, and the strong breath that Five drew was a small victory for you "I guess I'll just get off all by myself."
Your smile was malicious, causticante, but as soon as Five got up from that chair, the perfect posture, much taller than you, and was slowly towards you, like a predator with its prey, you knew you were screwed.
“Do you want to come this much?” His fingers passed gently over your warm neck, and you let out a breath with that stupid touch.
Five moved closer, your chest glued to his, the hot, citrusy breath of alcohol hitting your nose. Something wetted you panties, making you bite the inside of your cheeks to keep from sighing any louder.
“Would you use your little toy thinking about the times that I fucked you so hard that you couldn't walk the next day?”
That was too much for your already sensitive system. Those words went directly to the thread that connected your heart and its pulsating nucleus, causing a burning note to reverberate.
“Five...”the sigh came out, while the memories of Five using your vibrator to push you to the limit, while him fucking you brutally, prowled like a wild beast in your mind.
Five slid the fingers from your neck to your cleavage, brushing the tips of her fingers across the flesh of your breasts. Five stuffed his forefinger into your cleavage and pulled you to him.
You moaned softly, in a purr.
“Such a needy little thing, aren't you?" The whispered floated in your ear, while you put down the margarita at the bar and held your hands in his arms.
You bit your bottom lip, your panties soaked, your heart beating fast in your chest, the atmosphere more wild and fiery.
“You want this?” Five slowly lowered a strap from your blouse, each second speeding up your heart even more.
“Yes...” You sighed “I really want to, please.”
Then Five's touch got rougher and he held your chin firmly, lifting you face to look him in the eye.
“Beg.” It was an order, but your body was sending millions of feelings to you that you were lost for a second "beg!”
“P-please.” You looked at him pleadingly “Fuck me so badly, please.”
His grip got stronger.
“Once again.” Now the other hand slid roughly over your body, squeezing your waist, thigh, ass, anything that Five could mark as his property.
“Please, I'm begging you to eat me.” You really were, your body needed more, and there was no denying it.
So in the blink of an eye, the blue flash swallowed you both up and took you to his room. You were dizzy for a second, you were not used to his tricks. But Five used it as a bonus and stuck his lips to yours, stunning you with the strong taste of alcohol, desire and lust.
You moaned softly, your hands working to free him from his clothes, your lips corresponding to the battle. You managed to strip off his shirt layers and fade his pants, but Five didn't have the same patience as you. He didn't wait to undress you, he tore the thin fabric and opened your bra hungry, in a hurry, as if you were his last meal.
In a second his hot mouth was on your breast, sucking and nibbling at the needy skin aggressively, his fierce hands pulling you out of the other pieces of clothing. Five was not delicate, loving and caring, he conquered, took, owned, his goal was to devour you until his savagery was sated.
“Fi-Five!” You moaned loudly, your naked body now shaking with desire, your heart exploding in your chest.
You would have said something more if Five hadn't pushed you to the bed and made you fall into it. He pulled your legs apart, exposing you completely to him. His eyes burned with a dangerous and brutal fire, and Five slapped down the inside of your thigh. You screamed, arching your back, your hands closing on the sheet.
“Well, since you want to cum so badly…” Five climbed on top of you, his mouth proving the point where he had hit you “why don’t we see how many times I can make you cum right now.”
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, his mouth was right in the middle of your pulsating core. Eating, sucking, tasting everything you willingly offered to him so much. You moaned, or screamed, your hands tightly squeezing the sheet, digging your nails into the fabric.
Five ate you at an undisturbed pace, as if you were the last meal in the desert, clasping his hands on your waist to keep you immobile, sinking his mouth deeper into you. His tongue opened its yours walls, circled her clitoris and sucked there, leaving a hot trail of spittle. You moaned loudly, your waist trying to fight the firm grip of his hands to roll in him mouth. You felt a thread about to burst inside you and your heart started to race in your chest.
“F-Five!” You screamed when he sucked your clitoris, and he could feel you pulsing in his mouth, signaling that you were close.
“Come for me, little slut.”
The vibration of his voice in your sensitive flesh was the trigger you needed, you came intensely, your legs wobbly, your breathing heavy, but Five didn't wait for you to finish coming before climbing on top of you, lowering his pants and underwear enough and brutally get inside you in a fraction of a second.
You groaned loudly, your hands clasping his bare shoulders, your walls hypersensitive to the end of the orgasm that was still breaking free. It was too much for you, your eyes stung with tears, your heart was racing a marathon in your chest, and your whole body was shaking.
Five doesn't give you a second to get used to it, or to get down from the sensation of your orgasms, he set a rough, hard, badly rhythm, entering inside you in penetrations that pushed your body upwards. You spread your legs wider and wrapped them around Five's waist, your chest glued to his chest, skin-to-skin contact being the extra to drive you crazy.
It was too much for you to take, too much for your hypersensitive body. Five silenced your broken moans with toxic kisses.
“Try to keep quiet. We don’t want to get caught.” His voice was hoarse, breathy, broken, Five drives his dick so deep inside you as possible with every word.
“I...I can't...”You whimpered in his mouth, clasping your hands in Five's hot flesh, sobbing at the strength he put in you, you needed more.
“So let's take care of it.”
Five released an aggressive and rough hickey on your neck, putting an arm around your waist, sticking every inch of their bodies together, and his free hand covered your mouth, drowning out yours screams. You thought it was going to placate his hard rhythm, but Five started pulling your waist down, against his dick, and sinking deeper inside you.
“You wanted me to fuck you, didn't you?” Five snarled, looking into yours watery eyes "Now take it, fuck!."
His dirty words only led you further towards the second abyss. Five fucked you so hard that you couldn't answer, let alone whit the heavy hand on your mouth. Yours hands sank into the skin on his back, yours legs pulling him hips towards you, desperate to placate what was about to burst.
Five could feel yours tight walls throbbing on his dick, signaling that you were going to come any second. He groaned loudly, clenching his teeth on the skin of your neck so as not to make a noise, thrusting his dick as deep as possible into you. He replaced the hand in your mouth with his own lips, swallowing yours moans and trying to keep the sounds of you both low.
“I ... I'm going to...” You cried with pleasure, pain, desire, his rhythm hurt but it gave you so much hunger and pleasure that you could feel the liquid of your arousal soaking his dick.
Five looked at you in a way full of lust and with a very desire to break you. Oh he wanted to destroy you.
He came out of you, making you let out a loud moan of frustration and tears streaming from yours eyes. You whimpered loudly, and Five switched positions and pulled you hard into his lap, giving you no time to straighten up before he pushed his dick into you and aggressively stuck both hands to your waist.
You bit your lip hard to keep from screaming, trembling hands resting on his chest as Five pulled you up and down brutally, thrusting his dick in as deep as possible in you. He did not contain an aggressive groan at the sight of yours breasts jumping on his face, body sweaty and marked by fingers and hickeys, the inside of yours thighs already red by the force that Five shocked the body in you.
“Pl ... please!”
You begged, your face smeared with mascara and tears, your lips red from raw kisses, your hair sweaty. You looked like a goddess and Five wanted even more to destroy you.
“Do you want to come?” His voice was breathless, hoarse, fierce.
You nodded frantically, looking at Five with beg, begging him to let you come. It seemed to have an overwhelming effect on him. Five slapped your ass down, raising his hand to your back and pulling you forward, making your chest lie on his while the rhythm reached new places.
You bit his shoulder to keep from screaming, tears streaming down your face.
“If you come in this position, I will not control myself.” He snarled at you.
“I do not mind!” You begged, moving your waist to match his rhythm.
“Guess i'll just have to cum in you then” Then Five kissed you, hard, bad, dropped a hand to your clitoris and applied the trigger you needed to collapse.
You sank your mouth into the skin of his neck to muffle your scream, and soon a hot, thick liquid was filling you to the brim, taking up every inch inside you. You whimpered loudly against Five, hims hips doing the final thrusts to make sure the cum was filling you, his warm hands loosening the aggressive grip.
You both breathed loudly, your legs were shaking, your hair was stuck to your face and it took you two minutes to lift your face and look at Five. He gave you an arrogant smile of ‘I said I was going to break you and I broke’ and you laughed softly.
“I don't think I can get up.” You laughed, and Five removed a lock of hair from your face. “Do you think they heard us?”
“They certainly heard you.” He scoffed.
“Coming from your room.” You snapped and Five laughed, hims chest still heaving and heaving, covered in a mist of sweat.
“Fuck them.” Five said, gently pulling your hips up, pulling the dick out of you, making you sigh a broken moan. “You are so sensitive!” He said between his teeth, as if he had never been satisfied with you.
You laughed, and shook your head, exposing your neck full of purple tick marks.
“You know…” Five took his index finger to the marks, delicately skirting them “you always look so much better when I mark you up.”
You pushed his shoulder slightly, rolling your eyes.
“Can we take a shower together?” Five nodded at you question. “ and…”
“And?”
“You know ...” yours cheeks became more flushed "Come cuddle."
Five laughed, his eyes tame now, an open smile and satisfied energy.
“We can.” he smiled and you gave him a passionate kiss on the lips.
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five-rivers · 3 years ago
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If you're taking prompt what if Inko was the daughter of AfO and Izuku still gets OfA later. But he has fire breath like his dead beat dad thanks to his grandfather. Teach him for running out on his baby girl.
It had taken long enough that his minions were in need of a serious reprimand, but finally Midoriya Hisashi was sprawled on the ground at All for One's feet. He was suitably beaten, bound, and blindfolded, but alive, as requested.
"Hello, Hisashi. I suppose you didn't think you'd ever see me again." He used the man's first name, because he didn't care to associate his daughter's surname with this sniveling waste of space, even if he had legally adopted it at their farce of a wedding.
Hisashi froze. A whisper of smoke leaked past his lips.
"I wonder, do you even recognize my voice?"
"Shi- Shigaraki..."
"Oh, very good!" All for One clapped his hands in a show of false cheer. "So! You remember your father-in-law, but not your wife? Not your son?"
"I- I-"
"Because amnesia is the only acceptable excuse I can think of for abandoning them and trying to move all the way to Hokkaido. Unless you'd like to try a different one." All for One paused, and the silence stretched out before him, thin and brittle, much like Hisashi's bones. "I'm waiting."
"It- it isn't my fault," whined the man. "And I- I was always going to send money back. I just- I just can't live there anymore. I- Shouldn't you be pleased about this? You hated me and Inko get-"
All for One kicked Hisashi sharply. "Don't even say her name. I did hate your sham of a marriage. But as long as it made her happy, I put up with it."
Hisashi wheezed, more smoke filling the air of the disused underground parking garage they were meeting in.
"Speak clearly," demanded All for One.
"It- the boy. He's quirkless. I could- couldn't stay, with everyone knowing."
"Oh?" said All for One, voice suddenly silky smooth. He bent over and put his hand on top of Hisashi's head. "Well, lucky for you, that's something I can fix."
.
All for One dropped Hisashi on one of Garaki's carefully polished operating tables. "Make him into something interesting," he ordered, and Garaki scrambled to examine his new materials.
Meanwhile, All for One took a seat in one of Garaki's rolling chair. "I simply don't understand it," he said. "Who leaves their family just because they had a quirkless child? Unbelievable."
Of course, All for One had seen similar things many times before in his long life and knew they happened very well. He simply failed to understand. With his brother, even when he'd actively been trying to dismantle his empire... Destroying other people made sense, but family was special.
"He should be pleased by this outcome, really. Izuku won't be quirkless for much longer."
"You- you're giving him a quirk, my lord?"
"Yes," said All for One. "This fool's quirk, to be precise. And perhaps his grandmother's. I'll miss it, of course, but to be honest, I don't really use it the way it should be."
"But," said Garaki, "my lord, I've already diagnosed the boy as quirkless."
"Then you'll just have to practice your groveling for when you apologize to them." He paused. "Surely you aren't concerned about the medical reputation of a throwaway identity?"
"Not at all, my lord," said Garaki in a way that indicated extreme dissatisfaction.
All for One ignored him.
.
"Kacchan! Kacchan! Guess what? Guess what?"
"Go away, nerd!"
Izuku was undeterred. "I got my quirk!"
Kacchan scowled mightily. "No you didn't! You were dig-dag-dignoz-" The frown became mightier. "The doctor said you were quirkless, stupid deku!"
"The doctor was wrong! Watch! Watch!" He puckered his lips and a small tongue of flame emerged from between them. "And that's not it!" He pointed at a stunned Kacchan and a small gust of wind ruffled his hair. "I can do that, too! Mama said it's just like gramma's!"
"That's- you- You're still not better than me!"
"I know!" said Izuku, cheerfully.
"Hm, I don't know," said another one of the students watching, "Deku can do two things, and Bakugo just explodes..."
Bakugo's shriek of rage was audible throughout the entire preschool.
.
"Two quirks, Dad? Two? TWO? After everything you drilled into my head about how dangerous it was to give people multiple quirks? What were you thinking?" demanded Inko.
"Hardly anyone dies from just two quirks," said All for One, "and he retained the family adaptation for accepting multiple quirks, the risk was-"
"Not. Yours. To. Take." Inko punctuated each word with a jab to the chest, then sat down heavily in the nearest chair. "I hope you understand. I am furious with you."
"Inko, princess-"
Inko held up her hand. "No. If I see Izuku with another quirk, I will kill you. Do you understand? No warning, no third chances. If you're a threat to my son, you're dead."
"Perfectly," said All for One, choosing not to mention the longevity quirks all three of them had.
.
Watching illegally obtained footage of his grandson's entrance exam was and excellent way to unwind after a long and stressful day of being unspeakably evil.
Right up until the part where Izuku destroyed a giant robot by punching it to bits.
The heartrate monitor he was attached to unhelpfully informed him that his had skyrocketed. He had never told Inko about One for All. The entrance exam had taken place hours ago.
"Kurogiri!" he called. "Kurogiri?"
No response.
"Hello, Dad."
.
Izuku's acceptance into UA was marred by news of his grandfather's sudden death. He had been getting older, but he always sounded so full of life when they talked on the phone.
After the service, Izuku lingered by the grave. He reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small booklet, a copy of a vintage comic his grandfather had gotten him into. He put it down by the headstone.
"I was always too embarrassed to tell you this," he said, softly, "but the real reason I started to want to be a hero... it wasn't that old All Might video. It was this." He tapped the cover of the comic. "The way the hero never gave up..." Izuku sniffed. "It was just really inspiring." He wiped tears away from his face. "I'll make you proud. I promise. I'll be the best hero there ever was!"
.
In America, a woman named Morticia Roll paused. Her rather niche quirk was the ability to know who would be spinning in their graves the most, if people were able to spin in their graves.
Most of the time, that honor belonged to some random European dude. But Shigaraki Hiroshi sounded Asian... She shrugged and went back to her gardening. Whatever was happening, it wasn't any of her business.
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imaginationmess · 3 years ago
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Flares [MIDORIYA IZUKU X FEM!READER][PRO HERO AU]; Chapter ONE
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Summary: Midoriya Izuku is the number one pro hero. He finds himself alone often thinking of the past and what he could have done differently. Everyone around him is moving forward with their lives, but he seems to be stuck in the past. He can’t find himself moving forward with his life other than his career, but romance has been frozen for years. He can’t bring himself to love someone else other than the girl he fell in love with when he was 18 years old and was ready to propose to only have the worst of luck. She vanished with barely leaving evidence behind. It’s been 7 years since then. Everything changes the day of the anniversary of her disappearance.
MASTERLIST
Chapter ONE
Word: 1,340+
________________________________
Midoriya Izuku comes back to his home with a box of beer to drink with the intention to numb his feelings.
He stares at the massive apartment where he often ponders why he even keeps it. He still clings upon a place where you and he had plans to live for years to come. You barely made it a month of living in it with him before you disappeared and leaving no trace behind who could have done it. However, you put up a strong fight against your captors within the security cameras within the building you worked for.
It was way too big for himself. There were 3 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms. He feels even more isolated from the world. Alone within this big space. He takes a heavy sigh as he places his car keys on the small gray maple bowl. He kicks off his shoes and hastily places the box of beer in his dining room. He stretches, cracking a few bones on his back before heading to the shower. He passes by big cardboard with a red string attached to photos and locations with notes.
The photos are from the evidence of support items with identical markings to your previous inventions. The support items that have been used are tied to villain association then have risen after the takedown of the League of Villains many years ago.
He hasn't loosened hope in her being alive, but everyone else is already starting to doubt to believe she is still alive after her case has gotten cold among others. He doesn't blame them. It's been 3 years since her trial got cold because her invention markings abruptly stopped separating them from other support items. Whenever he has free time, he scouts areas where a criminal organization could be hiding undercover. He looks over her file over and over in case he misses something. He has gotten things that he has missed before. Like some of the inventions had a number carved on them singularly. It was a giant puzzle that you had left for them to solve. He had suspicions. It was the coordinates of the location. You were being held at, but he never got the rest of the numbers. He travels to random coordinates that could match all over Japan whenever he could.
Tomorrow, it will be the anniversary of your disappearance. Everyone knows to leave him alone during the week of your disappearance anniversary because he will be reckless and not have his mind isn't clear. He has gotten seriously injured because he was distracted. It is always around this time of year.
Everyone tells him to take a week-long break from hero duties. He is aware of how he behaves during this time and knows how reckless to be suicidal. Even the media has somewhat respect for him during this time of the year. It could have been a lawsuit with them trying to take a dangerous picture that almost cost their life along with him. A building collapsed and the photographer wasn't paying attention to their surroundings. Midoriya had forced them out of the way to save their life, but he got buried alive under the rubble with numerous broken bones.
The Hero Commissions are even stricter in protecting their own heroes after the collapse of the hero's society many years ago. They are more flexible for heroes to create their own schedule and health. They don't want to repeat history. This time of the year, He just gets reminded how much he has failed you. It's been years since he told you he would find you. He was so close to you by merely a few feet from each other. It was within the 12 hours of her kidnapping that happened. It was an exchange location of you being handed over as if you were an object instead of a human being. You were barely conscious due to the heavy drug used on you to prevent you from fighting back.
There was barely evidence to connect with the active villain group that is rarely active as if they are playing to do something bigger. They change locations constantly from their minor operations. He hasn't found their main base of operations where he believes where you are being held.
He heads to the bathroom where he plans to shower before starting his self-guilt drinking week. He doesn't have anything important to attend to. Everyone lets him be. No one would bother him, letting him mourn alone for this week before being dragged into reality. He has a collection of heavy liquor where he has found over the years in his kitchen cabinet that are more effective to make him drunk.
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The next day early morning, Bakugou Katsuki and Kirishima Eijirō were scouting an area where there was reported to be suspicious activity during the early mornings. It was heavily snowing, but it didn't stop them from doing their jobs. "I do feel bad for Midoriya. I can't imagine how he is feeling and is still optimistic about it too." Kirishima looks over to Bakugou who is stomping in the snow angrily. Bakugou hates the snow with a passion.
"I wouldn't lose hope either until I see a body." Bakugou stops his walking when he hears something breaking apart before children's screams cut through the quiet atmosphere where there are frozen lakes.
They both look up in the sky to see something letting out smoke and small pieces falling rapidly down and breaking the ice of the lake.
Bakugou was already in the air attempting to reach the citizens. Kirishima was already calling for backup and informing them of the situation at hand. He was running on foot, stopping when he heard something crack under his foot. He was stepping on a frozen lake, no longer land.
Bakugou sees them. It was an adult female and a child falling out of the sky. The adult was moving their arms rapidly as if they were trying to do something, but it only brought more smoke and more pieces falling apart. However, as soon as the female adult sees him flying towards them.
She does the unthinkable, but thinks what the better chances of her child are making it out alive.
She twists around in the air, making the child face the sky instead of the frozen lake that is breaking due to the pieces falling apart from her homemade Jetpack backpack. She moves her hand to reach out a homemade knife to slice the strings which tie them together from her child's waist belt and using the other hand in front of her child's chest to where there was a hidden button under the vest shoulder.
"Forgive me."
She moves her hand with the knife to slice through the string and pressing the button. She clenches her eyes for impact as the child's backpack explodes against their mother's chest. This causes the child to bounce up into the sky while throwing the mother straight down the frozen lake.
"Mama!"
Bakugou grabs the child that was falling again by their shredded backpack. The child is screaming for their mother who crashes into the icy cold lake water. The sound of the helicopter could be heard as Bakugou is trying to navigate away from the lake while holding a terrified child who was crying uncontrollably hiding their face against his chest. Kirishima was running over to them taking off his jacket to cover up the child who had no protection from the bitter cold. Bakugou was frozen on the spot, staring into the head of the child. The child looks identical to his rival, childhood friend, Midoriya Izuku.
"If that's his kid, does that mean?" Kirishima comes to the realization, the only female that Midoriya Izuku has been involved in intimacy would be the one who has been missing for years.
"That adult must be [L/N] [F/N]."
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I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Any thoughts/Feelings/Predictions that you have while out reading this chapter. I would love to hear them! <3
If you are interested in being tagged in the future, comment below.
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from-a-reckless-writer · 4 years ago
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read on ao3
Kara’s time in the Phantom Zone has always been labeled into two parts. The Going There and The Leaving. In part, because those two things are the things that she was coherent enough to remember but mostly because she doesn’t like remembering the time in between.
Not liking it, was an understatement. Kelly would probably call it trauma. Yeah. That was the word. Trauma. It was 24 years of traumatic experience but it was easier to just refer to it as The Going There and The Leaving. Simply put, just a part 1 and a part 2.
Kara didn’t even know when The Going There began. All this time she thought, Krypton exploding behind her pod was the beginning of it. But later, when her aunt comes back for her, when an entire fleet comes for her new planet, when her hero dies by the hand of her sister, she will learn: The Going There started the moment her mother thought of using Kara to arrest her aunt. That realization was something she didn’t like. Some days she wishes she’d never come to that realization at all.
The beginning of The Leaving on the other hand was something she was awake to remember. She remembers the rumbling, she remembers the hum of the engines as it powers up, she remembers the pod slowly coming to life and then the whoosh!.
The exhilarating, wondrous woosh! that roared into Kara’s ears. Filling her with hope after sleeping a slumber of despair for so long. Of course, she wouldn’t know that ‘so long’ would translate to 24 years till she arrives on Earth and Kal rips her door open. Of course, the hope wasn’t replaced with the utter feeling of failure and defeat, till Kal flies away from her. Some days she wishes she was never awake for any of it.
There were two parts to Kara’s experience in the Phantom Zone; The Going There and The Leaving.
She’d never expected that there would be a Return.
******
Loss was something the universe had given Kara at 14 years of age. Others received dreams or new siblings but Kara? The universe handed her loss and then left quickly before answering any of her questions. The universe handed her the burden of an annihilated planet’s legacy, a race of dead people that only she can remember.
It was something she’d learned to live with, had moulded into her every day life, a permanent mark on her soul.
In her hands loss used to be a strange thing.
She used to be a daughter of one of the respectable families of Krypton. A high born. The progeny to Zor-El’s brilliance, the successor of the El’s legacy. She had never known loss, until one day she woke up and nothing was left. At first, she didn't know what to do with it except for crying and screaming and waking the entire house of a family she didn’t belong with, night after night after night. But soon, it became a part of her, became a kindling to a roaring fire.
Nobody had expected the last daughter of Krypton to burn, but when she did, it was brilliant and bold and the world had stood in awe of her flames.
And so, as she watched herself lose her father for the second time. She snatched loss from the universe’s hands before it even had the chance to hand it to her, she snatched it and claimed it for her own. That was where this was going all along wasn’t it?
Another loss, another mark, another kindling.
The only difference this time though, was, she isn’t sure whether she wants to burn brilliant, bright and bold or set the entire universe on fire for what it’s done to her for the second time around.
These were the thoughts that chased each other around in her head as she breathed heavily; sagging against the walls of a cave she’d found shelter in. Aside from misery and agony, caves are also one of the most abundant things in the Phantom Zone. The jagged spikes and hard rocks are slowly becoming home to her now.
No, not home. This isn’t home. Home is-
And then her brain stalled. Home is…
Home is?
Home is—
It felt like a headache was ripping her skull. The more she thought about it the more it hurt.
She knows where home is. Home isn’t this place, home is— home is— home is—
It was at the tip of her tongue at the edge of her brain.
She can’t remember. Didn’t she just see home not 30 minutes ago? An hour ago? Two seconds ago? Time doesn’t pass the same way, her brain throws at her and the pain starts anew.
But she refuses to give in. She knows where home is. Home is...is...is
NOONAN’S!
Noonan’s is home! Or at least, it was a part of it??? Kara thinks and thinks and thinks.
And for a moment, Kara could swear that she smells the familiar aroma of coffee beans and sweet sugar in the air but then the thought vanishes just as quickly as it came.
She was grasping at the edges of that little snippet. She tries to picture the logo of the store, tries to recite the branches littered around National City, tries to remember how she had worked there once, tries to remember her order, tries to remember Alex’s order.
Alex!!!! Her brain lights up at the thought.
Alex is home too.
At this point, the pain was unbearable, she was barely breathing. It feels as if the more she’s trying to remember, the more something, someone?? Is blocking her. The chances of it being something seems more likely than it being a someone.
She remembers her father’s words of warning from just days before. Hours before?? Weeks before?
Before.
Just before she’s lost him again.
How this place will drive you to the brink of insanity, Kara held her tongue but she wanted to scream that she knew that. She knew what the Phantom Zone did to people. She knew what it had done to all those Fort Rozz escapees, what it had done to Astra, what it had done to her. She was fucking insane for 24 years! 14 year olds weren’t supposed to go through that.
The worst part is, it was her parents who put her there, her mother, her father. The same father she mourned and who not only minutes ago was telling her to give it up.
The same father she’s lost, again.
Pain flares at the back of her head, from her nape slowly snaking its way to behind her eyes. Kara suspects it’s something to do with the cave and the silver glow around the cave’s awning that she’s only just now noticing.
But it was too late now. Too late to get out nor to retreat even further. She has used the last ounce of energy she has in that fight with Nyx and this headache was only making her weaker. Headache, feels too juvenile a word to describe this feeling, this cleaving of her mind from the inside.
Alex, caramel macchiato and sticky buns were the last thoughts in her head before everything turned dark.
******
She steps out of the portal and the moment her foot touches The Tower, weapons and superpowers alike suddenly poise to strike at her.
Until, Alex whispers, “Kara,” lowers her gun slowly, arms shaking from shock and then she loses track of who crashes unto who first.
Just that she’s home and Alex is sobbing but so was she, and she’s never seen J’onn cry like this before but he cradles her and his sobs rumble out of his chest and into Kara. She can feel it rumbling between their embrace. The three of them stay in that position for what feels like hours until the voices of the others filter through and then next thing she knows M’gann is hugging her.
Brainy lifts her off the ground and it should surprise her that he could do that, but it doesn't. It feels like the most natural thing in the world as Kara laughs and Nia squeals at Brainy to put Kara down so she can hug her too. Nia’s squeals turn into quiet emotional sniffles the minute Kara’s arms wrap around her. And in that moment Kara realizes it isn’t just one sister she lost for a while there, she lost Nia too.
And then, her eyes land to the person in the back of the room. The person who didn’t run at her like the others. Whose heartbeat is now thundering so loud in Kara’s ears, now that her eyes have found her.
Lena.
She looks as beautiful as ever and Kara feels her heart swell so hard she fears it could burst. For a moment, she thinks she’s survived the Phantom Zone just so Lena Luthor could kill her with one look.
The moment their eyes meet, Lena’s body lurches forward only to stop awkwardly halfway through, leaving her standing there, twiddling her fingers, eyes shining with tears, her whole frame shaking from holding back.
Kara is two steps away from running to her and she was absolutely going to. She realizes Lena is doing the thing she does best.
Shrinking herself.
Kara was about to run to her—
But a shrill ringing breaks through their staredown, Lena breaks away from Kara’s gaze to look at her phone and then she is turning away; phone to her ear.
Later, Kara will think she should’ve run after Lena. She should’ve run after Lena, snatched the phone away from her and wrapped her arms so tight around her and told her how much she loved her, how much she missed her, how hard she fought just to see her again.
If she did, maybe they wouldn’t be here now. They wouldn’t be running inside an abandoned warehouse, trying to find where Lex had hidden Lena.
She wouldn’t be too late.
Maybe, if Kara did things a lot more different, she wouldn’t be here now; clutching Lena’s broken, bloody body to her chest and screaming at the sky.
How dare the universe hand her another loss?
******
When she opens her eyes, she gasps out Lena’s name. She jerks so suddenly, her head hits a low stalagmite and rattles the ground she’s currently lain on.
It takes her a long time to collect her bearings. She stares long and hard at her hands. It felt so real.
Lena’s blood on her hands. Lena’s pale face getting paler and paler. Lena dying.
She gets approximately two minutes of reprieve. These 120 seconds she uses to breathe in deep, lets herself feel the extent of her fear. The anger seeps deep into her bones but it was nothing compared to the grief in her heart at the thought of losing Lena.
Lena!!! Her brain screams, LENA IS HOME!!! Lena is ho—
And then the moment the thought comes barreling at her, the pain returns. It returns tenfold and Kara doesn’t even try to move.
She knows what’s going to happen next.
******
Alex finds her unconscious on the ground.
She yells for back-up in her comms.
Dreamer and Brainy and J’onn run to the portal.
J’onn fends off the Phantoms circling Kara long enough for Dreamer to create one of her forcefield tunnels in order to get Kara from the ground and unto the portal entrance unharmed.
These are the things they will tell her once she wakes up.
They will tell her how hard it had been for everyone, how perpetually dim those days without Kara were.
Kara will cry upon hearing all of it. She will cry because she saw her father again and she couldn’t save him, she will cry because why does it always keep happening to her?
What could she have possibly done to the universe that it would give her something this cruel?
She will cry because it’s been so long since she’s heard Alex’s voice and now she is right here, telling Kara that she did nothing wrong, that the universe just sucks. But it’s okay, because the universe can suck all it wants and Alex will always be there through all the sucky parts.
After the teary reunion, Brainy will come running into the room, just as the two of them are untangling from their embrace.
Brainy will then tell them that Sentinel needs to suit up. Brainy will be too emotional to say the words, “It’s Lena- Lena has- Lena’s been-”
“Brainy what is it? What's wrong with Lena?”
M’gann will say it for him.
“Lena has been killed.”
Kara will cry and cry and cry.
******
You know that painful lump in your throat that makes it hard for you to breathe because you are holding your sobs in?
That was how Kara woke up, with a painful lump in her throat that made her want to throw up. She didn’t even get to see her this time. She just woke up to a world where Lena was killed, and all she could do was cry about it.
And so, she cried. She cried and cried and cried and punched the walls of that cave. She screamed so loud and let the echoes of her screams resonate all around the hollow space.
The hollow space so similar to the chasm inside Kara’s chest.
Her screaming is cut off by a sharp pain shooting from her temple and immediately spreading. This time, the spread was much faster than the last. It knocks the breath out of Kara, steals the voice out of her shout and makes her submit.
She curls into herself. She struggles to fight off the call of slumber. Her eyes close against her wishes.
******
There are no portals this time.
All Kara remembers is that she touched a glowing stone on the murky soil west of her cave and then the next moment she is standing in The Tower.
Something was wrong.
Kara knew something was wrong, because the moment she was zapped in. Alex didn’t come running to her. Nobody did. They just stared at her. All of them wearing black.
“I’m back, I-I’m home.”
It alarms her that she felt the need to verbally say it. J’onn comes up to her, “Kara,” he says and he swallows, puts a hand on her shoulder.
J’onn looks like he’s going to tell her something. And that this something isn’t easy for J’onn to say. Alex takes one look at J’onn, realizes what J’onn was going to do and walks out.
“Wait— Alex! What- Where are you— J’onn what is happening?”
She wishes she never asked.
******
She wakes up again. This time she doesn’t bother to get up, doesn’t try to scream, doesn’t try to cry.
She just lays there.
The ceiling of the cave is the same shade of grey as of Lena Luthor’s tombstone. Never would she have thought that Lena Luthor and tombstone would be two things she says in the same sentence. It was J’onn who flew her there. In the dream? In the vision?? Kara doesn’t know anymore and frankly, Kara doesn’t care anymore.
Somebody left plumerias at the foot of her grave.
Plumerias.
Plumerias, like her mother’s favorite flower. Like—
Like the one in Lena’s office.
Like the one back home.
Home.
She lets the dark claim her willingly.
******
The Tower is destroyed. There are no survivors. Just Kara. Standing there in the ruins of what once used to be their hideout. Behind her the still gaping portal is blowing puffs of cold air from the Phantom Zone.
******
It’s Alex, this time. A role reversal. Lena breaks the news to her.
“S-she died, Kara. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Kara wants to die too.
******
It’s Lena and Alex.
Kara wants to laugh.
Of course, there would be a version where both Alex and Lena would be taken away from her. There was already a version where nobody survived. Why not this one too, right?
She should’ve known.
******
Eventually, she comes to one where it’s her who dies.
Isn’t it funny? That the thing she’s wanted—has been begging for—has come to life right in front of her, and Kara realizes, turns out it wasn’t what she wanted after all.
From where she's fallen on the ground she sees Alex bark orders. She hears hysterical screaming. She feels Lena kneel by her side.
Nia is slowly crumbling next to Alex’s side; she’s removed her Dreamer mask to let her tears flow freely.
“Don’t leave us, please, don’t leave us. Fight back, goddamnit, Kara fight back! We just got you back. Please, please, Kara, please. Not yet.”
She feels Lena’s tears fall down on her own cheeks.
She looks beautiful even with tears in her eyes.
Kara wishes she can move her thumb to wipe the tears from Lena’s eyes.
******
“I found her!”
Nia shoots up from where she was sleeping. Alex runs into the room. Brainy steps aside and lets her punch in the coordinates.
“Where is she?” Lena asks, suddenly materializing out of nowhere, startling Nia, green eyes frantically darting around at the monitor, waiting for the map to appear.
“There!” Nia shouts and points. There’s a little red dot blinking on the screen.
Lena shoves her, fingers flying across the console, zooms in and makes a 3 dimensional version of the landscape appear.
It’s a cave.
Kara’s inside a cave.
“I believe that’s what the Klamarian’s refer to as Caverna Tim-or,” Brainy states upon closer inspection.
They hadn’t noticed Alex behind them already gearing up.
“Then what are you nerds gawking around there for?! Suit up. Come on, let’s go!”
It spurs the whole team into action.
Nia was already in her Dreamer suit. She’s been sleeping in it for 2 nights in a row, now. Refusing to be woken up, just getting up to eat a power bar or to go to the bathroom. It was slowly nagging at Brainy, the way Nia wouldn’t move for extended periods of time until she jerks awake, exhausted and depleted from overusing her powers.
But this time, this time Nia doesn’t feel tired at all. She is pumped. She is hyped. She knows where Kara Danvers Zor-El is and they will bring her home.
The only one not running about the place in a flurry of guns, ammo and armor is Lena.
She is sitting perfectly still, in front of her monitor. She has to stay back, that has been the plan. If they ever find Kara’s coordinates, someone has to stay back and prepare The Tower for their return.
Lena knew it was going to be her. She didn’t have training to fight. She didn’t have any powers. All she knows is to throw a punch and she guesses that wouldn’t be helpful when faced with soul sucking creatures.
So, there she stays; controlling everything with her just a flick of her fingertips.
Besides, all their suits wouldn’t be upgraded if it weren’t for her. It was fine that she had to stay. She’s waited for Kara long enough, what’s a few more minutes of holding down the fort, right?
******
Lena might not have superpowers but she’s been gifted with enough intelligence to build the Superfriends trackers into the fibers of their suit, even have all of them linked directly to Lena’s supercomputer.
The one she’s had installed in The Tower much to J’onn’s protests. Lena didn’t have a job. She didn’t have responsibilities, she didn’t have to wake up at 7, go to work at 8 and be stuck in stuffy meetings.
She has free time and tonnes of money to rebuild The Tower’s entire tech department.
Brainy almost drooled when Lena pitched the plan to the team.
Lena also brought them Jess.
Or rather, Jess brought herself and nobody was man enough to tell her no. Who says no to a formidable American-Asian woman anyway? After Lena had emailed Jess about the recent developments regarding LuthorCorp. Jess had emailed her back almost instantly, telling her that she’s also just turned in her resignation and before she starts applying for another job, she asks, Ms. Luthor, do you need help with anything else?
Lena was floored with the loyalty that Jess had shown her. Instead of replying to the email, Lena called Jess. Upon answering, Jess expected many things from her boss, an eloquent thank you, a huge last pay, but she never expected to hear Lena Luthor sobbing into the line.
Jess asks if she could visit Lena in her flat.
“Like I mean, right now Ms. Luthor.”
“Lena, please, call me Lena.”
“Okay, Lena. Can I please go to your penthouse? Because, no offense, but you obviously do not sound okay, and I think I can help.”
“I’m actually not at my penthouse as of the moment.”
And that was how Jessica Huang was brought into the fold.
And also, if it weren’t for Jess, Lena thinks the rest of them would be lost.
As much as Lena was the brains of this operation, logically and legally speaking she wasn’t doing well.
The woman wasn’t eating and sleeping for fuck’s sake. For a woman who built a state of the art tech system in under three days, you’d think she’d realize that humans need to be healthy in order to function.
And so, it was Jess who handled Lena like she's done so many times before, handled all finances, handled all the press that all of them were bringing unto themselves. Jess enforced a No Flying Through the Balcony Unless Absolutely Necessary Rule and thus far it has worked.
Nobody was also allowed to use the main entrance. Only J’onn, the owner of the building, was allowed to be seen coming and going.
There were rag reporters at every turn and just one photograph of Dreamer, Sentinel and Guardian all going into the same building, would be a catastrophe. The young woman wanted to tear her hair out when she pointed it out and everyone was like, “Oh, yeah. Yeah, you’re right. Oh my god, yes, that makes sense.” As if the thought had never occurred to any of them before. Although, they were distracted with tracking a missing hero after all. So, Jess lets it go. She just shakes her head and makes sure each one of them has access to the secret entrance Lena designed.
Jess had also taken the time to go into the building opposite them, talked to the tenants and bought their silence. And then at the last minute, Jess thought, Hm, why not buy the whole block's silence?
The last thing these people—this team—needs right now, is a media frenzy.
She’s had enough practice with the youngest Luthor on that front.
Jess was also the one who organized them into shifts, pushed Alex to try to find a job at a local research center or even teach a bunch of self-defense classes. She made Nia go to CatCo on time and actually monitored all her deadlines, told J’onn to go do his private investigation stuff and made Lena eat three meals a day and sleep for about 6 hours every night.
Her and Kelly shepherded the team into a more reasonable routine.
Alex took the longest to warm up to her, though. Until the day Lena and Alex had a fight on whether or not they should tell Eliza.
It was a brutal screaming match.
Alex shouting that Lena has no right telling her what to do when it comes to her own mother. Lena screaming back that Alex has an obligation to tell her mother what really happened to Kara.
They all knew what it was really about, though. It was about Alex still being in denial. It was about Alex’s fear of Eliza labelling her a failure for not protecting her younger sister.
She didn’t want to tell Eliza. Because telling your mother news is one of the best ways to make that news a reality.
It was Jess who offered to find accommodations for Eliza once Alex finally found the courage and called her.
She bought Alex a six-pack of her favorite beer and sat with her till 4 am.
“Just once,” Jess says, “You get to drink this away, just once. And then you talk to Kelly about it, okay? I know we’re not really close, but well, I’m no stranger to family drama.”
“Thanks, Jess.”
Jess was not a stranger to loss too. She knows none of them are in their right minds with Kara gone. Everything happened so fast. And it really didn’t help that on every billboard and every LuthorCorp commercial you’ll hear about how perfectly perfect Lex Luthor is.
Everything happened so fast that Lena didn’t even question when she had known about Kara being Supergirl.
As if a ponytail and glasses would ever fool her, not to mention she’d seen Kara use a bit of superspeed now and again when she thought her best friend’s secretary wasn’t looking.
And so, the moment the Superfriends left for the Phantom Zone to find Kara. Lena Luthor immediately dialed one of her most trusted people in the world.
“Jess, I need you in The Tower, now.”
******
In twenty minutes, Lena was monitoring the team’s progress a thousand lightyears away, in the other room Eliza and Jess were preparing the med bed and the sunlamps.
It is now, in this moment, that it sinks in to her. This is real. This is real, they’re really bringing Kara back. They’ve found a way to find Kara, built a safe transport system into the Phantom Zone and if things go well, in less than fifteen minutes she will see Kara in the flesh again.
And she can’t help but feel the stirrings of fear begin in the pit of her stomach.
Sure, Kara had said that she trusts her again, but where exactly do they stand?
Does she even have the privilege of Kara’s friendship? Or are they merely allies?
It’s ironic, Lena knows exactly where her place is with the Superfriends, it took a long time and a lot of long talks but Lena now knows without a doubt that she belongs here, but well, now she doesn’t know where she belongs when it comes to Kara.
Kara’s been coaxing her to join them for years and now that Lena has, she’s now uncertain of their friendship with each other.
That’s always been the question with Kara isn’t it?
Are we really friends?
The red dot on the screen is joined by six more others on Lena’s screen.
They’ve arrived. They’ve located Kara. They’re right there with her right now.
Lena’s heart starts to race in her chest as the moment.
She tries not to imagine what Kara looks like once they find her there.
She tries not to imagine all the times she’s had nightmares about her being the one who finds Kara in the Phantom Zone.
Nia has been learning to project her dreams. Lena’s seen glimpses of what that piece of the universe looked like. She didn’t like what she saw, not one bit. She remembers how casually Kara had talked about it.
Whenever Alex asks Nia to project her dreams or asks Brainy to run the simulators, Lena walks out.
She takes it as her cue to leave. Don’t get it wrong it isn’t that Lena is afraid of the Phantom Zone. Oh no, if she could she had long rode a rocket ship there and rescued Kara.
It’s the visual coupled with the feeling of powerlessness along with the thought that Kara is out there, she’s there in that hell in outer space and it’s all Lena’s fault that she can’t stand.
That last one took a long time to shake off, it took a lot more than shaking off actually.
So, Lena leaves when they start to explore more about the Phantom Zone in VR and Nia’s dreams. She gets all of her information about the place, reading atlases from Brainy’s 31st century archives and other alien records, instead.
She has no idea what her friends are seeing there right now, what kind of creatures and all kinds of traps are set up for them. She hopes and prays to whoever it is up there that they bring Kara safe. That none of them gets hurt in the process.
She prays her family returns home to her in one piece.
******
Lena was brilliant enough to fix their suits with trackers that can remain linked back to her even if they were literally in outer space, but she didn’t have enough time to build a secure communication link.
Which means that the three of them, Eliza, Jess and her are staring at the screen. Watching seven multicolored dots move across the map, while they hear absolutely no news of how the team is doing.
The red one, Kara, remains unmoving, Lena notices, while the other colors circle around her. Lena does not want to think of the implications of that visual.
It either means Kara has been seriously injured and isn’t well enough to fight or Kara is…
She doesn’t dare finish that thought.
No, they will bring Kara home. They’ve got two Martians, a twelfth-level intellect Coluan, a human-Naltorian hybrid and two of the most elite human soldiers to fight for Kara.
They will save her, not to mention all of them are armed with tech made by Lena Luthor. There is no way Kara wouldn’t return home if she knew how hard they’ve been fighting.
Eliza must’ve noticed how tight she’s been gripping the edge of the console, because the older woman puts a hand atop hers.
“They’re going to be fine. We’re going to get them back. Don’t worry.”
Lena gives her a smile.
And then a portal opens in the middle of the room.
A strong woosh! comes out of the portal and immediately the three of them are running to the center of the room.
Inside, Lena sees Nia holding an entire ten yards of force field between where she's standing and the entrance of the portal.
J’onn is zipping around them fast, throwing off and assaulting Phantoms, Brainy is holding the portal open and there, in a dark awning of a cave she sees Kelly shielding Alex and M’gann.
A figure on the ground. Kara.
There was Kara. Kara was right there, lying unconscious on the ground and it’s taking every ounce of Lena’s willpower to not barrel through and carry her back here herself.
What good would she be if those creatures catch her? So, she stays there and she shouts, “Brainy, do you need help getting the portal stable?! I can hook you up to a closer power source if you keep it open long enough till all of you get back here!”
Brainy shouts something back but he is being drowned by the howling wind, so Lena takes it upon herself to do what she told Brainy.
Runs to the console with shaky fingers and with just a series of clicks and codes the portal opens much brighter and glows much more stable.
“THANK YOU!”
She hears Brainy shout and she smiles. Until she hears Nia say something that sounds like -can’t keep it up any longer, Alex! Alex! Now!
And then M’gann is heaving Kara unto her shoulders and Alex and Kelly are running for the portal, J’onn covering the four of them, Brainy waiting for Nia.
For a moment, Lena thinks, “This. This is what my life has become. I have alien friends. We are saving a superhero and there is a portal right in front of me right now. This is my life now.”
She shakes that epiphany out of her head
Alex sees her mother and shouts, “Mom, gurney! Gurney, she’s unconscious!”
Jess and Eliza run to fetch the gurney and Lena meets the four of them at the portal’s opening.
God, Kara was so pale, she was so pale being carried like that on M’gann’s back. Her cape is in tatters and her suit is soiled and dirty, there were cuts all around and her face, her wondrous beautiful face was so grimy and so was her hair.
There was nothing else in the world Lena wanted more than to cradle Kara in her arms.
******
Kara’s consciousness comes to her slowly; piece by piece. A bright light, a buzzing room, the quiet hum of an air-conditioner, and oh, her back is on a mattress, a soft, soft mattress. It makes her want to cry. She’s been sleeping on rocks for so long, she’s forgotten what mattresses feel like.
Her eyes remain closed but she’s lucid enough that she can decipher the buzz into separate voices.
“I cannot believe you didn’t change out of your suit! What did I tell you about hygiene and rest?”
“But, Jess— “
That was weird, was that Nia and Jess? What was Jess doing here?
For a brief window of a second, Kara’s heart drops. She’s in another dream-vision. She’s in—
“Would the two of you keep it down? Go yell at her in the living room.”
That was Alex. Wait— living room what?
“How’s she doing?”
Eliza! Eliza was here!
“Her vitals are fine, but I don’t think she has her powers. I was able to insert her Dextrose without using the red sunlamps.”
“She didn’t have sun there, honey.”
“I know.”
And then the conversation turns quiet and Kara hears Alex let out a quiet sob.
Then it gets muffled and Kara knows Alex is clinging to their mom. She wants to open her eyes now, she realizes.
So, she does.
She opens her eyes and she gets the frontrow view to Eliza and Alex sharing a teary embrace. Alex sitting down both arms wrapped around Eliza's torso, face soaking her mother's blouse.
“Hey, what about me?”
Her voice sounded scratchy and weak even to her own ears.
Alex breaks away from their mother, turns to look at her, gasps and flings herself forward to hug Kara.
Kara lets out a wet laugh, “I missed you, I really, really missed you, Alex.”
“I missed you too, loser.”
And oh, how she's missed this.
Eliza steps in to give her a hug too and Kara sobs in her arms and she lets herself fall apart in the arms of her mom.
Because that’s what Eliza is to her. A mother.
Her mother.
“Don’t you scare me like that, ever again, you hear me?”
“I promise, never again, Mom.”
It doesn’t matter that all of them know it isn’t true. Kara will be in far more dangerous situations again. Kara will risk her life again and again. But that doesn’t matter right now.
What matters is she’s safe and Eliza’s asking her to tell her what she wants to hear, even though they all know better.
She still wants to hear it anyway.
“Good,” Eliza says, squeezes her one last time and then pulls back to brush the hair out of her face, “I’m going to get you some food, you must be hungry.”
When Eliza said that, it was like Kara’s body remembered all of its functions likewise all of its needs, she’s never felt this exhausted and this hungry before.
Eliza sees her eyes light up at the mention of food and chuckles before exiting.
And now, it’s just Alex and her.
Her sister doesn’t look good. She looks older somehow. She looks tired.
Not that Kara can blame her, she understands what it must’ve felt like to Alex to lose her in a split second and not see her again for almost—
Her train of thought stops when she realizes she doesn’t know how long she’s been gone.
“How long have I been out?”
“12 hours. You need more hours under the sunlamps, so don’t even think about—”
“No, Alex,” she cuts her off, sits up on the bed, “I mean— I meant to ask, how long was I gone?”
Alex refuses to meet her eyes, swallows hard.
Kara moves her hand over hers and squeezes.
“It’s okay, I’m here now, we can go through it together,” she says and Alex eyes well up in tears again before letting out a strangled, “3 months, Kara. You’ve been gone for 3 months.”
“Oh, Alex, come here.”
At first, the mention of the time doesn’t even bother her, she was more concerned about Alex. She lets her climb in bed with her, careful not to jostle her IV.
Her sister says she's been dehydrated and she needed a boost. Kara knows that it’s no ordinary Dextrose. Lois must’ve given them some of Kal’s stuff from Argo.
They lay side by side in that cramped bed and Alex catches her up on everything.
And then and only then, does Kara realize she’s missed 3 months of her life.
“How’s Kelly?” she asks, not for her but for Alex because she’s missed the way her sister's eyes light up when she’s talking about the person she loves and besides, Kara doesn’t really want to talk about her side.
And so, Alex tells her that Kelly is now Guardian, and then she tells her—albeit more shyly—that she also has a hero name now.
Sentinel.
Kara likes the sound of that.
“It suits you,” she tells her, “You’ve always watched over me.”
“Alex?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Eliza finds them like that, feeds Kara soup and she's taken in approximately 20 swallows before she passes out again.
******
The next time Kara wakes, everybody is there.
Brainy bought her 3 dozens of donuts, Nia brought her flowers, Kelly bought her potstickers.
All of those made her cry, the colors of the flowers were so vibrant, she’s missed seeing colors. The Phantom Zone was all black and gray and sad. Nia almost pulled away in fear of doing something wrong that might’ve upset Kara when she started sobbing at the sight of roses. Kara just gave her a big ole bear hug and a wet kiss on the cheek.
But, there was one person though, one person that she hasn’t seen around and to be honest? She’s been too scared to ask about.
She still hasn't told Alex about the visions. How can she explain her fear of seeing Lena if Alex doesn’t know about the visions? Her sister would start asking questions soon, though.
Why hasn't she talked to Lena yet? Why she hasn't asked? Why was she so scared of—
And then, as she was just inhaling her third box of potstickers, mind going over how to talk to Alex and Kelly is snorting over whatever it is that Brainy said, Kara’s world stops.
Her supersenses—it seems—are back and the first thing it chooses to focus on is a familiar heartbeat.
Her head whips to the door and there, Lena Luthor, her best friend—the most beautiful soul Kara’s ever seen—is standing there.
She’s fiddling with her thumbs and it reminds Kara so much of the first time she’s fallen victim to those horror show visions.
Fear grips her and refuses to let her go.
She knows this. She’s seen this sight way too many times.
Lena takes a step forward, then pulls back, holds herself back and then—
Her phone rings.
Kara shoots out of her bed, in the next instant she is right in front of Lena.
Distantly, she hears Nia shriek and Kelly shout, “Kara, oh my god!”
It doesn’t even register to her that she’s used superspeed that her superspeed is back.
All she feels is that she knows who’s on the other side of the line and she’s got to stop Lena from taking the call and she really, really, really just wants to hug her.
Lena’s eyes are wide when she realizes the quick woosh she’s heard is Kara.
“Kara, what—“
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she is quick to amend, “I just- I-” and then more eloquently, “Can we please talk?”
“I—” Lena hesitates, looks down at her phone, “I- I have to take a call.”
“No. Please, no don’t take the call, please trust me?”
“Kara, what are you talking about?”
Lena’s brows are furrowed in confusion now.
“Please,” she pleads, “Trust me, give the phone to Brainy, let him check it for you.”
“Kara, what—” she stops herself but then Lena takes a deep breath, looks straight into her eyes and says, “Okay, okay.” and then calls, “Brainy? Could you come here for a second?”
She lets out a sigh of relief and tension leaves her body and that’s when she realizes the cold tile of the floor beneath her feet and looks down to find that she’s barefoot.
Lena hands Brainy her phone and Nia hands Kara a pair of familiar fuzzy slippers. Alex must’ve made a run to her apartment, this morning.
“So,” Lena says, Kara can tell she’s nervous.
“You said you wanted to talk?”
“Yes,” Kara breathes out, “But first, can I hug you?”
This, Kara thinks, as Lena’s arms wrap around her and her shampoo invades her sense of smell and her warmth seeps into Kara’s body...
This is home.
******
Lena led her through the ‘living room’ and out to the balcony.
“I’m sorry I’m confused, living room?”
Lena chuckles and god, Kara’s missed that sound. Out of all the sounds on Earth, it was Lena’s laugh, Lena’s words, Lena’s voice she’s missed so much.
“Well, uhm everybody started camping out, there two weeks after you’ve…”
Lena's smile falters a bit but then she braves on through; omitting the words the both of them already knew, “And then Nia just started calling it living room, I mean, I guess it does look like a living room more than a heroes’ lair, now.”
And then Kara takes a good look around and Lena’s right, it does look more of a messy living room than a heroes’ lair.
There was a tangle of chargers on the cushions besides Nia’s laptop and Alex’s leather jacket draped over a couch, a couple of mugs sat on the coffee table. There were other knick-knacks too littered around, a Rubik’s cube here, a stress ball there, a couple of discarded pens and a lot of scratch papers filled with gadget designs.
She knows who to credit with those.
She’s missed so much. It hits her then She’s missed how all of this happened. How everyone had grown comfortable enough in The Tower that everyone considers it their second home.
Lena must’ve seen the way Kara’s eyes were roaming the place. Because she places a hand on Kara’s arm and the touch grounds her.
“Hey,” Lena says, “It’s your home too.”
She doesn’t know how to feel about that, but the way Lena says it makes Kara aware that Lena considers this place her home too.
Lena feels part of the team. Lena’s at home here, with her people, with her team.
The thought fills her with so much happiness but then—
If Lena became family while she was gone, what did Lena think of her now, then?
They stay quiet for a moment, which is driving Kara crazy, because she dragged Lena out here and now, she doesn’t know what to say.
“Kara,” Lena says the same time Kara says, “Lena,”
She smiles shyly at Kara and god, that smile. Kara wants to kiss that smile.
She doesn’t.
Even though Lena’s caught her staring at her lips.
“Okay, uhm I’ll go first,” Kara decides, averts her gaze and Lena gives her a small nod.
“Look, I’ll be honest, I- I don’t know how to do this and frankly, I’m not sure where I stand in your life anymore,” she admits and that seems to get Lena’s attention which just makes Kara’s palm get sweaty.
“Lena, I—”
“There you are!” Alex shouts at the two of them and whatever was about to happen, whatever Kara has to say becomes completely eclipsed by the next words Alex says.
“Lex is back. We have to hide Lena.”
******
“What?” Lena retorts back, loudly, “What do you mean hide?”
“Your phone, you gave it to Brainy right?”
Lena nods slowly at Alex, then looks at Kara and holds her gaze as if to say something.
“Yes, and?”
“We have reason to believe that he’s targeting an attack mainly for you,” Alex says and Lena isn’t really surprised.
The whole team is gathered now and Brainy is pulling up the details on how Lex had planted a bomb in her penthouse.
How original.
“Wait, you gave your phone to Brainy. How did you even know something was up?”
It was Kelly who asks and Lena realizes that it really wasn’t her it was—
“She didn’t.”
“What?”
Kara speaks up for the first time since they’ve been gathered here and Lena somehow finds herself wanting to close in on Kara’s space.
“Lena didn’t know. I did,” Kara tells everyone and Alex frowns for a minute, trying to comprehend.
“How?”
She sees Kara tense up at the question and this time she lets herself be pulled into the gravity of Kara. She takes the three step gap between and sidles up to her.
Kara seems to notice their close proximity and proceeds, “I uhm— I had these…”
Kara’s struggling to find the word, “Visions, I guess you can call them that, when I was uh- when I was stuck in this cave in the Phantom Zone. It was— they were very, very awful dreams. And in each and every one of them I lose somebody I love. But—”
She stops again and the pause seems to kill Alex but Lena’s attention is all on Kara, Kara’s staring at her like she’s trying to tell her something, Lena reaches over and squeezes her hand.
It works. The gesture gives Kara the push she needs.
“But mostly, they were about Lena.”
A tear falls from Kara’s face and Lena aches to wipe it away.
“Cavena Tim-or,” Brainy interrupts, “In Latin, timor stands for fear. You were stuck in the cave of fears, Kara.”
“But didn’t you say it was Klamarians' who named the place?”
“Yes, well, you’d be surprised at who was present during humanity’s past civilizations.”
After that, Alex quickly asks the question she’s been dying to ask since Kara told them about her experience two seconds ago.
“What did you see?”
“In one of them, the first one actually, I came home. I came back here, though a portal. Lena’s in the back of the room. She steps out to answer a call, but she never comes back,” Kara chokes up and this time, Lena presses up against her and wraps an arm around Kara.
“I’m here,” she says quietly.
“She never comes back because Lex abducts her and then kills her. And every time I fall asleep in that cave, it was that. Again and again and again. Lena dies again and again. And I lose her each and every time. I- I lose you each and every time.”
Before anybody else can speak up after Kara’s little revelation.
Lena tugs at her, makes her look at her. Lena’s wearing heels, Kara’s wearing fuzzy slippers, it allows Lena to put a hand on Kara’s cheek and finally wipe away her tears.
“I am right here. I am not going anywhere, you will never lose me. You always have me, Kara. You’ll always have me.”
******
Lex planting a bomb was such a fucking insult. It’s infuriating. But Lena wasn’t mad that he wanted her to die but because that was the lamest attempt ever. It was an insult to Lena’s intelligence.
She knows her brother. He wouldn’t settle for something as pedestrian as this.
And so, Lena does something she hasn’t done in a long time.
She calls her mother.
******
“Your favorite child is attempting sororicide again.”
“Yes, I’m aware. At least tell me you’re clever enough to have run into a discreet location?
“I don’t run, Mother.”
“Hm. For this one I advise you do.”
“What is he planning?”
“Well, that’s a surprise, I thought you already knew. Given the fact that you weren’t running.”
“I have an inkling.”
“I’m telling you now, Lena. You should run.”
“Why would I?”
“Supergirl’s back, Lena. Think about it.”
How the fuck did Lillian knew they got Kara back?
******
It turns out Lex's grand plan was to make the Girl of Steel choose.
The city or Lena Luthor.
It took them a while to figure out how Lex knew Kara was home.
Because of course, it’s always the things right on your nose that you don't see.
Remember the story about Jess making the occupants around the whole block sign NDA’s and buying their silence?
Apparently, Lex Luthor bought them at a much higher price and made them talk. Money makes the world go round, indeed. Or in this case, makes the world explode.
He planted moles and surveillance cameras all round the area and when the team got Kara back, somebody made the call to Lex Luthor.
He was staging a series of explosions using all of the National City’s residential areas. If there are victims, there would be a need for a saviour. And who would be a better saviour than Lex Luthor?
The explosives were all planted throughout a group of small-income businesses that can be found in most residential areas. A salon, a bakery, a dentist clinic, you name it.
Lex bought out these properties one by one under a pseudonym. Goddamn pretentious bastard. And then had his goons plant the bombs.
And the most irritating thing is, they weren’t the simple kind of bomb. Cut the red, save everybody kind of bomb. No, this one was a high-tech, highly volatile kind of bomb. Lena would soon discover that the bomb was one of Lex’s designs.
A compact, almost the size of a notebook, a plastic rectangular thing that nobody would notice. If you left it in the dentist's office, they’d just assume somebody has left a power bank in their hurry. But as soon as one goes near it—
Kaboom!
Game over.
******
Lex succeeds in taking Lena.
The plan was to get to a safe house before anything happens. Make use of the transmatter portals because Kara says she doesn’t trust any of them driving Lena and she was still too weak to fly her anywhere.
Lex abducts her in the middle of transporting. Her entire being felt like they were turned upside down during that. He hacked her coordinates and grabbed her in the middle of the process. Her brother defied Laws of Physics just to get to her.
“You’re forgetting, I was the one who made those watches.”
She is gagged and cuffed, not the police kind of cuffs but the DEO kind of cuffs, the heavy biometric access ones.
She can only imagine Kara’s horrified face when Lena fails to turn up at the other side of the portal.
Lex drops the bomb on the floor, 5 steps away from her and makes his mandatory villain speech. Lena tuned out about halfway through.
Every hour that the Girl of Steel fails to show up for Lena and saves another neighborhood instead, the bomb gets closer and closer to Lena.
Don’t save me, Kara. Save the lives of others. Don’t save me.
******
The thing about using tech for bombs is that Brainy will most likely have a solution on how to solve it, fast.
"We encountered a similar problem back when I was part of the Legion."
"Well, you know what to do then?"
"I do."
******
It’s Alex who saves her and...Lillian.
“Only you?” Lena jokes breathing heavily, as Alex removes her cuffs and Lex is down on the floor.
“Where’s the rest of the cavalry?” she says, standing up from the monobloc chair. Alex in all her Sentinel glory, waving a device that Lena suspects is for detonating the bomb.
“Actually…” Alex trails off, gestures somewhere to the entrance.
And like some well-timed cue, Lillian Luthor rounds the corner.
Her mother was wearing a long black coat and heels, hair flowing, half in an updo. She looked as she always looked, an expensive calculating cold bitch.
“Lena,” she coos, gracefully kisses Lena on the cheek as if she hadn’t just sidestepped her son who was lying on the floor unconscious with a broken nose, as if Lena wasn’t just held hostage fearing for her life and for countless others, as if half of National City almost didn’t blow up.
Just a typical Tuesday for the Luthors.
Alex was too busy detonating the bomb on the ground to explain what the hell Lillian was doing here.
Her mother leans in closer, Lena feels the cold metal of a gun being thrust in her hands, she whispers, “I told him not to harm you.”
And in that moment in time, Lena realizes what this is. Her mother didn’t come for her because she cared if Lena lived or not. This was Lilian’s cheap shot at redemption. Lex had obviously failed her. But Lena? Lena might just be her saving grace.
Lillian must’ve thought if she played her cards right, Lena would pull her up from the depth of her sins. But no more, Lena knows better now. She isn’t the same woman who Lillian Luthor can manipulate into her traps.
Lena knows better now.
******
The sun is harsh on her face as Alex, her and Lillian make their way out of the warehouse.
Lex was being taken care of by a SWAT team. Old agents of the DEO that remained loyal to Alex Danvers and just like her had a hunch that Lex Luthor was bad news.
They pile up inside a nondescript van.
Alex’s first words to her as she shuts the vehicle doors close and the van lurches, are, “‘You’ll always have me?'” she mocks, “I mean Christ, Luthor, I had a hunch that you were gay for my sister but I didn’t know you were that ‘gay’.”
Alex rolls her eyes, makes air quotations around the word ‘gay’. Lena snorts. Lilian looks like she was going to throw up.
On the ride back, Alex tells her that Lillian stepped forward saying she knew where Lena was, snuck into The Tower, which J’onn or any of the Superfriends didn’t appreciate.
“Your security system is predictable, Lena. I’m your mother not to mention I’m a Luthor.”
Lena pushed down the urge to punch her in the face.
“Kara was this close...” Alex holds her index finger and her thumb in a pinch. “-to heat visioning her.”
Of course, it would be Lillian Luthor who would know where Lena would be taken by Lex.
Apparently, the others were scattered around National City helping to evacuate residents.
They all know Brainy could undo all of Lex’s bombs and avoid any casualties, but still, better safe than sorry.
It was only when they are already stepping inside the Tower’s elevators that it occurs to Lena that she still doesn't know where Kara is.
******
“She solar flared looking all over National City for you,” Alex tells her as they walk into the medbay and she sees Kara’s sleeping form under the glow of the sunlamps.
Alex excuses herself after changing out of her suit, muttering “Idiots, goddamn idiots I swear to God-” under her breath and Lena pretends she doesn't hear.
Flying around National City all night long exerting her supersenses fresh from a 3 month stay in a sunless hell and after only 12 hours under sunlamps, resulted in this; Kara unconscious yet again, powerless and weak.
Lena pulls up a chair next to Kara's bed. Grabs her right hand and puts it against her cheek, her palm warm against Lena's skin and there, with only Kara and the hum of the sunlamps, Lena cries. The events of the last few months finally catching up to her.
She falls apart, clutching Kara's hand tightly like an anchor.
******
Kara wakes up exhausted and parched. She blinks her eyes open to bright yellow lights.
She groans, rubs her eyes trying to sit up. The moment she sits up she realizes she isn’t alone.
Lena was here, sleeping on folded arms on the side of her med bed.
That does not look like a comfortable position.
“Lena,” she tries, nudging her gently on the shoulder.
“Hey, baby, wake up.”
Lena rouses, hums a confused, “Mm?” and slowly opens her eyes. Kara is shocked to see Lena’s emerald eyes have turned into bloodshot, tired ones.
“Were you crying?” Kara whispers, shuffling on the bed to get close enough to cup Lena’s face.
Lena doesn’t answer, just lets her head be tilted, Kara’s thumb softly rubbing at her cheek, concerned blue eyes burning into her. Kara looks like she’s going to ask once again but Lena cuts her off, half-afraid that if she doesn’t do it now, she will never do it.
“Kara, I love you.”
There. She did it. It’s done. She's said it. She can't take it back.
Immediately, Kara’s thumb stills and her eyes widen.
“And I’m so tired of this, I’m so tired of you and me getting separated. With you not knowing how much I love you. How much it hurts every time you’re away from me. I’m so tired of not being with you, Kara.”
Her voice is heavy with emotion; exhaustion and overwhelming love bleeding into each other. She stares at Kara who’s still frozen, tears slowly falling, making her eyes shine like sapphire.
She feels Kara resume the movement of her thumb and only then does Lena realize she’s crying as well.
“I have you, right here, right now, but for how long? For how long? Because I know, I fucking know, Kara, this life. Your life. Our life. One way or another some disaster is going to get us again and I don’t want that to happen without me having told you how I feel. So, here I am,” she breathes out, “Here I am, telling you how I feel.” Lena puts a hand to Kara’s hand and cradles it, leans in to the touch, kisses her palm.
“I love you and I can’t hide it anymore. I don’t want to hide it anymore. I love you.”
“Lena,” Kara finally replies, breathless and emotional, “You saved me, do you know that? You’re all I’ve dreamt about the whole time I was away. You're the thing that's kept me alive. My home is you, has been you, for some time now and I didn’t even have the chance to tell you.”
Lena breaks when she hears this, as her mind takes her back to the past three months of missing Kara, of feeling so fucking lonely, of feeling so fucking scared.
“I love you, Rao, I love you so much. I can’t not love you. You’re everything, Lena. You’re my home.”
Kara has moved so close to her that she’s able to press their foreheads together as she murmurs, “I love you,” again and again and again.
“I’m tired of all of this too. I just want to love you, Lena.”
These are the words Kara utters before she presses their lips together.
******
“Lena?”
“Hm?” Lena hums, distracted. It was a good day today. She woke up to Lena making pancakes in her kitchen, wearing nothing but Kara’s old yellow hoodie. The sight almost made her turn to goo.
It was her third day back after spending so long confined to The Tower’s bed under the sun lamps. She was sure it would be longer if Alex had her way.
Tomorrow, Lena will be arranging her affairs in taking L-Corp back. They both know she has a long way to go. Kara’s not worried though, if Lena did it once, she can do it again and just like before Kara will be with her every step of the way.
Now, they’re just lounging around lazily in Kara’s apartment. Lena curled up on her couch with a book and Kara on the floor writing on her laptop.
She came back to CatCo last Monday and now she’s trying to come up with a good enough email to send to Cat Grant and ask her for a favor. She loves Nia but Rao, did she really have to say Cat Grant to Andrea?
“Why was Jess yelling at Nia last week? I woke up to Jess’s voice, actually. And more importantly, Jess knows???!”
“Oh, darling, Jess has always known.”
Kara stops typing and turns around to prop herself up on the couch.
“What? I’m sorry what?” she blurts out, incredulous. Lena puts her book down and looks at her.
“Apparently, you haven’t been very subtle.”
“Wha- No! I can be sneaky! I’m sneaky!”
Lena snorts at her protests.
“Sure you are,” she purrs and if Kara wasn’t writing an urgent email, that voice would’ve made her destroy the couch
“—and uh Jess was yelling at Nia for not following Tower rules.”
“W-we have rules?” she says, Kara shakes off the straying thoughts out of her mind and focuses back on what Lena is saying. She hauls herself off the floor and unto the couch, Lena making room, lifting her legs and then putting it back down on Kara’s lap once she’s comfortably seated.
“Mm-hm.”
Kara’s hands start trailing up and down Lena’s bare legs on her lap.
“Will you tell me? I don’t want Jess to yell at me.”
Lena flashes a smile at that and Kara blushes adorably.
“Okay, okay. I’ll tell you, come here,” she answers and makes grabby hands at Kara. Rao, it’s a miracle Kara hasn’t died from the sheer cuteness that is Lena Luthor.
Kara shifts positions and fits herself horizontally, draping half of herself on Lena and Kara listens to the 5 cardinal rules of Jessica Huang. It mostly just says all of them should eat, sleep and balance superhero work and real work.
She wants to ask if somebody is paying Jess, but then realizes Lena Luthor is next to her and she would never let somebody like Jess work for free.
The thought of how utterly good and compassionate Lena is, makes her smile.
“Lena?” Kara mutters, nosing at Lena’s neck.
“Have I ever told you I love you?”
Lena laughs, “Once or twice.”
“Well, that wouldn’t do. From now on, it’s my mission to tell you I love you till I’ve said it a billion times,” Kara declares.
“A billion?”
“Mm-hm. And even a billion doesn’t even feel like enough.”
“You’ll always be enough for me, Kara,” Lena says, looking down to her and kissing her temple, “You’re more than enough for me.”
“I love you, Lena.”
“I love you too.”
******
There are two parts to Kara Danvers' story The Searching and The Coming Home.
She never even knew she was searching for something, someone, till she found Lena, till she found somebody to come home to.
******
uhm so, @uselesslesbianfr submitted something to me and my brain just started churning and then before i knew it i've written a 10k one shot about the brief plot she's sent me. so yeahhh.
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leon-scott-kennedy · 3 years ago
Text
Distrail
Chreon, Rated-T
Read on Ao3
For a price, anyone could check into a seedy motel, even three people covered in blood, guts, and grime, no questions asked, especially with the ashes of Raccoon City still cooling 100 miles away. So the horizon still held a faint glow of destruction when Leon and Claire stumbled, barely conscious, through the front door of the Tadpole motel at 2 PM October 1st, using each other as support and Sherry clinging to Leon’s back like a koala if a koala drooled and snored.
Two other motels along the highway turned the odd couple away, rumours already flying about Raccoon City, zombies, and a nuclear cover-up. But at the right price, triple the going rate, Claire managed to convince the manager to let them bunk down, courtesy of Leon’s stressed credit card.
The fact Leon’s credit card worked, or that he even still had his credit card, was a miracle. His wallet hadn’t exactly been a priority, and honestly, they could sleep in a cockroach-infested basement, and Leon would be happy because they were dead on their feet after hiking on foot what Leon estimated to be a good 30 miles of rough terrain to get to the nearest town. The sun barely peeked over the horizon when the sky behind them exploded.
Raccoon City was gone. The people Leon had sworn to defend were gone. Sherry and Claire were all he managed to protect, and he’d be damned if he failed now.
The motel room wasn’t terrible; two double beds, a small tube TV, and a leaky faucet. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t something out of a horrible nightmare. They’d left that behind them.
“I’m glad we don’t have a blacklight,” Claire joked, but her tone fell flat.
Leon nudged the bed farthest from the door suspiciously with his boot, dragged back the yellow duvet, and inspected the mattress before he lay Sherry down and tucked her in. He even let Claire shower first, insisted, while he watched Sherry sleep, tossing and turning and whimpering from reliving the horrors in her dreams until Claire emerged from the bathroom, hair still damp, and crawled into bed beside Sherry.
By the time Leon scrubbed his skin raw, the water was cold, and Claire had passed out cold with Sherry cuddled up beside her, little hand tangled in the front of Claire’s dirty tank top like a lifeline. Leon passed out face first on the other bed. He couldn’t even muster the energy to get under the covers.
Movement woke Leon. He jolted awake, reaching for his gun on the bedside table, only to find Claire, fully dressed, perched on the end of his bed and tugging one of her boots. She smiled sadly at the gun levelled at her head.
Leon lowered Matilda, gasping for air. His arm fell limply to his side. “Claire?”
“Hey.” Claire pulled on her second boot. “Sorry.”
Leon blinked at the sleep crusting his eyes. “What... what are you doing?”
Claire sighed and set her foot back down solidly on the ground, hands grasping her thighs. “I need to find Chris. I need... I need to know he’s okay.”
“Now?” Leon glanced at the clock. The bright red numbers read 7:46. The setting sun outside glowed faintly behind the curtains.
“If you ever need me...”
“Forget me. What about Sherry?” Leon snapped, somewhat mollified when Claire winced.
“I know you’ll take good care of her.” Claire’s attention briefly snapped to the sleeping 12-year-old that had survived literal hell. “Leon... if I didn’t have to.”
“Yeah. Yeah, whatever,” Leon scoffed, then rolled over. His heart thundered in his chest. He heard Claire briefly wake up Sherry to say goodbye, promising they’d be in touch, that if Sherry ever needed her, all she needed to do was call.
The door creaked open. Leon clenched his eyes shut, willing down the panic swelling in his chest until it ached. This was it. He was all Sherry had left. They were on their own.
“Take care of our girl for me.” Claire’s voice was barely a whisper.
Leon’s hands trembled, buried in the sheets and pillows, he struggled to suck down air, and his hearing fuzzed. Claire was gone.
For hours, Leon faded in and out of consciousness, barely able to keep the crush of dread at bay. Finally, at some point around 3 AM, he gave up all pretense to sleep and kept a vigilant guard. He jumped at a car alarm, tensed at the slam of a door, and clenched Matilda tightly when soft footfalls passed their door. Eventually, Sherry climbed into his bed to watch early morning cartoons with him.
“Is Claire going to be okay?” Sherry asked softly. She hugged Leon’s arm, cuddling into his side like he used to with his grandma.
“Yeah. Don’t worry about her,” Leon said. He slumped to the side, gently resting his head on top of Sherry’s. “She’ll be fine, kiddo.”
When the sun rose, Leon and Sherry trekked down to the front office to extend their stay another night, then hiked into town searching for clothes and sustenance. Being out in public, surrounded by people, set both Leon and Sherry on edge. They jumped at the slightest sound, and Sherry refused to release Leon’s hand for anything less than going to the bathroom, and even then, he had to stand guard outside the stall. Thank god he had pissed before they left the motel because Sherry was clinging to the back of his jacket while he tried seemed ridiculous.
Their shopping trip was quick. They grabbed what they could, Sherry setting a brisk pace through the little thrift store they found, dragging Leon from rack to rack. They scrounged up a few changes of clothes, socks, underwear, which Leon was a little uncertain of, a jacket that fits over his side holster since he had a license to carry, and a backpack that they filled with snacks and a deck of cards from a little corner store. It turns out Leon’s palette was similar to a twelve-year-old.
The tenuous credit limit finally crapped out on Leon when he tried to buy a six-pack at a shady liquor store on the way back to the motel.
“No job. No money. Just great,” Leon sighed.
For the rest of the day, they holed up in their room munching on junk food, watching terrible daytime TV, and playing Go Fish until Leon made the brilliant decision to teach Sherry how to play poker, and she fleeced him for all the Cheetos.
Leon had no plan beyond survive, and he hadn’t even planned for that. His body ached from being tossed by mutated monsters and shot. His wrapped shoulder twinged.
“Shit,” Leon cursed and clutched his wound. They needed help. He needed help. Taking care of a kid without any resources would be impossible; never mind, he’d never taken care of a person in his life. He had no siblings, no parents. His grandma died when he was nine.
Leon smiled at Sherry in reassurance when she questioned him. This little girl couldn’t be another statistic of the system. He could fix that. He would fix that.
Covered in orange Cheeto dust, Sherry crashed around 8 in the evening. The glow of the sun behind the curtain reminded Leon of the mushroom cloud that had enveloped the sky 36 hours ago. Leon’s stomach twisted in knots. Every creak, every thump, every squeaky break, Leon tensed, waiting for something to crash through the door and disrupt the precarious peace.
Leon hunkered down on his bed, the one closest to the door and any potential threat that came for them, and prepared for another sleepless night on edge.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Around one in the morning, his eyes beginning to droop, Leon nearly fell off the bed in his mad scramble for his gun when someone knocked heavily on the door. Checking his clip, Leon cautiously crept to the door, motioning for now very awake Sherry to stay out of sight.
“Who is it,” Leon called.
“Hi. Look, I’m sorry to bother you. My name is Chris Redfield. I’m looking for my sister Claire.”
Leon blinked and glanced back at Sherry, whose head had popped out of the blanket at the sound of Claire’s name. Then, double-checking he had bolted the chain, Leon opened the door a crack to peek out.
A man a little taller than Leon stood under the flickering light outside the door, his hair cut short and a 5 o’clock shadow. Chris Redfield, decorated member of the Racoon City Stars Division. Leon recognized him from the old photo Claire had shown him, but also the records he’d run across during his frantic hunt through the Police Department.
“Chris?” Leon said, astonished it was actually him. He slammed the door, unbolted the chain, and flung the door open again. “What the- Claire’s looking for you. What are you doing here?”
Chris, who eyed the gun uncertainly, brightened at the mention of his sister. “Is she here? The manager at the front recognized her. Said she was here with some guy and a kid.” Chris glanced past Leon into the room to Sherry curled up in the other bed peering out with curious fear from under the blankets.
Leon shook his head, eyes scanning the parking lot. “She’s not here. She left this morning to find you.”
“Fuck.” Chris winced and glanced at Sherry again. “Shit, sorry.”
Sherry giggled into her hands, and Leon rolled his eyes. “I think she’s dealt with worse.” Like the apocalypse.
“But she’s okay. She’s alive?” Chris asked.
“Who? Claire? Yeah. Yeah, she’s fine. Saved my ass more than a few times.” Leon smiled wistfully and then frowned. So Claire had left, and now, here, her brother was trying to track her down. It must be nice to have someone that gave a damn about you.
“Oh, thank god.” Then, finally, all the tension and stiffness in Chris’ posture melted. “I got her message, and...”
Leon scanned the dark parking lot again for any sign of life, then gestured into the motel room. “You should come in.”
“No.” Chris waved off the invitation. “No, I need to find her.” But the fatigue in his voice threatened to topple him, and that would definitely fell Leon if he tried to catch him.
“Dude, you’re dead on your feet,” Leon said. “It’s the middle of the night. Crash for a few hours.”
“Yeah!” Sherry chimed in, bouncing on her bed. “Stay!”
Chris shook his head. “I can’t.”
Leon pursed his lips. “Look, I don’t know you, man. But I do know that if you pass out behind the wheel and wrap yourself around a pole, you’re pretty damn useless to her.”
Chris opened his mouth to argue, and Leon sighed, tilting his head to the side, ready to give up when Chris snapped his mouth closed and cleared his throat. He studied Leon closely, scrutinizing him like he would a suspect, but Chris must have been satisfied with what he found - weakness, terror, immaturity - because he finally said, “just a few hours.” And the anxiety squeezing the life out of Leon eased, just a tiny bit. Enough that he could breathe.
Chris excused himself to run and grab his go-bag, and Leon cursed his stupidity because nothing was stopping Chris from running. That tightness immediately returned, but a few minutes later, another sharp knock sounded at the door.
Leon smiled tiredly and welcomed Chris into the room, relieved to have the company, someone who knew what they were doing; an adult. Leon grew up fast, but he’d never been an adult in his life. Racoon City was supposed to be a fresh start, and now, he was back to square one. Not even. He was in the basement of square one—the root cellar.
Leon finally caught a good look at Sherry with the lights on, still covered in orange dust, her fingers and cheeks stained. “Jesus. Did you eat the Cheetos or roll in them?”
Sherry laughed. “Leon taught me to play poker, and then I won all the cheezies,” she said to Chris, who grinned.
“Nice job.” Chris offered her a high-five, which she eagerly accepted. The hero worship was already forming.
“He gets a little wrinkle right here when he lies,” Sherry said, pointing a small finger between her eyebrows.
“Okay,” Leon said, scooping Sherry off the bed and carrying her off under one arm. “Let’s get you cleaned up and back in bed, munchkin.”
Cheeto dust proved a formidable adversary, but they managed. When they walked back into the room, Chris was standing exactly where they had left him, his bag still slung over his shoulder and his boots laced.
Getting Sherry tucked back into bed became a struggle now that the brand new company hyped her up; no hesitation whatsoever. She liked Chris. She even made Chris put her to bed, Leon faking offence at being disregarded for the new guy, but there was something about seeing a six-foot boulder of a man coax a tiny twelve-year-old back to sleep that made Leon’s chest ache. Especially when Chris told the story of how Claire was convinced that if she left fake teeth under her pillow, she could trick the tooth fairy into giving her more money. It never worked. The tooth fairy left chocolate coins instead. Fake money for a fake tooth.
Leon watched perched on the edge of the other bed, a little envious of Chris’ skill with kids. He double-checked the safety on his handgun, then the clip. Chris eyed Leon as he set his weapon back down on the bedside table, and Leon couldn’t muster the energy to be self-conscious about his paranoia.
Chris may be Claire’s sister and a fellow survivor of Raccoon City, but Leon didn’t actually know him. For all he knew, he was a traitor like Irons or Wesker. Maybe he wasn’t the man Claire believed him to be. What the hell had he been thinking? Inviting a stranger to stay with them?
With Sherry asleep again, Leon and Chris were left to settle in for the remainder of the night. For Chris, that meant shedding his bulky jacket and combat boots.
“It’s Leon, right?” Chris said. He stood awkwardly beside the bed, watching Leon click off the light and climb under the blankets, tucking himself up against the edge of the mattress as close as he possibly could without toppling off. “Claire mentioned you in one of her messages.”
Leon almost facepalmed. He hadn’t introduced himself. He really was doing everything backwards. “Yeah. That’s me. Leon S. Kennedy.” He curled up into a small ball.
“Jesus Christ.” Chris swiped his palm across his mouth. “You’re the new rookie.”
Leon chuckled humourlessly, his hands tightening into fists around the sheets pulled up to his neck. “Was a hell of a first day.”
Chris picked up real quick that Leon didn’t want to talk about it. So instead, he climbed into his side of the bed, the one closest to the door. The mattress dipped under his weight, and Leon tensed. Where else would Chris have slept? The floor? The last person Leon shared a bed with was his ex, who had seemingly saved his life. If she hadn’t broken up with him, if he hadn’t gotten drunk, if he hadn’t slept in hungover as hell, he would have arrived right in the middle of the initial panic, and who knows if he would have survived that. No one else in the department had.
What would it have been like? The screams, the moans, the pleas for help- the sounds still played on repeat in Leon’s head. Lieutenant Marvin Branagh, mouth agape, stumbling towards him with his hands out. Leon had put two bullets between his eyes.
The first indications of a panic attack slammed into Leon. Abruptly, his throat closed. He couldn’t breathe, his vision slid out of focus, and his chest compressed. Like someone reached into his chest and squeezed his heart in a vice. His entire body shook.
Suddenly, a warm voice murmured in his ear, the soothing tone talking him down, calming him. Leon wasn’t alone. He wasn’t trapped in the police station battling endless waves of the undead, the people of Raccoon City he’d taken an oath to serve and protect.
“Leon, kid, you need to breathe,” Chris said. His presence was a solid wall behind Leon. “I’m going to touch you, okay?”
Leon focused on Chris’ voice. His vision began to swim back into focus, his hearing rushed back in a sudden wall of familiar night noises like the drip of the faucet in the bathroom or the lonely car that passed on the highway. He nodded, not fully understanding what Chris was saying. An arm slid around his waist and pulled him back into a firm chest. Leon flailed, seconds from panic again when Chris’ voice rumbled in his ear.
“You’re going to be okay. I got you.”
Leon grasped Chris’ arm, his grip probably tight enough to leave bruises, and he choked on a shuddering sob.
“It’s okay, Leon. You’re going to be okay.”
Gasping for air, Leon rolled over and buried his face in Chris’ chest, and Chris let him. Leon’s sobs were muffled in Chris’ arms, not wanting to disturb Sherry in the next bed. He felt every subtle muscle flex when Chris tightened his grip or shifted them into a more comfortable position. That’s how Leon passed out, wrapped in the reassuring embrace of a complete stranger, one who understood the hell he’d lived through and the fear and uncertainty he felt in his soul.
Morning came quickly. Leon woke up still curled into Chris’ chest with a death grip on the other man’s faded t-shirt. Chris’ nose was buried in Leon’s hair, each soft snore ruffling his hair, but his embrace hadn’t lessened overnight.
The warmth of embarrassment burning, Leon snuck out of bed, anxiously loosening Chris’ hold and dashing for the safety and solitude of the bathroom, horrified at his complete lack of control the night before. No one had held him like that before, at least not since he was a child and his grandma would sit up with him after a nightmare. But, sadly, this was another type of nightmare, a waking one.
When Leon finally mustered the courage to wander back into the room, Chris was up, sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows on his knees.
“You okay?” Chris asked the same time Leon burst out, “I’m sorry!”
Chris sighed. “You didn’t do anything wrong. When I showed up on your doorstep last night, I saw right away that you were barely holding it together.”
Leon’s fists clenched at his side. He couldn’t meet Chris’ gentle gaze.
Chris crossed the room in two enormous strides and considerately grasped Leon by the shoulders. “It was the shock finally hitting you. It happened to me too, but I was alone,” Chris admitted. “Hey. Hey, come on. Look at me.”
Leon bit his lower lip, but he slowly looked up, eyes stinging. “I don’t know what to do.”
Telegraphing his movements, Chris gently pulled Leon into a tight hug. “You’re not alone. We’re going to do this together. I want to take Umbrella down, but first, I wanna make sure you’re okay.”
Leon jerked back so fast Chris stumbled. “I want to help. I want to make those sons of bitches pay.”
Chris smiled. “Good. But first, I have a safe house.”
Together, they set the plans. Leon and Sherry would meet Chris in two days, hopefully with Claire in tow, at Chris’ new safehouse three states over. Sherry and Leon could catch a bus a couple miles down the highway to get them most of the way. The trick would be getting up the mountain to the cabin. But they were in this together. Hope simmered once again.
Armed with a freshly drawn map on motel stationery, Leon watched Chris pack. Umbrella wouldn’t know what hit them.
“Here. Take it.”Chris handed Leon two rumpled twenties, a five, and a few ones he dug out of his wallet. “It’s all the cash I have on me, but it should be enough to get you there. I’ll drop you off-”
“No.” Leon took the cash, but waved off Chris’ offer to give him and Sherry a lift to the bus station. “It’s in the opposite direction. We’ll be fine.”
“Two days,” Chris promised. Sherry had climbed out of bed and now clung to Chris’ arm as if he couldn’t leave as long as she was attached. He ruffled her hair. “With or without Claire, I’ll be there and we’ll go from there.” Chris grabbed Leon by the back of the neck and dragged him into a gruff hug, their foreheads lightly pressed together. “It’s gonna be okay, kid.”
And Leon believed him. That is, until two hours later when an unmarked vehicle pulled up on Leon and Sherry hiking down the side of the road, hand in hand. They never made it to the rendezvous.
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andilovetowrite · 3 years ago
Text
Tough Love (Part 2)
Peter Parker x Enemy!Reader
Summary: Peter Parker and I have always had a tense relationship, but there was always a line that you wouldn’t pass. What happens when one day you do, and there are horrible repercussions? Will you and Peter make up, or will it be an endgame for you?
Warnings: A bit of angst, and fighting, but a lot of fluff in the end.
Here is the request it is based on!
Here is my Masterlist as well, in case you wanna check out my fanfics :)
Word Count: 1.7k
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“Are you really going to ignore me forever?”, you asked Peter, buckling up your seatbelt. It had been a week after your flight, and you two hadn’t said a word to each other. You had tried to apologize several times, but it was hard when Peter skipped school just to avoid you, and while training, he made sure to stay out of your radius.
So you didn’t really have a wide variety of ways to say sorry to him. There were no insults thrown at each other, no teasing and definitely no normal conversations. Even now, Peter just looked away, his jaw clenched shut at the question you asked. Sighing, you turned away, focusing on the floor rather than Nat’s questioning eyes. Everyone in the compound could see something had happened. Usually, your dad had to separate you two from biting each other’s heads off, with the rest of the team cheering either one on. But this week? It had been pitch silence at the compound.
You could pretend you didn’t care, but you did. A lot. When MJ had called you up after the fight, you had been a mess. And maybe, just maybe, it was because you wanted the conversation in the closet to go well. “Well” in a way that you finally told Peter you liked him, and hopefully, he reciprocated it. But the cards were definitely not in your favour, because the day ended with him storming out, and leaving a red-faced, teary-eyed mess behind.
“Okay team, here is how it’s going to go”, Tony said from the front of the jet, looking back at the 4 of us. “Nat and Steve, you two work on getting rid of all the guards inside the place, and I will patrol the outside. Once all the threats are taken out, Y/N and Peter can get in easily and retrieve the Hydra files. It should be easy enough-”
“No”, Peter muttered, looking up, his eyes dark. “I’ll stay with Steve. Nat can go with her”, he said, jerking his head towards you. You could feel your throat close up, as you took a deep breath, opting not to say anything. The entire jet went quiet, all the eyes on you. Not knowing what to say, you just nodded, not taking your eyes off the floor.
Instantly, Peter felt bad. He knew you were trying to make amends, but to what? Just so you could go back to fighting 24/7 every day? He didn’t want that, not in a billion years. So he just shut you down or ignored you anytime you spoke to him. It was better than getting his heart broken again anyway. But now looking at you, head down, biting your lip, he almost felt like reaching out to you, but the plane lurched forward, indicating you guys had landed.
“Alright team, let’s do this”, Tony said, looking hard at you. “And remember safety first. This isn’t a hard mission, so we can be in and out in 15 minutes”
At least that’s what he thought. When Steve and Peter went out to get rid of the soldiers, they were immediately outnumbered, by a lot. Calling in Nat, the four of them kept fighting, giving you a straight passageway to the secret room.
“Y/N, you alright sweetie?”, Tony asked, grunting as he got hit again. You said yes, ducking away from a guy’s view, pushing him out of a window with your powers.
“Yeah, no one is here”, you said, pushing your way into the room, the files just lying there on the table. “But it seems too easy-”, you began, but the minute you touched the paper, the room exploded.
Bright, hot heat clouded your vision as you were thrown back, your suit feeling like it was on fire. Trying to move away, the last thing you could remember was Peter’s voice in your ear, crying out as your eyes closed, giving in to the sticky darkness that swallowed you.
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“Y/Nnnnn”, you heard Tony’s voice call out to you, “c’mon, get up”. You could feel your eyes start to flicker open as a sharp pressure was applied to your head.
“Ugh”, you groaned, trying to dull the pounding ache in your head. Pushing your hands up, you couldn’t help but wince, a burning pinch travelling up your arm.
“Woah woah woah, relax little Stark”, Steve said, pushing you softly back down, “you have heavily burnt your hands. I would refrain from even lifting them up”
“Wha-”, you asked, looking at your dad. Tony sighed, telling Steve to go outside the room, as he came to stand next to you. You looked at him, still confused about what happened.
“Yo-you went to the main circuit and apparently, they anticipated it. Well...they anticipated Peter to be there instead of you. Some type of fiery air was released around you, which, based on Bruce’s experiment, showed that it would literally burn Peter from inside his suit.”, Tony stopped for a second, looking outside the door, “Um, since you weren’t wearing a suit, it didn’t have too much of a boiling effect, but it did cause some burns and severe blackouts-”
“How long was I out?”, you asked quietly, looking down at your arms, seeing the layers and layers of bandaging on them.
“About 2 days”, he said, looking at you closer. “Peter’s been out there the entire time, waiting for you to wake up” Tony chuckled, resting his hand on your shoulder. “I don’t know how many times I’ve told him to go home, but he just wouldn’t listen to me-”
“Where is he now?”, you asked, surprised he had stayed behind to see you. After your fight, you were so sure that the chances of making up(making out) with Peter were close to zero.
“He’s outsid-”
“Mr Stark, is she awake?”, a drowsy voice called out, as a disheveled Peter came inside the room, his eyes catching onto yours. “H-hey Y/N”, he mumbled, eyes wide as they scanned your body.
“So I’ll leave it to you then”, Tony said, backing away, but not before whispering something in Peter’s ear that made his entire face go pink. “I’ll be back in an hour, alright? Gotta go pick up Morgan from school” He waved you off, but you were too busy staring at Peter. Who, by the way, looked like a mess. His hair was sticking out in all places, his eyes were bloodshot, and clothes rumpled.
Yet, he still looked like your Peter. Hesitantly, he walked over, almost as if he was too scared to even come near you, but the moment he was close enough to hear you, you blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“I’m so sorry”, you whispered. Peter’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Why are you sorry? I’m the one who acted like a total dick!”, Peter exclaimed, and it was like a dam broke inside him, “y-you could’ve died Y/N! Why did I-”
“Peter, I’m fine, okay?”, you said, wanting badly to put your hand on his shoulder, but you couldn’t even do that. “And I’m sorry for what I said to you last week- i-it wasn’t right, and I didn’t even mean it-”
Suddenly, you were cut off, because Peter’s lips were on yours, kissing you as if his life depended on it. You froze for a second, but as he began to pull away, you surged forward, kissing him back.
You could’ve stayed that way forever, in the dim light of the hospital room, kissing your enemy(crush), but you both needed oxygen to live. Pulling back slightly, you kept your forehead on Peter’s, looking into his brown eyes, as his looked into yours.
“I-I needed to do that”, Peter whispered, and you understood. “With you almost dying, I couldn’t just-”
“I know”, you said back, smiling at him slightly.
“I’m in love with you Y/N”, Peter confessed, glancing briefly at you, but blushing down in embarrassment. Not responding for a couple seconds, he took it the wrong way, as he backed up, eyes starting to brim up with tears.
You were so shocked, you didn’t even realize that he was almost out of the room. Tyring to speak as loud as possible, you piped up, “If you leave now, you aren’t gonna be here to hear my declaration of love Pete”
Peter stopped, his hand on the doornob. “What?”
You smiled, staring at the familiar mop of curls. “Yeah, and if I start speaking as you go out, then Cap might think it’s for him, and that’s an awkward conversation waiting to happen”
“Wha- declaration of what?”, Peter asked, baffled.
Grinning at the dopey smile of his, you chuckled. “I like you too Peter. Hell, I love you”
Peter walked closer, “Wait, you aren’t just saying that out of pity right?”
You rolled your eyes, trying to sit up, “When have I ever done something out of pity Parker?”
“Never”, Peter replied, a smile taking over his features. He came and sat next to you, and as suddenly as he kissed you earlier, he did so again, this time whispering so close to your mouth, and so quietly, you weren’t sure if you even heard him. “We were literally at each other’s throats a week ago, and now-”
“We’re making out”, you said, smirking, “but do you want to change that? I’m sure I can find someone as equally crazy as you to make out with”
Peter shook his head, laughing. “Not at all...plus, as tough as it is loving you”, he said, giving you a chaste peck, “it’s well worth it”
“Mhm, tough love”, you agreed, smiling at your brown haired boy.
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Wow! Loved writing this, and even though it took a long time to update, I hope you enjoyed this, and I can't wait to write my next one :)
Ps. If you have the time, check out Season 2 of Never Have I Ever, on Netflix. It's awsome!
Taglist: @idkatee @eternalscribblesforthesoul @loudbluepancake @poisondevotion @scram1326 @t-hollanderr @305weasley @starknik22 @marvelfansworld @lou-la-lou @lomlparker @marvelfansworld @wowitsel @vanteguccir @fullcheesecakeengineer @ladykxxx08 @allegras-sunflower @ifyouknewhowmiserylovedme @a–1–1–3 @hayhays
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lilacyennefer · 3 years ago
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The Cinnamon Series — Peace
Chapter 3
A/N: I thought I wouldn't make you guys wait for long after the previous chapter's cliffhanger, so here it is! Enjoy ^.^ Feedback is much appreciated <3
WARNING: insecurities, that's all I think
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The next morning Angel didn’t show up to help you with the shop, but honestly you weren't expecting him after how he stormed away from you last night. 
It hurt, because you truly liked Angel, maybe even loved him, but you were so terrified of him breaking your heart that you had a hard time letting him close to you. 
A few hours passed when you heard the familiar roaring of a motorcycle, Angel’s motorcycle. 
“I wasn't expecting to see you.” You say as he steps into the shop.
“I know.” Angel nods. He looks around, anywhere but at you as he slips his hands in the back pocket of his jeans. “I came to say goodbye.”
“What??” You ask loudly, panic suddenly rushing over you. “Angel, if this is about last night I can tell…”
“No, it’s club business.” He finally looks at you. “We are going on a run, I don’t know how long it will take.”
“Okay.” You whisper.
Angel nods again “Take care, querida.” 
You watch him walk out of the shop, surprising even yourself, you yelled his name, stopping him in his tracks. You run after him, stopping in front of him.
“Can we talk when you get back? Please?” You ask hopefully, wanting to clear things with him. You’re honestly grateful that he’ll be away for a few days so you have the time to think. 
“Do we have anything to talk about?” He asks bitterly. 
“Yes. We have a lot to talk about.” 
“Alright.” 
“Please, be careful.” You tell him softly, placing your hand gently on his cheek. “You’re more important to me than you think.” You whisper. 
Angel’s hard eyes softened from your words, you can see his softness come back. 
He leans down to place a gentle kiss on your forehead, the feeling of his lips on your skin makes your pulse rise rapidly. He lingered for a moment, then pulled away. 
You watched him hop on his bike, then drive away. 
“So, what’s exactly the problem?” Zoë, your sister asks as she sits down in front of you on your bed. 
You’re having a sleepover while Angel is away, asking Zoë for some help. You needed to talk to someone, and she always gave good advices. 
“You know exactly what’s the problem.” You sigh loudly.
“Okay, you want me to be honest with you?” You nod, signaling her to continue. “You always tell us that if we have a problem, like us in our friendship, then we have to talk, and not bottle emotions up. So what’s stopping you from doing this now? With Angel?”
You always believed in talking about your problems with each other, rather than keeping things until you gathered too much and you exploded, and started yelling. 
“I haven't known him for that long…”
“But how do you feel about him?”
You let out a loud sigh again “Good. He’s a good person. With a lot of insecurities that I could see already.”
“Does he seem like the person who would bail on you if you’d tell him?” 
You stop for a long time to think about Zoë’s question.
“Why do you have to ask such difficult questions???” 
“Because you asked me to help.”
You stay silent again, before asking the thing you fear the most.
“Do you think it’s better to lose him for the truth than keep him with lies?”
“That’s a question that you have to answer.”
Four days passed since Angel left, and four days passed since your sister tried to help you with this situation. You don’t know how much time you’ve left to think, how long it will take for Angel to come back to town. 
You were exhausted today, it’s been a long day renovating your soon-to-be bakery, so when you get home all you want to do is take a long, relaxing bath. You were sitting in the bathtub, the warm, vanilla scented water relaxed your muscles, and the sweet scent caressed your soul. Your head was laid back on the edge of the bathtub when your phone started ringing, making you snap out from your thoughts. You wipe your hand in the towel resting on the small chair next to the bathtub, the one you put there so you have something to put your phone on. You’re surprised to see Angel’s name on the screen, before you answer the phone you take a deep breath to calm your rapidly beating heart.
“Hey.” you say.
“Hi.” Angel sighs “I’m not supposed to call you, we’re not allowed to be on the phone when we’re on a run…” he trails off “...but I missed you.”
Even in the heat of the bathroom, you could feel the heat rising in your cheeks from his words.
“I missed you too.” you whisper sweetly. “I’m glad to hear from you. Knowing that you’re alive.”
“You keep me alive.” Angel says, there’s no hint of flirting in his voice, only honesty “Knowing that you’re waiting for me.”
“How long until you’re back?”
“Three more days.”
“Okay, I think I can do three more days.” Angel could clearly hear your smile from the other end of the phone, but before he could reply you heard his name being called.
“I gotta go, querida.” Angel sighs.
“Take care, Ángel.”
“Buenos noches, querida.”
Three days passed quickly, since you were busy with the shop and you exhausted yourself every day. 
Despite your conversation on the phone, you were nervous to see Angel again, and nervous to have the conversation with him. You were extremely fond of him, even if you only knew him for a few weeks. 
You’ve done a lot in the bakery in the past week, the walls were painted and dried, there was a new floor now, so you slowly started doing the decorations. Since the neon lights with your logo have arrived, you decided to do that first. The pink neon light with the word ‘El Paraíso’ was situated in the middle of the thin ring made of metal that you plan to decorate with fake flowers. 
“El Paraíso.” A loud voice snaps you out from your work “Fits you perfectly, mi dulce.” The words make you look up at Angel, who was smiling down at you, an adoring expression on his face as he looks at you work. 
“Ángel!” You jump up from the floor where you’ve been sitting, rushing to the biker so you could jump into his arms, hugging him tightly as you wrap your legs around his waist, and arms around his neck. 
Angel welcomes you with his arms open, burying his face in your neck to inhale your scent when you land in his arms. You’re not sure how long you enjoy each other’s warmth before you pull away from him, making Angel slowly let you back down on the floor. 
Awkward silence suddenly filled the air around you, neither of you are sure what to tell after how you parted a week ago. 
“Are you hungry?” You ask, trying to break the silence. Food was always a good peace offering. 
“Angel shakes his head “Not right now.” 
You swallow hard “I guess you want to talk then.” You say as you wrap your arms around yourself, a gesture of protection that you always do when you’re nervous. 
“I need to know.” Angel replies, nervousness is clear in his voice and demeanour as he shifts his weight from one leg to his other. “I need to know why.” 
You looked down on the floor, taking a few deep breaths as you try to make yourself explain everything to Angel. 
“I’m afraid.” You admit “I’m afraid that you’ll leave me when I tell you the truth.” You still avoid eye contact with him “But I guess losing you for the truth is better than keeping you with a lie.” 
“I promise I won’t run away.” Angel assures you, his voice is soft. 
You close your eyes and mutter “I have never been with a man before.” You wrinkle your nose as you wait for Angel’s reaction.
“THAT’S IT?” He asks loudly, making you open your eyes and look up at him.
“Well…yeah…” 
Angel wipes his face with his hand “Oh thank god.” 
“What?” You ask him confused, dropping your arms.
“I thought it’s some more serious shit!”
“Well, it is!”
“Do you really think that I’d run away just because you’re a virgin? What kind of asshole do you think I am?”
“I’m not a virgin! I just said I haven’t been with a man before. Besides, men have run away before when I told them this!” You state as you slowly start to relax.
“They’re piece of shits who never deserved you.” Angel states, stepping closer to you “But I’m not like them! I understand why you were afraid, but you’re safe with me, I promise you that.”
Angel’s words moved you, bringing tears into your eyes that you quickly blink away. It had happened before that you told men that you’re not experienced, and they laughed at you, or ran away from you. This is the very reason why you were terrified of telling Angel the truth. 
“Thank you.” you sniff, leaning your head on Angel’s chest, the biker automatically wrapping his arms around you.
“So, you have experience with women then?” Angel teases, you can hear the smirk in his voice. 
You shake your head, slightly smiling “Don’t start, Reyes.” 
Angel playfully shrugs, he’s clearly toying with the idea of you with another woman “Hey, if you want to share some details…”
“Stop!” You laugh, feeling relieved that Angel is still here, and he’s back to his usual self. 
“Are we good, querida?” Angel asks suddenly, his voice is more serious than it was before. 
“We are good, Angel.” You look up at him.
“So, will you finally come on a date with me?” The Mayan asks hopefully, his eyes are tinkling now from the happiness. 
But your answer was interrupted by two men who you haven’t seen before, but Angel certainly did, based on his expression. The sudden interruption makes you pull away from Angel, to both of your displeasures. 
“We wanted to see for who you’re ignoring us.” One of them says. Both men were heavily tattooed, and wore the same vest as Angel, so you figured they were from the MC.
“I’m not ignoring you!” Angel says annoyed, clearly upset that you were interrupted.
“Then should we say we are to see who you couldn’t shut up about?” The bigger man teases Angel, looking at you. The sudden attention makes you blush, then quickly look at the ground as you, not noticeably, took a step away from Angel. 
“Shut the fuck up!” Angel hisses at the two Mayan, making them laugh.
“Aren’t you gonna introduce us?” The skinnier, tattooed man asks, making Angel turn towards you again.
“Y/N, these annoying assholes are Coco, and Gilly, my brothers.” Angel introduces the men to you.
“Assholes, this is Y/N, I’ve been helping her in the past few weeks.” 
You shook both men’s hands, for your biggest surprise, they welcomed you warmly into their lives. 
“Just wanted to tease you, we leave you two lovebirds alone.” Coco says as he steps out from the shop, leaving you alone with Angel.
“I’m sorry about that.” Angel apologies.
“It’s okay.” You laugh. “They can be a bit too much, I guess.” 
“You have no idea!” Angel agrees.
Both of you stay silent for a few seconds before you speak again.
“It’s a yes, by the way.” 
Angel inhales sharply, then letting out the air loudly through his nose, feeling relieved from your response.
“You won’t regret it, I promise.” Angel shakes his head, like he can’t believe that you finally agreed to go on a date with him. He steps closer to you, wrapping his left arm around your hips, pulling you closer to himself as he places a kiss on your forehead.
“Please don’t break my heart.” You whisper loud enough so Angel will hear it.
“I promise I’ll keep your heart safe, mi dulce. I won’t fuck this up.” 
Taglist: @gemini0410​ @rosieposie0624​​ @blessedboo​ @yourwonkywriter​ @chibsytelford​ @mayans-sauce​ @mrsmarvelous1995​ @phoenixhalliwell​​ @rocketqueen​​ @witching-hour​ @starrynite7114​ @bellisperennis0 @noladyme​ (comment or send an ask if you want to be added)​
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txemrn · 3 years ago
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So, I love your work. You often make Sam out to be the whore. 🤣 Can you please write a fic where Brynn is lonely and fed up with him working long hours and she is the one who cheats?
Hey, anon! 😉 I'm so glad you are enjoying my stories! Thank you so much for the request! It literally made me squeal, and I knew I had to make this a mini-series. I hope you enjoy this *NEW* TNA adventure, inspired by YOU! Thanks again, love! 😘
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"When Was It Over...?"
Prologue
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Book: TNA (with a surprise crossover)
Pairing: m!Sam Dalton x MC (Brynn Schuyler-Dalton); MC x (Surprise Guest)
Word Count: 1126 (+/-)
Series Song Inspiration: "When Was It Over?" by Sasha Alex Sloan ft. Sam Hunt
Rating/Warning: angst; language; sexual references; this series will also contain NSFW content, infidelity, and verbal abuse
A/N: This story takes place after the events of TNA; Sam and Brynn have been married for a few years (if you ever want to read their about their demise, click here). Super duper special thanks to the lovely @kat-tia801 for ALL of the help and input! You rock! These characters and some plot belong to Pixelberry!
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Pensively staring at her reflection in her vanity mirror, Brynn Schuyler-Dalton carefully paints a matte oxblood red on her plump lips. Allowing the color to dry, she slowly twirls on the balls of her feet, inspecting her new YSL lace-trimmed lingerie, a sheer black bra and panty set that left very little to the imagination, that would capture any man's desire.
If only her husband would look at her.
Brynn tenderly adjusts her full breasts in the quarter-cup bra, ensuring that her cleavage is prominent in the scantily clad garment. Just the way he likes it.
At least he used to.
After slinking on a delicate pair of thigh high hosiery and clasping it in place with a matching garter belt, she unpins the curlers from her silky tresses, allowing her radiant, golden autumn curls to bounce on her sun-kissed shoulders.
She sits on a cream tufted stool, reaching down to slip on her red-bottom stilettos before examining her finished sensual look, a special surprise for her husband.
And if she was honest, it was a special surprise for herself.
Brynn fingers through her jewelry box, holding up pearls and diamonds alike up to her ears. Studs. Chandeliers. Cartier. Tiffany's. She lets out a sigh as she peers into her dreary blue eyes.
Would he even notice this time?
She settles on a pair of vintage gothic-style teardrop diamonds. Fixing them to her ears, a brilliant cascade of rainbow colors flash across her face, making Brynn do a double-take amongst her gems.
Her engagement ring.
A coy grin grows across her face as she slips it on her ring finger. She abruptly gazes at herself in the mirror, her hand dancing in different postures, modeling the emerald-cut diamond as if she were in a magazine. Her grin quickly explodes into a toothy smile as her heart begins to race, remembering the joy, remembering the excitement of that day. What Sam looked like. What he tasted like.
Brynn secures the ring with her white gold wedding band. Standing up from the vanity, she holds out her arm to admire the pair, how they looked perfect, how they looked so well-together.
And that's when she noticed it: her husband's side of the bed, the sheets perfectly made and the down comforter tucked. It's been made up all week. She usually finds him on the chaise lounge in his office or on the sectional in the game room with the shifting shadows of a muted television.
"I didn't want to disturb you," is always his excuse. Brynn knows it's just a line, but there is some hidden truth: he doesn't want to be disturbed.
With the expansion of their start-up technology company two years ago, the young Dalton couple knew there would be sacrifices. It started as working late hours a few times each month; now, working late every night was an expectation.
Brynn drags her hand across his pillow before taking it in her arms. She takes a deep breath, savoring the remnants of citrus and bergamot. Tightly wrapping her arms around his pillow, Brynn gently nuzzles her head into its softness. Her eyes water, threatening another evening of unheard sobs; but, she quickly clears her throat.
Not tonight. Tonight, she's not going to miss him. Tonight, she's not going to miss his touch, or the look in his eyes, or the smile on his face. Tonight belongs to them. Tonight she will rekindle that spark she craves so badly. Tonight, she won't simply fuck him out of obligation, but rather make love with him. Tonight was the start of something new.
Or at least she hopes.
Hoping to start the intimate evening with her husband, Brynn decides to spice things up. Dimming the lights in her room, she carefully positions herself sensually on their opulent bed. She grabs her phone, and photo after photo, she positions her hand in suggestive ways on the exposed skin of her neck, her abdomen, finally laying to rest on her upper thighs.
With a mischievous gleam in her eyes she giggles as she toggles through her pictures, looking for the perfect snapshot to send to her husband. Innocent. Devilish. Sweet. Raunchy. Brynn knows all of them would turn him ravenous.
At least they used to.
She settles on a seductive photo of her hand gracefully wandering up her inner thigh. Opening up her messages, she clicks on his name to start a new note. She selects the media file. Send.
Brynn lays back on her bed, proud of what she has accomplished as she hugs her phone to her chest. She gently bites her thumbnail in anticipation, knowing what the night would bring her. Love. Attention. Her husband. She feels giddy, as if this was her first time.
Lost in her imagination, she's interrupted by a familiar chime from her phone.
A new message. From him.
Brynn's heart begins to gallop as she clicks on the notification of the new text message from her husband. She takes a deep breath, feeling the rush of adrenaline course through her veins. A firing of electricity ignites her nerves.
But, it's short-lived as tears gather in Brynn's eyes. A weight of humiliation lays heavily on her chest as she stares at the response. Her stomach burns, threatening to expel its contents.
Cute. Working late, then dinner with the GE rep. Don't wait up.
Numb. Brynn sits on the side of the bed in silence, her body limp. Her mind races in a dizzying pattern, leaving her unable to discern a single thought. The excitement that was bursting from her heart has been squelched and smothered. And she's never felt so empty, so unnoticed, so unworthy.
Brynn suddenly feels restrained, choked, like she can't breathe. In a panic, she searches for the bra clasps behind her back. Her fingers fumble with the delicate metal hooks, but finally as she begins to whimper in frustration, she feels the release of the straps. She quickly whips the garment off, throwing it against the wall in the corner of the room. She takes a deep breath, savoring the taste of air in her lungs. Freeing.
Brynn closes her eyes as beads of tears roll incessantly down her cheeks. With trembling hands, she takes off the earrings. And the shoes. And the hosiery.
So much for tonight.
She lays down on top of the down comforter, pulling her husband's side of the large blanket over her body. He wouldn't be using it.
She clenches her eyes closed, willing for the rivers from her eyes to stop, willing for her heart to stop aching, willing for the world to stop crashing down around her.
How? How did this happen? How did their marriage get to this point?
When was it over?
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TNA Tags (Please tell me if you'd like to be added/removed): @ao719 @charlotteg234 @chemist-ana @forallthatitsworth @issabees @kat-tia801 @khoicesbyk @lovelyladyk88 @neotericthemis @shannonwrote @shanzay44 @shewillreadyou @socalwriterbee @somersetmummy @taniasethi @thefrenchiemama
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turtleedovee · 4 years ago
Text
Life Has a Funny Way of Working Out
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader
Chapter 2
Word Count: 3,111
Warnings: Cursing, abuse, angst, small descriptions of blood and bruises, shouting, breaking things (that’s about it but if you guys have anything else i’ll gladly add it to the list)
A/N: this is my first bucky fic ahh! idk if i’ve ever posted any fanfics on this blog before which is crazy. i was thinking of making a side blog but whatever it works here. this is gonna be a series of sorts. maybe three chapters, 4? we’ll see. reader is a female and has powers oOoOoo. i’ll post this on AO3 as well so check out my account on there too! i’ll reblog this post with the ao3 link once i publish it on there if you wanna leave kudos or see my other work 👀but anyways i’m done talking, i hope you enjoy! (not my gif)
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“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”
You sighed at your boyfriend’s anger and frustration, you didn’t blame him of course, you had just told him you wanted to break up.
“Please just calm down and let’s talk about this-” You tapped the table lightly, signaling him to just take a seat because he wouldn’t stop pacing back and forth.
“No, I’m not gonna sit down, what the hell? Why are you doing this to me?” He ran his hand down his face; you were really hoping this wouldn’t turn into some big thing but life has a funny way of working out.
“We talked about this. You are constantly complaining about me not being around enough because you just want to hang out with me, which is sweet of you, but after thinking about it, I am not what you need right now, I can’t be an attentive girlfriend right now and you know why.” You tried to reason with him but he was still standing up, all jittery. You really did think about this long and hard; he was always upset about you being away on missions constantly but you had warned him about that the first time you both went on a date.
“Yeah, yeah whatever you save the fucking world, then why did you decide to put me through this if you knew you weren’t gonna be around.” He accused you. 
“Wow.” You were starting to get upset, standing up you started defending yourself. “I told you what we were in for if we started dating, you told me you didn’t care and wanted to be with me either way. So you knew this was going to be difficult, now I’m giving you an out. You can go be with someone who will be there for you alright? I can’t be that for you and I’m sorry.” He scoffed and turned away from you, after a couple of seconds of silence he turned around and looked at you in shock.
“Oh my god.”
You shook your head confused. “What?”
“You’ve been cheating on me.”
“What!?” Now it was your turn to shout. You could not believe how and where he drew his conclusion.
“No yeah, yeah!” He shouted as if he was trying to convince himself of this. “You constantly hang around this boy’s clubs all the time and what? I’m supposed to believe you’re just going on missions?” He said stepping forward.
You scoffed, honestly amazed as to how he was trying to blame this on you. “Yes! I am away trying not to die constantly to save the world your ass is living in.” You shouted, you clenched your fist so angry as to how this was the same guy who brought you flowers after you came back from your first mission while you two were a couple.
“Oh so now this is my fault.” He waved his arms around, exasperated. “Honestly how am I supposed to believe you.”
“You’re supposed to believe me because I wouldn’t lie to you. Because we’re in a relationship, isn’t that what it’s all about? Trust? I can not believe we are having this conversation right now.” You stepped closer now, just tired of this whole evening. 
“Well if you didn’t want to have this conversation maybe you shouldn’t have decided to dump me.” He yelled and then did the most childish thing you could think of: he punched your wall and made a hole in the column right next to the kitchen.
Now you were angry, mainly because you were going to have to pay to have that fixed, or else your landlady would never let you hear the end of it, but also because he was acting like a child.  “I decided to end this relationship because I couldn’t be the girlfriend you wanted me to be. You are constantly bitching and moaning that I don’t give you enough attention while I’m out there busting my ass working tirelessly day and night trying to oh I don’t know, save the damn world you live in and you decide to just complain about how you don’t have anyone to watch a movie with you? Honestly dating you had been like having a second job, fuck you-” Suddenly he turned around and swung at you.
Not a slap, it was a punch. He hit you with his right hand and hit the left side of your face, you’ve always been told to expect punches and hits, hell, one of the first rules you learned was to always protect the face. But no training could ever prepare you for the person that you cared for most would decide to swing at you.
The impact was enough to turn you around and almost cause you to fall but the couch was on your right-hand side so as your body motioned to the right you instinctively reached out for the couch and balanced yourself. 
You reached out to touch the spot where he hit and realized he broke some skin. As you removed your hand from the side of your face you realized that there was a little bit of blood. You didn’t look at him, trying to compose yourself and not explode.
Just breathe. Just breathe.
You should’ve used your powers
You reacted too slowly
Your powers could’ve stopped him
You should’ve broken up with him in public 
He wouldn’t hit you in front of random strangers like he did now… right?
A million and one things ran through your head but finally, after an excruciating 5 seconds of silence, you spoke quietly. “Get out.”
He looked at you as if he was confused as to what you meant by that, but still, he did not move.
“I said get out. Now.” You turned to him, stared him dead in the eye, and pointed to the door. “We’re done. I want you to leave and never speak to me again.”
He shook his head and began to talk, “Babe, c’mon you know I didn’t mean it.” He started walking closer to you and reached out for your arm, but you were ready this time.
You lurched your arm forward and up, lifting the now terrified man in the air, he knew about your powers and what they could do, but you promised to never use them on him; now those promises meant nothing to you.
“I told you to leave. You refuse to listen so here is how this is going to go,” You tilted your head slightly to the right and lifted him up higher, he tried moving his arms but your powers kept them to the side of his body, “you are going to leave. I don’t ever want to see you again, don’t look for me, don’t talk to me, do not even breathe the same fucking air as me. And if I ever see you in my line of sight again, I will not hesitate to end you. Are we clear?” He just stayed there staring at you. “Oh, and I almost forgot.” Using your free hand you motioned it up and to the side, two keys coming out of his pocket and landing in your hand. It was the spare keys you gave him when you first moved to the apartment so that way he could wait for you until you got home. “I’ll be needing these back, thank you.” Putting them away safely in your pocket, now ensuring he won’t be able to get into your apartment complex again. “Now leave.” Once again using your free hand you waved and the door began to open inwards revealing the empty hall. You moved your hand that held him in place towards it and launched him forward, his back hitting the wall. The last thing you saw was him starting to get up but you didn’t give him much of a chance to do anything else until waved for the door to close. Finally letting out the breath that you didn’t realize you were holding in, you ran for the door and double-locked it; turning around and resting your back against the door breathing heavily, you stayed there trying to wrap your head around what just happened. 
This man was stubborn as hell and you hated him for that. He stayed at your door for god knows how long, occasionally weeping and saying he was sorry for what he did, begging you to let him back inside to talk it out, to bangs on the door and screams shouting things at you whether calling you a “slut” or saying that he straight-up hated you. You were starting to regret asking Fury to find you a complex that had no other tenants on the same floor because you knew by now someone would’ve heard and called to complain, but since the complex was four stories and you were in the building furthest from the staircase, no one could hear anything.
————————————————————————
He checked his phone for the third time in the last 5 minutes
Sent 1 hour ago
Shit… 
He turned off his phone and threw his head back sighing. His partner now getting annoyed.
“Look man, don’t worry about it maybe she got just forgot or something,” Sam spoke, looking at Bucky who’s stare stayed unwavering at the ceiling.
“I don’t like it, Sam, she said she would text us once she finished breaking up with that douche bag.” Checking his phone once more, all that stared back was the 4 texts he had sent back to back constantly checking in. You had told him not to call but part of him itched to just hit the dial button and make sure you were okay.
“She’ll call us when she’s ready to talk, so just give her some space.” Sam tried to ease his nerves, but Bucky knew something was off, he felt it in his gut. It wasn’t like you to just not leave a message in case nothing happened.
“I’m gonna go check on her.” Bucky began to get up from the couch.
“Buck-” Sam warned.
“She said she was gonna text us once she finished dumping that guy, that was 3 hours ago and we haven’t heard anything from her. If it’s nothing then I’ll come back.” Bucky grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. Sam only shook his head knowing he couldn’t stop him now.
“Fine, but be careful alright. If this guy is still there by the time you come I don’t think he’ll be very happy to see you.” Sam chuckled a little.
But Bucky rolled his eyes and headed out.
————————————————————————
He arrived at your apartment complex in a little under 15 minutes, trying really hard not to break any traffic laws. But it didn’t matter after what felt like forever he looked at the building now shrouded in darkness since the sun had set less than half an hour ago. He tried looking for your window to see any signs of people in there, not getting very far he decided to go up to your door and knock. 
This building was not the most secure in the world. The front gate that led to every tenant space was left open so getting in was a breeze. After climbing a few sets of stairs he finally reached your door. The first thing he noticed was the dent on the wall that wasn’t there the last time he came to visit. He tried looking under the door to see any movement but all he saw was something dark standing in front of the door. But didn’t hear anyone speaking; so he just decided to knock quietly hoping you would answer and explain how you were just fine and how everything had gone well.
————————————————————————
Today couldn’t have been any worse
You heard another knock.
Dear fucking god can he not quit
It had been nearly 5 minutes since you heard the last knock and wanted to look to see if he was finally gone but something in your body told you not to move. You have never been this paralyzed in fear. You had gone through worse things before in your life as an Avenger but those guys were bad, they meant to do harm and had no reason to give you any false sense of security, but he did.
Knock knock knock
You couldn’t take it anymore. He had been at the door for over an hour and you just wanted to be left alone, so you got up created a ball of pure energy in your hand made solely out of anger, just ready to blast the ever-living shit out of him. 
You began to open the door and started to wind your hand back ready to launch the ball of energy in his face, “I thought I told you to leave me the fu-”
“Woah Woah Woah-!” You heard a voice say, and when you actually looked at who it was you realized it wasn’t your now ex.
“Bucky?” You asked in disbelief, still ready to launch your hand forward at any second. He held his gloved hands above him to cover his face from being blasted right off. “What’re you doing here?”
“I came to check up on you. You weren’t answering your messages so I got worried.” He said, slowly lowering his hands. 
You followed his movement lowering your own raised hand and dispelled the energy ball, fading away just like your anger.
You sighed in relief. “Oh,” you started realizing that he could probably see the mark on your face so you slowly rested the left side of your face on the door, slightly flinching at the contact, not expecting it to hurt as much, you hoped Bucky didn’t notice. “Well, uh, everything is fine.” You told him, giving a small smile.
He tried looking inside, “You sure?”
“Yes I am very sure, it all went smoothly.” You knew lying was going to get you nowhere with him, he was pretty perceptive.
“Okay, so you wouldn’t mind letting me in?” He pressed on, he knew he was getting nowhere standing outside the door, while you were inside desperately trying to hide something.
Your eyes widened ever so slightly, trying not to alert him of anything going wrong, but you knew if you told him he couldn’t come in he would suspect something and the last thing you wanted was for this to turn into something worse than it already was. 
“Of course, come on in.” You opened the door gesturing to come in, already regretting your decision.
“So, who were you trying to blast?” Bucky asked as you let him in, he examined the living room, nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. Your beige couch was slightly slanted forward but other than that everything else seemed to be in place, he did notice however, you having your back towards him, not making eye contact.
“Hmm?” You asked slightly distracted. “Oh, uh my neighbor’s kids, you know they keep running up and down the stairs and hallway.” You said, hoping he believed you, though you wouldn’t even believe your own lie given how shaky your voice was getting,
You cleared your throat, “Want some tea? I’m gonna make some right now.” Hoping a distraction would get you through this.
“No thank you I’m good, so uh, what did he say when you decided to break it off with him?” Bucky asked.
You weren’t ready to discuss this now, but what choice did you have, you could tell he was getting suspicious about something, so you just had to convince him it was nothing.
“Oh you know, he was upset obviously, but what’re you going to do.” You tried sounding nonchalant about the whole thing, you talked all the while putting water in the kettle and put it on the stove to boil. “He was upset but understood why I did it, and then uh, left.” 
“Really? Just like that?”
“Mhmm.” You spoke, the kettle starting to scream a little, grabbing your mug.
“So, if he just up and left without any struggle… then who made this hole in the wall?” Bucky asked as he tapped the wall with his knuckle.
Your fingers slipped and you dropped your mug, first hitting the counter then smashing into pieces on the floor, the screams of the kettle now almost piercing.
“Shit.” You whispered, for dropping the mug and completely forgetting about the hole he made right before he hit you. 
“Woah, hey are you okay?” Bucky turned around and saw you on your knees trying to pick up the broken pieces of the mug you had just dropped.
You were at your tipping point. Everything felt like it was unraveling all at once, you tried picking up the broken pieces of the mug, hardly noticing your tears trickling down and hitting the floor.
Bucky turned off the stove to stop the screaming and went up to you, gently putting his hand on your back. “Hey don’t worry about it okay? It’s just a mug you didn’t mean to drop it.”
“No… no no no, I wasn’t careful enough, I should’ve been nicer and more careful, this is all my fault.” You muttered to yourself. 
Bucky was starting to think that you weren’t talking about your mug. “Hey, look at me.” He spoke softly and gently lifted your chin and that’s when he first noticed the little bit of dried up blood that was on your left cheek and saw a bruise forming. “Oh god-”
You hated how he stared at you: pity, it was written in his eyes, you really didn’t want anybody to find out, especially him. Most of all, you were embarrassed, embarrassed with everything that happened and how you handled it all.
“I’m sorry.” Was all you could say, trying really hard not to break down crying, but it got harder the longer you stayed there on the floor staring at the shattered mug.
“Hey it’s okay, come here.” He wrapped you in a tight hug and that was all it took to get you to release the fear, anger, and sadness that you’ve had bottled up for the last few hours.
And there you two were, sitting on the floor of your kitchen, silently crying into Bucky’s shoulder gently gripping his jacket to steady yourself. Bucky just stared at the shattered mug, a mixture of relief and sadness filling his head; glad he went to check up on you but angry and upset that you have been put through something that dick had caused, and he intended to make his sorry ass pay.
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inviciousx · 3 years ago
Text
nuclear winter of our discontent
Fractured strips of moonlight shone down from the caving ceiling as Ryat started mixing several ingredients into a metal bowl he'd stolen from an old diner he'd passed on the way out here. Locals in the wastes called this the Old North Church. He called it a resurrection ground. His mind drifted as he added a bit of purified water into the mixture and pulled out his blade. Slashing it across his hand, he let a few drops of blood fall before he could feel it start healing. The demon couldn't help but replay the last twenty-four hours in his head. It had been more excitement than the last two centuries combined. Latin fell from his lips as his gaze moved over the pile of old bones laid over the debris in the floor. God he hoped he'd dug the right grave. As flesh began to form over bone, he began to hold even the tiniest bit of hope that be wouldn't be alone anymore.
She was waking. Not from a dream, but from darkness. Like Jesus saw daylight again on the third day, light was pouring in from behind her closed eyelids. She remembered, before her eyes ever opened: that awful flash, heat searing her skin, only time enough left to drop to her knees and cling to the soft grass one last time. She stirred, grunting softly, and blinked up into the sky. She inhaled softly. What she was was nothing like the fiery destruction that had knocked her out. It was silver and peaceful, quiet.
Caroline pushed an elbow under herself and began to rise, beginning to look around. The darkness surrounding her seemed to pop as her eyes adjusted from the moonlight pooling around her. There were shapes an figures, perhaps, but she could make out nothing specific. She sat up completely, wincing loudly and clutching her side in pain. Had she been knocked back into something in the blast? "Hello?" she called hoarsely. 
  Red eyes watched her from where Ryat sat in a dilapidating pew. It was one of few that was still being held together, probably by all the dirt and grime that covered it. Her resurrection had taken longer than most, but he supposed that had something to do with the fact that she'd been dead for 200 years. He really wasn't sure how he was going to explain that yet, but he knew he had to. She was going to be punished into a brand new world, a terrifying world... Just like he had been. It seemed like he had just traded one hell for another. At least now he had something other than his own thoughts, even before he had brought her back. Sitting there frozen, a captive to the body he had once enslaved hadn't done him any favors. "Morning sunshine. It's about time you woke the hell up," he muttered, finally getting back to his feet to move closer to her, stepping into the moonlight. "You're very.... Very late to the party." 
The light in the hunter’s eyes brightened with confused realization as the demon’s voice purred through the darkness and echoed subtly off the walls. A sharp creak of wood made her head swivel, and, through the light of the moon, she found two red eyes peered back at her. Her heart slammed in her chest. “Ryat. .” she breathed, but offered nothing else, shifting slightly in the pile of rubble. She watched dumb-struck as he emerged into the circle of light. There should have been a million thoughts running through her mind, but it was empty, save for watching his face looking down at hers. She could barely read his expression, but what else was new? His eyes were shadowed but the irises glowed. He looked different, somehow, but still very much the same. Her face winced as she tried to process what he meant. It all. . . felt like a dream. “What’s going on?” she asked softly
Stooping down next to her, he sat with her in the rubble. He was already dirty, grime and filth covering his clothes. Not to mention blood.... "What do you remember?" He questioned, choosing his words uncharacteristically carefully. "I mean the very last thing you remember, because I need to know where to start explaining, and I don't have much time." Being what he was, he was able to see through the veil of death. He knew the difference between when he was dead and when he was alive, and he knew what happened in between, but he doubted that she had that luxury. Or maybe it was a curse.... He wasn't sure. A while caused crimson hues to look back at the black dog that laid guarding the door. Another whimper had him getting to his feet. "Come on. We need to move. I'll explain, but we need to get to higher ground. He wouldn't take her all the way up to the steeple yet, but he would at least hide them in the stairwell for now. Sitting here felt like being a sitting duck. 
The hunter's eyes searched his face wildly for a hint of why he was asking such questions. The last thing she remembered? The last thing she remembered was everything, everything exploding and vanishing and then the sudden lack of everything. The emptiest nothing that she could conceive, and could still feel in her bones, as if she was hollow. Her hand seized on his arm like a snake."Ryat..." Caroline repeated, anxiety growing in her voice and heat swelling to her face. The urgency in his voice and the measured tone was making every hair on her body stick up like a pin prick. Ryat used her grip on him to hoist her up, but she collapsed to her knee, finding the legs underneath her shaking and uncoordinated. "Help me. Please." she asked of him, and braced herself around his middle. The black dog circled around them, but always stayed behind, unnaturally bright eyes glaring at the back of the building--if it could be called that. Half up the stairs, encased in near-darkness, and almost suffocating in dust, Caroline pushed against the demon and let herself sink to a stair. Her legs burned as if she'd been marooned in the desert. The hunter breathed heavily, dropping her hand from him to lean forward, taken by the vertigo in her brain. She looked up to what she could see in front of her face--shocking red eyes and a half-shadowed face looking down at her. "The last thing I remember. . ." Her face contorted at the memory, too painful for even tears. Her gaze searched for the words in the dust particles floating around them. "The last thing I remember is the. . ." The hunter blinked faster, as if the emotions that had been stopped where her memories ended were picking up as she remembered ten seconds over and over again in her mind. The more she remembered, the more the monstrous sounds came back to her. "Oh, God. Oh, God." she whispered. She looked back at Ryat, pleading, reaching out to a hand she couldn't see in the dark. "What's happening? Why am I here?” 
The fear and fragility coming from the normally quick witted hunter only added to the gravity of the situation. Even with his superior hearing, Ryat wasn't sure what was waiting for them outside. There were things in this hellacious landscape that put the creatures of nightmares to shame. The large Shepherd Dog sat at the bottom of the stairs, ears twitching with each sound, though he wasn't sounding an alarm again yet. He knew she remembered the end. Her reaction told him at least that much. "What you remember.... That's what a lot of people called the end of the world. As you can see that isn't exactly accurate...." He still picked and chose his words, knowing that the smallest thing could be like a detonator, and right now he didn't have the luxury of having the time to help stitch her back together. At least mentally. "It was damn close though....and that was 200 years ago. The world you knew, hell the world we both knew, is gone. There are things even you can't imagine. Whole damn world went to hell in a hand basket." The air here was too thick with dust and the smell of mold from the nuclear storms that passed settling into the interior of the building. Reaching into his pack once he slipped it off his shoulder, he found a stimpack. "I don't know how much this is gonna help, but it should do something," he stated evenly before injecting her with the medicine inside. 
Caroline lower lip trembled fiercely as he spoke, but he brows were set in desperate refusal. His words were gathering like a holy flood at the levies, and she bit her lip, shaking her head. The end of the world. The end of the world. The end of the world. Pictures flashed in her mind as rapidly as film ticking through a camera. Home. People. Friends. Life. Gone. . . “Please stop.” she said quietly, squeezing his hand as it released hers to shuffle inside some backpack. The pinch in her arm barely registered past the screaming her in own head. Voices, like a hundred-strong choir was screaming through their murder in her ears. “Stop!” she screamed through it, bracing her hands on the edge of the step and kicking out sharply at his leg. Something connected and she scrambled up and away, spilling onto the landing and throwing herself towards the next set of stairs. It only look another flight to reach the top, which spilled out into a windowed perch with half the wall broken out. Caroline gasped and looked around wildly. A thin layer of snow was coating the rooftops in her sights, but it all blurred together. Steps were right behind her as she made for the roof.
A hiss of pain left the demon's lips even if it wouldn't last long. "You God damn bitch!" He growled, moving after her with speed only a creature such as himself could possess. Maybe the stimpack had been a bad idea.... He'd thought it would do good to help her feel better and give her some mobility. The dog let out a bark at the sudden outburst and Ryat took off after her trying to ignore the pain in his shin. Snow glittered on the roof as it came into his view and his arm shot out, grabbing her ankle as she tried to scramble to the sloped, rotting roof. From his place on the stairs, he roughly tugged her back, not giving a single shit if he caused a few bruises on the way down. "What the fuck?" He grit, red eyes seeming to look through her as he appraised her. "I didn't spend the last twenty four hours gathering the shit to bring you back to let you toss yourself off a god damn steeple!" His grip on her ankle released only to grab her by the arm and pull her up to her feet, but this time he held her steady.
Caroline yelped and slammed to the ground hard as her feet were wrenched from beneath her. Her vision turned into a dropped snowglobe for a brief moment as he torso landed on the raised ledge were a wall should've been, half of body on the roof, half still inside the tower. All she could manage was a strangled grunt of resistance as she was pulled back over the threshold, icy flakes stinging her face. She lost herself in a flurry of kicks and palm-thrusts into Ryat's shoulders, but it was a charade for all the good it did. The young woman gasped as she was forced to stand, and, wrangled in his unquestionable grip, she looked at him wildly. His dark, hidden face from before now reflected so much silver light it was like he was glowing. His raven hair was tussled from the skirmish and blew slightly in the wind whistling through the broken windows around them. Caroline breathed hard, small fogs of hot breath crystalizing between them. Her eyes were stricken, but clearer, as if the truth was easier to see in the moonlight. "You brought me back?" She paused, forgetting to breathe. "I. . died?" The last word was barely a breath.
@a-beast-in-repose
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quartzwriting · 4 years ago
Text
Whatever It Takes
Pairing: Doctor Strange X Fem!Reader
Description: After Stephen flew away as dust, you had taken care of the world. But The Avengers approached you with an idea to bring everyone back. You joined them, now finding yourself up against Thanos alongside your partner again.
Warnings: Funeral scene
Word Count: 1.8k
A/N: Originally posted to Quotev
Part 1: Infinity War Story
Part1.5: Hypothetical Endgame (original plot)
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Five years later, and you and the Avengers were so close to victory.
After spending weeks stranded on a ship with Tony and Nebula, starving and so close to not making it, being brought back to Earth gave you a spark of hope.
You took over in protecting the Sanctum, and staying in contact with the Avengers. Spending countless hours perfecting your magic, getting stronger and being the best you knew Stephen wanted you to be. You still grieved, and fell into a depressed state while trying to improve your magic. What else did you have to live for when the one you love is gone? That spark of hope soon began to die.
When they called you to help with their idea of time travel, you instantly took up the offer, wanting everything to be back the way it was. You were assigned in getting the Time Stone, and went back to 2012 to only find The Ancient One protecting it. She recognized you, oddly since this was a past version of her, but that told you she probably saw into the future ahead of time. She gave you the stone when you told her Stephen gave it up, and said that he did that for a reason.
Things seemed to be falling into line perfectly, when the stones were together and Bruce reversed half the universe dying. But that's when chaos erupted. Destruction, ruin, and fear when Thanos showed up.
Now you watched in shock as Cap laid there, badly beaten and out of breath, knowing you needed to jump in. The cloak flowed around you, dancing in the wind as you flew down to stand beside Steve. You stared down Thanos, and summoned energy to create the Rings of Raggadorr. You felt your body shake with power, energy flowing around you catching the cloak and your hair. Thanos had taken down Tony, Thor and Steve now...
But he still had to go through you.
There was shuffling at your feet, and Cap started to get back up. You shook off one of your rings and offered a hand to pull him up. Your hands stayed locked when he fully rose, and he gave you a solid nod. His blood and dirt soaked face, his pale graying skin, pained your heart. Yet he stood with you, ready to keep fighting.
Whatever it takes.
Then there was a sparking sound, and you whipped your head around. You knew that sound, the sound of a sling ring portal opening. Portals began to open around the battle field, people stepping out in large numbers and recognizable faces all coming together. A massive Wakandan army, a goddess on a pegasus, friends of Steve and Tony, Pepper in a Iron Man suit, sorcerers baring the mystic arts and countless more powerful beings.
At the centre of it all, was Stephen.
It hit you that this was his plan from back on Titan, and he called everyone here to finish it.
Without hesitation the cloak flew you over to him, and you couldn't help yourself but threw your arms around him. He did it back and the cloak left your shoulders to rest itself on his.
"Sorry I’m so late," He said, and hearing his voice again was enough to make your eyes water, "but this is how we win."
You looked at him taking in the features of his face; his determined filled eyes, and tight jaw. This told you he was ready for a fight. Glimpsing around you, warriors of all different abilities surrounded the area. Something told you that this was it, the fight of your life.
And you were ready.
"Avengers!" Captain America called out to your army.
You glanced at Stephen, smirked, and threw your hands down to summon a spell. It exploded around you, powerful energy engrossing your body. His eyes lit up, and he smiled.
And you were an Avenger.
"Assemble..."
You ran into battle, and all the strength detonated.
You found yourself battling will all the power built up over the years, and also all the trauma and the pain. Let it all go. Patterns forming and sparks flickering from your hands, exploding with everything you had bottled up inside.
You fought aliens that you plowed through in no time. You fought with a large ensemble of other women Avengers, a special moment that will stick with you. You fought Thanos off for a bit, wanting to avenge the one you love. You fought to help pass along the gauntlet with the stones, ready to finish this.
And you fought back to back with him, Stephen. A feeling incomparable to anything else.
This course of events went by so fast, and you kept up perfectly.
~~~
You were exhausted and just when you thought you couldn't summon anymore power or energy, your enemies began to fade away into dust. Breathing heavily and taking a long sigh, you looked around at your fellow warriors and Avengers around the battle field.
You were looking for one person, and he was behind you.
Using the last scrapes of adrenaline left in your veins, you broke out into a run. Nothing else mattered to you when you jumped onto Stephen, but the rush of having him right there. It was almost surreal, you watched him die in your arms years ago.
"We won?" You asked frantically, eyes wide with excitement and relief as you looked up at him.
Stephen chuckled, and it filled your heart with happiness, "Yes, we won."
You wrapped your arms around his neck and held him tightly.
"And I thought you fighting on Titan was the most powerful I've seen you."
You tried to laugh, but it came out as a choke as tears threatened to fall.
He held your face, looking past all the dirt and scratches and blood, and seeing the one he loves. "I'm so proud of you."
You threw yourself forward and kissed him. You've been waiting for five years. His arms snaked around you, one wrapping around your waist and the other cradling the back of your head. This feeling, of being in his arms, you missed it so much.
"I missed you so much," Your voice shuttered in between kisses.
"I know, (Y/N). I know."
Then you realized something, "You gave up the stone for me..."
"They needed you alive," He replied, leaving a soft kiss on your lips that lingered, "and you did it. I'm so so so proud of you."
Cries interrupted, and you parted to see a few people crowding around a body.
"Tony..."
~~~
The funeral was small and quiet. Hushed conversations and mutual sadness swept through the air around Tony and Pepper's property, everyone dressed in black to show their respects.
You and Stephen were sitting by the lake. Throughout the day, the tears threatened to burst from your eyes, but you held them in. It was beautiful out here, warm sun and fresh wind dancing over the water, but it didn't change your mood.
"I'm gonna miss him." You said.
Stephen cleared his throat, "I will too. But you had five years to know him."
"Yeah." You forced yourself to smile. "He sure was something." Memories ran back into your mind. "I remember when we were stranded on that ship, he was ready to die and going insane when we got back. And arguing with him was a real chore."
Stephen laughed.
"I'd come visit him here when I needed time away from the Sanctum. I remember when Morgan was so tiny. She likes our magic you know."
He chuckled, "Well, we're going to have to visit her and Pepper regularly than."
You smiled for real, "He was a good friend."
Stephen squeezed your hand, a gesture that answered what words couldn't. Silence fell for a little, then he fully turned to you.
"I'm sorry you had to spend five years trying to figure this out, and me leaving you. It was only a split second for me." He looked pained, that look in his eyes that told you he was vulnerable. "But it had to happen for it to work out in the end. It had to be, so it could be like this again. So I could be here for you again."
You reached up and stroked his cheek, he leaned into your touch while not breaking eye contact.
"I'm just happy you're back."
"But you went through so much."
"I know."
"You haven't told me much about that yet."
You took a deep breath, "Stranded in space, starving and dying. Long days of trying to think of anything I could do to reverse it and working with the Avengers to do so. Protecting the Sanctum by myself, and trying to piece back together Kamar Taj and the other sanctums. Feeling alone for so long...years of wish for you back..."
Stephen instantly pulled you into him when you held back a sob. Stroking your hair and kissing your face, "I'm so sorry"
"It's not your fault..."
"If I had the chance," He started, "I would have taken your place."
Your heart broke even more.
"Don't say that."
"I would have done it in a heartbeat."
You both sat there in each others presence in comfortable silence. Then Stephen opened his mouth to say something to add, but he was interrupted.
"(Y/N)..."
The sound of a familiar voice made you turn your head, and Peter Parker was standing behind you both. He must have heard you talking about your experience. You bonded with Peter back when this all started. He is the sweetest and purest human you have ever met, and seeing the pain in his tear glittered eyes made your heart break all over again.
You instantly stood up and the two of you fell into each others arms, and the quiet sobs of you both choked out. You both cried for Tony, and you both cried for your time spent.
"Don't cry honey," You held Peter tighter, "he wouldn't want you to."
The boy looked up at you, "He wouldn't want you to either."
More tears streamed down your face, and you did your best to wipe his away. A bit away you could see his aunt May watching you both, pained at the sight she was seeing.
"You went through it all..." Peter choked, and you nodded. "What was it like?"
There was only one word to describe it: "Hell."
Peter went back into hugging you, as if he was trying to make your five years of agony better. It was like he was trying to pull the pieces of your shattered heart back together. This is what you did for him back when he was crying over Tony's body back when the battle ended, holding him to give him someone, and he wanted to return it. You smiled and looked over your shoulder at Stephen, who was trying to keep a neutral face. But you knew that face, and he felt for you.
You turned back to the boy holding you tightly, "I never forgot you though, Pete."
"I hoped you wouldn’t forget.”
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hypnomicimagines · 3 years ago
Text
Fateful Meeting [Ninja!Harai Kuko/Reader]
The young ninja’s eyes were sharp, intense, so much so it felt like you were looking into the sun.
You looked down and away from his glare as you continued to tend to his wounds, ignoring the way he shifted uncomfortably, like he didn’t want you touching him at all. But he was the one who had stumbled upon your home a complete bloody mess, barely conscious as he looked up at you with pleading eyes, a moment of weakness when he thought he was on death’s door. Now that you had given him water and stopped his wound from bleeding his normal temperament had come back, and something told you he wasn’t the most pleasant dinner guest to have.
You had just finished bandaging him up when he abruptly stood, grabbing your wrist to stop you from reaching out to touch him again. You shared a look, wondering if he was the type of ninja to have taken a vow of silence before he opened his mouth for the first time.
“What do you want?” His tone is harsh but you think it’s likely just the way he sounds, if his looks are anything to go by. “You wasted your healing supplies on me, so what is it you want in return?”
“I don’t expect you to repay my kindness. Kindness isn’t kindness if it’s done expecting gratitude. Although I do suggest you spend some more time here recovering before you go anywhere…” Kuko’s eyes widened ever so slightly at your words but he doesn’t allow you to fully see his surprise, his neutral expression returning just as quickly as it had left. He adjusted the mask on his face as he stepped towards the door, ignoring your pleas for him to sit and rest a while longer.
“I always repay my debts.”
“Wait! Can’t you tell me your name at least? Or is that part of the whole secretive ninja clan thing you clearly have going on?” He hesitated for a second at your request, so simple to you yet to him… it was a show of trust. To willingly give your name to a stranger could mean terrible things for someone whose job was to blend in with the night; it would be better if you could forget he was ever even there which is why he becomes even more surprised when he spoke.
“Harai Kuko. Don’t forget it!” There’s a little more emotion in his introduction, a little less cold and far more personality shining through (which reaffirmed your assumption he was not the type of guest to bring home to your parents). But you found yourself charmed by him all the same, gentle smile on your face as you waved goodbye, his name just a whisper on the wind with how quickly he was gone.
You’re in awe at how such a bright shock of red hair managed to fade perfectly into the darkness but he’s gone from your view within seconds, leaving you reeling at the experience, wondering if it had only been a dream. The bloodied bed where he laid as you tended to him told otherwise but you tried not to think too deeply on it, grabbing the sheets to toss into your laundry pile to clean later. You cleaned up the scraps of your bandages and tidied your home like no one had been there, knowing that you had to sleep soon as you couldn’t burn the candle at both ends. You had to be up early for your patients the next morning as well since the work never seemed to end in the midst of the war.
As you’re finishing up there’s several aggressive knocks at your door, your body suddenly tensed as something feels off. Ever since your late-night visitor had left you felt an odd sensation in your chest, this anxiety unwavering in the heavy night air as you wondered how things could possibly get more interesting. When you’re greeted with the sight of two heavy-set men your anxiety finds itself skyrocketing, finding yourself backed into the corner of your own home as they make themselves comfortable.
“Excuse us for intruding. We just happened to see a trail of blood leading here… Are you alright?” His tone indicated he was not at all concerned about your well-being so you didn’t reply, instead trying to fix him with a steady stare that said ‘I’ve done nothing wrong’. “Ah, I see, the quiet type. I don’t mind that however… we’re tracking down a certain menace. A man with bright red hair who we heavily injured earlier today.”
“Why are you asking me?”
“Are you not the resident healer?”
“I am… but that blood trail could have just as easily been from an injured boar who was fighting for territory in the woods. Assuming it was human is a leap.”
“Might I ask why you’re still awake?”
“Some nights my mind keeps me awake with all sorts of thoughts, like whether or not I have to go into town to get more herbs and the like. You’re awfully inquisitive, are you perhaps looking to become a healer rather than being a person who supplies me patients?”
Your temper started to flare up despite you trying to carefully navigate the conversation, wanting these people who clearly came here to threaten you out of your home. You’d dealt with their type before, absolute savages, and you don’t appreciate their intrusion. You’re fonder of the random man who was bleeding out on your doorstep than these people who hurt just because they could, who bullied because they knew people were too afraid to stand up to them. Your irritation doesn’t go unnoticed but is returned with a heavy silence and glares, the two men who had forced their way in their home looming over you menacingly.
Perhaps you should’ve just gone straight to bed.
Kuko hadn’t made it far.
As headstrong as he was even he couldn’t deny the pain his body was in, his wounds aching as they hadn’t closed properly. He was normally far more respectful of the healers back at the temple but he was in a hurry, needing to report back to his father his findings immediately. He didn’t want to bring those hunting him to you either, it would be bad news as they seemed to have no issue slaughtering innocents left and right. He felt like there was a boulder in his gut that was slowing his movements, his body not able to move as nimbly until he’s finally forced to stop. He doesn’t know how far he’s gotten nor how much time has passed but he’s bleeding again.
It’s either turn back towards your hut or continue forward in hopes of finding another healer.
Something else is pulling him back towards you, like you’d attached strings to his body and were pulling at him to come back behind the curtain. Kuko bit his tongue hard to keep himself conscious, leaning against a tree, taking a deep breath, and then starting the journey back to your home. He’d have to prepare a proper apology for impeding on you so late at night but the sudden sense of urgency that rushed through his body stopped his needless worrying, walking forward with a huff.
He didn’t know why but he had to get back to you.
Now.
Your head is pounding as you lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, hands raising to cover your head to prevent further damage to your skull. You’d be in more pain if you were fully conscious but you’re only partially aware of what’s happening to you, your house in shambles around you. The place had been torn apart, the bloody bandages from earlier thrown across the room as they had been found during a ‘mandatory search’. The table you had been sitting at was flipped over and jars of needed herbs were tossed on the floor, even worse, now your own blood was staining the floor.
You’re fighting to stay awake, eyes scanning the floor for anything to defend yourself with but it was a fruitless endeavor. Your hands were meant to heal not harm, you weren’t suited for anything like this, and your assailants were clearly far more skilled than the average soldier. You wished you could say you put up a better fight than the pathetic mess that actually happened but there wasn’t time for self-pity.
“Hey you bastards! Didn’t hurt your pride enough after round one?”
Ninja’s are supposed to be quiet, stealthy, but Kuko had burst onto the scene like some sort of hero in a play. You’re wide-eyed as you spot the shock of red hair but your vision is so blurry and your brain so scrambled you’re worried you’re just hallucinating him. Your eyes met his for a second, your pleading reaching Kuko’s heart immediately; if he hadn’t been so carefully trained his entire life, he thinks his anger might’ve exploded in that moment, causing him to do something he’d regret. To see someone who had treated him with kindness, without asking any extra questions about who he was, someone who was likely innocent and had no means of defending themselves…
It pissed him off.
You hear the sound of skin on skin, some cackling that you’re sure is your ninja savior despite how high-pitched and wicked it sounded, and what you hope isn’t your house getting torn into even more pieces. Your face was buried in your arms as you were growing more exhausted, knowing the moon must be high in the sky at this point. You should’ve been in bed hours ago. Who would help your patients tomorrow when you could hardly help yourself? You weakly managed to bring your head up to survey the room around you but it’s suddenly silent, not a soul in sight until Kuko re-enters your home from the front door.
“Should I ask where you took them or just rely on blind faith?”
“You don’t have to blindly trust me but those assholes got what they deserved,” Kuko scoffed as he walked over to you, lifting you effortlessly so he could bring you over to your little bed (which had stayed clear of any debris). “Shit, I’m tired.”
Your eyes widened as Kuko lowered the mask so he could breathe a little easier, his face so smooth except for a scar on the underside of his chin. You can see a few more scars peeking out from the tears in his clothes but you don’t allow your mind to wander. Kuko is currently questioning why he just revealed his face in front of a civilian without thinking twice about the consequences, knowing this was yet another rule he had broken. There was a strict code all ninja were expected to follow and he’d already broken at least two rules, even more because he actually found himself liking you. He would be lucky if he got out of this unscathed by his father, not that he gave a damn what that shitty old man had to say to him, but he’d rather make his life easier.
“You’re bleeding… your wound from before reopened, didn’t it? I need to help you…”
Kuko shied away from your touch but you can see he’s actively fighting his body’s natural response to protect himself, freezing in place to allow you to place a hand on his shoulder. You kept your movements deliberately slow to prove you meant no harm, not like you could even consider raising a hand to him after he had saved you from who knows what kind of fate. He had half a mind to argue with you about trying to help him when you were injured yourself but he was too tired to even argue, his dad would’ve laughed if he heard that one.
“We should sleep…” After you had replaced his bandages with clean one you sent an exasperated look to your home, disliking the fact it was so messy despite none of it being your fault.
“We can just clean tomorrow.” Kuko flopped himself unceremoniously onto the floor beside your bed, hands behind his head like a pillow with his legs crossed; he winced a bit at the impact but otherwise gave no indication he was uncomfortable. You’re about to question his decision to sleep directly beside you but there really didn’t seem to be enough room in your home with a table flipped over in the middle of it, so it was easier to just settle yourself in beside him and hope he wasn’t secretly some pervert.  
Wait, did he say we?
“So, you’re going to stay this time?” You turned on your side to look at him, “I could use some extra help in the woods tomorrow… It shouldn’t be too rough a walk with your injuries… but I guess it’s selfish of me to ask a stranger to just help me out with my own chores…”
“Hmph. I guess I can help.” Kuko’s eyes are closed yet he’s unable to sleep, peaking one open when he hears you shuffling around next to him in an attempt to get comfortable. Even with a bruise forming on your temple you’re as stunning as ever, the young ninja biting his lip as he wondered how much of this was a sense of duty and how much was just him indulging his personal desires.
“Thank you…” You finally whispered out as sleep overcame you.
Kuko is left speechless, cheeks warm as he tries to settle his rapidly beating heart.
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wintervvidow · 4 years ago
Text
apricity pt. three
apricity - the warmth of the sun in winter
warnings: angst, vomit mention, violence
pairing: bucky barnes x female oc
word count: 4,200
A/N: this is a bit of a filler chapter yet still very important! I did have to use google translate for the Russian, so if it is incorrect, please let me know and I'm very sorry if it is! Thank you 💕
MASTERLIST
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“Я готов отвечить.” ( Ready to comply.)
The December air was cold as it blew through Florence’s hair, her arms circling Bucky’s waist as they rode down the dark road on Bucky’s motorcycle. The soldier steered with one arm, free hand coming down to rub circles on the redhead’s calf as they pulled behind a cluster of trees, hiding them from onlookers as they waited. The pair of assassins were unthawed and reset only hours ago, immediately given their latest mission.
A car came into view, red tail lights illuminating the air around them. Bucky flipped the bike’s headlight on and pulled onto the road again. The soldier revved the bike, catching up to the side of the vehicle as Florence sunk her butterfly knife into the tire, causing the car to swerve off the road and crash into a building.
Bucky parked the bike ahead of the crash, Florence stepping off the bike, Bucky behind her, and approaching the car. She flipped open the trunk to reveal a large silver briefcase, opening it to see five bags of blue liquid; exactly what they were looking for.
This was the last mission the Winter Soldier and the Winter Widow would ever go on.
Florence bolted up in the cheap hotel bed, Bucky’s screams reverbing in her brain. HYDRA always made her watch when Bucky was reprogrammed, a way to keep Florence in line and remind her who she was; just a puppet.
The last mission was always a common nightmare in the rotation of dreams Florence had, continuously taunting her. She disappeared only two weeks after it, abandoning everything she had grown accustomed to and the only person she had ever loved.
Florence couldn't go back to sleep, instead deciding on making herself coffee, the microwave clock mocking her, 4:34 a.m. She sipped her coffee slowly at the small kitchenette table, patiently waiting to start her day as she watched the clock tick away until it became 6:30 a.m., a reasonable enough hour to be awake for Steve to not worry.
~
The team was in Lagos, following a lead on Brock Rumlow, who had been causing quite the headache in the past few months, this time his target was deadly weapons from the Institute For Infectious Diseases.
Florence and Natasha sat across from each other listening to Steve and Wanda Maximoff converse about their surroundings through their earpieces, doing their best to remain anonymous and still get the intel under the hot noon sun.
“You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?” Steve asked Wanda as she fiddled with the sugar packet in her hand.
“Yeah, the red one? It’s cute.”
“It’s also bulletproof, which means private security, which means more guns...which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us.” Florence smirked at Natasha’s response as she took a sip of her coffee, savoring the caffeine.
Wanda chirped back through her radio, ‘You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?”
Florence glanced at Wanda across the cafe, “Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature.”
Sam’s voice floated through their earpieces from the rooftop above, “Anybody ever told you two you’re a little paranoid?”
The two redheads shared a knowing look with small smirks adorning their faces, “Not to either of our faces. Why? Did you hear something?” Florence’s tone was light, but both she and Natasha knew the darkness behind it; the Red Room made them that way.
Steve, ever the serious man, refocused the small group, “Eyes on target, folks. This is the best lead we’ve had on Rumlow in six months. I don’t want to lose him.”
Sam scoffed in the mic, “If he sees us coming, that won’t be a problem. He kind of hates us.”
There was a pause in time before Steve spoke, “Sam, see that garbage truck? Tag it.” Sam deployed Redwing, giving Sam and the team the information they needed, “That truck’s loaded for max weight. And the driver’s armed.”
Natasha glanced at Florence, the pair not too thrilled to be dealing with this particular situation, “It’s a battering ram.”
“Go now.”
Wanda questioned Steve into her mic, the tension had just risen significantly.
“He’s not hitting the police.”
The team scattered, Steve, Wanda, and Sam going after Rumlow while Florence and Natasha were both on motorcycles racing down the street.
“Rumlow has a biological weapon.”
Natasha revved her bike, “I’m on it.” The redhead purposely crashed her bike, flinging it into an armed guard. Florence ditched her bike, joining Natasha in the fight.
A guard swung at Florence, missing his target as she ducked and swept his feet from underneath the attacker. Natasha took down two more guards while Florence took down three more, tossing the last guard on the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Florence and Natasha were attacked by Rumlow, neither of the two women able to effectively take him down. The two were shoved into a tank, Rumlow dropping a bomb in before latching the door closed. They surveyed their surroundings quickly; two guards with guns aiming at them. Florence kicked one unconscious while Natasha grabbed the other guard and used him as a human shield when the grenade exploded, grabbing Florence on the way down.
Black smoke filled the air, the smell of fire making it hard to breathe, sending the pair of assassins into a coughing fit on the ground. Looking up, they could see Steve being blown back into the building by an explosion, their ears ringing from the volume. Steve sent Sam after Rumlow, who was in an AFV heading north.
Natasha relocated the ditched bike and got on, pulling Florence behind her. The younger assassin revved the bike as they entered the street, Florence holding onto her.
Sam called out the offenders, clocking four of them splitting up.
Natasha stopped the bike and looked at Florence before splitting up, “I got the two on the left, you take the right.”
Florence sprinted down the busy street, dodging and weaving the crowd. Her targets came into view ahead of her, the girl sent a throwing star their way, effectively knocking him to the ground with no way to run. The girl grabbed the man, searching the bag furiously, trying to locate the weapon, “It’s not here!” Sam replied back, not having the weapon either.
Natasha called over the mic, “I have it.” Florence sighed in relief, moving to meet back up with the team.
She came upon Steve, who had Rumlow on the ground in front of him. She approached the scene cautiously, listening to the exchange.
“You know, he knew you and that redhead, Florence. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky.” Rumlow whispered tauntingly at Steve.
Florence approached from behind, grabbing Rumlow’s hair and yanking him back, putting a knife to his throat, “What did you say?” The flip switched in Florence’s brain at the mention of Bucky, nothing else mattering anymore. She didn’t care that people were probably filming her with a knife to someone’s throat, and Steve made no move to stop her.
The disfigured man laughed as the knife dug deeper against his neck, staring up at Florence, “He remembered you. I was there. He got all weepy about it. Always screaming about you.” He then looked at Steve, “Till they put his brain back in a blender. He wanted you to know something. He said to me, ‘Please tell Rogers. When you gotta go, you gotta go.’ And you’re coming with me.” Rumlow’s thumb pressed a detonation device, Florence and Steve noticing it at the same time.
Wanda was behind them, containing the explosion of fire with her powers, keeping Steve and Florence from becoming red mist. The newest member sent Rumlow up and into the building in front of them. The building went up in flames, the leftover gasses from Rumlow’s bombs reacting to the fire and exploding. The bystanders screamed and ran as Wanda looked on in horror at what she had just done, hand clamping over her face.
Florence gently guided the girl away from the scene, “Hey, come one. We have to go, this isn’t on you, okay?”
Behind them, Steve called for Sam to request Fire & Rescue before he took off to go save people from the building, leaving Florence to console the distraught brunette.
A month later, the team was back at the Avengers Compound, Florence sitting with Steve as they watched the news.
“Eleven Wakandans were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria last month. The traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission in Lagos, when the attack occurred.”
The TV switched to show King T’Chacka of Wakanda’s speech:
“Our people’s blood is spilled on foreign soil, not only because of the actions of criminals, ut by the indifference of those pledged to stop them. Victory at the expense of the innocent is no victory at all.”
Steve turned the TV off, the only other sound in the compound coming from Wanda’s TV in her room. Florence got up to go speak to the girl before Steve stopped her, “I’ll go.” Steve and Wanda were taking the Lagos incident the hardest, both blaming themselves. The mention of Bucky had made both Florence and Steve freeze until it was too late, leaving Wanda to deal with the bomb that now plagues her consciousness. Florence watched as Steve walked off until he wasn’t visible anymore for her to turn on her heel to head to the kitchen.
The redhead was in dire need of coffee, the cup she had that morning had worn off. The nightmares amplified after Rumlow’s supposed confession about Bucky, the girl had hardly slept more than two hours a night. When she did sleep it was restless, nightmares of Bucky haunting every corner of her mind. She managed to make it through half her mug before she was called downstairs for a meeting with Tony and the Secretary of State.
Secretary Ross sighed heavily as he stood at the head of the table of Avengers as he mimicked his golf swing, “Five years ago, I had a heart attack and dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me. Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives, but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word ‘vigilantes’.”
Next to Florence, Natasha spoke with a smirk adorning her face, “What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?”
Secretary Ross looked up from the table, “How about ‘dangerous’? What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?”
Ross stepped aside from the table, allowing the full view to be on the screen in front of the table, showing various clips of incidents the Avengers were involved in. Everyone at the table grimaced at the screen, not proud of what it was showing. Ross flipped through events of New York, Washington D.C., Sokavia and Lagos before Steve had enough, noting Wanda’s demeanor change and telling Ross to turn it off.
“For the past four years, you’ve operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That’s an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.” Ross paused, placing a large file on the table in front of Wanda who passed it on to Rhodey, “The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries, it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they’ll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel only when and if that panel deems it necessary.”
Steve spoke from the end of the table, “The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we’ve done that.”
Ross looked down at Steve, “Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes, you can bet there’d be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That’s how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground.”
Rhodey gestured to the accords “So, there are contingencies.”
Ross shrugged, “Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over.”
Ross began to leave until Natasha stopped him, “And if we come to a decision you don’t like?”
“Then you retire.” Ross left after that, leaving the team to discuss.
The team was arguing amongst themselves as Florence stared at the ceiling with her feet on the table, listening to various points being made while Rhodey and Sam debated behind Steve while Tony rolled his eyes.
“Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is one more than you have.”
Sam crossed his arms over his chest, “So let’s say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?”
“117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you’re just like, ‘No, that’s cool. We got it.’”
Sam cut Rhodey off, “How long are you going to play both sides?”
Vision interrupted from his spot on the couch next to Wanda, “I have an equation.”
Sam moved to stand behind Florence, his voice dripping in sarcasm, “Oh, this will clear it up.”
Vision continued, “In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. During the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.”
“Are you saying it’s our fault?” Steve spoke with the Accords in hand.
“I’m saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invited challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict,” Vision paused, “breeds catastrophe. Oversight, oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.”
Rhodey looked to Sam, “Boom.”
Natasha spoke from her spot at the table, “Tony, you are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal.” Tony rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.
“It’s because he’s already made up his mind.”
Tony grumbled at Steve’s statement, “Boy, you know me so well.” Tony rose from the couch, cradling his head as he walked over to the kitchen, “Actually, I’m nursing an electromagnetic headache. That’s what’s going on, Cap. It’s just pain. It’s discomfort.” Tony grabbed a coffee mug, looking into the sink, “Who’s putting coffee grounds in the disposal?”
Natasha looked at Florence with a knowing look about her coffee-sleep- problem while Tony continued complaining behind them, “Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?”
Tony placed his phone in the fruit basket, a small hologram emitting from it of a young man, “Oh, that’s Charles Spencer, by the way. He’s a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk, See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn’t want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn’t go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where. Sokovia.” Tony paused, allowing the words to sink in painfully, “He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. We won’t know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass. There’s no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I’m game. If we can’t accept limitations, if we’re boundary-less, we’re no better than the bad guys.”
Steve began speaking, “Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don’t give up.”
“Who said we’re giving up?”
“We are if we’re not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame.”
Rhodey speaks up, pointing at Steve, “I’m sorry, Steve. This is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we’re talking about. It’s not the World Security Council, it’s not S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s not HYDRA.”
Florence practically flinched at Rhodey’s mention of HYDRA as Steve cut him off, “No, but it’s run by people with agendas, and agendas change.”
Tony walked towards the group, “That’s good. That’s why I’m here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing.”
Steve interrupted, “Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go? What if there’s somewhere we need to go and they don’t let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.” The team all shared looks, silently gauging their stances.
Tony looked down at Steve, “If we don’t do this now, it’s gonna be done to us later. That’s the fact. That won’t be pretty.”
Wanda, who had been silent the entire meeting, spoke from her seat next to Vision, “You’re saying they’ll come for me.”
Vision spoke beside her, “We would protect you.”
“Maybe Tony’s right,” All eyes darted to Natasha, “If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off-”
Sam cut her off, “Aren’t you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?”
“I’m just reading the terrain. We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.” Florence was slightly shocked at Natasha’s statement. She had assumed that she wouldn’t be signing, not wanting to walk back into a potential puppet situation.
Tony leaned against his chair, looking at Natasha baffled, “Focus up. I’m sorry. Did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?”
Natasha shook her head, “I want to take it back now.”
“No, no, no, you can’t retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay. Case closed. I win.”
Florence noticed Steve’s phone buzzing, watching his face fall as he read the notification, “I have to go.” The team watched as Steve bolted out of the room.
Days later, Florence was seated between Steve and Sam as they attended Peggy Carter’s funeral in London. The girl was never close to Peggy in the ’40s, she only spoke to her briefly, but Florence knew Steve would need support. The trio watched from the pew as Sharon Carter, Peggy’s niece and an ex S.H.I.E.L.D agent, spoke about her aunt. Sharon had grown to be a friend and an ally to the team, helping them out during the Battle of Triskelion.
The funeral ended quickly, Florence standing outside with Sam while Steve remained in the chapel. A familiar redhead passed by, Florence grabbing Natasha’s arm gently, “Nat? What are you doing here?”
“I came to see Steve, then I’m off to Vienna to sign the Accords.”
Florence furrowed her brows, “You’re signing it? Who else signed?”
Natasha shrugged, “Yeah, it’s what seems right. Tony, Rhodey and Vision have signed. Clint says he’s retired and Wanda is TBD. You?”
“I can’t.” Florence wanted to but was immensely torn. She didn’t see a way to function properly under the Accords, and her best bet was to not sign, much to Natasha’s dismay. Florence remained paranoid after the Red Room and HYDRA, even more so than the redhead in front of her. She wanted it to be easy, to sign the Accords without any second thoughts, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Natasha smiled softly at her friend, “I figured. But there’s room on the jet if you change your mind.”
“Thanks, Nat, but I’ll pass. Go see Steve.” The two girls hugged briefly, Natasha pulling away and entering the chapel.
Hours later, both Sam and Florence’s phone vibrated, alerting a notification, the pair taking out their devices and reading ‘UNITED NATIONS COMPLEX BOMBED’
The two looked up from their phones in fear, immediately on the hunt to find Steve.
They found him in the lobby of Sharon’s hotel, having walked her back after Natasha left hours ago. Sam stopped in front of him, “Steve, there’s something you need to see.”
The trio stood in front of the TV of their shared hotel room as the news anchor spoke, “A bomb hidden in news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna.”
Sharon paced behind them while she was on the phone.
“More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda’s King T’Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect, who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations.”
The screen played a clip of the alleged suspect, Bucky, and Florence felt like she was going to be sick. Her stomach dropped and she could feel Sam’s gaze on her. It couldn’t be him. It couldn’t be him. It couldn’t be him.
Sharon interrupted Steve and Florence’s internal spiral, “I have to go to work.”
Florence remained in front of the TV, trying to talk herself out of believing that Bucky would do this. He would have been acting alone. He wouldn’t have done this, this wasn’t the man she knew. She knew he was out of HYDRA’s clutches and was on his own, it couldn’t be him.
Steve grabbed her wrist gently, turning her away from the TV, “We have to go to Vienna, come on.”
Florence and Steve made it to Vienna along with Sam, both leaning against a tree with hats and sunglasses in an attempt to remain unknown. Steve pulled out his phone, dialing Natasha’s number. Florence ignored their conversation as she stared emotionless at the ground. The air was still heavy with smoke from the bombing as Steve spotted Natasha a few yards away, her ignorant to the fact that Steve and Florence were here.
After Steve hung up, Florence’s phone began to ring, Natasha’s contact lighting up the screen. She shared a look with Steve before answering, “Hey.”
Natasha wasted no time getting to the point, “Look, I know how much Barnes means to you, trust me I get it, but don’t do anything stupid. You need to stay home and regroup.”
Florence sighed into the phone, “Nat, you know I can’t do that.” Florence ended the call before Natasha could respond, quickly pocketing the phone in her black jacket and walking away.
Florence and Steve entered a restaurant, quickly spotting Sam at the bar.
Sam placed his food down, “She tell you to stay out of it?” Steve and Florence’s silence was answer enough for Sam, “Might have a point.”
Steve pursed his lips, “He’d do it for me.”
“1945, maybe.” Florence glared at Sam through her glasses as he continued speaking, “I just want to make sure we consider all our options. The people that shoot at you two usually end up shooting at me.”
Sam didn’t know him. Steve didn’t know the ‘new’ him. Out of the two, she had known Bucky the longest, loving him through the good and the bad. Even when he was the darkest parts of the Winter Soldier, Florence still held love for him in her heart because she knew what HYDRA made him into. And when Florence’s reflection was unfamiliar to herself, whether she was covered in someone else’s blood or she had been reprogrammed, Bucky kept her from falling apart in the Red Room. It couldn’t be him.
Sharon made her way up the bar, standing next to Steve as she updated the group, “Tips have been pouring in since that footage went public. Everybody thinks the Winter Soldier goes to their gym. Most of its noise.” Sharon slid a file over to Steve, “Except for this. My boss expects a briefing, pretty much now, so that’s all the head start you’re gonna get.”
Florence thanked Sharon as she left to leave, “You’re all gonna have to hurry. We have orders to shoot on sight.” Again, the feeling of bile worked its way up Florence’s throat, forcing herself to choke it down. Her hands shook at her sides as she took in Sharon’s words. She wouldn’t let that happen, even if it ended up killing her. She was going to save him.
Steve read over the file quickly, Sam and Florence looking at him expectantly, ”He’s in Romania.”
The location shouldn’t have shocked Florence as much as it did. A lot happened in Romania between herself and Bucky, she shouldn’t be surprised he went there. He probably didn’t even realize why he went to Bucharest, the action must have felt familiar. She should have began their search there two years ago, Florence was angry with herself for missing such an important place to them both. And God, did Romania have painful roots in the soldiers’ and widows’ lives.
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