#and he's the 'nocturnal' avenger

[draculagetspegged]

"olrox redemption arc!!!" redemption for what. what did he even do wrong

[this-boys]

Aaron Taylor-Johnson in St Tropez last week.

[nelkcats]

And they were roommates

After years of living on his own in the Infinite Realms, something strange began to happen to the retired hero. Every time Danny closed his eyes to sleep, a life that was not his own played in his head. And he began to see memories of someone who had passed away, from his birth to his death. That would be fine if he didn't remember the dreams in such detail.

Unfortunately when the first dream kept repeating itself continuously, and Danny investigated, he discovered that it was not a normal nightmare and was the life of someone real. Someone who wanted a closure.

Every time he woke up, he found himself feeling the same as in the dream. Which led him to do a couple of things: yell at Nocturne (who strangely had nothing to do with it), annoy Clockwork (who was definitely involved), and solve crimes that had been deemed "impossible", and bring them to an appropriate end.

The police were extremely confused when a note from "Sleepy King" was next to the evidence of a cold case. The truth is that Danny wanted to sleep, and the souls were extremely insistent about their 'unfinished business' that came to haunt him in his sleep.

Every time he cracked a case he earned a few hours of uninterrupted sleep or downright disturbing memories, but that wasn't enough. Unfortunately, it seemed that solving the cases was only attracting more souls, and he was starting to regret wanting to help. He had ended his life as a hero for a reason.

Usually his notes to the police would say something along the lines of "I'm doing this for me, not for you, good night" or some similar nonsense. The halfa was tired, very very tired, dreaming with memories wasn't fun or pretty, it was exhausting, the deaths made his skin crawl and his insomnia worse. He didn't want to relive the deaths of anyone else, but he had no way to scare away the souls.

When Martha Wayne showed up in his dreams showing him about a "court of owls" Danny made up his mind. This had to stop. He had been a hero but he retired. And it wasn't that he hated the souls, he just wanted to sleep, the mental exhaustion was too much.

So he did the stupidest thing possible: he hired Constantine (pretending to be a fairly normal human client, getting his attention after offering a lot of alcohol and some useless books from the Realms as payment) to make him a dream catcher or some wizard thing. All he wanted was something to help him sleep.

Constantine couldn't do that of course. The hellbazer was disturbed by the man with more than three hundred avenging spirits swarming. That was fucked up. So he offered him the only solution he could think of: inviting him to sleep at his house. A place where spirits could not pass without permission. It wasn't a permanent fix, but it would work for a while.

John had no idea why he was doing so much for a client (inviting him to his house? bold move), but the man looked so desperate, and he was fucking cute. If he could get an adventure or two out of it he wouldn't complain.

Constantine's guest bed felt like heaven to the halfa, despite being almost destroyed. Danny repeatedly thanked, and before they both knew it: they were roomies, lived in the same place, took turns cooking or cleaning, etc. They grew comfortable with each other to the point that Danny answered Justice League Dark's calls on a few occasions.

And well, if Constantine stopped rushing to find a long-term solution that was his business, and his alone, okay? Zatanna's comment asking when he got married was fucking out of place.

[yns-world]

lion & lioness

title: lion & lioness

pairing: erik killmonger x fem!reader

summary: erik takes the heart-shaped herb and sees his lost lover.

word count: 1k

warnings: reader death

a/n: i’m now taking requests for killmonger so feel free to send in your requests <3

As the new king of Wakanda, it is ritual for Erik to drink the essence of the heart-shaped herb and to speak with his ancestors. But as the searing power of the herb ran through his veins, he felt himself arriving at a place other than his childhood home. 

When he opened his eyes, Erik found himself at the edge of a lake, in a forest that he recognizes. The creatures of the night sang their songs-- crickets and insects chirped, the nocturnal birds trilled, and the wind lapped at the lake water. The night was full of life under the illuminating light of the full moon. 

Erik craned his head back to take in the sight of the moon. A soft breeze blew past Erik, and a scent caressed his nose-- a familiar scent. 

A moment later, Y/N materialized a few feet in front of him, wearing a sheer gown made of white silk. 

“My King.” Y/N beckoned, with a proud smile on her face. Erik’s eyes filled with a mix of love and heartbreak. He broke the distance and pounced on her, wrapping his arms around her in a bone-crushing embrace. 

His tears were seeping through her translucent gown, and Y/N ached at the sight of his pain. 

Y/N pulled back just enough to see his face. When she cupped his cheeks with her hands, he noticed that they were not cold, but they held the same warmth that they always did when she was still with him. This fact only made him cry more. 

“You’ve come so far, N’Jadaka. You’ve done it.” 

It was true, their whole lives were spent fighting for this one moment-- the moment where Erik was crowned king of Wakanda; where he was revered as the true Black Panther. 

But before he was the Black Panther, they were Lion & Lioness. Hearts and souls bound as one.  

“I need you by my side.” Desperation laced Erik’s voice, his eyes pleading with her.

“As long as the moon is out, I am with you.” She momentarily took her eyes off him to gaze up at the moon, and the moon reflected in her wide eyes. 

Erik’s expression shifted from one of despair to one of bitterness.

This was injustice-- his whole life was an act of injustice-- and Erik swore to avenge each and every action done to him, starting with burning the sacred garden of the heart-shaped herb.

Y/N knew that face, she knew exactly what it meant when Erik’s eyebrows furrowed and his usual scowl deepened.

“If you burn those flowers, you cut off our connection.” 

Immediately, Erik felt a moment of pain that he would feel if he did burn those flowers-- it was scorching pain, like someone took a rod of fire and ran it through his chest before dragging it down his torso and cutting him in half. But that was only the start of the pain, what came next was indescribably worse.

After the initial wave of hell, he was left hollow. He was an empty shell of a man.

He did not remember happiness. He could not recall love. 

He couldn’t even remember the original reason for why he became king in the first place. 

In that single, simulated moment, Erik was no longer himself. He was merely a ghost. 

The feeling washed over him as quickly as it came and he was brought back to the present-- his arms around Y/N as she stared into his eyes, experiencing every emotion with him. 

Erik was silent, but he knew better than to burn those flowers. He wouldn’t dare cut off a connection like theirs.

“Secondly, your heir…” Y/N’s words trailed off and she brought a hand to her stomach. Erik’s eyes followed her hand and was stunned. He gently kneeled in front of her, and placed his hand over her stomach. He pressed a kiss on the baby bump.

He then got back up, asking how many months she had left.

“Soon.” Y/N smiled a bit wider when she saw Erik’s impatient expression. 

Before he could get another word in, Y/N gave Erik a chaste kiss on his cheek.

“Good luck, N’Jadaka. Your story is only beginning.”

---

Erik’s body shot up, his chest heaving as he attempted to regulate his breathing. 

---

Months would pass since that night and there was a significant shift in Erik’s ruling. What was once a war-hungry dog, has now turned into a protector of his nation. 

But recently, something has been eating away at Erik. A gnawing feeling was twisting and churning every moment he was alone. He was restless at night and was suffering from insomnia. 

It was another night in a string of sleepless-nights, but this time he was called to the window. Erik looked up at the indigo sky, a full moon gazed back at him.

Tonight was one year since Y/N’s passing. 

Erik closed his eyes and bowed his head towards the moon. 

“Rest easy, my Queen.”

When he opened his eyes, he witnessed a shooting star race across the sky-- it flew across the moon and seemed to be inching closer and closer towards the castle.

Erik’s body acted before his brain could catch up and he bolted down to the castle entrance.

Outside the entrance sat a baby wrapped in white silk. Erik picked up the swaddled baby and recognized the texture of the cloth immediately-- it was the same cloth Y/N wore when he last saw her. 

Holding up the baby in the moonlight, Erik was able to see the striking resemblance to Y/N.

As he was admiring the baby, a name was whispered in his ear.

Leona. 

And that was what the heir to the Wakandan throne was called. 

Leona Stevens; Lion at heart; born of royal blood. 

The next day, the royal courts would rejoice at this news. The elders were not appalled by the appearance of this heir, they were rather fascinated that they have lived long enough to see this phenomenon happen in front of their very eyes. 

Kings come and go, but nothing could ever dispute Erik’s bloodright of being king since he has been gifted by the gods with an heir. 

Leona’s birth would be celebrated for the next week. She would be revered as the Snow Leopard, for her rare birth and the even rarer occurrence of having an heir blessed by Bast herself.

“Leona!” Wakanda chanted. “Daughter of King N’Jadaka and Queen Y/N; Princess Leona, the Snow Leopard!”

a/n: if you enjoyed reading, please consider reblogging and tipping, that supports me and my account more than likes :)

DON’T BE A GHOST READER!!!!! let me know your thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc in the comments!!! i love talking with y’all <3

i’m open to requests! free feel to request, just make sure to read my pinned post for request rules <3

[makalyta]

Seeing Brynjolf alone at the Ragged Flagon as he brushes everyone off, stating that he's busy when he is clearly not, is... frustrating. I had to give this behavior an explanation, so I put myself in his position: Brynjolf has just handed over his life and afterlife to a Daedric Prince. Was there really no other choice to avenge the Guild, did he really have to sacrifice his freedom forever, even after death? Empty chests can be replenished with gold, a new Guildmaster can be elected, but he will never have his future back. Maybe he even starts to understand Mercer Frey's choice to betray Nocturnal. There at the tavern, drinking ale and keeping his face hidden to conceal the pain, Brynjolf realizes that there is no escape from the fate he was forced to accept.

[uuhysspr3ssed]

Alucard and Maria's parallels.

I binge castlevania nocturne season 2 the second it came out and i just want to say it was amazing! i know season one was abit dull for other's but im glad that season 2 got better.

But back on the topic the parallel between alucard and maria through out season 2 was insane, especially if you watched the first castlevania series.

They only one direct interaction where their alone on ep 1 when maria asked about vampires and about alucards father especially on the part where alucard told her that he killed his father girl almost took it as an advice😭. (Maria: If he did it so can i)

So the parallel are they both kill their father's and lose their mother's. as for Maria i not sure it lost is the right term tera is a vampire and still around but she choose to distance herself away from maria. (Whats up with castlevania and nerfing mother's)

Alucard killed his father to save humanity and to avenge his mother's name.

Maria killed her father for revenge for sacrificing her mother and to also stop him from making anymore night creatures.

Two almost similar reasons why they killed their father's.

On another note is also how they handle it they both suffer from lost the anger and the termoil they went through. the only difference is maria had juste while alucard was alone.

Maria had time to mourn and grieve she went through it very early on and she had people around her to help. (Especially ritcher who didn't want to bring her along in paris because he worries she might do something reckless) she also had juste which i love he stuck by maria through and through.

Juste became a parental figure or guardian for maria, even when he said he doesn't know anything about teenage girls he was there for her even through out the fight with erzabeth.

As for Alucard he didn't have time with the world at stake and people dying left and right cities being ruined, he had to act first he pushed his emotions aside to get the job done to kill his father and end the madness Dracula's causing.

As for Alucard he was alone after the battle Trevor and sypha left to go find her family and to kill more vampires, and when alucard was alone only then was he able to cry (like that one scene inside his father's study)

This man went downhill he was completely alone he didn't have his friends nobody to support him or help him get through his suffering he was very vulnerable especially when the twins arrived. (fucking rats)

it just kept getting worse for Alucard when the twins came he thought he found people to stick by him, Alucard became attached because he didn't want to be alone but we all know how that went. (I HATE THOSE TWO!)

Maria had support she was able to go to grieve and be angry head on and process those emotions.

While Alucard was alone he face those emotions very later on and it left him emotional vulnerable and it got worse. (until the end things did get slightly better)

After the battle there's another very obvious parallel between them ritcher leaving and going with Annette which is also similar to trevor going with sypha.

They were both left behind while they stayed but there's also a difference.

Maria isn't completely alone she has juste and alucard.

While Alucard in the past was completely alone.

So that's what i can say for now i hope it made sense.

[nemo-in-wonderland]

Today I kinda decided to start another BG3 playthrough, and do to a re-do with Aranea, and when the moment of creating the Dream Guardian (Halim, once again), I had to stop myself, because I actually realized that I never drew Halim properly, and I had to.

I had to draw the man for whom Aranea would sell her soul to avenge him, even centuries after his demise.

I had to draw the man that made her heart rush with blood and life, the man for whom she she would burn an entire city down.

He is such an important character in Aranea's life and story that I had to properly give him a face (while I adore the CC one from BG3, you know me. I need to put my own personal touch lolol).

So, I went into a deep dive today and just quickly design both him and Aranea (though here she is still Halim's Zil) during their Zakharan Nights. While for Aranea I went for a mix of Ancient Egyptian and Fantasy, for Halim I went straight to Old Babylonia and Assiria. I like to imagine that, while Zakhara is directly inspired by the Middle East, all the different regions within the Lands of Fate have specific regional garments that are inspired by our IRL counterpart of the Ancient Civilizations.

But, ohmy poor heart. It was like in a wrench while I drew Aranea so young and hopeful and innocent, devoid of any sufference, with her beloved husband still by her side...before everything went south.

I don't think she ever smiled so serenely and so happily after losing Halim. She had a good time in Cania with Mephistopheles, but her whole persona is always almost surrounded by melancholy.

And I have to say, I love Halim as I created him.

He is a kind man, level-headed, soft, kind but just. A man of exceptional intelligence and eloquence, with unweavering moral strength, a Sha'ir whose word would always be heeded, and the most loving of husbands to Aranea.

The satin shawls that Aranea is donning in this artwork is actually an enchanted artefact that Halim has imbued with powerful Nocturnal Magic that allows Aranea to walk outside during the scorching heat of the Zakharan sun (despite her having lived in Zakhara all her life up until that point, Aranea is still very much a Drow).

Also, do not let the differene of height in the artwork fool you. Aranea is still very much 183 cm tall here; It's just that Halim is 210 cm tall, since he has Desert Giant blood in his vein, and that render him much taller than a normal human. Let's just say he towers over everyone, whenever he walks around Huzuz.

Well, I hope you will like this!

--Nemo

[michiruxbna]

more reasons why nightcrawler and scarlet witch are my frustrated couple.

After meeting Nocturne, there were several little mentions by Nightcrawler afterward seemingly randomly about Wanda sort of setting up that he was thinking about her after meeting Nocturne, but they never went anywhere. Literally just him being distracted once or twice thinking about her. At the time it came out there was mention by one of the creators involved in the comic that Nightcrawler had been wanted for Hank Pym's Mighty Avengers team (ca.2009), which included the Scarlett Witch, but was denied because it conflicted with plans the X-Office had for him. So there may have been greater plans percolating for them which never came to pass.

So yes... my thing with Marvel is personal, can they still make a couple?

They will probably only do it in alternate universes or that some writer wants (although obviously they would have to figure out how to develop that whole relationship so that it doesn't seem forced or strange)

[ithebookhoarder]

Marc and Steven with a Murdock? Like Daredevil?? If you want, of course ❤️🖤

The Moon Boys with a Murdock!Reader

A/N: Of course I want to! ���� I'm only sorry it took me so long to answer this. However, I seem to be on a roll today - I can't believe I've got two requests out?! Like, who even am I?

Masterlist

As you said with a Murdock, I’m going with a sibling vibe here which would be pretty adorable anyway as Matt would be such a good brother if he’d ever had the chance.

He would be incredibly close with you and take his role as your protector as seriously as he takes his role as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. 

You’re the only one he lets know his true self as you’ve been through everything he has. You’ve shared the happiest and saddest moments of your lives together and the bond it forged is as strong as vibranium.

It holds you both together, not matter what you go through or where you end up - including when you both end up at colleges on opposite sides of the country. 

You’re extremely careful to never let him pull too far away from you, even when he gets in one of his moods. In fact, you’re sure to turn up and let yourself in to his apartment when he goes too quiet and even Foggy can’t seem to pull him out of the darkness that haunts him. 

It’s why you don’t run away when the Moon Boys come crashing in to your lives. The chaos that seems to follow them and their fears that they are too much for you is honestly familiar. Every attempt to push you away only makes you draw nearer - first as a friend, later as something more. 

You’d probably meet Moon Knight first around New York. I mean, it's kind of hard not to come across him, given what Matt does and how chaos seems to find its way into your lives.

He'd be the latest adoptee into the Defenders / New York 'Avengers reject club' (your name for the gang, not theirs...) so you'd quickly end up involved in each other's lives.

You'd bond pretty quickly, once you get to know one another without the personas and danger. After all, I think Steven would be eager to find friends who aren't necessarily supers and just like to drink coffee, read novels and go to the dog park at the weekend.

He'd be super keen to get to know you. You're one of the only people who get what their life is like, but also have a foot in the real world.

You'd win over Marc later on, wearing him down with your positivity and unwavering optimism (and also Steven will not shut up about you).

You're not afraid of the darker parts of their world, and become a much needed safe space for Marc, once he lets his guard down.

For instance, you'd be great at patching him up - having had enough practise on Matt over the years. You're also used to having someone nocturnal in the house, coming and going at all hours of the night. Plus, you can obviously be trusted to keep a secret or two.

If anything, Marc's only reluctant to let you get close to him as he doesn't want to taint you. To ruin something so bright and wonderful by dragging you into his darkness.

If Matt's ok with putting you in danger, then that's up to him as your brother. You're family. But for Marc and Steven to do that? It's a line they're unwilling to cross... until you prove to them you aren't going anywhere. That you can handle yourself and that you're already in this mess anyway, so why shouldn't you both be happy?

From that moment on, there's no looking back for any of you. You're leaping in to this together head first, and soon enough you can't imagine life any other way.

Matt, however, can.

Let's be real, he wouldn’t be the biggest fan of Steven and Marc. In fact, he’d be pretty against your relationship the minute he finds out about it. 

One, because he thinks no one is worthy of you.

Two, because he hates the idea of you getting hurt or being in danger and being in a relationship with multiple people who all serve an ancient Egyptian deity as his personal vigilante is the very definition of dangerous. 

"I... I can't even begin to understand how you could possibly think this is a good idea? At all? He - they - are literally the puppets of an Egyptian god - a GOD, Y/N. You don't want to get in the middle of all that?"

You quickly remind him how he gave a similar speech to Karen when he found out about her and Frank Castle seeing each other, and that didn't work. Last time you checked, they're still blissfully in love.

"Besides, Matthew! You're the one who goes running around at night, getting in fights, wearing a glorified halloween costume. Like, I am the SANE sibling here. ALSO! Marc and Steven were forced into their situation. They didn't go looking for it like a crazy nut job. So, yeah. I think if anything, you don't have a leg to stand on here!"

Matt would be able to sense who was fronting the moment they appeared. He’d be able to recognise them from the way their heart is beating and their mannerisms the second they stepped through the door, which is helpful but also incredibly unsettling. 

Steven would brush it off, seeing it as Matt just being a kind brother to you. However, I think Marc would have more of a problem with Matt’s hostility, and enhanced senses. It puts him on edge to know they are being so closely scrutinised. 

They also have the same temperament so I can imagine there will be more than a few clashes in the beginning, their similar brusque natures making it hard for them to not bump heads. 

However, after Matt learns about Marc’s DID and his childhood trauma I think he’d be more sympathetic. After all, you both didn’t have the easiest childhood either. 

He also knows what it’s like to live with a condition that can make your life harder but also makes you unique. 

According to the comics, both of them are known to be good detectives and also keen boxers. I can totally see them building a reluctant respect for one another after they realise they have more in common than just their love for you. 

In fact, I know you’d have to pull them out of the ring after Marc agrees to a sparring match with the famous ‘Devil’. The pair of them would get a weird pleasure from trying to beat the other to a pulp - they don’t often find someone evenly matched to have a friendly bout or two with. 

At least it would once again prove to Matt that your boys could definitely take care of you if you ever needed it. 

Matt would definitely be sure to offer his legal advice whenever he’s concerned you both might be skating on thin ice with the law. Apparently, ‘I’m being controlled by an Ancient Egyptian God’ hasn’t ever been tried as a legal defence in the American justice system before… and Matt is oddly willing to try it. 

[avengerscompound]

Shared Experience - Chapter 13

Shared Experience - A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Rating:  E

Warnings:  smut (MF, oral sex, come play), blood-drinking

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Rose Astor

Word Count: 2562

Summary:  Rose Astor met her end in 1920, joining the ranks of the living dead two years after the birth of Steve Rogers.  A century later the two meet in battle - a beacon of light clashing with a creature of the night.  Despite their differences, the two bond over their shared life experiences.  Can a vampire become an Avenger?  Can two such different beings create a life together?

Chapter 13

Rose arrived home feeling exhausted, confused, and a little hopeful.  The fight with the dhampir, Blade, had taken it out of her, but it was the information that he’d dropped that had really rattled her. There could be a chance to have a somewhat normal life again.  She’d be able to see the sunrise.  Steve wouldn’t be forced to live a nocturnal life, just to be with her.  He wouldn’t have to be constantly reminded he was dating a corpse.

Unfortunately, it was housed with the one person who wanted her kind dead more than anyone else.

Steve followed her in looking just as confused as she was, with a whole heaping of frustration thrown in.  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?  What’s a priest of Khonshu?  Who are the Bloodstones?  Why do so many people want you dead?”

“Because I’m a vampire, Steve,” she snarked as if he hadn’t just asked a series of reasonable questions.  She flopped onto the sofa chair and sunk into it, her back curving awkwardly in the seat.

She huffed as she saw the look of hurt cross his features.  “I’m sorry,” she said.  “Khonshu is the Egyptian god of the moon.  His priest is known as the Moon Knight.  There has always been at least one.  I think sometimes two.  They are guardians of those who travel at night.  Vampires are considered a threat to those travelers.  So they kill them without warning or mercy.  Of course, I only know this secondhand.  Marcellus used to taunt me with that when he kept me as his pet.  He’d tell me I wouldn’t stand a chance in the real world.  Moon Knight or the Bloodstones would kill me right away because I was such a feeble vampire.”

Steve sat down on the couch, sitting right forward, and leaning his elbows on his knees, as he looked directly at Rose.  “Who or what are the Bloodstones?”

“A monster-hunting family.  There are other monster hunters.  I’ve come across some in my time.  But never a Bloodstone.  The Bloodstones are allegedly so good at it, that they catch monsters and then hold a contest to see who can kill them first.”

“That’s barbaric,” Steve said.

“It is,” she agreed.  “If it’s real.  But if it is real, what they count as monsters isn’t just things that threaten people.  It’s anything humans might consider monstrous, even if they don’t hurt people at all.  At least that’s what I’ve heard.  It’s hard to know what’s real, and what’s just a fairy tale when everything about your kind directly comes from fairy tales.  I thought Blade wasn’t real until today.  How messed up is it that feeding from someone giving birth will turn their child?”

Steve sat back in his chair and rubbed his forehead.  “So do you think that Blade was telling the truth?  That this Moon Knight has a way for you to go out in the daylight?”

She shrugged. “He could just be setting me up and putting me in the path of someone he thinks could kill me when he couldn’t.  But he wasn’t lying.  If he found me, it won’t be long before someone else does.  Your blood helped me against him.  But if it’s a whole group of hunters? I don’t know.”

“Maybe you should stay in the tower until we can figure this out,” Steve suggested.

She frowned.  He was right, but she had always felt safer and more at home in this townhouse.  “Okay,” she agreed.  “But not tonight.  I’m not going to make it there before sunrise.  In fact, I should probably start preparing to sleep for the day.”

He nodded and got up, holding out his hand to her.  “Do you know where the priest of Khonshu is?” he asked.

She huffed and shook her head.  “I don’t know.  From what I’ve heard, he travels around a lot.  He might have a base of operations in Egypt.  But I had heard here in New York and in London too.  You might be able to look it up.  Try Moon Knight.  Try Priest of Khonshu.  And try - Midnight Mission.  I’ve never really looked into it.”

She pushed herself off the chair again and ran her tongue over her teeth.  The fight with Blade had taken a lot out of her.  She was going to wake up hungry.  “I’m going to need to feed when I wake up, honey,” she said when Steve got up to follow her.

They went back out to the hall and she made her way upstairs.  “Do you have blood here?” Steve asked.

“I don’t think so.  I mostly eat at the tower.  Or -” she pointed at him, made a click sound with her tongue, and winked at him.

“I’ll make sure there’s something here when you wake,” he said.

She looked back at him with a smirk. “Will it be you?”

He chuckled and rubbed her back.  “Maybe.”

By the time she was up in her room and washed up, the pull to go to ground was strong.  “You stayed up all night with me,” she said as she approached Steve.

“Mmm… I’m pretty tired now.  I’ll sleep and then get to work.  Don’t worry.  The serum means I don’t need much sleep,” Steve replied.  He cradled her cheeks and smoothed his hands down her neck.  “Good night, my love.”

“Good day, my life,” she replied and leaned up, kissing him deeply.  His arms circled her as they kissed and she melted into him.

When she pulled back, the need to go to ground was almost irresistible. She quickly stole one last kiss and then disappeared into her coffin.  It wasn’t long before she’d slipped out of consciousness.

When consciousness returned to Rose, she found Steve waiting for her, sitting at the edge of the bed.  It was a rare occurrence given that he was usually still working when the sun set. She launched herself at him, letting him catch her and wrap her in his strong arms.  “Hello to you too,” he chuckled, nosing her cheek.

She hummed, inhaling his scent.  The scent of his blood and the sweat on his skin, made her salviate and her fangs extend.  “I like waking up to you being here,” she hummed.

He ran his hands down her hair and pulled back looking down at her.  “I found some leads,” he said.

She sat back excitedly, taking her hand in his.  “What did you find?”

“Well, for starters, there is a Midnight Mission in the city,” he said.  “When I went, the person running it was a little standoffish, but as soon as I mentioned vampires they told me everything.  I think if they knew I wanted to help a vampire and not hunt one, they might have been a little more closed off.  The Moon Knight is a man who has a few names, but his primary residence is in London, though he does travel.  They said they’d contact him and have him meet up with me here.  I’ll receive a call when he’s in the city.”

“I wonder if he’ll help me,” Rose mused.  “What if he comes all this way and ends up hunting me?”

Steve reached over and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.  “Then we’ll protect you,” he said, and the corner of his lips quirked up.  “Not that you need it. I’m sure you’d give this ‘Moon Knight’ a run for his money.”

She laughed and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.  The scent of his blood and the steady beat, as it was pushed through his veins, was almost overwhelming when she was this close, given how hungry she was.  Her fangs extended and her mouth began to water, but she resisted the urge to bite him.  The moment of tenderness was needed far more than the need to feed.  “Can you imagine?” she asked.  “If he helps.  If there’s a way for me to walk in the sun again.  We could have a normal life together, Steve.”

He hummed and nuzzled into her hair. “It would be amazing, Rose.”

She closed her eyes, trying to remember what it felt like to have the midday sun on her skin.  The brief moments of dawn and dusk she’d been experiencing lately had been like heaven, but she still couldn’t quite access the memory of what even more of that felt like.

Her tongue danced across her fangs and she sat back and looked at Steve.  “I’m sorry to ruin the moment.  Did you bring me something?  I’m so hungry and you’re starting to smell like lunch.”

Steve pulled his teeth between his bottom lip and raised an eyebrow at her.

“You are my lunch?” she asked, grinning at him.

“It’s been a few days and we have something big coming up,” he said, taking her hand and tugging her closer to him.  “Besides - we had our time together cut short yesterday.”

She giggled.  “Oh, Steve,” she purred, bringing his hand up to her face and kissing his palm.  “You dirty boy.”

She looked at him, parting her lips slightly so he could see the bare hint of her fangs.  “Where should I start?” she asked.  She ghosted her lips along his palm and stopped at his wrist.  The veins on his wrist were very prominent, and when her lips skimmed over them, she could feel the beat of his pulse through them.  “Here?” she asked and swirled the tip of her tongue over the inside of his wrist.

Steve shivered and his pulse quickened under her tongue.  There was a twitch of his fingers and a very subtle shake of his head.

“No?” she asked, moving closer to him, her hands going to the collar of his shirt.  She deftly started to unfasten each button as she straddled his lap.  She leaned in, ghosting her lips from his collarbone up his throat.  “I wonder where you want me to bite you?”

When the last of his buttons were unfastened, she pushed a hand in her hair and gripped it, dragging his head back.  She skimmed her fangs up the length of his jugular.  His heart was hammering in his chest.  It called to her, making her mouth water.  “Was this it?”

Steve tried to nod, but she held his head steady.  He swallowed thickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing so that it pushed his throat against her fangs more, the points dimpling the surface of his skin.  “Yes,” he breathed. 

She let his head go and pulled back.  “No, I don’t think so,” she said, climbing off his lap and sinking to her knees in front of him.  She unfastened his pants as she looked up at him.  He returned her gaze, his eyes blown out black with lust, but his brow furrowed in confusion.  “What are you thinking?”

“I'm thinking,” she said, grabbing the waistband of his pants and underwear and yanking them down. “That there is a perfectly good artery in your leg.”  She didn’t pull them off, just leaving them bunched around his ankles.  He was already rock hard and his cock stood tall, bobbing against his stomach. “You see,” she continued as she ran her thumb up the inside of his thigh to the apex.  “The femoral artery runs right up here.  I think, Stevie, I might just like to sink my teeth into it.”

Steve swallowed again and nodded emphatically, lifting his hips and spreading his legs. His cock was starting to leak and it left a sticky trail over “Please, Rose.”

Rose wrapped her hand around his thick cock and began to pump it slowly as she pushed his leg out wider.  Her teeth scratched along the sensitive skin on the inside of his thigh, making his cock drool over her hand.  His pulse was thundering, calling to her.  She opened her mouth wider and sunk her teeth into his thigh.

Steve let out a roar and fell back, his hips lifting into her mouth and his cock throbbing in her hand.  The blood gushed into her mouth faster than she was used to.  The arterial blood pumped into her mouth and she used her tongue to slow the flow, her fangs stopping it from rushing out faster than she could handle.  It was cleaner with a hint of ozone compared to what she was used to.  The rush of the flow meant this wouldn’t last long, and judging by the way Steve was writhing neither was he.

“Oh fuck… fuck, Rose.  Oh…” he mewled.  His cock felt like heated granite under her palm, he was so hard, and each time she moved her hand up and down the length it pulsed and more precome ran over her knuckles.

When her hunger was almost sated, she started to ease her fangs out of him, lapping her tongue over the wound.  He moaned and bucked as she did, but it wasn’t until the blood had completely stopped flowing that she pulled back.

Steve was completely out of it.  He was bucking his hips into her hand, and his hands were above his head, gripping the sheets.  Every single one of his muscles was pulled taut and his back arched off the bed.

Rose moaned at the sight of him and ran her tongue over her lips.  He was so goddamn gorgeous and he let himself be so vulnerable with him.  Rose felt blessed.  She leaned down and wrapped her lips around his cock.  She had never gone down on a man before and she wasn’t completely confident about her technique.  Especially considering she was hyper-focused on keeping her fangs retracted.  Thankfully, Steve was so close it took almost no effort on her behalf.  She suckled on the head and worked her hand up and down his shaft.  Steve bucked his hips up hard, pushing his cock right to the back of her throat and he came. The action might have made her choke if she still needed to breathe.

She pulled back, closed her throat, and caught everything he gave her in her mouth.  Swallowing would be bad news for her, so she held it, and when his cock stopped pulsing, she pulled off.

Steve grabbed her hand and pulled her up to him, looking up at her with a dazed, fucked out expression, but he opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.  She blinked at him for a moment and then leaned down, spitting his own come into his mouth.  As soon as he swallowed she was kissing him again, passionately and deeply wrapping her arms around his shoulders and clinging to him.  His arms wrapped around her too and they stayed like that, kissing and holding each other until their lips went numb.

Finally, she broke the kiss and settled her head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart slow down and return to its usual steady drum.  “Wow,” Steve said, lazily stroking her hair.  “That was… amazing.”  He looked down at her, catching her eye.  “You didn’t come.”

She patted his chest.  “Later, honey.  I just drank a lot of your blood.  You need to recover.”

He let his head fall back and he hummed.  “How’d I get so lucky?”

She looked up at him with a smile.  “See, Steve. I was thinking the same thing.”

// NEXT

[fredmcsm]

Romeo and Bonbon for the people who liked Bon…

If you don’t know about them, Romeo found Bonbon when he was having a Bad Day and went and sat in a field like a weirdo. This equally weird little creeper came up to him and tried to explode him, and Romeo diffused him with a nose tap…Bonbon followed Romeo back to Romeoburg and he ended up staying …

Bonbon is mostly nocturnal so he is good when Romeo can’t sleep/nightmares/dark time of the night moments happen

…Unfortunately he has a pet in Telltale game fate and … is killed by the Survivors (early Scavengers name) … trust that was avenged

[imnothulk]

*leaves a postcard from Ireland with a picture of a stormy ocean*

Hey dad, it’s Vera. Sorry I missed Father’s Day, in my defense I didn’t know I’d have a dad to celebrate with. Maybe we can do something when I get home. Anyways, yeah. I’m sorry about all the conflict at the moment, I hate it so much. I don’t even care about the right and wrong anymore, I just want my family to be okay. Why do I always have to get caught between all these people I love? Never mind. I don’t want to get into that right now, dad. That isn’t what this is about. I picked this card up a while ago, I get them all over the place. This one reminded me of you, for some reason. Look in the bottom right corner for where, there’s some really cool bioluminescent algae, though I can’t figure out what kind of the life of me.

I like the night, you know that already. After all, I’m functionally nocturnal when I can manage it. The reason this card made me think of you was because of a memory I have, from when I was still new to freedom. I was just starting to get comfortable with you and the labs, and you took me out to these tide pools in New Jersey to look at lichens. I thought it was so cool, you know — you don’t have any reason to remember, but I do. We took the data and sat on the roof of your car listening to Hozier, because it was already some of my favorite music, eating cold sandwiches and talking. I think that’s when I started to move toward seeing you as a father figure. You answered all my questions as best you could about the things we’d seen in the pools, and when I started to tell you about my history you only asked genuine questions, we looked at the stars and you talked about how you came to be an Avenger. I think I almost called you my dad for the first time a few months later at that Young Minds in Science Gala you’d tapped me to speak at? I did that speech for two main reasons — to piss off Flash Thompson, and because of know you hate giving most speeches and I didn’t want you to have to go through that. When I opened it, because we both know I did it with no prep and improved, I almost introduced it with “so, I didn’t think I would be speaking to you all tonight, but my Dad asked me to, so here we are.” I ended up simply saying “I wasn’t exactly planning on this, but when your mentor asks if you can help him out by giving a speech, you ask the topic and how many minutes you need to fill.” I freaked out for a week.

And if my reaction didn’t tell you, I never thought you’d want or care for me as a daughter. You’re still welcome to rescind at any time, clearly. But anyways, thank you, for.. yeah. More than I can write to put into words. Everything. For seeing the fact that we aren’t entirely seeing eye to eye right now and still loving me, for helping me through my sexuality crisises, for making me tea and holding me and giving me a safe space. For letting me be your annoying intern with enough trauma to power the New York power grid. Thank you for not hating me, and for letting me be in your life. I love you, so, so, so much

All the love in the world, your daughter, Vespera A. Volkov Heladottir-Banner

P.s. if you don’t hate me when you’ve read this… text me so I know you got it okay? I would’ve given it in person but I’m a coward

@moongirlwidow

*crying by the time he finished reading* *puts the postcard up on his cork board*

Mini Red🍅

Fuck you you made me cry

Sent at 10:01 am

Love you kiddo

Sent at 10:01 am

[zahri-melitor]

So I read Ram V’s Nocturne (Tis I, the Zdarsky anon from years ago)

It certainly is deserving of praise. The team create an intimately woven horror mystery that I enjoyed, but this was also such an interesting comparison, because while I agree the V tells a tighter story than Zdarsky, and I (hesitantly) agree it is higher quality, I don’t think it’s more enjoyable than Failsafe. So this was an interesting experiment in personal preference.

I commend how he threaded the backstories of the Orgham’s and the Al-ghul’s - there was something magical in the deserts scenes, the artists certainly accomplished everything they needed to. Furthermore, Bruce and Arzen are interesting contrasts, as do I appreciate Talia’s role in this story.

Selina’s Rescue/Heist was my favourite part of the story so-far and a perfect example of her intelligence. It was certainly a rag-tag team and I can always stand to see more appearances from Gotham’s ‘Avenging Angel’.

I don’t know much about Barbatos and Dr. Hurt, but I only slightly care for the former and don’t care for the latter; Interesting hallucination scenes, but not interested in seeing more appearances from the Doc. Also we received an appearance from Batman 666; not too interested in this, but that was partly from the ‘someday Damian will break or save the world’. I think this is because I don’t much care for grandstanding a character that doesn’t seem that influential/powerful (no offence to Damian/I could be proven wrong).

The climax (still in-progress) is amazing. The way V has connected all the characters (heroes and villains) he has establishment throughout Nocturne is very impressive, from his writing of Two-Face, Freeze, and 10-Eye to Azrael, Batgirl, and Question. Round of applause from me 👏 👏 👏

I've been saving this as I did want to read Nocturne myself in its place when I got to it.

I agree that Ram V's put together an interesting, internally consistent story, with a whole bunch of appearances from less frequently used characters, and that it's tighter, and hmmm more intellectual than Zdarsky's story.

But I also don't think it's as fun or accessible as Zdarsky's run (which I'm fine with in both directions: Batman should be the more general-audiences book of the two, with 'Tec being the one to host broader and more experimental stories).

I'm also now fully of the opinion that yes, DC should not have allowed two cerebral, who-is-Batman focused stories to be running simultaneously, particularly with one digging into Zur-En-Arrh and the other into Barbatos, given they're largely overlapping concepts, but my main objection is that it's led to a lot of competitive comparisons and dinging on one or the other story, when they're both well crafted stories generally. If they'd been sequential to each other with the other book running largely forgettable fills or a Tec run focused on James Gordon or whoever (say if The Joker and then The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing had been the 'Tec book to either the Zdarsky or the Ram V run on Batman), I think people would be more generally positive towards both.

[aresgodofwar23]

Captain Neutron Volume 3:The Neutron War ( OC)

Captain Neutron, real name Marcus Wright, is a hero from Alabama currently lives in Ohio .who gained powers from a neutron star. He can manipulate energy, fly, has superhuman strength, controls asteroids, and has a healing factor. However, he risks losing control with energy overload and struggles with isolation. His arch-nemesis is Dr. Celeste Nocturne. Outside of heroics, he balances school, family, and a budding romance with Jasmine Carter. He embodies the ideal of using one's abilities for good.

Age 16-17

1. **Scarlet Sentinel (Red)**: Driven by the loss of his parents, he believes in absolute control to prevent future tragedies. Unique power: Heat vision.

2. **Violet Vanguard (Purple)**: Once bullied, he now imposes strict order to prevent chaos. His logo glows with a deep purple neutron atom.

3. **Bronze Blaze (Orange)**: A vigilante from the Bronx, driven by the loss of his family to a criminal syndicate. Uses fiery powers and molten barriers.

4. **Emerald Enforcer (Green)**: Consumed by envy, he believes only he deserves to wield power and imposes his will on others. His logo glows with a green neutron atom.

5. **Azure Avenger (Blue)**: A government experiment, he seeks revenge for his life in a lab and the loss of his real mother. His logo glows with an icy blue star( he is the homelander of that world )

Each of these versions represents a different path Marcus could have taken, adding depth and complexity to his story

In a world teetering on the brink of chaos, **Captain Neutron**, a young hero from Alabama, faces his greatest challenge yet. Born Marcus Wright, he gained incredible cosmic powers at the age of 12 but now must defend his city from alternate versions of himself, each with their own dark motivations. These doppelgängers, known as **Scarlet Sentinel, Violet Vanguard, Bronze Blaze, Emerald Enforcer**, and **Azure Avenger**, have crossed dimensions with their unique strengths and sinister agendas.

As the battle rages, flashbacks reveal Marcus’s past, showcasing the relationships and experiences that shaped him into the hero he is today. Torn between his duty to protect and the haunting realization of what he could become, Captain Neutron must navigate the chaos to prove that true power lies in staying true to one's ideals.

This epic tale explores themes of identity, morality, and the struggle to remain a beacon of hope in a world filled with darkness.

Captain Neutron

[abarbaricyalp]

If Only In My Dreams

It's not Christmas anymore. To be fair, I had this dream on the 27th anyway Some SarahBucky Christmas chaos You can find this fic on AO3 here

It was well past two in the morning, but Sarah was nowhere near sleep. She could feel exhaustion swirling at the edges of her subconscious, but adrenaline, fear, and a fair bit of anger was keeping it at bay. It was Christmas Eve (Christmas Day now?), and instead of being at home, putting out her mama’s reindeer food with the boys and wrapping last minute gifts, they were all sequestered to the new Avengers Headquarters in DC. The building wasn’t even finished yet–there were no other heroes here–but the threat against Sam “and his family” was severe enough to land them here.

She was pretty certain the boys hadn’t realized how serious this was yet. Sam had the same voice their mama did when it came to pretending that things were fine when they were not. Sarah hadn’t inherited it. She developed her own as a parent, and she was sure the boys were slowly beginning to pick up on it the longer she used it. But they didn’t recognize Sam’s, so they believed him when he called this a ‘fun sleepover’ and a ‘secret mission’ instead. But Sarah had heard it. It had sent her heart roiling against her ribs and it hadn’t stopped since she’d answered the phone.

She hated this building. It was so industrial. There were few windows. By design, she supposed. The living quarters were small and bland. There were no colors, no soft spaces. Someone had put two beds into the same room for the boys to use. Someone–Sam or Bucky probably–had thought to grab their blankets and pillows from their rooms at home, but there were no other comforts for them.

Not that they seemed to notice. Someone–again, Sam or Bucky–had converted a meeting room into a movie theater with every other set of bedding in the compound, she thought, laid out on the floor to make a huge movie pit. They’d had full run of the place for the last few days and had charmed all of the extra security that had been assigned to Sam for this threat.

Sam stayed near her and Bucky stayed near the boys, which meant they were all usually in the same room. For the boys, she imagined this did feel almost completely right. All the important people were around them. They were baking and watching movies and concocting ridiculous games with indecipherable rules. 

Sarah, though, knew that tomorrow there’d be no presents, no tree, no reindeer prints on the front porch. The stockings were left over the fireplace, along with the CDs that always played all morning. There’d be no Christmas service and no community party afterwards. She knew it was ridiculous to worry about things like that when there was real danger, but it was Christmas. The boys deserved those things.

Behind her, someone pointedly knocked their knuckles on the doorframe and then came into the kitchen. Sarah looked up from the sugar cookie she was decorating and found Barnes making his way along the perimeter of the space, clearly counting cabinets as he went. He was barely dressed down for bed, in a t-shirt and athletic shorts, rather than the half-done gear he’d been wearing during the day. She imagined he only wasn’t fully done up because he was entertaining the boys, rather than standing sentinel. Still, he looked terribly real like this. It brought some of the comfort of home to this sterile place. She’d woken many mornings to find him halfway through cooking breakfast in an outfit very similar to this. Usually he was barefoot at home, but the even the sneakers he wore now weren’t his typical ready-to-go-boots. 

He finally stopped in front of a cabinet and opened it to reveal rows of blank white mugs. He took down one of a handful that didn’t match–a huge blue thing with the Captain America shield on it–and then set about getting an electric kettle going and tearing open a hot chocolate packet.

“Sam said you were practically nocturnal, but I didn’t believe him ‘cause you sleep like the dead at my house,” Sarah greeted as she went back to the cookie she was decorating.

Bucky snorted. “Sam only says that ‘cause I’m better at napping than him. Sorry to bother you. I didn’t know you were up too. I mean, I thought you might be when the door was open but…”

The kettle turned on and Bucky came to sit in the chair next to the one Sarah was sitting in at the head of the table. In front of her, four pans of sugar cookies sat with various degrees of decorating completion done on them. Most of them were simple. Stars and trees and stockings. But Sarah had created royal icing and found, of all things, a piping set. The decorations were elaborate and lovely. Also kind of boring to do over and over again. She kept jumping to the next shape to keep her mind and hands occupied.

“These are like the videos Sam’s always watching online. This is great. I didn’t know you could do this,” Bucky complimented. He reached out for a Santa hat and traced the seams of the icing colors.

“My college roommate was a baker,” Sarah explained. She’d had to take a deep breath, center herself back to someone pleasant and accommodating, rather than scared and scatterbrained and feeling particularly solitary. Bucky, of all people, would understand, but Sarah still wouldn’t take the risk, wouldn’t put all of that one the man trying to keep them safe. “I spent a lot of time helping her decorate. She’s got a whole confectionary shop in New Orleans now. It’s amazing. The best beignets I’ve ever had.”

“Yeah, Sam said you knew what you were talking about when it came to sweets. I couldn’t just bake my way out of the doghouse.”

Sarah chuckled softly. “Now I can say, Sam only said that ‘cause you can absolutely bake your way out of his doghouse. Boy’s got about 32 sweet tooths.”

“Yeah, I noticed that in his coffee order,” Bucky agreed. He fell quiet again, watching her studiously.

Barnes was something else. From what she’d seen of him, there was nothing to complain about. He was helpful and kind, fiercely loyal and protective. The boys, Sam included, had taken a shine to him that probably would never tarnish. He was handsome and charming in a way that made her stomach get kind of swoopy sometimes like it hadn’t in a while. And she wasn’t blind. She had seen him trip over all his suaveness in an attempt to impress her too. She’d seen him blush when she caught him staring. And she caught him quite a lot. His stare was easy to feel on her.

At the same time, she knew about his history. Sam had told her quite a bit and then Bucky had sat her down as well, before he’d moved to Louisiana himself. The conversation had taken days as he recounted terrible things that he’d done and that had been done to him. She’d read what she could, tried to remember all those news stories from 2014, but she’d mostly been so angry and worried about Sam at the time that she hadn’t paid much attention to the other actors in the whole spectacle.

She tried to find the threads connecting that man to the one beside her now. It was something she did often. But they were expertly tucked into seams and embroidered over. No more puppet strings. No more leashes. Just the foundation strands he’d built upon.

“I’m sorry about all this,” he said suddenly.

Sarah glanced up at him from where she was dotting lights onto a tree. “Did you call in the threat?” she humored.

Bucky ducked his head and then shook it. “Nah, I just mean taking you away from home and all. These things happen all the time.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

Bucky blushed deeply. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean…I don’t want you to worry. You’re safe here. We’ll get this taken care of.”

“I know,” she said and let her own doubt into her voice. She finished the lights on the cookie and then looked at him again. “Why are you here? Why aren’t you part of the team trynna find the guy threatening Sam?”

Bucky looked surprised for a moment. “Sam wanted me here. He gets antsy when I have the chance to make a bad decision. There was this woman a few weeks ago who–” He clicked his teeth together with an audible snap and glanced at her apologetically, though he hadn’t gotten to the bad part yet. “Uh, well, anyway. I just don’t like people messing with him. Or any of you guys. And with the kids and you here, we thought it was best if we both stayed.” He was quiet for another second and then added, “I am helping. Going through the data. Directing teams.”

“Strike Team Winter Soldier?” Sarah teased softly.

“Ha! That would be a great name for a team. You’re a natural at this. Let me see about getting you a job with us.” He smiled his dazzling smile and Sarah had to look back to the cookies she was decorating.

It was different than the way the butcher down on Main would wink at her as he air-boxed with Cass and complimented her outfit, no matter how messy she was. Different than Carlos’ shameless flirting when he wanted some free fish. Something about the way Bucky smiled at her, like the way he looked at her, warmed her straight down to the soul. There was no pretense, no hiding, no airs.

Which was to say nothing of the way he hugged her too. The world could stop spinning during those hugs.

Even just his presence in this ridiculous cutting-edge, bland, silver kitchen had warmed the space more than the oven running for hours as she baked.

Just for now, she was going to put away the fear and anger and worry. She was going to set aside all the things they weren’t getting this year. She wasn’t going to think about her house and its lights and the tree in the window. She was just going to enjoy a few minutes with a handsome man who liked her so blatantly it made her go lightheaded.

“Nah, I couldn’t work with you,” she said flippantly, even as her stomach somersaulted. “You’d be too distracting.”

“Oh, would I?” Bucky asked and raised an eyebrow. He scooted his chair closer in some slick move that meant his hands never left the table as he moved them closer to hers. His long fingers trailed over hers until he could coax the icing bag from her grip, and then he pressed her open palm to his, held his other hand over hers. “How could I possibly be that distracting?”

Sarah turned her hand over between his and traced the inside of his wrist. His metal hand was beneath hers, so his pulse fluttered against her touch now. Nothing, other than a hitch in the base of his neck, gave away the tripping of his pulse. He kept his face smooth and amused and endeared.

“Well, take tonight for example,” she said. He hummed encouragingly. “I was here, working away, and you showed up and literally took things out of my hands.”

“Oh, well, in that case,” he apologized dramatically and made as if he was going to get up.

Sarah curled her fingers around his wrist to keep him still. His pulse jumped again as he settled back into the seat. “And I think you’d be very serious at work.” He tilted his head at her. “So I might spend a lot of time trying to make you smile.”

A small, shy smile came out then, like it was summoned. “And why would you do that?”

“I like your smile,” she admitted. “I think you should do it more often.”

“Even at work?” Bucky asked. “That’s hardly fair, Ms. Wilson. I like your smile too but I don’t think you do it at work very often either.”

“Well, maybe you’d need to figure out how to make me smile too,” she suggested.

“So we’d both be distracted.”

Sarah inclined her head now. “Maybe we would. So it would be a terrible idea for me to work with you.”

Bucky’s pulse, which had leveled out at a steady gallop, surged beneath her fingers. “I don’t mind being distracted. Not if it’s you distracting me.”

Of all the corny lines Sarah had ever heard, there was something about the sincerity in Barnes’ voice that made that one one of the best. “Maybe I don’t like being distracted.”

“It wouldn’t actually be a problem,” Bucky promised. “See, if you’re worried that you’ll be too busy thinking about how to make me smile, all you gotta do is come into my eyesight. I’ll smile right away for you.”

“Well, now,” Sarah said, refusing to let all of the emotions trying to make her lovesick win out, “that makes its own problem.”

“Oh, what is it now?” Bucky moaned dramatically.

Sarah stifled a laugh against her shoulder. She pressed the pads of her fingers closer to his skin, traced along the pale blue vein on his forearm to his elbow. He moved closer like she was reeling him in. “If you smiled too much around me, then I’d want you to do something else too.”

“Yeah?” Bucky asked. “Name it. I’ll do it. Anything to keep you distraction free.”

“No, this would be a pretty big distraction,” she said. Bucky, several steps ahead of her, was also swaying in towards her. She took another moment to enjoy the warmth of his arm before she pulled away entirely, leaning back in her chair and bringing her hand with her. Bucky deflated as soon as she wasn’t touching him. “So I wouldn't be able to work with you.”

Even pouting, he still looked smitten. “Ma’am, you were just the distracting one.”

Sarah laughed and shook her head. “Another reason to keep us apart during the work day. Case-in-point, your kettle’s been done for at least five minutes.”

Bucky startled a little, glancing over his shoulder at the electrical kettle, which had switched to its ‘warm’ setting and was condensating on the inside. “You want some chocolate?” he asked as he stood.

Because she was still not thinking about how terrible these few days were, she said yes and pointed to a Wilson Family Seafood mug in the cupboard. He made the hot chocolates in record time and came to sit knee-to-knee with her again.

“How did you possibly extricate yourself from the cuddle puddle the boys had you in?” she asked as she waited for her drink to cool down.

“Have I mentioned I’m an expert spy?” Bucky asked with a teasing grin. “I can get outta most places without being noticed.”

“Nah, I saw the way AJ was clinging onto your arm. I’m surprised you didn’t just take it off and leave him with it.”

Bucky laughed with his head thrown back. Sarah’s whole core warmed, from her stomach to her chest. “Now, why can’t I ever think of doing something like that?”

“Work smarter not harder, Barnes.”

Bucky grinned and drank his hot chocolate because apparently being a super soldier gave him super heat resistance. “Well, I have to admit, I didn’t come straight out here,” he confessed. “There were a few things I wanted to do first. Could I show you? It’s just in the common room.”

Sarah couldn’t imagine anything that Bucky had needed to do in the common room would have any bearing on her, except maybe if he’d actually fixed the TV so the boys didn’t have full control of the one working one in the compound. But she picked up the mug of hot chocolate and followed after him.

The common room was bathed in a warm light from the one lamp in the corner. The overhead fluorescents were off. And there Christmas lights tacked up to the wall. It transformed the entire space from something cold and foreign to a warm welcome. Beneath the lights, there were a pile of gifts.

“Are those…” Sarah started to ask, though she knew the answer. She knew what wrapping paper she’d bought for this year. She knew the sizes of the boxes.

Bucky shifted a little nervously next to her. “Yeah. When I went back to secure the house, I found them. I figured you’d want them.”

The stack looked more like a mirage, a dream, than something real. She kept expecting them to disappear when she blinked. Suddenly, all the roiling emotions that had kept her company for the past several days turned over onto their heads. She was almost so happy and grateful that it was starting to circle back around to tears.

“I, uh, had to wrap a few. I’m really not any good at it. But hopefully the kids won’t even notice,” he continued to explain in embarrassed little starts and stops when she didn’t immediately respond. “You shoulda seen the guys making fun of me on the ride back. Taped my thumb down at one point.”

Sarah reached for his hand quickly, curled her fingers around his and tugged him close to hug him tightly. “You did this for them?”

Bucky didn’t hesitate to hug her back. He held her tighter when she started to shake with emotion and rubbed her back in soothing, grounding motions. His cheek rested on the crown of her head. “Of course I did. For you too, Sarah. You’ve gotta know it was for you too.”

She pressed her face to his neck and collarbone, took in a deep breath of his clean, sharp smell beneath generic laundry detergent.  “Thank you,” she breathed and squeezed her eyes shut.

“You don’t gotta thank me for anything. This is still part of the apology. You should be at home. I just wanted to bring a little bit of home back for you.”

Sarah was still too overcome to say anything, so she just held him tighter. It wasn’t until his palm found its way to her cheek that she finally lifted her face to look at him again. In the dim lights, his blue eyes were practically sparkling, like he was some kind of Christmas card come to life.

“Hey, I got you something too. Figured it’s already Christmas, right?” He pulled a light colored jewelry box from the coffee table beside them and offered it to her. “I don’t know what makes this artisan jewelry, but I’m pretty sure these are the charms you wanted.”

The necklace had a sunflower and a butterfly charm hung on it, with a dainty stone bead between them. They were, in fact, two of the charms that she’d mentioned passingly when the catalog had come in the mail months ago. There was also a ring in the box with three hearts–one big and two little–tumbling across the band.

“Bucky,” she started to say, looking up at him. “This is–”

His hand was on her cheek again–he really did have the longest fingers she’d ever seen–and suddenly they were falling together. She’d never have really thought about the scant inches of difference between her and Bucky’s height, but now, as he dipped his face towards hers and she felt the girlish need to tiptoe up, it was all she could think about.

Bucky was as good at kissing as he was at hugging. His mouth was softer than she had imagined it would be. Not that she did a lot of imagining about Bucky’s mouth, of course. He also leaned into her like he wanted to become the thing that kept her upright, held her face preciously, swooped his thumb over her cheekbone. It all made her lightheaded. She had to place her hands on his chest to stay standing. Otherwise she might just pitch right into him and melt between his ribs.

Somehow, a stuttered breath escaped her lips and Bucky pulled back just enough to brush their noses together. Still, she could see his wide eyes and worried expression.

“Sorry, I forget I don’t have to breathe the same–”

Sarah leaned up to kiss him quiet. He made a pleased, shocked little noise into her mouth, but easily kissed her again. “I was right,” she said when she was sure he wasn’t going to argue again. “You are distracting.”

Bucky grinned and shook his head, dark hair falling into his face. “No, I was right. You’re the distracting one. I don’t know how I’m gonna do anything else again now that I know what that feels like.”

“You better figure it out, ‘cause I need you to put this necklace on.”

Bucky preened and jolted into action, taking the box from her hands and freeing the necklace. He offered the ring out without trying to put it on her finger for her. Then he brushed aside her braids, trailed his fingers over her bare neck, leaned down to kiss some number of her vertebrae reverently, making goosebumps erupt over her skin and a heavy flush follow after his lips. He pulled away after a moment, when her fingers had found his wrist again, and he carefully clipped the necklace in place. He smoothed the chain down over her collarbones, to the top of her sternum before remembering his manners and going no further.

“It suits you,” he said when she turned to face him again, eyes bright. He brushed his thumb over the chain where it sat against the curve of her neck, his hand resting high up on her shoulder, ready to go to her cheek again, pull her close once more, kiss her senseless all over again.

She reached up to touch the charms gently and smiled shyly. “Thank you, Bucky,” she said softly. “This means so much. Especially now.”

“You deserve the world, Sarah,” Bucky said earnestly, shifting his hand just enough to brush his thumb over her cheek. He took a half step closer to her. “Every happiness and beautiful things and joyful Christmases.”

Sarah finished crossing the distance between them and draped her arms around his neck. “Well, superhero, you might’ve just managed to save this one.”

“I dunno what you’re talking about, Ms. Wilson,” he teased, leaning down until his mouth was almost against hers. “This is the best Christmas I’ve had in a long time.”

“How’re you gonna beat it next year?” she wondered, closing her eyes and enjoying the warmth of his body against hers.

“Oh, you want me around next year too, huh? Already got plans?”

“So many plans, Barnes.”

He hugged his arms around her waist and nodded. “I’m all yours,” he promised.

And they kissed again.

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[alex31624]

Duck Comic Reading Club Week 11: Paperinik New Adventures: Silicon!

Is that time of the week again, is PK time.

This time, summer is at its best and everyone is taking a deserving vacation. Except, of course, the bird who hates everything good.

They want him out of their lives so bad.

Even uncle Scrooge is taking vacation. Will we ever see PK in the farm? That could be fun. Also, Donald looks kinda weird in that purple shirt. Not bad, just different.

Donald and One get together to watch the news, but there's nothing exciting to report. I understand that they have to explain all the tech stuff for what's coming, but I feel that it drags a bit.

But things escalated, when we found two menaces. A mysterious voice and the always incompetents Evronians.

PK makes his nocturnal patrol when his Duck-Mobile gets sabotage. Not even One can understand what's happening, and that's saying something.

Later, we discovered that the seeds bore fruit, in the form of Evronian babies.

The little ones are bought for our mysterious voice, at the same time that the Evronians got aware of their existence. Problems incoming.

Donald investigates the attack on computer facilities, with quick success.

Is so funny how Two is back there, in the rhino robot like "hey guys, it was me all along". There're a lot of things I like about PK comics, but everytime a character shows up is like, here they are.

Later, they make look Two as a menace.

Why it didn't look like that in its reveal?

Looks like Two uploaded itself all over Duckburg, in order to save itself from being delete. And you know what? I buy it. I totally believe Two did that. Why a supercomputer wouldn't have a backup? That's the thing I hate the most about Avengers: Age of Ultron (the movie, not the comic).

Is time for the final showdown, PK against Two and is newly acquired Evronian army.

Or that we thought.

The Evronian arrive, like a school bus, taking the newborns with them.

And like the sore losers they are, the Evronians blow up Two and its factory.

Donald leaves the crime scene, not before make fun of Angus.

Is always a good time to make fun of Angus.

Well another victory for our hero. Two is no more. Or is it?

Have to said, that last panel is amazing.

This issue was ok. Not that good, not bad either. PK did little to nothing here, didn't even got involved in the resolution.

I hope that Two in the Evronian ship result in some chaotic three way battle.

There was also a mini comic about Fangus. We learn he has always been a jerk, and he encountered someone even worse than him.