#because of some relief she saw (I think when she went to tibet last month?))

[robotsprinkles]

does anyone know what the hell my mum's talking about when she says CERN had to shutdown/cancel an experiment/test twenty years ago because there were portals appearing in the sky above it?

[heyitsani]

A Dream Ripping at the Seams

@damianwayneweek fic Reverse Robins

Word Count: 5024

Rating: Teen and up

Warnings: Referenced past child abuse, canonical character death mentioned

Pairing: None

Summary: He had planned the whole thing out.  The moment he had seen the notes in Richard’s file on the computer, he had known he needed to get him out of there and away from Batman as soon as possible.  He refused to lose another brother.  

Saving Richard because he failed to save Todd was his only priority.

Notes: Guess what! IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! And it also happens to be Reverse Robins day for Damian Wayne week!  So to celebrate, I wrote this fic to give to all of you lovely people.  But especially those in the RR Discord who are always willing to encourage me to run with an idea that comes up last minute.

Also, this fic ends abruptly and that’s the point.  I might continue it, I might not.  But it’s supposed to feel sudden and full of questions.

To clear up confusion: Dick was 10 when adopted, Jason died when he was 15 and Dick 11, Dick is 12 (nearly 13) when the story starts, and 13 when it ends.

You can also read it on AO3 here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Damian waited until he had the opportunity to get Richard away from the manor for the afternoon before he approached the subject with the boy.  He hadn’t been certain he would need to, at first, but the longer Richard was in the house with his father the more he saw the signs he had seen with Jason. And that meant he needed to act.

So he had asked Richard if he wanted Damian to pick him up from school one Friday in February so they could go for ice cream before dinner.  Richard had, unsurprisingly, agreed enthusiastically like Damian had known he would.  With the kid’s sweet tooth, he never turned down things like ice cream.  Especially since it wasn’t something the circus really got much of apparently.  Traveling in trailers didn’t allow for too many luxuries like freezers.

“Richard,” Damian started once they were seated on a bench in a local park, not far from a playground that the child was eyeing.  When the sapphire eyes turned on him, Damian took a deep breath and looked directly at him. “I know you have figured out what Father and the rest of us do in the night.”  Richard nodded, smiling as he licked his cone.  “Has Father approached you about training yet?”

The boy nodded again, and Damian pressed his lips together.  Twelve years old.  Twelve.  None of them had been that young outside of himself, but his situation was different. Being born into the League of Assassins made for a different upbringing.  “Is that bad?”

Shaking his head, Damian made sure his face was neutral before speaking again.  “No, but I have concerns.”  The boy blinked at him, but remained silent as though he was waiting for his brother to tell him what it was he was concerned about.  “You do not know of my childhood, but it was far from…pleasant. I was raised in a place called Nanda Parbat that trains people to be the kind of people Batman fights against.”

“But you were a kid?” Richard sounded confused; ice cream forgotten as he tried to sort through what Damian was saying.  And what he wasn’t saying.  “Why would you train a kid like that?”

“Because that was the way things were done there.”

“Then they were done wrong.”

Damian let out a soft laugh, corner of his mouth raising just slightly at the thought of this twelve-year-old child telling him that he had been raised wrong.  “Be that as it may, you are correct that I was a kid and that should not have been my childhood.”

Richard hummed and went back to his ice cream, looking out at a pair of dogs playing in the grass. Damian observed him as he watched the dogs, wondering what he was thinking.  He wasn’t sure how to ask the boy to do what exactly he was thinking, but he just hoped Richard would go along with it.  That he would agree to leave because this was not the life he should be living.

“Dami?”  Richard looked back to him, and Damian raised his eyebrows.  “You don’t want me to train with Batman.”  Damian shook his head.  “Ever?”

And wasn’t that the real question?

Damian wasn’t sure if he wanted Richard, the purest of them all, to be exposed to how ugly the world was the same way the rest of them had been.  It would ruin him.  It would steal the innocence that Damian found himself desperately wanting to protect. It would tear out everything good in him and leave him a shell.  

“Never,” he admitted quietly.  Richard dropped his gaze again and chewed on his lower lip.  “I want you to understand why.  My childhood aside, I do not want to see what happened to Todd happen to you. I do not want you to lose yourself the way I have seen Drake do.  I do not want you to realize the ugly truths of the world long before your time the way Cain or Brown have.  I want to protect you from all of that.”

With brows drawn down, Richard looked at him again.  He was looking at Damian with that look, the one he had seen Cain look at him with too many times to count.  The look that penetrated all the walls and shields he had put around his mind and heart.

“You want me to leave.”

“I want to take you away from here and hide us both until you are able to stand your own against Father on the subject,” he quickly corrected, not wanting Richard to think he wasn’t welcome in the Wayne family.  “I want to protect you from a fate I wish we all could have been protected from.”

Richard took a lick of his ice cream and Damian waited, worried the boy would tell him no and then tell his father everything Damian had planned.  “Okay.”

“Okay?”

Richard nodded.  “Okay.”

And Damian released his held breath, relief washing over him.  He could save one of them, the best of them.  He could do one right thing in his life, a life filled with so many wrong things.

“We leave in a week.” Richard’s eyes turned determined, and he gave a firm nod before looking over toward the playground again.

“Can I play after my ice cream is finished?”  Damian laughed and nodded, too relieved to deny him anything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Who is she?”  Richard asked, tugging on the black chuba Damian had selected for himself the moment they had touched down in Tibet.  The weather was fairly cool, and he hadn’t thought to purchase the proper wears before he had put his plan into motion. But thankfully he had anticipated needing to switch enough money into Yuan to get them by for the first couple of months.  It had made purchasing weather friendly clothing for himself and Richard much easier.

Looking down at Richard, Damian frowned and followed his eyeline to the familiar statue that stood at the top of the mountain, guarding over Nanda Parbat.  “She is Ruma Kushna,” he told Richard, who couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from the beautiful stone statue.  He couldn’t blame the kid, he had been fascinated with the goddess when he had been younger.  She had been formidable and even his grandfather had spoken highly of the goddess. “She watches over all of those in Nanda Parbat.”

Richard frowned and looked away from the statue, blue eyes skittering over the various people wandering around the market they were making their way through in an attempt to find lodging.  “She is not kind then,” the boy said, looking up at Damian with a fierce look.

“What makes you say that?”

Richard shrugged and looked away, curiosity stealing the boy’s attention once more.  But Damian couldn’t forget that look for stubborn protectiveness that had covered Richard’s face in the moment.  It had been breathtaking if he were honest.  He couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at him like that when they weren’t preparing to fight him for one reason or another.

Pausing at a stall with various spices that smelled familiar and distant at the same time, Damian gave the older woman a friendly smile.  “Tashi delek,” he greeted her, giving a small bow of his head.  “My son and I are looking for lodging, do you know of anyone with vacancies in their home that would spare space for us?  We are willing to pay.”

The woman seemed to consider him closely, glancing from him to Richard and then back again.  He knew his excuse of Richard being his son was flimsy when someone considered their age difference, but it was the story he needed to stick to for the time being.  He couldn’t risk someone looking too deeply into their relation if they thought they were merely brothers.  And Damian would be drawn and quartered before someone took Richard from him and returned him to Bruce.

“I have a spare sleeping quarter if you could spare your strength,” the woman finally replied, kindness heavy in her old eyes.

“Tuchi che!”  Richard exclaimed, smiling brightly at the woman who almost looked surprised at his enthusiasm.  Damian struggled to hold back a smile of his own as he gave the woman a firm nod, silently agreeing to her terms.

“I am Damian and this is Richard.  We are grateful for your hospitality.”  The woman chuckled and waved them off, telling them to scout the market for anything they might need since their packs were small and probably did not hold much out of the bare necessities.  “What should we call you?”

The woman’s smile warmed, and she leaned back.  “I am Amala,” she responded.  “Now go find you both some clothing that is not of the city but of the mountain.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You are al Ghul,” Amala stated as she handed over the cup of tea.  Damian froze, eyes wide as he looked at the woman who still looked at him with that same kindness she had since that first meeting almost four months ago.  But he couldn’t figure out how she could possibly look at him that way if she knew who his family was.  “The League is well known in our village, as small as we may be.  They look after their own on the mountain.  But there were whispers of the Heir refusing to return and the Demon Head demanding justice.”

Looking down at his teacup, cradled in both hands to warm his palms from the cool night air coming in from under the door, he sighed before glancing back toward the corner where Richard was sleeping.  Confirming Amala’s words would put them both in danger of being discovered.  He had picked this village because it meant they were right under his grandfather and mother’s noses.  They would never look for him here.

But if he lied, he risked having to run with Richard again.  And the child was finally settling nicely in the village.  He had made friends with some of the other children and he was catching up on his studies.  The last thing Damian wanted to do was uproot him yet again.  His life had been disrupted enough since the death of his parents.

“I am he,” Damian admitted, looking back to Amala.  The woman smiled knowingly before pressing a finger to her lips in a ‘shhhh’ motion and Damian let out a sigh of relief.  “How did you figure it out?”

The woman shrugged.  “You have your mother’s eyes,” she said, as if that was enough to give it all away.  “And your mother used to bring you down here as a babe, just learning to walk the mountain.  I recognized you the moment you approached my stall at market.”

“Has anyone else?”

“Not that I have heard.”

But that didn’t mean they hadn’t.  If someone told his mother or even one of the footmen, Damian would need to pick Richard up and run.  He wouldn’t have a choice.  He probably should do it now before anyone had the chance to come after them.

“Thank you, for trusting us then.”

Amala waved a hand.  “I could see in your eyes that you were running from something.  That you were protecting your son from something.”  Damian held back the cringe at the word son, knowing she had to have figured out that Richard wasn’t his.  “You are safe in my home.  I will not bring harm upon you.  No matter if it is from up the mountain or from far away.”

Damian swallowed, bowing his head against the onslaught of emotion that hit him from her words.  “Thank you,” he whispered, unable to look at her just yet.  “Protecting him is all I am after.”  He looked over at Richard again and blinked away the tears.  “It is my only goal.”

“And that is what makes you a good father,” she said softly, “blood or not.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Baba!”  Richard called out; voice distorted as it came into the house from outside where he had been helping plant some new seedlings.  “Dami!”  That made Damian pause.  It had been a while since Richard had called him by his name, out of habit or fear Damian couldn’t be sure which.  But it made a small sense of panic arise in his chest and had him dropping the piece he had been sketching and immediately run out the front door.

He froze when he saw a man kneeling in front of Richard, black cloak and hood pulled over his head, hiding his face from Damian but not from Richard.  But when the man looked up, Damian felt his stomach drop.

“No,” he whispered, hurrying forward and pushing Richard behind him as he glared at Timothy Drake, his father’s second eldest but first adopted child.  “You are not welcome here, Drake,” he said lowly, English rusty from lack of use since coming to Tibet.

Drake held up his hands and took a step back, but Damian held tighter onto Richard who tried to move out from behind his legs.  “I am not here to cause trouble, Damian,” Drake offered.  And Damian knew him well enough to know the man was being honest.  But it didn’t mean he could let his guard down. “He doesn’t know I’m here.  He doesn’t know I found you.”

“Trackers.”

“Rerouted.”

Taking a deep breath, Damian glanced around before giving Drake a nod and herding Richard into the house, knowing Drake would following them.  “Richard, go work on your schooling.”  Richard looked up at him, frowning at the order, before glancing over at Drake.  “Now, Richard.”  And though Damian knew the child didn’t want to, Richard walked away with a pout to the table where his schoolwork sat waiting.  “How did you find us?”  

“It wasn’t easy, you covered your tracks better than any of us expected,” Drake said, eyes watching Richard as he took his seat and began writing in the notebook.  Damian could tell he was curious, but Damian needed answers before Drake got his own.  “I looked at footage we had searched through a million times and got lucky.”

“And Father doesn’t know? I’m meant to believe you simply didn’t tell him?  You?”

“He thinks I’m off world with the Titans.”

“That doesn’t answer why you didn’t tell him.”

Drake seemed to consider his answer for a moment before shrugging both his shoulders.  “Dick didn’t seem to be in distress in the footage I found. He looked like he wanted to be with you.”

“I explained it to him before we left.  He agreed to come with me on his own.”

“Why did you take him?”

A familiar anger built in his core and Damian had to push it down with a few deep breaths before he could answer Drake without yelling.  “Because I would not let him sacrifice Richard the same way he sacrificed all of us. Because since losing Todd, he has lost sight of the true mission and we have become nothing but soldiers to him. I would die before I let that man turn Richard another glass case bearing a bloodied suit of armor,” he growled, fists clenched tightly.  

Drake watched him with those eyes, the ones Damian had always hated because it always felt like he was a risk and Drake was calculating how dangerous he was in any given moment.  As if Drake was just like his father, with a file of ways to put an end to Damian because part of him was too dangerous to be trusted.

“Your secret is safe with me,” Drake finally said, looking back to Richard with a nod.  “I didn’t believe you could have taken him for anything other than his own good.”  The cool blue eyes looked back to Damian and had lost some of the calculating look.  “B won’t stop though, Damian.  He’s desperate to find you both even though it’s been over six months.  I don’t know how long until he realizes that you hid both of you in plain sight of the League.  Does Ra’s or Talia know you’re here?”

“Not that they have revealed to me,” Damian admitted.  “Our patron, she knows of my heritage and has sworn an oath of secrecy.  But she is League loyal due to their protection.”

Damian watched Drake fully take in the appearance of the home they were in, the simple nature of it all and Damian couldn’t help but wonder what the man thought of him now.  What did he think of the haughty Wayne heir who had loved to shove that fact in every ones faces, telling them that he was the heir to one of the richest men in the world.  That he was heir to Batman, the Dark Knight.  The Damian standing in front of Drake was far from that person as Damian could probably get.

“This has not only saved him,” Drake finally said, looking directly at Damian.  There was no lie that Damian could see and though he wanted to deny what his brother said, his eyes glanced over to Richard and knew it was the truth. He was not who he had been before they had left Gotham.  He had been losing himself in his own grief and it was only the deep seeded fear of losing yet another family member that forced him to pull out of it and take action.

But he couldn’t admit that to Drake, could he?  “I wouldn’t lose him the way we lost Todd.  I did what I had to do.  He never would have listened.”

“No, he wouldn’t have.”

“And has anything changed?” Drake frowned; eyebrows furrowed. And that was enough of an answer for Damian.  “He’s just become obsessed with finding us instead.”

Drake nodded.  “It’s been bad enough that Superman watches Gotham from afar to keep B from doing something he might regret.”  And Damian knew, yet again, that he had made the right choice in getting Richard away from that.  “Can I give you a burner that only I know about?”  Damian’s eyes snapped back to Drake, having drifted back to Richard yet again.  “I want to be able to give you a heads up if he comes your way.  It might not be much of one, but maybe enough for you to get a head start.”

It wasn’t a bad idea, having that option, but Damian also knew it might give his father access to the pair of them without Drake even knowing.  But Drake did know technology more than anyone else in the family. Perhaps it was a risk he could take.

“All right,” Damian relented, giving a nod.  Drake’s features looked relieved, to the point where Damian wondered if he had made the wrong decision.  But he could work on the device later and see if it had been bugged or tampered with in any way.

Drake dug into his small pack and pulled out a small phone, probably a prototype that Wayne Tech had decided wasn’t worth the trouble.  He quickly showed Damian how to turn it on and use the basic features before it was turned off yet again and Damian was tucking it into the pocket of his pants.

“I need to go, I can’t reroute much longer.  But if you need anything, please call me.  I have your back.”  Damian gave a nod before watching Drake walk over to Richard and kneel down to talk quietly with the teen.  He didn’t bother listening in, knowing Richard would tell him what was said later, but he did watch.  He watched Richard listen and nod, responding with his own words before reaching out and hugging the man around the neck.  

When Drake stood and turned to leave, Damian was fairly certain he saw a sheen of tears in his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Damian knew something was different the instant he walked into the small house, even if he couldn’t immediately tell what.  It caused him to stop short in the doorway, Richard smacking into him because he had been too absorbed in the book of mathematics one of the men of the village had shared with him.

“Baba, what…?”  The child complained but Damian’s eyes focused on the figure in the corner of the room instead, not answering.

“Mother.”

The woman moved forward, like a serpent seeking prey, into the light with a smirk on her face.  “Son,” she greeted, eyes looking over his ragged appearance from his day of labor with a hint of distain before stopping on Richard. “You really do have too much of your father in you.”

Rolling his eyes, Damian shuffled Richard into the house and nudged him toward their sleeping corner. And though he didn’t think his mother meant them harm, he still kept his body between the two of them and coiled his muscles to prepare for a fight.

“What are you doing here? How did you even know?”

“Oh please, Damian,” Talia sighed and came closer before lounging in one of the chairs near the fireplace.  “Do you honestly think we weren’t aware the moment you landed in Tibet?  That we weren’t tracking you from the very start? You have forgotten your roots.”

Damian narrowed his eyes. “Then why did you wait so long to approach me?”

“Because we did not need you.”  That made Damian tense further.  The League needing him would lead to nothing good, he knew that deep in his core.  “I have something in Nanda Parbat that requires your attention before it can be dealt with.  And no,” she held up a hand to stop his question, “it is not your father. But it does have a link to him.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Damian couldn’t believe what he was seeing.  He couldn’t trust his own eyes in that moment.  It wasn’t possible.  Was it? No, he had seen the body.  He had been there as the coffin had been lowered into the plot and covered with dirt.  He had laid his hand on the tombstone and apologized for not being able to get to him in time.

But that was definitely Jason Todd in front of him.

“How is this possible?”  Damian asked, glad he had put Richard in his old rooms while he handled this.  Richard had known Todd for only a year before he had died. This was not something Damian wanted to expose the teen to before he knew what the point of all of this was.

“We are not certain. We can’t even say how long he has been like this.  He has been dead for nearly 18 months and we have had him here for the past six.” Damian frowned, walking closer to Todd, trying to catch the teen’s eye.  “He is alive and everything is in working order, but it is as though death stole his soul.”

“Of course it did!  He died!”  Damian snapped, looking back at his mother who stood a ways back watching but looked bored.  “We buried him.  We…” Breathing heavily through his nose, Damian looked back to Todd and shook his head.  They had mourned him.  And now he was there, living and breathing but lifeless.  Everything that had made him Jason Todd seemed to have been stripped away.  “What do you intend to do with him?”

His mother’s heels clicked on the marble floor as she moved closer and stopped once she reached the pair. He watched a slender hand reach out and pet the side of Jason’s face.  Annoyed, Damian’s hand shot out and grabbed his mother’s wrist to stop the obscene gesture.  “What do you intend to do with him,” he growled, gripping her wrist tightly and turning to fully face her.  He narrowed his eyes and stared her down, not willing to let her brush him off.  She had brought him here for a reason.

“We will put him in the Pit, of course,” she said, unaffected by the grip he had on her or the look on his face.  “We just wanted to see if a familiar face might wake him up first.”

“Mother,” Damian gasped, releasing her and stepping back.  “We do not put innocents in the Pit.  It is not done.”

Talia raised a brow and Damian glowered.  “There is no ‘we’, Damian.  You made your choice.”

“You cannot do that to him. He had anger before his death.  He was murdered brutally.  These are all things the League has always avoided in resurrections.”  Damian looked over at Jason’s empty eyes and frowned, shaking his head.  “You cannot sentence him to that Madness.  He is a child.”

“He is no more a child than any of you were.  My Beloved has only had one true child in his home and you stole him away in fear of him turning your precious Richard into the same monster each of you fight off daily.” Talia tilted her head, considering him. “You most of all, my son.”

“You created the monster long before he got his hands on it.”

A slender shoulder rose and fell gracefully.  “Perhaps, but you have Demon blood in your veins and you have always been destined for so much more than this charade of a life you have taken up.”

Damian clenched his jaw and looked away from his mother, unable to deny her words.  He knew this farce he and Richard had been living would not sustain them forever, but he knew it was what the teen needed at the moment. If he returned Richard to Gotham, his father would rip the child away from him and Damian would lose him to the fight he desperately wanted to protect Richard from.  The Bat would get into his head and Damian would lose.

No, returning to Gotham would never be an option until Richard was old enough to stand on his own.

“You could remain here. Take up your title again and we could train and teach the boy to be the very best.”  Damian immediately shook his head.  That wasn’t any better than the fate that awaited them in Gotham.  “It is only a matter of time before he finds you. He will exhaust all resources and then call upon me.  He will come to Nanda Parbat and hear the tinkling laughter that reminds him so much of the boy his own son had stolen away from him.  He will follow the sound to a yard where a teen with black hair and sapphire eyes kneels in the dirt, pulling weeds from around the plants that have just begun to sprout.

“He will watch in wonder at the change a year, perhaps two years, has made in the boy.  And then he will see the man who is responsible for the heartache and fear he experienced over that time, standing in the window watching the teen just as he had been.  And he will take him back.  He will threaten them both with everything in his itinerary until there is no choice but to return.”

“And then he will ruin him,” Damian whispered, closing his eyes because he knew his mother was right. It was the fear that kept him up each and every night.  His father would never stop searching and he would eventually get desperate enough to turn to Ra’s for help.  And he would come himself to plead his case because otherwise Ra’s would laugh in his face and behead whoever was foolish enough to come in his stead.

Opening his eyes, he stared into the familiar one watching him closely.  “You win.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Damian hated that his mother insisted on Richard being in the room with them when Todd was placed in the Pit, but he wasn’t in any position to argue.  He just hoped that nothing happened that would require him to use the sword strapped to his back in order to keep Richard safe.  The last thing he wanted was for the teen to see that side of him, the side that would require him to take up arms against another of his brothers.

But Richard stood just behind him, stubborn look on his face as he watched Todd over near the Pit. The green glow of the waters within gave the room an ethrial look but made Jason look sickly.  With that blank look on his face, Damian felt his heart ache for the boy he remembered.  He had tried harder with Todd than he had with Drake, but it didn’t mean he was the best of brothers.  He hoped the teen knew he had tried.

But emotions had never been his forte.

Thankfully, he was doing even better with Richard than he had with any of the others.  The teen had taught him much more than he ever thought possibly while he had taught the boy what little he had to offer outside of self-defense. Which, he had taught him as well. Just not to the same effect that training to be a Cape would have done.

“Are you ready to witness true magic, Richard?”  Damian frowned over at his mother when she entered the room and moved over to stand with the two of them.  He looked back and down toward the teen, who he found watching his mother with narrowed, untrusting eyes.  Good boy.

Damian had made sure that he always questioned his surroundings and stayed wary of those he didn’t know. Apparently, Talia al Ghul fell in that category.

The woman simply quirked an eyebrow at him before she walked over to where the footmen were getting ready to move Todd to the platform.  Reaching out, Damian tugged Richard closer to him in hopes to shield him from the coming disaster.  His mother might be certain this was a good idea, surely for her own gain, but he knew this was not something that should be done.  But as good of a fighter Damian was, he could not take on the entire League. And he would need to do just that if he wanted to get Todd out of there before he was manipulated and twisted into a shadow of the teen he had been.

“Let us begin,” Ra’s said as he took his place on the opposite side of the Pit.

[fyeahwildfire]

Spirit Bound

Summary: Five years after, December 1991, you and Tony were left alone while Howard and Maria prepared to go away for a few days. Sadly, they died in a “car crash” in Long Island, leading you and Tony to grieve over their deaths. Sometime later, Jarvis also died, leaving you and Tony alone.

A few months later, Tony inherited Stark Industries and became the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Tony built a custom mansion for the both of you. With Tony making billions of dollars and living the playboy lifestyle, he spent less time with you.

Another five years later, you leave Tony and the mansion to pursue a life of your own. You traveled the world to train in the many forms of martial arts, even training in gymnastics, parkour, sword-fighting, and stealth. At the age of 19, through your martial arts training, you have become an expert on virtually all types of weaponry. You even became an expert markswoman, tracker, and hunter.

Pairing: Mortal Kombat x reader; Bucky x reader

Warning: swearing, time travel,

Character Powers: Telepathy and Telekinesis

A/N: Sorry for the long summary, but it was needed for the time jump. Also I rewrote this chapter. I hope you like it! 

Chapter 2

Bucky Pov

He felt your fear before. Heard your screams. Your nightmare pulsed into him, pulling him out of his own unconscious body. Images...yours, not his. The sound of bullets ringing. The sight of blood coating your fingers. It was all to vivid. Too real. Until the Winter Soldier reminded himself that it wasn’t his dream. He can’t dream in cryostasis.

All he can do is watch as you reminisce the death of your mother. He didn’t know why or how he was able to see inside your nightmares and reality. Some part of him wanted to reach out and comfort you, but he didn’t think you would be able to feel him. So instead he just watches, hoping you would wake.

“You aren’t there anymore.” Winter Soldiers whispers, as he has seen this nightmare before.

He noticed your frantic breathing had slowed. Did you hear him? This is the first time he had said anything.

“Wake up.” He tested.

Suddenly, your eyes fluttered open and all he could see was darkness. He saw you reach for the lamp on your nightstand, it glowed dimly. He could make out a dresser, mirror, closet, and a chair across the room. He felt your emotions calm down.

You rose from your bed and made your way to the bathroom. Turning on the light, he studied you. He sighed with relief as your color had returned.

He had become concerned with your well-being a few months ago, as you were paler and dark circles hung under your eyes. You also had multiple bruises, which caught his attention.

Curiously, he found out that you were obsessed with finding the Red Dragon clan, more importantly Daegon. He watched as you traveled all around the world, fueled by the loss of your parents. 

He saw you in Tibet, where you trained in many forms of martial arts under Shaolin monks. He saw you training in sword fighting, gymnastics and parkour. He saw you training stealth by a master in the Hida Mountains, in Japan.

All of this he had seen behind your eyes. He knew what you were doing. You were using your pain as a motivator. You were preparing yourself to go against the clan that murder your mother. If he could stop you, he would. He didn’t want you to commit murder. He didn’t want you to taint your soul.

Looking into the mirror, you squinted your eyes as if you noticed something within your eyes. He was here. You could always feel him within you. This was however the first time you had ever heard his voice.

He watched as you stared at your right forearm, written on your inner forearm was the name James Buchanan Barnes. He wondered who he was to you? Was he your lover? He didn’t know or understand what this fiery feeling that burned through his veins was.

“Soulmate or not. It’s not fair that you can pry into my life.” You shook your head.

He remained silent as he didn’t know what to say. Soulmate? What did you mean by that? Was he yours? That couldn’t be possible since, he was a weapon…a soldier of Hydra. There were no soulmates, where he came from. Were there?

Images…not yours, but his. He’s remembering little pieces of his old life.

He remembers his mother telling him a story about soulmates. Soulmates were known to be sacred. His mother would tell him that he was lucky to have a soulmate as not many people did. 

He had not one, but two soulmates. She told him that the two special people written on his arms was solely his from the moment they were born until their dying breath. 

Steven Grant Rogers and Y/n L/n.

Before he even knew it, he was slipping from your mind. He tried grasping onto you as he was afraid to return to his unconscious body. You made him feel safe. His memories just started coming back, he didn’t want to forget Steven and Y/n. He continued to struggle, but it was useless as his consciousness was slowly being swallowed by darkness.

1 year later...

You had fallen asleep as soon as your head hit the pillows on your bed. You had a long day of training with Maseo, a man who taught you how to fight with the soultaker sword. 

You came into possession of it a month ago, you searched high and low to find the weapon that everyone desired. The weapon that was the cause of your families destruction. 

Anyone sane would have left it buried where it was but you, you were not like anyone. It called to you and bonded with you unlike your predecessors.

This was your way of life now. Far away from home and your brother Tony. Not like he cared as he was too preoccupied living his playboy lifestyle. 

You remember a time where he actually genuinely cared, played with you, and taught you all about robotics. You missed those days. You missed him.

You drift off into a deep sleep and don’t even notice that you were enveloped into a portal. It didn’t take long for you to realize you were no longer in your bed. You opened your eyes and immediately went into a fighting stance. You looked around and found yourself standing before the Elder Gods. However, you had no knowledge as to who they were.

You look down to find yourself in a white sheer dress with a double slit, underneath was a nude bra and panty. You don’t remember wearing this outfit in particular. You remember wearing a sweater and sweat pants as it was cold in the Himalayas. 

“What the hell…Where am I?” You asked, as you looked around and used your telepathic ability to sense if you were still on Earth. Nope. Apparently not since you can’t seem to read anything. Not even the freaky people looking down at you. “Who are you? Why am I here?”

“We are the Elder Gods, child. We have summoned you, daughter of Y/M/N, because we need your help or rather Raiden needs your help.” The female Elder God replied calmly.

Raiden. You heard that name before. That was a long time ago though. Your mother had told you stories about Raiden, he was supposedly a thunder god. Which you found humorous as Thor was known to be God of Thunder, but then again he was probably a myth. 

You couldn’t understand why Raiden needed you and how did these Elder gods know your mother? Where were they when you were both attacked by Red Dragon clan? Why didn’t they help your mother?

“Raiden? Why would he need my help?” You take a step forward and clench you fists. “You know what. Screw you. I’m not helping. Where were you and Raiden when my mother was attacked?”

“Unfortunately, we cannot interfere. Raiden has been tasked in keeping Earthrealm safe from Outworld attacks. Your mother was a great warrior, who carried the weight and burden of the Soultaker’s location. Now that it is your possession, you must uplift your families sacred duty to protect it from those corrupted and evil.” Another Elder God speaks, his voice sounds light.

“Earthrealm is in grave danger. Raiden is the last defense in keeping Shao Kahn out of Earthrealm.”

The Elder gods show you an image of failed Earthrealm warriors, there were so many corpses scattered across the once sacred grounds. Limbs hanging from various places and blood staining the Earth. Vultures feeding from the deceased.

 At the top, Raiden is fighting against the evil ruler Shao Kahn, but you can see he is failing. Raiden sits in a kneeling position in front of Shao Kahn, he’s clutching his shattered amulet.

“Yes, pray to the worms, Raiden.” Shao Kahn mocks.

You see Raiden starting to chant, “Elder Gods, please hear me. I beseech you give us another chance! A chance to change this fate! Send us an aid.”

You see Shao Kahn bring down his war hammer to kill Raiden. Raiden lifts his head, lightning sparks envelop his body. “He must win.” Are his last words.

You close your eyes, not being able to witness such a death.

“Shao Kahn plans to move his forces to take over Earthrealm. If he succeeds we will not be able to save your people. Many will die.”

“Then why haven’t you intervened?” You cross your arms and raise your brow.

“Shao Kahn has not violated the rules of Mortal Kombat.”

“What? Are you blind? You just showed me that he’s invading Earth! He just killed Raiden!” You shift and look around the many faces of Elder Gods.

“Invasion is not itself a transgression. It is the merger of realms that is proscribed.”

You throw your hands in the air, “Are you kidding me? It’s the same damn thing. People will die!”

“It is regrettable. But the Mortal Kombat tournaments are not intended to prevent certain outcomes. They are intended only to maintain balance among the realms.”

You place your hand on your forehead, frustrated by these so called Gods. How could they think Earth was not worth saving? Regrettable, my ass. You thought. If you could, you would punch them in their uptight faces.

You take a deep breath to calm your anger, “Then what the hell do you expect me to do? How can I help Raiden? I’m not a hero. I’m not a god.”

“You will be sent back in time to help Raiden and the Earthrealm warriors.”

“And do what? Use my telekinesis to take Shao Kahn’s head out of his ass.” You paced around the floor, getting more irritated with these gods. You silently thank these were not the gods you prayed to.

“You will help guide them into making the right choices.”

You drop your head, thinking how ridiculous and vexing they were. How were you going to help them in making the right choices? You were still trying to figure your life out. Hell, you made a few horrible decision in the past and learned to not make those same mistakes.

“And if I fail?”

The female Elder God showed you another image, your world in ruins. Earth has returned to the dark ages. People run for their lives as others are murdered by Outworld people. You gasp as you see your brother Tony being outnumbered and murdered in front of your eyes. Tears stream down your face. This wasn’t real. Was it?

“This isn’t real. My brother isn’t dead.”

“No. At least not yet. You can still stop this from happening. You have the chance to save those you love.” The female Elder spoke softly.

There was no other choice, you had to save Tony or at least die trying. He was the only family you had left aside from your other two brother’s whom you had never met.

“Alright, fine. I’ll do it.”

“Tell Raiden, “The Grand Champion of Mortal Kombat shall be Earthrealms salvation or the cause of its destruction.”

“Do you understand?”

You nod which causes the Elder Gods to smile.

“You are their last hope, Y/N L/n-Stark.” The female Elder God used her powers to send you back in time.

Lui Kang and Raiden had arrived on the island, they quickly notice a bright light coming from the woods. Curious they both check to see where the light came from. 

They were met with a sight of you floating in the air, completely unconscious. Gently you were lowered down to the ground by an invisible force. 

Lui Kang and Raiden rush over to your aid.

“Who is she? What is she doing out here, Lord Raiden?” Lui Kang knelt by your side.

His eyes roamed your body, inspecting to see if you were wounded. He was relieved to see you had no wounds. However, he noticed the soulmate tattoo on your forearm. James Buchanan Barnes. He averted his eyes from your inner forearm as it was private and intimate. 

He immediately blushes as the sheer white dress gave a good glimpse of your athletic body. He averts his eyes quickly before you wake.

You open your eyes and groan in discomfort, “I hate time traveling. I think I’m going to be sick.”

You suppress the vomit rising from your throat as you notice you are not alone. You whirl around to meet the faces of two unfamiliar people. 

One wears a white robe and a blue vest, his face shadowed by a straw hat. The other was bare chested, had red and black pants, Kung Fu slippers, shaggy black hair, and a red headband.

“Are you alright?” Raiden asks, while he sees you slowly rising onto your feet.

You tilt your head and look at the both of them. You use your telepathy to figure out who these two strangers were. Lui Kang and Raiden. 

You take a deep breath, “The Grand Champion of Mortal Kombat shall be Earthrealms salvation or the cause of its destruction.”

Both of them look at each other and then you.

“I was told by the Elder Gods to give you this message.” You shrug as you look around the woods. How far back in the past were you? 

You look down to see if you were still wearing that ridiculous dress. Damn it. You were gonna need to change clothes and soon.  

“So you are the aid the Elder Gods have sent.” Raiden says, he remembers a vision his future-self had sent him. He had asked for aid to help them defeat Shao Kahn.

“Lord Raiden who is this girl?” Lui Kang asked from beside, his eyes remained locked on your face. He dare not look anywhere else, in fear you would scold him.

“My name is Y/N L/N-Stark. I am the daughter of Y/M/N, a former Earthrealm warrior of Mortal Kombat.” You place your hands together and bow slightly to show respect. “I am from the future.”

Lui Kang eyes widen in shock, “The future?”

You nod, “I know it’s a bit complicated.”

“So, what you told me is true.” Lui Kang looked to Raiden.

“Yes, the Elder Gods have given us a hero to help guide us.”

Hero? No. That’s not exactly who you were. You were just someone who was willing to protect her own brother from his fate, you couldn’t lose Tony. Despite being at odds with him, you still loved him. He was your family after all. But… you would happily take the title.