#but FIRECRACKERS HAPPEN EVERY FUCKING WINTER I HOPE ALL OF YOU GET ONE PUT DOWN YOUR THROAT
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i think people who sell pyrotechnics, especially to CHILDREN, should get a couple of their fingers blown off or AT THE LEAST develop a ptsd-like response to the sound of things blowing up around them.
#there's a popup stand near my workplace that sells fucking crackers#and the guy who is manning it is not 18 in any way#and i doubt they even have a license#but they are surely selling to children with no id-ing#crackers are the worst thing ever#especially when you had them THROWN AT YOU AS A KID#one of the special ed girls at my school got the same treatment and lost an eye#ane of the bullies had a finger blown off so some retribution at least#but these little freaks keep tossing them at people and animals every year and my eyes ONLY SEE BLOOD#like i have just. freezing response whenever there's a plane flying too low which now happens too often with military ones#but FIRECRACKERS HAPPEN EVERY FUCKING WINTER I HOPE ALL OF YOU GET ONE PUT DOWN YOUR THROAT
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While You Sleep
Chapter 12
Relationship: Bucky Barnes x Reader Warnings: kidnapping, violence Summary: Soulmate!AU - Throughout life, youâre given glimpses of your soulmate through dreams. As you sleep, memories flash in your mind showing you the life your soulmate has lived. Everyone around you raves about how their soulmate reads great books or volunteers in their spare time. But you canât relate as your dreams end up being more like nightmares. Through initial images of death and violence, you come to learn your soulmate is the Winter Soldier.
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âThey couldnât take that from me. They could never take you.â
âI never want to bring you pain or worry, okay? That shouldnât be what⊠we do.â
Buckyâs words rang in your head as you sat in the lonesome cell, fighting for release any way you thought to try. But naturally, these attempts of wrangling yourself out of this had fallen flat and you werenât trying anymore, thatâs for certain. It only made the restraints dig into your wrists more. Not to mention you were beyond tired hitting a point of exhaustion that you didn't know was possible. You werenât given a chance to relax as you sat on edge, waiting. Waiting for what - or really who - you didnât quite know.Â
Sure, you had an Avenger for a soulmate (at least, that was what you considered Bucky, despite his humbleness) but you werenât exactly up to date on their enemies. From your understanding, between the looks of the facility and your soulmateâs history, this was seeming like the work of Hydra. But they had been abolished...right? Apparently, you didnât know anymore and doubts rang in your head as you feared you werenât some random victim.
The first signs of daylight were just beginning to peek into your cell from a very tiny, thin window located near the top of the wall beside you.
Suddenly, a grumbling voice called from outside the cell. âSheâs up.â You whipped your head towards the sound, just barely able to make out a figure illuminated by the early morning glow. There was probably some comment to make to whoever this was about how you hadnât really slept but you couldnât find your voice at the moment.
âExcellent.â A deeper, possibly older, voice called from down the hall. The man sounded way too excited for your liking. Your stomach threatened to empty its contents as heavy footsteps began making their way towards your cell.
When the steps stopped, you tried squinting through the minimal light but still couldnât make out much of either man. If you had to guess, they looked like some doctors of sorts in long lab coats with notebooks in hand. One thing you definitely could tell was that they didnât hesitate to stare back. You could feel their eyes taking you in over and over again making your heart pound in a weirdly familiar way.
âDoes she speak?â The first man asked with a humorless scoff. You twisted in your wrist restraints wishing for some courage to get up and maybe put space between you.Â
Mustering a scrap of energy, you turned away from the men, hoping maybe your matted hair falling in your face could block them out forever. Because really, couldnât this be forever? How would anyone know what happened? Your best bet was your coworker noticing your absence but then you thought of Bucky⊠He was away for now and by the time he caught wind who knows what would be of you. Tears began welling in your eyes at the thought of this being it for you -- whatever this was. You still werenât sure what about you compelled these men to kidnap you in the middle of the night.
âHey,â the same voice called out to you this time, pulling you from your troubling thoughts. Slowly, you turned back to him, taking in more of the doctor (fake, you guessed) persona now. âI asked if you speak.â
âNo,â you grumbled. You didnât know where this smart response came from but it made you feel a bit better like you were coming back to yourself. Really, though, you were in no position to start getting smart with anyone.
He let out a joyous laugh that sent far more fear through you. âThe Soldierâs soulmate has an attitude, huh?â
Soldier? Bucky. Your heart panged at another thought of him. If thatâs who they were referring to, this was to be about Bucky, you realized. These men knew him and whatever connection was festered there, it hadn't fizzled and you were caught in the crossfire. This actually couldnât be them⊠But it looked like it.
Suddenly, the cell door opened with a loud screech, and the two men walked into the full glory of the morning sunrise. There, on their white coats, you saw an emblem of what appeared to be some tentacle-bearing creature. Your suspicions were regrettably confirmed.Â
They walked towards you, their eyes looking over you as if you were an experiment and they were memorizing you. With fear racing through you, you slowly began scooting backward trying to get as far away as you could. Your back eventually hit a wall and they just kept coming.Â
âQuite the squeamish one for being chained to The Soldier,â the second man observed, writing something down in his notebook. You could see now that he was much older, having that wiser look in his older years. You guessed he was a leader of sorts (at least, that was how you were going to file him in your head) and the other man, the one who was so kind to comment on your attitude, was some kind of assistant. You couldnât take your eyes off the logo on their coats as it was practically screaming in your face. It all felt impossible and yet here you were, in the belly of the beast.
âW-What am I doing here?â You asked, your voice scratchy and nervous. Honestly, you were just glad you had the guts to make any noise. The assistant looked a bit humored at your question.
âWow, she speaks full sentences,â he commented with an unsettling smirk.Â
The âleaderâ of the pair shot him a look before turning back to speak to you. âWe have some observing to do, my dear,â he briefly explained.
The vagueness of it all was certainly not helping you - like anything realistically could in this moment. Still, you pursued it. âObserving?â
He hummed in response, turning back for a moment to write a few more lines in the notebook. Truthfully, you wanted to just kick it out of his fucking hand. Your eyes flicked quickly to the assistant but he wasnât handing out any hints, just looking at you like you were something to be conquered. Oh, how you wanted to vomit on their shiny dress shoes.
âI will explain our intentions to ease your mind,â he snapped his notebook shut, âbut first, you are to be moved.â
And just like, as if his words were keys, a hoard of men entered the cell and hoisted you to your feet. You tried kicking and screaming but they were strong. Maybe too strong. A strength you possibly could only recall in two other men you knew. But you didnât have time to dwell on it as they corralled you easily and forced you down the hall.Â
Everything was dark again. There was no light from the windows in the hall, just some musty glows of lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling. You didnât know where to look so you just stared downward, taking in the metal flooring that made you chilled.
After turning a few corners, you were brought to a much larger cell. This one at least had a chair, but you didnât think it was exactly a nice grand gesture as your eyes landed on the restraints attached to it. The second thing you noticed was some sort of computer-like machine and rolling tables which lined the side. If you hadnât known better, you wouldâve thought this was just another medical office.Â
You yelped as one of the large men threw you on the chair, not giving you a second to even adjust before your hands were unbound only to be rebound by the chairâs restraints. You tugged a bit at them out of reflex, finding them as sturdy as expected. Your legs were free, though, maybe offering some tactic but exhaustion and fear overtook you.
Once they deemed you settled in, the army of men left, walking in line as commandingly as they had entered. The leader and his assistant stayed, waiting for you three to finally be alone once more. The door shut with a disturbing bang, really sealing your fate. The assistant stayed off to the side, leaning against a wall adjacent to the chair. The leader walked over to you, taking a seat on some rolling stool. Wow, these guys really thought they were serious professionals or something.
âI hope the trip here was okay,â the leader said with a chuckle. âComfortable?â He motioned towards your lounging state. You blinked. âI see we are losing that attitude. What a shame, really. Iâm sure your soulmate loves a firecracker.â Your body visibly tensed at the mention of Bucky. The elderly man didnât miss it. In fact, it seemed like you unintentionally gave him the perfect segue into his whole evil spiel.
âAh, yes, your soulmate.â The leader nodded as if he had just forgotten all about it. âWell, you see, the fact he even has one was news to us,â he shrugged and glanced at his assistant who nodded in confirmation. âWe were sure when we wiped him we were wiping everything, so imagine our surprise when we find out heâs out and about dancing - with you on his arm.âÂ
Your throat tightened as the memories of you and Bucky at the dance hall flooded your mind. It had been so busy that night you never wouldâve thought youâd have to worry about someone⊠It sounded so ludicrous to you. You almost wish he hadnât said it as the thoughts of that night were suddenly a bit darker. The carelessness you two had held seemed foolish now.Â
The leader watched you carefully. When you didnât say anything in response, just blinked away more tears, he continued, âAt first, we were quite angry we had missed something so big. We couldâve sworn we broke every attachment time after time but, as I said, you just swept The Soldier right off his feet. So, naturally, our sights were set on eliminating you.â He let out a ridiculous hearty laugh. âBut then my assistant here,â the man in the corner waved in response, ârealized that that would be a waste. There could be potential here for you. For you and your soulmate. Potential rooted in a team. Two unbreakable soldiers, both in bond and skills. What more could Hydra want?âÂ
You gasped, your eyes growing wide, at the explanation. You didnât know what to do now, your body had a mind of its own as it began shaking your head furiously as your wrists tugged and tugged at the restraints. This wasnât realistic. They were absolutely mad. What kind of foolishness was this? They couldnât possibly -
âNow, now,â the leader chuckled and turned to his notebook. He began checking referencing stuff from the monitor to the paper. âDonât get too excited. Weâre still brainstorming the whole concept and while itâs not near execution, it is on the promising side. There is, though, a vital component we seem to be lacking: your soulmate.â
Bucky⊠Your heart felt like it was going to rip itself out of your chest. Was he walking into a trap? Assuming he was walking in at all? Who was to say he had any idea of what was going on with you? How long could this all be for⊠You let out a surprising sob.
The leader responded to your outburst with an annoyed scoff. âThereâs no reason to cry, dear. Heâs sure to be here soon thanks to that little bond you have. If he hasnât already recognized your distress by now, well, heâs not as smart as we thought.â He shrugged and began typing away on the monitorâs keyboard. âThe whole attachment may all work out in our favor after all. Eventually, you two will be reunited, and wonât that be just lovely?â
Truthfully, you didnât know anymore. You had no doubt in Buckyâs fighting abilities but these guys were⊠Well, they were pretty much responsible for him and everything you had seen him be put through. Who knows what they could do if (and when) he walked through those doors. You were lucky you hadnât passed out yet from this anxiety alone.
âBesides, as I said, itâs all later down the line anyway,â the leader said. It had suddenly occurred to you at that moment that you were very glad he hadnât given out his name. You couldnât imagine humanizing these monsters. âFor now, though, we are interested in learning more about you. Iâll be honest, on paper you are quite boring. Barely finished high school, left college for a coffee shop job⊠The pairing is almost comical. We just canât figure out what you offer him and while, really, who are we to question Fate? But I still think in time we can figure out...well, whatever it is about you.â
You shook your head slowly, your eyes barely even able to focus on him anymore. Everything in you felt so heavy. âIâm not special.âÂ
âOh, but thatâs where youâre wrong,â the leader chuckled. âHe makes you special.â
As if on cue, a chorus of screams erupted from the hallway. You all jumped and turned towards the door. There was a little window on it but all you three could see were the bodies of the army of men from earlier flying about.Â
âSooner than we expected,â the leader mumbled and began furiously typing something into the computer.
You didnât know what to do besides sit there and wait for whatever was coming. Deep in you, you knew it was Bucky, you could feel it. You could feel him. But there was also a part of you that could also sense⊠rage. A very familiar, unsettling rage burned within him. It made you wonder if you actually wanted to see him in such a state. Some sick piece of you wished they had just knocked you out.Â
There wasnât much more time to consider what you were going to do as the door to the cell was ripped off. Literally, fully, ripped away at the hinges to reveal a very determined, very angry, Bucky. He had an expression you didnât recall seeing before, even in the nightmares. He looked ready to murder everything in its path but there was no calculated strategy to the madness. It seemed to be just him and his pure desire to eliminate anything and everything. His eyes were locked deadly on the older man, seemingly opting to ignore you. The assistant had begun shifting further away into the corner of the space.
âSo nice of you to join us,â the leader said with an unsettling laugh. âIâll admit, we werenât expecting you so soon. I barely got a chance to get to know your little darling here.â He motioned towards you.Â
âIâm only going to ask this once,â Bucky finally spoke, his voice strained, âlet her go.â
The leader smiled, âIâm not sure youâll be asking for anything in a moment, anyways.â He motioned towards the computer. You and Bucky followed his motion with matching bewildered expressions. âIn fact, I think youâll be the one doing what I ask.â
Buckyâs eyes widened. âNo-,âÂ
But it was already set in motion. With a simple press of a button, the room filled with an electronic voice repeating a series of words in a foreign language. You looked around, unsure of where this could even be coming from and what the hell was being said, Your eyes eventually settled on Bucky who looked completely⊠lost. You gripped the sides of the chair, begging for this to just be over, as you watched that was so familiar. You could feel the memories rising from the depths of your brain. Hidden away, nearly suppressed... You gasped. The nightmares. Thatâs what all this was. They had pulled the trigger.Â
As much as you loved and trusted Bucky, you couldnât say the same for the other guy. If in that state, could he even recognize you? Like, fully understand your role? You didnât want to find out, truly. The panic that was settling in now was unlike anything you had experienced that day. Not even the idea of Hydra goons kidnapping you had sparked this much within.Â
You were preparing yourself for the worst as you watched Bucky try to shake it off. The leader wore a proud expression while the assistant kept his lonely distance, watching everything unfold. Suddenly, Bucky began mumbling to himself as his hands made hard fists. You thought the blow was finally coming and he was going to be gone. Just like that.
But then Bucky lunged. In one swift move, he pounced on the leader, taking everyone in the room off-guard, especially the target of the aggression. The older man hadnât even had a chance to put his arms up before your soulmate was punching him relentlessly. Buckyâs yelling in the process was of pure, expressive anger, completely drowning out the screams of pain from the leader. You didnât know what to do. You wanted to look away so badly but you were also hypnotized. Bucky was so determined and unwavering in whatever goal was planted in his head. A bit thankful someone would go to such lengths for you, you had had enough of such danger in your sleep - you didnât want it in your reality.Â
Bucky switched suddenly to strangling the man and that seemed to be the final straw for the leaderâs life. The older man was soon just a lifeless, limp body on the floor. Bucky was still knelt above him, watching the soul drain from his victim. Your jaw went slack. You couldnât turn this off.
The assistant didnât help it as he made some foolish break for the exit but Bucky was just as fast. In a couple of determined strides, Bucky yanked the younger man back by the neck and threw him into the wall creating an artistic indentation. The assistant fell to the floor with a chilling thud.Â
There was no one left for his sights to land on except for you. Slowly, Bucky turned around. A shiver ran up your spine when your eyes finally met. You didnât know who was standing before you. Whatever or whoever this was quickly began stomping their way towards you. You shut your eyes and flinched away, waiting for a painful, finishing blow from the Soldier.Â
But it never came.Â
Instead, all Bucky did was lean over to turn off the speakers and then began untying your wrists. Hesitantly, you turned to look at him but found he wouldnât look at you, just was intensely concentrated on the restraints.Â
âB-Bucky?â Your voice was scratchy as you fumbled over his name.Â
âItâs me, doll,â Bucky responded with an exhausted sigh. He sounded normal to you, his demeanor not even looking close to what you remembered from the nightmares. He⊠He was okay. Bucky still wasnât looking at you as he finished one restraint then went on the next.
âYouâre notâŠâ
Bucky shook his head. âEverythingâs okay,â he mumbled. âWeâre getting you out of here.â
âWe?â
âThe team is outside handling the other men.â
âYou all came for me?â
Bucky finally looked up at you. For the first time, you could see just how tired he looked. A man nearly on the brink of defeat and enduring the fight. Your heart ached as all you wanted to do was crawl into his arms and take the longest naps of your lives.Â
âOf course, sweetheart,â Bucky nodded. Gently, after the last restraint was undone, he picked you up bridal style. You threw your arms around his neck and buried your face in his shoulder, letting yourself relax and the tears flow.Â
âThank you,â you mumbled but Bucky didnât respond as he carried you out of the facility
***
You mustâve fallen asleep because a few hours later you awoke at some sort of compound. You were lying in what appeared to be a hospital bed but nothing about this place looked like a typical hospital. The technology was too advanced and everything just seemed too quiet. You looked around, letting your eyes adjust to the bright light of the sun shining in from the large room windows. In the corner, you were greeted by the sight of Bucky sleeping awkwardly in a chair.
You twisted in the bed, trying to get more comfortable under the blanket. The super-soldier hearing mustâve kicked in because one ruffle of the blanket made Buckyâs eyes shoot open. He looked at you, panic shifting to relief when he saw you were awake. Quickly, in a few steps, he was out of the chair and at your bedside.Â
âHow are you feeling?â He asked softly. His hand went to touch your cheek but he must've thought better of it and instead lowered it. Your heart broke a bit wondering what self-deprecating thoughts were running through his brain after everything he had to do.Â
âIâm okay. Just a bit sore,â you shrugged but boy was it the hard truth. You hadn't been in a comfortable position in hours and endured being thrown around like some rag doll.Â
âDo you need any medicine?â Bucky asked, his voice suddenly having an air of panic to it. âI can call for help if you need it. Are you hungry? Do you need water? Or -Â Or just anything to drink? I can get you-,â
âBuckyâŠâ You placed your hand on his to calm down. He flinched at your touch. âIâm fine. Everything is fine.â
He shook his head. âNothing is fine, sweetheart. You were taken from me-,â Bucky cut himself off as his eyes began welling with tears. He looked wrecked as he stared down at you, taking in your current state. You felt the pain, wanting nothing more than to make all these torturing thoughts vanish. âYou⊠You saw things that I just⊠I never wanted you to deal with-,â
âItâs over.â You took a deep breath. âIâm here, Iâm safe, and youâre with me.â
Bucky closed his eyes as if preparing for something. âAfter what happened back there, do you even want me around anymore?â
Your jaw went slack at his question. Sure, there was absolutely no denying that the events of today scared you, most likely more than you realized. You had only seen Bucky that determined and violent in your nightmares so to see it just steps away was jarring. But you also knew nothing changed within him. He wasnât a robot or anything. He wasnât someone just taking commands. He had remorse. You certainly couldnât say the same for who greeted you in your sleep. It may take you some time to adjust, sure, but you werenât turning away. At least, you were going to try not to. Healing was just beginning.
âOf course, I do,â you said, raising your other hand to Buckyâs cheek. At first, he flinched but slowly he leaned into the touch, sighing like he was letting go of something. âBucky, what happened back there⊠You had no choice. I donât have to tell you that those were some very, very bad people. They had it coming and the fact you went to those lengths to save me is unbelievable.â
âIâd go to the ends of the Earth for my girl,â Bucky admitted.Â
You let out a weak giggle. âThank you.â A pause. âMay I ask how you figured out I was in trouble?â
Bucky smirked. âI had a nightmare.â
You raised your brows in surprise. âA nightmare?â
He nodded, âI started to feel weird after leaving for the mission like there was something I was missing. A little later on, I was taking a nap and you of course appeared but it was unlike any other dream I had ever had about you. It was⊠You were scared, deathly afraid of something, and then I saw what was going on. I practically watched it all play out from your apartment and on. It didnât take too long to put everything together.â
You hmmâd. âThank God for nightmares.â
Bucky chuckled and placed a light kiss on your forehead. âThank God for nightmares,â he repeated in agreement.
#bucky barnes#the winter soldier#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes imagine#bucky barnes fanfiction#bucky barnes angst#bucky barnes fluff#fanfiction#fanfic#mcu fic#mcu#marvel fanfiction#marvel#avengers#soulmate au#writing*#fluff#angst#bucky fic#bucky x y/n#bucky imagine#bucky barnes one shot
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Hi! Hope your having a great week! Anyway can I request an idea where reader is a new avenger recruit that comes off as shy and gets teased cause they donât know why she made the cut? But someone on the team took something that belongs to her and thatâs why she was picked... her temper is awful. She ends up stabbing the person without a second thought. But sheâs super sweet yet a psycho.
A/N: Thanks so much for the request, babes! I hope this is what youâre looking for. I had fun writing this!Â
Summary: Youâre a new recruit for the avengers, and although youâre shy, youâve sure got a temper. What happens when someone takes something that belongs to you?
Warnings: Language, asshole Bucky and Clint
................................................................................................................................
You couldnât believe it. You were standing in front of your heroes. Well, basically everyone's heroes, but that's besides the point. Youâd finally made it. Avengers recruitment, what could really make or break the rest of your life. No biggie.Â
You were all broken off into groups, some with the Black Widow, some with the Captain America, but you were in the group with leaders Winter Soldier and Hawkeye, or, as they insisted you called them, Bucky and Clint. An odd pairing, sure, but the two both had the same poor, rather sad, attention span.Â
You were standoffish, choosing to watch and practice alone, in the back. You didnât like standing out, even though you knew that's what they were looking for.Â
Toying with a bracelet around your arm, you slid it off, twirling it between your fingers. You nearly jumped out of your skin when you felt a hand being placed on your shoulder, and a shadow appear in front of you.Â
âWhatcha got there, dollface?âÂ
It was the Winter Soldier- Bucky. Your heart nearly leaped out of your chest as you wracked your brain for an answer. Was there a wrong one? Is this a test?Â
âUh. Bracelet.âÂ
âOh, this old thing?â It was Clint this time that spoke, grabbing the bracelet from your hands. You reached for it timidly, but he held it just out of reach.Â
âH-hey! Give that back.âÂ
âRuh-Roh, someoneâs getting mad, huh? Buck, catch.â Clint threw it over to Bucky, who then proceeded to hold it over your head, making you jump for it like a fool.Â
Unbeknownst to you, the one and only Captain America had been watching this whole thing unfold, completely abandoning his group.Â
This went on for a little bit, the back and forth. You could feel yourself getting angrier and angrier, but before you could pounce, Steve called for wrap up.Â
âWhoops, looks like itâs time to go. You mind if I hang on to this?â Clint said, a snarky tone in his voice. The two boys laughed as they made their way to the next room of recruitments. You stomped your foot angrily, steam pretty much coming out of your ears as you glared at anyone and everyone.Â
âHey, calm down. It was just a bracelet. Iâd be honored to have my bracelet taken from them.â It was another recruit, having to put their two cents Into your business.Â
âIf you do not shut the fuck up, youâll be my new bracelet when I shove my hand up your ass.â That seemed to scare them away, as they backed up slowly, hands raised in defense.Â
You began to pack your stuff like everyone else, just ready to go home and blow off some steam. Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you made your way to the door. Before you made it outside, however, a voice called you back.Â
âY/N? Can I speak to you for a second?âÂ
It was Steve Rogers himself. What would he want with you? Nevertheless you made your way over to him, as he watched the last few people trail out of the gym, he forced a smile, resting his hand on your back.Â
âWelcome to the team, kid.âÂ
____________________________________________
âAnd this is the kitchen. We spend a lot of time here.âÂ
You chuckled quietly, running your fingers lightly over the kitchen counter. You were in awe the entire tour, pretty much still in shock from when you were told you had made it in. Steve had been very warm and welcoming, and so had the others you had come across while getting the grand tour.Â
You hung on to every word Steve had told you, anxiously awaiting the next move. You were the quiet type, which he had pointed out many times already, but you were a firecracker. It didnât take much to set you off, which is why you were so ready to get onto the field. However, he told you that might not be for a while.
Just as you were about to head back to your room to do a little victory dance, the team entered the kitchen, apparently getting a pre-debriefing snack. You could feel your heart pick up and your hands start to sweat as they all filed in, and you smiled. Your smile dropped, though, when you saw the two dicks who took your bracelet.Â
âHey, recruit. You okay? You look like you saw someone kick your puppy.â It was Natasha, and you quickly wiped the steamy look off your face and turned to her, nodding bashfully.Â
âY-yeah. Just still in awe, that's all.â Your voice came out a squeak, and you went to go toy with your bracelet, a nervous habit of yours, only to be reminded that it wasnât there. You sighed and moved to the back of the room, away from everyone.Â
You thought you were safe, and that theyâd all be leaving soon, so you try to sneak out the door unnoticed, but you shouldâve known that wasnât possible with literal super humans.Â
âAnd where do you think youâre going, your shyness?â Tony spoke up, making the rest turn to look at you.Â
âThat was a good one.â Came from somewhere in the room, to which Tony shot them a glare and a shake of the head, clearly telling them that they were ruining his creative sparks.Â
âMe? Oh, I was just, uh..â
âGo on. Spit it out, doll.â It was him. Bucky. And right now, he was on your shit list, along with Clint. You shot him a dirty look, before letting out a sigh and a forced smile.Â
âJust to my room, is all.âÂ
âOh, come on. You donât want to sit and talk with us? That hurts my feelings.â Clint replied, a fake pout on his face.Â
You really didnât know what to say, you were under the gaze of the most famous superheroes in the world. You just stood there, face heating up as you slowly stepped backwards.Â
âCome on guys, sheâs shy. Cut her some slack. Sheâs probably gonna go over analyze why she got in in the first place.â Your eyes cut over to Sam, and before you could defend yourself, they all started in on you.Â
âYou know, why did you get picked?â
âI donât really know..â Your voice came out quiet hush, and you didnât think anyone heard you, until Steve came to your side.Â
âAlright, cut it out. Lets let her get settled before we start giving her a hard time, yeah?â âOh, donât be all soft, Steve. Sheâs fine. You're just a lady kiss ass.â
They all began to gang up on him instead of you, and while you felt bad, you were also relieved. He shooed them off as they were all called into the debriefing, and they made their way out, but two strayed from the pack, and you huffed.Â
âWhat do you want?â
âOh, come on, sweetheart. I think we all know why youâre here.â Bucky held up your bracelet, âPoor little girl, too shy to stick up for herself.â
âGive it back, Bucky.â You clenched your fist at your sides, and they both chuckled at the sight. âWhy? Whatâre you gonna do? Hit me?â
You could feel the anger bubbling inside of you, the instantaneous need to just break something in half. Without thinking you walked over to the kitchen island, grabbing a knife out of its holder. You pointed it toward the two men, waving it around.
âIs this what you want? For me to prove myself or something? Fine!â
Your next move wasnât very well thought out, as you jammed the knife into Clint's thigh. You rolled your eyes as he let out a scream, and Bucky dropped the bracelet in shock.Â
âShe just fucking stabbed me, dude! Oh, my god. We have to get out of here before she kills us.â
Clint hobbled over to the door, and you gave Bucky a pointed look, causing him to gulp and chase after his injured friend.
âShe's crazy, dude. Fucking psycho.âÂ
You shrugged, picking up your bracelet and sliding it back on, admiring how much better your wrist looked with it on.Â
#bucky fanfic#bucky x reader#marvel fanfic#hawkeye#avengers#bucky barnes#james buchanan barnes#steve rogers#steve rogers x reader#captain america
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Restart | Avengers x Male! Reader | 11
Fandom: Marvel
Pairing: Avengers x Male! Reader (romantically: multiple)
Plot: Dr. Strange said there was only one possibility of winning the battle against Thanos.
But when (Name) is forced into the past and into his younger body, heâs suddenly given the chance to start over and prevent the future from happening again.
So which route are you going to take? Are you going to risk the future and take preventative measures, or live life with the Avengers for the next 4 years, knowing what will soon come?
A/N: Different format this time, taken like a video log, though itâs mostly dialogue.Â
[Action: enter folder titled âProject Renaissanceâ.]
...
[Enter Password: |]
[Enter Password: 1R0NM4NSU|]
[Enter Password: 1R0NM4NSUXXAP3XRUL35 |]
[Action: enter.]
...
[Password Accepted.]
[AccessingâŠ]
[Enter folder name.]
[Action: âvideo logsâ.]
[SearchingâŠ]
[Folder âVideo Logsâ found. Would you like to play from the beginning?]
[Action: âYes.â]
...
[Playing⊠âuh i donât know name it whatever you wantâ, date created: 10-23-2013.]
...
...
âIs this thing on? Hello? Hell-o?â
The video feed shows your lone figure in your lab. Itâs dark outside as the timestamp in the corner indicates that itâs half past midnight. Youâre sitting directly in front of the camera, dressed in pajamas but no signs of fatigue anywhere.
You visibly huff, but only mirth flickers through your eyes as you look directly into the camera. It doesnât last long as your eyes travel over to the camera feed and now youâre just looking at yourself as you begin to talk.
âAlright, so uh. Yadda yadda yadda, I planned to manually enter and type all of this out, but⊠I thought why not record it all in a log along the way? Fun, huh?â
You trail off on that thought, mumbling something about âwell, thatâs what my therapist said, anyways. Ah, wait, I donât have her yet⊠mm, should probably look into thatâŠâ.
âAnyways, this is day one of Project Renaissance, or as itâs also known as, Project Get-Our-Shit-Together-Before-We-Get-Our-Lives-Rocked-By-Thanos.â
You shrug nonchalantly, but to the keenest of eyes, there was a stiffness in your posture when you mentioned Thanos. It was brief, but present nonetheless as it quickly dissipates from your shoulders.
âAnd, we donât have to worry about any of this being leaked or whatever, because this is all on my sweet DAHLIAâs servers! Say something to the camera.â
âSomething to the camera,â a dull female voice spoke up from the ceiling, Australian accent thick.
âCharming,â you purse your lips as if to hold back a smile, âAnyways, where was IâŠâ
âOh, yeah- Renaissance. So this is gonna be a long, long project with a bunch of other mini-folders inside.â
You swiped your hands across the air, slicing through as blue holograms appeared in front of the camera. There were already dozens of folders, but the camera catches only a few of their names.
âFirecrackerâ, âThunderpantsâ, and âAccordsâ are some that are visible.
âI just wanted to get on base with what we have so far, but itâs not much considering itâs, yâknow, only day one.â
You mumble something incoherent away from the camera before gazing back up on the camera feed, not quite looking directly into the camera itself. To the left of you, thereâs a hologram of a checklist that you occasionally glance through as you resume speaking.
âMain objective of this project: prevent Thanos from decimating half of the universe, preferably killing him in the process. Side objectives: keep the Avengers together, current members optional, new members in need nonetheless. Contenders in another file.â
You glance at the checklist.
âCurrent objective: locate and capture Barnes, codename Winter Soldier, and any other Winter Soldiers, and sift through S.H.I.E.L.D.âs database for traces of HYDRA.â
âSidenote: we, ah, started the search yesterday- for Barnes. So far, itâs⊠Not really promising. I, uh, initially gave the timeline to find Barnes a few days max, but man, Iâm starting to doubt thatâŠâ
You sigh, scratching at your arm irritably.
âWhateverâŠâ you mumbled.
âAnyways.â
âI, ah, I donât know for sure what I want to do with Barnes, but considering that Iâll probably have more than ample time to think about it, Iâm not worrying about it too much. As for his triggersâŠâ
You glanced at an adjacent folder, almost contemplating.
âI know of one person who can help, but Iâm not exactly putting too much hope for that one. So.â
âWe might have to resort to B.A.R.F. when itâs ready. DAHLIA, who- who was on that case again?â
âMr. Quentin Beck and his team, doll.â
âAh, yeah, Beck. Cute, tall, big oleâ eyes?â
An image hologram pops up in front of you, presumably of Quentin Beck.
âI donât know about âcuteâ, but in essence? Yep.â
You ignored DAHLIAâs apparent judgment in your taste in men.
âGotcha. Well, thereâs that we can resort to if need be. UmâŠâ
âWell, as for HYDRA, thatâs⊠Thatâs a whole ânother can of worms right there.â
You sighed, and this is the first inkling of exhaustion youâve shown so far. You deflate a little bit and spend the next few minutes staring at something behind the monitor in silence. Youâre deep in thought before your phone buzzes.
Then, the video feed cuts off.
âŠ
âŠÂ
[Video end. Selecting next in queueâŠ]
[Playing⊠âokay donât do that weird thing where you record everything i say and make it the title, please dahlia anyways uh i wanna name it uh huh um shit dahlia i swear to god stop doing thatâ, date created: 11-02-2013.]
âŠ
âŠ
âWow, alright, I was watching the last log last night and man did I literally got nothing done. I mean, it was the first day, but still! Still, I fuckingâŠâ
Your voice trails off as you walk away from the screen, holding what appears to be a big box filled with papers and envelopes. You set it down in the far corner of the lab, still talking but your words are unintelligible as the microphone is too far to hear anything.
â... And yet here I am, just- ugh!â
You dropped your body onto the chair and plopped right in front of the screen. Your hair is disheveled, undersuit still on. Thereâs a bruise forming on your forehead, but you donât really seem to care about your messy appearance.
You pointed a lazy finger towards the corner, a small grin as you try to line it up with the camera feed.
âThatâs fanmail- apparently someone has been neglecting to read those⊠Itâs me, Iâm someone.â
You chuckle to yourself.
âMm, Iâll read myself to sleep later, probably hang all of it up on a mural wall somewhere. Or the ceiling, that works too. Anyways. Just went on a, shall I say, self-imposed mission. It was, ah, to look for Barnes.â
You sheepishly smiled.
ââWas followinâ a lead from DAHLIA, a potential hit marker, but- it was just a- a barely running base. Nothinâ new, but- itâs nice. To fly and- and fight in the suit every now and then.â
You shake your head.
âNot the- the current one. The nanite one. Itâs- god, I miss it, you know?â
Your eyes glaze over, a faraway glint in your eyes as you paused your ranting. This goes on for about 24 more seconds before you started talking again, voice smaller.
âI did this thing, with dad. After the whole, um, Accords bullshit. He- we would get into our suits- the newer models, and just⊠Go at each other. No repulsors, no nothing. Just raw, brutal punches in the suit. No holding back, no making sure the other oneâs okay after a good blow⊠Just⊠We just hailed on each other, you know?â
âI mean, obviously we werenât trying to kill each other, but sometimes it⊠It felt close, yâknow? Nothing personal, but⊠It was primal, sometimes. Sometimes heâd knock my jaw a little too loose and all Iâd ever see would be red⊠It was wild, Iâll tell you that.â
âBut- we only did it here and there, considerinâ, yâknow. Heâs-... He was getting older, and I was⊠getting busier.â You sighed. âNo one knew about it either; god knows how Rhodey or maâ would react to us- just- beating the shit out of each other.â
You smiled, though it looked more like a grimace.
âIt was fun, though. Get the frustrations out. Work on our weaknesses. Show no hesitation. ItâsâŠâ
Thereâs a sudden hollowness in your eyes as your face shifts, an expression years older than you were currently. Haunted, almost. You shake your head, whatever traces of your former self now gone as you smiled- though, there was nothing genuine to that smile at all.
â... Not important. Anyways.â
You shifted in your seat, clearly uncomfortable at the stagnant air despite being the only one in the room.
âSo yeah. HYDRA. I took out everyone at that base. Nothing left. Downloaded whatever they had, wiped it, then burnt it to a crisp. The usual, nothing new, nothing importantâŠâ
You shrugged, âItâs harder to get the Avengers to look the other way when Iâm doing these solo missions. Iâm pretty sure Natashaâs getting sus about this⊠Nothing tied to me, but. Still.â
âBut yeah, DAHLIAâs sifting through the information right now.â
Your eyes shift to the left, presumably a screen with said findings loading in.
âSo-o... There was⊠There was that.â
You paused, trying to gather your thoughts when your eyes flickered.
âAh- but to continue to the last log; HYDRA⊠Man. HYDRA, HYDRA, HYDRA. Always a pain in the ass.â
You scowled.
âI thought it was gonna take me a little longer to sift through the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, but surprisingly enough, it was⊠Kind of easy to sort out HYDRA and Not-HYDRA.â
You scratched your head in confusion.
âBack a couple of years ago- or, well, in⊠Next year, actually. June? Well- Team Cap is gonna go haywire on S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA and Project Insight and basically dump all that good-good, and we,â you noted with an oddly bitter tone, âwere left to clean up the mess they made. And, well, it exposed a lot of active field agents. Shit, man.â
You scrubbed your face with your hands, which were marred with fresh scratches and burn marks. Itâs unclear where they came from, but you donât seem bothered by it.
âSo many agents were killed in that stunt. GodâŠâ
Your voice is muffled, but still audible.
âThere was one agent⊠Codename Acai. Sweet gal, âcording to her co-workers. Little unhinged, but she got the work done. She⊠She was undercover in North Korea for a few years. Got busted by the data dump. AndâŠâ
âGod, they justâŠâ
You sighed gruffly, refusing to look anywhere near the camera.
âIt was rough, finding her body. Kept looking for her even months after the whole Ultron bullshit. By the time we got to her, it took us months to I.D. her body- even worse? North Korea already had her death listed as suicide under her fake name. Bullshit! Parts of her was missinâ, how the fuck is that a suicide?! Both feet, gone. Her sternum was nowhere to be found. How- I justâŠ!â
You gritted your teeth.
âI just donât understand what they were thinking when they pulled that dumbass stunt to release all of that- that sensitive dataâŠ! I thought- oh, maybe, maybe, HYDRA had already corrupted a large part of S.H.I.E.L.D., thatâs why they did it!â
âBut no! No- do you know how much of S.H.I.E.L.D. was infected? How much?!â
You pinched your fingers together and squinted at the camera with a visceral smile.
â6 percent. That 6 percent accounted for a majority of the higher-ups. Not lower field combatants. Not the technicians. The higher-ups.â
â6 percent of S.H.I.E.L.D. was HYDRA,â you hissed, âyet they still endangered the other 94% active and non-active members! Fuck- it was a miracle! A miracle, that we got to any of the agentâs family that had been documented before HYDRA or anyone else could!â
âItâs a miracle that the Bartons even made it- and we didnât even know about them until Ultron! Itâs just-... Fuck!â
Growling, you knocked your head against the metal table in front of you. The camera shakes a little bit.
âGod, Romanoff, what the fuck were you thinkinâ? You were supposed to keep them in check, not⊠Not be so goddamn stupid!â
You growled under your breath, taking a moment to breathe. You lifted your head up with a neutral face and exhaled.
âWhatever. Whatâs done is done. Iâve- Iâve had years to simmer over it and Iâm- Iâm not. Angry. I swear Iâm not. Itâs done, it happened. But. Hopefully in this timeline⊠It wonât happen. Not like that, at least.â
There was a peculiar glint in your eyes as you started reaching into one of your cabinets.
âAnd I know just how to stop it.â
You raised your eyebrows with your eyes closed, reluctant to repeat what you had already said.
âAgain, sifted through S.H.I.E.L.D. for HYDRA. Got the information. And it is all. In. Here.â
You pulled back up to reveal a small black USB flash drive. Thereâs nothing of interest to it on the outside, but itâs whatâs inside that really, really counted.
âThis bad boy has all the shit that HYDRAâs been skeeminâ all up in S.H.I.E.L.D.âs system. I- well.â
âI actually have 2 of these, but, ah. Oneâs already on the way to oleâ Saint Nick.â
You brushed a hand through your hair. Itâs grown quite a bit and in need of trimming.
âBecause if thereâs one thing I know for sure about S.H.I.E.L.D.? Nick ainât apart of HYDRA, no matter how much of a scumbag he is. And, really⊠Iâd like to think I trust him to handle this situation properly- more so than anyone else but me and my dad. Obviously, dad canât- he canât ever know about⊠About this.â
Despite referring to the USB in your hands, your words were heavy nonetheless. It wasnât just the flash drive you were referring to.
âSo Furyâs getting the other bad boy. Worth millions, and 2 of a kind, too.â
âWell, I sent it to the bastard. Hopefully, he doesnât trash it, or whatever. Soon.â
You hummed. Setting the USB down on the table, you made direct eye contact with the camera and posed with pouty lips. You threw up a peace sign ironically and grinned.
âWell, thatâs that. Oh, and Clint vomited on Steveâs clothes yesterday. Not important, but funny nonetheless. Deuces!â
âŠ
âŠ
[Video end. Selecting next in queueâŠ]
[Playing⊠âdahlia we donât have the fucking time for this get the damn suitâ, date created: 11-29-2013.]
âŠ
âŠ
âHi.â
Youâre still in your school clothes that day, a simple sweater and sweatpants. Your letterman is hanging on the back of your seat for going to the robotics competitions your school had.Â
The timestamp also indicates that you had just gotten out of school too- though, it is considerably dark outside. Snowing that day, most likely. And still is, probably.
âSo, uh. Fury got the message, I think.â
You spun around in your chair, knees up to your chest.
âUsually weâre getting harassed by him every now and then to do missions, but Natasha just came home yesterday sayinâ, like. âFuryâs put my mission on holdâ, or something.â
âHe doesnât know I sent it to him, I think. But. Thingâsâre getting pret-ty serious now, huh.â
You shrugged.
âWell, whatever. I didnât come here to talk about Fury, though. I came here to update on, ah, a few things.â
âI know I havenât touched base with- well, you,â You gave the camera a saucy wink, âabout a lot of my projects so far. So, here are a few that Iâve been thinking of implementing.â
A picture is pulled up from your desktop. Itâs an aerial shot of a brunet talking to his friend, both of a juvenile appearance. Thereâs another picture, a 3D generated image of a red and blue suit.
âSo. Peter Parker.â
Sigh.
âI⊠really, really, really donât want him to be involved in any of this. No superhero bullshit, no nothing.â
âHeâs young. He doesnât- doesnât need to be involved with this mess. I just⊠I just want him to have a normal life.â
âOne I never got to have; one heâll never get to have,â goes unsaid, but you continued on.
âBut⊠By my reasoning, I am⊠Hypocritical in my justification.â
You paused, frowning as you look at the picture long and hard. When you speak up, your voice is noticeably quieter.
âHe was just as old as I was when I started this whole Apex mantle thing. Hell, he mightâve been older. Will be older. And quite frankly, I canât stop him even if I wanted to. Heâll still do it, still go out and fight and just-...â
âHeâll do it unsupervised, and thatâs what scares me the most.â
You mumble under your breath, âHe reminds me too much of⊠Me. Young, dumb, and reckless as all hell.â
You shook your head and pulled up another file. This oneâs a text file, and itâs detailed enough to go on for pages and pages, but clearly thereâs more to be added.
âSo, what Iâm hoping to do is⊠Start an internship program. Start- start him early. The sooner, the better control heâll have over his powers. The better experience heâll get. And, of course, with the additional benefits of, well. Being in an actual internship program.â
âWhat that will intel? I donât know. But I think⊠I think both the students and SI can- can benefit off of that.â
âSo, that was one of my projects. Another one is about, well.â
You swallowed hard for this one.
âExtremis.â
You held your hands up as if trying to halt the camera- even the viewer- from freaking out.
âListen, look, I know, I know- âoh, Extremis is already stabilized, oh, why mess with it even more, oh, just leave it alone itâll make you explode into a thousand firecrackers, ohâ- I get it. I know.â
âBut⊠Listen to me.â
âI really, really do think Hansen was onto something with Extremis, no matter how evil and fucked up it is now. It⊠With a little bit of love and care, I really do think it can help. Maybe not- not on a mass-production scale- or for commercial use, period- but still.â
You licked your lips, eyes flickering to a picture of you, Tony, and Rhodey eating ice cream on your desk.
âI⊠It can be a last resort type of thing. It- it has the potential. So, so much potential.â
You chuckled to yourself.
âWell, itâs not like you- whoever else that isnât me thatâs watching this- can convince me otherwise. Donât worry, no live subjects. No evil scientist bull, just⊠Just trust me, please.â
Itâs unclear who exactly youâre referring to, but itâs as if thereâs a specific person youâre trying to plead with despite knowing that no matter what, this footage- along with the rest- will be forever condemned to rest in the grave that is DAHLIAâs protected database.
âSo, yeah. Working a little bit on Extremis. Um, I wish I could say that the next projects are more- light-hearted, but. Not really, no.â
âIâm⊠Well, thereâs no easy way to say this: Iâm thinking of filing a class-action lawsuit on Ross.â
And with that bombshell of an announcement to the camera, the Avengers alert rang across the building.
âFuck- DAHLIA, end it- put me on comms!â
âŠ
âŠ
[Video end. Selecting next in queueâŠ]
[Playing⊠âi am so mad i didnât think about this before dahlia change the mission objectiveâ, date created: 12-18-2013.]
âŠ
...
âWould you believe me if I said I completely forgot about these whole video log things?â
Your back is turned to the camera, completely shirtless and hair dripping wet. Youâre texting someone, and youâre typing a little bit furiously. The camera catches the other person sending a cat picture. You huff, but turn your phone off and set it to the side.
âSo. Ross.â
You shake your head.
âSorry to drop a bombshell like that on you,â you quietly address the camera, âthen disappear on a mission, but-â
âThereâs nothing concrete now. Just- itâs just an idea. I thinkâŠâ
âI think Bruce would like it. Thereâs- thereâs a lot of dirt on Ross. So much shit that can get him life, too. Maybe even death if we play our cards right, but⊠I want that bastard to suffer. And quite frankly, if I can get rid of him now, the better the Avengers will be in the future.â
You rolled your shoulders, a satisfying crack echoes from you and you grinned for a moment, before smoothing your face out into something more neutral. You leaned back in your chair, and take a breather.
âSo, uh. Itâs been⊠Over a month, Iâd say? Since I started these whole video logs. Um⊠No traces on Barnes. ItâsâŠâ
You glance up at the ceiling with a pained expression.
âItâs frustrating as hell. Youâd think, with access to a majority, if not all of the satellites and cameras and whatnot, weâd find him easierâŠâ
âItâs like heâs not even doing anything, at all. No missions, no assassinations or whatever⊠Nothing. Nada. Itâs like⊠Itâs like heâs not even being deplo-â
You paused. Itâs clear that the gears inside your head are turning. You narrowed your eyes, a smile threatening to break out as you reached towards the camera buttons.
âSonnofabitch.â
âŠ
âŠ
[Video end. Selecting next in queueâŠ]
[Playing⊠âi wonât let history repeat again starting with himâ, date created: 12-29-2013.]
âŠ
...
âSo. Iâm, uh, major update.â
Unlike the previous video logs where you were in your lab, this one is different. The camera is a lot closer to your face and from a bottom perspective as you hold the camera.Â
Youâve got part of your helmet, chest plate, shoulders, gauntlets, and presumably your boots still on as your steps are heavy and clanking. Thereâs blood smeared across your forehead. Youâre slightly out of breath as you glance at something outside of the cameraâs perspective.
Around you, the view is shaky and itâs unclear where youâre walking. None of the interior decors indicates that youâre in the tower- in fact, itâs barren and empty.
You glance down at the camera view.
âRemember the last log? Well, I uh, sort of had an epiphany, if you will.â
You continue walking, but youâve reached a door mechanism. You punch in some numbers and continue talking as the doors open wide.
âIt was strange, that I got no hits of a Winter Soldier stalking around anywhere. Sure, heâs a trained spy and killer, but no oneâs that slick- not even Natasha, as much as she thinks otherwise.â
Youâre in an elevator now, catching your breath slightly as you drew your eyebrows together. Thereâs a dinging noise, indicating the floors youâre ascending- or descending, as itâs unclear what story youâre on.
âIt was like there was no Winter Soldier; at least, no active one.â
âThat got me thinking. Heâs- what- from the 20âs? He shouldâve been, say, early thirties, so 31? 32? At the time he went missing, anyways. But the thing is⊠Even in the future, the man looks barely in his late thirties. Barely.â
You tap your feet impatiently, boots echoing in the small space.
âBut heâs been the Winter Soldier for, what, almost 70 years? Shit donât add up.â
âSo, while heâs practically responsible for so many goddamn murders, heâs probably not always⊠Awake. Active. I was thinking, shit, if he ainât up and about right now, where the hell is he?â
âSo I did some more digging. Found a Winter Soldier file in S.H.I.E.L.D.- er, HYDRAâs database. Thereâs⊠A bunch. Of the Winter Soldiers, I mean. But none of them were- was Barnes. Just a bunch of knock offs.â
You glance up at the floor indicator. The camera shifts and the numbers blink downwards.
 -3⊠-4⊠-5...
âBut I found something interestinâ. Thereâs a- a list. Of HYDRA bases. Had no idea what they were for, but I took a hot guess.â
âOne of them was Siberia. First one I went to- no Barnes. A bunch of other Winter Soldiers, though. The failed ones.â
âIâŠâ
Thereâs a moment of hesitation, unsure if you should say what youâre about to say.
âI shot them dead.â
The ball drops just as the elevator dings, doors opening as you stepped out with a confidence that doesnât match the remorse in your eyes.
âItâs. Look, I know it- thatâs fucking. Insane. Inhumane. Murder. I donât care. Itâs- itâs too goddamn dangerous, having them- alive! I donât know if there was any- any redemption for them.â
âBut in the end, they- they were willing soldiers for HYDRA. The best, even. Anyone who- who willingly works for HYDRA⊠Iâm not too sure I can trust them.â
You growled.
âShit, I trusted Maximoff⊠And look where that got us.â
âIâm not fucking risking it with them.â
You shook your head, face smoothing out so itâs only the stressed wrinkles on your forehead thatâs present. Your eyes soften minutely so.
âBut for Barnes⊠Thereâs a chance. Heâs a goddamn POW, and⊠If Shuri succeeded in getting rid of the trigger words, then thereâs. A. Chance.â
âAnd⊠Iâm willing to take that risk with him.â
The camera shifts, staring directly at the underside of your jaw. You cough and recalibrate the camera so itâs at a better angle.
âAnyways.â
âI⊠I went down the list. Of the bases? I didnât- didnât infiltrate them per se. Itâs too risky- a majority of those bases are major ones. So I just⊠Snuck around. Looked at the infrastructure for anything that remotely looked like a certain Winter Soldier would be in.â
You stopped walking, now staring directly at something behind the camera. Your lips are pressed in a grim line.
âAnd I hit the jackpot.â
You should be happy about it if you took those words out of context, but your expression is far from it. Guilt, pity, and an earthly weariness mares your eyes as you huff.
âEverybody, say hi to Mr. James Buchanan Barnes.â
The camera view flips, and in the front stage center is a big chamber, similar to that of a hulk play box. But while it is smaller, the glass is noticeably thicker. In the corner, outside of the chamber, is Mark 22 standing eerily still with its glowing eyes trained on Barnes. Itâs in a neutral stance, but itâs clear that it wonât hesitate to incapacitate the soldier if it came down to it.
And on the furthest wall inside the chamber is Barnes, slumped on the ground with a pool of water around him. Heâs wet as well, but unconscious. Heâs in his military tactical gear, too, though there are no weapons visible on him.
The microphone picks up your sigh.
âI⊠I donât know what to do with him. I- I saw the fucking- freezer they kept him in, but. It was a quick operation- I had no time to get the damn thing out without them- HYDRA- noticing me. So. Guess that throws out the plan to keep him- frozen like a popsicle until further notice.â
Barnes twitches slightly, and his fingers move. Thereâs an audible grunt, and your breath hitches as you swerve the camera back on you. Your eyes are wide, and you throw the camera a nervous grin thatâs more akin to a grimace. In the background, your suit whirs to life.
You gave a nod to the camera.
âWish me luck.â
âŠ
âŠ
[Video end.]
[Play again?]
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Tagged: @unsolvetheheckoutofit, @tonystanktheirondad, @ludwigvonbaethovenâ, @fabledxmystery
#male reader#male!reader#x male reader#male reader insert#avengers x male reader#Avengers#reader insert#Bucky Barnes#bucky barns x reader#bucky barnes x male reader#winter soldier#restart
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When the Moon Found the Sun
By Skyler Graham
PART I: THE MOON Iâve always been fascinated with lights: Christmas lights, street lights, illuminated advertisements surrounding the skyscrapers of uneasy cities. There is something comforting about these contained fireworks, something calming yet invigorating in sustaining hope in the darkness. This light, however, may also be a destructive force. As my mother grew in her career and my father fell in his, tension in the house became the firecrackers of a once glowing family. No lights, just jolting explosions of anger. I felt my dad giving into his insecurities, allowing his wifeâs success to feast on his ego. Yet, rather than establishing a sense of equilibrium, he became the guilty victim of female domination. No job turned into no friends. When you only have one adult to socialize with, conversations turn into arguments.  A joker turns into a hermit.   I spent winter months silencing their screams with a complete infatuation with the fireplace. I focused all of my energy on the flames; if I could match my breath with the rise and fall of each quivering light, perhaps I could stay distracted long enough to forget why I needed a breathing tutorial in the first place.
But the screams only continued. My mom kicked the garage door shut, one hand grasping a cup of ice and the other a bottle of Titoâs. âDonât worry about it, asshole. Just stay in the house, like you do all day, while Iâm out working for this family.â âFor this family? Youâre never home!â This had become my parentsâ daily routine: ignore each other throughout the day, argue about familial obligations and financial irresponsibility, anesthetize the anger with liquor, wake up, and repeat. Wash, rinse, repeat. I distracted myself at school; I focused on wall clocks and bus windows and half-completed math worksheets with lyrics doodled across the page. I stared into spinning washing machines and living room rugs and TV screens and interstate billboards. I stared out the window on every car ride, untouched by the heat rising from arguments at home. When I was sixteen, I glared at the bathroom mirror, finding only the reflection of a reckless dreamer with a warring psyche. My parents were in marital purgatory by this time; they knew the end was approaching, but they were still trapped in the same house by laws and loans and realtors. They were too occupied with hating each other, though, that my reckless bursts of naivety went unchallenged. My worries embraced a pair of scissors and a box of bleach. âDamn,â I whispered. âNow I look like a fucking Wal-Mart brand Kurt Cobain.â It was nearly one in the morning, but I couldnât sleep. The light of the full moon radiated on the cigarette butts and stolen jewelry resting on my windowsill. Thereâs an everlasting magic to moonlight; not merely in its aesthetic brilliance, but in the effortless coexistence of the sun and moon. I admired how the sun highlights his lunar partner, allowing her to carry the tides and sustain hope in the darkness. He asks nothing in return. And the moon, shining on my orange-blonde head, willingly hides in the morning and allows the sun to warm the earth; she asks nothing in return. Their sacrifices are not of hopeful reciprocity, but a selfless balance of their earthly children. I lit a white candle and kneeled by my window. âGod, or gods, or whatever powers control our universe, I donât know what to do. I donât know who I am, or who Iâm becoming. I know, Iâve been acting out lately. I guess Iâm just confused. But I need some type of balance; I canât keep pretending like itâs okay â like Iâm okay â when I want to be there for my family but Iâm always put in the middle and I have no one to talk to and Iâm scared of what Mason thinks andââ My mom came in and sat on the edge of my bed, the home of my nightmares and tear-stained pillowcases. Ignored the candle. âI canât do this anymore, Steph. I canât â everything I do is for you and your brother. I want to be home with you guys more, I do, but I canât when heâ,â her tears stifled her cries. But it didnât matter â I knew what she meant. I knew what she felt. I could read her fearful despondency and immediately understand her confusion. How did her marriage end up like this? How could she escape? I didnât know if my empathy was purely intuition or something greater (or if thereâs a difference), but I knew she was desperate for change. I blew out the candle as she shuffled through the doorway. âSo Mote It Be.â *** After my dad moved out, my mom introduced me to our next-door neighbor, Mike. He had lived next to us for months, but the only thing I knew about him was that his motorcycle, Jeep, and Mustang were cleaner than his soul. âHey Mike, Iâm Stevie.â A backwards snapback and graying beard looked up from his phone. âOh, hey â yeah, your momâs told me all about you. Said you might want to babysit my girls.â Great. This guy has kids? âUh, sure,â I responded. âHow old are they?â âTwo and six,â he grumbled. âI love âem, but damn, itâs a difficult age.â I awkwardly laughed. âYeah, just wait until theyâre teena-â âOh I know,â he interrupted. âI got another daughter about your age. We donât talk much though.â My mom came out and proudly gestured to our backyard. âLook at what Mason did!â The grass was cut, the bushes trimmed, and the dirt stains on the fence were covered with a fresh layer of white paint. âMike showed him how,â she said. âMason, of course, complained the whole time.â She crossed her arms and looked away, squinting vaguely at the fruits of a renewed suburban paradise. âHe would be used to all this work, you know, if your dad taught him better.â I hated that; the universal âDadâ had turned into âyour dad,â as if he was an unknown figure in her life. As if they never met. I donât know â maybe that was her way of hiding in the flames. *** PART II: THE SUN âJust let me know when youâre coming, and Iâll open the garage.â Mike invited me over that night, offering beer and a backyard bonfire in exchange for some company. My mom and Mike had become good friends, sharing time, vacations, and secrets with each other. My mom was on a business trip that night and unable to console her friend. I, however, was in town, bored, and seventeen without a fake ID. I walked over to his house in the same tan dress and cowgirl boots I wore to a concert that night. He was sitting alone in the backyard staring at tattoos on his wrist. âAnnabelle,â it said. Is that the older daughter? One of the younger ones? One of the mothers? What happened between them? I sat down next to him in a plastic lawn chair. âWhatâs been going on, man?â I knew he needed comfort. But I had to remain cautious. âMy friendâs girlfriend has been texting me all night â crying to me, complaining about her boyfriend and all this other shit.â Mike handed me a beer. âIâd love to help her â hell, sheâs only nineteen and needs some type of guidance â but I donât mess with girls in relationships. Not something Iâm tryna get involved in.â âDoesnât it bother you that sheâs, ya know, nineteen?â âAge doesnât bother me â I like younger girls anyway. Once they get to a certain age, women just â arenât fun anymore. Young girls are exciting, they want to go out, they want to try⊠new things. After about, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, theyâre not interested. Theyâre not interesting.â
âWe just understand each other. Weâre going through the same things, we can joke around and go out and talk about anything,â my mom sighed and smiled, then briefly glanced down. âHe just doesnât want a relationship, I guess⊠but neither do I. Weâre just friends. Just friends.â
Mike opened another beer. âWas he at least good in bed?â He was asking about my ex-boyfriend; Mike knew him and watched his minivan creep out of my driveway almost every Friday night that spring. I broke up with him that June after months of frustration with his insecurities manifesting themselves as emotional dependency. I was tired of giving more than having â I didnât want to take anything, just have: have mutual friends; have kind conversations with each othersâ parents; have a reciprocal love. There is magic to mutualism, a feeling that transcends the power derived from systems of domination. I guess some people arenât prepared for that type of power. Itâs easy to succumb to othersâ control, and tempting to take that control for yourself. It is grueling, however, to accept the power that lies in its absence. âHonestly, no. It felt like it was always about him; whenever he came, we were done. It felt like my only purpose was to satisfy him. I always just wanted it to be over.â He poured a shot for me. âDonât worry honey, it wonât always be like that. You just need a man with experience to treat you right. Find an older man, someone who knows what heâs doing.â
âBut I trust him. Even if weâre not âdating,â I know I can rely on him. I know he wouldnât do anything to hurt me or you guys. Yes, heâs tough on your brother, but heâs just trying to teach him. He wants the best for you guys.â
I stared at the bonfire. I could look only at the bonfire. If I looked in his eyes, he would take it as an invitation. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket. âYou ever watch porn?â Fuck. âMy ex and I, we used to make our own,â he continued. âWanna see?â I couldnât see the flames anymore. I felt them rising to my face, but the flood of alcohol suffocated them. I couldnât say no. It wasnât really a question to begin with. And he wasnât doing anything wrong, right? He didnât touch me or make me do anything, right? Why am I so worried? I thought, I can trust him. I can trust him. Can I trust him? The flames kept growing. I handed back his phone, a drunk half-grin on my face. âNice. A fine piece of cinema, Mike.â He ignored my sarcasm, as expected. He stood up and motioned toward his bulging crotch. âLook what you did to me, Stevie.â The flames were now in my cheeks and knees and hands and I couldnât escape. He stumbled toward me. âAll this sex talk, you got me feeling different.â I laughed. He didnât. He looked me up and down, his hands in his pockets. âYou know, if you werenât my neighborsâ daughter, I would so have sex with you right now.â
âSo nothing happened?â I asked, âAnd you guys were staying in the same room?â My mom sighed. âNope. Nothing on New Yearsâ either. Whatever.â She stirred her drink. âI just donât understand â what is it about me? Why donât guys like me?â I felt her concerns, a nauseating red-green-blue energy pouring from her soul. âDonât worry about them,â I explained. âMost guys are assholes anyway. You donât need them.â
I walked back home. It was 7:00 AM. The moon was out of sight, her solar partner taking control. *** âThanks for hanging with Mike, by the way,â my mom said after she got home. âI know he was feeling down and just wanted someone to talk to.â âYeah, of course. We had a good time.â Mason looked up. âNo kidding, you didnât come home until five in the morning.â My momâs eyes went cold. The red-blue aura had returned. âYou what? Why? What were you guys doing?â The flames were back. This time, they were ashes swirling in the pit of my stomach. âNothing, just talking.â âTalking about?â âI know I donât need them; Iâm better off without your dad than I was with him. But itâs still nice to have someone â you know, someone you can trust and talk to without any tension.â I watched my momâs emotion shift to a pale yellow. She put down her drink and looked at me with hope shining through her eyes. âAnd I feel like thatâs what I have with Mike. I know, weâre not âdatingâ, but things could turn around.â
I exhaled. âNothing.â *** âDinnerâs here, just come in when youâre ready,â my mom texted me. I walked over to Mikeâs to grab a slice of pizza and leave; I did not want to be back in that house any longer than I needed to. My mom still didnât know what we talked about â what he talked about â and neither Mike nor I had the heart to tell her. Â Â I walked in to my mom playfully laughing at one of Mikeâs jokes. The ashes began swirling. He didnât care. She didnât know. I walked in to both of them ignoring my presence, one out of infatuation and the other out of arrogance. Or fear. The flames started rising. No âHello,â no âHow was your day?â, no âSorry I hit on you despite the fact Iâm old enough to be your father and your mom is obviously obsessed with me.â Nothing. The fire kept burning. Mike finally put down his pride long enough to acknowledge me. âHey Stevie, could you run out to the garage and get me another beer?â The fires are rising higher and higher Uncontained Unrestrained I stomp into the garage. I grudgingly open the fridge and my elbow knocks over his âbar.â The Mustang. Thereâs vodka and whiskey and cheap mixers all over the hood of that damn Mustang. Maybe if you spent less time worrying about your vehicles, Mike, you could see the truth. You could see what I see. The fires are now swirling, exploding from the inside out. I can feel it in my stomach and chest and hands and feet. I harness it, however, and focus on the car. I focus on the flames. I focus all my energy â all my anger and resentment â on sparking the conveniently flammable coating of his prized possession. I watch the fire rise and fall, then rise again, then spread through the window into the carâs interior. Sheâs melting, Mike, and you canât save her. I canât hear your screams, either, as I am consumed by the flames. Consumed, but in control. Finally taking control of all of my worries, all of the anxieties I hid with bleach and stolen jewelry. I can harness this energy under the guiding moonlight. Some of us can maintain harmony with our souls and our surroundings. And some of us â most of us â Â aren't prepared for that type of power.
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hero worship
And now for our main story: a sudden and potentially devastating attack in Downtown Tokyo last night was thwarted by pro hero Red Riot of the Ground Zero Agency, in a feat of heroics so miraculous, it may have to be seen to be believed.
Thatâs right. Some experts are already predicting a dramatic shift in the Hero Billboard Chart, and after watching this footage, I think my antennae might be detecting a change in the wind, wouldnât you say?
Ha ha, I think Iâd say that pro heroes Deku and Ground Zero better watch their backs if they donât want to lose their Billboard slots. Please be warned, this footage may not be suitable for young audiences.
[I didnât realize it was @krbkweek2020, but now that I know, this ficâs perfect for Day 3: Tragic Love. Continue under the read more or on ao3.ïżœïżœWarnings in the tags.]
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one.
He dreams of things that happened. He dreams of things that didn't. He dreams about Kamino, and he dreams about hands reaching for him, and hands and hands and hands, and he dreams about falling, about his fingers not reaching Kirishimaâs fingers, about reaching Kirishimaâs fingers and watching them disintegrate.
Itâs two in the morning. Bakugou is sweating cold. He is staring at his hands. They light up the dark with twitching firecracker-pops and they wonâtâstopâ
And then Kirishima, through the door: âI have them too.â
Bakugouâs hands lie still and quiet.
He gets out of bed. Goes to the door. Stares at the thin line of gold spilling in from the hallway, split in two by the person on the other side. He considers telling him to fuck off. He doesnât.
If Kirishima is surprised when Bakugou opens the door, he doesnât show it. There are sleepless purple smears beneath his eyes. His stupid hair, his stupid crocs. His jaw is set, and he doesnât flinch away from Bakugouâs gaze.
âWell?â growls Bakugou.
âI could hear you through the wall,â Kirishima says. âI just wanted to let you know that I have them too.â
âWhy the fuck should I care?â
Kirishima doesnât blink. âI just wanted you to know.â
Then he does blink. âWow, do you always sweat so much in your sleep? Dude.â
Bakugou tries to slam the door; it bounces off of Kirishimaâs croc. He laughs, and Bakugou scoffs in disgust, but when he heads back into the room he lets Kirishima follow.
Theyâtalk. Thatâs all. Kirishima is a fucking idiot, but heâs easy to talk to. They talk about school, and the new moves theyâre perfecting, and the test next week Kirishima will need extra tutoring for. They talk about their plans to go hiking on the next break, and the prank Mina pulled on Kaminari, and can Bakugou recreate that one thing Lunchrush made on Monday? Yes, and heâll do it better.
Around three thirty theyâre still talking. They talk about the ash on the walls. They talk about Kamino. They talk about nightmares. I have them too, that was what Kirishima said, and it was like he was offering his hand all over again. I have them too. No pity. No accusations. I have them tooâsetting them on equal ground. That was why Bakugou opened the door. That was why he took his hand.
Kirishima dreams about the same things he does. Grasping for each other and failing to reach. âItâs never that youâre too weak,â he says. âItâs always that Iâm not strong enough.â
Bakugou doesnât know when he falls asleep. All he knows is that when he wakes, with sweat on his brow and shadows in his skull and his hands sparking and unable to stop, Kirishima is still there. Heâs holding Bakugouâs hands. Nothing is burning. Nothing is turning to dust.
âYouâre going to be okay,â Kirishima says. Like itâs certain. Like itâs fact. Like itâs already happened, and Bakugou wonders if he missed it, somehow, between the kidnapping and the rescue. Between the loss of All Might and the start of the nightmares. As though Kirishima can still see a future that Bakugou himself has lost sight of.
He hates himself for that, and he hates Kirishima too, except for how he doesnât.
Youâre going to be okay, says Kirishima, and when he says it Bakugou believes him. He promises himself that heâll never tell Kirishima exactly how much he needs to hear it, but he suspects he knows already. Usually Bakugou would resent that. He doesnât.
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And now for our main story: a sudden and potentially devastating attack in Downtown Tokyo last night was thwarted by pro hero Red Riot of the Ground Zero Agency, in a feat of heroics so miraculous, it may have to be seen to be believed.
Thatâs right, Joho-san. Some experts are already predicting a dramatic shift in the Hero Billboard Chart, and after watching this footage, I think my antennae might be detecting a change in the wind, wouldnât you say?
Ha ha, I think Iâd say that pro heroes Deku and Ground Zero better watch their backs if they donât want to lose their Billboard slots, Matagiki-san. Please be warned, this footage may not be suitable for young audiences.
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Aiko-chan today at 10:14 AM DUDE GUESS WHERE I AM
Me today at 10:19 AM i think you have english rn??? ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
Aiko-chan today at 10:20 AM English can suck it my contact gave me a tip that the convenience store by my house has a very exclusive back door item so Iâm waiting on a line that goes around the block
Me today at 10:25 AM oh you have a âââcontactâââ huh
Aiko-chan at 10:25 AM Stfu you know itâs hanakawa now do you want to know what the exclusive item is or not
Me today at 10:27 AM yes pls
Aiko-chan at 10:27 AM Red Riot limited edition winter costume figurine
Me at 10:27 AM JFKSJ HOLY FUCK
Aiko-chan at 10:28 AM Do you want me to get you one
Me at 10:28 AM GET ME TEN
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Posted by Uwasa K. | K.O! Magazine | June 18
For the first time in a long time, (since the end of All Might, perhaps?) the future of our heroic society is uncertain. Thatâs why Knock Out! Magazine sat down with our favorite statistical analyst on all things hero, Takei Kazu! Join us as we get the scoop on the hot hero must-haves of the season, Ground Zeroâs fall from grace, the future of the hero industry as we know it, and of course, everyoneâs favorite hero, Red Riot!
K.O!: As always it is an honor to speak with you, Kazu-san!
KAZU: As always it is 100% a pleasure for me as well.
K.O!: For those unfamiliar, would you please tell us a little about your quirk?
KAZU: Of course. My quirk, Statistic, allows me to determine the statistical likelihood of any given outcome, in any given situation.
K.O!: Youâre famed for your shockingly accurate heroic projections, but what put you on the map was your legendary prediction of All Mightâs meteoric rise, would you say thatâs correct?
KAZU: I would. And at a time when he was overseas and most others considered him an outlier at best, mind you.
K.O!: How could we forget! With that in mind, we have to ask: what insight can you give us to the future of our beloved heroes?
KAZU: Regarding the most recent UA sports festival, Iâd say thereâs an 80% chance that Aizawa Eri is the hero-hopeful to keep an eye on. Over in the professional hero world, I predict that Real Steel will rise one slot in all official rankings, while Dekuâs rising star shows zero chance of falling any time soon. But these statistics are mundaneâodds are you want my take on higher-stake situations.
K.O!: Iâm sure our readers agree with you! Please enlighten us.
KAZU: Let me just say this: if Ground Zero continues on the warpath as he has, the countryâs crime rate will see a dramatic decline. However, his approval rating will likewise plummet, as will the statistical likelihood of his surviving the year. I leave the public to decide if the tradeoff is worth it.
K.O!: I see! And can you put a rest to our readersâ fears of Ground Zero turning villain?
KAZU: In this case Iâd rather abstain from giving any specific percentages, as I have no wish to cause a panic. All I will say is that though the likelihood is not 100%, it is not 0% either. On a brighter note, I can say with 100% confidence that the value of all Red Riot merchandise will dramatically increase.
K.O!: You heard it here first, folks: the gift of the season will be any and everything Red Riot, so you better get your shopping done now! Kazu-san, do you have any thoughts regarding the rumors that Red Riotâs heroism on May 14th will earn him the coveted No. 1 spot at the next JP Hero Billboard Chart event?
KAZU: That would be unprecedented given the circumstances, but as of right now Iâd say chances are around 30%, and rising every day.
K.O!: Many of our readers are worried about the state of the hero industry. What do you have to say to them?
KAZU: Given Ground Zeroâs current behavior, I can see how the future might seem bleak. Find comfort in the knowledge that if the Ground Zero Agency keeps turning out heroes of Red Riotâs caliber to counteract the Ground Zeros of the world, the future of the agency, professional heroes, and Japan looks bright indeed.
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An excerpt from Echoes of All Might, by Tokuda Taneo:
Of course no analysis of All Mightâs lasting influence would be complete without discussion of his successors. Many scholars, heroes, and experts smarter than I have drawn parallels between All Mightâs famed debut and any of several incidents in Dekuâs youth and professional career; just as many publications have compared All Mightâs debut to heroic moments throughout Ground Zeroâs life. These positions have been well-argued and well-defended. It is not my intention to detract from the accomplishments of either of these heroes, nor am I suggesting that either of them are undeserving of the title of All Mightâs successor. Rather, I propose that there is a third hero who is equally worthy of the mantle of Symbol of Peace, and, in this specific instance, more worthy of the rank of Number One Hero: Kirishima Eijirou, otherwise known as Red Riot.
Consider All Mightâs debut. That impossible, miraculous feat of heroism. Over one hundred civilians saved, single-handed. Do you remember the first time you watched it? Do you remember how many times you hit replay? Do you remember the feeling of hope it evoked? In this post-All Might age we find ourselves in, it may be difficult to imagine just how monumental a moment it truly was. No one had ever seen anything like it; it was unprecedented. It shouldnât have been possible, but he did it.
This is what you must understand about the events that took place on May fourteenth of this year: what Red Riot did shouldnât have been possible.
An alumnus of the UA class forged through particular adversity, Red Riot cofounded the Ground Zero Agency and proceeded to rise to number eight on the Hero Billboard Chart over the course of the next decade. He was well known for his close personal relationship with Ground Zero, and perhaps less well known for his exceptionally well-rounded performance in all factors contributing to his prestigious Billboard rank: an admirable number of resolved cases, an approval rating below only Lemillion and Nejire-chan, and an underappreciated record of social contribution, which included hundreds of hours of community service. Among fellow heroes he was noted for his friendliness and his straightforward personality. It would not be an understatement to say that he was widely admired, even beloved.
By all projections and statistics, Red Riot was an excellent hero, but let it be clear: what he did on the fourteenth of May should not have been possible. He was outranked by two of his teammates. His quirk, though undoubtedly strong, was not flashy, nor particularly versatile. If even one professional says they thought he could hold off four of the best heroes in the country, on his own, in addition to the rookies Axis turned, in addition to the civilians Axis turned, for three quarters of an hour, without a single casualtyâto be quite honest, theyâd be lying. This should have been a tragedy of epic proportions. The Ground Zero Agency should have painted Tokyo red long before anyone could stop them. This should not have been possible.
But he did it. And he gave us hope.
Does that remind you of anyone?
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More reports this morning of Ground Zero allegedly assaulting fans. While Red Riotâs popularity continues to skyrocket, the current Number One heroâs approval rating continues to plummet.
Personally I think his behavior is a real insult to Red Riotâs name, Matagiki-san.
I agree, Joho-san. Maybe someone is getting a little jealous of the shift in spotlight?
Ha ha, your words, not mine. Letâs go live with Izumi-san on the streets of Tokyo to hear what the people have to say. Izumi-san?
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Aiko-chan today at 10:28 AM Are you sure about 10 tho theyâre like triple the usual price
Me today at 10:29 AM T E N ILL KEEP ONE AND MY BROTHER CAN SELL THE REST ONLINE FOR $$$$$
Aiko-chan today at 10:31 AM ⊠:/
Me today at 10:31 AM wat
Aiko-chan today at 10:33 AM Nbd just. Isnât that in poor taste??
Me today at 10:34 AM no way dude red riot was the peopleâs hero heâd want us to make bank
Aiko-chan today at 10:37 AM Ye I guess youâre right. Hey arenât you in history right now shouldnât u be paying attention
Me today at 10:37 AM fuck history this is LIMITED EDITION WINTER COSTUME RED RIOT
Aiko-chan today at 10:37 AM I KNOW!!!
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GroundRiot Touching Moments Compilation ENG SUB 504k views - 1 month ago rred_zer0 20.6k followers
A little softer compared to my other compilations, in the wake of everything that happened yesterday. Red Riot, youâll be in our hearts forever. TW: BLOOD, GORE, FOUL LANGUAGE
102k likes - 1k dislikes Share Download Save 11k comments Add a public comment
pastel gal 1 month ago Thanks @rred_zer0 for coming into my home and punching me in the heart 4k likes âą dislikes âą reply view 13 replies
gzrrrr55 1 month ago The joy and heartbreak this awakens in me is just *chef kiss* the perfect combination. @rred_zer0 youâre doing the lords work 2.6k likes âą dislikes âą reply view 33 replies
RazzleDazzleDeku 3 days ago honestly FUCK ground zero 2k likes âą dislikes âą reply view 12 replies
riotwaifu 1 week ago 4:16 do you SEE those abs UNF the world lost so much on May 14 T.T 324 likes âą dislikes âą reply view 9 replies
Lemonllion Ok iâm not the only one who thinks some of these clips are really personal right??? Like,,, is it just me?? Who else thinks this is kinda inappropriate??? 3 likes âą dislikes âą reply view 64 replies
Hana Spring 2 weeks ago ive said it before and ill say it again, these two are soulmates. fight me. 2.4k likes âą dislikes âą reply view 15 replies
sirthatsmyemotionalsupportbastard 1 month ago rip red riot long live groundriot 599 likes âą dislikes âą reply view 6 replies
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In defense of Ground Zero Posted by wtrhse1212
So a lot of people have expressed disapproval over how Ground Zero has been handling and reacting to the May 14 incident. I don't usually like to get involved in this discourse bullshit, especially where it involves Ground Zero, because full disclosure: I think the guyâs a prick. If you follow me or know me from the boards then you know how I feel about him and his alleged treatment of Deku in the past. Those feelings haven't changed, but come on. The guy doesn't care for popularity and public opinion so he's not going to say it. Fine. I will.
Leave him the fuck alone.
First of all, reports have been exaggerated. Do a little research (and because most of you are lazy assholes Iâve included sources below) and youâll find that he didnât âassaultâ anyone. The worst he did was a threatening light show. And if that counts as going overboard to some fans, well, honestly? They deserved it.
I don't talk about this much but I've got some skin in the game. My parents were pro heroes who died on duty, and for most of my childhood, I hated the whole institution. I couldn't understand why people told me I should be proud of my parentsâ sacrifice instead of being allowed to mourn. Why my family tragedy was celebrated instead of discouraged.
Thanks to Deku, most of my opinions regarding heroes have changed, but this one stuck. What happened to Red Riot was a tragedy, and it should be treated as such. That's not to say he wasn't heroic, and that his actions shouldn't be honored. It's to say that right now is a time for solemnity, not celebration. It's to say that it is a major flaw in our society that martyrdom is so encouraged. It's to say that Ground Zero shouldn't have to deal with rabid hero fanboys coming up to him and asking for a play by play of Red Riotâs death, as though he were a character on a saturday morning cartoon instead of a real person with real loved ones who are just trying to get by in the wake of his loss.
I don't blame Ground Zero after all the shit we've put him through. Leave him alone. Let him grieve.
TLDR: We shouldn't be encouraging our heroes to die for us. And we certainly shouldn't condemn our heroes for mourning.
View 4,337 replies 2,314 likes 16,554 dislikes
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two.
An excerpt from HERO Tonightâs interview with Chargebolt and Cellophane of the Ground Zero Agency:
HERO Tonight: Joining us now are pro heroes Chargebolt and Cellophane. Welcome heroes, and let me start by thanking you, of course, for all you do.
CHARGEBOLT: Ha ha, youâre welcome!
CELLOPHANE: All part of the job.
HT: This is the first interview anyone from the Ground Zero Agency has given since the incident on May fourteenth. Would you mind if we get right into it?
CELLOPHANE: Fire away.
HT: Can you tell me about Axis?
CHARGEBOLT: Ooh, I wish Deku were here, heâs the one you want to talk to when it comes to hero and villain stats.
CELLOPHANE: Yeah, but his fanboyism is part of his charm, right?
HT: I think we all want to hear from you two. The villain?
CELLOPHANE: Well, as far as his history and personality goes, I canât say much. I know a lot has come out about him in the past few weeks, but honestly I havenât really been paying attention. I think all of us at the Ground Zero Agency have been a little⊠preoccupied.
CHARGEBOLT: Yeah, thatâs one way to put it. Look, I donât know where he came from or why he did it. I canât tell you about his tragic backstory because I just donât care. You want me to talk about what it was like fighting him, what it was like being under his quirkâs influence, that I can do. But he wasnât the star of that night. That was Red Riot.
HT: Of course. In that case, letâs go back to the beginning. When you responded to the call, did you have any idea the night would turn out the way it did?
CHARGEBOLT: Hell no. They tell you to prepare for things like this, say it's inevitable, but I don't think anyone ever can. Not really.
CELLOPHANE: Yeah. Any inkling of how bad things were going to get only started when I saw the villain with my own eyes. Until then it was just another night on the job.
HT: Can you elaborate on what tipped you off?
CELLOPHANE: It was a couple of things, I guess. Not the report itself, that was vague, a villain with a personality affecting quirk thatâsupposedlyârequired skin-to-skin contact to activate. He had taken down a few local heroes. No casualties reported. But when we got there, the atmosphereâthe movies like to put the big villains in downtown Tokyo, but the truth is, most of them know better. And the few who risk it usually donât understand the lay of the land yet, so they get taken down pretty fast. Of course there are cases like the League of Villains, butâ
HT: Those are few and far between?
CELLOPHANE: Exactly. So civilians treat it like a spectacle. You come to expect that. But that nightâŠ
CHARGEBOLT: Silence.
CELLOPHANE: Silence. No one. The few civilians we saw fleeing from the sceneâthey didnât speak to us, they didnât look at us. They didnât even scream. Just blind terror.
CHARGEBOLT: Their heroes had turned on them. What else would you expect?
:
There are different videos. Different shots and angles that capture different moments and perspectives and emotions. Each of them have millions of views.
But the video, the one the news pulls clips from, the one everyone has seen and seen again, goes like this:
Thereâs a civilian hiding in an alley. The video opens with a shaky shot of her face, tear-streaked and wild-eyed. Her quirk is a thin film of slime that activates as a fear response; experts will agree that this is what protected her from Axis. She says that the heroes have gone wrong, that everythingâs gone wrong. She apologizes to her mother if she doesnât make it out of this.
Heavy footsteps. The camera swings around. The mouth of the alley offers a perfect view of the Ground Zero Agency landing in full force, fog billowing dramatically as they stand in such a way that will be ripped and framed and sold on posters for months to come. The Ground Zero Agency, the posters will say, in bold, dynamic letters across the bottom. Some will include the subtitle: Founding Members. Or: Together for the last time. None of them will be approved by the agency itself.
The civilian whimpers the name, Ground Zero, a perfect little sound bite of relief and joy and fear.
Ground Zero himself shouts down the villain. The man who will later come to be known as Axis is no more than a shadowed silhouette half a block away, saying nothing. The heroes ready themselves to spring into action, and then they go wrong.
The resolution isnât high enough to tell whether the effects take in Chargebolt or Alien Queen first. A shiver seems to ripple through them at the same time. Then Alien Queen swings around and her hand melts right through Cellophaneâs visor.
Thereâs shouting. Cellophane writhing, screaming. Red Riot and Ground Zero in tandem: Ground Zero setting off localized explosions to force Alien Queen back, while Red Riot ducks in and barrels her out of frame. In the background, the darkness lights up all at once, and the flash of electricity blinds the camera. The civilian yelps as the electric wave rolls out to shock her feet. The camera drops. More screaming, and Ground Zeroâs voice: "Itâs the fucking mist, keep clear of itâ"
When the civilian picks up the camera again, Ground Zero is fighting off both Chargebolt and Alien Queen while Red Riot drags Cellophane to the mouth of the alley and speaks to him urgently. Steam drifts out of the melted ruin of his visor.
Thereâs no warning. Cellophane moves with unnerving, spider-like efficiency, and in seconds Red Riot is mummified. In seconds more Cellophane rigs a noose from the roof, winds it around Red Riotâs neck and levers him six feet off the ground, kicking wildly.
Ground Zero roars Red Riotâs name. He tries to close the distance but Alien Queen and Chargebolt are unrelenting, and his movements are backlit and blurred. Heâs on the defensive.
âRiot!â he calls again.
A tearing sound. The camera refocuses: Red Riot, his body sharper than before, bulkier, geode. He goes Unbreakable and shreds through every layer of tape at once. His boots crack the ground. Red Riot roars, and beneath it is Ground Zero, howling with laughter.
âYou are fucked,â he snarls, maybe to the villain or maybe to his teammates, just as Red Riot launches into the fray.
For thirty seconds: Red Riot and Ground Zero, fighting back to back. Thirty seconds: fans and specialists alike will narrow in on these moments with wistful nostalgia, this maneuver, that combo move, just look at how well they knew each other, how evenly matched they were, look at the breathtaking intuition, practically premonition, the country isnât likely to see another superhero teamup of that caliber anytime soon. For thirty seconds, it is Ground Zero and Red Riot against the world.
Cellophane catches Ground Zeroâs ankle in a loop of tape, and he hits the concrete hard. The mist sweeps over him. He rises a second later, still swinging, and in the background Axis tilts his head. Itâs barely a warp of shadow, the resolution is so poor, and then Ground Zero goes wrong.
It would take a few replays at half speed to see what happens, thatâs how subtle the shift is. He doesnât even twitch. One moment Ground Zero is holding off Cellophane, and the next he reaches over his shoulder and engulfs Red Riot in heat and flame.
:
CHARGEBOLT: Axis wasnât a big guy. He wasnât flashy. He was justâa guy. Nondescript. Suit off the rack. Kind of scrawny. But there was menace coming off him. This oppressive atmosphere of bloodlust just, pouring out of him, weighing everything down. You could taste it. But we deal with a lot of villains like that, right? No big deal. But his eyesâ
CELLOPHANE: They were dead. There was nothing in them. Just this flat certainty that he was going to kill us. He wasnât happy about it, or sad, justâcertain.
CHARGEBOLT: I tried to shake it off, but by then his quirk already had me, though I didnât know it yet.
HT: Letâs discuss his quirk. It has become synonymous with his villain name: Axis. Would you call that an accurate title?
CHARGEBOLT: As accurate as a snappy buzzword can get, I guess.
HT: Our reports say that the bloodlust you mentioned was part of the quirk. The fog on the streets that night was coming from his body, and if absorbed through the skin it switches the morality of the intended victim, by the villainâs choosing. What was it like being under the influence of a quirk like that?
CELLOPHANE: Horrific.
CHARGEBOLT: You donât know itâs affected you at first, is the thing. You still feel like you. Someâswitch flips inside your head and you have no idea. You turn and attack your best friend and itâs the most natural thing in the world. And that little voice inside you that tells you right from wrong, that voice that you learn to trust the most as a heroâit only starts screaming after itâs over, and you see what youâve done. After itâs too late.
:
Alien Queen tackles Red Riot past the mouth of the alley. Offscreen thereâs the sound of hissing, audible even over Red Riotâs roars of pain. Heâs already taken down the first responders, and Chargebolt, and Cellophane. The civilian is still clutching her phone, though she doesnât seem to realize it.
Red Riot and Alien Queen swing back into view as Riot crashes into the side of a car. He double takes, turns, and tears one door off; a father and son tumble out. He tells them to run, and when Alien Queen tries to follow, he throws the door at her. A second skin of acid shimmers over her body and then the door is shearing in two, each half blasting into the building behind her. He doesnât give her time to recover, follows up like a rocket, and if you slow down the video you can see them reach for each other, see them make contact at almost the same time. Alien Queen claws at his face, burns him from hairline to chin. Riot drives a fist into her nose, melting his knuckles down to the bone. She drops, and Riot turns and leaps and tackles Ground Zero out of the air.
At this point, the civilianâs phone has been recording for twenty seven minutes. It will record for nineteen minutes more. All of it is devoted to Red Riotâs fight with Ground Zero.
:
HT: From start to end, the fight went on for forty three minutes. Thatâs forty three minutes of Red Riot holding off his teammatesâfellow Top Twenty heroesâas well as amateur hero first responders and hostile civilians. How is it that in all that time no one came to provide back up?
CELLOPHANE: There were a lot of different factors. A big one was poor communication. There was no one immediately in the areaâthe villain had already taken over the local heroes, and no one thought the Ground Zero Agency wouldnât be able to handle it. By the time our call for backup got out, the closest hero was ten minutes away, and the closest hero with a quirk actually suitable to combat Axis was even further. Two poorly informed heroes did actually jump in, and Riot was forced to handle them too.
CHARGEBOLT: Hell, we said the original report was vague, right? If communications were better from the get-go, if we had known what we were walking into, everything would have been different. We were led to believe that the Axis quirk required skin-to-skin contact. Red Riot fights most often in close quarters, so we suggested he take the night early.
CELLOPHANE: It wasnât that he couldnât do it, or that heâd be a risk or a liabilityâhe said he wouldnât let the villain touch him and that was that. It was just⊠heâd had a great week, you know? Look back at that weekâs stats, he was killing it. He deserved a break. We said we could handle it. But he just did that signature move of hisâthat fist bump thing, youâve seen it, right? And he insisted.
CHARGEBOLT: And we just⊠let him.
HT: And thank goodness you did.
CHARGEBOLT: Right. Thank goodness.
:
As the fight goes on Red Riotâs skin chips off in fractals, from his arms, from his chest, slivers at first and then in great shattered chunks. He never stops. The wet red flesh beneath crystallizes before the fog can touch it. He never stops.
:
HT: In the weeks since the incident, Ground Zero has become something of a phenomenon. He was the only party involved not to take a leave of absence after the fact. Crime rate is in an exponential decline, due directly to his involvement. But his approval rating has declined as well, and he refuses to give a statement.
CELLOPHANE: Ground Zero has always cared more about doing good work than looking or sounding good doing it. Itâs something we at the agency have always admired.
HT: Speaking of, the Ground Zero Agency has recently received criticism for its response to an incident involving Ground Zero and a handful of fans. Do you have any comment on this?
CHARGEBOLT: Comments. Oh, we have commentsâ
CELLOPHANE: As Alien Queen said in the agencyâs official statement, we apologize for any emotional distress those involved may have experienced, but we stand with Ground Zero.
HT: There are rumors of the suspension of Ground Zeroâs license. Would you care to comment?
CELLOPHANE: No comment.
CHARGEBOLT: Yes, comment. Put aside the fact that Ground Zero did nothing wrong and consider the fact that this world needs Ground Zero, now more than ever. Anyone calling for his licenseâthe Hero Public Safety Commission, the public, the mediaâis just stupid.
HT: And what of the recent statistics stating that Ground Zeroâs chances of survival have decreased dramatically?
CHARGEBOLT: Kazu is a hack, and so is K.O. Those reports arenât official.
HT: But it is a compelling report.
CELLOPHANE: An unofficial report. No comment.
HT: Of course. And what of the leaked reports that the villain rate of survival has decreased dramatically when apprehended by Ground Zero?
CHARGEBOLT: Thatâs notâŠ
CELLOPHANE: Those reports arenât official either. We have no comment.
:
The young civilian woman leans out of the alley, the phone leaning with her. Sheâs looking for an opening to run. There are six minutes left. She takes one step. Then another. Ground Zero drops before her on the third, and she yelps, stumbles back; the camera focuses on advancing boots and then the video smears into hot color as the civilian is lifted off her feet. There is one long, nauseous second filled with nothing but screaming, and screaming, and screaming--
Riot charges into the alley, and Ground Zero drops the civilian to spin and fire two Howitzers at point-blank range.
The smoke clears. In frame, on a sharp angle from the ground: Red Riotâs ravaged back, wet muscle exposed and blistering in the heat. But heâs standing, and his hands are gripping Ground Zeroâs hands. Muted explosions discharge between their palms. Neither gives ground.
âYouâre going to be okay,â Riot grunts. He is speaking to the civilian. âYouâre going to get out of this, I promiseââ
âWorry about yourself,â barks Ground Zero.
Riot grunts, and then he inhales, a slow, scraping, shuddering sound. The blistered flesh hardens, and he roars, and slams Ground Zero into the wall with such force that the gauntlets smash cavities into the brickface. Ground Zero thrashes and snarls but Riot holds fast.
âWake up!â he shouts, in a voice like gravel. âSnap out of it! Youâre the number one hero, arenât you?â
Ground Zero bucks; Riot keeps the gauntlets pinned with his weight. The camera canât catch their faces. There is only Riotâs head bent low to Ground Zeroâs ear. Only Ground Zeroâs wild blond hair over Red Riotâs shoulder.
âCome back to me,â Riot says, low and urgent. They are the last words anyone but Ground Zero will ever hear him say. âWake up. Come back to me.â
Ground Zeroâs hands, twitching and sparking. His snarling shouts become snarling breaths. The thrashing slows, then stills. Riotâs voice drops in volume and rises in intensity; the phone can no longer pick up the words. One of his hands drops from Ground Zeroâs gauntlet to brace on the juncture of his shoulder and neck, pull himself closer. His thumb is pressed into Ground Zeroâs jaw. There are wispy, barely-there sounds of the civilian trying not to breathe.
Ground Zeroâs arm comes free of the wall with barely a whisper of brick and mortar. His head tips to rest against Red Riotâs, temple to temple, and when he speaks, he sounds very tired.
âAP Shot,â he says, and the light is blinding.
:
HT: Since the incident many have lauded Red Riot as the rightful Number One Hero. Others argue that one act of heroism, however exceptional, does not outweigh a career of heroics, as in the case of All Might, current top hero Deku, and your very own Ground Zero. Where do you stand?
CHARGEBOLT: Are you kidding me?
CELLOPHANE: Chargeboltâ
CHARGEBOLT: No, Iâm sorry, are you kidding me right now? Youâve seen the footage, right? Of course you have, you all have. How is this even a question? Deku and Ground Zero are top notch, no doubt, but when it comes to being a straight up hero? Everything that entails? Thatâs Red Riot. The full package. A career of heroics, what kind of bullshitâtry a lifetime of heroics, and half of it no one remembers because it happened before he even got his license and the other half no one knows because, what, it wasn't flashy enough? No one cares about how he helped old people with their groceries or found missing pets or spoke at schools about self confidence and bullying or, or how he encouraged everyone he ever met to be better. Justâbetter. He was my hero before that night and he better be everyoneâs hero afterward.
CELLOPHANE: ChargeâŠ
CHARGEBOLT: I'm fine! I'm fine. Sorry. I got a littleâI'm fine.
HT: âŠWell, I canât speak for everyone, but Red Riot definitely is my hero. Thank you both for speaking with me today. Please continue to take care of us.
CELLOPHANE: Thank you for having us.
CHARGEBOLT: Yeah. Yeah, thank you.
:
The light fades. The cracked lens focuses. There is Ground Zero, and there is Red Riot. Theyâre holding each other. There is a crater in Red Riotâs chest.
âNo,â says the civilian. âNo.â
Riotâs body is slack in Ground Zeroâs arms. Smoke trickles from the entry wound and plumes from the exit wound, and below them, at their knees, the mist is lapping. Ground Zero scrapes a breath into his lungs. He clutches Riot close with one arm, and raises the other against the civilian. Her breath catches.
Two hands come up to frame Ground Zeroâs face. Ground Zero falters, and Red Riot cracks their skulls together.
Ground Zero collapses in a nerveless plummet. Red Riot catches him. The hollow in his chest is ragged, seared flesh and bloody red stone. He lowers Ground Zero and then reaches for the civilian, and when they finally leave the alley he curls around her, but thereâs no need. There is no one left to fight.
On the other end of the street, like a smear of ash against the burning city, stands Axis, in exactly the same place heâs been all night. When Riot takes a step toward him, the civilian grabs his hand.
âRed Riot,â she says, a warning, a plea, but he just smiles at her. He tries.
He staggers over. Axis doesnât move. The civilian doesnât move. Riot is barely standingâwhen he reaches Axis he almost falls, and has to brace against Axisâs shoulders. Axis watches him. He watches him cough and cough and crumble all over. He watches him draw back a fist and he keeps watching, and he keeps watching, and Riot sinks the fist into his solar plexus, and then itâs done. Axis crumples. The mist dissipates. All thatâs left is Red Riot, standing against the sky.
âRiot,â the civilian whispers.
Red Riot falls.
The civilian slips to her knees. There is the sound of movement off camera, a groan, and then an animal cry. Ground Zero blasts past her. His body blocks Red Riot from view, and heâs shouting, heâs screaming, but the civilianâs voice is closer, clearer, and drowns him out:
âRiot,â she whispers. âRiot. Riot.â
The phone slips from her fingers. The lens shatters, and the video ends.
:
:
three.
âDo you ever think about it?â
Kaminariâs eyes are a little too wide. His fingers are twitching, sparking. Bakugou is on patrol because heâs always on patrol. Theyâre working out a schedule to keep him company.
Kaminari says, âLike, everything, obviously, but specifically do you ever think about the fact that we killed him? Everyone decided to scapegoat Bakugou, but we did that. We all did that. And they still cheer for me in the streets. Do you ever think about that?â
:
The first time Izuku went to Kacchan and Kirishimaâs apartment was for a housewarming party.
It was a private thing, only a handful of their closest friends. Izuku bought them a toaster. Kacchan blew it up because he decided he liked the toaster from Sero better. They had champagne, and Kirishima handed out spare keys. When Izuku teared up, Kacchan snatched the key back and detonated it, and Kirishima, without missing a beat, pulled out another.
Izuku turns the key in his pocket now. He knocks againâagain no answer. The neighbors keep to themselves, one of the main reasons Kacchan liked the place so much, and no one ogles the number one hero loitering out front. Izuku waits for five minutes. He waits five minutes more. Then he pulls out the key and opens the door.
Itâs a crime scene: something that could be an accident if not for the subtle clues that point to arson, the things that so carefully escaped unscathed. A pair of red plastic crocs sitting by the door. The workout weights. A framed poster of Crimson Riot. The alarm clock with two flexing arms poking out.
Everything else is melted or charred or black. There are holes in the walls where fire chewed through. The refrigerator is sad and slumped over, forever drooping where the stainless steel melted and cooled into its new position. The television is smashed and the chairs are ashy splinters. Most of the doors have been blown off their hinges, and the oven is a huskâif the stove still works, which Izuku doubts, it would probably just light the place up all over again. Not that he thinks it could do much damage.
He should leave. He should come back when Kacchan is in. His feet carry him further inside, to the wall of photographs, and his boots leaves footprints in the soot. Most of the photos are gone now, but Izuku remembers there was a subtle pleasing aestheticism to them, proof that Kacchan excels in interior design, as he does in everything else. There were snapshots from high school, their class and their teachers. Kacchan and him as children, brandishing nets and stag beetles. Individual candids of Kaminari, Ashido, and Sero. Beautiful landscape views that balanced out the portraitsâKirishima and Kacchan liked to go hiking togetherâand most of them are on the floor, now, glass shattered and paper warped and blackened.
Izuku reaches for one of the survivors. Itâs blurry, tilted and off-center. Half the frame is taken up by Kirishimaâs laughing face, while the other half is crowded by Kacchanâs wild grin flashing over Kirishimaâs shoulder. Between them: Kacchanâs middle finger, flipping off the camera. They were the hero communityâs best and worst kept secret: the pros all knew and the tabloids suspected, but no news outlet worth their weight could scrape enough evidence together to print a story. They didnât wear rings; there was no PDA. They took painstaking care to ensure that no one knew they lived together. Eventually the hurricane eye of the hero newscycle moved on, but now theyâve picked it up again, determined to wring as much drama from the story as possible. Izukuâs eyes feel hot.
The smell hits him like a fist: smoke, chemical, gunpowder. Itâs a taste on the air, oil that wonât wash clean. He spins around.
Kacchan is standing in the doorway. Heâs staring.
:
âWe didnât kill him,â Sero says. He is patient and smiling. Heâs always smiling. Mina doesnât think heâs stopped smiling since the day the world imploded, and she doesnât think heâs ever looked so tired.
Sero says, âIt was a villain. It was a quirk. That wasnât Bakugou and that wasnât us.â
âWe did though,â says Kaminari. âWe killed him. We did. It didnât even feel wrong.â
Mina lays a hand on the back of his neck, and he looks at her, desperate in a way she canât define.
âTheyâre still cheering for me,â he says again.
âI know.â
âWe did it, Mina. We all did. But theyâre still cheering.â
âI know.â
:
Mina is on patrol with Bakugou.
Itâs not the way it was. Of course it isnât, everything is changed, but how do you prepare for the loss of a best friend? Itâs the kind of thing heroes spend their whole lives failing to anticipate. And once youâve failed, how do you prepare to cope with the living?
There was something equal before, between her and Bakugou. In how they fought, how they conducted themselves in public, with villains, with fans. She didnât realize sheâd taken it for granted--she didnât know sheâd miss it. Now Bakugou apprehends villains before Mina realizes a crime has been committed. He moves on before she can follow. He is machine, and she is left to be human, comforting the victims, dealing with police, running damage control, signing autographs and answering questions and smiling when they cheer for her. She smiles. Why wonât they stop asking about Kirishima? She smiles. She sees what Kaminari meant now. She smiles. How can Sero do this all day?
She catches up to Bakugou on a rooftop, perched like a gargoyle, glaring down at the street and waiting for something to go wrong. He doesnât blink.
Her smile drops. She slumps against his side. His skin is slick with soot and sweat; the chemical smell of him burns the inside of her nose. He doesnât push her off. He barely seems to notice sheâs there.
Sero says he hasnât seen the video. His therapist doesnât recommend it, he says, and he doesnât want more memories than he has already. Mina thinks she believes him. Kaminari admits that he watched it, though he claims only the once. He also says heâs getting regular counseling. She doesnât believe him on either count.
She wonders sometimes if Kaminari isnât the one they should be most worried about. She wonders if she can bring that up with Bakugou, or if thatâs one of the things that have changed. She wonders if he will ever allow her to grieve with him--she wonders if the public will ever allow her to grieve at all. She wonders if sheâs coping how Kirishima would have wanted.
She wonders if Bakugou has seen the video.
âYou don't have to stand fucking suicide watch,â Bakugou says, without taking his eyes off the street. âI'm not that weak.â
âWe're not worried about that,â says Mina.
Sheâs seen the video. Of course she has. Thereâs a scar on Seroâs face in the shape of her hand. Kirishimaâs body, acid-burned and raw. She had to watch it. She had to.
She says, âWe just don't want you to be alone.â
Bakugou stares at her. His eyes are hollow.
âEijirouâs dead,â he says. âI am alone.â
:
âDeku,â Kacchan says, and thatâs all he says. Ash falls from his fingers. Izuku didnât hear him come in.
âKacchan,â he says, and Bakugou brushes past him into the apartment, without a backwards glance. He doesnât ask what Deku is doing there. Deku tells him anyway.
âYour mom called my mom.â
Bakugou grunts. âShe called me too.â
âShe said she couldnât get ahold of you.â
âI didnât pick up.â
He moves from room to room with machine efficiency. The kitchen: he wrenches open the busted fridge and sweeps a few water bottles and energy bars into his bag. The bathroom: the shower runs for six minutes. He emerges with wet hair, water steaming off his skin, back in his tattered uniform. It was barely enough to rinse off the oily residue of the smoke; the acrid scent keeps clinging. Now into the office. Izuku follows, feeling helpless, feeling six years old on the playground and unable to reach him.
âAll Might has been looking for you too.â
âWho gives a shit.â
His voice lacks its usual venom. It lacksâanything. The words rattle around like heâs hollow, like heâs empty.
All Izuku can give him is the truth: âIt wasnât your fault.â
Bakugou doesnât answer. He doesnât give any indication that he heard at allâmoves around the apartment with eyes that are at once intent and unseeing. Replaces his gauntlets. Replaces his mask. Izuku is sure others have told him the same thing. Did he hear any of them?
Into the bedroom, where Bakugou bee-lines to a dresser. He pulls out a blue muscle shirt and finally takes pause. Lifts it to his nose and breathes deep. Thereâs a moment of perfect stillness that Izuku couldnât break even if he wanted to, even if he tried.
âI know it wasn't my fault,â Bakugou scoffs, when the moment passes. He even rolls his eyes, and for a moment he seems so very like himself that Izuku feels an urgent sympathy for the yawning space at his side where Kirishima should be.
âWe got bad intel. There was no way for us to anticipate it.â
Itâs exactly the right thing to say. Izuku wants to cry. âKacchan, when is the last time you slept?â
The blue shirt goes into the backpack, an orange shirt is dug out and dumped on the floor. Bakugou starts for the door.
âKacchan, wait!â
He claps a hand on Bakugouâs shoulder and removes it just as fast, because the palm is raw, the first layer of skin burned away by microscopic explosions, the flesh beneath sizzling. Bakugou stares at the steaming, five-fingered imprint left on his shoulder, blank-faced, rooted to the floor as though by a psychic quirk. The thought makes Izuku feel ill.
Bakugou says, âI keep thinking about the sports festival. The one on one matches. Our first year at UA.â
âWhat?â
âI was horrible to him. I had him dead to rights half a minute before the match was called and I couldâve stopped but I didnât. I kept going. I wanted to hurt him just because I could. I never said sorry.â
He blinks, once, slowly. Then he heads for the door.
âLock up when you leave or donât. Later, Deku.â
Izuku can't think of a thing to say. It doesn't seem Bakugou wants to hear it either. Heâs already gone.
:
:
four.
Three months after Kamino, Bakugou is woken by a nightmare. It is not his own.
Kirishima is sitting up, one leg flung over the side of the narrow twin bed. Heâs gasping, hiccuping. Heâs clutching at his forearms. The livid red scars are smudged pale in the dim.
âHey,â Bakugou says, and sits up too. âHey. Kirishima. It was just a dream.â
He reaches for him, and under his palm flesh ripples into stone and then into flesh again.
âDream,â says Kirishima. âWow, right, dream. Right. I had them before but not likeâI canât believe you dealt with this shit for so long. How did you do this?â
He laughs, and Bakugou hates the sound of it, half-hysterical and breathless.
âShit, man, youâre so manly, how the hell did you do thisââ
âOf course I am,â Bakugou grunts. He seizes one of Kirishimaâs hands. Knocks their foreheads together.
âDeep breaths. Slow.â
âI donâtââ
âStop talking. Youâre going to pass out, you moron. Like me: deep breaths.â
Kirishima takes deep breaths. He tries. Theyâre shuddery, but he holds them in his lungs as long as he can, and then lets them go in a long stuttery sigh, over and over. His quirk activates in fits and starts like a jumping muscle.
Bakugou doesnât know what happened at the internships. The raid. The girl. There are rumors, of course there are rumors. He knows a thing or two about those. But Kirishimaâs not allowed to give him details, and in the end all Bakugou knows for certain is the pattern of the scars on his arms, how they map the exact striations of his quirk.
And the nightmares. He knows about the nightmares.
âYou made it out,â he hears himself say. âYou survived, you won, youâre fucking strong.â
Kirishima presses close, and Bakugou presses his hand, presses his thumb into the scar over his pulsepoint, counts the thumping as it slows. Things would have been different if heâd just gotten his license. He could have been there. He could have fought Kirishimaâs nightmares instead of soothing them, heâs always been shit at comfortingâ
âIâm really happy youâre here,â Kirishima says. His breath fans against Bakugouâs cheek. âIâm really happy I woke up and you were here.â
Bakugou swallows around a dozen false starts. This thing they do, or have, this thing he canât nameâhe thought it was a one-time thing after Kamino, but they never kicked the habit. Kirishima kept coming around, and they kept falling asleep, and they kept waking up. What can Bakugou say? Heâs glad too. He wants to always wake up beside him.
What he chooses is: âItâs my room, dumbass.â
âwhich is a stupid thing to say, so he adds in a huff, âDo you always sweat so much? Thatâs fucking gross.â
Kirishima laughs, and Bakugou relaxes in degrees. That sounds better. That sounds right.
Kirishima lies back down when Bakugou shoves at his shoulder, and he rolls onto his side when heâs elbowed in the ribs. Bakugou lies down too, and then they watch each other. Theyâre close enough to share a pillow. Kirishimaâs quirk has settled. His breathing evens out.
Heâs smiling. Bakugou can see the faint outline of it, and abruptly he wants to be asleep, just so he can wake up and see that smile in the daylight.
:
The apartment is just a place to go, impersonal, ravaged. Bakugou goes back because itâs convenient. He restocks on food and water. He downs an energy drink. He replaces the shirt in his pack for a red threadbare tee. He goes to work.
He never took the leave the commission offered him. He didnât see the point. Maybe itâs ironic that heâs a better hero now than he ever was; in one month heâs put away more villains than he has in the past five. He doesnât give a shit. Maybe heâs barreling into an early grave. He doesnât give a shit about that either. Itâs not that he has a death wish, not like everyone thinks. And everyone thinks something. They all tell him what they think: He should be proud of Red Riot. He should be ashamed. It was his fault. Heâs a villain, Axis only brought it out. He loved Red Riot. He hated Red Riot. He was jealous of Red Riot. Red Riot wouldnât treat civilians this way. Red Riot wouldnât treat villains this way. Was he dating Red Riot? What was it like fighting Red Riot? What were his last words to Red Riot, because Iâve watched that video like a million times and my friend thinks you said youâd kill him but I told her you wouldnât have said that, because you loved him, so if you could settle this betâ
No, itâs not like everyone thinks. Itâs just that Eijirou is dead and he stripped all the softness from the marrow of Bakugouâs bones, softness he didnât even know he possessed. Whatâs the use of grief, now, or of mercy, whatâs the use of anything without him? He looks inside himself and all he sees is the lack.
:
Bakugou can map out this city with their lives together. This four way intersection where the gridlock was so bad that Eijirou gave in to road rage for the first and only time in his life. He swore a blue streak and Bakugou was so delighted he kissed him hard enough to make his own mouth bleed.
That BBQ restaurant where Bakugou got food poisoning. Eijirou laughed and laughed, but he took care of him even when Bakugou spitefully threw up in his hair. There are dumpsters in the back, so he drops behind the building and tucks his backpack between two of them.
The alley where they almost got caught making out on patrol. The other alley where they did get caught, and by Deku, no less. Itâs been a long time since Bakugou so sincerely tried to kill him.
That block where Eijirou almost died.
That block where Eijirou did die.
Thatâs usually where he loses Kaminari, when Kaminari is tailing him. Sure enough, ten minutes later heâs hunting down muggers halfway across the city, and his chaperone is gone. Itâs amateur hourânone but the desperate and the stupid are out when Ground Zero is on the prowl. They arenât worth the sweat it takes to put them down. Maybe he hospitalizes one of the muggers. Maybe he kills the other. Maybe the victim is crying. It doesnât matter. Eventually Kaminari will catch up and deal with it, or he wonât. He turns to go.
Thereâs a scuffling behind himâa third villain, how the hell didnât he noticeâBakugou pivots with a Howitzer already loaded up, and then his knee gives out and his vision goes darkâ
Itâs only a second, and when he comes to, the victim is wailing and the villain is missing his legs. Thereâs steel in Bakugouâs ribs. Some cheap goddamn butterfly knife. Itâs shallow, treatable, but it shouldnât have happened. Amateur hour.
Options: go grab his bag and patch himself up on-site, or go grab his bag and give himself proper treatment back at the apartment. Either way step one is the same.
But the bag isnât there.
Bakugouâs vision swims. It swam when he got food poisoning, when Eijirou helped him stumble out through the back door and he threw up between the dumpsters. Where the bag should be, where Eijirouâs red shirt should be, but it isnât, and he isnât, and Bakugou wants to be sick but Eijirou wonât be there to laugh at him and take him home.
Blood pulses in Bakugouâs ears. It fills up his head like a brain hemorrhage until all he can see is red. The thief could be across the city by now, but it doesnât matter. He could be anywhere in the world and Bakugou would find him. Heâll blacken his bones. Heâll crush his skull.
He does find him, of course. Heâs less than five miles away, trudging along a crowded street without a care in the goddamn world. Bakugou combusts the concrete in front of him, grabs him by the collar and then has to grab him by the arms because the clothes sear to ash in his fists.
This fucker thought he could steal from Ground Zero? Bakugou laughs. The thief is going to cook between his hands. Bakugou laughs and laughs.
âGround Zero, stop!â
Bakugou whips his head around. Kaminari is there, knees bent, eyes wide. Electricity is arcing off his body. Ha. As though he could take Bakugou down. As though the gathering crowd could deter him. As though anything in the world could keep him from roasting this piece of shit villain alive for even thinking he could take Eijirou awayâ
Thisâpiece of shit villainâ
The red bleeds away. Bakugou turns back to the man, andâand he isnât a villain. Heâs homeless. Whimpering. Rattling in Bakugouâs grip. Iâm sorry, heâs saying, I thought it was thrown away, Iâm sorry, donât hurt meâ
Bakugou drops him. He tears open the bag. Pulls out the red shirt. Presses it to his eyes and holds it. Holds it. His hands are trembling.
When he picks up his head, everyone is staring.
âKeep the rest,â he mumbles, and tosses the bag at the manâs feet. The crowd is stirring, and now there are voices: You should be ashamed. Why canât you be more like Red Riot? Villain!
A soft drink comes arcing in his periphery and Bakugou vaporizes it without thinking. He ties the shirt around his neck.
âBakugou,â Kaminari croaks, and Bakugouâgoes. And goes. And goes.
:
âYouâre going to be okay,â says Bakugou. Like itâs certain. Like itâs fact. Like itâs already happened, but Eijirou missed it, somehow, didnât get the memo that these wounds will not kill him. Thereâs too much blood for him to speak but his eyes are sad and his hands are desperate, he presses them to Bakugouâs face, just holding him there, and holding him, and holding him.
âYouâre going to be okay or Iâll kill you,â Bakugou sobs, and he hates Kirishima for this, hates him for leaving, hates him for dying, hates him, hates him, no, no wait, don't go, I love you, god, fuck, donât leave me alone, pleaseâ
:
He landsâhe crashes. He doesnât know where. A park. There are flowers. What time is it? Three? Five? No one is out to snap pictures of the number one hero, bone-weary and aching. His legs threaten to give out from under him; his head threatens to roll off his shoulders. He snarls, shakes himself like a dog. Landmarks. He needs a landmark to orient himself. The watery grays and blues of pre-dawn warp familiar sights into eerie ghosts of themselves, but he knows every inch of this city, and if he can justâ
There. Yes, he knows exactly where he is. They walked here two years ago, on Christmas Eve. No flowers then, but the park offered a good view of the lights, braided in the trees, frosting the buildings. The bench where Eijirou nodded off on his shoulder is across the park. It wouldnât take long to get to the apartment from here. Clean up. Sew himself back together. Crawl into bed and close his eyes, just for a minuteâ
And then heâll wake up.
Bakugou doesnât go back to the apartment. He doesnât bother making his way over to the bench he knows. He collapses into the nearest seat and sears shut the gash in his side, and once thatâs done he unknots the shirt and lifts it to his nose. Smoke. Nitroglycerin. He breathes and breathes but Eijirou isnât there. He isnât anywhere.
His hand thuds to his lap. He stares at nothing.
A long, thin shadow falls over him.
âMy boy. Iâve been looking for you.â
âYou found me.â He doesnât look up.
All Might lowers himself to the bench with deliberate care. He has a cane that he uses to steady himself; thereâs a stoop to his spine. It used to infuriate Bakugou, seeing him so fragile. It took him a long time to realize that he wasnât.
Silence settles softly. They watch the flowers.
âItâs not the same,â All Might says, âLosing a mother or a friend, and losing a life partner. Itâs not the same. In the ways that we are differentâI canât speak to that. I wonât try to.â
Bakugou doesnât answer.
âBut I know what it is to lose someone you would have given your life for. Thereâs nothing that can compare.â
âYou didnât kill Shimura Nana with your own hands. Nighteye either. Donât pretend weâre the same.â The words are flat as the side of a blade. All Might does not flinch.
âNo,â he agrees, after a time, slow, and heavy. âNo, I didnât. But I know it wasnât my fault, like you know it wasnât yours. Not really. And I know how it is to blame yourself anyway.â
Bakugou opens his mouth, but canât find it in himself to reply. He wasnât lying to Deku. He knows it wasnât his fault. There was nothing he could have done, and there's a special kind of torture in being so helpless anyway. Sometimes shit happens and the only person you've ever unselfishly loved dies.
His vision is swimming again. He squeezes his eyes shut and forces them open.
âMy boy,â All Might says. âWhen was the last time you took a rest?â
âDonât need it.â
âI donât think young Kirishima would have wantedââ
âIt doesnât matter what he wanted. Heâs dead.â The fight drains out of him. âNone of it matters.â
All Might shakes his head. âI donât believe that. Just because theyâre gone, it doesnât mean they cease to matter.â
âWhy should I give a shit what you think?â
âYou donât have to. You have no obligation to me, my boy. Iâm just a rambling old man,â and he lays a hand on Bakugouâs shoulder, âwho loves you both very much.â
Very suddenly Bakugou wishes heâd sat on the bench he sat on with Eijirou. The line of his mouth trembles. He sets his teeth, and grinds them until they ache. âI know what they think of me,â he snaps in the handâs direction, âNone of itâs true.â
âWhatâs that?â
He snarls. âDonât pretend you donât know. They either think Iâm sating some newly awoken villain tendencies or Iâm a fucking suicide risk. Well, Iâm not a villain, and Iâm not out here trying to get myself killed. Iâm not out for revenge. Iâm not running from the fact that heâs dead. I know heâs dead.â
Smoke. He looks down. His hand is wringing the shirtâhe unlocks his fingers, stares at the singed fabric. Eijirou has had this thing since he was twelve. He would wear it to bed in the winter, when Bakugou would insist he put on a shirt. The colorâs washed out and the seams are stretched to hell. Thereâs a flaking graphic of Crimson Riot on it.
âI justââ
That stupid shirt. His stupid face, half asleep. His awful morning breath. His smile. Youâre going to be okay.
âI justâŠâ Bakugouâs voice splinters. âI just hate waking up without him.â
All Might is watching him; Bakugou canât bear to meet his eye. It sounds absurd, now that heâs said it out loud. All the sleepless nights. All the desperate hero work. Just to avoidâ A laugh barks out of him. Itâs hoarse and hot in his throat. All Mightâs hand moves from shoulder to neck, grounding, anchoring, folding over the top knob of Bakugouâs spine. Bakugou laughs, and he laughs, and itâs ugly, and itâs wet, and he laughs and it catches and it tears and he curls around it and he cries.
:
:
:
end.
Bakugou has a dream where he wakes up.
Itâs morning. The light is smeary and peach-colored. Eijirou is there.
âMorninâ, Katsuki,â he says. Heâs fifteen. Heâs twenty eight. Theyâre in the apartment. Theyâre in the dorm. It doesnât matter where they are, or when, because Eijirou is here, with his stupid hair and his awful morning breath. Heâs smiling.
Bakugou tackles him into the pillows, and kisses him when he laughs, and kisses him, and kisses him, and he says Iâm sorry, and Eijirou says for what, and Bakugou says for the sports festival. Our first year at UA. I had you beat and I could have stopped, I should have stopped, but I didn't and it was fucking rotten of me, I just kept hurting you and hurting you andâ
Eijirou knocks their foreheads hard enough that Bakugou swears. The pain is clear and sweet.
âAre you done being stupid?â he says. âYou never have to apologize for treating me like an equal. Youâre mine and Iâm yours. Itâs okay. Weâre gonna be okay.â
Bakugou reaches up to hold his face. Eijirou reaches up to hold his hands. Nothing is burning. Nothing is turning to dust.
âShit, yeah. Weâre gonna be okay. Dumbass.â
âWeâre okay?â
âWeâre okay.â
:
#boku no hero academia#my hero academia#kiribaku#krbkweek2020#kirishima eijirou#bakugou katsuki#midoriya izuku#toshinori yagi#ashido mina#kaminari denki#sero hanta#ran's writing#bnha fic#tw: violence#tw: major character death#do you ever think about Water Hose? and how everyone told Kota he should be proud of his parents instead of letting him grieve???#because i do#surprise surprise the hero system is Flawed#anyway here's the krbk product of those thoughts
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Milk and black spiders
MASTERLIST
Pairing: Bucky x reader
Warnings: Itâs angsty and has a couple swear words
Word count: 1.611
Summary: Youâre captured by Hydra and forced to work for them. One day they bring in sergeant James Barnes and start to experiment on him. You feel for this man and the inevitable happens⊠Inspired by the song âMilk and black spidersâ by Foals.
Disclaimer: the name Ruth has been chosen randomly by using a random name generator.
A/N: @dabblinginmarvel reached a huge milestone, 4k followers! This is my entry for the 4k challenge.
And I know youâre still with me. You my compass and my sea.
Oh, I hope you can hear me. Follows billion miles away You stay.
Cause I love you dearly. Follows billion miles away
âThe man you know, the man you claim to love, heâs going to be the fucking winter soldier. Y/N, you need to stop this madness right now. You cannot, by any means, love him.â
Sheâs shaking you violently, trying to stop the tears from cascading down your cheeks and plummeting onto the gravel under your knees. Youâre crying like youâve never cried before, screaming and calling out his name, wanting to see your sergeant. You thought that you could confide in your friend, Ruth, a fellow scientist who joined Hydra in order to save her brotherâs life. You believed that she could perhaps even help you, help the two of you, but you were grossly mistaken.
âStop this, Y/N!,â Ruth shrieks, kicking you in the side with her black leather boot. It hurts, but no physical pain will hurt as much as the emotional pain youâre experiencing.
Her words are harsh and split your skull in half. You want to go back and make it all undone, wishing you had never told her the truth, but you canât. Your shoulders shake involuntarily as you try to keep the sobbing to a minimum, allowing Ruth to drag you to your feet and support you all the way to where the car is waiting to take you someplace far away from here. Youâre almost there when you collapse onto the ground once more.
âYou are not supposed to be in love with him! The Winter Soldier cannot love anyone, Y/N. Thereâs enough scientific stuff for you to help you keep your mind off of him, but donât torture yourself like this. You took a risk, sneaking away just to talk to him. Then you took an even bigger risk falling for him.â When you didnât respond immediately, she dropped to your eyelevel and took your face between her hands, forcing you to meet her scorning gaze.
âYou know what theyâre planning on doing to him? You realise how many times you will have to start over?,â she yells at you and you flinch at the anger flashing like a wild flame in her sea green eyes. âHow many times they will wipe you from his memory and you will have to start from scratch, gaining his trust over and over again until the next time theyâll run electric current through his fried brain?â
Then her voice softens and she releases you from her hold. â He might love you, but you can never be sure if what heâs feeling is actually love. The Asset, Y/N, not Bucky, the Asset is not supposed to love. Hell, heâs not even supposed to have feelings. I get it, you know, I really do. Both captured by Hydra, both trying to find a way out of your misery. Itâs a freaking movie, a fucking soap opera, star-crossed lovers and all that shit included. But itâs going to get you killed, Y/N. Heâs your death sentence.â
Green, broken glass ocean. You break me, slow motion.
No map, no message. Itâs the deep, blue screen I know.
Cause I know youâre still with me, You my compass and my sea.
You bite back the tears and muffle a scream with your pillow, trying not to wake up Ruth whoâs still sound asleep in the adjoining room. You remember the day they took you away from your family as if it was yesterday, the last day you laid eyes on your mother and father.
The cause of your sorrow is your eidetic memory which put you on Hydraâs radar all too soon. With your fatherâs academic record and impressive scientific background, you were the perfect means to an end, growing up in your fatherâs lab and surrounded by fascinating experiments. So they forced you to cooperate, but you refused to go with them willingly. Two days later they returned and this time, they brought their guns.
Hydra tolerated your occasional rants and respected your boundaries (in other words, you werenât beaten to pulp, neither raped nor tortured although the psychological abuse put you on the brink of suicide more often than not), as long as you performed your very best and did as you were told. But one day they brought him in, sergeant Barnes, and started the procedure. You werenât allowed access and you certainly werenât allowed to speak to him. Each and every night you lay awake, listening to his agonising screams as they tried to make him comply over and over again and failed each and every time. You were near your breaking point and almost couldnât take it anymore when the nightly cries suddenly stopped and you thought they had reached their objective. The sergeant was in your prayers that night, even though you are not religious and rarely ever prayed for anything. Little did you know that they had installed sound-proof walls and the sergeant was still battling Hydra on a daily basis.
A high-ranking officer was appointed as your guard and wasnât supposed to leave your side no matter what. But one evening some of the other soldiers were involved in a small riot that caused some disturbances in the upper ranks, so he was called away from his duty to decide upon a fitting penalty for the transgressing soldiers. You intended to take full advantage of that and as he received the call to attend the emergency meeting, you slipped past the guards casually watching the sleeping quarters and roamed the hallways in the hope of finding an escape route if you were to be so lucky to ever escape from Hydraâs vice-like hold. It was then that you overheard two soldiers talking to one another about him and no matter how hard they tried, how hard they pushed his buttons, it all turned out to be fruitless. It didnât take you long to locate his whereabouts, having eavesdropped before on some of the other scientist working his project. He was the talk of town and it sickened you to the core.
He was tied to the chair, seemingly asleep or heavily subdued. Nevertheless, as soon as you entered the room his eyes shot open wide and his pupils dilated with fear. You rushed over to him, shushing him whilst taking a hold of his hand, his bionic hand. You brought it to your lips and gave it a soft kiss, your gaze gauging his reaction. Much to your surprise he didnât flinch, but he still didnât say a word. He didnât acknowledge your soothing words, your promises of trying your best to get him out of here because he knew just as well as you did that they were all empty. You werenât going to get him out, you were just a scientist. Yet his eyes let you know that it was alright. He was a fighter, that much was true, and you admired his resilience. God knows you wouldâve given in a long time ago.
Until you could find a way to get somehow make good on your promise of getting him out, you kept paying him silent visits on the regular. Your time with him was always too short and the only real conversation you had with him was the exchange of your names and a couple white lies, tiny assurances to keep his (and your) hopes up. Regardless, one unfortunate night they barged into the room unexpectedly, catching your off guard and red-handedly as you were loosening the straps that restrained him. They backed you into a corner, barking orders at you, orders you didnât register. The last thing you remember is the sergeant trying to reach out to you, screaming out your name at the top of his lungs. It took at least 5 men to hold him down and the sixth put a muzzle on him in an attempt to keep him quiet.
A man you didnât recognize held the barrel of a gun to your temple, telling you to take one good, hard look at the soldier before you would meet your end. Your lips tried to form a coherent sentence but the words came out scrambled. You tried to assure him that all would be well, that he wasnât to blame. You overstepped, you crossed the thin fine line youâd been balancing on ever since they âemployedâ you against your will and had to be punished for doing so. You also told him he was a strong man and would come out of this even stronger. He was going to persevere, he was going to survive. Unlike you, he was going to have his life back. Or so you hoped.
The soldier cocked back the gun and your body slumped to the floor. He screamed, screamed and screamed and screamed but the sound never reached your ears. In the few fleeting moments he had spent with you, he knew you were different than the rest of them. A wild animal in a cage, just like him. And as he screamed out your name one last time, they came to collect your body and wiped all evidence of your existence from his room.
Bucky might not remember your name anymore, but he does recall this moment, the very moment the only person that ever showed any kindness towards him during his time in captivity was snuffed out of his life in an instance.
He hasnât forgotten.
Cause Iâve been around two times and found
That youâre my only friend indeed
Tagging: the ever-wonderful @beccaanne814-blog @avengerofyourheart @a-little-hell-to-raise @unpredictable-firecracker @marvelingatthewonder  @mrshopkirk @hardcorehippos @iiharu-kunii @knittingknerdy @winterwolf57 @winterboobaer @thedragonblood @hymnofthevalkyries @feelmyroarrrr @justareader @ourpeachskies @austinamelio @howlingbarnes @4theluvofall @mehrmonga @themcuhasruinedme @theoneandonlysaucymo @hymnofthevalkyries @nenyakj @themcuhasruinedme
#marvel#marvel imagine#marvel fic#marvel fan fic#marvel fanfiction#marvel fan fiction#fan fic writing#fan fiction#my fan fiction#bucky x reader#bucky barnes#bucky barnes x reader#bucky#bucky imagine#james buchanan barnes#james barnes#james bucky barnes#winter soldier#winter soldier x reader#the avengers#avengers#writing#writers#my writing#writers on tumblr#my fanfiction#fanfic#fanfiction#i write fanfiction#dabbling4000challenge
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