#from a prisoner and why does everybody smirk so much and why does everyone HIDE smirks. what does that even look like

[fingertipsmp3]

I hate that I’m not only rereading Throne of Glass but enjoying it

[heliads]

Daughter of the Storm (Part One)

Based on this request: “The reader is Wanda daughter but separated from Wanda because of hydra. reader gets called by sword to rescue Monica because she has similar power to Wanda. in the hex she is Agnes daughter and Wanda realizes that is her daughter and tries to get her back but Agatha does want to leave reader because the reader reminds Agatha of her dead daughter who her mother killed.”

masterlist / part two

It is quiet before they break down the door. In fact, were it not for the slight clamor of footsteps against the rickety wooden stairs, you would have no idea anyone was there at all. You are too young to recognize the sudden look of fear crossing your mother’s face, too small to know to run and hide. It is not your fault when they come, yet they come anyway for you. Such is the will of the world- if there is a weapon, it is best to remove all possible failsafes so she will self destruct when you wish her to.

The weapon, in this case, is your mother. Wanda Maximoff. Technically, she had been the one to sign up for HYDRA’s testing, but it wasn’t her choice to have you ripped from her like a limb, heart still smarting from the wound. HYDRA knew that if they wanted to have any sway over Wanda, any reason for her to commit herself utterly to the cause, they would have to take you away. They already had her brother, her only remaining blood, but if they had you they would have everything. There would be no other reason for her to go on, no reason except HYDRA’s whims. It was perfect for them, yet so utterly wrong for you.

The door caves in with a shower of splinters. Wanda stands up, voice beginning to raise in a shout. You are small, barely up to her knee. There is no place for you to go, no place to run and hide. It is too late for that, and Wanda knows it. She raises her hands, about to use her powers, but then a certain Baron von Strucker steps through the shell of the door. He speaks casually, as if sharing a chat with a friend. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. The second you hurt us, we hurt her. An eye for an eye, if you will.”

Wanda backs down, but her eyes still smolder with a scarlet rage she’s unable to control. She moves instead to you, holding you close in her arms even as the soldiers press forward. You’re too young to know exactly what is going on, but you can sense the terror emanating from your mother in waves. You tug at her sleeve, squirming at her tight hold on you. She just shakes her head as the captain of the soldiers extends his arms to take you. “You can’t have her.” Strucker makes a clicking sound with his tongue, and Wanda’s eyes dart to him. Her threats are as empty as eggshells, she knows that, but to give you up without a word would be a betrayal of the highest degree.

Strucker taps his watch. “Any day now. You don’t want to keep us waiting.” When Wanda still hesitates, the baron nods to his guards. “Take her.” The soldiers lunge forward, snatching you from Wanda’s arms. You cry out at the sudden violence, reaching out your arms to Wanda once more. Time seems to hang silent in this moment, as if everybody is fixed on strings. There you are, being dragged away by the silent soldiers. Your hands are still outstretched, inches away from Wanda’s. 

In the later years, this one image will be burned into your head, reminiscent of that one painting of Michelangelo’s that everyone seems to adore. The Creation of Adam, maybe. Yet the wistful calm of that painting is nothing like the wild chaos of this moment. And then the instant fractures, and you are dragged away from Wanda and pulled through the door. This is the last memory you have of her, with her eyes wild with fear and your own terror beating through you like a second heart.

Your view of her is broken by the twists of the hall, and you realize that you are being taken outside to a truck. You’re shoved in the backseat, the soldiers taking their places in the driver’s side and passenger seats. The vehicle begins to move, tires spinning for a second in the mud before they gain traction once more and lurch forward. The night is old, darkness inked over the landscape. You can’t tell where you’re going, only that it is away from anything and everything that you have ever known.

You sit in the back in a state of shock. You can count your age on one hand, you have no idea what is going on. After a while, you begin to catch snippets of the driver’s conversation with the other soldiers. “We’ll take her back to the base...yes, they’ll be separate….No, she’ll never see Wanda again. What’s the point? At this point, she’s just a bargaining chip.” Your fear returns in full force, but now it is joined by a foreign anger. Who are they to take you away from your mother?

Your fury reaches a boiling point, and suddenly, a wave of crimson energy bounds away from you. It rushes towards the driver, who is smashed against the windshield from the impact. The truck is forced off of the road, and you slam against the walls of the truck for a few seconds before the vehicle finally comes to a shuddering stop. Dizzy and utterly confused, you manage to pull yourself together long enough to unlatch the truck door and step out. No one ever tied you down, assuming that no kid would be able to stop the vehicle, so you’re able to run out into the surrounding countryside. 

You end up getting lost deep within the trees, and spend hours alone in the dark until another organization comes for you. This time, it is not HYDRA, but their rival, S.H.I.E.L.D. Apparently they’d been keeping tabs on HYDRA activity for a while and jumped at the chance to rescue whatever prisoner had managed to escape from their armored truck. They weren’t anticipating a terrified child, but they still welcomed you into their jet. You fell asleep almost immediately, leaving the agents with the pressing task of how to deal with a child who had enough power to level a building.

It’s too dangerous for you to return to Wanda, and HYDRA would hunt you down if you stayed in Sokovia, so you end up being brought to the United States. The loss of your mother and uncle presses in on you like a blade, but there’s nothing you can do. S.H.I.E.L.D. provides you with a home and an education, and there’s a gun in your hands as soon as you’re old enough to learn. This isn’t entirely S.H.I.E.L.D. 's fault- you’re tired of being parceled about and intend to feel useful for at least once in your life.

Now, you are a decorated S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. There’s almost nobody with as much experience as you, except for maybe Romanoff, Barton, Hill, and Fury, although to be fair nobody else was able to join as a teenager. Your skills as an agent aren’t the only things that set you aside from the others- you’ve been able to develop your own abilities, abilities that make you just as dangerous as your mother. You’re made from the same stormcloud, cut from the same cloth that lets you manipulate a scarlet magic whenever you desire. Some days, you resent this reminder that she will always be away from you, but on others, you’re grateful for it- your powers are the last thing tying you to her.

You know that Wanda Maximoff is now with the Avengers, that she is in the U.S. just like you. However, whenever she’s in town you’re always coincidentally off on some mission across the seas, or just out of reach. Wanda doesn’t even know you’re with S.H.I.E.L.D. at all, something you’ve decided is for the best. It wasn’t just your decision, you’re fairly sure Fury had a hand in it as well. It seems that no matter which side you’re fighting on, agencies always want their magical weapons to have as few weaknesses as possible. Besides, you’ve spent so long without her that you’re not sure she’d want to have you back at all. It’s best for everyone if you just keep your distance, and so you continue booking your flights whenever you receive word that she’ll be around.

Your heels click on the tiled floor as you pass through the halls of the New York headquarters. You don’t know why you’ve been called to Director Fury’s office, but you have a feeling that it’ll end up being dangerous, deadly, and utterly out of anyone else’s pay range. Good- things are getting a little slow around here. You could use some near-death experiences to get your blood pumping again. 

When you knock on the director’s door, he calls for you to enter almost immediately. So he’s been waiting for you- yet another twist in the mystery. Surely this is going to be another assignment- your books have been clear for the last week, which is a new record. If it’s important enough for the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. to make room in his busy schedule for you, you can tell this is going to be good. You can feel a satisfied smirk making its way onto your face, one you try to discourage. You can feel your fingers already itching to call up your power and burn your way through another rank of enemy agents.

Fury, however, isn’t asking you here to call up the cavalry once more. You won’t be taking down scores of HYDRA thugs, or dismantling enemy spy technology. Instead, you’ll be going to Westview, New Jersey, a nowhere in the middle of nowhere. Normally, you’d be bristling at the low intensity of this mission, but the reason you’ll be sent there is so shocking that you can hardly control yourself.

Your mother, Wanda Maximoff, has taken the entire town hostage. She’s flung up an energy barrier around the streets, trapping the residents inside and forcing them to play along to her sitcom dreams. It’s like she’s playing with suburban paper dolls, except each one of her toys is a living, breathing person who is terrified and desperate to go back to their old lives. The phrase bubbles up on your tongue, but you keep it to yourself. She’s mad, it seems. And if she’s mad, what does that say about you?

The most pressing issue is that one of S.W.O.R.D.’s finest, Monica Rambeau, has been pulled into Wanda’s false reality. There’s no way to get her back, and, according to intel gathered by agents already on the scene, Wanda’s brainwashing her into thinking she’s a typical Westview resident. There’s no way Monica could make it back alive, and so they have asked S.H.I.E.L.D. for help. S.H.I.E.L.D. is now turning to the one person who has experience in this field, who knows everything there is about Wanda’s powers because she has them herself. This is why you’ll be sent to Westview, to rescue Monica and be forced to confront your mother after all of these years of separation.

Somehow, this mission doesn’t come as a surprise. From the second you heard of Wanda’s appointment to the Avengers, you knew your paths would cross at some point. You cannot keep two like objects from themselves forever, just like you can’t hold back the tide or keep the clouds at bay. She is your blood, your magic, your mother. You were bound to meet her at some point, you just find yourself wishing it would have happened under better circumstances. A walk through the park, maybe. A brunch at a restaurant. Something other than your delivery into her mind control mayhem, where you know you’ll set something off to take the whole thing down. 

Director Fury’s eyes are still fixed on you. Maybe you’re supposed to be the mind reader, but in this moment you can tell he’s gleaning every possible fact from you, delving into every crease in your brow and tense of your knuckles. You force your face to smooth over, letting your expression shift back to the impassive. “I understand the assignment. Am I only there to rescue Monica, or is this more than a retrieval mission?” Fury folds his hands together. 

“I want you to evaluate Maximoff, both for her powers and her stability. Will this be an issue?” You shake your head. “I’ll remain unbiased.” Fury’s glower becomes less severe, the closest you’ll get to a smile. “I know you will.” He stands up and shakes your hand, escorting you to the door. You maintain your unemotional agent facade, but your legs feel leaden as you walk back through the halls. Even if you find the strength to face your mother, even if she doesn’t recognize you at all, will you be able to do this? 

Like most missions at S.H.I.E.L.D., you know you don’t have a choice. It’s like running with a pack of wolves- any sign of weakness, no matter how brief, will be extinguished. So, you pack your bags and move out like it’s just another assignment, instead of a possible reunion with the mother you haven’t seen in years. The truck comes, you step in. The truck arrives at Westview, you step out. Even though the trip itself takes hours, it seems to pass before you in a blur of seconds. Your head is a churning mess, repeating the same phrases over and over again. You’re going to see her. Will she know you? You’re going to see her. Will she hate you?

You march briskly to the head of operations in the Westview encampment, where you’re greeted by S.W.O.R.D. Director Hayward along with agent Jimmy Woo and doctor Darcy Lewis. They’re both friends of Monica, or at least admirers of her work, and urge you to find her as quickly as possible. Monica is a key part of the Westview proceedings, it seems, and you would do well to save her from your mother’s grasp without too much difficulty.

Hayward runs you through a list of protocols and warnings, most of which blur together. Before long, you’re standing outside the barrier to Westview, taking in the marbled scarlet sparks of Wanda’s magic. It feels familiar, like an embrace you’ve cherished before. It seems so similar to your own magic that you half expect to be able to pull it down without a second thought, yet it still stands there, resolutely not your own. You take a deep breath and step forward.

Hayward calls out one last thing to you. “Agent L/N? Be careful.” You smile faintly at his words of caution, trying to hide your wince at the name he used. You started going by a false last name when you first joined S.H.I.E.L.D., as there were few Maximoffs in the system and you didn’t want to be recognized. How fitting that at the moment you’re about to see your mother, Hayward yanks you back in place, reminding you of who you’re supposed to be. Not a Maximoff, not the daughter of Wanda, but an agent. That’s it.

You take a deep breath and reach out a hand, feeling the threads of Wanda’s magic leap out to you like a magnet. There’s a prickling sensation as the energy calls to you, and then you walk forward through the barrier. A rushing sound echoes around your ears, but you feel strangely at peace. So this is where it all begins, you think. You have finally entered your mother’s domain.

wanda maximoff tag list: @mycosmicparadise​, @mionemymind​, @xxxtwilightaxelxxx​

[amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines]

Cheryl//maple syrup

Request: Can you do the secret and sins when Veronica comments on the Cheryl’s twincest and the reader defends Cheryl even though the reader kinda diss likes Cheryl.

hey! how is everyone? i hope you’re all well and good! i may have slightly cheated a bit and copy and pasted a previously written out bit from another request where they’re playing secrets and sins. but that’s only because i didn’t see the point in writing the same dialogue again. anywayyyy enjoy! 

It seems that whenever Cheryl Blossom arrives at a party, the party atmosphere disappears. Maybe it’s her grating personality or overbearing need to be liked, whatever it is, within ten minutes of her and Chuck gate crashing Jughead’s unwanted birthday party, there’s already tension. 

Which is not made any better by the suggestion of secrets & sins. Your friends are gathered in a circle in the living room, while you sit off to the side. You want to eavesdrop, but you don’t want to reveal your deepest, darkest secrets, not to your best friends and definitely not to Cheryl. 

It’s clear everyone that’s been roped into this stupid game doesn’t want to be there. Betty shifts in her seat uncomfortably and stares at you with pleading eyes. You shoot her an unsure smile back before taking a sip of your drink and she drops your gaze, glancing at Archie before staring down at the floor. 

Cheryl is the only one that looks like she’s enjoying herself, but you’re not surprised. Chaos and the chance to get dirt on everyone so she can control them even more than she already does is what Cheryl lives for.

You glare at the red-head, who’s smiling brightly as she looks around at her victims and when her eyes land on you, her eyes narrow and the smile is replaced by a smirk. 

“What’s wrong Y/n? Did nobody pick you to be on their team?” She asks, her bright red lips forming a perfect pout and you can’t help but stare at them for a few seconds longer than you should. You feel your face heat up and look away, blaming the alcohol for the affects you’re feeling and refusing to believe that you’ve just thought of Cheryl Blossom as attractive. 

A shiver runs up your spine at the thought and you lips pull into a pout as you stare down at the now empty cup in your hands. You scratch at the plastic and listen to the mumbles and whispers of the teenagers stood and sat around you. 

Whoever isn’t partaking in Secrets and Sins, have gathered around to watch and judge, and you can’t help but lean in a little closer, they may be some of your closest friends, but you can’t help wanting to know what they’ve been hiding from one another...you’re only human and at least you’re not as bad as Cheryl. 

Cheryl lives of rumours. Like Gretchen Wieners with smaller and redder hair. 

“What the hell is Secrets and Sins?” Jughead asks, all eyes on Cheryl as she moves around in a circle, eyeing everyone suspiciously as she starts to explain the rules. 

“Its a variation on Truth or Dare…in which we own our truths by telling it like it is. I’ll start the game with…Veronica Lodge.” She smirks and you roll your eyes at her. 

“Naturally.” Veronica sighs and you pat her shoulder. 

“Let’s begin with the day you and your mob wife of a mother came to town for a so-called fresh start.” She says, her eyes filled with accusations and anger before she’s even gotten to her question. 

You really don’t know why so many people like her, well you do, it’s because she’s rich and she bullies people into being her friend because she’s unable to make them any other way. 

She’s snobby, spoilt and just plain mean, but that doesn’t stop you from sometimes staring at her for longer than you want to and definitely should. 

“Tell us Veronica, what’s so fresh about defiling Archie Andrews in a closet?”

“That was your doing.” She replies confused, her arms crossed defensively against her chest.

“Moving on to dear Daddy Lodge…” She interrupts, getting more and more angry by the second. “Isn’t it true that your father, from prison, illegally purchased the drive-in land? Which makes me wonder, what else is he doing behind bars?” She continues and you glance to your side at Joaquin, who shares a very suspicious look with FP

“Well, I can’t speak for my father…but I can think of someone with a very dirty secret. Specifically, Cheryl killing her very own brother.” The tension in the room shifts and your eyes widen. 

As much as you dislike Cheryl, you know how close her and Jason were and you knew how much it hurt and how she’s still hurting now because of his death. You’ve seen her crying underneath the bleachers after school, you see how her eyes are a little more dull than they used to be. They don’t sparkle as much when she talks and when she’s not spreading hate, she’s just not saying anything at all. 

She smiles less when with her friends, and sometimes you think the only reason she’s horrible to people is so she can feel something. But that doesn’t excuse it and so you shake your head and earn a few confused looks as you try to stop yourself from defending Cheryl Majorie Blossom. 

“Everyone knows how much I loved my brother.” Cheryl defends herself.

“Exactly.” Veronica replies. “But did you love him, maybe in ways that a sister shouldn’t love a brother?” She continues and you watch as Cheryl becomes more and more upset. “And as you got older, Jason started to think it was strange, unnatural. So he chose Polly over you. So you shot him between the eyes with one of your father’s many hunting rifles.”

Her shoulders slump a little and her bottom lip quivers as she looks around the room helplessly. The confident look she usually has, has slipped off like a mask, revealing a very sad girl underneath and suddenly you find yourself standing up. 

“That’s enough Veronica.” You say, surprising everyone, including Cheryl. “Just leave her alone, it’s not worth it.” You add quietly and slowly sit back down again. 

Veronica hold her hands up in defence and you force a smile before going back to picking at the plastic of your cup. 

“I don’t need you to defend me.” Cheryl seethes, her eyes full of hatred as she looks at you, and for some reason it stings. You’re used to her not liking you, but her hating you, hurts you for some unknown reason and you have to take a few deep breaths in order to stop the ache in your chest. 

“This game is sick.” Dilton adds and Cheryl uses the distraction to wipe away the tears on her cheek. “I wanna go next.” He adds making everyone look at him.

“Thats the spirit, Doiley. What secrets do you have to reveal to us?” Chuck grins. 

“I saw Ms. Grundy’s car by Sweetwater River the day Jason went missing.” He says and everyone gasps. People mumble and whisper around you and Cheryl stares straight at Dilton, her eyes narrow. “I told Betty and Jughead, and then Ms. Grundy quit her job and left Riverdale, like, two days later. And let’s not forget that Archie was also at Sweetwater River that morning.”

“Oh, my God.” Cheryl whips her head round to look at Archie. “Colour me shocked. Archie Andrews, is that why you became a mediocre musician overnight? Because you and Ms. Four-Eyes were pulling a Mary Kay Letourneau?”

“Don’t say anything. Don’t get in the gutter with them.” Veronica mutters while glaring at Cheryl. 

“Wait, what? Andrews was banging a teacher?” Chuck asks, his tone a mix of surprise and impressed and you roll your eyes at him. “I wish I would’ve known. I would have added you and Ms. Grundy to the book of conquests.”

“Classy, Chuck, as always.”

“Wait a second.” Cheryl interrupts. “That also explains why Archie can’t seem to keep a girlfriend to save his life. He’s got serious mommy issues. Anything to say for yourself Arch? Were you a victim or a perpetrator?”

“Dilton Doiley plays with guns.” Betty tries to change the subject but she’s immediately shut down.

“Big whoop, Betty. So Doiley’s a psychopath. Everyone knows that.”  

“Well, I guess it’s my turn now. Boy, do I have a twisted secret to reveal, starring Betty Cooper.”

“Leave her the hell alone, Chuck.” Archie threatens.

“Shut up, Andrews.” He replies. “Look, you may get a free peep show every night, but you do not know her. Hell, Betty doesn’t even know herself. Everybody knows why I got suspended, but what you don’t know...she dressed up like a hooker, in a God-awful black wig, drugged me, handcuffed me in the Jacuzzi, and well, I almost drowned until she got me to say what she wanted to hear. And then she really lost it. She actually thought she was Polly. But, hey, you knew all about this right, Jughead?” He asks. For a second, the question hangs in the air, everyone trying to figure out what to say next and how to process what they’ve just been told. 

But then Jughead leaps forward at punches Chuck in face causing all hell to break loose. Everyone stands and FP shoves races forward to grab Chuck and throw him outside. 

While everyone else follows them outside, eagerly awaiting a fight, you stay back and watch as Cheryl disappears upstairs, quietly sniffling as she goes. You look at the front door and then at the stairs and sigh, knowing that this is not gonna end well. She’s gonna insult you and tell you to leave her alone, but at least you can say you tried to help and then you won’t feel bad. 

So you glance at the door one more time and pray that at least one person is filming whatever is happening out there, before wandering up the stairs in search for Cheryl. 

The slight scent of maple syrup and the sound of faint cries coming from the bathroom lets you know where she’s hiding and you quietly creep along the slightly creaky floorboards, trying to remember which ones to avoid after years of practice when sneaking into Archie’s room in order to break him out. 

You stop outside of the bathroom, light coming out of the cracks of the door and your hand hovers over the handle. 

“Whoever is out there, go away.” She sniffles and you roll your eyes. 

Turning on your heel, you start to walk away, but then you hear her sob and it makes you freeze. 

You let out a quiet groan and curse the side of you that can’t leave people that are crying alone, before making your way back to the bathroom and slowly opening the door. 

The first thing you see as you duck your hear around the door is Cheryl sat on the side of the bath. Her hands gripping the edges so hard that her knuckles have turned white. He hair has fallen in front of her face and you watch as she her shoulder shake and tears drip onto the bath mat. 

“Cheryl?” You whisper and she looks up, her eyes wide as she quickly scrambles to wipe away the tears that have ruined her makeup. “Are you okay?” You ask and walk into the room. You close the door behind you and lean against it and her expression hardens. 

“I’m having the best time.” She deadpans and you resist the urge to roll your eyes. God is she stubborn. 

“Look, I know we’re not exactly best friends. Most of the time, I don’t really like to be around you-” 

“Is this supposed to be making me feel better?” She asks and you shrug. 

“But you know that if you need someone to talk to that won’t judge you or really know anything about you, you can. I’ll just sit and listen and you can cry or rant or I dunno. Just, know you’re not alone. You may not get along with everyone in this town, but we will all be here for you if you need us, all you have to do is ask.” You say honestly but anxiously while playing with your fingers. 

She looks at you surprised, her lips part as if she’s going to say something and you’re sure she’s going to tell you to shut up and leave her alone, but instead she says thank you and you feel yourself relax a little. 

“It’s okay.” You nod. “And for the record, what Veronica said was out of line. Everyone knows how much Jason meant to you and for her to say that is just wrong. We all know you loved your brother...a normal amount.” You add the last bit quietly and she stares at you for a few seconds before a smile twitches at her lips. “Would you like me to leave you alone now?” You ask and she shakes her head. You look around the small bathroom, trying to figure out the best place to sit and she moves along a little so you can sit beside her. “Would you like me to sit with you until you feel better?” You ask and she nods slowly, her lip wobbling again. 

You sit beside her, place a gentle hand over hers and the two of you fall into a slightly awkward but not as bad as you thought it would be, silence. 

After ten minutes, Cheryl stands and makes her way over to the mirror. She swipes her fingers under her eyes to try and get rid of her ruined mascara before messing with her hair to try and get it back to looking like normal. 

“Do I look okay?” She turns to you and stands with her arms by her side. Your breath hitches when you look at her and you wonder how she looks so pretty even in the most unflattering light that is Archie Andrews’ bathroom. 

You stand in front of her and slowly tuck a piece of hair behind her ear and you watch as she takes a shaky breath. 

“Can I?” You ask, your fingers centimetres away from her cheek and she nods slowly, her eyes locked with yours and you feel yourself growing warm from the intensity. “There.” You smile once you’ve wiped a bit of mascara away from her cheek. 

She grabs her bag and pulls her lipstick from it, but when she goes to apply it, her hands shake and you take it from her gently. 

Your lips darts out between your tongue as you concentrate on keeping the lipstick in the lines, and you can feel her warm breath on your cheek. 

“There!” You smile proudly once your finished, but she grabs your arm before you can pull away properly as her lips connect with yours in an almost frantic kiss.

You gasp a little and then relax and kiss back just as frantically, but she pulls away after a few seconds and the two of you stare at each other wide-eyed and breathless. 

“Your lipstick’s ruined.” You whisper and her lips curl into a smile. 

“Worth it.” She replies before pulling you close to her and kissing you again. 

support my writing! if you want! 

[inarizakibabe]

Changes

As the first prince of his country Suna had just about everything his heart could want. Riches, fine silks and linens, and more food than he could eat. One would expect with a life as luxurious as his he would be happy. Unfortunately his father could see the sadness deep in his son's eyes. Maybe he needed  new hobby or more servants to boss around? Then again looking at things carefully the king noticed his son avoided the servants as much as he could. Just what could cheer up his son and bring back the joy in his eyes? Oh! Maybe that could work.

"You called for me father?"

"Yes Rintaro. I've noticed your sour mood these past few months and I think I know what could make it better." the king smiled down at his son. "I remember entering a funk as you young kids say and your grandfather threw a ball in my honor and I ended up meeting your mother."

Suna fought hard to hide the disgust creeping onto his face. Surely his father didn't really think he wanted to meet someone.

"So that's why three days from now we will have a ball and invite all eligible maidens to attend. Maybe I'll be able to see you smile again,"

"Um father with all due respect I don't really see how a ball will improve my funk as you called it. Maybe if I took a ride around the forest I'll feel better?" Suna hoped his father would get the message but knowing how stubborn he was he'll most likely be engaged three days from now. "I'll even bring my attendants to make sure I'm alright."

"Nonsense going for a ride isn't what you need. Trust me on this Rintaro. A ball is exactly what you need. You're dismissed. You have a ball to prepare for." The king said before turning back to the papers on his desk.

Suna sighed and left his father's office. Maybe if he ran away nobody would miss him. Or the entire kingdom would be put on lock down until he was found. He couldn't put his people through that so there was only one thing to do.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day Suna found himself taking a walk in the garden. If all goes to plan he wouldn't have to propose and maybe he could get the freedom he was craving. Sure castle life was fun but when you have people constantly telling you how to live and doing every thing fro you it can get tiring. Before he turned eighteen he didn't have as many responsibilities as he does now. Life was simple he would take lessons during the day and after a certain time he was free to do what he wanted until dinner time.

Now he's stuck behind a desk everyday taking on the tasks of the kingdom he father didn't want to do. If he got to leave the castle anymore it was for business and once all was settled he'd come right back home and behind the four walls of his personal office again. His home had become a prison and his office his cell.

"You know if you continue to frown at the ground it's less likely to open up and take you away from here."

Suna looked up and found one of his attendants speaking with him. He had two personal attendants who miraculously happened to be twins. They met each other at the age of six and have been together ever since. The one speaking to him now was the blonde one Atsumu which meant his brother Osamu, with gray hair, was most likely harrassing the kitchen staff.

"That sounds like a dream come true right now. Don't you feel suffocated here? You've lived here your whole and trained to work for me. Was it something you always wanted or was this chosen for you?" Suna asked.

"Sounds like someone is scared of their responsibilities. Alright Rintaro tell me what's wrong." Atsumu offered Suna an encouraging smile until he noticed the deadpan look on Suna's face. "You don't have to look at me like that you know."

"No offense but, actually take as much offense as you can from this but last I checked advice giving wasn't something you were capable of. Where's Osamu?"

"Looking up one of the maid's skirts. Now what do you mean I'm not a good advice giver? I happen to give great advice to people in need." Atsumu huffed.

"Right right remind me again why ten percent of the palace guards quit after you left 'inspiring' words with them." Suna mused.

"Be glad you're a prince." Atsumu muttered dejectedly.

"Threatening the crowned prince? That's grounds for dungeon time. Let me know if you want gray or white sheets." Suna laughed as he continued in the direction he was headed before.

"I'll take green. Look the fact of the matter is you're clearly not happy about something and as one of your attendants it's my job to fix that. I can get your horse saddled if you want and tell your father you had an entire platter filled with cheese." Usually Suna would grimace at the mention of cheese but a ride through the kingdom sounded more like what he needed.

"Thanks but no thanks, after the last time my father would kill me if he found out I ran off again. If you did want to cheer me up you could figure out a way to get him to cancel this ball he's throwing in my honor."

"You know as well as I do just how stubborn your old man is. You'd have better luck raising the dead than changing his mind. Look on the bright side. There'll be cake." Atsumu smiled at Suna who in turn frowned at him.

"For saying that you get purple sheets."

"Wait! Let's talk this out!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The following day Suna found himself in his room being fitted for a new suit. In the twenty minutes he's been standing there he's been pricked by pins three times.

"Last warning tailor. The next time you hurt the prince you'll be charged for treason." Today Osamu was keeping Suna company

''Forgive me your highness. You're more built than I'm use to dealing with. Rest assured this suit will be the most beautiful suit you'll ever wear." the tailor put another pin in the fabric he was working with and prayed he hadn't pricked Suna again. "If I may ask, what occasion is this ball in honor of? The last celebration we had was your eighteenth birthday and I believe your birthday isn't until next year so what's the joyous occasion?"

"You'll find out the day after the ball until then please focus on leaving skin on my body." Suna sighed.

"Of course your highness my apologies again."

"Tsumu talked to me yesterday. What's going on with you?"

"He talks too much. He simply saw me walking in the garden nothing else."

"Oh yeah? I heard that princess you met in Shektor is coming tomorrow. Should I make arrangements that she's your first dance of the evening?" Osamu smirked at Suna who scowled at him. "Oh dear your highness what an expression. Be careful Princess Tsumaki doesn't see it she might think one of the wind goblins is tickling your nose again. In fact I'll write a letter to her right now to bring her special medicine to cure you!"

"Osamu you bastard! Ow! Alright fine enough I'll answer both your questions just stop tormenting me! I should have both of you locked up for treason." Suna growled trying to keep the parts if his sanity he still had.

The tailor and Osamu smirked at each other as Suna began to speak again. "I just felt trapped behind these walls recently. Is everything I'm doing really important? I sit down and sigh papers all day either about farm rations or mining and I just don't see the need to do any of that. The people know what they need to survive and they know how to do what they need to survive so why should I waste time looking over it for them? They're not children who need to be supervised they'd be well off without me. The again if I don't do that then what is my purpose here? What am I suppose to do with my life? Am I just the face the people use when they need something? No wait that's my father's job so I'm just here. I make agreements and trade deals with other countries and attend diplomat meetings my father can't make it to. If I didn't do any of that then I'd be a regular boy in the kingdom maybe doing stable work. Sounds better than being the one everyone blames for everything if things go wrong. My father apparently doesn;t know me very well and thought I was lonely so he's throwing a ball for me to find a wife. What's not to love about that?"

Osamu sighed and pulled one of Suna's cheeks. "First don't talk about yourself like that. Like it or not this is how you were born and there's literally nothing you can do about that. It doesn't matter what kind of job you do even if all you did was tell someone to move a chair you still did something and it benefited somebody in the long run. You can't see yourself for the things you do but me and everyone else around you can. You just need to look at things from a different point of view."

Suna looked away from both of them and sighed while taking in Osamu's words. Maybe all he did need was to view things from a different perspective. Yeah maybe that could work. "Ow!"

"You didn't have to stick him again Mori." Osamu sweatdropped.

"Nope that time definitely was an accident. Please try not to move your highness." Mori smiled innocently.

Or maybe his tailor would take him out first. Whichever came first he guessed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The day of the ball finally arrived and carriage after carriage arrived at the castle holding nobles and royals from near and far. Suna was in his room again watching from the window as carriages entered the palace grounds. Maybe if he's lucky he could make a run for it during the party and jump the fence to get away from everybody to maybe save himself for a little while. Or maybe one of guards sees him and tries to follow him and ruins his plans.

"Just sit through the ball and I'm sure your father will let you leave for an hour tomorrow."

"Yeah right after his engagement announcement. Listen Rin if you don't want to do it then I don't see why you should."

"Don't listen to Tsumu. We'll help you if you need a breather every now and again but we can't cover fro you the entire night."

"Or eat these two slices of cheesecake right now and be excused for the rest of the night." Atsumu suggested wiggling his eyebrows.

It was a pretty solid plan but a night of pain wasn't worth missing the ball. His father might only postpone it and he'd be confined to his room until everything passes.

"Well gentlemen it's my last night a single man. If I'm lucky Tsumaki won't be my future bride. The small bout of freedom I had was nice but it's time for me to be a big boy and do what I have to. Once I'm king the first thing I'm doing is making sure Asami doesn't go through this." Suna sighed.

"I doubt she'd have a problem with it. Which girl doesn't want to be entertained by a handsome man? Bonus points cause he's rich." Atsumu shrugged.

Suna's eyebrow raised in confusion, "Are you calling the princess a money whore?"

Atsumu chuckled softly and smiled at Suna. "You and I both know that's not what I meant. You're really the only person who has a problem with palace life. Asami is actually looking forward to her happily ever after which is something you need to start doing. You can hate it but if it's something that has to be done then you have to suck it up and get it over with."

"You can say that because it's not your life. I need to teach Asami about how dirty boys are. Osamu you'll be the example for what you and Mori did yesterday. Who could've imagined my attendant and the tailor conspiring against me. The mutiny." Suna shook his head in mock disappointment.

"Be disappointed all you want. I did what I had to do. Now you have to get ready for tonight. If you need us you know where we'll be." Osamu left with Atsumu right behind him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*

Night fell quickly and two hours into the party Suna finally met all the young women his father had invited. Many were kind and some more beautiful than necessary but all quickly looked away when Princess Tsumaki approached him. The night continued on as his father hoped with Suna being forced to mingle with everyone present. Eventually his social meter began to run out and he retreated to a hidden balcony for air.

A sound close by caught his attention and Suna found a young woman who seemed to be in the same situation as him. If he remembered he remembered her name was (y/n) third princess of a neighboring country. Suna tried to sneak away before you could see him but alas luck wasn't on his side.

"Your highness good night."

Suna counted to three then slowly faced you with a friendly smile, "Good night my lady. I hope you're enjoying the party."

"It's lovely and so is your country. Please give your father my thanks for inviting my family."

"I can assure you he'll give his thanks for attending. If I'm not being too forward may I ask why you're out here instead of enjoying the food?" Hopefully pressuring you like this will give Suna the quiet time he was hoping for.

"Forgive my rudeness but the amount of people inside made the room a little stuffy. I came out here for a little air." you smiled at him.

"Fair enough. I hope the air is to your liking."

"With all due respect your highness it's been a long night and it's exhausting speaking like this so if you don't mind we can call each other old acquaintances and speak like old friends would. It would be an honor if you would call me (y/n)."

Suna blinked at your request and fought the grin trying to rise on his face. "If that's so then feel free to call me Rintaro. Blame my father for taking things the wrong way and forcing us all to go through this."

"We can't really fight what our parents want us to do. Comes with the title really. You seemed upset earlier should I assume that you don't really want to get married?"

Suna sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't mind getting married I just don't think I should get married because my father thought I was in a funk as he called it. Sounds cliche but I actually believe in meeting someone and falling in love."

You blinked at the prince and giggled. "You're very cute Rintaro. I like to believe everyone wants to fall in love that way. Nobody wants to have their partner chosen for them. What good is being married if you're gonna be miserable everyday."

"If it means I don't have to sit through marriage consultations and weird balls like this one then I may just prefer the other way."

"Careful what you say. I think we both know your father is capable of that. I saw princess Tsumaki looking for her Rinnepoo earlier. Maybe I should let his majesty know you've chosen someone." You looked up to find Suna pouting at you. "Careful your highness they may send you back to etiquette classes for making such a face."

"Good evening Prince Rintaro. It's a pleasure to make your aquaintance tonight. I do hope that-"

"Ok! That's enough! Don't you dare repeat that."

Suna smirked and hid his mouth behind his hand. "Pardon me princess. I just found your greeting to me this evening amusing. I mean no harm it's just you were so cute. How many times did you practiced that?"

"Whatever. Let's see what you would do if the roles were reversed."

"Sorry princess but this isn't about me." Suna giggled.

"So you can smile and laugh. I almost thought you were emotionally constipated. Is that the funk your father thought you were in?"

Suna sighed being reminded of the situation he was in. "It's more than that but nobody would understand."

You smiled at him encouragingly. "The whole you're royalty so you have absolutely no reason to not be happy thing?"

"Exactly that. It's gonna sound stupid but I guess I miss the freedom I had before I turned eighteen. Well more I don't see the need for me to do the things I'm doing."

"Ah you feel monarchy should be abolished. Look at it this way crackers taste good on their own but with cheese the taste is elevated. Cheese and crackers is superior to just plain old crackers by themselves or just cheese by itself. Yes your kingdom could probably prosper on it's own but there are situations the people shouldn't handle on their own. Budget distribution, land distribution, diplomatic matters and many other things. We exist to keep harmony in the kingdom. Imagine leaving children to raise themselves. Many would unfortunately die before reaching a certain age. Think of your kingdom as your very own children. They're self sufficient yes but without you to guide them in the things they don't understand they'll be hurt. You can still do the things you love but your children come first. If you don't take care of them then someone may just take them away. "

Suna sighed. "I can understand that but I just don't understand why it has to be me."

"I don't understand why it can't be you. Anyone could've been chosen for the job but you were chosen. I don't know you well enough to speak on certain things but I have heard rumors that you basically run half of your kingdom on your own. The fact that nothing has fallen apart shows that you're more than competent to do your job. You need to have more confidence in yourself. I've only known you for a short time but I can already tell you're a wonderful person. Don't sell yourself short." You smiled at Suna who looked at you unsure.

Suna shrugged, "If you say so (y/n). Are you hungry?"

"I'm alright for now. But I do think we need to get back before someone misses us."

"What's the rush? You know the reason for this party."

"Is that you asking for my company your highness?"

"I didn't hear a no princess." Suna smirked when you giggled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few months later Suna found himself sitting in his office again. He was hard at work but this time with a slight smile on his face. A knock on the door took him away from the work he was doing and Atsumu stepped into his office.

Atsumu placed a sandwich and a cup of tea on the table in front of Suna "You seem to be in a better mood these days. What's your secret?"

"Sorry but secrets are secret for a reason."

"Keep your secrets then. Simply means I can't tell you the one I just heard." Atsumu smirked.

"I heard the dungeons don't have heat." Suna shrugged.

"Really? Just make sure my sheets are red."

Suna laughed and shook his head, "You little turd nugget. What's going on?"

"Alright fine but only because you asked so rudely. I heard your favorite princess is coming by later today. Maybe if you finish all your work you can be at the doors to greet her."

"Lucky for me this was the last page I had to look over. Prepare two horses and I'll make sure your sheets are maroon."

"And you call me the turd nugget." Atsumu rolled his eyes. "His majesty said you can do whatever you want for the rest of the day once you stop keeping him in suspense."

"Sounds good. Thanks for lunch."

Things were definitely starting to look up and with one simple question later tonight Suna's life was about to change again. This time for the better.

[redrobbingabank]

Destruction

The air surrounding the gathering tonight was heavy with memories. Not since the Final Disc Wars had so many different members of the server been united for the same purpose. Tonight, it was all caused by the same man. As bent as Dream was on tearing them apart, it seemed he only forced them closer.

Tubbo, in his thick brown cape, stood to the right hand side of the table. The silver crown on his head was heavier than he’d ever imagined. Ranboo hadn’t been there when they were supposed to leave. Michael clutched onto his hand, gazing in rapture at Technoblade. After today’s meeting, he’d be sent with him and Phil to live in a more remote location in case Dream went for the nukes. Ranboo had promised to check on him constantly.

The Blade himself had his pig-skull helmet on, the enchantments from his armor shining beneath the red cloak. The skull shadowed his eyes enough to hide the red in them. He stood next to Philza, across the table from Tubbo. The Elytrian stood with his wings folded. His hat was low, like the wind had shoved it farther onto his head while flying. He saw Michael staring, and offered a little wave.

Quackity and Sam were farther down, having a whispered argument. Quackity gestured wildly. These days, it was hard to tell if he was talking about Dream or Las Nevadas. He’d been equally obsessed with both lately. Sam’s face was tight. Over the past weeks, there’d been more and more questions if he was fit to guard the prison. Tonight he could lose his post.

Puffy was silent near the end, a few feet away from where Karl, Sapnap, and George were muttering to each other. Other than the therapy sessions everyone knew Tubbo had forced Tommy to attend, she hadn’t spoken to anyone much. Before what happened happened, she and Sam had conferred on the Egg.

Which was currently a whole other issue that required a whole other council, away from the Bloodvines near the windows, and Purpled in the corner. Despite Quackity buying his services, the majority of the group didn’t trust him, but the need for his skills was too great. He leaned against the wall of the community house. It was too easy to forget he was there.

Tommy stood at the head of the table. The bruises from the prison were still there, black and blue against his skin. He wore the armor that he hadn’t taken off since leaving the prison. Next to him, his shield leaned against the table. Every few seconds, his hand would twitch towards the hilt of his sword, and a look of brief annoyance crossed his face. Finally, he hit the table a few times to quiet everyone down.

“Alright,” he said. All the heads in the room turned to him. Tommy swallowed. The memory of how it felt to lead had been overwritten by the prison. He forged ahead. “We all know why we’re here. Dream breaking out of the prison isn’t a minor concern anymore. It’s going to happen, and we need to be able to get him before he can hurt us.”

“I can take care of him,” Quackity said. “You know I can. Just let me in there.”

“No,” Sam said. “We can’t just kill him. We definitely can’t enjoy it.” He glanced meaningfully at Quackity, who scoffed.

“Why shouldn’t we kill him?” Puffy said. “It can only help us at this point.”

“But we might be able to bring him back!” George protested.

Sapnap looked at him sharply, jaw clenched. His eyes stormed in a mix of anger and despair. “We can’t bring him back, George. Dream is gone. If he ever was who we thought in the first place.”

“But he’s our friend,” George said weakly.

“Not anymore.”

Beside them, Karl scribbled something on a notepad before stuffing it back in his pocket. In the corner, Purpled shifted, looking at something out the window. 

“Dream is a plague,” Techno said. “We have to destroy him, or he’ll destroy us. I say we let Quackity kill him.” 

Sam braced his hands on the table as if to rise, and Puffy turned to him, mouth already opening to argue. Karl and Sapnap were watching Quackity, who was avoiding their gaze. Before the room could dissolve into chaos, Tommy banged his hand on the table. 

“Killing Dream isn’t the question right now,” he said. “He’s got the revive book, we don’t know if there’s a way he could apply that to himself.”

The others looked at him, and he knew what they saw. The sympathy in Puffy’s eyes, the guilt in Sam’s, for a boy who’d been ripped into pieces again and again by the man everyone had looked up to at some point or another. The distance in Phil’s, for his choice to side with a corrupt government that had gotten his second son killed. The skepticism in Quackity and Sapnap’s faces, two people who had fought and won and were probably better suited to stand at the head of the table. Even Purpled in the corner looked faintly amused at his words. Tommy wanted to shrink under their gaze. But then --

“He’s right,” Tubbo said. He gave Tommy his trademark look, calm and clear and loyal to the core. “We need to figure out how to contain him so he can’t get out a second time.” 

“He hasn’t even gotten out the first time yet!” Sam protested.

“Face it Sam, it’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen soon,” Tommy said. “We need to be ready when it does.”

“If we just shore up the defenses--”

“Pandora’s Vault is the most secure place on the server,” Quackity cut in. “It can’t be shored up. Not to mention whoever Dream’s got working for him on the outside!” The effect of his words were instantaneous. Suspicious glances were cast around the room, mainly aimed at Purpled and Techno.

“We don’t know that for sure,” Karl started, but Tubbo jumped in.

“Don’t you remember the TNT?” Tommy shuddered at the memory of the explosions.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Techno growled at Sapnap. “It wasn’t me.”

“How do we know?” He shot back.

Everybody started yelling at once. Tommy tried hitting the table again to no avail. The voices echoed off the walls. Together, they all started to sound like Dream. No. Tommy shook his head. “Guys!” he shouted, but was drowned out by a colossal explosion that blew the doors off their hinges. Dream stepped through with Ranboo at his side.

He wasn’t dressed in the orange jumpsuit anymore. Instead, he’d changed back into his old clothes, the green hoodie and jeans with black fingerless gloves. The clothes shivered faintly with enchantments. He was grinning like a lunatic.

Next to him, Ranboo looked listless. He was more like a shell than anything. Purple particles floated around him. 

Dream looked around at the group of people who had shot to their feet. Techno, Tommy, and Quackity had their swords drawn. Tubbo’s face was pale as he nudged Michael behind him. From the shadows, Purpled smirked.

“Oh come on,” Dream said. “You’re having a party without me?”

With a yell, Puffy charged him and the room exploded. Dream met her in the middle, sliding down on his knees and slashing at her legs as he went past. Puffy fell to the ground, and Dream rose, readjusting his grip on his sword.

A loud shing of metal rang out as Phil and Techno unsheathed their weapons. “He’s in Enderwalk!” Phil yelled to him. Techno nodded quickly, and together they ran at Ranboo.

Emptily, almost like he was bored, Ranboo raised his hands. With a precise flick, Phil was lifted off his feet and tossed to the side. He screamed as he slammed into the wall. One of his wings, already shaped oddly from the first time they’d broken, hung lopsided. Techno, who had paused to track Phil’s path with a horrified stare, let out a war cry and charged again, only to be thrown backwards. He hit the wall with a crack and slumped to the floor. Blood trickled from beneath the pig skull. 

“Ranboo, no!” Tubbo shouted. “What are you doing?”

In the middle of the room by the table, Quackity and Sam were fighting Dream. Quackity was a force of pure rage. He slashed and hacked and swung at Dream. “Why won’t you just die?” he roared. 

Dream just laughed. He matched Quackity blow for blow, and then some. None of Quackity’s hits had landed, but Dream had gotten Quackity until blood ran into his eyes and down his arms. 

Shoving Quackity away with the flat of his blade, Dream pivoted to block Sam as he swung down at Dream’s head. For a moment, they were suspended, eyes locked. Dream grinned like a hyena. “Hey Sam.”

The fear in Sam’s eyes was palpable. Don’t let him hurt anyone else don’t let him hurt anyone else don’t let him hurt anyone else protect Tommy ran through his head on repeat. Dream shoved him back and aimed his blade’s arc at Sam’s stomach, just barely avoiding doing critical damage.

Ranboo was walking calmly towards the chest that held the books. Sapnap rushed him, and Ranboo lifted his hand. 

“NO! RANBOO, STOP!” Tubbo cried, helpless as he tried to keep Michael behind him. Whatever blast Dream had set off, probably with the help of Wilbur, had damaged the building badly. The ceiling sagged towards the center, creeping ominously. 

Tubbo’s scream had drawn Ranboo’s attention. He turned, and at the sight of Michael peeking out from behind him, something sparked in his eyes. He started towards the pair. 

Tubbo’s eyes widened. He crouched down facing his son. “Michael, kiddo--”

Tommy jumped between them and Ranboo, sword drawn. “Go!” He yelled to Tubbo, not taking his eyes off Ranboo. “I’ll keep him away.”

“No,” Tubbo protested. “I can talk to him, figure out what’s happening! Something’s wrong. Tommy, take Michael.”

“No!” Tommy yelled. “Get out of here!”

“I’m not leaving Ranboo!” Tubbo yelled back. 

Tommy looked at him, blue eyes wide and scared, but determined as well. “Whatever that is, it’s Ranboo, and he’d never forgive himself if you two got hurt. Now, run!”

Tubbo looked at Tommy, face set with resignation. He looked at Ranboo, and the purple sparks coming from him. He nodded quickly, picked up Michael, and ran down the tunnel behind him. He just heard Tommy say, “Hey mate, you’d better stop or I’m gonna start stabbing shit,” before the clashing of steel wiped out everything.

[just-dreaming-marvel]

Out Of Time ~ 107

MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 4,300ish

Summary: The team figures out the monolith and tries to save Simmons

“Do something!”

“Fitz,” Y/N got up and hurried to him. She was afraid to portal, scared of what the monolith might do. “Come on.” She grabbed his arm but he tore it away. “We have to get out of here!”

“Leave me alone!” 

He turned and decked Y/N in the face, causing her to tumble down the steps and to the ground. Y/N gently touched her face, pulling her hand back to see blood.

“Fitz! Y/N!” Mack shouted, rushing to grab Fitz from the container.

“Fitz, get out of there!” Hunter yelled, getting the door.

“Are you crazy?”

“Close it!” Bobbi yelled. “Close it!”

“Y/N!” Daisy rushed over. “Oh my gosh, you’re bleeding.”

As soon as Bobbi and Hunter closed the container, the monolith turned into liquid. Everyone was panting.

“Damn it, Fitz,” Coulson murmured, coming into the room.

“I had to know,” Fitz panted. “Had to— had to know—“

“I already lost Simmons to that thing. I cannot afford to lose you or Y/N, too.”

“Trying to get yourself killed?” Hunter wondered.

“Sorry,” Fitz said. “I won’t give up. I can’t give up.”

“None of us want to, Fitz, but…” Daisy tried to say.

“Fitz,” Bobbi knelt down in front of him, “you tried. Okay? You tried your hardest. Everybody knows that.”

“No,” he shook his head. “I missed something. I m… I missed something.” He wiped something off his face.

“What is that?”

“Proof.” Fitz got up and ran to the lab.

“Y/N,” Coulson said, the others turning to face her. She was still on the ground, breathing heavily. “Oh my…” There was a long cut down the right side of Y/N’s face. “Did he—“

“I’ll be fine…” She panted. “I’ll be fine…”

“Come on,” Daisy urged, helping Y/N up. “Let’s get that stitched up.”

Daisy took Y/N to Coulson’s office and Bobbi brought all the supplies to help patch up the cut.

“He didn’t mean to,” Bobbi said quietly.

“I know,” Y/N responded.

“He just misses Simmons so much.”

“I know.”

“It hurts—“

“I know, Bobbi! Just stop, okay?” Tears formed in Y/N’s eyes. “Out of everyone here, I think I understand the most… I lost Bucky… no one could find his body… I was torn. I acted out too. That’s how I’m here… So I understand. I get that now we know Bucky’s alive, but we didn’t then. And I didn’t think he would ever come back… Honestly, at least he has hope. That’s more than I ever had.”

~~~

Fitz showed up in the office not too long later. He had a tablet in hand and pulled up his findings.

“Sand,” he stated. “Not just sand. Impossible sand.”

“The monolith’s case is a clean room,” Mack said. “There’s nothing in there but that rock. Not even dust.”

“Unless you blast it open with a shotgun and contaminate everything,” Hunter retorted.

“That’s not what this is,” Bobbi shook her head.

“Okay, the sand itself, not unusual,” Fitz continued. “Mostly silicone-dioxide particles just like on Earth.”

“Wait, are you saying…” Y/N paused. “You’re saying this sand is not from Earth?”

“Carbon dating show that—“

“It predates the Earth by a billion years,” Fitz interrupted Bobbi.

“So you think the rock is a portal?” Daisy asked.

“No. No, I’m proving that it’s a portal. Okay, to another planet, a-a very old planet. A crack in space-time that carried Simmons away… and carried the sand back. Which means…”

“She’s out there,” Coulson stated. “But it’s been months.”

“Yeah?”

“She could be long gone from wherever this thing dropped her.”

“Yeah.”

“She could be dead.”

“Yes.”

“But we’re gonna find out, aren’t we?”

“Yeah.” / “You’re damn right.” / “For sure.” / “Yeah.”

“Okay, Fitz, what do you need?” Y/N asked. “I can get Tony to bring some things as well.”

“Uh, uh, well, uh, more historical data. People have studied this thing for centuries. I need an expert on quantum mechanics and Einstein-Rosen Bridge theory. And a— a sandwich would be nice.”

“I might have an idea,” Coulson said, nodding, “about the other things.” He turned to Daisy and Mack. “You two, stay with our new inhuman guest. Be here for Dr. Garner’s assessment. Building that team is still the priority.”

“What did I say?” Daisy commented, her and Mack exiting.

“Bobbi—“

“I’m on this with Fitz,” Bobbi responded.

“Yeah, haven’t you been on this with Fitz the whole time? Hiding his trip to Morocco, covering for him on a constant basis?”

“Have I?” She smirked, walking out.

“And you know where you’re going,” Coulson said to Hunter. Hunter nodded and left.

“What about me?” Y/N asked. “I’m staying until Simmons is found. I’ve already texted Tony and he’s on stand-by if we need anything.”

“With me.”

~~~

Coulson explained that they were going to make a visit to a Professor Randolph. He was an Asgardian, hiding out on Earth. The team had a run in with him once when Y/N was on a break. Bobbi and Fitz joined them.

“I’m sorry,” Randolph said, reading a book inside of his cell. “I can’t help you.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Coulson questioned.

“Potato, puh-tah-toe.”

“And your reason?”

“The nightly news, cities flying into the atmosphere, government task forces, and now the public is freaking out about alien outbreaks. Pretty crappy time to be on Earth if you’re not a local, so I am staying low. And of course,” he chuckled, “there is my current situation.”

“Destruction of property, public drunkenness,” Bobbi clarified.

“And here I thought that Asgardians could hold their drinks?” Y/N retorted.

“Yes, well, Asgardians can generally hold their drink. It’s just, well, one night I tried to hold all the drinks.”

“Asgardians are also strong, right?” Bobbi questioned. “You could easily break out.”

“What? And miss dinner?” He chuckled. “Oh, no. Yes, norse prisons are surprisingly evolved—decent food, comfy bed, extensive library, and no attention being drawn to me. Come back in a few months, why don’t you? Maybe then I’ll be in the mood.”

“Can’t I just call in Thor?” Y/N muttered to Bobbi.

“We don’t have a few months,” Fitz stated.

“And neither do you,” Coulson said. “I don’t have to remind you that I saved your life. Though I did just mention it in case you forgot. But I’d still have no problems contacting those task forces you mentioned. I bet they’d go bonkers to have a real life Asgardian to dissect in their labs. I don’t know how comfy you’d be there.”

“Why, Agent Coulson…” Randolph said, standing up. “Are you threatening me?”

“I wouldn’t call it a… well, yeah, I guess I am. That’s absolutely a threat.”

“You’re different now. You know that?”

“One must accommodate the times or things get messy.”

“What’s with the hand?”

“Things got messy.”

“Well… you’ll have to cover my realize. And if there is a portal, which I will have to see to believe, you are diving into very dangerous waters here.”

“We live in the dangerous waters,” Y/N commented. “And have been for a while.”

Randolph exhaled sharply. “Alright. Well, it’s not like you’re giving me any choice.” 

He quickly tore off the door and the alarm started blaring. He grabbed his coat and they began walking out. Guards rushed in.

“He did it,” Randolph said, pointed at Coulson.

Coulson gave a nervous chuckle and a smile.

~~~

After talking themselves out of it, they took Randolph to the base. He walked around, observing the monolith.

“Well, I hate to disappoint, but it looks like your regular, old—“ He stopped when the monolith turned to liquid then back into a rock. “Oh. How often does it do that?”

“It’s random,” Fitz answered.

“No. No, no, no, no. It may seem random. But… something is clearly triggering it.”

“I’ve checked it against tides, relation to the sun, rotation—“

“On this planet. So you have no idea how to control it. Why come to me? I’m no interstellar-travel expert. I’ve never even studied gravitational lensing or zero-point energy fields or quantum-harmonic oscillation theory.”

“Yet you know all those words you just said,” Bobbi retorted.

“And you’re scared of portals,” Coulson added. “You’re scared of being dragged back home through a portal. Y/N?”

“It would be my pleasure,” Y/N replied with a smirk. 

She walked up to Randolph, opening a portal behind him and pushed him into it. Another portal opened on the other side of the room, causing him to exit from it.

“Impossible,” Randolph panted. “No human should be—“

“I’m connected with the Tesseract,” Y/N interrupted. “I can channel it. And I know it’s on Asgard and I’m pretty sure if I tried hard enough I could send you back there.”

“What I think, Randolph, is that in your drunken stumble through history, you’ve probably investigated every story involving a portal,” Coulson said. 

“And I’ve seen you eyeing all of your exits,” Bobbi added. “My knee brace, wondering if you can get away with it. The only reason you came with us was to confirm its existence.”

“And destroy it,” Randolph confirmed.

“You’ll have to go through me,” Fitz stated.

“And I could. Literally. But, then, I don’t know what amazon woman and robot hand are capable of these days. And don’t get me started with the Avenger over there. So I will help you get her back. I’m not entirely heartless. But if I do, I want your word that we will demolish this portal and no one passes through it again.”

“I’ll sleep better at night,” Coulson confirmed.

“Good. Well, I’ve investigated a lot of these wormhole rumors. But that’s all they were, rumors. None have panned out. So we know nothing of its origin.”

“Kree, maybe.”

“And this parchment was found with it,” Bobbi said, grabbing the paper and handing it to Randolph.

“Well, hello,” Randolph said, studying the parchment through the bag it was in. “I’ve seen this.”

“It’s a common Hebrew word.”

“Yes. What else do we know, Mr. Fitz?”

“Uh, well, the monolith changed hands a lot,” Fitz explained. “Germanic tribes, spent the hundred years’ war in France. But before the Napoleon era, it was moved again. I lost track of it somewhere in—“

“England.”

“Yeah. How did you know that?”

“Because I have seen this word carved into the walls of a castle in Gloucestershire, England, in 1853. To the plane!” Then Randolph started for the door, when no one followed he turned around. “W—am I allowed to say that?”

“Let’s all go to the plane, I guess,” Coulson agreed.

~~~

While on the flight over to England, Y/N was talking to Tony.

“Are you sure you guys don’t need my help?” Tony asked. “I could get there at the same time as you still.”

“I’m sure, Tony,” Y/N replied. “The lead we’re currently following seems solid.” Y/N sighed. “I just want to bring Simmons home so that I can come home.”

“You’ll find her. I know you will.”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you too.”

From the doorway, Fitz cleared his throat, drawing Y/N’s attention to him. He looked guilty.

“I need to go, Tones,” Y/N said. “I love you.” She hung up, slipping her phone in her pocket. “You need something, Fitz?”

“Yeah, I, uh…” Fitz started, coming to sit beside Y/N. “I need to apologize… I shouldn’t have hit you back like I did. You were only trying to help… I’m so sorry.”

“I know, Fitz.” She rested a hand on his knee. “I completely understand… I was the same way when Bucky died. Or, I guess, when I thought he was dead… So I get it, Fitz. I think that’s why Coulson called me in.”

“Or cause he missed you. You and May left, he lost his hand and Simmons… I think he just wanted a little of the good old days back.”

“Sadly, after we find Simmons, I can’t stay… I need some more time. I’m doing much better than I was. But I don’t think I can ever go back to this life full time. I don’t think it’s in the cards anymore.”

~~~

Randolph led them into the castle. They looked around with their flashlights, searching for the carving.

“Yes. Yes, yes,” the Asgardian exclaimed. “I came here for a costume ball. That was the pretext, of course, ‘cause I had heard rumors of travel to the stars. Found it all to be nonsense. But it was a fun party.”

“The carvings?” Coulson questioned, trying to get back to the point.

“Oh, right, right. Of course. So I was here admiring the stone work, and…” 

Randolph turned and shined his flashlight on the stones over the door. There was the word, carved in to one of the stones.

“The same as the scroll,” Fitz stated. “Death.”

“Maveth,” Randolph clarified. “Yeah, one of its translations is actually ‘death by punishment’.”

“Could mean no trespassing,” Coulson suggested.

“A Hebrew warning carved in an English castle struck me as odd. Out of place. Seems ancient.”

“But you stopped looking into it?” Y/N asked.

“A man dressed as an owl, of all things. I got him drunk enough to admit that no travel to other worlds was even occurring. Just ritualistic killings.” Everyone continued to look around as Randolph talked. “En, the whole thing stunk of half-baked satanism. Just some fabrications to entice new members. And, well, there were fire dancers. I got distracted.”

“Here’s another one,” Coulson called. “This is why I got rid of all the SHIELD logos on our vehicles. It’s like screaming for attention.”

“About time,” Y/N muttered.

“You know, there’s an ginormous eagle symbol on top of our jet,” Bobbi pointed out.

“Yeah,” Coulson agreed. “Sometime I can’t help myself with the cool.”

Coulson then pushed a stone in the wall, causing part of it to open up. Revealing a passage way.

“You certain about this?” Randolph asked. “It does say death by punishment.”

Fitz and Y/N went in, examining the walls. They made their way down the passage. Eventually it led to a round room, with old equipment in it.

“Okay, well, this wasn’t on the last tour,” Randolph said. “It’s an odd shoe for architecture this period. Definitely built after I was here.”

“Reminds me of the bunker under the Louvre,” Bobbi commented.

“What? There’s no bunker under the Louvre. That’s a joke, right? You messing with me.” Bobbi simply glanced his way and walked to the other side of the room and Y/N chuckled. “Alright, great. Now I’ll have to check.”

Fitz knocked on the metal he was studying. “It’s late 1800s,” he stated. 

He pushed the lever up. Suddenly, electricity crackled and the room lit up.

“Still got some life to it,” Coulson commented.

“I hear water,” Bobbi added. “Could be a stream underground, maybe hydroelectric power.”

On the other side of the room, Fitz hit the control panel on the wall and Randolph pulled down another lever. Suddenly, a round floor panel, in the center of the room, disappeared. They all walked up to it, looking down.

“This looks a lot like it was made to hold—“

“The monolith,” Fitz interrupted Bobbi. “This machine was designed to control the portal, to open and close it at will.”

“Do you know that, or is that just what you hope it to be?” Coulson asked.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

Sighing, Coulson pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Mack, I need you to load something onto Zephyr One and bring it to us.”

“What exactly am I bringing, sir?” Mack against on the other end of the phone.

“Yeah… you’re not gonna like it.”

~~~

It wasn’t long before Mack and Daisy arrived with Zephyr One and the monolith was being lowered into the hole. Fitz and Randolph were getting the systems working. Bobbi was guiding the container down, monitoring the monolith on the tablet she was holding.

“Zephyr One,” Bobbi called into the comms, “you’re clear to retract.”

“Wow. Room full of ancient gack,” Mack commented as him and Daisy entered the room. “Kind of reminds me of your office, director.”

“Realistically, what are the odds of this thing working?” Daisy asked.

“If we were realistic, we never would have gotten this far,” Coulson said.

“With anything,” Y/N added.

“Well, Andrew Garner thinks I need to be more so,” Daisy said. “He recommended three months observation and counseling before reassessment for Joey. Says I’m reckless.”

“Wonder what he thinks about me.”

“Don’t take it personally,” Coulson said. “He probably just meant that—“

“He said you’re desperate,” Daisy added.

“What? He didn’t say that. Did he say that?”

“I can read minds, Phil,” Y/N said. “He definitely said that.”

“You can read minds, too?” Randolph pipped up. “Why is the Tesseract gifting you all these things?”

“Long story.”

“Let me guess,” Bobbi came up to them. “I’m struggling to come to terms with physical limitations and losing my sense of self instead of redefining it.”

“No,” Daisy said. “He didn’t mention you.”

“Oh.”

“Oh, he did. That’s what he said.”

“Oh, good.”

“Yeah.”

“Mack,” Fitz called. “Mack, push that lever.” Mack turned to a lever. “No, the one— the one that’s— the one that’s down. The one— the one beside it. Push it.”

Mack did as directed while Fitz did the same thing on the other side of the room. The gears starting turning, the machine started working. The room began to tremble and the monolith turned to liquid.

“Fitz, it’s working!” Y/N exclaimed.

Fitz knelt down beside the whole, pointing a flashlight into it.

“It’s staying open,” he stated. “Light! I need more light!”

The trembling began to get to Daisy. Y/N watched with concern as she groaned and put her head in her hands. She went over.

“Daisy?” She quietly called. “Daisy, what’s happening?”

“We got a problem!” Mack shouted.

“I need some bloody light!” Fitz yelled.

“Fitz!” Coulson called, tossing him a flare gun. 

Fitz shot it through the monolith. Daisy held her head as she began panting.

“The gears have locked!” Mack yelled. “Bobbi!”

Y/N’s eyes grew wide as she saw blood coming out of Daisy’s nose.

“Daisy!” She exclaimed. Y/N caught her as she fainted, slowly lowering her down. 

“Skye?” Coulson called, coming up beside them. “Hey.” The trembling and machine stopped. “Skye, are you okay? Skye?”

“It’s Daisy,” Daisy replied softly.

“What?”

“It’s Daisy now,” Y/N responded.

“You’re really having a hard time with this, huh?” Bobbi wondered.

“Damn it,” Coulson muttered. “Yeah. Daisy, hey.” Daisy lifted her head up. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” she replied. Y/N helped her sit up. “I’m better. That pulsing sound was killing me.”

“What pulsing sound?”

“Are you serious? It was deafening.”

“The vibrations,” Y/N whispered. 

“What?”

“The vibrations. You can sense them. And there was so many, that it was too much for you. It’s kind of like, how if you’re all thinking at once, especially about a similar think, I can sense it.”

“Maybe, Y/N’s on to something,” Bobbi agreed.

~~~

The team was currently trying to find a way to put the machine back together.

“It’ll just rattle apart again,” Fitz stated. “We have to reinforce the connections.”

“Reinf— look, most of the workings are under the ground,” Mack said. “We just can’t tear the castle down. And actually, we’re lucky the room is shaped this way, or the machine might have shaken it apart on top of us.” The two bent down to try and pick a piece of the machine up.

“Wait. Wait. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s the point. Quantum harmonic oscillation theory, like the professor said.”

“I know that look,” Bobbi commented.

“It’s a strange shape for this time period because it’s made to resonate, uh, to—to—to—uh— create a-a quantized field within the stone.”

“Fitz, you’re talking, but we’re not totally following,” Coulson said.

“The room is a speaker. The machine is an amplifier. Uh, a sub—subsonic frequency to resonate with the monolith.”

“You saying you figured out a way to fix the machine?” Mack asked.

“No. I’m saying I figured out that—“

“We don’t have to,” Daisy said, glancing at Y/N. “I can do it. I can open the portal myself.”

“Daisy, no,” Y/N said. “It’s too risky.”

“If I can open the portal and help save Simmons, then I’m doing it.”

~~~

The team added a frame with a lot of rope, to lower some into the portal and bring them back.

“Well, turns out we’re standing in the in the middle of the world’s largest subwoofer,” Randolph stated.

“Yeah,” Mack agreed.

“If the point of the machine was to resonate the room at a certain frequency,” Daisy said, “I can do that.”

“And you can replicate it?” Coulson asked.

“Kind of drilled into my brain.”

“And it could kill you,” Y/N stated, not at all happy with this plan.

“How long do you think you can hold it?” Coulson asked. 

“Maybe a minute,” Daisy responded.

“If it’s too much, you pull back. I can’t lose you, too.”

“I got this.”

“Here we go,” Bobbi said, reentering the room with a machine. “Camera and data sensors are hard-lined back to us through a cable. No signal loss that way.” She clipped it onto a cable to be lowered into the portal. “If Daisy can hold it, we’ll get a visual of the other side.”

“That’s what we’re looking for,” Coulson said before turning to Daisy. “Alright, you listen to me. You take care of yourself. We lose that probe, nobody cares.”

“Uh, I’m confused,” Randolph spoke up. “What exactly is she planning to do here?”

Allowing her space, everyone moved as Daisy readied herself. She held both arms out to the sides, causing the parts of the old machine to tremble.

“Sorry,” she strained an apology. “Still tuning.”

After getting the right tune, she aimed at the monolith. Causing it to turn into liquid. 

“Hold it open as long as you can,” Fitz stated.

Everyone turned to him. He had clipped himself onto the cable. He ran towards the liquid monolith.

“Fitz, no!” Coulson shouted.

But Fitz jumped into the monolith, disappearing.

“I’m going in after him!” Y/N yelled. 

“No!” Coulson held her back. “I can’t lose you anymore than I already have.”

“But I’m the best chance to get back if Daisy can’t hold it long enough.”

“You don’t know if you can do that.”

“And you don’t know if I can’t.” They stared at each other. “If Daisy looks like she’s ready to give out, I’m going in. And no one can stop me.”

The trembling and the cable rope moving was causing the structure that was keeping it steady to lose up. Mack, Bobbi, and Y/N all quickly grabbed onto a different piece, trying to keep it steady.

“Damn it. Pull him back,” Coulson ordered, rushing around to where the cable was. “Get him back here.” He pulled the lever and the cable began spin back up.

“I can’t hold it!” Daisy shouted.

“Y/N, don’t! We can’t lose the both of you!”

Before Y/N could jump, Daisy stopped the trembles and the monolith burst into pieces. Every looked down in the hole, hoping, praying, for something to give. Suddenly, Fitz uncovered himself and pulled Simmons up. Daisy fell to the ground, Mack and Y/N rushing to her.

“You did good, tremors,” Mack said. “You did good.”

~~~

Y/N brought everyone onto Zephyr One quickly. Simmons needed to be checked out immediately and Fitz needed to be monitored in case of radiation. They laid Simmons in the containment module, hooked up to IV’s and allowed time to rest. Randolph and Y/N were standing outside as Coulson came to update them.

“They’re gonna be okay,” he informed. “No sign of radiation or infection. Fitz would never have found her, but she saw the flare. We brought a woman back from the dead today.”

“Yes,” Randolph agreed. “And, happily, you kept up your end of the bargain. The portal is destroyed.”

“Thank Daisy for that.”

“Yeah. Agent Coulson… what exactly is Daisy?”

“The call themselves inhumans.”

He looked surprised. “I have not heard that word in a very long time.”

“You know it?” Y/N questioned.

“I know more about them than I do you. You are something else… The Tesseract you said, that’s how you get your abilities?”

“Part of them.”

“Interesting.”

~~~

They were landing at the base when Y/N pulled Coulson aside.

“You’re leaving,” he stated.

“I am,” she replied.

“Anything that I could do to convince you to stay?”

“No… Look, I’m sorry, Phil, that I left and May left. But sometimes you need to tap out. SHIELD can’t be everything in anyone’s life… Even yours.” Y/N pulled him in for a hug. “If you need anything like this again, I’ll be there.” She pushed herself away, walking back towards the portal she opened. “Just don’t go opening anymore portals to other planets any time soon. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Bye, Phil.”

~~~

“But she’s safe? There’s nothing wrong with her?” 

“Nothing,” Y/N shook her head. 

“Wow,” Tony leaned back. “That’s… that’s—“

“A miracle. An absolute miracle.”

“And you’re sure you don’t want to join the team again?” Tony pulled Y/N in-between his legs. “You didn’t miss it at all?”

“I missed them. But not SHIELD. Plus,” she gave him a kiss, “I wouldn’t get to do that as much as I would like.”

Tony hummed. “Good. Can you do it again?”

next chapter >

NOTES: from now on the taglist when be added by a reblog. I will reblog it using my second account, @just-dreaming-marvel-2​. Just so that my main page doesn’t get too cluttered.

If you want to be added to the tag list, please dm me or send in an ask.

[kariachi]

Some Everybody Lives au fic, featuring Devin, Aggregor, and Kwarrel

~~~

Kwarrel hadn’t been going in blind, is the thing. He’d been friends with Aggregor for a good thirty-three years and while the last twenty-eight of them had been sporadic communication at best- being a prisoner in the Null Void wasn’t conducive to receiving your mail, even if you were in Incarcecon- that was more than enough time to learn about his favorite sibling and niblings. So, it hadn’t been much of a surprise that after breaking out of the Null Void the plan had been to hide out with Mendevin.

But he felt he’d been justified in being nervous about showing up at the door of an ex-Plumber in the middle of the night, given the circumstances.

“I wasn’t expecting this to work,” he admitted, sat in Devin’s livingroom while they waited for him to come back with tea. Aggregor scowled, raising a brow.

“You think we’d have come here if I didn’t know it would be fine?”

“I thought he’d probably at least be wary. We showed up in the middle of the night, to the home he shares with his youngest children, attached to a fucking temple, admitting we’re hiding out from the Plumbers. Most people would have at least questioned the situation.” But no, immediately on seeing them at the door he’d been all ‘come in’s and ‘call me Devin, everyone does anymore’s and ‘let me make us some tea’s. It was enough to make Kwarrel wary.

“Which is why we’re not with most people, we’re with Mendevin,” Aggregor said smugly, a smirk creeping up his face. “As long as you don’t start causing the same chaos you did before, he’ll have our backs. And even then, he’d probably try to talk you around before doing anything drastic.” Kwarrel chuckled.

“Lucky us those years are behind me then.” He’d put in too much work becoming a better person to regress just because he was technically free.

“Very lucky you,” Devin laughed, catching their attention as he came in with three mugs of tea, handing them out before dropping down next to Aggregor. “Give them a reason to think you’re a danger to the chicks and Selan and Eva would turn the both of you inside out.”

“The sires,” Aggregor clarified before Kwarrel could ask.

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” he said instead, raising his tea in thanks, gratefully taking a sip. It’d been far too long since he’d had a warm drink- or a proper meal, thinking of it. The shit they served in Incarcecon hardly counted as food. It hardly counted as edible.

“Should be able to fit both of you if Aggy rooms with me,” Devin continued on, “and there’s plenty of space between here and the main body of the Pack Dens to expand so you guys can set up your own spaces if you want them.”

“Thank you,” Kwarrel said, “though I’m not sure I’m built for life underground.” The place was very much not built for people his size. Flashing a dazzling smile Devin looked around Aggregor at him and replied

“If it comes down to it, there’s plenty of space in the temple. If the dens aren’t comfortable for you then you can stay there until the heat dies down and you get a more fitting place together.” Aggregor just sat there, looking somehow smugger the more Devin spoke, the asshole. Kwarrel just smiled back at their far too willing host and raised his mug again.

“That would be wonderful, thanks.”

How was this happening?

[muertawrites]

Two Halves - Chapter Ten (Zuko x Reader)

Part Nine

Word Count: 2,750

Author’s Note: We’ve had enough sad. Like, in general. So I wrote some happy for this week’s update. This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I decided to save the rest of it for next week since it ended pretty nicely where it is.

I feel like now is a good time to mention that I haven’t read the comics (I didn’t even know there were comics until like two months ago) so if you’ve been wondering why this story diverges so much from them, that’s why. I see the canon and I think it’s great, but it’s just so much more fun to write my own interpretations of what happened to everybody after the war. Sorry not sorry. 

I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things. I felt pretty okay yesterday, and I’m starting to not immediately hate everything I produce and am remembering how to talk myself up again after forgetting that anxiety and depression don’t rule my thoughts when it comes to my creativity. Things are still gonna be weird for a while, but we’ll be fine eventually. That’s how the human condition is - we always swing back at some point. 

~ Muerta

“What do you know about Fire Nation prisons?” 

You expect Rina to falter at the question. She doesn't even flinch, continuing to dress you as if you asked her what she’d had for breakfast. 

“What do you want to know?” she wonders in return. 

You gaze off, allowing your mind to roam as you consider her question. 

Since your return to the Fire Nation, Zuko’s attentive attitude hasn't changed, and your fondness for him has grown in ways you never expected it would. During council meetings, it’s become a habit to hold his hand under the table where your advisors can't see (though Yong has caught you once or twice, smirking as if you were two school children passing love notes during class). You spend more time together in the evenings before bed, and some nights you invite Zuko to sleep beside you, missing his presence since returning to separate rooms - he’s always gone before sunrise to discourage any scandal (despite the fact that you're married), never leaving without a kiss to your forehead and a murmur of, “See you soon.” It’s also become routine to meet him by the turtle duck pond when you each have a moment to spare, the little creatures getting so used to your presence that many of them freely approach you, pecking at your palms in the chance you have a treat for them. 

“My mother and I used to do this,” Zuko confides during one of your breaks; it's the first cool afternoon since the beginning of summer, a few leaves from the overhanging maple tree floating on the pond’s placid surface. “I remember throwing a rock at one of the ducklings when I was a kid. Its mother bit me.” 

You giggle, opening your hand so a young male can nibble at the apple peel you hold out to him; you attempt to scratch his head while he eats, and he squawks at you. 

“Good for her,” you jeer. “Serves you right for being a dick.” 

Zuko chuckles, the curl of his lips framing a hazy sadness in his eyes. 

“Azula did stuff like that all the time,” he sighs. “I always felt… bad. Our mother knew what she was when she was really young. I was the one who got all her kindness. Sometimes… I think it's my fault Azula ended up the way she did.” 

“It isn't,” you assure him. You tuck your hand into his. “Your parents played favorites. It wasn't fair.”

Zuko hums absently, his gaze drawn out across the courtyard. After a moment, he’s pulled back to you, a playful grin tugging at his mouth.

“You remind me of a turtle duck,” he states. “You look harmless. You're cute. But you could really fuck someone up if they provoked you.” 

You laugh, slipping your hand from his to teasingly shove his shoulder; the turtle ducks around you scatter as he mirrors your reaction, doing little to defend himself against your loving attack. 

“Did you just call me ‘cute’?” you tease, reaching to pinch at his cheek - he grimaces, taking your hand away from his face by recapturing it in his. “Are you going soft on me, Hothead?” 

He chuckles, mirthfully flicking an apple peel into your hair. You notice the blush that colors his neck, unable to deny your own.

“Oh, Turtleduck,” he says with mock pity. “Is Sokka so bad at flirting that you never learned to pick up on it?” 

He's used his new pet name for you almost every day since he coined it; every time he does, your heart soars out of your throat and into the clouds. 

Through your bedroom window, you can see Zuko on the porch behind your chambers, leaned casually against the railing as he chats with Aang. 

Aang says something that makes the older man laugh; your innards seem to melt as the lines around the corners of Zuko’s eyes and lips wrinkle like folds in a bedsheet. Something in the scene riles you - you’ll slit a hundred men’s throats to protect that smile and the feeling it gives you. 

“This is about Azula,” Rina observes. 

One thing you've learned in your short time with her is that you can't keep secrets from her - chances are she already knows all of them. 

“I just want to know what her living situation is like,” you tell her, “how powerful she could actually be from inside a prison cell.” 

“You have a merciful husband,” Rina sighs, somewhat dreamily . “Azula doesn't live in a prison; he put her in a compound in the Si Wong desert. She's heavily guarded and follows strict schedules and rules, but he didn't want her to live the rest of her life in a cage.” 

“What about Ozai?” you ask. 

“He’s in a prison. I said your husband was merciful, not that he doesn't hold a grudge.” 

You smirk, momentarily eased from the worry that strains your mind. 

“Do either of them have access to the outside world?” you press. 

Rina shakes her head. 

“Azula has very little; the last she heard of anything outside the compound was your marriage announcement. Ozai has absolutely none. All the guards that keep both of them are from the unoccupied Earth Kingdom, so they have no allegiance to them, and only a select few guards are allowed to speak to Azula.” 

“So… there's no way they could be the masterminds of any of this?” 

Rina lifts her gaze from the sash she cinches at your waist, her dark, round eyes meeting yours; her expression is blank, but she speaks in a determined hush. 

“I can't say for certain. But Azula’s intelligence is violent and cunning; she sees things from a different perspective that isn't entirely human. She has insights that more empathetic people would never consider.” 

You nod slowly, understanding. 

“I'll talk to Aang.”

Katara arrives from the Southern Tribe a few hours before the banquet you're hosting in Aang’s honor is scheduled to begin. You accompany her husband and yours to the imperial docks, a massive grin breaking across your cheeks the moment you spot her on the ship’s deck; she sends you a large, sweeping wave, catching you in her arms as soon as she's close enough to do so. 

“I'm so glad you're okay,” she cries into your ear. “How do you feel?” 

You nod, holding her by the waist as she pulls away. Her grip doesn't loosen, her arms still coiled around yours in an affectionate embrace. 

“I'm good,” you assure her. “I'm tough.” 

She smiles, pulling you in to kiss your cheek before turning to Zuko, greeting him with a warm hug. When she reaches Aang, her gestures are much slower, more tender. He takes her chin between two fingers and kisses her gently, his other hand positioned low on her waist as it presses her tightly against him; the action is so out of character for the two - typically so lively and averse to such kinds of public affection - that you and Zuko share an instinctive, curious glance. 

“Did we forget their anniversary or something?” you whisper, fear jolting through you when a look of panic crosses his features. 

“... I don't think so,” he says after a pause. “Maybe… he just missed her?” 

The confusion on his face is endearing - he's more emotionally intelligent than most people, but he's the last person who knows it. 

“Could be,” you agree. “This is the longest they've been apart in years.” 

The two of you watch as Aang assists Katara into Appa’s saddle, another strange behavior considering how used to flying Katara is. Neither of them seem to notice your staring, Aang leaning in for another lingering kiss before taking his place at the reins.

You return to the palace and are met with commotion, servants and high-level diplomats scrambling this way and that in a flustered frenzy. Everyone immediately alerts, prepared for yet another catastrophe. 

“What's going on?” Zuko demands as Rina approaches you; she doesn't hide her sneer at his brash tone, and you smirk as he apologetically shrinks back. 

“You have visitors, come to give their congratulations for your marriage,” Rina explains. 

“Who?” Zuko wonders. 

“Sun Warriors. They're waiting for you in the throne room.” 

Zuko and Aang exchange a look of shock. As you're ushered through the halls of the administrative wing and into the throne room, you take Aang by the arm, pulling him close so you can whisper to him. 

“Who are the Sun Warriors?” you ask. 

“They were the first fire benders,” Aang tells you. “They were supposedly wiped out, but Zuko and I met them when we visited their island at the beginning of my fire bending training. Their existence is supposed to be a secret.” 

“Then why would they come here?” 

“Your guess is as good as mine.” 

The throne room is silent - empty save for your entourage and guests - but a constant, electric buzz seems to hang in the air. Zuko falls into step beside you, taking your arm in his as you approach the group of visitors gathered before the throne; their clothing suggests Fire Nation, but from a different world, ancient to the point of almost primal. Each person present is decorated in baroque jewelry, glimmering gold and laced with vibrantly colored beads placed in intricate, deliberate patterns. Their faces are painted in stark lines of red and white, some across their noses and cheeks and under their eyes, others over their chins and foreheads; the makeup is so similar to Water Tribe markings that your eyes widen, unable to stop yourself from leaning in as you attempt to get a better look while also remaining dignified. The warriors are also much more robust than their mainland counterparts, with stocky builds and robust features - they remind you of your own people, leaving you in awe. 

“Chief Sunan,” Zuko addresses the leader of the group, bowing low as he speaks; you follow suit, leveling your gaze with the floor. “To what do we owe the honor of your visit?” 

The chief smiles faintly, warmly at the two of you, bowing in return. 

“We are not so cut off from the outside world that we have not heard of your marriage,” he says. “News has traveled to us of the strength of your union, and the tenacity of your bride. As Firelord, you have protected us, and made strides to restore the ancient ways of the element - we have come to give you our thanks, and offer our blessings to the both of you.” 

Chief Sunan steps aside then, making way for a man and woman carrying a basket between them; they lower it at your feet, bowing as they step back to rejoin their people. 

“A gift,” the chief proclaims. His muted grin morphs into something more knowing, almost mirthful as he watches Zuko approach the offering. 

You rest a supportive hand on Zuko’s back as he leans forward, lifting the lid of the basket to reveal its contents; he raises a bundle of blankets from the vessel, his eyes growing wide as he peels the fabric back. 

Inside the package is a dragon, just small enough to be cradled in his arms. Its scales are a gorgeous crimson, glinting and shifting between hues of gold and turquoise in the light cast from Zuko’s bended fire that surrounds his empty throne. The little beast peers up at its new parent with amber eyes that mirror your husband’s. Zuko lets out an astonished breath, raising his gaze to meet Chief Sunan’s. 

“I can’t accept this,” he states, so quietly that only you and the chief can make out the words. 

“You must,” Chief Sunan counters, his smile never faltering. “The masters insisted.” 

Under your palm, you feel Zuko’s body tense. He nods, cautiously settling the tiny dragon into your arms; you hold the bundle tightly, reaching in to stroke gently at the baby’s nose. It purs appreciatively, and your heart swells. 

Zuko bows, lowering himself to the floor in the ultimate display of respect. 

“Thank you,” he says. “I vow to protect him with my life.” 

When he once again stands, he looks to Rina. 

“Accommodate them however they need,” he commands. “Send a group of our Kyoshi Warriors to the island to guard it from outsiders.” 

Rina nods, scurrying off immediately to delegate the tasks. Chief Sunan then approaches you, resting a hand on your shoulder; you meet his eyes with slight fear, but find only kindness looking back at you. 

“We are grateful our bloodlines will merge once again,” he tells you. “The origin of our people is a history that has been lost to time, long before the war was even a speck on the horizon. You see, the Sun Warriors are descendents of migrant peoples from the earliest ancestors of the Southern Water Tribe as well as the Fire Nation - what our mothers and fathers knew of water bending shaped our understanding of fire. Your union brings our people together once again, as they should be.” 

Zuko wraps an arm around your waist, proudly pulling you against his side. You draw in a shaky breath, leaning into him as you nod, tears pooling along the lines of your lower eyelids. 

“It’s an honor to finally meet you,” you say. “I’ll do everything to make sure we regain our lost history. I promise.” 

Chief Sunan smiles temperately and nods, his fingers contracting around your shoulder in an appreciative grasp. 

“Thank you,” he whispers. “We are proud to call you our queen.” 

You invite the Warriors to stay for the night, Aang eagerly informing them of the banquet you have planned; by the time your reception of the unexpected visitors is finished, there's little more than an hour before it begins. 

Zuko brings your new ward back to your quarters, keeping him tucked protectively under his arms until you shut the sitting room door securely behind you. He then unravels the blankets the little creature is wrapped in, allowing him to explore his new home. 

“I thought dragons were extinct,” you marvel, watching as the fabled reptile twists and turns his body around every piece of furniture he encounters, inspecting everything he sees with humanlike interest. You smile, endeared by his wonder. 

“There are two still living,” Zuko explains. He kneels down beside the dragon, offering him a bit of a rice cracker from the box you keep in a side table for your nightly tea. “Three, now, I guess. The other two are the fire bending masters Aang and I had to seek approval from after I joined their team. Honestly, I thought they were both males.” 

“You must have made a good impression for them to trust you with their kid,” you remark, stifling a bit of laughter at his confession. “Maybe this’ll get Yong to stop bugging us about getting me knocked up.” 

Zuko chuckles, glancing up at you with an impish grin; the suggestive expression makes you blush, and you try to not admit to yourself that the excitement it sparks isn't unwelcome. 

The baby dragon lets out a mewling growl as he wraps himself around Zuko’s shoulders. He blows a minuscule jet of flame into the Firelord’s face, which Zuko mimics. You feel like squealing. 

“What should we call him?” you ask, lowering yourself onto the floor beside your husband. You hold a finger out to the dragon, which he curiously takes into one of his clawed hands. 

“Druk,” Zuko answers. “He looks like a Druk, doesn’t he?” 

You nod, your cheeks pinkened by the smile that’s plastered itself across your face; Zuko’s eyes meet yours with the same joyed expression. He maneuvers himself closer to you, resting his hand atop yours in your lap. As his fingers curl around your palm, you become achingly aware of just how near to you he is, and in a way that’s no longer friendly - the tension is heavier now, strained under the weight of a giddy, fluttering mania that leaves you dizzy. You don’t have to wonder if he feels the same. 

“Guess we’re parents now,” Zuko jokes, his voice barely above a breath. 

You giggle, taking the chance of leaning in to brush your lips to his. Your skin hardly touches; you’re too nervous to dive in and taste him, and for a moment after you pull away, you fear you may have imagined the glancing kiss. The fire that flares across Zuko’s cheeks tells you you didn’t. 

“Yeah,” you smirk, speaking in a murmur. “Guess we are.” 

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Rise Up

Ch.7: At Odds

Previous Story: It Had To Be You || Current Masterlist

Pairings: Barry Allen x OFC

Chapter Summary: Belén and Barry come to odds with their plans to fight against Zoom for the first time.

Pronunciation of OC: Bell-en. The last syllable has an emphasis so it’s not pronounced like ‘Helen’ would be.

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog​ @maaaaarveeeeel​

[If you’d like to be part of this OC’s taglist, let me know!]

"Just let me go. Let me disappear," Dr. Light pleaded from her prison pod. She probably sounded like a broken record but it didn't matter to her. Ever since the team decided to try to reason with her, all she kept saying was to be freed so she could hide from Zoom. Unfortunately for her, they weren't having it.

"You would spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, never knowing when Zoom is coming," Barry meant to serve as a reminder but all Dr. Light did was shrug. "Okay, how were you supposed to contact him after you killed me?"

"I was supposed to get something... something I could only get if you were dead... and then throw it through the breach as proof," Light explained.

"And then what?"

"Then he'd come for me. Confirm the kill and bring me home," Light exasperatedly sighed. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to find him."

"You really don't," Light said with widened, alarmed eyes.

"He's gonna keep coming for me. He's gonna keep kidnapping people like you, forcing them to do what he wants," Barry shook his head. "I have to stop him before more people die."

"You can't stop Zoom. Okay, everyone on my Earth knows that Zoom wants the Flash from another world," Light shook her head fiercely. "You're not getting away. He has plans."

"Among those is the Siphoner?" Belén walked into the pipeline, throwing Barry a look for his secret meeting with the metahuman.

"It's only a matter of time until she comes," Light warned quietly, her voice indicating she was as much afraid of Datura as she was of Zoom.

"Well too late," Belén crossed her arms, "She's already here." Her revelation seemed to freeze Light in her spot. Fear accumulated in her eyes, making the other two metas almost feel sorry for her.

"You have to let me go!" Light pounded a fist against the pod. "If Datura is here it means Zoom knows I failed. She's going to siphon me or kill me!"

"Then help us take them down before they do any more harm," Barry still tried to reason with her, hoping that her fear would somehow help her see they were her only option now.

But Light refused. "Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work. Because if you somehow manage to escape Zoom's speed, you won't escape Datura's touch. A lot of us have tried and they're dead."

"We'll see," Barry meant it as a challenge.

~ 0 ~

"Zoom wants Doctor Light to send him your new emblem…" Caitlin repeated after hearing the story. It actually made sense in the villain's perspective, but since none of them were villains it just sounded plain crazy.

"Yes. We need it for bait," Barry glanced momentarily at his suit sitting on the display. "If we can get Doctor Light to take my emblem, throw it through the breach, then Zoom will come to collect my body, and we can trap him."

Cisco wasn't happy with that idea. "You know it took a lot of work to make that emblem, right?"

"Am I the only one who remembers that she tried to kill Linda just to escape Zoom?" Caitlin decided to input in case they truly had forgotten that crucial detail.

"Linda sure hasn't," Belén snorted.

"Look, I know we can get her to help us," Barry could almost promise it was the case. "She's rational, she'll see it's the only way."

"Before I left Earth-2, I worked on a serum to dampen Zoom's speed. All we would need is for Ramon to develop a weapon to deliver it," Harry shared.

"Oh, great, that could be this year's cold gun," Belén shot Cisco a warning look that he shouldn't even try it. "Maybe another criminal can get it, and then we'd have Sergeant Slow."

"I would never let that happen. Sergeant Slow is a terrible name," Cisco flatly responded with.

"Are we forgetting how much more powerful than Barry Zoom seems to be?" Caitlin looked at them incredulously. "I mean, if Barry can catch bullets, what's to say Zoom can't catch whatever you shoot at him?"

"Surprise... the element of surprise," Harry laid it out for them. "All we would do is rig a projectile to fire as Zoom crosses into the breach. He can't stop what he can't see coming."

"That's great," Barry was relieved to see that someone was at least following through with the idea.

"Thanks."

Caitlin shook her head. "Joe, voice of reason here?"

"We need a plan," Joe agreed on some level. "That's as good as any. As long as he can deliver."

"Don't underestimate me, Detective," Harry pointed and walked out of the cortex to get started on the task ahead.

Barry's phone went off and when he checked it he saw Patty's name on the ID. "Oh, Patty needs us back at the station," he told Joe.

Joe nodded. "I'll meet you there, all right?"

Barry agreed and took a head start with Belén.

~0~

"Hey," Iris stopped by Belén's desk at work. She put down a coffee for Belén and then took a seat at the edge of Belén's desk. "I didn't know you'd be coming in today."

"Yeah well, since my endeavors to get stronger, I've been neglecting my work," Belén reached for the cup of coffee. "I can't afford to get fired."

Linda came by rather nervously, and Belén knew once again what the reason was for her detour. "Hey. Have you had any word from The Flash about the meta-human that attacked us? Or the other one that got to me? Look at me, I have to keep count on who kidnaps me."

"Linda, I promise you that you'll be safe," Belén sighed. She knew it would take Linda a good amount of time before she could feel normal again, what with Dr. Light and Datura kidnapping her...

"Still...I'd just feel better if I could talk to, um...the Azalea? Or the Flash?"

"Linda, I don't think that's a good idea…"

"It's not that I don't believe you!" Linda exclaimed. "I just...I want answers, Belén. Why does that woman look like me? Knowing there's a metahuman with my face on who likes to nearly kill people makes it really hard for me to concentrate on field goals and doping scandals. And then I've got that new plant meta to think about? I don't want to sit around being told not to worry my pretty little head about it."

Belén acknowledged Linda's feelings and sighed. "I get that. Believe me, I do."

"Then tell the Azalea and Flash that I want to talk to them. I bet you can get the message across to the Flash. Please," Linda said, then added, "Iris says he'll listen to you no matter what because of that crush."

Had it not been because they were in public, Belén would have smacked Iris again for that. It definitely didn't help that Iris was smirking.

"I will...try my best," Belén forced herself to say in one go. Soon as Linda was gone though, she hit Iris on the arm. "I'm going to kill you for ever telling that to Linda."

"Sorry," Iris honestly apologized. "When I did that, I didn't know it was Barry. So really, this is your fault."

"Oh, yeah, my bad!" Belén playfully rolled her eyes.

~0~

After getting word of Dr. Light making a run for it, the group gathered at STAR Labs to figure out what exactly enabled her to do it.

"Doctor Light managed to hack into the lights of her cell. The whole building runs on fiber optics that operate on pulses of light, so she turned off the dampeners and used her powers," Cisco reviewed what he learned from the mechanics.

"And made herself invisible?" Belén glanced at the full costume Light had left behind for them. "That's possible?"

"Apparently," Cisco mumbled.

"I told you how dangerous she was," Harry was beyond mad with them. It wasn't like he had warned them about Light - oh wait, he had. "You should have listened to me and sedated her."

"I thought we would be able to convince her that helping us was the only way she'd free herself from Zoom," Barry argued.

"Well, you thought wrong!"

"Yeah. Okay, look, Doctor Light is gone, so instead of assigning blame, let's try to figure out what we're gonna do next," Joe cut in before they went any further.

"Do you think she's gonna try and take Linda again?" Belén worried over her friend who, at the moment, probably didn't know much.

"I had Iris bring Linda to the house, just in case, to keep an eye on her," Barry informed her to ease her concerns. "How are we doing with the speed-dampener?" he asked the others.

"I think we isolated the composite…" Caitlin began, still sounding unsure with this plan.

"And we're modifying the dart the Arrow used to take down Wells," Cisco added.

Harry was growing close to hitting something if they kept using that line. "He's not Wells. I'm Wells!"

"Whatever, Harry," Cisco sarcastically retorted in a louder voice.

"Okay, but we don't even really know if this thing works?" Joe asked just to be sure he was hearing all this craziness.

"Until we try it, no. This will be a field test, so can we end this scintillating staff meeting and get back to work?" Harry motioned he would at least continue with work while everyone else continued to talk.

"Or how about I say what everybody's thinking?" Joe challenged. "Maybe it's a good thing that Doctor Light is gone. Maybe it's the universe stopping us from doing something really stupid."

Caitlin made an agreeing gesture, and honestly Belén was close to doing the same. They had learned the hard way they couldn't just come up with any old, fast plan against Zoom.

"No. No," Barry said loudly. "Keep going. I'm gonna figure out another way to get Zoom."

"A-are you sure?" Belén had to ask, stopping him before he could leave. "Couldn't we come up with something we could all agree with?"

"We don't have the time," Barry sounded rhetorical. Did no one understand they couldn't have the luxury to sit down like a group and discuss their options? Options that were already little to begin with?

When Barry actually left the room, Belén released a sigh. "We can't just go through without calculating. I'm not the cop, I shouldn't have to tell him this."

"I've got you," Joe promised and went after Barry.

~0~

Later that day, Belén stopped by her childhood home to pick up one of the last boxes she meant to take to her new apartment. As she walked in, she found her mother working at the living room, unbeknownst to Belén it was with the papers Veronica had taken from the precinct earlier in the day.

"Mom, hey," Belén greeted and shut the door.

"Hi," Veronica seemed entranced with whatever she was reading at the moment.

"Where's Axel?" Belén searched for her nephew in the quiet room.

"Oh, out in the garden. What did you need?"

"Just coming to make another trip," Belén left her bag at the side table and walked up behind the couch. "What's all that?" she pointed to the mess of papers on the coffee table.

"Information on some old metahuman cases."

Belén raised an eyebrow at her mother, now noticing there were several manila folders spread around the coffee table. "Why are you looking at old meta cases?"

"Because there's some things not adding up, that's why," Veronica said so matter-of-factly one could believe it was just a casual thing she was doing.

"What?" frowned Belén. "What do you mean?"

Veronica sighed as she raised her gaze from her work. "There are several metas that the cops never found but the Flash and the Azalea did yet there are no arrest papers anywhere. Am I to assume the precinct just let it go?"

"Well, what does it matter? The metas were caught-"

"-what matters is that they were not brought to justice in the correct way," Veronica closed the file on her lap. "Does the CCPD let these super heroes take justice into their own hands? We are the cops. These metahumans should be in Iron Heights. And do you know the most significant thing I've discovered in all these cases?"

"Humor me," sighed Belén, figuring she wouldn't win this argument.

"Every single case has been handled by Joe West, with your boyfriend's signature right along the papers."

"Well...I would deem that normal since Barry is the only CSI at that precinct," Belén tried to be casual, and perhaps a tad sarcastic just to make it sound like she wasn't nervous. "I'd be surprised if he hadn't signed anything."

"These cases all have odd details, Belén. If it's not the fact there's no arrests, it's the fact that Joe's overseeing is everywhere on these cases. Does he only do meta cases that involve the Flash and the Azalea?"

"What?" Belén nervously laughed. "I don't know how case selection works. Do you choose your own case or-"

Veronica raised a hand to stop Belén from going further. "I'm beginning to think there's some secrets at this precinct. I'll have to keep digging."

"But Mom-"

Veronica got up from the couch and headed for the kitchen. "Are you staying for dinner? I'll get Axel and we cant try this new recipe I found online..."

Belén didn't listen to her mother in the end. She just kept wondering how complicated this would all get if her mother didn't stay away from meta cases. It could land Veronica into dangerous trouble with the newest metas in the city...as well as causing more conflicts between her and Barry and the Wests.

~0~

When Barry returned home the last thing he was expecting was to have the entire house smelling of a mixture of meals. He spotted Iris standing by the dining room that was filled with said mixture of meals.

"Are you guys having a dinner party?" for a moment he thought maybe he'd missed one of Iris' planned sleepovers.

"You would think," Iris crossed her arms and waited for Linda to return from the kitchen. Seconds later, Linda came by holding yet another pot of food.

"I know, I know. It's just, sometimes cooking helps me to relax," she profusely apologized to them both. She knew she was running them dangerously close to nothing in the pantries. "Have you heard anything about Doctor Light? Or that Datura? Am I still in danger?"

"We're not really sure…" Barry felt bad lying to her but they couldn't tell her much.

"Come on. I'm going crazy here, Barry."

"Yeah, she is," Iris nodded to the table full of meals.

Linda gasped when the oven timer went off. "That's the cake! Hope you're hungry."

"She's not kidding," Iris leaned off the table and started making way for the couch. "There's enough food in there to feed an army."

"She must be terrified," Barry misread the situation.

"Uh, more like furious. Someone nearly died because of this metahuman who so happens to look like her. And then she was used as bait in front of the entire city? I mean, trust me. If Linda had Doctor Light's powers right now…"

Barry suddenly raised his head with an incoming idea.

"What?" Iris recognized that as his thinking face.

"I just, uh, Linda and Light...they're identical. So identical that Light even thought she could fool Zoom. Now we have Light's suit." Barry stopped when Iris said nothing. "You don't even have to say anything, I know. It's a terrible idea."

"Well…" Iris tilted her head. "No, not really. We make Zoom think that Linda is Doctor Light and use her to draw him out."

"It's too dangerous, right?"

Iris would have said yes, but this was something neither could decide. "Let Linda decide. I mean, she's desperate to catch the person with her face who's terrorizing people, and she deserves the chance to help us."

"Okay," Barry smiled and started to tell her how it would work for Linda to help them.

~ 0 ~

Deciding to show up to Linda as the Flash, Linda was given the chance to try and help them set a trap for Zoom. Linda didn't think twice before agreeing to help. The idea was for her to pretend to be Dr. Light and have a fake fight with Barry where she would 'win' and hand over his suit's emblem as proof of his defeat.

"Where are they?" Belén walked into the training room where Linda would shortly be out to practice. She wasn't happy and that was evident as soon as someone saw her face. "I cannot believe - oh hell no." She had stopped beside a couple of cardboard cut outs near Cisco who was on top of a small scaffold. "Cisco, why is there a cut out of me?"

Cisco looked over the rail and grinned. "They're practice targets. Don't worry though, yours aren't the target."

"I was a bit more creeped out on the part where my friend keeps cardboard cut outs of me," Belén crossed her arms.

"It's important to have hobbies," Cisco turned over another cut out he was in the process of hanging. It turned out to be himself holding a camera while striking an odd pose of him sticking his tongue out.

Belén blinked emotionlessly for a second. "I fear for your future wife," she shared and walked away. She spotted Barry with Iris from a distance, the former donning his red suit, and so Belén made a direct beeline for them. "What is going on here!?" she asked them soon as they could hear. "Linda is doing what now!?"

"It's okay-" Iris began when Belén cut her off with a sarcastic 'really'.

"Having our friend who has no powers put herself on the line is not okay in my book!" Belén then glanced at Barry. "And was it really smart of you to show up like that?" she gestured to his appearance. "You outed yourself...ish."

"We don't have time to think of something else," he shrugged. "Besides, it can work, Bells."

"That's my friend," Belén said quietly. "I have known her for years. I can't even think about it if something happened to her because she got caught up in this."

"Hey," Barry took her into a hug, "I won't let that happen. I promise." Belén relaxed a bit but she still wasn't entirely on board with this idea. She felt like Barry was rushing into this without all the connections being made.

"This is ridiculous," they heard Linda coming in. Caitlin walked beside her in the costume that gave her the image of Dr. Light.

"Linda," Belén pulled away from Barry, blinking as she studied the new appearance of their friend.

"Belén, hey," Linda was relieved to see she'd been contacted. While she was comfortable with Iris, she had known Belén far longer and truly trusted her.

"You look...just like Doctor Light," Belén looked Linda over.

"I feel ridiculous," Linda admitted and hugged herself.

"You're fine," Caitlin assured and held out a pair of black gloves. Linda took them rather confused and looked at them for some explanation. "And with these gloves that Cisco rigged up, you'll be able to do what Light does."

"Oh...great," Linda said nervously as she began to put the gloves on.

"I'm gonna go make sure everything's been set up," Caitlin said and headed for the elevated platform where they would be monitoring Linda's practice session. Iris followed behind her, and soon enough went Barry as well.

"Linda, I'm sorry," Belén felt the need to apologize to her friend. However, Linda didn't understand only took a double-take at her in response. "I didn't know that...Flash, was going to pull this. Rest assured I would not have let him."

"What? No!" Linda exclaimed. "I'm glad Iris took me to him. Though I'm a bit surprised that Iris knows him too?" Belén's eyes widened for a moment but Linda, thankfully, went ahead and made her own assumption. "I guess that comes as a perk when you're the daughter's cop, hm?"

"Yes!" Belén didn't think twice in confirming. "Exactly."

Linda smiled and started walking with her towards the platform. She fixed the gloves on her hands and thought to ask whether or not these were pretty safe.

"They should be," Belén glanced at Cisco on the platform. "Right?"

"Totally," Cisco said without thinking.

"Ish," Harry said instead, freezing both women below.

"What?" Belén raised both her eyebrows.

"Well, come on, it's gotta be believable," Cisco tried to reason with them, "so they really do fire and explode things."

"Hm…"

"And you-" Cisco then pointed at Barry, "-are going to have to let her hit you with those blasts when she gets the hang of it."

"Please don't kill him," Belén then mumbled to Linda.

"Okay, the suit can absorb the blasts," Cisco said for her comfort, and probably Barry who wasn't looking so excited either.

"For real or 'ish'?" Belén crossed her arms. "Because let me tell you the difference between those two."

"Okay, you know what? I like to think I can see the bright side of things, okay?" Cisco got snappish with her as well. "Positivity, people," he clapped his hands and went back to work.

Barry gestured to Linda to follow him down the room where Cisco and Joe had set up several cardboard cut outs of themselves. "So just hit the ones of me. Okay?"

Linda nodded. "Got it. Great." She took several steps towards the cutouts, mumbling to herself to get prepared. "Doctor Light…" she took a deep breath and thrust a hand forwards to shoot. Soon as she did, however, she felt the gloves sort of take control and shot relentlessly. "Oh! Oh!" she stumbled back on her feet while the gloves continued shooting. Barry caught her from behind and thankfully put an end to the glove fiasco.

"Uh, you know what? I'm just gonna adjust those a little!" Cisco snatched a nearby screwdriver from the platform and rushed towards Linda who more than terrified now.

"Just...okay, so, um, do the opposite of that, and we'll have it," Barry gave a light pat on Linda's arm, figuring she was probably a little discouraged now.

Later, when Cisco promised that the gloves would not malfunction, they gave it another try. Linda led the way slowly searching for the right cut outs to shoot at. She nearly shot a couple of the 'civilians' but she did manage to shoot some of the right ones.

"Yes!" Linda cheered excitedly after shooting the first right cut out of the Flash. "I did it!" she turned back to her friends. "Did you see that?"

"Yeah!" Barry was equally happy to see her beginning to get the hang of it. The two went to do a high-five but Linda's glove accidentally went off and fired straight at the platform. Poor Cisco was blasted backwards to the floor.

"Oh my God!" Linda gasped. Cisco rolled to his side then sat right up, looking pretty annoyed. "Sorry?"

"She's gonna kill you," Belén quietly said to Barry, meaning all kindness for her friend. "And when she does...I'm going to kill you."

"C'mon…" Barry tried to be optimistic, but everyone else seemed to agree with Belén's perspectives.

After dispatching Linda with Iris, the group met back in the cortex to discuss the day.

"Okay, no offense to Linda, but there is no way she can pull this off," Caitlin honestly didn't mean to sound rude.

"Well, maybe if she didn't scream every time she fired," Cisco shook his head.

"Okay, Linda had a rocky start, but she can pull this off," Barry continued firm, apparently, despite everyone going against it. "I know she can. All right, did you find someplace near breach where we don't have to worry about civilians getting in the way?"

Against his better judgement, Cisco answered him. "Yeah, there's a place by the docks that's usually deserted at night."

"Awesome. Cait, how are we doing with the speed-dampener?"

"My tests indicate that it should work," Caitlin answered rather doubtfully as well.

"It will work," Harry was the only one who seemed to share Barry's persistence in the plan. "I'll tune up Ramon's gloves, make sure they work better."

"Okay great," Barry nodded as the other man started to leave.

"Wait, so we're actually going through with this?" Belén's eyes flickered from one person to the next.

"Yeah, we're doing this," Barry said, confused.

"Uuum…" Belén trailed off waiting to see if he would make the connection but apparently she hadn't been too clear. "We can't! Linda is not ready for this - hell, I don't even think we're ready for whatever plan you have in that big head of yours!"

"Bells, we don't have the time-"

"We need to have the time," Belén snapped. "I went up against Datura on a whim and I got my ass handed to me! Now my friend is going to be out there, risking her life to help us. The least you can do is be truly calculating and have a right plan."

Barry was giving her an incredulous stare for her sudden outburst. He couldn't believe she actually was doing that. Yes, she did make some sense but he made sense too. They didn't have the luxury of time. "We have this-"

"No, we don't," Belén shook her head frantically. "And I'm a little worried, honestly, that you're so hellbent on getting Zoom against everything. I...I can't go through with it." She decided that upon seeing that Barry wasn't exactly going to back down anytime soon. Waving her hands, she signaled she was sticking to her decision and leaving the place.

One would think that would be enough to put Barry straight, but he proved to be severely persistent. Now Joe thought enough was enough, and decided to add onto Belén's thoughts. However he would do it privately.

"I can't believe we're still on this, Barry," Joe gave a deep sigh and crossed his arms once Caitlin and Cisco had left them the cortex.

"Belén will get over it, but this is our only chance to get Zoom," Barry said truthfully. He thought that perhaps Belén was a bit too close to Linda and that's why she wasn't seeing what he was: the perfect chance to get Zoom.

"You saw what happened in there. Linda's not ready," Joe hoped to open his eyes.

"She is," Barry argued. "She's ready enough."

"Why are you pushing this!?"

Barry couldn't believe he was actually going to have this conversation. "What... why do you think? I want to get him!"

"Get who, exactly?"

"Is that a real question?"

"You tell me. I'm... I'm not sure this is even about Zoom, honestly," Joe admitted. "I'm starting to feel like you're still chasing the Reverse Flash."

"Reverse Flash is dead," Barry flatly said, finding no relevance in this.

"Yeah, but after all he did to you, you weren't the one that stopped him."

"We all worked together-"

"Yeah, and Eddie got him in the end," Joe reminded. "I mean, did that make you feel cheated, like you didn't get your revenge, and stopping Zoom is the next best thing?" Barry remained silent and for a moment couldn't look Joe in the eyes. "Belén is right. If you're gonna ask people like Linda to risk their lives, you better be sure of exactly why they're doing it. Otherwise, call it off."

With those words, he left Barry to think.

~ 0 ~

Belén thought nothing would help her distract herself than by working. So, she had thought to continue with her unpacking . And she did that...until she felt her arms would fall off for trying to put together a side table. Thanking the heavens that she had brought along one of her couches already, she plopped down and grabbed her laptop to hopefully continue an article she was meant to turn in by the end of the week. Trying to write proved difficult after spending a good thirty minutes coming up with about three sentences. Her attention, however, was drawn to the jiggling of her door's knob.

Thinking it was perhaps a burglar, Belén stopped her writing and began preparing for a fight.

"Auntie Belén!" Axel, instead, came running in after Veronica opened the door.

For a moment, Belén just stared at her incoming mother, ignoring Axel clutching her waist.

"Hey there, sweetie," Veronica closed the door like nothing and walked in.

"H-how did you get in?" Belén gave a pat to Axel's back. Seeing he was acknowledged, the boy rushed to his grandmother to retrieve his tablet so he could watch his shows.

"Oh, yes, well, Mark stopped by to give me his set," Veronica held up a different key in her hand. "I thought I'd bring it back for you."

"Okay…" Belén still wasn't very comfortable with her mother's presence.

"What's wrong?" Veronica noticed her daughter's odd behavior, despite their earlier disagreement she was pretty sure it wasn't related to her this time.

"Nothing…" Belén answered slowly and took the key from Veronica's hand. "Did...did you need anything?" she took a seat on the couch and grabbed her laptop again.

"I thought we should talk...about earlier…" Veronica took a seat across her daughter, setting her purse beside. Axel silently sat across on the same couch, delving into his tablet.

"Oh, you mean where you went ballistic on me?" Belén stared hard at her screen. "Yeah, no, I totally forgot about that."

Veronica may have thought it was sarcasm but in truth Belén had forgotten about it due to Barry and the Dr. Light situation. "Well I haven't, and I really don't want this to cause another problem between us."

"Well it's a little difficult when you're investigating my boyfriend's adoptive father."

"Not going to argue there," Veronica admitted. "But...Belén I'm a cop. I can't let things go where I don't see logic."

"Mom," Belén sighed. She pursed her lips together, struggling to keep it together all of a sudden. "I accept your apology, I do...but can we not do this right now? I just...I had a day...and I don't want to do anything tonight."

"Belén, what's wrong?" Veronica asked again, this time hoping she would get an answer.

Belén closed her laptop once she realized she would not be writing that night. "Barry and I may have had a disagreement."

"About…?"

"Stuff," Belén left it at that.

"Well that 'stuff' seems to be making your eyes, uh…" Veronica gestured to her own, "...kind of reddish…"

"It's normal stuff," Belén shrugged. "I don't like arguing with him but I had to say something."

"Good for you," Veronica said instantly, showing right approval. "Never swallow down your words for a man, sweetie."

There, Belén found amusement. "Yeah," she gave a slight nod of her head. "Well, I spoke my big mouth...and now I'm here."

Veronica took a moment to look at her daughter, and try to feel the pain Belén felt. With a sigh, she got up from her couch and moved to sit with Belén. "I told you my thoughts and on that man-"

"Yeah, believe me, we both got the idea," Belén sniffled a bit.

"But, if there was one thing that was left clear to me, was that this was something mutual. It's not everyday that a mother is shouted at that her daughter is loved by someone-"

Belén chuckled. "Yeah, believe it or not...he's sort of done that before with our old neighbor Mrs. Andrews."

"Really?" Veronica laughed for a moment. "Maybe you two share big mouths after all."

"Mom," Belén playfully rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, I can't seem to understand what you would argue about so suddenly," Veronica admitted. "You don't want to explain?"

It was then that Belén gave her mother a look that Veronica had never seen before. It entailed a mixture of guilt and concern to such a level that for a moment Veronica wondered what this argument was really about.

"It's private," Belén finally said, looking away from her mother.

"Really?" Veronica began to show her doubt and suspicions.

"Yes, um, it's just things between us, you know? Sometimes it's too intimate to tell someone…"

"Mm…" Veronica hummed and raised her head momentarily, apparently thinking, "...so, there isn't anything you want to tell me, then?"

"Mom, I'd really rather not," Belén meant that honestly. She didn't want to think what her mother would say if she discovered that her daughter had been moonlighting as the Azalea, and that her boyfriend was doing the same thing.

"Is 'secrets' something that Barry showed you how to keep?" Veronica got up, confusing Belén as she went on. "Because if he did, then I'm pretty sure he learned that from his pseudo-father Joe West."

"Mom…"

Veronica had crossed to the other couch to retrieve her purse. "If that's the matter then I'll have to take back everything I said about him."

"Mom, what are you-"

"I insist that Joe is covering something up with these meta cases," Veronica said, not raising her voice since Axel was still on the other couch. He was so in-tuned to his tablet he didn't notice their growing disagreements. "No one in this precinct bothered to check where these metahumans were initially being kept in prior to the metahuman compartment being built at Iron Heights. Every metahuman case that was handled was done so by Joe West and Barry Allen and that-"

"Mom-"

"I like knowing where I work, and who I work with. Now you and I can both see that there is something going on in that precinct that no one else has figured out. So I'm going to ask you, Belén, do you know something that I should know? Could this argument you and Barry had possibly be linked to these metahumans?"

Belén looked down for a moment. She knew that lying to her mother about this should have been easy considering this was something important. It was something that could put her mother in danger. But, Belén found it difficult to lie straight to her mother's face. Because right now, all Belén wanted was to tell her mother all her problems she was having. She wanted to tell her mother that someone was targeting her for something dangerous; someone wanted to hurt her. That the same someone had already sent her to get shot, had already fought her and won. Belén wanted to share that her boyfriend was also being targeted for a clear death and she was just scared he might get hurt, or killed.

I need my Mom, she came to the conclusion. That'd been the first time she thought about her mother like that...perhaps because it was the first time Veronica had been available as a mother to Belén...

But Belén couldn't do anything. Because telling Veronica everything would put her in the cross-fires of Zoom and Datura.

"There is nothing I have to say," Belén forced herself to say in one go. She surprisingly held her tears together as she then requested that Veronica leave.

Extremely upset with her daughter lying, Veronica took Axel and hurried out the door. Belén was right behind them and was there to quickly close the door.

"I'm sorry," Belén whispered, closing her eyes as they began to spill tears.

~0~

Heeding some of Joe's words, Barry decided to reveal himself to Linda in order to help both of them out. Linda was already discouraged of her villainous abilities, and seeing the Flash was an actual friend did make her a little more comfortable. It also did help explain some of the oddities surrounding STAR Labs and the Flash. So, she agreed to help him out once more. Dressed as Dr. Light, she took on the role as the Flash's current enemy.

"I'm here to kill you, Flash," she stood tall and mighty across the Flash. "I am loyal to Zoom, so get ready to fry."

Soon as she said those words she knew it was a bad pun.

She shot a ray of light towards Barry but hit a couple of a stockage from the docks instead. Barry whipped a head back and decided to just go with it.

"Ow!" he let himself fall to the ground.

"Gotcha," Linda smirked, although she struggled to stay with a serious face.

"Yeah, you did, real good," Barry pushed himself up.

"Bring it," Linda motioned with a gloved hand.

Barry sped towards her and when Linda shot, she actually managed to get him. Struggling, Barry got past her only to be shot yet again on the back. This time, his fall to the ground was not fake. Linda turned around putting on her best evil smirk.

"Told you, Zoom always wins." She walked towards Barry who had kept himself down. She bent down to take his emblem and found time to whisper to him. "You're okay, right?"

Barry cracked open an eye and whispered back. "Yeah, yeah. I had to make it look good."

Linda straightened up with the emblem in her hand. "Here it is, Zoom, I did what you wanted." She headed to where the open breech was in midair. "Now bring me home." She chucked the emblem into the breech and nervously waited for Zoom to appear.

Wells and Joe waited as well, but hidden in place with weapons hoping to deter Zoom's speed. Barry had to remain 'dead' on the ground but he was more than ready to jump at the chance when Zoom appeared. Everything was in place. Everything.

However, nothing happened. Minutes passed and everything remained silent. It added onto the fear already placed over several of the group.

"Hey, stop fidgeting," Linda hissed when she caught Barry slowly attempting to move his leg.

"Sorry, it's been an hour. I landed in a ridiculous position, and my foot fell asleep," the speedster argued quietly and returned to being 'dead'.

From STAR Labs, Caitlin and Cisco were carefully checking over any security feed from the docks they could find in case Zoom appeared from another unknown breech. "He's probably just waiting to see if you're really dead. Any minute now, he's gonna strike," Cisco said as a means of encouragement.

"No," Barry decided it was just not happening tonight. He sat up with a deep sigh.

"Sorry, I probably screwed up somehow," Linda hung her head, feeling like she had failed them all.

Barry got on his feet and moved over to give her an honest thank you. "No, Linda, you did great. Thank you for helping me."

Linda knew he was disappointed and smiled sadly. She wished there was more that she could do for him. Her thoughts were interrupted by Joe and Harry coming out of hiding and the latter loudly kicking anything in his way.

"So Wells ain't taking this well," Joe sarcastically remarked as he met with Barry.

"Mm-hmm…" Barry watched Harry turn in a different direction of the docks, storming and kicking things still.

"How about you?" Joe noticed how unusually quiet Barry was despite the loss of the night.

"Yeah, it just sucks, you know," Barry shrugged, thinking of the entire day's course. "You were right a little bit about this not being just about Zoom... about it being about the Reverse Flash. But not for the reason that you think, not because I didn't beat him." With a sigh, he explained the bit of an old video Joe had yet to know about, that everyone save Belén knew. "It's... Wells... he said something to me on that video before he confessed to my mom's murder. He said that even if he was dead, that he still won because I wasn't happy, that I'd never really be happy."

Joe frowned. It was truly unbelievable how Wells could still manage to screw with them even from beyond the grave. "How the hell would he know?"

Barry shrugged again, thinking logically. "He knew me. He knows future me."

Joe rolled his eyes. "Fine. But that's future you. This is the you here and now."

"I still think that Wells is right. Ever since I went back to that night and I didn't save her... I didn't save my mom, I just... there's just been this void in me. You know, I just feel like that is always gonna be there. For better or worse, Wells...he knew me."

"Better than I know you?" Joe would have laughed had it not been a serious matter. "He may have stalked you for 15 years, but I raised you. Look, Wells said what he said to you to mess with you... to get in your head one last time. If you listen to him, you let him win."

"I know," Barry sighed. And he thought that Wells was already beginning to win. Because of his rushed persistence with this plan, he had gotten into a big argument with Belén. God knows how he would be paying for that one.

"I don't want that. You're responsible for your own happiness, Barry," Joe sincerely hoped Barry would finally begin to listen again. "Forget about Wells. Think hard about what you want and what makes you happy. Go out and get it. Simple as that. All right?"

Barry smiled a bit, giving a small nod of his head. "Yeah."

~ 0 ~

Belén had just finished setting up a small rectangular pot holder for her new Azaleas up on the kitchen window when someone knocked on her door. She dumped the trash then hurried to go open. Her heart skipped a beat when she found Barry standing on the other side. Her first thought was his lack of knowledge of today's events, and for now it seemed like the best.

"You were right," Barry decided to open with that. Perhaps hearing he was admitting she had had a point would soften her up into talking with him.

"Please tell me Linda is okay?" Belén asked in fear. Her first assumption was that his plan went wrong and it got Linda into some serious pain.

"She's fine," Barry promised her. "Zoom...didn't show."

"Oh…" Belén knew that despite her feelings on the matter she didn't like to see Barry so upset either. It was important to him, for good intentions after all. She opened the door more and gestured for Barry to come in. "I'm sorry about that," she honestly said. A good part of her was happy that Zoom didn't show up to terrorize them all, because she knew they were not prepared to fight him yet.

"Thanks," Barry watched her close the door. Sheepishly, Belén crossed the living room, or at least intended to. Barry reached out for her arm and stopped her. "Bells, I'm really sorry. You were right about it all. I knew you were right from the start but I just...I wanted to catch Zoom already."

"Yeah, I think we all saw that," Belén said, mildly playful. "And I get it, believe me I do. I want nothing more than to get Datura...but I just don't like the fact you were willing to go into it all rushed and...fast. This time, we need to be slow and calculating. If Datura was difficult to manage, just imagine what Zoom is like."

"I know," Barry accepted it. "But I have to admit that...it wasn't entirely all about Zoom."

"Then…?" Belén smiled a little as she tried to understand what he meant. "...what was it about?"

"You remember the video Wells left behind as part of his will? Our Wells, I mean."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"He said that I wouldn't ever be happy no matter what. And...and it got to me more than it should have…" Barry ran a hand through his hair, still frustrated it did get to him so much, to this point actually.

"I can't believe you're still giving this dead man the time of the day," Belén said first and sighed. "His words are nothing. They should have gone through one ear-" she pointed to one of his ears, "-and out the other." She then pointed to his other ear. "Ever heard of selective attention? I use it all the time."

Barry smiled knowing this was her playfulness coming out to get them back on track. "Yeah," he nodded.

"You should have said something," Belén touched his arm. "Instead of making a scene in front of our friends, I would have had a very different conversation with you somewhere else."

"Believe me if I'd realized earlier I would have." Barry reached an arm around her waist and brought her closer to him and rested his forehead against hers. "I hate arguing with you, Bells, so much."

"Me too," Belén whispered. "I don't like it. It just feels wrong, you know? If that makes sense?"

"Yeah, it does. I don't like knowing that I upset the person that makes me the happiest." Barry gave her a moment to smile before kissing her. And this time, he meant to kiss her in a way that would show her he was truly happy with her despite everything that surrounded them. He walked her up against the nearest wall and kissed her.

Belén let herself be encased in his arms and kissed back until she had to breath, but even then she barely wanted to let go. Barry dragged his lips from hers and set a one kiss on her cheek, then another lower on her jawline, and last on the side of her neck. Afterwards, he nuzzled his nose against her neck, relishing from their moment. This is what made him happy - she made him happy.

"Can we just rest for a while?" his soft tone made it hard for Belén to understand the first time.

She turned her head to the side and met his eyes. "What?"

"The Zoom problem, the Datura problem...I just need one moment of peace...with you," Barry repeated, hoping he made sense without sounding...weird.

Belén brought a hand to rest on his cheek, and just a few seconds after Barry placed his hand over it. "Okay. Let's do that."

She gently pulled him into the hallway and brought him into her bedroom. She wished she could have finished fixing it earlier, but what was done was done. At least she'd gotten the bed. It was an odd thought to just lay down together without doing anything. Usually, they had some movie times or at the very lest were joking with each other about something. Tonight, there was no television. There was no movie. There were no jokes.

And yet, things seemed more...intimate.

Barry was the one to rest his head next to Belén's neck. He eventually scooted closer to her and nuzzled his nose against her neck. Belén moved her arm so that it would rest over his back and she could run her fingers up and down.

It was peaceful.

"We should do this more often," Belén's voice was soft and quiet, perfect for the moment.

"Mhm," Barry had nestled his head closer to the crook of Belén's neck. He didn't want to move anytime soon.

So they continued to lay together, doing nothing except be together. But, like all good things, it had to come to an end. Half an hour later, both of their phones started vibrating. At first, neither of them wanted to move. Neither wanted to break the nice, peaceful bubble.

But the phones kept vibrating.

"I'm sorry," Belén kissed Barry's hair and sat up so she could answer her phone. Iris was on the other end of the line, and once she was able to speak she said it all in one fast ramble.

Zoom had Linda.

~ 0 ~

STAR Labs' computers were all simultaneously ringing in alarms, indicating there was a new visitor in the area.

"He's on the roof!" Harry shouted soon as he got word from the computer.

"He has Linda," Belén rushed to the desk to see through the security cameras where oh where was Linda. "Is Datura with him!?"

While the question couldn't be answered at once, they had a clear view of Zoom. He had chosen to dangle poor Linda over the roof's edge just as Barry got there. Proving to be the ultimate villain, Zoom dropped Linda like she was a pair of socks. Barry sped down to the ground and, using his whirlwind trick, softened Linda's fall into his arms.

"You need to get out of here, okay?" Barry set her down on her feet.

Linda was beyond terrified. "No, you can't fight that thing. It's a monster! I don't know who's worse, him or that crazy lady!"

"Just go!"

Linda looked up at the roof and thinking that Zoom would come for her again as bait, she ran off as fast as she could.

"What is that thing?" Belén was disgusted by Zoom's appearance despite it being only through a computer screen. She had yet to see the full figure of the speedster but now wished she hadn't. "He cannot be human."

Zoom was pitch black, from head to toe. There was an eerie spark around his figure. One could even say his suit didn't have gloves for hands but instead for claws.

"He is human," Harry was also staring in disgust but in a different tone. "Or was, at least."

"How the hell is Barry supposed to defeat that?" Cisco was thinking of the odds in their favor and they were not looking good.

"Why is he running away?" Harry scowled after they all saw Barry speeding away from Zoom. It looked like even Zoom was a bit confused on it too.

"He's not," Belén shook her head. "He wouldn't. I think we can all agree he's not scared."

A delirious laugh came from Cisco, prompting everyone to look at him. "Ooh, he's gonna thunderbolt him!"

"What?" Harry was left thinking.

"Jay taught him how to throw lightning," Caitlin explained.

Barry returned with a thunder bolt that he threw directly at Zoom. They were all stunned, and horrified, to see Zoom literally grab said thunderbolt and throw it right back at Barry, causing the red speedster to crash against a wall.

"Did he just…?" Belén gaped and glanced at the others just to make sure she hadn't seen things. Even Barry was in disbelief.

"Did you guys see that?" he asked through the comms.

"Uh, see him catch a bolt of lightning with his demonic claws?" Cisco met everyone's looks. "Yeah, saw that."

"Jay was right. He cannot do this alone," Caitlin shook her head.

In their shock, they hadn't even seen Harry go into the side room and come back with his trusty, big gun. "He's not alone," he was busy inputting the syringe into it.

"Barry, maybe this a strategical point where you just run," Belén spoke into the comm. hoping he would listen to her.

"No," Barry, unsurprisingly responded. He had gotten back on his feet and pulled out another syringe carrying the speed-dampener liquid. "I'm gonna see if Wells' speed-dampening serum works."

"Yes, but maybe this is the 'rushed, uncalculating' thing we were talking about earlier?"

Although Barry didn't turn off the communication system, it was almost like he did. He ignored the worries of his girlfriend in an attempt to finally put Zoom down.

"How is Barry gonna match Zoom's speed?" Belén sighed, looking to one of her smarter friends for some reassurance this wouldn't end so bad.

"He's not," Cisco smirked once he had made the realization. "He's gonna take it out of the equation altogether."

Caitlin exchanged a look with Belén, neither one of them in the know. "What are you talking about?" Caitlin then asked.

"Terminal velocity. The highest velocity attainable by a falling object."

"You mean...falling through...the air…?" Belén waved her finger above her head.

"Yeah, freefall fight. Their drag force equals the downward force of gravity, making the net force zero, making…"

"Equal velocities," Caitlin joined Cisco in the end.

"That is genius!" Cisco repeated.

"Is it really?" Belén bit her lip nervously and stared at the computer screen like a hawk.

Following through with Cisco's theory, the two speedsters had made it into the air and as they fell, they tried attacking one another. However, Zoom was the one to put Barry to the ground. Zoom picked him right up and delivered a series of punches that disoriented Barry. The last blow, the strongest of all, was given through the back - through the spine. Barry wasn't sure what he was hearing anymore, nor what he was seeing (it was all mostly blurry) but he was sure he had felt that cracking of bones.

"Never forget, I am the fastest man alive," Zoom declared without a scratch on him to show evidence he'd been in a fight.

"He's killing him!" Belén shouted frantically and turned around, making a run to go and help.

"Woah!" Cisco quickly jumped from his chair to block her way. "You can't go out there! He'll kill you too!"

"Someone has to help him!" Belén tried pushing her way but Cisco kept her there despite her fight. "Cisco!"

"Guys!" Caitlin's loud call made them both stop. They rapidly returned to the desk to see what Caitlin wanted them for. Zoom had injected the speed-dampener into Barry's bloodstream and hadn't stopped there.

"Where did he go!?" Belén slammed a hand on the desk once they lost sight of Zoom and Barry. Even Harry, who'd gone out to help Barry, was struck with confusion.

"I-I don't know," Cisco seemed unable to think of something to help them.

"FIND HIM!" Belén cried. She would've done it herself but she didn't know how the system worked.

Zoom had gone to CC Picture News to make a show of his 'triumph'. In one hand he held an unconscious Barry and addressed the entire staff. "Look at your hero."

Iris nearly had a heart attack. Behind her, cameras started going up and active.

"This man is no god. He is nothing!" Zoom left them with that knowledge and next made a stop at the precinct. "The days of The Flash protecting this city are over."

All of the cops in the area formed a line with aimed guns at the speedster.

"Put him down!" Joe was the one to shout at Zoom.

"Now what will you do without your precious hero?"

"Shoot that thing, now!" Singh gave the order.

All the cops fired until their guns finished their ammo but in the end, Zoom merely dropped all of the bullets to the ground from his palm. "Nice try."

He then sped off again.

~ 0 ~

"I should have gone out there," Belén repeated for the tenth time since Zoom had gone off their radar.

"And then what? Get yourself killed? I don't think so," Cisco remained adamant that he had done the right thing in keeping her inside the place. He was sure that Barry would agree with him.

"But then we wouldn't be in this-" Belén gasped when Zoom sped right into the cortex. "Barry!"

"Harrison Wells, you thought you could defeat me with this?" Zoom lifted Barry's body like it was some rag doll in his possession.

"I made a mistake," Harry admitted truthfully.

"Yes, a costly one."

"Let him go! Let him go right now!" Belén yelled frantically and threw a hand forwards, releasing a vine.

Zoom dropped Barry and sped up to her. Belén gasped with the ugly sight in front of her face, though a good part of it stemmed from fear.

"You are not my fight," he said just a second before Cisco shot a third syringe of the speed-dampener.

Belén stumbled backwards, yelping when Zoom dropped to his knees. Still, he managed to speed out of the place before they could capture him. Soon as he did, Belén ran for Barry's body on the floor.

~ 0 ~

As soon as Joe arrived at STAR Labs after the Zoom fiasco, he went directly for blame. If he thought Harry was suspicious before, now he firmly believed that Harry was at fault for all of it.

"This is all you! If Barry dies, you die!" Joe jabbed a finger on Harry every time he said a word.

"Enough!" Belén walked into the cortex in a hurry with Cisco. Their shouts had carried over down the hallway and, fearing a fight, Belén and Cisco left the workroom to come and stop the two men. "Joe, I get you're angry, believe me I am too, but Harry's got nothing to do with it. Barry wanted to go through with the plan in the end. No one forced him."

Still, Joe cast a menacing glare at Harry who looked more or less unaffected.

Cisco debated whether or not to bring in the mysterious topic he'd learned from Harry, but seeing that Joe was inches away from punching Harry, he decided to go with it. "Who's Jesse?"

It was easy to see that Harry was shocked to know that Cisco had knowledge of the name. "How do... Jesse's my daughter. Zoom has her." Cisco seemed to then be making the connections from his earlier vibe. Harry rushed up to him. "You've...you did vibe me-"

"Yes-"

"What did you see?"

"I saw your daughter. She was with Zoom," as Cisco explained, the others shared mutual surprise - and a bit of understanding - looks.

"But she's alive?" Harry needed to hear proper confirmation that his daughter was still breathing.

"Yes," Cisco said, and he admitted that he did feel a bit of sympathy for Harry. If he was grumpy all the time and had short patience it had to be because he was constantly worrying over his daughter being kidnapped by Zoom.

"Zoom sent you here like the others? You kill The Flash, and you get your daughter back?" demanded Joe, still un-inclined to see Harry in any other light.

"I don't...think he did…" Belén barely got the chance to say when Harry answered and explained his reasons.

"The only way I get my daughter back is I capture Zoom. Do you understand?" Harry tapped the side of his head sarcastically. "You love Barry. I love my daughter. And none of these children are safe as long as Zoom is here. I tried on my Earth to capture him. I failed. I thought I could bring him down here with Barry's help. I was wrong."

"Where are you-" Joe didn't finish on account of Harry storming out of the cortex.

~ 0 ~

When Barry finally came to, he felt his entire body aching in pain. He felt something tight around his neck and took a couple of seconds to realize it was a neckbrace.

"Can you hear me, Barry?" he heard a familiar voice beside him. He found Belén sitting beside his bed, looking so concerned over him. "I've been calling you for a couple of minutes now. Can you hear me?"

"Sorry…" Barry looked around as much as he could and saw it was broad daylight through the windows.

Belén followed his gaze and sighed. "You were out-cold for the entire night. Cait said it was normal, for you anyways…"

"How bad is it?" Barry could see a couple of bruises on his arms and he was sure there were more to discover once he could get rid of the neck brace. But even now, his body still hurt to the point he'd rather not move.

"Well, Caitlin said if you didn't heal fast it would be truly bad," Belén felt relief knowing this situation wouldn't last long for him.

"And...Linda?"

"She's fine. She told Iris and me that she was going to stay with some friends out in Coast City," Belén sighed. "I think after everything that's happened to her it's the best thing she can do."

"...Zoom?"

Belén's eyes lowered. "Um...let's...let's give that some time." When she looked at him again she had plastered a fake, cheery expression for him. "Caitlin says that in a couple of days you'll be able to try and walk and run again." She touched one of his legs with a small smile. "But you're gonna have to be patient. And don't worry, I have a lot of movies we can watch. Maybe we can try to just rest together again?"

Barry smiled, though tired, because the way in which she had asked made her look adorable. He needed that right now. "I'd like that."

Belén's smile widened. She ran her hand up and down his leg. "But you'll be patient, okay?"

Before Barry could answer, he thought of something. He realized that in all this time he hadn't felt her touch. Her fingers running down his leg...he didn't feel it. Thinking perhaps it was just the medication that was affecting his mind, he tried sitting up to check for himself.

"N-n-n-n-n-n-no, you have to stay put!" Belén assumed he would try to get back in the running game before he could.

"No, Bells, I...I didn't feel your hand…"

"What-"

"I can't feel my legs!" Barry frantically yelled, leading Belén to call for their friends.

~ 0 ~

"It's about time you showed up," Wells heard soon as he put one foot into the alleyway he'd been appointed to.

Datura's heels clicked against the cement underneath but she still walked in a graceful manner to meet with Wells. "I was doing my errands." Her sarcasm was met with rolling eyes. "C'mon, you can at least say you like where we're meeting," she gestured to the alley, "It's where I made my first Earth 1 kill a few days ago. What was her name?"

Harry dismissed her smugness and went straight to business. "The hell did you want me for? Can I expect Zoom to make another appearance?"

Datura smirked, almost laughing since she knew exactly what happened. "He really knows how to make an entrance, doesn't he? But that's not why I'm here now. I need you to retrieve something for me," Datura said, losing her sarcasm when it came to her brewing idea.

Of course that idea, whilst unknown to Harry, was one that would require him to further betray the STAR Labs team. "What do you need?" he finally asked.

"It's simple. I need Belén's suit tracker." Datura raised her head the moment Harry's eyes widened. She was already tall, but this was one of her ways to feel in control. And unfortunately for Harry, she was in control.

"Why do you need that!?"

Datura's red lips curled into an evil smirk. "That's for you and the others to find out later - soon, if all my errands go well."

"I...I can't do that-" Harry attempted to argue but Datura raised a finger to stop him.

"Don't say no to me. No one says no to me," she said darkly, bringing one gloved hand to the air. Electricity crackled around it for a few seconds before it was fired at the dumpster just behind Harry. The man jumped to the side to avoid getting hit then wildly blinked at her. She, however, remained completely at ease. "It's not a difficult mission, Wells. All you have to do is take the damn device and bring it to me. I'd let you keep it but I don't trust you not to hand it back to the others."

"What do you need it for!?" Harry still demanded some type of answer from her.

"For an idea, I've said this already," she playfully rolled her eyes.

"I can't take that from her suit!"

"Well, I'd ask you to take it from Barry's suit but he's on another level. I'll take care of him when the time comes." Her resurfaced evil smile gave Harry the chills.

"I thought he was all Zoom's..."

"He is, but it doesn't mean I can't have my own fun. Besides," Datura put her hands behind her back as she took a couple steps forwards, "He's not my target. He's really just a bonus for me - to get to Belén, I need him on the side. And to do that, I need Belén's suit tracker. It's really a whole-" she made hand gestures in the air, "-cycle thing that only I understand, but..." she drew in a deep breath and put on a sweet smile, "...it's all good. I get it. So-" she came to stand right in front of Harry, her sweet smile gone and replaced with seriousness, "-get me the suit tracker by tonight or I'll get it myself and I won't care who gets in my way."

Harry honestly felt like shooting her right there and then...but he was out of weapons...and he was short one daughter. "Fine."

[joonsdiary]

worth fighting for (01)

pairing: jungkook x reader genre/warning: humour, fluff, angst / royalty au, historical au / tw: mentions of blood and wounds, mentions of war, battles, etc. word count: 4,467

summary: fresh out of the perils of war, jungkook didn’t think that his task as the newly appointed general would be to look after you.

                                                                           ONE.

Jungkook knows nothing else but the sound of clashing swords and the smell of putrid blood that would soon follow after. Every siege is important, his father would remind him, and so it means that he and his men have to be in perfect condition. Mistakes are not forgiven and often result in untimely deaths, and so it had been Jungkook’s task as the captain to make sure his men were always ready.

“Victory, and therefore freedom, is within our grasp. We cannot lose focus now,” the General lectures while looking intently at each captain in the eye. The candle flickers at the slight whisper of the winds and Jungkook squints in order to make out what kind of face the general is making. “We leave at dawn, no later than that or else we lose the element of surprise. You’re all dismissed.”

Everybody salutes and bows, including Jungkook, before they all file out of the makeshift tent one by one. They are all worn out and hardened by the battles they have fought, but the determination in their eyes tells a different story. Freedom is one hell of a motivation that will make anyone forget that they have been at this for months with no end seemingly in sight. Progress is key and the General makes sure that the men still have the means to fight and the willingness to survive despite the deaths of their comrades they often witnessed.

“Jungkook, a word,” he halts at the general’s words and turns to face him. He notices the general’s demeanour softens as he approaches him so Jungkook does the same, relaxing his shoulders. “About your brother, I…”

Jungkook tenses, the armour he’s wearing feeling heavy like the weight of a thousand burning suns. His mind reels to the memory of his brother’s bloodied face, expression blank yet it seems like he saw right through his soul the moment he locked his gaze into his eyes. Jungkook refuses to believe that the creature he saw that night was, in fact, his brother. It simply couldn’t be; his brother was always bright and full of energy, but serious when he needed to be. He had the ability to juggle personalities between friend and captain; everybody knew that they could talk to him about anything. Jungkook terribly misses his brother.

Tears threaten to fall but he merely blinks it away; he could not afford to look weak in front of the General, even if they are talking about his brother.

“I’ve already sent a letter to your mother. She won’t take it well, but she’ll be glad we still have you,” the general smiles woefully, a gesture that pierces right through Jungkook’s heart. He knows that his older brother was a much more skilled fighter than him, a much better swordsman, a much better leader, a much better son.

“I’m sorry father,” Jungkook whispers and looks down in disdain, “for not being able to protect him.”

“You fool,” his father admonishes before laughing in a way that makes Jungkook think it’s forced—a front he puts up in order to hide the disappointment and sadness that came with the heartbreak of losing one’s child. “Your brother fought with dignity, and I know he fought hard. You might not have been there at the moment of his untimely demise, but do not for one second think that it was your fault.”

“But—”

“You can not possibly hope to imagine that you’ll be able to save everyone’s lives, Jungkook. Your brother’s death, the deaths of the men you train to fight with you in the battlefield—we have to make sure they don’t go to waste.”

If there is one thing his father is good at, it is turning feelings of sorrow into motivation. Jungkook thinks this is one way he copes with the lives lost of the ones he cherishes; he has been in this far longer than Jungkook has, so surely, he has also lost more people than Jungkook could even begin to think.

His father clasps him on the shoulder before giving him a curt nod. Jungkook mimics him, determination steeled in his eyes.

//

Jungkook learns the hard way that the enemy always thinks five steps ahead, as evident by the ambush they currently find themselves in. Despite being told by his father, the General, that they would be the ones attacking out of nowhere, it seems that the enemy had anticipated all of it. He searches his mind for any idea on how to get out of the situation as he presses a clean cloth on the wounded man who cries out in pain.

“What are we going to do, captain?” someone crawls to him hurriedly, afraid that if he lifts even an inch of his body that he would be spotted and shot to death with an arrow.

“How many men do we have left?” he questions as calmly as he can, knotting the cloth into a makeshift bandage. The man beneath him murmurs a disgruntled thanks. Jungkook wipes the sweat trickling down between his brow and sighs deeply, waiting for even just one good news.

“Not enough to fight and come out of here alive, for sure,” Jungkook’s shoulder slumps even more as the young man drones on, rambling about the fact that perhaps he should have just been an apothecary instead of signing up for the war. Maybe then he would live long enough to see his children have their offspring.

“Look, I mean no disrespect,” Jungkook grabs the young man’s collar in frustration, his fists clenching in a way that makes it hard for the other to breathe. “But if you’re not going to come up with a solution to help us win this battle, then might I suggest that you shut the fuck up. Or leave. Let’s see if you don’t get shot by a blizzard of arrows the moment you come into their view.”

The young man nods and says nothing further. The winds howl dreadfully as Jungkook sighs, closing his eyes before leaning against the loamy trench they hurriedly dug in order to avoid the further onslaught.

“Have you sent the letter to request more men?” Jungkook asks optimistically but his hope falters when he sees the man grimace, so he prepares his mind for the worse.

“We did, but I don’t suggest relying on that since we aren’t sure it’s going to get there safely. We did send out two messengers just in case.”

He is right, Jungkook thinks; they have no time to depend on backup coming since they might all get killed if he doesn’t act now.

“How long has it been since they’ve stopped firing arrows at us?”

“Ever since the sun had set, captain.”

“That must mean they’re also getting tired,” Jungkook states the obvious and the man nods in agreement, unsure of where Jungkook is taking the conversation. “Your name’s Han, isn’t it?”

Han nods, bewildered that his captain remembers his name out of all the hundreds of soldiers under his wing. Given that he did cause a bit of trouble during their training, he likes to think that the particular incident is not the reason why he knows his name.

“Wasn’t it you that was convinced that one of the soldiers-in-training was a woman?” Jungkook musters a chuckle and Han mentally slaps himself, trying to laugh along with his captain despite being embarrassed about the memory.

“Definitely goes on my top three list of ‘Foolish Things Han Has Done’,” he declares awkwardly and Jungkook merely pats him on the shoulder.

“What are the other two?” Jungkook inquires but Han shakes his head, assuring his captain that it will just be a waste of time if he tells him. Jungkook agrees and shifts the mood, becoming serious once more. “We still have the pull-cart full of explosives exported from the West, no?”

Han pauses before nodding furiously, afraid to ask why he’s inquired of the explosives. They had been tasked by the general to only use it in dire times and to not waste them, but he guesses that now’s as good as any time.

“Go and gather our remaining men,” Jungkook instructs, “I have a plan.”

//

He doesn’t mean to brag, but Jungkook thought of himself as a genius. If all goes well and they come out of this peril alive, then he doesn’t mind being heralded as the country’s hero.

But that is all still an astronomical if, of course.

“We surrender!” Jungkook cries out, standing not too far from the trenches they were in previously. His hands are up in the air holding a white cloth, waving frantically in hopes that they see it and will not shoot their arrows at him. Other remaining soldiers stood with him, an air of defeat around them. Jungkook could not see from afar due to the lack of light so he trusts that their opponents would not misunderstand. If they did, then he would have surrendered for nothing.

“We don’t have enough men and what’s more, we are out of food! We cannot possibly survive no more than two days, so we’re surrendering in hopes that you’d take us as prisoners of war rather than face death.” Jungkook speaks confidently, not letting a wrinkle of nervousness or worry show; he knows that this is what he’s trained all his life for.

“How do we know you’re not up to some sort of jest?” A voice bellows from afar, asking a question Jungkook had expected them to inquire. He smirks but doesn’t let his excitement show. Even though the enemies are nowhere in sight, he knows better than to celebrate a victory too early.

“We’re sending you all of our arrows, swords…all of our weapons,” he motions at a horse-drawn wagon, which is dubiously covered with layers and layers of dark clothing. One of the soldiers pats the horse, signalling the animal that it should start running in the other direction.

“Are we sure that it’s going to where their explosives are? We can’t make a mistake about this,” Jungkook whispers to Han who stands idly beside him, slightly shivering while his hands are also up in the air. They both watch as the horse disappears from sight, masked by the morning fog that coated the entire area.

A shiver runs down Han’s spine as he answers his captain with a nod, “One of the men you patched up earlier said that he saw flashing lights from that area, so there’s a high chance.”

“In that case, signal for our men to take cover in 3, 2…”  

Han screams on top of his lungs and as soon as he does, the soldiers run for the trenches in sheer panic. It doesn’t take Jungkook’s body to react and he’s soon taking cover beside Han who is cowering in fear, visibly shaking as he covers his ears. It’s silent for a while and shivers run down Jungkook’s spine as he expects the worst.

“Captain, the explosives…it’s not going off,” Han breaks the silence with a loud whisper and Jungkook curses under his breath. This is supposed to be their only plan—if it turns out that the explosives didn’t work, he doesn’t have any other option left but to actually surrender to avoid getting killed. Still, Jungkook refuses to admit defeat.

“Impossible. I lit the damn thing myself—” Jungkook begins but he’s cut off by a loud bang, followed by the apparent shaking of the ground, as if the earth is splitting in two and is going to swallow all of them whole. Jungkook attempts to cover his ears at the last minute in hopes that he doesn’t break them by being so close to the blast. He doesn’t feel the heat of the explosion, but he could hear the wails of several men who are on the receiving end of it. Jungkook doesn’t mourn for the lives lost, since he still thinks about the same men who’d killed his brothers and hundreds of others who he’d seen die. He’d rather weep for the horse he had to sacrifice to get the explosive on the other side than to mourn the death of those who’d attacked their country, burned down their cities, ravaged their women and killed their children.

Debris flies out as another explosion hits, and Jungkook could hear some of his men cheering on what seems to be their victory, though he knows that some could have survived and been on their way to attack.

“Stay alert, men!” Jungkook shouts amidst the chaos and cheers. He peers from the trenches and sure enough, there are those staggering their way out of the line of fire, clutching the injured parts of their bodies. Others appear to have their skins burned off and yet they still look like they’re up for a fight, dragging their longswords while tracing various patterns on the dirt.

Jungkook picks up his weapon from the ground and jumps out of the trench once more. He no longer wants to fight, exhausted by days without sleep yet he convinced himself that this was the key to the end; their enemies have dwindled thanks to his ingenious plan and he knows they don’t have enough men to mount another attack. Therefore, they can take back the lands that have been stolen from them by force and by violence.

“For Hoseok,” he mumbles to himself before swinging his sword and taking aim at the enemy’s head.

* * *

You slowly tiptoe out of your room, the hem of your dress carefully bunched up and held around your thighs which would enable you to run fast, if need be. Your eyes carefully scan the long, dark hallways of the palace, which is surprisingly empty. It seems like your plan to get rid of the guards and distract the maids worked because they are all currently nowhere to be found. You quickly hurry along the wooden floors, not caring if the coldness of the floors makes your feet numb—wearing shoes that could let someone know you’re coming isn’t the best idea when sneaking out, so you have chosen to leave them behind your sleeping quarters.

It’s not like you are completely barred from leaving your room, that isn’t the case at all, but your desire to go horse riding in the middle of the night while the rest of the palace sleeps does not sit well with your chambermaids and other palace guards.

You have always been reminded by Miyoung, one of the chambermaids you are most familiar with, that the country had been fresh off fighting a war and enemies could still lurk beneath the shadows. You were defiant in stating that several moons had passed since your country has won, and there is no need to worry any further but she insists, not wanting to get in trouble with the King and Queen if they find out that you have snuck out once again.

That did not stop you, of course. Everyone in the palace is familiar with your strong-headed nature, your unbending will, and how stubborn you get when things don’t go your way. Yet no matter how much you begged Miyoung earlier during the day, she was unrelenting, stating that she fears the repercussions of the court lady rather than you, the actual princess.

You shudder at the thought of getting caught by the head court lady, Siyeon. You have been fortunate enough to not be on the receiving end of her lectures and punishments, but you’ve heard constant horror stories from your chambermaids and other ladies-in-waiting. She even had the gall to lecture your cousin when she visited a month ago—clearly, she did not care about one’s status when she knew they'd done something wrong.

Fortunately for you, there is a new stable boy that was easily tricked, so getting him to distract some of the household staff while you scamper out of your room was no sweat. You enjoy the thrill of running free along the dim corridors illuminated by the bright moon slipping past the tall windowpane. Though it’s dim, you prepare yourself for the turn coming up at the end of the long hall.

You are about to make a hard left when someone pulls you strongly by the arm, dragging you in the opposite direction you had intended to go. You yelp in surprise so the perpetrator’s hand clasps at your mouth in an attempt to silence your scream. A shiver ran down your spine as a long list of possible suspects runs through your mind. Despite being attacked and being in a precarious position, you know well enough that this is not how it’s going to end for you.

You are quick to react as you twist back the arm that was clutching your mouth, using that to flip the man on his back in one swift movement, not letting him react or defend himself. Your eyes widen in surprise when your eyes meet those of the terrified stable boy, clutching his head as he groans in displeasure.

“Oh by gods, Jimin, I’m so sorry. I thought—I thought…” you trail off, rushing over to help him up to his feet. The daffodil-haired boy assures you that he’s okay despite clearly being in pain.

“We can stop by in the kitchen to get some ice. I don’t think the palace physician is available at this hour,” you murmur as you brush imaginary lint off his shoulders, a gesture of remorse on your part. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s my fault for sneaking up on you like that, Your Highness,” he grins in good nature but it doesn’t reassure you. “I saw some guards in that direction just now, so I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to sneak out that way.”

You follow his lead, trusting the judgement of someone who’s been working for your family for less than three months. The palace is almost labyrinth-like in layout but that didn’t matter to Jimin, who mentions that he is good at memorizing when you question how he knows his way around so quickly. You hold on to the hem of his white chemise in hopes of keeping up with his long strides but also to signal to him that it is becoming harder for you to walk barefoot. Jimin notices this and makes sure to fetch you a pair of casual slip-ons, that most likely belongs to a maid before you two make your way outside. You didn’t mind this due to how excited you feel being outdoors after the sun has set.

“It’s been a while,” you breathe in the late summer air, bringing your hands around yourself as you continue to follow Jimin to the stables. He looks back at you and smiles, eyes forming into the crescent shapes you’re only beginning to get used to.

“I’m also glad that things are slowly starting to get back to normal again. I was out there in the front-lines during the war and…” Jimin trails off, his gaze cast somewhere far away. You place your hand gently on his shoulder in an attempt to console him. The war had been over for a while but the effect it had on Jimin is still noticeable in the way his eyes gleamed with horror.

“You may not have been the one given the Medallion of Valour or promoted as part of the king’s guard for your service,” you regard Jimin seriously, “and this might not mean much since it’s coming from me and not the king himself, but I appreciate the service you’ve given for this country, and what you might have had to sacrifice because of it.”

Jimin’s cheeks begin to mimic the colour of rubies but not because of your words but rather he had noticed how close you had been to him this whole time. He tries, for the sake of being polite, to look you in the eyes rather than to watch the way your lips are moving.

“I personally would promote you to become the general instead,” you smile up to him, hoping that it’s enough to make him feel better, even though you know well enough that nothing could ever measure up to the horror of being in an actual battlefield, forced to watch the people around you die. Jimin blinks and clears his throat, laughing away the embarrassment he feels of having to be consoled by the princess herself.

“You spoil me with your sentiments too much, Your Highness,” Jimin smiles and continues the long trek to the stables, keeping you at a good distance while trying to be on the lookout in case you two get caught. “What Captain Jungkook, I mean, General Jeon has done for this country is insurmountable, surely he deserves it more than I do.”

You scoff at his words as you roll your eyes.

“That pompous prick? I’m sure he only got that because his father was the general.”

“You speak as if you two are well acquainted with each other,” Jimin muses and gives you a playful look, which you dismiss. “I’ve heard rumours—”

“Well that’s what they all are…baseless rumours,” you mumble, immediately cutting his words off before he could say something further. You quickly ran your fingers through your short, ebony locks and as you ignored Jimin’s mischievous glances.

“It’s been a while since I’ve paid the horses a visit,” you began, hopeful that it will steer Jimin’s attention away from speaking about Jungkook.

“They’ve terribly missed you, Your Grace,” Jimin says sarcastically and you punch his arm, threatening to flip over once again if he doesn’t quit with the teasing. He holds his hands up but doesn’t voice his defeat, opting to laugh instead as he leads you to where the horses are.

Excitement bubbles up your stomach as you run past several stables before arriving at your favourite one, a white mare with whom you’ve grown accustomed over the years. No matter how much everyone says that she’s a stubborn horse unable to be trained, you never give up on pouring all your attention to her and always making sure she’s well-groomed and fed. In fact, you had gotten in trouble recently with the Queen for bathing the horse yourself, telling you that there’s a reason why they hired people to look after them.

“She hasn’t been eating particularly well,” Jimin watches in awe as you brush the animal carefully.

“Has anyone taken her for a stroll yet?” You glance at Jimin for an answer and he shakes his head vehemently.

“She always makes a fuss when we try to take her outside, so we gave up trying overall,” Jimin sighs defeatedly and stands behind you before reaching for the mare, who turned him away. You giggle and soothe the horse who nuzzles your palm.

“You’re not so fond of Jimin, are you, Luna?” you ask and the horse neighs, which makes you double back in laughter.

“You see my dilemma?” Jimin whines, trying to reach for the horse’s nose but gets turned away every time.

Opening the stable door, you carefully guide Luna out of her confines which Jimin doesn’t exactly approve of.

“This is not what we talked about, Your Highness,” Jimin panics as you get on the horse without any saddle, swinging your leg over which makes your white chemise dress roll up, exposing your thighs. This doesn’t escape Jimin as he averts his gaze from your alluring posture.

“It’s just going to be a quick trip around the area. I promise you she’ll get back to eating properly after this,” you gently tap Luna with your heels and she starts trotting out of the barn. Jimin calls out for you, asking if he should come along. You shake your head and tell him to wait in the barn in case someone comes in to look for you. Jimin is left with no choice but to follow your instruction and stay behind.

“The king is going to get me beheaded,” Jimin mumbles to himself as he watches the horse take you far away into the night.

You gently grasp the rope around Luna as you gently ease her around the sparsely wooded area just behind the castle. You thank the heavens for the full moon as it brightens that path you navigate around without fearing that you were going to bump into something and fall off the horse. Though you didn’t mind if it did happen, because there would be no ladies-in-waiting or palace guards to witness your misfortune.

As your thoughts of freedom run wild, Luna leads you both to a small clearing, making a beeline for the pond located in the middle of the secluded area which is hidden by trees around it. You signal for her to stop before you carefully get off, guiding her towards the water. It takes a few words of encouragement before she has the initiative to sip water, and it’s not long after that she’s continuously drinking, quenching the thirst she’s seemed to have built up. You gently brush her beck and her tail waggles as she moves back to munch on the grass at the edge of the pond.

“Finally,” you whisper into the air as you sigh with relief while watching Luna feast on the foliage. “I was probably a stable master in my previous life—or a horse whisperer.”

You chuckle to yourself at your joke, regretful that no one is present to bear witness to how miraculous it is that you managed to feed Luna without much protest from her. In your mind Jimin would make a fuss, stating that being a stable master does not equate to being a horse whisperer if such things are real in the first place.

The sounds of the night do not terrify you, but your ears do perk up when you hear the rustling of leaves and you turn your attention away from Luna momentarily. Your brows furrowed in confusion when you see that no one else is present, and conclude that it might just be the wind.

“You do know that I could kill you right here, right now if I wanted to, and no one would know. All it would take is one fling of an arrow.”

A voice greets from behind you and you feel the hairs on your skin stand upright, either due to fear or from the coldness—or possibly both. The tension in the air thickens and you find it harder to breathe every second as your heart hammers wildly against your chest, feeling foolish for not letting Jimin tag along. The intentions of the stranger are made clear when they begin to make their way towards you, grass squelching beneath their boots.

You hold your breath, too terrified to turn around.

— prev ; next ; series masterlist

[flamboyantly-incompetent]

Neuron, Ch.8

Bucky x Named (Mutant) Reader

Warnings: awkwardness, mutual pining, angst

Masterlist

Word count: 3,378

Note: Gifs aren’t mine, they will never be mine, I’m not that talented.  This chapter was rough for a number of reasons, so, sorry that there was such a big gap between the last and this.  Band camp and college started, and I’m so very bad at writing awkward things because I have to take cringe breaks... it’s... yeah.

Also - I changed my url, mostly because my roommate said something really funny about a gif and I just had to.  But it does encompass my personality quite well, so, enjoy!

Bucky didn’t know what to do.  He could think of several things he wanted to do.

Run.  Hide.  Jump out a window.  Stare dramatically into your eyes until he turned to stone.  Kiss you back, at least.

You’d kissed him, desperately, and you hadn’t hesitated a bit.  Your hand in his hair, your fingertips on his skin, how gently your body had collided with his, it had all knocked the wind right out of him.  It always came as a surprise how disarming your presence was, and when you appeared that morning you were the literal light at the end of a very unpleasant tunnel.

But he never imagined that you could have feelings for him.

Yeah, he wasn’t the Winter Soldier anymore.  Yeah, feeling had returned to parts of his mind again.  But he still had those nightmares.  He still had to repress the instinct to kill first, assess later.

And, frankly, the threat alone that his mind could still be tapped terrified him.

He was still scared.  He was still broken.

And how was he supposed to tell you that?

His good friend Shuri loved movies, all kinds.  When she wasn’t inventing the world’s next coolest thing or being generally lovely, she was watching a movie.  While Bucky was adjusting in Wakanda out of the deep-freeze, she had a habit of arriving now and then to declare that it was movie night and drag him up to T’Challa’s theater.  She made him watch everything from Sabrina to Remember the Titans to the entire Lord of the Rings franchise. 

Honestly, Bucky loved movies too.  For a long time, it was much safer for him to feel things fully when he was feeling them vicariously, when they weren’t his and he could leave them on the coffee table when he went back to his goats.

He didn’t fight so tooth-and-nail against emotion, not anymore, but he’d seen enough chick flicks to know that if he tried to explain to you that he was simply too broken, that you were simply too good, you’d end up telling him some bullshit about how he was good too.  Which, frankly, he didn’t have the energy for.

That’s why, instead of following through with any of the things he wanted to, Bucky followed you to Strucker’s office silently.

You didn’t know what to do either.  Were you supposed to pretend that didn’t just happen?  Were you supposed to tell... someone?  As you passed the occasional recently liberated mutant, you pretended the floor was captivatingly interesting, hoping no one would notice the odd energy cast around you.

Bucky’s presence was loud in your brain, and you couldn’t say to save your life what he was thinking.  He had been so close to you, waking every sense to high alert.  It had seemed for a moment that he wasn’t completely disgusted by your sudden show of romantic interest, but his current silence suggested otherwise.

A whir and click were followed by a choked growl.  You shot a glance back to him; he was glaring at his prosthetic and pointedly ignoring you.

He had every right to be mad.  And, if you were honest, your timing was shit.

You just hoped you could go back to being friends after this.

When you arrived in Strucker’s office, Steve waved you over to the desk without looking up, frowning in rapt attention by a stack of files he sifted through.

“What’cha got there, Cap?” you asked, doing your best to sound casual.

Steve said nothing, but handed you the top file.

It was yours.

Heart beating quicker by the second, you scanned over the photos and notes of your life through years of surveillance.

“How long were they watching me?” you asked in an almost-whisper.  Bucky gently pulled the file from your shaking hands. 

“Since you worked with us in 2014.  There’s a computer too, but I wouldn’t know where to begin for a password,” said Steve.

Bucky finally spoke, sending goosebumps along your neck, “Why did they wait so long to make a move?”  He started rooting through the drawers until he found what he was looking for - a deep navy tee shirt that he promptly slid over his head.  Well that solved one of your problems.

Steve handed you another file.  On the top was a page that had a date and a single word.

“’June 14 - Nymph’?” Bucky read over your shoulder.  His breath graced your neck.  Jesus, could he not?  “Does that mean anything to you?”

Still staring at the page, you shook your head.

Tony, Peter following at his heels, pushed Strucker through the door.  “Relax, tin man, I’m going,” she grumbled.  You locked eyes for a moment and she smirked, calling a number of unpleasant emotions from your toes.  It took a great deal of concentration for you not to move between her and Bucky.

Steve ignored her completely and addressed Tony, “Civilians?”

“They’re out.  Vision’s contacting local law enforcement now.”

Steve nodded, “Good, then the clock starts now,” he turned to you to explain, “We don’t technically have jurisdiction... anywhere, so we’ll want to be out of their airspace.”

Strucker spoke up, “Are you going to hand me over to the police, then?”

“No,” Steve said, rigid, “You’re going to unlock this computer.”

She shrugged and wriggled out of Tony’s grasp.  Well that was easy.  She clacked on the keyboard, agitated, when you noticed a glimmer of a smirk on her mouth.  Oh, come on.

“Wait,” you said, grabbing her hand.  She hit the enter key with the other.

A staticky voice sounded from the computer over a low beeping, “Unauthorized parties detected in restricted areas A, B, C, and F.  Self destruct systems armed in 3... 2... 1.”

“Well that’s not good,” you remarked quietly.

Steve looked infinitely exasperated as he barked into his comm, “The building’s about to blow, everybody out.”

You turned to Strucker, who looked altogether too pleased with herself, “How do we disarm the system?”

She scoffed, “So you can compromise our operation?  I thought you were supposed to be a smart freak.”  Tony raised his eyebrows.

Agitated, you knew you shouldn’t respond, but you did anyway, “Smart enough to kick your ass, anyway.”

“Oh, please.  Without your mutation, you’re useless.  Admit it, as much as you want to deny it, you love the power it gives you.”

“Not everyone wants to rule the world.”

“You and I both know that what you want has nothing to do with your destiny.  Tyrant.”

Peter cut in, “Um.  Can you guys do this later?”

You said, “Shush,” at the same time Strucker said, “Shut up.”  You stared at each other, absolutely seething for a moment.  She was daring you to do something, to retaliate.  It was tempting.

A low whine preceded a higher, faster beep.  Shit.

Tony hoisted a protesting Strucker over his shoulder and yelled, “Let’s move!’  Bucky looked around, wheels turning.

He punched through the window with his metal hand, and the rest of the group seemed to get the idea.  Peter flung himself out first, followed by Tony.  

The beeping stopped.  Shit.  A deep boom echoed from further in and shook the floor.

You froze.  This building was exploding.  Exploding.

Bucky grabbed you round the waist and pulled you through the window.  You barely noticed when the shock blast hit you mid-air.  You barely noticed a lick of flame stopped by the suit.  You barely noticed when you both hit the ground.

He coughed, “I’m getting the strangest feeling of deja vu.”

You wanted to laugh.  You did.  Instead, you sat up and buried your face in your hands.

“See?  A useless freak,” Strucker spat.

“Could you get her outta here?” Bucky said, offering you a hand up.

Jaw clenched, you took it and said quietly, “Thank you.”

Steve beckoned with a nod of his head, “To the jet.”

Police lights flashed around, the building burned, people were wrapped in security blankets.  You managed to conjure a smile with the image of Sharkbait explaining where his had been and why he would not be using it.

A man with a microphone flanked by another man with a camera barreled up to you.  He said, “This is Ken Walter with channel seven news, we’re standing with some of America’s ‘Avengers’ at what appears to be a former Hydra base where several prisoners of Hydra have just been released.”  The camera panned along your faces, resting on yours.  Ken Walter continued, “We also appear to be standing with the star of the latest viral video.  I’m sure you all remember the internet sensation dubbed Lady Neuron.”  He put the microphone in front of your face.  When he said nothing, he continued, “What are you?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” you asked, exhausted, “I’m a freak.”

“O-kay,” Steve grumbled, pulling you towards the jet.

You nestled yourself into a corner, as far away from Strucker, and Bucky, as you could get for the ride and turned on your cell phone.

You had some twenty unread messages, all from either your mother or your friend Raina.  You opened your friend’s first.

“Hey, have you seen this?”  “Den?”  “Deeeeeennaaaaaa”. “Dude, are you okay?”  “DENNA.  THE INTERNET HAS GIVEN YOU A NICKNAME.”  “Seriously, I just heard about the break in at Labyrinth.  Call me.”  “I’m getting really worried, Den.”  “Your mom doesn’t know where you are either.”  “Call her.”  “Call SOMEBODY”

You groaned and waited for cell service.

At around 7:30 AM New York time, a new message popped up, “Why are you on the Italian news?  With a bunch of superheroes?  At least I know you’re alive...”

You began to tap out a response, when she called you.  Ah, the joys of iMessage.

“Hey, Ra,” you said softly.

“DENNA MY BEST FRIEND REESE,” she screeched, “What the absolute hell?  What’s going on?  Are you okay?  Who are you with?  Have they been feeding you?  Because you look... rough.”

You laughed in spite of yourself, “Take a breath, man.  I’m okay-is.  This is a hella long story, and I’m about to land in New York and still need to call my mother.  Can I call you back?”

“Oh.  Yeah.  Sure, that’s cool.  Listen, it’s really good to hear from you, I was worried.”

“I know, I’m sorry, I’ll explain everything as soon as I can.”

You both said your goodbyes, and you geared yourself up for talking to your mom.

At the Avengers tower, with Strucker and General Marino confined to their respective interrogation rooms, Steve pulled you aside.

“We need to talk.”  Natasha gave you a side eye before fleeing the scene.  You turned to face Steve, remembering your indignation from hours prior.  “That was reckless.”

“Yep.”

“Then why did you do it?  You didn’t just put yourself in danger, you put everyone else in danger, too.”

“We were already in danger.  We didn’t have a better plan.  We weren’t going to come up with a better plan and I was not about to waste time trying while maniacs were torturing people.”

“You still went off on your own, and that can get people killed, like yourself.”

“I’m not a soldier, Steve.  I don’t do exploding buildings, I don’t do hiding in safe houses, I don’t do nothing when I can because someone said so and doesn’t bother to explain why.”  When he didn’t respond, you continued, “I’m sorry that I have been putting your friends in danger.  I’m sorry that I am not perfectly level headed.  They’re my friends now, too.  I’m not sorry that I did and will continue to do all I can to keep them out of danger.”

“That was quite the speech.”  You sighed, exasperated.  He clapped you on the shoulder, “We can agree to disagree for now.”

“What will you do now?” Natasha asked you.

You glanced around a bit before replying, “I need to go home; I doubt they’ll come after me after being on the news.  Think you guys can handle it from here?”  You pretended not to notice Bucky’s expression.

Peter grinned at you, “Hell yeah, we’re Earth’s mightiest heroes!”

“Kid, watch it,” Tony scolded, then he turned to you to shake your hand, “You did pretty okay, Champ, for a civilian.”

You laughed, “You know, Mr. Stark, I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”

You shook Steve’s hand next, then Wanda’s, and continued down the line.  Bucky was last.  He looked tired.

“Mr. Barnes,” you said as you offered him a hand that he took gently, “take care of yourself.”

“Denna,” he started.

You cut him off, wanting to avoid shedding tears by any means, “Don’t go falling off anymore trains?”  He nodded, a melancholy smile playing across his lips.  

As soon as he released you, you thanked everyone and said goodbye one more time, then got the hell out of there.  You may or may not have cried on the way to the airport.

Before you reached it though, you pulled your phone out of your pocket and composed yourself enough to call Raina.

Her voice was agitated, not in a wholly angry way, just, Ra, as she answered with, “Okay friend, it’s time to talk.  All of the internet knows about your mutation now; are you okay?  Why are you with the Avengers?  You got to meet Falcon and didn’t tell me?!”

Grinning through a creek of tears, the sound of her voice came as a relief, “I’m sorry I’ve been AWOL.  I’m on my way home, think you can meet me at my place in a few hours?”

“Ooh, is it a pizza or fro-yo kind of conversation?”

You sniffed, “Dumplings.  Definitely dumplings.”

“Oh boy, this is serious.”

The flight to Pittsburgh was marginally uneventful, but you did catch more than a few passers-by staring at you.

There were reporters waiting for you at your apartment, forcing you to fight and wiggle your way through them to your door.

Finally making it, you couldn’t contain any longer and shouted, “You all are a burden to the economy!” before slamming the door in their faces.

Ra, who had a key to your apartment and was already sat on your couch eating an egg roll, said, “They’ve been here since noon.  I couldn’t get them to leave.”

You shrugged, kicked off your shoes, threw yourself onto the floor and tore into your share of the dumplings.

“So,” Ra continued, “Tell me about your day.”

You filled her in on everything from the moment Steve popped up at your job to the awkward goodbye you’d just had with a certain cyborg.  At the end of your tale, you shoved your face into a throw pillow, and she started laughing.

“Den.  Oh, Den.  Why- I’m sorry, why?”

“I’m going to need you to be more specific.”

“You met a hot old guy.  You realized you’d caught feelings.  Then you saved him from Nazi’s.  Then you kissed him.  And then...  Nothing?”

“What was I supposed to do?  Hash out the details of my feelings in the middle of enemy territory?  With Steve freaking Rogers, who is mad at me, by the way, literally right there?”

“I mean, no, but you couldn’t have found a better moment?”

You lifted your head just long enough to give her a look then plunked it back down.  “He, I mean.  When was I going to have a better moment?  I just kept thinking about how important he became to me, and how he’d been away for a day and I couldn’t deal, and then how that nightmare was almost over, but that meant,” you waved your hands around, “I’d be leaving.  And, yeah, I’m an idiot. But I didn’t want to leave having not kissed him once.”

When she didn’t respond, you looked up to see her grinning with annoying enthusiasm.  

“What?”

“You like him.”

“I thought we’d established that.”

“No, I mean, you actually like him.  Like more than yeah cool let’s get drinks, or I also love board games let’s play Life.”

“Dude, we played so much Life holed up in that house.”  She hit you with a pillow.  “Don’t get too excited, I probably won’t see him again.  Maybe ever.”

“And this makes you feel...?”

“Sad.  Relieved.  Conflicted.  What else is new?”

She sighed and scooted closer to you on the couch, linking your arms together. “Well, at least you can still play Life with me.” 

Bucky had been in a sour mood since you left, and it had been a few days.  It had been a few days of thinking about everything his mind could get a handle on, and it was getting to be more than he could wrestle with.  At the heart of it all, he missed how easily you addressed heavy things, missed you.  And, sure, he knew it was partially his doing, but it still felt wrong somehow.  It didn’t help that his thoughts kept flickering back to wondering what you were doing.

In his and Steve’s apartment, he starfished on the living room floor and stared up at the popcorn ceiling.  Why would anyone make a ceiling popcorned on purpose?

He didn’t even say goodbye properly.  The whole team was there when you left; there was no good way to say what he’d wanted to.  And with Strucker and General Marino in custody, it was unlikely that he’d see you again.

The front door opened and shut.  Shit, he was supposed to be doing the dishes.

“Have you moved at all since I left?” asked Steve, a vein of humor in his voice as set an arm-load of groceries on the counter.

“I fell asleep,” Bucky lied.  He jumped to his feet with a huff.  “Sorry.”

Steve only nodded.

Bucky avoided his gaze and busied himself with the dishes he was supposed to do two hours ago.  If only you’d left him alone with his feelings, he may have been able to stifle them.  But you just had to go kissing him.  He could still feel you, he could still smell you.  And, while it wasn’t exactly fresh like a spring meadow, because apparently prisoners of Hydra don’t get to brush their teeth before an interrogation, it was wholly you.  And then you stopped.  And he was going to kiss you again; he hadn’t thought about it, he decided.  But then Steve had given him a moment to think about it, and he remembered why love was something he’d probably never be able to have.  After, though, when he didn’t and you had to say goodbye, he could feel how heartbroken your pulse was; he could sense it.  Bucky cursed his super soldier senses, accidentally shattering the plate he scrubbed in his hands.

“Hey!  I liked those,” Steve chided.  He paused at Bucky’s frustrated expression.  “Y’okay?”

Bucky worked his jaw a moment, “Yeah.  I’m good.  Just... I’m good.”

Not believing it for a second, as the locker room had surveillance cameras Steve happened to find at a very opportune moment, Steve played along and then sighed dramatically, “Shoot, Tony gave me the repo thing for Denna’s project,” he fished the thumb drive out of his pocket, “I forgot to give it to her.  Maybe I can mail it, I think I still have her address.”

Bucky snatched it out of his hand with a little more force than necessary, “I-I’ll get it to her.”  Maybe if he had a reason to see you he’d have the nerve to apologize.

“Buck, that’s like a six hour drive.”

“This is classified, you can’t mail it.  It’ll help me clear my head, anyway.  I’ll be back.”  As soon as Bucky made it out the door, Steve let a knowing smirk conquer his face.  Ladies and gentlemen, Bucky Barnes was smitten.

The takeout box of pad Thai you were working on was almost gone when there was a soft knocking on your front door.  You groaned, throwing your head back to look at the microwave clock.  It was nearly eight in the evening; there shouldn’t be any reporters lurking about anymore.

You thanked heaven you were still wearing a bra before squinting through the peephole.

James Buchanan Barnes stood outside your door, looking windswept and a bit guilty.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” you said to no one in particular.

[thoughtsofdarc]

My Latest Mission... pt.11

Reader (Y/N), Clint, Bucky, Sam. Warnings: Language. Being a Hydra asset. Angst. Violence. Blood. Clint being wise (Come on, that HAS to be a warning!)

Part 1… - Part 2… - Part 3… - Part 4… - Part 5… - Part 6… - Part 7… - Part 8... - Part 9… - Part 10... 

The chill night air fill my lungs when I take in a deep breath. It's so quiet up here, no sounds coming from the city beneath us and all the lights from cars, buildings and street lamps makes the scenery before me almost fairytale-like. I've started to come up here when my nights are bad and the terror fills my mind. Up here I feel free.

Tonight is one of those bad nights, I can't shake the feeling of being in danger. I know I'm not, but ever since my time in Hydra I've always been on high alert, you know... Since I never knew when they would come for me, beat me, hurt me... Tonight my room felt too small, and the walls seemed to close in on me, imprisoning me. Even though I know it's all in my head, I can't seem to find the will to fight the feelings today, so I went to the roof to find some peace for myself. It's a cold evening, but I don't really care. The serum in my blood makes me run hot and I don't really feel the cold anymore. Sometimes I miss it, but most times I don't even think about it. I take another deep breath, calming the inner chaos in my head. But as I let the air slowly out of my lungs again, I feel a presence close to me. Every fiber in my body jerks awake and in less than a second I'm ready to fight for my life. "What are you doing up here, Kid?" the low voice of Clint reaches me from only a few meters apart. He is the only one I've ever known, that can move so silent that he can come almost all the way up to me, without I'm noticing. "SHIT! CLINT!" I jump when he talks and I glare at him "haven't we discussed that sneaking up on a super soldier and scaring the crap out of her is a bad idea?" I huff out the words as I try to calm my heart again. I'm not one to get scared, people don't usually have the ability to get the chance to do so. But Clint does, and he has taken every chance he got ever since he found out. He chuckles a bit, clearly enjoying the moment. And just for a second I think of dangling him over the edge of the tower, just for a second, to get back at him. But the joyful smile and the humor in his eyes makes me decide against it. Apparently I have a soft spot for the archer. He sits next to me and take in the view of the city before he speaks again "Nightmares?" he looks at me with soft eyes "You know you can talk to me, kid" "It makes no sense for you to call me Kid... You know that right?" I give him a half smile "I'm way older than you" He leans back on his hands and takes a deep breath with that amused smirk on his lips. "I know... But I like it, do deal with it, kid!" I giggle a bit as I shake my head and he continues "But seriously y/n, what's up. Are you okay?" I pull my knees up, put my arms around them and put my chin on top. My eyes search the distance without really looking for anything. "Yeah, I'll be okay. It's just one of those nights you know... I can't shake the feeling that HYDRA will suddenly be here to take me back. My room felt like a prison cell and I couldn't calm my thoughts enough to get rid of the feelings. I know it's stupid, I know I'm safe here... " My voice trails off, not knowing what else to say to explain. Clint doesn't say anything to begin with, it's almost as if he is trying to imagine what I'm going through. But then the sits back up and look at me, his calming blue eyes explore my face. "You know... I would be deeply concerned if you didn't feel that way, kid. The things you have been through, the fear, the pain and the torture. And you went through it all alone, you didn't have anyone to depend on... That just gotta mess with your head one way or another" He reaches out and gives my arm a gentle squeeze. "It's alright to struggle with inner demons, just don't keep it to yourself. All of us have been there in one way or another, so I speak of experience when I tell you to open up about it. Hell, even Bucky has started to open up, and heactually begins to seem quite human" Clint laughs at his last remark, but it only makes me groan and hide my face between my knees. After the fight I had with Bucky, things has in some ways lightened up, and in others made everything worse. It feels like Bucky tries, he doesn't leave the room as soon as he sees me anymore, he even asked me to pass the salt one time in the kitchen, so yeah, that's progress... Baby steps, as Steve says, is better than nothing. I've also grown much closer to Clint, even though, I believe that that has something to do with him finding it hilarious, that I beat up Bucky... I think he kind of forgets that Bucky beat me up too. In general the rumors about the fight has traveled around to everyone, Avengers, staff, S.H.I.E.L.D agents, including agents that does not even live in the tower. Everybody knows, and everybody has made an opinion about me from that. Some good, but a lot of bad too... "Hey, cheer up, kid. I know he's your friend... He'll come around, I promise" Clint seem to read me like an open book sometimes. It's a little freaky when he does that, but it also makes everything so much easier when being around him. "How can you promise me that?" I look up at him again, meeting his blue eyes and soft caring smile. "He just needs a reason to trust you again. You know, to feel and experience that you are there for him, like you always been. He loves you y/n... He loves you, and that scares the shit out of him, 'cause you hold the power to destroy him completely if he chooses to trust you, and you in return turn out untrustworthy. Do you know what I mean?" The sassy archer with a joke for every opportunity looks at me with such seriousness in his expression, that I cannot do anything than to trust him. I give him a tired smile and stretch my legs in front of me. " You know... I like this clever and wise Clint, maybe you should let him out more". The deep low laughter that erupts from the man by my side, lifts my mood tremendously.

Another day another boredom... I'm starting to be a bit restless in this huge tower of Tony's. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the action, I miss to have a purpose. NOT the killing purpose and the beating innocent people up and stuff... That's a part of don't want back! But I see the gang go out on meaningful missions, I see them do good things, and I want that too. Tony and Steve have put me in training, so one day I can hopefully join them... But there are still a lot there needs to be done before I can go. This means I'm alone again, as Steve and some of the others are yet again away. Bucky is somewhere around, but not with me... shocker!

He's probably with Sam, neither of them had to go on tis mission, so I guess they are somewhere doing their own stuff. I throw the book to the other end of the bed. God, I can't even concentrate on reading a damn book. I've been trying watching TV, but as fun as it is, my head just can't keep up in the long run. I've hit the gym for a few hours and now I've read a book... Well, tried to read a book. I get up and walk to the big window. It's become one of my favorite places in the whole tower, my bedroom window. I feel like I can see the entire world from here, and I love it! But today I just stare frustrated out, and wish I could be part of that world. I lean in, rest my forehead on the cold glass and look down towards the gate where Brett is working. Why doesn't the gate close? It's been open for almost an entire minute now, and there are no cars in sight... Normally it closes as soon as a car has gone through. I straighten up and look closer... Is that? Is that Brett on the ground?! My heart starts to pound like crazy, and my head spins for a second. I trail the road leading up to the tower with my eyes, and when my eyes stop at the bottom of the tower, my eyes go wide and adrenaline kicks in. The guard that's normally standing by the door. is lying on the pavement, 30 feet from it. Blood is very clearly surrounding his head running down the hill. What the hell? My feet moves before my mind catch up on what I just saw. I run as fast as I can towards Bucky's room, praying that his in there, but before I even reach the door I hear gunshots and men screaming and yelling commandos from the living area. "F.R.I.D.A.Y, what's going on?" I yell out as I run the other way as fast as I can. There's no answer.... The ever present A.I is suddenly silent.

Something is definitely wrong! As I turn the corner I literally run into a man I don't know. But as we both regain our balance he raises a semi automatic rifle toward me. Well, I guess a said I missed the action... Now here it is! In a swift motion I raise my leg and kick the rifle to the right, the sudden hit causes the man to pull the trigger and the bullets spilling out of the gun, leaves a long line of holes in the wall beside us. I step forward, grab a hold of the man's shoulders, yank him downwards and knee him right in the face. As he tries to regain his aim on me, I grab he rifle by the barrel, jerk it out of his hand and swing it full force to the side of his head. The man's eyes turn white and he falls to the floor, hard. I look at the rifle, and see that it's bent... Great, that's not going to help me now. Apparently super strength isn't always a good thing, I think grimly to myself as I start to run toward the living area again. Something is going on down there. Just before I reach the door, I stop, look back and send Tony a silent thank you. Even with all of his fancy gadgets and artificial intelligence robot things, he's still old fashioned in some ways. In a case on the wall is a fire extinguisher and beside it, the thing that caught my eye... A huge fucking axe! At least I'm not going in unarmed. I stop just outside the door and listen, trying to figure out just how many intruders there are. "This has been far too easy, I thought you guys were the mighty Avengers, unstoppable and strong... And yet here we are, taking over your tower like it was made of Lego. You are pathetic!" The sound of someone hitting someone else, followed by a humorless laughter reaches me, and my blood freeze.... That voice belongs to Brock! Anger rises in me, and I adjust my grip on the axe before I step into the room and take in the sight before me. Sam is on the floor, unconscious with blood on his face. I try to detect a rise and fall off his body as he breathes, but the angle he is in makes it impossible. I pray to whoever is out there, that he is still alive. A few feet from Sam is 3 agents with HYDRA emblems on their uniforms and besides them is Bucky on his knees, hands locked in a device that's made to contain him. I know these 'cuffs' I've been in them too... Brock is holding a gun to Bucky's head, and an evil smile is on his lips. "Rumlow!" I roar, catching the attention of all the men in the room. "Well, well, well... There you are! I thought you were hiding from me, sweetheart..." Brocks eyes light up with something I can't really describe, other than absolutely bat shit craziness. "I've missed you so much. Been looking everywhere, trying to find you... And then, here you are, hiding with your old friends the entire time" Bucky looks from Brock to me, catching my eyes. "Let him go!" I command, but it only makes Rumlow laugh more. He acts like he has lost the last trace of sanity, since the day I left him in the park. I can only imagine what they have done to him as punishment for letting me slip away. "I'm afraid I can't do that, babe... You should know, it was your job to bring him back to us!"

The way he says the pet names, makes a shiver run down my spine. Bucky stare at me, like he can't quite figure out what to think. I can see the anger radiate from him, but I can't read if it's ment for me or for Brock. "Get up, Soldier!" he commands and yank in Bucky's arm "It's time to go!" "I told you to release him, you bastard!" I shout and take a step toward them with the axe raised. The agents beside Sam moves closer to me with their raised guns, but Brock yell "Stop! We need her alive too!" The agents step back, but don't lower their weapons. I look at Bucky, search his eyes and hope he understand what I'm trying communicate without words. "Trust me?!" I ask quietly. He looks me directly in the eyes, and for the first time since we met again, I see some of the old Bucky there. "What?" he asks. "Can you trust me?" the question hangs thick in the air. And then, there he is... my Bucky. He looks at me, nods and say "Yes, do it!" as he raises his hands high over his head and I do the same with the axe firmly in my grasp. Before Rumlow even reacts, I throw the axe at Bucky, with all the force I have in my body. As soon as the axe is out of my hands I throw myself at the nearest agent, taking them all by surprise. The sound of metal hitting metal is loud and cuts into the ears, but my God, it is a good sound, because the second the axe hits, Bucky is free. The metal plates in his arm shift as he fists his hand and readies for a fight. 2 super soldiers to 4 men is a fair fight... For the super soldiers.

And before long they are all knocked out on the floor. When the last agent hits the ground, both Bucky and I rush to Sam and turn him over. He has a nasty gash over his eye that bleeds a lot, but he is still breathing, thank God! "Sam... Sam!" I call out and shake him gently. "Come on bird-brain, wake up!" Bucky slaps Sam on the cheek, which makes him groan a bit as he tries to open his eyes. When he finally does look up at us, he says gruff "That's about damn time you too started to work together!" before he shuts his eyes tight and let's his head fall back to the floor with a groan.

Part 12...

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FORBIDDEN LOVE - LOKI

(A/N): I’m going to see Thor 3 tonight and so I’m giving you this one-shot with Loki. I can’t believe I actually wrote something with him. Anyway, sorry for mistakes and enjoy.

Pairing: Loki x f!reader

Summary: The only way the lovers, Loki and Y/N, can be together is promising help to the Avengers.

Warning: none (maybe bit fluff)

Words: 1900+

FULL MASTERLIST // LOKI MASTERLIST

FORBIDDEN LOVE - LOKI

The whole team was sitting in the common room, distrustfully staring at Thor with a young woman by his side that had special cuffs on her wrists. He brought her with the intention to help to solve the newest problem they had. A magical enemy that co-worked with Hydra became one of the worst threats they ever dealt with. The creature wanted to destroy the entire humanity. Luckily, the Avengers weakened him and now, they had a lot of time to create a plan and seek help. Thor promised Loki’s help but he needed something or someone to convince him to join the team and battle the evil.

“So, let me get this straight, you brought a prisoner from Asgard that is supposed to help us?” Tony questioned him, eyes travelling from him to the young woman who was surprisingly very quiet. She didn’t seem to be dangerous or a threat to anyone.  “And here I thought I am the only one who has stupid ideas.” 

“Why did you bring her here, Thor?” Steve was the one who took the word and asked a question. “She’s a prisoner, she has betrayed your people and you think she’s the one who can help us and not try to do the same to us?”

The girl tilted her head, checking the tall blonde man from head to toes. Her silence, neutral stare brought goosebumps to some of the team members. Natasha tried to remain calm, focused on the woman from a different realm. She was studying her calm, mystic behaviour, trying to find what was wrong with her.

“Have you called for my brother?” Thor asked, not answering any of the remarks and questions. Instantly, the girl’s eyes snapped to the blonde god. Natasha registered that. Was she scared of the trickster?

“Thor, you need to tell us everything,” Bruce suggested calmly, putting down his glasses. “We have some hours, maybe days to create a plan to destroy the enemy. We need answers; we need to know more about her. Who is she?”

“Someone who is afraid of Loki,” Natasha smirked, crossing her arms over breasts.

Thor grinned and pulled the woman by the forearm closer to him. “She is not afraid of him,” he sighed, turning his head to the prisoner. At that moment, a tall dark-haired man came into the common room, angrily glaring at everyone.

He was wearing his usual Asgardian attire, minus the horns and his weapons. He wasn’t allowed to use them unless he was with the team on a mission. Loki was holding a book in his hands as a sign he was interrupted while reading it.

“What do you want?” he asked darkly, eyes immediately locking with Thor’s.

“Loki,” the woman sighed, eyes widening and shining like never before.

When the man registered the feminine figure, he lost his breath for a moment, not believing who was standing in the same room with him. “Y/N?” he wanted to shout.

“She is in love,” Thor continued, “well, they both are.”

“Ew! Reindeer games is in love, that is so sick!” Tony pretended to puke, which made Natasha slap his head. “Ouch,” he growled.

The god went closer to the woman, ready to touch her but as soon as he touched her hand, an electric wave hit his body and he flew through the room, landing on a cold floor. Some of the people protectively covered their bodies, the rest only squinted. Y/N took a deep breath, ready to run to Loki, only to be pulled back by Thor.

“What was that?” Clint asked, quickly grabbing Natasha’s gun that was under the coffee table.

“The cuffs are under a spell. Their love is forbidden and thus they are not allowed to touch each other or be together.” Thor pushed Y/N onto the nearest chair and made her sit down. “It is a very long story.”

Loki was slowly standing up, eyes fixed again on the girl. He was breathing heavily, anger filling his veins and every cell in the body. He knew exactly what happened and why it happened. “Why did you bring her here?” he questioned, reaching for the book that was lying on the floor next to him.

“We need your help, brother, and hers too.”

“What?” Tony gasped. “Hold on, Point Break, we didn’t agree to this. Two psychopaths helping us, what if they betray us? I believe Loki is an expert at that.”

“What are her powers?” Natasha changed the subject a little, ignoring Tony’s stupid remarks. “We need to know if she’s able to help us defeat the thread.”

“Oh, you have no idea what she can do,” Loki’s voice went deeper, darker and he gave them a lopsided grin.  

She turned her attention towards the god, biting down her lower lip. She loved when Loki talked about her like that – made her more powerful, dangerous to the people who despised her. If only she could run to him and hide in his arms. They had been separated for many years and they longed for each other. “I am unique,” Y/N sighed, unwillingly turning to the redhead. “I can do a lot of things,” and she took a deep breath through her nose.

“Well, if you are trying to scare us, you ain’t doing a good job,” Sam remarked with a snort. A second later, his whole body was in a massive cramp and he slowly fell down on the floor. A scream escaped his throat and tears appeared in his eyes.

“Y/N!” Thor shouted, making the woman to stop. “If you want to go back to the dungeons, all you need to do is ask.”

“She’s crazy,” Tony frowned.

“Tony, don’t,” Bruce nudged his shoulder.

“I can do many great things – from mind-control to actually moving objects and manipulating the elements. With my powers and Loki’s help,” she once again turned to tall, dark-haired man and smiled at him lovingly, “we can help you defeat the creature Thor talked about.”

“What do you want in return?” Steve knew how these things usually went. Someone always wanted something and from all the glances and loving stares between Loki and her, she would want something regarding the trickster.

Thor tensed, Natasha helped Sam back on his feet and the rest of the team carefully listened. “I want to be with Loki – no cuffs, no magic that has to separate us. I want to be with him. And, in addition, I will not hurt any of you anymore. Is this too much?”

There was a massive silence. Obviously, everyone was thinking about her offer. Thor wasn’t happy about it and he strongly disagreed with it. He knew what the two of them were capable of. “No,” he shook his head.

“Then I won’t help you,” she replied strictly.

“Is there any catch?” Natasha asked, slowly walking to her.

“No,” Y/N said. “All I want is to be with Loki. I will not do any tricks on you, I will help you, but in exchange, I want to be with the man I am madly in love with. You have my word and I never break it.”

“That’s true,” Loki nodded. “She is not allowed to break promises. Her heritage does not allow it.”

The muscular tall blonde god was surprised. “I never knew that,” he barely whispered. “So, magic has its price.”

“Yes,” they said at the same time.

“Fine, I agree. If you help us, you can be with Loki,” Steve continued, stepping closer to her. He stretched his arm, ready to close the deal. “If you are lying and something goes wrong, I will kill you. I don’t care if you are powerful and from another realm. If you hurt my friends, my family, you are dead.”

As they shook their hands, Thor took off the cuffs that were wrapped around Y/N’s wrists. She stretched her arms, smiling widely. “Thank you,” she said honestly, turning on her heel. When she opened her eyes, Loki slowly approached her, carefully grabbing her soft hands into his.

When they first touched after many, many years, a warm feeling went through their bodies bringing smiles to their faces. They were in love and everyone could see it. “At last,” he said under his nose, making her grin at him. “It has been ages, my love,” his hands found her cheeks and he just stared into her (e/c), mesmerizing eyes. He missed her so much, and he didn’t care how weak the love for that woman made him. No, he wasn’t weak because of it. He was strong, stronger than ever. He knew that they are meant to be together, rule the realms together.

As he was leaning closer to her, a voice interrupted the two. “Get a room!” Tony shouted at them, disgusted by what he was seeing.

“Gladly.”

Thor watch them leave, shaking his head from side to side. “I do not like this idea, my fellow friends,” he stated. “Their love is forbidden in Asgard. If our father sees that they have reunited, they both will be punished.”

“How much damage can they do with their freaky love?” Sam asked, still shaking up from the mental attack.

“Uh,” Thor didn’t want to tell them but one glare from Steve made him speak. “Let’s just say we can compare it to the New York attack.”

“What?!” everybody shouted at the same time.

“Rogers, this is your fault,” Tony yelled, pointing a finger at Steve.

While the team started to bicker about the reunited couple, the two headed somewhere where they had some privacy. Loki took them into his quarters where he stayed most of the time. He had a lot of books to read, he had a massive comfortable bed and there were always fruits in a bowl on a wooden table. Even when Stark hated him, he gave the god a fancy living area.

Before any words were spoken, they finally had their first kiss. Loki’s lips connected with hers, taking her breath away. When she tried to catch a breath, his tongue slipped inside her mouth, exploring every corner of it. It was sweet, passionate – everything they dreamt for a long time.

“My queen,” he sighed, fingertips training gently scanning her face and neck. “I missed you so much.”

“My king,” she bowed a little, showing him some respect. “We are finally reunited.”

They ended in another feverish kiss. Their love was strong and pure. Even when both of them were evil, they shared the love for each other. Loki kneeled, still holding her hands in his and occasionally kissing them. “You spin my world, my love. I don’t know how did you do it, but I love it. You are and will be the only woman I will kneel in front of. I love you.”

She smiled at him. “I love you too, my king.”

“Together, we can rule the world together,” he stood up, determined like never before. “We are powerful enough to take over the tower. We are stronger than those mortals and my dull brother.”

“Loki-“

“They have to pay for what they did to us,” he was getting angry. “Especially Odin.”

Y/N touched his forehead with a tip of an index finger, instantly making him calm. He didn’t like this power but there was nothing he could do about it. “Not now, my love. I promised my help, our help. I cannot break my word. You know the consequences.”

There were many, however, the worst one was her death. He nodded. “I just-“

“Shh,” she gently kissed his lips. “All in good time, my love. All in good time.”

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[asflowersfade]

Ficlet: Cat’s Play

A MacGyver ficlet based on episode 207. 

Foolish, foolish little mouse. Or, how did Murdoc know so much about what made Mac tick in 204. Jack’s POV.

(I wanted to use the description “foolish little mouse” for Mac ever since David Dastmalchian - the actor playing Murdoc - used it to describe MacGyver in his Twitter [x])

They skid and slide down the hallways of the Phoenix Foundation headquarters, MacGyver and Jack, running at full speed while everyone’s jumping out of their way with startled yelps. They’re late. They’re so late!

“Matty’s gonna have our asses for breakfast!” Jack mutters as he slips through a barely open sliding door.

“Well, I told you not to take that shortcut!” Mac points out, voice annoyed.

Jack glares at him over his shoulder. “Really? ‘I told you so?’ That’s what you’re going with?” he grumbles in disbelief.

Before Mac can do more than give him a pointed look, they finally arrive at their destination, the conference room, and barge in, breathless and a little sweaty.

“Sorry, Matty,” Mac gasps as he comes to a halt. “We got caught in traffic.”

She frowns at them sternly while Riley, Bozer and Cage snicker quietly in the background, but instead of tearing them a new one, as is her wont, Matty just waves her hand. “Well, you’re here now. I’ll settle for small miracles.”

As she turns towards the wall of screens at the front of the room, Mac and Jack exchange a startled glance. No yelling? Something must be seriously off.

Matty walks up to the touch screen and taps on it, unfolding a large photo. “I think you all remember Carl Wiessler, the disgraced BND operative who now sits in prison, thanks to Mr. Bozer here.” She points at Bozer who puffs out his chest in pride.

“Now, there’s been a development. Apparently, Mr. Wiessler finally grasped the seriousness of his situation because he offered us a deal: information in exchange for a chance at getting out of prison before he dies in there of old age.”

Mac crosses his arms over his chest and frowns. “That must be some helluva information if you’re even considering taking that deal.”

Matty looks at him and there’s something uncomfortable about her demeanor. “It is. He offered us all the info he has got on his original employer.”

“Original?” Jack asks, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes,” Matty answers and nods. “As it turns out, originally, he was sent in for one specific file only, for intel on one specific agent. Only later, after he completed his mission, did Wiessler come up with his plan how to monetize his access to our spy school database.”

“Who was that agent?” Bozer asks. “His first target?”

Matty turns back to the wall and sends a copy of a file sliding across the screens. And everyone freezes.

“That’s mine,” Mac whispers, straightening sharply. “That’s my file, Matty.”

“I know,” Matty responds but her voice’s not sharp or cutting, it sounds almost subdued.

Jack has a really, really bad feeling that he knows where this is headed. “And Wiessler’s client?” he asks, already clenching his jaw, anger bubbling up inside him.

Another photo slides across the screens and unfolds. Murdoc’s.

“Jesus,” Bozer breathes.

They all glance at Mac who’s staring at the screens with a blank face but blazing eyes. Jack can see how tense his shoulders have become, how he’s clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles are turning white.

“But why would he need Mac’s file?” Riley asks, then she adds in disgust, “Besides the obvious fetishism of a stalker, that is. I mean, he knows who Mac is. He even knows where he lives and works. So why go to all that trouble?”

“Because there’s everything in those files,” Cage responds. “Psych evals, medical evals, intel gathered during security clearances… you name it, it’s in there.”

“That’s why he knew so much about me when he kidnapped me,” Mac states harshly. “He knew exactly what buttons to push. How to get me angry. How to manipulate me.”

Jack takes a step closer and pats Mac on the back. He can feel him quivering under his hand.

“We will get him, Mac,” Matty promises, looking at Mac firmly. “If Wiessler can give us anything that’ll lead us to Murdoc, he’ll get his deal. I already contacted his lawyer and asked the prison director to put Wiessler into solitary, away from other prisoners, just to keep him safe.”

Mac nods. With his eyes still on the large photo of a smirking Murdoc on the screens, he says, “We need to talk to Wiessler.”

“Yes,” Matty agrees. “Take Cage and Bozer with you. Agent Cage is a skilled interrogator - if Wiessler knows anything, she’ll get it out of him - and Mr. Bozer’s the only one who actually talked to the guy in person. He could be useful. Now go!”

As the others file out, Jack pats Mac on the back again to make him finally tear his eyes away from Murdoc’s visage. And as he then leads his friend out of the room, his eyes meet Matty’s for a moment. Her look says it all. Watch out for him. Jack only nods.

The moment they arrive at the prison, they realize that something’s wrong. The building resembles nothing less than a kicked-over beehive. When they introduce themselves and explain why they’re there, the uniformed man behind the desk gives them a nervous look and asks them to wait.

After a moment, the prison director himself arrives, looking anxious and more than a little sweaty. “You’re here for Mr. Wiessler? Mr. Carl Wiessler?” he asks.

Jack narrows his eyes at the man. “Yes.”

The director clears his throat. “Uh, you see, there was an incident…”

They’re led through the gray and harshly lit prison hallways, towards the solitary cells. At the end of one of the corridors, a door stands open and there’re prison guards clustered around it, staring inside in horrified shock.

As they come closer, with the director at the head of their small procession, the guards let them pass and quickly disappear. They stop just inside the doorway - and they can’t help but stare at the mess in the cell.

Carl Wiessler’s lying there in a pool of his own blood with his throat cut from ear to ear. But it’s not the body that draws everybody’s attention, it’s the writing on the wall, done in Wiessler’s own blood. Big red letters, dripping down the gray paintwork.

Bozer chokes and steps outside quickly and the director, who let them go in first before, takes his place now. Again, he clears his throat before saying, “We don’t know what the message means.”

FOOLISH LITTLE MOUSE, reads the thing, painted on the opposite wall, clear for everyone to see.

“I do,” Mac replies in a hoarse voice.

The director looks at Mac, startled, but before he can ask, Jack speaks up, “It was Murdoc himself, wasn’t it? He just waltzed in here and killed the man and then, then he simply left.”

Mac just nods, eyes on the blood painted words, a message just for him.

“What does it mean?” Cage asks, glancing at Mac.

“That the cat’s not yet ready to play,” Mac responds, then he turns on his heel and marches out, jaw clenched tightly, hands balled into fists.

Jack rushes out after him and as he does it, he hears Cage asks the director for surveillance videos. He sees Bozer try and stop their friend, but Mac just walks past him quickly, down the corridor, towards the exit. Jack waves at Bozer and follows.

He finds Mac outside, in the hot afternoon sun, leaning against the wall with his hands. His head’s bent and he’s breathing harshly as if he just ran a marathon. Jack walks up to him slowly but before he can say anything, Mac turns his head towards him. His eyes are burning bright.

“He did it again, Jack,” Mac snaps harshly. “He slipped out again. He’s gone, who knows where. He can be watching us right now, for all we know! He--!” He cuts himself off abruptly, then he whips around and leans against the wall with his back, hiding his face in his hands.

“We will get him, man,” Jack promises. His voice’s quiet and earnest. He truly means it, it’s not just empty platitudes. They will get Murdoc. He will get Murdoc, if it’s the last thing he does in his life. Because being forced to watch the psycho turn Mac’s life inside out is tearing Jack apart.

Mac drops his hands and looks at him. There’s so much desolation in his face that it makes Jack’s heart hurt. “How?” he asks in despair.

“I don’t know,” Jack admits, though he doesn’t like it a bit. But he would never lie to his friend, not about something like this. “I don’t know but we will. We won’t rest until we get him. I swear.” Then he reaches out and squeezes Mac’s shoulder in reassurance, pouring everything he has into that comforting gesture.

Mac stares at him for a long, long moment, then Jack feels him relax - slump, really - and sees him nod. “Alright,” Mac says in a soft voice. “Alright. Let’s go back, then. Maybe we’ll find some lead,” he says and pushes himself off the building.

Jack smiles a little and nods, leading Mac back in.

Neither man notices the dark clad figure watching them through military grade binoculars from a safe distance away, lips quirked up in a smirk. 

Foolish, foolish little mouse.

[awkwardwritersyndrome]

Chapter 3: The Earth Queen

The morning sun is starting to get hot. Bumi and Kai sharpen their new airbending skills but it’s proving to be hard for an old beardog to learn new tricks. Kai out-maneuvers Bumi and knocks him off his feet as Korra, Asami, and Jinora look on. Moments later the airship glides over the inner wall of Ba Sing Se and floats over the lower ring. All the passengers on the ship can smell the filth and squalor down below. Bolin cringes at the thought of his dad growing up in this place. The middle and upper rings are drastically different, revealing a cruel caste system in the great Earth Kingdom. A bad feeling creeps up Korra’s spine but she can’t quite figure what it is.

As the airship landed, Grand Secretariat Gun shuffled towards the visiting aircraft. As passengers filed down the ramp he greeted them quickly before listing off a host of rules. It sounded as if the queen didn’t even want visitors based on all the stipulations put in place before meeting her. Korra remarked that there were “an awful lot of rules,” with a perturbed frown. 

Gun ignored her complaint and rushed the guests to hide the animals before the highly allergic queen spotted them. He then hurried Korra out of the guest house and across the estate to the queen’s topiary. When the Avatar stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the garden, whirlpools, and walkways, the queen was berating her servants. Garden keepers hustled about rearranging earth at their queen’s request. Korra had never met someone so rude and demanding. 

Queen Hou-Ting seemed disinterested in actually hearing what the Avatar had to say. In fact, she requested a favor from Korra before agreeing to help her. She claimed she had tax money stored in a nearby town that had been overrun with outlaws. If Korra retrieved the money, Hou-Ting would have the Dai Li help find any new airbenders in the city. 

Despite feeling unsettled by the queen’s character, the young Avatar agreed to retrieve the money. When she returned to the guest house everyone was looking for Kai. He was missing and Mako was pretty confident he was up to no good. Despite his bad track record, Tenzin argued that such a young kid should not be left to fend for himself. Korra suggested that Mako and Bolin search for Kai, Tenzin and Jinora wait at the house in case he returned, and her and Asami would go retrieve the queen’s money. 

“Sounds like a plan,” said Asami as she stepped toward Korra.”If we take the airship we can be back by this evening.”

Korra liked the idea of them teaming up for an important Avatar mission. Katara used to tell stories all the time about her and Aang working together before they defeated Ozai. They did serious stuff like take down the Fire Nation factory that was polluting a nearby river village. But they also did fun stuff together like penguin sledding. 

A subtle smile formed on Korra’s face until she remembered that Aang and Katara were a couple. Her own thoughts made her blush. “Yup, okay, good. Sounds great. I’m just gonna...head...somewhere else...to get ready,” Korra stammered before jetting off to avoid anyone noticing how red her face was.

That afternoon the two women left Ba Sing Se to find the secluded vault. 

Looking out at the vast rugged land beyond the city’s walls, Asami wondered, “Are you sure we shouldn’t have bought more people to collect the tax money?”

“Royal Guard’s waiting at the vault,” Korra explained. “I doubt anything will happen. I think her majesty just likes ordering me around.”

Asami raised one brow at her friend. “You mean someone can actually tell you what to do?”

“Hey. I’m not that stubborn...Am I?” Korra was at it again, asking questions she wasn’t sure she wanted the answer to.

The CEO’s face softened and she giggled. “No. I’m just messing with you. When it comes to the most important stuff, you’re the first person looking for sound advice. I admire that about you.” Asami wasn’t sure if her compliment came off weird so her posture stiffened and she trained her eyes on the skies outside the windows.

Korra didn’t even notice, she was just flattered by her friend’s words. “That means a lot coming from you,” she said. 

“Coming from me? What does that mean,” Asami probed. 

Then it was Korra wondering if she had said something odd. She tried to explain her thinking. “I just mean that you’re so successful to be 19. I spent my whole life on a compound training to be the Avatar and I’m not even all that good at it. It’s just impressive, is all.” Korra rubbed the back of her neck as it started to sweat from nervousness. This friendship thing was harder than people made it out to be. No wonder Asami was her first true best friend. 

“I never thought of my success as my own. Most of what I have was handed down from my father. Now that his legacy is tarnished, I feel like I’m at square one. I haven’t accomplished anything on my own,” Asami replied with a defeated tone.

“No way! You’ve accomplished a lot since your father went to prison,” Korra rebutted. She grabbed each of the other woman’s arms just above the elbow and craned her neck downward to look into those bright green eyes. “You made the mecha suits mass producible. You dug Future Industries out of debt after its reputation was ruined. You revamped the airship division and you hammered out a deal with the world’s craziest business mogul. That’s all pretty amazing,” Korra insisted tenderly.

“Well that last one was mostly Bolin and kind of backfired on me, but I get your point.” Asami looked back into Korra’s blue eyes and realized how similar they were in being hard on themselves. “I could rattle off a similar list for you,” she sassed.

“Don’t worry, Tenzin beat you to it the day we finally found Daw. I guess I’m pretty hard on myself too,” the Avatar admitted as if she could read Asami’s mind. The two of them hovered near each other until the closeness felt hot and almost unbearable.

A ridge of mountains appeared on the horizon and they knew they were getting close. “I should land this thing,” Asami suggested bashfully, still standing with only inches between them.

Korra took a big step back and away from the helm so Asami could work her magic. “Right. Aye aye, captain,” she said awkwardly before making an about face towards the exit ramp.

The ship floated to a halt in the middle of the town where there were no buildings or homes. The duo quickly identified the vault and the Royal Guard and made their way over. The money was loaded onto a wheel barrel and three guards began walking it to the ship. Suddenly a red flare shot into the sky and the women immediately knew trouble was afoot. A hoard of outlaws with mopeds and an armored truck began speeding towards the guards and the money. Two earthbenders cartwheeled off their hotrods and hurled three boulders at the queen’s guards. They didn’t even attempt to fight and scurried away from the mob.

“So much for our escort,” Asami panned while sliding on her electrified glove.

“Maybe we should’ve bought everybody,” Korra added, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat. 

The pair dashed towards the money and made their stand. A battle ensued, two against twelve. Korra crumbled the ground beneath the outlaws and sent them all stumbling backwards. Two men gunned it towards Asami but she propelled herself over them in a flying roundoff and tased them with her glove. As she stuck the landing, an air strike narrowly caught another bandit as he reached out to grab her. The industrialist looked over and saw Korra was covering her blindspots. The two advanced towards the few men left standing but they began to retreat. As the leader of the mob hopped on the back of the armored truck he yelled, “You’re on the wrong side of this fight, Avatar. That gold belongs to the people, not the queen.”

The proclamation echoed through Korra’s ears. “Why do I get the feeling that he’s right?”

They loaded the money onto the airship and returned to Ba Sing Se. Gun escorted Korra to the throne room to report her successes to Queen Hou-Ting. Turns out, Korra’s gut was right. The queen made up a lie that the Dai Li didn’t find any new airbenders and she asked the Avatar to leave the city. 

That was the last straw for the hot headed young woman. “You make me do your dirty work, extorting your own citizens, for your stupid palaces and topiaries and then you just want to send me away? We’re not going anywhere until we find some airbenders,” Korra hollered at Hou-Ting. The queen looked on silently and Korra added, “we know there are some here!”

The queen promptly banished Korra from her sight. Korra began to storm off but spun around and pointed her finger up at the throne like a deadly arrow. “This isn’t over. I’m going to find the airbenders!”

Korra burst into the guest house after stomping all the way across the estate. She was sporting a seriously contorted frown and tightly wound shoulders. When she got to the dining room she dropped her weight in the nearest chair and huffed in anger. Tenzin was asleep with Jinora and the brothers hadn’t returned yet. 

Asami was the only one around to comfort the young Avatar. She approached cautiously and announced herself calmly. Just hearing her soothing voice made Korra relax some. The younger woman let her scowl melt away and said “I’m glad to see someone I don’t want to punch.”

Asami winced at the thought of taking a hit delivered by Korra’s muscular arms. “I’m guessing the queen isn’t going to help us,” the businesswoman assumed.

“No! She isn’t! And I’m the total idiot that ran off to the middle of nowhere like her evil henchman. This search for the airbenders is a complete disaster,” Korra lamented. She folded her arms on the table and buried her head between them. She might have stayed like that all night if two soft hands didn’t take hold of her achy shoulders. A firm but gentle pressure relieved her muscles of knots and tension. Without knowing it she let out a guttural moan.

Asami smirked as her fingers undid the stress in her friend’s body. “How’s that,” she asked coyishly. 

“Huh?...It’s uh... really nice,” Korra crooned with delight. All the rigidity in her body was gone and all she could think of was the image of Asami delicately untangling string the other night. In that moment, Korra felt like she was a knotted mess of string herself.

Asami leaned against the table next to Korra and shared a caring smile. “You could use a real massage. I know a guy in Republic City if you’re interested.”

A drunken grin overtook Korra’s face and she nodded in agreement. 

The two women sat at the table while Korra described all the ways she disliked the Earth Queen. Asami challenged some of her poorly thought out grievances, but generally understood why Korra was so upset. They talked for several hours before they noticed the time. They decided to get some rest, so they both stood up at the same time. “I’m no masseuse, but I give good hugs,” Korra announced with open arms.

The other woman laughed and shifted her weight so she sort of fell into Korra’s arms for a hug. Each woman headed to a different side of the house to find their beds. Even as the night wore on in different rooms, the warm embrace left a tantalizing feeling in each of their heads.

Next Chapter

[minimin1993]

B/L 15

Warning: Violence.

“This is so unfair why do I have to always sit in the back.” Linda complained from the backseat of the truck. 

“Because you are the smallest of us.” Steve said with a smirk making Linda scoff. 

“Pft, but the last time I checked I am older than both of you combined.” She said before looking back out the window. 

“Where did Captain America learn how to steal a car?” Natasha said as they drive to New Jersey. 

“  Nazi Germany.” 

“  Mm.”

“  And we're borrowing. Take your feet off the dash.” Steve said looking at Natasha 

“  Alright, I have a question for you, oh, which you do not have to answer. I feel like if you don't answer it though, you're kind of answering it, you know?” She asked him 

“  What?”

“  Was that your first kiss since 1945?” She asked making Linda laugh from the back seat. 

“  That bad, huh?” Steve said eyeing Linda in the rearview mirror only for her to stick her tongue out at him.

“  I didn't say that.” 

“  Well, it kind of sounds like that's what you're saying.” 

“  No, I didn't. I just wondered how much practice you've had.” Natasha said smirking.

“You don't need practice.” 

“  Everybody needs practice.” 

“  It was not my first kiss since 1945. I'm ninety-five, I'm not dead.” 

“  Nobody special, though?” Natasha asked making Steve chuckle. 

“  Believe it or not, other then Linda it's kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience.” 

“  Well, that's alright, you just make something up.” 

“  What, like you?” 

“  I don't know. The truth is a matter of circumstances, it's not all things to all people all the time. And neither am I.”

“  That's a tough way to live.”

“  It's a good way not to die, though.” Natasha said 

“  You know, it's kind of hard to trust someone when you don't know who that someone really is.”

“  Yeah. Who do you want me to be?”

“  How about a friend?” Steve said making Natasha laugh softly 

“  Well, there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rogers.” 

As they drove up to the location Linda was getting hit with nostalgia only Steve seems to understand. 

“  This is it.” Linda said remembering the past.

“  The file came from these coordinates.” Natasha said 

“  So did I. This camp is where I was trained. Where I met Linda.” Steve said looking around then looks at Linda who gave him a comforting smile.

“  Changed much?” Natasha asked making Linda shake her head with a smile on her face. 

“A little.” Steve said remember his past as well. 

“  This is a dead end. Zero heat signature, zero waves, not even radio. Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off.” Natasha said putting her device down seeing Steve stare at the bunker. “What is it?” “

Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards of the barracks. This building is in the wrong place.” Steve said opening the gate with his Shield. 

“  This is SHIELD.” Natasha said walking into the bunker. 

“  Maybe where it started.” Steve said when they enter a room where they find old framed portraits of Howard Stark, Peggy and Col. Chester Phillips. 

“  There's Stark's father.” Natasha said 

“  Yeah that’s Howard.” Linda said with a small smile remember his funny antics when she hung around him. 

“  Who's the girl?” Natasha asked but they didn’t reply, Steve just turns away and walks further down the room. When Natasha turns to look at Linda she just shakes her head at her sadly. 

“If you're already working in a secret office…” He said pushing the book shelf revealing an elevator. “Why do you need to hide the elevator?”

They loaded the elevator which took them further down revealing tons of old looking computers. 

“  This can't be the data-point, this technology is ancient.” Natasha said before she notices a small flash drive port, she places the flash drive in it which then activates the ancient computer in the room.

“  Initiate system?” The computer said 

“Y-E-S, spells yes.” Natasha smiles as the old computer starts to cranks up "Shall we play a game? It's from a movie that…” 

“  Yeah, we saw it.”Steve said before a very familiar accented voice came through. 

“Rogers, Steven. Born, 1918. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born, 1984. Grey, Linda. Born unknown.” The voice said while the old camera moves above them analyzing them.

“It's some kind of a recording.” Natasha said 

“  I am not a recording, Fräulein. I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am.” It said showing the picture of Arnim Zola on the screen.

“  Do you know this thing?” Natasha asked. 

“  Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years.” 

“  First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. In 1972 I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body, my mind, however, that was worth saving on two hundred thousand feet of data banks. You are standing in my brain.” 

“  How did you get here?” Linda said looking around getting suspicious. 

“  Invited.” 

“  It was Operation Paperclip after World War II. SHIELD recruited German scientists with strategic value.” Natasha said. 

“  They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own.”

“  HYDRA died with the Red Skull.”

“  Cut off one head, two more shall take its place.”

“  Prove it.” Steve said

“  Accessing archive. HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize, was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, SHIELD was founded and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew. A beautiful parasite inside SHIELD. For seventy years HYDRA has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed.” Zola said showing old footage of Johann Schmidt/Red Skull, of the how the original SHIELD founders

“That's impossible, SHIELD would have stopped you.” Natasha said in disbelief. 

“  Accidents will happen. HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete, HYDRA's new world order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your Life; a zero sum.” Steve got angry and destroyed the screen with his fist. “ As I was saying…” 

“  What's on this drive?” Linda asked.

“  Project Insight requires insight. So I wrote an algorithm.” 

“  What kind of algorithm? What does it do?” 

“  The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it.” The door suddenly starts to close, Steve tries to stop it by throwing his shield in between it but he's too late.

“  Steve, we got a bogey. Short range ballistic. 30 seconds tops.” Natasha said 

“  Who fired it?”

“  S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“  I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain. Admit it, it's better this way. We're both of us...out of time.” Steve notices a small opening on the ground, he throws the metal door aside and just as the place explodes he throws himself and Natasha into the hole. Linda jumped in after them while Steve tries to protects them with his shield. Linda and him manages to hold his shield as it protects them from the rubble and blast. Both then manages to get them out from under the building rubble just as STRIKE agents arrive to roam the area for them.

Steve was carrying Natasha to an abandoned car putting her in the back as Linda jumps into the driver seat hot wiring the car. Steve sat in the passenger seat not saying anything until he looks over at Linda and saw her arms are trying to regenerate from the burn she had acquired from the blast. 

“Linda your arm.” He said reaching over but she pulls it away. 

“Its fine, better me than you two. I regenerate fast so I don’t need to worry.” Linda said focusing back on the road. “Where should we go now?” 

“I know a place.” Steve said. 

“  Hey, man.” Sam opened the door literally just came back from his run. 

“I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low.” Steve said 

“  Everyone we know is trying to kill us.” Natasha said receiving a pause

“Not everyone.” Sam let's them enter. 

Linda was the first one to clean up heading out to see Sam cooking breakfast.

“Need help?” Linda asked walking next to Sam seeing him a little tense. “I am sorry, where are my manners. Linda Grey.” She said sticking her hand out. 

“Sam Wilson.” He said shaking her hand relaxing a bit. 

“Thanks for this.” Linda said.

“No problem, any friends of Steve is a friend of mine. Though I might say you look great for someone who is 95.” He said with a smirk. 

“Ha Ha very funny.” Linda said helping him set the table up. 

“I am going to see what's taking them so long.” Sam said after plating up the food. 

“So, the question is: who in SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike?” Natasha said after they finish their food. 

“  Pierce.” Steve answered. 

“  Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world.”

“  But he's not working alone, Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star.”

“  So was Jasper Sitwell.”

“  So, the real question is: how do the three most wanted people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight?” Steve asked 

“  The answer is: you don't.” Sam said dropping a file in front of them.

“  What's this?” Linda asked picking up the file 

“  Call it a resume.” Sam answered, Natasha picks up a photo of Sam with his pararescue team.

“  Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you.” Natasha said before turning to Steve. “You didn't say he was a pararescue.”

“Is this Riley?” Steve said looking at the picture.

“  Yeah.” 

“  I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use, a stealth chute?” Natasha asked

“  No. These.” he answered handing Steve a file.

“  I thought you said you were a pilot.”

“  I never said pilot.”

“  I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason.”

“  Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in.” He said smugly.

“  Where can we get our hands on one of these things?”

“  The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall.” Sam said as Linda and Steve looks over to Natasha who shrugs her shoulder making Linda smirk.

“  Shouldn't be a problem.” She said.