#her hand is on the necklace for the entirety of the brief scene

[trophywifejimgordon]

huh. i know there are productions where the “get thee to a nunnery” scene is done with hamlet intending to give ophelia a warning, not brutally tormenting her (and i have to be real i like that a lot more than how the scene is usually done, go figure), but has anyone ever tried to play it with ophelia actually being in on the “madness?” 

i’m thinking the first part of the scene is performed normally, hark ye now, the fair ophelia, and the remembrances. the change happens around when hamlet starts wondering about polonius: hamlet gets suspicious, and ophelia’s answer to his question makes or breaks his trust in her. “where is thy father?”

ophelia jerks her head offstage, to where polonius and claudius are listening, listening, but not seeing, and that’s important for the rest of the scene. “at home my lord.” hamlet puts a finger to his lips, motions that he’s crazy. believe none of us. she nods, and in that nod, he knows she will keep his secret. he relaxes. he needed that.

hamlet rants and raves, but he’s not throwing ophelia around--not even touching her. ophelia, for her part, is overacting, a little. “o, help him, you sweet heavens!,” delivered while biting down on her hand a little bit to keep her from laughing. just for once, i want to see a version of this scene where ophelia is enjoying herself--not serving as the victim of hamlet’s wrath. it’s been like 400 years. it’s time. 

the monologue that follows could be played in the same vein--she’s over exaggerating how crazy he is (claudius says only a few lines later that hamlet didn’t actually seem mad), trying to help him out, seal the ruse. she’s not the greatest liar of all time, but by god does she try. at the very end of the scene, right as hamlet is making his great dramatic exit, he slips ophelia’s gifts back to her, included in them, a necklace.

she wears it after that.

the play, then, could be done in the same way. instead of hamlet downright sexually assaulting her, they’re making it a game, kind of flirting, joking with one another, even while trying to outwardly appear like a madman and his wayward love. the same dialogue, the same reactions from the other characters, but hamlet and ophelia have an agreement, and she’s not an unwilling pawn to his play for power. she’s a part of it, and she even likes that, gets into her role--

and that’s what makes it so awful when he kills polonius. she thought she knew what he was doing. she thought she was helping him do something good, but no--here’s a victim of hamlet’s madness, a real one, her father. what’s more, she’d been aiding his ruse! what if she had told claudius the truth--would her father be dead? is she complicit in his murder? there’s so many questions, and she doesn’t have the answers, and there’s no one she can ask. no one she can trust. her father is dead, her brother is gone, hamlet has betrayed her. 

that’s when she gets angry. 

i really feel like that’s the key--she gets angry, not mad. she acts out and screams and raves, yes, but it’s not madness--it’s her turn to do what hamlet’s been doing for four acts now. murdered fathers, both. when she gives out her flowers, there’s a terrifying clarity in her eyes--she knows what these signify. she knows that she is insulting the king and queen to their faces. she doesn’t care anymore. 

then her last scene onstage--i like to picture her doing a quick gesture at the audience before she walks off. 

ophelia presses a finger to her lips, motions like she’s crazy....

and winks.

[the-kingshound]

ROs reactions to MC becoming a cold and calculated killing machine because of the torture with RO now being their only soft spot?

Ohh, anon, I love this ask and since in game action will have permanent consequences I will make a follow up of this scenario so every RO's MC has been through a different kind of torture. It got a bit long, sorry, I kept writing and writing!

Arthur

When the Knights see you, they bow.

"Your Majesty."

You nod in their direction, signing them to raise. You then unsheathe your sword and stare at them with a pragmatic, focused glance "follow my lead."

You join the battle only after the second wave, attacking from the side and rapidly gaining the upper hand. When no more opponents stand in the field but injured and dying fighters, your chest heaves and your sword drips crimson blood from the tip.

"Your Majesty, a couple dozens of rival soldiers are retreating in the woods."

Your voice betrays nothing but a cold type of control when you answer "get the heavy chivalry to chase them. If possible, we take prisoners."

"Yes, your Majesty."

Arthur will be here shortly, you think just before you start metodically cleaning your sword to sheathe it. Your King, as you predicted, reaches your small group of knights shortly after. He seems to glow like a majestic, regal vision in the bright daylight. You can never get enough.

As you approach his knights, between rigid strides you crouch down briefly to pick up something from the grassy field. You have most of the knights eyes on you as you get near your husband and offer him a daisy.

He takes it with a radiant light in his eyes, you know that the softness there is more than reflected in yours. You plant a soft kiss on his cheek before you retreat.

"For you, my King."

And when Arthur keeps you close at night in your shared bed, holding your hand and kissing your knuckles one by one, you know you you could lose you fingers and your ability to wear his ring, but never his unrestrained, blinding love.

Evaine

Arthur strides through the castle's halls with his usual composed demeanor, exhuding a reflective sense of peace that is only exterior. Inside, he is worried and scared. Ever since the kidnapping, you've been cold and distant. More focused, in a way, calculated when you would have hesitated before. No matter the thin scar that marked your face or the limp that now slowed you down in combat, you were merciless. Arthur just wants you to feel safe again.

He rounds the corner and stops in front of his knight's door. He knocks and recieves no answer, probably because of the sound of more than one voice inside. Slowly, the King opens the door, calling with a soft voice "Evaine?"

The sight that greets him is... unexpected.

Evaine's room is drowning in garments, dresses, robes and cloaks are all over the bed and the large vanity. You're standing in front of the mirror, Evaine is just behind you, their finger ghosting on your skin as they tie a golden neckerchief around your neck.

As soon as Arthur's presence is noted, you clear your throat, molding your expression back in a neutral one, but not quite as closed off as the one you always wear.

"So, how do I look?"

You turn around to let him see the dress in its entirety, the wip scars quite visible on your back. Arthur's pained grimance fades quicky in favour of a soft, sincere smile "you're stunning."

His attention is then on his knight. Evaine is radiant, more relaxed than he's seen them in a very long time. More... present. They've not been well for the past months.

"You wanted to talk to me, my King?"

"Yes," Arthur nods "since I had to reschedule some of today's appointments, your schedule has been rearranged. You have the rest of the afternoon free."

If that's not entirely the truth - Arthur was in need of a Knight for the squire training, but it was also true that it has been too long since he's had fun with the younglings - no one needs to know.

And with a cheeeful "have fun" he's out of the room.

You look at the dress you're currently wearing in the mirror one more time, than turn back and take another robe, soft and tighter fitting, from Evaine's wardrobe.

"How about this?" you ask them.

"Mh," they hum, giving it a very serious assessment "it would compliment your eyes perfectly. And it's not that heavy compared to the previous ones."

You send them a blinding smile, trowing your arms over them in a playful hug, than you let them help you hastly put it on.

Sometimes you forget yourself to the memories and the freezing phantom of a long gone pain, but everytime Evaine is there to bring you back, offering distractions that bring you joy and happiness. That night Evaine tells you you're the most beautiful and bright star in the sky and, for the first time since the kidnapping, you believe them.

Morien

Whispers of the King's hound gone rabid have all but taken hold of the settlements near Kev, the last town to know your uncontained fury as your informants found some dissidents nobles. You made sure not to leave the town unscathed to be of warning for whoever next dared to conspire against the King.

There are frightened voices murmuring of an heartless punisher, what they recount are mostly exaggerated distortions of true events, but they do get right the almost lifeless glint in your eyes as you write down orders.

At this point, even some knights are scared of you, of the seemingly merciless way you stare down at them without ever breathing a word. There is only one person able to get past the coldness that replaced your lost tongue, and it's the court physician.

You are currently in Morien's arms, buried in the familiarity of their scent that is secure and grounding. This feels like a rare privilege for how much Morien usually shyes away contact. With you they have reached a level of comfort, through, that sees you gifted with the warmth of their body whenever you need it and you couldn't be more grateful for that.

"Plans for today?" they ask you a rough but comforting tone of voice.

Frighten the knights, you sign and instantly they let out a humored chuckle.

"Alright, you have my attention. How do you want to proceed?"

Just tell them I want to see them all in the courtyard. They skipped training yesterday and went out drinking to celebrate. you let out a voiceless hum  I'm not really mad but they don't know that.

Morien's laugh is brief but sincere "well, let's go then."

And as you get ready, you tie a red ribbon to your wrist, very alike the ones that sometimes Morien themselves ties to their cane. The physician looks as it and then their eyes are fixed on your face with a mixture of emotion that is both fondness and tender adoration. You shrug, then offer them your arm as you walk in silence through the halls in the courtyard's direction.

Gwyar

The mark has made very difficult for people to meet your eyes and watch you in the face. You don't hold it against them, though, you know you're not an easy sight. The only ones in this room who can actually stomach it are Arthur and Gwyar, and while the King can hardly suppress the guilt, your manservant has managed to push it down in favour of their usual attentive posture.

With a fluent movement they are beside you, refilling your cup of whine and whispering in your ear with a bland tone.

"Lady Deva is under the impression that a necklace has been stolen by the less than reputable Lord Havet."

Your interest piqued, you arch a brow in their direction, only to catch at the corner of your eye the sparkling of jewelry.

Careful to mantain a neutral expression, you subtly extend your arm in their direction with the open palm facing upwards. Gwyar lets the necklace fall in your possession with an effortless movement, then they fall back behind you with the grace of a liquid shadow they've always possessed. No one seems to have noticed the brief exchange.

It does take the meal to finish before finally some action unfolds. You register Lady Deva bringing her fingers to her empty collarbone and instantly her eyes snap to the Lord at her side.

"How dare you" she hisses, low enough not to make a scene but with enough vehemence to make him reel back.

"My Lady, I sincerely don't know what-"

"My necklace."

"What of it?"

By now the altercation has managed to attract most of the other nobles attention. The argument gets heated quickly and as the situation unfolds you fail to contain a wicked grin. Arthur, to your left, is surprised by it ony for a second, then he catches the feral glint in Gwyar's eyes, just behind you, and he has to bring a hand to his mouth to suppress a laugh of his own.

Taking pity on them, you clear your throat, your voice steel cold but not unkind "did it have by chance an engraved pendant?"

The scraped sound of your voice, a bit rough from unuse, is enough to snap the entire room to silence and attention. The lady's eyes widen as she watches you extract the necklace out of your robe, her eyes immediately falling off your face as her expression contorts into a mixture of embarassment and fear.

"I found it just outside of the chamber, in the hall."

"Ah, I- I probably lost it" the lady stammers and you have to figh your lips from curling upwards as another wave of hilarity hits you.

That night, Gwyar is so undeniably proud of your performance you can only laugh with them and take them in your arms as you both fall on the bed. They let their gaze wonder on your face and they breathe out a raspy praise. You are motionless as they kiss your mark and you think in that instant that you'd let it happen only with them. Only with them - and the phrase holds a strange type of comfort.

[tearlessrain]

part 2 of me watching Dracula: The Dark Prince and complaining about it the entire time

when we left off, the power ranger villain (who I guess is called the scourge) had kidnapped xena 3.0 (who confusingly may actually be named xena), lucien the roving misogynist is the chosen one, and dracula sits in his castle brooding about how much he doesn’t like strangers even though he forcibly brings them to his home.

anyway, here we are back at the castle of timely thunderclaps, brought to you by playmobile and LED lights.

oooh they just zoomed in on remfield’s face and played some ominous music. he’s secretly plotting something. to be honest I should have picked up on it before because he was super sketchy but I thought it was just bad acting

the scourge has just arrived with an ineffectually struggling xena 3.0, and the flamenco-dancing ceiling angel has opinions about it

I wish I could comment on what just happened but honestly it was completely incomprehensible. I think the takeaway is that the scourge used to be a young boy who helped dracula kill the dudes who killed his wife, but that might have been remfield. the editing is too confusing to tell. also I’m not sure what any of this has to do with xena 3.0

“my friends will come for you, I however will continue to not do shit”

ooh he’s giving her the Edward Cullen Stare™ this poor woman attracts the weirdest guys

“what is you name?” TELL HIM. THE PUBLIC WANTS ANSWERS. WHAT IS YOUR NAME.

TELL HIM. TELL HIM. TELL HIM.

Oh okay it’s Alena, not Xena. Fair enough, at least she has a name now. honestly at first I thought she was the sidekick and esme was the main character.

“go ahead, kill me. free me from this horrible movie”

all right we all know she’s the reincarnation of dracula’s dead wife but sure let’s pretend it’s a mystery

REMFIELD, ESCORT HER TO THE ROYAL WING, AND SEND HER OUR FINEST LESBIANS

meanwhile, lucio and esme get a pep talk from leonardo, the only level headed person on earth, and someone finally mentions that esme and alena are sisters, which maybe should have been established half an hour ago but whatever

let me tell you I did not have high opinions of lucio’s chivalry and honor, but now that his band of roving misogynists has been killed off, he has somehow still managed to disappoint me. 

like I don’t want you to be in this movie either dude but you were the one who made out with a main character in act 1

meanwhile, dracula gestures dramatically at a portrait of his dead wife, which burns his hand for unclear reasons

“are not the women of the castle enough to... sate your appetite?” remfield asks as he, apropos of nothing, stands awkwardly close to help dracula undo his cravat. nevermind he’s not planning anything shady he’s just gay and possessive.

why is this shot so funny to me they’re just having a conversation like this

what the fuck who’s using a hedge trimmer and why is everything pink

oh that was what the director of this movie thinks conveys the concept of a nightmare. okay.

alena looks very confused to be in this room considering she was fully awake and cognizant when she was brought here

they either need to get better cgi or stop showing zoomed out shots of thunderclap castle

meanwhile, some of the ambient lesbians cuddle sensuously. once again, no reason for the scene’s brief presence in the movie is given and we just cut back to alena, who is still just going to chat with remfield.

“you know the stories” “yes but I never believed them to be true” THEN WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING FOR THE ENTIRETY OF ACT 1. WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU THINK THE LIGHT BRINGER WAS FOR, ALENA.

okay alena, zombie alexa already told us all this, you don’t need to repeat the entire prologue story.

“what do you know of love?” “god is love, eveything else is a pale shadow in comparison” well yeah you would think that since you go for guys like lucio.

“god has no power here” so that’s the reason for the ambient lesbians. christian repelling forcefield. sensible security system for a vampire tbh.

okay remfield we get it you’re in love with dracula, chill.

oh of course lucien is a descendant of cain. also I disagree with almost everything he’s said in the entire movie but “please spare me the whole family tree” is a mood.

“there they are, the carpathian mountains”

........ where

“it’s fitting that cain killed his brother with a scythe, he was a farmer, you know” I mean. yes. but he didn’t, it was a rock. he killed him with a rock. and it probably would have been a normal scythe without a magical blood-activated articulated blade propeller on the end. because, you know, he was a farmer. was this his special murder-scythe. I was actually more willing to accept this weapon’s existence before you tried to explain it.

wait apparently if dracula (descended from abel) gets it, its power reverses and it brings the dead back to life. which implies that its default power in the hands of cain’s descendants is to make the living dead. which uh. is also what regular scythes do if you hit someone with them. I’m becoming less and less sold on the magical powers of this thing. 

alena is trying to convince some of the ambient lesbians that dracula is evil and they’re not buying it.

“he’s nice to us! come, I’ll show you!” wait are we finally going to get an explanation about the lesbians. are they taking her to the secret magical lesbian chambers where they have the lesbian meetings.

OH MY GOD I WAS JOKING

there’s like. chipper flute music and they’re all dancing and twirling her around and bewitching her with their lesbian magic

she seems cautiously into it though, which isn’t surprising since her last kiss set a real low bar

apparently he’s only nice to them when they don’t try to seduce his reincarnated wife. I love how he doesn’t look furious so much as exasperated. he’s just like “ugh, this shit again”

also shoutout to the token twinks in the background there, I assume they’re just here for remfield’s benefit

ooo the lesbians do not like remfield, he’s mean to them. I’m calling it now he’s gonna get eaten and not in a fun way.

oh my god there’s a little village comprised entirely of monster/demon slayers

this is literally the town from The Ballad of Edgardo

his name is Andros, son of Cormac the Wolfslayer, a demon hunter from beyond the frozen seas, and after five seconds I already like him better than any other character in this movie. I want a movie that’s just him and Leonardo wandering around hunting demons. that would be a better movie.

“what we are seeking is no ordinary demon... but a vampyr”  

[O M I N O U S  C H I M E]

“lord dracula is as cunnink... as he is stronk.” - leonardo van helsing, my second favorite character

“to be bitten and not drink of dracula’s blood... is a suffering.. without end...................... so! my friend! is this danger a price you are willing to pay? :)” -also leonardo

see look how much fun andros and leonardo are having. this movie would be so much better if lucien wasn’t here being a wet blanket and moping because they won’t give him alcohol

MAKE ANDROS THE CHOSEN ONE. MAKE ANDROS THE CHOSEN ONE. DEPOSE LUCIEN.

cue yet another timely thunderclap. seriously, every time.

“only the lord god can give eternal life! what you’re doing is blasphemy!” “DAMMIT, WHAT ARE WE KEEPING THESE LESBIANS AROUND FOR”

“here try on this ostentatious necklace that belonged to my dead wife, no reason just do it”

and there goes the floaty piano music again, this girl will fall for literally anyone.

so nobody knows where dracula’s castle is, which is weird since it’s huge and has a loud thunderstorm going on for miles around it at all times that constantly lights it up like a beacon. but I mean the entire mountain range it’s rumored to be in is apparently invisible, so who knows.

dracula: I have a loneliness inside my heart

remfield, visibly suffering from his eternally unrequited crush on the only straight vampire in existence: let me guess. miss alena.

ambient lesbians: [twirl and sashay past in the background]

oh noes, the scourge is attacking demon hunter village. I’m sure this will end well for him.

I fucking love andros

so lucien killed the power ranger villain with his scythe of inaccurate biblical allegory, and somehow it hurt dracula. I may never understand what that thing and his relationship to dracula actually is. ah well, he’s dead now.

andros is fine and that’s all that matters.

okay, never before has a movie contained so much concentrated insane bullshit that I had to split it into three parts, but I think that’s what I’m going to do with this one. lucien and esme have run off to go save alena, and the Murder Uncles, sadly, are staying behind to defend the village for when the squeaking goblins return in force

tune in next time to find out whether any of this comes to any sort of logical or sane conclusion. it probably won’t.

[buckygirl-fanfiction]

Sparks Chapter 2

Pairing: Bucky(POV) X Reader(POV) ft. other members of the avengers team.

Word Count 3.5K

Summary: Annual Stark Fourth of July Bash at the tower where y/n runs into Bucky. After finding out that Bucky is uncomfortable around firework sounds, not wanting him to be alone and miss the show y/n offers to keep him company. y/n is later attacked in the labs and Bucky and y/n fight together against the antagonist, because y/n isn’t just a damsel in distress. Thats right she’s got her own moves.

A/N: This is a story about two people building a great friendship and then slowly falling in love. y/n is a strong, independent, and smart scientist. She meets Bucky when she wakes him up from cryo sleep and they become friends. This is going to have all the angst / best friends falling in love / fluff / drama / & eventual smut ;) that I can possibly fit in it. This fic is going to be looong! So far my document is like 66 pages. So editing is hard If you catch any grammatical or formatting errors let me know.

July 3, 2015

Y/N’s POV

It’s a stressful day filled with reports. Which means a lot of paperwork. I sat at my desk skimming through the documents on the computer screen while I toyed with the cross on my necklace.

“Hello Dr. y/l/n,” I hear someone call my name and look up from the screen. It’s Barnes. “Arms working out great so far.”

“That’s great,” I say with a smile watching him walk past my desk towards Axelrod’s office. Physic evals probably. I look back down at my computer screen continuing my reading.

Bucky’s POV

I step off the elevator to the 82nd floor where the medical labs are located. I walk through a pair of glass doors and the first thing to catch my eye is y/n sitting at a desk fiddling around with her necklace. She looks focused. It’s been three weeks since our meeting when she reunited me with my left arm and I still linger over her words sometimes. Man not a Machine. Especially since the entirety of my three weeks have been spent mostly sitting through briefings about how I can be successfully integrated into the Avengers team as a field agent and how I may be best put to use. In those three weeks I’ve had twice weekly meetings with that asshat Axelrod who has been overseeing my ‘reintegration into society’. And every time I find myself back up here in the lab I find myself experiencing a sort of curiosity about y/n. I’ve seen her outside the labs usually hanging out with an asian woman who I later came to know as Dr. Cho. In all her interactions she seems kind which continues to raise my curiosity about her. Today she looks busy. Too busy to strike up conversation so I opt for a casual hello. I tell her how my arm is working great and her reply is short. So I continue my way to Axelrod’s office.

y/n’s POV

It’s finally evening and i’m finally done proof reading reports and proposals. I head over to the lockers to grab my bag and head home for some much needed R&R. Around the 40th floor the elevator i’m in stops and Natasha Romanoff walks in and with a smile she says, “You’re coming tomorrow night right?”. Tomorrow being independance day and Tony’s annual bash.

“Yeah wouldn’t miss it,” I reply “A chance to watch people I work with get drunk and make fools out of themselves. Who would give up such great blackmail material.”

“I’ve brought you over to the dark side,” Nat says with a wink. We spend the rest of the elevator ride down casually conversing about tomorrow’s details.

…

July 4, 2015

I wake up to something blaring. Still half asleep I think, not my alarm because I didn’t set one its my day off… Then what? My phone. I rub my eyes and reach for the phone on my nightstand and look at the screen. It’s Axelrod… great… I pick up and before I can even say hello he says, “y/n I have a couple shipments coming in today I need you to be there to sign for them and make sure they are undisturbed and left in my office.”

“Why can’t you just tell security or ask a intern? It’s saturday my day…” I begin when I’m cut off.

“Important medical equipment! I don’t want to leave it in the hands of incompetent fools” He says before hanging up the phone. Great…

I make it just in time to the tower to see a white truck and two workmen arguing with security. “Hey!” I walk up to the scene. “It’s alright Dr. Axelrod called today morning. This delivery is for his personal lab.”

“It still has to be cleared with security Ma’am” says a man dressed in a sharp black suit.

“Its fragile medical equipment i’m supposed to escort to his private lab upstairs. Call him and clear it with him if you need” I say to the security personnel who is clearly growing impatient with the whole situation. After a brief call. I escort the men upstairs along with a handful of large metal boxes and sign some paperwork and i’m back home two tedious hours later. Only to realize I accidentally forgot to leave the signed equipment files in Axelrod’s office. Whatever, i’ll drop it off tonight before the party I think and shove the papers into my bag.

…

What a couple hours can do to a building’s atmosphere always seems to amaze me. I arrive at the tower around 7pm to find it surrounded by sports cars, limos, and even a hot pink party bus. Everything is in full throw and even the usually uptight security personnel look much more relaxed. I walk through the glass doors and take the elevator up to the roof where most of the guests are situated. It’s almost sunset and everyone is waiting for the fireworks show to begin. The frivolity has clearly set in because Bahni from legal is doing body shots off a very shitless and very built field agent. I walk around till I find Cho whose happily situated near Steve and say hi. I take a seat next to her on a bar stool and sip on a Mai Tai. We are casually conversing when Barnes walks over says, “Almost didn’t recognize you out of your lab coat Dr. y/l/n”. He looks down at my casual bright red sundress.

“You clean up well Mr. Barnes,” I answer back to the man dressed in a black open color dress shirt and black pants.

“Call me Bucky,” He says.

“Well then you can call me y/n,” I say back with a polite smile. This is the first time I’ve actually talked to the man outside the lab. He seems more relaxed than usual.

“Nickname basis. Bucky here must like you” Steve quips in.

“Hey I like anyone who’s nice enough to set me up with equipment like this,” Bucky says raising his left arm.

“Seven!” Cho yells.

“No way,” I say back at her looking over Bucky’s shoulder at Sam who is waving a cocktail napkin at us with a smirk on his face.

“What?” Bucky asks turning around.

“They’re betting on who can get the most numbers tonight Sam or Clint,” Steve replies.

We spend the hour or so getting fractionally drunker, or at least I do, while laughing at the wild antics around us. When Tony announces its almost firework time I stumble around to the bathroom to splash some water in my face. Then, I realize I forgot to return the files to Axelrod’s office. Opting to do it now because, let’s be honest, later i’m most likely going to be too drunk to remember I grab my bag and walk towards the elevator. I see someone get in and run in after them just in time before the doors close. To my surprise it’s none other than Bucky himself. “Going home so soon?” I ask as I push the button to the labs floor 82.

“Yeah, well home is just a few floors down. Me and fireworks don’t really mix” he replies looking at the floor.

“No way! Everyone loves fireworks.” I say before I can stop myself. I suddenly realize my tipsy self completely overlooked the fact that he probably has PTSD and loud booming fireworks probably remind him of his hydra days. Crap I think to myself. I can’t believe I was so insensitive.

“Not a fan of loud noises. Anyways, how about you?” he asks still looking down at the floor as he pushes a couple strands of long hair behind his ear. “You can’t seriously be headed to the labs to do work right now”.

“I’m not. I have to drop off some paperwork. Then i’m headed back up.” I say as the elevator doors ding open to the 82nd floor. Maybe it was the alcohol or the fact that I was a little more than tipsy tonight. Whatever took a hold of me I don’t know. But a lightbulb went off and there was no turning it off now. “The labs!” I said suddenly causing Bucky to look up at me. I grabbed his metal hand and with a tug pulled him along with me into the dimly lit lab floors and through the glass doors. I look back at him and say, “do you trust me?” and he gives me a questioning look. Drunk me is talkative me. “Of course you don’t you barely know me. So let me explain,” I say still leading him by his hand.

Bucky’s POV

I feel her small hand around my wrist it’s surprisingly cold. She’s pulling me through the labs and even though I would rather be in my room right now with some headphones drowning out the noise of impending firework bombs. Curiosity gets the best of me and I let y/n drag me through the dimly lit lab corridors. She’s much more talkative outside the lab, maybe it’s because she’s had a few drinks in her. “So” she continues “These are the medical labs anddd” she drags the last syllable as she pulls me through a pair of glass doors into a dark room; the only light radiating from the hallway outside. She lets go of my wrist and I stand there watching her stumble around and pull open the curtains revealing the huge glass wall behind it with a magnificent view to the city beyond. Moonlight and city light fills the room we’re standing in. “this is one of the patient rooms. Completely soundproof and great view.” She pushes the patient bed from the middle of the room towards the window. “This way you get to see the fireworks without the annoying audio,” she says as she slips off her shoes and hops on the bed sitting cross legged. “Come on,” she says patting the space next to her. I walk over amazed and take a seat next to her. I can’t believe this girl, who I barely know, could be so thoughtful and considerate.

y/n’s POV

I sit next to the soldier in the dimly lit room my knee resting aside his thigh. I look out the great big window waiting for the sparks to fly. It’s still, and quiet, and for a second I wonder if i’d creeped him out by dragging him along with me. But i’m too tipsy to overthink it right now.

“Thanks y/n” he says, I notice him curiously looking at me from the corner of my eye.

Just then the first sparks of light fly into the air. “Look!” I point out the window. It’s quiet and still in the room. A long red streak flies out into the night sky and explodes into a ball of color. It’s followed by blue and white. The only noise I can hear is our collective calm breaths. We watch the explosions of color in silence.

After a couple minutes Bucky says, “You would really rather sit here with me watching fireworks in silence than up there having fun with everyone else?” Bucky asks giving me a quizzical look.

“Hey,” I swat him on the shoulder, “I’m having fun”. “Plus what kind of human being would I be to let you miss out on such a great show”.

“I’ve been around for quite a long time and I can tell you, you’re a pretty swell human being” Bucky replies with a laugh.

“Swell” I say, “I like that.”

“You like helping people,” he notes.

“Yep, that’s why i’m a doctor,” I reply “Whoa” I say pointing at the sky. A big ball of red fills the sky and explodes in a bright light.

Bucky’s POV

“What’s your favorite color?” y/n asks still staring outside the window.

“What?” I ask looking at her a little surprised.

“Favorite color. Mines red,” did she just ask my favorite color? Wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve heard that one. She’s definitely drunk. Why else would she want to be alone in a room with a potentially unstable assassin watching fireworks and talking about favorite colors?

“Umm, purple,” I say still looking at the figure sitting next to me. Is she real? I can’t help but think. She’s twirling around the pendant on her necklace again. Must be a habit. I’m close enough to notice that it’s a cross pendant. “You’re religious?” I ask. She looks up at me and then down at the pendant between her fingers, “Oh, I guess. My mom gave it to me years ago”. We watch the rest of the show in silence and I hear a ping from her phone after the last spark goes out. She picks it up with delicate fingers and taps the screen. “Wanna go get something to eat?” She asks looking up at me. “Cho, Wanda, and me are supposed to go out to this sushi place”.

“I don’t want to intrude,” I answer looking back at her still a little taken aback at her open friendliness.

“No intrusion, plus I think Steve and Sam are tagging along now too,” she says in a chirpy voice.

“Yeah, then sure,” I say. This night’s definitely going very differently than i’d imagined. I didn’t expect to be this social. The only reason I even came to this thing was because Steve said it was good for me. But even he knew i’m more of the lone type now. Who knew drunk chipper y/n could drag me out of my she.

“They’re still upstairs. I have to drop off a couple files at my boss’s office. I’ll meet you up there”. She said uncrossing her legs and hopping off the bed.

y/n’s  POV

I head through the corridors leaving Bucky to walk back to the elevators. I walk towards the other end of the floor towards Axelrod’s office. I dig through my bag looking for the spare key to his office. Still a little tipsy I jab at the lock with the key and fumble for a couple minutes before I finally get the door unlocked. I swear I heard someone moving around for a second Then realize it’s pitch black no ones here. The alcohol is definitely getting the better of me. I flip on the desk light and pull the large folder out of my bag and accidentally drop it. “Crap,” I say and gather up the papers. “Photon beam laser T-23” I read off froom a paper on top of the pile I’m gathering from the floor. What? I think to myself that’s not right. Why do we need photon radiotherapy? Maybe the delivery guy gave us the wrong paperwork? That can’t be. CRAP! I must’ve signed for the wrong delivery. Axelrod’s going to kill me. I flip through the book and look up at the metal boxes around his office. This can’t be right. Radiotherapy machines don’t come packed this small. Ugh my brain isn’t working I’m beginning to regret the last five shots I had. I drop the packet on his desk and kneel next to the first metal box. I unhook the latch and click the box open. Inside I see three vials of serum labeled ‘veritas’ and a needle injector. I click the next box open and find a head piece. With screws attached to it. What the fuck? I think to myself. Then it clicks. I don’t know why it took this long. I’m a smart woman but clearly the vodka killed off a few brain cells. Veritas serum, invasive neural surgical head gear. Where have I seen this before. About 6 months ago when I was doing inventory on a hydra warehouse that had been cleared. Why is Axelrod sneaking hydra equipment into the tower? Now that’s a question that I wish had come to me a little sooner. Because if said question had occurred to me about 20 seconds earlier, then the answer would have also occurred to me about 20 seconds earlier. He’s a double agent. But the realization came about 20 seconds too late and I now realize someones standing behind me.

“Now why couldn’t you be like everyone else and just go enjoy the party upstairs?” I hear his voice behind me. A shiver runs down my back. Well clearly he’s going to kill me. I mean that’s what i’d do if someone discovered my secret plan. Especially if the person’s drunk and vulnerable, killing them wouldn’t be that hard. y/n act now my brain screams. I quickly spin around on my heel and strike a quick hard kick to his shin. Clearly this took him by surprise and I make sure to follow through and knock him clear on his ass. I take my opportunity and run to the office door. But before I can make it, I feel a tug at my leg and fall back. Crap. Before I know it he’s on top of me with two grubby hands wrapped around my neck. Sharp kick to his crotch. That brought me some freedom. I get back up this time and make it through the door. No one’s going to save you now y/n. You’re just going to have to save yourself. I run through the corridor with him on my tail. But no matter how fast I run it’s not fast enough. He grabs my shoulder and shoves me against the wall. In the struggle he grabs ahold of my necklace and tugs to the right ripping it from my neck. Now let me tell you tugging a necklace off someone’s neck isn’t always as graceful as you see in the movies. It’s not just one small pull and tadah the clasp unhooks painlessly and magically it’s off. In real life it hurts. Like a bitch.

“Fuck” I scream. The thin chain leaving a faint cut on the left side of my neck. Now, the truly disturbing part isn’t the cut on my neck but the next thing that happens. He takes a step back smiles and twists my silver cross in half. Bending it like it was nothing. Know when you need help. And whatever Axelrod was he sure wasn’t your typical human evil scientist. I grab the pin holding my hair up and take my chance and stab it in his eye. Follow through. Oh god that was so gross I hear a popping noise probably the fluid in his eyeball bursting. I make a run for it to the elevators. Maybe Bucky is still there. I know I haven’t slowed Axelrod down much because I hear his footsteps shortly behind me. I turn a sharp corner and slam into Bucky’s hard form. I grab his shoulders and stare wide eyed at a loss for words.

“y/n what happen I heard you scream,” he asks concern in his brows.

“Evil scientist,” were the only two words that came out of my mouth before I turned around again to face Axelrod with my jade hair pin sticking out of his eye. I quickly jumped out of the way just as his fist came in contact with Bucky’s metal hand. I stand there disoriented for a few seconds. Watching two super humans fighting each other. What the hell am I supposed to do. You can’t just expect me to sit around being the damsel in distress. I’m in a lab I realize I look around and see chemical storage across the corridor and make a beeline for it. I push open the door and head for hazardous storage. Knocking over god knows how many vials I finally find the one i’m looking for. Ethylene Fluorohydrin I grab the tube and open a draw looking for a injector. I shove the tube inside the compartment and run back. The scene still remains the same: Bucky throwing punches at the man with a pin sticking out of his eye. One shot I think to myself. I take my chance in the chaos grabbing the hair pin from his eye and pulling it out. Step one, distraction he grabs my hand I kick him in the shin causing him to keel. Bucky takes his opportunity snaking his arm around Axelrod’s throat. I take my shot and aim directly for his chest and inject him with the toxic chemical. It takes him a couple seconds to stop moving. And then he’s dead. My knees finally give out and I fall to the floor panting. Bucky does the same shoving Axelrod’s body off of his own.

“Evil scientist,” I begin to laugh. Maybe it’s the shock but I can’t seem to stop laughing.

Bucky looks at me curiously and says, “nice moves. You’re a good fighter.”

“I know,” I reply standing up still laughing out of breath. I reach for Bucky’s arm and try to pull him up. “Ahh” I let out. Grabbing my side. I look down at my hands in the dimly lit hallway. My hands that are now covered in red. When did I get stabbed? I think, looking down at the blood. I don’t remember getting stabbed. My hair pin. My lovely red sundress covers up the blood nicely the stain is barely noticeable. Huh. One hell of a day. Fighting superhuman evil scientist. Then suddenly everything feels very far away and I lose control of my body.

“y/n!” I hear Bucky’s voice right before I pass out.