#like my mom literally groaned in effort and he just glanced over and then kept playing solitaire

[shwarmii]

it truly is wild that some (re: shitty) fathers will see mothers (aka: the aLLEGED LOVE OF THEIR LIFE) struggle, and then the kid (of any age) jumps in to help the mom, and the father's response is just a "I raised my kid so well". like?? sir???? you failed as a husband, watching your own wife struggle with no comment or intention to giving her any help

it's like the year-round version of "father doesn't fill the mother's Christmas stocking". like, sir, i may have never believed in Santa, but i believed in you to do SOMETHING, jfc, someone give me one of those good dads to be a good husband to my mom please

[minawritesfanfic]

Backyard Boy Part 6

Rodrick Heffley x Reader

Work count: 2.6k

Summary: You go on what is practically a date with Rodrick and maybe enjoyed his company too much, but on the other hand it seems like you’re finally getting around to try to squish whatever beef there is with Heather.

Part 6

Previous | Next

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

Talking to Heather wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d hoped.

I been too busy to avoid her to realize that she was also avoiding me, one would think because we share a class it wouldn’t be that hard but she sat on the other side of the classroom and the teacher wasn’t the type to assign group work. So for three straight days, my efforts were in vain, eventually I just decided to ambush her.

I decided to skip the rest of my classes after lunch and wait out in the parking lot, it was boring as hell and I was relieved when the final bell rang for the day. I hid behind another car and waited for Heather to exit the building, she was quick to leave and say goodbye to all her friends. She strutted her way to her car and once her back was turned to me I tapped her shoulder, she jumped and a panicked expression cane across her face.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, you just wouldn’t talk to me otherwise. Can we talk now? I’m sorry it took me so long to come say something.” She turned to me and her expression was unreadable at first but quickly switched to anger.

“Oh so now you’re ready? Well news flash I’m not, so leave me alone!”

Heather huffed at me before climbing into her car and driving off, literally leaving me in the dust. I just sighed and ran a hand through my hair, this was going to be harder than I thought. I went back to my hiding spot and grabbed my backpack when I got a fright of my own, two hands grabbed my shoulder and whispered boo into my ear. I jumped and felt the hairs on my neck stand up. I turned around to see Rodrick snickering at my shrill scream and reaction, I rolled my eyes and lightly punched his shoulder.

“Asshole! I almost pissed my pants, did you have to scare me like that?”

“Yes, I absolutely had to! Your reaction was priceless, better than that sad puppy face you had before.” He said as he patted my back and then slid his arm over my shoulder, I felt my face burn red and just turned away.

“Oh, whatever, you’re still an ass though. What are you still doing here though? Figured you’d be on the way to band practice right now?”

“Yeah I wish I was, but my mom won’t let us practice until I get my algebra grade up. She’ll kill me if I fail it again.” He sulked and let his head rest against mine as he towered over me.

“Well, you wouldn’t be failing if you spent half your time practicing studying.”

“I know but studying is no fun,” he groaned before quickly pulling away and adjusting his posture. “So I was uh wondering if you could well help me study?” He tucked his hands deep in his pockets and avoided my gaze as much as possible.

“Yeah sure, but we’re studying at your place. If we go to mine we’ll end up watching a movie and never getting anything done.” I said with a shrug as I pulled my bag onto my shoulder and walked to Rodricks van.

★ ✮ ★

“Okay, so our equation is 7x -8 = 4x + 19, what’s our first step?” I said pointing to question 21 on the paper, Rodrick struggled more than I expected but was slowly getting the hang of it.

“Add 8? Subtract 4x? One of those maybe.”

“Not maybe that’s right, see I told you that you’d catch on. Try solving the rest on your own you’ve got this.”

Rodrick glanced at me hesitantly but he started solving the rest of the problem on his own, he was very unsure and kept glancing at me for reassurance. Once he finished he slid his paper over to me and he had gotten the answer 9, I smiled and held my hand up for a high five. He seemed to relax a bit and his smile grew as he high fived me back, both our heads turned at the familiar creaking of his front door. In came his mom and brother, we rarely hung out at Rodrick’s house so this was my first time seeing his little brother.

“Hello Mrs. Heffley and little brother Heffley,” I said though I eyed the brother a bit cautiously as Rodrick hadn’t had a single nice thing to say about him.

“Oh hello there how are you..?” Her eyes drifted to Rodrick’s homework in front of me amd they narrowed, “Rodrick! I can’t believe you’re having this poor girl do your homework, your dad is one thing I can’t believe you.” Rodrick didn’t even bother defending himself and just lowered his head and looked away.

“He’s not ma’am, I’m just helping him. He solved all these on his own actually.” I said as I gave Rodrick’s arm a squeeze, but his mom just shook her head and disappeared into the kitchen and the brother ran to his room.

“Can.. can we hang out at your place? I’m over studying, can’t we just watch a movie or something?” He said standing up and tossing the homework sheet in his backpack haphazardly, my gaze softened and I nodded.

“I was getting bored too, come on. I think my dad brought home a scary movie the other day, we could watch that and eat some snacks?”

Rodrick was eager at the idea we left his house and got into his van, first we went on a snack run. The inside of the convience store was chilly compared to the warm fall air that clung to the town, I strolled aimlessly through the aisles for anything that looked good. Rodrick was quick at deciding and had already started loading the counter with stuff. I just grabbed some chocolate, some chips, and an fruity drink. Rodrick had been avoiding my gaze for a while now but the tense air that lingered between us as we left the gas station was too much to handle, I had to say something.

“Does she always act like that?”

“W-what? What are you talking about?”

“Your mom, does she always assume the worst of you like that? You’re not the best at math but that doesn’t mean you’re forcing me to do your homework.” He didn’t respond at first and just took a long sip of his drink as we climbed into the van.

“Yeah, but it’s not unwarranted. If I ever do turn in an assignment it’s cause I get my dad to do it, so it makes sense she thinks I’m doing it to you too now.” He slumped into his seat a bit as he looked out the window.

“But she didn’t even want to believe it when I said you weren’t doing that she just walked off! That’s not fair to you, you practice so hard on all those problems. You deserve at least some credit, you’re way smarter than you like to show they just can’t admit it.”

“Do you really think so..?”

“I know so! I didn’t even have to help you much really, all I did was help you remember which formulas to use. Just because you know them doesn’t mean you can use them right but you did, I only really had to correct one or two problems.” Rodrick seemed a bit happier with my words and he smiled as he took one more long sip from his slushy, he out the keys in and started the car.

“Oh whatever, if you say so.” He said trying to feign he was uncaring but I hid my laugh as I could see the faint red tinting his cheeks and ears.

★ ✮ ★

I yawned as the movie flashed to the main character running desperately down a long hallway, I thought the movie would’ve been more interesting but it was more of a romance than a horror movie. Rodrick on the other hand was fully entranced by the movie, he shoveled chips into his mouth uncaring of the mess he was making into the blanket on his lap.

I couldn’t help but admire his features, the faint bags present under his eyes, how unkempt but freshly taken care of his hair was, the rough outline of his jaw that became more prevalent as he chewed. I hadn’t even realized that I had reached out the brush some of his hair behind his ear, he glanced at me for a moment but quickly looked away not saying anything. I started to pull my hand away but he leaned into my touch, eyeing me out the corner of his eye as the tv’s glow illuminated the faint pink tint on his cheeks.

I figured he didn’t want me to stop playing in his hair so I ran my fingers through the loose waves, he just leaned further and further into my touch. Eventually he rested his head hesitantly on my lap, both of us froze for a moment. This wasn’t the first time Rodrick’s laid on my lap but before now it never felt as intimate as it did right now, thankfully Rodrick turned his head away to face the tv again. I felt my cheeks burning but I just let my hand venture back to his hair, it was soft and fluffy. I could tell he washed it recently and took good care of his hair, it was healthy and the soft almost silky feeling it had proved that. I tangled my fingers in his loose curls and watched as he eyes fluttered shut and a smile spread across his face, but I could also see the slight redness present on his cheeks.

The rest of the movie was a blur as I got lost in the auburn jungle that was his untamed mane of hair, I’m sure it was calming for him but it was also relaxing for me. To let my mind wander as my hand do its thing, and wander my mind surely did. I imagined a lot of things and toyed with the idea of Rodrick and I actually dating, it was a hard thought at first as I had no idea what it would be like to date him. But it wasn’t much different than what we do now, we’d hang out a bunch, cuddle like this, and probably kiss. I brought my hand up to my lips as my cheeks burned red, I smiled at the thought. Rodrick hummed and turned to look at me, and I be lying if he didn’t look amazing staring up at me with droopy eyes and ruffled hair.

“Mmmm, why’d you stop?”

“I’m sorry, I got distracted. Did you like it that much?” He nodded and turned over yo look at me.

“Is it weird if I say yeah? I really don’t want you to stop?” He averted his eyes and a shy smile spread across his lips.

“Then I won’t stop, but I don’t think it’s weird.”

He just stared at me while I stared back at him, we weren’t sure or able to say anything else. Its like we were both frozen in time, Rodrick was the first to move he wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my waist. I didn’t know what or how to respond but eventually I relaxed into his embrace and went back to combing my fingers through his hair, I couldn’t be sure if he felt the same way but this had to a sign thay he might.

Right?

★ ✮ ★

Rodrick went home not long after that much to his discontent but it was late and we had school in the morning. Though all morning I’d been kind of off after the dream I had last night, Rodrick and I were on a date amd things were going great but of course I woke up right before we kissed. Now I’m stuck in class day dreaming about actually kissing Rodrick, even though I was beyond certain his lips would be chapped. I shook away the thought and payed attention in class, though I wasn’t too worried math was my strong suit. I glanced over at Renatta who was not so subtly texting on her phone, I rolled my eyes with a smile but then I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out subtly and saw a text Fron Renatta, I looked up and she was looking back on me gesturing over to Heather. I was confused but looked back down at her text.

“Heather wants to talk to you”

★ ✮ ★

I know I’d been trying to talk to Heather all week but now that it was actually happening I was sweating bricks, she left class before I could say anything. So all I could do was wait until I did have the chance fo talk to her, though she continued to brush me off in halls. Saying she’d talk to me later or she’d turn and pretend not to see me, frankly it was confusing and pissing me off. I get she was mad but out of all the ways to go about things this was the most childish, and besides it was years ago and she had Renatta now! I just couldn’t make sense of it, and figured that things with Heather just weren’t going to get resolved. I tucked my notebooks inside my locker excluding my math one which I was bringing home so I could review for the quiz coming up, and knowing Rodrick he would probably need my notes considering he always falls asleep in class. I put on my backpack and shut my locker ready to head home when a certified blonde came into my peripheral, I turned and she stood in front of me arms crossed with an unreadable expression. The hall way was mostly empty at this point so I guess now would be an okay time to talk.

“I get you’re made that I blew you off for so long-“

“I’m not mad.” Heather said matter-of-factly as she rasied her head up high.

“Really? It didn’t seem that way, you were blowing me off all day even though you said you wanted to talk.”

“I was busy, and I’m here talking to you now aren’t I?” I furrowed my brows, unsure of where this conversation was even going.

“Okay… I get that we have history together and it was probably kind of a dick move to just ignore all that after we saw each other again but-“

“I’m going to stop you there, it’s okay water under the bridge okay? The past is the past, this is now.”

“So we’re good?”

“Yeah, we’re good. So why don’t you come to my party this weekend, an olive branch if you will.” Heather said with a smile appearing on her face, it was uncanny how calm and uncaring she was being.

“An olive branch? Okay yeah sure, I’ll be there I guess.”

“Perfect I’ll see you there then,” she turned to leave her flipping her hair as she turned to leave but as she walked away she looked back looking me up and down. “Oh, and make sure to wear something white.”

With that Heather left and I was left kind of awestruck there in the hallway, I shook my head snapping myself back into reality. I thought that the entire interaction was odd but didn’t think much of it beyond that, I hugged my backpack tighter to me and left the building. I felt bad for keeping Rodrick waiting but he was in his own world beating his drum sticks against the steering wheel, I just snickered and opened the door. He left it unlocked for me and was startled when I hopped in next to him, he pulled down his headphones and flashed me a dopey smile. I couldn’t contain my own and the blush the grew on my cheeks, I was deeply infatuated with this goofball of a boy.

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

[marvelyningreen]

Andante

[Peter Maximoff x reader (X-Men: Apocalypse)

Summary: When an injury brings Peter’s superhuman speed to a screeching halt, you figure he could use some company and cheering up.

Warnings: mild language

Notes: could be interpreted as romantic or platonic, if that’s more your speed]

           You hurry in from the rain, pausing just long enough to shake off your umbrella on the doorstep before closing the door behind you. You take a moment to wipe your shoes on the mat in an attempt to keep them from squeaking in the tiled halls of the mansion.

           The floorplan of this rebuilt version is practically identical to the original. The design and decor are much the same, too. Still… You feel a bit like a stranger, or maybe the mansion itself does.

           With everything else that’d happened, you hadn’t really had a chance to process your own experience that day. One second, you were trimming the hedges by the mansion’s front steps. The next, you were a hundred yards away, surrounded by the students and staff, and the mansion was exploding, and suddenly there in your midst was your childhood best friend – Peter Maximoff, all grown up.

           It’s funny how someone you knew for such a short time could’ve made such an impact on you. Really, you and Peter only knew each other for two years. It baffled the teachers how a quiet goody-two-shoes like you could be thick as thieves with resident mischief-maker Peter Maximoff, but you were practically inseparable. Perhaps it was partly due to some truth in the old saying about opposites attracting. But there was more to it than that. You and Peter shared a secret.

           Your sporadic telekinesis had nothing on Peter’s incredible speed, but he never seemed to mind. You were both just so happy to finally have someone who understood, who you didn’t have to hide from. Those two years were some of the best of your life.

           And years passed, and you grew up. You kept your abilities hidden, but you kept the memory of Peter with you. You’d think of him often, hoping that he was doing well, wherever he was. You never expected to see him again.

           Lost in thought, Hank hurries around a corner and nearly bowls you over. You both apologize to each other, laughing, and continue on your respective ways.

           It feels strange being back here after… Well, after everything. Everyone is doing their best to settle back into a routine, but it isn’t quite working yet. Maybe it won’t ever feel the same.

           The students either converse too loudly or are oddly subdued, with very little in between. Scott Summers’ group of close friends is never far from his side, and the faculty likewise seem to hover around the professor. It’s difficult not to dwell on how bad things had gotten, and how much worse everything could’ve been.

           And if it’s difficult for you, you can only imagine how it must be for the person you’re here to see. You pause to knock politely at his door, and the voice that answers sounds oddly terse.

           “You can come in.”

           You slip into the room to find Peter scowling morosely out the window. He’s still laid up in bed, his broken leg in a cast and propped up on a pillow. He’s got a wicked case of bedhead, and there are dark rings under his eyes. You don’t think you’ve ever seen him look so tired.

           There’s an odd sound you can’t quite place – like the low hum of a fan or the purring of a cat – and you realize that it’s just Peter drumming his fingers restlessly on his nightstand at impossible speeds. He turns his head, and when he sees that it’s you walking through the door, his expression shifts into one of relief.

           “Oh, thank God,” he says, “I thought it was somebody coming to make sure I’m still “resting.” C’mere! Have a seat!”

           You grab a nearby chair and drag it closer to his bedside. You hate to see Peter cooped up and frustrated like this, but it’s good to see him, period. You don’t like to think about what could’ve happened to him in Cairo.

           When you look back up at Peter, his hair is smoothed down neatly. You snort involuntarily. If he's feeling well enough to be vain, it must be a good sign.

           “How are you holding up?” you ask.

           Peter slumps against his stack of pillows and groans dramatically, letting his head fall back.

           “I’m bored out of my mind. Do you know that they’re not letting me walk for a week? A whole week! Something about a risk of my leg not healing right if I move too fast on it. I said I’d walk like a normal person, but they apparently don’t trust me. Can you believe that? Don’t answer that. So I asked them just to drug me, knock me out for the rest of the week so I can get it over with, but they won’t do that either. This blows.”

           It’s hard not to smile, but it’s just so good to hear his voice. And, damn, people say you talk too fast. You’d forgotten that Peter was the true motor-mouth. Maybe he’s where you picked it up from. Though he still looks annoyed, Peter seems a little more relaxed after all that. Apparently he needed someone to vent to.

           He rolls his head to one side to look at you, and his brows furrow. “Hey, are you okay? You look tired.”

           “I look tired?” you say, “Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

           “I haven’t, actually, because the mirror’s all the way over there, and I’m stuck in bed. You wouldn’t guess that having to sit alone with your own thoughts would wear you out, but apparently it does.”

           You’d had a feeling that the broken leg isn’t all that’s weighing on his mind. There’s still the whole Magneto business.

           You almost ask him about it, but you think better of it. Peter’s got a lot to mull over on that front. If he wants to talk about it, you’ll be there to listen, but you don’t want to bring it up when he doesn’t have any way to exit the conversation if he needed to. You decide to change the topic slightly.

           “Listen,” you say, “I never got a chance to thank you. You saved my life. You saved so many people. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t turned up at the mansion when you did.”

           Peter ducks his head a bit as he smiles, probably pleased to get a little recognition. There hadn’t been much time for gratitude in the moment. There hadn’t been much time for anything, really. And there certainly hadn’t been time to reconnect.

          You’d chased after Scott and his friends into the wreckage, trying to make sure none of them got hurt, and then things went from bad to worse. Suddenly, you found yourself tagging along with these immensely powerful teenagers on a fly-by-night rescue mission. It’s a good thing you did, too. Who else was gonna fly that getaway plane?

           Your own mutant abilities had never been particularly strong, not in a combat sense. You’d learned to be a pilot in an effort to make yourself useful. You just hadn’t expected it to pay off in a situation like that.

           “What can I say? Right time, right place… Right speed.” Peter’s grin turns rueful as he glances down at his busted leg. “I mean, by all rights, I should be thanking you, too.”

           You’d been trying not to dwell on that whole experience. It makes you feel a little sick to remember seeing that familiar silver streak darting around while Apocalypse was tossed in the air like a ragdoll, and then feeling the hope choked out of you as you heard Peter scream in pain.

           You don’t know how you managed to scramble down out of that second story ruin after Hank and Scott without hurting yourself any worse, but you did. You tried to shake it from your mind – the feeling of shrapnel and energy battering the telekinetic field you’d struggled to maintain around Peter and Mystique.

           You clear your throat, as though that’ll somehow clear out the memory as well. “Yeah… I guess sometimes you don’t know what you’re capable of until it’s literally do-or-die.”

           “I don’t just mean Cairo.” Peter shakes his head. “Well, that, too. But I don’t just mean that. I mean when we were kids. You always had my back.”

           Just before middle school, Peter’s family had moved away. You weren’t quite sure why, but it seemed like something had happened and Peter wouldn’t talk about it. He spent his entire last week in town with you, and on the very last day he hugged you tightly and promised that he’d come back and visit if he could.

           You never heard from him again.

           It was only years later that you’d put the pieces together – the Maximoffs’ sudden move, the well-dressed men turning up at the school and asking strange questions. Peter must’ve gotten caught using his powers, and his mother packed up the whole family and fled to protect him.

          “For weeks, months after we moved away, Mom was so scared. She wouldn’t let me out of the house. She thought that, any second, somebody was gonna show up and… I dunno, take me away, I guess. But I wasn’t worried. I was a cocky little shit, y’know?”

           You snort. “‘Was?’ Pretty sure that part of your personality hasn’t changed.”

           Peter laughs, but it fades quickly.

           “I heard that people came to our old school looking for me. And, hey, they never found me and Mom, so I figured you must’ve covered for me.”

           If there was one thing you were grateful to your younger self for, it was your instinctive distrust of these suspicious strangers.

           “I didn’t tell them anything,” you say, and Peter nods.

           “I knew you wouldn’t. But this one day, something hit me. What if they found out that you were a mutant, too?” Peter shakes his head, biting his lip. “I was terrified. I thought they were gonna find you, and… and I don’t know what I thought they’d do to you.”

           You feel cold all of a sudden. That thought hadn’t occurred to you. You’d been so focused on trying to keep Peter safe that you never once considered that you might be in danger, yourself. All those news articles about what Bolivar Trask had been up to ten years ago come flooding into your mind. You brush them aside and focus on what Peter’s saying now.

           “I wanted to run back there, make sure you were alright; maybe – I don’t know – take you with me and run away so we’d both be safe. I actually bought one of those AM radios, if you can believe it. Every night, I’d use the skip to listen to the news back there. I never heard anything about you, so I had to make myself believe it meant that you were okay. Otherwise I would’ve gone crazy, y’know?”

           He laughs again, but it sounds a little shaky.

           “Yeah, I know,” you say quietly. The air in the room feels sorta heavy now. Damn it, you’d come here to cheer Peter up, and it’s about time you get to it. You change topics with all the grace of a sledgehammer. “Speaking of none of this, I brought you something.”

           Peter immediately perks up. You rummage in your backpack and pull out a box of Nutty Buddy bars.

           “I remember these where your favorite when we were kids. I didn’t know if you still liked them, so I brought some Star Crunch, too. But you don’t have to-”

           Peter seems to blur for a moment, and suddenly both boxes are torn open and several wrappers are arcing their way into the trash can. Peter lets out a satisfied sigh. You might’ve remembered his favorites, but you’d forgotten his habit of absolutely inhaling them.

           “Okay, I guess I shouldn’t have worried,” you say.

           “What else you got in that bag?” Peter asks. “It can’t all be snack cakes. Unless it is…?”

           He’s joking, but you can tell he wouldn’t be disappointed if the answer was yes. You heft your heavily-loaded backpack onto the edge of the bed.

           “I figured you’d be bored, so I brought some books over in case you… What?”

           Peter never had a great poker face. You can tell that he’s definitely trying to smile, but that expression is a pained grimace. He laughs ruefully.

           “I might not be able to walk, but my hands still work. And my eyes. Did you know I can read a whole bookshelf in two hours?”

           “Oh…”

           You hadn’t thought of that. You look down, crestfallen. Of course, if something can be done at speed, that’s how Peter will do it. So that rules out all the other usual time-killers – crosswords or jigsaw puzzles or craft projects.

           But you remember Peter enjoying some things that can’t be sped through – live music being the main one. You start to wonder about the logistics of sneaking Peter out to take him to a concert or a play or something, but that’d be difficult to pull off without the professor catching you. Hmm…

           Peter’s brow furrows for a second, and then his expression brightens.

           “Hey, why don’t you read them to me?”

           You blink in surprise. “What, me?”

           “Yeah, you. Who else?”

           At this prospect, you’re suddenly rethinking everything. For all Peter might call himself a loser, you’d always seen him as infinitely cooler than yourself.

           “I don’t know. These are some of my own books, and I don’t know if you’ll actually like any of them.” You can feel yourself blushing preemptively, certain he’ll judge your taste in literature. “Maybe if I run to the library instead-”

           “No, don’t go!” Peter interrupts. “It’s raining cats and dogs out there, and I’m sick of being alone. Come on, read me your nerd books. Please?”

           He turns those big, pretty, puppy-dog eyes on you, and it’d be almost impossible to say no, even if you wanted to. Which you don’t. You sigh, smiling at him.

           “Alright, you win,” you say, “But you have to at least pick which one.”

           His face brightens into a full thousand-watt grin. “Done!”

           Peter blurs once more as he shuffles through your selection of books. Then suddenly he’s still again, tilting his head as he studies a stout little paperback.

           “Hey, didn’t they make a movie out of this?”

           He tosses it to you and settles back against the pillows, watching you expectantly. You pull up your legs to sit cross-legged on the chair and take a deep breath. Here goes.

           “‘Carl Conrad Coreander – Old Books.’ This inscription could be seen on the glass door of a small shop…”

           You read on, interrupted only by the odd quip or question from Peter. You hardly mind his commentary. You’re just happy that the story seems to be entertaining him. He’s a far cry from the agitated ball of nerves he’d been when you walked in.

           You glance over at the clock and see that two hours have gone by. You wonder if Peter would mind you taking a quick intermission to give your voice a break. But as you turn to ask him, you fall silent.

           Peter’s head is lolled back on the pillows, his eyes closed, his lips parted slightly. His chest rises and falls with deep, even breaths – sound asleep.

           You smile fondly at him. Poor guy. He really must’ve been exhausted.

Telekinetically, you switch off the lamp. The atmosphere in the room softens to the grey light filtering in from the rainy day outside. There. That’s more conducive to sleeping.

           You make note of the page you’d left off on and close the book, picking up your copy of Howl’s Moving Castle instead. Moving as carefully and quietly as you can to keep from waking Peter, you make your way over to a more comfortable spot on the window seat.

           You’d hate for Peter to think you’d run out on him after he fell asleep. You’ll stick around. And if he needs anything when he wakes up, you’ll be here. That’s what old friends are for.

[squiggledrop]

Birthday Confessions - Spencer x Reader

Masterlist

Summary: Reader (gender neutral) and Spencer are both secretly in love with each other. Reader is going to be alone for their birthday, so Spencer comes up with a plan to surprise them.

Word Count: 4k

Pairings: Spencer Reid x Reader

Category: Fluff

Warnings: Kissing

Note: Written based on this request: “Spencer knows the reader doesn't have family near and celebrates it with her?” by @amofbebbanburg​. So sorry this literally took me forever.

The low rumble of the jet lulled you to sleep, your head falling to rest on Emily’s shoulder. Spencer sat across from you, his eyes fixated on the slight curve of your lips as your chest rose and fell with every breath you took, in tandem with the fluttering of his heart. The orange hue of his reading light dusted your cheeks, and the soft sounds you made resonated between his ears. He was so transfixed on your angelic, sleeping form, that he was unaware of the smirk plastered across Emily’s face as she watched him look at you. When he noticed her staring, he cleared his throat and abruptly returned his gaze back towards his book. Her light chuckle at his actions brought a harsh blush to his cheeks, only causing him to sink behind his book even further. 

“You know, you’re not being very subtle”, Emily teased, “(Y/n)’s going to catch on sooner or later”. Spencer felt his lungs constrict as panic coursed its way through his body.

“Wha-what do you mean?”, he confoundingly replied, having realized just how obvious he had been.

“Spencer”, she said with a knowing look, “We all know how you feel about (Y/n)-”

“Emily!”, he hissed. His eyes growing tenfold as he looked back at you to make sure you were still asleep. “They’re right there!”, he pleaded, turning his head to gesture towards your unconscious form.

“Relax”, she grinned. “They’re asleep, and trust me, (Y/n) can sleep through anything”, she said, rolling her eyes fondly. Spencer fought back a smile, trying to maintain his stoic composure, as he thought of how annoyed Emily would get on cases when your absurdly loud alarm would go off and not even wake you up. You would always joke that the point of your alarm wasn’t to wake yourself but to wake up Emily so that you could be woken up by the smiling face of your best friend. Emily would always glare at you in the mornings while on cases, and you would return the favor by laughing Oh hush, you love me, as the rest of the team shook their heads at your comical antics. 

Spencer bit his bottom lip as he thought about how he wouldn’t mind being woken up every morning to an air horn in his ear if it meant he got to wake up next to you. He would wake you up with gentle kisses across your face while holding you tightly to his chest. He would make sure to always have a huge smile on his face as he told you how much he loves you, just so you would start each day knowing how wonderful he thinks you are.

When the jet landed Emily gently shook her shoulder, causing you to groggily awake from your sleep. “Morning sleeping beauty”, she joked. You took in a deep breath, lifting your head and taking in your surroundings. It was dark, save for an amber halo peeking through Spencer’s deep curls. An inaudible gasp left your lips at the sight of him smiling down at you with his dark eyes that still managed to shine brighter than all the stars in the night sky. To quell the augmented flutter of your heart, you quickly turned away, hiding your flushed cheeks, before putting your head back down on Emily’s shoulder.

“Mmm, goodnight”, you sighed, closing your eyes as a smile crept its way to your lips.

“Nice try”, she laughed as she took her arm out from under you, placing a teasing pout across your face, “I’ve hit my sleeping (Y/n) quota for the week”. You reluctantly sat back up and were face to face with the man you had been hiding from. Your eyes met, and you lingered slightly too long looking at each other, completely unaware of Emily’s smirk.

“Right”, you cleared your throat, standing up. Spencer jolted his eyes back down to his book as he turned to place it in his satchel. You took this opportunity to make your way off the jet, not daring to look back at the man you were hopelessly in love with.

As you rode the elevator up to the sixth floor, you were hyper-aware of Spencer’s presence behind you. You kept sneaking glances at him, only to see he was looking at you each time you did. And each time you would both avert your eyes, just to look back a moment later.

After the team debriefed in the conference room, everyone went back to their respective desks to finish up some paperwork for the case before heading home. Luckily for you, this meant having to sit across from Spencer and using every fiber in your body to not look up at him. Spencer, however, couldn’t take his eyes off of you. He watched as you flipped through the files on your desk, and admired how you ran your fingers through your hair, a habit of yours when you were deep in thought. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when you began to chew on your lip, and he couldn’t get the idea of kissing your tender, plump lips out of his mind. You were killing him. He couldn’t focus on his work, and all he wanted was to hear your voice, he needed to.

“So, are you doing anything for your birthday this weekend?”, Spencer inquired. Your head shot up from your desk, your mind having gone blank at his question. He furrowed his eyebrows at you, while his musky brown eyes searched your face. Spencer’s face fell as he slowly turned back to the open file on his desk, figuring he said something to make you uncomfortable. Your eyes were fixated on him, as his words, that hung in the awkward silence, finally caught up to you.

“Uh, h-how did you know it was my birthday?”, you questioned, genuinely confused. You had been at the BAU for seven months, after having transferred from the San Francisco office, and you were sure your birthday, of all things, had never been the topic of conversation. It’s not that you hated your birthday, but seeing as your family lived on the other side of the country, you felt silly celebrating it beyond a text from your mom. Truth be told, you had almost forgotten it was coming up with how hectic everything has been at your new job. It was a lot different than your previous job in California, which mostly consisted of doing paperwork at your desk. But, you couldn’t be happier than where you were: doing your dream job with people that were slowly becoming your family. Emily quickly became your best friend, and your crush on the very man sitting across from you formed not long after. So, imagine your surprise when he looked at you, through dark circles that framed glazed over eyes, hazy from sleepless nights during long cases, and asked you if you had any plans for your birthday.

“Oh, um, well”, he looked away from you and scratched the back of his neck as his plump lips formed a slight smile, “i-it was in your file from when you joined, and you know, eidetic memory”. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled innocently at you before staring back down at his desk.

“Right, of course”, you forced a smile as his head shot back up and nodded. “Well”, your face brightened in an attempt to break the palpable awkwardness that had formed between you two, “probably just going to spend it watching David Tennant on my tv while curled up on the couch with some ice cream.”

“What? For your birthday? You aren’t going out to celebrate?”, he questioned, appearing genuinely concerned.

“Well, normally I would, but drinking at a bar alone doesn’t scream ‘Happy Birthday’, you know”, you chuckled.

“You should at least have cake, everyone should get to have cake on their birthday. Actually, birthday cakes date back to ancient Rome, where people would have cakes made out of flour, nuts, yeast, and honey. However, birthday cakes became popularized in the 15th century in Germany when bakeries began making one layered cakes for people to buy to celebrate birthdays”, he said as he raised his eyebrows while his lips formed a thin smile. You couldn’t help but look at him with complete adoration as he rambled. “But, um, you aren’t even doing anything with Emily or Garcia?”, he hesitantly questioned. Your lips pressed together as you shrugged your shoulders.

“Emily treated me to lunch earlier in the week because she has plans this weekend”, you reassured him and he nodded, “Plus, it’s the first year I won’t be with my parents and I just miss them so I don’t really feel like celebrating alone”, He gave you a sympathetic smile as you shrugged. “But, I promise I’ll at least get cake batter ice cream”, you smiled while winking, eliciting a laugh from him.

“Okay good”, he said, smiling back. His warm chuckles still reverberated throughout your chest, swirling around your heart. Once again you found yourself frozen, knowing you should turn away, but not finding an ounce of strength to do so as you both just gazed into each other’s eyes.

“Well uh, goodnight”, you said, forcing yourself to look down to grab your bag and head towards the elevator. Your stomach clenched as you kept your gaze ahead, not daring to look back at him. Spencer, however, couldn’t keep his eyes off of you as you left. His eyes caressed each of your curves as you walked further and further away from him. He bit his bottom lip, smiling to himself as he watched you leave. 

“Goodnight”, he murmured to an empty room with an obnoxious smile plastered on his face. 

You woke up the next morning, the sun glaring in through your blinds. You turned over in your white, crinkled sheets, shutting your eyes in an effort to avoid the intruding rays. The ding of your phone pierced the quiet room as you sighed and rolled back over to check your phone. You groaned as you squinted at the screen, the harsh light it emitted illuminating your face. 

From Derek: Hey sweet cheeks, sorry to bother you on our day off, but Hotch called a meeting. He said it’s urgent. 

Great, you thought, Happy Birthday to me. You forced yourself out of bed and wasted no time getting ready before heading over to the BAU. You grabbed a granola bar on your way out, rolling your eyes, dreading having to spend your birthday working instead of sleeping all day. 

When you walked into an empty bullpen, you were even more confused. You got out your phone, ready to text Morgan, but you got a text from Garcia.

From Penelope: Good morning and happy happy birthday my sweet sweet (Y/n). Everyone is in the conference room! :)

When you opened the door to the conference room, instead of seeing grotesque crime scene photos of victims, you found the whole team there, each sporting a very cliché party hat. You couldn’t help the smile that grew on your face as everyone shouted Happy Birthday! You made your rounds hugging and thanking everyone, however, you couldn’t help but notice that someone was missing. 

“Hey, Pen, where’s Spence?”, you asked as everyone else was distracted in conversations.

“Oh, he um, he had something to do today, so he couldn’t make it”, she said sympathetically, noticing that the smile you were trying to force was gradually falling.

“Oh okay”, you said, looking around trying to appear happy. 

“But um”, she said, turning to Derek, who raised his eyebrows and shook his head before stepping out of the room, “he gave us very special instructions on what to do”, she reassured. Your heart fluttered at her words, knowing that Spencer did this for you. Just as you were about to ask her what he said, the lights turned off. Derek came in holding a cake adorned with candles as everyone sang “Happy Birthday”. When he held the cake in front of you, you read what it said: Outside those doors, we might see anything. We could find new worlds, terrifying monsters, impossible things. And if you come with me… nothing will ever be the same again! Happy Birthday (Y/n)! You felt a tear slip down your cheek as you blew out the candles. The tenth doctor was drawn on the cake and you couldn’t stop rereading the quote of his that was written on top. You smiled back up at your team and thanked them for such an amazing birthday.

Despite the love and appreciation you felt from the rest of the team, you couldn’t help but spend the rest of the party overthinking, hiding it behind a façade. You didn’t want to read too much into the quote, but Spencer, who could probably, no definitely, recite every line from Doctor Who, had chosen this one for your birthday cake. You desperately wanted it to mean something, but if he hadn’t even shown up to your party, clearly you weren’t that important to him. When everyone had finished eating, you thanked them again and gave your hugs goodbye. You drove home and blasted your music, loudly singing along, in hopes of drowning out the thoughts of Spencer that swarmed your head.

When you reached your door, there was nothing you wanted more than to put on your sweats and sink into your couch. You slid your key into the deadbolt and pushed open the door. Expecting to walk into your desolate apartment, tears were brought to your eyes at what you found when you walked in. The lights were off and the windows had trash bags taped over them to prevent any sun from breaking the barrier and entering your apartment. You looked all around and were met with string lights adorning your ceiling as if there were a thousand glass stars littering your apartment. A projector sat on the floor near the entryway, projecting galaxies that were currently orbiting around the room. The twinkling lights drew your gaze onto the figure standing in the middle of the dimly lit room. You couldn’t make out his face, but you could tell who it was by the way his dark curls were illuminated by the intertwining auburn and cream-colored swirls of Jupiter that spun around him. 

“Spence…”, you whispered, his name slipping out as you felt yourself being pulled towards him. You had missed him so much today, and at the sight of him, you couldn’t contain the relief that washed over you. You placed your hands on his arms, the soft fabric of his pinstriped suit felt so right under your light grasp. You looked down at his converse, laughing as you realized he was dressed as the tenth Doctor. Looking up at him and meeting his gaze, you suddenly realized how close you two were and that you were practically holding him in your arms. “This is amazing”, you chocked out as you quickly pulled away, wiping the tear that rolled down your cheek as you sheepishly smiled. 

“That’s Doctor to you”, he teased, matching your smile tenfold. 

“Sorry”, you laughed, “this is amazing, Doctor.” You looked around your apartment again, still stunned at how captivating it was. “Um, how did you do all this?”, you asked amazed.

“W-well, you mentioned you were going to spend your birthday watching David Tennant on your television, and I figured having the Doctor in person would be an even better way to spend your birthday… And then I figured what kind of Doctor would I be if I didn’t show you outer space”. You opened your mouth but were swiftly cut off by him, “And, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to celebrate with everyone, but, I had to get you out of here and I thought you would enjoy spending some time with the team. Oh!”, he abruptly interjected, “did you um, get your cake?”, he timidly asked with a sheepish smile.

“Yes, I-I did. It was delicious by the way”, he nodded, “I missed you, but thank you for the party”, you said, just above a whisper, “but um, this, is amazing. I-It’s beautiful, Spence”, you smiled, admiring all the twinkling lights and planets that orbited the two of you, “really. Thank you”, you said, finally looking into his eyes that bore into you. 

“You are beautiful”, he said, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. You were speechless. Your mouth opened a few times as you struggled to find a response. “I just thought you should know”, he added after your prolonged silence. 

“The quote, on the cake. Did you um…”, you broke the silence between you two looking up at him expectantly.

“Yeah um”, he scratched the back of his neck as he smiled to the ground, “I uh, that line always makes me think of you”, your eyes widened at his words, “At work, we come across the most ‘terrifying monsters’, but, when I’m with you, I feel safe and when I look at you, I’m reminded that there are still amazing, beautiful things in the world, because, I-I think”, he cleared his throat, trying to hold back tears, “Because you are beautiful and amazing, and I am so lucky to have you in my life”. You were stunned. Your heart was beating so fast you feared he could hear it. Your silence, however, scared Spencer, because he didn’t want to lose you just because he had decided to spill his heart to you after breaking into your apartment. “I thought we could watch Doctor Who together”, he paused, still looking for any hint of a reaction from you, “but if not, I can just go. I didn’t mean to barge in like this and-”, he was cut off as you flung yourself into him. Your arms wrapped around his neck as he latched onto you, breathing a sigh of relief.

“No! Um, that, that sounds amazing”, you whispered into his neck. “I’d love nothing more than to be th-the Doctor’s companion”, you said, smiling against his soft skin.

“Good”, he laughed, “that’s, that’s very good”. You lifted your head off his shoulder, just enough to look into his eyes. Your smile slowly dropped as you moved in closer to his mouth, lightly brushing your lips against his. His eyes fluttered shut as you spoke against his mouth.

“But, as much as I love the Doctor, I would much rather be with my favorite doctor,” you smiled against his lips as you looked up, searching his eyes. 

“I think that can be arranged”, Spencer mumbled against your lips, opening his eyes as your noses brushed up against each other. You looked into his velvet eyes and swore you could see the entire universe in them as they reflected the warm glow of every star hanging above your head. You moved in closer, finally connecting your lips. Warmth rose within you, radiating out through your chest as his lips moved against yours. His arms moved up and down your back, mapping every curve of your body as if he were drawing constellations onto your flushed skin. Your fingertips ran across his supple skin as you cupped his cheek, deepening the kiss. His tongue grazed your bottom lip and you gladly opened your mouth, granting him more access. With every breath you took, you inhaled him in even deeper, getting high off the notes of cinnamon and coffee that flooded your senses. He pulled you impossibly closer, pushing you flush against his chest, and the moan you elicited only intensified his grip. Your thighs clenched and your knees felt week as he began to kiss along your jaw. The warmth of his mouth trailing its way down your neck, caused your eyes to roll to the back of your head. “So beautiful”, he murmured against your sensitive skin, saying it to himself more than anything else. Each kiss caused a string of electricity to shoot throughout your system, as you ran your fingers through his deep curls, tugging lightly. His kisses gradually became less intense, and your breathing began to even out. He gave a final peck to your neck and then to your cheek and finally your lips, before leaning back to look you in the eyes. “Happy Birthday”, he said smiling at you, while his eyes gleamed with adoration.

“Thank you”, you replied, your brain still fuzzy from the kiss you two just shared, “for, um, everything.”

“Of course”, he smiled, still holding your gaze, “So um, do you want to watch Doctor Who…”.

“Yeah, yes”, you nodded, finally getting some grip back on reality. You walked over to the couch, Spencer’s hand still laced in yours. You sat down first and Spencer sat next to you, still grasping onto your hand as if you would disappear if he let go. You grabbed the remote from the coffee table and leaned into him, resting your head on his shoulder as you both relaxed into the couch. As you were getting Doctor Who set up on the tv, Spencer took your hand into both of his and ran his fingers over your knuckles.

“I know I’m no David Tennant”, he said, causing you to turn and look up him, “but um, I-I just wanted to be clear that I, I like you, a lot”. 

“I like you too Spence”, you smiled, “a lot”, you teased. “And, Dr. Spencer Reid is way better than any other Doctor in my book”, you kissed him on the cheek, causing him to blush.

“Really?”, he asked, biting his lip.

“Really”, you reassured him.

“Even Matt Smith?”, he joked.

“Oooh I don’t know about that”, you said coyly, raising your eyebrows. Despite your joking manner, Spencer’s face still fell.

“Oh. Sorry. Yeah, he’s um-”, he rambled, looking down at his shoes.

“Spence”, you stopped him and put your hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at you, “I was just joking”, you said earnestly, making sure he understood. You searched his eyes as he slowly nodded. “When I said I like you, I meant I really like you, and only you, okay?”, he nodded again but remained silent, “I’ve kind of had a crush on you since my second day at the BAU”, you said smiling as a blush found its way to your cheeks, “and there is no one I would rather be with than you”. Spencer couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Your angelic voice echoed in his head as he pulled you towards his chest, enveloping you in a hug.

“You are the only person I want to be with too”, he said, pulling back so he could see your beautiful face. “And I’ve liked you since your first day at the BAU”, he smiled, crinkling his eyes. You let out a breathy laugh as you gave him a quick peck before snuggling back into him on the couch.

“Always have to one-up me, don’t you doctor”, you teased, and this time he laughed as he pulled you in closer to him, running his fingers along the side of your hip. As the episode began, you turned up to him again and pondered, “Speaking of one-upping, you took me to outer space on our first date, so I am very excited to see what you plan to do for our second”. You both giggled as he kissed the top of your head. 

Finally feeling confident after your many reassurances, Spencer quipped back, “Someone’s eager, and who said anything about a date?”, he smiled, “this is just a birthday present”. You feigned being hurt by his words as you laughed.

“Dr. Spencer Reid”, you shook your head, “I told you, I’m your companion”, you smirked, causing him to laugh, “you are stuck with me”.

“Good”, he said, peppering your face with kisses as you giggled, “Because I am never letting you go”. He looked into your eyes as the Doctor Who theme song played in the background and you both smiled like idiots. You turned your attention back to the tv and held onto each other for the rest of the night. You fell asleep in each other’s arms as the stars twinkled above your heads and you spun in orbit with the planets that danced throughout the apartment.

[little-mad]

Downsides of Thievery Pt. 3

~ Previous Part ~ Next Part ~

Going through the portal from one dimension to another felt as simple as walking through a door. There was no flash of light, no weird tingly sensation all over Gavin’s body, no “welcome to a new dimension” announcement; Gavin could almost believe he was still back home...were it not for the fact that every single thing around him was mega sized.

Trees as tall as skyscrapers loomed overhead, and although he was looking down on them from Rael’s hip height, Gavin could still tell that even the wildflowers sticking out of the ground would be taller than him. He swore he even saw a chipmunk the size of a car scurrying up the side of a tree.

Suddenly, Gavin felt almost glad he was secured inside a cage. As much as he hated being confined, right now he didn’t feel like he could handle being out in the open, not with a bunch of big ass woodland creatures roaming about. Being attached to a big ass dude was bad enough.

Though he couldn’t see it from his current position, Gavin figured the portal they’d come through must have gone away, judging by the abrupt disappearance of the soft blue glow that the portal had been giving off a moment ago. “I’m officially closed off from the rest of humanity,” Gavin’s brain helpfully reminded him.

Glancing upward, Gavin caught Rael throwing him a brief look as if to ensure his captive was still there. The teal eyes examined him for only a moment before they returned to looking forward.

Gavin sighed. As intimidating as Rael was, he knew he couldn’t avoid talking to the guy forever. For one, he needed to ask his captor where exactly he was being taken, because in the middle of the woods hadn’t been what he’d been expecting. Gavin was admittedly not all that knowledgeable about alteon customs, but he was pretty sure they mostly lived in cities and towns.

Before Gavin even got the chance to mentally prepare himself for the prospect of addressing the alteon, he was bucked forward by the movement of the giant leg behind him.

Once again lying at the bottom of the cage, Gavin groaned. He was really beginning to sympathize with hamsters, lizards, and other handheld pets. Getting tossed around in a cage really sucked. Although, he figured most pets would be handled more carefully by their owners than Rael was currently handling him.

Every other step the aleton took jarred Gavin’s cage, meaning there was zero point in trying to stand up because he’d just be thrown to the floor again in an instant. Instead, he opted for sitting in the back with his arms wrapped around the iron bars for stability. It was still an unpleasant experience, but at least this way he could spare himself a few extra aches and pains.

About five minutes passed by and Rael continued to make his way silently through the forest. He clearly had no intention of striking up a conversation, which meant the task fell on Gavin. “Just picture him in his underwear,” he thought to himself, but then quickly realized that trick only worked on normal sized people. Picturing Rael in his underwear would only make Gavin feel both afraid and uncomfortable. “Okay…just imagine he’s not gigantic then.”

Gavin tilted his head back so he was looking up towards Rael’s face, however from the angle he was at, he could only really see the underside of the man’s jaw. “Yeeeah, kind of hard to imagine he’s not huge when I have to almost break my neck just to see his face.” After taking a deep, steadying breath, Gavin opened his mouth to speak.

-

Were Rael someone well learned in the magical arts, he could have easily teleported both himself and his human charge to the palace. However, as things were, he had no choice but to travel on foot through the woods that surrounded the city of Ostrad.

Rael didn’t necessarily mind a little hiking, but having to walk back to the city added on about an extra hour to the assignment he never wanted in the first place. He blew out an inaudible sigh, ignoring the way the cage hooked onto his belt repeatedly bumped against his thigh as he walked. At least the human had kept quiet so far, as long as it remained that way--

“Hey, uh--Rael?” The unexpected sound of the human’s voice nearly caused Rael to stop in his tracks. He paused for a moment but quickly recovered and continued making his way forward.

Rael flicked his eyes downwards for just a moment and saw that the human was looking up at him expectantly. Half because he didn’t want to end up running into anything, and half because he didn’t want to give the human the satisfaction of getting his attention, Rael quickly went back to looking forward. “What is it?” he responded reluctantly, making no effort to hide his irritation.

“Well--um, I was just wondering where we’re headed,” said the human nervously. Rael had been a little surprised when he found out that humans didn’t have high, squeaky little voices that fit their size. Instead, their voices were essentially normal, though much quieter than that of an alteon. This was something Rael was grateful for. While it would have been briefly amusing if the humans squeaked like mice, Rael had no doubt he would quickly tire of it.

“I’m delivering you to the Emperor at the palace,” Rael stated tersely. Surely the human could have deduced that on his own.

There was a pause, and Rael hoped that would be the end of the discussion, but evidently the human had other plans. “Right but uh--why didn’t we just...portal straight there?” he asked.

Rael rolled his eyes. He didn’t know whether it was all humans or just this one in particular, but there was certainly an air of obliviousness emanating from Gavin Stone. “The portal needs to be distant enough from civilization in the event intruders manage to slip through somehow,” Rael explained slowly, as though he were speaking to a child.

Honestly, the precaution of keeping portals isolated seemed as though it was more for the sake of protecting the humans that might come through than any alteons. Prior to departing for this assignment, Rael had been educated in all the ways humans could potentially bring harm to alteons. The list was quite short, and mostly involved large weapons of mass destruction, which were apparently not widely available in the human realm.

A thoughtful hum came from the caged human. “I guess that makes sense, though I can’t imagine any human intentionally trying to come here,” he commented. He seemed to be gaining some confidence in his speech and no longer stumbled over his words, much to Rael’s annoyance. The last thing he needed was for his captive to start getting talkative.

“Believe me, we don’t want humans here either,” Rael retorted. Perhaps he was speaking from his own opinion more so than that of the general population of his dimension, but he wasn’t about to tell Gavin Stone that.

-

Gavin narrowed his eyes at Rael’s comment. If he didn’t know any better, he might say that his captor wasn’t all too fond of humans. He had to wonder what the alteon’s past experience with humans had been. Was Gavin the first he’d met? Had he really made that bad of a first impression? “Oh yeah, I sprinted away from him full speed,” Gavin reminded himself.

People not liking him was not an unfamiliar thing for Gavin. Admittedly, he maybe didn’t have the best verbal filter, and had the unfortunate tendency to blurt out whatever popped into his head. He had been fired from his first job at a movie theater for accidentally calling his manager a “lazy dickwad” within said manager’s earshot. He had gotten sent to the principal’s office in third grade for letting it slip to another kid that Santa wasn’t real. And Gavin knew it was only a matter of time before he said something to Rael that really pissed off the giant.

If Gavin were smart, he would just keep his mouth shut. It was obviously what Rael would have preferred. The only problem was, Gavin wasn’t smart. Smart people became doctors, settled down with a sweet spouse, and moved into a fancy house in the suburbs. Smart people did not become thieves who stole from literal giants.

“So uh--are you like the Emperor’s delivery guy then?” Gavin asked. He didn’t really know where he was hoping the conversation would go or what he hoped to accomplish, but running his mouth felt familiar. If he stayed quiet he’d just end up wallowing in his own anxiety and fear.

Rael shot Gavin a quick, sharp look. “I am a member of the Imperial Guard, not a ‘delivery guy’,” he snipped, clearly not fond of Gavin’s insinuation.

Gavin didn’t really know what being in the “Imperial Guard” entailed, though he supposed it had a fancy enough name. Honestly, it kind of sounded like something out of Star Wars, though he wasn’t going to mention that to Rael considering the guy probably didn’t even know what a movie was.

“So did they specially choose--” Gavin’s sentence was interrupted midway through by an annoyed huff from Rael.

“There is no need for us to converse. So unless you have something crucial to say, I recommend you keep quiet,” the alteon stated coldly.

Despite Rael’s less than friendly tone, and the fact that it was a colossus of a man saying it, Gavin did not intend on keeping quiet. A familiar desire to be contrary was rising up in him. His mom had always called it his “urge to be a complete pain in the ass.”

Gavin didn’t necessarily want to intentionally piss off his captor, he didn’t want to make an enemy of the alteon. That would be stupid even for him. However, Gavin wasn’t about to roll over and behave like a good little boy. He was a criminal, following the rules was basically the antithesis of who he was. No, Gavin was going to talk to Rael whether the elf looking son of a bitch liked it or not.

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Rebirth

Chapter 2: Is This A Test?

Summary: Steve begins his life at Camp Lehigh, throwing himself into training alongside the other candidates for Operation Rebirth and is shocked when on his first day he comes face to face with someone he hadn’t been expecting to see again…

Warnings: Bad Language words. Some over the clothes making out (NSFW, 18+)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N:  I might have taken a few liberties here with the way things worked in the Army in the 40s but, let’s face it, no more than the MCU did! Any mistakes are my own. I’ll probably spot them once posted but, whatever!

This series is my contribution of sorts to the CATF 10 Year Anniversary Challenge.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

SSR Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 1

At Camp Lehigh the new recruits were met by their Sergeant, who escorted them to their quarters. There it was explained to them that as they were to form part of a programme run by the Strategic Science Reserve, a separate unit from the rest of the army training at the base, but more would become clear in an hour or so when they reported for exercise. They were then issued their standard uniform, which was awkward for Steve as even the smallest sizes felt like they drowned him but he shrugged it off reminding himself that he had finally done it. He was here, training to be a soldier.

He changed and then Sergeant Duffy appeared again, barking at them to fall in line and they followed him down to an exercise field at the rear of the barracks. Here they once more lined up, Steve taking his place in between teo men whose names he couldn’t remember and they stood, waiting.

“Recruits, attention!”  A female voice called and Steve felt his mouth drop open, because he knew the owner of said voice. “Gentlemen, I’m Agent Stark, this is Agent Carter.”  He turned to face Katie as she began walking down the line, dressed in a sharp army uniform with another woman at her side and a man behind them both who was clutching a box which contained clip files. As she reached Steve, Katie stopped and looked at him, giving him a bashful, almost apologetic smile as the other woman continued to walk.

And wait. Her surname was Stark? As in, Howard Stark? Was that her husband? Had he kissed a married woman? Fuck! Steve swallowed his worry down and averted his eyes as Katie passed down the line following Agent Carter, their eyes flicking to each man in turn.

“We supervise all operations for this division.” Agent Carter spoke in a strong British accent before she was interrupted.

“What’s with the accent, Queen Victoria?” A man further down the line stated rather obnoxiously, causing Agent Carter to stop. Katie drew up alongside her, and Steve watched as, Katie’s hands fell to her hips and she studied the man who’d spoken out of line. “Thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army!”

“What’s your name, soldier?” Agent Carter asked.

“Gilmore Hodge, your Majesty.”

At that the two women exchanged a glance and Agent Carter took a deep breath. “Step forward, Hodge.”

The man obliged, a smirk on his face as he looked around a little, no doubt to check everyone was watching.

“Put your right foot forward.” Agent Carter instructed.

“Mmm… we gonna wrestle? Cause I got a few moves I know you’ll like.” Hodge spoke, before puckering his lips up in a kissing gesture.

Then, there was a flurry of movement and in a flash Katie was behind him, jerking his arm up his back. She aimed a sharp kick to the back of his knee causing Hodge to stumble to the floor. She went with him, her knee planted firmly in the base of his spine, arm twisting even more and he gave out a yell, “Okay, okay I yield.”

Steve gave a little huff of laughter, as did the man to his right as Katie stood up, not a hair out of place and smoothed down her jacket and trousers as Hodge rose to his feet. No sooner had he done that Agent Carter punched him hard, straight in the face.

And Steve laughed a little more this time, hastily straightening his face when he noticed a man, a Colonel according to the pips on his shoulders, hopping out of jeep as he barked to the two agents.

“Agent Carter, Agent Stark.”

Both of them wheeled round, springing to attention, saluting.

“Colonel Phillips.”

“Sir.”

“I see you’re breaking in the candidates. That’s good!” He nodded to the two women before he looked down at Hodge “Get your ass up out of that dirt and stand in that line at attention 'til somebody comes and tells you what to do.”

“Yes, Sir.” Hodge scrambled to his feet and slotted back into the place he’d been stood previously, looking a little sheepish.

Steve watched as Colonel Phillips started to walk down the line, addressing the new army recruits.  “General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons but they are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best men…” He paused a little at that point as he looked at Steve. Steve kept his face straight, looking directly ahead. He knew full well what the Colonel was thinking, but he was here to prove him wrong. “And because they’re gonna get better. Much better. The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an Allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world. Our goal is to create the best army in history. But every army starts with one man. At the end of this week we will choose that man. He will be the first in a new breed of super-soldiers. And they, will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell.”

Super-Soldiers? The end of the week? That was five days away! Steve could hear a few murmurs down the line as some of the recruits began to exchange glances.

“Did I ask any of you to talk?” Phillips barked and silence fell once more. “The man we select will go through a procedure,” he continued, “an experimental procedure that, if successful, will significantly enhance his physical stature, amplifying all his qualities and abilities. This is not something we take lightly. It is for this reason that you will be assessed not just on your current physical abilities but your mental capacity and it won’t be easy. So if any of you are having second thoughts,” he once more paused at Steve who, as before, ignored him, “speak now or forever hold your peace.”

No one made a sound.

***** Whilst Steve didn’t have much time to think about Katie for the rest of the day as most of his energy was taken by keeping up with the afternoon’s exercise, he found himself with plenty of time to think about her over dinner. He kept himself to himself, taking a seat at the end of a large table in the mess hall, unable to prevent the sullen mood he found himself in.

He knew it was stupid, as he hardly knew the dame, but he felt betrayed, and if truth be told a little confused. Betrayed at the fact she’d kept her true identity and vocation from him, confused as to why she’d kissed him, especially if she was married and knew they’d end up working together. It confounded his original opinion that she’d done it out of some kind of obligation, a thank you if you will for him stepping in that day on the street. Not that he needed to step in, it was perfectly clear now she’d been able to handle herself.

He looked down at the tasteless bully beef and dumplings, before he sighed and continued to eat. Whilst he wasn’t particularly hungry he knew that he had to keep his strength up, especially if he wanted to have any chance to complete the training that was in store tomorrow. When he’d had his fill, he took the tray over to the clear down area and headed outside into the warm New Jersey evening.

It was still light, the birds in the trees singing their melodic evening chorus as Steve headed over the camp towards the sleeping barracks he and the other Project Rebirth candidates had been assigned to. He trudged down the dirt path, hands in his baggy uniform pockets when he heard Katie shouting to him. Taking a deep breath, he stopped, and turned to face her, saluting.

“Agent Stark.”

“Woah, at ease, we ain’t on parade now!” She shook her head.

“Yes Ma’am.” He dropped his arm but kept it firmly by his side, still standing to attention, focussing on a spot slightly behind her.

“What’s with the Ma’am?” She frowned but Steve ignored her question. Her frown deepened and she cocked her head to one side. “Wait, are you angry at me?” Steve’s eyes flicked to hers for a second and he swallowed looking away causing her to sigh. “Steve, I…”

“You lied to me.” He blurted out, his eyes returning to hers and she frowned.

“No, I just didn’t tell you my full story.” She shrugged, lamely.

“Where I come from that’s called lying.”

“Oh come on, Steve, it’s not like you actually asked what I did for a living!”

“I asked if ya worked for Howard Stark.” He folded his arms. “And you said you did.”

“Well, I do, sorta…”

“Oh, is that as well as sorta being married to him?”

“Married?” Katie’s eyes narrowed before they widened again and she grinned. “What, you think…oh my God Steve!” She let out a laugh.

“You know, I’ve had my fill of people laughing at me today.” He rolled his eyes and turned to leave, an angry flush spreading up his neck.

“Howie’s my brother!”

“Your brother?” He stopped dead.

“Yes, you know, same mom, same dad.”

Steve groaned, feeling like a total, total idiot and after a moment or two of cursing himself he turned back to face her, his face bashfully tinged red. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“That you were related? Or what it is that you actually do?”

“Because I didn’t know I was supposed to.” She looked at him. “Plus, I kinda liked not being Agent Katie Stark for a moment and just being, I dunno, some regular girl.”

Steve looked at her again before he glanced away, not quite sure what had come over him. He’d literally never had a conversation with a woman that lasted longer than a few minutes, if that, and here he was for the second time with her just rolling with it, and not just that, he was actually being a little rude. His ma would not be happy.

“I’m sorry.” He offered, his manner contrite. “That was rude. I guess, well, it was just a shock, that’s all.”

“Do you know how people usually react when I tell them what I actually do?” Katie sighed, shaking her head “Most guys run a mile.”

“Well, I’m not like most guys.” Steve instantly retorted, repeating the sentiment she had expressed to him mere days ago. She blinked a little, before she gave a huff of laughter and dropped her eyes to the floor.

“Touche, Rogers. Touche.”

“Can I ask you something?” Feeling emboldened Steve asked hastily, before he chickened out.

“Sure.” She nodded.

“Did you know? That I was gonna be here, I mean.”

“Not for certain.” Katie shook her head. “I had an idea when you told me it was a doctor from a Science Division that had recruited you but until I saw your name on the new-recruit roster this morning, I didn’t know for sure.”

“Right.” Steve nodded, licking his lips a little.

“Does it matter?” Katie frowned.

“Not especially.” He popped a shoulder. “Just kinda figured that if you knew you’d be seeing me each day, you wouldn’t have…you know…”

“Kissed you?”

“Yeah, that.” Steve felt the heat rise in his neck as he thought back to that moment. He ran his hand through his hair in a nervous fashion. “I mean I know you probably did it because you either felt kinda sorry for me or like you hadda thank me but this has gotta be awkward for you right? Seeing me every day as a reminder, but it’s not like I told anyone so-“

“Woah, woah, stop!” Katie shook her head, stepping towards him. “Steve, I don’t care who you told. I’m not embarrassed if that’s what you think.”

“You’re not?”

“No!” Katie looked at him like he was stupid. “And I didn’t kiss you because I felt sorry for you or because I felt I owed you, I kissed you because I wanted to.”

“You wanted to.” Steve looked at her, not quite sure if he believed her or not.

“Is that so hard to comprehend?”

“Frankly, yes!” He snorted. “I mean, look at ya. You’re…” he gestured with his hand towards her. “And I’m…”

“Well lucky for you I’m not a shallow bimbo then isn’t it?” She said, an air of annoyance in her tone. “I might be a Stark, and yes, I’m privileged which means I’m expected to act a certain way with a certain type of man from a certain type of background. Maybe I just wanna act how I wanna act, with who I choose. And your assumption right then? That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.”

“Katie, I didn’t-” But even by the time he’d finished half his sentence, she’d turned on her heel and left “-mean it like that.” He finished a little lamely, watching her go. His hands dropped to his bony hips and he glanced at the floor, toeing the dirt slightly before he looked up and around.

He felt so out of place, the one thing he’d wanted to do and now he was here he felt as small and as insignificant as he had ever felt. And to top it off, he’d just upset probably the one person he could have relied upon for support. But it was more than that. He felt guilty, guilty that he’d upset her and made assumptions about her, when he actually in all fairness knew nothing about her. He’d judged a book by its cover, which was what he hated everyone doing to him. With a final groan he turned and headed back towards the sleeping quarters, to unpack the small chest of belongings he’d brought with him.

If today was anything to go by, it was going to be a long week.

***** Long was an understatement.

By Monday morning,  Steve had done five different physical assault courses, various runs loaded with equipment, taken part in a number of logic puzzles, had a one on one interview with Colonel Phillips, completed written, arithmetic and geography tests and been subject to another medical examination.  He was now on a fuck knows how many miles drill run, being barked at once more by Sergeant Duffy.

“Pick up the pace, ladies! Let’s go!”

Steve was running as fast as he could, but still lagged ten or fifteen yards behind the main formation of the group. His legs ached, his chest hurt but he was damned if he was giving up.

"Double time! Come on! Faster! Faster! Move! Move!”  Sergeant Duffy instructed as they rounded the corner of the dirt path, drawing up behind a jeep which was parked by a flag pole surrounded by white rocks on the ground. “Squad, halt!”

Finally, Steve could catch his breath. He bent over, hands on his knees as he inhaled deeply, watching the group of men as they gathered around their leader.

“That flag means we’re only at the halfway point.”

Half way? Great…just great.

“First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agent Carter. Move, move!”

Steve pushed his helmet back up his head, remaining where he was simply watching as the entire unit all tried to climb the pole. It was a free for all, men pushing each other out of the way, elbows flying, fists flailing. Steve however scanned the pole up and down, his brain logically thinking it through. There had to be a way to get that flag down without having to climb the pole, otherwise how did they put it up there in the first place?

“If that’s all you got, this army’s in trouble!” Duffy snapped “Get up there, Hodge! Come on! Get up there!”

Hodge, who had made it a few feet further than everyone else slid down to the ground and Duffy stood back, his arms folded, smirking a little. “Nobody’s got that flag in seventeen years!” He shook his head “Now fall back into line! Come on, fall in!”

That signalled the end of the little pole exercise, but not for Steve. As everyone cleared away he walked towards it, glancing first at the bottom of the pole, then up to the top, squinting slightly against the sun. If he was right…

“Rogers! I said fall in!” Duffy barked, but Steve ignored him as he bent down and pulled the pin out at the bottom of the pole causing it to fall with a loud crash to the ground in a cloud of dust. He tossed the pin to the floor with a clang as everyone fell silent, watching as he removed the flag from the rope which held it to the pole. He handed it to Sergeant Duffy on his way past.

“Thank you, sir.” He said gently as he climbed into the back of the jeep. Agent Carter turned to face him from her seat in the front and he shot her a smile which she returned, an amused look spreading across her features.

Steve was damned glad of that ride home as, following lunch, they were subjected to another physical activity, this one a seemingly endless circuit training involving star jumps, push up, sit ups you name it.

“Faster, ladies!” Agent Carter barked, as they were all busy doing push ups “Come on. My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul. Move it!”

A few more sets and she barked at them to get up, which they obeyed, springing to their feet just as Agent Stark arrived with Colonel Phillips and Dr Erskine. The three of them were clearly mid some debate, Katie looked a little annoyed and turned to Phillips snapping at him, her face flashing with anger. Erskine put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head gently and she rolled her eyes, turning away and looking over towards the group of men.  She locked eyes with Steve who watched her for a second, before Agent Carter’s voice hit his ears and he began the jumping jacks she had instructed them to partake in.

“Come on, girls.”

Steve had no idea how many he did, but he continued going, his arms and legs both spreading and then coming back together as he made jump after jump. He grit his teeth, powering through the burn he was feeling in his muscles, tossing his head out of the way slightly as his dog tags bounced off his chest after a particularly energetic leap, smacking him straight in the nose.

And then he heard it.

“GRENADE!”

All logic flew from Steve’s head and as the rest of the unit scattered he instinctively dived towards the explosive, covering it with his body, curling his knees into his chest in an attempt to minimise the impact to everyone round him.

“Get away!” He yelled, waving his arm as Agent Carter ran towards him, “get back!”

He remained curled in on himself, waiting and waiting but nothing happened. Eventually he looked up, to see everyone was slowly starting to go back to normal and he sat up, frowning a little, his mouth hanging slightly open.

“It was a dummy grenade. All clear. Back in formation.” Someone spoke as Steve glanced first at Agent Carter then over to Phillips and Erskine and finally Agent Stark. As his eyes met hers a smile crossed her face and a flash of something that looked suspiciously like pride filled her pretty features.

“Is this is a test?” He asked as he sat on the floor, completely bemused at what had just happened.

Katie tore her eyes from his to turn to Dr Erskine who was also smiling and they both simultaneously moved their attention to Colonel Phillips. He shot them both a withering look as he spoke before he turned to walk away. As he passed Katie he stopped, pointed to Steve who was now getting to his feet and she nodded, saluting.

Erskine beamed at Steve before he turned to follow Phillips away, once again patting Katie’s shoulder as he left. Steve dusted himself down and then simply watched as Katie walked over to Agent Carter, his eyes following her every move. She whispered something to the other woman who raised her eyebrows, a soft smile crossing her face. Both women then looked at him, before Peggy gave Katie a curt nod as she called the remaining soldiers back into line.

“Private Rogers,” Katie spoke, her eyes soft as she glanced at him, “with me.”

“Ma’am.” He scrambled after her, tripping over his feet slightly as he hurried to catch up with her, glancing back at the line of men who were now being addressed by Agent Carter before she dismissed them all.

“What…where are the rest of the guys goin’?” he began to ask and Katie turned to look at him as he fell into step besides her, to her left.

“They’re leaving.”

“Leaving?” Steve frowned.

“Yup.” Katie nodded as she led him across the training field and onto the gravel track. “They’ll be re-assigned to other units.”

“Other units?” Steve frowned, before her words finally registered “You mean…”

Katie stopped and turned to look at him, smiling as she brushed some of the dirt from his shoulder. “Congratulations. You’re gonna become our first Super Soldier.”

Steve blinked, swallowed and then shook his head. “Is this a joke?”

“No.” Katie shook her head. “I can assure you this is deadly serious.” She took a deep breath and turned to walk down the track to her right.

“Why me?” Steve blurted out as they rounded a row of military jeeps

Katie smiled at him “The fact you’re even asking that should tell you everything you need to know. But if you really want the detailed answer, you should ask Abe.”

“Who?”

“Dr Erskine.”

“Okay, I will, where is he?” Steve looked round almost as if he expected the Doctor to appear form behind the munitions store they were passing.

“I suspect on his way to Brooklyn to meet Howie at the lab.” Katie replied “He’ll be back later so you can talk to him then.”

“The lab’s in Brooklyn?” The surprise was evident in Steve’s voice as Katie led him to one of the large green dome like structures that housed the offices. “So that’s why you were there that day.”

Katie grinned. “Not just a pretty face, are ya?” She stood still, snapping to attention and saluted to the guard on the door who immediately saluted back.

“Agent Stark.” He greeted as he stepped to his right, opening the door for them both to step into. Steve followed behind her down a long corridor. They turned left at the end and Katie stopped outside a door to their right which held a name tag informing them that it was Colonel Phillips’ office.  She gave a sharp rap, and then without waiting for an answer opened the door and stepped in, Steve following.

The Colonel looked up as they entered the room, placing the pen he’d been writing with down on his desk.

“Shut the door.” Phillips barked and Steve scrambled to do as he was told before he drew himself up tall and saluted his superior. “At ease, Rogers.”

“Sir.” Steve nodded and relaxed as much as he could. At that point there was another knock on the door and he turned to see Agent Carter step inside.

“Ma’am.” Steve nodded to Peggy who smiled at him.

“So, I’m assuming Agent Stark has given you the low down?” Phillips spoke and Steve turned back to him, giving a nod.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, saves me a job.”

“When don’t I?” Katie quipped and Steve’s eyes widened at the fact she’d basically just sassed a superior officer. There was a moment’s pause before Phillips snorted.

“One of these days, Agent Stark, that mouth is gonna get you into trouble.”

“I look forward to it.”

Phillips shot her another look which she met with a smirk and he scoffed a little, turning his attention to Steve. “So, Rogers, Dr Erskine has chosen you as the candidate to become our first Super Soldier.”

“It’s an honor, Sir.”

“Do you have any questions?” Peggy looked at Steve.

Steve pondered for a second. Truth be told he had a lot of questions, but the biggest one, the why, that was going to have to wait for Dr Erskine himself. He took a deep breath and looked up at the Agent before his eyes flicked to Colonel Phillips, and back again.

“What does the procedure actually entail?”

“Agent Stark, you wanna take this?” Phillips looked at her and she nodded.

“You’ll be injected with Erskine’s formula.” Katie looked at Steve “This will cause immediate change to your cells, your DNA. Then to stimulate the change and growth, you’ll be subjected to an intense permeation of Vita-Rays, in a chamber that my brother and Erskine developed especially.”

“Is it safe?” Steve asked.

Katie took a deep breath and shrugged. “On the animal test subjects we’ve used, yeah but I’m not gonna lie to you Steve, other than a Nazi scientist named Johan Schmidt the serum hasn’t been tested on any human subject.”

“What happened to this Schmidt guy?” Steve asked and Katie looked at Phillips, then Peggy, and when she turned back to him he swallowed a little at the look of apprehension on her face.

“It didn’t go the way he planned, but that said the formula was incomplete. Erskine will be able to tell you more tomorrow.” She answered softly. Steve thought on her words for a moment, his eyes still locked onto hers as she licked her lips, offering him nothing but a shrug. “In simple terms, we don’t know if it’s gonna work or not. So you need to think carefully.”

“When is it gonna happen?”

“The procedure will take place tomorrow morning.” Agent Carter spoke. “So you have little over fourteen hours.”

“So despite what Agent Stark says,” Phillips spoke, shooting Katie a look which she met with an equally annoyed one of her own, “there’s little to no time for contemplation.”

“There’s fourteen hours…” Katie began to protest.

“Did I ask for your input?” Phillips snapped and she narrowed her eyes.

“No, you never do. Maybe if you did we-“

“If you want to remain part of this unit you’ll stop that sentence right there.” Phillips pointed at her. Katie’s mouth pressed into a thin line and she folded her arms, shaking her head as she looked away. Steve’s eyes turned back to Phillips who spoke. “If you want out, now is the time to speak up so we can find someone else. Are you in, Rogers? Because if you are, after this meeting and you leave this room, there’s no going back.”

“But I’ve only had like five days of basic training.” Steve frowned “Is that going to be enough?”

“We’re on a schedule.” Phillips shrugged, “It’s going to have to be.”

“Your basic training, or lack thereof, shouldn’t be a problem.” Peggy shook her head “Our intention is to continue to train you up fully so that you’re prepared to lead the others who we, well, who we convert.”

Steve took a deep breath and glanced once more at Katie, who was staring to her left, her jaw set. Was he in? He began to logically step through things in his head. Steve wasn’t an idiot, he knew full well that if he said no he’d be shipped off to another unit and likely sent home or shoved into some kind of non-combat role due to his current lack of physical abilities or strength. The serum might not work, but then what? He ended up deformed? Or dead? But if he was perfectly honest with himself, having had a taste of what it was like to do what he always wanted to, if the opportunity was taken away from him, he might as well be dead anyway.

It was a no brainer as far as he was concerned. He had to do this.

“I’m in.” Steve nodded, his voice loaded with conviction as he gave a firm nod.

To the side of him Katie took a deep breath, an action mimicked by Colonel Phillips, before the older man turned to Agent Carter who stepped to the side revealing a piece of paper on the desk.

“In that case then I need you to sign this.” Phillips said “It’s a form stating that you consent to the procedure. Just a formality that Stark is insisting on.”

“God forbid we do things properly.” Katie mumbled. Phillips shot her another withering glare before he waved a pen at Steve. Steve stepped forward, took the pen off him and glanced down at the form. His eyes scanned it and then, without further hesitation he scribbled his name on the space at the bottom.

“Congratulations Private Rogers.” Phillips nodded as Agent Carter moved to place the form in a filing cabinet at the back.

“So, now what do I do?” Steve asked.

“You can do what the hell you want, within reason.” Phillips shrugged “But you can’t leave base, can’t risk anything happening to you. Not now.”

“By the time you get back to your barracks, everyone else will have packed up and left so I suggest you make the most of the peace and quiet.” Agent Carter smiled. “Because you’re going to be pretty busy from Tomorrow onwards.”

Steve nodded to show he understood and then he was dismissed. Saluting to Phillips he turned to leave the room, followed by Katie who herself was leaving to see her brother.

“Is there anything in particular you’d like to eat tonight?” She asked him as they left the building. “And I don’t mean any of the shit they serve in the mess.”

Steve looked up. “I suppose some of Mrs Tromley’s home made preserve is out of the question?”

“Leave it with me.” She smiled and Steve looked at her for a second before he took a deep breath.

“Look, Agent- Katie, I err, wanted to apologise for my outburst the other night. I was rude and…”

“It’s okay, I don’t hold a grudge.” She paused and turned to face him. “Alright that’s a lie, I do. But only against people who deserve it.”

“And I don’t?” Steve asked with a slight smile and she shrugged.

“For now, no. Plenty of time for me to change my mind though.” And with that, just as she had done at the expo she turned and left him standing there, tossing him a wink over her shoulder as she walked away.

 *****

Katie came through with the preserve, a small jar along with a crusty cob of bread was waiting in his bunk later that evening when he returned from the bathroom cabin. He ate sat on his bed, mulling everything over in his mind before he stood up and decided to go for a walk. He found a nice quiet spot hidden behind one of the munition sheds and sat to draw for a while, a particularly gnarled old tree the target of his attention. When the light diminished too much for him to see properly, he headed back and dropped his sketchbook into his rucksack before he settled down with a book open on his lap.

For the next few hours he tried to read but none of it was really sinking in. He had butterflies in his stomach, not nerves as such, but apprehension, definitely, at what he was letting himself in for. As he re-read the same sentence he’d been looking at for the last ten minutes, there was a knock at the door which made him jump slightly and he turned to look over his left shoulder as Dr Erskine stood in the doorway, a bottle and two glasses in his hand.

“May I?”

“Yeah.” Steve nodded, closing the book as Erskine walked over the floor, placing the glass on the trunk at the end of Steve’s bed.

“Can’t sleep?” Erskine asked as he moved towards the bed opposite Steve.

“I got the jitters, I guess.” Steve shrugged.

Erskine laughed “Me, too.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Steve dropped the book he had been reading down on the trunk next to the glass.

“Just one?” Erskine looked at Steve as he sat down facing him. Steve still had a lot of questions, but the one he wanted an answer to most was the one that flew out of his mouth.

“Why me?”

“I suppose that is the only question that matters.” Erskine said after a moment’s pause. He looked down at the bottle of schnapps he brought with him, turning the label so Steve could see it. “This is from Augsburg. My city. So many people forget that the first country that the Nazi’s invaded was their own.” He took a breath “You know, after the last war my people struggled. They felt weak. They felt small. And then Hitler comes along with the marching and the big show and the flags and the… and the… “ Erskine waved his hand as he took a deep breath, straightening his glasses “And he… he hears of me, my work and he finds me. And he says, ‘You’,” Erskine pointed to emphasise his point, “he says, ‘you will make us strong.’ Well, I am not interested.” Erskine shook his head as he placed the bottle on the floor between his feet, Steve’s eyes following his movements “So he sends the head of HYDRA, his research division. A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt.”

That name Steve recognised from before, the one Katie told him about. He watched as Erskine continued talking, once more pushing his glasses up his nose. “Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle and he’s ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt, it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power hidden in the Earth, left here by the Gods, waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my formula and what it can do, he cannot resist.” Erskine paused as Steve looked at him, understanding immediately he was referring to Schmidt taking the formula. “Schmidt must become that superior man.”

Remembering what Katie had said, about it not going according to plan he looked at Erskine. “Did it make him stronger?”

“Yeah. But, there were other effects.” Erskine conceded, but didn’t elaborate further. “The serum was not ready. But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside. So, good becomes great. Bad becomes worse.” He explained and Steve glanced down, taking all the information in “This is why you were chosen.”

At that Steve looked back up at him, his brow furrowing deeply as Erskine continued “Because a strong man, who has known power all his life, will lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion.”

“Thanks,” Steve said, frowning slightly, “I think.” He glanced at Erskine who smiled at him, and then waved in the direction of the two glasses on the trunk at the foot of the bed. As Steve took the glasses, pulling the top one out with his right hand, Erskine uncorked the schnapps and began to pour the liquid.

“Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing.” Erskine said, corking the bottle one more and setting it down on the floor “That you will stay who you are.” Erskine took a glass off Steve and stared straight into his eyes, almost as if he was trying to drive the message home. “Not a perfect soldier, but a good-“ he pointed at Steve’s chest “- man.”

Steve took a deep breath, holding his glass up and he allowed that fleeting warmth of pride spread across his chest, just for a second, as he smiled. “To the little guys.”

“Ha ha!” Erskine agreed, chinking his glass against Steve’s but just as Steve was about to take a drink Erskine suddenly spluttered. “No! No! Wait! Wait! What I am doing?” He reached out, taking Steve’s glass off him “No! You have a procedure tomorrow. No fluids.”

Seriously?

Steve watched as Erskine poured the contents of Steve’s glass into his own and sighed a little, he’d been looking forward to that.

“All right. We’ll drink it after.” He shrugged.

“No! I don’t have procedure tomorrow.” Erskine gestured towards himself. “Drink it after? I drink it now.”

Steve gave a small smile as the doctor knocked back the clear liquid in the glass and was just about to speak to tease him a little about making sure he had a clear head for the morning, when there was another knock on the door. Steve’s head turned to look as Katie stepped inside the dorm, smiling.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you had company.” She looked at Erskine whose mouth curled up a little at one side in a knowing smirk.

“And that is my cue to leave.” He stood up. “I will see you in the morning, Steven.”

He squeezed Steve’s shoulder as he strode past, the bottle of schnapps in his hand as Katie moved to allow him through the doorway. He smiled once more before he shut the door behind him leaving the pair of them in the dim light of the bare sleeping room. Steve looked at Katie, inhaling deeply as even in the simple combat trousers and plain khaki t-shirt she was wearing she still looked effortlessly gorgeous. Her hair was pulled back off her face in a simple braid, and her skin was devoid of her usual make up, lips clear of their normal bright red paint. He realised with a slight swallow that this is what she’d look like at home, last thing at night and first thing in the morning…

He shifted a little on the side of his bed and watched as she walked over to take the spot Erskine had vacated.

“Are you supposed to be in here?” Steve finally spoke and she shrugged.

“Well, it probably wouldn’t be seen as appropriate if we were caught but…” She paused and gave a twitch of a smirk, “Steve, you’re gonna become a super soldier tomorrow, you can do what the hell you want!”

He inhaled a little sharply at her words as those inappropriate thoughts once more reared in his head and he felt his neck and cheeks grow warm.

“You’re adorable when you’re flustered.” She smiled.

“Thanks?” he shook his head before he glanced up at her. “So why are you here?”

“I wanted to see how you were.” She shrugged.

“Why?” he frowned.

“Why?” She looked at him, as if he’d just asked her the dumbest question on the planet. “Because I care about you Steve.”

“You care about me?” He repeated, the disbelief evident in his tone.

“Yeah.” She shrugged. “Of course I do.”

Steve watched her for a moment, and for the first time he caught a glimpse of something a little less composed under her normally cool and confident exterior. She was biting her lip, her teeth worrying at her plump bottom one as her right hand gently pulled at the knuckles of her left.

“You’re nervous.” He spoke suddenly and her eyes locked onto his, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. “What is it?”

“Nothing, just, well, this is a huge thing, Steve. A culmination of years of work from not just the SSR but Stark Industries, and Erskine.” She looked at him and shook her head, giving a little snort. “God I know that sounds pathetic compared to what you must be feeling.”

“Well, I’m a little twitchy, that’s fo’ sure, but I’m not scared scared, does that make sense?” He asked and she looked at him, a smile twisting on her lips.

“That’s because you’re ridiculously brave.”

“Or stupid.” He shrugged and she laughed, shaking her head.

“That’s one word I really wouldn’t use to describe you. I heard about the flag.”

“Yeah?” Steve chuckled a little and she grinned.

“Peggy said it was the best thing she’d ever seen. No one’s rendered Sergeant Duffy speechless before but he was pretty impressed that night at briefing.”

“It was just logic.” Steve flushed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’m pretty good at using my head. You haff’ to be when you’re as small and as weak as I am.”

“Don’t.” Katie shook her head.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t say that. You’re not weak.”

At that Steve gave a snort. “Come on Doll, physically I’m a wreck. That’s one of the reasons Erskine picked me.” no sooner had he spoke, he realised what he’d said and his eyes widen at the involuntary use of the pet term but Katie merely laughed, arching her brow.

“Doll?”

“Sorry Ma’am.” He winced “Just slipped out.”

“I’m flattered.” She chuckled, before giving a sigh. “But back to what you just said, about why Erskine picked you. It isn’t just because you’re physically weak. It’s because that serum amplifies everything about you Steve…”

“Yeah, good becomes great, bad becomes worse.” Steve repeated the words Erskine had spoken to him not five minutes ago.

“Exactly.” Katie looked at him. “Erskine could have chosen any one of the guys that were in here with you, but he didn’t. He saw something in you, something that none of the others had.” She bit her lip and grinned as she leaned back slightly on the bed. “You’re a lion disguised as a lamb, Rogers.” “Oh, jeez!” He snorted shaking his head as she laughed. “Now you sound like Bucky, that’s the kinda nonsense that jerk would come out with.”

At that Katie wrinkled her nose. “In that case I take it back.”

“Thank you, now I feel great.” Steve retorted sarcastically and she laughed loudly, snorting as she did so. Her eyes widened and she clamped her hand over her mouth as Steve chuckled at her very un-lady like manner, his head falling forward as his own laughs rang out around the barracks. Eventually, Katie managed to stop, wiping her eyes and she shook her head.

“Sometimes I think it’s a blessing my parents are no longer around. My mom especially would be horrified if they could see how uncouth I act at times.”

“I dunno.” He shrugged. “If you were my daughter I’d be pretty proud of how you turned out.”

Katie smiled shyly at his compliment. “Thanks Stevie. I’m sure yours would feel the same.”

He didn’t ask how she knew his parents were both dead, it was fairly obvious she would have read his file. Instead he simply smiled and looked down at his hands “I like to think so. Although I’m pretty sure if my ma was still around and knew what I was doing tomorrow she’d have a coupla’ things to say about it. And a few slaps ready for the back ‘o ma head!”

“Tell me about it.” Katie chuckled, “If my dad could see me here, right now. Man, he’d be apoplectic. ‘The army is no place for a woman’!” She mimicked a deep voice before she shook her head. “Mind you, not like I’ve never heard it before.” She took a deep breath and looked at him. “You’ve never commented on it though.”

Steve blinked and then shook his head, shrugging. “That’s not how my ma brought me up. She was a single parent for all my life, anything a man could do in the house she did just as well. Besides, I know what it’s like to be told no because of what or who you are.”

“Ironically, who I am kinda got me through the door.” Katie shrugged, and when Steve looked at her pondering what she meant, she continued. “I was already working for the CIA when Howie told me that Colonel Phillips had approached him about working for the SSR. Naturally I wanted in but of course there were grumbles about it because I was a female. But my brother put his foot-down, said we came as a team, so they relented. Plus, Peggy, or Agent Thirteen was she was then, was already in deep cover working for Schmidt as a maid in his personal mansion.” She licked he lips and shrugged. “Colonel Phillips convinced the CIA to send me undercover as Peggy’s friend, a go-between if you will meaning there was less risk of her cover being blown.” She paused and glanced at him as Steve simply watched, rapt with attention. “Over the next few months we obtained details of Schmidt’s plan, what he was intending to do with Erskine’s serum and we knew we couldn’t possibly let the Nazi’s perfect it. Since we rescued Erskine, he and Howard have been working on finishing the formula, building the necessary equipment to ensure that it works. And Peggy and I were given our reward which was permission to serve in the allied army as SSR Agents.”

“Permission?” Steve deadpanned and Katie snorted.

“Yup.”

“Interesting reward.”

“I’d have taken whatever chance they gave to me.” She shrugged. “It’s all I ever wanted to do.”

Steve looked at her, the similarities in their stories were striking even despite their different backgrounds. But he still didn’t get it. She was beautiful, could have married well, just like most gals of her status, and his confusion must have shown as she cocked her head to one side and studied him for a moment before she spoke again.

“Don’t you think I was right to do so?”

“No, I mean, yes I do. I guess I’m just curious as to why you’d wanna join the army if you’re a beautiful dame.”

At that both her eyebrows raised and he cursed himself. He’d managed most of this conversation so far not to put his foot in his mouth and now, wham, kicked himself straight in the teeth. “Or a beautiful… a woman.” He floundered for words “An agent, not a dame! You are beautiful, but…”

“Why do you get so nervous when you speak to me?” Katie asked and Steve shook his head, giving a little huff as she called him out, groaning a little.

“Because up until the point I met you I think the longest conversation I ever had with a woman would have been with Mrs Barnes or Mrs Tomley.” he looked up at her, before he glanced back down at his hands. “Women aren’t exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on.”

“You must have danced?” Katie frowned, and she seemed genuinely surprised at what he was admitting.

“Well, asking a woman to dance always seems so terrifying.” Steve shrugged “And the past few years just didn’t seem to matter that much. Figured I’d wait.”

“For what?”

“The right partner.” He said, his eyes still focussed on his hands. He could feel Katie looking at him and eventually he raised his eyes to see her smiling softly at him.

“Well, I think all the girls in Brooklyn are dumbasses for not noticing you.”  With her words she stood up and crossed to the bed he was sat on, taking a spot besides him. Steve swallowed, his entire body going rigid at the fact she was so close to him and she turned her face to look into his eyes. “You’re sweet”

He chuckled “You know I hear that a lot…you’re really sweet and all but…“

“Like I said,” she bumped her shoulder against his slightly, “dumbasses”

Steve looked at her before he felt his cheeks once more growing warm and he looked away, hastily, focussing on nothing in particular as her words echoed around his head. He didn’t know how to respond to praise, not in the sense in which she was giving it to him anyway.

“But seriously, why does me complimenting you make you so awkward, Steve?” She asked, and despite himself Steve’s head shot up to look at her once more, his mouth falling open at the fact that she’d unwittingly just read his mind.

He took a deep breath. “I guess I’m not used to it, that’s all.”

“I’m sorry if it makes you feel awkward.” She bit her bottom lip and looked down at her hands for a moment before she glanced back at him, her features soft, eyes alive in the dim light. “But I just, well, I like you Steve,” she whispered, “I mean, really like you.”

Steve felt his mouth go dry as her eyes flicked down to his lips, the same way they had at the Expo and he swallowed, the lump thick in his throat.

“I err, I…” He took a deep breath, the palms of his hands feeling clammy, those green emeralds sparkling as he looked at her, his mind willing him to summon the courage to say what he wanted to. And before he could chicken out, he blurted the words. “I like you too.”

Her cheeks flushed pink and she gently moved towards him, closing the already small distance between them as Steve reached up, with a shaky right hand, his actions completely instinctual. He gently cupped her cheek as his lips found hers and he kissed her, tentatively at first before soon the kiss was as deep as it had been at the Expo. His spare hand balled into a fist by his side as he was unsure exactly what to do with it until he felt Katie’s fingers gently work his away from his palm and she pulled his left arm towards her. Following her lead, he tentatively pressed his palm onto her hip as she shifted her weight slightly, wrapping her arms round his neck. She pulled him closer, the kiss growing deeper and Steve couldn’t help the soft little whimper that rolled in his throat.

As the involuntary noise filed the air between them he felt Katie’s lips smile against his and then, he was pitching forward as she fell slowly backwards, pulling him down with her as she sank onto the bunk. The movement came as surprise but he didn’t resist. With a shaky breath he paused for a moment, realising he had absolutely no idea what to do next other than run with it. So, after a second or so more deliberation, he went once more with his gut and crawled over her, resting his weight on his palms which he placed either side of her head before he dropped his face to hers and kissed her again. Her lips felt so soft against his, something he wasn’t sure he’d taken the time to appreciate before, or maybe it was all simply heightened by the fact he was lay over her, he had no idea. But what he did know was that when Katie placed both hands on his face, the pads of her finger tips cupping his jaw, it sent a jolt of electricity tingling all the way down his spine. She was the one to break away this time, breathing deeply as her head rest on his hard, army issued pillow, her eyes bouncing across both of his.

“You okay?” She asked and Steve nodded.

“Yeah, I err…” He swallowed and gave a little huff of shy laughter as he hung his head a little, peeking up a her shyly “I don’t know what I’m doing, or even if we should be doing it at all.”

“What do you mean if we should be doing it at all?”

“Well, we’re not…” He licked his lips “I mean, I should be taking you out, on a date or…well, at least doing things properly, not just…”

“Steve, we’re in the middle of a damned war.” Katie looked at him, cutting his protests off dead. “Every day could be your last, to hell with rules and being prim and proper.”

Steve had to concede she had a point, and as he looked into her eyes he could feel that last thread of his self-control starting to fray. Every inch of his body was on fire for her, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her stupid and feel her underneath him.

“Don’t over think it.” She muttered, her lips ghosting over his. “Just run with it.”

So he did. He kissed her hard, dropping to his elbows and pressing a little more of his weight on top of her, totally lost in her warmth and softness. He let out another soft sigh as he felt her shift underneath him and pulled away, turning his head so that his lips were inches from her neck as he recalled a part of a film he’d seen. He glanced up at her as she watched him, her pupils blown with a combination of lust and anticipation.

“Can I kiss you here?” He whispered softly.

“God, yes.” Katie sighed and he obliged, pressing his mouth to her neck. As he did so, his arms and hands moved downwards slowly, his fingers timidly resting on her hips as they gave a little jerk of their own accord, pushing up against him as she groaned slightly at the contact.  Steve pulled back to stare at her again, her noise shocking him slightly, not sure what to do next but Katie wordlessly answered his silent question by tilting her hips up again, and this time it was him who moaned.

“Katie, I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this or do anything-”

“It’s okay,” she said, her voice low and slightly breathy as she looked at him, her eyes, locking onto his. She pushed her head upwards, mouth seeking his out as her hands slid under his t- shirt. He twitched under her touch as the sensation of her gently dragging her nails across his flat, soft stomach sent a spike of desire, like a red hot poker through his entire body. Katie grasped the bottom of his T-shirt and he hesitated, not sure if he really wanted her to see him topless, but she gave an impatient yank, taking the decision away from him and he held his arms up so she could remove it. Once he was free he glanced down to see Katie looking at his chest. He swallowed, as her eyes roved his various pox marks and scars and shivered as she let her hands wander, tracing a path down towards the top of his khaki pants. Her eyes met his and she sat up slightly pushing him back a little to allow herself enough room to reach down and pull her own T-shirt over her head.

Steve’s mouth was dry again as he glanced down at her chest, her hair falling around her shoulders, breasts spilling over the tops of the simple, black balcony cups of her bra and his groin twitched, the crotch of his pants now painfully tight.

“You’re beautiful…” he whispered gently, and then he kissed her again. Her fingers gently took his hands and she guided them onto her, sliding them up her rib cage to her chest and he froze as he found himself once more unsure of his next move. Swallowing hard against the lump that felt like it was obstructing his entire throat he began to gently squeeze and knead the soft flesh and black lace, before he stopped again to consider his next move.

“It’s okay,” she encouraged and with a nod, his hands slid into the cups, teasing her taught nipples with his thumbs, acting completely on instinct, listening and watching her as she groaned gently, arching her back, her reaction telling him he was doing something right as all the time his groin automatically bumped against hers. Katie buried her fingers in his hair, pulling hard, forcing his head back sharply and as she tugged he let out another low growl. When she let go he stared down at her to see her smirking, her pupils blown so wide there was hardly any green left.

“Don’t stop,” her hands moved down to grab at his lower back, pulling him back against her as she moved her knees, bending them so that his pelvis was flush with her, his cock hard through the thin fabric of his trousers. Taking her lead, Steve ground against her again, and again, and as he continued his movements, he became aware that the rhythm of his hips was becoming more frantic and their kisses were growing more desperate.

“More,” Katie moaned into his mouth, and with movements that were completely and utterly automatic he gave her what she wanted, moving his hips even faster, rubbing against her in ways that had her clutching at his back like her life depended on it. Steve had never felt anything like this in his life. It was so good, so right, in a way nothing had ever felt so right before. It should have been wrong, rutting up against someone fully clothed, but God, his head was a whirl of lust, desire, and he didn’t give a fuck about anything else at that moment other than her as she lay underneath him

As he pressed up against her, the tightening across his lower stomach that he’d only felt before when bringing himself off warned him he was fast approaching his release. He let out another groan as he felt his movements beginning to lose rhythm and he moved his lips to her neck, pressing a kiss to her skin. Katie moaned brokenly and his mouth continued pressing kisses to the spot on her neck which seemed to drive her wild. She tipped her head back as he gently nipped beneath her ear with his teeth and a few more sloppy grinds against her she was done, fingers wrapped around his hair, her, hips bucking upwards, almost violently. Her voice was broken as she gasped out “Stevie…”and it was the single most beautiful sound he’d ever heard in his life as it tumbled from her lips. Seeing and feeling her fall apart in his arms sent him over the edge right behind her in a pure surge of ecstasy, his head dropping  to the crook of her shoulder and she gently ran her fingers through his hair.

There was no noise bar the sound of the crickets drifting in from the outside as they both lay, breathing deeply as they waited to regain control of their bodies, a light sheen of sweat beaded across Steve’s brow, wisps of his hair sticking to his skin. Finally mustering enough strength to move, he raised his head to look at her, to find her smiling as she pushed her head up, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“Wow,” she breathed and Steve let out a soft huff of laughter as he sat up to allow her the space to do the same, “you got game Soldier, I’ll give you that.”

Steve snorted and shook his head as he passed retrieved her t-shirt from the floor and passed it to her. “I’ve never done anything like that before.” He shrugged “I erm…”

“Let you into a secret.” She said gently, pulling her top over her head, flicking her hair back as she looked at him, her cheeks flushed with exertion. “Neither have I. Well, not to that extent anyway.”

“What?” Steve frowned “You’ve never…”

“You expecting me to be some kind of wild harlot or sumthin’ Stevie?” She teased as she stood up, Steve scrambling to his feet mimicking her.

“No I just, pretty girl like you, I thought…”

“What was it you said about waiting for the right partner?” She asked before she gently kissed him again. When she pulled away, her nose bumped his slightly and she pressed her forehead to his. “I best go. I don’t wanna but…” she glanced at the window and looked back at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the lab.”

“Sure.” Steve followed her a little before she stopped in the doorway and turned to smile at him once more.

“Whatever happens I want you to know that you’re already one of the bravest men I’ve ever met.” She took a deep breath. “You suddenly becoming all big and strong and…well, whatever, won’t change the fact that you already had the heart of a hero, certainly in my eyes anyway.”

And Steve could do nothing but smile as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

**** Chapter 3

[shielddrake]

Those Who Hurt You The Most Ch. 1 - Lull Before the Storm

Oh boy. So, like many others, I can't stop thinking about Psychonauts 2, and so I write fanfic for it. It's just that simple.

I usually outline a story before I start posting, but I'm outlining as I go for this one. I've got about nine chapters outlined so far, so this story will be at least that long. Suggestions for improvements and/or ideas are welcome and appreciated!

There's going to be quite a bit of family and friend interactions in here, both positive and negative, so be prepared for that.

Usual Disclaimer: I don't own the Psychonauts franchise. Also, I'm not a psychologist/psychiatrist, so I apologize in advance for anything that is inaccurate in regards to anything in those fields. I'm trying my hardest to be accurate, but I could miss things. Constructive criticism on this is also appreciated.

Lastly, spoiler alert for Psychonauts 2! You have been warned.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy!

“Thank you all for coming today!” Truman Zanotto, the Grand Head of the Psychonauts, declared to the atrium of the Motherlobe. “I am pleased so many are here to celebrate the Psychonauts' twenty-first anniversary!”

“Psychonauts is old enough to drink!” Someone shouted from the crowd, bringing about a few chuckles from the rest of the agents.

Truman ignored whoever that was. “Now, we have a lot to go over tonight, and I’d like to start with going over a few advancements we’ve achieved in the past year.”

With a wave of his hand, Truman brought up a screen large behind him. It was big enough to completely cover the doors leading to the classroom, nerve center and agents’ quarters. He clapped his hands and the lights went down, allowing everyone to see the screen more clearly. Truman cleared his throat.

“First, we have Larry to thank for his work in the Telepathy Department,” he began. “His efforts have created a method to increase communication range two hundred percent…”

There was a long speech that went on for a good forty-five minutes, and to be honest Frazie tuned out most of it. While she was sure it was fascinating for the Psychonauts, and certainly for her younger brother Raz, she was not interested in hearing about this stuff. She had spent the last year in the Psychonauts’ intern program, learning a lot about her psychic powers and how to use them responsibly. But that was over and now Frazie was eager to get back home to the Aquato Family Circus on a regular basis.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Truman turned the lights of the atrium back on. Frazie blinked to help her eyes adjust.

“And now, I would like to invite our Second Head of the Psychonauts, Hollis Forsythe, to present our interns.”

There was a round of applause as Hollis took the stage, which was only a few steps higher than the center of the room. She briefly shook hands with Truman before turning her attention to the rest of the Psychonauts.

“Thank you. Now I know you’re all eager to get to socializing—”

“And food!”

Hollis paused, an annoyed expression on her face. “So I will keep this short. I would like to congratulate this year’s graduating intern class!”

As Hollis announced the names of each intern, they joined her on the stage to receive their junior agent badges. There was much more applauding and cheering this time around, possibly because a few of the interns were children of a few Psychonauts. Frazie recognized the name Mikhail Bulgakov, who not only was her fellow intern but also a friend of Raz from Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. There was Autumn Harper, Gema Ayerbe, Sidney Marks, Barnaby Goldberg and Isaac Wright as well. Why they announced the names in non-alphabetical order was a mystery, but she wasn’t in charge and Frazie wasn’t about to question Agent Forsythe’s methods.

But finally, it came.

“And last but not least, Frazie Aquato.”

Thanking the stars that Hollis respected her request to not announce her full name, Frazie walked up to join the new junior agents. The crowd gave them a round of praise as they all took a bow together.

The noise emanating from where her family stood was particularly deafening. Frazie couldn’t keep the smile off her face at the proud expression on her parents’ faces. It had taken time, but both Augustus and Donatella had eventually (and with much prodding from her brother) had accepted her as a psychic and agreed to let her intern at the Motherlobe.

The applause slowed as they left the stage, with Hollis giving a few final claps once Frazie rejoined her family. She waited until the room was quiet again, or as quiet as it could get, before speaking again.

“Now, before we wrap up, I would like to announce a special award,” Hollis revealed, her hands behind her back. “In acknowledgment of both his achievements in the field as well as recognition as our most improved junior agent. Please give a round of applause for Razputin Aquato.”

The young man in question grinned as he walked up to the stage. Raz stood straight and proud she pinned another badge to his jacket. It was the same one he wore ever since his hazing at the beginning of his intern program a year ago. Frazie supposed that actually made it Sasha Nein’s jacket, but Raz seemed to have claimed it for his own. The older Psychonaut hadn’t asked for it back, so she wasn’t going to sweat the details.

Frazie noticed how her older brother Dion’s support was rather half-hearted. His clapping lasted only a few seconds before giving up entirely and crossing his arms over his chest. Gisu, Raz’s fellow junior agent, was whistling in celebration. She immediately stopped when she spotted Dion sulking.

“Is that really any way to congratulate your own brother?” Gisu asked. “Even Norma admits that the kid deserves it. He’s been working his butt off.”

Dion huffed. “Raz gets enough attention from everyone else. He doesn’t need me fawning over him too.”

Frazie stopped herself from slapping her only older sibling upside the head.

After that, the presentation ended and the socialization began. Most of the other Psychonauts avoided the Aquatos, as they were still quite…cautious about the circus family, to say it kindly. They accepted Raz eagerly enough after the whole Maligula incident, and Frazie as well to an extent. But the rest of the family? They were still an unknown. Frazier was sure their circus attire played a role in that too.

Among the number of cautious Psychonauts was not Hollis Forsythe. She kept to the Aquatos throughout most of the party, conversing with the occasional other agent who came up to them. Or perhaps she was supervising them to prevent another fire from breaking out. Frazie could never be certain.

“Augustus is not allowed in the Noodle Bowl after that incident,” Hollis explained to everyone. “The autumn decorations still need to be replaced.”

“I did offer to repair the painted pinecones,” Augustus protested, but only weakly. He still took responsibility for that. “And I haven’t had an incident like that since then.”

“Dad, what about the—” Mirtala started, but Augustus put a hand over her mouth.

“I don’t think the Second Head needs to know about that, Tala.”

Augustus smiled at Hollis, who rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep the smile from her face. At least she knew he was trying. Augustus was actually one of her more enthusiastic students, as well as oldest. It was easy to see where Raz got it.

“In any case, it’s still good to see two of your children doing so well.” Hollis turned her attention back to Raz and Frazie. “Your family has produced psychics with…exceptional potential. I’m curious to see where they will go in the future.”

Frazie hummed. “Sorry Agent Forsythe, but I think I’m done with the Psychonaut thing.”

Raz spun around to look at his older sister. “What?”

“I’m going back to the circus,” Frazie explained. “I’m happy I’ve learned everything I have, but I prefer the acrobat life.”

“I thought we were going to be going on missions together,” Raz complained, giving her puppy eyes. “Two Agent Aquatos working together!”

“Raz, being a Psychonaut is your thing, not mine,” Frazie insisted.

“Come on!”

“Zip it, Raspy!” Her tone went harder as he opened his mouth to protest again.

“When do I get to join?” Queepie jumped in. Literally. He placed himself in the middle of the circle of adults and teens (and a few children) and started jumping up and down. “When’s it my turn?”

“Not for a while, young man,” Hollis answered. “You’re still too young.”

“How young is too young?” Queepie asked.

“How old are you?”

“Seven.”

“That young.”

“But Raz was ten when he became a Psychonaut!”

Raz’s eyes widened. Was his little brother trying to take the title of Youngest Psychonaut Ever from him?

“Your brother was an intern first, and there were…extenuating circumstances.” Hollis glanced at Raz out of the corner of her eye, and Raz tried to keep the grimace off his face. He knew very well what she was referring to. “An exception I’m not willing to make again.”

“You’ll be doing this soon enough, Son,” Augustus reassured him.

“There are enough Psychonauts in my family as it is,” Donatella declared, speaking up for the first time in the conversation. Frazie found this surprising since her mother was usually the most outspoken person in the room. She suspected it had to do with trying to keep the peace between her and Hollis. “Remember, we still have a show next week, Razputin. If your psychic business makes you late..."

She let her sentence trail off at the warning.

“I remember, Mom,” Raz said with a smile. He’d been doing all right balancing being a Psychonaut and performing in the Aquato Family Circus. Of course, having access to the Psychonauts’ jet made it much easier. “Next Sunday.”

"And don't forget to practice in the meantime!"

"I know, Mom!"

Donatello chuckled. “I hope so, Pootie.”

Raz somehow managed to keep the groan from escaping his mouth at the nickname. Dion, on the other hand, grunted and had to bite his tongue.

Two older guests walked up to the already rather large group. One stood far above everyone, lean as a sapling. The other was her opposite, being very short and barely taller than Raz himself. It never ceased to amuse Raz at their contrary appearances but not contrary personalities. They complimented each other perfectly.

“Congratulations on the award, Razputin,” Cassie said, giving the young man a hug. “If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

“Yes. Well done, young man,” Compton added. “I must say I’m rather impressed at the progress you’ve made in only a year.”

“Well,” Raz dragged out. “I’ve had some pretty awesome teachers.”

“Brownnoser,” came the voice of Raz’s (Sort of? Maybe?) girlfriend Lili, standing with her father Truman as she gave him a small punch in the shoulder. “You can brag about it more after you’ve perfected the Clairvoyance Jump of yours.”

“Clairvoyance Jump?” Truman inquired. Raz’s cheeks went a little pink.

“It’s a technique I’m working on that I started figuring out at the Rhombus of Ruin,” the acrobat described. “It allows for long-distance Clairvoyance through several brains in a row.”

“I’ve heard of some psychics doing that, but I don’t believe it’s been perfected into a teachable power yet,” Truman acknowledged. “It’s wonderful to see a young psychic working so hard to advance our knowledge.”

“That’s my boy,” Augustus said, rubbing Raz's hair with pride while his wife looked a little exasperated.

Donatella still hadn’t said much during the party, other than her pestering Raz about the future show. Frazie was starting to wonder if her mother was feeling ill. She did spot Donatella giving Hollis a few displeased looks, and according to Raz the two of them didn’t get along very well. Was she trying to keep the peace by keeping her mouth shut around Agent Forsythe? That didn’t seem much like their incredibly outspoken and extroverted mother.

This concern did not distract Frazie enough that she didn’t spot the small cheek kiss Lili gave Raz once Truman had turned his back. She held back a giggle at her brother's flush.

There was a sudden silence in the entire atrium. Raz raised his head to look around to see if he could find the cause, his mind immediately going to a possible threat. His guard went down when he saw exactly the cause of the Psychonauts staring at the entrance. Many of them dropped their jaws open.

Bob Zanotto stood there with a small, nervous grin. He appeared to have gotten around to at least trimming his beard, making him look not quite so old. He finally replaced his broken glasses, making his eyes look larger. He also looked like he had lost a little bit of weight, and he smelled much cleaner than Raz remembered. Raz’s eyes moved down Bob’s arm to his hand, which he kept enveloped by another.

That hand then led up to the arm of none other than Helmut Fullbear. He looked much like he did when Raz had recovered his mind from Otto’s lab. His coat was still as extravagant as ever, and he cut his hair ever so slightly. His namesake sat on his head, looking freshly polished.

Raz ran up to them. “Bob! Helmut! You found your body!”

“It certainly took long enough,” Helmut joked. He gave Bob’s hand a squeezed and the two continued into the main area of the atrium. Helmut's legs wobbled a bit in his stride. “And I’m still getting used to having my body back.”

“Brain re-integration going okay?”

“As good as it can be.”

“Bob! You’re looking well!” Cassie shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. She gave him a tight hug. “I haven’t seen you look this good in years!”

“Well, turns out that spending months digging in a frozen lake is good exercise,” Bob jested, rubbing the back of his neck. “Lost a bit of weight doing that.”

“Honey, you are perfect as you are, but we’re still getting you that treadmill,” Helmut teased. “I worry about your cholesterol at our age.”

The group laughed at the teasing until a stuttered cough rang out through the still-silent room. Truman slowly walked up to his uncle, looking more embarrassed than Raz had ever seen Lili’s father look. He waited until Bob finally walked over to him and slowly embraced his nephew. Truman immediately returned it, gripping the older man’s back with tight fingers.

“I’m so sorry.” Raz was only able to make out the whisper Bob said to Truman.

Truman shook his head. “Don’t be sorry. I should have done more. I’m just happy you’re doing so much better.”

“Every day is a challenge, but I am doing better.” Bob released his nephew as Helmut walked up to them, and he and Truman firmly shook hands.

With that, the tension in the room dispersed. Everyone returned to their own conversations, which no doubt going to turn into gossip before the night was over.

The part continued, and Raz eventually made his way over to the buffet table. He could practically hear his mother’s voice telling him to eat something healthy and full of protein before he stuffed himself with candy or chocolate. As he was about to reach for the famous honey pepper boar bacon, Helmut walked up to him, followed by his father. Raz’s cheeks hurt from the smile that spread across his face. This was a night of joy, to be certain.

“Helmut! You’ve got to have this bacon!” he announced. He immediately tried to take it back. “But, uh, maybe a small amount at first?”

Helmut let out a big laugh. “Razputin, my boy, you have quite the heart. But I’m actually here for another reason.”

“Huh? And what’s that?”

“There’s someone else who wants to talk to you.” Helmut gestured to Augustus. “Both of you. A couple of someones actually. They’re outside by Otto’s lab.”

Raz glanced at his dad, who shrugged, looking as confused as he felt. Helmut returned to Bob’s side as father and son left the Motherlode. They hopped across the floating platforms to the building housing Otto’s lab. Even now, Raz felt a little uneasy going there, knowing that the inventor kept a vault full of deceased agents’ brains there. And the idea that Otto thought Raz’s brain would one day be in there as well…Ew.

Raz didn’t think twice about that though once he saw Ford Cruller and Lucrecia Mux, his Nona, holding hands. Both of them looked a little nervous, but they did manage to smile as the two other psychics approached.

“Nona! Ford!” Raz sprinted forward to grab Nona in a tight but still gentle hug. She patted the back of his head in response, closing her eyes as she felt her grandnephew in her arms again. Raz gave her one last squeeze before grabbing Ford around the waist. “I didn’t know if you were coming or not!”

“Sorry we’re a little late,” Ford said. “Lucy was taking her time doing her hair.”

“Oh hush, Crully,” Lucy teased back. “I had to spend half an hour convincing you to come at all. Don’t go blaming me.”

Augustus was keeping his distance, glancing back and forth between the ground and the couple. Raz watched his father with concern, knowing he still had a little trouble in regards to how Ford had modified his memories against his will as a child. Augustus had spent the last year on-and-off with the Psychonauts and their available therapists to come to terms with this and what transpired a year ago. Or at least that’s what Augustus told his family. Raz really wasn’t sure what kind of progress he had made, and he didn’t want to push the topic if his dad wasn’t up to it.

The one who finally broke the silence was Ford. He walked over to Augustus, followed closely by Lucy and Raz, and he bowed his head to the younger man.

“Augustus, I haven’t had the chance, or really the courage, to talk to you before now,” he began. He took a deep breath. “But I guess it’s better late than never to say how sorry I am—”

“Ford Cruller.” Augustus put his hand on the old man’s shoulder, prompting Ford to meet his gaze. “I have been through the gamut of emotions over the last year. I've been angry, sad, disappointed, confused, disgusted…and a lot of other things. But I have learned one very important thing: There is no point staying angry with someone who hurt you, especially if they show regret for it. It keeps bringing up old wounds when we should be able to move forward.”

Augustus put his hand forward, and Ford hesitated for a single moment before shaking it with his own. They both let out a breath that Raz was sure neither knew they were holding. Augustus then moved on to Lucy, who had stayed behind to let Ford have his say first. He didn’t even pause in kneeling and hugging her. After a moment of the two embracing each other, Augustus pulled away with a smile.

“Lucy, you may be my aunt, but the memories we made together when you were my mother, or my acting mother, were real,” he described. “You're my aunt-mother, and nothing will change that.”

The tears finally started falling from Lucrecia’s eyes, and she buried her face in her nephew’s chest. Ford hugged her from the other side, with one hand on Augustus’ back. Raz wiped away his own tears, and was taken aback when a telekinesis hand grabbed him and placed him smack in the middle of the family hug. Augustus released his son and grabbed his with his physical hand, not letting go of his family.

Once the four psychics had their fill of hugs, Raz jumped in front of Lucy.

“Nona! I have something really cool to show you!”

“Is it that…you know?” Augustus probed mysteriously.

Raz grinned. “Yup.”

“What’s that?” Ford asked.

“I’ve been practicing with Lizzie on this a lot, and I’ve gotten pretty good at it.” Raz headed to the edge of the platform. “Watch this!”

“Stay away from the—” Lucy began, out of habit, but stopped when Raz jumped over the edge and into the small lake below.

Or rather, he would have landed in the water if the Hand of Galochio hadn’t sprung up and held him in place. Raz did a couple of tumbles and flips with the Hand, followed by a matching handstand and handstand walk over the water, with flourishes of water sprays and streams going all over the place at the same time. He ended his little show a bit of juggling of small balls of water, which exploded into rain with a clap of his hands.

The three adults applauded as Raz gave a bow and used the water to step back down to the dock. He was wringing his hands as he returned to Lucy.

“Whatcha think?”

“That was amazing, Pootie!” she praised.

“A showstopper for certain!” Ford added.

Augustus patted his son’s shoulder. “He’s been working on that show for weeks.”

“You’ve obviously worked hard on it,” Lucy said. “How many hours a week?”

“Um, a lot?” Raz answered with a crooked smile. “I didn’t keep track.”

“It’s comforting to see you using water again,” she continued. “But remember how dangerous it can be, Razputin.”

The preteen nodded. “I know, Nona. I just don’t want water to be a bad part of our lives anymore.”

“We're all performing a few water acts in the circus now,” Augustus informed them. “Would you like to come see? We have a show next week.”

“It would be wonderful to see the family perform again.” Lucy looked up at her elderly boyfriend. “What do you think, Crully?”

“You don’t think they’d mind if I came?” Ford asked.

“Of course not!” Raz asserted. “I know mom’s been wondering about you. And Tala and Queepie have been asking about Nona a lot. They miss you.”

“We better not disappoint them then,” Lucy conceded.

“Even better, let’s go back inside. I think it’s about time our Nona formally introduced her boyfriend to the family,” Augustus teased. “By the way, Ford, we need to have a talk about your intensions towards my aunt-mother.”

“Gussy!” Lucy gave her nephew-son a pretend scandalous expression.

Raz groaned and rolled his eyes. “Now I know where he gets it from.”

Ford levitated the adults over the water back to the Motherlobe, while Raz did a few hops with the Hand of Galochio to join them. As they did so, a figure kept to the shadows as he turned off his psychic invisibility. He kept an eye on Razputin as he watched the boy return to the Psychonauts’ party. The figure bit his tongue to keep quiet until he was sure the psychics were out of both hearing and telepathy range. One he was sure they were, he put his fingers up to his temple.

“Minister, I have news to report,” he telepathically called. “I think you’ll be very interested to hear about this."

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Stark Spangled Rebirth

Chapter 2: Is This A Test?

Summary: Steve begins his life at Camp Lehigh, throwing himself into training alongside the other candidates for Operation Rebirth and is shocked when on his first day he comes face to face with someone he hadn’t been expecting to see again…

Warnings: Bad Language words. Some over the clothes making out (NSFW, 18+)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N:  I might have taken a few liberties here with the way things worked in the Army in the 40s but, let’s face it, no more than the MCU did! Once again, huge thanks to my beta readers @southerngracela​ and @icanfeelastormbrewing​ 

Any mistakes are my own. I’ll probably spot them once posted but, whatever!

SSR Masterlist // WIYPT Masterlist 

 At Camp Lehigh the new recruits were met by their Sergeant, who escorted them to their quarters. There it was explained to them that as they were part of the Strategic Science Reserve, this was a separate unit from the rest of the army training at the base, but more would become clear in an hour or so when they reported for exercise. They were then issued their standard uniform, which was awkward for Steve as even the smallest sizes felt like they drowned him but he shrugged it off reminding himself that he had finally done it. He was here, training to be a soldier.

He changed and then Sergeant Duffy appeared again, barking at them to fall in line and they followed him down to an exercise field at the rear of the barracks. Here they once more lined up, Steve taking his place in between 2 men whose names he couldn’t remember and they stood, waiting.

“Recruits, attention!”  A voice called and Steve felt his mouth drop open, because he knew the owner of said voice. “Gentlemen, I’m Agent Stark, this is Agent Carter.”  He turned to face Katie as she began walking down the line, dressed in a sharp army uniform with another woman at her side and a man behind them both clutching a box which contained clip files. As she reached Steve, Katie stopped and looked at him, giving him a bashful, almost apologetic smile as the other woman continued to walk.

And wait. Her surname was Stark? As in, Howard Stark? Was that her husband? Had he kissed a married woman? Fuck… he swallowed his worry down and averted his eyes as Katie passed down the line following Agent Carter, their eyes flicking to each man in turn.

“We supervise all operations for this division.” Agent Carter spoke in a strong British accent before she was interrupted.

“What’s with the accent, Queen Victoria?” a man down the line stated rather obnoxiously, causing Agent Carter to stop. Katie drew up alongside her, and Steve watched as, Katie’s hands fell to her hips and she studied the man who’d spoken out of line. “Thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army!”

“What’s your name, soldier?” Agent Carter asked.

“Gilmore Hodge, your Majesty.”

At that the two women exchanged a glance and Agent Carter took a deep breath. “Step forward, Hodge.”

The man obliged, a smirk on his face as he looked around a little, no doubt to check everyone was watching.

“Put your right foot forward.” Agent Carter instructed.

“Mmm… we gonna wrestle? Cause I got a few moves I know you’ll like.” Hodge spoke, before puckering his lips up in a kissing gesture.

Then, there was a flurry of movement and in a flash Katie was behind him, jerking his arm up his back. She aimed a sharp kick to the back of his knee causing Hodge to stumble to the floor. She went with him, her knee planted firmly in the base of his spine, arm twisting even more and he gave out a yell, “Okay, okay I yield.”

Steve gave a little huff of laughter, as did the man to his right as Katie stood up, not a hair out of place and smoothed down her jacket and skirt as Hodge rose to his feet. No sooner had he done that Agent Carter punched him hard, straight in the face.

And Steve laughed a little more this time, hastily straightening his face when he noticed a man, a Colonel according to the pips on his shoulders,  hopping out of jeep as he barked to the two agents.

“Agent Carter, Agent Stark.”

Both of them wheeled round, springing to attention, saluting.

“Colonel Phillips.”

“Sir.”

“I see you’re breaking in the candidates. That’s good!” he nodded to the two women before he looked down at Hodge “Get your ass up out of that dirt and stand in that line at attention 'til somebody comes and tells you what to do.”

“Yes, Sir.” Hodge scrambled to his feet and slotted back into the place he’d been stood previously, looking a little sheepish.

Steve watched as Colonel Phillips started to walk down the line, addressing the new army recruits.  “General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons but they are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best men…” he paused a little at that point as he looked at Steve. Steve kept his face straight, looking directly ahead. He knew full well what the Colonel was thinking, but he was here to prove him wrong. “And because they’re gonna get better. Much better. The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an Allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world. Our goal is to create the best army in history. But every army starts with one man. At the end of this week we will choose that man. He will be the first in a new breed of super-soldiers…”

Super-Soldiers? The end of the week? That was…5 days away!

“And they, will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell.”

Steve could hear a few murmurs down the line as some of the recruits began to exchange glances.

“Did I ask any of you to talk?” Phillips barked and silence fell once more. “The man we select will go through a procedure.” He continued “An experimental procedure that, if successful, will significantly enhance his physical stature, amplifying all his qualities and abilities. This is not something we take lightly. It is for this reason that you will be assessed not just on your current physical abilities but your mental capacity and it won’t be easy. So if any of you are having second thoughts…” he once more paused at Steve who, as before, ignored him “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

No one made a sound.

Whilst Steve didn’t have much time to think about Katie for the rest of the day as most of his energy was taken by keeping up with the afternoon’s exercise, he found himself with plenty of time to think about her over dinner. He kept himself to himself, taking a seat at the end of a large table in the mess hall, unable to prevent the sullen mood he found himself in.

He knew it was stupid, as he hardly knew the dame, but he felt betrayed, and if truth be told a little confused. Betrayed at the fact she’d kept her true identity and vocation from him, confused as to why she’d kissed him, especially if she was married and knew they’d end up working together. It confounded his original opinion that she’d done it out of some kind of obligation, a thank you if you will for him stepping in that day on the street. Not that he needed to step in, it was perfectly clear now she’d been able to handle herself.

He looked down at the tasteless bully beef and dumplings, before he sighed and continued to eat. Whilst he wasn’t particularly hungry he knew that he had to keep his strength up, especially if he wanted to have any chance to complete the training that was in store tomorrow. When he’d had his fill, he took the tray over to the clear down area and headed outside into the warm New Jersey evening.

It was still light, the birds in the trees singing their melodic evening chorus as Steve headed over the camp towards the sleeping barracks he and the other Project Rebirth candidates had been assigned to. He headed down the dirt path, hands in his baggy uniform pockets when he heard Katie shouting to him. Taking a deep breath, he stopped, and turned to face her, saluting.

“Agent Stark…”

“Woah, at ease, we ain’t on parade now!” she shook her head.

“Yes Ma’am” he dropped his arm but kept it firmly by his side, still standing to attention, focussing on a spot slightly behind her.”

“What’s with the Ma’am?” she frowned but Steve ignored her question. She frowned a little, cocking her head to one side “Are you angry at me?” Steve’s eyes flicked to hers for a second and he swallowed looking away causing her to sigh “Steve, look…”

“You lied to me.” He blurted out, his eyes returning to hers and she frowned.

“No, I just didn’t tell you my full story.” She shrugged, lamely.

“Where I come from that’s called lying.”

“Oh come on Steve, it’s not like you actually asked what I did for a living!”

“I asked if ya worked for Howard Stark.” He folded his arms “And you said you did.”

“Well, I do, sorta…”

“Oh, is that as well as sorta being married to him?”

“Married?” Katie’s eyes narrowed before they widened again and she grinned “What, you think…oh my God Steve!” she let out a laugh.

“You know, I’ve had my fill of people laughing at me today.” He rolled his eyes and turned to leave, an angry flush spreading up his neck.

“Howie’s my brother!”

“Your brother?” he stopped dead.  

“Yes, you know, same mom, same dad.”

Steve groaned, feeling like a total, total idiot and after a moment or two of cursing himself he turned back to face her, his face bashfully tinged red.

“Sorry, I didn’t know.” He spoke quietly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“That you were related? Or what it is that you actually do.”

“Because I didn’t know I was supposed to.” she looked at him “Plus, I kinda liked not being Agent Katie Stark for a moment and just being, I dunno, some regular girl.”

Steve looked at her again before he glanced away, not quite sure what had come over him. He’d literally never had a conversation with a woman that lasted longer than a few minutes, if that, and here he was for the second time with her just rolling with it, and not just that, he was actually being a little rude. His ma would not be happy.

“I’m sorry.” He offered, his manner contrite “I guess it was just a shock, that’s all.”

“Do you know how people usually react when I tell them what I actually do?” Katie sighed, shaking her head “Most guys run a mile.”

“Well, I’m not like most guys.” Steve instantly retorted, repeating the sentiment she had expressed to him mere days ago. She blinked a little, before she gave a huff of laughter and dropped her eyes to the floor.

“Touche, Rogers. Touche.”

“Can I ask you something?” feeling emboldened he asked his question hastily, before he chickened out.

“Sure.” She nodded.

“Did you know? That I was gonna be here, I mean.”

“Not for certain.” Katie shook her head. “I had an idea when you told me it was a doctor from a Science Division that had recruited you but until I saw your name on the new-recruit roster this morning, I didn’t know for sure.”

“Right.” Steve nodded, licking his lips a little.

“Does it matter?” Katie frowned.

“Not especially.” He popped a shoulder “Just kinda figured that if you knew you’d be seeing me each day, you wouldn’t have…you know…”

“Kissed you?”

“Yeah, that.” Steve felt the heat rise in his neck as he thought back to that moment. He ran his hand through his hair in a nervous fashion “I mean I know you probably did it because you either felt kinda sorry for me or like you hadda thank me but this has gotta be awkward for you right? Seeing me every day as a reminder, but it’s not like I told anyone so-“

“Woah, woah, stop!” Katie shook her head, stepping towards him “Steve, I don’t care who you told. I’m not embarrassed if that’s what you think.”

“You’re not?”

“No!” Katie looked at him like he was stupid “I didn’t kiss you because I felt sorry for you or because I felt I owed you, I kissed you because I wanted to.”

“You wanted to.” Steve looked at her, not quite sure if he believed her or not.

“Is that so hard to comprehend?”

“Frankly, yes!” he snorted “I mean, look at ya. You’re…” he gestured with his hand towards her “And I’m…”

“Well lucky for you I’m not a shallow bimbo then isn’t it?” She said, an air of annoyance in her tone. “I might be a Stark, and yes, I’m privileged but that means I’m expected to act a certain way with a certain type of man from a certain type of background. Maybe I just wanna act how I wanna act, with who I choose. And your assumption right then? That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.”

“Katie, I didn’t-” But even by the time he’d finished half his sentence, she’d turned on her heel and left “-mean it like that.” He finished a little lamely, watching her go. His hands dropped to his bony hips and he glanced at the floor, toeing the dirt slightly before he looked up and around. God he felt so out of place, the one thing he’d wanted to do and now he was here he felt as small and as insignificant as he had ever felt. And to top it off, he’d just upset probably the one person he could have relied upon for support. But it was more than that. He felt guilty, guilty that he’d upset her and made assumptions about her, when he actually in all fairness knew nothing about her. He’d judged a book by its cover, which was what he hated everyone doing to him. With a final groan he turned and headed back towards the sleeping quarters, to unpack the small chest of belongings he’d brought with him.

If today was anything to go by, it was going to be a long week.

Long was an understatement.

By Monday morning,  Steve had done 5 different physical assault courses, various runs loaded with equipment, taken part in a number of logic puzzles, had a one on one interview with Colonel Phillips, completed written, arithmetic and geography tests and been subject to another medical examination.  He was now on a fuck knows how many miles drill run, being barked at once more by Sergeant Duffy.

“Pick up the pace, ladies! Let’s go!” The drill Sergeant barked. Steve was running as fast as he could, but still lagged 10 or 15 yards behind the main formation of the group. His legs ached, his chest hurt but he was damned if he was giving up.

"Double time! Come on! Faster! Faster! Move! Move!”  Sergeant Duffy instructed as they rounded the corner of the dirt path, drawing up behind a jeep which was parked by a flag pole surrounded by white rocks on the ground. “Squad, halt!”

Finally Steve could catch his breath. He bent over, hands on his knees as he inhaled deeply, watching the group of men as they gathered around their leader.

“That flag means we’re only at the halfway point.”

Half way? Great…just great.

“First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agent Carter. Move, move!”

Steve pushed his helmet back up his head, remaining where he was simply watching as the entire unit all tried to climb the pole. It was a free for all, men pushing each other out of the way, elbows flying, fists flailing. Steve however scanned the pole up and down, his brain logically thinking it through. There had to be a way to get that flag down without having to climb the pole, otherwise how did they put it up there in the first place?

“If that’s all you got, this army’s in trouble!” Duffy snapped “Get up there, Hodge! Come on! Get up there!”

Hodge, who had made it a few feet further than everyone else slid down to the ground and Duffy stood back, his arms folded, smirking a little. “Nobody’s got that flag in 17 years!” he shook his head “Now fall back into line! Come on, fall in!”

That signalled the end of the little pole exercise, but not for Steve. As everyone cleared away he walked towards it, glancing first at the bottom of the pole, then up to the top, squinting slightly against the sun. If he was right…

“Rogers! I said fall in!” Duffy barked, but Steve ignored him as he bent down and pulled the pin out at the bottom of the pole causing it to fall with a loud crash to the ground in a cloud of dust. He tossed the pin to the floor with a clang as everyone fell silent, watching as he removed the flag from the rope which held it to the pole. He handed it to Sergeant Duffy on his way past.

“Thank you, sir.” He said gently as he climbed into the back of the jeep. Agent Carter turned to face him from her seat in the front and he shot her a smile which she returned, an amused look spreading across her features.

Steve was damned glad of that ride home as, following lunch, they were subjected to another physical activity, this one a seemingly endless circuit training involving star jumps, push up, sit ups you name it.

“Faster, ladies!” Agent Carter barked, as they were all busy doing push ups “Come on. My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul. Move it!”

A few more sets and she barked at them to get up, which they obeyed, springing to their feet just as Agent Stark arrived with Colonel Phillips and Dr Erskine. The three of them were clearly mid some debate, Katie looked a little annoyed and turned to Phillips snapping at him, her face flashing with anger. Erskine put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head gently and she rolled her eyes, turning away and looking in his direction. She locked eyes with Steve who watched her for a second, before Agent Carter’s voice hit his ears and he began the jumping jacks she had instructed them to partake in.

“Come on, girls.”

Steve had no idea how many he did, but he continued going, his arms and legs both spreading and then coming back together as he made jump after jump. He grit his teeth, powering through the burn he was feeling in his muscles, tossing his head out of the way slightly as his dog tags bounced off his chest after a particularly energetic leap, smacking him straight in the nose.

And then he heard it.

“GRENADE!”

All logic flew from Steve’s head and as the rest of the unit scattered he instinctively dived towards the explosive, covering it with his body, curling his knees into his chest in an attempt to minimise the impact to everyone round him.

“Get away!” he yelled, waving his arm as Agent Carter ran towards him “Get back!”

He remained curled in on himself, waiting and waiting but nothing happened. Eventually he looked up, to see everyone was slowly starting to go back to normal and he sat up, frowning a little, his mouth hanging slightly open.

“It was a dummy grenade. All clear. Back in formation.” someone said as Steve glanced first at Agent Carter then over to Phillips and Erskine and finally Agent Stark. As his eyes met hers a smile crossed her face and a flash of something that looked suspiciously like pride filled her pretty features.

“Is this is a test?” he asked as he sat on the floor, completely bemused at what had just happened.

Katie tore her eyes from his to turn to Dr Erskine who was also smiling and they both simultaneously moved their attention to Colonel Phillips. He shot them both a withering look as he spoke before he turned to walk away. As he passed Katie he stopped, pointed to Steve who was now getting to his feet and she nodded, saluting.

Erskine beamed at Steve before he turned to follow Phillips away, patting Katie’s shoulder as he left. Steve dusted himself down and then simply watched as Katie walked over to Agent Carter, his eyes following her every move. She whispered something to the other woman who raised her eyebrows, a soft smile crossing her face. Both women then looked at him, before Peggy gave Katie a curt nod as she called the remaining soldiers back into line.

“Private Rogers…” Katie spoke, her eyes soft as she glanced at him. “With me.”

“Ma’am.” He scrambled after her, tripping over his feet slightly as he hurried to catch up with her, glancing back at the line of men who were now being addressed by Agent Carter before she dismissed them all.

“What…where are the rest of the guys goin’?” he began to ask and Katie turned to look at him as he fell into step besides her, to her left.

“They’re leaving.”

“Leaving?” Steve frowned.

“Yup.” Katie nodded as she led him across the training field and onto the gravel track. “They’ll be re-assigned to other units.”

“Other units?” Steve frowned, before her words finally registered “You mean…”

Katie stopped and turned to look at him, smiling as she brushed some of the dirt from his shoulder. “Congratulations Steve… you’re gonna become our first Super Soldier.”

Steve blinked, swallowed and then shook his head “Is this a joke?”

“No.” Katie shook her head “I can assure you this is deadly serious.” She took a deep breath and turned to walk down the track to her right.

“Why me?” Steve blurted out as they rounded a row of military jeeps

Katie smiled at him “The fact you’re even asking that should tell you everything you need to know. But if you really want the detailed answer, you should ask Abe.”

“Who?”

“Dr Erskine.”

“Okay, I will, where is he?” Steve looked round almost as if he expected the Doctor to appear form behind the munitions store they were passing.

“I suspect on his way to Brooklyn to meet Howie at the SSR lab.” Katie replied “He’ll be back later so you can talk to him then.”

“The lab’s in Brooklyn?” the surprise evident in Steve’s voice as Katie led him to one of the large green dome like structures that housed the offices “So that’s why you were there.”

Katie grinned “Not just a pretty face, are ya?” She stood still, snapping to attention and saluted to the guard on the door who immediately saluted back.

“Agent Stark” he greeted as he stepped to his right, opening the door for them both to step into. Steve followed behind her down a long corridor. They turned left at the end and Katie stopped outside a door to their right which held a name tag informing them that it was Colonel Phillips’ office.  She gave a sharp rap, and then without waiting for an answer opened the door and stepped in, Steve following.

The Colonel looked up as they entered the room, placing the pen he’d been writing with down on his desk.

“Shut the door.” Phillips barked and Steve scrambled to do as he was told before he drew himself up tall and saluted his superior “At ease Rogers.”

“Sir.” Steve nodded and relaxed as much as he could. At that point there was another knock on the door and he turned to see Agent Carter step inside.

“Ma’am.” Steve nodded to Peggy who smiled at him.

“So, I’m assuming Agent Stark has given you the low down?” Phillips spoke and Steve turned back to him, giving a nod.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, saves me a job.”

“When don’t I?” Katie quipped and Steve’s eyes widened at the fact she’d basically just sassed a superior officer. There was a moment’s pause before Phillips snorted.

“One of these days Agent Stark, that mouth is gonna get you into trouble.”

“I look forward to it.” She replied.

Phillips shot her another look which she met with a smirk and he scoffed a little, turning his attention to Steve. “So, Rogers, Dr Erskine has chosen you as the candidate to become our first Super Soldier.”

“It’s an honor, Sir.”

“Do you have any questions?” Peggy looked at Steve.

Steve pondered for a second. Truth be told he had a lot of questions, but the biggest one, the why, that was going to have to wait for Dr Erskine himself. He took a deep breath and looked up at the Agent before his eyes flicked to Colonel Phillips, and back again.

“What does the procedure actually entail?”

“Agent Stark, you wanna take this?” Phillips looked at her and she nodded.

“You’ll be injected with Erskine’s formula.” Katie looked at Steve “This will cause immediate change to your cells, your DNA. Then to stimulate the change and growth, you’ll be subjected to an intense permeation of Vita-Rays, in a chamber that my brother and Erskine developed especially.”

“Is it safe?” Steve asked.

Katie took a deep breath and shrugged “On the animal test subjects we’ve used, yeah but I’m not gonna lie to you Steve, other than a Nazi scientist named Johan Schmidt the serum hasn’t been tested on any human subject.”

“What happened to this Schmidt guy?” Steve asked and Katie looked at Phillips, then Peggy, and when she turned back to him he swallowed a little at the look of apprehension on her face.

“It didn’t go the way he planned, but that said the formula was incomplete. Erskine will be able to tell you more tomorrow.” She answered softly. Steve thought on her words for a moment, his eyes still locked onto hers as she licked her lips, offering him nothing but a shrug “In simple terms, we don’t know if it’s gonna work or not. So you need to think carefully.”

“When is it gonna happen?”

“The procedure will take place tomorrow morning.” Agent Carter spoke. “So you have little over 14 hours.”

“So despite what Agent Stark says…”  Phillips spoke, shooting Katie a look which she met with an equally annoyed one of her own, “There’s no time for contemplation.”

“There’s 14 hours…” Katie began to protest.

“Did I ask for your input?” Phillips snapped and she narrowed her eyes.

“No, you never do. Maybe if you did we-“

“If you want to remain part of this unit you’ll stop that sentence right there.” Phillips pointed at her. Katie’s mouth pressed into a thin line and she folded her arms, shaking her head as she looked away. Steve’s eyes turned back to Phillips who spoke “If you want out, now is the time to speak up so we can find someone else. Are you in, Rogers, because if you are, after this meeting and you leave this room, there’s no going back.”

“But I’ve only had like 5 days of basic training.” Steve frowned “Is that going to be enough?”

“We’re on a schedule.” Phillips shrugged, “It’s going to have to be.”

“Your basic training, or lack thereof, shouldn’t be a problem.” Peggy shook her head “Our intention is to continue to train you up fully so that you’re prepared to lead the others who we…convert.”

Steve took a deep breath and glanced once more at Katie, who was staring to her left, her jaw set. Was he in? He began to logically step through things in his head. Steve wasn’t an idiot, he knew full well that if he said no he’d be shipped off to another unit and likely sent home or shoved into some kind of non-combat role due to his current lack of physical abilities or strength. The serum might not work, but then what? He ended up deformed? Or dead? But if he was perfectly honest with himself, having had a taste of what it was like to do what he always wanted to, if the opportunity was taken away from him, he might as well be dead anyway.

It was a no brainer as far as he was concerned. He had to do this.

“I’m in.” Steve nodded, his voice loaded with conviction as he gave a firm nod.

To the side of him Katie took a deep breath, an action mimicked by Colonel Phillips, before the older man turned to Agent Carter who stepped to the side revealing a piece of paper on the desk.

“In that case then I need you to sign this.” Phillips said “It’s a form stating that you consent to the procedure. Just a formality that Stark is insisting on.”

“God forbid we do things properly.” Katie mumbled. Phillips shot her another withering glare before he waved a pen at Steve. Steve stepped forward, took the pen off him and glanced down at the form. His eyes scanned it and then, without further hesitation he scribbled his name on the space at the bottom.

“Congratulations Private Rogers.” Phillips nodded as Agent Carter moved to place the form in a filing cabinet at the back.

“So, now what do I do?” Steve asked.

“You can do what the hell you want within reason.” Phillips shrugged “But you can’t leave base, can’t risk anything happening to you. Not now.”

“By the time you get back to your barracks, everyone else will have packed up and left so I suggest you make the most of the peace and quiet.” Agent Carter smiled “Because you’re going to be pretty busy from Tomorrow onwards.”

Steve nodded to show he understood and then he was dismissed. Saluting to Phillips he turned to leave the room, followed by Katie who herself was leaving to see her brother.

“Is there anything in particular you’d like to eat tonight?” she asked him as they left the building “And I don’t mean any of the shit they serve in the mess.”

Steve looked up “I suppose some of Mrs Tromley’s home made preserve is out of the question?”

“Leave it with me.” She smiled and Steve looked at her for a second before he took a deep breath.

“Look, Agent- Katie, I err, wanted to apologise for my outburst the other night. I was rude and…”

“It’s okay, I don’t hold a grudge.” She paused and turned to face him “Alright that’s a lie, I do. But only against people who deserve it.”

“And I don’t?” Steve asked with a slight smile and she shrugged.

“For now, no. Plenty of time for me to change my mind though.” And with that, just as she had done at the expo she turned and left him standing there, tossing him a wink over her shoulder as she walked away.

Katie came through with the preserve, a small jar along with a crusty cob of bread was waiting in his bunk later that evening when he returned from the bathroom cabin. He ate sat on his bed, mulling everything over in his mind before he stood up and decided to go for a walk. He found a nice quiet spot hidden behind one of the munition sheds and sat to draw a while, a particularly gnarled old tree the target of his attention. When the light diminished too much for him to see properly, he headed back and dropped his sketchbook into his rucksack before he settled down with a book open on his lap.

For the next few hours he tried to read but none of it was really sinking in. He had butterflies in his stomach, not nerves as such, but apprehension, definitely, at what he was letting himself in for. As he re-read the same sentence he’d been looking at for the last 10 minutes, there was a knock at the door which made him jump slightly and he turned to look over his left shoulder as Dr Erskine stood in the doorway, a bottle and two glasses in his hand.

“May I?”

“Yeah.” Steve nodded, closing the book as Erskine walked over the floor, placing the glass on the trunk at the end of Steve’s bed.

“Can’t sleep?” Erskine asked as he moved towards the bed opposite Steve.

“I got the jitters, I guess.” Steve shrugged.

Erskine laughed “Me, too.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Steve dropped the book he had been reading down on the trunk next to the glass.

“Just one?” Erskine looked at Steve as he sat down facing him. Steve still had a lot of questions, but the one he wanted an answer to most was the one that flew out of his mouth.

“Why me?”

“I suppose that is the only question that matters.” Erskine said after a moment’s pause. He looked down at the bottle of schnapps he brought with him, turning the label so Steve could see it. “This is from Augsburg. My city. So many people forget that the first country that the Nazi’s invaded was their own.” He took a breath “You know, after the last war my people struggled. They felt weak. They felt small. And then Hitler comes along with the marching and the big show and the flags and the… and the… “ Erskine waved his hand as he took a deep breath, straightening his glasses “And he… he hears of me, my work and he finds me. And he says, ‘You’” Erskine pointed to emphasise his point “He says, ‘You will make us strong.’ Well, I am not interested.” Erskine shook his head as he placed the bottle on the floor between his feet, Steve’s eyes following his movements “So he sends the head of HYDRA, his research division. A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt.”

That name Steve recognised from before, the one Katie told him about. He watched as Erskine continued talking, once more pushing his glasses up his nose. “Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle and he’s ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt, it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power hidden in the Earth, left here by the Gods, waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my formula and what it can do, he cannot resist.” Erskine paused as Steve looked at him, understanding immediately he was referring to Schmidt taking the formula. “Schmidt must become that superior man.”

Remembering what Katie had said, about it not going according to plan he looked at Erskine. “Did it make him stronger?”

“Yeah. But, there were other effects.” Erskine conceded, but didn’t elaborate further. “The serum was not ready. But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside. So, good becomes great. Bad becomes worse.” He explained and Steve glanced down, taking all the information in “This is why you were chosen.”

At that Steve looked back up at him, his brow furrowing deeply as Erskine continued “Because a strong man, who has known power all his life, will lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion.”

“Thanks.” Steve said, frowning slightly “I think.” He glanced at Erskine who smiled at him, and then waved in the direction of the two glasses on the trunk at the foot of the bed. As Steve took the glasses, pulling the top one out with his right hand, Erskine uncorked the schnapps and began to pour the liquid.

“Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing.” Erskine said, corking the bottle one more and setting it down on the floor “That you will stay who you are.” Erskine took a glass off Steve and stared straight into his eyes, almost as if he was trying to drive the message home. “Not a perfect soldier, but a good-“ he pointed at Steve’s chest “- man.”

Steve took a deep breath, holding his glass up and he allowed that fleeting warmth of pride spread across his chest, just for a second, as he smiled “To the little guys.”

“Ha ha!” Erskine agreed, chinking his glass against Steve’s but just as Steve was about to take a drink Erskine suddenly spluttered.

“No! No! Wait! Wait! What I am doing?” he reached out, taking Steve’s glass off him “No! You have a procedure tomorrow. No fluids.”

Seriously?

Steve watched as Erskine poured the contents of Steve’s glass into his own and sighed a little, he’d been looking forward to that.

“All right. We’ll drink it after.” He shrugged.

“No! I don’t have procedure tomorrow.” Erskine gestured towards himself “Drink it after? I drink it now.”

Steve gave a small smile as the doctor knocked back the clear liquid in the glass and was just about to speak to tease him a little about making sure he had a clear head for the morning, when there was another knock on the door. Steve’s head turned to look as Katie stepped inside the dorm, smiling.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you had company.” She looked at Erskine whose mouth curled up a little at one side in a knowing smirk.

“And that is my cue to leave.” He stood up. “I will see you in the morning Steven.”

He squeezed Steve’s shoulder as he strode past, the bottle of schnapps in his hand as Katie moved to allow him through the doorway. He smiled once more before he shut the door behind him leaving the pair of them in the dim light of the bare sleeping room. Steve looked at Katie, inhaling deeply as even in the simple combat trousers and plain khaki t-shirt she was wearing she still looked effortlessly gorgeous. Her hair was pulled back off her face in a simple braid, and her skin was devoid of her usual make up, lips clear of their normal bright red paint. He realised with a slight swallow that this is what she’d look like at home, last thing at night and first thing in the morning…

He shifted a little on the side of his bed and watched as she walked over to take the spot Erskine had vacated.

“Are you supposed to be in here?” Steve finally spoke and she shrugged.

“Well, it probably wouldn’t be seen as appropriate if we were caught but…” She paused and gave a twitch of a smirk. “Steve, you’re gonna become a super soldier tomorrow, you can do what the hell you want!”

He inhaled a little sharply at her words as those inappropriate thoughts once more reared in his head and he felt his neck and cheeks grow warm.

“You’re adorable when you’re flustered.” She smiled.

“Thanks?” he shook his head before he glanced up at her “So why are you here?”

“I wanted to see how you were.” She shrugged.

“Why?” he frowned.

“Why?” she looked at him, as if he’d just asked her the dumbest question on the planet. “Because I care about you Steve.”

“You care about me?” he repeated, the disbelief evident in his tone.

“Yeah.” She shrugged. “Of course I do.” Steve watched her for a moment, and for the first time he caught a glimpse of something a little less composed under her normally cool and confident exterior. She was biting her lip, her teeth worrying at her plump bottom one as her right hand gently pulled at the knuckles of her left.

“You’re nervous.” He spoke suddenly and her eyes locked onto his, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. “What is it?”

“Nothing, just…well, this is a huge thing, Steve. A culmination of years of work from not just the SSR but Stark Industries, and Erskine.” She looked at him and shook her head, giving a little snort. “God I know that sounds pathetic compared to what you must be feeling.”

“Well, I’m a little twitchy, that’s fo’ sure, but I’m not scared scared, does that make sense?” he asked and she looked at him, a smile twisting on her lips.

“That’s because you’re ridiculously brave.”

“Or stupid.” He shrugged and she laughed, shaking her head.

“That’s one word I really wouldn’t use to describe you. I heard about the flag.”

“Yeah?” Steve chuckled a little and she grinned.

“Peggy said it was the best thing she’d ever seen. No one’s rendered Sergeant Duffy speechless before but he was pretty impressed that night at briefing.”

“It was just logic” Steve flushed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’m pretty good at using my head. You haff’ to be when you’re as small and as weak as I am.”

“Don’t.” Katie shook her head.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t say that. You’re not weak.”

At that Steve gave a snort. “Come on Doll, physically I’m a wreck. That’s one of the reasons Erskine picked me.” no sooner had he spoke, he realised what he’d said and his eyes widen at the involuntary use of the pet term but Katie merely laughed, arching her brow.

“Doll?”

“Sorry Ma’am.” He winced “Just slipped out.”

“I’m flattered.” She chuckled, before giving a sigh “But back to what you just said, about why Erskine picked you. It isn’t just because you’re physically weak. It’s because that serum amplifies everything about you Steve…”

“Yeah, good becomes great, bad becomes worse.” Steve repeated the words Erskine had spoken to him not five minutes ago.

“Exactly.” Katie looked at him. “Erskine could have chosen any one of the guys that were in here with you, but he didn’t. He saw something in you, something that none of the others had.” She bit her lip and grinned as she leaned back slightly on the bed “You’re a lion disguised as a lamb, Rogers.” “Oh, jeez…” he snorted shaking his head as she laughed “Now you sound like Bucky, that’s the kinda nonsense that jerk would come out with.”

At that Katie wrinkled her nose “In that case I take it back.”

“Thank you, now I feel great.” Steve retorted sarcastically and she laughed loudly, snorting as she did so. Her eyes widened and she clamped her hand over her mouth as Steve chuckled at her very un-lady like manner, his head falling forward as his own laughs rang out around the barracks. Eventually, Katie managed to stop, wiping her eyes and she shook her head.

“Sometimes I think it’s a blessing my parents are no longer around. My mom especially would be horrified if they could see how uncouth I act at times.”

“I dunno.” He shrugged “If you were my daughter I’d be pretty proud of how you turned out.”

Katie smiled shyly at his compliment “Thanks Stevie. I’m sure yours would feel the same.”

He didn’t ask how she knew his parents were both dead, it was fairly obvious she would have read his file. Instead he simply smiled and looked down at his hands “I like to think so. Although I’m pretty sure if my ma was still around and knew what I was doing tomorrow she’d have a coupla’ things to say about it. And a few slaps ready for the back ‘o ma head!”

“Tell me about it.” Katie chuckled, “If my dad could see me here, right now. Man, he’d be apoplectic. ‘The army is no place for a woman’” she mimicked a deep voice before she shook her head “Mind you, not like I’ve never heard it before.” She took a deep breath and looked at him “You’ve never commented on it though.”

Steve blinked and then shook his head, shrugging “That’s not how my ma brought me up. She was a single parent for all my life, anything a man could do in the house she did just as well. Besides, I know what it’s like to be told no because of what or who you are.”

“Ironically who I am kinda got me through the door.” She said, and when Steve looked at her pondering what she meant, she continued “I was already working for the CIA when Howie told me that Colonel Phillips had approached him about working for the SSR. Naturally I wanted in but of course there were grumbles about it because I was a female. But my brother put his foot-down, said we came as a team, so they relented. Plus, Peggy, or Agent 13 was she was then, was already in deep cover working for Schmidt as a maid in his personal mansion.” She licked he lips and shrugged “Colonel Phillips convinced the CIA to send me undercover as Peggy’s friend, a go-between if you will meaning there was less risk of her cover being blown.” She paused and glanced at him as Steve simply watched, rapt with attention. “Over the next few months we obtained details of Schmidt’s plan, what he was intending to do with Erskine’s serum and we knew we couldn’t possibly let the Nazi’s perfect it. Since we rescued Erskine, he and Howard have been working on finishing the formula, building the necessary equipment to ensure that it works. And Peggy and I were given our reward which was permission to serve in the allied army as SSR Agents.”

“Permission?” Steve deadpanned and Katie snorted.

“Yup.”

“Interesting reward.”

“I’d have taken whatever chance they gave to me.” She shrugged “It’s all I ever wanted to do.”

Steve looked at her, the similarities in their stories were striking even despite their different backgrounds. But he still didn’t get it. She was beautiful, could have married well, just like most gals of her status…and his confusion must have shown as she cocked her head to one side and studied him for a moment before she spoke again.

“Don’t you think I was right to do so?”

“No, I mean, yes I do. I guess I’m just curious as to why you’d wanna join the army if you’re a beautiful dame.”

At that both her eyebrows raised and he cursed himself. He’d managed most of this conversation so far not to put his foot in his mouth and now, wham, kicked himself straight in the teeth. “Or a beautiful… a woman.” He floundered for words “An agent, not a dame! You are beautiful, but…”

“Why do you get so nervous when you speak to me?” Katie asked and Steve shook his head, giving a little huff as she called him out, groaning a little.

“Because up until the point I met you I think the longest conversation I ever had with a woman would have been with Mrs Barnes or Mrs Tomley.” he looked up at her, before he glanced back down at his hands. “Women aren’t exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on.”

“You must have danced?” Katie frowned, and she seemed genuinely surprised at what he was admitting.

“Well, asking a woman to dance always seems so terrifying.” Steve shrugged “And the past few years just didn’t seem to matter that much. Figured I’d wait.”

“For what?”

“The right partner.” He said, his eyes still focussed on his hands. He could feel Katie looking at him and eventually he raised his eyes to see her smiling softly at him.

“Well, I think all the girls in Brooklyn are dumbasses for not noticing you.”  With her words she stood up and crossed to the bed he was sat on, taking a spot besides him. Steve swallowed, his entire body going rigid at the fact she was so close to him and she turned her face to look into his eyes. “You’re sweet”

He chuckled “You know I hear that a lot…you’re really sweet and all but…“

“Like I said…”she bumped her shoulder against his slightly, “Dumbasses”

Steve looked at her before he felt his cheeks once more growing warm and he looked away, hastily, focussing on nothing in particular as her words echoed around his head. He didn’t know how to respond to praise, not in the sense in which she was giving it to him anyway.

“But seriously, why does me complimenting you make you so awkward Steve?” she asked, and despite himself Steve’s head shot up to look at her once more, his mouth falling open at the fact that she’d unwittingly just read his mind.

He took a deep breath “I guess I’m not used to it, that’s all.”

“I’m sorry if it makes you feel awkward.” She bit her bottom lip and looked down at her hands for a moment before she glanced back at him, her features soft, eyes alive in the dim light. “But I just, well, I like you Steve.” she whispered, “I mean, really like you.”

Steve felt his mouth go dry as her eyes flicked down to his lips, the same way they had at the Expo and he swallowed, the lump thick in his throat.

“I err, I…” he took a deep breath, the palms of his hands feeling clammy, those green emeralds sparkling as he looked at her, his mind willing him to summon the courage to say what he wanted to. And before he could chicken out, he blurted the words. “I like you too.”

Her cheeks flushed pink and she gently moved towards him, closing the already small distance between them as Steve reached up, with a shaky right hand, his actions completely instinctual. He gently cupped her cheek as his lips found hers and he kissed her, tentatively at first before soon the kiss was as deep as it had been at the Expo. His spare hand balled into a fist by his side as he was unsure exactly what to do with it until he felt Katie’s fingers gently work his away from his palm and she pulled his left arm towards her. Following her lead, he tentatively pressed his palm onto her hip as she shifted her weight slightly, wrapping her arms round his neck. She pulled him closer, the kiss growing deeper and Steve couldn’t help the soft little whimper that rolled in his throat. As the involuntary noise filed the air between them he felt Katie’s lips smile against his and then, he was pitching forward as she fell slowly backwards, pulling him down with her as she sank onto the bunk. The movement came as a not-entirely unwelcome surprise to Steve and he didn’t resist. With a shaky breath he paused for a moment, realising he had absolutely no idea what to do next other than run with it. So, after a second or so more deliberation, he went once more with his gut and crawled over her, resting his weight on his palms which he placed either side of her head before he dropped his face to hers and kissed her again. Her lips felt so soft against his, something he wasn’t sure he’d taken the time to appreciate before, or maybe it was all simply heightened by the fact he was lay over her, he had no idea. But what he did know was that when Katie placed both hands on his face, the pads of her finger tips cupping his jaw, it sent a jolt of electricity tingling all the way down his spine. She was the one to break away this time, breathing deeply as her head rest on his hard, army issued pillow, her eyes bouncing across both of his.

“You okay?” she asked and Steve nodded.

“Yeah, I err…” he swallowed and gave a little huff of shy laughter as he hung his head a little, peeking up a her shyly “I don’t know what I’m doing, or even if we should be doing it at all.”

“What do you mean if we should be doing it at all?”

“Well, we’re not…” he licked his lips “I mean, I should be taking you out, on a date or…well, at least doing things properly, not just…”

“Steve, we’re in the middle of a damned war.” Katie looked at him, cutting his protests off dead. “Every day could be your last, to hell with rules and being prim and proper.”

Steve had to concede she had a point, and as he looked into her eyes he could feel that last thread of his self-control starting to fray. Every inch of his body was on fire for her, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her stupid and feel her underneath him.

“Don’t over think it.” She muttered, her lips ghosting over his “Just run with it.”

So he did. He kissed her hard, dropping to his elbows and pressing a little more of his weight on top of her, totally lost in her warmth and softness. He let out another soft sigh as he felt her shift underneath him and pulled away, turning his head so that his lips were inches from her neck as he recalled a part of a film he’d seen. He glanced up at her as she watched him, her pupils blown with a combination of lust and anticipation.

“Can I kiss you here?” he whispered softly.

“God, yes.” Katie sighed and he obliged, pressing his mouth to her neck. As he did so, his arms and hands moved downwards slowly, his fingers timidly resting on her hips as they gave a little jerk of their own accord, pushing up against him as she groaned slightly at the contact.  Steve pulled back to stare at her again, her noise shocking him slightly, not sure what to do next but Katie wordlessly answered his silent question by tilting her hips up again, and this time it was him who moaned.

“Doll, I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this or do anything-”

“It’s okay Steve,” she said, her voice low and slightly breathy as she looked at him, her eyes, locking onto his. She pushed her head upwards, mouth seeking his out as her hands slid under his t- shirt. He twitched under her touch as the sensation of her gently dragging her nails across his flat, soft stomach sent a spike of desire, like a red hot poker through his entire body. Katie grasped the bottom of his T-shirt and he hesitated, not sure if he really wanted her to see him topless, but she gave an impatient yank, taking the decision away from him and he held his arms up so she could remove it. Once he was free he glanced down to see Katie looking at his chest. He swallowed, as her eyes roved his various pox marks and scars and shivered as she let her hands wander, tracing a path down towards the top of his khaki pants. Her eyes met his and she sat up slightly pushing him back a little to allow herself enough room to reach down and pull her own T-shirt over her head.

Steve’s mouth was dry again as he glanced down at her chest, her hair falling around her shoulders, breasts spilling over the tops of the simple, black balcony cups of her bra and his groin twitched, the crotch of his pants now painfully tight.

“You’re beautiful…” he whispered gently, and then he kissed her again. Her fingers gently took his hands and she guided them onto her, sliding them up her rib cage to her chest and he froze as he found himself once more unsure of his next move. Swallowing hard against the lump that felt like it was obstructing his entire throat he began to gently squeeze and knead the soft flesh and black lace, before he stopped again to consider his next move.

“It’s okay…” she encouraged and with a nod, his hands slid into the cups, teasing her taught nipples with his thumbs, acting completely on instinct, listening and watching her as she groaned gently, arching her back, her reaction telling him he was doing something right as all the time his groin automatically bumped against hers. Katie buried her fingers in his hair, pulling hard, forcing his head back sharply and as she tugged he let out another low growl. When she let go he stared down at her to see her smirking, her pupils blown so wide there was hardly any green left.

“Don’t stop…” her hands moved down to grab at his lower back, pulling him back against her as she moved her knees, bending them so that his pelvis was flush with her, his cock hard through the thin fabric of his trousers. Taking her lead, Steve ground against her again, and again, and as he continued his movements be became aware that the rhythm of his hips was becoming more frantic and their kisses were growing more desperate.

“More,” Katie moaned into his mouth, and with movements that were completely and utterly automatic he gave her what she wanted, moving his hips even faster, rubbing against her in ways that had her clutching at his back like her life depended on it. Steve had never felt anything like this in his life. It was so good, so right, in a way nothing had ever felt so right before. It should have been wrong, rutting up against someone fully clothed, but God, his head was a whirl of lust, desire, and he didn’t give a fuck about anything else at that moment other than her as she lay underneath him

As he pressed up against her, the tightening across his lower stomach that he’d only felt before when bringing himself off warned him he was fast approaching his release. He let out another groan as he felt his movements beginning to lose rhythm and he moved his lips to her neck, pressing a kiss to her skin as he spoke into her ear. “Katie, I’m close.” He breathed out “You almost there? Tell me your close Doll, please?”

He needn’t have worried, at his words Katie moaned brokenly and nodded and his mouth fell to that spot on her neck which seemed to drive her wild. She tipped her head back as he gently nipped beneath her ear with his teeth and a few more sloppy grinds against her she was done, fingers wrapped around his hair, her, hips bucking upwards, almost violently. Her voice was broken as she gasped out “Stevie…”and it was the single most beautiful sound he’d ever heard in his life as it tumbled from her lips. Seeing and feeling her fall apart in his arms sent him over the edge right behind her in a pure surge of ecstasy, his head dropping  to the crook of her shoulder and she gently ran her fingers through his hair.

There was no noise bar the sound of the crickets drifting in from the outside as they both lay, breathing deeply as they waited to regain control of their bodies, a light sheen of sweat beaded across Steve’s brow, wisps of his hair sticking to his skin. Finally mustering enough strength to move, he raised his head to look at her, to find her smiling as she pushed her head up, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“Wow…” she breathed and Steve let out a soft huff of laughter as he sat up to allow her the space to do the same. “You got game Soldier, I’ll give you that.”

Steve snorted and shook his head as he passed retrieved her t-shirt from the floor and passed it to her. “I’ve never done anything like that before.” He shrugged “I erm…”

“Let you into a secret.” She said gently, pulling her top over her head, flicking her hair back as she looked at him, her cheeks flushed with exertion. “Neither have I.”

“What?” Steve frowned “You’ve never…”

“You expecting me to be some kind of wild harlot or sumthin’ Stevie?” She teased as she stood up, Steve scrambling to his feet mimicking her.

“No I just, pretty girl like you, I thought…”

“What was it you said about waiting for the right partner?” she asked before she gently kissed him again. When she pulled away, her nose bumped his slightly and she pressed her forehead to his. “I best go. I don’t wanna but…” she glanced at the window and looked back at him “I’ll see you tomorrow at the lab.”

“Sure.” Steve followed her a little before she stopped in the doorway and turned to smile at him once more.

“Whatever happens I want you to know that you’re already one of the bravest men I’ve ever met.” She took a deep breath “You suddenly becoming all big and strong and…well, whatever, won’t change the fact that you already had the heart of a hero, certainly in my eyes anyway.”

And Steve could do nothing but smile as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

i don't know what to be without you around

Fandom: Supergirl Rating: K Pairings: None A/N: I fully intended for this to just be a goofy headcanon and then WHOOPS it turned into Danvers Sisters feelings. (Not k*lex. If I see it tagged as such, ya get BLOCKED.) Short. 99% fluff. Probably contains spelling errors. You’ve been warned. 

...

Then

Occasionally, Alex would regret all the time and effort she'd wasted focusing on the downsides of having been thrust into elder sibling-dom. Because while, yes, a lot of the changes that occurred in the Danvers household upon Kara's arrival were...not great...there were definitely some perks to having a sister.

Like the simple satisfaction of a perfectly timed, “Shotgun!” victory.

“What?” Kara protested, her yawn undercutting her indignation. “You can't call shotgun yet, we don't leave for another hour.”

“You snooze you lose,” Alex told her, giving her a pointed look as she yawned again. “Literally.”

Kara rolled her eyes and returned to stuffing pairs of t-shirts and shorts into her duffle bag. Alex did the same, surveying her own bag to see if she'd missed anything. Bug spray, maybe?

She turned to head out into the hall, but Kara stood in her path, wearing a sly smile.

Alex didn't like the look of it. Not one bit.

“What's with the face?” she asked, attempting to sidestep around her younger sister. Kara easily blocked her, and crossed her arms.

“Okay, you get shotgun,” she said. Alex blinked.

“Uh, yeah. I know. I called it.”

“Which means,” Kara continued, complete with dramatic pause for full effect, but Alex already knew what was coming. The second half of the rule...how could she have forgotten. How could she have been so foolish. “I get to pick the music.”

Alex groaned in dismay.

“Kara, no.”

----------------------------------

It would take them four hours to get to the Tuolumne Meadows campground. Alex sighed, and rested her head against the passenger-side window. That meant four rounds of Fearless, though it was more likely that Kara would just play the same five or six songs she'd been listening to on repeat ever since she bought the album.

“Can't we listen to something else? Please?” Alex begged.

Kara smirked, and turned the volume up.

But of course, her mom immediately turned it back down, giving Kara a stern look in the rearview mirror.

“Kara,” she said in a tone that suggested, knock it off.

Kara quickly cowed, retreating further into the safety of the backseat. “Sorry, Eliza.”

“Great,” Alex said, sitting up straighter in her seat. “Now get her to play something else.”

“Alex, just listen to your iPod, if you don't like Kara's music,” her mom suggested. Alex sank back into the seat.

“...It's not charged.” There was a snort from the backseat. Alex glared into the rearview mirror. “Because someone lost their chord and was hogging mine this morning.”

Kara shrugged, and smirked that same insufferable smirk.

“You snooze you lose.”

----------------------------------

Four hours and what felt like a billion playthroughs of “Forever and Always” later, they arrived at the campsite, the interminable car ride almost instantly forgotten as the rocky banks of the river came into view. Alex had been here before, years ago on a father-daughter camping trip, but it was Kara's first time. As they filed out of the car and began to pull duffle bags and ice chests from the trunk, she turned to gaze out at the trees, taking a deep, calming breath.

Alex joined her, and gave her shoulder a good natured nudge. “It's nice, huh?”

“Yeah,” Kara agreed. “It's...a softer kind of noisy, than Midvale,” she explained with a happy sigh. And then, after a moment, she said, “...Sorry for being a jerk, in the car.”

“It's fine,” Alex shrugged. “Here, grab the tent.” Kara lifted the gear with ease, and followed Alex over to a level patch of dirt. “I just don't get how you can listen to the same, like, five songs.” She gestured for Kara to dump out the contents of the tent.

“No super speed, Kara!” Eliza called from the car. “You'll kick up too much dust!”

“Okay!” Kara called back as Alex began sorting the pieces. Kara stooped to help her. “They're good songs. You listen to your favorites a lot.” And Alex had to pause and silently admit, that was true. 

“Yeah, but not over and over,” Alex finally said. “I'd get tired of them.” Which was also true. She remembered liking that Fray song, once upon a time, but now, it just annoyed her, any time it played on the radio.

Kara shook her head at Alex’s remark. “I don’t. There's something new, every time.”

Alex glanced over at her, ready with a retort—how could there be anything new in Taylor Swift songs? Weren't they all just...basically the same thing? First dates at fifteen, feeling fearless in the rain at 2AM?

But Kara's eyes were bright behind her glasses as she enthusiastically went on. “Like, sometimes, I'll just listen to the rhythm, or the vocals, or I'll pick out my favorite sounds, and it makes the whole song brand new again.”

Alex narrowed her eyes. “So...it's an alien ears thing, or...?”

Kara considered the question as they continued to put the tent together—they'd located all the poles and stakes, and were maneuvering the tarps into place. “...Maybe?” She said.

Alex kept working on the tent, waiting for Kara to continue, perhaps offer some sort of additional explanation. When she didn’t, Alex looked up to see that Kara’s eyes were on the tree canopy overhead. Her expression was neutral, but Alex had come to recognize that particular look.

She was listening.

To what, Alex didn't know.

“Yeah,” she said after a time. “Yeah, I think it is an alien ears thing.” She smiled. “I like the way guitars sound.”

Alex might've teased her about that, if Kara hadn't sounded so achingly sincere. Did they have guitars, on Krypton? Alex couldn’t remember Kara saying anything about music from her home world. Alex knew it probably wasn’t the case, but she imagined it being a lot of...synth-y sci-fi stuff.

She considered asking Kara about it, but decided against it--sometimes, Kara would get...weird, about such topics, and they were having a nice time. Alex didn’t want to ruin it. 

So instead, she feigned offense. “Well, if you like guitars, I don't see why you don't like my music.”

Kara emphatically shook her head.

“Your music is loud.”

Alex started feeding one of the poles through the tent material. “Um, yes? That's the best part?”

“Yeah, no thanks,” Kara chuckled as she hammered a stake in place. The repeated the process at each corner, and soon enough, the tent was upright, and ready for them to store their gear inside. “It's loud and it's so emo.” 

Alex snorted, heading for their pile of backpacks and duffle bags.

“Okay, Miss 'Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone'.”

FWUMP.

A sleeping bag collided with Alex's right arm.

“That song is great!” Kara insisted, already reaching for more ammo with a wide smile.

“That's not even how the play goes!” Alex teased her. “Right? Aren't you like, the Romeo and Juliet expert?”

FWUMP. The second sleeping bag hit home, but Alex didn't care. She was having fun.

“That's not the point, and you know it!”

“See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns, see you make your way through the crowd--” Alex thought she was safe, as there were no more sleeping bags.

But Kara had found their pillows.

FWUMP. FWUMP.

She laughed again, careful not to let the pillows fall in the dirt. And she was just about ready to give Kara a taste of her own medicine, when she saw that sly smile once more.

Oh, no.

“Hey, Alex, if you hate the song so much,” Kara said with a knowing look, “how come you know all the words?”

Well, shoot.

“...Cause...you play it all the time. Obviously.”

“And you’ve listened close enough each time to learn all the lyrics?”

Alex scowled. “...I mean. It’s...it’s kind of catchy, I guess.”

Kara beamed.

“Ha! I knew—”

Alex hurled both pillows at her.

FWUMP!

----------------------------------

Now

Alex lets out a relieved sigh.

Kara is back.

Kara is safe.

Kara appears to be whole and...mostly healthy. Her sodium levels are low enough to give Alex some pause, and her right leg shows signs of muscle strain, but otherwise...

“Can I go home now?” Kara's voice is raspy from fatigue. Alex shakes her head.

“Not yet,” she says. “Sodium has to be administered slowly. It's gonna take a while.”

Alex expects some sort of pushback, or protest, but Kara just offers a small hum of understanding. She really is tired, Alex realizes.

“But hey, good news,” Alex adds with forced brightness, “you do get to eat in about,” she consults her watch, “fifteen minutes, or so. Anything you want. Me and Kelly are buying.”

This earns a groggy grin from Kara, and Alex stores the image in her mind, filed under 'reassurances that Kara is still Kara, even after...everything.'

“A dangerous offer,” Kara jokes. 

“Well. It...would not be the first time we bought a mountain of food, to welcome you home,” she admits. Kara shoots her a sad, questioning look, but Alex pointedly ignores it. “So. What'll it be? Pick your poison.”

Her sister's brow furrows in thought. “Um. I guess...whatever will get here fastest?” she suggests. “I'm starving.”

“Ah. We all had a feeling you might be, so,” Alex scoots her stool across the room and extracts a plastic bag from under one of the lab tables. “Snack run,” she says, revealing the spoils with a flourish. Kara laughs outright. It's soft, but it's the strongest she's sounded since returning from the Phantom Zone.

“Thank you,” she says. But Alex taps her watch.

“Still have eight minutes to go,” she reminds her. Kara nods obediently, though she's already sifting through the bag.

“I assume the apples and olives are from Brainy,” she says.

“He swears by that combo,” Alex tells her. “Don't worry, I'm pretty sure J'onn put some actual sustenance in there. You know. Red Vines. Pretzels. The good stuff.”

“...What's this?” Kara asks, and Alex wonders if Brainy perhaps added other questionable food combinations, but the item Kara pulls from the bag isn't one of the snacks.

“Oh.” Alex rubs her arm, a little self consciously. She forgot she left that in there. “That's just...” She pauses. “...I saw that. While you were...” Alex tries to think of a good word for it, but there isn’t one. “...away. I guess I thought...that if I got it. It...was like a promise. That we'd find you. And I'd give it to you.”

The logic doesn't seem quite as sound, as she says it out loud. Regardless, it dredges up memories of awful days marked only by failure, frustration, and fear that they'd never find Kara.

She shakes her head, clearing the thoughts away, and continues in a lighter tone. “Because obviously, pot stickers would go bad, so. This seemed...less wasteful.”

Kara nods, still staring at the shrink-wrapped copy of Fearless (Taylor's Version). A wistful sort of look tugs at her features.

“I haven't listened to these songs in years,” she says.

And Alex can't pass up the opportunity to tease her. “Yes. It's been nice.”

Kara rolls her eyes, but she's still smiling. “It's a good album and you know it,” she says. She sets it aside and yawns. Alex notices that she's looking a little worn out, and she doesn't appear interested in the food anymore.

“You want to rest, while I order the food?”

“...Yeah,” Kara decides. Alex stands to collect the snacks and put them back on the lab table. Kara inclines her heard towards the CD. “Did J'onn put a stereo down here?” Alex gives her a look. “Wait. Of course he did.”

Alex takes the hint and grabs the CD, pulling off the wrapper before heading out onto the main floor. The mismatched selection of furniture is currently off to the side, having been cleared away for one of Nia's training sessions. Alex finds the stereo next to one of the lamps.

When Alex returns to the med bay, Kara's already nearly asleep, her breathing slow and steady.

Alex checks on one of the computers—everything is holding steady, and Kara's responding well to the sodium. She should be able to go home tonight.

It makes Alex sigh in relief once more.

Kara's safe.

Kara's healthy.

Kara's home.

Alex places the CD into the open tray. Checks the track list, turns it to one of the softer songs, and lets it play.

Kara smiles as the opening chords drift through the speakers.

“I like the guitar,” she says quietly.

----------------------------------

NOTES: - Brought to you by the release of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and the realization that the original album would’ve dropped at the perfect time for young, impressionable Kara to become a huge fan. - Title pulled from “Breathe” because WATCH ME repurpose select lyrics from love songs for platonic/familial relationships. - I want to say that Kara and Alex went to a MCR concert together...or maybe mentioned MCR? In the tie-in comic? I forget. This isn’t really crucial to the story, I just think it’s a fun aside.  - Apparently it’s National Siblings Day so...yay for good timing? XD 

[aikrus]

Your Reply

Pairing: T. Iida x Reader Rating: 15+ Words: 4k289 Warnings: Reference of Alcohol, and angst  Requested by: No one, but requests are open! Summary: The story of Iida’s summer before UA, and how love isn’t always a good thing.

      QUIRK: Soul Beam

   The summer before high school was a fever dream that Y/n never wanted to wake up from. The sweat sticking to her skin was only ever washed away from the storms that passed through her life- note: even the pools she submerged herself in never removed the glistening water from her body because sometimes water needs a little force behind it in order to cleanse you. 

The gold and purple sunsets are passing memories that she wants to desperately hold on to. No taste will be quiet like the pancakes she had eaten, and no smell will ever replace that of the sweater she stole (despite overheating every time she wore it).

Scars are a painful reminder of what she went through, and it takes a little to see them as a badge of honor, but the help she received only made it re-open in the long run. 

Tire swings will never be the same, and that stupid song is still on the radio- as if it wasn’t playing enough in her head. Y/n used to think she was strong, but now that’s barely believable. Ice cream cones and train rides have a hidden meaning that will only ever be known by her and it hurts to know that no one can help her mourn a love that never happened.

--------------

The first question was asked when the summer started. It was next to a moving van that was a beacon calling out to everyone on the street it was parked on. The well-off neighborhood was full of upstanding citizens who wanted nothing more than to welcome the newest member with open arms. 

It was that beacon that called the Iida family over to the driveway. But as Tenya walked with his brother and parents, he wondered if the bright beacon that drew him in was the moving truck of the bright smile of the teen girl, happily grabbing boxes of things to bring inside. 

“Hello! We’re the Iida family, this is my husband, and these are my two son’s, Tensei and Tenya. Welcome to the neighborhood!” The wife smiled kindly at the mother.

“Thank’s for coming out! This is my husband, Y/d/n, and my daughter Y/n. We’re really looking forward to joining the neighborhood,”  to the untrained eye this looked like any normal greeting, but Y/n knew better. She could see the subtle glances her mom threw at her. She was trying to say how cute the younger boy was. It received a light chuckle and an eye-roll from her daughter.

“Tenya,” The Iida’s father said, clasping him on the shoulder, “Why don’t you go help Y/n with her boxes?”

“Yes, sir,” he said, walking over to the moving truck.

“You can just grab that one if it’s not too heavy,” she pointed at a medium side box labeled ‘Knickknacks’. He hummed in agreement and followed her up into her room, noting the aesthetic that she surrounded herself in.  

---------------------

A knock echoed through the newly-decorated house, alerting the present family members of a visitor. 

“Not it,” Y/n’s dad said, pressing his finger to his noes; her mother follows suit.

“You guys are literal children,” Y/n groaned, forcing herself off the couch she had grown ever so attached to.  Grumpily, she made her way to the door.

“Oh hey! Iida, right?” Y/n said, recognizing the boy that had already been in her room.

“Yes! That’s me. I uh,” he scratched the back of his neck nervously, “I was heading down to the boardwalk, and I wanted to know if you would like to come with me?” 

Truth be told this wasn’t his idea. His mother had been pressuring him for days in hopes to grow closer to the new family. It wouldn’t be long until they realized the Iida’s are a line of hero’s, and she wanted to get close to them before they found out.

“Oh,” Y/n replied, suddenly thinking of the clothes she was currently wearing. While her tie-dye shorts and loose t-shirt weren't anything to be ashamed of, they were not ‘paint the town red’ clothes. 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to!” Tenya said, suddenly embarrassed that he randomly invited a girl his age to hang out with him. 

“No! I’ll gladly go, just give me a few minutes to get changed. Come inside,” Y/n had said, opening the door wider for him before racing upstairs. 

--------------------

       Iida walked slightly behind the girl he was supposed to show around. It was a cliché, but she was mesmerizing. Her hair bounced with every step, and she walked like she had a purpose, and the end goal was in mind and she would stop at nothing to get there. 

She looked like she was made of honey and sugar and a taste would give him a cavity. The beams of the sun projected from her eyes like the cosmos and it made him want to fall in- knowing full well that drifting through the endless space would never cease to amaze him.

“Do you think they sell corn-dogs here?” 

“Huh? oh!” He blushed, before pointing ahead, “Yeah, there’s one right by the docks.”

“Well then what are we waiting for?” She smiled and leaned closer to Iida. “Let's hurry!” There was a burst of light laughter in her voice, as she grabbed his hand and ran off. What was he doing here?

--

When they reached the end of the docks- corn dogs in hand- they say on the bench which over-looked the sea. Night had fallen while they were out, Y/n becoming absorbed in learning as much as she can about where she moved to.

As she looked out to the wine-light sky, she wondered if she could swim to it. The horizon looked so close, like just reaching out a little further would put it in her grasp. It wasn’t until Tenya’s hand grabbed her shoulder that she realized she really was leaning forward.

“Hey, you okay?” He asked, eyebrows pulled together.

“Yeah!” She smiled, snapped out of her thoughts,. “Just day-dreaming,”

“We should get you back home,” He said, before looking back to the water. 

She saw his glasses, they reflected the golden hue of the sunset, and the beautiful purple that fought underneath it. She saw all the beauty in the world in his eyes, all that was good and right- was all in front of her. He was the sunset, he was the horizon she so desperately wanted to get to.  

“Hey, Iida?” Y/n asked, swinging her legs back and forth under the bench. 

“What is it?” He said, looking over to her face- which didn’t turn to see him.

“Stupid question- but an icebreaker; if you could have anyone in the world- living or dead- over to yours for dinner, who would it be?” she blushed a little, but kept a calm face.

He knew the answer as soon as she finished the sentence, but there was no need to tell someone he just met the name of the girl he had been in love with for years- so all he said was, “Probably Catherin The Great, she had a few political opinions I’d like to hear about first hand,”

“Hmm, I can see you two bonding over tea,” She smirked, standing up from her seat, “Let’s get home.”

Tenya nodded, walking beside Y/n- thinking about her.

----------------------------------------------------------------

        A month had passed, and the little interactions the two families had resulted in the Iida’s inviting them over for breakfast. Y/n had woken up early to get dressed. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, harshly shaking it so the baby hairs would fall out. She threw on a form-fitting sweater and yoga-pants. Despite wanting to look like it’s a casual mornings- she did apply some casual makeup to make herself look a little more awake. 

It was stupid- she knows- but Y/n really just wanted to look a tiny bit better when he sees her again. Looking in the mirror, she wonders if he’s putting a little extra effort in his appearance as well. She could only hope.

Walking down the stairs, she saw her mother- also wearing casual makeup- and her father in a black polo and slacks. They were both standing by the door, waiting for their daughter to come out from her cave. 

“Why are you guys already done?” She asked, turning on the phone and checking the time.

“Wanted to make a good impression,” Her dad smiled, putting his own phone away. 

“Alright,” Her mom smiled, putting on her wedges, “Let’s get going. Y/n can you grab the scones and smoothie?”

“Yeah mah, I’ll be right back,”

“Thanks love,” she smiled, grabbing the house keys off the hook. 

They were kinda heavy, but it was nothing she couldn’t carry. That didn’t stop her dad from taking it from her with a smile. She could have done it, but she’s not necessarily upset about it.

---

Sitting at the dining room table was only awkward in the beginning of the meal. The Iida’s seemed to be pretty profesional people, but the Y/l/n’s were introverts with an acquired sense of humor. Joking about everything from people at work, eachother, and random facts they had learned, the Iida’s quickly became much less tense during the meal. 

The mother and father- whom’s names Y/n never seemed to learn, were last few to smile or laugh along side the rest, beaten by Tenya by only a second, but Tensai had been the first to crack a joke, almost beating Y/n herself to break the ice. 

The loud laughter slowly split into multiple side conversations; Y/n- who sat across from Tenya- tried to strike up a conversation. “Do you want to be famous one day?” 

“Hmm?” He asked, looking up from the lone strawberry cut on his plate, “Yes, I plan on being a Hero.”

A few seconds longer than a moment had passed, end Tensai asked Y/n in return, “What about you? You wanna live the life of fame, or are you more of a low-key kinda gal,” he smiled at her, and for a second Y/n though he had noticed the embarrassment worn on her face after being rejected and forced into silence.

“I dunno really, my quirk is pretty multipurpose. I originally wanted to be a counselor or therapist, but it’s changed from a vet to doctor, to a hundreds of other things. My parents think I should be a hero- I wouldn’t mind I don’t think, but the constant attention could get pretty annoying. A like being busy with people and events, but I do value my privacy,” 

He smiled at her, nodding in acceptance at her answer. The Iida parents had been listening into her words while she spoke, but they still conversed with Y/n’s parents as well. 

Y/n saw a smile on Iida’s face. That mirrored on her own, and suddenly her pancakes tasted a whole lot better. She missed the far off look in his eyes, if only she saw the worried look that was on Tensai’s face. If she had, maybe that small warning could have protected her heart.

---------------------------------------------

         Y/n had found an abandoned tire swing in their large backyard, three acres of cleared land and two of forest. The swing was in a small clearing- it looked like a party or two had been thrown while it was vacant- shown by the few nips thrown about the ground. She swung back and forth- listening to music playing in her head. 

Because of how caught up in her head she was, she never heard the footsteps approaching her. “Hey, Y/L/N!” Tenya greated. 

“Jesus Christ!” She shouted, falling from the swing. Thankfully, with the use of his quirk, Iida was able to catch her just in time.

“You should really be more careful,”

“I’ll be sure to remember that,” she rolled her eyes. 

He smiled, helping her back up to the swing. He slowly began to push her back and forth, spinning her as fast as he could listening to her laughter. Getting more and more dizzy, she closed her eyes to stay level headed. 

With a heavy sigh of contentment, Y/n lied on the grass with Iida, staring up at the beautiful blue sky. “Hey, Tenya?” She asked, still looking up.

“Yeah?” He turned on his side to see her better- only to notice her eyes were closed. 

“What’s your perfect day?”

“Hmm...” he thought for a second, trying to think of a good answer. “Probably waking up early, and seeing the girl I love as soon as I open my eyes. Then I’d like to eat breakfast with my family- followed by patrol with my brother. Then I’d like to go home and make a cup of tea and sit down with a book I like. Yeah, that sounds pretty good,” he smiled himself, closing his eyes to really picture what he was saying. 

“That sounds really nice Iida,” she whispered, wondering if she could be the one he loves.

---------------------------------

           Summer only had a month left, but Y/n wanted to make the most of the fleeting free-time she had left. Wanting to explore more of Japan before her freedom was stripped from her, she invited Iida to go on a roadtrip with her. 

It wasn’t hard at all to convince her parents to let her go, with her quirk she really didn’t need to worry about being attacked. Even then, she’s physically strong if she can’t use her quirk to defend herself. With the rise of heroes to protect everyone, Japan quickly became one of the safest places. Y/n was also very closely trained with America’s top hero, Reflector. She taught Y/n everything she knew and fully plans on giving Y/n her hero agency as her predecessor. 

Iida’s parents were a little harder to convince, but Y/n’s parents were very persuasive. They would be gone for a week, and they would check in every morning when they woke up and every night before they went to sleep. If they didn’t call during one of the time’s then they had until the next call to respond.

They had made a list of regions and cities in them to visit in them, with the days they would be arriving and leaving. If they skipped a stop of stayed longer, then they had to text their parents with the nex information. Solid rules, and both the teens agreed to them, as well as their parents. 

The bus ride to the train station was relatively short, but it was in complete silence. It was a little awkward, but they just had to get through that one part. 

The train ride itself was much more enjoyable. With their suitcases in hand, they sat close yet comfortably. “Hey, Tenya?” 

“What’s up?” He asked, looking up from his phone to see her eyes staring back at him- a smile tugging at his lips. 

“For what in your life do you feel most grateful?” She questioned, smiling into his eyes.

“Probably my family,” He responded as soon as she finished- having grown accustomed to Y/n’s random questioning, “They’ve done so much for me, and I only hope I can pay them back for all that they’ve supported me through.”

Y/n nodded at his answer, acknowledging how very much like him it is. The loud bustle of train and constant shaking led them to listening to music together, sharing earbuds and squeezing close together. It was a cheesy, new, pop song- one that will probably inspire a sub-culture of girls to bind together. It was weirdly comforting.

---------------------------------

        The last night they spent through their travel of Japan was by far the most enjoyable. There was a small frost in the air that traveled with the two, following them in their own little bubble. 

The streets were lightly illuminated, and it seemed like they were the only two in the world. Y/n had grabbed him by the hand, dragging him to an ice cream vendor. Seeing her in front of him, Tenya was thrown back to the first time they spent time together- everything's so different now. Yet, her beautiful eyes stay constant. Her kindness in unwavering. She’s still a girl made of honey and sugar.

After traveling together for so long, the two stopped correcting people who referred to them as a couple- they simply accepted it as an inside joke. This was why they laughed when the man behind the counter said “And these two for the cute couple,” with a wink at the end of his sentence. 

Walking linked by the elbows, the two passed through the park. Shivering from the wind and the chill of her ice cream, Iida stopped the pair. He took off his sweater, revealing the long-sleeve shirt he wore underneath, and he handed it to her. 

“Ten! You’ll freeze to death,” she said, refusing the offering.

“C’mon Y/n/n, I can heat myself up through my engines, and I wasn’t asking. You’re gonna wear the sweater or you’ll get sick. Put it on,” he said, taking the ice-cream from her hand and raising her arms like she was a child. 

Y/n was very pleased the cold hid the blush on her face- last thing she needed was for him to discover her feelings on the last day of this amazing trip. She slipped into his large sweater, and grabbed her ice cream back from him.

“Hey Iida, I’ve got another question,” she said, walking with him through the trees bordering the street. 

“I’m ready,” he asked, looking forward to make sur they didn’t walk into anything in the dark. 

“What’s a personal problem you could use some advise for?” She asked, actually curious as to what he could possibly need help with. 

He sighed, not making eye-contact. “I guess since we’re close enough- even on nickname basis- I should be comfortable telling you this. I’m in love with this girl, I’ve never stopped thinking about her since the moment I met her,” a dopey smile came onto his face, “I have no idea how to tell her. And now we’re going into highschool, and she’s going to meet so many other people- people I’m sure are more fun than me. I want to confess to her before the summer ends, but I have no idea how to. So,” he sucked in a deep breath and looked at Y/n, “What do you think?”

Y/n smiled, she was so sure he was being cheesy and talking about her. She fully believes that he’s gonna confess tonight. It has to happen- that’s the only way what he just said makes sense. 

“I think,” she closed her eyes, “You should look her in the eyes, and compliment them. Whether she accepts your compliment or refuses it, tell her you want her to know how perfect she is- and then tell her how you feel. Tell her how just seeing her makes your day, how you want her to be the first thing you see in the morning, and the last voice you hear at night. Tell her you want to spoil her, want to tell her everyday how perfect she is. Confess to her that she’s amazing, and that you love her. Let her know how you feel, and then respect her reply. But, there’s no way she’ll turn you down. Be confident, you’re amazing and I’m sure she feels the same,”

Tenya thanked her for her advise, and they fell back into a comfy silence. It was then she remembered the night they decided to go by first names, the night she realized how hard she fell for him.

----

Y/n was sitting on her rooftop, Iida beside her. They were looking up at the stars- sitting in silence. Like always, she started the conversation- “Hey, Iida, If you died this evening without being able to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? And Why haven’t you told them yet?”

“Huh,” he murmured, thinking hard. “I’d regret not thanking my brother more. He risks his life to save people, and he practically raised me. He’s why I want to be a hero, to live up to his expectations. I guess I haven’t told him yet because I want to prove that I’ve done something with myself. I want him to know he doesn’t have to raise me anymore- that I succeed,”

Y/n thought for a moment, before answering a question for the first and only time they have known eachother- but he didn’t ask it. She just felt a need to finally speak.

“I had an ex-boyfriend,” she sighed, clenching her eyes shut; “We’d been dating for five years- since we were children. We were so close as kids, but when our quirks manifested he broke up with me. He said my quirk was too dangerous for him, that he didn’t want to be part of the backstory of a villians history. It fucking ruined me. I was an idiot for actually thinking we could have lasted. About a month after we broke up, a villian attacked the agency I was working at. The only reason I was there was because I know the hero in charge, and he knew that. He had come to the building during my break- I don’t know why he was there, but I was the only person he knew there. The villain attacked, but his quirk wasn’t very strong. All he could do was change the color of an item for a few seconds. He was killed that day- slaughtered by the villain who’s only reason was boredom. I wish I could talk to him one last time, tell him I loved him one last time.”

Iida scooted closer to her, pulling her head onto his chest, letting her use him as a crutch. “It’s okay, Y/n. It’ll be okay,”

----------------------------------------------------------

When highschool started, and Tenya hadn’t confessed his love to him, Y/n came to the painful realization that she wasn’t the one he loved. However, it was the first day of school that hit the nail on the head. 

She had entered the classroom of 1-A, after her family convinced her to at least try out the hero course, and was terrified that she would know no one. And then, she heard a voice that reminded her of someone very similar.

At the far end of the room, she saw the back of a blue-haired boy scolding a blond with his feet on the desk. A smile spread across her mouth when she realized who this up-tight teen was. Practically running to cover the distance of the class, Y/n launched herself onto Iida, latching onto her. 

“Ten!” She smiled, shifting to wear he could comfortably hold her up.

“Y-Y/n?” He asked, momentarily stunned by her sudden appearance. He smiled and spun her around for a second before putting her down. “You’re here? You’re parents convinced you to pursue being a hero?” he was reasonably confused, but he wasn’t upset she was there- if anything he was glad to have a second familiar face around.

“Yeah, I’m just trying it out,” Y/n laughed, scratching the back of her neck. 

“So heartwarming, now get outta my line of sight four-eyes,” the blond snapped, glaring at the pair.

“You’re annoying, you know that?” Y/n said, rolling her eyes at his comments. 

Meanwhile, Iida laughed at Y/n being called his girlfriend. Y/n, who used to laugh with him, could only do her best to not cry. 

“C/mon Ten, let’s go to your seat,” Y/n said, tugging his hand towards the spot with his name on it- stopping when her arm was tugged, caused by him not moving with her. 

“Sorry Y/n/n,” he said, releasing her hand. “I would, but I promised Momo I’d meet her by the gate and guide her to the classroom. You know about Momo, right?” He looked into her eyes hoping she would put it together herself. After realizing she wouldn’t, he reminded her, “We talked about her on our last day of the tour.”

“Oh,” she said, feeling suddenly really cold. 

“Yeah,” He smiled, “Wish me luck!” He gave her a thumbs up and walked out the room- leaving her stunned and so very cold. 

A scoff echoed from behind her, causing her to look back and see the blond once again. 

“That guy’s an idiot- glasses or not. It’s so obvious how you feel about him, and you’re way to attractive to pine after someone like him. You’re smart too, since you got into this school- he’s really missing out,” he rolled his eyes, but he also knew what just happened- even though no one else in the room picked up on it. 

He assumed they were dating, but when Iida laughed, Bakugo had no clue if he was laughing at them dating or the girl’s reaction. He quickly figured out which of the two was the truth, and he also realized that he had no clue that she was in love with him. 

Y/n didn’t react to his words, just stuck in the weird state she was in. She wasn’t sad, or angry. There was no tears or screams or breakdown, just a silent wave of shock. An ocean of doubt consumed her, filling her with a sense of... nothing. 

She should have known. She should have realized. It’s entirely her fault. Who could love her. Who would want to love her. Who wants to date a freak. Who wants to date someone with a villainous quirk like hers. That’s why he was shocked when she showed up- he thought they’d reject a future villain like her.

No wonder everyone hates her; if she was someone else she’d hate herself too.

[nxrthmizu]

| me and you | Sugawara Koushi

»»——⍟——««

song | Night Changes - One Direction

pairing | Sugawara Koushi x Reader

words | 2.9k 

author’s note | Hi yes I am late but,,, Oh wait I have no excuses. Anyway, please reblog and comment if you enjoyed reading! Not sure if I’m still being shadowbanned :/ Not proofread so let me know it there are any mistakes! 

»»——⍟——««

cadowly’s songfic december mlist

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Goin' out tonight, changes into something red

His mouth dropped at the sight of you, a gentle smile on your lips as you walked into the room. You were dressed in a black cloak, a dark green scarf wrapped around your neck like a snake. The kids’ attention instantly gravitated towards you, a whole bunch of them swarming towards you, a walking clump of excited chatters and ‘Merry Christmas, L/N-sensei!’. 

Her mother doesn't like that kind of dress

“Hello everyone,” You replied with a laugh, tugging off your cloak and your scarf as you walked into the classroom of the pre-school where both you and Sugawara Koushi worked as teachers at. “Merry Christmas!” 

A blush crept up his cheeks when you undressed, proudly showing off a bright red sweater with what seemed to be Rudolph on it. The pre-school had organised a secret gift event, where everyone would buy a gift, wrap it, and leave it under the tree. Later on, everyone would get a chance to pick out one gift for themselves, and since the teachers were required to participate, Sugawara had picked out a sweater, wrapped it in a cute box, and left it under the tree in the teachers’ staffroom. He had never anticipated the fact that you would choose his gift, giving your reason for the choice as ‘It looks really nicely wrapped, whoever bought this must’ve put a lot of effort into it!’.

Everything she never had she's showin' off

“L/N-sensei, your sweater’s really cute!” One of your kids said with a beam. 

“Thank you!” A soft smile graced your lips as you glanced down at the sweater with a fond expression. “It’s from my secret santa!” 

The kids continued to chatter excitedly around you as you set down your cloak and your bag in Sugawara’s classroom, where both of your classes were having a joint Christmas party. 

“Merry Christmas, Suga-san.” You greeted with a smile, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “Your sweater’s really cute.” 

He glanced down in surprise, remembering with sudden shock that the sweater he was wearing came as a set with the one that he had wrapped. His was dark green, and also had Rudolph on it- Except Rudolph was standing in a different pose, of course. 

“Ah.” He coughed awkwardly. “Thank you. I like yours, too.” He knew without a doubt by the glint in your eyes, you were aware that the sweater you were wearing was from him. 

“Thanks! I really need to thank the person who got me this sweater.” At this point you were just teasing him, and boy was it working. Red flushed across Koushi’s cheeks, and it wasn’t because it was snowing outside. 

“Suga-sensei, you’re blushing!” One of the girls pointed out with a giggle. This caused a chain reaction throughout the classroom, the forty-or-so kids you had packed in Suga’s classroom rushing to the front, where he was sitting cross-legged on the carpet while wrapping some last-minute gifts. 

“Suga-sensei’s blushing!” Came the chorus of the kids’ exclamations. The red on his cheeks only darkened as he tried to laugh it off, but unfortunately for him, the red around his cheek, neck, and ears did not recede. 

You laughed softly. “Alright, alright. That’s enough. Who’s excited for the gift exchange?” 

The kids raised their hands and jumped around enthusiastically, some bragging loudly that they got amazing gifts for their classmates. Sugawara breathed a sigh of relief, glad that you had redirected the kids attention. 

“We still have a few students who aren’t here yet, so why don’t everyone leave their gifts under the tree first and we can play some small games while waiting for the rest of your friends, okay?” You suggested with a smile, the kids instantly rushing to grab their gifts from their bags to stash under the tree that both your classes had decorated together. 

“Thanks.” He smiled thankfully at you, praying that his blush had lightened up. 

Your eyes twinkled in amusement. “No problem.” 

»»——⍟——««

“Suga-sensei!” One of the girls approached him, pushing past his arms to settle into his lap. He chuckled, patting her hair as he gave her a questioning look. “I have a question!” 

“Well, go ahead.” He smiled. 

“Are you and L/N-sensei dating?” The kid whispered, looking up at him with saucer-sized, curious eyes. 

Sugawara coughed loudly, trying not to choke on his own embarrassment. “No! I mean... No. No we’re not.” 

“But she’s so pretty!” The girl scrunched up her eyebrows, not understanding why her teacher wouldn’t want to date the pretty teacher from the neighbouring class. “And she’s really nice!” 

“Well, yes, but...” He struggled with his words, trying to remember that you were across the room and that he couldn’t let the conversation get out of hand or he was done for. 

Little did he know, across the room, seated with your own kids, you were being confronted with the same question. “L/N-sensei, are you dating Suga-sensei?” One of your boys, who was cuddled up against your side while he munched on a piece of cake asked you, the rest of the kids tuning in to listen in interest. 

“No, but what made you think that?” A light blush painted your cheeks but you kept your cool, entertaining your kids with the conversation. 

One of the kids who were seated in a semi circle around you piped up. “Because he’s really nice to you!” 

“Because mommy said you two look nice together!” 

“Because his sweater looks a little like yours!” 

You smiled, your eyes flicking up to spot a flushed Sugawara across the classroom. “Well, we’re not dating. If we are I’ll let you guys know, okay?” 

It wasn’t just the kids, though. 

“How was the Christmas party?” One of Suga’s kid’s mother asked as she engulfed her child in a hug. The boy broke into a grin and begin ranting about the cake and the gift that he had picked out from under the tree. “That sounds great!” 

“I met new friends from L/N-sensei’s class!” The boy continued to say excitedly. 

“Ah, L/N-sensei?” The middle-aged woman glanced across the entrance of the pre-school, spotting you, also talking to one of your kids’ mother. “Wow, she’s really pretty!” (Suga had to stop himself from nodding vigorously in agreement.)

The boy agreed without holding back. “Yeah! Suga-sensei blushed when he talked to her!” The grey-haired teacher spluttered, not expecting his own student to betray him. 

“Is that so?” The mother instantly piped up, wiggling her eyebrows at Suga, whose face flushed again. “Suga-san, I think the both of you would look great together! Is she single?” 

“I-” He fumbled around with his words. “I think?” 

The mother shot him a smirk, walking away with her excited child as Sugawara blushed, drowning further in his growing affection for you. There you were, across the entrance, waving goodbye to one of your kids. “See you after Christmas break!” You smiled so brightly he was sure you could outshine Hinata, the literal sunshine child. 

The both of you sighed in relief as the last kid was picked up by his mother. At that rate, the both of you were ready to collapse from exhaustion- Dealing with kids during Christmas eve was one of the most draining things you had ever done, and the two of you were incredibly grateful that you had combined the class celebration- Because it meant only one classroom to clean up. 

“I’m exhausted already, and there’s still the staff celebration tonight.” You complained with a tired whine as you picked up all the trash left behind. 

He shot you a knowing smile, feeling his mental fatigue start to settle in. God, he loved kids, but they could be a handful at times. 

“L/N!” One of your female coworkers burst into Suga’s classroom, startling the two of you. Her expression turned sheepish as she apologised quickly. “I’m really sorry but- I can’t send you to the staff party tonight!” 

Your face dropped as you groaned. You couldn’t drive, and the party location was a reasonable distance from the nearest train station, and you didn’t feel like walking... 

“My mom suddenly told me she wanted me home for Christmas eve, so...” She winced. “I’m really sorry. Maybe you could get another teacher to send you?” 

“I could.” 

The both of you turned to look at Suga, who had paused halfway through sweeping the floor. “I’m going to the party. I could drive you.” 

“Perfect!” Your coworker clapped her hands a little too enthusiastically. Your eyes narrowed at her suspiciously as she very conveniently ignored your questioning gaze. “You can go with Suga-san, then. Sorry and thanks again!”

 »»——⍟——««

Drivin' too fast, moon is breakin' through her hair

“Wow.” Sugawara couldn’t help the way his jaw unhinged at the sight of you, clad in a tight-fitting red dress that hugged your curves in a way that left little to his imagination. “I mean. Um. You look great.” He offered, trying to fix his composure, heat bursting in blossoms across his neck, cheeks, and ears. 

“Thank you, you don’t look too bad yourself.” You replied gracefully, your heels clicking as you walked down the steps of your apartment. 

Sugawara had cleaned up from his sweater-dressed pre-school teacher look into a well-groomed man with soft grey locks, a dark-green dress-shirt with a Christmas tree patterning and black jeans. “T- Thanks.” He stuttered, rushing over to hold the door open for you, quite like the gentleman he had a reputation of being. 

She's headin' for somethin' that she won't forget

The ride started off a little tense until you started humming along to the song on the radio, enticing him into joining you. He could barely keep his eyes on the road- How could he, when he had an angel like you in his passenger seat, eyes blinking under the stars and your heavenly voice tickling his ears?

Havin' no regrets is all that she really wants

“Suga! Oh, hi L/N-san.” A male teacher greeted the two of you with wiggling eyebrows that instantly made the two of you look away from each other. “Well, get yourself some drinks, we’ve got quite the night ahead of us!” 

We're only gettin' older, baby

“Come on, the two of you have been sitting here for the whole night! Get on the dance floor!” 

The two of you were seated by the bar, nursing your respective drinks (Suga had a glass of carbonated water- He wasn’t allowed to get drunk and he’d be darned if he forgot his responsibility of driving you home) while sharing small-talk, primarily about your classes and what you do outside of work. Koushi enjoyed your presence; Conversation just seemed to flow when he was with you, and awkwardness a foreign concept that he had forgotten. The twinkle of your laugh was imprinted in his mind, your eyes curved into crescents and a giggle vibrating down your throat. 

“I don’t... Know how to dance.” You admitted shyly. 

Your coworker rolled her eyes. “Just get out there!” 

“I’ll go with.” Koushi laughed, setting his drink down. His hand found yours, in the maze of coloured strobe lights and the next thing you knew you were laughing, smiling, giggling as he brought you the centre of the dance floor, like he wanted to show off to the world just how special you were. 

You flushed in embarrassment, feeling multiple sets of eyes on you- Your coworkers’. “What do I do?” The whisper was shot to the grey-haired man, who was already moving to the music like he was born to dance. 

“Just listen to the music and focus on the beat.” He laughed, taking both of your hands into his, jerking you onto the beat and directing your movements until you got a hang of it. “There you go!” 

And I've been thinkin' about it lately

Everyone in the room must’ve been able to see how in love with you he was, Suga mused with a tiny groan. There were literal hearts in his eyes when he looked at you, your red dress dancing in the air alongside you, a slightly-drunk smile on your lips. The pounding music faded away from him, the only sound he heard being your angelic laugh. At that point he was sure your laugh could cure the world’s deadliest diseases. 

Does it ever drive you crazy

“I’ve never had that much fun.” Breathless, you smiled widely at him, both of you (Well, mostly you) stumbling back to the bar. 

His eyes softened at the sight of your tousled hair, your gleaming eyes, the thin sheen of sweat on your skin. You looked like you hadn’t went to a club to dance in ten years- Which, judging from how stiff you were when you were first dragged onto the floor- Was probably true. 

Just how fast the night changes?

“Hey... Can we get out of here?” You asked after a while, giving him a mini-heart-attack when you turned to look at him. “It’s getting too loud for me.” 

“Sure,” He replied easily. Heck, you could ask him to get on a plane to anywhere on the planet and he’d probably still say sure. Koushi knew he had fallen for you, and when he fell, he fell hard. 

Everything that you've ever dreamed of

The two of you grabbed a couple of rental bikes a little away from the club, scanning the barcodes with your phones before pedalling away. Your red dress fluttered in the wind from under your coat, your hair loosened and a couple strands waving at him with a laugh while they flew behind you. 

Disappearing when you wake up

He wished he could continue pedalling behind you forever; God, what he would give to have Christmas eve last forever. Your laugh played on loop inside his mind, the ring of your giggle warming him, insuring his body against the cold winter. 

But there's nothing to be afraid of

By the time morning came, would you remember? Would you remember the park that the two of you stopped at because you wanted to stargaze? Would you remember the love-struck way he stared at you while your eyes were fixated on the dots of white up in the sky, just out of your reach? Would you remember the way he took a breath of courage and intertwined your fingers together just as the clock struck 12? 

Even when the night changes

“Merry Christmas, Suga-san!” You smiled, looking at the time on your watch. 

It will never change me and you

“Merry Christmas, L/N-san.” He replied, an identical smile on his lips. You leaned closer, your lips connected with his as sparks exploded as loudly as the fireworks up above in his heart. 

“W- Wait!” Koushi pushed you away, cheeks flushed and painted a visible scarlet despite the dim lightning of the park. “You- You’re drunk. I’m not going to take advantage of you like this, you’ll regret this when you wake up.” 

A pout crossed your lips, but you figured he had a point. Even you knew that you were slightly drunk- It was the boldness of your actions, the way stars seemed to litter the air around your silver-haired coworker, the shine in his eyes that were a little brighter than usual. 

“I won’t.” You pursed your lips. “I probably won’t dare to do it again if I’m fully sober.” 

»»——⍟——««

“Suga-san?” 

He swore he almost had a heart attack when he woke up at 8am and his phone was ringing, your caller ID staring him in the face, urging him to pick up. “Yeah? Do you need anything, L/N-san?” 

“No, uh, can I- Can I come over?” 

If he didn’t have a heart attack at seeing your caller ID, he had a heart attack at your request. “Uh- Sure? Why?” 

“I... I’m not too sure either. I’ll explain when I get there.” 

Christmas morning was a wonderland of white falling from the sky, your window sill covered with an inch-thick of cold, powdered sugar. There was a faint throb in your head- You had drunk a little bit more after returning to the party with Sugawara. Fumbling around, reaching for your phone, you turned it on, blinking in surprise as you stared at the three words etched on your lockscreen wallpaper. 

‘Kiss’. ‘Sugawara’. ‘Koushi’. 

“What did I do last night?” You mumbled, sitting up. Flashes of a park, a sparkling night sky, and a silver-haired coworker flipped through your mind like a flipbook with a dozen pages missing. At last, you figured you might as well call the man in question- Surely he knew what you did last night. 

»»——⍟——««

“I... Woke up to this on my lockscreen.” You explained, showing him your phone. Red burst across Koushi’s cheeks like cherry blossoms, and for a moment you wondered if spring had come early. “I figured there was no harm if I came over.” 

“So... Are you going to do it?” He eyed you, a mixture of shy and curiosity. 

In one swift movement, you jerked the front of his shirt, pulling him to you for a kiss. When you pulled back, Sugawara Koushi was a stuttering, blushing mess who had apparently forgot how to use his words. 

“No harm in trying.” You shrugged with a tint of a smile across your lips. “So... Did you forget how to use words or...?” 

“Dammit, you can’t just do that to me like this!” 

»»——⍟——««

taglist. @mrs-kuroojinguji @procrastination-lady ​@drippinginhoneyandgold ​@shoyosun​@aka-a-shii ​@shibayamasbae ​@churochuu​ @seijohlogy​ @dearsukuna 

send an ask to either @owlywrites or @cadenceh2o to be a part of Cadowly’s Songfic December’s taglist!

hello sorry for how late it is but uhhh yeah 

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[knightofameris]

not like this (pt. 2) - tony stark (stark!reader)

Setting: Endgame Gender: Neutral Contains: ANGST  Word Count: 2.1k

a/n: Let me know if there are any mistakes, regarding the gender of reader, grammar, spelling, or with the story. c:

Working on other fics instead of working on my series? More likely than you think.

I also used a similar concept in one of my old drafts for my own MCU-AU for this so let’s hope y’all like.

Enjoy! [repost from old account]

☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆

❝ you can’t die please don’t go i don’t know what to do without you❞

☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆

You jolted up, gasping for breath. You reached up to your cheek where you last felt your dad’s hand linger but he wasn’t there anymore. Looking down at your legs, you saw yourself being remade. Your eyes narrowed, that was something you’d never think you’d see.

Looking around you, you noticed that the barren planet seemed to change, things had slightly shifted and moved out of place.

Something didn’t feel right.

You stood up, dusting the dirt off of yourself, your hands briefly touching the reactor on your chest.

“(Y/n)?”

Turning around, you saw Peter on the floor, staring down at his hands as they came back together.

“Peter, holy shit,” you breathed out, rushing over towards him and falling to your knees to hug him. His arms wrapped around you and you both stayed there in the comfort of each other’s arms.

“What—What happened?” Peter asked once you broke apart. “I remember—uh—I remember Mr. Stark and I was getting all dusty and—”

“There’s no time.” You and Peter both looked up to see Strange floating above you, his hands raised before him as one arm began making circles. “We’ve been gone for five years and they need our help.”

You and Peter exchanged glances, getting up. The portal in front of you showed a destroyed battlefield. Quill and the other Guardians stood next to you, walking through the portal.

“Another battle?” You asked, tapping your arc reactor and letting the suit overcome you. “Already?” You started flying towards the portal then Peter shooting a web on your abdomen.

“I’m gonna hitch a ride.”

You rolled your eyes and he landed on the ground, you next to him. Your eyes scanned the battlefield, trying to find your father but with the vast amount of people, it’d be difficult.

Then the charge started. You were totally caught off guard, looking right and left as each of your allies ran straight into battle. Peter called out for you and you caught a glimpse of him swinging through the battlefield using the alien ships that flew above you.

You didn’t even have time to process that there were other beings that weren’t human with possibly better technology than Earth’s. And you took off, flying straight into the battlefield. Anything that looked like Thanos and his army you fought literally minutes ago, you shot down before they could get to you.  

“Kid! You’re back!” You looked to the right to see Rhodey fighting next to you in the air in a red, white, and blue armor.

“Are you Iron Patriot again or something now?�� You teased, landing on the ground.

Rhodey landed beside you and his helmet came off. Yours did as well and he brought you into a hug.

“Haha, very funny,” he replied. “That chapter of my life is over.”

“Okay, okay, sure Uncle Rhodey. Where’s my dad?” Rhodey opened his mouth to answer but the snarl of aliens interrupted him. A wave of aliens started running towards you and you both flew up in the air, laying waste on as much as you could.

“Wow, having a party without me?”

“Tony, we’re in the middle of the fight.”

You looked around yourself quickly, hearing two familiar voices over the comms. Your brows furrowing with a head tilt as one of those voices was one you’d never expect on the battlefield.

“Dad!” You called out. But you let yourself get distracted and you heard Rhodey calling out your name, trying to fly to you to get you out of the way of one of the bigger aliens. A streak of red and gold entered your vision, tackling the alien that was jumping towards you and another streak of blue and silver grabbed you, pulling you a far enough distance away before aliens could get to you.

The helmet of the blue and silver armor came off to show Pepper. Your mouth dropped in surprise.

“Holy—holy shit! Mom?” You stood there bewildered for a few seconds and then enveloping her into a hug. You didn’t even notice your dad landing next to you. Pepper pulled apart, looking behind you and you turned your head to see Tony’s helmet come off.

He shook his head in disbelief, his mouth slightly parted. Tears started to well up in your eyes and you knew Tony’s was too.

“Dad?” You whispered out, taking a few steps towards him.

“(Y/n),” he murmured, then grabbing you and hugging you. His grasp on you was so tight, as if he was scared you’d leave his arms suddenly again. Tony’s lips pressed against the top of your head, kissing you.

“Dad, you did it, you saved me,” you cried out. “You fixed everything.”

The two of you broke apart and he placed his hand on your cheek. You leaned into it with a smile on your face.

“Not yet, still have to win this battle.”

You nodded your head, your helmet coming over your face once more. “Let’s do it then.”

***

You lay on the ground, groaning, blood running down your face as it mixed with your blood and tears. You couldn’t feel anything. Your body ached from battle after battle, fight after fight, punch after punch. It was like you were on fire while your body had pins and needles prodding each part of your body.

Yet despite your efforts, despite everyone’s efforts, Thanos stood there with the glove on his hand. The power surging through him as he yelled out in pain, his hand forming into the snap and your eyes widened. You were going to lose again.

But then you saw the short haired woman holding his hand down, not letting him snap his fingers. She glowed with fiery colors as the look of determination bore into Thanos’ eyes. He brought his fist down on her, yet she did not waver. He tried to headbutt her and she did not waver once more. A slight smirk made its way onto her face and she flew up into the air, bringing Thanos down on his knees.

Thanos, as a last minute resort, grabbed the power stone out of the gauntlet and let the power surge through him to deliver a blow that blasted her back.

You choked on a tear as you tried to stand up and be the last stand. Your dad flew ahead of you, however, and you saw as he grabbed Thanos’ arm. Your brows furrowed, wondering why he was doing something so reckless by himself and it all happened so fast as you tried rushing over towards him. Your armor beat up so hard that you couldn’t fly to him.

So you used your powers, lessened gravity to make it easier to rush over to him. Your muscles screamed at you but you paid it no mind when your worst fears came to light.

“And I,” Tony breathed out, “am Iron Man.”

And he looked at you, gave you one last smile with eyes full of triumph before he snapped his fingers.

“Dad!” You screamed, running towards him as he struggled to sit himself down. You paid no mind to the enemies turning to dust, to Thanos turning to dust. In that moment, all you cared about was your dad.

You knelt beside him, crying as you held his non-burnt hand. Rhodey landed next to you, his helmet coming off. And you watched the pain flow over Rhodey’s face as he walked up to Tony. A saddened smile etched on him when he caressed his best friend’s face. Peter landed in front of him. Staring at him dumbfounded as he tried to talk.

“Mr. Stark?” You watched as Rhodey pursed his lips, shaking his head with tears in his eyes then backing up for Peter.

“Hey, Mr. Stark?” Peter’s breath was shaking. “Can you hear me? It’s Peter. Hey, we won, Mr. Stark. We won, Mr. Stark. We won,” his voice cracked as tears started falling down his face. You started sobbing as Peter continued on. “You did it, sir, you did it. I’m—I’m sorry, Tony.”

Pepper grabbed him, pulling him away as sobs started to wreck through his and your own body. Rhodey held onto Peter, lending him any comfort that he could.

You looked up at your dad and with all his effort he looked down at you. You didn’t know how he had the energy to give you a small smirk, but he did. Your hand holding his, you raised it to your face, trying to feel the comfort he’d always give you.

“Dad, please,” you cried, practically begging. “Please, dad. You can’t—You can’t die, not like this. Please don’t—don’t go. I don’t know what to do without you. I love you dad, please.” At this point you were practically screaming, sobbing as you knew his life was fading away. Pepper placed a hand on your shoulder, then looking at Tony.

He whispered out your name, then hers.

“FRIDAY?”

“Life functions critical.” Then Rhodey pulled you back, trying to comfort you and to let Pepper have her final moments. And he held you, he held you just like he did when your dad went missing all those years ago.

“We’re gonna be okay,” Pepper reassured him. But you knew it was a lie. Because you wouldn’t be okay. You pushed yourself out of Rhodey’s arms and turned to face your dad who looked away from Pepper. She brushed his hair as you walked back up to him, kneeling down and watching as Pepper’s face scrunched up, trying to not let the tears fall just yet.

“You can rest now.”

And the light on his chest began to flicker off and you cried against his shoulder. Whispering, chanting, over and over that he couldn’t leave you. Your hands holding onto his arm tightly, believing that it’d keep him here if you just kept holding on. You shut your eyes, hoping it would all be a bad dream.

The last thing you remember hearing was Pepper and Rhodey gasping then Peter yelling ‘holy shit.’

***

“Oh, I am definitely going to rest. From now until the end of time.”

Your eyes flickered open, groaning from the bright light. The voice was impossibly familiar. You tried sitting up before someone gently pushed you back down.

“Don’t go moving around,” a girl’s voice ordered. You looked up to see a face you’ve only seen in media, Shuri. “I don’t know how you did it, but whatever you did knocked you out for a good few weeks.”

“Where am I?” You asked, your voice extremely hoarse. “What did I do?”

“You’re in Wakanda,” Shuri said before stepping to the side, gesturing out the window of the room in the hallway. Your eyes widened as you saw your dad standing there, talking to Helen Cho. His arm was replaced by a metal arm and the wounds that were on his face, fully healed. Besides a bit of scarring of course. Pepper stood next to him holding a young girl in her arms.

“How is—what the fuck?” You shot Shuri a look of confusion. She returned the gesture.

“You mean, you don’t remember?” Shuri asked. You shook your head.

“They’re awake!” Tony exclaimed, rushing into the room with Dr. Cho protesting that he shouldn’t be exerting himself physically. “Holy shit, (Y/n). You scared me being in a coma for that long.”

“Shit!” The little girl exclaimed. Pepper gasped, shushing her then glaring at Tony. Tony clenched his fist and hung his head in defeat.

“Damn, screwed that one up, didn’t I?”

“Damn!”

“Tony, please,” Pepper scolded him.

“Dad, what’s-how-I thought you were…” You didn’t finish it as he reached out towards you.

“I don’t know either, kid,” he said. “All we do know is that whatever powers you had somehow saved my life.”

“Had?” You looked at Shuri, your brows furrowing.

“Whatever powers you had shown prior to the event were embedded in your DNA,” Shuri explained, pulling up your past DNA in a hologram in front of her with her beads. Little markers were placed sporadically over it “But now, when looking into it, there’s no sign of you ever having powers.” The markers disappeared, showing your current DNA in front of you.

You arched a brow. “Well, they always gave me a headache anyway, glad they’re of some use.” Your head turned back towards Tony and Pepper. “Who’s uh…” You stared at the girl in Pepper’s arms.

“Morgan,” Pepper replied with a smile. “Your younger sister.”

“(Y/n) is from the stories you always told me, right daddy?” Morgan asked, looking up at Tony. Tony nodded, ruffling your hair.

“The one and only.”

You laughed, “You told stories about me?”

“Of course,” Tony said. You chuckled, looking away and then out the other window where birds flew by. Shuri was on the computerized hologram, working through god knows what.

“Well, you know dad,” you turned to look at him. “You ended up saving me in the end.”

“Actually,” he pointed a finger at you. “you saved me.”

“You both saved each other, let’s keep at that,” Pepper said, teasingly adding in an eye-roll and shaking her head. And you laughed, looking up at Tony who had so much life behind your eyes. For a while, the Stark family got to rest.

“Wait, fuck! I missed your wedding!”

“Fuck!”

“(Y/n)!”

[until-the-sun-rises]

Patton’s Goodbye

AU Masterlist

AU Creators: @a-valorous-choice and @ironwoman359

Summary: Isolated on a farm, Patton has been survivng the apocalypse as best he can. The loneliness is hard to deal with sometimes, but at least he has his sister by his side. But not even their remote farm is completely safe from the terminal hordes. On the brink of losing everything, Patton meets a group of other survivors for the first time and must come to terms with the new reality he's facing.

Content Warnings: Apocalypse AU, angst, character death, death of a sibling, guns, knives, violence, some minor blood and gore, zombies (called terminals in universe), crying, grief, sympathetic deceit (in the fic in genral, not this part), sympathetic remus, cursing, bittersweet ending. Let us know if you’d like something else tagged!

Word Count: 6,897

Read on AO3 here

Author’s Notes: It’s done! We hope you guys enjoy this, it has been a labor of love from both of us, and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. More character introduction fics are on their way, as well as some less plot heavy, more slice of lifey fics. We hope you’re enjoying this au as much as we are!

---

The day began like any other. Patton got up early, splashed some water on his face, and pulled his straw hat over his eyes. He let the chickens out for the day, scattered a handful of seed in their yard and emptied their egg boxes, then turned his attention to the garden. The sun beat down on him as he worked, but the brim of his hat helped keep him cool, and he hummed a gentle melody as he pulled away sprouts of weeds and spread compost around the vegetables. Most of the morning had passed when a sound coming from the field beside him caused him to look up from his work.

He straightened when he saw a single silhouette moving slowly towards the farm.

He glanced at the axe that he kept within reach  at all times, but he made no effort to grab it. The figure was moving slowly; Patton had time to finish his chores before it got here.

Even though he had seen enough terminals to know that the person ambling towards him was not of the living variety, it never stopped him from wishing it was. 

It has been so long since he heard anything from the outside world that Patton wasn’t sure anything even existed besides his farm anymore. He certainly prayed there were still other humans out there, but he was beginning to feel as though he would be the last man standing. 

Patton was not somebody who enjoyed isolation, and dwelling on how lonely things had become these days just tended to upset him, so he pushed the thoughts out of his head and grabbed the axe.

He strode over to the fence and unlatched the gate, studying the terminal as it came closer. This one had been a young male, and only recently turned, judging by the lack of decomposition he could see. As disgusting as it was to think about, this terminal wasn’t literally falling to pieces as it approached, so it couldn’t have been more than a day or so since he’d changed. 

If he was being honest, terminals made Patton sad to look at, and he’d just as soon not deal with them at all, but he felt he owed it to them. They had once been people with lives, jobs, families, and friends, and all that could not be brushed aside or forgotten because of what they had become. 

Patton spent a few moments wondering what kind of life this man might have lead, perhaps he’d had a girlfriend or a boyfriend? Had he been a good person or a bad person? Patton hoped the former. 

“Good morning,” Patton said cheerfully as the terminal finally stumbled through the gate. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

Morgan hated when he spoke to them, she said that it freaked her out, but it gave Patton a sense of normalcy. Patton tried not to view them as monsters, it wasn’t their fault that they’d become what they were. Besides, it had been so long since he had met another living person besides his sister that the solitude was starting to settle in like a weight on his shoulders. Treating them as if nothing had changed was as much for his own sake as it was for theirs. Even if they didn’t know what was going on, Patton did. He could at least show them a little respect before ending it all permanently.

“Have you travelled far?” Patton asked. “We haven’t really seen anybody out here for some time.” 

The creature groaned, moving closer with outstretched arms, and Patton took several steps backwards. He wondered, not for the first time, if they could actually see or if they were just drawn to something the living had that the dead didn’t, like a smell or some kind of hormone. 

“I’m sorry this happened to you,” Patton said softly. “Nobody deserves this.” He paused, raising the axe. It never brought him joy to bring it down. “I hope your family is somewhere safe... I hope wherever you end up is better than this.” 

Patton took a deep breath, steeled himself, and swung the axe, flinching when it collided with the terminal’s skull. 

No matter how many times he ended a terminal, Patton would never get used to it; it made him feel like a murderer. He knew that technically, they were already dead, but it didn’t stop him from feeling icky.

He exhaled slowly, pulling the axe free and wiping off the blood as the body dropped to the ground.  “I’m sorry,” he repeated. 

Patton reached down and closed the man’s eyes and paused to give the man a moment of respect. He would give the young man a proper burial later, but for now he had to check on Morgan.

He cleaned himself off and headed into the house, reaching into his pocket for the key to Morgan’s room. He knocked lightly on the door before he spoke. 

“Morgan? It’s Patton,” he said, though he didn’t know why he bothered clarifying. It wasn’t like there was anyone else that it could be.

“I’m still me.” Her reply came back soft and weak, but it was still her, and that was enough for him.

Patton slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open gently. His sister was laying down on her bed, head propped by several pillows. She looked paler than she had last night, and Patton resisted the urge to stare at the gauze poking out from beneath the collar of her nightgown.

 “Hey, kiddo,” Patton said softly. “How do you feel?” 

A healthy Morgan would have rolled her eyes and said, “kiddo? I’m five years older than you!” but the Morgan before him now only shook her head and said, “I saw you kill that one.”

Patton frowned and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I thought I told you to stay away from the windows,” he said firmly. 

“More of them are finding their way here,” Morgan said, ignoring his comment. “Every day we’re getting at least one or two, it’s not as secluded here as it used to be. It’s kept us safe awhile but it won’t be long before something really big happens. Maybe next time it will be the living.”

“This is exactly why I wanted you to stay in bed,” Patton told her. “You’ll stress yourself out, you need to rest.”

“It’s a little late for that,” Morgan laughed bitterly. “What good will rest do me anyway? I’ll be getting plenty of it soon enough.”

Patton winced at her words and she grabbed his hand, looking sheepish. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” she whispered.

“Yes, you did,” Patton said, “but it’s okay.”

“It isn’t,” Morgan protested. “None of this is. You’re going to be on your own, and it’s not fair. No Mom or Dad, no Jason, no-” she broke off, tears in her eyes. “I’m your big sister, I should be here to keep you safe.”

Her breathing was starting to become erratic, and Patton could see the fear rising in her eyes. He couldn’t blame her, he was scared too.

Morgan was all he had had for quite some time now. Their parents and older brother Jason had died in the early days of the outbreak, and it had been the two of them on their farm ever since. At first they had managed, living off the land like their mom and dad had taught them to, but eventually, as more and more people on the outside died, the number of terminals increased. Attacks by the creatures on the farm went up from one every month or so to several a week, until finally one had gotten to Morgan. 

Patton didn’t dare look at the deep gash on her shoulder, so he kept his gaze on her face, stroking her hair and trying to alleviate some of her fear. 

“Let me take care of you for once, okay?” he said. “You and Jason protected me for my entire life, let me return the favour.”

“But it’s just not fair.”

Patton couldn’t help but agree with her, but he didn’t want her to worry; she had enough to focus on right now. 

“You’re warm,” he told her instead, pressing his hand against her forehead. 

“You’re changing the subject,” she retorted. He chuckled and handed her a glass of water that was beside her bed. 

“Drink,” he instructed her. 

There was really no need for her to do that, it wouldn’t help at all, but it made him feel like he was helping, and she wanted to keep him happy, so she obliged.

 “You just want me to stop talking,” she joked as she finished the last of the water.

Patton opened his mouth to insist that was not true, if anything he wanted her to keep talking, but something caught his eye and he leapt to his feet. 

“Patton?” Morgan asked as he bolted over to the window. “What is it?” 

Patton pressed his face against the glass in utter disbelief. There was no way he was seeing this, it had to be a dream or a hallucination.

“Patton!” Morgan snapped. “What’s going on?” 

“People,” Patton murmured.

“Huh?”

Patton pulled back from the glass, staring at her in shock. “There are people outside.” 

“What?”

Patton ignored her, opting instead to stare in disbelief.

There were actual living, breathing, people coming towards the farmhouse. Patton could tell the difference immediately; the figures coming towards him didn’t lurch or stumble. They moved with clarity and precision, and what’s more, they were clearly talking to each other, pointing at the farmhouse as they approached. There were four of them– no, wait. Five, there were five real, living people on his farm. 

And one of them was a child. 

Patton did a double take. No, that was definitely a child, a young boy by the looks of it, who looked to be around ten or eleven years old. A small bow and a quiver of arrows was strapped to his back, and he was holding hands with one of the others. Patton had to admit, he was impressed that a kid had managed to survive this long. 

“Patton?”

Patton glanced back at his sister, whose body was so frail now that she could no longer leave her bed for more than a few minutes, and something inside him steeled. 

“Wait here,” he said, quickly pressing a kiss to her cheek and slipping out of her room before she had a chance to protest. 

Patton locked Morgan’s door before heading out the back door into the garden. He stood still for a moment, watching the group advance, then his fingers wrapped around the handle of his axe and he walked out into view. 

“Good morning,” Patton called, catching the party’s attention immediately. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” 

The five strangers immediately tensed, and one man swung a shotgun into view, pointing it squarely at Patton’s head. 

“Don’t take another step!” he snarled, and Patton obligingly stood still, raising his empty hand up in a peaceful gesture.

“Have you travelled far?” he continued, as though he wasn’t being actively threatened. “We haven’t really seen anybody out here for some time.” 

“What’s it to you?” the man with the gun growled, but he seemed to be the only one who was actually angry. 

“Wade, calm down,” hissed the one at the back holding the child’s hand, and the man with the gun (Wade, Patton presumed) rolled his eyes. 

“Last I checked, you’re not the leader of this raiding party, Sanders.” 

“Last I checked, neither are you,” a woman standing next to Wade said cooly. “You there!” she called to Patton. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

“I’m Patton,” he said, and he smiled wryly. “And this is my farm, so I feel like I should be asking you what you’re doing here.” 

For a moment, a tense silence hung in the air, and Patton held his breath. Then all of a sudden, the fourth adult in the party threw his head back and let out a loud laugh. The shorter man in the back (Sanders was his name?) flinched, but then rolled his eyes fondly as the laughter continued. 

“I like this one,” the laughing man said, pointing towards Patton, an action that probably would have looked less unhinged without the machete gripped in his hand. “He’s funny.”

“You think everyone’s funny,” Wade grumbled, lowering his gun with a huff. 

“That is not true, YOU have never said anything funny in your LIFE.”  

“ANYWAY,” the woman said, holding up a hand before either of the men could retaliate. “I’m Lauren. The one with the blade is Remus, the one with the attitude is Wade, and that’s Virgil with his brother Thomas.” 

She gestured over her shoulder, and the shorter man let go of his little brother’s hand to throw Patton a two-fingered salute. 

“Nice to meet you folks,” Patton said with a smile. “What brings you out this way?” 

“What part of ‘raiding party’ didn’t you get?” Wade snarled, and Patton decided he didn’t much like this man. 

Still though, looking at the ragtag group of survivors, Patton felt something stir inside his chest. He glanced behind him at his family’s two-story farmhouse, his eyes lingering on the window of Morgan’s bedroom, before turning back to the group, a perfect smile sliding into place. 

“Well, don’t just dilly dally in the garden, come on in!”

He walked back towards the house, half expecting to find a bullet between his shoulder blades the moment his back was turned, but he reached the kitchen door without incident, shooting the group of scavengers another smile when he saw they hadn’t followed him. 

“Well? I assume you’re here because you want supplies, right? You can’t very well get them from out there.” 

The group exchanged looks, but eventually Lauren muttered something to them and they began filing into Patton’s kitchen one by one. 

“Okie dokie!” Patton said cheerfully, leaning his axe against the door once everyone was inside. “It’s been awhile since I cooked for this many people, but I don’t think I’ll have lost my touch just yet. None of you have any food allergies, do you?” 

The group was silent, exchanging furtive glances with each other, and Patton sighed. 

“If you do, you need to tell me, I don’t want to accidentally poison anyone here.” 

After waiting until each of the raiders shook their heads, Patton nodded brightly and turned, throwing all his energy into preparing a meal. He had some fresh bread left, and plenty of eggs thanks to the chickens, and before too long, he had a decent batch of breakfast food cooking.

“Now, food of course is important,” he said as he dished out plates of scrambled eggs with peppers and onions and slices of toast. “But what other sorts of supplies were you hoping on finding? I may be able to help out with some of them.” 

Patton sat down with his own plate, sweeping his eyes around the room. His guests were an awfully quiet bunch...that, or they were still reeling from finding someone who was actually alive out here, which he couldn’t really blame them for. He could empathize with that feeling, after all. He noticed too that no one had touched their food yet, and Wade in particular was looking down at his plate with what could only be described as a glare. 

Patton rolled his eyes and picked up his own fork, then took a massive bite of eggs, raising an eyebrow as he did so. Remus cackled, then cheerfully began shoveling his own food into his mouth. 

“I’m telling you, I like this kid,” he said around a mouthful of egg, and one by one, the others began to eat as well.

“We’re looking for anything that’s useful, really,” the leader, Lauren, said. “Food, blankets, medical supplies, weapons...anything we can use.” 

Patton nodded as he took another bite. 

“Well, we’ve been doing alright for ourselves out here. I can’t offer much, but what I do have you’re welcome to take what you need from.” 

“I don’t wanna sound rude,” Wade said, and Remus rolled his eyes. 

“Since when?” he scoffed, and Wade glared at him. 

“But, why would you give up your resources to us? What’s in it for you? What’s the catch?” 

“Why does there have to be something in it for me?” Patton asked, frowning. “Has everyone thrown kindness and hospitality out the window since the world came to an end?” 

“I’m struggling to understand how you’ve survived this long if you still believe people care about hospitality in days like these,” Wade shot back. 

Patton raised an eyebrow. 

“And I’m struggling to understand how, if the world is as cruel as you seem to think, nobody has killed you yet.” 

Remus snorted so hard that he choked on his toast, and the boy, Thomas, hid a giggle behind his hand. Wade’s face was turning into quite an amusing shade of red, and Patton allowed himself to enjoy it for a moment before he spoke again. 

“There’s nothing in it for me,” he said, looking down at his plate and pushing some food around. “But you’re right about one thing...there is a catch.” 

“Oh really?” Lauren asked, narrowing her eyes and leaning forward. 

“You can have anything you need,” Patton explained. “Take whatever you want from the house, the barn, the garden, I don’t care.” 

“And the catch?” Lauren prompted, and Patton looked up, meeting her eyes. 

“You can’t have it until my sister is gone.” 

--- --- --- 

Patton plucked a petal from the flower he held between his fingers, and watched as it fluttered down to the ground, lying white against the grass. One of the chickens at his feet perked up its head and pecked at the petal curiously, but dropped it upon realizing that it was not the tasty morsel it’d been hoping for. Patton’s eyes were trained on the ground, watching the chickens peck the ground at the edge of his garden beds, so he didn’t notice the other man until his feet were right in front of him. 

“Patton?” 

Patton jumped, his eyes flying up and his hand moving towards where his axe sat beside him but he relaxed when he saw a pair of gray eyes peering down at him from beneath a swathe of dark bangs. 

“Virgil! Goodness, kiddo, you gave me quite the fright there!” 

“Sorry,” Virgil said, leaning back on his heels sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I just...I can go, if you want.” 

Patton shook his head quickly and smiled up at Virgil. 

“I don’t mind the company.” 

Virgil hesitated for another moment, then sat down on the ground next to Patton, drawing his legs underneath him.

“Are y’all finding what you need in the barn so far?” Patton asked, and Virgil nodded. 

“There’s a lot there that will really help us out...thank you for letting us take it.” 

“Well, I won’t have much use for most of it anymore,” Patton said, wrapping his arms around himself. “You may as well take it.” 

“I guess so…” Virgil said, glancing over at Patton. There was a beat of silence, and then…

“So, you and your sister have been here together this whole time?” 

Patton’s heart skipped a beat.

“Pretty much,” he whispered, then cleared his throat to continue. “Our parents...they died in the initial outbreak. The last thing we heard from them was a voicemail telling us not to leave the farm, and that they’d be home soon. But…” he trailed off, and Virgil grimaced. 

“They didn’t ever make it back?” he finished quietly, and Patton nodded, blinking quickly to try and stop tears from welling up in his eyes.

“Thomas and I lost our parents too.” Virgil fiddled with the edge of his sleeves as he spoke, and he turned to Patton with a grim look. “Our dad when things first went to shit, and our mom a few months later. She um...” he clenched his fists and let out a shuddering breath. “She got...turned. ” 

 Patton winced, then looked over at Virgil, taking in the baggy clothes and the dark bags stamped beneath his eyes. 

“It’s still really bad out there, huh?” he asked quietly, looking out into the field that stretched out past his garden until it met the woods. 

Virgil hummed in agreement. 

“It’s not great, no.”

“How old was Thomas? When...when you lost your mom?”

“Eight,” Virgil whispered, and Patton’s eyes widened. 

“Oh my goodness, poor kiddo...so he’s what, eleven now?”

“He turns twelve next month,” Virgil said, and Patton shook his head. 

“And you’ve raised him all by yourself this whole time? That’s incredible.” 

“I’ve had a little help since settling in Eden, but yeah, for the most part,” Virgil agreed. “Sometimes...well, a lot of times, actually, I think I’m screwing everything up, but I’d do anything for him. He’s all I have left, you know?” 

Patton swallowed a lump in his throat. 

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I know.” 

A heavy silence hung in the space between them, and Virgil fiddled with the edge of his sleeves before glancing up at Patton. 

“If it’s okay for me to ask,” Virgil said slowly, and Patton looked over at him. “How long ago did your sister...um…” 

“When did she get bitten?” Patton asked, his voice sharp, and Virgil shrank back. 

“I’m sorry, if you don’t want to talk about it, I-” 

“No, it’s fine,” Patton said, deflating almost instantly. He looked up at the farmhouse, his eyes lingering on Morgan’s window before he turned back to Virgil. “It was...it was three days ago. She didn’t actually get bitten, it’s just a scratch from one of them, but that’s still enough to transmit the...virus, disease, whatever it is, I don’t know.” 

“Will she still turn from that?” Virgil asked, and Patton nodded. 

“It...it takes a few days, but from what I can tell, the infection spreads slowly from the wound and just...shuts the body down. Then it...you know.” 

Virgil grimaced. 

“Yeah. But wait...if you’ve been here on the farm this whole time, then how are you so sure what’s happening to her? I’ve been going on scavenging trips out in the wild for three years now, and I’ve never seen anything like what’s happening to your sister.” 

“I’m sure,” Patton said cooly. “Since that’s how my brother died.” 

“Oh, shit, Patton, I didn’t mean-” 

“No, no, it’s okay,” Patton said. “You didn’t know, it’s not your fault.” He laughed wetly, the words unable to stop tumbling from his mouth now that he’d started. “We didn’t even realize ourselves at first. I mean, we knew he’d gotten injured in the attack, but we just wrapped up his wound and continued on like normal, why wouldn’t we, right? But he just kept getting sicker and sicker, and we didn’t have any medical supplies, we didn’t know what to do, and all the news said in the beginning was that the bites would turn you, and this was a cut, but then a few days later Jason wasn’t Jason anymore, and he...h-he…” 

Patton choked on a sob, and buried his face in his hands. Part of him was ashamed to be crying in front of what was essentially a stranger to him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d been trying so hard to stay strong for Morgan, to show her that she wasn’t alone and that he wasn’t scared, but he was, he was so so scared, and he hated it. 

A warm hand touched Patton’s back, and he flinched. 

Virgil drew his hand away as though it had been burned, the beginnings of an apology halfway out of his mouth before Patton cut him off by throwing himself into Virgil’s arms. Virgil caught him easily, one hand gently rubbing up and down his back, and Patton buried his face in Virgil’s chest. 

He wasn’t sure how long he cried, but eventually, his body declared that it was out of tears and he pulled away, looking up at Virgil sheepishly. 

“I...I’m sorry,” he began, but Virgil just took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

“Don’t be,” he said quietly, and Patton nodded. 

“I...I should probably go check on Morgan,” he said, climbing shakily to his feet, and Virgil followed suit, his eyes turning serious. 

“Do you want me to go with you?” he asked, but Patton shook his head. 

“I appreciate it...but no. Go join your friends and finish gathering what you need...I’ll come and get you when…when...” His breath hitched, and he bit his lip to stop another round of tears from falling.

“I get it,” Virgil said quietly. “Just...let me know if you change your mind, okay? You don’t have to do this alone.” 

“Thank you,” Patton said, giving Virgil a shaky smile. 

Virgil smiled back, then with a quick two-fingered salute, he turned and headed back towards the barn. Patton watched him go, then turned back towards the house and took a deep breath. He picked up his axe by the handle and headed inside, paying no mind to the pile of dirty dishes left on the kitchen table. He’d clean them up later...if he could be bothered to.

Patton hesitated when he reached the door to Morgan’s room. He knew that putting off going in wouldn’t do any good, but a part of him wanted to believe that if he just didn’t open the door, then the inevitability behind it would cease to exist. That if he turned around, Morgan would be standing in the hallway, chiding him for worrying so much about her. 

“I’m the older sister,” she would say. “I’m supposed to worry about you, not the other way around!”

Patton swallowed the lump in his throat and knocked quietly on her door. 

“Morgan?” he called, his voice barely audible even to himself. 

“I’m here, Patton,” she called back, and Patton unlocked the door as quietly as he could. 

“How’re you doing?” he asked. 

“Patton…”

“D-do you need anything?” Patton asked, his voice shaking. “Water maybe, or, or more pillows, or–” 

“Patton–” 

“I, I made scrambled eggs, you should try to eat some eggs, you haven’t eaten anything and scrambled eggs are your fav–” 

She took his hand, her grip weak but determined, and Patton sank to his knees beside her bed. 

“I’m sorry,” he choked out. “I’m so sorry, Morgan, I-I don’t know what to do anymore.” 

“Hey, hey,” she soothed, running her thumb over his hand. “It’s okay.” 

“It isn’t,” Patton said bitterly. “Nothing about this is okay.” 

Morgan sighed and looked out the window toward the garden. 

“You’re right,” she agreed. “It isn’t okay. But...but I think you will be. Eventually.” 

“How can you say that?” Patton asked, staring at Morgan incredulously, and she smiled sadly. 

“You’re the strongest person I know, Patton. You’ve worked hard every single day, and no matter what we’ve been through, you’ve stayed positive. You’re so brave, and I know that...that you’re going to be okay.”

“Morgan,” Patton whispered. “I...I don’t know. I don’t know if I can do it, without you. Without all of you.” 

“You’re going to have to, baby brother,” Morgan said. “Just...promise me something, okay?” 

“Anything,” Patton said immediately. 

“Don’t lose sight of that spark of yours, okay? No matter what happens, whatever this world throws at you next, don’t let it turn you cruel and heartless. Your kindness and your faith in people is just as much a part of your strength as your bravery...you hang on to that for me, got it?” 

“I will,” Patton said, bringing her hand up to kiss her palm. “I promise.” 

Morgan relaxed visibly, and she gave him a tired smile. 

“Good. Last thing I wanna be worried about right at the end is whether or not my baby brother’s going to be okay.” 

“I’m hardly a baby anymore,” Patton said, nudging her, and she laughed. 

“It doesn’t matter, you’re the youngest, so you’re the baby brother for life. Those are the rules, can’t do anything about them now.”  

“Not fair!” 

“Tough luck!” 

The pair continued to banter, and for a moment Patton could almost pretend that everything was normal, and that Morgan just had a particularly nasty cold. But he couldn’t pretend forever, and the longer he sat in her room the more the reality sank in. 

“Can I get you anything?” he asked softly, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over the two of them. 

“Maybe...could you maybe open the window?” Morgan asked, and Patton was on his feet in an instant, opening the window wide and letting the breeze blow into the room.  

Patton took Morgan’s hand again and she let out a soft sigh. For a time, the only sounds in the room were Morgan’s slightly laboured breaths and the occasional chirp of a bird from outside. After what felt like an eternity, but could have only been fifteen minutes, Patton wasn’t sure, Morgan spoke again. 

“I’m scared, Patton.” 

Her voice was so small, so timid. Not at all like what Patton was used to hearing, and that, more than anything, made him want to curl into a ball and hide from the world. But instead, he stroked her hair gently and whispered, 

“I am too, Morgan.” 

“Will you stay with me?” 

Tears welled up in Patton’s eyes, and he nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

“Of course I will.” 

--- --- --- 

“I just don’t see why we have to wait. We’ve gotten what we need from the barn, so let’s scavenge from the house now so we can get back to Eden before nightfall.” 

“Patton said we couldn’t take what was in the house until after his sister was gone.” 

“So what? There’s one of him and four of us–” 

“Five, I’m here too, you know.”

“Whatever, kid. There’s five of us, my point is, we outnumber him! Why are we just listening to him, no questions asked?” 

“This still technically his home, Wade, we can’t just–” 

“It’s the fucking apocalypse, Lauren, why the hell does that matter now? Is legal ownership even a thing anymore?” 

“Don’t. Swear. In front of my brother. And besides, can’t you see that the guy’s been through hell? Cut him some slack.”

“We’ve all been through hell, Sanders, that doesn’t make him special.” 

“‘Scuse me.” 

The sun was low in the sky when Patton stepped into the barn, interrupting the group of scavengers’ conversation. They looked up, surprise at being overheard written on their faces, but Patton ignored them. He stepped past where they were sitting in a circle and grabbed a shovel that was leaning against the wall. 

“I need this.” 

Everyone exchanged uncomfortable looks with each other as Patton hoisted the shovel over his shoulder and turned to leave. 

“So...the house?” Wade asked, and Patton stopped walking. 

The air was thick with tension; Patton was certain several people were holding their breath, and he closed his eyes, breathing out through his nose. 

“The house is yours,” he said, his voice clipped. “Take whatever you want, I don’t care.” 

He started walking back towards the garden, but before he'd made it twenty feet, a screech echoed across the field. 

“We’ve got ourselves a horde, bitches!” 

Remus came sprinting into view, a manic grin on his face. His machete drawn and as he came closer, Patton saw that fresh blood stains splattered his clothes. 

And there were about twenty terminals lagging after him. 

“Patton, get down!” Lauren ordered from behind him, and Patton dropped to a crouch. 

A gunshot echoed from behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see Wade on his feet with his shotgun braced against his shoulder, his expression a mask of cool determination. He fired another shot, and Remus gave a cheer. 

“Headshot! One down, a fuckton more to go!” 

“Remus!” Virgil hissed, placing a hand on Thomas’s shoulder and stepping in front of him protectively. 

“Sorry Virgey!” Remus chirped in a tone that did not sound sorry at all. 

“Reloading!” Wade called, and as he lowered his shotgun Lauren raised up a rifle that she’d been wearing strapped to her back. 

More gunfire echoed in Patton’s ears, and a few more terminals fell, but there were still far too many coming towards them. 

“Options!” Lauren called. 

“There’s nowhere to run to, but too many to fight head on,” Virgil said. “And we haven’t found any new ammo this trip, so we’re limited.” 

“I have my arrows!” Thomas piped up, and Virgil squeezed his shoulder. 

“Only if you have to, buddy, let us take care of it.” 

“Thin the herd from here, then spread out and pick the rest off in smaller groups,” Wade said, and Remus clapped his hands. 

“Sounds like a plan, Stan!” 

Wade glared at him, but lifted his gun to his shoulder again and focused back on the still advancing horde of terminals. Shots rang out, bodies fell, and the crowd still inched forward. 

“Spread out!” Lauren called, her voice sounding strange to Patton’s ringing ears. 

Remus was quick to oblige; he darted out past the horde then let out a wild cry, attracting several of the creatures’ attention. They began ambling towards him, but before they all turned around, Lauren darted the other way. Her gun was slung back over her shoulder and she had a large knife in her hand, and she let out a scream of her own, drawing a few of the terminals in her direction. 

They were getting confused now, turning back and forth between the two sources of sound, and Remus used that to his advantage to dash at the few heading towards him, hacking wildly with his machete. 

“Wade!” Virgil called, and he tossed the man a baseball bat, which Wade traded happily for his shotgun. 

“Get the kid to pick off the ones still confused in the middle,” he ordered, before running in yet another direction, hollering to catch the creatures attention. 

Virgil glared at him, but turned to Thomas and muttered something Patton couldn’t hear. The boy nodded seriously, then pulled out his bow and notched an arrow carefully. He aimed for a moment, then the arrow flew loose and struck a zombie in the leg, causing it to stumble. 

Patton had to admit, watching the group fight was impressive. Despite their earlier bickering, it was clear they had done this many times before. In fact, Patton was so distracted that he didn’t notice that one of the terminals was getting closer until it was nearly right on top of him.

“Patton!” Virgil cried out in warning, and he raised the shotgun up.

Patton moved without thinking, springing to his feet and swinging his shovel around like a bat. He hit the terminal square in the face and partially dislocated its jaw, causing it to stumble backwards. It groaned and tried to move towards Patton again, but Patton wound the shovel back and swung it hard with a cry, hitting it in the exact same place. 

The creature dropped to the ground, and Patton flipped the shovel so that its blade was pointed downward, driving it into the creature’s neck and effectively severing its head from its body. He pulled the shovel free, then looked up to see more terminals coming towards him, attracted to the sound of shovel blade connecting with bone, or maybe just Patton’s own defiant shout, but specifics didn’t really matter. He gripped the rough wooden handle tighter, and as a scream bubbled up from deep inside of him, he ran forward and raised the shovel over his head. 

The first time he’d killed a terminal he’d been so scared. The creature was so much more horrifying in person than on the news, with its rotting flesh and soulless eyes, yet killing it had still hurt. It had once been human, after all...not an “it,” but a “he” or a “she” or a “they,” and Patton had cried for hours in his older sister’s arms after that first attack on their farm. And while he’d gotten more used to dealing with the creatures in the past three years, he’d always had to push past his hesitation when it came to killing them. 

But now, all Patton could think about was the panic in his parents’ voices on their last voicemail to him, the way his brother’s eyes had rolled back into his head the day he turned, and Morgan’s hand finally going limp in his own. 

He swung the shovel, over and over and over again, holding nothing back. Bones crunched, blood splattered, and he kept on swinging. Someone was screaming, Patton thought it might even be himself, but he didn’t care.  He swung the tool again; it was what he lived for at this point. There was nothing but the swing of the shovel and the crack of metal meeting bone and the thud of terminals hitting the ground. 

A voice called his name, but it sounded far away and out of focus, as though he were underwater. A face appeared in his vision and he swung again, but this time the face dodged out of the way, reappearing a moment later. Patton wasn’t used to an opponent that could move so quickly, and before he knew it, his shovel was gone and he'd been wrestled to the ground. 

“Patton!” the voice said again. “Patton, they’re gone! You can stop!” 

Patton kicked and struggled, letting out an angry cry, but his attacker sat on his thighs and grabbed his wrists, holding them down.

“I know,” he said, and Patton realized it was Remus who had pinned him down. 

He blinked tears out of his eyes (when had he started crying?) and tried again to twist out of the grip, but Remus grabbed Patton’s shoulder and shook him, staring intently into Patton’s eyes. 

“Trust me,” Remus said, his voice more earnest than Patton had heard all day. “I know. But you have to stop now. Let it go...that’s it…” He smiled as the tension began to drain out of Patton’s shoulders. “Just let it go.” 

Slowly, Patton began to calm down; the rage and grief that had filled him only moments before slowly drained away, leaving him feeling hollow, and as he finally stilled, Remus rolled back and let him sit up. 

“I get it, I really do,” he said again, getting to his feet and pulling Patton up behind him. “You gotta let it all out, I feel ya. But you can’t lose yourself like that...you gotta be able to pull yourself out outta that frenzy, or you’re gonna have regrets.” 

“Patton?” 

Patton turned to see Virgil approaching, Thomas following carefully behind. Looking around, he finally realized that the horde was in fact defeated; between the five adults and the occasional landed arrow from Thomas, the terminals had all fallen.

“Are you okay?” Virgil asked. 

“I...I will be, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lose control like that, it’s never happened to me before, I–” 

“I didn’t just mean about the terminals, Patton,” Virgil said gently, and Patton looked down. 

“I don’t know,” he admitted in a whisper. “I...I don’t really know...what to do, now that...” he trailed off, and Virgil exchanged glances with Remus.

“Well,” Virgil said slowly. “I don’t wanna assume anything...and I know this is your family farm and all, but if you wanted to...you could come to Eden with us?” 

“Go with you?” Patton asked, frowning. “Is that, I mean, can you even offer something like that? What if Lauren–”

“Lauren’s the point on this expedition but she’s not our leader,” Remus piped up. “Dee is in charge of the whole operation, and if Virgey and I here say you’re good, you’re good.” 

“Only if you want to though,” Virgil added quickly. “I’d understand if you want to stay here, I just thought...maybe you’d like to, you know. Not be alone?” 

“I…” Patton looked back at the farmhouse, at the garden and the chicken yard and the barn, then back at Virgil. “I think that I would like that.” 

“Really?” Virgil asked. “Because I really do get it if you want to stay–”

“Really,” Patton said firmly. “There’s nothing left for me here now, only memories...memories that I don’t know if I could face alone.”

“I get it,” Virgil said, and somehow Patton knew that he wasn’t just saying that...Virgil really did understand how he was feeling right now, even if he couldn’t even properly articulate it himself. 

“Can...I just do one thing before we go?” he asked. 

He picked up his shovel again, and Virgil nodded silently. “Do you want any help?

Patton opened his mouth to say no, thank you, but he could take care of this himself, but then he stopped, his sister’s words echoing in his mind. 

“Your kindness and your faith in people is just as much a part of your strength as your bravery...you hang on to that for me, got it?” 

“Yeah,” he said, letting Virgil take the shovel from him. “I think I do.” 

---

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[our-jensen-ackles-love]

A Gentlemen’s Agreement // 1.

Henry Cavill x Reader

--- All work and no play finds you in dire need of a wedding date. Desperate you turn to a friend who directs you to a sort of ‘service’ she had used several months prior when she went to her high school reunion, swearing up and down it was the best two weeks of her life. They were discreet, they knew all the right tics for the occasions and they were good-looking. What could it hurt?

word count: 1576

warnings: the usual swearing. 

author’s note: Henry Cavill rabbit hole is real. This is the first chapter. other’s will be posted to Patreon first before coming to Tumblr. Thanks to @itssmallerontheoutside-13​ this amazingly fun idea. TAGS OPEN

FEEDBACK  Masterlist  Series Masterlist  AO3  Patreon 

Chapter One

Eighteen days until the wedding.

The lace bordered wedding invitation was mocking you with your all too confident choice to RVSP for two. No matter where you looked at your desk, your eyes drew back to the damned thing like it was a cursed object insulting your cockiness with glitter etched into the words.

You’re invited to the wedding of Javier De Leon and Marcy Wilson.

Even her name was glaring daggers into your soul with what could have been. “Ah, fuck it,” you stated to yourself, picking up the stupid thing and tossing it in the trash bin next to you.

“Fuck who?”

Swiveling around in your chair, you met Brie’s dark eyes, “No one apparently.”

Her eyebrow rose as she stood up from where she was sitting at her own little work area and strutted her way over to where you had angry tossed that sparkly piece of paper away. In her usual all too nosy manner, she reached down and picked the thing right up making you wish you had finished your yogurt sooner to cover the thing in.

“The wedding’s coming up?”

“Yep.”

A knowing smirk tugged at the corner of her lips, “And you still don’t have a date?”

“You’d be correct.”

Placing the invite right back where it had been gawking at you mere seconds ago. “Why don’t you have a date again?”

“You know,” you glared at her, really wishing that your eyes could shoot laser beams out of them. It’d be really useful in a moment like now. “I don’t have time.”

“But that pint of Ben and Jerry’s you keep having to replace in the back of your freezer could argue otherwise.”

With a groan, you leaned back, feeling the dip of your chair to the point it almost felt as if you were going to fall flat on your ass if you didn’t stop soon. “Why did I ever let you into my life?”

“I don’t think you really had a say in the matter,” she chuckled, leaning herself against the cubical wall that separated the two of you from the rest of the corporate office. “Plus, you know I would have elbowed my way in there somehow.”

She wasn’t wrong. The day you found yourself sitting in this exact spot five years ago, Brie made her presence known, walking over like she was the head honcho and introducing herself before promptly inviting you to after-work cocktails even though it was a Monday. The two of you liked to joke that she was your more adventurous half, doing crazy dance classes, bravely renting adult movies at hotels, and brazenly asking men for their numbers.

The craziest thing you had done since you started working at Saggino Law Firm was to break up with your boyfriend. The very boyfriend that wanted you to quit mere months after you got hired because he wanted you to stay home and practice being a Stepford wife.

Sitting back up, you looked at your friend. “My dumbass drank too much wine and totally thought I’d have a man in my life by now, so I RVSP’d for two. And that was well over a year ago.”

“I know. I was there.”

That glitter was glowing now. “I can’t show up without a date.”

She shifted a bit now, still leaving her arms crossed in that almost concerned motherly manner she always seemed to wear when it came to your dating life. “Who cares. Go stag. Sleep with one of the groomsmen.”

“My brother is one of them.”

“Then not him,” she shrugged like this was a basic math problem. “You’re hot as fuck, any one of them would be drooling to a get a night with you.”

You rolled your eyes, knowing that she loved to hype you up in an effort, or more so a hope, that you’d break out of your shell. “That’s not what my mother will say. She’ll point out how everything there could have been mine.”

“Again, who gives a fuck.”

“Sadly,” you gave her a sad little smile, “I do.”

Brie didn’t hide her annoyance at your answer, eyes narrowing before she stood up and made her way back over to her desk. Eyes following her, you watched as she slid open one of the top drawers, she staring at the contents for a moment before peeking around the fairly empty office area and pulling out something that looked like a credit card. Her back remained facing you, “Remember when I went to my high school reunion last year?”

“Of course, you tried to get me to go, said we could totally pull off some sort of lesbian sister thing to fuck with Daryl,” you remembered that conversation perfectly, it sounded hilarious at the time. “But then I got roped into something here.

“And I got a date.”

“Shocking.”

Her lips pursed now as she turned back to face you. “Don’t you want to know how I got one so quickly?”

Feigning some serious thought, you turned your chair completely around to face her and this mysterious card in his hand. “Flash some boob? Promise an array of sexual favors?”

“Just make me sound like a hooker why don’t you,” when your mouth opened to reiterate, Brie held up a finger. “Don’t.”

Staying quiet you smirked at your best friend as she made her back over to where you had barely moved an inch. The card in her hand sounded heavy as she placed it down on your desk when you spun to see what it was, you were surprised to see the thing was completely blank. It didn’t have any numbers and when you flipped it over it was lacking the strip that all credits cards have.

“What’s this?”

“The answer to your problems.”

Your eyebrows had to have been lost in your hairline now. “I fail to see how a blank card will help me.”

Brie sighed slightly, leaning forward so that her head was perfectly covered by the felt wall in front of you. “When you bailed on me, I found this,” she picked the card up by a fingernail now, tilting it towards the two of you until the light reflected in just the right angle to reveal a trail of numbers. “They are called ‘A Gentleman’s Agreement.’ And trust me they live up to the name.”

“You used an escort service?” You squealed trying to keep your voice level, but the highs and cracks gave away. “Brie, what the hell?”

She shushed you quickly, poking her head up to steal a glance around before ducking back down to meet your criticizing glare. “Don’t give me that look, listen,” she flicked the card over once more, dropping it now, “these men are used for things like this. Weddings, reunions, bring home to mom to get her to stop asking questions, some are booked out for months. I’m told even some celebrities have been known to use this service.”

“They’re escorts,” you stated again slowly. “I have to pay someone to spend the night with me.”

“It’s not like you have to sleep with them.”

You stared at the card, sliding it away from you like it was growing some sort of fungus. “I still have to pay for them.”

“It’s your choice,” Brie continued as if your concerns weren’t clear to her. “Owen was amazing for the reunion. He kept his hands on me, was beyond respectful, and even got good old Lana to give me the side-eye.”

“Owen?”

“Yes, Y/N, they have names.”

You stared at the card now, still keeping it a safe distance from your fingertips now. “I don’t know… this sounds like too much work.”

“They have a refund policy.”

Something about the way she said that made you actually happy that you didn’t eat your yogurt from earlier. “Jesus woman, they are people.”

“Men,” she corrected. “They are men who know what they are doing. Owen was a well-deserved lay and I’d be lying to you if I didn’t admit that I haven’t been able to get some dick like that since then.”

Your mind was spinning. A male escort service, something your best friend took a chance with and was raving about like it was the best burger in the city. Once more Brie stressed that it was a no-pressure kind of agreement, apparently, on their website, they list their rules of what they can and won’t do per client; but stated that everyone was tested regularly and background checks were a must. They had pricings and profiles to flip through and a survey to fill out to gauge just what you needed and could make suggestions.

It was literally a meat market at your fingers tips.

“Just think about it,” your friend finally said, sliding the discreet business card closer to you. “You can either take me to this beach filled extravaganza and really fuel the route of your sexuality with your family or you take the risk and have a really good time with someone who’s going to be exactly what you need.”

Exactly what you need.

Goddammit.

[boundtoyouphff]

Chapter 14: Ocean Eyes

A/N: Hello amazing readers and followers. Hope that you are all well. I am sorry for my absence, but I am back on tumblr and will be posting some chapters to get you all caught up! They will be posted throughout the day so make sure you don’t miss any! I can’t wait to share them with you and hear from all of you xx

--------------------------------------------------

I've been watching you

For some time

Can't stop staring

At those oceans eyes

Burning cities

And napalm skies

Fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes

Your ocean eyes

No fair

You really know how to make me cry

When you gimme those ocean eyes

I'm scared

I've never fallen from quite this high

Falling into your ocean eyes

Those ocean eyes

-------------

The next morning Emilia had woken up early, being kept awake most of the night by her thoughts. She could not stop smiling at the mere memory of dancing with Harry the previous night, remembering the way he held her so close to him as they moved as one across the dance floor to her favourite slow song. The princess rolled over in her bed to see the empty space beside her, silently wishing that a certain prince was occupying it.

With a heavy sigh she breathed out knowing that today was the day that she would have to figure things out with the English prince. But, in a way she found a sense of relief in the fact that they would finally be able to talk about what their future would hold, whether it be a course of friendship or embarking on a secret blossoming romance.

Emilia already knew in her heart which path she wanted to take with Harry, but a part of her felt she had to hold back in fear of getting her heart broken again. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath pushing that fear out of her. The princess laid in her bed for a while longer roving through her mind trying to think of anything but him, but it was impossible not to.

There was something about the prince that Emilia was innately drawn to. The chemistry between them was palpable and proved difficult to hide not only in public, but also in private with her immediate family. But, it was the way he made her heart beat when he looked down at her with those deep ocean eyes that spoke more than words that could ever be spoken. The way he looked past her masked face and into the depths of her soul and saw the real Emilia.

The princess pushed back the soft cozy covers off her body and tip toed towards the balcony. Emilia pulled the curtains apart as her eyes felt the immediate assault of the bright morning sun. Opening the door she stepped out onto the cool flooring and took in the amazing site of the Illyrian turquoise ocean that was spread out as far as the eye could see. She loved the coast of her country and the escape that it brought her from her daily life. Emilia could not wait to share more of this beautiful place with Harry.

------------------------------------------------------

The princess was walking down the villa towards the patio where breakfast was being served. Hearing a set of foot prints running up behind her, Emilia hastily turned and locked eyes with a mischievous Prince Leonardo who came up beside the princess and loosely hung his arm over her shoulders.

"Well, good morning my dear cousin." A beaming smile was plastered over his lips.

"I never took you for a morning person Leo. What has got you all so cheery this morning." Emilia glanced up at her cousin with a raised eyebrow.

"Funny you would mention such a thing." Leo leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I think you know the reason." He offered Emilia a quick wink.

"Ella came in last night didn't she?!" Emilia practically squealed with delight. She truly did love her friend and stylist with Leo. They were the perfect match and she had set them up. "Oooh, Leo! I just love to see you so happy with Ella."

The prince and princess continued to walk together towards breakfast chatting away like they usually do. "I really am very happy at the moment with Ella. Been thinking about telling Fi and mom and dad soon about her." Leo admitted to Emilia with a proud smile.

"Why not? They will love her to bits." Emilia was ever encouraging. Too many times had she seen her cousin Leo with a broken heart and thinking of giving up on love in its entirety.

"So, I wanted to ask you." Leo started to lower his voice and casually glanced around to see if anyone was close by them. "I rented out a boat for the day, a small yacht to take Ella out on the ocean but I was told to ask if you and Harry wanted to join us. We want some private time away from the family and figured you two might want the same...." Leo trailed off hinting at something he should not know.

Emilia halted her steps and turned to look up at Leo with a forced confused expression trying to play innocent and clueless as to what he was talking about. "Harry and I? I think he would want to hang with the guys today." She brushed it off playfully.

Leo angled his head down at his cousin and crossed his arms. "Emilia... come on. I know about Harry and you." The prince confessed with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Emilia stayed silent, unsure of how to force a lie when she knew it was futile in its efforts. She could never lie to Leo.

"How....?" Emilia lowered her gaze to the floor and became silent.

The prince breathed out deeply with a sigh before he began. "When Ella arrived last night we went for a walk along the beach and we saw Harry and you dancing... and locking lips." Leo smirked as he saw Emilia's blue eyes grow big. "You were careful, but not as careful as you thought little cousin."

Emilia held her head in her hand and groaned at the thought of Leo knowing about them. "Did Ella say anything?" The princess had confided in her friend when she returned from London that she had indeed hooked up with Harry while she was over there.

"No, nothing at all. Other than telling me to invite you two out today on the boat." Leo shrugged his shoulders and then realization hit him. "Oh....my... god..." He shook his head in shock. "Ella knows about you two doesn't she?!" Leo leaned in and saw that little glint of mischievousness dance in Emilia's eyes.

"Yes..." Emilia confessed with a light groan.

Leo stood there with his arms crossed with a shaking head. "How long has this been going on Emilia? Since London? Did Harry 'show you a real good time' there or what?" He was blunt and to the point.

"LEO!!" Emilia yelled at him and then lowered her voice knowing that her family was waiting for them quite literally around the corner. "Stop it...."

The princess became quiet and took in a deep breath while Leo waited for an answer in silence. "Something did happen in London and I acted like it didn't mean anything to me when I left..." She paused and peaked up at Leo who was displaying a genuine expression. "It did though, but I was not in a place where I could handle anything happening again. We made up and have been talking for a few months. It just so happened that Harry had to come here in place of his grandmother for the tour. When he arrived, all those feelings I had pushed away came flooding back this week and we are trying to figure out what all of this is between us... privately." Emilia confessed it all to Leo, but she knew in her heart that she could trust him to keep things quiet.

"Wow..." Leo ran his fingers through his hair while remaining silent. "Well, come on the boat with us today then you can have the time you need to figure it all out." He encouraged Emilia to do so. "If it goes for anything.... I think Harry is a good bloke and I haven't seen you smile so much as you do lately. So if he has anything at all to do with how happy you seem, then I think you two should give it a shot." Leo smiled down at the princess with a soft smile watching one come to life on her lips at his comment.

"I will run it by Harry this morning and let you know." Emilia nodded and released a deep breath. "We should head to breakfast before things get cold!"

-----------------------------------

Harry was walking beside Emilia along the dock towards the boat that her cousin Leo had rented out for the day for him and his girlfriend, Ella. An hour before, Emilia had come knocking on his door and explained what had happened with Leo and how he had found out about them. He could tell that Emilia desperately wanted some alone time with Harry to talk and knew that having a deep private conversation would be near to impossible with all of her family around watching her every move with him. So, he agreed to spend the day with Emilia and her cousin on the boat. Of course it was an easy decision for him to make.

The prince glanced down taking in the view of Emilia. His eyes roved over the skin on her body that her black and white bikini exposed. He did remember that Emilia had an amazing body from that night they had intimately spent with one another. But, he noticed how toned she had become since then no doubt from her Olympic training she had started a few weeks ago.

    Emilia lifted her head and caught the prince checking her out as he offered her a wink. She rolled her eyes at him and gave him a playful push to the side. "Eyes up Henry." She half scolded him, but also was flattered that he did enjoy what he was seeing. Emilia had been vigorously training for the Olympics and her hard work definitely started to show.

"Quite impossible." Harry muttered under his breath.

The pair had arrived at the small yacht and Emilia's face lit up in excitement. She clapped her hands together and released a small squeal of elation. "Today is so going to be so much fun!" Emilia snapped her head up to see Harry just as excited as she was.

The prince's hand settled on the small of her back, giving it a gentle rub. "I think so too." Harry had stepped onto the boat and turned back to help Emilia on. He reached out his hand to which she grasped it tightly while Harry pulled her onto the boat safely. She smiled up at him and silently looked up into his sunglasses missing seeing his deep blue eyes. Harry remained holding her hand tight while his thumb rubbed over the soft flesh of her skin on the back of her hand.

"EMILIA?!" A blonde woman came down the spiral steps from the top deck to greet them. It was Ella, Leonardo's girlfriend and Emilia's stylist. Leo was in tow behind her displaying a smirk finally seeing his cousin hand in hand with Harry.

"Ella!" Emilia remained holding on to Harry's hand as she embraced the blonde woman in a tight hug and gently swayed back and forth with her. "I am so happy to see you here!" It was evident to anyone that the two girls were quite good friends with one another.

"Me too! It is so good to see you...and...." Ella's eyes darted towards a patiently waiting prince that stood beside Emilia.

"Harry...." Emilia stepped back in beside him and peaked up at the prince before making an introduction. "Ella this is Harry. Harry this is Ella."

Harry leaned in and engulfed the small blonde into a friendly hug. "It's lovely to meet you Ella. Emilia has spoken a lot about you." The prince was kind as ever towards her friend before

moving on to her boyfriend, Leo, and greeting him.

"Hey mate, thanks for the invite to crash your party." Harry smiled warmly, being appreciative of Leo's offer.

"Of course mate." Leo wrapped his arm around his girlfriend and shared a quick glance at one another. "We figured you two might want some alone time, away from the family. What did you tell them you two were doing?"

Emilia swayed back and forth with a guilty expression. "Nothing.... We sort of just snuck out." She stifled a laugh as Harry looked down at her with a shocked expression.

"What?!" He angled his head down at Emilia. Emilia had told him that she would tell her family that they were going to go on a hike together, but clearly she did not do that.

"I am sorry.... I couldn't lie to them." Emilia bit down on her bottom lip nervously.

"Your father is going to kill me." Harry tossed his head back with a groan before starting to chuckle.

"Don't worry, it will be fine." Emilia gently rubbed her hand up and down Harry's back.

"Ahh! Don't worry. Nothing that a little alcohol can't fix." Leo turned on his heel and waved a them to follow him. "Let's get this day started off right!"

Harry clutched Emilia's hand and followed in behind Leo and Ella up to the top deck. She re-secured her beach bag up on her shoulder and sighed a breath of relief that Harry heard. He glanced down and displayed a look of concern.

"That was a heavy sigh...you ok?" They fell a few steps behind the couple.

Emilia leaned in and rested her head on Harry's shoulder while her other hand rubbed his forearm with re-assurance. "Yeah... just thinking about having that talk today." She confessed her thoughts without any hesitation.

The prince could tell that it was weighing heavily on her mind, but all he wanted was Emilia to have a day where she could relax and have a little fun. "Why don't we get settled and have a few drinks. Then we can talk and get it out of the way and chill for the rest of the day?" Harry sweetly suggested.

"Ok. I like that plan." Emilia took the first step up the spiral staircase with Harry in tow behind her.

"Harry, you need to put this on." Emilia stifled through her bag and dug out a bottle of sunscreen and held it up for him to see. He shook his head no and brushed her off. The princess rolled her eyes at the prince being a typical man, but she had another way of convincing him to put it on.

Emilia sat down right beside him and stared at the prince until his head turned to look her in the eyes. "I don't need it right now." He was insistent about it.

The princess tilted her head and pushed out her bottom lip into a pout. "That's too bad." She sighed and looked out towards the ocean. "See, I was hoping that you put it on me in return... rubbing this lotion all over my body..." Emilia let the words sink as she smirked with a lowered gaze. "But, it's fine I will get Ella to help me instead."

The princess pushed herself off of the ground beside the prince and took a step forward towards where Ella and Leo were nearly on top of each other already. She felt a light grasp tighten around her wrist and pull her back down. "No damn way Emilia. Get your ass back here." Harry had practically pulled the dark haired princess down onto his lap as Emilia giggled at his response.

She peaked up at Harry with a mischievous glint in her eyes and started to laugh. "I knew you wouldn't be able to say no."

Emilia settled herself in Harry's lap facing him in a straddle. She squirted a healthy amount of sunscreen into the palm of her hand and rubbed it together in her hands. "Let's start off with that handsome face of yours. We don't want you looking like a lobster for the rest of your tour."

The prince could feel Emilia's soft hands smoothen the sunscreen all over his body. He giggled when she innocently traced an outline of a heart over his. Harry leant in and placed a sweet kiss to her lips not even thinking twice that he had to mind his actions in front of her cousin. He felt a sense of relief that he could shower Emilia with kisses whenever he pleased. Emilia was absent mindedly tracing over the contours of his abs with her delicate fingers as her mind drifted elsewhere.

He patiently watched as she drifted off into her own mind, but he did not want Emilia to get stuck in her own head. Harry knew she was having a bit of a tough time at the moment with the pressures from her family piling on top of her and he wanted her to have a chance today to forget about it all and relax.

Emilia was forced out of her thoughts as she felt Harry snaked an arm around her back and pulled her off of him to the side. "Lay down, it's my turn."

The princess laid herself down comfortably onto the soft sun bed and released a deep sigh. Her body tensed up at first feeling the cool lotion hit her warm skin. "Relax, love." Harry's deep voice demanded her to.

While Harry was massaging the sun screen onto her body she found herself completely relaxed as his strong but gentle hands rubbed over the sore tightened muscles from her previous day's training session. By the time Harry was done with her, she was practically a noodle and refused to move from the relaxed position she was in.

A chuckling prince laid down beside her and turned his head to face the princess. Emilia opened her eyes to find Harry displaying a proud cocky smirk on his lips. "I told you I was good at giving massages."

"I know that now." Emilia closed her eyes again and drifted into a near state of slumber. She felt Harry grasp her hand and place his soft lips to the back of it in a sweet kiss. The pair of them laid there completely relaxed side by side connected with their entwined fingers as they relaxed under the warm Illyrian sun for the rest of the morning.

---------

Harry had the rest of the group in near stitches as they snacked on bits of lunch with their cocktail drinks in hand. Emilia tossed her head back in laughter beside the prince as he continued to tell them an embarrassing story of a trip he had to Africa. Their laughs slowly subsided into a quiet lull of the conversation.

The princess settled her hand on Harry's knee and took a sip of her drink. "I would love to go there sometime." Emilia commented with a beaming smile.

"I will have to take you there then." Harry was quick to reply. His head lifted to find Emilia staring at him with an adoring smile that graced her lips at the mere thought of it all.

Leo and Ella sat quietly across from them seeing the way that Harry and Emilia were looking at one another. Ella rubbed Leo's leg subtly with her hand to gain his attention. She leaned in to whisper, "Let's give them some space to talk. Why don't we head out into the water for a bit."

The prince nodded with a knowing smile as he stood up from the table. "Well, we are going to play in the ocean for a while. Let you two have some alone time together." Leo locked eyes with Emilia and saw a thankful smile grow on her lips.

"See you later mate." Harry felt Leo squeeze his shoulder before leading his girlfriend towards the back of the boat leaving Emilia and Harry on their own.

An awkward silence fell between them as Emilia shied away from the prince. She knew that it was now time to have the conversation they so desperately needed to have, but a side of her wanted to avoid having it knowing that the outcome could so drastically change the course of their relationship.

Harry could sense Emilia's apprehension and figured he would be the one to bring it up. "Emilia..." He reached out and blindly grabbed her hand in an effort to bring about some sort of comfort towards her. "Let's have that talk."

The princess's head slowly turned to face him and nodded in silence. "Yes, let's." Emilia pushed her chair back and waited for Harry to follow suit. She let Harry find a place on the boat where they could talk. He led her towards the front of the boat to a comfortable sofa that allowed them to also take in the gorgeous view of the ocean.

Harry sat down first and glanced out towards the ocean and released a deep sigh. He felt Emilia settle close in beside him as her head rested on his chest and watched him enjoy the view. "I love your country Emilia. It's very beautiful, the same with the people in it." Harry confessed lightly as he secured the small princess in his arms. He held Emilia there until she was ready to talk, letting her take the time she needed.

Emilia breathed out a heavy sigh and felt Harry's hand soothing rub down along the side of her arm in a calming and encouraging manner. She always felt supported by Harry in whatever situation she found herself in. It was like he was right there by her side and knew exactly what she needed to hear or in this case what she needed to feel to find her state of calm again.

A soft smile stretched across her lips when realization hit her. She now knew where this conversation needed to start.

The beginning.

"Do you remember that day in London when we first met?" Emilia's soft voice coaxed Harry's attention back down on her.

"Yes, of course I do." Harry's lips spread into a warm smile. "At the Invictus Games. I approached you and you clearly did not want to be seen with me." The prince lightly giggled.

"I was trying to be incognito and your presence clearly was not helping the situation at all." Emilia stated matter of factly with a hint of her sass coming through. "Anyway... London was an escape for me and I was running from things back home." Emilia continued. "From everything that was going on with Thomas."

The princess lifted her head to find a set of blue eyes staring down at her fondly, patiently waiting for Emilia to continue as he listened to her. Her hand lifted and cupped his cheek softly as her thumb rubbed over the warm flesh of his skin tenderly. "Then I met you." The sparkle in his eyes grew as she spoke about him. But, Emilia furrowed her brow and a feeling of extreme guilt crashed through her while she searched into the depths of those deep blues.

"You made me feel so safe with you that I used you for my own benefits and distractions. I knew that if I had sex with you, you wouldn't say a word to anyone about it. That you wouldn't run to the press and scream at the top of your lungs." Emilia hung her head low and averted her gaze away from the prince feeling ashamed of her actions.

She felt a finger lift her chin delicately making her look back into Harry's sincere gaze. "I know you were and I don't hold any of that against you whatsoever." There was a profound level of sincerity laced in the tone of his voice that made Emilia believe him.

Tears started to build in her icy blue eyes over the profound guilt she felt over what had happened in London. Harry's brow furrowed in concern watching the princess nearly break right before his eyes. He felt the guilt seething from her over what she had done to him, but he never held any ill will towards her for it.

He cupped her cheek tenderly with both hands and shook his head slowly pleading to Emilia with his eyes not to cry. "Don't love, please don't cry." He wiped a stray tear away that had trickled down her cheek. "I hate seeing you cry."

"That morning after I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to leave you in that bed to wake up and find that I had left but I couldn't even face myself. I was confused and only did it to protect myself." Emilia grew quiet as the prince held her head gently in his hands while listening to her whispered words. "Protecting myself from the feelings I started to feel for you..."

Those icy blue eyes peaked up at the prince through her eyelashes as she admitted the truth of why she hastily left that morning and acted the way she did. "But, those feelings never went away from me no matter how hard I tried to bury them. Even dealing with everything with Thomas, they were there." The princess confessed softly and fell into silence.

Harry cleared his throat and nodded silently, gathering his thoughts before speaking. "It did upset me the way you left. I was a bit angry initially at you for using me, but I tried to see your side of things." His hand blindly grasped her fingers and started to play with them. "I forgave you along time ago for what happened. I understood that you did it only to protect yourself and I can't fault you for that knowing what you were dealing with at the time."

"I'm sorry." Emilia angled her head at the prince.

"No need to apologize, Em."

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Emilia's hearing his words of understanding. She released a deep sigh and felt relieved that she had confessed to Harry why she acted the way she did in London. Emilia bit down on her bottom lip nervously as the butterflies she felt for the prince returned suddenly and built up a healthy level of anxiety within her. They still had so much to discuss and she was unsure of where to go next.

"Let's get a drink." Harry leant down and pressed a soft kiss to her temple before pulling her along behind him to the bar down the steps of the boat. It gave the pair a well needed break from their intense conversation that they were having.

Emilia led Harry back up to the top of the boat towards a canopy where they could stretch out and enjoy the sun. Harry took his place next to her and lifted his arm to invite the princess to snuggle in beside him to which she accepted his offer making herself cozy beside him.

"Now, where were we." Emilia hinted at Harry to start off the conversation again while she took a few healthy sips of her drink to gain some liquid courage.

"I believe you were about to tell me how you can't resist my handsome sexy ass." Harry turned his head to wink at Emilia while she raised a suggestive eyebrow in response.

"You do have a sexy ass." Emilia muttered while she sipped on her straw.

"I am sorry, I couldn't hear you." Harry teased the princess in his arms.

"I said you have a sexy ass from what I can remember." Emilia spoke it loud and clear this time and watched the elation grow on Harry's face.

"Not as sexy as yours, love." His eyes instinctively fell towards her chest. He felt an elbow nudge him in the ribs.

"My eyes are up here, Harry." Emilia rolled his eyes, but was flattered that he appreciated her body.

"Ok, fine. I will be serious again." Harry took in a deep breath and sighed out heavily. "Where were we? Do you want to start again?"

Emilia nodded quickly in reply. Each thing she confessed to Harry felt like a burden was being lifted off from her and she relished in the feeling it gave her. She found herself wanting to tell Harry so much more as the walls around her came crashing down and her most vulnerable sides she so often kept hidden were coming out of the dark.

"It feels so good to just talk for once." She paused briefly. "To spend some time with you like this."

"I definitely agree." His gentle smile coaxed her to continue what was on her mind.

"I just can't believe that you are actually here. I didn't believe it until you walked off the plane and down those steps." Emilia rolled over onto her stomach so she could face Harry while they talked. "I didn't realize how much I had actually missed you until that moment."

"You missed me?" A cocky smirk formed on his lips after hearing Emilia's confession.

"I did!" She angled her head up at him. "I missed the man who understood me so well. Who understands the real me. It's also what scares me so much about you."

"It scares you that I know you so well?" He narrowed his eyes in an attempt to understand her.

"Yes... It's like I innately trust you and that terrifies me to no end. You understand me like no one else ever has in my life. I don't know why, but it's scary to me that you do sometimes. It's also why I like being around you." Emilia tried her best to explain her circulating thoughts in her mind. "I am quite the guarded person, but with you, you break down those walls so easy and that's what makes me terrified as I find myself blindly trusting you without a second thought. I have never connected with someone like that ever before."

Harry's lips spread into a beaming smile hearing Emilia speak about him that way. It was a revelation to him as well that Emilia did truly trust him even when she divulged information to him in complete confidence. "You know that goes both ways Emilia. We are both spares to heirs and not a lot of people understand what happens behind the scenes so to speak. What pressures we have to face everyday. I for one am lucky to have found someone who understands me like you do. It makes my relationship with you even that more special."

The prince glanced away briefly knowing what he was about to bring up next would strike a cord within the princess. But, he had to voice his concerns about how she has changed since London. "Emilia... are you ok?" His sincere eyes fell to be met with a set of vulnerable eyes staring up at him.

He heard the princess swallow a lump in her throat and divert her gaze away from the prince, remaining silent and giving him no reply. But, in all truth, her silence answered his question more than words could ever.

Emilia was not ok.

"I know you have so much on your plate right now and pressures coming at you from all sides." The prince began to acknowledge the difficulties she was facing in her life. "But, the Emilia I met in London is not the one I am looking at right now. It seems like she has lost the fight within her, that fiesty spark." Harry was completely honest with her. "And I am worried about you."

Emilia slowly turned her head and locked in Harry's sincere gaze. "I can't be that Emilia anymore who fights everything, Henry." She shook her head and pursed her lips together. "Believe me, I miss that Emilia too."

Harry patiently waited as he watched the inner turmoil battle across her face. Emilia parted her lips to speak, but needed a few more quiet moments to think. "I think that firing my press secretary was a big move towards where I want to be." The princess started out. "As much shit I got into for it, it was for the better. I want to find someone who I can work well with and help steer me in the direction I want to go in. I want to be able to prove somehow to my grandmother that I can still be me and still do what is acceptable of her standards. But, it is going to take time to build that."

"Do you think some time away from your family would do you some good?" Harry suggested softly as he brushed a stray piece of hair off of her face.

"Possibly." Emilia nodded in agreement. "I do admit that I am struggling, Harry." The princess finally truthfully admitted. She took in a deep breath and sighed. "I wish that just being me is enough, but it's not." The smile on her lips had faded and disappeared into nothing as she stared blankly out towards the ocean, trapped in her mind.

"The thing is Emilia, you are enough just the way you are. But, in order for them to believe you, you have to believe it also. I don't think you know how amazing you truly are." A hint of smile peaked through on the corner of her lips. "And I am happy to keep telling you that until you believe it yourself because I do see that in you."

The prince's words made her heart swell and also ache at the same time. It was a nice change to hear someone like him be so supportive and encouraging of her like he had simply done all week. "I may need your help a little bit longer then." Emilia snapped her head back to see Harry nodding with an adorable grin plastered on his lips.

"Happy to be of service princess." He chuckled lightly to take the heaviness out of their conversation. "In any way, that is." Harry leaned in and whispered in her ear.

Emilia scoffed and shook her head with an eye roll. But, the big question of the day popped into the forefront of her mind. Without a second thought, Emilia freely spoke it.

"What are we then, Henry?" Their blue eyes locked together, holding each other's gaze in a lingered moment. "What is this between us?"

There was a silent pause in their conversation as Harry and Emilia looked deep into the others eyes, searching for their own answers to those questions they had been asking themselves all week. His blue eyes softened and allowed Emilia in to see his vulnerabilities at face value. The prince knew he had to be the one to start off this conversation given Emilia's past relationship. He could see the fear building in her eyes starting to create a shield up in case she was going to get hurt by him.

The last few days, Emilia had been constantly on his mind even when she was not with him. She was the first thing he thought about when he woke up and the last thing he thought about when he went to sleep, often craving to have her next to him. There was just something about her that Harry was completely enamoured by and he could not deny the chemistry between them was so palpable, it was difficult to hide on the best of days.

If Harry was to be completely honest with himself. He was falling in love with Emilia with each passing second and there was no way his mind could stop what his heart was feeling for Emilia.

The prince released a deep sigh as a sweet smile pulled at the corner of his lips. He tucked a piece of her dark hair behind her ear that was blowing across Emilia's face. Those ice blue eyes remained stagnant on him while he noticed her breath became jagged observing the outward fear her body was portraying in that moment while she waited for him to break his silence. He could not keep the nervous princess waiting any longer. Harry parted his lips to speak and to start his confession that he indeed was falling in love with Emilia.

"Emilia..." He gently spoke her name with his deep calming voice. "I cannot be friends with you..." Harry trailed off for a brief pause wanting to look into Emilia's eyes and hopefully see the fear be replaced with something else as he confessed to her. "Because I am falling in love with you."

Harry let the words sink in as he heard Emilia's breath hitch with a light gasp. The fear that had been circling in her eyes dissipated as they bore more blue and began to sparkle. "I am falling in love with every part of you. The way you laugh... it makes me instantly smile knowing that you are happy. The way your eyes are so telling that by one mere look at you I can tell what your mind is thinking. But, most of all it's the way you never give up on yourself and the way you treat others with such kindness and empathy. You aren't afraid to show your emotions as a royal and people love that about you. I love that you are different and you stand up for what you believe in." The prince took a deep breath in and sighed. "So I can't be just friends with you and I cannot fall more in love without you."

Harry let the words of his confession of falling in love with the princess sink in to Emilia. He was comforted knowing that a beaming smile was forming on her lips as the fearful expression on her face was morphed into a genuine happy one.

It was Emilia's turn to take that leap of faith and share what her heart had been dying to tell Harry. The princess cupped Harry's cheek in her soft hand and gazed up into those ocean eyes with a tilted head. "I am falling in love with you too." The words escaped her lips so easily and without a second thought. "And it scares me how hard I am falling for you, Henry." The prince could practically see her heart pounding from her chest.

"It's those ocean eyes." Emilia softly whispered as she tenderly stroked his cheek with her thumb. "I am so scared of them sometimes." The princess closed her eyes and bowed her head. Harry pressed his lips gently against her forehead before resting his own head against it. "Because they see through my walls and they see me for who I am."

Emilia released a shaky breath as her hands started to tremble. The prince saw her shaking hands and wanted to take away all the fears circling in her mind. He cupped her cheek and soothingly rubbed it softly. "Don't be scared..." Harry could tell how difficult this was for Emilia especially after everything she had been through with Thomas and he only knew what the public knew.

She lifted her head up off of Harry's forehead to stare once again into the depths of those eyes. "I am scared that I am going to hurt you. That you are going to hurt me. And that I will lose you. But, I am willing to take a leap of faith because I need you in my life, Henry." Emilia pursed her lips together and shook her head. "It's so much more with you in it. You won't fall in love without me." The princess looked up at Harry with an adorable smile formed on her lips. Her blue eyes were shining as they emanated happiness.

"I want to be with you, Henry."

Emilia bit down on her bottom lip as she witnessed a beaming smile appear on Harry's lips. All she wanted in that moment was to feel his lips collide with hers. "Kiss me." The words freely fell from her lips.

Harry smirked and gave a small nod before closing the distance in between them. He paused a few inches away from her lips and felt her hot breath float across his mouth. A cheeky grin formed on his lips as he made the princess wait. "Not until you agree to be my girlfriend." Harry playfully asked.

A light moan escaped Emilia's at the awaited anticipation of his kiss. Emilia angled her head and closed the distance even further between them as their lips were nearly touching. She knew how to play this game too. "Ask me again... properly." Her hushed voice demanded.

It took all within the prince not to devour Emilia's lips. He knew that she was tempting him and he would not be the one to cave in. "Emilia Andelle." Harry spoke her full name. "Will you be my girlfriend?" The prince wished he could have captured the way Emilia looked in that moment. The look of pure happiness he had yet to witness was evident all over her face and it was all because of him.

"Yes, I want to be your girlfriend." Before Emilia could say another word, Harry lips had collided with hers and captured them in a passionate kiss.

Emilia wrapped her arms around the back of Harry's neck and pulled him down on top of her. Harry shifted his weight above Emilia, careful not to crush the princess beneath him. The prince continued to attack Emilia's lips with fervour and urgency, having longed to feel them again brushing up against his own. He captured Emilia's tiny moans when he maneuvered himself between her legs and accidentally brushed himself against her bikini bottoms.

The princess melted beneath Harry into a cloud of hazy lust. She wrapped her legs around the prince and moaned while biting down on her bottom lip. Harry's member rubbed up against her again driving her mad. The prince was deliberate with his kisses as he led the make out session between them as Emilia surrendered complete control to him.

She broke her lips off of him with much reluctance but she had to catch her breath. "Slow down, Harry." Emilia breathlessly spoke. With the direction of where things were going it would not be long before they could not stop their urges and had their way with one another right there on the yacht. But, Emilia did not want that, she needed to do things properly this time.

"Fuck, I want you so bad Emilia." Harry's mind was already there, she could feel his member starting to get hard, but she had to stop it.

Emilia pressed her lips softly against Harry's in a gentle slow kiss. She cupped his cheek as she trailed down the side of his neck, showering him with sweet gentle kisses to calm him. "I know... I want you too." The princess placed one hand on his chest and gave him a light push back to change positions so that she was on top straddling him now. Emilia continued to kiss down Harry's chest then found his lips again.

"We can't do it here and I want to do things proper this time." Emilia voiced her concerns to Harry. It took all of her self control to not have Harry in that moment, especially with how she was sitting on him while his semi-hard cock rubbed against her sensitive spot through their bathing suits.

A set of hands gripped her hips tightly and forced her to stop moving. "Then stop grinding your hips on my bits." The prince growled and sat up to face Emilia to capture her lips one more time.

Emilia shyly giggled. "Sorry, Harry."

A comfortable silence fell between them as Emilia continued to sit on Harry's lap while they stared fondly at each other. Harry could tell Emilia wanted to ask him something as she parted her lips and then shook her head no as if not to break the moment between them.

"What is on your mind, gorgeous?" His brow furrowed with concern.

Emilia's gaze dropped as she fidgeted nervously with her hands and bit down on her lower lip. "Can we keep things between us for a while...until I get things more sorted with my grandmother. Keep things private for now. I don't want to drag you into my mess." The shy princess admitted.

"Of course. I thought that would be the best option for now as well, Emilia." He lifted her chin with his finger, wanting to glance into those mesmerizing eyes of hers. "We don't need outside pressures in our relationship right now."

The princess sighed a breath of relief knowing that Harry was on the same page as her. But, it only brought up more questions. "How... how is this going to work?" She sought his thoughts on the matter.

"It will have to be long distance for the time being. But, we will just have to ensure we make time for one another. I will come see you here in Illyria and you will come to London." Harry made it seem so simple in a way like it was no big deal and nothing to stress about.

"You make it seem so simple, Henry." Emilia smiled softly.

"Don't over think things, Emilia." He placed a quick kiss to her cheek and smiled. "Zara has said the Olympic trials are going to be held in London for some countries in a few weeks."

Emilia nodded her head. "Yup, they are. I will be in London for about two weeks I think."

"Where are you going to stay?" He curiously asked the princess, hoping that some of her time would be spent with him at Kensington.

"At Belmond Cadogan." Emilia tried to remember the name. "I think it's in West London."

Harry scoffed lightly. "It's in Knightsbridge. Pretty swanky hotel, fit for a princess and just so happens to be pretty damn close to Hyde Park."

"Then I guess you will be seeing a lot of me then.." Emilia giggled with a beaming grin.

"Means I can take you on a proper date..." The prince suggested.

Emilia found herself staring up into those ocean eyes once again, but this time she was not scared. She was completely happy having made her decision to be Harry's girlfriend.

"Yes, we should go on a proper date." Emilia leaned in and dared to kiss Harry one more time as she pressed her lips against his. "But, for now I think I we should test out those jet ski's. What do you think? I can take you to these caves that aren't far away."

"That sounds pretty awesome."

For the rest of the day, Harry and Emilia played in the ocean and enjoyed their time drinking and relaxing in the sun while hanging out with Leo and Ella. They tested out the hot tub on the yacht and watched the sun set over the Illyrian ocean.

[name-me-regret]

If The World Was Ending 10/?

If The World Was Ending Chapter Ten: In My Life

Read on AO3.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“There are places I'll remember All my life though some have changed Some forever, not for better Some have gone and some remain

All these places have their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I've loved them all...”

~In My Life - The Beatles

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Tony finished his meal quickly, feeling pleasantly full and it had been a while since he’d eaten so good. Tony usually forgot to eat when he was on one of his inventing binges, or got into the rhythm of making or assembling a piece of armor.

He’d had a nice chat with Michael, who was an architect and had bachelors degree in architectural engineering. While he wasn’t on par to Tony, and of a different type of engineer, he had a good mind and the conversation wasn’t lacking. It had almost been a shame when he’d had to leave, which is why decided to finally finish the rest of his food as he drank the rest of the juice in his cup.

“Alright,” he said as he stood. He saw that Chris had already finished, and he wondered how people ate so fast, even Evan had eaten quickly. Tony supposed that he was used to eating fast before he was interrupted by that bell. It could also have been the conversation with Michael that had kept his mouth occupied.

“Did you want to go see the armor? I promised Denny and Harry to show them.”

Chris perked up with an excited grin before he paused and looked at his dad with his big doe eyes. Eddie wanted to say no, realized he was being irrational and that he couldn’t take away this opportunity because he was jealous annoyed that Buck had gone with Tony despite Eddie wanting him to be at the hospital where they could care for him.

“Sure, mijo,” he told him, and enjoyed the happy squeal that left him. At least, he did until he watched Chris and Tony walk away, the man matching his son’s pace as he spoke quietly to him, and then Evan came out, showered and changed, and joined Tony and Chris with a bright smile. Eddie also realized that Tony and Chris had left their plates and it was up to him to wash them as Bobby and Athena sat down with their own plates of food.

Eddie regretted agreeing.

Tony was watching in amusement as JARVIS lifted the suit off the ground with two preteen boys hanging from the arms, giggling the whole time. He was sitting on one of the lawn chairs, monitoring the other suits that were helping with the clean-up, and Evan was with Chris playing with a little robot Tony had quickly built with some spare parts of an old TV that had been set out for recycling. It was almost domestic watching it all, and Tony had always thought he’d be averse to the idea. However, it was actually really... nice.

‘Sir, there is something important that requires your attention,’ JARVIS said in his ear, breaking his peace. Tony sighed, wondering what was happening now. He didn’t think he was recharged enough for another emergency, but this was the life he’d chosen. Tony took another moment to watch Evan with Chris, the man and child laughing as the robot flew around them as it beeped. ‘Sir?’

“Yeah, J,” he muttered. He stood, setting JARVIS to continue using the Iron Legion to help in California. “Evan.” The man lifted his head to look at him and Tony regretted the sight of that smile wiping from his face.

“You have to go,” he said, not even needing to ask. Tony nodded anyways. Evan’s lips twisted into a resigned expression before stood up as he lifted Chris to his feet. “Alright guys, it’s almost time for dinner!” Harry and Denny groaned but they released the armor’s arms as it alighted on the ground. “Say goodbye to Tony.”

“Bye, Mr. Stark!” both boys chorused as they ran inside, making Tony wince. He’d managed to get them to call him Tony until Athena and Denny’s moms had intervened. Apparently calling an adult by their first name was the height of bad manners, even when said adult insisted on it.

Chris came over to give him a hug, which Tony was still getting use to and then tottered off on his crutches. Tony turned to Evan, who had the robot in his hand. “Gonna miss me?” he asked.

Evan rolled his eyes and pulled him into a hug. “Certainly not your ego,” he teased, making Tony swat at his head as he pulled away. He paused as Tony slipped his phone into his hand. “What?”

“I know you lost yours, and I’d feel more reassured if I could actually reach you when I call again.” Evan seemed hesitant, but after a moment looking at him, he rolled his eyes but took it.

“Never knew you were such a worrier,” Evan huffed, the slight smile on his lips taking the sting out of his words.

“Well, when it comes to you, I have no other choice,” he said, poking him on the chest. Evan caught his hand and they both paused, a moment passing between them that was very familiar, and then JARVIS was talking in his ear again and Tony cursed. “I gotta go.” He squeezed Evan’s hand, and when he stepped away, the taller man released it almost reluctantly as the billionaire stepped into the suit as it closed around him.

Evan watched the eyes of the suit light up and he lifted a hand in a wave. “Be careful, Tony.”

“Always am,” he said, his voice sounding mechanized, and then he blasted off into the air.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Eddie had tried to help with dinner, but Athena and Bobby had waved him off, which was good since he could literally burn water. He’d just wanted to be polite and offer, and was more than glad to instead set the table. Michael had left during lunch, stating that he had work. Apparently he had volunteered his time as an architect in the rebuilding efforts, and he had a dinner meeting. May had asked permission to have dinner at a friend’s house, so she’d left almost an hour ago.

Chimney and Maddie had left as well, the latter going to bid Tony farewell, but not before sharing a picture in the groups chat. It was a picture of Tony and Buck asleep on the couch, hands clasped while the slept. The others had cooed at the sight of them, but Eddie had felt a flare of jealousy. And yes, he could admit now that is what it was.

He was jealous seeing them holding hands, almost like they were together. Eddie hoped not.

Hen poked him and Eddie startled, realizing he was glaring at the table, having gotten lost in his thoughts. Karen and Hen told Athena and Bobby that they would head home after dinner, and Eddie had told them the same thing. If anything, he felt they had overstayed their welcome, even if Bobby assured them that they were welcome for as long as they wanted.

In truth, he should be spending more time with his abuela and aunt, and would have been there instead of it wasn’t that Chris had wanted to see Buck. Eddie also wanted to see him, if he was being honest. And while he should have left after lunch, he’d stayed.

Eddie smiled in fond amusement as Harry and Denny ran in, followed at a more slower pace by Chris. “Go get washed up,” he told the boys. As they did, he heard the blast of repulsors, and Buck came inside a few moments later. “Hey, did Stark leave?” He tried not to sound too glad over this.

Buck nodded. “Yeah, duty calls,” he said with a shake of his head. “You guys’ll be the same way tomorrow.”

Eddie nodded. “Probably,” he said, moving around and hip checking Buck out of the way. He smirked as the other huffed but smiled back at him. “So, I’ll probably have to bring Chris over. Hopefully you’ll be awake again,” he teased.

Buck’s eyes went wide in surprise, shocked into silence.

Eddie looked at him “What?” He put the rest of the utensils down and stepped toward him at seeing the confusion on his face. “I will say, honestly, you being laid up is working out for me,” he joked. “I mean, you’re no abuela, and you’re half a Carla, but you’ll do in a pinch.”

“You want me... to watch Christopher?”

Eddie shrugged with another teasing smile. “It’s easy. He’s not very fast.”

“After everything that happened?”

“A natural disaster happened, Buck.”

“I lost him, Eddie,” he emphasized, as if it were something that Eddie could have possibly forgotten. The happiness of a few minutes ago was gone to be replaced with sorrow in his clear blue eyes. Eddie remembered the words he’d spoken to Maddie when he had thought no one could hear him.

“No,” Eddie said firmly, “you found him. You saved him.” He motioned to Chris as he returned with the other boys as they all giggled together. “That’s how he remembers it. Before he was found by Iron Man, it was you that saved him, Buck.”

He lifted a hand and laid it on his shoulder. “And now it’s his turn to do the same for you.”

“I was— I was supposed to look out for him,” Buck insisted.

“And what? You think you failed?” Eddie asked, shaking his head. “I failed that kid more times that I care to count, and I’m his father. But I love him enough to never stop trying, and I know you do too.”

Buck seemed to not believe him and he squeezed his shoulder, his thumb pressed against his pulse point. It was a way to reassure himself that he was still there, alive and unharmed, since he hadn’t been able to do so before. In a way, he blamed it on Tony Stark, but now wasn’t about that man. It was about alleviating the distress he felt coming from his best friend.

“Buck... there’s nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you,” he said, making sure to always maintain eye contact to reassure him he was being truthful. When his friend finally nodded, he gave his shoulder a squeeze and went back to his assignment of finishing setting up the table, which had had another smaller one pressed together due to the extra people over.

Chris came over and he hugged Buck who was closer and then made his way over to his dad. As he hugged him with his free hand, he lifted his gaze to meet Buck’s once again. “Also, thank you, for not giving up,” he said with a meaningful look down at the little boy in his embrace.

Buck glanced away, not so discreetly wiping at his eyes. “Of course,” he said, and if his voice sounded wobbly, neither of them mentioned it.

That night at dinner they gave thanks, for all of them being safe after such a horrible ordeal. It was something they could all agree to.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“J, give me a location,” Tony grunted as he felt an RPG hit closer than he was comfortable with, knowing he had to take out that foxhole before he could get close to the building. The HUD display had been damaged in the last attack, so he couldn’t see where the foxhole was, however, he could find it by following JARVIS’s instructions.

‘The foxhole is fifty meters ten inches to your left, sir,’ his A.I. informed him in that calm voice he always had. Tony took a deep breath and turned exactly ten inches to the left.

“Firing ballistic missile,” he said as he lifted his arm. The whizz of it registered for a few brief seconds before the sound of an explosion sounded.

‘Threat neutralized,’ JARVIS informed him.

Tony breathed out a sigh of relief, since that was all the opposition that JARVIS had detected. Now he just had to get inside, access their computers to find more of these Ten Rings bases. Ever since he’d become Iron Man, he had been systematically working through their bases of operations and finding the illegal weapons sold by Stane. It was only after Rhodey had become War Machine that it had gotten better, since together they could take them out faster.

As far as they could tell, this was one of their last strongholds, and if that were so then it would finally be over. All the weapons that Stane had sold under his nose, it would be finished this time. The guilt he carried over it could fade, at least, just a little bit. Because the lives lost couldn’t be recovered, but at least there would be no one else hurt by weapons once built by Stark Industries; weapons designed by him.

He opened the faceplate as soon as he got inside, since the Heads-Up Display was damaged. Tony was glad when he didn’t meet any resistance, since he couldn’t aim for shit at the moment. He really needed to reinforce the faceplate to protect the HUD, since it was the only way he could see while inside the suit besides lifting the faceplate, which would leave him vulnerable to attack.

As he arrived at the computer room and still hadn’t met opposition, he was starting to get suspicious, and slightly worried that this would be a dead end. Even so, Tony stepped out of the suit and came up to the computer terminal. His fingers flew over the keys as he started to hack into the systems, and it was like ripping through wet tissue; their systems were horribly outdated.

He smacked his hand against the keyboard when he didn’t find anything, a few keys flying from how hard he’d hit it. “Shit,” he growled, leaning over the desk and tried to calm down. Because now he had to start searching all over again from scratch, and the closure he had been hoping for seemed farther away now.

He was distracted and didn’t react quickly enough as he heard JARVIS’s urgent voice a moment before someone fired into the computer room. The man cried out as he felt the bullet hit him, like fire passing through him.

Tony heard JARVIS firing the repulsors as he fell.-