#like yeah it’s not confirmed that he was a playboy or anything but the potential is there

[agentplutonium]

Milo Greer has been in and out of relationships his whole life, practically, the phenomenon only getting worse once he moved out. The pack was used to this. So much so that they place bets for how long one of his relationships will last. But all he really wanted was just to be somebody to someone. He wanted someone to come home too.

When he found Sweetheart, that’s what he got.

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

u’re so right abt changing the narrative abt jk by the way. literally no one saw jk as the “perfect gentleman softie romantic boyfriend material” before jikookers started that narrative and it caught on even though i think most of it has no basis in reality 😭 and the narrative applies much more to members like jimin and jhope

The way in 2016 Jungkook's nickname was "international playboy" -a nickname he coined himself- and when you compare it to the nicknames people use for him now... It's fascinating as it is scary.

I don't think it was only jikookers tho, it was definitely shippers in general.

I got into BTS in June/July 2017 and it was absolutely common and normal to see people saying Jungkook was rude, or a brat, saying "I want to fight Jungkook". I remember one tumblr post that went something like "jungkook is the type of guy I want to push into the pool with his cellphone in his pocket." It was a joke; but there was a good chunk of the fandom who just felt kind of aggressively towards him. I can confirm, he was very much a DUDE, a BRO capital letters.

A lot of things changed with love yourself era, they got out a little of the Korea bubble and got a wider perception of the world, of people and other cultures. Everyone softened (Jimin also wasn't such a babyboy but I think Jimin's changes are more layered and complicated), or at least showed a softer image after DNA. That's also when JK's change of image also came about. Many things happened at the same time, it was a time of constant change.

He wasn't shipped with every member like this, I personally saw that ship frenzy increase overtime. It mostly started from 2018 onwards, like that was the time everyone got really intense with the kooktan ships. And suddenly he was like the coveted bangtan boyfriend and people moved from the "international playboy" to actually perceiving him as the maknae and baby and adored kid in the group. Which literally was not happening like that before DNA lol. But it was a really sudden change, like it was wild. It took years for the fandom to stop illogically referring to Jimin as a flirt, but it only took a few months for Jungkook to go from the fandom's international playboy to the ideal husband. And yeah, that's how ships had a huge role in that.

Before 2018, army would've never seen him as anyone's "boyfriend" or ideal partner except for maybe Taehyung's. Because taekook was a thing from the beginning, that's the only Jungkook ship that exists since forever so before 2018 it was literally only taekookers saw him as loving or seriously considered him as someone with potential of being a romantic partner.

I know gcft also played a huge role but that happened in November 2017 so I'll just round it up to 2018 which is literally two months after lol.

I've talked about this before but I will bring it up again. Jimin was such a big, huge agent of change in who JK is, and it's something that really goes over people's heads but Jungkook getting closer to Jimin affected his image and I really believe it had an impact on his personality too.

Jimin actually had an impact in who BTS as a whole is. I think it's stupid to talk of imaginary situations like "if this hadn't happened.." because things do happen, they did happen, so I usually don't talk like that but I'll make an exception now; if Jimin hadn't been part of BTS, I swear BTS would've turned out to be really pathetic men like suju or even bigbang. AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL.

I link that tweet because it's been doing its rounds since yesterday, but there are more examples to what I'm trying to convey; giving gifts, the skinship and the physical affection.

Jimin simply by unapologetically being himself did so much for them as people and also for the group as a whole and more than anything for the perception the public had of them.

[fumiko-matsubara]

List of Multi-talented AssClass Characters

This includes both characters who have actually showcased their many skills and characters who had shown potential to be multi talented.

¤ The teachers, assassins, and Gakuhou won't be included in the list as they are already a given.

Asano Gakushuu

I mean, do I even have to say anything? He's got the grades, the athleticism, the artistry, the reputation, and even being able to responsibly handle all of these at the same time. Rather than asking what else he can do, the better question is: What CAN'T he do??

This guy is the epitome of multi talented because it's not just him having a lot of skills, but you can really expect him to be good at each and every single one of them. Truly an ace.

Akabane Karma

This one is just half-assed lol. But let's be real, I can't even expressed how much of a genius this guy is, it's actually terrifying. Like imagine being able to remember the stuffs you've secretly studied for after two weeks of study ban, to the point that you managed to place 2nd in rankings among the entire 3rd years?? He's ridiculous.

I think it's just him being disinterested that's stopping him, because it should be obvious that he'd be the type to easily become scarily good at the skills he just picked up.

Isogai Yuuma

Being practical is his strongest suit. It probably stemmed from the fact that he's currently the one providing for his family, but I could totally see Isogai picking up plenty of skills just for the sake of making things easier. For all we know, he could've tried applying for different kinds of jobs that required certain skills before he settled on being a waiter.

Then top it all off with his good grades, being athletic, and leading the class well, yeah he's got it good.

Sugino Tomohito

One day we are going to have a whole discussion about Sugino having many hidden talents (that he's also VERY good at doing). Let's start off with baseball. It has been confirmed by Matsui himself that ever since Sugino had joined a local baseball team in town, along with perfecting his own curved ball pitching technique, it's been assessed that in the technical side of baseball, Sugino should have already surpassed Shindou in most areas.

As stated by Karasuma in the character book, Sugino literally has ZERO flaws in his assassination skills and if you look at his stats, there was not a single category that he was lacking in omg. Sugino had also shown exceptional skills in the art department, specifically in acting and drawing, as repeatedly praised by Korosensei.

Chiba Ryuunosuke

Being multi-talented isn't just about having as many skills as possible, it's also about being incredibly good at the skills you have even if they aren't that many. Chiba is a great example of this.

Sniping, maths, architecture, and spatial awareness ー those are some of the skills he was explicitly shown to have in canon and there is no denying that he is good at every single of one these. Not just good actually, but exceptional, to the point of being directly praised by actual professionals themselves.

Kayano Kaede

Being a gifted young actress, it would be no surprise that Kayano would have to have a very wide range of skills in order to be able to tackle any acting role given to her, which is what she was specifically known for.

And who passes the entrance exams of an academically renowned school on their first try at the last minute? She has it all lol.

Kataoka Megu

I think Megu is the type to find herself picking up skills and become good at them since she is a leader with a natural sense of responsibility. Especially when it's sports, because you're telling me that this ace swimmer with a record for freestyle swimming is also good at basketball, enough to both coach, lead, and carry her team all at the same time?? Damn.

Of course not forgetting the fact that she's also one with exceptional grades and is good at languages, Megu is defintely a well-rounded leader. Wish we could have seen more from her.

Hayami Rinka

As remarked by Koro-sensei, Hayami is a "jack of all trades but lacks in her own individuality and passion". Because she is said to be skilled enough in so many things, she became a reliable worker who people can depend on no matter what it is for as she can surely tackle them.

Perhaps a little bit too reliable? While there are some skills that she is obviously good at, like her sniping and dancing, I don't think people would really notice how much of an ace she is at first glance, likely because she wasn't being loud about it (as in she was lowkey).

Maehara Hiroto

Defintely the dress to impress type.

I am adding Maehara to this list because this dude came back 3 years later and suddenly he's good at b-boying!

He's good at sports, dancing, singing, he gets along with people, he dresses well, and for a carefree playboy like him, the last thing you would expect from him is his best subject being Maths, right?

I won't be surprised if plenty of these were just because he wanted to impress the girls he goes on dates with. If anything, it's likely lol. Whatever helps him I guess.

Bonus: Potentially multi-talented

Yada Touka

Being under the tutelage of Irina, it would be no surprise that Yada would end up wanting to expand her skillset as she'd find it beneficial for her in the future.

Nakamura Rio

Maybe because she's bored or just wants to be funny, but Nakamura had shown skills with... random stuffs (like diassembling gadgets or the ability to make geeky boys flustered with her dirty jokes through the school radio... 😭). As long as it can be funny, I think she can pick up anything she can use to toy with others.

Kurahashi Hinano

Drawing! It's surprising because no one can argue that she is the best at it among the girls, but it wasn't explicitly showcased AT ALL (if it weren't for that skills ranking in the manga extras, we wouldn't have known this). I wonder what else she's really good at that haven't been addressed.

Takebayashi Koutarou

I am adding that joke from the career chapter of Koro q that Takebayashi is apparently good enough at dancing to land a career for it 😂

But yes, he also ranked 4th best artist among the boys for being the "2D master". Being an anime fan does have plenty of perks... I wonder how good his singing is 🤔

[re-diesirae]

15. Chris

The sense of relief he felt when Leon confirmed Claire's well-being was something that Chris could not explain with words. His baby sister was safe and sound, and in Chris's eyes, that was all that mattered. Sadly, the good news got overshadowed by the report of a potential new type of B.O.W.

"Long story short, there's a high chance of a new virus development in this place. The new B.O.W.s are tough and very violent, but their movement seems restricted to nighttime. I'll explain in more detail when you get here. Claire believes there might be important information in this facility. However, that information seems to be in the underground research center, which, in my experience, must be filled with more B.O.W.s. I don't think Claire and I can handle them on our own."

"Of course, you don't! Don't you even dare to go down there until we arrive, understood? If those things are as bad as you say, make sure to stay in a safe place."

"I know, don't worry. "

"We'll talk soon, then. I gotta go."

"All right. Do you want me to hug Claire for you?"

"Don't you dare, Kennedy. Keep those charms off from my sister..."

"I'll try..."

"You..."He couldn't finish since Leon had cut off the call.

Lie a hand on her, Kennedy, and I'll make you suffer.

Chris put away the radio with annoyance and turned to the rest of his team. He saw Jill's relieved expression as she exchanged some words with the soldiers before getting to the cockpit.

"Told you that girl was a tough cookie," Barry said, patting his back, "So it seems our mission turned from rescue to something else."

" If there's a B.O.W involved, then we need to do it. I expected Neo-Umbrella to die with the events in China, but it seems we were wrong. Those bastards..."

"Tch, those leeches are hard to kill. You know that."

A soft beeping sound made Chris pull out his PDA, and he let out a soft chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"Seems like Claire and Leon decided to send us a little present," he replied, showing him the blueprints and information he had just received.

"Well, now. Look at that," Barry laughed, "Very kind of them."

"Judging by the looks, we've got a bunch of nasties awaiting us."

"Heh, when has it been different? We only need to blow them off as we always do."

"Now that's a positive way to see it," Jill smiled, walking back to them, "I just contacted HQ, and we got the green light to take on that laboratory. Our new objective is recovering the bioweapon data."

"Count on Jill to be efficient, "Barry commented, shaking his head.

"Someone has to keep things in order. There's something I am concerned about, though, those new B.O.W.s that Leon mentioned. They only come out at night?"

"Well, that's what they said, but who knows. It might not be the case. That's another thing we will need to look into to be sure. How much more before we get there?"

"Doug says that we need another three hours."

"Means we'll get there just for breakfast…" Barry said, checking his watch. "Hope those kids are getting a good night of rest 'cause this is gonna be one hell of a mission."

"Jill, did you find any clues of why would they target Claire?"

"Sadly, no. TerraSave was helpful, though. I guess they want Claire back as much as we do."

"Hell, if they do. From what Moira tells me, Claire is pretty much TerraSave's goddess by now. They must be panicking now that she's not around. Hey, that could be a reason to kidnap her."

"Yeah, but why would the terrorist group want to sabotage TerraSave?" Jil replied, crossing her arms, "They are only rescuers, so...it wouldn't make sense."

"Unless…" Chris whispered, "Claire told me some time ago that TerraSave had been helping B.S.A.A with the viral studies. That was primarily the reason for which she decided to take on virology."

"Do you think TerraSave could have found something important about the viruses?" Jill asked, "I mean, they didn't mention anything about the institution researching their own accord."

"It was a secret because they wanted to avoid this type of situation. I only knew about it because Claire told me the reason she wanted to study virology, but even then, she didn't tell me much. It was a classified matter, and I respected that. God knows how many things I've kept from her."

"Someone in B.S.A.A should know about it." Barry suggested.

"Right, we can ask that later, when Claire is back with us. Damn, I wished this plane would fly faster."

"Patience is a virtue, Chris."

"Try being patient when your little sister is sleeping somewhere surrounded by those fucking mutants."

"But at least she's not alone this time. She's got someone watching her back, and you can be sure Leon is not someone who would betray her," Barry reasoned.

"Yeah, right. A playboy with charms..."

"Hah, he may be a pretty boy, but he's got his guts. "

Chris did not reply. He knew Leon cared about Claire, but he couldn't help but doubt the man's loyalty sometimes. The agent had a soft spot for a certain Asian spy, and what was stopping him from going after her and leaving Claire behind? And because he knew his sister, was that Claire wouldn't try to stop him at all. She'd probably encourage him to go after her, which was even worse.

"Changing to a lighter topic… It's nice to see Claire's red locks are back in place." Barry said casually, and Chris knew that the man was trying to ease the mood " Can't say I wasn't surprised when she showed up to save my ass two years ago with her hair chopped off. She didn't look bad, though."

"I heard about that…" Jill said with a smile, "Those rookies from B.S.A.A were all over it, but I didn't get the chance to see her..."

"Badass, I tell you, but I like Claire with her ponytail. She's more our Claire, right Chris?" the older man snorted, elbowing the younger one.

"She won't stop being my Claire if she cuts her hair, Barry."

"Nah, I know that, but you must admit you like her with that ponytail. More like the little Claire you love, right?"

Chris wouldn't admit it out loud, but Barry was right. There was some symbolism in his sister's hairstyle. As long as she kept her casual ponytail, it felt as if things had never changed, and his sister was still that sweet little woman always following around and calling him to make sure he'd had a decent dinner. When Claire cut off her hair, Chris knew something had changed. She was a Redfield, and like him, Claire had her ways to cope with pain.

In his case, it had been the drink, not that he was that proud of it, and he had needed a hard shake off to snap out of it. In Claire's case, she had cut off her hair as a symbol of her abandoning her old self. Not many would have noticed, Claire was good at keeping things from others, but he was her brother, for god sake, he could see through her like an open book, and he had seen what the experience from two years ago had done to her.

She still smiled. She was sweet and caring like she always was, but she had lost the confident and trusting glow in her eyes.

What has all this crap done to us?

Chris would have done anything in the world to spare his sister from the horrible calamities that bioterrorism brought to the world.

"I used to have short hair too…" Jill commented.

"Yeah, I remember those times. Wow, it feels like centuries ago, when S.T.A.R.S was alive and kicking…" Barry sighed, "and when all this crap began."

"No use thinking about that now." Chris said absently, "Let's focus on our current situation, shall we?"

"As you say, captain." Barry laughed.

Chris checked his weapons and gear. There was still a long way ahead, and he needed to keep himself preoccupied.

NOTE: if you guys want to come and chat about the fic, or just about CLEON in general. Feel free to drop by the discord and say hi! JOIN SERVER

[superheroesofbothuniverses]

Natasha Gets All The Hot Guys

“Really, Natasha? You’ve added Bucky to your harem now? Why do you have to hog all the hot guys?”

Darcy griped at Black Widow as she sat across from her at the large dining table, plopping her fork down with a disgruntled air. The brand new poly four had just told the other avengers about their status and Thor had told Darcy, whose fan girl hopes and dreams were now crushed. 

“It’s not a harem, Darcy, but thank you for the mental image,” Natasha replied calmly, adding a smug wink. “Besides: you snooze, you lose.” 

They both watched as Bucky sauntered over and joined Nat, his plate groaning under the mountain of food. 

“What’s with the long face, Darce?” He asked, going to town on his steak. The blissful expression on his face made her smile in spite of herself. 

“I’m just bitter that Nat keeps snapping up all the hot dudes. Leave some for us science types. We need love too, ya know.” 

She made a pouty face at him and he chuckled.

“Sorry, doll,” he said sympathetically. “We all kind of lost touch with the rest of you and things kind of…..fell into place. Heard you’ve been busy getting your PhD. Probably didn’t leave you much time for finding a man.”

Darcy smiled. 

“Yeah, that’s true,” she admitted. “But I really am happy for you all. Steve looks ridiculously happy and it’s adorable. And you and Sam flirting in the gym? Hilarious.”

She rubbed her hands together gleefully.

Bucky raised his eyebrows.

“You been spying, Darce? I’ve never seen you in the gym.”

Darcy grinned evilly.

“I will not reveal my sources.” 

Bucky gave her an exasperated look, but he was smiling. 

“You always were a little shit, Lewis. Seems that nothing has changed.” 

“Nope!” she declared cheerfully. “Someone’s gotta keep you heroes on your toes. I’m grateful they invited me to this shindig. The food is top notch.”

It was basically a glorified reunion and celebration over the abolishment of the Accords. In the beginning, they’d seemed like a good idea to some of them, but after the bitter fall out of their fights and the subsequent reality of just how problematic the Accords actually were, well, no one wanted anything to do with them. Darcy had never trusted anyone named Ross and wasn’t about to start now. 

She pushed her empty plate away from her with a satisfied sigh.

“Well, I’m gonna go bother Captain Spangles for a few minutes. Enjoy your red meat.”

Getting up from the table, she sauntered over to Steve who was chatting happily with Sam, Scott, and Wanda. 

Bucky returned to his meal with relish, only stopping when he’d demolished everything on his plate. Nat had scooted her chair closer to his and was leaning against him contentedly, caressing his metal arm. 

“You know, James, I’m thinking I know of a “hot guy” that would be an interesting match for Darcy.” 

“Do you now?” Bucky asked, smirking at the idea of Nat matchmaking again. Her skill set made her very good at finding potential dates for other people and he’d learned to just roll with it. 

“Yep. He was pretty insufferable and immature back in the day, but the last time I worked with him, he seemed to have grown up a lot. He would give Darcy a run for her money, I believe.”

“Do I know him?” Bucky asked curiously, wracking his brain.

“You know him as Flame Boy,” she told him, grinning at Bucky’s expression as he understood who she meant. They’d met the Fantastic Four briefly and Clint’s old nickname for Johnny had stuck, much to the man’s displeasure. 

“Oh man,” he chuckled. “This is gonna be good.” 

Two weeks later, Darcy was hiding from yet another alien invasion and being frustrated that her taser did not affect the creatures. 

“Please tell me you’re sending help!” She yelled into her phone to Clint.

“We are, but it’s not who you might expect. Stark had to call in extra help, because these things are multiplying really fast.”

“Just tell me who it is!” She snapped impatiently, braining an alien lizard thing with a brick. The creatures weren’t all that bright, but there were a LOT of them. 

“The Human Torch, aka Flame Boy,  is gonna zoom by in a minute and take you to to the tower.”

“Human Torch? What kind of dumb name is that?” Darcy scoffed. Clint had already hung up, so she returned to her attempts to not get eaten. Another five lizard things surrounded her and she almost groaned in despair. Just as she had resigned herself to being lizard chow, a car screeched to a stop and a ball of fire flew overhead and right at the creatures, bombarding them with flames and sending them screeching away, howling in pain. She gaped in awe as the ball of fire landed a few yards away and revealed itself as a man wearing a tight fireproof suit. As the flames died away, she stared in shock at the smiling face of Johnny Storm himself. 

“Dr. Lewis?” he asked. “I’m here with your ride.”

He gestured towards a very shiny bright yellow Lamborghini and Darcy felt a touch faint. 

“You’re the Human Torch?” she asked cautiously. 

“Yep.”  He confirmed, with a nod and smile that reminded her a lot of Steve Rogers. “I’d suggest we get out of here before more of those things show up. Like my chariot?”

“It’s pretty sweet, I admit,” Darcy said as he unlocked the doors and opened hers for her.

“Ohh. A gentleman.” She said teasingly. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Mr. Serial Seducer.” 

She had heard tales of Johnny’s bedroom exploits, but had never heard his superhero moniker. It definitely made sense, now. 

Johnny’s face turned red, but he took the jibe in stride. 

“Occasionally, I have my moments,” he said, giving her a smirk as he started the car and got them the heck out of there. 

“So, Astrophysics?” He asked her as he took a shortcut down a side street to avoid a blocked off street chocked with lizard things. Thy looked a lot like the Gorns from Star Trek, Darcy thought with a shudder.

“Yes.” She nodded proudly. “I’m surprised you knew that.”

“A certain distant cousin of mine thinks of you very highly and made sure I was properly briefed,” Johnny said. “There may have been threats of bodily harm if I said something inappropriate.”

Darcy leaned her head back and laughed until her sides ached. Well known playboy Johnny was related to straight laced Steve Rogers? The universe sure did have a sense of humor. She imagined Steve threatening Johnny and wheezed as tears of mirth streamed down her cheeks. 

“Well, I can very much see the family resemblance,” she giggled. “Looks only, though. Oh, my gosh, this is the best.” 

“I’m glad you think so.” Johnny said with a reluctant chuckle. His annoyance at yet another comparison to Rogers was dampened by how adorable her laugh was. He thought he could listen to that for hours. 

“Steve said you’d taze me in the balls if I said something gross.”

“He was right, bless him,” Darcy said, appreciating Steve even more. “But seriously, that flame ball was awesome.”

“It comes in handy sometimes,” Johnny said with surprising modesty. Darcy looked him over again and wondered if the years had toned him down from the egotistical kid he’d once been. It was a good look on him, she thought. 

“Steve failed to mention just how pretty you are,” Johnny said after a few beats of silence. “Does the man have eyes?”

“He does, but only for a certain fly boy and two deadly assassins,” Darcy said, laughing and blushing a bit at the compliment. 

Johnny’s eyebrows flew up.

“Wow, Cap’s got game! But he must care about his friends, too or he wouldn’t get so protective over you.”

“He’s a good dude,” Darcy agreed, as the car pulled into the tower parking area. Security was tight, but Darcy flashed her ID and soon they were parking. 

Johnny got out and once again opened the door for her.

“Well, hopefully we’ll run into each other again,” he said, trying to sound casual. Darcy got the sense he was very interested, but reining himself in. It was rather cute. 

“Maybe we will, Preferably when there’s no lizard aliens trying to eat us,” she replied. “Stark’s got a big charity gala coming up and I may be there.”

He broke out in a grin and nodded.

“Good to know. Stay safe, Doctor. I’m gonna go scorch some more lizards.”

“Don’t get dead, flame boy!” She called over her shoulder as she turned away. Surprisingly, Darcy looked forward to getting to know what made Johnny Storm tick. Maybe her luck had finally changed. If he turned out to be a keeper, she was not gonna let Nat snatch him up, no sireee. 

[blackbabybird]

Forgiven - Chapter 3 - An Invitation

warnings: pining, bad words. just stick around we’re about to get to the action, but i gotta set the scene first. also song has nothing to do with chapter, just a good song. another thing, i messed up the timeline, i’ll fix it later, but everything is good right now. enjoy!! :)

‘Cause even when you're afraid I could be your remedy

~ Only A Fool by Galantis, Ship Wrek, & Pink Sweat$

I sat in front of the Batcomputer looking through the proposal that Isley had gave to me. It was some older building near the rougher edges to Gotham. In all honestly, it was a shithole. Yet, Staya chose this place. I just haven’t quite figured out why yet, and nor did Isley choose to share the information with me. 

While I continue to look through files and the paperwork, a chime goes off from the Batcomputer. I click to answer.

“Bruce! How’s the party planning coming along?” Dick sing-songs.

“It’s not coming because I’m not going to have one,” I sigh out.

“Uh-oh,” Dick starts, “What’s got that bat brain of yours all out of whack?”

I consider my options. Dick is one of my best friends, but even he didn’t know about Isley. She wasn’t something I spoke about often. A deep and distant memory that I preferred not to dwell on. However, telling Dick about the proposal might allow a new light to dwell on it. 

“C’mon Bruce, some of us don’t own billionaire dollar companies and can take long lunch breaks, what’s up?” Dick voice rings through computer.

“It’s actually a trillion dollar company,” I deadpan, “I had a, uh, old friend come by yesterday.”

“Old friend? Since when do you have anyone else other than me and Alfred?” Dick teases. 

I exhale deeply ignoring his comments, “As I was saying, she said she had a business proposal for me. It’s an old building, near the rougher parts of town. Near the docks. She said a friend wanted to build a metahuman center of hope for those trafficked.”

“Wait, the friend was a girl. A woman? Everyday B, you surprise me even more.”

I just grunt. “Are you going to say anything important or just insult me?”

“Trust me when I say, I can do both. I’ll leave it at that, but I don’t know B, what’s wrong with a metahuman trafficking center? Maybe your friends’ friend had very little and wanted to do what she could,” Dick says non-chalantly. 

Before I could interject, he continues, “However, I know that if your gut feeling has you feeling icky about this, it might be worth checking out. Plus your brain just wouldn’t be able to let it go. Who owned the building?”

“Public records indicate it hasn’t been owned for over 30 years. The owners were couple named Earl and Gina Ginsaw, but when they left the bank just liquidated it.”

“That is normal, how far did you dig into Earl and Gina?” Dick asks. 

“Not much, middle-aged couple. Earl worked for a rig transport, hence living near the docks, and the wife was a school teacher at Gotham Middle.” 

“Cause of death?” 

“Earl’s was a work incident, but Gina,” I pause, squinting at what I was reading, “She got remarried it looks like.”

“Woah, remarried right after her husband’s death? Sounds like she really mourned,” Dick chews out sarcastically. “So who’s the new husband?”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing at the Batcomputer. “I have to go. See you here. 6pm.” 

I quickly hang up the phone and search Isley’s name. I finally was getting answers to questions, but Isley needed to be here to confirm. A phone number pops up and I start dialing. 

///

“Okay, Phoebe, what’s this week’s potentials?” I ask. 

“As per usual, a bunch of domestic abuse cases. Ooh, a stolen ring.” I just look at her blankly. “Oh-kaaaay. Here’s a good one, missing kid.”

I perk up at the sound of that, “Let me see?”

She shrugs her shoulders and hands me the file.

MISSING CHILD: AMOS HENRY GODHAM

AGE: 13 / HAIR: BLACK / EYES: BLACK / RACE: BLACK/AFR. AMER.

LAST SEEN: CORK COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL, FISHENS, INDIANA

I looked at the picture of the little boy. He had a wide gap in between his teeth and a fade. So much life and light behind his dark brown eyes. “You good?” Phoebe’s voice jolts me out of my thoughts, “I think if you squeeze that styrofoam cup any harder you’ll spill the perfectly good coffee I bought you.”

“Yeah,” I breathe out, “Uh, I’ll take this case.”

“The missing kid? Send a notice to the others?” I nod fiddling with my bottom lip. 

Phoebe just nods and leaves the office. A buzz goes off. I reach for my phone. 

Maybe ‘Bruce’: Hey, this is Bruce.

Me: thought you’d be more of a phone call kind of guy, bruce

bruce wayne: I am. I’ve thought about your proposal.

The nervousness sets in.

Me: rejection through text? if so, just shred the files. 

bruce wayne: Opposite. I’m throwing an event this weekend. You should come.

A party? What the hell? I consider my options. Bruce, despite his playboy demeanor, has always been calculated. Not much of a risk taker. He was safe and that’s why you fell for him. I shake my head of unnecessary thoughts based on my previous encounters with Gotham’s Main Man. I type my response.

Me: i need to grab some of staya’s stuff anyways. what time? dress code?

bruce wayne: Six. Fancy.

“Never were one for extra words, were you Mr. Wayne,” I said to no one in particular. 

“We still on for lunch today, girly?” Phoebe says popping her head through my office door. 

I give her a small smile and grab my wallet, “Yeah, absolutely.”

[takaraphoenix]

For your Marvel venture, how about a Stephen/Tony fic where they meet for the first time and Stephen wants to date Tony. Only, Stephen as someone who has never been fond of kids has to get use to the idea since Tony has a son, Peter. Will Stephen stick around or will his aversion to kids stop him from potentially the best relationship he’ll ever have? Oh! Maybe a shovel talk from Peter to add to it! All this is of course in the Marvel AU and they all have their powers. Just a thought!

Tony Stark and Doctor Stephen Strange were the perfect match. The newspapers loved it.

Popular playboy Tony Stark finally settling down with someone. And not just anyone. No, a world-renewed neurosurgeon. Both were handsome, wealthy men who visually alone made for such a good couple. The newspapers were plastered with their faces, them arm in arm at some kind of charity gala, smiling for the camera, press conferences.

Sure, they had to deal with their share of homophobic idiocy. And Tony swore that if he had to spell out that he was bisexual one more time, he was going to riot. Reporters asking if that now meant that he was gay, or if he was going to get back together with Pepper.

Things with Pepper hadn't lasted and weren't meant to last. She didn't want him to be Iron Man, he was Iron Man – not just a persona, it was a part of who he was at his core. And then things also changed when Tony decided he wanted to be a father, while Pepper was not ready for that step. Tony understood that, he respected that – especially since she had just made career as the CEO of Stark Industries. That wasn't for her life-situation and it wasn't for them together.

So they had broken up, Tony got the shrapnel out and hit it off with his surgeon after things had healed. And it had started out as just sex. They had great chemistry, just fun. And then they got attached to each other and the press started trailing them around and somehow, accidentally, sex turned into something more. Into an actual, real relationship.

"So, now that we're apparently serious, according to the Times, I think it's time you meet my kids."

He was sprawled out on Stephen's chest, in Stephen's loft. The view was magnificent. Both, outside the large windows and on the bed. Stephen was quite the looker. Grinning to himself, Tony turned around and started running his fingers over Stephen's chest curiously.

Tony had taken three orphaned teenagers in, months after his break-up with Pepper, fostering them and making public statements about helping children who had a harder time getting a second chance. But back then, Tony and Stephen had barely just started sleeping around and Stephen hadn't worried about this. He had thought it would just stay a casual affair.

Because Stephen was not a fan of children – he never wanted children of his own. Back then, he had assumed that him and Tony would just have some equally beneficial sex.

Yet here he was, with the billionaire in his arms, looking up at him with those soft brown doe-eyes of his and the long lashes that Stephen wouldn't mind counting, had attempted to count on some evenings when Tony would just fall asleep on top of him on the couch and he didn't want to wake the other. Maybe that alone had already been a dead giveaway. Stephen had grown fond of Tony. He had developed serious feelings for Tony and, according to Christina, Tony was actually good for Stephen. Though Stephen refused to believe that.

"Well, there's some things we've been trying to keep out of the press", replied Tony with an innocent look on his face. "See, there's... So they didn't exactly find their way into my life through an adoption agency. It was more... a rip in time and space."

"Are you implying your children are from an alternate reality? And who exactly..."

"Come to dinner at the tower this weekend, mh?", suggested Tony amused.

He leaned in and kissed Stephen gently. The question was... what did Stephen want? He really was not a children-person. He never wanted children. But he truly cared about Tony. When the inventor smiled, it actually took Stephen's breath away. Stephen had even grown fond of the bots and he had come to appreciate the banter with Jarvis. What did Stephen want...?

/break\

Bruce smiled amused where he was leaning against the counter in the kitchen. He had been living at the tower for over a year now, since the attack on New York. And for the past few months, he had been listening to Tony talk sweetly about Stephen – Stephen's eyes, his well-groomed goatee, his abs, his snark. Honestly, Bruce could write a ballad about Stephen by now, from listening to Tony.

What Bruce had also been there for however was Thor's last big visit here. Well, not that Thor had contacted any of the Avengers. He just, dealt with an Infinity Stone, had it rip a literal tear into the fabric of reality and then left again with the source of it all, but leaving the mess behind.

Jane Foster had come to find the Avengers – explaining it to them what had happened and where all those strange things had come from. Because Thor had not noticed the ripple-effect. Other realities had bled into theirs. Monsters, villains... and three teenagers.

Apparently, the Avengers existed in most realities, in some way or shape. So all three teenagers had somehow found their way to the tower, hoping for help from the Avengers. Needless to say, Jane, Tony, Bruce, Steve, Natasha and Clint had looked justifiably stunned when three teenagers dressed as spiders had appeared. They all had come from different realities. While the Avengers went out to gather up anything and anyone who had slipped through the cracks, the three teenagers somehow got comfortable at the tower, where – despite Tony's invitation after the invasion – only Bruce and Tony lived. While Bruce was fine being the 'cool uncle' (Peter's words, not his. Whatever was cool about a tired middle-aged scientist. "You're the Doctor Bruce Banner!", was the answer he usually got in return), Tony had taken a more... parental role in the teens' lives.

"So the doc's really coming over for dinner, huh?", asked Miles.

"Stephen. Yes", confirmed Tony. "And I need you all to be on your best behavior."

"Aren't we always?", asked Gwen with the brightest, most innocent smile.

"The most innocent, sis", confirmed Peter, batting his eyelashes at Tony.

Tony heaved a deep sigh and threw his hands up in the air. "No spidering! No one should know you have powers, especially not my very normal, totally regular boyfriend."

"Your very normal, totally regular boyfriend is a millionaire neurosurgeon. Dunno how regular or normal that is in this reality, but it sure is not in mine", pointed Miles out, eyebrows raised.

"It's normal by Tony-standards", assured Bruce lightly.

"Et tu, Bruce-tus?", gasped Tony.

Bruce chuckled and shook his head, not commenting otherwise. He did wonder whether or not the three spiderlings would manage to keep their powers to themselves for long enough though. And how good Strange was going to handle this all. This was going to be a very interesting dinner and he had already inquired with Jarvis to take a highlight reel of it.

/break\

The teenagers were making Stephen uncomfortable. Gwendolyne – or Gwanda, as Miles kept calling her? - had messy blonde hair with pink-dyed tips, wearing a white hoodie and chewing pink bubblegum in quite the obnoxious manner. The two boys, Miles and Peter, were bent over a piece of paper together, doing what looked like homework. Or, well, Peter was anyway. Miles kept doodling in the corners and every now and again filling out a formula when Peter was stuck.

"I'm trying to keep them straight-", started Stephen.

"That won't work. I'm asexual", interrupted Peter.

"To—otally a huge lesbian over here", called Gwen out, waving one hand without looking up from her phone and still typing on it with the other.

"Bisexual", piped Miles up, looking at Stephen with a grin.

Taking a deep breath, Stephen closed his eyes and counted to five. This was part of the reason why he did not want children. They were exhausting. Opening his eyes, he turned toward Tony, who stood in the kitchen in an apron. He had ordered in from his favorite Italian place (Stephen had seen the containers earlier) and was currently pretending he had cooked it. Just seeing that and hearing Tony's laughter at what the children had said was enough to make Stephen smile.

"Not the straight I meant", sighed Stephen. "Keeping you... apart."

"Yeah. Pete and I are a regular set of twins", agreed Miles, looking Peter up and down. "Don't know how anyone can keep us apart, huh?"

"It's like looking into a mirror", confirmed Peter seriously.

Again, Stephen closed his eyes and counted to five. "Again, not what I meant."

"Stop giving Stephen a hard time, kids!", warned Tony from the kitchen, sounding amused.

"Sorry, dad", chorused the three teenagers innocently.

"Okay, what do you wanna know, doc?", asked Gwen, finally putting her phone down.

"Tony explained to me that all three of you come from alternate realities. Different ones or the same?", inquired Stephen. "And are you... looking for a way back, or is the..."

"He wants to hear our sob-stories", concluded Gwen and nodded. "Mom's not interested in me and my dad was a cop before he died. I've kinda been doing a solo thing until, well, reality broke."

"Villain attack", was all Miles stated with a half-shrug.

"My parents died when I was really young and my aunt and uncle raised me... until a robber killed them both", tagged Peter on, looking away. "Guess that happened differently in this reality. This reality's Peter Parker still has his aunt May at least."

"So the actual reason why Tony has been keeping you out of the press is because you all... exist twice now", questioned Stephen curiously, leaning forward.

"Nope", replied Miles. "Time seems to work differently in this reality compared to mine. In mine, Peter's like an old man. Like, really old. About as old as you and Tony. My... parents are around though. Heh. Still high school age. I'm not born yet."

"But since Peter exists here, we are keeping a low profile too. Wouldn't want anyone digging too deep and finding out that we don't exist here", tagged Gwen on. "Even though Jarvis did a bang job on making us fake birth certificates and backgrounds and all."

"Thank you, Gwen", chimed Jarvis in, sounding indeed quite proud.

"And neither of you are planning to return to your own reality?", asked Stephen slowly.

"I mean...", started Miles and shifted some. "I dunno. It's not like that's an option. Not any time soon. And Tony, Peter and Gwen have been more family than I had since my parents died..."

"Oh, I am definitely here to stay", grunted Gwen. "Nothing to return to."

Which, was true. Ghost-Spider had been framed for her own parents' murder. There really was nothing left for Gwen to return to. She'd rather stay here, become an Avenger – 'When you are older, young lady', had been what Captain Rogers had said with both eyebrows raised.

Stephen nodded slowly, a frown on his face. Gwen grinned amused and turned to look at Miles and Peter. Oh, Stephen was most definitely not ready for a relationship with a man with three kids and he was kind of hoping for an easy out, like them leaving. They were not going to leave. Peter had contemplated it, thought about contacting May from this world, but they didn't even know if this world's Peter was a Spider-Man and things would just get too complicated – and also, Peter had grown attached to Miles and Gwen, as the siblings he never had, and he had always admired Tony Stark, even in his own reality, so to live here under his guidance was amazing.

That did not stop the kids from giving Tony's boyfriend a hard time though. The three had agreed upon that. Over the past months of living here, they had grown very attached to Tony. Sure, Tony could not replace any of their parents from their own worlds, but those were gone – both, their parents as well as their worlds. And Tony was here, he was here for them. And the trio knew that Tony's heart was fragile. Not just literally due to the whole scarring and shrapnel that had been in it and all, but also because he loved and tended to get his heart broken. Not that they blamed Pepper for the breakup, sure they were teens but they understood that two people with fundamentally different life-goals were not meant to last. Still, it had left Tony in pieces.

They weren't going to allow a stranger to come into their family and break Tony any more. If this Strange fella couldn't handle three teens, he'd have to go; because Tony had made it clear that he would have the kids with him as long as they wanted to stay.

"Now, dinner is ready!", exclaimed Tony, carrying a tray over with a smile.

The teens cleared out to go and help set the table. Stephen remained seated, staring after them with a thoughtful and partially frustrated expression on his face. Those children... meant the world to Tony. He turned slightly to look at Tony, who put the food down and went to kiss his temples.

"They're not giving you too hard a time, right?", whispered Tony concerned.

"No, absolutely not", assured Stephen with a thin smile.

It was so important to Tony that Stephen got along with the kids. And... Stephen had come to care too much about Tony to even want to imagine the disappointed and heartbroken look on his face if that weren't the case – no, not the 'l'-word, regardless of how much Christina insisted on it, Stephen was most definitely not in love with Tony Stark. Dimples and puppy-dog eyes be damned. It wasn't like Stephen had gotten lost in honey-colored eyes for minutes on end just listening to Tony tell some kind of story of what the Avengers had been up to, or what science project him and Bruce were working on. And Stephen had most definitely not adjusted his own play-list according to songs that Tony sang along to in the shower, shaking his (very perfectly shaped) ass to it. No, Stephen had most definitely not gotten used to waking up with the billionaire in his arms and had not come to thoroughly enjoy their routine of grooming their goatees over banter.

...Damn it, Stephen had fallen in love with Tony Stark.

"Sir, there appears to be an emergency", interrupted Jarvis.

"What. No. No emergencies. Only family dinner. We agreed on this. Steve promised to cover for me and even Bruce said he'd let the Hulk out before they'd call me", complained Tony.

"The Hulk is out and Captain Rogers has what you have previously described as a 'guilty puppy' look on his face, sir", replied Jarvis. "I'm sorry, sir, but Doctor Doom has let loose a dozen doombots that have torn down large parts of downtown."

"Doombots?", echoed Peter and squinted. "I could take out a dozen doombots-"

Gwen elbowed Peter with a pointed glare. Their powers needed to stay a secret. Even though Peter was right. The teens could take care of doombots on their own, why couldn't the Avengers?

"Apparently, the attack was aimed at the Enchantress and there is a... squabble going on between her and Doctor Doom", elaborated Jarvis. "The combination of them is what proves a problem."

Tony heaved a sigh, but Stephen already reached out to squeeze his hand. "It's fine, Tony. Go, save the city. We can heat dinner up later and eat it."

That made Tony smile, albeit only faintly. This was why he had fallen in love with Stephen. While in disbelief about some of the things Tony encountered, he was also supportive of Tony's choice to be out there as a hero. Leaning in, Tony kissed Stephen briefly before making his way out.

"So... wanna play a card-game while we wait, doc?", asked Miles slowly.

Stephen looked mildly constipated at that, making Gwen and Peter grin. For now, they put the food away again to be heated up later on. Gwen went back on her phone and Peter and Miles returned their attention to their homework for now. Stephen however found his way over toward the large windows to watch – the tower was high and Tony lived in the penthouse. He could see where the fight happened. And it was... disturbingly close. Stephen frowned concerned as the battle seemed to move closer toward them and at a rapid speed – especially when Jarvis' alarm sounded.

"The battle seems headed this way. We should...", started Stephen cautiously.

"Move to sir's private panic-room", continued Jarvis for them.

Gwen, Peter and Miles got up and led the way. They kept side-eyeing Stephen, who misunderstood.

"It's okay", assured Stephen, back straight as the door closed behind the three inside the panic-room. "Tony is amazing, he will solve this in no time."

"That's... we're not worried about him", offered Gwen, trying to hide her amusement.

Of course. They were worried about themselves. They were just helpless children, after all. Stephen frowned as he stood tall in front of them, reaching out in a protective manner.

"It will all be fine", tried Stephen, voice softer. "I won't let anyone hurt you, you're safe with me."

The three teens exchanged small grins as they huddled close, trying to act like the frightened teens Stephen assumed them to be. Okay, maybe this doc wasn't so bad after all. Even though he was clearly uncomfortable with the teenagers, he was still trying to be reassuring and even promised to protect them. He seemed to really care a great deal about Tony.

/break\

"I'm so sorry", sighed Tony frustrated as he leaned against Stephen's chest. "We didn't even get to eat properly. Stupid Doom. And I left you at the wolves' mercy for hours."

"It was no problem", chuckled Stephen, kissing Tony gently. "They have taught me a lot about... Star Wars. More than I ever thought I'd need to know, really."

Tony laughed softly, nuzzling Stephen's neck. "Good night, Stephen. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it is", confirmed Stephen. "And Doom won't ruin our date."

Tony smiled to himself as he watched Stephen go. When he turned around again, he was faced by three teasingly grinning teenagers. Oh, those three just lived to torment and tease him.

"So... what's the verdict?", asked Tony a little nervously. "Oh god, you hate him. He was... too stiff? Not up on his memes? What is it. Tell me."

Peter walked up to him... and then just hugged him, wrapping his arms around Tony's neck. Miles and Gwen attached themselves to him from either side, confusing Tony even more.

"We like him, dad", assured Peter, squeezing tighter (too tight, super-strong spider-boy).

"Yeah. He's not up on his memes, but that's okay. We can teach him", chuckled Miles.

"Besides, he makes you happy and he seems to care a great deal about you. That's all that matters", tagged Gwen on with a grin. "Though... I wonder how good he'll handle it when he learns his three future step-children actually have super-powers."

"Hey, it's a crazy world, maybe he'll end up gaining super-powers too?", joked Miles.

Tony just laughed breathlessly and relieved as he hugged his kids.

 ~*~ The End ~*~

Read this here on FFNet & here on AO3!

[a7xlizardqueen]

A Life to Remember

TITLE: A Life to Remember CHAPTER NUMBER: 5/? AUTHOR: a7xlizardqueen GENRE: DRAMA/ROMANCE FIC SUMMARY: A woman is found alongside Captain America in Antarctica. Who, and what, she is is a mystery. RATINGS: M (violence, language, eventual sex) WARNINGS: None

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter Five

"So this Poison Ivy uses toxins from plants to incapacitate her enemies?" Sylvie confirmed with Tony and Bruce. They each nodded their heads, "You know, that's actually not a bad idea."

"Gosh, I'm really liking you," Tony said. "But get your feet off my desk."

"Sorry," Sylvie muttered, taking her bare feet off the desk Tony was working at. As soon as she'd decided to stay in the lab with Bruce and Tony she'd shed her shoes and jacket, leaving her in a thin white cotton button-up. "Do you think Fury could get me access to seeds from all around the world?"

"I don't see why not," Bruce answered, "He seems to have access to anything he wants."

"What kind of plants we talking here?" Tony asked.

"Oh there are several that can cause severe abdominal discomfort, seizures, and depending on the dose, death. Cicuta maculata, atropa belladona, ricinus communis."

"And you lost me," Tony said.

"Um, water hemlock, nightshade, and castor bean. All very poisonous if ingested. There is also the manchineel tree, whose sap, when touched, can cause severe blistering of the skin."

"How do you know so much about these plants?" Bruce asked curiously.

Sylvie shrugged, "I know of every plant and animal on this Earth. I always have."

"Tell me something, Miss De La Mer, are you nervous?" Tony asked suddenly.

"No," Sylvie frowned. "Why?"

"You keep pulling on the collar of your shirt. Kind of the same way Bruce rubs his hands together."

"Oh, that, well, I'm not exactly comfortable. But I'm not nervous."

"Why aren't you comfortable?" Tony asked. Apparently he needed something to keep him entertained while he waited for his encryption to finish. "Is it because of Bruce?"

Bruce raised his head to look over at them at the sound of his name.

"Bruce doesn't make me nervous. That's an odd thing to say. Far from it, I find him rather fascinating."

"Fascinating," Tony repeated, mulling over the word, "Hmm. So why are you uncomfortable, then?"

"For all S.H.I.E.L.D.'s efforts in finding me suitable clothing, I just don't feel right wearing them."

"Then why do you?"

"Because Steve has informed me that it is not proper to be nude in public."

Tony snorted, "What does he know, he's been frozen for seventy years."

Sylvie gasped, "It wouldn't bother you?"

"We're all human," Tony shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, Tony, you're amazing!" Sylvie cried, promptly removing her white shirt and jeans. "This feels so much better."

"Wait, wait, wait a second," Bruce tried to interrupt but Sylvie hadn't been listening. She stretched her arms above her head, savouring the feeling of the air soothing her skin. She hadn't had to wear clothing for that long of a period of time since she'd woken from the ice. It felt wonderful to be herself around other people.

Sylvie pulled one of the seeds from her pocket and allowed the Morning Glory vine to grow up her arm, down her chest and up into her hair. She took her seat again between Tony and Bruce, ready to watch their work, and she idly braided the vines through her hair. It wasn't for another few moments that she realized neither of the men were working. Tony was staring openly at her and Bruce was trying his best not to.

Tony smirked, "Yep. Just what I needed."

Sylvie rolled her eyes and then looked at Bruce expectantly. He finally looked over at her, his eyes glazed over.

He gulped slowly, "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Sylvie smiled and upon noticing Bruce's watch beeping steadily faster drew another seed from her pocket. The lavender bloomed brightly and it's fragrant scent calmed him. Slowly the men went back to working and Sylvie returned to watching them.

-X-X-X-

"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?" Fury bellowed as he rushed in to the lab.

Tony was seated on the desk, Bruce standing behind him, both still nice and calm from the effects of the lavender. Sylvie lounged behind them on a chair. Tony's encryption was done, and Bruce had finally finished his equation to track down the Cube. They were now going through various files on the S.H.I.E.L.D. database and had just come across one named Phase 2.

"Kind of been wondering the same about you," Tony replied.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."

"We are. The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now." Bruce said. "When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

"Yeah, then you'll get your Cube back. No muss, no fuss." Tony added. "What's Phase 2?"

A loud thud echoed from the other end of the room as Steve appeared, with what seemed to be a large weapon. "Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the Cube to make weapons. Sylvie, why are you naked?"

Sylvie rushed to hide herself behind Bruce who quickly raised his hands in the air.

"Sorry, Steve, I didn't know you were coming back right away," she apologized, grabbing her discarded shirt and jeans and quickly pulling them on, "Tony said it was okay."

Steve sighed and glared at Tony, "Sylvie, some men will say that with the express purpose of seeing you naked."

Sylvie smirked at Tony who did nothing to hide the fact that Steve's statement was true.

"Tony, all you had to do was ask."

"I really like this girl," Tony quipped.

"Any way," Steve said, getting back on track, "Computer was moving a little slow for me."

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're making -"

"I'm sorry, Nick," Tony said, pulling up the Phase 2 file, showing blue prints for various types of weaponry, "What were you lying?"

"I was wrong Director. The world hasn't changed a bit," Steve said as Thor and Natasha joined them.

"Did you know about this?" Bruce asked Natasha.

"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?" she suggested.

"I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed."

"Loki is manipulating you."

"And you've been doing what, exactly?"

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you."

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of him," Fury finally answered, pointing at Thor.

"Me?" Thor asked, confused.

"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet."

"But you aren't the only people out there, are you? And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, that can't be controlled."

"Like you controlled the Cube?" Steve asked.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies," Thor said. "It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" Fury exclaimed. "You forced our hand. We had to come up with something."

"A nuclear deterrent. Because that always calms everything right down." Tony quipped.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?"

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep -" Steve began to say before he was interrupted by Tony.

"Hold on, how is this now about me?"

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?"

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor butt in.

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury retorted.

"You treat your champions with such mistrust."

"Are you boys really that naive?" Natasha interrupted. "S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors potential threats."

"Captain America's on threat watch?" Bruce snorted.

"We all are," Natasha replied.

"Wait, you're on that list?" Tony asked Steve, "Are you above or below angry bees?"

"Stark, so help me God if you make one more wisecrack," Steve warned.

"Threat!" Tony exclaimed. "Verbal threat. I feel threatened."

"Show some respect."

"Respect what?"

Sylvie watched as each person in the room continued to argue. The room seemed to buzz with tension. Why didn't she feel angry? Perhaps it had something to do with her plants still snaked around her, or the lavender that was still in the air.

"Everybody calm down!" Sylvie tried to call out but the noise created by their voices speaking over one another was too great.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos," Thor said.

"That's his M.O., isn't it?" Bruce pointed out. "I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb."

Sylvie stiffened as she realized Bruce was creeping closer to the sceptre. He wasn't calming down and if he got his hands on the sceptre, who knew what he would do.

"You need to step away," Fury stated.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked, placing his hand on Steve's shoulder.

Steve batted him away, "You know damn well why. Back off!"

"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me."

"Yeah. Big man in a suit of armour. Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

"I think I would just cut the wire."

Steve smiled, "Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

"Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds."

Sylvie rushed forward, placing herself in between the two men. "Stop. Both of you. Can't you realize that the sceptre is twisting your minds? Steve, you would never speak this way to anyone."

"You people are so petty and tiny," Thor chuckled.

"Yeah, this is a team," Sylvie muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his -"

"Where? You rented my room," Banner scoffed.

"The cell was just in case -"

"In case you needed to kill me. But you can't. I know, I've tried."

The room became utterly silent after Bruce's confession. Sylvie felt an ache in her heart at the thought of Bruce hating himself so much that he would try to end his life.

"I got low. I didn't see an end. So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk." Bruce's hand reached out for the sceptre. "You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?"

Bruce's fingers closed around the sceptre and began to bring it in front of him. Sylvie noticed both Fury and Natasha unlock their gun holsters. Before anything else could happen she slowly stepped forward, shrugged off Steve's attempt to hold her back and had a fresh lavender bloom on her shoulder.

"Bruce," she said softly, bringing his attention to her. This time his eyes didn't glaze over with what Sylvie was sure was lust, he remained angry. "Put down the sceptre."

And with just those four words the trance on Bruce was gone. He looked down at his hand in confusion, wondering when and how the sceptre had gotten there. His computer chimed, signalling that the Tesseract had been found. Slowly and carefully, Bruce set the sceptre back down on the table.

"I got it," he said, moving towards the computer screens, "Sorry, kids, you don't get to see my party trick after all."

"You located the Tesseract?" Natasha asked, following him.

"I could get there fastest," Tony announced.

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard. No human is a match for it." Thor declared.

Steve grabbed Tony's arm when he attempted to depart. "You're not going alone."

"You're gonna stop me?"

"Put on the suit, let's find out."

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man."

"Put on the suit."

"Boys, come on!" Sylvie yelled, frustrated.

"Oh, my God," Bruce exclaimed just before a blast ripped in to the helicarrier, sending a stream of fire up from under their feet, scattering them all apart.

When Sylvie looked up she was sprawled out between Tony and Steve. They looked at each other over her head and for a moment she was afraid they would start bickering again.

"Put on the suit," Steve said scrambling to his feet.

"Yeah," Tony agreed.

Steve held on to one of Sylvie's arms to help keep her steady. She grabbed her jacket, throwing it over her shoulders and followed them through the maze of hallways.

"There's an engine down. I need to get to it outside. Care to give me a hand, Cap?"

Steve nodded.

"I don't think I'll be much help," Sylvie said, "I'll go see if I can find Natasha and Bruce."

"Be careful," Steve said.

With a grin Sylvie reached up to snake her fingers behind Steve's neck. She pulled him down towards her so fast he had no time to react. Her lips met his in a hungry kiss. When she pulled away Steve had a far-off look on his face.

"What was that for?" he smirked.

"Well, seeing as I can't remember whether I've kissed anyone or not, I figured I'd do it now. You know, just in case I die today."

"You're not dying today, Sylvie," Steve said.

"That means you can't die today, either, soldier," Sylvie said before jogging off in search of the fiery red head and her favourite scientist.

Sylvie found Natasha staring in to a giant hole in a wall. She checked to make sure Natasha was all right before she peered through. On the other side was Thor battling Hulk in the cargo hold. Nothing could have prepared Sylvie for seeing Bruce as Hulk, whether she had her memories or not. He stood at least a foot taller than Thor. Thor was trying his best not to be squashed by Hulk's massive fist. Sylvie watched in awe and fright as Hulk's other fist came crashing in to Thor's side, sending him flying back in to several large crates. Without a second thought Sylvie raced forwards just as Thor burst from the crates. Thor smiled and held his hand out. Sylvie could see Hulk running towards them at full speed.

"Thor?" she called warily, "Please tell me you have a plan."

Hulk was getting closer, and Sylvie didn't know what to do. Why hadn't she taken Natasha to get medical aid, why had she jumped in here, without any training whatsoever in combat? Well, none that she could remember. She was strong, yes, but to go against this massive creature of rage was surely beyond her ken.

Finally Thor's plan came to fruition by the appearance of his hammer. With one great swipe of Mjolnir Thor hit Hulk in the jaw. Hulk landed on a jet. Fury wouldn't be happy about that. Thor and Sylvie ran forward as Hulk tore the wing off the jet, sending it straight for their heads. They dodged it easily, Thor threw the hammer, Hulk caught it, and as he was stuck to the ground Sylvie rushed forward, dodging Hulk's fists to clench her thighs around Hulk's neck. She forced a lavender bloom, hoping that it would calm him. Of course it didn't, and as Hulk thrashed about sending Sylvie flying, Thor jumped up to hit him in the face with his knee. Upon landing he picked up Mjolnir and took Sylvie's place on Hulk's back, trying to choke him with the hammer.

Hulk jumped and Sylvie grabbed on to his foot. They came up through the ceiling in to a research lab. The breath had been knocked out of her and Sylvie gasped as Hulk grabbed her around the midsection, Thor in the other hand. He threw Sylvie in to a wall and smashed Thor in to the floor. The he grabbed Sylvie again and punched her in the face before sending her across the room. He picked up Thor and threw him against her. Sylvie heard the rain of bullets rather than saw them, her face was buried in Thor's chest. A very nice chest, she noted. Thor easily and strategically moved them to the side of the room where they would hopefully be out of the way of the gunfire. Hulk roared and before she knew what had happened Hulk had thrown himself out of the helicarrier and on to the jet.

"Are you all right, Lady Sylvie?" Thor asked, his golden hair tickling her face.

Sylvie threw her arms around him and pulled him in to a sloppy, yet completely satisfying kiss. She pulled away and took a deep breath, smiling, "I'm great now."

Thor chuckled and helped her to her feet, "You are a most formidable warrior."

"I dunno about that," Sylvie scoffed, "But apparently I don't hurt too easily."

"No, you wouldn't," Thor smiled.

"Seriously, do you and Loki know me, or what?"

Thor's face fell, "Loki."

They ran out of the lab, heading for Loki's cage. Surely they would have helped him to escape by now. But no, he was still in the cage when they arrived. The door was only just being opened. Thor ran forward with a yell, intending on tackling Loki back in to the cage. He threw himself at Loki who disintegrated around him, sending Thor alone in to the cage. The door shut behind him.

"Thor!" Sylvie cried, rushing forward.

Loki appeared behind her, wrapping an arm around her chest, pining her arms to her side, and pulling her back flush against his chest. He buried his nose in her hair, taking a long sniff.

Loki sighed and then addressed Thor, "Are you ever not going to fall for that?"

Thor bashed his hammer against the glass wall of the cage.

"No!" she cried, but Loki wrapped his long, cool fingers around her throat, silencing her.

The cage rattled, causing Thor to pause. Loki chuckled.

"The humans think us immortal," Loki said cheerily, moving towards the control panel for the cage, "Should we test that?"

They heard Loki's henchman gasp and fall to the floor. Agent Coulson stood behind him with a large, loaded weapon.

"Move away, please."

Sylvie took her moment to elbow Loki in the ribs and slam her heel down on his toes, but he recovered quickly. He grabbed the hand she had sent towards his face and threw her towards Coulson as if she were a feather. She fell on to the ground with a thud between them. Loki backed away from the control panel.

"You like this?" Coulson asked, stepping towards Loki.

Loki himself moved forward a few steps, hands raised at his waistline.

"We started working on the prototype after you sent the destroyer. Even I don't know what it does."

Coulson engaged the weapon and it began to glow a reddish-gold, very similar to fire. Sylvie could do nothing but watch from the ground as the two men came closer and closer together. She wanted to tell Coulson to move away, that he was no match for Loki, but she couldn't speak.

"Do you want to find out?" Coulson asked.

Then suddenly Loki was behind Coulson, not in front of him. Sylvie screamed at the sound of the sceptre punching through Coulson's suit, and then his skin.

"No!" Thor yelled, slamming himself against the glass of the cage.

The Loki that was still standing in front of Coulson disappeared in a golden light and Coulson fell back against the wall, still clutching the weapon. Loki stepped past him without so much as a glance. He grabbed Sylvie by a fistful of hair and dragged her back towards the control panel. She scrambled after him on hands on knees, desperately, impossibly trying to pry his fingers from her.

Loki looked at Thor with a chuckle before opening the case that covered the button to send the cage down. In one last futile attempt Sylvie sent her fists flying at Loki but he released her hair and kicked her to the floor, resting the sceptre on her neck. Sylvie felt Coulson's blood dripping from the sceptre down on to her chest. She watched helplessly as Loki opened the hatch. He seemed, for a moment, to hesitate, his hand shaking over the button that would release Thor. But whatever was causing him to be this way won. He slammed his fingers on to the red button and the cage, with Thor inside, was sent plummeting.

Loki watched for a few seconds before he grabbed Sylvie, gasping on the floor, and began to make his way from the room.

"You're going to lose," Coulson's voice came from behind them.

Loki turned, "Am I?"

"It's in your nature."

"Your heroes are scattered," Loki said, taking a step towards Coulson. "Your floating fortress falls from the sky." A few more steps. "Where is my disadvantage?" A few more steps.

"You lack conviction."

"I don't think I'm -"

Coulson fired the gun suddenly, sending Loki flying back. His hold on Sylvie was still strong and she found herself pushed back with him. They tore through the side of the room, rolling in to a hall. Loki's hold on Sylvie was gone, she sprung up, facing him with her hands up, ready for a fight. She felt adrenaline rushing through her veins. Loki smirked and slowly got to his feet.

Before he could make a move on her Sylvie swung her leg out in a high-arching kick. Her body seemed to know how to fight before her brain could even register that she should. Loki dodged but Sylvie moved in again, her fist landing in his stomach. Loki smiled appreciatively before he swung around, narrowly missing her neck with the sceptre. She kicked it out of the way, jumping and getting him in the side of the head with her other foot.

Loki clenched his jaw, looking irritated. When Sylvie went to swing her fist forward she found it stopped. Loki was now behind her, and in front of her. Normally she would have found this intriguing, but under current circumstances, not so much. Loki grabbed her leg when she tried to swing around and slammed her head against the wall. Black spots began to appear in the edges of Sylvie's vision.

"You're no match for me," Loki whispered in her ear, "No matter who you were before, I still have more experience than you. You've no idea the things you could be capable of. I could show you. You could be my queen."

"Va te faire foutre," Sylvie hissed.

Loki slammed her head against the wall again and Sylvie lost consciousness.

-X-X-X-

Va te faire foutre - Fuck off

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

[anavoliselenu]

Creighton chapter 4

My brain short-circuits when she slides one hand down toward her clit and strums it with her thumb. Now that, I didn’t see coming.

Oh no, you don’t, baby girl. That pussy became mine the second we entered the room. She needs to understand whose rules she’s playing under.

“You touch yourself again and I’m going to spank that cunt until you come, and then I’m going to fuck you until you can’t walk.”

Her hand stills, and her eyes widen in shock. The innocent surprise in her eyes is quite possibly the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen. But as much as I’m loving those eyes, I want her back in the position I initially envisioned fucking her in.

“Get back on your hands and knees.”

She blinks a few times, but follows my order.

Goddamn, that ass is a work of art. I smooth my hands over it, cupping each cheek. I slide my dick between her legs, coating myself in her slick heat.

Does she realize she’s pushing her ass toward me? I can’t help but smack it again.

Her whimpers and moans shear through my remaining threads of self-control. I wanted to take it slow, tease her to the brink, but I can’t wait. I fit my cock to her opening and bury myself to the hilt in one thrust.

“Oh my God,” she whispers, and I can hardly hear it over the blood pounding in my ears.

I can’t move. Can’t breathe. I’m gripped by the tightest¸ hottest pussy my cock has ever had the pleasure to know. It’s a fucking religious experience. And yes, I’m aware I’m going to hell. It takes me several moments to gather myself and hold back the orgasm rising in my balls already.

Fuck. This woman could unman me, but that’s not fucking happening.

I pull back and pump into her, fucking her with long, sure strokes. Her inner muscles flutter and clutch at my cock as I angle to hit her G-spot. She’s clawing at the sheets and meeting my every stroke by pushing her ass back against me in perfect rhythm.

She rides the same wavelength as me, even as she rides my dick. It’s carnal fucking poetry, and I’ve never felt anything like it in my life.

I decide to push her further. I slide one hand around her hips and tease her clit with my thumb. She clenches tighter, harder, and I fight to keep my orgasm in check. I swirl my thumb lower, coating it in her slickness. Her tight little asshole is teasing me as I fuck her, and I can’t stem the urge to get a little piece of that too. I pull my hand away.

“Touch yourself. I want your fingers on that little clit of yours, but don’t fucking come until I tell you to.”

Her head jerks in what I assume is a response, and I grip both hips with my hands before sliding my slick thumb to her ass. The moment I circle the pucker, she stills.

I wait for the protest . . . but it never comes.

I continue thrusting and she resumes her counterthrust, and maybe even tilts her ass higher, further baring my target. I would bet my company that she’s never been touched there. When my thumb breaches the tight ring of muscle, her moans turn to plaintive screams, and her cunt clamps down on my dick in a stranglehold.

“Fuck!” One more thrust. Two. And I’m lost.

I shoot my load, and for the first time in my entire adult fucking life, I feel like it drains every single brain cell from my body.

We both collapse onto the bed, and I roll us sideways so I’m not crushing her with my weight.

She doesn’t even realize it, but this nameless woman just brought me to my knees. And I can’t fucking wait to experience it all over again.

I wake slowly, rolling over to reach for the woman beside me as I had three other times last night, but my hand hits cold, empty sheets. My eyes snap open to confirm what I’m feeling.

She’s gone.

I sit up in bed, shove a hand through my hair, and survey the room. No sign that she’s ever been here.

Rolling out of bed, I pull on my crumpled suit pants, wrap a hand around my morning wood, and squeeze it in an effort to calm it down. I’d prefer to be going for round number five with her, but she’s fucking gone.

I pull on my shirt, telling myself that I don’t care, and if she were any other ordinary one-night stand, I wouldn’t. But last night was anything but ordinary.

And I wasn’t fucking done with her yet.

My inner monologue sounds altogether too close to a petulant child, but when you get to my level of wealth and success in life, you get used to having pretty much whatever the hell you want.

And I want her—right now, tomorrow, and until I’ve had enough—which I can’t imagine happening anytime soon.

I check the bathroom. Nothing. Not even a stray hairpin or smear of makeup on the counter.

Grabbing my wrinkled suit jacket, I let myself out of the room. There’s nothing but a destroyed bed and used condoms left inside anyway.

At the front desk, no amount of bribes or threats will get the name the reservation was made under. Apparently the Plaza prides itself on always offering the utmost privacy for all its guests.

Moralistic bastards.

Frustration grips me until my Machiavellian brain begins to formulate a plan. I refuse to admit defeat.

My lips tug with a smile. I know exactly how I’m going to handle this.

Merry fucking Christmas to me.

I just hope my “wife” is ready for what’s about to happen.

“And tonight’s top story: Billionaire playboy Justin Karas has published a missed connection that has gone viral, and there’s no doubt as to why. Most of it we can’t read on the air, but the gist of it is, he spent Christmas Eve with a woman who he claims is going to be the next Mrs. Justin Karas. The posting requests that the lady in question, whose name and number he didn’t get prior to or following their . . . encounter, show up at midnight on December 31st at the location of the tryst, which he claims only this particular lucky lady would know. Mr. Karas will be waiting with an engagement ring—and prenup—in hand.”

The green power smoothie in my hands falls to the floor of my tiny kitchen, the glass shattering on the tile and coating it with swampy goo as I gape at the TV.

Oh. My. God.

He didn’t.

He did.

Holy. Shit.

My cell phone rings, and I blindly grope the countertop for it. I don’t bother looking at the display. I know exactly who it is.

“Please don’t start screaming, Tana.”

Instead of the screeches I expect to hear, my friend speaks very calmly. “Selena, they’re talking about you on TV, but they don’t know they’re talking about you on TV.”

“Yeah. I figured that one out myself.”

“Please tell me you’re going to go,” she says.

“Are you serious?” I screech.

It was just supposed to be one night. A Christmas Eve fling. No one was supposed to know. Well, no one but me, the guy in question, and Tana, who demanded all the details when I told her I had a single amazing night with her potential backup husband.

“Selena—”

“What do you think would happen to my career if I did this?”

Tana is silent for a few beats before she answers. “It might be exactly what you need to get out of the disaster with JC. New Year’s Eve in New York, baby. You can go one way or the other.”

Holy crap, she’s right. But still . . .

“The label? My contract? What about those minor details?”

Homegrown will blackball me and find some way to slap me with a breach-of-contract suit if I don’t show up to this New Year’s Eve farce with JC and let him propose.

“Justin Karas has enough money to buy your way out of your contract, if not the entire damn label. And he wants to marry you!”

I’m not sure why Tana is a dreamy-eyed romantic all of a sudden, but it’s misplaced. Either way, I’m now a cynical realist when it comes to things like my career.

Besides, Justin Karas does not want to marry me because he’s in love with me. He’s probably in lust after all the things I let him do to me four days ago. All those things . . . I wasn’t even able to give Tana all the details because I was too dang embarrassed to put them into words.

My body heats just remembering. I’m still not sure where I found the courage.

Oh, that’s right—whiskey.

“He doesn’t want to marry me, he wants to marry my . . . pussy.” Crass, but it’s probably the truth. “With a prenup. And with his track record, that prenup is going to come into play sooner rather than later.”

After spending that night with him—the one where I left him buck naked and asleep in bed while I hopped in a cab to JFK, I did just the tiniest bit of research. All it took was one Google search to find out a heck of a lot.

Honestly, though, after reading the first few entries, I had to make myself stop. It didn’t matter because I was never going to see him again—not outside the zillions of pictures of him with other women. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of reading about his love ’em and leave ’em ways. Including his ex-wife, Shaw MacLeod, CEO of the chain of luxury MacLeod resorts.

“What the fuck ever,” Tana says. “Does it really make a difference? It’s Justin Karas.”

“And I’m Selena Wix. I can’t take a chance this will blow up in my face, and I’ll never get to sing anywhere but the bowling alley on karaoke night again.”

Even though Monty said he’d screw my life over so badly I’d never even sing there again. Not singing isn’t an option. This is my life. My passion. Everything I have left in this world that truly matters. And because of that, I have to be smart.

“Lay it all out there when you go meet him,” Tana says. “See what he says. He’s already gone this far, so I doubt he’ll argue too much. He’s the one who’ll look like an idiot if this stunt of his doesn’t work. I think you’ve got leverage; you might as well use it.”

I think about her point. Leverage. That’s something I’ve never really had before. But still, the idea of marrying a guy I’ve met once? It’s insane. Certifiable. Almost as insane as the label thinking I should get engaged to JC.

Why do both of my options involve a diamond ring?

I squeeze my eyes shut, wanting to run back to a tour bus, climb on, and pretend none of this ever happened. I just want to sing, damn it.

“Selena? You still there?”

“Sorry, I’m . . . thinking.”

“What’s there to think about? Marry a billionaire with a giant cock, or get engaged to a has-been who will almost certainly ask you to try fucking him in the ass with a strap-on.”

“Tana! Jeez. Don’t ever say that.” But her blunt words give me more to think about. “I don’t even know the guy.”

“You don’t know either of them, but that didn’t stop you from sleeping with the oh-so-sexy Justin Karas,” she unhelpfully points out.

I sigh. “You know why I did.”

“I know. But still, what do you have to lose?”

Everything, I want to say. But I don’t.

My first one-night stand, and the guy had to screw it up by telling the world through some PR stunt of a marriage proposal. I guess that’s what happens when you pick a demanding billionaire.

“You know what I do with naughty girls? Whatever I want.”

I still remember the conversation, and my nipples pucker in my bra. How can he still have this effect on my body? That can’t be normal.

“Selena?”

“I’m thinking.”

“You’re taking that flight to New York either way, aren’t you?” she asks.

I squeeze my eyes shut. I’m backed into a corner, and I don’t see a way out other than these two very crazy options laid out in front of me.

I have no idea what I’m going to do. Still, I have to do something. I have no other choice.

With a deep breath, I reply, “Yes. I’m taking the flight to New York.”

I would have made an excellent warlord.

I see.

I want.

I conquer.

I keep.

Anyone who gets in my way is removed by whatever means necessary. I’m not afraid to take chances, and I’m sure as hell not afraid to make waves.

The only time I let something go is when I’m damn good and ready, and there’s no guarantee I’ll ever be ready when it comes to the woman I’m waiting on. The last six days have done nothing but strengthen my determination to have her on my terms.

I’ve made myself comfortable in a leather wingback chair in Room 1919 of the Plaza, enjoying three fingers of Bushmills while I wait for my newest acquisition to arrive. Because in all honesty, at this point, that’s exactly what she is. The latest toy to add to my collection.

Cannon Freeman, my best friend and COO, would probably tell me that calling my bride-to-be an acquisition is the quickest way to fuck this up, and he’d be right. I may think it, but I’m not stupid—I’d never say it to her face.

Yes, I know I sound like an asshole. It goes with the territory. You don’t get where I am in life without making more enemies than you can count. But one of the upsides? I get to pull crazy stunts like this, and people just shake their heads and wish they could be me.

There’s no guarantee she shows, but I’ve wagered big many times before—and won big. Honestly, I don’t expect this time to be any different.

She slipped out of this very room in the early hours of Christmas morning, leaving me without any way to track her down. I’m a creative guy, so I took a novel approach to finding her.

I sip the whiskey as I wait and listen to CNN. The topic of conversation on this New Year’s Eve? You guessed it, yours truly. But I’m no stranger to being discussed by talking heads. Although, the conversation on the screen is starting to piss me off.

“This kind of behavior by a CEO does nothing to inspire the confidence of his stakeholders. Once again, I urge that the activist investors come together and take a stand.”

Usually I ignore these kinds of opinions, but when it’s your uncle on CNN bitching about the way you run your company and insulting your character, it’s harder to let it slide. Especially when it’s the uncle who begrudgingly took you and your sister into his home and “raised” you. I throw the mental quotes around the word raised because I’m not sure shoving me off to boarding school and turning my sister over to a nanny counts as raising us.

Either way, every public company deals with activist shareholders; they’re just not usually relatives. I’ll deal with him later. He’s made noises for a while, and it seems it’s time to shut him up for good.

I look at the clock on the bottom of the screen: 11:50. Ten minutes to go. She’ll show. My missed connection wasn’t a question, it was an order, and she’s very good at doing what she’s told. And once she comes, she’ll continue to concede to my every wish, because that’s how things work in my life. I give the commands, and everyone else obeys.

CNN cuts to a commercial, and then my uncle is back spewing more bullshit. I glance at the clock again: 11:58. The woman sure knows how to make a man wait. I wonder if she realizes she’s going to be punished if she’s late.

The thought brings a smile to my face.

“I don’t know what to do, Tana. I wish you’d pick up. I’m freaking out here!”

I whisper-yell the words into my phone, knowing I’m being unfair because I know she has an appearance at the Opry tonight. But still, if there was any time I could use her guidance, it would be right now.

I sold my soul to the record company for what turned out to be chump change, but I got the chance to live my dream. What am I willing to do to save that dream? That’s the question I’ve asked myself over and over for the last forty-eight hours.

I’m here in Manhattan, feeling like I’ve just watched the last grains of sand pass through the hourglass. I’m out of time.

A feeling of inevitability mixed with helplessness weighs down on me, and I hate it. When it comes to my career, I want to be in the driver’s seat. I don’t want someone else calling the shots. But that’s not a choice I get to make.

I look down one last time at the list in my hand. Pros and cons. Because apparently that’s what you do when faced with a decision like this. Weigh the options.

Get engaged to JC and perpetuate a farce that may end up with me being an even bigger laughingstock in the industry, but keep the record execs happy and my career flowing in the right direction.

My other choice is to sell my body to a man for a generous divorce settlement in the hopes that he has enough power to save me from the wrath that will surely follow from the record label.

I’ll possibly be putting my dream at risk, but I have to believe Tana is right—the man is rich beyond my wildest imagination, and with that money comes incredible power. Will he use it to help me?

The other pro on that side of the column is the amazing sex. But will I be able to have that kind of relationship while keeping myself and my emotions intact? He was so incredibly dominant before, and I can’t imagine he’ll be anything less on a daily basis. But will he understand that the demands on my career come first?

Do I take the safe road? Or do I take the bold one?

“Sixty! Fifty-nine! Fifty-eight!”

My belly flops as the countdown to the New Year begins.

I suck in a deep breath and let it out. And I start to run.

Heart hammering, I lift my hand to knock, but before my knuckles connect with the surface, the door swings open.

And there he is.

Tall and darkly handsome in a black suit, crisp white shirt, and thin black tie. Silver cufflinks pin his French cuffs in place, and a heavy silver watch peeks out from beneath, settling against his thick, tanned wrist. The minute hand on that watch should just be sliding past the mark of the midnight hour. I made it just in time.

I drag my gaze up the length of his tie until I reach his face. Even in my high-heeled boots, he’s still several inches taller than me.

He’s not looking at my face, though; he’s making a leisurely study of the rest of me. Even though I just did the same thing, his gaze sends prickles of heat through me as I wait for him to finish. I count to fifteen before he finally meets my eyes.

His deep brown irises give nothing away, and neither does his expressionless face. A five o’clock shadow darkens his jaw, which makes him even more dangerously gorgeous than I remember.

“On time like a good girl. You just saved yourself a punishment.”

The prickling heat spreads at the approval in his tone, although I think I hear a trace of disappointment at the lack of punishment. The memory of his palm connecting with my rear flashes through my brain, and I fight to keep my composure.

“Come in,” he says before stepping back and holding the door open wide.

Following his command, I walk inside, attempting to hide the strange combination of anticipation and misgiving racing through me.

The door shuts with a decisive thud, and the metallic click of the dead bolt seems to echo in the silence of the room. Or maybe that’s just my wildly overactive imagination, which is replaying everything that happened in this room that night. It’s like the reverse walk of shame, or returning to the scene of a crime.

Stop. Pull it together, Selena.

I walk to the window and stare down nineteen stories toward Central Park. Christmas lights and people are everywhere, celebrating the New Year. And out there in a studio on Times Square, there’s a very unhappy JC and some livid record executives.

I had to shut my phone off hours before, turning it on only to call Tana, and powering it down immediately after. I told them I’d show up if I thought I could live with the decision, but it turns out, I can’t.

And so now I’m here.

I feel him behind me, even though I didn’t hear him cross the room. I tear my gaze away from the lights and turn to face him.

Taking a steadying breath, I say the only thing I can think of. “You sure know how to get a girl’s attention.”

His full lips quirk into a half smile before smoothing back into their expressionless line. Even the serious expression fuels the heat building in my core. I don’t understand this man’s effect on me. It makes no sense.

“I knew it would work.” He holds out a hand. “I’ll take your jacket.”

His deep baritone rumbles through me, and my hands automatically reach for the buttons of my pea coat, even though I should be bristling at his certainty that I’d show. How could he know that? He doesn’t know me.

He waits in silence for me to undo the buttons and hand it over. I focus on his eyes as they flick down to take in my skinny jeans tucked into fringed brown leather boots—my favorite pair and a rare indulgence, which I wore for a boost of confidence—and sheer white top and white cami beneath it. The rhinestones hanging from my ears and circling my wrist are costume jewelry, and this man is clearly used to spending time with women wearing diamonds. I’m obviously underdressed.

Why didn’t I take something from my stage clothes to wear? A sexy dress, or a short skirt? Something that wouldn’t remind me of my humble upbringing as he surveys me. You can take the girl out of the trailer park . . .

Pushing the thought away, I straighten my shoulders and hand over my coat. He drapes it over the back of a chair with efficient movements and turns to face me once more. A briefcase sits on the desk, and I wonder if the notorious prenup is inside.

This is insane, I tell myself. But desperate times . . .

I try to lighten the mood by gesturing to myself. “I guess this isn’t exactly what you were expecting.”

“You wore a skirt last time.”

I’m not sure what to make of that. “Yeah, well, I figured if you’re serious at all about this, you should see something that approaches the real me, which is nothing fancy. The only time I generally go for anything special is when I’m onstage.”

A flash of surprise spreads across his face, but he locks it away as quickly as it came. His next question surprises the hell out of me.

“Are you a stripper?”

I can’t help but laugh. Given where I come from, that’s not really a bad guess. A little devil on my shoulder takes control of my mouth.

“Is your offer contingent on me not being a stripper?” I automatically reach up to twirl my hair in what I assume is a stripper-like mannerism.

He considers the question for a moment. “I suppose not.”

I smile, but I’m shocked by his reply. Really? Justin Karas would marry a stripper?

“Why would you—”

My question is cut off when he says, “You didn’t answer me.”

I drop the lock of hair and lower my hands to my sides. Not fidgeting under his direct stare takes all my effort.

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