#lots of ‘you’re no humble x i can tell because you’re so strong yet honorable’ ‘drat you caught me’

[missionlameturtle]

My favorite thing about Malory is how nobody knows what anybody else looks like. An entire culture that’s so faceblind that just taking off your very distinctive jersey renders you invisible.

[shreddedparchment]

Pseudo Princess Pt.30

A Time to Fight

05/03/2020

Pairing: King!Steve x Reader         Word Count: 5,757

Warnings: Language, intense feelings of trepidation and anxiety?

A/N: Plot heavy! I mean, if you consider battles a plot. Which I guess it is. Some fluff too. Not much. Lots of love though. Always love. If you happen to reblog, thanks so much for helping me spread my work!

TAGS ARE CLOSED!

Please DO NOT repost my stories. Reblogs are welcome!

The room is quiet save for the fire, burning in its hearth. It crackles and cricks as the wood becomes splintered and charred. Tony’s large council chamber is bathed in warmth, and yet the cold outside seems to press on the castle, crushing its occupants with despair.

A new flurry of snow falls, seen through the large arched windows. All of them are shut tight, an attempt to battle the frigid air.

Sam, Clint, Natasha, Tony, Thor, and Bruce sit. T’Challa stands nearby staring out at the guard below as it patrols the blanketed castle grounds.

They’ve been doubled since your return at Steve’s request. Tripled at Tony’s.

T’Challa is pensive as he waits, stroking his chin slowly as his mind races—miles away.

The somber atmosphere of the room is nearly choking, and Bruce finally clears his throat.

“I’m sure he’ll be okay.” He says, nodding slowly and looking to Nat who sits beside him.

He reaches out and places a hand over hers, offering warmth and reassurance.

“He’s strong, Nat.” Bruce assures her.

Nat nearly pulls her hand away, but she resists and looks to Bruce, searching his expression for the sarcasm of his reassurance.

She doesn’t find any because he is genuine in his care.

With a sigh she turns her hand over and holds his in return, squeezing it in appreciation.

“Can she help him, T’Challa?” Thor’s voice wonders, his body angled towards the silent king.

T’Challa turns, still deep in thought to look at the thunder God. He seems to realize what he asked because he drops his stroking hand to cross his chest with the other and nods.

“If anyone can figure out what is wrong with the White Wolf, it will be Shuri.” He assures the room.

“Why do you call him the White Wolf?” Clint wonders, shifting forward in his seat to rest his elbows on the table, hands clasped loosely in front of him.

T’Challa opens his mouth to speak, but Sam beats him to it. “Bucky stayed in Wakanda for a few months while he learned to get used to his new arm. He helped them with a few troubles they had while he was there. Helped them fight. They gave him the name because he was the only white man within their ranks.”

T’Challa nods, dropping his arms to rest his hands at his front.

“Correct?” Sam asks, looking at the king.

“Yes.” T’Challa agrees. “He was of great service to my kingdom. The people gave him the name. It is a symbol of honor.”

Clint looks mildly impressed, turning his gaze on Natasha who looks a little worried still.

“Sounds to me like he’s a tough man to keep down.” Clint says for her benefit.

Natasha is mildly comforted by his words, but she will feel so much better when Steve and Shuri come back.

“They’re taking their sweet time.” Tony complains, bitter that he wasn’t invited but with Shuri…well, he isn’t going to fight her on anything she needs. Even if what she needs is his absence.

“What about her Majesty?” Clint asks, worried by the state at which they’d brought you home.

Thor’s own face falls, his brow furrows as he remembers the nearly emaciated state, you’d been in. Perhaps that is an exaggeration on his part, but you’d lost too much weight for his liking. You’d look so tired and worn.

Having fainted on the way back, Steve had carried you in. Cradled lovingly against his chest but clearly limp and unresponsive.

Nat clears her throat, licking her dry pink lips as her mind is thankfully distracted—if only to be replaced with a different kind of worry.

“She’s getting better. I think it was the fright of everything that happened more than any real physical ailment that brought her to such sleep.” Nat nods, then coughs a bit as her throat goes raw, her mouth dry.

Quickly the men move, but it’s Tony who reaches the water first. He takes the pitcher as the others sit back down and pours her a glass of wine.

“Here, drink.” He orders, and he makes it clear that it’s not a request.

Nat takes the goblet and takes a sip.

“Has she woken up at all?” Bruce wonders.

“She was awake last night.” Thor sighs, leaning back. He raps the fingers of the arm he holds extended across the table, nervous energy seeping out.

“How did she seem?” Clint asks, his regret at not having met you sooner evident.

Everything he’d seen of you and heard of you from Nat and the others painted such a lovely picture. A woman without fear but with a humble outlook on life. A desire to be helpful with an iron sense of duty. Courage but not of any kind he’d ever seen before.

You aren’t a fighter or someone with great power in strength. Your own comes from somewhere deep within you. You draw from the struggles that you have suffered, or so Nat had explained.

Clint would very much like to meet you properly.

“She was tired.” Thor tells him, “But in good spirits. Worried for Barnes. Worried for Steve and the distress that Barnes’s condition gives him. But I made her laugh…so…”

As if that is enough to say you’re alright.

Nat’s face relaxes into an easy smile.

“Did you, really?” She asks Thor, almost desperate.

“Why haven’t you gone to see her?” Thor asks, his frown back in place.

Nat’s own smile fades. “I-”

But her words are silenced as the heavy birch doors of the room are pushed open by a pair of guards. Steve moves in, Shuri beside him, both immersed in deep conversation.

Their hushed voices draw everyone up in their seats, alert and curious. Natasha stands up, her hand falling out of Bruce’s gentle hold as she rests the tips of her fingers against the solid grain of the table.

Steve and Shuri come to a stop, their eyes moving to those waiting.

“Well?” Tony asks, only slightly less impatient than Natasha but with less ability to keep it within.

Steve turns to him and then hesitates, looking to Shuri.

Shuri nods, “I’m afraid that the White Wolf has been brainwashed.”

The term is strange to Tony and the others. All except for Natasha, whose face goes ghostly white.

“Brainwashed?” Clint repeats.

T’Challa, who is the only other who seems to recognize the term, steps forward.

“Are you sure, sister?” He checks, eyebrows slanted deeply.

Thor looks as confused as the others, but the wheels in his brain seem to be working fast.

“Do you mean to say that someone has taken his mind and altered it in some way?” Thor asks, looking as if he knows what they mean though he doesn’t recognize the word.

“That is exactly what I mean, Your Majesty.” Shuri nods.

“We have a different term for it, but I know what it is you speak of.” Thor says. “And it was not done by magic?”

Shuri shakes her head. “No.”

Steve sighs, placing his hands on his hips he meets Natasha’s eyes and holds them, a look of agony in each of their faces.

“He was tortured.” Nat says her voice even and unforgiving of the word she uses.

Though her eyes mist over, she doesn’t allow the rest of her to betray any sign of despair. Quickly she shuts her eyes, squeezing the tears away before she opens them once again to focus on Steve and Shuri.

“Can you help him?”

Shuri focuses on Natasha, and for too long a moment, she’s silent.

Natasha has the urge to shake her, however unladylike it may seem. Her own impatience rearing its head for attention.

“I can.” Shuri nods, her expression softening. “I will. But we will have to move him down to Tony’s laboratory.”

Nat feels her stomach unknot, then flutter nervously at the thought of not having Bucky in her rooms.

“Whatever you need.” Nat nods. Heart in her throat.

“What can we do?” Thor asks, sitting up and leaning forward to look at Steve.

“Stay close. Something tells me that things aren’t over.” Steve admits, looking somber.

He’s preoccupied of course, with you and with the baby. With Bucky and with Hydra. With his kingdom and the state it is in under Lord Coulson’s care. Though it should be fine, Hydra makes him worry for his people.

“Have you heard something?” Sam asks him, leaning forward in his seat.

“No.” Steve shakes his head. “No, I’ve not heard anything more than what we know. You say that the guard are looking for Pierce?”

He turns to Tony who stands up and wipes at his beard, tracing his chin from side to side. “Yes. Both here and in Broklin. I’ve sent the Lady Hill to help there while you and Y/N are here.”

Steve nods. “Thank you.”

It really does seem as if his mind is set at ease.

“He’s out there. I will not rest until he’s caught. This is a threat that’s loomed over my head long enough. And after what he’s done, so openly…I can’t stand by anymore.” Steve’s blood boils at the memory of you battered and bruised on the ground, fearfully curled up as Bucky advanced.

Pierce did that and it was he that would pay the price of your fear and hurt.

“I will help you. For Y/N. And for every other innocent life lost.” Thor declares, standing. He holds out his hand and his hammer flies towards him with a resound whoosh.

He catches it and shakes it once, slapping it to the palm of his hand before he’s joined by Clint, then Sam, and Bruce.

Tony sighs, leaning both hands on the table as he looks around at them all standing with their shoulders back, chins held high, resolute expressions, and passion within their eyes. All of them area ready to die for not only you, but the safety of the kingdoms.

T’Challa steps forward, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves before pulling down on his unique silk tunic. His arms fall to his sides and he nods.

“I will also fight.” He declares, and Shuri smiles, looking around at all of them in their intimidating splendor.

“And I will do what I can, while also helping the White Wolf.” She nods once.

Steve’s gratitude spills from his face. Soft smile, taut chin, and eyes full of trust.

“You all must have really missed this damn team.” Tony snarks.

No one denies it. There’s a knock on the door.

As the other gather at the far end of the table to discuss where they may go to begin their searches for Pierce and Hydra, Tony moves to answer the door.

“Steve.” He calls, voice tight but controlled.

The sound of his upset prompts Steve to respond quickly. He moves towards the door where Tony stands with his hand on the door as if to block someone from entering. He drops it as Steve reaches him and the sight of Sharon enlightens Steve as to Tony’s displeasure.

“Sharon,” Steve begins, taking a deep breath before he grazes Tony’s shoulder with his hand to tell him that he can go.

Tony stays for a moment, almost stubbornly as if he is going to refuse to move. Sharon bites her lip, her long and golden cascading waves frame her pretty face, as she awkwardly stands before them both feeling scrutinized and unwanted.

With a sigh, Tony gives Steve a pointed look. “I’m watching you.” Then moves towards the team.

Steve drops his head, knowing he’s earned to be chastised, and nods.

“I don’t think he likes me.” Sharon whispers sheepishly and Steve can see what you meant.

There seems to be no guilt in her mind about what she did.

“He has every right to hate you, Sharon. You snuck into the bed of his daughter’s husband. You drove a rift between us, however short lived it might have been. Both you and I hurt her, and Tony will never forgive us for it. Neither will I.” Steve is ruthless with his words, unhappy with Sharon’s lack of care for you.

He turns and moves away from her, his hands held behind his back as he stops by one of the large windows to observe the horizon.

He can hear Sharon follow, but doesn’t turn to look at her, preferring to keep a new boundary set.

“I didn’t mean to harm you.” She says, and Steve can hear that it is truth. She hadn’t meant to harm him. But for you…

“But you did. She’s my wife, Sharon.” Steve says sternly, but quietly so that the others in the room can’t overhear.

“I know.” She nods. “I understand.”

“But do you respect it?” He asks, turning to look at her. “She knows that you were not genuine in your apologies. That’s why she does not trust you.”

Sharon’s face turns scarlet, her ears and neck burning with her quiet rage.

“I love her, Sharon.” Steve tells her. “I tell you this not to hurt you, but because you have been my friend all my life. I would have you remain in it. You are a part of Margaret too. The three of us were family.

“But my wife…Y/N…I would like to have you be a part of this family as well. I will have a son soon.” Steve pleads, his heart breaking for the memories he would lament if he would need to cut ties with Sharon completely.

In a way, he feels like he must. Let it all go so that he might go into his future with nothing to hold him back. But it was such a large part of his life. To say goodbye to it for good would feel like a betrayal to himself and the man he grew to become.

Sharon looks down at her feet, and Steve can see the war raging in her head. Shifting her weight from foot to foot, Sharon reaches up to stroke her golden waves.

Steve recognizes the signs, the nerves get the better of her, the way her chin stiffens as she becomes defensive.

“I cannot have you here if you will not respect my marriage, Sharon.” Steve sighs again, this time in defeat.

Heart aching for the loss of the sister he’d always thought her.

“Then I will go.” She says. “I’ll send for my carriage in the morning. I’m sorry, Steve. But you’ve been mine in my head since I realized what Margaret’s death meant for you. I can’t just give up. Not for her.”

Her face contorts, a twisted look of distaste as she mentions you.

Steve’s blood boils. Frustration for her lack of consideration. For her inability to see how this hurts him. For her clear dislike of you. Other than the fact that you are his wife, she has no reason to hate you. Perhaps that is enough?

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” Steve swallows his anger. “I hope you can come to terms with my marriage someday.”

Sharon scoffs, annoyed and hurt, before giving Steve a quick curtsy then leaving the way she came.

Steve turns his gaze back to the falling snow, jaw flexing tight, arms crossed as the sun begins to set. Tony approaches and stops beside him, hands behind his back.

“How did that go?” He asks, gentler than he had been just a few minutes ago.

“She’s leaving.” Steve admits.

“I’m sorry.” Tony nods truly aggrieved for Steve’s unhappiness.

“So am I.” Steve shakes his head. “But Y/N is more important than any need to cling to my life before I met her. And she’s so kindhearted if Sharon would just give up…I know that she’d-”

“She might.” Tony smiles. “But she might not. If there’s anything that I’ve learned about my daughter since I took her in, it’s that she’s very protective of those she loves. And if these last two weeks have taught me anything, it’s that she will go to great lengths to keep you. Safe and preferably hers.”

Steve’s face relaxes, feeling a surge of gratitude for your sacrifices to heal him. The memory of everyone’s reaction to seeing you after two weeks, however, gives him anxiety. You’d lost too much weight, the vibrancy in your complexion had dimmed and your eyes had become slightly fogged.

“I should get back to her.” He states and turns to go.

“Don’t give her a hard time, Steve. The sacrifices she makes for you are not that to her. It’ll only upset her to see you vexed.” Tony reasons.

Steve stops to turn and acknowledge his words but catches Nat’s eye as he’s turning to leave once again.

She moves to him, stopping a foot away looking nervous and guilty for some reason.

“Are you going to see her Majesty?” She asks him, shifting her weight onto her left foot as she teeters anxiously. He recognizes what she’s feeling, since he’s feeling it too.

“Will you come?” He asks, and she nods eagerly.

He offers her his arm and she rushes forward to take it, wrapping her own around his elbow and allows him to pull her in close to his side.

It isn’t until they’re alone, walking along the hallway to your bedroom that Nat finds her voice again.

“Steve…” She begins, quiet.

“It’s not your fault, Nat.” He tells her, cutting her off before she can begin her spiel. “Nor mine. Nor anyone’s but Pierce.”

“But I left her alone. I swore to protect her.” She grieves.

“She wasn’t alone.” Steve shakes his head. “She was with me. And she’s here now. A little battered, but she’s fine. And the baby is fine, or so Agatha says. I don’t think I’ll be content until he’s here with us. Crying in my arms.”

The dynamic shifts and it’s Nat comforting Steve now as he stops just outside your door to let all his worry spill here where you can’t see.

“If I’d been faster, or if I’d had the sense to keep myself shielded properly then maybe I wouldn’t have been injured and she wouldn’t have had to bear so much of-”

“I thought it wasn’t either of our faults? Do you lie, my King?” Nat teases, giving him a half smile because Nat knows that it’s easier to tell others it isn’t their fault than believe it yourself.

For Steve, it must be even harder.

Steve drops his head, letting it hang as he inhales, then exhales slowly. His shoulders rise and fall, and Nat takes her arm back to give his shoulder a gentle pat.

“Can it not be my fault alone?” He asks, looking at Nat with those storm blues.

“No.” She whispers at him, shaking her head. “If we are to blame one, let us blame everyone. None of us were prepared for what would happen should one of our own turn. We had no contingencies for if and when we were to be separated. If we must blame someone, let us blame ourselves as a unit. We failed her.”

Nat swallows hard, trying to ignore the ache in her chest and the pit in her stomach.

“We failed both of them.” She whispers, voice breaking just a bit.

Steve reaches down to take her hand and she smiles at him in gratitude.

“Bucky will be alright, Nat. He’s a fighter. Always has been.” Steve promises her.

“Just as her majesty is.” Nat agrees. “Come on, let’s go in. What if she’s been waiting?”

“Agatha said she wouldn’t be up for a few days.” Steve reaches out and opens the door, watching as Peter rises on full alert.

His eyes are red and puffy, his nose raw from rubbing his snot away. The form fitting charcoal tunic and the black trousers he wears remind Steve of his own mourning garb. And with his grief-stricken expression, Steve’s mind goes into panic and he releases Nat.

Pushing forward he passes Peter quickly, eyes watering as his lip begins to shake.

“Steve?” Peter asks, confused by the rush.

Nat follows, moving just as quickly. Her heart racing with fear as she sees Peter’s inquisitive face.

Steve moves to your bed, feeling cold despite the roaring fire filling the room with heat. He drops onto the bed, seated before reaching for your hand.

With a breath of relief at the warm touch of your skin, he presses the inside of your wrist to his cheek and feels the pulse of blood through vein. He shuts his eyes, almost angry with Peter for his sobbing.

He turns to him, face contorted with annoyance. “Why were you crying when we came in?”

Peter sniffs, wipes his nose once more with the back of his hand, and then looks at the floor.

“Tell me.” Steve insists, waiting with your hand pressed to his cheek as you sleep on.

Because you’re perfect. Just as he’d left you. Sleeping soundly, still thinner than he’d like, but only just. You hadn’t been so bad after all, but out there in the midst of all the danger, you’d looked so much worse to his eyes.

Nat moves to your other side, her head cocked to the side as she takes a long look at your face. She reaches out, touching your cheek. Tracing your ear, she caresses it. She too relishes in the feeling of your warm skin.

“She’ll want a bath when she wakes.” Nat tells no one. She makes note in her mind to go out and find you some fresh peonies. She’ll pay anything to get them for you. She’ll have some new oils sent for. “I’ll have them bring her some jams. She loves her jams.”

With a sweep of her skirts, Nat is gone. Off to get you whatever you might need when you wake.

Steve watches her go, saddened by the guilt that she carries knowing that it isn’t her fault. Still, he carries that guilt himself, doubled as you are carrying his son.

Peter’s shifting from foot to foot brings his gaze back to him, and Steve renews his frown.

“I was…” Peter sniffs again and shrugs his shoulders. A nervous move that makes Steve worry. “…I should have been with her. During the procession.”

Steve doesn’t know how his heart can break anymore today. But watching his friends love you and wish they’d done more to keep you safe also fills him with such a gratitude. Only your goodness could bring about this much care.

“Peter, nothing was supposed to happen. It is not your fault that you were not beside her. I was there. And that was supposed to be enough. How could we have known that Pierce would use someone we trusted against us?” Steve gets up and moves to stand before Peter, his hand finding his shoulder to hold and give him a small shake.

“So, it was Pierce? He was behind the attack?” Peter’s normally pleasant face contorts with passing rage. His red rimmed eyes give you a glance.

“Her Majesty says that she saw Pierce speaking to Bucky before the procession began and then disappeared a moment later. For now, until he wakes up to confirm, it’s all we have to go on. But Pierce is the head of Hydra. Rumlow was among those fighting against us in the procession and he’s Pierce’s right hand. He would not have done anything without his command.

“And it was Hydra who’d had the opportunity to plant something in Bucky’s mind.” Steve explains.

“What? Do you mean like, mind conditioning? Brainwashing?” Peter asks, brow furrowed as he thinks quickly and tries to put all the pieces together.

“You’ve heard the term?” Steve asks, head tilting to the side lightly.

“In my studies. Before you allowed me to be a part of the team, King Stark had me read up on all the sciences and strange incidents that have plagued the world. The practice of brainwashing was mentioned a few times. Never in great detail, but it’s there.” Peter sighs, shaking his head as he attempts to understand what it must feel like to be taken over.

“Poor Bucky.” Peter’s sorrow is kind and Steve appreciates his compassion. “I’ll never leave her again.”

Peter turns a deeply resolute frown to Steve, and it melts a bit of Steve’s anxiety to think that Peter is so willing to throw himself into protecting you.

“As much as I’d love for you to be at her side always, I do need you out with the others for the time being.”

“Why? What has happened?”

“Nothing.” Steve shakes his head, turning to move back to your side.

He sits beside you, taking your hand again to stroke your fingers.

“That is, nothing new. Pierce has showed his hand and our priority is to find him. I’m expecting a letter from Lord Coulson tomorrow to see if Pierce has responded to his summons. I don’t think he will, but we had to try.

“And until Pierce is found, Y/N and my child will never truly be safe. If we can catch him quickly, then we can ensure her safety more quickly.” Steve meets Peter’s determined gaze and watches as Peter moves to quickly caress your free hand.

“I’ll leave now.” He says and turns to leave.

“Wait, Peter.” Steve rises, looking to you before leading Peter out into the hallway.

“What is it, your Majesty?”

“Can you wait until tomorrow morning?” Steve begins, looking a little shy or nervous? “I’ve…her Majesty is not fond of the Lady Carter being here. I’ve asked her to go home.”

Peter’s shoulders relax and he even smiles a little. “It’s honorable for you to stand by your wife despite the relationship that you have shared with Lady Carter in the past.”

Steve groans. “I don’t feel honorable. I feel like a fool. I don’t want to hurt Sharon, but I will not hurt Y/N. After everything I’ve done to her already, she deserves to be first in my life.

“And if Sharon would simply abandon her desires then it would be easier to keep them both in my life but—well, it doesn’t matter. I’d like Sharon to have some protection on her way home. I don’t want her doing anything reckless and I can’t take any chances with Pierce.

“He knows who is important to me and with Y/N out of reach, he might try his hand at someone a little more accessible.”

Peter’s nod is slow, thinking through something before he agrees. “Very well. I will do as you ask. I shall stay here the night.”

“No.” Steve interrupts. “No, Peter. Get some rest. You’ve been searching for us for two weeks straight and have hardly gotten any sleep since we’ve been back. Go get some sleep. I’ll be here and I’m sure Natasha will be back soon. Bucky will be with Shuri in Tony’s dungeons so…she can’t be with him.”

Peter looks reluctant but as it is his king’s orders, he nods. “As you wish, your Majesty. Good night. If you need anything, please call for me.”

“Of course.” Steve nods, a soft smile offered at the young man before he sends him off with a push to his shoulders.

Steve waits until Peter is out of sight before he goes back into the room. He shuts the doors securely then makes his way back to your bedside. He places one hand on your belly, stroking it gently as his child moves within.

Your face is unmoving, fast asleep. Induced by Agatha and her herbs. You’d needed the rest.

“I’m sorry, my flower.” Steve whispers, feeling cursed that he seems to only be a cause of distress for you.

“Sorry for what?” Agatha asks, voice creaky with age as she moves to the other side of the bed. “About time that boy left. He’s been on edge since you two went missing.”

“Will you be staying in here with her?” Steve asks, curious of the old woman as she places a small pouch on the bed beside you and pulls from it a few vials of different colored liquids.

She removes the stopper and pulls out a small glass tube which she then holds over your lips.

“Open her mouth, if you will, your Majesty.” She orders.

Steve gets to his feet and leans over you, pulling your chin down carefully until your lips are parted.

Agatha drops two drops of the first liquid into your mouth, then three of the second. Two of the third. One of the fourth.

“What are you giving her?” Steve wonders.

“Tonics.” Agatha says simply. “To help her heal faster. She’s been overstressed. That’s why she has lost weight.”

“She deserves better.” Steve laments.

“Oh?” Agatha laughs amused by his words for some reason. “And are you the one to decide what it is she deserves?”

Steve doesn’t understand her strange moods and simply looks at your pretty face, wishing he could cradle it close. Only that would fill the hole in his chest. He doesn’t like you unconscious like this. You don’t look like you’re sleeping. You look ill.

“Why did you marry her then?” Agatha continues to chuckle as she checks spots along your arm where some of your bruising seems to have gotten a little worse.

“I had to save my Kingdom.” Steve shakes his head. “I should have married her for love.”

“Oh, don’t be so romantic.” Agatha frowns. “You must accept your beginnings if you are to build a proper life with your wife. So, you were a bit of an asshole when you first married her? Big deal. Many husbands remain so for many years after they’ve married.

“Some begin as sweet as honey only to turn as sour as lemons after a few years. Count yourself lucky that you have learned from the mistakes you’ve made and stop trying to make up for them.” Agatha chastises.

“But I want her to know that I’m sorry.” Steve argues.

“Do you think she doesn’t know it? Have you given her any reason to think that you do not mean it?” She squints at him, urging a confession and for a fleeting moment, Steve panics as if he might really have done something and he can’t remember.

But no. Steve hasn’t done anything to risk the loss of your trust again

“N-no.” He shakes his head. “She knows I love her.”

“Then stop whining and live for your future. Stop living to make up for the past.” Agatha shoves her vials back into her small leather pouch and draws it closed before moving for the door again. “She’ll wake some time tomorrow. Naturally. No way to know when.”

“What will she need when she wakes?” Steve asks, getting up to follow the woman out.

“Oh, food. Water. A bath. Patience. She may be a little out of sorts for a few hours. Just talk to her and keep her focused on you and the child. Do not speak about what happened, or anything related to it until she is fully recovered.

“Remember, stress is her enemy right now. If you want your child to live, treat her as you would a fragile crystal goblet.” Agatha instructs.

“Thank you, Grandmother.” Steve says, using the term you do.

“Don’t thank me.” Agatha says. “Just do better.”

For a while, Steve watches you sleep. He drifts in and out of his own slumber until he decides to stand to keep awake.

Natasha finds him staring out the window as the blizzard outside begins to worsen. Dark skies absent of stars.

“I’ve got a few guards outside.” She tells Steve’s back, moving to stand beside him. “You can sleep with her. If something happens, they’ll sound the alarm. You don’t have to stay up, Steve.”

Steve doesn’t answer for a few minutes, simply looking at her to acknowledge her words before he goes back to watching the falling snow.

Natasha stands there with him in silence, waiting patiently for him to finish his thinking.

“I think we might need help this time.” Steve finally says, rewarding Nat’s patience.

“What did you have in mind? We already have the Wakandans here.”

“There’s a man in the Western kingdoms. I’m not sure where he is exactly but he was imprisoned for stealing from the rich to give to the poor.” Steve explains.

“Sounds like our type of people.” Nat agrees.

“He’s married. He and his wife have…unique abilities that might be useful for the fight to come.” Steve says. “They may be able to get to places that we simply cannot.”

“Do you really think things will get bad enough that we’ll have another battle? Like the one before the peace?” Nat wonders, emerald eyes full of worry.

“He won’t give up this time.” Steve nods. “If I didn’t have Y/N and our child I wouldn’t be as terrified as I am. I want it over. I want her safe. Both of them. Can’t you feel it? It’s like the world is holding its breath. Or maybe that’s just me?”

Nat shakes her head, wrapping her arms around herself as if the cold outside has somehow penetrated the castle walls and begun to eat at the warmth in your room.

“I feel it.” She nods. “Something’s coming. I just…How can we be ready for it? With James in the state that he’s in and her Majesty…?”

Natasha can very much understand the fear that is currently taking hold in Steve’s heart.

“I feel like we should send her away. Far away.” Steve says, but Natasha can see that he won’t.

“She wouldn’t go.” She tells him, helping him make sense of keeping you here. She knows he wouldn’t be able to stand being away from you.

Steve scoffs, his first laugh since the two of you were returned.

“No.” He agrees. “She wouldn’t. She’s so stubborn.”

Natasha smiles, her heart feeling lighter at the fondness he clearly has for you. The love that’s there. She can’t remember the last time before you that he looked so happy. Even with Margaret, something was always just a little off.

Steve’s smile slips away, deep though replacing the lighthearted expression.

“I think it’s time we reached out to Fury.”

Natasha looks for his gaze but he’s too busy watching the snow fall, his arms crossing over his chest as he resolves in this decision.

“You want me to find him.” Natasha realizes, and how can she blame him? She knew him best.

[tainted-wine]

Tuning In Tonight

Present Mic x Reader (NSFW)

(A 10k story because I have no self-control. Here’s a fic about a troubled cafe employee that turns into a Mic fan and later SEX)  

You soaked in the heat of your apartment after enduring the chilly walk back home from work. Wasting no time, you tossed your coat aside and kicked off your shoes before plopping onto the bed. Another week, another paycheck. Today was exceptionally busy at the cafe. Fridays always were, really, but today had put you to the test against quite the cast of characters. But even in the face of screaming kids with careless mothers, business people with absolutely no patience, and teens that didn’t think you were worth making eye contact with, you prevailed. You liked your job, even with the odd rough days. The staff was kind, the pay was fair, and the fact that it was smack-dab in the middle of the city means that it was visited by the occasional hero. Those were the days that filled you with joy, taking you back to the times when you dreamed of having the same career. But some things just weren’t meant to be. Your younger, more passionate self would chide you for accepting this life. For not using every breath in your body to ensure that you would one day become a hero that everyone remembered, but such persistence would only hurt you more in the long run. At least you were still able to find a comfortable living elsewhere. You settled with the cards you were dealt just fine, and yet that’s exactly what bothers you. Is it really okay to just give up and settle this after trying so hard? 'Nope, my mind’s not going anywhere near that rabbit hole today.' You sprang back up, heading to your room with extra pep in your step to undress and prepare a shower. The hot water soothed your tense body and cleared your mess of a mind. There was no room for any negative thoughts on a Friday night, the nights that you always look forward to the most, because it was time for the weekly radio show hosted by the lively pro hero Present Mic.

Your first experience with the show happened months ago, during a day where you were feeling extra exhausted for no particular reason. Turning on your old radio to lift your spirits, you happened to tune in just in time for the voice hero’s live caller segment. ‘Why not?’ you thought to yourself as you dialed the station's number and patiently listened to the rings. “Hey, thanks for calling, my dear listener! Hope you’ve been having a rockin’ day today!” There was something about having such an energetic and carefree voice directed to you that just brightened you up from inside. The conversation didn’t last very long, your sudden shyness being part of the reason why. It ended with you honoring the usual routine of requesting a song before disconnecting. As short as the encounter was, it left a strong impression, and you wanted it to happen again. Just like that, you became a loyal fan of Put Your Hands Up! radio. It was a great way to end work for the week, winding down and getting ready for the weekend as the station played a wide variety of tunes. And every time Mic was ready to take calls, your phone was ready to dial. You talked about whatever came to mind—how work was treating you, discussing his latest accomplishments as a pro hero, sharing silly events the two of you had in life. Whatever you discussed, no matter how mundane the topic, Mic always sounded eager to listen and respond with the boisterous voice he was known for. Even on the nights where you felt especially drained or under the weather, his unwavering enthusiasm never failed to clear the dark clouds over your head. In short, he was a lovable guy. So you relaxed and killed some time with the help of the internet and some phone games until that special hour arrived. You turned to the station and was greeted with the loud intro that took some getting used to. “Yeeeaaaahh! Present Mic here, and thank you for tuning in to Put Your Hands Up! Are they up? Because we’re about to get started!” And so begins the music that you swear is just a playlist of the hero’s personal favorites. You laid back on your bed and let your mind drift as the songs played. Your friends plan on meeting up for a movie tomorrow; can’t miss out on that. Maybe you’ll stop by the store afterwards so you can restock your fridge. What should you do Sunday? Meh, just make it a lazy day and hang around at home, you suppose. You returned to your phone and continued scrolling through your favorite websites. Time went by quicker than expected, Mic’s announcement of taking calls catching you by surprise. The first few calls were picked up by other listeners, doing the usual routine of sharing their day or talking about recent issues. Mic gave advice wherever he could, and his desire to help anyone who was willing to reach out to him felt so damn genuine that it made you smile. Another call was picked up before yours. Oh well. You listened to what ended up being a youthful male on the line. “H-hi, Mr. Present Mic!” The nervous yet excited voice was pretty heartwarming. A young teen, most likely.

Mic laughed. “No need for the ‘mister,’ listener! You’ll make me feel old!”

A bunch of frantic stuttering could be heard from the boy. “Ah, so sorry, sir—I mean mister—I mean Mic!” You giggled along with Mic as the poor boy tried to collect himself. “Deep breaths, little listener. What’s on that speedy little mind tonight?” “Well,” the boy had finally steadied himself. “I’ll be finishing middle school soon, and I’m ready to start training to be a hero. I just really hope I can get into U.A. and meet you! I wish you could be my English teacher!”

Awww. “Shucks, little guy. First, good job on finishing up middle school. I hope your parents have a rockin’ party ready for you! Second, you’ve got guts for aiming for the highest! Make sure you study and prepare, 'cause U.A. only accepts the best!” There was a pause on the other end. “So, is there a chance that I won’t make it?" “My little listener,” you could tell that there was a gentle expression on Mic’s face as he spoke. “There’s always a chance, so I want you to promise me one thing. If that chance hits you, don’t give up on your dream. Get the most out of whichever school accepts you. You know how many amazing heroes I met who came from schools with pretty lame reputations? There’s a lot of them, trust me. I’ve also met my share of cocky young heroes who rag on others just because they don’t have the fancy brand of U.A. or Shiketsu on their resume. That’s all it is, kid. A brand. Just because you couldn’t strike a deal with a major record label doesn’t mean your music career is already dead.” “Music?” the boy said in confusion. “But I’m not talking about mu—oh…metaphor.” Mic chuckled lightly. “There ya go, listener! Your language is doin’ fine. You don’t need me! But if you think you do, you know where to call me for another chat!” “I do!” the boy said happily. “Thank you, Present Mic! I promise I’ll keep doing my best!” You listened to the two talk for a little longer. The boy had some real determination and you admired it. He’ll hopefully reach his dream. You won’t wish ill will on others just because you didn’t reach yours. Giving everything you had and still not being enough was something no one deserved to experience. The boy had requested a rather angsty rock song that was trying really hard to sour your mood, but you’re not going to give the depressing vocalist what he wants. On the next segment, you internally rejoiced when you hear Mic’s voice in your ear. “Hey there, Mic.” “Oh? Is that my favorite lady listener I hear?” You giggled at the flattering question? “Maybe? I didn’t know you had favorites.” “Ah, you’re right! Not very professional of me! Don’t worry, listeners! I swear I love you all equally!” He boomed. It’s moments like this that taught you to keep your phone a fair distance away from your ear when you speak to the great voice hero himself. “So how’s the cafe treating you?” After so many talks, Mic had learned a few personal details about you, including your job and the area you worked in. He’s commented on how humble your life sounds; you didn’t disagree. “It’s been the same. Nothing new.” Your plan was to share one of your experiences with the more unruly customers today, but something else was weighing on your mind now. “Come on, girl. You’ve gotta have something spicy to share with us, don’t ya?” “Actually,” the last call was really sticking to you for some reason, you couldn’t help but let it slip out. “I want to say that what you told that boy was very sweet. And I was wondering…” Your voice caught in your throat. “I was wondering…” ‘Is it okay to give up?’ You didn’t want to say that. ‘What if you sacrifice everything you have, but still fail?’ You don’t tune in to be a downer. ‘Did you know that I was like that boy once?’ You talk to Present Mic to feel good. “Wondering what? You still with me, listener?” Mic asked. The concern in his voice urged you to spit something out already. “I was wondering exactly which pro heroes you knew personally. You said that you’ve met a lot,” you lied. You weren’t wondering that at all. Still, you won’t mind hearing his answer. “Ha! Where do I even start? Now’s the perfect time for some free promotion for the awesome heroes out there that deserve some sweet limelight! Let me start with a cool guy named Koi. He’s pretty new to the scene and works on the coast.” He went on and on about many lesser known heroes you weren’t familiar with at all, but that made the information all the more intriguing. He spoke highly of each person, listing their accomplishments and how hard they worked to get where they are. As always, he managed to perk you back up. You made a mental note to look up these heroes later. “Whoa whoa, record scratch, guys! The lady’s got me rambling for way too long. Trying to soak up all the time, are ya?” He sneered in the most light-hearted way. You laughed innocently. “Of course not! You were being so passionate about every hero that you mentioned, I didn’t have it in me to stop you.” “Well, I’ll forgive you just this once! You know how to end it. Hit me with that request!” The rest of the broadcast carried on through the night as a drowsiness began to creep on you. You listened to the last of the songs while getting cozy under your sheets. “Time to finally put those hands down! It’s been a blast, listeners! I hope you’re ready to rock with me next time! Good night!” You switched off the radio and finally allowed yourself to drift off. ‘Good night.’ ——— The weekend had flown by. Before you knew it, it was back to business at the cafe. You were always thankful for not being part of the morning shift on Mondays, your co-workers sharing horror stories of the tired and moody zombies demanding complicated orders as quickly as possible. Your shift started at noon. The day was going by smoothly, no wrenches thrown into your usual pattern. Small talk with the customers, impressing the regulars by guessing their orders correctly, practicing your latte art, it was a meditative cycle for you. By the time the sun was down with no recent customers, you were ready to start cleaning up. The place closes in less than twenty minutes and the rest of the staff was sitting around patiently. A ring at the door alerted you all to the sight of a man briskly walking in, gripping at his overcoat as he recovered from the cold outdoors. “Welcome sir,” you greeted while heading to your position behind the counter. The other workers gave their own welcome and followed suit. “Hey!” He said loudly. “Didn’t mean to barge in like that. It’s cold enough tonight without all of this wind.” The voice made you pause. The man approaching you had blonde hair pinned up into a messy bun, some stray locks hanging freely. He adjusted his glasses as he flashed you a smile. That voice…and paired with his appearance…there was no doubt about it. 'Present Mic?' “Heh, looks like I’ve been exposed already!” Mic said with a chuckle. You placed a hand over your mouth, not realizing you had said his name out loud. “Sorry, it’s just really nice to meet you in person. I’m a fan.” You thought you saw him pause as well, eyes widening for a brief moment before asking, “Are you, now? And have we talked before, dear fan?” His voice was calmer than what you were used to hearing on his show. “We have, on the radio. Quite a few times, actually,” you admitted. And with that, his smile was enhanced to blinding levels. “My favorite lady listener! I thought I recognized that sweet voice!” Mic didn’t seem to respond to your blush and kept going. “I remember you said that you worked around here, but I sure didn’t expect to bump into you!” “Well, fate’s treating us both well tonight. I can’t properly express how excited I am to meet you while on the job. What can I get you tonight?” You hid behind your professionalism and waited for his order. Mic rubbed at his chin and pondered. “Well, I’ve been convinced by word-of-mouth that you guys have some yummy pastries. What do you think will go well with some hot cocoa?” Fortunately, the cafe’s menu was practically branded into your mind, so even the presence of a pro hero isn’t enough to make you draw a blank. “I’d personally recommend one of our warm treats. Maybe you’d like to try our filled croissants? The strawberry one is my favorite.” “Mmm, sounds delish. I trust you,” His grins were seriously trying to make you melt. “Hit me up with a cocoa and a strawberry croissant for here!” After taking his order, Mic seated himself at a table to wait for his sugary meal. As you prepared his chocolate and croissant, you couldn’t resist stealing an occasional glance at him. He was studying the cute decorations that littered the place and gently bobbing his head to the indie music playing through the speakers, but the two of you happened to lock eyes once, forcing you to immediately look away. Whenever you saw him in the media, his eyes were usually obscured by the orange shades that went with his hero outfit. Now you realize just how green they are, almost as if they glowed. It didn’t take long to prepare his order, and you decided to grant him the special treatment of delivering the food to his table. There was no one else to serve, after all. “Hey,” he said. “Would you mind sitting down with me?” Your heart fluttered. “Not at all, Mic.” You pulled back the chair opposite to him and took a seat. “Call me Hizashi.” He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Present Mic is always too busy for a snack break.”   “Of course, Hizashi.” You listened to Hizashi’s compliments on the food and drink, trying not to stare as he ate. You were always so sure that he couldn’t possibly be as loud and lively as his hero persona, and you were mostly right, but even now as he dined at a simple cafe, he still somehow radiated a cheerful and positive energy. The warm feeling you got from hearing him on the radio was dwarfed by what you currently feel now that you are seeing him in person. He had eaten the last of the flaky bread before speaking again. “You know, now that you’re right here in the flesh, I gotta ask you something that’s been bothering me since my last show.” Lime green eyes peered into yours as he idly stirred the cup of chocolate. “Were you alright that night? You sounded…conflicted when we were talking.” A lump caught in your throat. You didn’t expect something like that to stick with him. Surely he had more important matters to worry about. “Don’t worry about it,” you answered. “I just had silly things crossing my mind at the moment.” Hizashi took a sip, his eyes not leaving you. “Alright, I don’t wanna pry. I know you’re a grown woman, but I do like helping people. It’s my favorite part of all three of my jobs.” His smile never faded since he walked in here and man, you weren’t used to him looking or sounding so soft. You sat there silently, fighting internally as you tried to decide whether or not to confess. The pro hero waited, drinking and showing no signs of impatience. Your hands gripped at your apron as you took a breath. “I wanted to be a hero.” The only sort of reaction you noticed were his raising eyebrows. “Ah,” he murmured. “Do you still want to be a hero?” A beat of silence. “…No.” Hizashi watched, probably waiting for you to say more, but you still didn’t know how much you wanted to share. “Does that bother you?” He asked. You nodded. “I’d like to hear why, listener.” Hearing the term you were so used to on his show lifted some of the pressure. Ironically, he was probably the best listener out of anyone that tuned in. You straightened your posture and swallowed. “Then I should probably start from the beginning.” And so you let it all spill. How you once had the same glorious dream as so many other children. You explained all of the time and effort you put into the tests and exams, but it was never enough, and your quirk always failed to impress spectators. You had family and friends that supported you for so long, had sacrificed so much to make this happen, but when you realized that your pursuit was leading you to homelessness, you accepted defeat. Hizashi paid close attention, only making a small comment here and there, but he waited for you to finish to say anything more. “I’m sorry you couldn’t get there,” he said sympathetically. “It’s fine.” You were looking down at your lap, unable to hold his gaze throughout most of the story. “I recovered pretty well. It’s nice here.” He hummed and leaned back in his seat. “That’s good! Not everyone can bounce back from that. Sounds like it’s still bothering you, though. Are you sure you don’t want to try again? I’m more than happy to help you out.” You shook your head at the generous offer. This man was too kind. “Thanks, but that’s alright. I’m happy where I am, it’s just that…” You paused as you tried to form the frustration you’ve felt for years into words. “I had put my whole life into this, gave up everything I had, and…and I don’t have anything to show for it, you know? Feels like the biggest waste.” “Yeah, maybe it was.” His blunt admittance surprised you. “But when you realized you weren’t getting anywhere, you stopped before you hit rock bottom. I know some students of mine who wouldn’t have that self-control.” He gave a soft snort at the thought. “Hell, when everyday is such a painful climb, you forget if there’s even anything waiting for you at the top. Maybe you would’ve reached the peak just to finally keel over.”  You nodded along with his feedback. It wasn’t anything new; you’ve comforted yourself with similar words, albeit with less metaphors. And yet, your pesky mind couldn’t accept such logic. “But people don’t like quitters.” Hizashi kept going, arms crossed and staring intensely at his empty plate. “Because quitting apparently means that you’re weak, not that you were smart enough to see that you’re just hurting yourself at a certain point. Man, you know how many people wouldn’t be stuck doing stuff that they hate if this mindset didn’t exist? I know a guy who finally won the heart of the heroine of his dreams, and I was like, ‘Awesome, dude!’” You watched with mild amusement as Hizashi’s volume was slowly rising along with his increasingly animated movements. “But surprise! Turns out that she makes for the world’s worst girlfriend! The poor guy is in his own little hell, but he’s wanted this gal for soooo long and he’s still soooo sure that they’re fated to be together. If I used my quirk to scream at the guy to break it off already, he’d still manage to ignore me!” A snicker nearby caught both of your attentions, turning to see the other staff members looking very entertained by his storytelling. Hizashi coughed out of awkwardness and shuffled in his seat. “You, uh, you get what I’m saying?” His voice returned to a calm tone. “Yeah, I get it,” You replied. “I never considered all of that. Sucks for your friend, but I understand the feeling. It must be frustrating to watch from the outside, too.” “Oh yeah, it is.” He sighed and rested his face in one of his hands. “I know they say that you can’t save people that don’t want to be saved, but it’s not gonna keep me from trying. Good to know that you climbed out of that hole yourself. Well, almost.” He finished off the now-lukewarm chocolate. “Your dream died, so handle it like any other death. Mourn and move on. Dwelling on it or thinking about everything you could have done differently is irrational.” You heard him mutter something under his breath, something about someone rubbing off on him too much. The gears turn in your head. Your eyes wonder to a small stain on the table as Hizashi’s advice breaks through your somber barrier. Mourn and move on.

“I’ll try,” You’re shocked by how dry your throat suddenly is. The sound of sweeping and chairs scraping across the floor makes you snap your head to the clock. It was past closing time! “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!” You didn’t even know if you were apologizing to Hizashi or your co-workers. “I lost track of time! Let me get that for you.” You took his trash before he could respond and quickly joined the others to clean up. “Sorry about that,” one of your friends said. “I guess we all got caught up in your cute little talk.” “Do you have to eavesdrop on every table in this place?” You asked with no real malice. Pretty much the whole staff has a fondness for gossip; perhaps it was just a side effect of working such a job. “Oh, you know me. Why do you even ask?” she laughed. You focused on cleaning the tables as Hizashi stood and straightened out his clothes. You hoped that he wouldn’t leave just yet. His pep talk was appreciated and you wanted to thank him properly before your bus got here. Your bus that was scheduled to arrive ten minutes ago. 'Oh shit!' “My bus! I have to—dammit! I gotta go!” You dashed into the back to gather your belongings and grab your bag. Hizashi and the others looked too stunned by your burst of speed as you exited the cafe and rushed to the bus stop, the biting cold having little effect on your adrenaline-filled body. 'Maybe the bus is late too. Maybe I can still make it.' Your sprint slowed down the moment you saw your ride home already speeding away. It was too late to catch up. You could only watch as the large vehicle drove out of sight, dropping onto the stop’s bench as you caught your breath. Wonderful. This is what you get for getting too comfortable with one of your customers, hero or not. “Hey!” Speak of the devil. You turned to the sight of Hizashi jogging around the corner and toward you. “Man, you move pretty fast.” He caught up to you and took in your tired and defeated form. “And by the looks of it, you still weren’t fast enough.” A loud groan escaped you. “It’s no big deal, really. Another one arrives in about thirty minutes.” “Ah, think you can wait that long in this cold?” A shiver ran through your body immediately after his question. Wow, it really was freezing tonight. You shrugged your shaking shoulders. “I’ll have to. It’s still better than walking.” “Or maybe I can take you home?” Your head snaps back to him. Did you hear that right? “You…you want to take me home?” You repeated. That radiant smile returns to his face and adds another wave of trembles to your body. “I help where I can, and I’m kinda the reason you missed it in the first place. It’s the least I can do for such a loyal listener.” You hesitate, your still-harsh breaths forming misty clouds. You trusted him, no doubt about that. No, what was making you hesitate were his tender expressions that were illuminated by the nearby streetlight, and his lax and inviting posture as he waited for your answer with his hands tucked in his coat, and the realization that Yamada Hizashi was pretty damn handsome.   Pure hot red was rushing up to your face. Surely that was the cold’s fault. “That sounds great,” you uttered before you could even stop yourself. “Alright! Come on, then. I’m totally not dressed to be standing out here for long.” You followed him back to the cafe where an old-fashioned Ford mustang was parked. ‘Classy.'  Your co-workers were watching you enter his car, some with smirks or giving you a thumbs-up. ‘Perverts. It’s not like that.’ At least, you didn’t think it was. The drive home was calming. The radio played lowly as background music while you gave him directions to your apartment. You kept sneaking a peek at him from the corner of your vision, a peaceful look on his face as his fingers tapped on the steering wheel to the beat of the music. He seemed to be the type that hated complete silence; you didn’t mind. The streets were fairly empty, so it didn’t take too long to reach your complex. Hizashi pulled up and parked. “Welp, here’s your stop!” He announced as he hit you with another knockout smile. “Thanks for taking the Present Mic Express, listener.” You removed your seat belt, but made no further movements. “Thank you, Hizashi. For the ride…and the talk. You’ve helped me a lot today.” You say as you dare to look into his hypnotizing irises. He shrugged at your gratitude. “I’m just a customer who was in need of a nighttime snack and met a special gal that turned out to be even greater in person.” It took everything in your power not to cover your face like a flustered schoolgirl, instead breaking eye contact as you felt the heat return to your cheeks. “Thanks, you’re pretty great too.” You shuffled a bit as you both sat in silence. “I’m leaving now.”

“Okay.” You stayed where you were, staring at the door handle like it was the last thing you might ever touch. “I can’t wait to talk to you again on your show.” “Ditto.” “Alright…I’m leaving now.” “You already said that.” You squirmed some more. ‘Come on, you probably just look creepy at this point. Hurry the hell up and say something.’ “Is there something else you wanna tell me?” There was a small hint of amusement in his voice, and you gathered the courage to look at him again, shocked to see that his friendly smile had shifted into something a little more smug. It was probably safe to say that he’s reading the atmosphere pretty well. ‘Then just go for it.’

“Do you…do you want to come inside me—” FUCK. “Come inside with me! Do you want to come inside with me?!”  You were practically shouting the invitation in a feeble attempt to hide your slip-up. Hizashi threw his head back and cackled. “I’d love to, sweetheart! No need to be shy about it. I don’t bite.” You still sat there as the car turned off, his casual acceptance putting you into a stupor. Which version of the question was he even saying yes to? Whichever one it was, he had just accepted your offer to sleep together. You hadn’t been with anyone in years, and now you suddenly do this? A rush of cold wind hit you when he opened his door. “Come on, unless you planned on doing it in the car?” He laughed when you furiously shook your head.  “Good. As much as I love my old girl, she’s probably not very comfortable for something like that.” You only shivered in response as you finally stepped out of his car and joined his side to guide him to your place. All it took was an elevator and a quick walk down the hall to reach your door. It was a little embarrassing to bring a pro hero into your small single-bedroom apartment. It had all of the essentials for a comfortable living, but there wasn’t much room for luxuries. You both kicked off your shoes at the entrance before you hurried to organize some stray clothes and bags. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting guests.” “No worries,” Hizashi didn’t seem to mind as he got comfortable on a chair near your kitchen area and scanned the place. “This is nice.” You snorted at the comment. “I suppose,” you murmured. “It’s nothing worth praising.” “What, finding a place to stay after running yourself down for years? I think that deserves some praise,” he says so matter-of-factually.  That was a really admirable way to put it. “Thank you.” “Mmhmm,” he hummed, watching you finish replacing your things. Now you’re just standing here, not sure what to do next. How do you even start this? Your only experience was a clumsy one with a friend way back. “Well, we can’t do much at this distance, can we?” He says lightly as he gestures you to come closer. You comply and take his offered hand, letting him gently tug you down and onto his lap. He positioned you sideways, your legs laid out over his and making you look and feel like a nervous child. His face was so close, those green eyes looking shinier than ever. “You’ve done this before, right?” His warm breath brushes against your face as he speaks. “Yeah, I have,” you paused and wondered if you should tell him more. Hizashi was getting to know you more than you ever intended. “With a friend some years ago…it was a mess. Two virgins that had no idea what they were doing.” You laughed at the memory. “Heh, I feel you on that one. My first wasn’t the most dignified moment either.” You felt his body shake with his chuckle. His hand was still holding yours, thumb pressing against the space between your knuckles in a sort of massage. The feeling soothed you as his free hand came up to remove his glasses, your body shifting with his as he set them down close by. “In fact, your boy used to be a one pump wonder!” He smiled at your bewildered reaction to the information. “Hey, it’s not my fault sex feels so awesome!” You giggled into his shoulder. He spoke to you with such familiarity that it was impossible to stay anxious. It was why you enjoyed talking to him on the radio, but you never imagined it being the same during a scenario as intimate as this. “Hey, Don’t laugh at me! I’ve gotten better!” He said in mock anger. “And lucky for you, you get to see just how much. Welcome to my private show, listener.” He wiggled his eyebrows in a way that was more comical than seductive. A hand gently held the back of your head, and you let it pull you in to press your lips against his. You closed your eyes and savored the feeling, his lips softer than expected. Your kisses were timid, giving little more than lingering pecks, and Hizashi patiently returned them, slowly adding more pressure and passion as encouragement. The feel of a tongue swiping against your lips made you squeak in shock, getting a chuckle out of him. “That was adorable,” he teased, his voice suddenly at a lower pitch that made you shudder. “You startled me,” you retorted before returning to the kiss, this time with your lips parted to grant him entry. He caught you off guard again by sucking lightly at your lips instead, forcing a gasp out of you before slipping his tongue into your mouth. Your own muscle shyly met his, stroking each other in a lazy dance. His hands moved to hold your face and he’s doing it so tenderly. A hot desire is flowing through your veins from his kisses alone; you can only imagine what else he has in store for you. After a few more wet smacks, the two of you finally parted to catch your breaths, you especially. “Wow,” you couldn’t help but gasp. Hizashi gave a breathless laugh. “Getting overwhelmed already? We haven’t even taken any clothes off yet.” He wasn’t as composed as he let on, a red flush spreading across his face. The hands holding your face moved down to wrap around your waist as he moved his kisses down to your jaw. You sighed and tilted your head back to give him access to your neck, burying your fingers in his hair as you felt him lick and suck at your pulse. Beneath the smooth locks you felt a pin that held his sloppy bun together. “Hizashi? Can I-ah,” a hard suck on your sensitive throat forces you to pause. “Can I…your hair?” You tapped at the pin to get your point across. “Go ahead,” he groaned against your neck, not even slowing his assault as you pulled the small clip out and watched his golden locks fall to his shoulders. He purred to the feeling of you combing through his hair like fine threads. “It’s really pretty,” you whispered, still shivering from the love that he was showering on your skin. He pulls away from your neck. “Are you saying my hair isn’t always pretty? Trying to hurt Mic’s feelings?” He said with a pout. He looked all the hotter with his long hair draping the sides of his face. “Not at all! I think Mic makes for a handsome cockatoo,” you jest with a smirk. “Heh, you got jokes, huh? We’ll see who’s laughing once I get these annoying clothes out of the way.” He double tapped your thigh. “Up.” You stood up and watched him follow instantly, noticing the bulge that was beginning to grow beneath his pants. You quickly tore your eyes away from it. “Hold on a minute, I know what we’re missing.” He reached into his coat pocket and retrieved his phone. You waited, wondering what he could possibly need on his phone right now. A few taps later, a smooth melody began playing from the device. “Oh yeah, I’m feelin’ it already.” He set the phone down and shut his eyes, getting a feel for the beat of the sensual R&B song. This man was unreal. “You have…a lovemaking playlist?” You uttered while watching him get into a groove. “I’ve got a playlist for a lot of things, baby. Nothing sets the mood like a good tune. Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll go first.” And so he began his slow movements, swaying and bouncing in rhythm to the music, pulling his coat back and shrugging it off in a steady and seductive manner, tossing it aside. Watching a personal strip show of one of your favorite heroes was both hilarious and hot. On one hand, he was giving you playful and goofy faces while lip-singing to the sensual vocals. On the other, ‘I’ll be damned,’ you thought, because he really did know how to move his body and was successfully captivating you. His hips were moving in slow circles as he grabbed the bottom of his shirt, lifting it up and revealing his impressively lean torso. ‘Oh, his hero outfit doesn’t do his body justice.’ You were so impressed by the chest and the abs that were just thick enough to be visible, you didn’t notice him struggling to pull the shirt off of his head. With his top completely bare, he smoothed a hand down his hair and leered at you with a slow lick over his lip. “Liking what you see, baby?” How the hell did his voice get so deep? Why was he being so sexy right now? Your throat was dry all of a sudden, so you simply nodded. “Good.” His hands ran over his chest, making sure you were watching them before they began an agonizingly slow descent, tracing over hard lines, his muscles rippling with the mesmerizing thrust of his hips, a sight so erotic that you wanted to look away, but just couldn’t. With the buttons and zipper quickly undone, his thumbs hooked beneath his pants and began to pull down and oh shit he was pulling at his boxers too. You were really about to see it and you didn’t know if you were ready, but your eyes remained glued to his waist as his masculine v-line and a neat trail of blonde curls was revealed, your breathing getting heavier with the knowledge that he was only centimeters away from revealing his… “Naaaah, I’ll leave these on for now.” Just like that, his voice returned to his loud and cheerful pitch, pants readjusted and no longer on the brink of revealing his manhood. Confused, you look back up to see an infuriatingly innocent face staring back at you. A pang of disappointment hits you hard; Hizashi had just teased you big time. “Your turn.” You stood there awkwardly, having no idea where to even start. “I…uh…” You try to get into rhythm with the song and already feel like a fool. “I’m not much of a dancer. Can I just undress?” You felt a little bad. You didn’t want to kill the mood just because you didn’t know how to be as light and silly as him. Hizashi casually approached in all of his topless glory. “Don’t stress, girl. The stage and spotlight ain’t for everyone,” he empathized. Slender fingers took hold of the bottom of your shirt, and he looked into your eyes for silent permission. You gave a slow nod of approval and lifted your arms so that he could smoothly remove your first article of clothing. He discarded the shirt quickly to lay his hands on your bare waist, tracing over your soft and sensitive skin, making you jump slightly. “That tickles,” you snickered. “Sorry, sorry.” His hands went higher until they reached your bra, fumbling with the clasp at your back. “Mind helping me out? I still haven’t mastered these contraptions,” he asked through gritted teeth. The fully concentrated face for removing an undergarment was a real hoot, but you showed mercy and joined his hands to undo the fastening and pulled the straps down your arms. With how hard he was staring at your exposed breasts, it took everything in your power not to cover yourself, keeping your arms at your sides. “Damn. You’re gorgeous, you know that?” He spoke softly, giving feather-light touches over the mounds of flesh. “Can’t believe you’re giving me the honor of seeing you like this.” You warmed over at the praise and his touch, a thumb brushing lightly over your nipple. “You…look really good too,” you complimented back, your own hands coming up as you considered exploring his body. Hizashi noticed your hesitation and took a hold of your wrists. “You can check me out with more than your eyes, babe,” he says with a wink, and then places your hands right onto his hot and hard chest. ‘Woah.’ You swear that your heart stopped for several seconds. Hands slightly trembling, you run them slowly over his firm pecs, listening to his quickening breaths as you went lower to feel his abs. Present Mic was never really on your list of sexy heroes. You never bothered to imagined what the rowdy guy looked like underneath that superstar getup. ‘Shame on me, I suppose.’ The hero quietly reveled in your touch as he returned to your breasts, kneading them gently to bring out soft moans from you. There was something extra close and affectionate about just feeling each other, hands caressing and pressing every inch of both of your bodies. Your first time wasn’t this slow and steady; you and your partner were too embarrassed by so much clumsy fumbling that you ended up rushing to the main act. An arm wrapped around you and pulled you closer, a pair of lips speaking right next to your ear. “To the bed.” The song currently playing had a much more raunchy vibe to it, matching the growing intensity of the room as Hizashi gently pushed you back onto the mattress so that he could peer down and take in your body from above. You felt even more vulnerable in this position, but the man’s gaze, although lustful, was still gentle and nothing to be afraid of. You had enough courage to take his face and bring him down for another kiss, lips moving more boldly this time. Hizashi smiled behind the kiss, but had other plans and trailed downward, picking up where he left off during the first make-out. He licked a wet trail across your neck, wasting no time in reaching your breasts and peppering one with kisses, the slightly ticklish sensation filling you with pleasurable tingles. Too modest to watch him shower your body with love, you instead closed your eyes and focused on the feeling as the naughty music played on. The wetness of a tongue was flicking across your nipple, making your breath hitch, but it was the complete engulfment of wet heat that made your eyes fly open to the sight of him hungrily sucking at you like he was being nursed. You could still feel his tongue swirling around your nipple in the wet cavern of his mouth. It felt so good, bringing forth an ache within your lower body. “Ah, Hizashi…more…” Your plea came out as a shuddering moan. “Patience, babe,” he panted before switching to your other breast and giving it the same delicious treatment. Soon he continued his trek downwards, kissing at your stomach and playfully dipping his tongue into your navel. “Alright, time for these pants to go.” You lifted your hips to help him pull them off, nervous but so desperate to feel him touch you more. Surprisingly, he left your panties on and placed his lips right on your hipbone, making you twitch. The kisses wandered to your thighs, taking his time in enjoying the texture of your flesh as he licked, sucked, and gave the occasional nip to make you jump. You can feel the hot desire in your core building up as he got closer to your mound, your insides throbbing in anticipation, ready to be probed and explored already. Finally his face was right at your clothed pussy, a sinful grin forming as he observed the very damp spot. You were ready for him to finally remove the last barrier that prevented your bodies from joining. What you weren’t ready for was the shock of his tongue pressing against the thin cotton and licking at you like it wasn’t even there. Even with the shaky gasp that escaped you, you felt mortified. “H-Hizashi? What are—that’s—ohhh.” His lips managed to close right around your protected clit, the feeling muted but still powerful, but this was all so new to you. It’s one thing to fantasize having someone put their mouth there, but to actually…! Hizashi halted his ministrations and looked up at you. “What is it? Did I do something wrong?” The panic in your breathless voice probably worried him a bit. You didn’t want him to think that he screwed up, it’s just that…ugh, you didn’t even know! “I, uh, you don’t have to do that, really,” you stammered. The pure confusion on his face was unexpected. “What? Go down on you? I love doin’ that, babe. You don’t?”

You were tempted to grab a pillow and hide your face. “I…don’t know. No one’s ever done that to me.” “Oh?”  He tilted his head, resting on one of your thighs as he watched you curiously. “Well this guy would love to do it to you. May I?” ‘Yes. Yes, please do it.’ You just couldn’t be as shameless as your inner thoughts, so the most you could do was squeak, “If you want.” Hizashi rubbed soothing circles around your inner thighs. “I’ll just give you a sample, alright? You just lie back and feel it. Actually…” He raised himself and took a hold of your hips, tugging you to the edge of the bed. He was now kneeling on the floor with your legs hanging over his shoulders. Even with your panties still on, you never felt more exposed. His mouth was back on you in an instant, licking long stripes up your covered womanhood. You could feel your heated lust, could feel your juices seeping out to mix with the saliva that was coating your ravaged underwear. But it didn’t look like Hizashi planned on letting up on his assault anytime soon, pressing his face against you as if he was craving your nectar from the source, but insisted on holding himself back. As you whimpered from the wet grazes and your growing arousal, you realized that this just wasn’t going to be enough. “Please,” you whined. “I need more.” “More?” The hero’s voice was husky, and the wicked look he was giving you wasn’t helping matters at all. “What do you want more of?” Your knuckles were turning white from how hard you were clutching the sheets beneath you. “You! Your mouth! Please, take them off!” “You like what my mouth does, baby?” He gave you a quick lick. “Yes.” “You wanna feel more of it?” “Yes, please!” You begged. “Wanna feel my tongue push inside your pussy?” The sudden vulgarity of his words made you clench. “Y-yes.” A finger runs up and down your slit, the cloth’s texture doing nothing but irritating you at this point. “Good, because your taste and smell is driving me wild.” His fingers hooked around the lace and, thank the gods above, finally pulled them off, sticky strands of your arousal being pulled along with it. Repositioning himself, he used his thumbs to spread you open and take a good look at you. ‘Oh God, that’s a bit much.’  You shut your eyes to avoid his invasive ones that were looking straight inside of you. Just before he dove in, a new track began to play. “Oooooh shit, I love this song!” You looked to see Hizashi on the verge of jumping up in excitement. After being so turned on, you managed to forget that he’s a dork. “They’re just asking me to go all-out on you, aren’t they? Get ready, sweetheart. I’m about to send you to heaven.” Your breathing quickened as he leaned in, suddenly understanding that his teasing was just to make you extra sensitive to the real deal, because his breath alone was sending pleasant shocks through you. The first long lick up your sex already had you moaning loudly. A pair of hands held your hips down to prevent you from bucking too wildly, thighs quivering on his shoulders as he hungrily lapped at you. Among the indecent sounds between your legs, you also noticed the song’s lyrics were describing the very act Hizashi was performing right now, his mouth working more vigorously whenever the singer expressed the desire to lick a girl, to make her cum all week. He was avoiding your clit, giving full attention to your sopping folds, sucking on them loudly before deciding to plunge his tongue straight inside of your pussy. The intruding muscle had you squirming against his hold, rubbing against your walls and pushing into you as far as possible. You noticed that Hizashi’s eyes were closed in bliss, giving soft moans as if this was bringing him just as much pleasure. Whatever the case, the sight of him enjoying himself so much was something you’ll be seeing in your erotic dreams for weeks, maybe months to come. You lost control of the sounds leaving your body as the pleasing heat grew, tongue thrusting in and out of your body, his nose pressing against your neglected clit. The thorough tongue-fucking was bringing you so close to the edge. Hizashi released a long and deep moan and…you don’t even understand what happened next. The sound sent the mother of all vibrations bouncing throughout your insides, forcing you into a violent convulsion of an orgasm. You didn’t hear your own scream, the music, or see Hizashi’s amazed expression when you tightened your legs around his head in a vice-like grip. Everything was suddenly muted save for the tremors wracking your entire being without mercy, pleasure pouring over you so strongly that it was frightening. Your surroundings slowly took shape again as you came down from your high, panting and waiting for your limbs to become responsive again. A hand brushed stray hairs away from your face, and you saw a very pleased hero laying beside you. “You alright, baby? You know where you are?” He asked jokingly. “Yeah,” you breathed. “How many fingers am I holding up?” “Shut up.” You swung your weak arm and smacked him in the chest. “What the hell did you do to me?” “Sometimes I use my quirk to add a little kick,” he explained while rolling onto his side, giving your damp face a quick peck. “All it takes is a bass boost to soak the dancefloor, am I right? Though maybe that was too much. I didn’t know whether to be turned on or scared with the way you were spazzing out. Hope your neighbors didn’t think you were being murdered.” You shrunk into yourself. “Oh. Sorry,” you mumbled. You watched his hand casually explore your sensitive skin, catching a glimpse of the bulge in his pants that was more prominent than ever. “Your…” You gestured to his groin. He looked down at his stiff predicament and huffed. “Ah, yeah. It’s kinda been killin’ me. You good to keep going, babe?” How could you possibly say no after the ride he’s given you? “Yes, of course.” You moved to get up, but he gently pushes down on you. “Stay right here. I just need a minute.” The bed shifts with the loss of his weight and you watch him grab his discarded coat, fishing for something in its pockets and mumbling about something that he always keeps around, until you hear a little “a-ha” as he triumphantly holds up a condom. “Safety first~,” he says in a sing-song voice. Wow, he’s a prepared guy. Disobeying his orders, you raised yourself to sit upright. “Can I do the honors?” You asked. Honestly, you were just curious to see what he had in store for you down there. Hizashi looked surprised but pleased. “Be my guest!” he said excitedly, removing the wrapper while approaching you. The tent in his pants just sat there in front of you, begging to finally be released. “So, do you want me to finish my little show, or do you want to be the one to take’em off?” He watched your face intently as he thumbed at the band of his pants. You gulped loudly. He clearly wanted this night to be all about you, but he deserved some attention. “I’ll do it.” You whispered, taking a delicate hold of his pants to pull them down and revealing an intricately designed pair of boxers. Colorful urban-style shapes and characters covered the underwear, art that you would expect to see on the city’s walls. Any other time, you would take a moment to appreciate the impressive work, but you had a horny man to take care of. With a shaky tug, his final clothing was removed and the freed erection sprang out and smacked you in the face. The horrified ‘eep!’ and the utterly offended look you were giving his cock had Hizashi cracking up. “Shit, I’m sorry, babe!” He choked between breaths. “I guess I should have given you a heads up!” You were too embarrassed to even respond or look him in the eye. “Hey now, I promise he won’t hurt you again.” He gave you a pat on a head like a grumpy child and held out the condom to you. You silently took it and observed his manhood with a cautious look, as if it would somehow lash out and strike you again. He was pretty long; while his girth didn’t look too intimidating, you doubt that he can fit all of his length into you. It twitched when your fingers wrapped around it, rubbing up and down the soft yet firm organ and earning some sharp breaths from Hizashi. You finally attempted working with the music, stroking to match the same slow tempo. You took the lubricated protection and placed it over his swollen head, your other hand keeping up your rhythmic pumping as you pulled it down, stroking every uncovered inch until he was fully sheathed. “Fuck, girl. That was sexy,” Hizashi had watched your performance with lustful wonder. “You really don’t give yourself enough credit.” The praise excited you in more ways than one. His hands were on your shoulders and pushing you back down with him climbing on top, returning you both to your earlier positions. One hand reached between your legs and slipped a finger between your folds, dipping inside to sample your wetness. “Are you ready for me, baby?” His voice returned to that low raspy tone that had you throbbing for him all over again. Your nodding was so frantic that you made him laugh at your eagerness—your want has overpowered your doubts. He takes hold of himself and places the tip right at your entrance, your heart racing in anticipation to be filled. A sudden kiss distracts you. It was the deepest kiss he’s given you, lips practically holding yours prisoner while his tongue curled around yours. Breathy moans left both of your mouths. You were being effectively distracted until you felt the sharp burn of being stretched, your arms wrapping tightly around his neck while he pushed inside as slowly as he could. He drank up your whimpers and you consumed his growls of restraint. Every inch felt like it went on forever, hot and pulsing and overwhelming, yet your greedy pussy clamped down and sucked him in until you were completely filled. Hizashi stayed there, finally detaching his lips so that he could study your face. Those green eyes that enchanted you at the cafe for their warmth and kindness were now glazed over with something raw and insatiable. Such a look made you tighten around him, savoring the groan he gave in response. Your legs wrapped around his waist as the signal to start moving, and he complied with a slow and shallow pace. The friction was already creating another burning knot in your core. The other time someone was inside you like this…there was pleasure then as well, but it was nothing compared to this. Nothing compared to a partner who knew how to properly prepare your body and keep your mind at ease. Hizashi’s hair was draped all around you, creating a romantic enclosure of just him and you, everything else in the room feeling so far away. His thrusts were getting stronger, your heat and tightness making it too difficult for him to keep things slow. You didn’t protest and took every electrifying stroke with a helpless cry. Even with all of the sounds you were making, you dare say that the man above you was being even louder. “Ah…fuck…oh, baby you feel so fucking good. Oh yeah, fucking squeeze me just like that,” his language also became a lot more colorful, apparently. Concerning volume aside, his words only added to your pleasure. Your heels dug into him, pushing him deeper inside and brushing against that spongy bundle of nerves that had you writhing. “Shit, thanks sweetheart. Been lookin’ for that spot.” He pants with a mischievous smile across his sweaty face. With a particularly hard slam that makes you see white, he slows down and starts a deep grind. “Ah! Hizashi!” You weren’t prepared for such powerful stimulation, his dick hitting your sweet spot while his pelvis rolls against your clit. He elevates himself for a better angle, forcing you to disentangle from his neck and instead fumble desperately at his arms. The hot tension was tightening at an alarming rate with the pleasure he was giving to both of your most sensitive spots. Your gaze constantly switched between Hizashi biting his lip in a sexy focused expression to his contracting muscles as his hips press and rub against every inch of your cunt. Your nerves could only handle the sensual onslaught for so long—it didn’t take long before they were all set ablaze and reduced you into a trembling mess with your back arched and mouth hanging open in a silent scream. Sure, it wasn’t a heart-stopping climax like the one he gave you with his mouth, but the simultaneous spasms of your clit and innermost walls was its own amazing experience that had you melting into a blissful puddle. “Mmm, that’s it. That’s a good girl,” Hizashi groaned in approval. Your orgasm was still rippling through you when he buried his face into the crook of your neck and returned to his rutting, now at a much faster pace. Tears pricked at your eyes from the overstimulation. Your own choked sobs were smothered by the most intense moans you’ve ever heard sounding right in your ear. “You’re so amazing, baby…so damn beautiful.” How the fuck did he sound so sweet even when he’s on the verge of nutting? This hero has given you more than he even realized. He’s given you his company and joy every Friday, he’s given you kind words at your job, and now here he was giving all of himself to you. The emotions, the hypersensitivity, the closeness, it was all too much for you.

You came a third time, the sensation toeing the line between pain and pleasure as you clung to him tightly. He gave several more thrusts before reaching his own peak with a howl that might encourage a file complaint or two. You just held him, feeling every shiver run down his limbs and every shaky breath expelled from his powerful lungs. Both of you rested in each other’s embrace. If only things could just stay this way; Hizashi never failed to make you feel so good, in more ways than you even dreamed of. “Woah woah, you alright?” Said man’s panicked voice startled you. Before you could ask what he was talking about, you felt the moisture running down your cheeks. When did you start crying? “What’s the matter?” He tried again, his troubled eyes breaking your heart. ‘It’s nothing,’  that’s what you wanted to say, but your throat felt constricted as more tears fell. Hizashi didn’t need to hear you—he simply pulled you up into a proper hug, saying nothing as you cried in confused frustration. The music had stopped at some point during the sex, the only sound present now was your soft weeping. You let the soft rubs along your back soothe you, his other hand cradling your head. The tenderness of it all just made you want to cry more, but you held back and calmed yourself down and spoke. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” “Nothin’ to be sorry about, listener,” he returned to using that term, making this feel like another one of your friendly night talks. “It gets pretty intense sometimes.” He pulled you into a kiss, this one much lazier than the others. This was it. The kissing. It was too sweet, too sincere, the warmth of it blossomed something inside your chest that felt too earnest to be simple lust. Was he aware of what he was doing to you? Were you just overthinking this? Weren’t one-night stands supposed to have boundaries? Hizashi pulled out of you, leaving behind a sad emptiness that wanted him back immediately. He rose to his feet and headed to your bathroom, most likely to dispose of the condom. You heard his voice sound out of the room. “I’ve got little angels and devils to teach tomorrow, so I probably shouldn’t stay for long.”

Your heart felt like lead. “Okay,” you muttered. There really was nothing more to this. He was putting his boxers back on when he continued. “But…if it’s not too much to ask, maybe I can come by again?” What? Was he messing with you? “You’re serious?” You didn’t mean to sound so disbelieving, but your emotions were such a mess right now and you won’t appreciate having them toyed with. His pants were pulled up next. “One hundred percent serious!” He exclaimed with, dammit, that smile that lit up your entire being. “Maybe I’ll visit the cafe some more too. You were right about that croissant!” He returned to your side on the bed, wrapping an arm around your waist. “What I’m saying is, I think I like my favorite lady listener more than I thought.” Your heart was freed from its petrified state and swelled. Your arms swung around him before you could even stop yourself. “Hizashi…that’s so great but…you’re such a busy pro hero…I’m just a…how will this work?” You were rambling into his chest. “Easy girl, it’s nothing complicated. I’ll visit you whenever I have the time, alright? Ready to give you some support and…attention.” There’s that silly eyebrow wiggle again, making you laugh. You just kept on cuddling him, enjoying his presence for as long as you could tonight. A few minutes passed when you felt him shrug and break the silence. “Ah, what the hell.” He took hold of you and fell back onto the mattress with you now laying against him. “I guess I can stay for the night. I’ll just have to deal with waking up extra early tomorrow.” You snuggled into him and smiled. “Thank you,” you whispered. It’s unclear what kind of relationship you just formed with Hizashi; maybe this was only something temporary. All you knew is that you had him by your side, and you were going to cherish every minute of it and waste nothing. You’ll never waste a second of your life again.

[absoluteindulgence]

All This Love Is Waiting For You

A/N: Salutations guys! This story was inspired by the song "All This Love" by DeBarge. It’s was very soothing to write too. Possibly a part two that takes another turn? Let me know in my ask box or in the replies! Lastly, thank you to the ones that helped me brainstorm! I hope you're enjoying your holiday weekend. Thank you to everyone that's followed and liked my work, I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

Pairing: Eijirou Kirishima X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.2K

Adored by many and notably the center of attention and crowned as the most humble in your grade. Apart from being in class 1-A, you kept spirits high and encouraged everyone and let them know that you appreciate their hard work. Another classmate that shared your enthusiasm was Kirishima. He saw how you were always pumped up and would comment on how manly you were. At first, you thought he was just teasing you and he soon explained what he meant. From there on, you didn’t mind it since it was the highest compliment he could give, becoming friends right after the clarification.

Hanging out with him meant being close to Bakugou, Sero, Denki, and last but not least Mina. The squad always roared with laughter and taunts directly to Bakugou. Shouting his rebuttals almost instinctively as you tried your hand at keeping the peace with Kirishima. Soon proving to be a nine-to-five in itself since they didn’t know how to quit and yet the respect was evident through the group.

You found a home within the bakusquad, pushing the guys out their levels of comfort and Mina bounced about having another girl in the crew. You dedicated time to your friends, your quirk and your studies. Being a hero to you meant showing the better side of those around you. Self-serving your personal character while naturally boosting the companions you made along the way.

Your quirk was best for on-hand combat and a lot of the time, you were paired with Kirishima since you created transparent, reflective shields through your body. Kirishima enjoyed the challenge, not once worried about fighting a girl. He was eager to see your movements and your ability to fight. You didn’t get into a lot of fights when you were younger but your parents always wanted you to be ready. The area your family resided in had lots of petty thieves stealing wallets and although your parents weren’t tried, it didn’t mean it couldn’t happen to you.

Immediately, pushed you into self-defense classes and from there you were the best in class, soaking in the knowledge like a dry sponge. With grand muscle memory, you charged at Kirishima, catching him off guard for a mere second. He braced for the impact as you closed the space between you two. Your agility shone as you used aerobic moves to get the upper hand. You went back and forth dodging each other’s attacks.

You’re impressed that he can match your pace, he might even be a little faster than you. You were overly confident and reached your arms out to pin him down to the floor. The result of your lunge caused Kirishima to dodge with ease, suddenly grabbing your arm and flipping you onto your back. The impact was instantaneous as the wind from your body escaped.

That hurt.

“Sorry, (______). Are you okay?” He was instantly by your side checking on you.

Your eyes were shut as you gave him a weak nod.

“Can you stand?” He asked.

You opened your eyes slowly, with a low, pained grunt, “Yeah.”

His arm was reached out to meet with your hand to level you up to him. As you clutched his palm, he pulled you to your feet. You stretched your arms up to the sky popping the air bubbles out of your joints and bones. The cramped ligaments finally loosened. You haven’t been placed on your back like that since your first lesson of self-defense class. You always guarded but your cockiness got you sidetracked when sparring.

“Are you sure, you should be doing that, (_____)? ” He hesitated to hold your back, “Do you want to see Recovery Girl?”

“No, I’m okay. I just needed to stretch my muscles.” You smiled in his direction. “You’re so strong, Kiri.”

A blush slowly painted his face as he thanked you but insisted on taking you to the nurse’s office. You brushed it off saying there was no need. You took one step forward and slightly stumbled, Kirishima took no time hooking your arm on top of his shoulder as his other hand wrapped around your waist.

“Just so you know, I’m not taking no for an answer now. You’re apart of the team, (_____). Can’t let anything happen to you.” The sincerity in his voice vibrated through your chest as you held onto every word.

You smiled to yourself, breaking down your nonchalance and letting him transport you to Recovery Girl. Respectfully he asked Aizawa and granted Kirishima the green light. As he carried you to the nurse’s office, you wriggled to keep up at his pace. Small groans left your mouth as he stopped walking.

“Hey Kiri, why’d you stop?” You ask holding your side.

He kneels in front of you, “Get on my back.”

“What?”

“Get on my back, (_____)”

“Why?”

“I want to make the trip easier on you.”

Talk about manly.

Without further protest, you climbed onto his back while still in the kneeled position. Your chest rested against his shoulder blades as you wrapped your arms around his neck. He gently rose from the ground, hooking your legs with his muscular arms. You took a deep breath, wincing from the pain you felt from your back area.

“Are you comfortable?” Kirishima turned his head slightly to look at you. You two were close to each other’s faces. His crimson eyes were laced with concern as his brows furrowed awaiting your response.

You nodded and unintentionally nuzzled close to his back. He froze for a mere second feeling the warmth of your body close to his shoulder and started walking again. The halls that he carried you through were empty due to everyone still in their respective classes. The only sound being made was the stomps of Kirishima's shoes as the skids were quiet and controlled.

Not once during the piggyback did he shuffle to keep you up, once you were on his back, his grip was secure. As you entered the nurse's office Kirishima explained what happened and Recovery Girl examines you. She came to the conclusion that you strained your back but nothing rest couldn't fix. She mentioned that it could have been worse had your fall not be broken by the grassy area and gave you a cup of water and a heating pad to soothe the muscle.

After departing from the room, Kirishima apologized profusely.

"You don't have to apologize, Kiri!" You grinned.

"I know you're saying that but I just feel it's the right thing for me to say." He kept his body in bow form.

You walked over to him, pushing his shoulders up to face you, a beaming smile from you, "Look at me, Kiri". Peering into his crimson eyes you say, "I'm fine, okay?"

He stared back at you, his eyes studied your face as you were both too close to one another again and his face heated up. The curve of your smile and the color of your eyes sent shocks throughout his body and twinkles in his own. He finally went back to his normal stance and held the back of his neck. Still blushing he said, “Okay, I believe you.”

You chuckled in unison as you both made your way back to class.

Since then, you spent all your time with Kirishima and the others. Late evenings filled with hilarity and dramatic debates over whether bread is being burned alive every time it's put into a toaster or if ghosts celebrate 4/20 holiday. Your clique filled with a bunch of goofballs.

Over time, it was a given that you spent time playing video games or watching movies that were so bad, they're good. The debates behind the meaning of the movie always lead to a competition of who could kick who's ass in Smash. Kaminari was surprisingly good and won many debates against Bakugou, just because he knew how to work the controller. That night caught everyone by surprise.

Ironically enough, Kirishima had challenged you to a one on one duel and if he won, he would take you on a date. If he lost he would have to let Mineta take you out, you didn’t come up with that ultimatum, Mina did. Needless to say, you let him win. Not only because you didn’t like Mineta but you had also been waiting for him to ask you out. Mina knew you two liked each other, and what made it extremely clear was that every time Sero or Bakugou would beat you in a game, Kirishima would defend your honor.

That first date was nerve-wracking and he could tell that you were nervous because so was he. As he held your hand, he confessed what he wanted to say to you since that day he sparred with you and took you to Recovery Girl. The words of honesty and sweetness spilling out, generating your face to heat up with overwhelmed excitement. Following the date, you made it official.

At school, you were known as the manly power couple. An ode to Kirishima’s values and the way they rubbed off on you. Together, you matched an incomparable amount of honor and code as it showed in your teamwork during sparring matches and work studies. To say the least, you made each other look good.

However, today was unusual. You felt the stress build-up and couldn’t escape it. Your agency worked away from Kirishima’s and left you to deal with petty thefts on the other side of town. Being in the top fifteen of pro heroes, you had the obligation of handling big problems or ones considered to be small by the regular civilians. You always took your heroism seriously but today, your vibe was off. You didn’t display it to your colleagues or victims but you felt it internally.

The day drained the rest of your energy as you held onto what's left of your sanity. You needed to relax soon or you would blow up on the wrong person. You called Kirishima during your lunch break hoping to relieve some tension. Telling him about the old lady that couldn’t hear you as you helped her pick up her groceries. She assumed you were trying to steal them from her and tried to call out to your hero name to catch you, the thief.

Your boyfriend laughed and said you would be fine, “I know who you are and that’s all that matters.”

“Awww, thank you, Red Riot. Hearing that makes me feel somewhat better.” You feigned sarcasm but he saw right through it.

He sighed, “Listen, I know you’re going through it. I hear it in your voice. You’re a strong lady, okay. You can handle anything.”

“I know, I’m just tired.” You felt a tear stream down your cheek. “I want to go home, babe.”

“Oh no baby, are you crying? Do you want me to pick you up right now? You know I will.”

Although you were having a shit day, you didn’t want to make Kirishima end his shift early. Especially if he was working on a time-sensitive case. Being a hero came first and so you tucked your emotions in your back pocket for the time being.

“No babe, just come pick me up after my shift is done, okay?”

For a moment he sighed, he didn’t like to leave you alone when you were feeling down. “Alright (______), as soon as I’m done for the day, I’ll come running.”

Another tear came down but a smile expanded across your face, “Okay, Ei. Thank you so much for cheering me up. Now, I can go on with the rest of my day until I see you.”

“That’s what I’m here for baby, and you know that.” You could feel his grin through the phone, “Listen, they need me back in action. I can’t wait to see you later. ``I love you.”

And with that, the call ended, and your spirits were heightened. You were able to channel back into your confident nature. All it took was the words from your handsome hero. Many moments made you grateful for Eijirou’s positive essence. It would level you at times where you would push yourself into rock bottom. His hand forever stretched out to lift you out of the frump.

Your day went without any more hitches, and even if there were, you didn’t notice. You diffused the pettiest issues with a smile and fought the frivolous robbers with overjoyed laughs. Your colleagues were glad to see you back in your true character. And already knew who was the culprit.

You never told your boyfriend that you loved him because you cared about the meaning of that word. Although, you enjoyed his company you never used the word loosely and only when you meant it. He knew that and didn’t have a problem. He always took the time to remind you how he felt about you. And in your own way, you always showed him.

You can’t say what stopped you from saying so earlier, but you were a visual person. He never forced it out of you even when he thought you were on the verge of saying it. To Kirishima, hearing you say that you trust him or adored him was more than enough.

Fast forward, it’s the end of your shift. It’s chilly outside so you kept yourself tucked away into your warm, cozy office. Kirishima already let you know that he was on his way and told you to stay put. Not even ten minutes later, he sends you a text to come downstairs. Already, changed out of your hero costume, you grab your long, wool burgundy coat. Pulling your arms through the sleeves as the rest of it falls pass your waist, hitting your calves. Walking out your office and to the elevator, you said goodnight to the remaining heroes and staff working on your floor.

As you reached the main lobby, you see your hero waiting. Your struts are swift but elongated as his toothy grin stretches across his face. You almost broke out into a jog until Kirishima meets you halfway with a bear hug. His hold on you is firm and glowing with heat. You inhale his scent, flooding your mind with his pure, earthy infused sweat.

You hold him tightly as he chuckles in your grasp, “Hey, beautiful.” He plants kisses into your neck and moves his way to your cheek, lastly your lips.

The kiss is tender as you hold him tighter to you, your brain’s on repeat saying: I needed this, I needed this, I needed this.

He notices your passion and matches you tenfold, being overly romantic and maneuvering you into a dip as he drives the kiss into a place of voluminous bliss. As he pulls away, you see his self-satisfied grin. He knows he’s taken your breath away and now you were a flustered mess. He raises you out of the dip with a light chuckle while wrapping his burly arms around your tiny waist.

You stare into his eyes, noticing the same brilliant twinkle whenever he was close to you. “Let’s go home, babe.”

Without question, you nod and hold his huge hand interlocking your fingers with his. He tells you there’s a taxi waiting outside for you two. You’re stunned that he didn’t tell you earlier but reassured that they were okay with waiting. The car ride back was soft and comforting as your boyfriend held onto your waist with your head nuzzled in the crook of his neck. You slowly drifted off to sleep.

By the time you were awake, Kirishima already had you on his back unlocking your wooden, contemporary home. The electronic lock beeps with welcoming entry and your boyfriend settled you in on your black leather couch. You felt needy as he broke away from you.

“One moment, my love” His whispers echoes, “I was taking off my coat. Now I’m going to take off yours.”

You laid sleepily on the couch as Kirishima did his best to undress you, you shuffled as he did and he smiled. “Babe, wake up, this isn’t our bed.”

You huffed as you slowly adjusted to him taking off your coat. You stretched as soon as it left your body. You stared at your boyfriend as he reached his hand out to yours. You grabbed it and he lifted you off the couch. Pulling you close to him, placing a beloved kiss on your forehead.

Now, he was leading you to the bedroom you shared, Settling in before he turned to you, ”Shower or bath?”

You knew that apart of you would probably fall back to sleep had it been in the bath. Without hesitation you say shower. No need to worry your pro hero sweetheart. He works on setting up the shower for you, you finally relieve your body of your outerwear clothing. Putting your hair and wrapping your body in a towel beforehand. You walk to the bathroom to see Eijirou already lathering up in the shower

He sees your gawked expression, “Hey, I wanted to make sure the water was warm enough for you. It’s on hell, just how you like it.”

You giggle, “I do not like it that hot!”

“That’s not what my skin tells me, get in here!”

You enter the shower and immediately, Kirishima showers you in kisses and tells you how much he loves you. He reminds you that you don’t need to feel down and that you’re an amazing hero. Tears fall down your cheeks as he speaks. He holds you in his strong arms from behind, “You are safe here, (_____). You don’t have to worry about anything.”

You take a deep exhale, making a mental note not to be so hard on yourself. It’s one to cause internal worry, but to reach Kirishima would break you. You both finish cleansing yourselves of the dirt and grime of hardworking heroes. At one point you hog all the water on purpose and he turns the water cold, you shiver close to him and he smiles.

He looks down at you grasping him, “I’m glad that you want to be so close to me, baby.” He winks at you.

Your face heats up, “What a sneaky plan!” His laugh roars in the bathroom and makes your heart melt as you feel his chest vibrate against you. 

After leaving the shower, you both dress for bed and lay onto the king-sized mattress. Kirishima pulls you in to cuddle close to you. His big arm wraps around your waist as you nestle closer into him. He pulls all the blankets up to wrap the two of you with ease.

“Eijirou,” You feel your body heat up, “I love you.”

His head shoots up to take a look at your face, but you’ve buried it into the pillow you’re lying on. He flips himself on top of you, moving all the pillows so you can’t hide your face. His stare into your beautiful eyes, the usual twinkle in his eyes are now like the gates of heaven. His mouth gaped open.

“(____), Thank you. I love you too.”

[lets-break-free-from-our-chains]

Dawn of A New Age in Ice-Roan x Wife!reader

Requested: I would like a king roan x reader were the reader is pregnant with roans child and tells him. after the conclave he survived because he hold his breath and stopped moving and later a little bit after 6 years, there child or children what you want have a different special blood called: Azblida ( ice blood) and the story  is up to you if you want. from the 100 I would like that :)        

A/N: Hi guys! I promised you all a Roan x Reader and I finally was able to find the time to sit down and write. It ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be, but that's okay because the more Roan the better! Let me know if you guys want me to go into more detail on the whole Azblida story and do another imagine that’s a spin off of this one but focuses more on the twins, Malia and Tobias. I don’t own the any of the gifs and pictures I used, they all belong to there rightful own. Also the picture is not what the twins look like in the story; you can decide what your kids would look like with Roan, lol. Anyways I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think; I always love hearing from you all -xoxoxo

Word Count: 5.5k

You can barely remember what the sun felt like on your face, and how fresh the air smelled. It was radiation-soaked air, but never-the-less your sentiments were the same. It was beautiful and now it was gone. Azgeda, your beloved home was gone; forever. Though you always remind yourself that you have more, from the old world, than most. You have your husband, your twins, and your life. You have far more than most do and so you always remember to humble yourself when you find yourself becoming to melancholy about the Red Dawn Bunker.

“Your lips are pursed and your making that all too familiar face, again.” a strong voice, chuckled from behind you. There was no need for you to look; you knew that heavenly voice anywhere.

 You turned in the chair at your writing desk to face Roan and found him leaning on the side of your bookcase. You sighed as you spoke,

 “And your leaning on my bookcase. Again.”

 Roan’s eyes widened slightly, and he had the decency to look sheepish as he quickly straightened his stance away from his notorious spot against my bookcase. The bookcase would start to become loose and wobble back and forth from the pressure of his gigantic frame leaning against it. Very rarely, did you let small things bother you, but that was one of the few things that could always irk you. However, you knew Roan didn’t do it on purpose and that’s why you were always gentle in your reprimands towards him for the absent-minded tendency.

 “Forgive me, my love.”  he says, as he approaches your chair; to place an intimate kiss behind your right ear. “I always seem to forget, despite my best efforts to remember.”

 “I know, darling. It’s why I remain forever patient in my regards to that specifically vexing habit.” You slyly caught his eyes, with a playful smirk. He laughed at the good-natured slight, as he caressed the sides of your upper arms and dropped a light kiss to your left temple.

 “Well thank you for being so patience with me, my queen. Perhaps, the day may yet come when I remember to refrain myself from such a vexing habit.”

 You threw him a humorous hum with a ‘We shall see’ look on your face, as he playfully shakes his head at you with a highly amused chuckle.  Something was missing though, and it was then that you realized the twins weren’t with him; as they normally would have added their own funny sarcasm by now.

 “Where’s Tobias and Malia at? It’s not safe for them to be without guards.” You mused out loud.

 “No need to worry, (Y/N/N). The twins are training with Gaia and Indra. With plenty of guards to watch over them while they train.” Roan hastened the words out into the air, as if sensing and quickly, seeking to placate your slightly distressed stated; to which you sighed in relief.

 Only to have the distress flood your body once more and turn your blood ice cold. You stood, so quickly, that your chair scraped against the floor as it was pushed away. You moved to sit next to Roan on your shared bed, where you leaned into his enormous figure for much needed comfort and security. You whispered so soft, it almost wasn’t there, “Blodreina won’t be there, will she?”

 “I don’t want her filling our babies’ heads with insanities and atrocities.” You managed to choke out, distressingly harsh whisper, before Roan wrapped you in his arms and gently hushed you. Roan knew you were forever worrying about what Blodreina was up too.

 While the both of you gave your support to her leadership, you were far from comfortable with her power. Especially since she was given her well-earned title; Blodreina. When Roan informed you that people were calling her by that title, you nearly fell out into the floor. Roan didn’t see the big deal in the name until you told him about the eternal and infamous story behind The Red Queen. He’d never heard about the story of the red queen, and while Roan was very intelligent and educated; he hasn’t ever been the kind of person to sit down and read fairytales, and you’d never been able to imagine a dimension where Nia read him fairytales.

 He began to share your same worries after you told him about The Red Queen in the fairytale and historical women like Queen Mary I of England who was later named Bloody Mary for killing hundreds of people, in a five year reign, who didn’t believe in what she believed in. Then, there was Countess Elizabeth Báthory who was given the title, The Blood Countess for killing over an estimated 650 people and most likely more just to satisfy her base pleasure for blood sport.

 You told Roan that those women had plenty in common, but their self-destruction was marked by one particular poison. They had power and eventually they began to like that power. Finally, along the way they developed an obsessive love for that power that inhibited their senses and left them without the ability to see that there are limits and there are lines and we cross them, it builds a wall where those lines used to be. It’s nearly impossible to break those walls down, let alone climb them, to get back to the other side.

 “The twins are two of the few fortunate souls in nightmarish bunker. They were only babies when the Dark Year happened; they don’t have to know the turmoil of trying to find a way to live with the horrific crimes they committed against humanity. They are two of the only ones that are truly pure and innocent.”

The desperation and fear in your soft voice was loud and clear to Roan and it pulled at his heart in ways most couldn’t understand. You’re his wife and the mother of his children, to see you in despair of any level hurt him more than words could describe. You were right though; the twins were lucky when it came to all the things everyone in the bunker had to do to survive.

 It’s times like that when you want more than anything to be above ground where you and Roan where rulers and could properly protect your children. Though you are protecting the twins by making a deal with Blodreina, you both knew that at any moment she could decide to break off the deal and her cult followers would only continue to follow. There no sense of true honor in the bunker anymore. No, that moral luxury died in the fighting pit years ago; the Dark Year to be exact. However, you and Roan were both aware that no matter how much protection you give the twins, there would always be danger to close for peace of mind.   they were the luckiest and also the most unfortunate, at least when it comes to power, that is. Azblidas.

 Nearly invincible creatures it seemed like. When you were pregnant with the twins it felt like you were always freezing, and they were active and strong from the very first kick that appeared to never cease it seemed. Not that you minded, it felt like you were bonding with them and that’s one of the reasons you’d read aloud to them even when you still carried them in your womb.

 |Flashback; Waiting for Roan’s Victory|

You waited behind the flame that told you, your husband, the king was still alive and fighting. Echo waiting anxiously with you, and what would have been consider your Lady’s maid in a time before Primfiya, Cordelia, forever by your side, offered you the support and comfort you desperately needed. Cordelia was a woman in her early thirties; she had smooth olive skin with heart shaped lips, big brown honey-hued eyes and framed by thick dark brown hair. You tried to decide whether it was wavy or curly before settling with the decision that it was both; Delia’s hair was gorgeous either way. She was a strong and wise woman, and she was just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. She stepped towards you from behind you, to whisper in your left ear;

 “Did you tell him?”

There was nothing you hid from Delia and there was nothing she hid from you. She took care of you every day, ran errands for you, helped you with your responsibilities as Queen, offered you wisdom and comfort, and generally just made your busy and chaotic life easier for you. She with you every day, all day even if you hadn’t told her you were pregnant, she was more than smart enough to figure it out all by herself.

 You turned your head to the left, though your eye lingered on the flame representing Roan’s life; “No, I didn’t want to distract him from the conclave. I wanted him to have a level head and his guard up. He has enough to carry on his shoulders, I will not knowingly add to those burdens.”

 You could see she was about to say more but stopped and thought about it a few seconds longer before she looked at you with understanding eyes and soft smile, followed with a gentle nod.

 Your attention was directed back to the room around you as Indra’s daughter, Gaia came from the balcony. It was down to Octavia, Luna, and Roan; you held your breath as the scout approach remaining flames with a candle snuff.  Gaia voice sound like it was far away and somewhere underwater; “Roan kom Azgeda, yu gonplei ste odon.”

 You swear your heart stopped as the nameless scout destroyed Roan’s flame. It felt like you could breathe, as if someone had cut you open and ripped your heart and lungs from your chest. The pain was…unbearable. You manage to let out one long mournful wail, that chilled the blood of everyone in the room, before that became to painful and physically impossible for you it seemed.

 You suddenly felt faint and reached out for something to steady yourself with. Cordelia was shaken out of her shock when she saw you stumble backwards in a slight sway. She rushed up behind you and settled a strong right hand on your hip before clasping your left hand with hers. “My Queen?! Your Grace, can you hear?! (Y/N), it’s me, Cordelia!” Delia waited for a response, but only received a soft breathless gasp that sounded faintly like ‘help’. Cordelia didn’t have any time to ask again before she felt your body give out. She caught your body and gently lowered the both of you to the ground.

 “HELP! GET HELP! Find a healer, the Queen’s fainted!” Delia cried out, in desperate panic. You could see Delia and Echo’s faces above you and their mouths were moving, but you couldn’t hear anything as darkness invaded and conquered your vision.

 |Flashback; prior to The Final Conclave|

 The happiness and relief you felt, when you had woken to Roan’s handsome face, was unlike any kind of happiness you ever felt before. You first thought that you were dead and that you had actually died of a broken heart, but you soon realized that you were in fact alive when you saw Cordelia; perched on the edge of her chair, to right side of the bed, in anticipation.

 Roan was so elated to see that you had awoken and pounced forward to press a passionate kiss to your lips. You’d frozen in surprise and slight shocked till you relaxed into the welcomed kiss and poured your love and longing into the greatly needed moment. Cordelia smiled; quietly backing away and turning in the other direction to give her king and queen privacy. You felt him gently place his large hand over your womb where your child rested. You would later come to find out that it was two babes not just one.

 When he reluctantly pulled away, you could see the questions in his eyes, but he decided it was best not to overwhelm you in your delicate condition. Normally you would have bristled at the someone deeming you delicate, however, at that moment you were grateful because no matter how much you refused to admit it you really didn’t have the energy to talk about something so serious.

 Even if you did have the energy you still had bigger problems. Roan informed you that Octavia had won the Final Conclave and decided to give one hundred spots to each of the 12 clans to show that we were equals and were destined to unite as Wonkru. You were surprised to hear he accepted the notion. He was so adamant when it came to winning the Red Dawn solely for their clan’s survival.

 When he saw your unbridled surprise and questioning gaze as you studied him, he merely chuckled fondly; “The only reason I’m alive is because I didn’t give up, I held onto my last breath until that psychotic Natblida released her hold on me. If I’m going to give up my last breath to anyone, it’ll be to my queen. Preferably in my beloved queen’s arms, in our old age after living a long and meaningful life.”

 You being who you were, had replied with a forever-loving and playful taunt; “Oh Roan, you’re secretly a hopeless romantic! Good thing I find that an attractive trait in my king, huh?”

 He had given you an amused smirk and eyeroll, but the look in his eyes soften considerably when he heard you whisper a heartfelt ‘Ai hod in yu, Ai Hairein…’

 “Ai hod in yu too, Ai Haireina”

 |Flashback; Birth of the Bluebloods|

 The pain was unimaginable and overbearing, as it crashed over you in relentless waves; only getting strong and more painful as time dragged on. Cordelia was to the left of you trying to make you as comfortable as possible, while Roan sat behind, in between you and the metal headboard, as he spoke words of encouragement into your ear.

 You were sweating ice chips; how you could sweat and still be cold was beyond your comprehension. Perhaps its better that you were cold and not hot because there was no “wasting water” of any amount in the bunker; not even to cool off a pregnant woman in labor.

 You screamed and growled in pain, only to spat insults at Roan; while attempting to break every bone in his hand, for compensation. He was a good, but slightly terrified, sport about it and continued encouraging you with the occasional apology. One final push and your shrieking baby was born. Abby looked at the squirming irritated babe in her hands with slight panic.

 “What? What’s the matter?” You asked in confusion, before the unbridled panic set in; “Is something wrong with my child?! Give me my baby!”

 You held your arms out, expectantly, only to become furious when Abby handed the babe off to Jackson; who took her to a different part of the room.

 “NOW! GIVE ME MY BABY, NOW!” You wailed, your angry and agony, over your baby’s wellbeing, beginning to enter twine. Roan began to become angry to, as he saw the state you’d quickly been reduced too.

 “Give us our baby, now; or I’ll have your heads” He snarled but was interrupted by a different and sharper cry of pain, leaving your lips.

 Y our hand quickly cupped your swollen belly to soothe the pain in your lower abdomen.

 “There’s another!” Abby whispered; “I had to have Jackson check your daughter; she was ice cold and had a blueish tint to her skin, but you need to concentrate on the birthday of your second baby.”

 “Daughter? Roan and I have a daughter?” You whispered, with hitched breaths induced in pain. To which Abby confirmed with a firm nod and soft yes.

 “Malia.” Roan said.

 Your smile, at hearing her name, left your face as another pain hit you and you focused on delivering your second child. It took 4 more pushes before your second baby was brought into the world. Abby looked at the child and told you and Roan had a son, before she hears Jackson perplexed voice.

 “Huh, Abby? Do you have any idea why this baby was born with blue blood?”

 Everyone’s held shot to Jackson as he held up a tube of blood with a blueish silver to show Abby.

 “Azblidas!” Gaia exclaimed, with an awe-struck face; “Queen (Y/N) was given birth to a god and goddess among men. Far more sacred and rare than Natblidas and a lot stronger and faster than them too. They’re nearly invincible, its incredibility hard to mortally injure an Azblida. They hold the highest positions in grounder society and each one is as legendary as the next one. An Azblida hasn’t been born in over a century and now there are two.

 Gaia had come to the delivery in the hopes of your child being a Natblida but was graced with not one, but two children destined to be the most powerful beings in your world.

 “This is a sign that the old ways of the faith are not dead. We must show our loyalty to the faith; protect them at all cost and train the Azblidas in the sacred ways, when they’re old enough.” Indra spoke, as she stepped up next to her daughter side. Indra had thought the days of the faith were dead, but she had been proven wrong; in more ways than one.

 “Well now that we’ve decide my babes are strong and healthy; can I have my babies now?” You tiredly asked.

Abby and Jackson gave you and Roan your children and everyone left to give you privacy. “We have a beautiful son and daughter, my king”

 He contently hummed in agreement; “Malia and Tobias, the strongest of the strong; you did an amazing job, my queen. I love you.”

 “I love you too.”

 |Flashback; The Dark Year|

 A famine had stormed the bunker and threatened to take everyone to the shores of the afterlife. No environmental calamity on earth had ever scared you as much as this famine and you lived through the Second Pramfiya. You were born in Azgeda and lived through the deadliest winters know to man, deep within the territory of Azegda, at the royal dwelling built in a region named; The Land of Eternal Winter. Those winters in perpetual ice glaciers and snow was easier to deal with than this famine.

 You had been sick to your stomach ever since you and Roan’s meeting with Octavia and the other advisors. Cooper had told you the extent of the damage to the hydro farm and the only response to Octavia question on how to feed 1200 people, was Abby’s. You could live with throwing real criminals, that truly threatened the people surviving, into the pit. However, throwing people in there to fight to the death so we had a protein source was horrifying barbaric; even for Azgeda.

 “This is wrong. It dangerous.” You stated, and everyone turned to you; “All of you know as well as I do that what your considering is a pandora box waiting to be open. That’s always what happens…It. Never. End. Well. For any of us!”

 “Then give me another option.” Octavia’s eyes pleaded you. “Please!”  she begged, in whisper to you. She didn’t want to consider what Abby suggested, you knew that, but it seemed to be the only option if she wanted her people to survive the six years.

 You and Roan shared a worried look before Octavia ended the meeting.

 ______________

 You and Roan sat side by side at the same table with Octavia and the other advisors; where your gaze lingered down at the big red cube. Roan’s face gave a slight grimace at the sight of his cube and when Octavia gave her speech and took a bite, you knew it would end badly. You and Roan remained unmoved, and locked gazes with one another, before Abby called your name.

 “(Y/N). If you don’t get the nutrients your body needs, eventually it becomes a very high outcome that your body will stop producing milk and you’d no longer be able to feed Malia and Tobias.”

 Your eyes widened at the very likely possibly. It hadn’t crossed your mind that the affect to the rest of your body would also affect your babies only food source. Still you needed to know from someone you could completely trust, so you call out Marcus’ name to which he responded.

 “Is it true, Marcus? It that a very likely possibility?” He hesitated before sighing with a nod. You looked in Roan’s direction to see his heavily burdened and troubled eyes; he to hadn’t consider the possibility.

 You couldn’t endanger your children any more than they already were. Roan grabbed your hand and intertwined your fingers as he whispered;

 “Together. We do it together like we always do.”

 You gave a slight nod, “Together. To ensure Malia and Tobias survive.” You gazed at the cube in exasperation and dread.

 This will end badly. For everyone.

 |Flashback; training the twins|

 Tobias and Malia were growing fast and would be nearing their 6th birthday soon enough. The older and stronger they grew, the more Blodreina showed interest in them. Whether the attention extended from what they and their blood could give her or take from her, was unknown. That notion alone was an unsettling and endless haunting, that antagonized the forever-watchful parents.

 To you, Blodreina was a red serpent, hidden and patience, waiting to strike and take all you held dear and sacred. You never imagined you’d see Octavia as your enemy, but now Octavia wasn’t just an enemy. She was your greatest enemy, and the most dangerous of all the enemies you’d ever faced. One thing you were 100% sure of; Blodreina was a threat, that you and Roan couldn’t afford when it came to your Azblida children.

 She wouldn’t do anything questionable, as of right now, though. Your children had acquired quite the following from both former Trikru and Azgeda alike. Not only people of the old faith, but also people who turn away in disgust of the way people live in Wonkru and believe Blodreina has truly crossed some of the most important limits and lines.

 There was a little over 400 faith followers; leaving it an even fight after hundreds died in the fighting pits for sport among other reasons. Despite what Octavia may think about Wonkru’s strength, it wasn’t enough to overthrow 300 years of faith. Especially after the wonders you delivered into the world when you bared your ice-blooded children to your husband.

 Gaia and Indra were finishing up the twins’ lessons for the day when suddenly everyone in the room was silenced by a loud roar coming from down the hallway. Malia abruptly turned to the sudden noise only to get whacked in the arm with a practice staff, by her slightly younger brother, Tobias. Mal sharply turned back to look at Tobi out of the corner of her eyes, with a dangerous glint in her gaze. She needn’t say anything for her glare said more than her words ever could; as if to say, ‘Back off! Or you’re gonna get it, Tobi.’

 “Mal’s got her mother’s glare, for sure.” Roan guffawed, when he saw Mal’s reaction. Tobi gave his sister a sheepish look and a soft apology.

 “Tobi’s got his father’s guilty stare, for sure.” You softly snarked, with a whisper of a smile; letting Roan know you were only joking. He heartily chuckled at the tongue lash as he pulled you into him to give you a deep kiss; to which you gave back. Malia stormed over a question she asked many times, but never got an answer too.

 “Momma, what’s that noise we always hear from the end of the hallway? Behind the red doors with the strange symbol on it.”

 Gaia and Indra halted as they shared a look with each other before sharing a similar one with you and Roan. The guards and the two women wait for your response to the inquisitive girl’s question. You sigh before you decide to tell them.

 You leave Roan’s arms and walk to the young boy and girl; “A faithless and immoral world lays beyond those doors. A world bathed in red- “

 “Why red, Ma?”  The soft voice of Tobias spoke, as his head cocked to the side.

 “Because it is a place where blood flows and never stops. It will forever be painted in blood and living in that world are monstrous creatures declaring themselves human; who never cease in their howls for carnage. Many people have died in that place for simple pleasure. The monsters in disguise made those people fight in a lonely and terrifying place, known as the pit. Similar to the Gladiators of Ancient Rome and all the while they only roar in hunger for more. You must never find yourself in that position. It is the one place in the world where you will truly be alone. You’ll have no friends, no support, not even each other.”

 Malia and Tobias hang onto her every word; “Why couldn’t we just fight our way to each other and our freedom, Momma?”

 “You can try, my darlings. However, even if you were to kill all of your opponents, there will be a Great Red Serpent, coiled on a throne of chrome, waiting hidden and patience. Even if you’re the last one standing, she still gets to decide whether you live or die. Promise me you will never find yourself in such a place that lacks all honor and humanity. Even if you do find yourself unfortunate enough to be in such a place, promise me you’ll do whatever it takes to free yourselves.”  

 They both immediately swore it to you, and you gave a firm nod in acknowledgment. Once they returned to finishing up their training you looked to Roan and you both shared a look of understanding as you sought the comfort of his arms. It was only a matter of time.

 It was all just a big waiting game.

 |Flashback; Bellamy saves your family|

 You slowly approached Bellamy from your place at Roan side; sliding through the space between Tobias and Malia, who were hugged, protectively, to you and Roan’s bodies. A defense mechanism developed early on in the time since your twins were born, and rightfully so.

 Several emotions seemed to flow over Bellamy’s face at the sight of you; Shock, happiness, love, and a look you knew only too well. Fear. You and Bellamy were best friends, practically brother and sister, ever since you first met in Polis. It was an unlikely bond formed between two people from two different worlds, but somehow you both were able to look past that particular difference.

 When you saw the fear pass over him, all you wanted to do was show him you weren’t mad at him for not being able to keep his promise. In a way he did come back and that’s exactly what you told him. You looked at him in awe as you reached him and quickly pulled him into a tight hug, “You came back…you kept your promise to me.”

 You’ve felt and seen enough fear to last a lifetime, but that is no more, now that Bellamy had freed you all from the serpent cloaked in red death. You knew the words registered in his mind after a few seconds because his arms immediately tightened around you, in a comforting strength. You placed your lips near his right ear to whisper, “Thank you, Bells. You saved us all from the Red Serpent.”

 As you pulled away and watched his reaction, he looked at you in a questioning worry. “(Y/N/N) …” he whispered, before his concerned eyes connected with Octavia’s soulless irises.

 His gaze dropped back to you and what appeared to be a sad but edged anxiety shrouding your tired features. Your eyes and words told him everything and nothing about what he needed to know. Then, his attention was captured by two, inhumanly beautiful and young, twins nestled safely against Roan’s sides.

 ‘You and Roan had children…’ He mused, in mild wonder.

 Realization struck Bellamy, when he realized it was a well-guarded and deeply apprehensive fear; heavily veiling your face.

 |Present time; Ascension to a Hollow Kingdom|

 You assured the twins, after they began to fuss in worry, that you would be waiting for them to ascend, at the top. Poor Tobias looked sick with stress as he watched you like a hawk. He was almost always worrying over something, no matter how big or small, and the fact that he was a Momma’s boy didn’t help his fretting. Roan would fondly say their Tobias takes after his mother; when it came to worrying and pondering.

 Tobias was as cautious as he was dangerous, which said a lot to people if they knew him. Malia and Tobias may have been young and not have extensive training, but their mere existence was dangerous; because their blood marked them with a promise of what they could be.  

 Malia’s blue eyes squinted, at Bellamy, with an edgy distrust. You could help but chuckle when you saw his slight gawk at a 6-year-old glaring at him with a no-bullshit seriousness. He even looked around the area to see if it was really him, she was staring down. It was a glare so familiar that Bellamy couldn’t decide whether the girl inherited the expression from you or Roan.

 You and Roan shared a brief but passionate kiss before you made your way to Bellamy, and the rope that would lift you and your family to your freedom. Bellamy wrapped his arm around your waist with a quick side glance to Malia and her relentless hawk eyes.

 “Bells, you’re not afraid of my 6-year-old, are you?” You teased, as you were both lifted up. Bellamy’s head slightly jerked back as he spoke;

 “What? Of course not, she’s just a kid.” He said, quietly as if he were almost afraid Mal would hear.

 “Uh huh, yeah whatever gets you through the day.” You taunted, “By the way, I like the scruff. Very sexy.”

 He laughed at the playful comment, as he slyly looked at you, and jokingly says; “I thought you might. You always had a thing for men with scruffs”

 “No, I always had a thing for Roan with a scruff.” You giggled with mirth. The two of you, soon enough, reached the beautiful and blinding light that glowed around you. Two foreign men helped you to ground level and you froze in awe as you take in the sight laid before you. It was a wasteland, but it was Earth, your home. You vaguely felt Bellamy’s eyes, hovering on you, but you were more focused with all the open space as far as the eyes could see.

 Something you had forgotten while cramped into that hellish bunker with 1999 other people. “all go down to get your kids and then Roan.” He said, to which you nodded.

This is what’s left of Polis, a place where all the clans could unite in peace. You didn’t have time to ponder anymore on the thought as you heard the voices of your children.

 “Move your hand, rockhead!” Mal snapped at Tobi; only for Tobi to glare at her with pursed lips, “Move your face, halfwit!”

 Bellamy appeared to be making great effort to not laugh and looked to you for help. You took mercy on him and called your twins attention to you, “Alright, that’s enough. Can’t you two go 5 mins without making attempts to rip each other a new one?”

 They both mumbled an apology before looking around with a new wonder in their eyes you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing until now. “This is where you come from Momma?”

 You smile and nod, “It’s different from when your dad and I lived up here though. Before the Second Pramfiya, it used to be covered in fields of grass and trees and bushes as far as the eyes can see, but never-the-less I’m glad to be home and I’m happy that I get to show you our world.”

 They smile and cheer before venturing the foreign area, while still remaining close to your side. You turn as you hear Roan’s voice; “I think this is the happiest we’ve ever seen them.”

 You turned and hugged him as you watch them explore. “I think you right, but hopefully we’ll be able to give them happiness now that we’re free.” Roan nodded in agreement.

 “They look so beautiful and sweet together.” You said before Roan leaned down to place a kiss on your lips. You both pulled away when you heard the twins bickering;

 “Shut up, Mouthbreather!” Mal practically spits out, and Tobi turns back to his twin to give her a good tongue lash;

 “Oh, that great coming from you, Colonel Flap-jaw!”  

 Bellamy couldn’t contain himself any longer and starting howling in laughter at the twins’ insults; he continued to laughter as he looks at you and Roan, “Yeah, those are your kids, alright!”

 You and Roan sharing an amused glance before chuckling at your kids.

[buckeverlasting]

Assembling Ikea Furniture with Bucky Barnes

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: An Asgardian, you live with Thor after the devastation of Ragnarok. Infinity War? what’s that? You are left alone after a confusing Family Game Night, but Bucky Barnes keeps you company and attempts to help you put the house in order.

A/N: As you may know, I’ve been reposting fics from my old blog (with some slight changes). I figured I’d post my first ever Bucky fic in honor of his birthday today! It can be read as a oneshot or part of a series that you can read on AO3: “The Perks of Being an Avenger.”

Warning: some smut and a lil fluff (18+, please)

Word count: 2.4k

Thor must not have come home last night because he was nowhere to be found in the morning. He must not have stopped home either because there was no note. He usually left notes to communicate because he refused to get a cell phone. Tony Stark even gave him a custom device with practically millions of capabilities as a “Welcome to Earth!” present. It was still in the hall closet. Thor had tried to give it to you, but it would only activate with the voice command, “Point Break,” spoken by Thor himself. But Thor bought you a phone. The problem was that you didn’t have anyone’s number. Loki just sort of appeared and disappeared when he felt like it. You didn’t see him as often as Thor, and you were still learning how to read him. You didn’t know what to think about last night.

You decided staying busy would keep your mind off all the strange things that occurred during Family Game Night. You thought you’d go for a run, make yourself a healthy breakfast, and then spruce up the house. You and Thor had bought furniture but had only assembled the essentials, like the dining room table and the beds. Your bedroom still needed a desk, a chair for the desk, and a couple bookcases. Maybe you could get all of that done before 6pm and then start making dinner.

But none of that would happen. Ragnarok felt all too recent, and you thought you’d distract yourself with a little bit of Netflix. A couple episodes of the Great British Bake Off turned into an entire season, and then you stumbled upon a new show that sucked you in, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. A combination of your guilt- and depression-fed inertia and taking advantage of Thor’s absence to watch what you wanted without fear of judgment just caused you to spiral. Somehow, it got to be four in the afternoon, and you heard someone’s voice on the intercom.

“Miss Y/N,” Frank, your doorman, said. “A Mr. James Buchanan Barnes is here to see you.”

“You can let him up.” you said “Thank you, Frank.”

Bucky Barnes, the former Winter Soldier, was here? You weren’t even wearing real pants, just purple pajama shorts, but there was no time to change now.

Minutes later the elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Out stepped Bucky Barnes. You had only spoken to him once before at Tony Stark’s party to celebrate Thor’s return to Earth. You had been starving, and your hands were full, holding a plate of crackers and cheese in one hand and a flute of champagne in the other. You had approached a couch, but Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and Bucky Barnes pretty much filled it to capacity.

But Bucky must have seen you looking. “We can move over,” he said. “Here.” He scooched over onto Sam’s cushion and patted the now empty spot next to him.

You sat down. The cushion was very warm. You had only exchanged a few words before Thor dragged you away to meet Wanda and Natasha. Then when you returned to the couch, he was gone. That was all. Yet here he was.

“Hey, Y/N,” Bucky said. “It’s good to see you again.” He had a small, almost shy smile that still managed to light up his blue eyes.

“You, too, Mr. Barnes,” you said. “Can I offer you a drink?” You began to walk him toward the kitchen.

“You can call me Bucky,” he said. “I could go for something to drink.”

“We have beer and—” You opened the fridge.

“Beer will be fine. Thanks.” He smiled, showing small creases around his bright eyes.

“So, what brings you here?” You took out two bottles of beer and snapped the caps off with a bottle opener.

“Right to the point, then!”

You laughed. “I guess I just never expected you to drop by like this.” You handed him a bottle.

“Well, I have a message from Thor,” he said, accepting the beer. “He came by to pick up Steve this afternoon. They have some mission with Bruce and Tony. Apparently, they didn’t need me, so Thor asked me to come tell you he wouldn’t be making it home for dinner and that you could order something and watch that baking show you like.”

“Thor and that baking show!” you said, blushing. “Alright, well, I guess I’m on my own tonight.”

“I could keep you company,” Bucky said. “All my friends are on a mission…or dead.”

You gave him a look from the corner of your eye. “I’m sorry,” you said.

“I mean because I’m old,” he said.

“Nonsense. You’re practically a child,” you said. “I’m much older.”

He laughed. “Not possible.”

“Well, to be fair, I was asleep for most of my life, thanks to Odin, so I don’t feel particularly old.”

“How old are you, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“About a thousand years, but, like I said, I was asleep for most of it.”

“I was asleep for most of my life, too,” he said. “How about that?”

“Well, look at us,” you said.

“A couple of sleeping beauties! So, what are you up to this evening?”

At this point in the day, you were supposed to have been for a run, bathed, and assembled all your furniture. “I have furniture to assemble.” The words just came out.

“Do you need any help?” he asked.

“I am—”

“Let me rephrase that. Would you like any help or some company?”

It was Saturday evening. You had no idea when Thor would return, and you weren’t scheduled to see Loki until Monday. You could use some company. “Company would be wonderful, actually.”

“Okay! So, where’s this furniture?”

“My room. Follow me.” You led him out of the kitchen and down the hall to your room. You padded silently on bare feet, and his boots sounded heavy behind you. Your door was already open, revealing your unmade bed and dirty clothes on the floor.

“Excuse the mess.” You scratched the back of your head sheepishly.

“There’s nothing to excuse,” he said. “So, all of this needs to be assembled?” He pointed to the flat cardboard boxes leaning against the walls.

“Yeah. Thor really likes Ikea. In fact, he won’t buy any other brand of furniture.” You shrugged.

“His house, his rules, I guess. Anyway, where should we begin?”

“Well, why don’t we divide and conquer to begin with? You could start with that desk chair, if you don’t mind.” You didn’t want to give him the huge desk or the bookcases. Somehow, you felt that would be rude.

“That seems doable.” He walked over to pile in the middle of the floor. At one point, you had started with the chair because it did seem “doable.” You left the arms, underframe, and chair shell in pieces. Bucky knelt down and picked up the instruction booklet and a clear plastic bag of screws. He sat, reading the booklet. “Långfjäll,” he said with perfect Swedish pronunciation.

“Oh, you speak Swedish?” you asked happily.

“There’s still a lot of what Hydra put in me here.” He tapped his temple. “Some of it can be a little useful.”

You, of course, were aware of his story. After Hydra fell and he was reunited with his best friend Steve Rogers, he began recovering his normal personality. No one seemed sure, though, just how much he could recover. Now, here he was, sitting cross-legged on the floor, scrutinizing the instruction booklet. He seemed so harmless yet so very tragic.

- - -

You heard a grunt from the middle of the room. Bucky was hunched over the jumble of chair parts, straining to fit in a screw that would attach the arm to the chair. “It. Won’t. Go. In.”

“Easy, there. Let’s take a break and grab another beer.” You walked over to him and offered your hand to help him up. He took it, and it shocked you because it was cold and unyielding. It was his metal arm. You hadn’t thought about it because he came in wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and a leather glove on his left hand. You hadn’t even thought about it until now. You kept your face neutral. It’s not that you though his arm was strange. It just caught you off guard.

“This is taking forever,” he said. “I’m sorry it turns out I’m absolutely useless when it comes to assembling Ikea furniture. You’ll have to give me some pointers. I don’t know how you managed to get two bookcases together in the same time I attached one and a half arms to the chair.”

“Well, I’ll help you when we get back.” You smiled. Somehow helplessness in strong men made you soft. Perhaps it was unexpected vulnerability. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be giving you a hand, not making extra work!”

You laughed. Really, it was endearing to see him so humbled by a desk chair. “You’re not making extra work. It’s nice to have the company, honestly. Thor tends to keep me kind of isolated.” You handed him another beer.

“Yeah, I noticed.” He paused to sip his beer. “I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to you at that party at Tony’s. Why does he keep you so isolated?

You took a thoughtful sip. “I think it’s complicated.”

Bucky just set his eyes on you, silently encouraging you.

“To him, I’m Asgard. I’m Odin. I’m the last shred of the life Thor has known for a millennium or so. He sees me as more than just a person, and I assure you that I am just a person. But maybe I don’t know anything about what he’s thinking. Despite appearances, Thor is a complex man.”

Bucky drank in silence, neither stopping you nor urging you on. You decided to stop. You didn’t want to reveal too much. You didn’t want him to think you had feelings for Thor, when you weren’t sure yourself. You were still figuring out who Thor was, too. Bucky’s silence was drawing out all these questions. So, you drank to shut yourself up.

After a few minutes of silently avoiding eye contact, Bucky stood upright. “Let’s get this damn furniture taken care of so we can relax,” he said.

“Good idea!” You led the way down the hall again.

“This chair is a nightmare,” Bucky said when he entered your room.

“We can extend our break if you want.” You flopped onto your bed on your back.

“Do you mind if I join you?” he asked.

You shook your head: “no.”

Bucky followed suit and flopped onto your bed on his back. He reached for your hand. His was warm and human. You interlaced your fingers together without thinking.

“Do you like being awake or do you wish you were still asleep?” He turned his head to face you.

You continued to stare at the ceiling. “I honestly don’t know yet. It’s all too soon to tell.”

“How old were you when Odin put you to sleep.”

“I was twenty.”

“Did you have to leave people behind?”

“Yes. My family. It was difficult.”

“Friends or lovers, too?”

“What? Just friends.”

“Did you ever get the chance to be in love before you went to sleep?” he asked.

You turned your head to look directly into his glacial blue eyes. “Not once.”

“That’s okay.” He rolled over to face you with his whole body. He paused and bit his lip in thought. “It doesn’t have to be love, you know.”

“What do you mean by ‘it’?” you asked.

“Something, anything that can happen between two people.”

“What would ‘it’ be exactly?” you asked.

“Does it need a name now?” He reached around you with one arm, planting his hand on the bed, and shifted his weight until he held himself over you.

With so much uncertainty in your life right now, what was one more nameless thing? “No, it doesn’t need a name, I suppose.”

“Have you ever been with a man before?”

“Never.”

“Is that something that would interest you?” His voice was now low and gravelly.

“I want—” you began. You thought of Loki and Thor, how what they said and did didn’t seem to relate. “I want someone to be clear about what they want.”

“Well, I can say for certain that I want you,” he said, voice still very low.

“You want me now,” you said. “But will you want me tomorrow?”

“Yes. Now tell me what you want right now.”

“I want you to kiss me.” Something hot flared up from your navel.

Bucky dipped his head and grazed his lips against yours. Once to the left, once up, and once back down. Then he sank his lips fully onto yours. He nipped at your upper lip playfully. You kissed him back hard, reaching up to pull his head to yours. You let him slide his tongue in your mouth and let it probe in and out. He tasted sweet from the barley in the beer. He tasted like dusk falling all over a meadow. His hair between your fingers was clean and silky.

He took your hand and guided it between his legs and gently moved it along his hardened length, which you felt beneath his jeans. “This is how much I want you.”

You blushed, but you didn’t withdraw your hand. Instead you explored the contours of his erection with your fingers, gently stroking it with your fingertips. He closed his eyes and bit in his bottom lip.

That’s when you heard the elevator ding.

When you heard his voice, there was no doubt it was Thor. “Y/N! I’m home early! I’m sorry to have left you alone like that.” His voice was getting louder as you heard his footsteps coming down the hall.

“I promise it won’t happen again.” He was just outside the door. “I sent Bucky Barnes to give you my message.”

He appeared in the door and stopped when he you saw you two sitting next to each other on the edge of your bed. Of course, you were still in your pajama shorts from earlier. No doubt your hair was a mess. No doubt you were blushing.

Thank you so much for reading! I’d love to hear your feedback!! Also, just send an ask if you want to be added to a tag list.

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Bucky: @gamorazenn @38leticia

[samwellwaffles]

Thank You, Pittsburgh

by Marc-Andre Fleury

It started in Nashville, 14 years ago.

Kind of ironic right now.

The 2003 Draft was at the Bridgestone Arena. As a young 18-year-old from Quebec, all I was hoping for was to hear my name. Pittsburgh had the third pick overall, but at the last minute, they made a trade with Florida to pick first. I had heard rumors that I might get picked by one of the first few teams, but didn’t believe it until I heard Craig Patrick call my name.

Pittsburgh. I would have been happy anywhere, but I got drafted by Pittsburgh. What a blessing. I would, maybe, get to play with Mario Lemieux. I would, hopefully, get to play for the team that had won back-to-back Stanley Cups in ’91-92. I would have a shot at playing in the NHL.

The next 14 years were beyond my wildest dreams.

Saying that the last few weeks have been bittersweet would be an understatement. As we reached the Stanley Cup finals, I knew very well that my time as a Penguin was nearing its end. I love to play. I love the game, and everything about it. Putting the mask on, diving around, stopping the puck, feeling the intensity of the game, feeling useful. I wish I could have been in net for my last game as a Penguin. But we raised the Cup, again, and it made all the sacrifices worthy. I felt proud — proud of my teammates for battling through injuries, for showing a lot of character, and for winning two years in a row. I am grateful that I had the chance to contribute to our success through the first rounds. And I feel very fortunate that the last time I have skated with a Penguins jersey, it will have been with the Stanley Cup in my hands. Not that it wasn’t an emotional moment.

Fourteen years. Nearly half of my life. I remember my first training camp, in September 2003, like it was yesterday. I was so nervous. There are so many expectations on a first-round pick, and I didn’t want to let anybody down. I just tried to do my best, and wanted to leave a good impression. But when you face Mario Lemieux in training camp, it can be quite intimidating, to say the least.

Everyone knows him as Le Magnifique, a hockey legend. I always loved watching him growing up. I remember the first time I stopped Mario in practice. It was a simple warmup shot. But you better believe that I kept that puck — and still have it at home. Mario is a great role model for me — his loyalty to the team, his contributions to the community, how he handles himself and how he and Nathalie raised four great, humble kids. I’ll always be thankful for their support throughout the years.

My first home game was against the Kings at the Igloo on Oct. 10, 2003. My dream was becoming a reality. Maybe the excitement was a little high. So high, that, well … I forgot something. As everybody was getting ready to head out of the locker room, I made my way towards the ice, fist bumped a few guys (including Marc Bergevin and Mario) and then I realized that I had forgotten my stick. It was a pretty funny walk of shame past all my teammates to go grab my stick.  As I was walking back, Mario cracked a little smile and said “You’re going to need that tonight, kid.”

I guess he was right. First shot of the game, first shot I faced in the NHL, and it goes in. That wasn’t part of my dream. But then, thankfully, it got better. I stopped Ziggy Palffy — a guy I watched growing up — on a breakaway. Then I stopped a penalty shot and finished the game with 46 saves on 48 shots. We lost that game, but that one will remain one of my best memories in Pittsburgh.

It was a pretty funny walk of shame past all my teammates to go grab my stick.

Even that first night, the fans were chanting Fleu-ry, Fleu-ry. They were holding up signs that said Welcome Home. I honestly couldn’t believe it. The rush from that, to tell you the truth, I can’t even describe it. It is just unbelievable. And it never gets old, trust me. The fans in Pittsburgh have been tremendous with me since the very beginning.

For a hockey player to get to play nearly 14 years in one city is a blessing. It wasn’t all fun and games, though. It was obviously difficult losing so much in the first few seasons. But then we got Geno. And then Sid. And then Staal (to name just a few). We started winning, and the Igloo was booming. It was a success built from figuring things out together, as a group. The loss to Detroit in the 2008 finals was one of the toughest experiences of my career. Being so close to reaching that Cup and then having to watch the Wings celebrate their win … it was brutal, but we needed it. I believe that, in the end, that loss helped prepare us for what was to come.

Game 7 of the 2009 finals in Detroit is without a doubt one of my favorite moments as a Penguin. Seeing my good friend Max Talbot score two huge goals for us was incredible. And then, of course, making that save against Lidstrom in the last seconds was something I will never forget. I proudly sported a deep bruise on my ribs from that save for weeks following that game. I’ll always remember my teammates jumping on the ice, racing toward me with the biggest smiles. The feeling of winning the Stanley Cup that night is indescribable.

Over the years, I probably don’t have to tell you, it’s been ups and downs. But one thing I will carry with me, long after I leave Pittsburgh — honestly, long after my playing career is over — is how amazing and strong the support was that I received from the fans.  

One of my best memories is from earlier this season, actually. We had just been on a road trip and it was our first game back home against Tampa Bay. I had been struggling a bit. I couldn’t buy a save, and I wasn’t feeling great about it. Everybody was getting ready for the anthem, and the crowd started chanting my name. It made no sense. I wasn’t playing well. The game hadn’t even started yet. But they were behind me anyway.

Fleu-ry, Fleu-ry.

Maybe they could sense that I was feeling a little down, and I needed it. We ended up winning the game, things turned around for me, and I ended up having a great season. That moment was the turning point, and it was because of our fans.

So thank you, fans. I wish I could put into words how much of an impact your support has made on me and my family. We have become Pittsburghers. My wife graduated from Robert Morris University, my daughters were born at Magee-Womens Hospital (sorry our commercial has been blasting on your TVs for more than a year), and our first house was in Moon. Pittsburgh and its people will forever be in our hearts.

Thank you to the Penguins ownership: to Mario and Ron, for their support and for striving to be the best organization by providing the team with the best people and the best facilities.  

Thank you to the organization: from the great GMs to the coaches who believed in me. Thank you to Gilles Meloche and Mike Bales, my goalie coaches, whom I’ve spent most of my career with, for always being there for me. Thank you to the medical, front office and equipment staff for all the good times and friendships.  

Thank you to my teammates. My friends. I am not good with the emotional stuff, and this is not easy. Over the years I have seen a lot of good people come and go. It is definitely one of the toughest parts of the business — making good friends and having to say goodbye. I have played with a lot of good dudes in Pittsburgh, and made so many good friends.  

Thanks, Sid, for all the years. We spent a lot of time together, always sat next to each other on the plane, behind one another on the bus, plus all the dinners before every game on the road. Thanks for helping me get through tough times and for being a good friend. It’s tough to say goodbye. I know we were both trying to avoid it. You’re the best. Next time we face each other, make sure you keep your head up. The poke check will be coming, like that one time in Rimouski.

Duper, Tanger, Geno, Kuni — it’s been an honor to go through all of this together. I couldn’t have picked better teammates and friends.  

And I guess I will stop there. Not because I have run out of people to thank or things to say — when it comes to my time as a Penguin, I think I could just go on forever.  

But thank you, everyone, for the support in the last week. All the calls, messages, pictures, the nice articles and videos. It has meant so much to me and my family as we are getting ready to begin a new chapter in our lives. It seems like just yesterday that I was a kid in this blue suit that my agent bought me for the draft, wearing this tie that I didn’t even know how to tie. (I later got fined a few times for coming to the games with it inappropriately tied.)  

And now here I am. I have a wife, two kids, and three Cups. I’m talking about my memories and saying my goodbyes. It might be an adjustment for my girls. They love waving the Terrible Towel and chanting, “Let’s Go Pens.”

Actually, when they see the Pens logo they say, “Go Papa Go!”

But I think we will tell them that moving somewhere new at a young age — yes it might be scary, but we just have to hang in there. We’re going to figure things out, and we’re going to find our way. And then we’ll blink, and suddenly that strange and new place … It won’t seem strange, or new, at all. It might even feel like home.

I still have a lot to wrap my mind around. I am honored that the Golden Knights picked me and I am looking forward to continuing to play the game I love. I don’t know how it will feel when I set foot in the PPG Paints Arena in February as the Vegas goaltender. Truthfully, right now I can’t even think about it. But what I do know is that I will be thrilled to see you all again.

Thanks, Pittsburgh. I will miss you.

(x)

[lovedyouless]

connor mcdavid/leon draisaitl masterpost

tbh this is all you need to know about them:

posted and captioned by teammate and frequent linemate patrick maroon. 

but if you want more ...

connor mcdavid

everyone in hockey knows who connor mcdavid is. drafted number one in 2015, connor is frequently mentioned in the same breath as wayne gretzky and sidney crosby (he’s canadian too, of course). he’s fast, he’s skilled and he was named as the youngest ever nhl captain at the start of 2016′s season. anytime you see connor on the ice, he’s probably wearing a ‘c’ whether it’s for the erie otters where he played in the ohl, for the oilers, team north america or even the 2017 all star weekend. he’s a Big Deal and everyone loves him (except maybe brandon manning).

connor is very humble

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okay connor but you’re VERY GOOD AT HOCKEY, YOU CAN’T HAVE EVERYTHING IN LIFE 

his bff during his ohl years was dylan strome (drafted to the coyotes). connor hung back after his draft to watch dylan get picked. connor and dylan are Very Soft

connor is very polite to his elders, referring to them by their title such as mr crosby

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sid finds this hilarious.

connor is so good that subban, one of the best defencemen in the league, can only resort to blatant hugging cheating to contain him

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connor’s rookie year was going great until he got injured (damn you manning) and broke his collar bone. 2016/2017 marks his first full year in the nhl. 

leon draisaitl

leon was born in germany and is two years older than connor (more like 14 months but who’s counting). occasionally he fools people by pronouncing ‘out’ like a true canadian, but he’s definitely german. his dad was a german hockey player. leon is the highest drafted german player ever in the nhl - he was drafted third in 2014. leon can speak four languages. like connor, his natural position is center BUT MORE ON THAT LATER. 

leon, by the way, just very casually looks like this: 

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AND I AM VERY MAD ABOUT HIS FACE ALL THE TIME. this is a rare smiley leon though. usually his interviews look more like this: 

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by the way, this is his face after he scored the overtime winner for team europe. excited, huh?

before they became nhl superstars, leon and connor were baby prospects together touring the Rogers Place during it’s build. the whole video is great because leon is just SO INQUISITIVE and asking lots of questions and connor mostly spends the video laughing at leon?

in a fun twist of fate, leon scored the last oilers goal at Rexall Place before they moved to Rogers Place

try and control your glee there, leon.

connor and leon have become regular linemates in the 2016/2017 season and have killed it this year

leon’s natural position is center but he’s spent much of this year on connor’s wing. did i mention that connor is very very fast? 

"I just saw Connor take off and it's pretty hard to keep up, let me tell you," said Draisaitl. "I just got on my horse and tried to catch up and get open for a shot."

it’s okay though, because connor is not great at everything (yet). leon takes most of his faceoffs in games and they practice them together (warning: leon turns into a competitive giggly monster when he wins and connor accepts his loss with a happy grin)

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because usually-grumpy-looking leon actually smiles a lot around connor

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also their hugs are ridiculous

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like who raises their arms like that, leon??

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here it is from another angle and it’s just as terrible. also, connor LET GO OF DARNELL because he saw leon coming and wanted two arms free so they can octopus around each other?? THE WORST.

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this is connor’s ‘about to hug leon’ face and it’s just as terrible as you thought it was gonna be

i like to call this their ‘caught red handed but we’re still not letting go of each other’ pose

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this is great because leon is a huge solid hunk of man who is almost impossible to knock off his feet and connor is very much smaller than him but leon drops his arm and lets connor fold himself into leon

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did i mention that connor is smaller than leon? because here he is fitting himself into a tiny space next to leon rather than, i don’t know, standing somewhere else with more room??

@ edmontonoilers: pre-game pals

EVEN THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM SHIPS IT

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also here is leon chilling in the sin bin. wanna guess why he’s here? if you guessed that he took a run at manning (as previously mentioned, he took out connor in his rookie year for a few months and cost connor the calder. he also apparently chirped connor earlier in the season to say the hit was deliberate, so obviously leon stepped in to avenge his captain)

anyway. as it turns out, they’re pretty close off ice too. here they are enjoying a date night by hanging out with patrick maroon and his son and playing some ball aka pat knows his teammates are in love aka connor is trying to show off for leon but anthony is kicking his ass

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here they are enjoying a double date with nuge and ebs (leon of course looking cool as fucking ice while the other three look like idiots)

here they are being interrupted on their date with darnell. you will often find darnell third wheeling

inseparable. also they all look super hot here.

THE OILERS KNOW, GUYS. THEY KNOW.

okay, leon, okay

leon deliberately cropping out darnell so he can post a picture of him and connor, and both of them sounding entirely unapologetic about it

“Leon, you and Connor are one point away from one hundred, wouldn’t it be kind of special to get that point on the same goal?”

“Yeah I mean, it’d be fun. Obviously he’s played about 1000 games less than I have, but um, you know it’s a nice milestone and it’d be nice to get it together.”

FUNNILY ENOUGH ... okay they didn’t get it on the same goal because connor is an overachiever always and got his 100th point first, but leon’s 100th point came in the same night, an assist on a connor goal of course

ANYWAY it’s not all about the hugs and fate and being bros together

or giggling off the ice

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(honestly, have you ever seen leon this happy when he’s not scoring/assisting/winning games?? no, no you haven’t)

they’re also super supportive of each other

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or that time when the Flames tried to hook leon and then took a hit (which didn’t even knock him off his feet because he’s a fucking tank, tkachuk falls to the ice though which is hilarious) and connor takes offence and defends leon’s honor

“Leon, this morning Connor said you might be one of the most underrated players in the NHL. Does that matter to you?

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HAHAHAHAHAHA WELL IT SURE MATTERS TO ME IN CASE ANYONE WANTS TO KNOW

we should also talk about the fact that connor has this strange habit ...

of just taking leon’s things? 

totally normal to have an interview wearing your teammates hoodie. tell me connor, does it carry leon’s scent? does it hang off you because leon’s shoulders are ridiculously broad? DID YOU TAKE IT ON PURPOSE??

MOVING ON. we should definitely talk about connor’s 100th point this season to win the Art Ross because i love FATE. of course connor gets his 100th point on leon’s goal. OF COURSE. connor really, really wanted that 100th point which is understandable because who wants to finish the season on 99? he turns to hug leon immediately (of course) and leon stops for a quick hug before he’s off to grab the puck for connor JUST IN CASE IT GOES MISSING GUYS, HE WANTS THAT PUCK FOR CONNOR except he realises that caggiula already has it so he goes back for another hug EXCEPT the rest of the guys are there and that’s fine, but leon wants his own hug so he grabs connor from behind as they head for the bench and they just coast together for a second, completely flush against each other and i’m super chill about the whole thing, guys.

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anyway this is the most important moment ever caught on camera. also, leon just leaps into the air with him and catches him and he lands without even a stumble like?? HOW STRONG ARE YOU LEON??

anyway, in conclusion, these two fools are in love and everyone should jump on board and they’re probably gonna accidentally kiss one of these days after a goal

[jkfortunekookies]

1/? Hi Hana 💖 I’m gonna attempt to put a smile on your face, tell me how I do….. One, I love you. Two, I love you. Three, I LOVE YOU! I looooooovvvveeee you so so much. I love you for being the strong, yet gentle, person you are. You’re my older sister, my mother, my best friend, and one of the best things that happened to me 💟💜 I would never exchange you for anything else, and I don’t feel a shred of regret for sending in my first message to you, despite my awkwardness and all that 😅

2/? You’re an amazing person, did you know? You always manage to put smiles on so many different people’s faces. Even when someone pushes you over, you get up. Most of all, you don’t let your fears of rejection and pain affect your actions. You’re a strong person that isn’t hesitant to confront people. Everyone has fears, but how they deal with those fears determines who they are as a person. And I love you for how you deal with those fears. I really respect you for everything… You’re my role          

 3/? model. No matter what other people think or say about you, you’ll always be someone I look up to. I love how extrovert you can be. How cute you are. How you attract people with your beautiful, funny, and easygoing personality. I don’t know how much of a difference I can or do make in your life, but you make a lot in mine… a positive one :) your reblogs, tags, posts, writings always put a huge, dorky grin on my face. When you’re sad, I just want to give you a huuuge hug and tell you that it’l         

 4/4 l be all better. That tons of people love you and care for you. That you're so strong and kind. I want to be there to remind you all that. I love you Hana… ❤️❤️             

You sent me this beautiful message a while ago , halfway through my midterms, and I couldn’t get to answer you because I was too busy with school T_T Now I can finally read this beautiful mesage and tbh you made me shed a tear. I don’t know about being anyone’s role model,as I lack a lot in so many aspects haha but I’m so honored and blessed to have amazing ppl like you in my life. This message just proves how close we got for the past year