#mallory sees things
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the-inkwell-bookstore · 4 months ago
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A tall person with short neon purple curls walks into the store, looking around curiously.
Hearing- or seeing- the door open, Mallory peered over at the person who had entered the store. They tilted their head a little, eyes trained on the potential customer. After a moment, Mallory decided to speak. “Hello,” they said in their normal neutral tone.
“Are you looking for anything in particular?” She asked, using their normal script for when somebody entered. They probably knew where every book was in this store.
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the-inkwell-bookstore · 22 days ago
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“I work at a bookstore you’ve been to. I apologize, I just recognize your… interesting style of dress.” She smiled cordially. “If you’re in the middle of something, I can leave, if you’d like.”
Mallory wasn’t intending for her life to turn into a soap opera. But when they first started working at the Inkwell, they also expected it to be much more temporary. Not anymore. In the past several weeks, she has gleaned with her ghost-seeing ability that Elaine still has no regrets even after getting thrown off a bridge, that Jasper’s ghosts have been so vigorous recently that she’s almost tried to talk to them, that the newest hire has incredibly similar ghosts to Jasper, somehow, that their boss is, for all intents and purposes, a ghost himself, and that Blue is really trying and rally failing to understand humans.
To put it simply, she was glad to have a day off, even if she was just spending it taking a walk and trying to avoid other people’s ghosts on the edges of their vision. Of course, their eye was still drawn to the unusual, and Amelie was definitely unusual. Unusual and slightly familiar. “I’ve seen you before,” they noted, walking over to them.
@the-inkwell-bookstore
Amelie tilts faer head slightly, fixing faer hat so it stays on their ears.
"I'm sorry¿? I'm not sure I have met you before."
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thatrandomblogsays · 1 month ago
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*wakes up at night in a cold sweat* Aegon works as Archer in a crossover fic
*passes back out*
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3584-tropical-fish · 28 days ago
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“You will look out upon your town and you will not recognize it.”
Day 15: Greyscale with one item/feature in color
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strangefable · 1 year ago
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can i get 🖤🖤🖤 for micah and lilith's thoughts on syb and one for bright's thoughts on stefano please :)c
send 🖤 and my character will answer about yours.
ask and ye shall receive <3
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attractiveness:
repulsive / hideous / ugly / not attractive / unappealing / not unattractive / meh / no preference / ok / mildly attractive / nice looking / cute / adorable / attractive / pleasant on the eyes / good looking / hot / sexy / beautiful / gorgeous / hot damn / would tap that / perfect / godlike / holy fuck there are no words.
personality:
grating / irritating / frustrating / boring / confusing at best / awkward / unreasonable / psychotic / disturbing / interesting / engaging / affectionate / aggressive / ambitious / anxious / artistic / bad tempered / bossy / charismatic / appealing / unappealing / creative / courageous / dependable / unreliable / unpredictable / predictable / devious / dim / extroverted / introverted / egotistical / gregarious / fabulous / impulsive / intelligent / sympathetic / talkative / up beat / peaceful / calming / badass / flexible.
how likely they would have sex with them:
not if they were the last person on earth and the world was ending / fuck no! / never / no way / not likely / not sure / indifferent / I’m asexual / maybe / probably / it depends / fairly likely / likely / yeah sure / yes / would tap that / hell yes / fuck yes! / wishing that could happen right now / as many times as possible / we are already having sex.
level of friendship:
never in a million years / worst of enemies / enemies / rivals / indifferent / neutral / acquaintance / friendly toward each other / casual friends / friends / good friends / best friends / fuck buddies / bosom buddies / practically the same person / would die for them / true friends / my only friend.
first impression of them:
i hate them so much / i don’t like them / i don’t trust them / they annoy me / they’re weird / I’m indifferent / meh / they seem alright / they’re growing on me / truce / I think I like them / I like them / I’m not sure if I trust them / I trust them / they’re cool / they’re genuine / I think we’re going to get along / I really like them / I think I’m in love / oh fuck they’re hot / I love them.
current impression of them:
i hate them so much / i don’t like them / i don’t trust them / they annoy me / they’re weird / I’m indifferent / meh / they seem alright / they’re growing on me / truce / I think I like them / I like them / I’m not sure if I trust them / I trust them / they’re cool / they’re genuine / I think we’re going to get along / I really like them / I think I’m in love / oh fuck they’re hot / I love them.
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attractiveness:
repulsive / hideous / ugly / not attractive / unappealing / not unattractive / meh / no preference / ok / mildly attractive / nice looking / cute / adorable / attractive / pleasant on the eyes / good looking / hot / sexy / beautiful / gorgeous / hot damn / would tap that / perfect / godlike / holy fuck there are no words.
personality:
grating / irritating / frustrating / boring / confusing at best / awkward / unreasonable / psychotic / disturbing / interesting / engaging / affectionate / aggressive / ambitious / anxious / artistic / bad tempered / bossy / charismatic / appealing / unappealing / creative / courageous / dependable / unreliable / unpredictable / predictable / devious / dim / extroverted / introverted / egotistical / gregarious / fabulous / impulsive / intelligent / sympathetic / talkative / up beat / peaceful / calming / badass / flexible.
how likely they would have sex with them:
not if they were the last person on earth and the world was ending / fuck no! / never / no way / not likely / not sure / indifferent / I’m asexual / maybe / probably / it depends / fairly likely / likely / yeah sure / yes / would tap that / hell yes / fuck yes! / wishing that could happen right now / as many times as possible / we are already having sex.
level of friendship:
never in a million years / worst of enemies / enemies / rivals / indifferent / neutral / acquaintance / friendly toward each other / casual friends / friends / good friends / best friends / fuck buddies / bosom buddies / practically the same person / would die for them / true friends / my only friend.
first impression of them:
i hate them so much / i don’t like them / i don’t trust them / they annoy me / they’re weird / I’m indifferent / meh / they seem alright / they’re growing on me / truce / I think I like them / I like them / I’m not sure if I trust them / I trust them / they’re cool / they’re genuine / I think we’re going to get along / I really like them / I think I’m in love / oh fuck they’re hot / I love them.
current impression of them:
i hate them so much / i don’t like them / i don’t trust them / they annoy me / they’re weird / I’m indifferent / meh / they seem alright / they’re growing on me / truce / I think I like them / I like them / I’m not sure if I trust them / I trust them / they’re cool / they’re genuine / I think we’re going to get along / I really like them / I think I’m in love / oh fuck they’re hot / I love them.
And Bright for Stefano
Sorry she doesn't have a banner yet. :(
attractiveness:
repulsive / hideous / ugly / not attractive / unappealing / not unattractive / meh / no preference / ok / mildly attractive / nice looking / cute / adorable / attractive / pleasant on the eyes / good looking / hot / sexy / beautiful / gorgeous / hot damn / would tap that / perfect / godlike / holy fuck there are no words (derogatory).
personality:
grating / irritating / frustrating / boring / confusing at best / awkward / unreasonable / psychotic / disturbing / interesting / engaging / affectionate / aggressive / ambitious / anxious / artistic / bad tempered / bossy / charismatic / appealing / unappealing / creative / courageous / dependable / unreliable / unpredictable / predictable / devious / dim / extroverted / introverted / egotistical / gregarious / fabulous / impulsive / intelligent / sympathetic / talkative / up beat / peaceful / calming / badass / flexible.
how likely they would have sex with them:
not if they were the last person on earth and the world was ending / fuck no! / never / no way / not likely / not sure / indifferent / I’m asexual / maybe / probably / it depends / fairly likely / likely / yeah sure / yes / would tap that / hell yes / fuck yes! / wishing that could happen right now / as many times as possible / we are already having sex.
level of friendship:
never in a million years / worst of enemies / enemies / rivals / indifferent / neutral / acquaintance / friendly toward each other / casual friends / friends / good friends / best friends / fuck buddies / bosom buddies / practically the same person / would die for them / true friends / my only friend.
first impression of them:
i hate them so much / i don’t like them / i don’t trust them / they annoy me / they’re weird / I’m indifferent / meh / they seem alright / they’re growing on me / truce / I think I like them / I like them / I’m not sure if I trust them / I trust them / they’re cool / they’re genuine / I think we’re going to get along / I really like them / I think I’m in love / oh fuck they’re hot / I love them.
current impression of them:
i hate them so much / i don���t like them / i don’t trust them / they annoy me / they’re weird / I’m indifferent / meh / they seem alright / they’re growing on me / truce / I think I like them / I like them / I’m not sure if I trust them / I trust them / they’re cool / they’re genuine / I think we’re going to get along / I really like them / I think I’m in love / oh fuck they’re hot / I love them.
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tiodolma · 1 year ago
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Arthur: hey if i marry the love of my life Guinevere Leodegrace, i will get to see that cool round table in Carmelaide too
Merlin, internally: this is like the sword and scabbard situation isnt it.
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not-poignant · 2 years ago
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hearing you do research into singaporean culture for m&m makes me so excited! i have heritage there and almost never see southeast asia represented in things i read/watch
Hi anon!
I've been to Singapore! It's a beautiful country, and one of the best places to celebrate Lunar New Year :D I don't know if I'll ever be able to travel like that again with Covid, but if I can, Singapore is actually really high on the list of places we have to get back to soon.
Perth, Western Australia is actually closer to Bali, Indonesia than it is to Sydney, Australia (and it's about the same distance to Singapore as it is to Sydney), and as a result, we actually have a huge proportion of SE Asian folk who live here, and a lot of SE cuisine and culture we can access that folks have brought over with them. So the foods that Kadek mentions in Falling Falling Stars are all foods I'm familiar with. Likewise, it's very common for many Perth folk to fly to Bali and nearby regions for holidays and work, because it's a closer flight than, well, other places in our own country. I have a friend who's working in Singapore right now, and I'm not sure if he's coming back! He loves it too much. (Though not the driving, so much dsalkjfsa).
Due to a combination of having some great friends who have SE Asian heritage and being able to share dinner with their families and hobbies and stay over as a kid etc, and just finding other places and foods interesting, and enjoying learning new things, it's been fun to include more of that in my writing in ways that are hopefully respectful. It also just feels natural in the sense that... for me, in my part of the world, we have more to do with say, Southeast Asia than we do many other cultures, and it's annoying that when people represent, god, 'eastern cultures' in fantasy, it's always like... idk, samey, if it's done by white authors. I'm hoping to avoid that, and not do it terribly. I'm definitely more focusing on Indonesia, and then aspects of Singapore as well, including how cosmopolitan and multicultural it is, while still having a strong sense of identity and place.
Fun fact, I share a timezone with Singapore, but I don't share a timezone with any other state in Australia.
Australia is big and weird.
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slapplebees · 1 year ago
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hi @schmoft 🩷 i search in conversation-ed to relearn some things and here's what i found:
1) Jasmine does get her body back; she spawns back in her old body, and fully loses her mother's body and the plush lamb doll she kept part of her soul in.
it's devastating, and you made a really beautiful grief metaphor about it that hit me like a truck. basically she gets her old body back and her soul fits in it and she can use magic again and breathe and feel alive but she hasn't felt farther from her mother and that feels like dying you're fucked up for that !!
that really only tells me i have to get rid of the blonde wig on pinkgoat Jasmine after she resurrects on the ppt so i'll go do that grill don't you worry
2) we got into a discussion about house demons and posession, and with the new lore that the house demons Batch A had a weaker spell and Batch B had a stronger one, i am spinning in a little tub of water so let me explain:
Batch A had a weaker connection to their humans so Jasmine escaped easily but has had to work so so hard for the past centuries to maintain her stupid weak bond to her mother and keep her mother's body intact and not fucking melting so she desperately takes the drugs and whatever else she can to do so. and maybe she's stuck in a loop of not wanting to look in the mirror to see her mother's face slightly wearing down and melting through the centuries but also wanting to so badly because how else is she ever gonna see her again she is literally wearing her face
in general, escaped Batch A demons are worse for wear, a lot sicker, and less likely to survive without a proper body but Jasmine fucking made it Work because she Has To.
Batch B demons have a stronger connection, which is harder to break but more stable after the demon has escaped
so for Mr. Potter, his escape was hard-won and brutal, but he's generally less sickly than Jasmine and less dependent on the drugs which is how he survived Out of Town in his stolen body (also, i guess he used to live Out of Town so he has experience weathering it out there good for him-)
meanwhile Mallory's soul is bound to Matthew so strongly and it's worse they're friends so there's some Love there too (normal levels!!) and like we see in Ch1 the bond is strong enough Mallory can touch Matthew here and there and he hates it he hates it it's awful and horrible
anyway if either of them knew about the Batch A & B thing, Jasmine would so want Batch B's spell if only to keep her mother with her (not realizing that means her mother's death would have to be awful and deliberate and not a slow but quiet death like she had, Which means Jasmine would have to kill her which would be her first real actual kill since attempting to kill her brother and herself for the "greater good" which really just sounds like damn she has an awful track record of having and finding reasons to kill her family wow maybe she is an awful person but that's the Heavenly Virtue speaking maybe she hasn't fully unlearned all that), and Mallory would want Batch A's spell because it would make pushing Matthew away so much easier (not realizing it would be trivially easy to kill Matthew and if he ever did accidentally break out and take Matthew's body he'd die pretty easily AND yeah he'd have Matthew's body but at that point there'd be no bringing him back and if he failed to maintain the body with pills etc. he'd watch his friend melt and he can't bear to do that)
anyway none of this matters it's all just something something they have what the other (theoretically) wants but they don't know that. but I Know That. also be careful what you wish for, ALSO Jasmine's bond to her mother and Mallory's bond to Matthew are both strong and as important to the characters: one's familial and one's platonic, but both are at a certain point self-destructive as hell idk maybe it's not just kitsunes who are allowed to be super mega insane and it's knocking around in my head
if Jasmine and Mallory ever met that would be Crazy but they would definitely not and that's a good thing good for them i will now eat a single polvoron made out of dyed gym chalk goodbye thank you for letting yourself get isekai'd
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queen-scribbles · 1 year ago
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*muffled screaming into a pillow over Mallory/Nate feels*
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lewcodina · 24 days ago
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next top wag | oscar piastri x fem! footballer! reader
summary; in the world of formula one where wag culture is a big thing, everyone can agree that oscar piastri is the best one
fc; mallory swanson ( my girllll )
warnings; none (?)
note; uswnt/woso x f1 is my niche anyways plz ignore the dates on the tweets LMAOOAMZLS
masterlist !
༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚
yourusername uploaded to their story !
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[caption 1; one last date night w this grand prix winner before the olympics 🙁🤍] [caption 2; bonjourrrrr, parisss]
༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚
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liked by oscarpiastri, trinity_rodman, and others !
yourusername: 3 for 3 in the group stages ! onto the quarterfinals!
oscarpiastri: wow
oscarpiastri: my gorgeous beautiful amazing talented goal scoring machine 😍
yourusername: osccccc🫶
username: OSCAR WAG!!!
username: all he does is drive n obsess over his talented football gf i love him😞
trinity_rodman: LETS GOO!! *liked by yourusername*
username: road to gold!!🙂‍↕️
username: these olympics have been so fun so far 😭🙏
username: Y/NNNNN!!!
sophsssmith: 3 for 3 meaning 3 goals in 3 matches 🤭
yourusername: what can i say😁
username: come to arsenal plz❤️
༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚
oscarpiastri uploaded to his story !
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[caption 1; bonjour?] [caption 2; when bae is basically an olympic medalist already]
yourusername OSCAR JACK PIASTRIIIIII
yourusername I HATE U😭😭😭😭
oscarpiastri uhmmm if u didn’t knock australia out of group stages we’d be having a different conversation 🥱
yourusername girl bye 😭
yourusername be proud of ur gf🙄🙄
oscarpiastri who says i’m not 🙄
oscarpiastri go back to training u have a gold medal to win tmrw
yourusername i’ll win it for u my wag😘😘
༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚
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༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚
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liked by oscarpiastri, sophsssmith, and others !
yourusername: a tough few weeks but it was all worth it to win gold with my girls 🥇
sophsssmith: girl YOUU won us gold 😫
oscarpiastri: she’s so talented right ☺️☺️
trinity_rodman: y/n come get your man 😭
oscarpiastri: yeah i’m her man😁
yourusername: guys i’m trying my best here but he already messages the every mclaren worker abt the gold medal😭
username: literally SCREAMED when y/n scored in the final😫
username: USA USA USA
username: STRUT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!!🐆
lavellerose: queen 👑 *liked by yourusername!*
username: yall see trinity’s comment abt oscar 😭😭
username: he’s such a simp i’m in tears 😭
landonorris: wow super cool y/n
yourusername: cooler than u
oscarpiastri: now that is a fact 😁
landonorris: ???????
༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚ ༘˚⋆𐙚。⋆𖦹.✧˚
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liked by yourusername, landonorris, and others !
oscarpiastri: a few weeks ago, you were in hungary to witness for my first win and now, i’m in paris after witnessing you scoring in the final to win gold, so unbelievably proud of my best girl❤️ i love you, my gold medalist 🥇
tagged; yourusername
yourusername: OSCAR JACK PIASTRIIIII
yourusername: I LOVE U MY HUNGARIAN GP WINNER😭❤️‍🩹
oscarpiastri: she loves me guys omg
landonorris: i can hear him giggling from here
oscarpiastri: you’re just jealous🥱
yourusername: guys plz
georgerussell63: oscar is in his wag era 💅
yourusername: call him next top wag
oscarpiastri: i think me willingly wearing 2 american flags, a cowboy hat, your jersey, and paining red white and blue lines on my face makes me the best wag🥱🥱
landonorris: begging you y/n please tell me you have a picture 😭
yourusername: I GOT YALLLLL
charles_leclerc: congratulations, y/n!!!
yourusername: merciiiii!
username: if u listen closely u can hear me sobbing 😞
username: oscar is dating the most gorgeous girl omg
username: ME AND WHOOOOO💔
username: they are so cute 🙁
lewishamilton: congratulations y/n on gold!🥇
yourusername: thank u lewisss🫶
oscarpiastri: did i mention i was there
alex_albon: yes plenty of times in the groupchat ( btw congrats y/n too! )
maxverstappen1: yeah he threatened crashing into all of us if we didn’t congratulate you yourusername
yourusername: ????? oscarpiastri explain ??
oscarpiastri: no thank you
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cryptfile · 3 months ago
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✶ nuclear seasons, [ soldier boy x reader ]
summary — he was friend’s with your mom. friend is a understatement cause when he appears in the middle of the night looking for revenge in your little apartment in the suburbs, you know he’s far from being nice.
warnings — +18 minors dni, smut, dead dove do not eat, we have a last name (also a mother!), kind of porn without plot? but not really cause it HAS one okay, we call it 50/50, fem!reader using she/her pronouns, p in v, masturbation ( m! receiving but blink and you miss it), dirty talk, age gap, choking, degradation, spitting (i'm sorry), fingering, mentions of injury, cancer (not you tho), tons of tension.
side notes — i’m never experiencing the post ovulation clarity lmao, that being said english is not my first language so sorry for any mistakes, also i’m a whore for jensen ackles, and i stand for what i like proudly. // 5k+
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Nightshade is a hero.
You're proud of your mother since you were pretty young. The hero that fought against Vought to death during the time Payback was active, America’s Troublemaker that you only knew as Stella Nightshade, a blonde woman that talked with the death during her golden years.
Maybe it’s your mother the one that pushed you to fight crime, to pursue the bad guys and look out for the victims that can’t stand for themselves, so even when you don’t inherit much from Stella’s gifts, you joined the CIA as soon as you can so you can do something that matters.
You’re the best in your class, work your ass off to be taken serious, to be more than the look of disappointment you receive when people ask, once again, if you have any powers like your mother and you have to admit — In pure shame, that you didn’t born as a superhero but a baby who cried loudly when is too hungry.
But as years pass you make a name for yourself, one that even if differs from Stella’s job has the same noble reasons behind. You also realize you were too naive growing up, believing in heroes that don’t deserve to be called that way.
The country has made a mistake on making superhumans so openly, and it’s clear that got out of control now, backfiring as they got so much power it’s almost impossible to take accountant of any of them.
You’ve worked along Grace Mallory from the shadows, and even when Stella would not be so proud of you for helping get his kind out of the streets, the justice is enough to feed you and keep you warm on a cold night.
You like it that way. You know Grace has a team for it, a legal army of supe-haters as you called them, yet, you prefer to stay in the dark, not let your personal life get involved cause one slip and you can lose it all— Even when you don’t have nothing at all. You like to have an outside life from work, it’s the sane thing to have, so when the CIA Deputy Director asks you about joining the infamous Boys, you politely decline assuring the woman you’ve been more helpful from the outside.
What would Stella Nightshade would say? Now that you’ve grown older and you don’t look at her the same way you used to when you encounter her files and read about your mother. You know she has done wrong, yet with the years, you don't imagine Soldier Boy himself was going to seek for revenge first thing he does when he wakes up, his plan including your mother even when she was long time dead before he even appeared in the picture.
That night especially you let your guard down. It's been a rough couple of weeks back in work, so when the night comes you're a victim of the stress, victim of your bosses and the people that surrounded you. You pour a glass of wine for yourself, light a cigarette even when you haven't smoked in years, and turn on the TV to see something else rather than the face of Homelander in every single channel you've been tuning lately.
It's a weapon. When you leave for a warm shower and start filling the bathtub, you're not aware of what that night was really going to be for you. Oblivious as you stand naked in the middle of the bathroom, holding the glass of wine between your fingers before entering the warm current that relaxed your muscles.
It seems tension is your worst enemy, makes your muscles feel like stone as you got in the water, the cigarette that hangs from your dry lips splashing with tiny droplets of perfumed water as the silence filled the air. It's what you needed, at least ten minutes with your brain shutting off completely, the pleasure you haven't experienced in forever by being so compromised with work.
It's a much-needed break. The smoke that leaves the room by the almost-closed window, the taste of wine still lingering in your lips as you sip another taste of the crimson liquor you love. You don't happen to notice when he's breaking in your apartment, silent and deadly as you were protected by a door closed and a white curtain.
You don't happen to hear him too. The music coming our from your phone is loud enough to silence the knocks on your door at first before breaking the wood, you're too deep in the still water that smelled like roses and vanilla, to even pay attention to what was going on outside the warmth of the four walls that surrounded you.
There's vapor coming out of the water and you find comfort in closing your eyes, in letting the blow of the smoke travel through your throat before suspending itself in the air, flowing as you drank.
In your defense, you haven't been like that in ages.
It's been a long time since you last fill the tub and have a relaxing session with yourself, so it makes sense you are enjoying it a little bit too much, too much cause when the invader is making a lot of noise when stepping into your property, you still enjoy the taste of the alcohol on your lips.
The ashes fall to the ceramic floor outside the tub and you should blame the CIA to make you so tense to the point it leads you to more problems than you ever had. In the dark room of your apartment, it's Soldier Boy the one who's going through any drawer he comes across, the ones closed, the ones hidden, any slit he can find, any clue that can trace your mother back to his personal vendetta.
He's oblivious to Stella's death and her daughter, so when the former superhero hears the noise in the bathroom he's fully convinced it's your mother the one who's behind that door, that she's the one who's going to tell him the truth, if she also sold him to the russians as well in the process.
He's decided also on killing her. She must need it after all that time getting older, closer to death more than ever.
Of course it's an unpleasant surprise when you can see the bathroom door opening when you're sure you left the front door closed and lock with at least two bolts to prevent anyone from getting inside, it makes you jump in the spot, quickly covering yourself from the new stranger that enters your bathroom.
"Stella?" he asks, it's the last room that the hero needs to check for himself.
You spot the green fabric of his suit immediately as you pressed your chest against the cold surface of the tub, and when the invader notices you're naked, he doesn't look away as any person with a hint of respect would do, but instead, continue on checking you out as you try to cover yourself in the water tinted in a nonexistent transparent color red.
You can feel his gaze as soon as you recognize him too, as you happen to notice that face from your mother's pictures, the propaganda in the TV when he did almost every commercial back when you were a kid. It's a shock, and dressed in his damn suit, you don't know why an old superhero is there standing beneath the yellowish bulbs of the light your bathroom happens to have.
Your cheeks adopt this pink color as you panic, grabbing the cup of wine to throw the liquid in the floor, breaking it against the marble walls just to shatter the glass in pieces, a weapon of defense as you lifted up against him.
"You're not Stella."
Soldier Boy looks amused: it's funny that you think you'd be able to kill him with shattered glass, yet he lets you keep thinking that way when he's enjoying the view.
Is he to blame? He just got out from this giant cooking oven back with the communists and he hasn't got his way with a lady since what seems are centuries, so when he spots you in the tub he simply cannot contain himself from peaking around. You should be in what? Not more than your 20's? Soft-looking skin that asked to be marked with his hands, by the force of his lips crashing in your flesh.
The thought is compelling, you're looking all feisty with the glass in your hand, threatening him and speaking something Soldier Boy cannot catch at first — Shit, he doesn't even notice the blood in your hand that's dripping all over your small rug in the floor, the power women like yourself seemed to have now and weirdly enough, a huge turn on.
"Get the fuck out!" you scream in an authority voice, the same you use back at work when you're mad, when you're usually holding a gun in defense more than a piece of broken glass "Stella is not fucking here!"
It takes a few more words to actually get him out of there, and as he closes the door behind him you finally stand to grab a towel covering from the currents of wind, trying, really hard, to think about anything else more that the fact that Soldier Boy has entered your house and your bathroom in the worst moment, far from what you were last updated with.
To be honest, it almost gave you a heart attack, leaving the bathroom to find your home torn apart, the drawers open and all the papers you've meticulously kept in place being all over the place as Ben stands awkwardly holding a shield in the middle of your living room.
"Fucking hell" you're cursing under your breath as you gathered some important things you cannot leave on the floor even when you're still wet from the shower, expelling this nice aroma that mixed the roses and the vanilla together with your personal scent — Weirdly enough, a fucking show to the hero that's already rock-hard from the peak he had of you from before.
You don't really notice it at first, too busy being mad as you let the papers you gathered on top of the table. You lose the shame you got left as the wet drops of the shower leave a trace in the floor — And as usual, you clearly don't notice it, but Ben does when the water is running down your back, and you're barking something about calling someone called Grace, holding onto a white tower with your dear life.
"Where is Stella Nightshade, sweetheart?" he speaks out loud cause he don't understand anything you say, really fighting to be nice with you like it would give him an opportunity to get under your skin.
"My mother's dead," you stand there without knowing what to say after. You know he and your mother were close, but you don't imagine he was going to actually go find her teammate when he recently woke up in a different country. "She died years ago dude, i'm sorry."
The information gathers in his head as you take a clean oversized shirt from the laundry basket covering with it as you throw the towel to the floor, Red Hot Chili Peppers it says, but he thinks it's a place in Italy more than a band like he isn't troubled already by the fact you were Stella's daughter, the person who thought was her only friend back in the time now dead.
"Does anyone know you're here?" your mind is drifting back to work again as you wondered if anyone knew he was going to break into your apartment and choose not to send any help — "Ben."
You've read his file. Hell, to be honest you've read every single file in Payback, so it's no surprise you know his name, but to the hero, it seems to be amusing when you call him by his real name, his mind fueled in a different direction as he notices you're not wearing any underwear beneath the shirt you're choosing to wear, one whose fabric's barely covering your tights.
"What do you mean dead?" he asks, furrowing his brows "It's not been so long."
"She got cancer three years ago" you explain with a sad tone, even when you disagree with Stella, it pains you to remember what sickness made out of her, consuming her from the inside at a cruel pace.
"Motherfucker," he states clearly angry, and you cannot help but look at him with a weird face, searching for the phone you left in the sofa to call any-fucking-body in the office that could send a damn army to get you: Didn't the Boys have everything under control? That's what you're told anyway, then why the fuck is the subject of matter cursing in your little messy apartment? — "Bitch just got away with it before I could do anything, isn't it? What a fucking shame."
"Pardon me?" it catches you by surprise at first, but it hits you soon after. Soldier Boy is not there to say hello to your mother or ask for her help, but instead, he's there to get revenge and actually kill Stella by his own matters.
Fuck. Of course is something new, something that makes you feel cold all sudden, your wet hair making you visible shake as you became aware of his plans.
"You know them. You know the people from the lab" it's more of a fact than a question, letting the words feel salty in his own mouth. "The ones that let me get away."
He's quickly to gather the pieces too, not as dumb as you think he is as the puzzle is finally coming up together in his head, and it's all it takes for him to take a step closer to you, cutting that space you've created since you kicked him out of the bathroom — He's angry now.
The red globe on his hand is now holding you by the throat, applying enough pressure to cut the air flow going to your lungs almost completely, his fingertips warm against your bare skin as he holds you in front of his figure, pushing you against the cold wall.
You usually would enjoy such activities, yet in the context you are trapped in right now, you began to choke, your own hands trying to push his grip back even when he’s too strong, not even flinching when you’re squirming, gasping for some air as your face became red, tears gathering in your eyes as he let you breathe for a couple of seconds when he senses you’re too close to black out.
“Talk little Nightshade” he says in a low voice. “Or else i’m breaking your pretty neck.”
“I work for the CIA!” You explain quickly as your breathing became more labored by the seconds. “Not for the people who let you out! I promise!”
He’s going to kill you. You can see the determination in his eyes, that predator look he happens to have.
What you don’t know, somehow, is that he’s going fucking insane. Your smell coming up to his nose to make him shiver, the sight of you in an oversized shirt that barely covers your shape is more than enough to push his buttons, to make him forgot about any killing he was allegedly so concentrated in fulfill, the sight of you almost crying messing with his brain.
Little Nightshade is a fucking tease.
His eyes follow your expression, the hand that gripped your neck and choke you harshly now pressing enough to only suppress the air flow in a more enjoyable way, the tension quickly shifting from dying to pleasure all over again as he kept you in place so easily.
It’s impossible to move, to do anything more than be pressed against a cold wall. Your mother has once again lied to you and you notice the relationship she painted with Soldier Boy was more of a movie in her head than reality itself. Makes you gulp in response when you stare at his expression, the face of a trained killer as you knew, fucking knew, a bit more of force in your neck and it would snap without any difficulty.
“I don’t work with them” you assure once again, maybe it’s your survivor skills hitting when you repeat it in a low voice, catching on your breath when he lets go allowing you to fill your lungs with air just enough before pressing that very spot again, the one that actually turns you on. “Fuck’s sake.”
Is that how you end? On your lame apartment?
The next is a weird thing, cause in the blink of an eye he’s close to your face planting his own body next to yours and you’re shivering at the feeling, his armor pressed against your chest as he left the shield he was holding on the floor.
The metal is pressed against your skin covered by the thin cotton of Red Hot Chili Peppers shirt, and he is so close, so close you froze there, no longer fighting his tight grip but mesmerized by his damn face, the same you watched on TV when you were a kid, the handsome man you happen to severely crush on in secret, just because you don’t want Stella to know or she will give you a long talk about how he is her age.
But he is, handsome as fuck, and now being so close to his face you can say it with all confidence. His beard is shaved perfectly and he smells incredibly good even for someone who has spent time locked away without any kind of hygiene, his green suit protecting him from the cold air that was getting through the opened window.
“Who are you?” he asks, scanning your face with a curious look as he wanted to know what expression you would have when you know why he's there in the first place — “What do you know about Stella Nightshade, your mother, selling me out?”
Fuck. So that's why he's there. You know she did it. And it's impossible for you to lie when he's making you so nervous, away from any weapon, any form of defense as you left the glass in the bathroom sink when you notice large gash on your hand, and your silence makes nothing more than leave him fuming. If he was angry before, he now reaches a higher level as his grip turns more violent now that he knows you know what he meant, why he's there claiming to talk with your death mother out of nothing.
"Call her then. Use your powers" he demands dryly, and you're shaking at this point cause it's more shame added to the long pile, the bathroom already being a humiliation by itself. "Fucking call her."
You squirm beneath his grabbing, when he's pushing you harder against the concrete wall and you can just feel him from under the suit, hard cock pressing against your belly, green in your vision as he towers over you. He knows what he's doing, and even when you try to be disgusted by it, you find yourself enjoying his closeness, how he's pinning you with no effort at all, hands on your throat while he demanded an answer.
"I can't call her" you admit in a low voice, cheeks now red as the embarrassment crept upon your face — "I don't have my mother's power."
Soldier Boy seems to not believe you for a mere second, after that you can feel the blade of the knife pressing against your skin, a threat that now becomes more real as you can feel the cold metal stomach. One swift movement and you'd be stabbed without a second thought.
It's sick how much you enjoy it when you are squirming against him, goosebumps in the zone he threats to destroy.
A force pull his lips upwards in a smile, unable to pay attention to nothing else but the sound you made without even realizing it. "You like that, huh little Nightshade?"
It seems to be a joke for him, bitting your inner cheek to prevent you from saying something stupid, from letting out a moan in response to all the sudden desire.
Despite all conditions you stay silent, holding his gaze like it's a game you're not going to lose. He didn't respond either, trapped in a second that seemed longer than the usual when time stopped around you, eyes looking like he can surpass the old fabric of the white shirt you choose to wear.
It's the tension what makes you mad. You're so into getting people like him, that your ego is bruised now that you notice you are actually attracted to all of that, to the way he's pressing you against the concrete, how all falls into place when he's pushing himself against you, invading any private space you could require.
He's kissing you soon after. Ben crumbles against the tension as the hand on your throat demands a kiss now, pulling you closer to his face without any warning nor concern as he crash his lips against yours in a rough kiss. You try to push him away in response even when you don't want to; see, it's hard to even admit you have interest in Soldier Boy in any other way more than the professional, but when he's bitting your lower lip you're letting your defense down: When is the last time you've been kissed like that?
You remind yourself you're tired from work, that the CIA has done nothing for you more than fuck your over and over even to this point, losing sight of one of the most important heroes of the word, and it's making you encourage to let go just for a mere hour.
"Lookin' so good takin' a bath" he says, and the sound of his deep voice is enough to send an electric wave through your spine, like he’s talking to himself as the hand on your hip is now tracing the curves of your body, taunting you from over the shirt he now learns to love. His beard is now scraping against your skin and you can feel his lips going down, tracing an invisible path to the crook of your neck as his hand is no longer choking you.
Jesus. Was that even happening or was that your imagination? Did you feel asleep on the bathtub? Maybe it’s a reflection as you are close to drowning, your brain doing that happy thoughts shit. You’re tilting your head to the side just to give him more space to work with and you’re just letting it be, enjoying how he’s sucking and nibling on your skin to leave a red mark behind, all teeth and no fucking control as he uses a good amount of force to make you moan in the process, the pain enough to remember who’s really on charge.
Ben forgets about asking any more questions, he’s too busy when his hand are taking decisions by themselves as they slide under your shirt, body still cold from the bath you just took, water still drying in your flesh when he’s like he usually is — An invader.
His hands are big and they’re capable of holding your whole tummy as he caress the soft skin that seems to expel a warm sensation, how it leaves goosebumps in any place he touches. You remember you’re basically at his mercy now that his hands roam with all liberty under your shirt, the look he gave you in the bathroom mistaken you for Stella, his eyes looking at any exposed skin he could look at.
“What the fuck,” you try to say under your breath, to keep on this facade you have of a composed person, one that won’t give in to be manhandled “What the fuck do you think you are you doing?”
“Well, i’m not seeing any complains” The blade cuts through the cotton leaving a large hole you know you won’t be able to sew after yet he’s right: There are no complains, nothing but eager that makes him go further as the seconds passed “In fact, can see that you’re pretty much enjoying it, Doll.”
You hate the nickname, that old man way of speaking when he’s squeezing one of your breasts with more force you can even handle, cursing at how easy it seems to be for him, how he wants to see you simply destroyed.
“You’re loving this isn’t?” he ask all sudden, studying you with his hazel eyes — “You love being a good whore f’me? My little Nightshade.”
He’s hard under the suit, covered in a green material you don’t know how to call as your hand searches for him, crave for him, convincing that it's what you must do as you trace the invisible lines his muscles made.
Soldier Boy’s messy, much like an animal when he’s groaning beneath your touch, his own body seeking for yours as your fingers grew bolder, demanding for a deeper contact — “Careful there sweetheart, i’m still fresh out of the oven. May be a little rusty."
You laugh at his words cause you know what he means, yet your hands work by themselves as you barely even touch him from over the suit, the hard feeling of his cock against your palm, hips buckling against your hand seconds after seeking for you, eyes shut for a couple of seconds.
“M’being careful” you say, catching yourself stealing a look at his reaction, taking your time on pleasuring him , gulping as he experiences the torture of your touch “Taking it slow for an old man.”
“Old man, huh? Now you're talking” He teases, and the sound of his laugh just fucks you up. Maybe it has to be with the fact he’s placing two fingers in front of your lips while looking at you, swollen pink lips he’s so fixated for a second, or it’s because he is, indeed, way older than you are — “Spit.”
It’s not a command, but it sounds like one as you’re unable to disobey, quickly spitting in his hand as you can visibly see the traces of saliva leaving a wet residue in your chin, one Ben looks at it for a good amount of time: How is something like saliva is so damn erotic? He doesn’t know it, but it’s enough to send him into a spiral.
He’s strong you think, cause he’s a superhero. He’s Soldier Boy by any meaning, so it’s not a big effort to hold you in his arms and lift you in the air as you let out a gasp of surprise, spanking your ass as one of his hands separates your legs for him, holding one up as you stand in the other.
“Relax, 'got you, doll” he says, your back against the wall as he kept a bruising grip in your hip, holding you in place so you don’t have to keep your balance — “Fuck you smell so damn good.”
The roses and vanilla aroma lingers on your skin as you finally understand what he's doing now, his hand close to your cunt as he taunts you, torturing you like you did so eagerly before, his personal pet as his digits get lost in your entrance now, your folds spilled with juice he can physically feel in his fingertips, your arousal's so nice against the palm of his hand he cannot help but kiss you, a feverish desire taking over his actions, the lewd sound his fingers made when he finally pushes his digits inside of you, velvety walls welcoming him as they seemed to squeeze him already — He has made such a good job on turning you on, it’s impossible to not react when he’s finally touching you, pumping into you in a constant pace.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he says, the look on your face is enough to make his cock twitch in his pants in response, imagination running wild as he thinks about that very same feeling in a much deeper way, how you’d look now stretched out, crying just like you did when he choked you asking for information — “Such a nice cunt, so wet f’me.”
He's looking at you, holding the image in his mind forever: Pink pussy displayed for him, white t-shirt rising over your chest, lifting your leg over his arm as his muscles flexed by the force he's using to fuck you deliberately, your lips parted as you ask for more in between erratic moans as his fingers curved inside you so he can hit that nice place he can reach with no effort at all, that one spot thats makes you moan louder.
"Ah-fuck" you let out. Ben's all about touching you for what it seems an eternity, thumb grazing against your clit when he's plainly torturing you, testing how much patience you have left now that he has full control of you.
"Don't cum," he demands, your heartbeats are louder by the seconds as he lifts you slightly, lips attacking your neck before the words escape from his mouth "Need you to come undone in my cock first."
He's leaving marks, marks you don't remember how to hide but don't bother you at all, touching you as he pleases you, taking all the time in the world cause it seems like the night belongs to him — Getting started as you shake your head in an improvised yes.
Yes. The thought is pure electricity, the sudden need to please him as you shake your head once again.
“Please Ben,” you don’t recognize what you’ve become now. “Please let me cum in your cock.”
"Go on doll, put on a show f'me" the supe says with a grin you cannot resist. "Bend and show me that lovely ass."
It’s all it takes. His fingers are now away from you, but you’re now facing the wall as you obey, bending until your cheek is pressed against the concrete and you can hear how he’s now unzipping his pants, the green fabric of his suit now to the side.
You look at him from over your shoulder, bitting the your lower lip as you check him out, his slightly curved dick pointing upwards, precum already leaking out.
“Like what you’re seeing or what?”
“Yeah, but there’s no fucking way.”
You’re feeding on his ego now, but you can’t help it when his size is far from what you consider it’s common — “Common’ doll. You can hadle it.”
You gulp in response cause you know you’re more than eager to try, just the sight of his own hand holding his lenght as he strokes himself making you drool in response. Fuck. It transforms in a need now. When he positions himself beneath you and he’s spitting down to that very place where he’s pushing against your hole, saliva coating his cock before just letting the tip inside.
Lubricated, he pushes a bit more and it feels just damn right. Even when it begans to hurt as he’s thick enough to force himself inside you.
Benjamin knows you’re in pain so he waits a second before shoving his cock inside one more time. You need some time as he stretches you out, clenching your teeth while he works.
"You're doing it s'good" he praises, hand massaging your back as he prevents himself from fucking you at his liking, “Takin' me like a champ."
"God" you let out a sharp moan moments after, crying when you felt the pain more than anything else — "Can't-"
"No doll" he hums as he pulls slightly more. “You can do this” he forces himself in until he's finally balls deep inside your cunt, letting you adjust to his size as he can feel fucking everything. Your blood flow, your velvety walls that squeeze him unused to someone as big as he was, your face distorted in what seems an intense mix of pain and pure, devastating pleasure — "Atta girl."
Strikes like lighting.
Soldier Boy's bitting your shoulder-blade as he waits, waits for it to switch into pleasure, to become intoxicating to the point you cannot longer remember your own name.
"Please move," you ask sooner than he thinks, and when he moves, you can feel it in your belly, melting your fucking brain as he repeated the process again, burying his cock as deep as he could go without any previous warning — "Ah, just like that, please-"
"Do you like how my cock is stretching you out now?" Ben's voice is way deeper than what usually is as he laughs, grunting behind you as one of his hands reach a fistful of your hair, grabbing it with force to pull your head backwards "Good girl, keep huggin' my cock."
You're drunk on the feeling, on the vibrations his voice sends every time he's saying something dirty for you, when he laughs victim of the pleasure.
"Gonna' keep you as my personal slut," he thinks out loud, pushing you against the wall every time he fucks you, using his other hand to spread one of your ass cheeks to the side so he can hit it harder. "Use you as my fucking pet so I can cum on your pretty face whenever I want."
He's moaning, your body’s sweaty as he pulls your hair without caring, not concentrated on the pain it produces as his hips continue on collide against you.
"Would you like that, little Nightshade?" he asks then in a low voice, his thumb pressing against your asshole as he fucks you harder now that you're used to his size. "Could get used to this pretty cunt. Promise to keep my cock whore nice and full."
It doesn't take long. Soldier Boy's moans are now filling the room as his pace becomes faster, slurred words between his erratic breathing when the hand on your hair comes up to finally grab you by the neck, like he can read your mind cause it's exactly what you need to get there, to experience by first hand a set of crashing waves that were getting more and more intense on your stomach.
You're close to the edge. He can smell it in the air when the sound of your skin slapping against his is loud enough to be all you can hear, mixing with the lovely moans you produce when he’s pounding into you with no mercy, fingers pressing the side of your neck with enough force you’re running out of breathe.
It’s messy, violent and you love it, love how he’s ruining you all sudden, fucking you up from the inside, making your vision turning dizzy in response. You’re immersed in the haze he’s driven you into before admiting:
“God i’m so fucking close.”
“Cum on my cock,” it sounds like he’s begging you to do it, fingers finding their way to your swollen clit to move against the sensitive flesh “Come on doll, leave me full of you.”
He’s making you move now, hands now controlling your hips as you take him as his liking, mere seconds until you’re finally crumbling, violently shaking as you finally reach your peak. He keeps on fucking you through your high, long enough so he’s pulling out all of sudden, stroking his lenght over you as his cum finally lands on your back leaving you convered with his load.
Fucking hell.
When you’re coming down from your orgasm shame seems to hit you hard, however for Ben is not enough when he’s kneeling on the floor, eyes on the mess his cock made out of you.
“Wanna go again, little Nightshade?” he asks curiously, and the question makes you laugh in response, forgetting about formalities and the trouble it meant you were intimate with Soldier Boy out of all the supes in the world.
“Hm,” you seem to think about it for a second, his breathing close to your wet pussy as he’s still wearing his clothes in contrast of you being so exposed — “But you’re keeping the suit on.”
He don’t have any complains when he’s the one pressing his face against your wet folds.
Funny thing is now when you’re forced to join the Boys days after that very encounter — A bad joke when you’re now babysitting Soldier Boy himself.
“Been missing you s’much little Nightshade” he admits after a couple of minutes alone in the filthy motel “Thinking about how cute you are, how you felt taking my cock so nicely in your living room.”
“Fuck off, Ben.”
“We’ll be quick” he promises “That stupid assholes back there wont even notice.”
You seem to think about it for a second before lifting your middle finger in response — “I said fuck off, Ben.”
For now, it’s enough for him that you’re thinking about it.
my masterlist
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the-inkwell-bookstore · 3 months ago
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Do you have any leitners?
@printer-mob
Leitners? Leitners? Oh, no, no, no. We do not have Leitner books. Leitner has our books. Stupid idiot motherfucking Jurgen Leitner? That rat bastard could never even begin--
Elaine.
...sorry, pookie
Yes, we have Leitners.
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webslingingslasher · 1 year ago
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thinking about frat!peter leaving a conversation with someone or a group to take you upstairs because you looked at him with “fuck me” eyes
god i fucking LOVE frat!peter
You were Peter's girl. 
He’s made that clear, every party he has has his arm thrown around your neck. He’ll press his lips to your temple or cheek when you walk away for a moment and return. He talks to you during beer pong games, ignoring his teammate entirely. He always comes to find you when you’re supposed to arrive and he always, always kisses you hello. 
It was odd when you didn’t have him all over you when you walked in, even weirder when he wasn’t in the kitchen or garage. You texted him but was left on delivered, you wonder if he had made a run to the liquor store and forgot to tell you, you wouldn’t dare entertain the idea of him hooking up with another girl. 
No, you were his girl. He made it clear. 
Unless… 
You stomped up the staircase off from the kitchen, upstairs was mostly off limits during parties. The only exception being the first bathroom on the right of the stairs, Peter’s room was to the left off the side. Without even glancing at the line you took a sharp left and paused at his door. 
You took in a breath and pressed your ear against his door, you heard nothing but his standing fan running. Still not convinced you knocked lightly and pushed the door open, you blinked at the dark doom and flicked the lights on. His room was empty and his bed made, you grinned, at least he listened to one thing you told him. 
In defeat you shut the door and head back downstairs, you check your phone for a response and frown. Peter’s never ditched you at a party before, and it especially hurt because you hadn’t seen him in a week since he’s been so busy with school and the frat. 
“Have you seen Peter?” You tugged at the arm of a fraternity brother, he pulled a thinking face then nodded. “I think he was with Mallory, he said to let him know when you were here.” Your face screwed up, “who’s Mallory?” His friend smiled, “Trent’s friend! Parker’s been chattin’ ‘em up, they seem to be getting along pretty cool.” 
So much for being ‘his girl’.
“Oh. Well, if you see him let him know I went home.” 
His friend grabbed you when you turned to leave, “naw, don’t leave! Parker had specific instructions to let him know when you get here.” You scoff, “I don’t want to bother him and Mallory.” In an instant his friend slapped his forehead, you winced at the clap. 
“Aw shit, you think Mallory’s a chick. It’s Chuck Mallory, Trent’s friend from back home.” 
Oh. Well, that makes things better. But, still. Why isn’t he finding you himself? You were his girl!
“Where is he?” 
Jarred shoves you towards the living room with an elbow, “outside, I think Mallory got him to smoke some weed.” You oo and thank him before walking away, high Peter was your favorite. When Peter was drunk he was loose and lovey, when he was high he was giddy and cuddly. 
And cuddly Peter was exactly what you needed, you haven’t seen him in a whole week! You were itching to have him in your hold, let alone feel his lips on yours or have his body on yours in his bed. 
Your legs felt light when you reached the back patio, you saw him across the yard hovering near the jungle gym, a small playhouse and swings crawling with drunk friend groups. His arms covered in a white and black flannel, his right arm was across his chest as he scratched at his left shoulder, the hand dangled the neck of a beer bottle. 
You walk down the three steps and bumped shoulders with another guy, Adam, you share an astronomy class. “Hey!” His hands balance your shoulders, you wobble and hold on to his wrists, you laugh at the small adrenaline rush and smile, “hey!” 
“You’re walking how I felt after that test wednesday.” You laugh and put your weight on one hip, Adam’s hand dropped to grab his drink, the other fell to a casual hold on your elbow. There was no inkling of attraction, just a friendly gesture. 
“If you don’t feel confident I don’t have a chance.” 
“Nah, I wouldn’t sweat it. I’d put four bucks on the line you got higher than me.” 
You look over his face and hold out the hand he was grabbing, “I’ll take you up on that,” he grins and shakes your hand hard, “bet it is.” Adam looks to his side before holding tighter and pulling you in, “I’ve got a frat boy on my ten about to burn my head off.” You turn to look but Adam’s hand cups your face to keep you looking at him, “make him jealous, c’mon. It’ll be fun.” 
You grab his hand off your face and grin, “for you or for me?” Your classmate shrugs, “my date bailed, entertain me.” You rolled your eyes but brought him in for an exaggerated hug, “mine made me come find him, all because his friend brought some new, cooler than me, guy over.” 
When you pulled back you peeked a glance at Peter, his eyes narrowed in on the side of Adam’s face like you weren’t even there. He’s made it clear you were his girl and this guy doesn’t get it. You tapped your hand on Adam’s chest, “my guess is when I walk over there he’s going to make a big gesture of grabbing me and kissing me, making sure you watch.” 
The blonde steps away, “I’ll be watching, and waiting on my four bucks!” You turn with a gasp, your hand over your heart, “you said I’d win!” Adam waves you off, “that’s before it was a real bet!” 
You smirk and turn back around to your boy, his lips pulled into a neutral state. Peter’s pulled from the pack, standing on the outskirts facing you two perfectly, his eyes flash between the guy on the porch and you sauntering closer on the grass. 
You approach him with a wide smile and wrap your arms around him, his arms stay glued to his side, he’s trying to be upset but you hum and tilt him side to side. “Careful, if you don’t hug me back he may think I’m free game.” Immediately he tugs his arms from under you and presses you tight against him, his lips pressing tiny kisses to your head. “Who’s our new friend?” 
You snort and squeeze tight before stepping back, Peter wraps his arm around your neck. “Adam, we share astronomy.” 
Your boy drops a breath dramatically, “thank god it’s not chemistry.” You grip at his love handles and he pushes you away, “you’re lucky I even came to find you! Jarred told me all about you and Mallory.” The exaggeration of the name lets Peter know you thought it was a girl he tsks and shakes his head. 
“C’mon, trouble. You know you’re my girl.” 
“Do I?” The not so subtle quip made Peter give you a faulty smile, more and more you’ve been dropping hints that the lack of a label but the implication of one was bothering you. 
“I’d hope so, here. Trouble, meet Mallory, he’s staying with us for a few days. His dad is a web developer.” 
Suddenly you understood why he ditched you, his two most favorite things in one room. Nerding out and networking. 
Mallory, with shaggy brown hair and green eyes stretched out a hand. He shamelessly looked you up and down, a cocky smirk spread, “oh, hello, trouble.” 
Before you could respond Peter pulled your back into his chest and wrapped his arms around you, “oh no, this one’s my girl. My trouble, not yours.” You relaxed in his hold, his possessiveness made you feel jittery. 
“Easy up, Parker. I’ve got my eye on the blonde.” You followed his eyesight to the window, a group of blondes hovered. “Which one?” His smile made you happy to be in Peter’s arms, you snuggled in further with the answer. “Yes.” 
You blink submissively and plaster on a dumb smile, “it’s honestly so nice of you to have such an unspecified type. You’ll give anyone a shot, huh?” Peter gripped your hip but didn’t say anything, his new friend had an amused grin, he wasn’t used to a girl challenging him. 
“Some of the girls I’ve fucked could be concidered charity work, maybe I could collect one more?” 
Trent shoved on Mallory’s chest, “cool it, prick. Parker’s girl is good to have around, apologize.” 
You could feel how stiff Peter’s chest was at his comment, the boy apologized and you nodded but Peter still felt seized up, until Mallory broke the silence. 
“Yo, Parker. Did I tell you about the internship program?” And you could feel Peter’s indecisiveness, he wanted to bark back at him but he also could use an internship, you pulled away from him and nodded at the shaggy hair. 
“Pete, you were just talking about that like, two weeks ago.” 
And the conversation flowed, the group talked back and forth and even with the jab, Mallory included you in the conversation and you could see the charismatic side of him, as much as you didn’t want to. After twenty minutes the group walked to an empty picnic table, Mallory sat on the top of the table, pausing mid conversation to lick his wrapped blunt, pressing the seal. 
Ethan, Chris and Trent sat on the left side of the table, you, Peter and Dylan sat on the right. Dylan was also perched on the top of the table, his feet on the bench. Peter sat with his back to the table, his neck turned to the left to look at his new friend, your right shoulder rested on the side of the table, your legs thrown over Peter’s lap as he ran his hands up and down your shins. You rested your head on your fist, your elbow on the table as well. 
You stared at Peter’s face as he made conversation in the group and laughed, you weren’t paying much attention but felt your heart lurch at every grin he casted and you laughed when he did. 
Peter felt eyes burning a hole through him, he looked at you and grinned. ‘What?’ he mouthed, ‘nothing,’ you replied. He gave you a look that said ‘you’re being weird,’ you leaned in closer and tapped his cheek. As if you’d have to ask, he met you and pressed his bottom lip against your top, his hand holding onto your knee. You smiled against his lips, then pressed another kiss, “I missed you,” Peter hums, “missed you too.” 
“Oi! You helped Trent cheat?” You shook your head when you pulled from Peter, Mallory smacked against your arm. Peter looked at you surprised, “no! Don’t- Don’t say it like that!” You looked around and hissed, “I just helped him understand a few questions better. During a test. For a final. By passing notes. But absolutely no cheating!” 
“Trouble, what?” You grinned back at your boy nervously and looked at Trent as if you’ve been betrayed. Peter patted the side of your thigh, you ignored his call and Trent grinned with his hands up, “you won cool points forever, sorry babe.” 
You groan and point around the table, “that never happened, okay!” 
Mallory lit the blunt and passed it down the line, Ethan laughed at the quick silence. “If you guys think that’s funny I should tell you about the time she helped Parker study for an anatomy quiz.” 
“Peter!” You gesture to his friend at the far side of the table, the others getting a laugh at your reaction. You sputter and shove at his arm, you can’t help but smile yourself. Peter jolts when you attack his side, you’re letting his friends see his ‘boyfriend side’, the one that giggles when you tickle him and leans into your touch, breathless and smiley when you end the attack. 
“Stop making fun of my girl, she takes it out on me!” You prove his point and tickle his side again, he pulls your hips and throws you to straddle him. You can’t help but yelp at the sudden movement, you oof when you slam against his hips, his hands bolt your own down on your thighs. 
If you could’ve clenched your thighs you would’ve, you forgot how quick he could throw you around. It’s been the longest week of your life since you met him. Dylan whistles and his gang claps, you roll your eyes, “Parker just earned top dog of the week!” 
Dylan noogies Peter’s hat, you smack his hand away and place a protective hand, “leave my baby alone.” Ethan holds his hand across the table, “tell your baby to take a hit,” you extend your own, Peter takes the time to wrap his arm around your back, you return with a smile, you raise the blunt to his mouth, “take a hit.” 
You watch Peter lean his head forward and take a hit, your look down and your warm smile melted into one of admiration. The lit end engulfed in red and orange, a single stream of smoke raised, his eyebrows furrowed as he took a longer hit, his eyes flashed up and saw the ardor in your eyes. 
His fingers pushed into your thigh and you pulled away, you watched him blow out the smoke slowly while you took your own inhale, your only thoughts on Peter, no interest in the other conversations. You held the tobacco back up and bit your lip when his fingers brushed yours for another toke, “you’re looking at me funny,” he spoke between his inhale, you took the hat off his head, his head tilted at first, pausing to stop you but letting you do it when you flashed a frown. 
You set the cap on the bench next to you, your fingers immediately fixing his curls and adjusting his hat hair. “You’re smokin’ babe.” You shook out his curls, you curled your fingers into them, his lips shot up to kiss your wrist, “thanks, honey.” 
Your heart clenched, more and more he’s like your boyfriend. He’s laying it on thick tonight, you press a kiss to his lips, neither one of you a fan of heavy pda, him more than you, especially in front of his brothers. Peter holds the blunt behind your back and tugs you closer, he breaks away and his glazed eyes peered at your lips and to your eyes, “I love…” You listen closer and tug his shirt, he stops himself, “I love kissing you,” 
You press a soft kiss to his cheek, your lips graze to his ear, “that all?” You looked back at his face but he cleared his throat and looked behind you to hand the blunt off to Dylan. You’re teasing, that’s all. You poke at his cheeks, “don’t get all freaked out, I’m kidding, petey.” 
You humph when his hand covers your mouth, his eyes shoot to his friends. He’s in the clear, no one heard. If any one of his friends heard the pet name they’d bully him to death, simp him to shame. He’d never ever hear the end of it. 
Peter’s eyes burrowed into yours, “absolutely not.” 
“Petey.” You mumbled it into his hand, he pressed against your mouth harder. He gave you a death stare, you giggled and pulled at his wrist, he gave you a warning glance but let it fall away. 
You took a deep breath and leaned to whisper in his ear, your hands cupped around your mouth. “petey, petey, petey.” His fingers dig into your sides, as you curl into him he pushes your hips away. 
“You’re being a menace tonight, trouble.” 
You wheezed against him and pushed his hand away, “I’m sorry!” 
And the moment you looked back up at him he understood, you had a look on your face only he was lucky enough to see. It was the same look you gave him when he was pushing into you, as you dug your nails into his shoulder blades and cried out his name. The same look when you lay breathless, your fingers tangled in his hair pulling as tight as you could grinding your hips against his face. 
“I just missed you this week,” you whispered the words and fixed his collar, he missed you too. 
Peter grabbed your fingers and kissed them, “okay, then go pee, baby.” He spoke loudly and laughed, catching the attention of his friends but they continued with the conversation. You furrowed your brow, you went to speak but he continued, “okay, then let’s go.” He patted your thighs and you scrambled to get off them, he stood up and grabbed your hand to tug you up. 
Peter gave a salute to his friend group, “be right back,” you nodded and followed his path inside. Your boy tugged you up the stairs and to his room, his hat was tossed to his dresser and he ripped his flannel off. 
You smiled when you realized what he did, you told him you hated how his friends jeered him on when it was assumed you were about to have sex. It makes you feel icky. You give him a sudden hug, he stills but wraps his own arm around you. 
“You okay?” 
“You did that for me?” 
Peter kisses the top of your head, “you give me the look, I make the excuse.” 
Then smacks your backside, “now get naked, if we take longer than thirty minutes they’ll ask questions.” 
You pull your shirt off and flop on the center of his bed, “yes, sir.” 
3K notes · View notes
zepskies · 2 months ago
Text
Lost on You - Part 8
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Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x F. Supe!Reader
Summary: 1983 is a big year for you. You’re finally chosen to join the ranks of Payback, led by the most (in)famous supe in the world: Soldier Boy. He’ll never admit that he’s trying his damndest to figure you out. You’ll never admit that he’s actually growing on you. But the problem with this game is deciding who’s the predator, and who is prey.
AN: Here we go. Diving into Nicaragua, and beyond…
Song Inspo: “Who’s Crying Now” by Journey
Word Count: 4K
Tags/Warnings: 18+ only. Violence, implied torture, heavy angst (and a twist ending).
🎵 YouTube Playlist || Spotify Playlist
🎙️ Series Masterlist
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Part 8: For Whom the Bell Tolls
March 1984
When you got into Payback, you didn’t sign up to be part of a war. You knew you weren’t a soldier, and frankly, the rest of you had no business being here either. This was a CIA base, being run by a no-nonsense officer, Grace Mallory. You had no intention of getting in her way.
Nicaragua was hot and surrounded by jungle, not exactly conducive to a leather suit. You kept to the shade by yourself and watched Swatto, Ben, and Gunpowder makes fools of themselves after Grace tore them a new one. You respected anyone who could go toe-to-toe with Ben without even flinching, especially as a non-supe.
Then again, he had poured on his usual “charm.”
“You know, with a figure like yours, you are wasted down here,” he said.
You rolled your eyes. Grace didn't even give him the time of day. Stan chimed in, presumably to explain Vought’s apparent “partnership” with the U.S. military for this mission. Ben walked away from her, barely glancing in your direction along the way.
That suited you just fine. Things had been frosty between you two for the past month, but as long as you stayed out of his way, he didn’t butt into yours.
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Days later, you wanted nothing more than to go home. Sleeping in a tent was not your bag, and especially not using the restroom outdoors. Would it be considered desertion if you booked a flight home right now?
You escaped your tent with a huff, swatting mosquitos as you went. You’d tried to take an afternoon nap, but who could sleep in this heat?
“Not exactly a luxury suite, is it?” Black Noir said. You jolted, realizing he was standing just a few feet away without his mask on. It was refreshing to see his face, but you were still a bit sour toward him.
“Oh, you’re talking to me now?” you said dryly. You began walking toward the mess tent. Noir joined you.
“Well, it looks like you’re done playing your little game,” he said, raising his brows meaningfully at Soldier Boy. He seemed to be trying to chat up Mallory again.
Good fucking luck there, you thought. She already looked bored.
You turned to Noir with a flat look.
“We’re all playing a game, Irving. Just at different levels,” you said. “For example, what were you talking to Stan about?”
You’d seen them a couple of hours ago, hidden behind a fortified stone wall. Noir stopped walking. You were curious enough to follow suit.
“Something that could change everything for all of us,” he said. “You included.”
Your brows knitted together. “What’re you—”
Shots rang out in the clearing. Noir covered you when a grenade blasted the ground just a few feet away from you.
"You okay?" he asked in concern. You nodded shakily. He steadied you with a reassuring hold on your arms.
“Come on!” he said.
“What’s happening?” you exclaimed over the noise. You were terrified, and you definitely weren’t trained for this.
You let Noir lead you through the camp. When men in faded green uniforms came at you with guns, he took most of them out. You managed to duck under a man’s gun and touch his face, compelling him to sleep.
“There you are!” said Countess. She had the TNT Twins and Mindstorm in tow. For once, you were relieved to see them.
Finally you made it into a clearing where Ben was fighting with his shield at the ready. He punched out another enemy soldier who fell to the ground. He turned to see you, and then the others in your team beginning to surround him. You frowned in confusion and looked at Noir.
“What’re you doing?” you asked in worry. He glanced at you, but didn’t answer.
“What the fuck is this?!” Ben said angrily.
“Something we should’ve done a long time ago, you piece of shit,” Noir said, his tone icy and determined.
The TNT Twins attacked first. It managed to knock Ben to the ground. You were frozen in shock when Countess and Mindstorm joined in, along with Noir.
“Stop!” you said, but no one heard you. What the fuck is happening?!
They had Ben going for a minute, as their triple teaming managed to keep him on the ground…just not for long. With a grunt, he shoved them all away with a show of strength.
“Sirena!” Noir finally called to you, his gaze imploring you to help them. 
“No, stop!” you shouted back. You couldn’t watch this fight happen again. Because this time, Ben would kill him. He’d kill all of them.
You headed for Ben and Noir, but a gloved hand stopped you. It grabbed your wrist and turned you around, right into Countess’s waiting fist. You cried out and stumbled, but you found purchase on one of the stone walls. Before you could recover, she grabbed your shoulders and kneed you hard in the stomach.
Shit… You tasted blood when you went down, heaving for breath. She packed one hell of a punch in those little gloved fists.
“Been waiting for this, bitch,” she hissed from above you.
The second she got close enough, you grabbed her by her long hair and punched her as hard as you could in that fake-ass nose. Then you kicked out with both feet into her stomach. She doubled over and fell back on her ass.
You managed to roll and stumble onto your feet. You glanced over quick and saw that Ben was beating Noir within an inch of his life.
“Ben!” you shouted, wanting to stop him, but that was when Mindstorm stepped in front of you. His eyes met yours, and it became a battle of wills as he tried to shove you deep into the darkness of your inner world.
You could play mind games too though. You fought his hold, with every scrap of your consciousness, and you even managed to take a few steps forward. If you touched him, it would be over. As a man, he wouldn’t be able to withstand your own powers.
And your plan might’ve worked, if Countess hadn’t walloped you hard from behind.
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When you woke, the bare room was bright with florescent lighting and cold beyond belief. You shuddered. You were no longer wearing your supe suit. Instead, you’d been dressed in some kind of gray hospital gown and a pair of woolly socks, stripped of even your boots. At least you still had underwear.
You uncurled yourself from the thin cot you were laying on. The room held little more than a prison cot, a toilet, and a sink. You let out a shaky breath.
Where the hell…
You got up slowly, mindful of your aches and pains throughout your body. The back of your head was throbbing too, courtesy of Countess, you slowly remembered.
That fucking bitch.
There was a door with a small glass windowpane. You tried to twist the handle, but of course it wouldn’t budge. You peered out of the window and saw a long hallway. There was a door just like yours on the opposite side with a small window.
“H-Hey!” you shouted. “Is anyone there? Hello?!”
A moment later, you heard Ben say your name, calling out to you. He sounded angry, but you were close enough to sense his relief at hearing your voice. You were relieved to hear him too, at least.
“Ben!” you said, as tears sparked in your eyes. “Where the hell are we?”
“The Russians got us,” he said, though it was heavily muffled through his door and yours.
Oh shit…
“After those cocksuckers fucking betrayed me!” he shouted. You heard a banging sound, like his fist meeting the wall.
“Did you know?” he asked in anger.
“What?” you said incredulously.
“Did you fucking know what they were planning?”
You were shocked, both at his audacity, and at the way he really thought you could do that to him. To anyone.
“How can you ask me that,” you said tremulously, “when I’m the only one who tried to fucking help you?”
It finally hit you then, where you were and why this was happening. You laughed without humor, wiping manic tears from your cheeks in vain.
“Well, look where that got me,” you said. You shook your head. “God, I wish I’d never met you.”
You almost wished you could see his face. He would probably try to be stoic, but even through the walls, you sensed the discordant impact of your words. It affected him, more than he’d probably ever show.  
“You’re saying this is my fucking fault?!” he said sharply.
“Yes! It is your fault. Because you’re too much of a mean, callous, arrogant, entitled, selfish, fucking asshole to see that everybody hates you!” you spat. 
That fell heavily between you. You didn’t regret it. It was high time this man knew the truth, about everything.
No more games.
“Oh, really. You included, huh?” Ben said. “I didn’t do shit to you.”
You gaped. “You shoved me to ground! I had bruises for days. Or did you conveniently forget that part?”
“You got in the fucking way!” he retorted. But then, he simmered down slightly. “Besides, you know you weren’t the one I was aiming for.”
And that just reminded you of Black Noir, with no small measure of guilt, and just how badly Ben had beaten him before you two were captured. You didn’t doubt that Ben had killed him.
“But you still did it, and you couldn’t even look me in the eye and apologize, like a man,” you said. “Instead, you fucked a pack of whores.”
You shook your head and tried to calm your breathing. You wiped under your eyes.
“But I guess I did bring it on myself. I knew what you were the second I met you,” you said coldly. “In fact, the only thing I really wanted from you was what you could do for my career.”
That blow landed as well. You felt his shock, deep inside.
“Is that so?” he said, less angry then. More resigned. “It was all an act, huh?”
New tears burned in your eyes. They slid down your cheeks, one by one.
“Yeah, it was,” you said. “I fucking hope I never have to see your face again.”
With a shaky breath, you turned your back to the door and leaned against it. You ignored the painful lance in your heart that threatened to overtake you, along with your panic.
For a while, there was silence. It gave you a reprieve, but it also forced you to be alone with the tumultuous thoughts circling in your head.
Suddenly, the door opened. You backed up all the way to the far wall. In stepped a man in a gray lab coat, as well as two armed guards. One of them was holding a straitjacket.
“Good morning,” said the lab coat. His English was heavily accented. “Welcome to your new home.”
“Who are you?” You tried to sound firm and unshaken, but there was no mistaking your fear as your eyes darted from man to man.
“Eisenstein Sergei. I am a geneticist, by trade,” he said. He gestured at you with a smile that made your skin crawl. “You, beautiful one. You will be part of evolution.”
“Stay the fuck away from me,” you said, even as your voice trembled.
Eisenstein gestured at the guards, who drew near you. The second you opened your mouth to sing, to scramble their minds, one of them produced an extendable stick with an electric prod on the end. He tased you until you passed out onto the floor.
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As you soon discovered, Dr. Sergei Eisenstein was fascinated by supes. He wanted to figure out how they ticked, on a molecular level. So he and his team had made a deal with Vought to acquire Soldier Boy for experimentation. You were an added bonus.
For months, the doctor and his team poked and prodded, cut and burned you, testing the limitations of your advanced healing and pushing your body often far beyond its capabilities.
But they were careful. The straitjacket ensured you couldn’t easily compel any man who drew near to work on you. They all wore gloves, so they didn’t touch your skin. In some ways, their wariness was to your benefit. You were always gagged when they worked on you though, so you couldn’t sing. Eisenstein also once threatened to paralyze your vocal cords if you tried. You were too afraid to tempt him.
As rough as you had it, you were sure it was only scratching the surface of what they did to Ben.
The man was stronger, more durable. The doctor had more leeway to play with him, knowing his toy wouldn’t break.
They now kept him on the other end of the compound, since he’d broken through his first containment unit. They had gassed him with something that made him drop like a stone, putting him to sleep. You weren’t sure what was powerful enough to do it, but you didn’t want to find out.
The first time you heard him screaming, it brought tears stinging in your eyes. Your lips had trembled, and you’d rocked yourself in your cot. You couldn’t help him, let alone yourself. You were surprised to realize that you wanted to help him, even after everything he did to you—after everything you’d seen him do.
It slowly made you realize the truth in your own heart; things you hadn’t wanted to take out and examine, like muddy glass after a storm. Now, with the debris washed away, you could see what you had become, and what all your work, your scraping, your lies and manipulations had gotten you.
Nothing.
It also made you realize that you weren’t as good of a liar as you thought you were. At least, not to yourself. Not when you remembered the quiet moments between you and Ben; the times you wordlessly craved each other’s company, and you laid tucked against his side on the couch with a book while he watched a football game. Or late at night, the times when you gave into sharing a bed with him, and he stared up at the ceiling with a blunt in hand, the two of you lying naked and talking about everything and nothing until you feel asleep.  
Yes, you remembered blood and violence, callousness and cruelty toward Noir and the rest of the team. You knew that was who Soldier Boy was. That was Ben.
It was just hard to reconcile that monster with the man you’d come to know. The man who actually tried to comfort you, even though you hadn’t wanted to be comforted after that accident with a Crimson Countess fan. The man who saved you after you were beaten by a thug, and nearly worse. The man who could be funny, and charming, with hints of gentleness and affection in between.
You supposed you would never know what part of him was real.
But most of all, you remembered the things you’d said to him. You surprised yourself by feeling pinprick needles of guilt up and down your spine.
“I hope I never have to see your face again.”
 You had a feeling that you’d get your wish.
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It was six months in before Eisenstein experimented with the first serum. You vomited blood.
It took his team three more years to revise. 
You started to hear voices in your head, snippets of thought instead of just sensing energies. You lied to the scientists, keeping the knowledge to yourself. They had no way to know, so why give them more ammunition against you?
The thoughts you heard were always male, whoever was in close proximity. Your powers seemed to translate them into English, but you almost preferred it to be gibberish. Mostly the thoughts were bland, disgusting, or cold and frightening in their scientific detachment, and even their entertainment…mostly when they worked on Ben. 
It made you sick. You wished you could reach out to him, if just for someone familiar to talk to. You hadn’t learned how to do that just yet. You didn’t even know if you could. You were still figuring out how to just tune it all out when you were sick of the chatter.
Regardless, they kept him too far away, so you rarely heard his thoughts. When you did, they were mostly angry and murderous. You couldn’t blame him. 
Sometimes, just being able to feel his presence, hearing the scraps of his thoughts was enough.
You were left entirely alone with your own.
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April 3, 1994
You read the date on the magazine they’d brought for you with bland porridge for breakfast. The publication was in Russian, but you’d begun to pick up on certain words they said, and on the structure of numbers you saw them scribble in their notes. 
Ten years. You really couldn’t fathom it. It didn’t feel real…
Well, actually, it did today. You were almost done with the porridge when the doctor and three guards came in, one with your usual straitjacket.
“Finished then?” Eisenstein asked, nodding at your near empty bowl. “Good. Get her up.”
The command was in Russian, but by now you understood it. You still struggled. You always did. It was no use though. Soon they had you fitted in the jacket and a gag tight around your mouth, with just a couple of cattle prod stings to your side.
They dragged you down the hall farther than usual. You were confused when they passed the usual lab they so often took you to. Instead, Eisenstein opened a metal door.
Inside the room was Ben, strapped to a metal slab against the wall. He was bound in every way, and fully naked. He also had a long, unkempt beard, but you’d recognize that face even in your sleep. Your eyes widened when you met his, your breath caught in your throat. His face slackened in surprise as well.
You hadn’t seen him since before the beginning of the nightmare.
He’d barely aged at all.
The spell of it broke when you were slammed down onto a cold, shiny table. It felt hard as titanium, and you cried out at the impact.
You managed to raise your head. “Ben!”
It was muffled through the gag, but you knew he understood you. His brows furrowed. He looked up at Eisenstein in a glare.
“What the fuck is this?”
The doctor held a glass syringe in his gloved hand. He drew closer to you with slow, measured steps.
“You have impenetrable skin, yes? Hard, like a diamond,” he said to Ben. “Even inside your holes, it is…perhaps more sensitive, but still strong enough to stop further experimentation.”
Ben’s lip curled with a sneer.
“But there must be a way to get inside you,” Eisenstein said. He grabbed the back of your neck tightly, making you whimper. He held up the syringe. “Tell me now, or I will give her the serum we had prepared for you. There is good chance it may…let’s say, liquify her insides, but we will have to see. Won’t we?”
He gestured at one of the guards, who tore open the back of your gray gown to expose your back and shoulders. You screamed around the gag and struggled, even with the men holding you down. You fought Eisenstein’s grip to look up at Ben. His jaw was clenched, his eyes hard and angry.
You had tears in your eyes; they already began to slip down your cheeks. You implored him wordlessly. Ben stared back at you through furrowed brows.
Getting nothing but silence, Eisenstein sighed through his nose, and he turned to you with the syringe.
“Hold her steady.”
You struggled and thrashed in vain.
“Wait!” Ben said, through clenched teeth.
Everyone in the room paused.
Ben lifted his gaze from you and directed it at the doctor.
“My eye,” he said lowly. “Inject it in the corner of my eye.”
Eisenstein’s weathered face broke into a smile. “Ah, clever. Thank you, Soldier Boy.”
Then he pressed the needle into your shoulder, emptying its contents into your bloodstream. You uttered a pained sound at the needle going in. Again, you looked up at Ben in panic.
He tensed in an incredulous anger. “What—”
“Do not worry. It’s just a sedative,” Eisenstein shrugged.
Within seconds, you breathed out a whimper as your eyes closed on you. You went limp. The guards peeled you off the table and dragged you out of the room. It left the doctor with his favorite patient.
Ben wanted to rip the man’s arm from his socket and beat him to death with it. And that was just the latest fantasy on how he’d take the good doctor apart.
“What’ve you been doing to her?” Ben asked, in a tone that demanded. It was the first time he had spoken of you, the first time he had the courage to ask the question that so often plagued his mind.
Eisenstein sighed. “She is not as strong or durable as you, but! She has been able to withstand a good many experiments that have borne fruit.”
Ben’s glare darkened. “You’re a sick fucking bastard.”
“I am a visionary,” the doctor countered. “Can you imagine what your mutations could unlock for science? In biomedicine? Her healing abilities, though limited, could provide the cure to any number of diseases and ailments. Your longevity of life could do the same… Or if not, you will make for Russia’s greatest weapon.”
He stepped back and ushered in his assistants. One of them came with the true serum. Its contents had a light red hue. It looked like poison. Ben struggled in his constraints, grunting and resisting the hand that reached for his face.
“If you do not stay still, we will go to her next,” Eisenstein warned.
Ben panted through his nose. His hardened gaze flicked between the doctor, and the needle coming for his eye.
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You heard Ben screaming before you could even open your eyes. You felt it in your chest. In your spirit.
He saved me, you realized, as tears once again stung behind your eyelids.
You also tasted cotton in your mouth. You realized it was because they had thrown you face-first onto your cot. You managed to turn your head so you at least could breathe, but you couldn’t move any of your limbs. Your enhanced healing was the only reason why you were even awake.
Ben…
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He broke free.
The pain was too much. Adrenaline was surging through him, and he was able to grab one of the assistants and crush his throat. His furious gaze was set on Eisenstein next, but the fucker ducked out of the room quick.
Ben padded forward on slightly unsteady feet, ripping away the rest of his restraints from the cold metal. He stalked toward the door. Before he could reach it, a hissing plume of Novichok gas flooded the entire cell. 
His eyes rolled up into his head, and he fell to the ground. All the while, the serum was working inside him, bubbling and brewing red hot in his chest.
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You were lying unmoving in your cot when Eisenstein came in to check on you.
“How is the little bird, doing?” he asked in his native tongue.
He ventured over to you carefully. In one of his hands was a cattle prod, just in case.
“They were careless,” he remarked. He set down the cattle prod to grasp your shoulders, and he rearranged you until you were lying on your back. You were still unresponsive, when the doctor knew for a fact that you should be awake by now. He had your reaction times to certain chemicals perfected to the minute.
He frowned and reached out to hold a gloved finger to your neck, measuring your pulse.
That was when you opened your eyes.
You raised up and headbutted him as hard as you could. Eisenstein cried out and fell to the ground. You followed him there and straddled him. Your hands were still bound by the straitjacket, so you had no choice.
You bent down and distracted him with a disdainful kiss to his lips.
When you next open your eyes, they were glowing violet.
You took control of his mind.
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AN: 😬😬😬
Also, get ready for a whopper of a chapter in Part 9. (My favorite one of the series!)
Next Time:
Free me, you compelled Eisenstein’s mind.
He obeyed you with a vacant look in his eyes. He unhooked your straitjacket and opened the door. After you grabbed up his cattle prod, you still didn’t release your psychic hold. You ordered him forward, and for the first time you walked freely out of your cell without restraint.
Take me to Soldier Boy.
▶️ Keep Reading: PART 9
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meazalykov · 4 months ago
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invisible string theory
lena oberdorf x uswnt!lyon!reader
part one - part two - part three
summary: you're with her now, but you've known of her for longer than that.
warnings: long chapter since I have to split this up into three parts, changing things that happened irl just a tiny bit for the plot of this, google translated language.
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the pathway of your career was never simple, or original. 
growing up in the states, you participated in many youth programs. sacrificing a chance at a normal childhood, you took the chance to fulfill your 5-year-old self's dream. 
before you know it, you’d grow up to be the best teenager in the country– in terms of soccer. 
just before going into high-school, you were called up for the usynt for the first time. your parents wanted to see you happy, so you were sent into homeschooling. 
it wasn’t easy leaving public-school. you barely had time for your non-soccer playing friends and eventually– you seemed to forget about them. your friends and teammates on your club and national teams were your new priority. 
breaking records on the national level, it seemed like the youth team was too easy for you. 
and then 2018 came along, when you were 16 years ol–  
well, not yet. just a day before your 16th birthday, in January 2018, you were having your debut on the uswnt. 
against denmark, you were thrown into the game in the 50th minute, not long after halftime. being an attacking midfielder, you were expected to contribute to any attack or opportunity given for you. 
playing with the current world champions intimidated you. your new mentor, christen press, noticed this when your leg and foot tapped against the grass as the both of you waited to get subbed in. 
“hey! you gotta relax.” christen whispers over the crowd, her tone stricter than usual which causes your leg to stop tapping.
a goal came from mallory pugh that same second, so you were distracted for a few seconds celebrating. 
luckily, this gave you enough time to take deep breaths.. something your sports therapist recommended for situations like this. 
“i will, sorry.” you quickly spoke after, moving your tongue to press on the inside of your cheek. you didn’t notice how nervous you could’ve looked from the outside. 
“you don’t need to apologize, you’ll do great i promise!” she patted your upper back a few times before the ref blew the whistle for the subs. 
after the whistle blew in the 93rd minute, you breathed a huge sigh of relief. most of your older teammates ran to your side to congratulate your contributions to the 5-1 win. 
1 goal and one assist on your senior team debut didn’t happen to players everyday, especially to newly 16 year olds.  
a year later, after 16 more caps, happy tears ran out of your eyes when your coach, jill, called you. 
this wasn’t too long after you made your professional club debut for sky blue fc, or what is now referred to as gotham fc. jill let you know that you were going to the world cup!
now being 17 years old, you were the youngest person on the uswnt roster to play in the women's world cup ever. 
being referred to as “baby blue” by the rest of the team, due to your age and the club you play for, they all made an effort to make sure that you had the best experience for your first world cup. 
you attached yourself to christen, megan, alex and tobin when it came down to needing mentors to guide you in france– and your closest friends mallory, tierna, and rose. 
in the football world, you’re treated like an adult. something you struggled with. 
your parents, siblings, and other relatives came to france to support you on your journey– but due to the everyday training (twice a day), media days, strict meal plans, and mental stress before the tournament– you couldn’t see them at all. 
thankfully, they were able to see you along with the rest of the world during the group stages. 
against thailand, you scored a goal with three assists after you were substituted in the 60th minute. the 13-0 win gave you a rush that would last throughout the entire tournament.
you didn’t play against chile, or sweden. sitting on the bench and observing your team was enough for you though– they’ll call you whenever they need you. 
one moment throughout the tournament, there was a four day break between the group stages and the round of 16. 
adidas, the brand you chose to sign for, wanted to do a photoshoot with many internationals who signed their brand. the world cup is the only chance they’ll be able to do this collaboration– and with fifa's approval– over 20 players from different countries are there in a big conference room, ready to get their picture taken. 
standing in the red uswnt kit, you felt intimidated– unaware that you could’ve been the most intimidating. 
unfortunately for you, lindsey and you were the only americans at this photoshoot. you attached yourself to the blonde before she was pulled away by staff. this left you alone sitting on a random chair– at a random table. 
(i know giulia gwinn is signed for nike, but pretend she is signed to adidas for the plot)
“um– hey?” a girl your age– or maybe a bit older– with blonde hair stands in front of you with a confused, yet amused, expression. 
your eyebrows knit together as you respond back with a smile, “hi!” 
before the blonde could say anything, you turn your head to see a table card in the middle of the circle table. its labeled under germany so your eyes widened before you quickly stood up from your chair. 
“oh my goodness i’m sorry– i just found a random seat to sit in because i’m bored.” you talk a bit more than necessary, afraid that you did something disrespectful.
“its totally okay– i’ve been wandering around myself– i’m giulia!” she reaches her hand out, her german accent strong. 
you reach your hand out to meet hers, “i’m y/n. i’m with the us team.” 
giulia smiles, “i know– its hard to not notice the current world champs in the room.” 
you smile, your social anxiety fades as you engage in a conversation with the german footballer. 
“so when are you getting your pictures done?” giulia asks, wanting to continue the conversation with you. 
“oh i had my individuals and duo pictures with horan done earlier– i’m just waiting for the big group photo we have to take in–” you check your apple watch, “20 minutes.” 
“oh same!” giulia says, looking down at your apple watch too, seeing that it's 11:40am. 
“congratulations on getting on top of group B, i watched a little bit of the game during my lunch break yesterday!” you compliment as you cross your arms naturally. 
“thank you! it wasn’t easy.” giulia smiles.
“i feel you.” you relate. 
before you could talk to giulia more, another girl jogs up towards the two of you. 
she is wearing the same german kit as giulia, so you know she is her national teammate. she's taller than you, brunette, and you figure that she has short hair, since her hair was tied up in a small bun. 
the brunette looked very cute, but you brushed that thought aside. you have no idea what her name is and you need to put all of your focus on the world cup. 
“Da bist du ja! Ich habe dich gesucht, aber ich sehe, du hast einen neuen Freund gefunden.“ (There you are! I've been looking for you, but I see you've found a new friend.) the brunette nudges giulia’s shoulder, looking at her before looking at you with curiousity. 
“relax! this is y/n.” giulia waves her hand towards you. 
“hey.” is all you say, smiling at the cute girl. 
“hey.” she responds, smiling with the same cheeky smile you had. 
“wer ist das? sie ist süß” (who is that? she is cute) the brunette says to giulia. you didn’t understand german, but you could tell that she was asking a question through the tone of her voice.
giulia rolls her eyes before giggling, 
“this is y/n, like i told you. she plays for the united states.” giulia responds in english, which you’re grateful for. the girl looked you up and down for a few seconds before talking to giulia in german again.
over giulia’s shoulder, just 20 feet behind her, you see horan waving her hand for you to come to her. you look back at the german girls, hating to cut them off from their conversation. 
“sorry girls but i have to go. it was so nice meeting you giulia!” you quickly hug giulia, and she hugs you back tightly before you walk away. 
ten days later-- when jill called for you to warm up in the final against the netherlands, your legs felt like pencil lead that could’ve snapped in half. 
in the 75th minute, the united states were up by 2. however, the euro champions against you had a point to prove. they weren’t going to let themselves lose the world cup without a fight. 
tobin heath got injured during the semi-finals and doctors made it clear that she couldn’t play the full 90 minutes in the final, so jill made the last decision to call you up. 
every commentator on broadcasts, radio stations, and television networks were wondering why jill was putting you– a seventeen year old with no world cup experience– over people like carli lloyd who's on the bench.
you couldn’t make a single mistake on the pitch. your mind repeated that sentence back to you as you warmed up with sprints and stretches on the sidelines. 
five minutes go by and you’re on the pitch. focusing on the ball, you made beautiful passes to the forwards and midfielders around you.
when your eyes were on the ball, it was distracting from the neverending stadium around you. 
blocking out the noise of the crowd and the pressure of the moment, the 83rd minute comes along. krieger pushes the ball away from a dutch forward and launches the ball in the air towards rose lavelle, the girl who scored the second goal moments before. 
rose, being closed in by dutch defenders, passed the ball behind her to kelley o’hara. kelley saw you were free and there was open space between you and her, so she launched the ball towards you. 
this was your chance. usually, you never tried to seek personal glory. however, something changed when that ball hit your ivory colored cleat.
your feet take the ball towards the goal. veenendaal, the dutch goalkeeper, sets herself up in a ready position as she sees her defenders failing to take the ball from you. 
as you race closer to the goal, the crowd gets louder. the orange defenders close in but you dribble around them effortlessly, a skill uswnt fans love seeing from your younger self. 
an oranje defender hit your body from the left side but it was too late. your foot was angled on the left side of the ball, making the outside of your right foot clear to launch a powerful shot at the goal. 
veenendaal dived a second too late, the ball hit the lower corner of the net, going in for the third goal of the world cup final. 
you didn’t take a moment to process your thoughts before you lifted yourself off of the grass and sprinted towards the corner of the pitch, the same corner megan raphinoe celebrated the first goal at an hour before. 
your hands were spread out wide as tears threatened to pour out of your eyes in joy. the look of happiness that you’ve never felt until now. 
“Y/N L/N THE YOUNGEST GOALSCORER IN A WORLD CUP FINAL!!” commentators screamed on television broadcasts as your teammates, both on and off of the pitch, ran to you and squeezed your adrenaline filled body. 
one month later, you’re back home in new york city. the rush of winning the world cup is still fresh– along with your popularity in the community skyrocketing due to your amazing world cup campaign. 
you missed france already-- a little too much. the bond you’ve had with your uswnt teammates there was indescribable. 
the world cup distracted you from your unfortunate situation at gotham fc too. 
you’re an amazing player and the world cup showed the world that, but your coach at gotham seemed to have an agenda against you. 
at first, you didn’t think so. you arrived at gotham six months ago and started for the first few games in the NWSL season, but it seems like the coach forgot about you after. 
the defensive style of the squad is something you didn’t prefer as well. your play style fit well with an attacking style of play, but your coach didn’t want that. 
after being benched for the big game against san diego wave, you had enough. 
your agent and yourself filled a request in to transfer clubs or go on loan. 
luckily for you, many clubs all over the world wanted the best U17 player. 
when lyon came knocking on your door, you were happy to accept a year long loan deal. 
at first, moving across the atlantic scared you. your older sister, whos much older than you, agreed to live with you until you’re eighteen that january, but you’ll be far away. 
however, lyon is the best club in the world. you would never say no simply because you were “a little uncomfortable” with the move. oh well, football comes with uncomfortable events.  
the uncomfortable events paid off well, since you're a starter for the champions league final against wolfsburg.
twenty minutes in, and you nearly had an opportunity to have the first goal of the final.
the ball was at lucy bronze's feet. you were free to accept her pass and did so. before you could pass the ball up to sommer-- Alex popp knocked you from behind and you were on the grass.
you were okay, and you got up fine afterwards. in fact-- you felt like that knock helped your nerves from playing your first champion's league final at the age of 18.
minutes later, sakina had the ball which prompted you to push forward. ingrid engen from wolfsburg kept her eyes on you, since she knows how fast and precise you were with the ball.
sakina tried to pass the ball up to kumagai, but pernille harder takes the ball. luckily, you were able to side tackle the ball from her. she fell, but you were at the ball so no yellow card was needed.
the noise around you were coaches yelling and players shouting at others in many languages. french, german, swedish, dutch, you name it.
its 2020, and there was no crowd due to covid. the empty chairs made it easy for your voice to echo.
you were close to being fluent in french after living in lyon for the last year, and having sakina and selma as your closest friends, so you opted to yell out to your teammates in that language instead of english--where the whole pitch might understand you.
renard had the ball with no wolfsburg player coming at her, so she took her time deciding on who to pass the ball to.
her pass to buchanan was clean, but svenja huth takes the ball from lucy as she runs to the middle.
svenja tries to pass the ball but it goes back to the defender in navy blue, renard.
the tall defender launches the ball at you running towards the right side. cascarino and you swap places as your feet quickly get inside of the box with the ball.
your left foot shoots the ball but the ball hits off of repohl-- wolfsburg's goalkeeper's, foot. the ball bounces towards le sommer, who shot the ball into the goal at the 25th minute.
le sommer high-fived you and hugged you as you both ran back into your positions. all season at lyon, you've had the highest number of assist-- and the third highest amount of goals.
the french club hopes to buy you from gotham, if there is no issue. your contract does say that there is no buy option involved, but they hope to try.
in the 44th minute, everyone was struggling to get their feet onto the ball. you were standing directly in the middle outside of the box when the ball was bounced back to you.
your left foot, your non-dominant one, launches the ball into the goal at a lightening speed. ingrid and alex popp didn't have the chance to stop you before your teammates screamed in celebration.
"when it fell-- it fell kindly for the american international who scores the second goal for lyon." a commentator speaks to the television audience as you ran to hug majri.
before the end of halftime, as you're ready to head back out onto the pitch, you frowned in realization.
after this fun season, you'll head back to the united states with a coach who wants nothing to do with you. you tried to stay optimistic and think about everything after the final is over, but the end of the season is in 45 minutes plus extra time.
"y/n bébé, garde la tête haute, tu as déjà marqué" (y/n baby, keep your head up, you've already scored) cascarino says as she places her hands on your shoulders. you relax into her hands as your head turns to face her stressed facial expression.
"ce n'est pas ça, je ne veux juste pas te quitter après ça" (that's not it, i just don't want to leave you after this) you whisper. your head leans back onto cascarino's head as she sighs.
"garde espoir, Lyon est content de t'avoir ici. Peut-être trouveront-ils un arrangement avec ton club d'origine" (keep hope, Lyon is happy to have you here. Maybe they will find an arrangement with your original club) cascarino whispers before you both jog out to the pitch.
"maybe.." you whisper to yourself after cascarino jogs away from you.
nothing much happened after halftime started, until alex popp scores a header. you weren't too afraid, since lyon are still up by one, but it's anyones game with thirty minutes left.
subs were made in the sixty-first minute for wolfsburg, so you stand beside cascarino to talk to her. as you look ahead at ewa leaving the pitch, you spot a familiar face entering.
the girl with a determined look jog onto the pitch, and you continue to look at her as she scans around the field. your mind itches, you know you've seen this girl somewhere before.
as she turns around with her back from you, you see 5 oberdorf.
again, you have no idea on who she is. you haven't played against wolfsburg until now, so maybe you played against her national team before? you had no idea.
wolfsburg had more possession this time around. you made a few tackles and won a few duals, but the german club was hungry to score an equalizer.
lucy got the ball away from pernille and passed the ball up to you.
you ran with the ball up the field. you dribbled around ingrid and alex popp effortlessly and your next move was to pass up to le sommer who was free.
all you heard was sakina yell "derrière toi!" (behind you) before you saw someone's leg coming from under you. your first reaction was to jump as the persons leg tripped you onto the grass.
your arms stopped your head from hitting the ground, but you turned to see that it was "oberdorf" who side tackled you.
"that should've been a yellow." you groaned to yourself as you stood up and wiped the grass stains off of your navy blue shorts.
"it was all ball, so no." oberdorf said back. your head quickly turned to her as she smirked at you.
so she's german.. hm. you thought as you recongized the accent.
a few minutes later, as lucy was preparing to throw the ball in-- oberdorf marked you as she stood beside you, not giving you a chance to escape her defense.
"get off of me!" you quietly said when she tried to hold your arm.
"lena, mark her!" ingrid yelled out as you quickly moved back to where lucy might throw.
you were sweaty at this point, but not too tired. a goal before halftime was what you needed to recharge your motivation and energy.
"you aren't getting another goal passed me." oberdorf says quickly. you shake your head as you look at her. the audacity.
"who are you talking to?" you snap.
"you." she smirked.
"well, oberdorf-- if you look at the scoreboard, you guys need another goal to equal us." you say as you both push back with bouhaddi, lyon's goalkeeper, was ready to hit the ball up the pitch.
"my name is lena." she scoffs as you went to saying her last name instead of her first.
"well, lena. its nice to meet you." you look ahead to see bouhaddi's kick.
the ball goes up to cascarino who heads the ball over to kumagai. you ran closer to offer help away from popp, but lena is chasing you.
the japanese decided to kick it back to renard so you move back to your natural spot. oberdorf follows you since she is assigned to mark you.
"what do you mean its nice to meet me? you met me last year." the german comments.
your mind seems to ease at this, you know that you've met her somewhere, and its fortunate that lena knows.
after a few minutes, you couldn't respond to her since the game is heating up. lucy cleared the ball out a few times, which caused a bunch of throw ins to occur.
fridolina rolfo almost scored after kicking from outside of the box, but the ball came straight to you. your body turned quickly, so her shot deflected off of your back and away from a chance of goal.
"where did we meet?" you ask as you end up near her again, waiting to defend the ball away from a free kick for wolfsburg by their goal.
"the adidas photoshoot during the world cup." she quietly says.
your conversations were quiet, since the empty stadium could echo your voice loudly if you were loudly talking.
the free kick was cleared by renard, but being on wolfsburg side of the pitch made you concerned. if lyon kept this up, wolfsburg might equalize.
luckily, in the 87th minute, lyon had a corner kick.
the kick was taken and it landed at your foot. you shot the ball towards the left side of the goal but it deflected off of janssen's foot.
the deflected landed on the back foot of gunnarsdottir and landed in the goal for the third goal of the final.
the group hug was filled with shouts that echoed throughout the stadium. after hugging dottir, cascarino and sakina patted your back as they jumped up and down around you.
"three goal contributions! you are insane." sakina says with her strong French accent, you smile as the end of the game is nearing. wolfsburg will have to pull of a miracle to beat lyon now.
in the last minute of extra time, oberdorf had you marked again. remembering what she said earlier, you smirked as you looked at her tense body position.
"I might've not scored against you, but I did get another assist." you say.
lena looked towards you with a straight face before responding, "ha ha" sarcastically.
when the whistle blows, you run to selma bacha who was on the line ready to be subbed in. she held you tightly as you repeatedly yelled, "we did it! we did it!"
after ellie carpenter hugged you for your one goal and two assists, you saw lena pulling pernille into a quick side hug.
saying that you didn't look at lena differently than all of the other girls would've been a lie. you found her attractive, and you know she knows she's attractive. that smirk wasn't fooling anyone.
"hey, great game lena." you said as you quickly hugged her. playing all 90 minutes made you tired, but you were okay since you're a champion's league winner.
she hugged you back. not to be weird, but you liked the way she smelled.
"thank you. can I have your shirt later?" she asks. you smirk at the idea of her wanting to swap jerseys with you.
"sure, as long as I can have yours." your eyebrows knitted together as you put your hands on her shoulders. lena smiled through her sad eyes and nodded her head at you.
part two here
<3
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godmadeaterribleerror · 4 months ago
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Chapter 3 - You've Torn Your Dress
Series Masterlist
Author's Note: This one's the first of many doozies. I recommend you clock out now if you think the following will distress you: mentions of rape, but no scenes or explicit description. If not, read on! Chapter Title is from Rebel Rebel by David Bowie.
Word Count: 7.7k
Chapter Summary/Warnings: Your first mission is delivered, and it goes about as expected. Contains usual tags, emphasis on mention of rape/non-con.
Tags: Soldier Boy/Supe!Female Reader, canon divergence, enemies to friends to lovers, canon divergence, slow burn, angst
Read on A03!
Chapter 2 - Chapter 4
Want to be tagged? Just ask!
When your team stepped into the safe house, you could see the moment the smell hit their noses.
“Merde,” Frenchie was the first to speak, a poor omen within itself. “What the fuck am I smelling?”
“Uh, probably the milk and meat. They’re the strongest.”
Annie said your name carefully, watching your reaction as she spoke. “What happened.”
“He wouldn’t put away the groceries.” You said with a shrug. You were over it. It was like, ten bad things ago.
“So you just. Left them out?” Hughie said, seemingly baffled.
“Yeah.”
“Mallory said she delivered them on the first night.” Annie glanced between you and Hughie.
“She did.”
Hughie’s eyes widened further. “That was almost two weeks ago.” When you just nodded in agreement, he pushed further. “They’ve been out the whole time?”
You frowned. “He doesn’t get to win.”
“What are you, five?” 
You just sighed, giving Hughie a pleading look. “Don’t tell MM.”
“What?” Butcher taunted from the back of the group. “That he was right, and you can’t handle Soldier Boy?”
“I thought you were on my side about this.”
“I’m on the side of the truth, Love.”
Both you, Annie, and Frenchie let out huffs of amusement at that claim, with Hughie looking sheepishly amused.
“You can’t possibly believe that.” Annie gave Butcher a pointed look. He only winked in response, leaving her to turn back to you with an eye roll.
“Has it been like this,” Hughie gestured vaguely around him. “The whole time?”
“Nah. Worse.”
Really, hell would be a better word for it. After the knife incident, there had been the toilet paper incident, which you had won, the coffee incident, also your victory, the laundry incident, point Soldier Boy, the TV incident, point you, and the Lord of the Rings incident, another point Soldier Boy. The Elton John, Jimmy Carter, and Rockefeller Center incidents had ended in stalemates akin to the Cold War, but should those fuses reignite, you were sure you could take them home. Overall, you’d burned him seven times, he’d thrown two chairs at you, you tossed shit in his face once and threatened castration on fifteen separate occasions, and he had offered to sleep with you thirty-one times.
“He hasn’t, he hasn’t hurt you. Right?” Hughie wasn’t fully looking at you when he asked, his voice soft and nervous.
“No. I mean, he’s tried. Not in… that way, but I’ve had a few things thrown at me. All the physical violence died out around the laundry incident, though. Now we’re using psychological warfare.”
“Laundry incident?” Hughie said at the same time that Frenchie said, “Psychological warfare?”
“Don’t ask.” Was your response to both. You’d avoid revisiting the laundry incident in your mind for the rest of your life if you could help it, and the actual practice of your warfare was more childish than you’d like to admit.
“Well, as lovely as a reunion this has been, we need to talk to you both. Where’s the cunt,  anyway?" Butcher craned his neck to look down the hall.
“Probably moping around in his room.” You shrugged. “Let’s talk in the living room, standing at the door is weird.”
While the living room hadn’t taken even close to as much damage as the kitchen, it had not escaped you and Soldier Boy’s sparring unscathed. Books provided by the CIA, which were mostly stereotypical classics, had been upended from their shelves and strewn across the floor. The TV was still intact, as was the sofa, but the former was stuck on PBS, and the latter was, at this point, compromised of 70% trash.
“Holy shit,” Hughie muttered as he stepped over a copy of Catcher in the Rye. “You can’t plan on living like this the whole time?”
“Well, if America’s number one man-baby would stop moaning and bitching about his glory days, then maybe, yeah.”
Annie gave you a concerned look. “And if he doesn’t?”
“Then I’ll castrate him.” Though the threat had now been made sixteen times, it never satisfied you less to say it.
“I’ve told you, Sunshine, if you did that, you would only be hurting yourself.”
Everyone in the room fell silent, their eyes trained over you with tense gazes. You turned to find Soldier Boy almost directly behind you. “I’ve told you, by definition, I’d only be hurting you.”
He gave a mocking pout. “Wouldn’t that plague your perfect little conscious?”
“I’d live.”
“Bitch.”
“Cunt.”
“Prude.”
“Manwhore.”
“Whiny Brat.”
“Waste of space.”
“Waste of good pussy.”
“Waste of government money.”
“Waste of Compound V.”
“Pathetic, assfaced Dickwad.”
“Stuck up, pretentious Ice Queen.”
“Geriatric, entitled, blue-balled G.I. Joe Fuckdoll”
The room had practically vanished around you as you and Soldier Boy fell into your now well-tread path of insults. Your blood was burning with that feeling, aching to burst across the room as both of you glared hard enough to, fingers crossed, kill the other.
“Jesus Christ,” Hughie said, breaking you out of your own spell.
“What are they doing here?” Soilder Boy asked, somehow having only just clocked their presence. “Do I finally get to do my job and leave?”
“No,” Annie answered. “We have no way of knowing how long you’ll be here at this point.”
“That’s what I said,” you muttered under your breath, turning back to your team.
“Yeah,” Soldier Boy said at full volume. “And I don’t fucking trust you.”
“Will you get off my ass about it now?”
“I think you like me on your ass, Sunshine. My offer never leaves the table.”
“Cunt.”
“Bitch.”
“Helpless man-child.”
“Prissy tease.”
“Glorified propaganda poster-“
“No,” Annie cut it. “We’re not doing that again.”
“Party pooper,” Butcher grumbled. “I was hoping they’d kill each other this time. Then we could just go home.”
“Well, did you at least bring me drugs?” Soldier Boy seemed to search the room, as if a pile of weed and coke would miraculously appear on the floor amongst the mess of wrappers and fluid-filled paper towels.
“We’re not buying you drugs with government money.” Annie said, giving you a look of apology. “As I’m sure you’ve been told.”
“Many times,” you affirm under your breath. You’d had to hide the glue on day five, which had let to the toilet paper incident on day six. A day had not passed since where you didn’t catch him trying to turn a new household object into something to snort.
“I thought weed was fucking legal now.” Soldier Boy glared at you, as if you were personally responsible for the CIA not buying him blunts. “It’s a free fucking country. I should be able to smoke whenever I damn please.”
“Porn is legal,” you reply. “Doesn’t mean the federal government is going to bring you some.”
“If they brought me porn and weed, I’d be far more open to whatever shit you want from me.” He winked at you.
“We gave you that last time,” Hughie pointed out, shifting nervously. “It barely helped.”
“Will you be a good little supe if we come back with porn and weed? Because we can go and-“
“No, we need to do this now.” Annie spoke over Butcher, and you noticed a line of worry on her forehead, along with Hughie’s nervous fidgeting. Though Butcher didn’t seem plagued by an anxious tell, he relented to Annie faster than you’d ever seen, and alarm bells went off in your head.
“Annie,” you bit the bullet, asking softly. “What is the ‘this’ you need us for?”
She gave you an apologetic look. “Trial run.”
“Trial run?”
“We’re giving you a test, Love.” Butcher said with a smirk. “See if your little experiment is even viable. Maybe take out a player in the process. All depends on if you and him,” he jerked his head to Soldier Boy. “Do your jobs right.”
“I don’t need your little ‘test’ to know if I can do my job.” Soldier Boy snapped.
“Last time you failed,” Hughie muttered.
Frenchie nodded in agreement. “In a spectacular manner, yes.”
“Because that bitch and that pussy stopped me.” An angry scowl was thrown at Annie and Butcher, who returned it and grinned widely back respectively.
“You were going to kill a kid,” Annie said coldly.
“He shouldn’t have been in the line of fire.”
“The line of fire? Do you hear yourself? Do you really care about others so little that-“
“I’d do it again,” he snapped back, unbothered by Annie’s disgust. “You don’t get to ask me for help and get mad when I do.”
You gave Butcher a pointed look. “Aren’t you glad you listened to me?”
Though all you got in response was a grunt from Butcher, Soldier Boy’s eyes shot to you. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
You returned his glare, steeling your own eyes to match his interrogating gaze. “We’re removing the ‘kill a kid’ option from your choices. You want to know why we’re stuck here? Because you fucked it last time, and we won’t let you fuck up again.”
“You won’t let me?” He sneered, leering at you coldly. “You don’t let me do anything, Sunshine.”
If the “Sunshine” thing continued to stick, you might have to throw yourself off a roof. But you didn’t flinch, just tilting your head mockingly. “You wouldn’t need a shock collar if you hadn’t bit the hand.”
“I wouldn’t bite the hand if it hadn’t tried to kill me.”
“Nobody tried to kill you, Mate.” Butcher interjected. Soldier Boy’s anger switched back to him with fists curling at his side, but Butcher kept talking with a bored drawl. “You shouldn’t have bloody fucked up.”
“And, like I said,” you shrugged. “It won’t happen again.”
“If I see the shot, I’ll take it. Whether you like it or not.”
Looking into his eyes, you believed him. No doubt fogged your brain that, given the opportunity, Soldier Boy wouldn’t hesitate to take out Ryan Butcher with Homelander. Part of you, the angry and bitter part still trapped underground, understood that. But you’d see Ryan once, from afar, and he had looked so young. You didn’t have to imagine his fear or touch him to understand what it was like. For your life to change abruptly and without reason, to have to sprint to keep up with your new one. Soldier Boy had volunteered for this life. Ryan hadn’t. You hadn’t.
So, holding Soldier Boy’s gaze, you made your voice clear and steady. “You don’t get to take the shot until it’s clear. Ryan will be out of the picture before you even see Homelander.” You turned to Annie. “What’s the test?”
“Head-popper.” Butcher answered for Annie with an odd look at you. His voice carried the usual light and oddly joyful tone he used when discussing murdering supes, but his eyes on yours were quieter, with less manic vengeance than you’d seen before. If you didn’t know better, you’d call them thankful.
“Head-popper?”
Hughie jumped in at your confused frown. “Neuman.”
“Oh,” you paused, looking over Hughie’s worried face. “We’re going after Neuman?”
“Who the fuck is Neuman?” Soldier Boy asked with a reluctant grumble. You had picked up on his consistent annoyance with new things after you’d found him screaming at the microwave three days ago, and not knowing new people didn’t seem to be any different.
“She’s a supe who can pop people’s heads like balloons.” Frenchie gestured in imitation for effect. “It’s disgusting.”
“And she’s the VP elect, which would put an ally of Homelander in the White House, one step from the Oval Office.” Annie said pointedly, giving Frenchie a look. You offered him a small smile over her head. Though the demonstration hadn’t been helpful, watching his hands fly around mimicking Neuman’s powers was undeniably entertaining.
“She's dangerous,” Hughie added. “But she’s not a bad person. We don’t want to kill her, just remove her powers.”
“What do we need her for then?” You didn’t have to look to know Soldier Boy’s accusation was directed at you. You bit your tongue, trying to ignore the way the words seeped into your skin.
Because he’s right. A cruel whisper said into your ear, and the itch on your skin began to feel like a rash. You were saved from the plague of your thoughts—the urgent feeling to fall prompted by almost nothing—by Butcher.
“If you think you’re going anywhere without her, Governor, you’d better get used to being wrong. She’s there for the same reason she’s here. So you don’t go postal.”
Soldier Boy gave you an unreadable look as the rush of your heart in your chest slowed from Butcher’s words. You turned away from him, but you could almost feel his eyes through your skull as you looked at Butcher with a blank face.
“What’s the plan?” You asked, praying it would be simple, with as few people as possible around and, ideally, in the middle of a desert filled exclusively with fire extinguishers.
“MM and Kimiko are doing recon on one of Bob Singer’s rallies. Frenchie will create a distraction for the secret service, and Neuman’s personal detail is going to suddenly disappear-“
“Disappear?” You interrupted Butcher with raised eyebrows.
“Keep your panties on, they’ve been bribed. Once she’s isolated, Soldier Boy’ll blast her, and we can all go home confident in your little gambit.”
You hesitated, trying to imagine the last political rally you’d seen. Group of people in tight groups, electrical wiring for microphones, speakers, and lights. Gates and closed doors, hallways leading out onto streets. “How are we going to isolate her?”
“Me and Butcher will work on that,” Annie said, almost reaching for you with a reassuring pat, but thinking better and jerking her arm back. She opened her mouth, an apology certainly on her, but you raised your hand to cut her off.
“How long until we leave?” You asked. Maybe they’d say ‘three hours’ and you’d get to talk to someone who didn’t think swing music was sonically viable for a bit.
Hughie checked his watch. “Ten minutes ago.”
“Ago?” Your eyes widened.
He gave you a sheepish look. “We thought it would take less time to get you.” He turned to Soldier Boy. “Your suit’s in the van. I can bring it out-“
“I can change on the way.” Soldier Boy grumbled, ignoring Hughie’s start of sputtering protests. “Let’s get this over with.”
———-
Much to his annoyance, they had forgotten Ben’s shield, and nobody would let him change in the van. He tried several times, only to be met by a chorus of groans, shouting, and swearing. He had listened to their complaints only because she had started giving him a look he recognized as a flag for a storm of uncontrolled fire. No hot disgust or sparks of rage, only a cold and quiet, almost glassy-eyed stare. Her heart steady but her breathing too fucking controlled to be natural, measured so equally that it sounded mechanical. So, because he figured she would only become more bitchy to live with if she incinerated her alleged “friends”, Ben stopped trying to pull his shirt over his head.
Once he did, the van fell insufferably silent. The edged pleasantries and conversation he’d overheard during Butcher and his band of Assholes arrival had ceased save for tense questions and hushed conversations. Ben didn’t fail to notice all the spineless avoidance and careful words directed at them both. She, even after the foggy look faded, remained curled into a corner, trading small and toothless smiles with her team. More timid than he’d seen her before, almost like a scolded child as she looked around the van nervously. Her eyes watched the shadows as though Homelander himself might jump from them, the chew of her lip giving Ben a headache. The only words she spoke were a jab at Ben when he’d said something about political rallies post-election being fucking pathetic—giving him a lecture about American politics now heavily depending on something called “going viral”—only to fall silent once more after. Her team looked at her like a glass bomb, as if she was a delicate statue looming over their heads and not the vulgar, violent woman who slept down the hall from him. That woman infuriated him, testing his patience every time she opened her mouth, but this paranoid, skittish pussy of a girl was so much worse. So when the van halted and Butcher’s team began to filter out, he called her name. When she ignored him, he reached out and grabbed her arm.
“What the fuck!” She pulled herself out of his grip in a second, staring at him with anger. She glanced down at her arms, a look he didn’t understand crossing her face, before returning her attention to him. “Do not touch me.”
“I barely touched you,” he glowered, annoyance quickly flooding him. He had only brushed skin, with a light grip she had thrown off, there was no need to be so dramatic. “When I touch you for real, you’ll fucking know, Sunshine. And you’ll fucking beg for it. I needed to make you listen, you were fucking ignoring me.”
Her brows knit, and he heard the chew of her teeth on her tongue. “I’m not going to beg for anything, and I wasn’t ignoring you.”
“I said your name, and you kept fucking walking.”
“I didn’t hear you.” She snapped, but didn’t relent. “Speak up next time.”
She knew just as well as Ben did that they were both far from quiet, pussy-voiced fuckers. And while he definitely hadn’t yelled for her attention, it shouldn’t have fucking mattered. He’d seen her pick up his grumbled insults and mocking comments just fine over the past two weeks. “Bitch.”
“What do you want?” She asked with a sigh, ignoring his jab and looking at him as if he exhausted her just by breathing. “We have to go, and you still need to change.”
“You shouldn’t let them treat you like that.” He said, not hiding the contempt from his voice. He wasn’t going to skirt around his thoughts, lining them gently to help her fucking feelings.
Her body tensed, her limbs looking as if they’d locked into place. “Like what?” Ben heard her swallow as she answered, her voice not lost enough to make her sound clueless to his words.
“Like you’re a child they have to coddle. A problem they have to deal with.”
She stared at him, her glassy-eyes returning. “Shut up. You don’t know what you’re fucking talking about, cunt-face.”
Ben snorted. “They don’t treat you like the bitch you are. They always use that sweet, pussy voice, like they’re talking to a fucking puppy, when they say something to you. They’re always all fucking pouty when they look at you, pussyfooting around so they don’t make you sad.” He gave her a mocking grin, hoping the next words landed like a bullet. “They treat you like me.”
It had clearly worked, as the van had grown hot, and her eyes were clearing as her heart began to pick up. Ben felt an odd feeling cover him as he heard it, almost familiar and sparking pride in his chest. She wasn’t a jittery shell anymore, she was going to try and kill him. It made his grin grow genuine, and the van grew only more heated, the air waving around them.
Her mouth opened, and Ben hoped whatever came out of it would be vile and crude.
“Hey!” She turned her head and clenched her jaw as someone called her name from outside, the van rattling as a fist banged against it. “We need to go!”
The door opened to reveal the Cocksucker, whose face grew quickly red, a bead of sweat falling from his hairline, as he was blasted with a quickly dying wave of heat.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, turning from Ben as the heat dropped further. “Coming.”
Cocksucker gave her a worried look, his gaze flying quickly to Ben, but just nodded and stood aside for her to move past.
As the door closed and Ben began to change, he listened for their soft, tense words.
“Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?” Cocksucker’s voice was nervous and gentle, like being suffocated by one of those fucking fluffy blankets Ben had seen in the empty bedroom of the safe house.
“No, he just grabbed me to talk. And you don’t have to keep asking me that. I’m fine, and it’s not as helpful as you think it is.” Ben frowned at her voice, the malice from it drained entirely in only a few seconds, replaced with only a tired hollowness.
“Grabbed you?! Like, he touched you?”
Having anticipated Cocksucker being more interested in the “talk” part of her sentence, or the shit that sounded like it was about feelings, Ben's brain rattled over Cocksucker’s word, his tone of panic looping in Ben’s head. He spoke of Ben’s touch as though it were a plague, and not something many people would kill to feel. Ben almost burst out of the van to say just that, but froze when he heard her answer.
“It was fast, I didn’t feel much. Even if I did, it doesn’t matter. I can’t go the rest of my life without touching people.” Her voice had a finality to it, and Ben could almost picture her downturned lips and wrinkled brow.
“You touch us when you heal us.” Even Cocksucker’s voice didn’t sound sure of his response.
“It’s not the same, and you know that.”
There was a momentary stall in their words, and Ben took the opportunity to emerge, securing his belt as he walked to the door. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to see, but Cocksucker looking pathetically around, anywhere but the woman as she curved into herself, wasn’t it. She held a white-knuckle grip on the sleeves of her jacket, her thumb running up and down in small movements. They both turned to him as the door banged open, and Ben caught the empty look behind her eyes before her indifference slipped back into place.
“Did you hurry me just to sit around like pussies, or are we going to start fucking moving?” He asked, the air feeling too uncomfortable to sit in.
Cocksucker blinked, glancing at his watch. “We have a few minutes until they arrive, but I guess it can’t hurt to be vigilant-“
“Arrive?” The woman’s eyes widened, and Ben saw smoke curl from her hold on her jacket. “They’re coming here?”
Cocksucker nodded. “It’s a high-security escape exit-“
“It’s a fucking street, Hughie.”
“That’s used as a high-security escape exit.” After a moment of searching the area, Cocksucker pointed a few yards down, at a large door set against brick. “Neuman will come right out of there, and her guards will close her out here, where Soldier Boy will blast her.” He paused, glancing at Ben, before looking back at the door and taking small, cowardly steps away from his spot between them.
“It’s a public area, anyone could walk past! What the fuck were you thinking?!” Her voice was hushed and agitated, and Ben had never seen her face lose color at that speed before, had never heard her heart stutter and jump as if trying to escape her body.
“It’ll be fine,” Cocksucker’s voice wavered, giving them both a nervous look. “It should be fine. MM said it would be fine.”
“You heard him, Sunshine,” Ben gave her a wink, adding a half-cocked smile when she didn’t even return him with a dirty look. “MM said it would be fine. And have some fucking faith in me, I’m not a fucking monster. I won’t blast any running pussies except for this head-popper broad.”
“You don’t even know what she looks like.” Her tone wasn’t quite the vicious mockery he was used to, but it was better than the apathetic, empty voice she’d been using. She was rolling on the balls of her feet, speaking without looking at him, her eyes moving restlessly from the door to the end of the street. “And I don’t believe you.”
Ben just shrugged, allowing the silence to hang. The wind was picking up, whistling through the chill of winter air, making the heat around them, emitting from both Ben and the woman, all the more obvious. Despite the biting cold, Cocksucker had taken off his stupid puffy jacket, even stepping back further from where they stood, with Ben in the center of the street and the woman off to the left. Despite her slowly stepping further and further back, her back now almost against the wall, Ben could feel her watching him, hear her heart continue its new and erratic beat.
“How long now, Hughie?” Her voice was raised to carry over the wind, though it hadn’t lost that stupid fucking weakness. Cocksucker, thank fuck, didn’t get a chance to respond with pathetically comforting words, as only one skipping heartbeat after she spoke a shrill fire alarm sounded.
“I’m assuming that’s your stupid French fuck's plan?” Ben asked dryly. “Start a fucking fire? I thought you pussies were all about minimal damage.”
“He probably just pulled the alarm.” The Cocksucker’s answer lacked any confident assurance. “And I think we’re just against needless murder.”
Ben almost started to rant about their so-called needless murder being a mighty high horse for a group of people who had manipulated him just as much as Vought, who’d been willing to help him kill all those backstabbing pussies from Payback so he’d help them. About how their stupid fucking moral purity complex seemed to adjust perfectly to aid them, and maybe he wasn’t a fucking angel, but he was strong and powerful—something they fucking needed—man, and he wasn’t a pussyfaced liar about what he was, what he did. The words died on his tongue, though, as hundreds of frenzied footsteps reached his ears.
“Fuck!” he growled, turning around and pointing at Cocksucker. “You fucking pussy.”
Cocksucker gave him an idiotically confused stare. “Dude, uncalled for.”
“She,” Ben pointed to the woman, whose heart was beating impossibly fast and looking on with a bloodless face. “Was fucking right. This is a stupid plan, because unless your head-popper walks like a human centipede, it’s not going to be just her that I fucking hit when that door opens.”
Cocksucker only gaped at him like a fish as the footsteps grew louder, annoyingly unsure stutters  escaping him, and just as Ben decided it might be good to slap the idiot out of his daze, the woman stepped forward.
“We need to move, Hughie. Now.” Her voice wasn’t steady, her whole body was tensed and hyper, but it held a determination Ben almost admired. “We can’t be here.”
“He- he could be fucking lying, or wrong-“
“That’s not a risk we can afford to take.” She cut off Cocksucker’s doubts, and Ben found himself surprised at her defense of him, even if it could barely be called that. Her hands were smoking once more, but she had firmly planted herself in the middle of the road, eyes turning sharply to Ben. “If people see you, any element of surprise over Homelander would be lost. We need to fucking move, you need to get in the fucking van now-“
The door banged open, and the streets flooded as hoards of people in star and stripe-themed outfits flooded the road. Everything became so loud, and that rapt, snapping sound in Ben’s head started to spread through him, spurring the drum in his chest. They were finding rhythm so fast, everything fading as Ben tried to slow it. But there were screams and shouts, and everything was getting further and further away from him while carving into him all the same, so though Ben could hear the sounds of metal clanging and shouts of his supe name, he couldn’t think anything past the beat beat beat, until he lost it all at once.
As his vision grew clear with his head, Ben expected to see shattered bodies and bloody walls. Instead, all he saw was the woman and fire. Her face was flushed red, her eyes crazed, and her clothes had become charred with holes as the fire surged from her into a barrier, cutting them off from the crowd. Cocksucker was yelling her name, urging them both to return to the van and leave, but as Ben moved, he glanced back to see the woman frozen and heard her heart as if it were his own. The wall was growing wider and shooting high, Cocksucker wouldn’t shut the fuck up about moving, but her eyes had squeezed shut, unresponsive to anything but the growing flames.
“We need to fucking go, now!” Ben turned to see a large man he vaguely recognized barreling down their side of the street, his face twisted in anger. Butcher, Starlight, a small woman he remembered fighting, and that French prick followed him, all loading into the van as the large man stopped beside Cocksucker.
“I told you he’d fucking blow it,” the man said, giving Ben a disgusted look, so flawlessly revolted Ben wouldn’t be surprised if he’d fucking practiced in the mirror.
“Hey, I didn’t fucking blow it, you pussy-“
“You said that Neuman would come out of here, that it would just be her!” Cocksucker, much to Ben’s shock, cut him with a high voice and a wave at the wall of fire. “That’s way more than just her! Is she even there?!”
“No,” the man said gruffly. “Neuman saw Butcher and figured out something was up. She’s long gone.”
“Fuck!” Cocksucker yelled, running a hand through his hair.
“Oi, we can go over how MM fucked up later,” Butcher leaned out from the van. “We need to go before she sends Homelander.”
“How I fucked up? You’re the one who disobeyed me and blew our cover-“
“What’s wrong with Madame Anomaly?” The French Prick appeared at Butcher's side.
Cocksucker glanced at the woman, calling her name before turning to the large man Butcher had called MM. “She absorbed Soldier Boy’s blast. I think it got her stuck.”
“We don’t have time for this. Get Soldier Boy in the van, I’ll take care of the Anomaly.” MM repeated the French Prick’s words, and Ben realized they were, for the first time, using the woman’s supe name.
“You heard him, Gov. Get in the bloody van.” Butcher’s words were clearly directed at Ben, but as he climbed into the van Ben saw Butcher’s attention locked on the woman.
MM had moved closer to the woman, a move Ben deemed more fucking stupid than brave. If she had “absorbed his blast,” as Cocksucker said, he wouldn’t recommend any non-supe be anywhere near her. MM seemed to realize this himself at the last possible second, taking a pathetic, stumbling step back with a pause. He and Cocksucker exchanged a look, something passing between them that Ben didn’t understand, before Cocksucker leaned down to grab a pebble from the road. Ben watched as he shakily shook out his arms, wound up, and tossed the pebble at the woman.
It was a terrible fucking idea, Ben didn’t have to be Einstein to know that, but the chain reaction that played out still managed to go worse than he might have guessed.
The woman whirled around, her eyes blazing, with a roar sounding from her chest. Fire shot from the wall directly at Cocksucker. In almost slow motion, Ben watched her face become painted with horror as she recognized her target, a different, fearful sound leaving her. She reached an arm out, her heart seeming to falter, and barely redirected the flames before they hit Cocksucker in the chest. The blaze just grazed Cocksucker’s arm, passed the van clear of anyone else, and hit the building with a boom.
The moment the bricks caught fire and the ground began to shake as the building crumbled, the woman's wall of fire fell. The woman herself remained upright, but only barely as MM shouted her name and she started to stumble to the van. Cocksucker was hauled in by Starlight and the French Prick, the former fussing over his burnt arm—Ben had seen worse at Herogasm and nobody whined about it—and Cocksucker waved her off. The woman pulled herself in, ignoring Butcher’s outstretched hand, and the door closed behind her. MM appeared in the driver’s seat, and as the engine started everyone fell into a heavy-breathed silence.
Through the ride, Ben watched the woman open and close her mouth a million times, returned to her fetal position in the corner but watching Cocksucker with a strained face. Her hands tapped against her still-smoking jacket, reaching out hesitantly before she pulled them back into herself. No words were spoken, not even the anxious whispers of the ride there. Ben felt relief as the van stopped, MM climbing out and opening the doors to reveal the exterior of the safe house, grateful for any excuse to leave these stupid, sniffing pussies to wallow in their failure.
MM led Ben and the woman to the doors, opened them by leaning oddly at the doorbell, and gestured for them to walk through. The man followed them in, shutting the doors behind him with a rough push.
“If we failed the test, I am not doing that fucking shit again.” Ben grumbled as MM turned around from the now-shut entrance.
“Butcher told me about the fucking mess you and him made in here.” MM ignored Ben entirely, speaking to the woman as if he wasn’t even there. “A team cleaned it up while you were gone, and Mallory will send more groceries tomorrow night. I saw a picture, it was fucking gross. I’m only doing it once, because I don’t want a new disease to develop in here. You’re an adult, you should take care of this place by your goddamn self.”
The woman looked at her feet, humming a small acknowledgment. She didn’t look up as she spoke. “Is Hughie going to be okay?”
MM sighed. “The kid will live. I’ll look at him when we get back.”
“I could help-“
MM cut her off with her name. “He’ll be fine. We’ll make sure of it.”
She gave another nervous hum, and Ben jumped in.
“Can you answer my fucking question-“
“We’ll let you know what our next steps are after we talk to Mallory and Singer. This wasn’t good, but it’s not the end of the damn world.” Once again, MM ignored Ben. It was starting to feel personal. Before Ben could push further, MM reached a hand out to rest on the woman’s shoulder, right over a hole in her sleeve. Her head shot up with her heart, but the panic in her seemed to evaporate just as soon as it appeared. Her name was gentle as MM spoke it, eyes locked with hers. “You didn’t fuck up. You did your job.” She nodded slowly. “It’ll be fine.” With those last words, he exited the building, leaving Ben and the woman in the hall.
“What’s his fucking problem?” Ben grunted, half directed at the woman, half to just say it.
She gave him a flat look. “You killed his family.” Before he could come up with a clever response, honest or dodging the annoying feeling of guilt forming in his throat, the woman turned from him and walked away.
———-
You were so tired. Your bones ached, oddly cold in a way you hadn’t felt in a while, your skin crawled with feverish chills, and when you closed your eyes, you could see the flames graze Hughie and the building turn to dust. As MM’s lingering calm he’d offered you faded, all you felt was tired. Worthless. A liability. You had fucked up, just as much as Soldier Boy. Maybe more so, because he had PTSD, even if he would deny being a “hung-up pussy”. He had lost control because he’d been tortured by Russians, you’d almost killed your friend and definitely destroyed a rec center because you’d been startled. You just wanted to sleep, to deal with the inevitable fight about groceries in the morning, running on more than quickly expiring adrenaline and caffeine pills stuck in your throat.
You made it to your room, changing into one of the pajama sets folded in your drawers, hoping someone mentioned that the allegedly fire-proof wardrobe you’d been given apparently wasn’t strong enough for the full force of your fire combined with Soldier Boy’s nuclear explosions. A shame, you’d liked the pants you’d chosen for the mission. You’d live without the jacket, though. You’d hardly pulled the shirt over your head when the door ripped open, a still suit-clad Soldier Boy standing at your door.
“What fucking happened to you?” His question was blunt and confusing as he entered your room, remaining near the door but over the threshold.
Your body was too heavy to fight with him right now. There was no tense prickling on the bridge of your nose, only the throbbing stab of a headache. “Go away, Soldier Boy.”
“All of you have a fucking thing. A weird, sad reason to whine around and pretend you’re better than me.” He didn’t budge, but rather leaned forward. “What’s yours.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You said I killed MM’s family. Butcher’s always pussying around about Homelander stealing his girl. Cocksucker mentioned something about that fast asshole doing something as well. I’m not sure what the French Prick bitches about, but I’m sure it’s something.”
“First of all, you did kill MM’s family.” You really don’t want to do this right now, but maybe he’ll give up and fuck off. A fruitless wish, a small part of you knows, but you have nothing left to push back with. “And Homelander didn’t ‘steal Butcher’s wife’, he raped her.”
“Right.” Soldier Boy watched you, his expression unreadable in the shadowy room. “Those are all fucking things. So tell me what yours is.”
“I don’t have one,” even as you speak the insistence, it sounded fake and hollow.
He takes another step forward. “Yes, you do. I saw how you froze, nobody without a thing locks up like that. I heard Cocksucker ask you if I ‘hurt you’. Just for the record, Sunshine, I may not be a Boy Scout, but I’m no fucking rapist.”
“You’ve tried to sleep with me thirty-three times.”
“And I’ll blow your mind when you realize how much you’d love it, no sooner. What’s your fucking thing.”
You stare at him, the intensity in his voice throwing you off. He’s insistent, comfortable in your room but standing at his full height, attention fixed entirely on you. That impression of dissection has returned—the feeling as if he’s trying to pick you apart for him to play with. “Why do you even care?”
“Because maybe if you tell me, I can kill what supe fucked up your pretty little head and you’ll be less of a bitch.”
You can’t stop the snort that escapes you. “What a selfish fucking cunt reason.”
He shrugged in something that could’ve been an agreement. “Maybe.” He falls silent, but doesn't leave.
You collapse to sit on the edge of your bed, staring ahead as you rub your temple. “Please just go.”
“No.”
You look at him, not caring if he sees the desperation in your eyes. “Can this not wait six hours for the morning?”
“No.”
“Do you know any words but no?” You mutter under your breath.
You didn’t miss his annoyed humph. “Oh, just fucking tell me.”
“No.” It was your turn to snap. Your exhaustion was becoming lined with bitter childishness, and you didn’t care enough to try and suppress your urge to sneer at him.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re an idiotic, self-absorbed, sadist asshat who wouldn’t know empathy if it started sucking his dick.” You mocked.
He grinned. “Ok, now name my bad qualities.”
“I’m not telling you.”
“I’ll start guessing,” he took another step forward, now almost directly before you. “Did that red-headed lesbian steal your puppy?
You frowned up at him. “Maeve was bisexual.”
“Did Noir take credit for a college project?” He ignored your comment, leaning down with a mocking smirk.
“Trust me, I got all my dues in college.”
“Did that gay-for-Jesus blond steal your boyfriend? Did the fast asshole that stole Cocksucker’s girl break up with you? Did water-boy eat your goldfish?”
“I’ve never met Ezekiel, A-Train actually murdered Hughie’s girlfriend, and The Deep famously doesn’t eat seafood, he fucks it. But by all means, keep going.”
Soldier Boy blinked. “He fucks it?”
“Yep. It’s gross.” You shrug. “Are you done?”
“Are you going to answer my question?”
You give a toothless smile. “Not until you get all your guesses out.”
“Oh?” There was unquestionable surprise in his voice at your relent, only making your fake cheer grow and your immature anger fully overtake you.
“I want you to feel like a real fucking asshole when I tell you.”
His face split open with a grin. “Well then, did the Twins kick you out of Herogasm? Did that bitch, Crimson Countess, overshadow your big debut? Did a Z-lister get more attention than you from the Vought pussies?”
You just raised your eyebrows, crossing your arms as Soldier Boy continued until the list of supes ran dry. As the last jeer left his mouth, he mirrored your face of cold amusement.
“Well?”
You leaned back, watching him closely as you spoke. “Homelander kidnapped me, kept me in a dungeon, raped me in an attempt to make more mini-Homelanders, and, after you returned, started experimenting on me to try and recreate the V used on you.”
A small shock rushed through you after you spoke. You hadn’t said any of that out loud, not fully, since you’d escaped. You danced around it with Butcher and his team, with Mallory and the CIA leaders, always picking and choosing parts to omit so nobody would look at you with pity and fear. It hadn’t worked, they did anyway, but there had still been control over it. Up until this moment, nobody had known why Homelander had done all those things to you. Everyone had seemed happy to chalk it up to him being a fucking psychopath, not anything deeper. Certainly not attempting to create a small army of additional Ryan Butchers. Small things were still yours, flashes of hunger and warped sounds remaining in your head, but everything else you had just told him.
Why did you do that? A voice hissed as the high from your petulance faded. Why did you let him win? Why did you give him a weapon to use that could hurt you?
But looking at him, he didn’t appear to be a portait of self-satisfaction and heartless triumph. He was staring at you, scanning you as though the scars Homelander left would be visible on your bare legs and arms. When he spoke, his voice wasn’t weak or coddling, but angry.
“He kept you locked up?”
You nod, part of you getting ready to fight him over something.
“He hurt you? To try and recreate me?” Your repeated nodding only seemed to inflate whatever was happening. “Did it hurt?”
Your arms and face started at that, an uncertain feeling spreading through you. There had been no reverent tone as Soldier Boy had asked the last question, no sadistic for affirmation. But you didn’t know what he wanted to hear. Why he even wanted to know. But an involuntarily honest answer escaped you. “Yes.”
He stared at you for another second before he opened his mouth, only to close it without making any sound. Abruptly, he whipped around and began to leave, giving you only one more indecipherable look as he closed the door behind him, leaving you on the edge of your bed, alone in your room.
You lay down slowly, half expecting him to storm back in at any moment, but minutes passed, quickly turning into a half hour, and your body sat at the edge of collapse once more. Soon it was unbearable, and you lay down, your racing mind being forced to a halt as sleep pulled you under.
Your sleep, as had been the case for a while now, was haunted by nightmares of blue eyes and yellow, fluorescent lights. You woke up in a cold sweat, and took a long, needlessly warm shower before forcing yourself to leave your room around 9:30. Despite your lingering fatigue, no part of you wasn’t restless as you walked down the stairs. Your body tense and ready to run, your head spinning with hypotheticals and lining up words you may need—that feeling under your skin creeping up your spine and fluttering in your gut. But Soldier Boy wasn’t in the living room or the hall. You poked your head in the dining room, hoping to avoid the minefield of the kitchen, but it was empty, the plastic chandelier lights off, the table occupied only by a vase of wilted flowers. You moved to the kitchen, ringing growing in your ears, but he wasn’t there. You turned to walk away, continue your search, but double-back as it hit you.
Nothing was in the kitchen. It was empty. Of Soldier Boy, and of the groceries MM said would be delivered.
You wandered in slowly, watching the counters as if they might start to glitch and flicker, revealing hidden produce and dirty dishes. But, leaning over the sink, there was a single plate, soaking in water that was dotted with crumbs. Slowly, you moved to the refrigerator, slowly opening it as you glanced around the room. Your eyes widened at the sight inside. Milk, drinks, and produce had been placed inside, disorganized and haphazardly. There was a jar of mayonnaise in the fresh drawer, along with a box of pasta on a side shelf, but the fridge was full. You moved quickly to the pantry, which had been sorted in a similar fashion, but filled. And when you opened the last cabinet, you saw a piece of paper stuck under a jar of peanut butter.
I know I did a shit job. Clean up if it bothers you, but don't bitch to me about it. And tell Mallory to get smooth peanut butter next time, or I’m not doing anything for her but killing Homelander - Ben
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