#when the monster is someone who the community failed to protect>>>>>>>>>>

[godmadeaterribleerror]

Chapter 2 - Hell to Raise

Series Masterlist - Main Masterlist

Author's Note: I also love putting men named Sam in the middle of places where they're third wheeling like crazy and full of regrets. Enjoy!

Chapter Title from Sleep to Dream by Fiona Apple

Word Count: 10.9k

Chapter Summary/Warnings: Against his will, Bucky crashes your dinner with Sam. Contains usual tags.

Tags: Bucky Barnes/Female Reader, enemies to friends to lovers, canon divergence, slow burn, smut, angst, fluff

Chapter 1 - Chapter 3

Read on A03!

“Where are we going.”

“I don’t know.”

Bucky frowned. “What do you mean, you don’t know. You’re driving, Sam, you should know-“

“I’m using the GPS, genius.” Sam snapped. “I just punched in the address she gave me-“

“She gave you? I thought you were choosing where we were going-“

“Don’t know why you did, cause I never said I was-“

“You said you were getting dinner with her-“

“And we are-“

“How do you know we’re going to get dinner?” Bucky crossed his arms, glaring at Sam in the dim light of the car. “Maybe we’re going to her apartment, or a warehouse, or a damn club or something-“

Sam snorted. “We are not going to a club, you paranoid asshole. She ain’t exactly the club type.”

“Her file would suggest otherwise-“

“Her file is her on paper. You know better than anyone that people aren’t always as they appear on paper.”

Sam raised his brows, shooting Bucky a smug got you there look, and Bucky’s frown deepened to a scowl. He did know that. He still didn’t fucking trust this. Any of this. 

He’d spent all day trying to find a way to go back on his agreement. He’d sent Sam a dozen texts about how he’d be more useful out in the field—filled with examples about how he knew Hydra and how they operated better than any computer, hated them more than any person, and had a tendency to throw himself in the line of fire that Sam called stupid but Bucky called helpful when fighting monsters—only to have almost all of them ignored. 

The only response he’d gotten had been two hours ago, and it hadn’t been the calling it all off text he’d hoped for.

Sam Wilson

B ready when i get there

wear a nice shirt

Bucky had glared at the message for about ten minutes. He didn’t want to wear a nice shirt for this stupid dinner. He didn’t want to go to this stupid dinner. It was a waste of his time, and it was a waste of his body. He was meant to be a weapon, not a shield. This was, if anything, a Captain America job. Righteously protecting someone who probably didn’t deserve it.

He was the destroyer, not the protector. If Sam wasn’t being so stubborn, the asshole would’ve realized that Bucky’s body should be used as the gun or the fist, and nothing else.

But Sam wasn’t going to cave to that. And the only reason Bucky hadn’t locked his door and ignored Sam when he shouted from the hall for him to get moving—apparently they were, somehow, already going to be late—was because he knew that he had to do this.

That was the other thing he’d done all day. Found reason after reason that he needed to at least meet Her. He’d read Her file five times, failed to crack Hydra’s code after nine attempts, and studied her apartment and office layouts until they were branded onto his brain. 

And Bucky didn’t trust anyone to handle the properly. To handle Her, and whatever She was hiding, with the appropriate vigilance. And that wasn’t because he was paranoid, it was because none of this made sense, and Bucky wasn’t blinded by some previous care like Sam was. He’d be able to see through cracks and facades Sam couldn’t. He was trained to find them.

And he knew they were there.

Because nothing about Her made sense.

Her history had odd holes and tears that seemed sown and patched and pieced together with gauze instead of glue. Covered so that Bucky couldn’t figure out what was being hidden, but not done well enough for him to not notice that something was off. 

She was a community college dropout, and She ran the Stark Foundation. Her parents were both dead, but that didn’t track either because She’d never been in foster care. Her entire childhood seemed like it had been taken out of some picture book instead of lived. She was so beautiful Bucky had been forced to tape over Her photo, and he was a little worried he wouldn’t be able to breathe if he saw Her in person. 

Everything about Her seemed designed. Fabricated. Made.

It stirred a strange feeling in Bucky’s gut that had pulled at him in Romania, before the whole accords mess. It had tugged him before the snap, and every time he’d spoken to John Walker, and it was made of years of knowing what wrong felt like. When something was unjust or important, but he didn’t have the power or strength to change or alter it because he was only Bucky.

He’d never known how to really change anything at all. 

Another stupid reason for him to do Sam this favor. If She really was up to something—if that gut tug was what Bucky thought it was, and the unjust thing was how She might be manipulating Sam or working with Hydra—this would be a shot to try. To make further amends, only with a name he hadn’t put on his list because he hadn’t known it before yesterday. 

And he wouldn’t tell Sam, but he’d tried to remember Her. To see if She was lost in the fog of Hydra, to push the mauled and weakened pieces of the Soldat to the top of his head and test if he remembered Her.

He hadn’t. Neither Bucky nor the Soldat—in more fogged memories Bucky usually was more than okay with smothering—had any sort of recollection of that name before Sam said it, and if She was Hydra and this was a ruse, it was a well-crafted one, and She was going to be a clever, careful woman. 

She seemed like She could be, if Her file and how Sam had spoken of Her were any indication. She didn’t seem like some sort of docile creature, and when Bucky had peeled back the tape over Her picture one last time—checking that She was still there, still beautiful—that strange thing was still shifting and humming around behind Her eyes. It still seemed dangerous.

And that was another thing that clashed about Her file. If it had been presented to Bucky without a photo or explanation, he would’ve pinned Her in his head as sweet, a little shallow, and bright like a crystal on a chandelier. 

Grabbing the glow from a candle and casting it out with color. More decoration than person, and happy with it. A history of moving up the ladder with soft smiles and innocent words, good but in the way that was easy. Non-complex.

Good because they’d never known real pain—not the kind of pain that haunted Bucky, with blood and iron and an infection over his heart—so good had never needed to be a struggle.

And he didn’t know why She wasn’t that. Why She was someone Sam spoke so highly of, when by all logical conclusions she should be a spoiled brat or entitled little girl.

Bucky didn’t like not knowing something. Not being able to work out this puzzle, and being stuck in a loop of that gut feeling. Having to trust Sam, but Sam trusted Her, and Bucky didn’t believe a single thing about Her. He could see that there were massive gashes and stains on whatever painting She’d turned herself into, and it set his spine rigid and his head on edge.

So he’d kept pushing himself further, and further, and further, all of last night until he had a migraine, and the air of the world was suffocating. 

He’d spent the earliest hours of the morning—the light in his room gray and shifting through the blinds like prison bars—glaring at the ceiling and playing his silent, grounding game until every single nerve in his body felt like it maybe had the right to exist. 

His name was James Buchanan Barnes. His phone was dead, and his lamp was off. He liked the chirp of the birds outside his window, because it reminded him that there was life around him that he hadn’t broken, and there had never been birds in Russia. He hated that he’d had to cover all the mirrors again, because when the world got this weighted and painful he couldn’t stand to look at his reflection. He needed to sleep, because everyone kept saying it was good for him, but he wasn’t going to, so instead he needed some coffee. He wanted not to do this, because even if he had to, the whole point of wanting things was to know that they were possible, but not promised.

And Bucky fucking knew that. Another reason to keep the wanted part of the game was practicing the possible part. Things could be possible now. And Bucky never got what he wanted, so he was already very good at the not promised part.

It was why, in the car as they hit a point of no return—being too close to the end of the drive for Sam to ever agree to turn around and let Bucky go home—he didn’t expect any sort of relief as he gave one last protest.

“You could still hire a group of guards.” He grunted, narrowing his eyes at Sam in the dark. “You’d get a discount, if you use the Captain America thing.”

Sam snorted. “What kinda bodyguard company is givin’ discounts to Captain America-“

“You got a discount from a hotdog stand last week, this would be like that-“

“That was Carlos. I saved his cat once.”

Bucky frowned. “Since when are you saving cats-“

“Didn’t mean to. Just happened.” Sam shot him a wide, mocking grin. “I’m just that great of a hero, Buck. Lookin’ out for the everyman-“

“Every cat.”

“Animals are people too-“

“No, they’re not. They’re animals.”

“People are nothin’ more than beasts, man. You need to take one of your college courses on biology, think they might have missed some stuff back in your cinderblock shoe days-“

Bucky rolled his eyes. “We were poor, not street urchins. And,” he sat up a little straighter, grabbing the opportunity. “I’ll get the time to take that course, if you let me out of this-“

“Nah, I’m good. You’ll find the time yourself, Buck, it’s not like it’s a consuming gig. You’re just gonna have to sit in her office and make sure nobody gets murdered.”

Bucky scowled, sinking back down into his seat. “You’re the one who’s been on my ass about furthering my modern education.”

“Yeah, but that online college shit is a scam, man. I told you that-“

“I am not doing that veteran GED group. Stop suggesting it.”

“But the teacher is hot, Buck.” Sam wiggled his brows, and Bucky was going to punch the grin off his face. “Just your type.”

Bucky gave Sam a flat look. “What exactly do you think my type is, Sam.”

Sam paused, and Bucky regretted asking the question in a second as Sam’s smirk split into a shit-eating grin.

“Warm body, nice face optional?”

That was it. They were only going about 40, this wasn’t a highway, and Bucky had survived much worse than jumping out of Sam’s Jeep-

He froze, and pulled at the door handle again. It didn’t budge.

“Sam-“

“Child-lock.” Sam shrugged, his body far too casual in the seat for how he was almost certainly about to be stabbed. “Knew you’d try to jump ship, and we shook on this. You’re stuck here until I got this whole mess sorted out.”

Bucky blinked at him in disbelief. “We didn’t shake on it-“

“Yeah, but it’s about the principle-“

“Shut the fuck up-“

“Look, man. I need you for this. And if you break my door, you’re fixing it and paying me for emotional reparations.”

The glower on Bucky’s face didn’t waver, but he did stop pulling at the door. He had a feeling that, even if he did get out of the car before they reached the restaurant, Sam would still track him down and make him go through with this.

“I hate you,” he grumbled, and Sam only laughed.

“I hate you, too.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “You never responded to my suggestion.”

“I saw all the texts. She’s got a job, she can’t just go on lockdown.” Sam frowned at the road. “Wouldn’t work anyway. She’d get around it somehow.”

“Get-“ Bucky shook his head, and added another thing to his list of facts about Her. Clever or slippery enough for Sam to be worried that she might, somehow, get out of a locked down and monitored Stark apartment. “Not that. I mean the group of guards. I’ve heard about this thing called Craigslist-“

Sam snorted. “We are not hiring bodyguards of fuckin’ Craigslist. Who the hell even told you about that-“

“Google. And if we’re not using that, there’s gotta be something else so I can focus on helping you, Sam.” Bucky sighed, running a gloved hand over his face. “I’ve told you, I’m not going to be good at this-“

“Yeah, you are.” Sam dismissed him with a shrug, his words flat and firm. “You got the whole brooding, stoic guard thing down. You’ll be great, Buck, you just gotta believe-“

“I’m not talking about guarding. I’m talking about your friend.” Bucky said Her name, and it sounded different than when Sam said it. Sam had said it like it was a name or a poem or something important. Bucky said it like it was a code-word, but to him, that’s all it really was. Needed to be. 

If he couldn’t get out of doing this, he’d probably have to learn to say it like a least a real name.

For now, he had bigger problems.

“I told you, Sam, I read the file. Just because you two are close or whatever, doesn’t mean we’ll be-“

“Damn, here I was thinkin’ you’d made her a friendship bracelet.”

“I don’t know what that is, but-“

Sam cut Bucky off with an almost offended expression. “How’d you not know what a friendship bracelet is-“

“Believe it or not, I’m still a little behind on the past eighty years-“

“But I played you that Taylor Swift song-“

“When?”

“In the car last month!”

“I wasn’t paying attention.” Bucky shrugged, narrowing his eyes. “And I’m being serious, Sam. If she tries to make me her butler or something, I’m out-“

Sam waved him off, his voice flat. “She’s not gonna make you her butler. That’s not who she is.“

Bucky sat up in his seat, watching Sam carefully. Another opening, this one for more information. “How’d you know who she is, anyway? You never told me how you got into a crowd of New York socialites. Doesn’t really seem like you, buddy-“

“Don’t call me buddy.” Sam muttered, frowning at the road. “And she’s not a- It’s complicated. But she’s not like that, I promise.”

“You sound sure-“

“I am sure.” That was a snap. Sam had snapped. It was serious. “She’s a good person, Bucky. One of the best I know, she’s just got a complicated past.” Sam gave him a side-eye, and Bucky did not fucking appreciate it. “Not like you’d know anything about that, though.”

He scowled. “It’s not the same-“

“No, but it’s more similar than you think-“

“You gonna tell me how-“

“No.” Sam shrugged. “Not my place. But she’s more than that file, and I’m just tryin’ not to let my one of my best friends die at the hands of Hydra, Buck. You don’t need to love her, you just need to keep us from attending another damn funeral.”

Bucky’s hands curled into fists as he glowered out the window.

He hated when Sam was right.

“I thought I was your best friend.”

“Aw.” Sam smirked at him. “You jealous? Gonna wear a friendship bracelet if I make it for you?”

“I still don’t know what those are,” he muttered, and Sam hummed.

“They’re like, letters and beads. Don’t really know, I’ve just seen them online. And you don’t have anything to worry about-“

Bucky rolled his eyes. “I’m not worried-“

“Yeah, because I’m reassuring you.” Sam grinned at him. “You’re my best friend, Buck. She’s more like the sister I never had.”

Bucky paused. He hadn’t seen Sam hit his head, but he still needed to check.

“You have a sister, Sam. I’ve met her. Sarah.”

He kept his words slow, cautious, and Sam just scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“I know that, man. That’s why I said she’s the sister I never had. Sarah is nice to me.” 

Bucky grunted as Sam turned into a small, clean parking garage, and added another fact. She might be mean. Not a bitch, and likely not cruel—at least on the surface—because Sam’s tolerance for truly bad people seemed to start and end with Bucky, although Sam would insist that Bucky wasn’t a bad person.

And he wasn’t right now. But he knew he had been. And he knew that he had the capacity for it.

And everything had still been off about Her past, so it was another thing to keep an eye on Her about. She was beautiful, Sam liked Her—enough to compare her to Sarah, which was higher praise than Bucky had thought She’d be offered—but nothing about Her made sense, and She might be mean.

Bucky scanned around the mostly empty garage, placing about five, fancier cars, at least seven cameras, and not a single flickering light or abandoned piece of trash on the pavement. There was a glowing, smooth and golden sign over the entrance to the restaurant, which meant they wouldn’t have to go outside at all. There was jazz playing over a speaker from inside that wasn’t horrible. He could see the velvety, rich colored furniture through the glass doors, and the carpet had those weird, fancy swirl pattens. The only people besides himself and Sam were a woman standing near the entrance—wearing an obvious uniform—and a security guard who was fidgeting with his belt.

No threats.

“This the place?”

“Seems like it.” Sam muttered, shaking his head as he looked around them with a frown. “Motherfucker.”

Bucky blinked. Everything was fine, as far as he could see. The unsettling gut instinct was dormant, and this place looked fancy, which meant it would have good security. But Sam looked tense, almost stressed, and his was sitting too tall in his seat as he grabbed his phone and started swipe at the screen with a glower, so something was off-

“She always does this,” Sam muttered, glaring at the restaurant. “And I never- This one is on me, I should’ve checked the damn address-“

“Sam-“ 

Bucky’s slow words were cut off by Sam grabbing his bag from the backseat, shifting through it with a scowl. “I’m gonna kick her ass,” he muttered. “Gonna tell Happy she’s been stealing papers from the office-“

“Stealing papers-“

“They’re her papers. She won’t get in trouble. She can’t. She freakin’ runs that place.” Sam scowled between his bag and the phone, angled on his lap where Bucky couldn’t see the screen. “Shit, Bucky, how many credit cards you got on you-“ 

Bucky frowned. “I don’t have a credit card, Sam. I barely have a social security number-“ 

“Cash then. You got cash?” 

“Why would we need cash-“

Sam grunted Her name, dropping his head back on the seat with a long groan. “She’s tryin’ to kill me. Need to start vetting these places-“

“Sam.” Bucky hissed, making his voice firm. “Are you going to actually tell me what the fuck is happening?”

Sam sighed, and passed Bucky his phone without a word. Bucky scanned over the screen with a tight frown, and it was just a menu. Italian food, which Sam usually liked, and a lot of different options, and-

Bucky’s grip on the phone tightened, and he felt his eyes widen as he turned to stare at Sam.

“That had to be a misprint.”

“It’s not.” Sam muttered, glaring at the roof of the car. “For her, it’s actually on the cheaper side.”

“This,” Bucky pointed to the phone, shaking his head. “Is not fucking cheap, Sam-“

Sam shrugged. “For a Stark associate it is-“

“It’s insane, that’s what it is-“

“I know that, Bucky, but-“ Sam ran a hand over his face, his words slightly muffled by the gesture. “Hell, man, this is what she does.”

“What, pick a place so fucking expensive it’s going to make us bankrupt-“

“Yeah, so we can’t pay.”

Bucky paused, frowning back to the phone, then Sam. “What.”

“You saw those prices, man, ain’t no way we could afford that-“

“I’m got that, I’m asking what you mean so we can’t pay-“

“Means what it means.” Sam shrugged. “Since she made it in the big game, she always choses somewhere stupid fuckin’ fancy to meet so I have to let her pay for everything. It’s real annoying.”

Bucky frowned, and couldn’t really find a place for that fact to fit into his internal log about Her. He didn’t even know what he would be logging. Annoying to Sam, even if they’re friends. ‘Made it’ in the big game, which Sam didn’t say the way Bucky thought he would. Doesn’t like making Sam pay for things, even if he wants to, which would imply some sort of antagonistic virtue Bucky didn’t have a name for.

“Least we managed to get here first.” Sam muttered, tugging his phone back from Bucky’s grip and flicking to what looked like his contacts. “Fuckin’ finally.”

“What-“ Bucky looked back around the empty lot, then to Sam. “I thought we were late?”

“Nah, I just wanted to beat her-“

“Beat her- You dragged me out the door like the world was ending-“

“She’s always insanely early, Buck. Didn’t wanna make her wait for your geriatric ass.” 

“You make me wait all the time-“

“You scare me less.” Sam sighed, lowering his voice slightly. “And she’s already gonna kill me. Don’t need to give her more reasons.”

Bucky frowned. “What’d you mean, more reasons-“

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I am worried about it. I wasn’t, but then you said not to-“

“So don’t.” Sam frowned at his phone. “We probably don’t got a lot of time, but if I call her before she-“

Sam’s words dropped off as loud, distant music filled the garage, and their heads both shot up on instinct. Headlights turned the corner, a very normal, boring looking car moved past them into one of the spots—further from the exit, parallel to where Sam had parked the, and closer to the restaurant itself—before the headlights dropped off.

The music kept playing. Really fucking loud, to the point that Bucky could almost feel the bass roll in his own chest, even as he was in Sam’s car and far down the lot. 

That was Her. The driver of the deafening car. Her face was shrouded slightly in shadows, her head was slightly tipped back, and Bucky could mostly only see her side-profile, but that was Her.

Bucky had spent enough time last night staring at and memorizing Her picture to know it was her.

And even if he hadn’t, the way Sam sighed and dropped his phone back into his lap was a dead giveaway. 

“Damn it.” He muttered, and Bucky grunted, mostly just focused on Her in the car.

She wasn’t getting out. Just sitting in the driver’s seat, Her hands tapping on the wheel. Her head was either bowed down in a motion like she was praying, or she was a hunchback, but it was hard to tell through the tinted windows. 

“She religious?” He asked, keeping his voice flat, and Sam frowned at him. 

“I don’t know, man. That important to you?”

“No.” Bucky muttered, his eyes still trained on Her. “What the hell is she doing.”

“Uh, wait-” Sam paused, angling his head slightly. “Ah. Song’s not over.”

Bucky ripped his gaze away from Her half-silhouette—She’d leaned slightly forward, and he’d been able to see the slope of Her nose and shape of Her lips, but one of his rules was supposed to be don’t look for too long—and frowned at Sam.

“What.”

“She’s gonna finish the song,” Sam waved a hand vaguely over Bucky’s body, towards where She was still unmovingly parked. “But I know this one, looks like we caught it at the beginning. Gonna be a minute.”

“A minute?”

“Yeah.” Sam shrugged, shifting in his seat. Like he was getting comfortable. “You don’t wanna interrupt her, Buck, she’ll reign blood and murder or somethin’.”

Bucky glanced back to where Her car, curling his hands into slightly fists. “What’d you mean, or something.”

“Don’t know. Haven’t tested it since I made the mistake myself.” Sam shot him a sharp look. “I’m warnin’ you, man. You don’t wanna do it.”

He very much did. Bucky didn’t even want to be here, let alone wait for this lady to finish up Her loud, long, impossibly fast-paced and disruptive music so they could have food at the stupid expensive restaurant She’d chosen, so that Bucky could spend a portion of his life protecting Her beautiful ass- 

He assumed it was beautiful. He’d never seen it, but something about Her photo and the almost revenant way Sam had spoken of Her—like She was more wrathful god than breakable, mortal woman—made his imagination run wild and picture Her as beautiful in every possible way, but that didn’t matter. He’d told Sam he wouldn’t be Her butler, and he’d meant it. This was a damn favor, and She should be respecting that, and he didn’t care if Sam called him an old grump for this, he wasn’t going to wait around. The sooner they got started, the sooner they could be done.

“She made us come here.” Bucky muttered, scowling out the window, and Sam shrugged in his periphery.

“Technically, I made us come here-“

“Shut up. You know this song?”

“Think I do, yeah-“

“How long is it?”

“I don’t know, do I look like Spotify to you-“

Bucky flipped him off, not looking aware from where She still wasn’t getting out of the car.

He put his hand on the door handle, and gave Sam a firm, expectant look.

Sam sighed. “Bucky, I tellin’ you-“

“And I heard you. Open the door.”

“You’re gonna regret it-“

“I have bigger regrets.”

Sam smirked slightly. “You takin’ a philosophy course too?”

“Door, Sam.” Bucky grunted. “Now.”

“Alright.” Sam rolled his eyes, and reached for a button that better remove the child locks, or Bucky would break the window. “Your funeral, man.”

Bucky heard the click of the door, pushed it open before Sam had even leaned back and stomped out of the car. 

He didn’t have time for this. He didn’t want to do this. The music was so damn loud, and this was so fucking stupid, and it might be another thing to do. but She was still the reason Sam wasn’t letting him really help—really be fucking useful—so Bucky would not sit around as if he was waiting for Her goddamn permission to move. 

He banged a fist on the window when he reached her, She jumped in her seat, and looked up at him with wide eyes through the glass. 

Bucky’s tongue caught in his throat. He’d been ready to spit words about hurrying Her ass up, but they were gone. Turned to dust and wind as their eyes met. Sam had been right. It was his funeral.

There was nothing about Her that was obviously worrying or terrifying, but Her grip tightened on the wheel, then Her eyes narrowed, and Bucky felt… odd. Frozen. Not in the cold, stasis way Hydra had trapped him, but like he was being hung up on some sort of wall. Like a piece of art She was analyzing as they stared at each other through the glass, as Her eyes pierced and carved right into his soul. 

Then She rolled down the window, and Bucky had to drag his every bit of will and resolve together to keep his face set and angry. 

She was more beautiful in person. By far the most beautiful person Bucky had ever seen, quickly rivaling most everything else for the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Rocketing past sunsets in Wakanda and the view from the top of mountains where he’d felt amazingly small and human. Clashing with the night sky in the coldest parts of the world that few men dared to tread, but where Bucky had spent long days and nights, watching the stars shift and pass above him and glow off the snow. In front of him, Her beauty was that same impossible and strange and inhuman kind from the photo, where every divet and crook and bump on Her face looked as if it had been purposefully placed there. Bucky’s mind was already flipping back to his enhanced by Hydra to be extra beautiful for some reason theory, but his head moving slower than normal, because most of what he was able to do right now was hold Her gaze. 

Her eyes weren’t blank. They seemed to be painted over or covered with something, like a firm layer of ice over whatever was trapped inside Her that she didn’t want Bucky  to see. Her entire face seemed have that same element, like She was wearing an invisible mask that made Her seem more like a canvas than a person. She held Herself too tall, too still, like a statue. 

She was younger than he’d thought She’d be. In the photo, something in Her eyes had made him think She’d seen longest and harshest and darkest corners of the world—whether she’d been running from them or sought them out—and that would’ve required time. That combined with being a CEO made him put her in a margin of at least being around Sam’s age, but She wasn’t. 

He couldn’t tell how old She was. He couldn’t tell most things about Her, and that spurred his body into tension, because that wasn’t normal. 

Nothing about Her seemed normal. Not quite artificial, not quite human, but something in-between that tugged at Bucky’s gut and told him to stay alert. To be careful, because something about this was wrong.

He added a rapid fire list of things to his log about Her, as they glared at each other and he forced himself to get his shit together—this was exactly why he couldn’t look at Her too long, She was dangerous just by existing even if She wasn’t Hydra, and Bucky couldn’t afford distractions—so that he could finally do what he’d come for, and snap at Her over the music, still blaring in the background.

Her car wasn’t expensive, but the tires weren’t muddied, so She didn’t drive often, or She cleaned it frequently. It was likely the former, because the interior of the car was filled with trash. Her nails were neat, but not painted, and Her hair was done to stay out of Her face. Despite choosing the fancy restaurant, She was not dressed up for the occasion. She didn’t have any weapons that he could see, and her hands were gripping the wheel with white knuckles. She was making no movement to turn down the music, only watching Bucky with a silent challenge. Daring him to move first, and confident She would lose whatever game they were playing. She sat too tall not to be, and watched him with a dry boredom that could be taken for anger. 

Her eyes seemed to be brimming and boiling over with that thing, even as the veil remained, and Her breathing and heartbeat were casual. 

She was not threatened by Bucky leaning against Her car, glowering at Her and scanning over her face. She was either incredibly confident, or had no idea who he was.

She should know who he was. His hair was longer again, so he was more recognizable, and if She worked at the Stark Foundation she’d likely be expected to keep up with the news.

She seemed like someone who would keep up with the news.

She still wasn’t reacting to Bucky.

And he caved first.

“Turn your music down.” He grunted, and She raised Her brows, but still didn’t speak as She leaned back without breaking their eye contact. 

The music turned off.

Bucky didn’t know why Sam had been so worried about him. That had been easy-

“Why are you here?”

Bucky blinked. She had a distinctive voice. It would be easy to memorize, once he got Her speech pattern.

“Dinner.“ He grunted, forcing himself to hold Her gaze. “You know who I-“

She gave him a flat look. It felt like it pressed right up against his ribs. “Of course I know who you are, I own a phone with internet access. Why are you here.”

He scowled. “I already told you, dinner. Sam invited me.”

Her eyes narrowed, and there was a long silence as She watched him, before something flashed in Her eyes, right through the strange mask, and the expression on Her face shifted. 

Bucky still couldn’t read it.

But it didn’t seem good.

“Where is he.” Her words were neutral. Cool. It felt like a trap, but whatever shit Sam was about to get he probably deserved, so Bucky nodded his head back to the car.

“Hiding.“

She sat higher in Her seat, glaring past Bucky to where Sam was likely watching them. 

Bucky couldn’t be sure.

He was finding it hard to look away from Her to check.

“Fucking pussy.” She muttered under Her breath, before raising her voice to a shout. “Samuel, get the fuck out here!”

Bucky added another thing to his log. She could be very loud—Her voice echoing around the garage like a haunting, furious choir—and incredibly angry. 

He highlighted that last point as She scoffed and stood out of the car, pushed right past Bucky with a second glance, and stormed across the lot. It was like watching a small bundle of fire and wind and fury rush through the world. She walked with a purpose.

Bucky would apprentice that, other any other circumstances.

Right now he was just a little worried for Sam’s safety.

Sam was grinning at Her, when Bucky came up behind them. It was his careful, charming, I’ve never done anything wrong in my life ever grin. 

They were in trouble.

“Hey,” he said Her name carefully, nodding to Bucky over her shoulder. “Looks like you finally met Bucky, I’ve always thought you two would get on great, you know-“

“Shut up.” She snapped—something different in Her voice then when She’d been speaking to Bucky—and Sam listened. Bucky needed to learn how to do that. “I told you I didn’t need him.”

“Yeah, but it’s Hydra-“

“It might not be. It might just be a fluke-“

Sam gave Her a pointed look. “I know you don’t think that, kid-“

“And I don’t need him.”She pushed on, Her voice rising over Sam’s as she pointed over her shoulder. To Bucky. “I told you no, Sam, I told you to fucking drop it-“

“And I didn’t, because you might be in danger,” Sam’s voice was firmer than before as he said Her name again, but it still didn’t match Her fury. “This is Hydra. I ain’t lettin’ you mess with your safety when it’s Hydra.”

She let out a dry laugh, and when Bucky shuffled at few feet to the side, he realized what was different. 

The veil had dropped. And under it, She was different. Almost raw and pure, but like the night sky. Visible, but unreadable. Forceful. Powerful.

And a realization very slowly started to creep over Bucky, rising into his head and falling to its place, shifting everything around him and making his jaw clench.

“I am not in that much danger-“

“You pretty fuckin’ obviously are-“

“Sam.” Bucky grunted, not bothering to hide the fury in his voice. “Did you ask her if she wanted my service?”

She snorted. “Service? Are you an escort-“

Bucky rolled his eyes, shooting Her a glare. “You can shut it, kid-“

“Don’t call me kid-“

“I’ll call you whatever I want, long as I’m the only thing keeping you alive. And you,” he glared back to Sam, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Caught in a fucking lie. “Answer my question or I slash your tires.”

Sam sighed, looking between She and Bucky wearily, and shook his head. “No. But it’s cause I knew you’d both say no-“

“I would’ve said yes to a rotating group.” She hissed. “And you know exactly why I said no, you dickhead-“

“And I think it’s a stupid reason,” Sam muttered Her name, giving her a pointed look Bucky didn’t understand. 

He didn’t understand most of what was going on. But this was more than his usual confusion. This felt personal, like everything was off kilter just to spite him. They were arguing in a weird, cryptic, half-code he couldn’t follow, and She’d said she didn’t want him. Didn’t want Bucky. Not a guard, period, but Bucky.

That should’ve been a relief. He could just leave, because he wasn’t about to force his presence on anyone, and this gave him a reason to tell Sam to shove his better on babysitting duty shit up his ass.

But it stirred something furious in his body. Bucky wasn’t a saint, but he was good at his job. He was effective. He would be able to keep Her safe better than any group guard, he just hadn’t wanted to. And She didn’t know him, not well enough to hate him. He would think it was the whole former Hydra assassin thing if She was afraid of him, but she wasn’t.

She just didn’t want Bucky.

And nobody wanted him. 

But for some reason that his body and mind were grabbing by the throat and running with, Bucky hated that. She had no right to dislike him, even if it was a reasonable conclusion. She had no right to think She’d just win this, that Hydra wouldn’t crush Her all the same as they crushed their other enemies.

And maybe She wasn’t an enemy to Hydra. Maybe She didn’t want Bucky around because She knew he’d catch onto whatever she was planning. Because he was a real threat to whatever game She was playing.

He wasn’t going to take the out. It was right there—shining and clear and leading him back into a routine and mundane life that was not good, but better than before—and he let it fade away.

She and Sam were still arguing, so Bucky crossed his arms and raised his voice. 

“Are we going to go inside.”

They both stared at him for a long second, and She spoke first. “What-“

“Inside.” He drawled, narrowing his eyes at Her. “It’s over there, under a roof. With the dinner Sam promised me.” 

She tilted Her head at him, and even with the mask off and the equally beautiful—but worryingly potent and loud—creature revealed beneath, Bucky could still see that secret. A layer just below this one, looking almost tucked away. Hidden.

He could see it because he knew it. He had one of those horrid layers too, trapped at the base of his skull.

But he never lied about it. 

And there was no way he was backing out now.

“You think we’re still doing dinner?” She asked, and Bucky shrugged.

“I’m still hungry. How about you, Sam. You want some spaghetti?”

Sam, for once in his life, looked stunned out of words. “Yeah. I’m, uh, I’m kinda starvin’. We can keep talking inside, but just remember, most restaurants have a no-murder policy.”

She shot Sam a glare. “I’m done talking. That,” She pointed to Bucky, and it was a little too much like being on the barrel end of a gun. “Isn’t happening.”

Sam opened his mouth, ready to protest, but Bucky had it covered. 

“You know,” he said Her name, and Her eyes snapped to his with an almost impressive glower. “I’d be offended, if I gave a shit about your opinion.”

Her lips tightened, but She didn’t waver. She didn’t really seem like the type to waver. “And that’s lovely for you, Barnes. Stay out of this.”

He shook his head. “My friend asked me for a favor, and we shook on it. I’m not gonna let your funeral be the reason I deal with Sam crying again.”

Sam’s expression of pure confusion waved slightly with a frown. “I wasn’t crying, Bucky, it was onions-“

“I am not going to die.” She cut off Sam with cool words, standing a little taller, like She was trying to tower over Bucky despite still looking up at him. “And I don’t know what Sam promised you to babysit me, but-“

“I wasn’t promised anything.” Bucky shrugged, keeping his voice flat and dry. “I’m doing it for the love of the job.”

There was a long silence as they glowered at each other—Bucky wondered, if he glared hard enough, if She’d just confess to everything and this would all end in one night—and it was cut only by Sam clearing his throat.

“So, uh,” he looked between Her and Bucky with a weary expression. “Dinner?”

She hummed, still not breaking the stare. “Fine. Sargent?”

He felt his jaw tick, something rearing its head deep in his gut, deeper than the instinct of strange, at how She said that. Mockingly sweet, right on the edge of a sneer, with beautiful pouting lips and an arrogance that made his whole body burn. 

“James is fine.” He grunted, and Her mouth curved into a smile. It was wolf-like, as if She was getting ready to pull him apart with only Her teeth and devour whatever piece of him She could find. 

If She tried to, he’d be ready. She might still be that strange kind of beautiful, but Bucky’s will wasn’t easily broken by something as simple as beautiful. 

So whatever She was up to, Bucky would stop it. 

He’d be right there, keeping that careful eye he’d promise Sam on Her, and everything would be under control.

Bucky could keep this under control. 

——————

You’re going to kill Sam. Captain America or not, he’s dead.

You’d told him no. You’d told him you’d be fine alone, because you know how to be. This was terrifying, maybe. You didn’t know what the hell was happening, certainly. You’d slept even worse than usual for the past two nights, your head spinning faster than you could keep up with as questions why, what did they know, what did they want, why you, why turned around in your head, absolutely.

But you’d be fine alone. It was probably an empty threat, and if it wasn’t, there wasn’t a single thing you have to offer Hydra. You don’t know any dark, secret information. You’ve never been a sole witness to any crime, or uncovered any conspiracy, and you’ve spent most of your life as nothing more than a bright accessory for people more important than you were.

And even after you became important yourself, it wasn’t as if you shifted the earth or rewrote political borders. You worked for a charity. You smiled for cameras and put on the show because you had to, then you curled right back up into your apartment with the Boy. 

Alone.

You could’ve been fine alone. Sam had said I’ll give you Bucky, to keep you safe, you’d very audibly and clearly told him you’d be fine, Sam, and he’d given in.

The sneaky fuck had just given in—which should have been suspicious, but you’d been too tired to care—and then brought his stupid super-solider friend to what was supposed to be a casual dinner, because he still sees you as a kid that needs protection.

You’d feel bad for Barnes, if he wasn’t spending the whole night staring at you with a scowl that felt unreasonably personal. Sam had told you once that it was just how he was, and that if you ever met him, you’d catch on quick that he’s really more bark than bite.

But Sam seems to have been full of shit.

Barnes seems like he’s all bite. Not because of the metal arm you can see peeking under a sleeve, or the broad, strong build of his body, or even the targeted glower on his face. 

It’s his voice. Low and commanding, well-suited to his overall face and stature, but firm. Unbreakable. Only low grunts and dry words and measured, careful contributions to your conversation with Sam, like he’s trying to test the water for poison, but still plans to drink it regardless of the result. 

He’s watching you the same way, and the bite there as well. In his eyes. Silver-blue and focused on yours, no matter who’s speaking. His attention seems to be threatening to swallow you whole. It feels as if you’re an army rather than one person, and Barnes is working out his best plan of attack. Boring into your heart and head, and then a little deeper. Looking for something you don’t understand, because all of you is on a platter for him to see.

The show had ended almost the moment you put together that Sam had pulled this shit. It wasn’t like you’d meant to do the show at all tonight—you never did the show around people that really knew you—but Barnes had caught you off guard and it had slipped over you on instinct alone. He’d interrupted your music and hurdled you quickly to a white-hot edge of off, now everything is off, and you’d been ready to make some very graphic threats when you’d looked up and seen Bucky Barnes glowering down at you, the words had died on your tongue.

He looked really human. Not like a phantom story or cautionary tale. Just a man.

A very handsome, angry man. 

You’d seen pictures of him before—museums, history classes, the general news—but none of it had done justice to how handsome he was. If you weren’t you—if you knew how to have fun and let go and be just the right amount of whatever you were made of—you would’ve smiled at him and introduced yourself.

But he threw you off. And asked you to turn down your music. 

And the show had been to easiest way to keep yourself together in fractured pieces. Then you seemed to have pissed him off just by speaking and thinking and feeling—understandable, but he didn’t know that—and any desire to try and salvage something had withered and died.

Now, the most important thing had to be finding a way out of or around this. Around Sam and his belief that you’re nothing more than a delicate little bird. 

Around Barnes, and his annoyingly attractive face. 

He’s sitting up straight, turning his head just enough to give the restaurant around you a sort of routine check, and you hadn’t missed the quick, assessing scan of every waiter that’s moved through the room. He’s gripping his fork like a blade. He’d taken the seat that faced all the exits. 

And he’s going to take this seriously.

Which was exactly what you hadn’t wanted. 

You’d been willing to take a detached guard. A guard that kept you alive because Sam was right, and Hydra was nothing to mess with—especially when you still don’t know what they want—but who wouldn’t report to him.

A guard that wouldn’t turn right around and tell Sam anything you didn’t want him to know, because Sam may be Captain America, but you were smart, acceptably attractive on surface, and rich. You could easily get a group of too-large, brooding, lonely men to flip and work for you rather than Sam. And even if they didn’t, you’d be able to find your way around them. You’d talk Happy and Sam into letting you choose the group, and pick out a selection that didn’t really care. That let you do whatever the hell you wanted. 

A group that would turn a blind eye to him. 

That was the big thing. You don’t want Sam knowing how bad it is. That the worst dangers aren’t in the shadows and stalking you through the city, they live your apartment and send a curling chill through your blood every they move. 

A random selection of men will keep their heads down and do only their explicit jobs, and long as you play your cards right.

Barnes will not be that easy.

He’s loyal to Sam. You don’t think bribery or extortion will work on his solemn, resolved everything. If he sees how horrid your life has become, he’ll snitch to Sam and you won’t even have time to cover the bruises or come up with a good lie. 

If he finds out that you’re trying to fix the Hydra thing yourself, he’ll shut you down. Probably grumble something about how you don’t know what you’re doing, and tell you to keep pretending everything is fine while he and Sam handle it.

Everything is very much not fine. And you trust Sam with your life, but you will not be useless. You can’t be useless. You can’t let someone else fix this for you, because they never have before. 

You have always clawed your way through everything alone, and it’s worked. You’ve surived. You’ve becoming whatever you needed to be in order to do what you had to do, and you already have two working theories, while Sam has a grand total of zero.

The likely one—the one that Sam will probably work out on his own—is that you’re not the target. You’re the path. The leverage or outlet of Hydra’s wrath on someone else. They have greatly overestimated your importance to the men who’d held and used you like you were a very pretty, shiny pair of cufflinks, and now you have to deal with this because you try not to even remember their names, let alone what secret information on Hydra they might have told you.

And it wasn’t like they’d ever actually told you anything. You’d been a chase, then a hunt, then a prize, then nothing at all. You don’t tell trophies about your secret fascist business dealings. That would require valuing their opinion, and you weren’t sure a single one of those assholes had believed you had opinions. 

Which had been by design.

But it still meant Hydra was going to be tracking you with the intent to hold you as a truly useless hostage, or trying to scare information out of you that you simply didn’t have. 

And that was the easier theory. The one that made you relax, because whatever you had to offer them was null, so you’d be fine. Hydra would either work out that using you to get to someone else—either for money or information—was pointless, and they’d be better off kidnapping a random rat and asking for ransom. People would probably come together to free the rat. The rat might have emotional community value, or a little rat family. You couldn’t be sure of the same for yourself. 

Nobody would trade anything for you. 

And if Hydra was really watching you, they would work that out themselves. 

But second theory wasn’t as easy. It was worrying, and haunting, and dangerous.

The second reason Hydra could be after you was because of you.

Because of the thing.

You don’t know how they’d know. You don’t know what they’d know, or what they’d plan to do, or why they’d care. 

Nobody knows. You’re always so careful to ensure nobody knows, because there’s really nothing to know, but you still don’t want to make yourself into even more of a prize or pretty little toy. If people knew, then you’d become even more of a vessel, more of a statue, more of a caged animal. You’re already barely a person. You don’t need another way to be alone in your own head as your body continues to mold and morph, to survive and please.

If the thing is what Hydra wants, they won’t be able to use you as a weapon unless they transfer the bond to one of their own. You can’t do anything without the bond. Without the bond, they’d just be kidnapping a random woman and asking her to perform miracles. 

And that’s the theory that means you will have to be careful. But it also means no one else is going to be able to handle this, no matter how many resources and contacts they have, because they couldn’t know to look in any of the right places. Places you’d purposefully kept hidden and contained, and that you’re not about to reveal now. 

So you’ll fix this yourself. Quickly, so Sam and Barnes can get back to things that matter more than you. 

All you need to do is get out of this whole Barnes situation, and you’ll be able to fix this. 

“You still workin’ on that community plan for the VA?” Sam asks, and his smile is wider than usual, almost plastered on his face. “Cause I got a few buddies down in DC who’d be willing to throw their weight behind it-“

You snort, raising your brows at him. “Since when do you have buddies in DC-“

“Since I became Captain America. Everyone wants a piece of America’s best patriot-“

“I think that might be an abuse of power.”

Sam rolls his eyes. “I’m tryin’ to abuse it in your favor, kid. You tell me to reach out, you’ll get endorsements so far up your ass you’ll be shitting them out until May.”

You wrinkle your nose. “I- That is not a saying-“

“Could be.”

“No, it really couldn’t-“

“You want the backing or not?”

You sigh, poking your food with the fancy, half-useless fork. “No. We wrapped that up last week, and I think if I try to add anything more to it I’ll get another call from the board about paperwork and going rogue.”

Sam frowns. “You can go rogue at a charity? What, you donating too many blankets?”

“No, I just have no respect for the precedent.” You shrug, leaning further back in your seat and crossing one leg under your body. “No work talk, Sam. You’ll get me in trouble.”

Sam gives you a disappointed look. “You broke into the office again?”

“Broke in implies that it’s not my office-“

“At the Stark Foundation.”

You pause, frowning at Barnes. He’s still staring at you, arms crossed and face unreadable, and his words hadn’t really sounded like a question, but you’re going to answer them anyway.

“Yeah.”

“How’d you end up with that?”

You blink. “With my job?”

Barnes gives you a tight nod and grunt, and you shrug.

“The old director died in the Blip. Tony offered me the role, I took it, and I still have it.”

“Why you?”

You narrow your eyes at him, trying to find some sort of crack in his rough, firmly set expression that will tell you what exactly he wants to know.

“Why not me?” You snap, sitting a little taller, and Barnes blinks, but doesn’t back down.

“Don’t know,” he drawls. “Might be why I’m asking, kid.”

Your fingers dig slightly into the cloth of the table. “Well, James, I was just in the right place, at the right time, and it doesn’t really matter now, does it? I’m good at my job.”

Barnes just raises his brows. “And who’s told you that?”

“Everyone. For the past six years.”

“What about the old director?” He leans forward slightly, holding your gaze. “Where’d he head off, when everyone came back?”

You snort. “I’m pretty sure he just stayed in his coffin. He didn’t blip, he died.”

Barnes frowns. “But-“

“One of the many, many plane crashes that the Snap caused.” You hum. “Any other questions I can answer for you?”

“Yeah, actually.” Barnes says, and you’d been right. His voice is what’s telling you to be careful, because it’s rough and deep and almost sounds like a weapon of its own. “You know what type of security system your building has? I’ll need access to it.”

You scowl. “No.”

He gives you an almost taunting look. “No, you don’t know?”

“No, you’re not getting access to it. I said I’m not doing this, and I was serious-“

“Afraid that’s not really up to you, doll.”

Something prickles over your skin at how bored and flat his tone is, rooting around in your skull as you suddenly feel a little too small under his gaze. The same way you’ve felt for too much of your life. Not a person, too much of a person, better as only an accessory or art piece or oversaturated giggle and smile, better putting on the show and being the doll-

“Don’t call me that.” You snap, raising your chin as you hold his gaze, and his eyes narrow on yours, but he doesn’t say anything, so you push on. “I do not need a bodyguard, and I’m sure you’re not eager to do this either-“

“I made a promise-“

“And that’s amazing for you, but I’m afraid you’re going to have to break it. I’m sure Sam will recover from the emotional damage.”

“He won’t if you die.”

You roll your eyes. “I mean, yeah, but I haven’t died yet. Statistically, that means I might be unkillable-“

Barnes hisses your name, and it sounds strange when he says it. Not really like a name. Likely something either far more, or far less. “This is not a game. If Hydra really is after you, they aren’t going to be pulling punches or playing fair. You can get your group of rotating guards, or you can have someone who knows what the hell they’re doing.”

“You? I could have you?”

His blinks again. It seems to be the equivalent of a visceral reaction from him. “Unless Sam can find you another ex-Hydra super soldier, yeah, do you-“ He cuts himself off with another blink. “I’m what they’re offering. Take it.”

“Or leave it?”

“I didn’t say that.” he grunts, and you roll your eyes. “Take it.”

You’re running out of ways to get out of this. 

You’ll keep trying anyway.

“You know,” you drawl, spinning your fork between your fingers as you give Barnes a mockingly intrigued look. “I don’t think you count as ex-Hydra.”

He frown somehow deepens. “What.”

“Ex-Hydra implies a voluntary complicity to their actions.”

Two blinks. Progress. “Why are we talking about this.”

“Because,” you hum, and when you glance at Sam, you’d think he’s watching a tennis game the way his gaze is bouncing back and forth across the table. “If your pitch is that you’re ex-Hydra, and you’re not, then your pitch is invalid, and-“

Sam snaps your name, giving Barnes a strange look before turning back to you. “Stop tryin’ to Jedi mind-trick out of this. You’re gonna give poor Bucky a stroke before he even has a chance to save your ass.”

You scowl. “Nobody’s saving my ass, Sam. My ass is fine where it is-“

“I’m sure it is,” Barnes mutters, and you shoot him your most venomous glare.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean-“

“It means,” he sneers, and this time you get a nostril flare. He might be furious. “Like we’ve told you, Hydra isn’t going to play fair. It’s not going to matter how high profile or status you are, they’ll find you, and they’ll do what they want unless you stop being a stubborn fucking brat and let us help.”

You stare at him, the whole world suddenly a little too colorful. Bright. Loud. Hot. Everything in your body is burning and you don’t care that he’d swat you away like a fly, you’re going to launch across the table and strangle Barnes with your bare hands, because he doesn’t fucking know you, doesn’t have the right to speak down to you like you’re a child or little, dumb, naïve girl who doesn’t know that she is in danger. Who thinks she’s above danger, when you’re not above anything, you’re barely above yourself, you’re barely yourself at all and he doesn’t fucking know that, he doesn’t know you, he doesn’t know what you’ve done and who you are and just how stubborn of a problem you can be for his stoic, hot, brooding, angry-

Sam coughs, his tone slow and cautious as he speaks. “Bucky’s being a rude asshole, which we’ve talked about not doing, but,” he shoots Barnes a stern glare as he says your name. “He’s right. We can’t afford to get cocky here-“

You shoot Sam a cold glower. “I am not-“

“I know, just-“ He sighs. “I know you don’t want Barnes, but you’re takin’ him. And I’m not asking. It’s an order.”

You gape at him. “Are you fucking serious-“

“Yeah, I am.” Sam’s jaw clenches, but there’s still something apologetic in his gaze. “You can do this easy, where you let Barnes follow you around until I sort this shit out, or I can tell your board that their CEO is bein’ threatened by Hydra, and that as Captain America I’m puttin’ a detail on you to keep you safe.”

“Sam,” you hiss through your teeth, leaning over the table. “I am not a child. I will be fine-“

“I’m sure you will.” He shrugs. “Cause Bucky’s gonna be keeping an eye on you, and he can be a grumpy dick-“

Barnes grunts. “I can hear you-“

“But,” Sam only waves him off, not breaking his attention from you. “He’s the best damn guy I know. And this’ll be a whole lot easier if you at least pretend you’re not gonna try and give him the slip everyday.”

You scowl. You don’t think you will be able to get past Barnes. Or hide things from him. Or keep your lack of sleep and disastrous private life or anything at all from him. 

Including, maybe, the thing. And definitely him.

But there’s no way out of this. You’ve been back into a corner, and your usual two ways out—gnashing and clawing like a feral animal, or talking in circles under you make an opening to flee through—won’t work here. Sam knows you too well. Barnes is like a fucking rock, and you can’t confuse and annoy a rock into doing what you want.

“What would he do.”

Sam’s face splits into a wide smile at your mumble, and hate that he knows he’s won. 

“You’re gettin’ the best of the best,” he says your name with a far brighter tone than only seconds ago, gesturing to where Barnes is still rigid in his seat. “This model comes with a metal arm, an inside knowledge of Hydra, personalized sarcastic comments, and handsome face that could charm the evilest of bad guys-“

“Sam.” Barnes mutters, still watching you. If he doesn’t look away soon, he’s going to lose an eye to go with his arm. “Shut up.”

Sam doesn’t listen, and you don’t know what Barnes expected, but his glower deepens as Sam plows on. 

“He’ll be shipped right to your office, and spend his days makin’ sure you don’t become Hydra-meat-“

You wrinkle your nose. “Meat?”

“I’m goin’ off the cuff. They’re not all gonna be winners. He’ll start tomorrow.”

“I’ll be at your office.” Barnes mutters. “I want full badge access, and a blueprint. Let your security know I’ll be armed-“

“You let them know.” You snap. “Sam will give you Happy’s number, but I will have work to do-“

Barnes scoffs. “You can’t take five minutes to make sure you don’t get kidnapped-“

“I thought that’s what you were supposed to be doing.” You snap, shooting Sam a pointed look. “Am I going to be explaining his job to him the whole time?”

Two blinks. Nostril flare. 

Maybe by the end of this, you’ll get a full and obvious sneer. 

Sam just gives you a look like he’s disappointed in you, before Barnes can even snap or grunt anything, and the conversation moves on.

You’ve lost. Just for now, you’ve lost.

But you’ve been in worse situations, and you’ve found more difficult ways out. So when you leave the restaurant—you paid, and ignored Sam’s glare because after pulling this shit, he doesn’t have a single leg to stand on—and Barnes scans you over one last time, you don’t flinch.

He’s just a man. Just a person. He can roll up the sleeves of his jacket all he wants—as if he’s trying to remind you of the metal arm, when it hadn’t been all that well hidden in the first place and you really don’t care—and glower down at you as imposingly as he can manage, using that deep voice to ask more obviously leading and stiffly formal questions about your past that you dodge with ease, but at the end of it, he’s a person and you’re more. 

You won’t have to do the show here. Not the normal one. You won’t be able to be everything but you can be as much as you need to be

So you can be as much as you want. 

And it won’t matter what experience he has, what warnings or cautions or files Sam has given him, or how prepared he may think he is.

Barnes doesn’t know what the hell he’s getting into.

End Note: Enemies to lovers is my safe space for romance I fear. They're about to be so mean to each other (until they're not).

Thank you so so so much for reading!! If you like this story, please reblog, share, or leave a comment! <3

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[skmhlml]

hello !! May I ask a headcanon Shadow Mik cookie x toodle reader please ?? Like He found them before he got corrupted and decided to adopt them, even when he became the Master Of Deceit he still cared about them and not corrupt them, Candy Apple and Black Sapphire cookie also adore the little toodle. but when he got sealed away, the Whitches decided to give the toodle to someone else, but got also cursed by never growing up by their father.

After he got free, he go with his minions find his baby and found them, and the little one is more then happy to see their TRUE family back

A headcanon/one-shot please !!!

Date requested: 6/24/2025

Shadow Milk Cookie x Kid!Reader |Headcannons + One-shot| (Platonic Of course)

🧿 Shadow Milk Cookie wasn’t yet the Master of Deceit— just a curious and mysterious Cookie with a deep affinity for things others ignored.

🧿 He found you—a small, squishy, strange little creature made by accident during a failed Witch experiment. He felt an instant, unspoken connection to you. You were odd. So was he. It was perfect.

🧿 Instead of handing you over or abandoning you, he picked you up, cradled you in his arms, and whispered: “You’re mine now, little one. Let no one say otherwise.”

🧿 You didn’t talk much, babbling or communicating in tiny gestures. But you adored him deeply. Your bond formed fast— naps in his cape, being rocked gently while he read scrolls, glowing softly when you were near him.

🧿 Candy Apple Cookie immediately saw you as the cutest thing in existence. She gave you nicknames like “Crumble Muffin” or “Boo Berry” and always insisted on giving you glittery accessories you tried to chew on.

🧿 Black Sapphire Cookie was initially indifferent but became your quiet protector. You liked to climb up on his shoulder and rest there while he trained. He often mumbled, “You’re safer up here.”

🧿 Shadow Milk became the Master of Deceit, but not with you. He still cradled you gently in clawed arms, still hummed lullabies while you slept. His voice echoed with power now:

🧿 You were the only thing he didn’t try to twist or turn dark. He shielded you from dark magics. Hid you during battles. Whispered in secret: “I can be a monster to the world, but never to you.”

🧿 The Witches, fearing your connection to him, cursed you— stunting your growth. You would never age. Never mature. Always a helpless “Toodler” needing guidance. To them, you were just a leftover experiment anyway.

🧿 When Shadow Milk was sealed, they gave you away. To someone lesser. A cruel, indifferent caretaker who left you cold and confused.

———

The wind was quiet.

For centuries, the night sky had held its breath. The stars refused to shine as they once did. Something was missing. Someone.

And tonight, the shadows stirred.

Through the ruins of a forgotten sugar temple, three figures stepped— one cloaked in twilight, one glittering with stardust, one trailing candy mist.

Shadow Milk’s eyes blazed violet as he pushed open the rusted iron gates.

“My child is here,” he growled, not in menace—but in pure, undying purpose.

Candy Apple skipped ahead, calling, “Sweety ~? Baby?? Where are you, my little starlight?”

Black Sapphire didn’t speak. His hand gripped his blade.

And inside, in a forgotten nursery, you sat—small, unmoving, curled up with a worn blanket and a button-eye plush.

You had felt something today. A ripple. A whisper. Like a memory tugging on your crumbling heart.

You blinked slowly as the door creaked open.

A moment passed.

And then—your wide eyes filled with warm tears.

“Bubba…?”

You flung yourself forward, scrambling on tiny legs, squeaking and chirping nonsense as your little arms stretched out— and he caught you.

Shadow Milk dropped to his knees and scooped you into his chest, holding you like he never wanted to let go.

You squealed and laughed, nuzzling into his cold shoulder, clinging to his cape. The scent was the same. The hum in his chest was the same. The way his arms curled protectively around you like a fortress—it was all the same.

“They took you from me,” he whispered, rage cracking in his voice. “But never again.”

Candy Apple sobbed happily, dropping to her knees beside you. “You’re still adorable! Oh my sugar stars—look how tiny!”

Black Sapphire stood back, watching you—his sharp gaze softening as you reached your little arms toward him.

He gave a slow nod. “We missed you too, kid.”

[hostilemuppet]

We need to see bubbles with Lou Gubrious (from that one post where you mentioned him in the tags) pls

my interpretation of bubbles is that her greatest strength is communication. she is the people person of the three, to the extent she isnt even limited to people; her special power is that she can speak to animals! i personally hc that shes actually omnilingual, not just animals and spanish+japanese. she can speak every single language so she can speak to everyone, no matter what, they can talk it out. throughout the series shes usually the one willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt, whether its her talking down the kaiju from "three girls and a monster" by politely asking it to leave her town alone, or being the only one who doesnt think mike believe is a weirdo for taking to himself. while she is by no means a pushover, and is just as willing (sometimes eager, even!) as her sisters to beat up on anyone who has it coming to them, her role as the sweet one is her biggest weapon. if its an option, shed rather talk it through with the other party instead of using her fists, and if theyre willing to listen they can solve it with no blood being spilled

so i think that when she gets a bit older, and she realises that lou committed his crimes out of desperation, a last resort because he thought hed never be happy, shed be distraught. that is a citizen of townsville, who she has sworn to protect, and he has been failed. his cry for help ignored. sure, hes not an innocent angel, but neither is bubbles, when you think about it. theyve all done bad things when in a tough spot, weve all done bad things. why should he have to be exiled for being sick?

bubbles is no therapist by any means, but she knows how to be someones friend. she cant fix him on her own, he can probably never be fixed, but she can try to make his dark days a little less dark, and help him get out of the rain

[rei-ismyname]

For your choose violence ask game, 1 and 12, please!

Hey there, this is fun!

1. Character that everyone gets wrong. Funnily every ask has included this, but I'm not going to repeat myself. Instead I'll find a different way to vagueblog about certain of my fellow X-Men fans.

Hank McCoy, aka the Beast, specifically his tenure as Director of X-Force. One group of people simply choose to ignore the run entirely (which is valid - if you don't enjoy then ignoring it can be healthy,) and many reduce him to war crimes memes, which is also valid. I'm definitely not defending his actions at all, but I don't often see the complicity and accountability of the Quiet Council and his subordinates mentioned. Ben Percy's choice to reboot him from factory settings was one I found unsatisfying as it short circuited any kind of trial or reckoning - and everyone else's guilt has been forgotten.

There was a teeny bit of subterfuge

Firstly, every single member of the Quiet Council was there for X-Force's formation and received reports. His first act was torturing a prisoner. There's no arguing that Krakoa needed some kind of security apparatus, but they failed to provide any guidelines, zero checks and balances. They told Hank to protect Krakoa by any means necessary and handed him a morally blank check. He chose to do the things he did but he was enabled by those who knew even after he left Krakoa. They chose to keep him out in the world as a deniable asset. Again, not to diminish his culpability but the monster that was Hank McCoy had many parents. The simple fact that he wasn't very effective at protecting Krakoa should have been cause for review, even if the ethical calculus is non existent.

His team didn't have all the information but they had enough to know better and were involved in the team in the first place. 'Just following orders' should be odious to modern readers, and even Jean chose to quit while leaving the system in place rather than do anything about it. They eventually moved to a better model, but after genocides were met with light scoldings I wasn't surprised at the degree of sunk cost fallacy Beast fell into. I wish we got a serious meditation on how you can't be the director of the CIA without damaging your soul irreparably, but I think we got enough to illustrate my point. I often wondered how he felt about everything - during the first Hellfire Gala he asked Xavier if he'd disappointed him and heard 'not yet' back - I got the impression he was outsourcing his morality and it's unsurprising that he was able to reconcile it with his actions.

Solicits for X-Men #8 show the President of Terra Verde at Graymalkin to see Beast punished for his crimes. It's a shame he can't remember any of it because it was done by someone else. There's no Quiet Council or Krakoa to punish anymore, and I'm disappointed that accountability never came for any of the guilty people.

12. The unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them.

EXODUS, baby. Two of the big themes of Krakoa were compromise and community, and Exodus' previous publication history showed he was not well suited to either (except for that bizarre time he worked for SHIELD but I ignore that.) Up to that point he'd been an obscenely powerful religious fundamentalist and mutant supremacist but hadn't had enough page time to explore that in any depth.

Seriously, his style is out of this world.

When he arrived on Krakoa and was given a seat on the Quiet Council he was absolutely both of those things, though he proved himself committed to good governance without any agenda. By being part of an ostensibly egalitarian community for the first time he became a true believer and slowly ditched his old methods of blunt force for community-building and fiercely protecting it from outside threats. He compromised while looking fabulous.

Exodus had frequent campfire educational sessions with kids, he rewrote scripture as his theology evolved (Jesus as the Nazarene Mutant is everything to me,) he put his faith in Hope and Krakoa as a polity but moreso as a people. He tried to convince Doug to die temporarily so he could take his place in X of Swords, risking permanent death. His labelling of Wanda as The Pretender was pretty uncomfortable, but after The Trial of Magneto he invited her in to tell her own story.

Then Immortal X-Men began and the 3 event comics put him through the wringer. First was Judgement Day where he fought and killed towering death machines while simultaneously leading the psychic countersiege on the Uni-Mind. He was tested by the Progenitor with a public simulation of his old boyfriend in hell. He stuck to his code and passed, but he also bumrushed a demon to free Garrington from his grasp. Exodus objected to humans being resurrected, but he still accepted Nightcrawler's argument. When Syne the Memetaur was resurrected for the last time, he rushed to fight her but lowered his fists when she started to talk about poetry. He ended up collaborating with this cthulhu that had torched Krakoa and killed countless mutants to fight a celestial and save the world for everyone. Compromise.

After Sins of Sinister, he accepted his capacity for evil and submitted to very unpleasant measures to ensure Sinister's influence was purged. When the fight kicked off he stuck to the agreement and didn't join the fight, even at Hope's request. His breakdown after he tried to kill the very obvious bad actor Selene highlighted the flaws of Krakoa's government, and played a crucial part in transition to democracy.

Fall of X prevented that being implemented, and after thrashing a ton of sentinels he pivoted to the safety of everyone else, especially The Five. When the Krakoan diaspora ended up in the desert of the White Hot Room, he wore a midriff and stepped up for 250K scared and leaderless mutants - choosing to inspire and protect instead of his old methods - he'd come full circle. His actions after that are a whole other post, but I hope I've made my point. I don't trust religious fundamentalists, generally speaking. My kneejerk reaction to Exodus was 'fuck, he's going to ruin everything' but he avoided the hypocrisy and selfishness, the refusal to allow change that underpins my experience with IRL fundamentalism. He compromised and grew, and definitely walked the walk.

Is he unhinged? Yes, fortunately. Does he have some bizarre beliefs? Absolutely, but they weren't based on nothing and he ended up being right. When Hope was prepping to sacrifice herself to rebirth The Phoenix he begged to die in her place. He was the only adult to level with Kafka and be honest with him about the reality of the White Hot Room. More than most he committed to the promise of Krakoa and put everything into making that a reality. He's also not fooling anyone with his vow of celibacy not being related to his true love dying 900 years ago.

[thementalshawty]

My New Beginning (My way out)

(Mentions of disabilities, mental, emotional, physical abuse, S*x abuse, bullying, self harm, suicidal ideation, Domestic violence, be wary before reading).

So where to begin……. This is about familial abuse, so this has been something happening my whole life!!! My “mother” is a narcissist. She bullied me and my sister our whole lives, I am the third of 5 kids, she would pit us against each other and watch us fight to laugh and make fun, most of my insecurities stem from her clowning me in front of my brothers, funny enough she is NEVER ALONE, my father he abused us including her but he left and I thought we were better off for it, I wasn’t wrong but little did I know the monsters she’d allow into our lives after, I was getting molested by older brother and my mothers boyfriend before I even got to elementary school, my brother started when I was insanely young, and I still protected him as I didn’t know what tf was happening, her boyfriend started when I was in 4th grade, he wasn’t a drunk or anything just a pedophile, she knew he was because he got caught cheating on her with teenage girls and yet she still kept him around for a decade so wherever we moved he was there and I started to become angry, rage grew inside my soul like a fire that had no intention of burning out, on top of that he was abusive hitting and bruising me and my siblings who all have disabilities, you know my sister as she’s a tarot reader on here so I’m not going into specifics about them, but she would sit and watch and do nothing, she would hide food with him, have us stand in the corner for hours on end while they are food in front of our faces “mmmm that’s good”. She even forced to drink her breast milk in front of him, she despised us having friends, soo when I would have a friend she wouldn’t let me see them or go out or we would move, I’ve never stayed more than 2-3 years in any place my whole entire fuccin life! I don’t know anything but toxicity when it came to relationships, I tried to kill myself multiple times but they failed so I decided to be a burner, I just burned myself, the fire it was the rage inside me felt outside, I decided to tell my mother about the molester from her boyfriend when I was 15, because I told someone in school he told me I had to tell her or he would so I wrote her a letter, he had a gun in the house and put it to his head and said he was going to kill himself (gaslighting), she kicked him out for a day, brought him back then told me that I had to share her with him, so at 15 and with her knowledge of him molesting me, we all moved to California, we drove there, and that was awful, we all fought and he screams how he didn’t care about what he did to me and he was laughing in front of her, i ended up just sweeping that under the rug because i went to focus on my career I had acting classes so my mind was focused but I met a guy from school and he automatically hated him (the boyfriend) he told my mother and automatically I was told to stay away from him, I didn’t I had got arrested the year before so I had community service and he was helping me with that, I told him what happened I thought we were meant to be but he cheated on me with his sister and I found myself in her another Jerry springer bind but I found that out months after we broke up, but he stood up for me and he was the only one on the outside that actually came and defended my honor as sick as he is I will give him credit for that. A year later we’re moving bacc to NYC, before we did though, they got Into a fight (my mother and the boyfriend), pretending to break up, he went to the gas station filled a gas canister wit gas came back to the front door and poured gasoline on himself, obviously not lighting himself on fire because it was an act, he went to jail a week or two later she invited him back into her life, I already knew that it was going to happen because the shit was predictable at that point, Skipping ahead to 17, we moved back to NYC, we came separately, I came on a plane with my mother and the rest of my siblings drove back with him, because obviously she trusted him with children why wouldn’t she? She already knew what he was capable of, she didn’t care 🤷🏽‍♀️, when we got back to NyC she

Promises me that he’s not coming back into our lives that it’s over this time, I told her he’s going to gaslight her she says not gonna work, fast forward to when they all made it to the apartment, she approached me with the sob story I said he would come in with so she said she is letting him stay, I was going to just walk away, but my sister told me that she fought with him on the drive here, she stood up for me, he yelled at my older brothers and her that he did What he did to me cos he truly wanted to and he’s unapologetic for it, the flame it was uncontrollable and I blacked out I went into the room and I kicked him out myself. He yelled bullshit but he left, she hated me for that, so she started to sneak him in secretly then they started hiding food again, leaving us to literally shake, starve and feel sick, we learned how to improvise with what little we had. I was going to school so I didn’t care, speaking of school I was supposed to be on my last year of school, and I couldn’t graduate because my principal explained because I moved so much my credits were all over the place, so she told me I had to repeat a year that was devasting to me because in California I only had a few credits before I could graduate, I got two jobs because I just wanted to save up money to leave, she told my grandma lies oh she has a whole bunch of recruits that she tells constant lies too about us and what we do never the truth because they already feel she’s sick but they do nothing about it, family tho right? My grandma called me and so again we told her the truth and she helped us kick him out for good, (so that’s the end of boyfriend 1…. For now) I was finally 18!! So again I have no friendships nothing ever stuck, but I had two jobs and I was saving up for an apartment, I shouldn’t have done this but I was so proud of myself! I told her (my mother) that I was going to move out, get my own apartment and live on my own, she didn’t like that, she was saying that it was disloyal and what was she going to do without me and she needed help because most of my siblings have a disability, so I stayed, I couldn’t be disloyal when she needed me, that was a big mistake. A year later we are moving BACC to California because she has found A NEW BOYFRIEND, some guy she met over the phone, guess who helped her move back to California though (boyfriend #1), my brother who molested me left to go into the army, don’t worry he’s not in it any longer dishonorable discharge (it was fitting). So anyways the new boyfriend was some white guy who I felt meant no harm the fuccin dude was quiet and softspoken so I paid it no mind, but I was wrong, he was a drunk, not only was a he a drunk, he was a RACIST DRUNK! Did she care???? NOOOOOOO! Everytime I tried to leave she stopped me, til we fought then she would say to leave knowing I had nowhere to go, if I had a friend to go too she would hate that friend, funny thing is most friends that want to take me away from this be friends she introduced me too, she wanted to be friends with them but they wanted to be my friend yes they are younger people, I don’t have those friends anymore because they were very similar to her go figure right ? I thought I should call the cops, call for help, but everyone I reached out too did nothing INCLUDING COPS! So I felt backed into a corner, well I had my sister my little sister my rock, funny fun fact though, her new boyfriend ALSO LIKES LITTLE GIRLS oh and BOYS! He got arrested and she stood up for him, while he was doing that in her home, she would run away and leave us all my siblings in the house with him drunk calling us the N word, kicking doors down and causing mess, I couldn’t leave my siblings who couldn’t understand what was happening behind all I knew is that they were scared and their mother wasn’t there all she did was make excuses for him she told me I should kill myself, that I was a cunt that didn’t deserve her name, ( I don’t have it, I have my dads last name), that I was going to be nothing more than a whore, by this time………………

She knows about what my brother did to me I didn’t mention that confession because she just skipped right over it. She literally didn’t care and she told me to my face she believed he was only playing with me and I am confusing it all and that I know nothing about it because it happened to her and she the only one who knows pain and my pain doesn’t matter she tried to assault me and again tried to tell family but she already took the narrative so they weren’t trying to hear me out or help, in august of this year, me and my sister left, we went to stay in a motel for a week or two, with the help of my booking agent we didn’t have enough money to stay and the homeless shelters were all full and we’re not answering back, so we had no choice but to go back, we are back and nothing even a week later back to the drunk racist, not eating, starving routine, I wanted to die and I felt like a failure! I couldn’t even get out of bed I felt like I deserved this I got my sister out to end up right back 2 WEEKS LATER?!?!! I fuccin hated myself! He was drunk and again causing ruckus, she came back a morning later and was telling him to leave, he was going to hit her, my brother (diagnosed with MR) was out there with my younger brother (autism) and they were scared and standing up for her and the boyfriend was in their faces what was I supposed to do???? Me and my sister tried to help and she tried to tell us to leave for helping her!!!!! Me and my sister decided to just call the police, they started to fight, and he tried to kill her, the police got him out, and they told her that she was lucky to have her kids here, we cleaned up her room after he broke her whole house apart, I mean EVERYTHING IS TORN APART RN!!!! she decided that she was going to move down to Texas with the molesting brother because he has kids, (oh yeah other fun fact she kept forcing me to have kids she even wanted me to give her my eggs so she can have kids with both of those boyfriends she approached me TWICE ABOUT IT, one she wanted my eggs and the other she wanted me to be pregnant for her!) So now my brother has kids she was like saying she knows I’ll never have kids and I’ll be forever alone, that no one will ever love me, anyways skipping to now my birthday came and left I’m 27 now! The housing program that me and my sister signed up for began to pend and we found a place! We didn’t tell her we found a place and that we were in a program we didn’t even tell her that we went down the city. We ended up getting a random woman come into the house and serve us she was evicting us (my mother) even on the eviction notice it says no fault just cause, she didn’t even tell me, so we have 60 days to leave and vacate her premises! Funny enough yesterday my sister got her APPROVAL NOTICE!!! Mine is still pending but I know that I’m getting approved and if all goes well we will be in our transitional home on SATURDAY! We finally did it, dug our way out, I didn’t think that I could and that I would, I would’ve been opened up to someone if I didn’t believe that it was against the family or that no one would love me like she did, she painted the world as such a unloving place and that this toxicity was normal and for the longest I believed it, but I am waking up now! And I am looking forward to beginning my life AWAY FROM HER! Just me and my rock @silvershiningtarot I AM NOT ASHAMED OF MY STORY, I’m only ashamed I kept quiet for so long, I allowed them to get away with everything and they took control of the narrative but I’m taking my power back! This is the first chapter of my success story! I’m not looking for claps or sympathy or for yky to actually care or anything I just wanted to put my story out there because this shit shouldn’t be in the dark anymore, mothers can be demons, family can be a dark and scary word for people and they’re not family, only relation! And I wanted to make that clear! RELATION DOESN’T MEAN FAMILY

I feel more familial love from you guys on here than I ever did anywhere! My music gave me hope and tarot gave me community

You deserve to know your reader through and through!

Thank you!!! For listening and taking the time for hearing this sad ass story, I hope I didn’t drag your day down! 💋

[002yb]

do you have any thoughts about priest jason todd? haha i want to see your take on it, esp if in this au dickjay was a thing or happened. i was thinking about priest jason todd and mirrorverse batfam so he’s like the only “good” one and he has a code not to kill while everyone else here doesn’t care ab killing, also the thought of dick tempting jay ^^ or honestly just the entire batfam just mourning and being basically mob bosses until jason gets resurrected and eventually comes to gotham and is oike “so i know i’m back but now i’m a god lover and a priest and hey oh also i don’t kill” and everyone is just “now hold on a second-“

Demons have followed Jason all his life - metaphorically and literally. At least in the literal sense, it's always the same fuckers, too. They're relentless.

Maybe it's because Jason was one of them, but by some twist of fate he was given absolution and reborn with a 'clean slate' to do right. Or maybe it's a plea bargain - help as many souls as he hurt while Jason was a demon and that will be his retribution, his mercy from hellfire. Or he's part of some twisted game. Stolen from his home and influenced to reject it.

For the sake of this ask: he died. He came back wrong. No memories, no corruption - just a penchant for attracting the wicked. Everything else is open to interpretation.

The family wants him back though. And Jason might not realize, but he's darkness welcomed past the church's threshold; he brings damnation by association.

Not necessarily by the family, but by others. Because Jason's soul is tortured. Tormented. It's known suffering from a life he can't remember and one he does - caused by men created in his God's image and by monsters that were cast from his kingdom.

Basically Father Hot Toddies is prime real estate (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

Anyway, background. Jason attracts abusive people. He influences people to abuse him. Try as he might to help, there's a darkness at his fingertips and devastation in his wake.

Instant distraction -- Jason self-flagellating whenever he feels he failed to help someone or thinks he led anyone astray. It's supposed to be a penace, but sometimes Jason is weak and it's just punishment

Okay, we're back. Jason recognizing that something's wrong with him. Because too many bad things happen for him not to pick up the pattern.

Another distraction and it's kinky, I apologize -- Jason being assaulted in the church proper. In the confessional booths or in the pews ahhhhhh blasphemous okay okay

Protective of the people in his community and is well loved, in turn, but is conscious to keep a distance for their safety. He has compassion in spades and shows that in the ways that he can (putting the fear of God into cruel people, going out and sneaking food and blankets to the homeless, nagging at punks across the street to get their asses to school or the orphans at the church to mind the nuns).

Not as lonely a life as it seems because choice demons harass him on the regular.

They look after Jason in their own way, but it's wicked

Every person that hurts Jason turns up dead. It's part of Jason's motivation to keep withdrawn. There's forgiveness for everyone, even those who lose their senses around him.

Would Jason have the same forgiveness if the man who tried to assault him turned on a child? And Jason pauses, because his answer is no - burn him ---- and he burns.

Oh. For a time Jason thinking himself mad. Or figuring he's invited a demon into him because there are voices in his head and in those moments of weakness when he can't be temperate -- people get hurt.

Which leads to a lot of torment and praying because what's wrong with him? Tell him. Let him be better.

Jumping over to Dick's perspective on things for a moment because okay. The family loses it when they realize Jason has been lost to them. They bring apocalypse and travesty in their rage and it's a bad time.

But then - the familiar flicker of a damaged soul. Jason.

Dick going to Jason first. Following the sound of his cries and the smell of his suffering. And where some in the family might like that - Dick isn't one of them. Pain that Jason endures is Dick's to inflict, after all. Possessive!demon!Dick Grayson yes please.

Anyway, Dick shows up and suddenly Willis is shot dead on the doorstep. The cigarettes he would use to burn Jason with stamped into his forehead.

And Jason sees Dick there, stooped over Willis's body. Dick flicks the cigarette away. Looks at this small, scrawny boy and marvels at how Jason is still perfect - even like this. A soft smile, still all teeth and bite and menace. It's vicious in a way that even demons cringe away from, but Jason smiles. Tentative, innocent.

Because he thinks Dick is his guardian angel.

The rest of the family piles on if only because Jason really does attract all sorts of terrible things. They can't fathom what it is. Jason has always had that way about him, but it's amplified now and it puts him in danger. Jason's soul is theirs though; no one else can have it.

It's Gotham that wants it. Cursed land that outdates even the first of their kind.

Jason thinking he has angels looking out for him until he recognizes them for the demons they are. He tries to escape them, seeking asylum in a church and it deters them for a time, but only until Jason's own evil taints hallowed grounds.

This is so convoluted ahhhhh sorry

But basically overprotective!bats trying to save Jason's soul to sate their own desires

Jason rebuffing all their efforts and being a stubborn ass

He only relents when Gotham sends its worst after him and desecrates the church that housed him and the children under his care that he loses it and strikes a contract with some of hell's finest

It's a zero sum game though

Because Dick and the others - they can have Jason's soul. But only once the evil in Gotham is purged. Only the evil.

Just an endless war but it's fine because all the losses and suffering only makes Jason's soul that much more sweet

They're content to starve until then

Only they're not. They taste and nibble when allowed. And Father Hot Toddy? He's a generous man. //u////

Can an AU like this not get a little kinky? It feels like a crime that it wouldn't. Father Todd gets down  (*°∀°)=3

Extra Dickjay details:

Jason seeking out his 'guardian angel' because there's nowhere safer than with Dick. They sit in a grimy alley and Jason falls asleep with his head pillowed on Dick's thigh, or curled up against Dick's chest. And Dick humors it. He's soft about it, content if only because he can wrap himself around Jason and possess him for even a short time

Jason calling for Dick when he finds Catherine, not realizing Dick was the devil whispering in her ear. Jason loved her; Dick didn’t. He tested her love of Jason and she fell short

Dick being the demon Jason calls to in order to make that contract. Because he remembers the times Dick was kind (because for as jaded as Jason has become, he wants to believe that was genuine - not another manipulation). He'll sell Dick his soul, but only if Dick gives Jason hope.

Reverence. Shoulder and spine kisses. Worship. It’s overwhelming, tempting, addictive.

Dick knows how to play Jason. He never considers Jason knows Dick just as well. <3

Something something Dick won’t pray to anyone, but he’ll dirty talk marvel Jason like he’s something holy

Something something Jason anticipating a kiss. To tease him, Dick raises the cross of Jason’s rosary between them - a barrier because ‘what would your god say, little wing?’ And Jason is already succumbed, but he’d bite back a challenge, ‘you would let him stop you?’ And Dick would smile and snap the rosary from Jason’s neck, beads clattering on the stone floors beneath them as he defiles not an innocent lamb, but a wolf in sheep’s clothing. //u///

‘Never,’ he’d breathe against Jason’s lips, his skin. A promise and an oath and the devotion in it would tear Jason apart. 💖

[tomahawkbunny]

Sidekicks

Taking children to battle is a monster's game. Trying to keep them from being heroes is a fool's errand. Thus, sidekicks. The first sidekick was Comfort, the boy-healer who supported Lady Liberty, and he set the standard for many that would come after for years. Playing support, generally avoiding direct action confrontation, allowed to help, as he would whether he was allowed to or not, but under conditions. This worked, for a long time. There were missteps, there were mistakes, there were even tragedies. But no one thought there was a better way. Until Viscera. When he killed the Sidekick Squad, strung up their bodies for their mentors to find, drove said mentors to violence and madness, he broke something, in the hero community and the hearts of the public. Sidekicks were banned for years, policed with hovering relentlessness. Children are not to be in battle. It is insane they were ever allowed to be. 

But they wanted to be. And they would be. Heroes are too inspiring. The thrill is too tempting. To rebel against authority is an act of childhood in and of itself. And when you have power, and you can help someone, you do. That’s what they’d been taught, if not directly, by proof, by spacemen from the sky and those with nothing but masks and wits. So they would go it alone, in secret. And some would succeed. Others would get hurt, or worse. You can stop some, but only so many. And if they do it alone, there’s no one to help them. 

Sidekicks are back now. It’s a controversial topic. Sidekicks must train at Prospects Academy or under an authorized hero with direct exemption permission. If one gets targeted, they get protected. Villains know that retribution will be total and instant. Many, especially those of the general public are still against Sidekicks at all. But the children want to be heroes. And we can protect them, or we can fail to stop them. It’s an easy choice when put like that. METADATA: Sidekicks, conceptually, are batshit. They exist because seeing a kid like them sold more comics. But they are integral to a superheroic world. And you can choose to handle that in a lot of ways. This entry shows a few, but the inescapable cruel joke of their very conceit is a source of a perpetual narrative conflict machine.

[ke0mara]

BLOOD LIKE POISON (III)- LEGACIES

Summary: Faith Mikaelson has always felt different from her sister. She felt as if there was ominous inside of her that she was sure Hope didn't feel. After losing their parents the two siblings became a lot closer. Whether it was the fact that they didn't want to risk losing each other as well or because they realized that they only had each other left, they did everything they could to protect each other. But things get a lot more difficult when a creature named Malivore starts sending monsters to the Salvator boarding school which forces the students to fight the monsters in order to protect themselves. During this inevitable battle, Faith finds someone who she ends up making an unexpected connection with and she finds out that she may not be as alone as she originally thinks.

wc: 4.4k

"ALRIGHT GATHER TOGETHER," Dorian said during one of their classes. Everyone then joined hands. Faith was to Josie's left, while Lizzie was to her right. Hope was two seats down from her sister's left. "Chain spells are about the fluid movement of energy from one witch to witch. Where's Penelope Park?" Dorian asked stopping in between Lizzie and Josie.

"Um, lady cramps, Mr. Williams," Lizzie told him making Faith smirk in amusement.

"Sorry, I asked." He said before continuing his teaching. "A disharmonious group makes for an uneven flow." Some people tried to stifle their laughter at the unintended joke, but failed; including Faith, Lizzie, and Josie. Hope just rolled her eyes at their childish behavior. "Okay..." Then a letter flew in and Dorian grabbed it.

"Uh-oh, who's in trouble with the headmaster?" Josie asked.

"Probably the people who started a rumble with the local high school," Hope said giving Lizzie a look.

"Well, we did do something bad too, Hope," Faith whispered leaning closer to her sister to not be heard by Lizzie and Josie. Hope rolled her eyes muttering something under her breath.

"Lizzie Saltzman, Josie Saltzman. And babies make four." Dorian told them reading the letter. "Off you go." The girls give each other a confused look.

—

"THIS MAKES NO SENSE DAD. Why are we being punished?" Lizzie asked irritated as they followed Alaric through the library.

"Because you started a brawl at a charity football game that risked exposing what we really do here," Alaric explained.

"Well, you weren't mad last night," Lizzie argued.

"I was mad last night. My undying love for my daughters just happened to trump my rage. I volunteered everyone in the game, so stop complaining." Alaric said as they stopped walking. "You're lucky that it's just community service and not actual jail time."

"Can I at least offer my rebuttal in my defense, if it pleases the court?" Lizzie asked dramatically. Alaric crosses his arms but listens. "First of all, I was provoked. My response was totally proportional considering the levels of abuse I was forced to endure." Hope chuckled in amusement at what she was saying. "And secondly... if anyone should take the blame, it's Josie." She finished making Josie give her an incredulous look as did Faith.

"What?" Josie questioned, betrayal written on her face.

"I'm sorry. I totally cracked under the cross, but if you had just let Kaleb catch the ball—"

"You'd still be in trouble," Alaric said breaking up their bickering.

"But nice job throwing your sister under the bus," Hope said.

"Yeah, Lizzie not cool." Faith agreed.

"Thank you, Hope and Faith," Josie said thanking the girls for defending her. Though that thanks was mostly directed at Hope considering she never defends Josie. But Faith would always defend Josie no matter what and she knew this. Faith would always defend Lizzie too, but in this case, she was the one in the wrong. Lizzie gave a shocked look to Josie at her thanking Hope.

"Speaking of, the bus leaves in ten minutes, and I expect all four of you to be on it working together today, harmoniously and without drama," Alaric told them sternly. "End of debate."

"We weren't even at the game. Why are we being punished?" Hope asked. Faith already knew what they were in trouble for.

"You two know what you did," Alaric said giving the girls a look. "Alright, now, go, all of you. Come on. Faith you wait here I have something to give you." Alaric said pointing to Faith. Josie and Lizzie left but not before giving Faith a questioning gaze. She just shrugged in response not knowing what Alaric needed from her either.

"Seriously?" Hope questioned Alaric.

"What part of what I said needs translating?"

"I want to help you with research."

"Dorian has a master's degree in library science," Alaric said, while Faith just waited patiently. "I think the adults have it covered."

"That's not fair," Hope said walking closer to Alaric. "You only play by the grown-up rules when you don't need something from me."

"Hope, seriously, it's the least we can do after what we did with Landon," Faith said looking at her sister.

"I am spinning right now, Hope. And I can't drag you or anyone else any further into this until I figure out what's going on, okay?" Alaric said. "So right now, I need you to be a kid keeping a dragon-sized secret today until I get some answers." Hope gave him an incredulous look. "Understood?"

"Yeah. Fine." Hope said reluctantly. Alaric then turned to Faith and walked over to her. He placed something in her hands. Faith looked down and saw a small bag with something inside it. She opened it to see the calming herbs she used to take to help keep her anger and sadness in control.

"I don't... need these anymore," Faith said looking up at him.

"Faith, just in case, take them. Okay?" Alaric asked. Faith thought about it and nodded muttering an 'okay' before taking off to leave with her sister. She put the bag with the herbs in her pocket, making a mental note to store them in her room later for safekeeping.

"Make sure you take those," Hope told her sister continuing to look straight ahead while they were walking to the bus.

"I know, I will," Faith said reassuring her sister.

—

"SO WHAT DID YOU GUYS DO?" Lizzie asked as they were getting out of the bus. "My dad never gets mad at you guys. You're the prodigal daughters." Lizzie said bitterly making Faith slightly roll her eyes. "Must have been juicy." The girls got off the bus.

"Sorry, no time for girl talk. Public service awaits." Hope replied bluntly.

"Alright, listen up." Dorian starts. "It's a beautiful day. You have options: litter, weeds, graffiti. Your choice." He finished, handing Kaleb a trash grabber. He snatched it from Dorian reluctantly.

"It's bad enough we get punished while the humans get a pass, but there ain't no way in hell I'm picking up their garbage," Kaleb said trying to hand Lizzie the trash grabber she put her hands up.

"Uh, I don't do trash either," Lizzie said.

"I love trash, as of this moment," Hope said grabbing the trash grabber she then turned to her sister. "Faith, join me?" Faith nodded grabbing the same device Hope had from Dorian, and they both started to walk away.

"Perf. It suits you, Hope." Lizzie said making Faith and Hope turn around and glare at her. "Looks like we're scrubbing paint today," Lizzie told her sister.

"Dad told us to work together, okay, harmoniously," Josie argued.

"Yeah, and he also said without drama, and I am feeling a rage attack coming on, so I will be remaining drama-free over by that wall of graffiti," Lizzie said. "Are you coming or not?"

"I don't know, Lizzie, is there another bus you want to throw me under?" Josie asked rhetorically walking away and to the opposite side of Lizzie, while Hope and Faith watched their interaction.

"Fine, Daddy's girls," Lizzie said bitterly making Hope smirk a little. "Anyone else?" They then started to walk in the opposite direction towards the graffiti wall. "Get the lead out MG." MG walked off turning and giving Josie, Faith, and Hope an apologetic look before leaving again with everyone else but the three girls. Josie and Faith sighed.

—

AFTER A WHILE OF PICKING UP TRASH Hope spoke up,

"You have a future in waste management." She said with a small smile.

"Cleaning up messes is kind of my thing," Josie replied. Faith understood what she meant. Lizzie makes big messes when she's feeling very strong emotions and needs a release. Faith and Josie occasionally help her get through it and clean up the mess together.

"Well, your sister is kind of a dumpster fire," Hope said.

"Seriously, Hope?" Faith questioned. "At least make an attempt to be polite."

"Why do you always pick fights?" Josie asked her. "We've known each other a decade and any time you have the chance, you poke. Faith doesn't, so why do you?"

"You guys do your fair share of poking," Hope said annoyed.

"Yeah, in retaliation to your pokes," Josie explained. "And with you spending so much time with my dad and keeping secrets..."

"We're not keeping secrets." Hope and Faith said at the same time.

"Oh, yeah? What happened when you went to go find Landon Kirby? And Faith what did my dad give you when we left? It must've been important if he didn't want to give it to you in front of the rest of us." Hope and Faith started walking faster in a different direction hoping to evade the girl's questions.

"Nothing happened," Hope replied.

"Nothing important." Faith retorted at the same time as her sister.

"Something clearly did happen. Rafael never showed up at school, Faith, you haven't talked to us since you've been back, and my dad was rattled, so why won't you just tell me?"

"Because there's nothing to tell. Aah!" Faith looked at her sister to see she stabbed herself in the foot with the trash grabber she then grimaced and walked over to her.

"Oh, my god," Josie exclaimed seeing what happened.

"Aah! Ow," Hope said with a look of pain.

"Are you okay? I mean, what should I do?" Josie asked crouching down beside Hope's foot.

"Let's just help her pull it out," Faith told Josie.

"What?" Josie questioned in disbelief.

"I can heal myself. Pull it out." Hope ordered. Josie then started to pull it out with both hands grunting in struggle; Hope wincing in pain, but she still couldn't seem to pull it all the way.

"Move over," Faith ordered Josie. She moved out of the way and Faith stood in front of her sister pulling the object out easily with one hand.

"Ow!"

"You poked yourself," Josie told Hope with a large smile. Then all three girls burst into laughter.

"Shut up," Hope said still chuckling.

—

AFTER A WHILE WHEN THE GIRLS FILLED THEIR garbage bags they started stacking them on top of each other. All of a sudden Josie clutched her stomach and doubled over in pain groaning.

"You ok, Jo?" Faith asked worriedly.

"Yeah, everything ok?" Hope asked sounding concerned as well.

"Yeah, I just think that that's making me a little nauseous," Josie answered looking behind Faith and Hope making them turn their heads to see M.G. making out with Dana.

"Huh," Hope muttered. "Didn't see that coming."

"Gross." Faith mumbled scrunching up her nose.

"It's simple math. M.G. has the hormones of a teenager and the impulse control of a preschooler." Josie explained making Hope chuckle. "He also always goes for the wrong kinds of girls."

"Given my last crush, I can't judge," Hope said as they began walking.

"Well, my last crush was actually Satan incarnate," Josie said and Faith vigorously nodded making Hope chuckle. "That is, I guess unless you count..." Josie trailed off.

"Who?" Hope inquired. Faith knew she meant Rafael. Josie looked to Faith who just shrugged as if to say 'you decide if you want to tell her'.

"Never mind. It really doesn't matter anymore." Josie dismissed. "Lizzie has dibs."

"Dibs?" Hope questioned. "On Rafael? She always calls dibs. When's it gonna be your turn?"

"It just is what it is," Josie muttered. Faith stayed quiet agreeing with what Hope was saying. Lizzie did always call dibs on boys and that wasn't really fair on Josie considering she never got a chance to see if she liked anyone.

"Right, well, that doesn't really make it right." Hope stated causing Josie to stop walking and give her a look. Hope and Faith stopped walking too. "Your dad knows we used black magic. That's why we're in trouble." Hope half-lied purposefully leaving out the part about Landon and the death spell. "Don't worry we didn't tell him that you helped us with the spell." Hope quickly added.

"Thank you," Josie said looking at both Hope and Faith.

"No need for thanks, Josie." Faith said with a small smile.

"And Landon and Rafael took off together," Hope said. " Landon told me he didn't know why he stole the knife. But then he lied about having it, so I don't know what to believe. Then he wrote me and Faith these letters and mine was... I don't know, sweet."

"Lizzie's... sensitive." Josie started wanting to open up to Hope as she did with her. "Our mom is going on these really long recruitment missions recently. That's why she's extra testy. She just really misses her."

"We know the feeling," Hope spoke softly with a small smile glancing at Faith.

"Yeah." Faith spoke just as softly giving her sister a sad smile. Hope started walking again and Faith and Josie followed.

"I remember how your mom used to come by the school. We all used to say how beautiful she was." Josie said.

"She was," Faith said.

"Yeah." Hope agreed.

"We really should have sent you flowers or something, Hope," Josie said guiltily.

"Huh?" Faith questioned in confusion. "But I thought that you gave her a gift too," Faith said remembering how kind and comforting Lizzie and Josie were to her, and the flowers they gave her which were her favorite; Cherry Blossoms, and a gift basket. Then she remembered her sister getting flowers from them too. Josie looked at her with the same guilty expression as before shifting her gaze to the ground.

"They did," Hope told her sister referring to Josie and Lizzie. "Your dad signed your names. It was obvious." Faith understood that they gave her something but not Hope and she couldn't help but wonder if that was Lizzie's idea.

"Okay. We definitely deserve a little bit of poking." Josie said making Hope laugh. "I wonder where the boys are right now."

"There's this spell that our Aunt Freya taught us," Hope said looking at Faith. "It's kind of like a full-immersion video chat."

"Oh. That spell." Faith said in realization.

"Okay, but don't we need something of Landon's to..." Josie trailed off as Hope pulled out Landon's letter. "Is that the letter?" Josie asked.

"You can't tell your dad," Hope said.

"Yeah..." Faith told her. "They don't teach this in school."

Josie nodded and smiled. "This is the kind of secret that I can get behind." Hope smiled while Faith smirked. The three started performing the spell joining hands. Josie siphoned from Hope and Faith. Hope and Faith were able to see Landon and Rafael in the woods and Landon spotted them with a look of confusion on his face.

"Hope? Faith?" He questioned. They gave him a small smile before the scene in front of them disappeared and they were back with Josie who bent over and held her stomach in pain again. Faith looked at her worried and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Jo," Faith began. "What's wrong?" 

"This is twin pain. Somethings wrong. I think Lizzie's in trouble." Josie grunted out. Faith looked at Hope with a worried expression.

"Let's go tell Dorian." Faith suggested earning nods from the girls. They went to find Dorian who was sitting at a table. "We need to leave."

"I'm sorry, I can't let you leave," Dorian said.

"No, I need to go home to see my sister," Josie said firmly.

"Your dad's with your sister. And I'm under strict orders to keep you here." Dorian told them.

"What? Why?" Josie asked.

"Yeah, what are you keeping us here for?" Faith added.

"And why are you researching that?" Hope questioned looking at Dorian's book that was open to a page about gargoyles. Dorian quickly closed his book with a sigh and told us what happened with Lizzie.

—

THEY LEFT AND WENT BACK to the Salvatore Boarding school when they entered Josie called, "Lizzie?"

"I'll check the library," Hope said.

"Yeah, I'll go too," Faith offered. Hope nodded at her and they left to check the library. They were in complete silence until a voice spoke from behind scaring them.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Ah!"

"Oh, my god." The two girls yelped in fear.

"You scared us." Faith said breathing out a breath of relief when she saw Alaric there.

"Dorian was supposed to keep you away," Alaric said.

"He tried. He lost," Faith told him. "But here. Killing gargoyles 101. He thought you could translate it." She said giving the book to Alaric.

"Gaulish. Son of a..." Alaric trailed off. Hope and Faith gave him questioning looks before he looked back down to the book.

"So are we on our own, or did the Gauls provide clear instructions?" Hope asked impatiently.

"In a nutshell, it says hit hard, repeat as needed," Alaric replied before they heard the Gargoyle let out a roar.

"Is that...?" Faith inquired referring to the Gargoyle.

"Yeah," Alaric said. "Listen, it poisoned Lizzie. I'm guessing to get my attention. Then it attacked me and took the knife."

"The knife? The dragon knife?" Hope asked incredulously.

"And you're still breathing?" Faith added.

"Oh, I have a theory about that," Alaric mumbled.

"Well, save it," Hope started. "Because we had to take down that containment spell to get inside the school, meaning our monster can get out."

"A containment spell?" Alaric asked. Faith nodded. "Lizzie wanted to make sure whatever attacked her didn't escape into the world. Good girl." Alaric walked over to a table and put the book down. "Alright, well, guess we better find it," He said picking up an axe. "Before it makes the evening news. So how'd you guys take the containment spell down?" 

Before Hope or Faith had the chance to speak a voice did, "They didn't," Josie spoke up walking towards them. "I did. And I have questions." She grabbed the axe from Alaric.

—

ALARIC, HOPE, FAITH, AND JOSIE walked into a room in search of Emma

"Emma?" Alaric called. "Emma." Emma opened the door in front of them and put a finger to her lips in a 'be quiet' motion. They all heard heavy footsteps and growling so they turned their heads to see the Gargoyle at the top of the steps. It opened its wings and let out a growl before flying down the steps and lunging at Hope making her fall down. It was going to stab her with the knife. Faith quickly leaps forward about to help her sister but Alaric is closer and quicker and jumps in front of Hope.

"Dad!" Josie shouted.

"No!" The Gargoyle stopped its movements; the knife being inches away from Alaric's chest.

Faith held her hand out to Hope who quickly took it pulling herself up while they all stared in shock at what was happening before their eyes. Josie moves as quietly as possible behind the Gargoyle before striking it with the sword making it let out a shriek. It angrily turns toward Josie about to attack her but Alaric hits it with his axe.

"Fluctus inpulsa." Hope chants causing the Gargoyle to drop the knife. "Faith, Josie, help me." She orders. Faith and Josie quickly walk over to her and they join hands; Josie in between Faith and Hope.

"How?" Josie asked.

"Just repeat after me," Hope said.

"Got it," Faith replied.

"Fluctus impulsa." Hope started. Faith and Josie quickly repeated after. "Fluctus inpulss. Flucus inpulsa. Flucus inpulsa. Flucus inpulsa. Flucus inpulsa. Flucus inpulsa." They finished which made the Gargoyle burst into small rocks. They let go of their hands.

"Nice job." Hope threw over her shoulder to all of them.

"How could you jump in front of her like that?" Josie demanded with tears in her eyes. "You could have died, Dad."

"Honey, I knew it wouldn't kill me, because my research said so," Alaric said. Josie stormed away.

—

"HOW'S LIZZIE?" FAITH ASKED WORRIEDLY.

"Recovering quickly, thanks to her sister."

"So, how did you know the Gargoyle wouldn't kill you?" Hope asked.

"Gargoyles are protectors," Alaric answered. "And folklore tells a tale of a Gargoyle who once protected a small settlement in France whose villagers revered a powerful relic. A knife."

"Our knife?" Faith questioned.

"As the story goes, the Gargoyle loved the humans he protected so much, he vowed never to harm humanity." He explained. "Instead, he chose to fight evil on their behalf."

"Us being the evil ones in this scenario," Hope asked referring to her and her sister. "Josie, Lizzie." She continued.

"In its mind, yes," Alaric said. "I realized when it didn't hurt me before... it saw me as the one who needed protection."

"I'm not sure that knowing that will make them feel any better." Faith spoke up.

"I should get back to the girls," Alaric muttered walking towards the door.

"Wait." Hope stopped him. "One more thing. You're always telling us that we need to work together. To put our own feelings aside for the school, and for the community. I know I haven't always listened to you with that kind of stuff, but I'm starting to think that it's actually pretty good advice, so... maybe you should take it. Because if you want me and the twins to get along, for them to be happy, for the school to be safe... These secrets are gonna tear us all apart."

"She's right." Faith agreed. "Everyone deserves to know what's happening so they can protect themselves. Be prepared for whatever's coming through those doors next." Alaric looked to be deep in thought about what they were telling him.

—

"IF YOU'D ASKED ME A WEEK AGO..." Alaric started at the assembly they were having. "I would have told you I knew the difference between myth and fact. I would have said that supernaturals were limited to the species under this roof. I would have said that folklore and fairytales were just stories. But I can no longer say that any of that's true. 'Cause just a few days ago, we were confronted by the existence of a dragon." Murmurs spread throughout the room. "And then, today, our campus was terrorized by a Gargoyle come to life. Some of us... were forced to fight. We won. This time. They were drawn here by a knife that went missing earlier this week. And for whatever reason, these creatures consider us to be the enemy. In their minds were the villains because we wouldn't give them what they wanted. We don't even know why they want it. But we're gonna find out. I can't say for sure what their true intentions are. I can't say there won't be more attacks. That's why I'm telling you this. To warn you. To ask you to look out for each other. To do what's best for one another. Because we're more than just a school. We're family. And we will stand together, we will fight together, and we will win or lose this battle together, no matter what comes next."

—

FAITH KNOCKED ON THE DOOR TO JOSIE and Lizzie's room. Lizzie opened it and smiled when she Faith.

"I need to talk to you guys about something." Faith stated walking into the dorm.

"What is it," Josie asked sitting up on her bed and patting the space beside her inviting Faith to sit down. Lizzie sat on the other side of Josie,

"Well, it's about why I've kinda been avoiding you," Faith started when she saw their full attention on her she continued. "Well... It happened again. I—I lost control and it happened." Josie and Lizzie gave each other a look knowing what she was talking about.

"Oh, Faith," Lizzie muttered softly.

"Why do you think it happened? After all this time?" Josie asked.

Faith shrugged, "I don't know. But your dad gave me those herbs that might help it again."

"Why didn't you tell us?' Lizzie asked.

"Well, I guess I was just sort of embarrassed about it," Faith said sheepishly. "I mean I thought it was getting better and for it to just come out of nowhere like this. No one else has this problem, so I felt weak in a way. Like I was too weak to be able to handle my emotions properly that they just ended up spiraling out of control and consuming me." Faith sighed.

"Listen, Faith, you don't have to be embarrassed about it, and you're not weak. You're the strongest person I know. Even after everything you've been through you still keep that same bright smile on your face and I envy you for that. Being able to overcome the pain just to make others and yourself smile." Josie told her. "Believe it or not but you're pretty awesome to be able to do that."

"She's right, Faith, and you're like a sister to us— you are a sister to us. So you should never feel the need to hide these types of things from us. Because we will always be by your side there to listen." Lizzie added with a smile. Faith smiled softly as well very appreciative of Josie and Lizzie. Her heart warming in her chest. They truly were great, and she didn't know what she would do without them.

"Now how about we talk about—" Lizzie spoke suddenly.

Faith groaned and quickly stood up walking towards the door. "No!"

"Oh, Faith come back!" Lizzie pleaded. "You don't even know what I was gonna say!"

"Yes, I do. I know you well enough to know that you were gonna say 'let's talk about boys'. You know what Lizzie? I'm actually really tired." Faith said stopping by the door. She looked to Josie who had a slight smile on her face. She knew that if she left the conversation like this Lizzie would want to talk about boys with Josie which would be awkward since she has a crush on Rafael. "Aren't you tired, Josie?" Josie looked confused for a moment but eventually caught on.

"Yeah—yeah, I am," She mumbled quickly.

"But—" Lizzie started.

"Big spell today," Faith cut Lizzie off. "Takes a lot outta ya'."

"Yeah, it really does." Josie faked a yawn.

"Oh, come on I'm the one who almost died!" Lizzie exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Then you must be super fatigued too. Goodnight, Liz," Faith said ignoring Lizzie's protest. "Night, Jo. Don't keep Josie up Lizzie! Remember she did help save your life so she needs all the sleep she can get to replenish herself." She then walked out of the door and to her and Hope's dorm for some shut-eye.

Link for story on Wattpad:

[tiianwens]

29. Reaction to sudden interpersonal disaster (eg close family member suddenly dies) --- for the excessively detailed hc meme !

the excessively detailed hc meme.

putting his heart under a thousand locks and doing what needs to be done, and then processing it much, much later. too many people died on him, and he's been hurt in other ways too many times (in both lifetimes), but any sort of disaster is usually a call to action. his skills are needed, so he has to stay level-headed and cool to make sure no one else gets hurt, and of course, the first instinct that kicks in is to protect his disciples. the aftermath will leave him shattered where no one can witness it, but on the outside he would usually appear so calm and unperturbed that it would be only natural to assume he doesn't care at all.

the same applies to conflict/interpersonal painful situations. if it's possible to leave and avoid, he'd leave and avoid. if it's not (e.g. in 0.5 verse where the discomfort is constant and escaping the situation physically isn't an option), he'll try to distance his mind and heart from it as much as possible, usually involving going nonverbal and avoiding any form of communication. the man is too proud to let his true feelings be known. he's not really used to anyone giving a damn either, so it's easier to just keep everything bottled up and slowly pull the thorns out one by one and assess the damage while no one watches.

but when i think of the worst case scenarios for him (big story spoilers ahead for those who are reading the book and don't want plot twists to be ruined!!), there are two amazing illustrations:

— the realization that he fucked up in 0.5 if he managed to a) allow his disciple to be affected by a horrible, irreversible curse that slowly but surely eroded and erased his entire personality and b) watch the man he loved turn into a monster and deem it the result of his own hatred rather than a curse. because when conflict occurred, CWN was the one to distance himself where he could've apologized (he wanted to apologize, yet he chose to do it by proxy who followed his instructions and didn't mention that he was the one who made the goddamn wontons).

and it left him with the horrible knowledge that he couldn't share with anyone, as he knew that whoever was behind it would be watching closely and things could become worse. it left him defenceless on so many levels because he couldn't do anything to help (as it was too late and he didn't have a golden core anymore) and he couldn't even hide behind the facade of resentment anymore — it's easy to hate a self-made monster, but not so easy to hate someone you loved and failed. when i say that sex scenes in 2ha aren't skippable because they contain essential character development, chapters 247-250 or around that are the ones on my mind. the realization left CWN in such an intense emotional disarray that he threw the remains of his dignity out of the window and for the first time showed that he wanted this too. and for him, in that verse, it's huge. and yet he collected himself and managed to come up with a plan to do something, even though he had nothing to counter with and the damage was irreversible.

— and secondly, having to deal with a massive calamity after losing many people he held dear and most importantly, Mo Ran. i can't think of anything worse than what he's gone through at that point. he watched the man he loved get destroyed by an angry mob, knowing that he wasn't guilty. he slaughtered his way through to at least give him some peace, while being very much aware that saving him was no longer an option. and after all that he knew he had to go on, he had to face the living corpse with the same face and the same memories, the twisted and distorted projection of his beloved.

but he managed to put that grief on hold and he almost single-handedly thwarted the big evil plan in action. he made sure that whoever wanted to be saved was saved, and only then did he ask to 'let him be selfish for once'. and that selfish want, to him, was to die with Taxian-jun (the wording still sends me, it's such an insane detail). so he locked that pain away, did what had to be done, and then allowed it to finally consume him.

[fantastic-mr-corvid]

Georgie's backstory NPC's

the various people and communities that are referenced as part of his backstory<3

His Father: Georgie's adoptive father is a Shepherd. Somewhat self isolated from the community, preferring to stay with his sheep than spend time socializing with everyone else. his few close friends are the Hamlet's Headwoman and Blacksmith, both of whom help him in raising and caring for Georgie. He does his best to raise Georgie, and is the start of Georgie's love of music and story's. he used to be a woodcutter and hunter, but was injured and became a Shepherd.

Hamlet Headwoman: the community leader, who made the decision to accept Georgie in to the community when she first learned of him. Her husband was the previous leader, but died from illness due to trying to appeal in person to the local nobles during a series of harsh winter, when they refused to lower the taxes and tithes despite the failing harvests. She is an excellent leader, and one who has lead the community to focus on the threats from the nobles, not whatever inner or outside enemy the nobles would rather they would focus on hating. She loves Georgie, and helped him learn his letters.

Blacksmith: A female half orc who settled in the hamlet as a retirement from combat. A fellow outsider to Georgie, she encouraged his woodcarving skills, and was a shoulder to cry on as they both struggled to be accepted by the community. She has a close relationship with the Headwoman.

The Hamlet: in general, while Georgie was seen as a baby as 'cursed' and 'a bringer of bad luck', over time almost everyone came to love him, his hard work and joy for life winning them over eventually, but the doesn't mean their rejection and hate never left scars.

Birth Parents: Presumably the people who abandoned him were traveling through the Hamlet, abandoning him in the woods, wood which contained chaotic and evil fey creatures the villagers sacrificed sheep to in exchange for protection: creatures that all travelers are warned about the dangers of. Georgie has no desire to learn more about them, viewing them as people who couldn't handle the shame of birthing a demon-spawn, and depending on his mood, cowards who believed the superstitions, nobles who wanted to hide their sins, or a mother who wanted her child to live and a father, family or environment that would kill him. if they did appear, they would have to get through the entire community to reach him, as even when he was feared, many of the parents had thoughts about abandoning a child.

Local Fey Creatures: the nearby wood houses a group of fey mites, who previously took an un-negotiated tithe of sheep and other livestock instead of attacking the hamlet, however Georgies affinity for chaos and natural magic meant he was able to formalize the deal, meaning the community could pick what animals to send in exchange for the Mites to protect them from raiders and monsters.

The Traveling Performers: a musical group that regularly performed in the hamlet as part of their tour, and the group that encouraged Georgies love of music and want to travel.

His [ex] Boyfriend: a half elf traveling performer who got Georgie his first fiddle, one that was going to be thrown out for not being show-worthy anymore, after seeing his longing stars at the instrument. A devout follower of Desna, and someone who loves Georgie dearly, he saw him regularly as they were both growing up, with him traveling with and being raised by the above group of performers. after he conspired with the village to encourage Georgie to pursue his dreams of traveling, their friendship evolved into a romantic relationship, and he also converted a Georgie who was struggling with his worship of Erastil and his lawful aspects. Eventually Georgie wanted to travel further a field and they fondly parted ways, both still treasuring the love they have for each other, romantic or not.

[thealexking]

Answer for my OC, Alex Ares.

1. She sees love as something reckless, dumb, and usless. But also sees it as beautiful, and worth every last word.

2. I think of reckless decisions, how hard someone will go to protect others, diving into anything dangerous head first, and any normal dumbassery.

3. "Are you sure about that?" Or *Nervous laughter* "No you don't."

4. This heavily depends on the person. Are you someone she's never met before? Then your opinion means nothing to her. But if your a loved one, it means just about everything.

5. This depends on the day. There are a lot of things that have happened because of her. And a lot more that seems to happen to her.

6. She deals with her mortality well. Especially since she's died multiple times and had a chance at being immortal.

7. It's hard for her to ask for help. It's usually why she ends up in the shitty situations she does.

8. She does believe in God, Angels, Demons, and the Devil himself. But only because she's seen them first hand. Not because she believes praying to them will make anything better.

9. She keeps her pain bottled up. Just like everything else.

10. TBD

11. Herself: "Dangerous" Me: Brave Loved one: "Everything"

12. She's still set in stone about a few things. But there always seems to be just the right person who can break a few stones.

13. She would never stoop low enough to kill an innocent. "There is always another way."

14. TBD

15. For monsters and those who deserve it, yes. It has mostly become a necessity.

16. She idolizes her older brother. He's just done so much for her.

17. She is open to seeing anyone else's viewpoint on most subjects.

18. Depends on the person. Some people or things deserve the fight.

19. Her anger is what guides her through a lot. But others would say it's her love for the people around her.

20. Give. She's spent most of there life raking because she struggled. She wants to give back as much as she can now.

21. She puts everyone else's lives before hers. "They deserve better."

22. Healthy. She sees herself as physically strong and attractive.

23. When it comes to community, she is very connected to her family and other hunters. But when it comes to society, she has a hard time connecting at all.

24. She has never physically harmed herself. See #21 for second part.

25. She's watched her brothers die, been betrayed by her lover, and lost family over and over again.

26. She loves and cares for her family enough that she would be lost without them.

27. She's a very proud bisexual woman. If she wasn't out and proud about it, her older brother would never have been comfortable with his sexuality.

28. She doesn't care about appearance in that way. "Make up and pretty hair doesn't kill a vampire."

29. "Personality and how you treat others tells a lot about who you are as a person."

30. Sometimes yes, but mostly not enough.

31. She will always forgive others way before she ever forgives herself.

32. Depends on the situation. There's no use in getting anyone else involved if it's just going to put them in danger.

33. Always others first.

34. "Death."

35. She will always see herself as part of the unlucky few who know the truth.

36. Mature yet naive about most things. She never got to have a "real" childhood.

37. Health. Strength is nothing if your health fails. And wealth is nothing without the others.

38. "Another one?" Family and as many books as she can grab.

39. All monsters would be eradicated.

40. Depends on who you are to her. Also goes in line with #4. If you are nothing to her, then good luck. But her family or love can break it like a twig if they wanted to.

41. It is rare for her to find someone worthy of that. Most of her emotions stay bottled up until they overflow.

42. Her dad. He didn't deserve the ending her was given. "It was my fault..."

43. She can only be herself when she's by herself or with Elly.

44. Depends on the day/TBD

45. She cares far too much.

46. At the beginning, shame and guilt lead a lot of what she did. But now it's something she struggles with almost daily.

47. She would be an hourglass with a crack in one side. Constantly trying to change the flow of time while still losing it in the end.

48. She lives out of spite and the need to make the world better. It is horribly obvious to those around her.

49. Yes. She would, and has given her life for those she loves.

50. Fear- being worthless and abandoned. Desire- A perfect life. She wouldn't be surprised by the fear, but would be by the desire.

51. She understands and embraces her responsibilities and roll in the world.

52. It's a background aspect. "No one cares about the color of your skin when they're trying to kill you."

53. She knows that she is entitled to only what others want to give.

54. She's never had her name in the paper for saving someone. Why start now?

55. She tries to stay present minded.

56. Depends on the situation. She knows when and where to involves others.

57. She wouldn't put herself in danger to stop a robbery or petty thief. But she would go our of her way to help another woman in trouble or save an innocent from a monster.

58. Most of her life revolves around hope and having it. "It's a necessary part of survival."

59. Always.

60. She is a mixture of both street and book smart.

61. She wouldn't use a power like that. "We have free will for a reason."

62. Affection and help. It's hard to accept affection when it's hurt you so many times before. See #7 for help.

Characters/OCs asks

1. How would they define love if asked

2. When someone says "this is [character name] coded," what comes to your mind

3. if somebody told the character that they admire them what would they feel and how would they react to it

4. How much weight do they give to others' opinions of them

5. When bad things happen, do they usually think it happened to them or because of them

6. How well do they cope with the reality of their mortality

7. How easily and frequently do they ask for help

8. What is their perspective on religion and the concept of God

9. When in pain do they take it out on others or do they keep it inside

10. Their most defining moment vs your favorite one of them

11. One word they'd use to describe themselves, one you'd use to describe them and lastly a word that their closest/loved one would use to describe them

12. How committed are they to their principles, and what might get them to abandon them

13. Is there a moral line they would never cross

14. What could be considered as their worst moment

15. Do they have a stomach for violence and harm and if so do they only do it out of necessity or at any whim

16. Do they idolize anyone, if so why is that

17. How open are they to change their viewpoints on matters

18. Are they vengeful or do they easily forgive and forget or do they not forgive but don't go as far as acting on that

19. What's their strongest emotion, the one which mostly rules them and compells them to action

20. Are they more inclined to take or give

21. How much do they prioritize their own survival, and what lengths would they go to for self-preservation

22. What is their relationship with their body like

23. How connected do they feel to their community and society

24. Do they self harm and if so in which way

25. What's the worst physical or mental pain they've ever endured

26. How do their family and their relationship with them influence their perspective and the way they navigate life

27. Are they content with their sexuality and gender expression? would a difference in their sexuality and gender affect their role in the story and if so how

28. How much importance do they place on their appearance, and on others' appearance

29. What criteria do they use to assess others' character

30. Do they take themselves too seriously

31. How easily do they forgive themselves after making a mistake and how easily do they forgive others

32. Are they more concerned with the bigger picture or are they hung up on the details

33. Do they prioritise other people's needs over their own or the other way around

34. What do they believe their hands were made for

35. Do they consider themselves lucky or privileged

36. What is their level of emotional intelligence and social adeptness

37. Presented with three different ponds offering eternal health, strength, or wealth, which one would they choose to drink from, they can only drink from one

38. In the event of an apocalypse with only one limited safe haven available, whom or what would they prioritize bringing along

39. If they could end one thing—be it a person, ideology or misfortune—what would they choose to eradicate

40. Would breaking their heart be a quick task or would it require significant effort

41. Are they comfortable expressing their emotions and thoughts

42. If given the chance to bring back someone from the dead, who would they choose and why

43. With whom or when do they feel most authentic and true to themselves

44. Do they believe they are more in control or being controlled (by others, their circumstances or their life in general) and are they correct in their assumption

45. What is their fatal flaw

46. To what extent does shame or guilt influence their psyche

47. If they were an object, Which material(s) would they be made of

48. What gets them out of the bed each morning and how obvious is that motivation to those around them

49. Do they believe there's a cause, person, or a goal worth sacrificing their life for

50. If faced with a magical mirror revealing their deepest fear and greatest desire instead of their reflection, what would they see and would they be surprised by it

51. What does responsibility mean to them and do they embrace it or take it on reluctantly

52. Does their race significantly shape their personality or is it more of a background aspect

53. How entitled do they feel to others' emotions, time or labor

54. Are they more likely to do a good deed if they know it will be noticed or do they not care about acknowledgment

55. Do they live in the past, the present or the future

56. How do they go about making decisions: do they consult a particular individual, rely on a trusted group, consider input from anyone willing to share or solely trust their own judgment

57. How likely are they to intervene if they witness something illegal or immoral, If they choose to get involved what method do they typically use, Does their eagerness to correct the situation and their approach vary depending on the perpetrator's status, closeness or strength

58. When it comes to hope do they view it as: impractical or necessary and why is that

59. Do they tend to overwork themselves

60. What type of smart are they

61. If they could make people do whatever they wanted without any consequences, would they use that power and if so how

62. Which of the following do they have the hardest time accepting: affection, money or help

[rainboweclipse72]

[TW]hot take: being gay should be more normalized than pedophillia

i know what ur thinking “how is pedophillia more normalized than being gay?” First of all its due to sexist terms if the victim isn’t a woman ppl will laugh at their face or say that they are being dramatic and probably enjoyed it shit some ppl say it to female victims as well the constant blame of s’a/rape/groomed victims no matter the gender is insane like if a girl gets sa’ed and pregnant they are called a whore and told that they are a monster for wanting to abort a child that they never wanted nor can take care of like its their choice and don’t get me started on the male/trans/nonbinary victims good god they also have it bad and the victims that were s’a/raped/groomed by their family member getting told that their lying and or get punished instead of the abuser is insane and then the ppl that neglected the victims call for help get surprised that the abuser killed them or that they killed themselves bc of them and the shit they go thru is fucking insane and also when they start crying and realizing that they failed to protect them isn’t bc they finally start to feel empathy its bc they are scared of what ppl are gonna think of them for being caught neglecting the victims cries and screams for help and the fact that theres countries that the age of consent in those countries is 8-16 is fucked and ppl use that as weapon to justify/defend a pedophile from that exact country's behavior is fucked and they treat it like its normal and same goes incest and what worse ppl treat gay ppl like shit they act like its the end of the world if someones gay like yes being gay is a sin but its the most harmless sin of them all it doesn’t fuck ur mentality it doesn’t hurt ppl (well it depends on what kind of person the gay person is ) and also its not a big deal if a child is gay and trans and so what somebody is gay and trans/nonbinary it them figuring who they are as ppl being in the lgbt community isn’t something harmful being gay/trans isn’t something harmful being a pedo/zoo/necro/racist/nzi etc is ! Use ur brain ppl use ur brain!!!

[karael-zexceed]

Manifesto on the subject of heroes, villains and the burden of being extraordinary

I used to be power hungry af until I realized that being the chosen one would mean shouldering the weight of everyone's hopes and dreams.

The worst part about having to dethrone a tyrant /vanquish a monster/ defend a community etc. is not the part when you go into battle, whether it be physical, verbal or spiritual. It's the knowledge of what'll happen to those who believed in you if you fail.

I've always been a fan of villains (at least in fiction) and tended to see the heroes as one-dimensional and often dim narcissists with a savior complex, or idealistic damsels in distress that somehow solve every challenge with "the power of friendship". But recently I feel like I'm just consuming the wrong type of media if I'm always siding with the opposition.

And it's not like I'm completely selfish and incapable of goodness either, my standard of who is worthy of my protection is just higher. I'll never find it relatable to sacrifice for a complete stranger, a mere acquaintance, a nation I just happened to be born in, or a family member I don't like. But swap that stranger out for a romantic partner or a demon (although me being a Satanist has nothing to do with this), and suddenly there is this immense pressure to perform. As wise people once said, blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, and that which is lighty given is lightly valued.

Due to said pressure it stands to reason that being the main character would fricking suck. Like, if I was chosen for a glorious purpose that would save or enlighten those dear to me, naturally I would do my duty. But there is no amount of power, wealth and honor that would equalize the burden of holding everyone's destiny in one's hands. Indeed, some will even crumble under that pressure and become deserters/traitors (example Marcus Brutus) or a cautionary tale (example Aeneas). Others, still, will fail despite staying on track, and have their memory sullied by the victor's subjective interpretation (example Galileo Galilei).

On the topic of villainy, it's not true that all heroes are altruistic and all villains are selfish. A hero can just as well embark on a mission in order to protect their future self instead of another person (duh, the dragon will eventually eat you too), and that's completely valid. Inversely, the greatest atrocities are often done on someone else's behalf. The path to greatness, especially if ethical, is paved with thorns. It's way easier to find a village to torch than find a half-frozen person to thaw. Choosing not to wreak havoc when you're in a position to do so is a much more thankless decision than choosing to help when you can, but it's an equally valuable one. Being a warrior means striving for peace, even if said peace will rob you of purpose.

In conclusion, there is nothing wrong with being part of the silent majority that will never call the shots. It's even an enviable position to be in, considering the alternatives are being a nervous wreck or an as*hole.

[a-man-named-shang]

NAME: Li Shang AGE: 29, 30 in a month lol (2006-2012) GODLY PARENT (IF APPLICABLE): Athena AFFILIATION (CAPTURE THE FLAG TEAM/AGENT OF ERIS/HUNTER OF ARTEMIS/CAMP STAFF/ETC?): Team Blue Captain SPECIES: demigod

ABILITIES: Genius Intellect, Craftsmanship, Audiokinesis (limited), Telumkinesis (limited), enhanced physical prowess

BIOGRAPHY: Shang’s father Li Yuming once brought the attention of two goddesses. The first was Shang’s mother Athena, who fell for his mind as he invented the usb. In gratitude for his keen mind and innovation, Athena birthed Shang from her mind and gave him to Yuming to raise. Devyn then joined the family when Shang was seven. With the success of Yuming’s invention, he was able to provide the two brothers a nice home in Shanghai, where they wanted for nothing… except perhaps more attention from their father. 

Be that as it may, Shang grew up happy enough, and he decided that it was his responsibility to look out for his little brother. Yuming seemed to believe that was his duty as well, and rode his ass if he ever did anything that could be construed as irresponsible. He needed Shang to be ready. For what, Shang wasn’t sure. So even though Shang was still a boy himself, he started exercising and trying to get in shape so he could be ready in case anything happened. 

Unfortunately, as Shang got older, his presence was not ignored by monsters anymore. Shang was attacked at his school when he turned and he had to run away to keep the monsters from coming for his father or brother. He thought this was the best thing he could do for his family. It took him a year of life on the run before he made his way to camp. It was hard, at first, adjusting to the camp lifestyle knowing that he had been forced to leave his family behind. Worse, because he felt he had failed his father and his brother. He wasn’t home to protect them. 

But Shang threw himself into camp activities, training, and strategizing with his fellow siblings in Cabin 6 for games of Capture the Flag and joined in quests when someone asked for his help. He thrived in the community, and even found himself rather charmed by a hunk in Aphrodite’s cabin. And then the war started and Shang threw himself into strategy meetings for that and worked with other campmates to come up with better solutions for battles or protections for the people he cared about. His mind was constantly at work to try to protect the family he had found there.

Despite having completed his time at camp, Shang stuck by two extra years to see out the end of the war. From there he ended up working at an architect firm and moving up the ranks as people saw the brilliance in the designs he would come up with. Now, ten years after the war, Shang is back at camp. It was not hard to hear that his mother had a bone to pick with Ares. And, since Shang was a proud son of Athena, he knew he would have to put his talents to work. Maybe it was a simple Capture the Flag game for Alumni…but Shang would not be treating it that way. His mother was the one in the right, this meant that Athena’s team would simply have to be the winners of the competition. And Shang would do his best to help lead the way. If he doesn’t get distracted by his old crush. But there’s no time to fuel a crush on some hunk in Aphrodite's cabin when Athena's pride is on the line. Or is there?

[oddeyevibes]

Extra Curricular Activities Part 1

Summary: Your students become worried about the man in the red suit that visited you at school.

Words: 1828

The class of 3-C weren’t the best students. They weren’t the worst either which is what made them so frustrating to many of the faculty. They didn’t have the drive to raise the bar and many teachers had an issue with that. 

Not you though. 

That’s not to say you didn’t believe in any of these kids but you also didn’t feel the need to pressure them. They are young and they have their whole lives ahead of them. Your philosophy was that the pressures of school were heavy enough without someone badgering them to not be anything less than perfect. 

There are those moments in time where the school expects you to make them study but you just let them be. It was perfect for actually connecting with them and reminding them that they’re more than they’re grades. 

Plenty of teachers that used to teach them would tell you that “trying to be their friend” would get you nowhere but…they were patronizing. They never approached them like people, they approached them like toddlers that needed to be reminded not to eat glue and when you’re dealing with teenage rebellion, that usually ends with teens doing the thing you told them not to do. 

You can admit that even this approach is motivated. Coming off as someone they can see as their big sister rather than a nagging authority figure. Someone who can be chill but can still put their foot down if the situation called for it. 

But you just…got it. 

Many of them had stuff to do outside of school. That was the ACTUAL issue. Many of these kids had to take up responsibilities because their parents either can’t or won’t take care of them or their siblings. This was the case with Takara Sugimoto, an aspiring author who lives with both her mother and grandmother. However, her grandmother had a knee surgery recently and needs some help and Takara offers since her mother has to work. 

Three generations helping each other stay afloat. 

She doesn’t hang out much with her friends but it warms your heart how her friends understand. 

Like her friend, Hajime Tsuda. His own father had gotten into a car accident and he had been visiting him often with his mother. He wants to be a baseball star when he gets older. 

Then there was the rowdy Da Liu, who never failed to mention how his dad is in the Yokohama Liumang and several times you’ve warned him to keep it down because when push comes to shove, the Liumang would probably have no choice but to expel his dad. 

There was also his twin sister, Chun Liu, who always did her best to stand out against her brother’s antics, less she only known as the class clown’s sister. She liked makeup. She liked regular makeup, she liked glamorous makeup and while she only told this to a few people, she also liked monster makeup. She’d shown you pictures of the Halloween makeup she’s done for her and brother and she has some serious talent. 

There was also Ju-Hee Chung. Whereas the school saw a fair amount of Japanese and Chinese students, Korean students were somewhat rare around here as often many people under Geomijul protection opted to just have their kids learn within their communities. There were outliers though such as Ju-Hee who transferred in after you started teaching this class and she became quick friends with Chun because they liked the same idol. She’s also into fashion and wants to be a designer…or a model…she hasn’t figured it out yet…maybe both.  

Then there was Shuichi Ono. He was one of the bigger kids. Apparently, he’s been weight training with his father because he’s taken a new interest in wrestling and now he currently wants to be a wrestler but the training makes him exhausted and you’d feel bad so you only really wake him up during these breaks whenever another teacher is coming, especially the snitches. 

Sure they weren’t “perfect”. They didn’t get their grades but they were passing. And maybe it did make you a bad teacher or a bad influence but did you wanna be the person that makes them feel that their world is going to collapse on themselves if they get anything lower than an A. 

Yes, this country gets competitive with stuff like this but you’ve always moved with one thought in mind. That very thought stood as one of the reasons you became a teacher. One day, the old destructive ways will die and then the young will change it for the better. They might not be on the front lines, but they will be there and it’s important for them to know that you’re proud of them. 

They’re being their own people. 

They will enact change

……..

……..

Their first order of business is getting you away from that guy that visits you at work. That weirdo in the dusty red suit and the rat’s nest for a hair who seems to be putting the moves on you. 

It started with Da. You had gone out of the room because some of the teachers were talking about some guy just hanging around the school grounds and they were about to call the cops but then you recognized who it was and told them he was harmless, even telling them that you’ll talk to him. 

Someone was supposed to watch the class but after a few rounds of rock, paper, scissors, everyone decided to just leave them be. 

Da, taking the opportunity, decided to pull some of his impressions of British people. At some point, he saw you and Ichiban talking and then he saw Ichiban take hold of your hands and he made his thoughts known. 

“Hey…who’s the bird nest with Ms. L/N?” He asked. 

While most of the students were just actively ignoring him, the aforementioned ones all came over to the window with Shuichi towering over all of them. 

Chun looked over Ichiban’s entire outfit. “I can smell the vintage on that suit from here.” 

Da shot his sister a confused look at her expression before turning his attention back to the both of you. 

“Is that her boyfriend? Did anyone know she had a boyfriend?” Chimed in Takara. “I didn’t think she was into…men.”

 Shuichi’s brows raised in shock. “You sayin Ms. L/N likes women?” 

Da waved it off. “She could be into both, y’know? My mom says she saw one of our neighbors at a hostess club and THEN at a host club. Bisexuals are everywhere. We could all be bisexuals and we wouldn’t even know it.” 

Then Hajime chimed in with a confused tone. “I’m not bisexual.” 

In response, Da leaned in closely to Hajime’s face and whispered, “but how do you knooooowwwwwwww?” 

“Shh!!!” Chun hushed him. “I can’t focus.” 

“Focus on looking?” Da asked with a scoff. 

“I’m trying to practice my lip reading, I wanna know what they’re saying.” 

Shuichi leaned in as if it would give him a clearer look at their expressions while Ju-Hee pulled out her phone from her large sleeves, their main purpose. 

She tried using her camera and zooming in the lens but it was for nothing. The windows were murky from the half-assed job they did yesterday from cleaning it. Well, specifically Da, who’s lip imprints were still visible on another panel. 

“I can’t see anything, if I zoom in too much it gets all fuzzy.” Ju-Hee complained.

Hajime stepped in to try to be the voice of reason. “Maybe it’s her friend?”

“No,” Takara shot it down. “He’s gotta be her boyfriend. Who would voluntarily come back to school?” 

Everyone shot her a glance. “Teachers?” They all replied in unison. 

She scoffed. “Without pay?” 

“........teachers.” They were more sure.

She rolled her eyes. “Maybe he’s so smitten by her that he can’t resist showing up looking like a creeper at the place she works.” 

“Yeeeeah….I’m pretty sure that’s just stalking.” Hajime reasoned as he often did whenever she started losing her head into the clouds. Then he gasped. “Is she being stalked?” 

A gasp from Chun followed. “That bastard!” 

“I mean…she looks like she’s smiling.” Shuichi pointed out. 

“YOU FOOL!” Chun yelled. “That’s a defense mechanism. Women often smile when they’re worried that the guy might kill her. I hear it’s especially dangerous in places like the States with their guns. You don’t laugh at a guy’s joke there, BAM they shoot you, in front of EVERYONE and the cops STILL won’t throw away the key.” She let out another gasp. “That’s probably why. She’s probably suffering from PTSD.” 

“But she grew up in Japan.” Shuichi replied. 

“She was born in the states and moved here when she was way younger and then she went to college in the states. Something could’ve happened.” 

Hajime let out an exhausted sigh. “Then would she have anything to worry about? Guns aren’t legal here and it’s hard to get them normally and even if you buy them in parts, it’s illegal to put it together.”

Then Da had a revelation. “Unless…he’s a gangster.” 

Now everyone looked to him but their expressions all portrayed roughly the same sentiments. Da could be right. 

“They don’t care about legality.” Takara whispered in shock. “He could have a gun on him right now.” 

Ju-Hee gasped. “Maybe she doesn't know. Maybe he’s playing her.” 

“He could be Yakuza. Y’know, they walk around in bright suits all the time. My uncle used to be Yakuza and when he wanted to leave, he had to cut something off.” 

“Wasn’t that back when the legal system was a bit more loose?” Hajime asked. “They wear normal suits now, don’t they? So they don’t stand out?” 

The energy among the group deflated. “Maybe…” They were all heard muttering quietly. 

Then Takara perked up. “Or…that’s his plan.” 

Everyone looked at her. 

“What if he’s trying to trick her? Like dressing so ridiculous that Ms. L/N won’t even consider him being a gangster? What if he’s trying to traffic her?” 

Jun-Hee spoke up. “They always do go for people they think are foreigners.” 

Hajime huffed. “If they’re foreign tourists,” he tried correcting his friends. 

“No, any foreigner is a good foreigner to them.” Ju-Hee replied. 

Takara let out a sad sigh. “Poor Ms. L/N. Doesn’t even know she’s being played for a fool.” 

“Bullshit!” Da exclaimed, pushing himself away from the window. “We can’t let this bastard get away with this! This guy’s playin’ her and we don’t know what other bullshit he could have planned for her.” 

“Should we confront him now?” Chun asked, now she was becoming fully invested in her brother’s words. 

“No. We have to get proof. If we go now, she’ll just tell us everything is fine.” 

His eyes turned back towards Ichiban but you were seen coming back into the building. 

“We’ll have to make plans to follow him.” 

[cheesus-doodles]

What about Toman Boys with a reader who knows/does karate. Not exactly like Red Dragonfly reader. Do you think they would try to convince the reader to quit, or would they encourage it?

Masterlist

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Received a surprisingly number of requests on this previously! Sorry it took so long to get back to yall :’) I’m trying my best

Ahh so I take this to mean that reader knows karate like Mikey? Absolutely they would convince you to quit, by force even if it comes down to it. Don't think it matters if you were a competitive fighter, that you had a black belt, that you insist that you could hold your own against other delinquents; if you couldn't beat Draken or Mikey, let alone Mitsuya or Baji then you simply weren't strong enough to do karate. And it doesn't matter one ounce to your Toman friends how much you protested that Mikey has literally never been defeated or that Baji can take 50 guys on his own, and that each and every single founder was a monster on in their own right, even in the violent world of gangs and delinquents.

It wasn't just about the unsightly bruises that marked your skin after each fight, or worse, having to watch you dislodge joints or get knocked unconscious. Kazutora would by far be the most affected by all this “unnecessary violence”, which coming form a delinquent such as himself is hilarious, but you can’t bring yourself to laugh at those watery eyes. More so the fact that one, with growing strength meant an increased chance that you didn’t need them to protect you anymore, two, that you were actively interacting with a community that was beyond their control, and three and most importantly - you were allowing others to leave a mark, their mark, on you. Unacceptable. The cons of karate were way more than the pros of allowing you to learn self-defence, even the more tolerant of the boys (Pah, Mitsuya and Draken) could clearly see that. Which means it was time to put a stop to this nonsense for good.

But the boys wouldn't make you promise or swear that if you couldn't beat them, you couldn't learn or practice anymore karate - oh no no. That would make them the enemies that took something you loved away from you, and the last thing these Toman boys wanted was to drive you away into the arms of someone else that might be more... supportive. No, your friends would probably go for the alternate route of making karate so miserable for you that you would willingly give it up of your own accord: they would offer to train you themselves. It wouldn’t even seem that far fetch an idea, Mikey’s family owning and running a dojo that he and Baji had been training at since young, and with the other four being strong enough to be your practice dummies despite knowing no karate themselves. All six boys would be more than happy to spar with you though, but let it be known that they wouldn’t be holding back as much as you originally thought, no matter how much the thought of hurting you on purpose weighed down Mitsuya, Draken, Baji and Pah, with Mikey and Kazutora feeling no such guilt. At least with them offering to be the ones training and sparring with you, they manage to convince you to pull out from that stupid-ass karate class with all those dangerous strangers - you were only safe with them.

Starts off as them landing hits that would leave you with …inconvenient bruises and injuries. The crook of your elbow would start to creak and hurt when you tried to bend with the number of kicks and punches you were catching there, same with your knee. Not only walking would become a chore, but cooking and even writing. And when that fails to convince you to give up your little lessons, Mikey and Kazutora are quick to escalate, hitting out with enough force to pop a join, then fracture a bone. Passes it off as an accident, a hit too hard - they had thought you had reached that level already, and with those teary eyes and dramatic waterworks, no doubt you believed them, and forgiveness quickly followed. After all, Mikey, Baji, Kazutora, they were all your beloved friends; they would never do something so horrendous to you on purpose would they?

Anything got to do with karate, they would make sure it becomes associated with inconvenience, pain and suffering. Trust me, it hurts them as much as it hurts you - Baji and Draken are always ready with ice packs, Pah with a cold drink and something light to eat, Kazutora with his waterworks, and Mitsuya brings you to the doctor or hospital whenever something happens. They don't like to see you suffer, but if that's what they need to make you understand that this isn't good for you, then its just temporary pains to keep you safe in the long run. After all, they didn't want you to get the idea that you could take someone on without their help after learning some rudimentary self defence, not with your fragile body that couldn't even take a hit from them.

And if you do ask to go back to your normal lessons, Mikey makes it a point to beat your entire karate class - instructor included - just to show you how weak they were in comparison, and of course deter them from taking you back. Best to just give it up before this boy considers breaking both of your legs to teach you a real lesson.