#will admit i had trouble drawing his hand and eventually just gave up so please ignore that and pretend its anatomical correct🫥

[sci-bax]

THE ALMIGHTY SHERIFF NORTH STAR🔥🔥🔥

[radiance1]

*cracks knuckles* so you have wished it, so shall it be!

Maddie is a daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, Jack is from a long line of Hunters, together they kill whatever they hunt

Dan is the firstborn, raised to be the perfect ghost hunting weapon obsessed with killing everything he hunts, like Hela from the MCU

Flynn is the second born, he's never gonna measure up to Dan so he never tried

Jazz is the third, she's the perfect child

Danny is the fourth and he's born to replace Dan

The next six children aren't named, they're disposable and unneeded, but the fifth unnamed chooses to call herself Dani

Dan is put down like a rabid dog when he grew too inconvenient to control, he returns as a ghost but is trapped in an already apocalyptic timeline until he's eventually freed from it

Flynn is too soft so into the portal he goes, he can either die or grow stronger, either way he's not Maddie and Jack's problem anymore

Jazz is perfect, she has to be, she knows the consequences of failing and she wants to keep living

Danny takes Dan's name and feels like a replacement, he hates what he's been raised to become, he hates himself and the ghostly child soldier his parents turned him into

The other children were born without fanfare and died without fanfare either, Dani earned her name when she tried to prove she wasn't weak by trying to kill Danny, she didn't succeed but Maddie was proud enough that she tried

- Chaos Gremlin 💖

I won't lie, I like this au A LOT.

But I don't know if I have any ideas for it..

So I'll just throw a bit of scraps together for now.

So, what if they move to Gotham, not by any of the children's wishes no. But because Maddie and Jack want to try their hands and hunting down the Batclan.

Their goal is obviously the notorious Batman.

Their arrival was pretty discreet, but a few days later they get picked up on by Batman and the rest, because of them popping out and trying to kill any member they come across.

Danny and Dani were sent after Robin and Red Robin.

Jazz is sent after Red Hood and Nightwing.

Danny and Dani don't really like each other, you know from Dani's attempt to murder Danny and all, but they work well enough together that they can fight other people.

So they split up, with Danny after Robin and Dani after Red Robin. They just had to wait for night and go find them.

Jazz was both hard and easy, she knew how to possibly draw Red Hood out, and Nightwing she just has to scour the rooftops for, so during the day she went around, beating up various gangs to draw the Crimelord's attention.

At night she went across the city looking for Nightwing.

All hell broke loose when they found their targets.

Danny and Dani wasted no time in trying to kill their targets, they had powers while the others didn't, it should be easy to kill them.

It wasn't.

They had some trouble fighting, more than they would have liked to admit, the gadgets and them knowing the layout of the city was annoying. They escaped just when the two of them thought they finally got them.

Jazz had a harder time with her targets.

It was a far more even playing field, it wasn't uncommon for her to have bullets wounds whenever she had to head back or multiple bruises, depending on who she encountered. But at least she had the knowledge that she at the very least gave them multiple broken bones and the occasional concussion.

Jack and Maddie weren't at all pleased with the repeated failed attempts. So, they both entered the field themselves, looking for the big bat himself.

The Batclan made themselves an easy target, all of them in one location. Batman out in the open and the others in hiding.

Jack and Maddie both took the opportunity for what it was and pounced, with Jazz staying on standby while the Danny and Dani both went to look for their targets.

Shit went, pretty wrong.

For Jack and Maddie anyway.

With five members of the Batclan against just their three, they put up a good fight, but Jazz was still injured from her previous fight against Red Hood.

So they were pretty overwhelmed, especially when they didn't expect more than what they thought would be there.

They thought at the most it would be maybe 3, not five.

So Jack and Maddie got beat up, so did Jazz.

So yadda yadda Danny and Dani find out, lose their shit because that's their sister who got taken and wanted to get her back.

They did get her back, but not in the way they expected.

If being able to now live a normal (Or at least normal in Gotham) life with their big sister in Gotham was any example.

[leap-loves]

Dance 2: Country Rock Boogaloo

RubyBoot has taken over my entire brain and I've finally bullied my brain into cooperating with me and writing something for them.... so have 2k+ words of brain go brr- XD [And no this isn't a sequel to anything, I just have another dancing prompt I could work with and I like the name so YEET-]

“Are you sure this is a good idea…?” Ruby asked, not bothering to hide her uncertainty as she followed Boothill to Aeons knows where. It isn't that she doesn't trust him, she's just… hoping he thought through whatever plan he has going on in that head of his. 

Boothill responded with a laugh and a grin. “Relaaaaax darlin’, it'll be fine,” he insisted as he gently tugged her down the road. 

Was his plan a bit risky? Yeah, probably. But if it works how he wants, it'll be worth whatever trouble comes their way. 

Shaking her head with a sigh, Ruby finally relented with a fond smile. “Alright, alright, I trust you.” 

Fortunately, it didn't take long for them reach their destination. 

“A… club?” 

“Yup!” Boothill beamed, gently tugging her right up to the door.

She could already hear the music inside, high energy and popular. Not something she would expect Boothill to willingly subject himself to. Then again, he's full of surprises. So she simply followed his lead, hoping that they wouldn't draw too terribly much attention… as unlikely as that was considering he was wanted by the IPC and 90% metal, and she had opted for something in between her Penaconian style and her home style. But a girl can dream. 

Ruby followed after Boothill, finding herself looping her arm with his and following after him as he parted the crowd so they could find a corner to adjust to the loud music and dim lighting. While he's trying to help her break out of her shell, he's not so cruel as to shove her in the deep end with this. 

“I didn’t take you as a club kind of person, ‘Hill,” she admitted after tugging his sleeve some to encourage him to lean down. She wasn't going to shred her vocal chords trying to shout over the music right now. 

He shrugged casually in response. “I'm not, normally.” He might as well be honest, after all. “But they do take requests, so it's not half bad.”

That clarified very little for Ruby, but as with everything with Boothill, the fewer questions asked, the better. She'd figure it out eventually. 

“How ‘bout a drink, ta help us loosen up?” He offered, his smile so much softer. A genuine offer, no mischief or tricks. 

After a moment of consideration, Ruby nodded. “Yes, please. I trust your judgement. Jus’… try not to take too long, ‘kay?” 

Lighting up at her acceptance, he gave her hand a squeeze of affirmation and tipped his hat playfully. “I'll be back before you can even miss me,” he reassured before disappearing into the crowd. For being a massive hunk of mostly metal, he blends in impressively well. 

Ruby took to focusing on her surroundings, absently swaying to the music to try and relax and adjust. She focused on mimicking the people around her, much more subtly for now. This was so different from the dances on Penacony, or even Aeragan-Epharshel. 

Penacony’s dances were grand and lively in an orchestral manner, even in their own clubs it was all so classy and high-end. Even the more ‘modern’ areas that tried to appeal to younger generations didn't play music quite like this… and the dances weren't quite so… hip-centric. 

Aeragan-Epharshel music as Ruby remembered it was more… homely. While the beat from the music was important, it was made right from the movements of the group, brought to life by the participants. All it took was 2 or more dancers, and at least one instrument, and you had a party. It's been so long but she knows those dances are still in her bones, as much a part of her as the color of her hair. 

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Boothill returned, a drink in either hand. “Yer thinkin’ too hard, I can almost hear it from here,” he teased playfully once he was close enough to her to be heard without shouting, offering her her drink. “I watched the barkeep make it, don't worry.” 

Appreciating the reassurance, Ruby nodded and took the glass with both hands. “If you can hear my thoughts, you've gained quite the skill.” 

“What can I say?” Boothill beamed, winking at her, “I'm a man of many talents.” 

Ruby flushed at the wink, rolling her eyes and nudging him playfully with her prosthetic. She finally took the chance to take a sip of her drink, humming approvingly. Appropriately sweet, but she could still feel the kick. Just like she likes it. 

“Looks like you're already enjoying yourself,” Boothill teased lightheartedly, putting a protective arm around her shoulders, “gettin’ a feel for the music?”

Nodding to his question, she looked up as he took a sip of his own drink. “It's different than Penacony or Aeragan-Epharshel, but it's simple enough to mimic.”

Boothill waved the hand that was around her dismissively. “Don't worry about blendin’ in, darlin’. Just relax and be you.” 

Ruby snorted and shook her head in response. “Easier said than done, ‘Hill…” she mumbled into her glass before taking another sip. 

The fact that he didn't try to argue, to start up their usual back and forth about him trying to help her relax and embrace her roots again while she reminds him that this is who she became for the sake of survival and it's not exactly easy to just turn it off, was enough to make her pause. That's not like him… 

When they finished their drinks, Boothill offered his hand to take her glass. “I'll go take them back for ya.” 

Deciding not to question his frequent disappearances, she nodded and handed him her glass, and watched him disappear back into the crowd. 

Boothill took the glasses back to the bar, just like he said he would. But before going back to Ruby, he detoured to head up to the DJ. The music was almost deafening up so close to the speakers, but Boothill at least has the advantage of being used to frequent gunfire in his face, so it wasn't near as debilitating for him as it would be most. 

It didn't take long for the DJ to acknowledge him, moving one of the cups of his headphones so he could talk to Boothill while letting the music do it's thing. 

“What can I do for ya, my man?”

Boothill brought out a note from a hidden pocket that he'd prepared, offering it over to the DJ. It was easier than trying to tell him which songs he was after. 

The DJ didn't seem phased by the passed note, but did quirk a brow once registering the selections. “Y’know, these don't exactly fit the vibes…” 

Boothill crossed his arms in response. “The goal is to keep energy up, yeah? Everyone having a good time?” When the DJ nodded, he continued. “Play one of those, or something along those lines, and you'll see people having the best time of their life.” 

The DJ still seemed uncertain, looking the note over again. “I dunno man…”

Sighing, Boothill nudged him before gesturing towards where Ruby was, careful not to draw unwanted attention to her. “See that lady down there, with the red hair?” Another nod. “She's been havin’ a rough forkin time, and these songs’ll cheer her up. Put those on, and you'll see beauty like nothin’ else.” 

Seeing how adamant that Boothill was, the DJ finally relented with a nod. “Aight, I'll put it on next.” 

Boothill beamed and patted his arm approvingly before going to rejoin Ruby against the wall finally. “There you are,” Ruby teased, looking up to Boothill and crossing her arms playfully, “I was starting to wonder if you went and ditched me for a bounty or something.” Boothill responded with an exaggeratedly offended gasp, even placing a hand over where his heart would be, “I would never! What kind’a man do you take me for?” 

Ruby snorted and rolled her eyes, getting on tip toe to reach up and pull the brim of his hat down slightly. “I take you as a man who likes to find trouble if it takes too long to find him.” 

Grinning at the playfulness, Boothill barked out a laugh and re-adjusted his hat to sit properly on his head once more. “I would argue… but yer not wrong.” 

“It’s almost like I know you, or something,” Ruby retorted with a small smirk of her own. 

The banter was interrupted though by the song changing, the club quieting down considerably as everyone took in the sudden genre change. Those who were far too drunk to fully register it were still dancing to their own music, but everyone else seemed a little uncertain. 

Boothill glanced back to Ruby, curious how she’d react. Based on everything he’s managed to put together, she hasn’t indulged in their own culture ever since she left, so he’s not sure how she’s going to react. He’s hoping she’ll enjoy herself in the end, at the very least. 

It didn’t take long for her to look up at him in turn, visibly uncertain, but also seeming to be putting the pieces together. Finally letting out an affectionate sigh, she shook her head and smiled at him. “You’re somethin’ else, ‘Hill.” Flashing her a bright grin, he offered a hand to her. “Still remember how to dance?” Ruby snorted and took his hand, but was the one dragging him through the crowd to get closer to the music. It would be too hard to answer him, and they’d waste precious dancing time, so she’ll just show him. 

Releasing his hand as they reached the front of the stunned crowd, Ruby moved her bangs out of her face as she started to move to the beat. 

Starting simple, she focused on getting the rhythm down with basic steps, forward and back. It didn’t take her long to get the hang of it, her eyes half lidded as she focused on letting her body move on it’s own. Muscle memory is one helluva thing. 

Onlookers gradually mimicked her movements, finding that the steps were far simpler than they expected. Some opted to instead make it up as they went, but it didn’t take long for the club to almost shake with each step and stomp from the sheer number of people following her lead. 

Ruby’s face flushed when she realized just how much attention she’d drawn, but that didn’t stop her from beaming and singing along to the music, throwing all caution and concern to the wind for now. She started to spice it up a little, adding twirls that made her skirt and hair flare and little jumps to each step. 

Panic shot through when she felt someone grab her prosthetic hand and tug her towards them, only to relax when realizing it was Boothill, finally joining the fun with a big grin. 

They didn’t have to say a word, easily falling into the rhythm of the song. Boothill pulled her close to his chest before guiding her to twirl away from him, only to pull her close once more. Their steps were perfectly in sync, Boothill scooping her up to spin her around himself a few times. 

For just a moment, it almost felt like nothing had ever happened. 

If they closed their eyes, they could fool themselves into thinking that they were still home, truly home, dancing with their friends as the sun set and bathed everything in warm light. 

Instead they were surrounded by flashing lights of every color, strangers they’d never see again. They weren’t who they used to be, having lost parts of themselves on the way to where they are now. 

It wasn’t quite the same, but it was enough. 

As the song finally ended, Ruby cheered alongside the crowd as she placed one hand on Boothill’s chest to steady herself, throwing her other hand up with glee. His arm stayed wrapped around her waist so she wouldn’t risk following, adding his own whooping to the cacophony of excitement around them. 

As the musical selection went back to normal, Ruby took Boothill’s hand to gently tug him towards the bar. She needs to sit down for a minute to catch her breath, her chest heaving from the sudden exertion, not that it did anything to lessen her smile. 

“So, still think I was up ta trouble?” Boothill teased as he sat on the stool beside her, propping his head up on his hand to give her his undivided attention. 

Ruby snorted, shaking her head with a small laugh. “Possibly, but I’ll let it slide since that was fun,” she teased lightheartedly. 

Boothill was about to retort when realizing she was wiping away some tears, his eyebrows furrowing. “Are you okay? Did ya get hurt?” She was quick to shake her head, even reaching out to grab his free arm to ensure he wouldn’t risk storming off to find someone who’d nudged her or anything. “I’m okay, I’m okay! I didn’t get hurt or anything. I just…,” she hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain it, “I’m surprised that I remember how to do that… it’s been so long…” 

Fortunately, her explanation was enough to placate him, prompting him to relax against the bar again. He shifted his arm to take her hand in his, giving it a small squeeze. “I figured as much, which is why I wanted to do this. You’re a natural though, and I would’ve loved to see what it looked like way back when.” 

She flushed and swatted at him playfully, too flustered to formulate a proper response. 

Laughing, Boothill raised a hand to request another drink for each of them, nudging Ruby’s towards her once they were brought over. “How about a toast?” “A toast?” She echoed curiously, tilting her head. “A toast,” he confirmed, “to bringing home a little bit closer.” 

Ruby’s expression softened as she nodded, lifting her glass. “To home.” 

[mrs-march-ahs]

Kai Taking Care Of You In Prison (2)

Taking Care of Kai in Prison (Part 1) is here, if you want to read it first! You don’t have to as the two don’t link that closely, but it’s of course recommended!

Summary- Kai finds it unfair that you have been conditioned to do everything yourself, so he helps take some weight of your shoulders, and makes an interesting promise for next time. 

Warnings- Not much. Really really dirty. I mean, really dirty. Words- 2.2k

Enjoy! :)

----

Picking up a letter from the reception, you walk to Kai Anderson’s cell in the High Security wing. Since everything given to all the prisoners is checked prior, the letter is already open, so you push your finger inside the envelope and peel it back slightly, only to see a letter from Elite Genetics, with a small table saying Kai’s name and surname under “Alleged Father” and in the next column, 0%.

You take your hand out of the letter and take a deep breath at the bad news Kai is clearly going to receive. He had a habit of getting violent with other prisoners, only having not committed murder already because he’s on thin ice with the death penalty. When you buzz into the building and walk down the corridor towards with his cell at the very end, you tap the letter against your leg rhythmically, trying to hide and contain the slight excitement and arousal you feel from just being in his proximity. You were one of the toughest guards in this prison and you were not going to ruin your reputation and the respect the inmates had for you just because of one man, so you had to brace yourself.

You walk right into his cell and silently sit down opposite him. When Kai puts his elbow up on the table and straightens his pinky out, you fold the letter in half quickly and push it into your pocket to give him later. You link your finger with his and look him in the eye, desperate to hear what question has been floating around his head like a Windows screensaver. Since he sits in his cell for a vast majority of his day, he has nothing but time to think about you and ponder what he is yet to know about you. Honestly? There wasn’t much left.

“What one feeling fills you with dread?”, he asks. Your answers were meant to be as honest as possible, so you reply with the first thing that comes to your mind. Something that makes your stomach churn.

“Having to rely on other people, there was nothing I hated more in school that group projects”, you say with an almost disgusted expression. “I hate when people try to intervene when they don’t need to, I’ve always taken care of myself, I have to do everything for myself and I’m used to it, I know myself the best”

As always during your pinky power therapy sessions, you feel a slight relief after getting that out of you. Ironically enough, letting your emotions out and passing the weight over to Kai felt orgasmic, completely different than trying to deal with it yourself.

“It isn’t fair, is it?”

“No, just because you’re incapable of doing something yourself doesn’t mean I am”

“No”, Kai latches on straight after. “It isn’t fair that a woman like you should have to do everything herself, the world needs to stop being useless and learn how to help you”

You nod once in agreement, not sure how to interpret what he’s saying.

“Sit here”, Kai says before unlinking his finger from yours and patting the table in front of him. You hesitantly stand up and sit on the edge of the table, only for Kai to put his strong tattooed arms on your thighs and pull you closer to him. When you’re parallel to him, with your feet on his legs, he hums in approval and puts his hands behind you to pull your pants down, to which you comply. You lift yourself up off the table gently and he pulls your pants down, but leaves your bright red panties on, dropping your pants to the floor. When his eyes meet your underwear, he takes a big breath and slides his hands between your thighs, and tries to spread them.

“Let me do this for you”

He spreads your legs and takes a long look at your wettened underwear, before sitting back in his chair. You begin to get impatient as he simply sits and looks at your body, but finally when he looks deep into your eyes, your heart starts beating even faster.

“Touch yourself”

You bite the inside of your cheek and looks down at your thighs, before sliding your hands over them and squeezing them. Usually, foreplay and getting yourself turned on is the hardest part of masturbating, and you especially had troubles since your first sexual encounter with Kai. He set the bar so high that nothing you did to yourself could compare to the heavenly but rough touch from your first meeting. It was tough to admit it, but all orgasms since then suffered in comparison to the one after Kai made you ride his thigh. When you went home and thought about the lustful and forbidden love he gave you, your fingers didn’t have to do much to bring you over the edge, and even though the touch was yours, the orgasm belonged to him.

You rub your middle finger up and down your panties, making it instantly glisten, and look at Kai, hoping for encouragement, instead seeing him watch you impatiently with furrowed eyebrows.

“Rub your clit”

Every word that came out of his mouth turned you on, but still you questioned him.

“I don’t like being told what to do”

“No. You don’t like help. That’s very different”

His serious face was hard to say no to, and even though you didn’t exactly understand what he meant or where he was going, you still complied, and moved your underwear to the side. You place your fingers on your clit and rub slow circles, getting visibly more aroused when Kai looks down and watches. Masturbating wasn’t new to you but the feeling of being watched turned you on more than anything ever before. Already wanting more, you rub a little faster, cautious whether Kai will allow you to take control of the pace of not. You bite your lip as you touch yourself, your wetness dripping down, and making you hold in moans.

When your thighs almost close, Kai places his hands on them and grabs them tightly, spreading them wide open to his view. This encourages you to rub faster and though you feel hot with the impending orgasm, you wish with your whole body that he would take over. Just as that thought pops into your mind, Kai speaks up and his dark voice draws you in.

“Put a finger in”

You continue rubbing and hesitantly shake your head.

“I don’t like fingering”. Kai snickers at your response.

“If you don’t like it, you must not be doing it right”

You bite down harder on your lip when you hear that, aching for Kai to touch you, but to your surprise, he doesn’t and simply watches.

“Of course, I’d be more than happy to help”, Kai stands up and leans closer to you.

“But you don’t allow help, do you?”. His cockiness makes you shiver, and you struggle becoming fully submissive to him. The idea of begging was below you. But Kai knew the effect he had on you, and stood there with his eyebrow raised, waiting for you to break. It wasn’t a matter of whether you would, it was a matter of when.

“I’ll allow it”. You whisper to him, making him chuckle.

“You’re not doing me a favour”

You stop touching yourself, the feeling in your stomach long gone, and look away, not being able to look someone, anyone, in the eye and beg for them to help you. The weakness in admitting you can’t do something as good as somebody else was too much for you, no matter how wet you were for Kai.

“Please”. The pathetic sound was almost inaudible, but still clearly loud enough for Kai, who was a mere few centimetres away, to hear. But Kai isn’t going to let a chance to hear you beg slide. He leans closer to your ear.

“What was that?”

You breathe in a hitched breath and Kai cups your cheek to force you to look at him. His other hand remains on your thigh rubbing ever so slowly, making you implode out of impatience, and inches closer to your inner thigh. The burning feeling of his touch not where you want it breaks you.

“Please touch me”

Kai smirks and leans in to kiss you, brushing his lips against yours, making you desperate.

“Say it again”

“Please touch me, I beg”

Finally pleased, Kai leans back, spreads your legs and brushes his thumb over your swollen clit, making you put your arm around his neck, already knowing the long-lasting effects his touch will undoubtedly have on you.

“If you don’t like it, you’re not doing it right”

With that said once again, he plunges two fingers inside of you, and points them up, making you gasp and instantly try to close your legs. You fight against it, knowing how far Kai will go to prove his dominance. But he still notices, and wraps your legs around his torso, unable to shut, and thrusts his stiff fingers in and out of you. You hiss at the feeling and put your head against his chest, becoming completely lax and letting him do to you whatever he pleases. He curls them up and thrusts them faster, inviting the previous unfinished orgasm to return. You find yourself on the edge embarrassingly quickly, and when he places his thumb over your clit once more, you whine against his chest, hoping for him to tell you when to let go.

He puts his head on top of yours and moans in satisfaction at you clench around his fingers. He fingers you faster, eventually leaning into your neck, and using one word to send your body into bliss.

“Now”

You cum on demand for him, but he doesn’t slow his fingers, digging around inside of you, scooping all the wetness you give him and shoving it in and back out of you. You shake your legs around him and he holds one in his arm with a tight possessive grip.

Not giving you much time to recover, he forces you to stand up and spins you around. You put your hands on the table in front of you, covered in release, and Kai puts his large hand on your back and pushes you down, making you bend over the table. You ignore the cum inches away from your face, completely focused on the impending fucking you’re about to receive, bent over the table.

“Clean it up”

You try to look over your shoulder at Kai, but he pushes your neck further into the table, right in front of the pool of cum you left. You’re left baffled by his actions and furrow your eyebrows, trying to find the words to say, assuming that, surely, he isn’t insinuating that-

“Lick it clean”

“I’m not gon-”

Kai leans into your neck and barks, “You made the mess, you’re gonna clean it up”

He looks at you with his hypnotizing black eyes and an angry expression, before tangling your hair between his fingers and gripping it tightly. You look up at him with pleading eyes, hoping to soften him up, before quickly accepting your fate, his eyes looking angrier by the second. Kai pulls your head up a little, holding his two fingers in front of your mouth. You open your mouth obediently, somehow not as grossed out by licking your cum off his fingers. He wriggles and thrusts his fingers in and out of your mouth, before slowly sliding them down, making you stick your tongue out to follow them.

He shoves your head into the table, cum immediately covering your tongue, and slides your head around. You squeeze your eyes shut tightly, wanting to get it over and done with, and Kai mops up the mess you made by your hair, while your tongue remains frozen in place. When you’re almost done, he pulls your head up and pushes your tongue back in your mouth, covering your lips with his hand afterwards until you swallow. Which you do, almost instantly, avoiding as much of the taste as you can. He slowly lets go of your hair and smiles at your actions, while you straighten yourself out and look at him completely humiliated.

Kai nods towards your pants on the floor, and you pick them up and put them back on, looking the other direction. But Kai watches you get dressed, smiling at any negative feelings you may have. When you zip your pants up and run your hands down them to flatten them, Kai walks over to you and breathes into your neck.

“Maybe I can have a taste next time”

His words make your knees weak, and you nod at him, before promptly walking out of his cell and locking it.

Though the humiliation stays with you for the rest of the day, his words do too. The mental image lingers in your mind and you drive so distracted that you barely make it home that night. When you finally close the door behind you at your house, your mind still constantly on your special inmate, you get undressed slowly, feeling used and dirty but at the same time, ecstatic. Taking off your creased pants, you feel the pocket and a lightbulb lights up in your mind when you slither out the letter you were meant to give him. You mentally smack yourself for forgetting the one responsibility you had today, but your heart and thighs tingle, realizing you need to pop by his cell tomorrow.

--

Taglist- (dm me or comment to be added!)

@milly-louise @amourtentiaa @kitwalker02 @tatestripedsweater @therenlover @maria-akira @tatesimper @thxc0untessesgl0ve @mossybank @ahsxual @mxlti-fand0m-imaginess @mrs-march-ahs-biggest-fan @kitwalkerangel @kitisagoldenretrieverboy

[robininthelabyrinth]

Tell me about that time the Yiling Patriarch accidentally acquired a harem?

Untamed verse

It was Nie Huaisang’s fault.

He would argue it was the fault of the extremely stupid fierce corpse that violently lunged right at him when he was trailing behind his older brother and the others on a night hunt he didn’t want to go on, causing him to hide behind his saber and therefore accidentally taking the first kill of the night; his brother had been so pleased (and trying very hard not to laugh at him) that he’d agreed to Nie Huaisang’s request for a vacation.

He’d even allowed him to go visit Yiling, with one of their cousins saying in passing that Nie Huaisang should probably not let anyone know who he was or why he was there given the political scandal it would cause. Nie Huaisang had left while his brother was still arguing with their cousin about whether or not the Nie sect gave a single fuck about political scandal; he was pretty sure the actual argument they were having by proxy was his brother yet again defending Nie Huaisang’s right to be the heir, and those arguments went better if he wasn’t around.

So he went to Yiling to visit Wei Wuxian. He liked Wei Wuxian, they’d been good friends at the Cloud Recesses no matter how short a time, and he’d liked him every time they’d met afterwards, and really it seemed rude not to come with house-warming presents even if he hadn’t been invited the house-warming party itself.

“I fled here in the middle of the night, in the rain, illegally,” Wei Wuxian said. “There was no party.”

Nie Huaisang patted him on the shoulder. “It’s fine, really. I promise I’m not insulted. I’m very forgettable; you wouldn’t have considered involving me at all.”

“I’m tell you, I didn’t have a party.” Wei Wuxian frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe I should have a party?”

“We are not having a party,” Wen Qing said, sounding a little testy, but Wei Wuxian handed her a plate of meat – it was a traditional house-warming gift, and it wasn’t as if the Unclean Realm wasn’t chock full of people who would be more than happy to go practice their sabers against wild boars so that Nie Huaisang could drag along a preservation chest full of pork – and she stopped complaining.

“We could invite Jiang Cheng,” Nie Huaisang said. “You know he can’t resist an invitation to a party.”

“Did you not hear about the fight -”

“Party invitation.”

“…it might make him less angry, actually.”

“I’ll go get decorations!”

That was how Nie Huaisang found himself in the town at the bottom of the Burial Mounds, shopping; that part was probably still fine, but then he’d made some sort of slip-up in casual chitchat and everyone in the town figured out that he was visiting the Yiling Patriarch.

“Are you one of his disciples?” someone asks.

“No, of course not,” Nie Huaisang said at once, because forget his brother, he had some very scary great-uncles that would find him and rip him to pieces if he ever denied being a Nie.

“Then why are you here? I thought he’d been rejected by the whole cultivation world.”

“Uh,” Nie Huaisang said.

“Is there going to be trouble?”

“I don’t –”

“They’re celebrating something,” another person chimed in, looking at the bags Nie Huaisang was carrying. “What could they possibly be celebrating? A marriage?”

“Definitely not,” Nie Huaisang said.

“You couldn’t possibly be here willingly, could you?”

“No,” Nie Huaisang said, finally annoyed. “I was sent as a sacrifice by the cultivation world to join the dreadful Yiling Patriarch’s harem as a panacea against his threats to conquer the entire world through a little bit of unorthodox cultivation that involves a great deal of complicated flute playing and exactly zero practice because he’s obnoxiously talentedly like that. It’s all very tragic at first, but eventually we will overcome all obstacles and he’ll make me his empress of an empire composed of ghost puppets. Happy now?”

Maybe he should become a writer or something, because apparently they were very happy about it, and the story spread like lightning.

“I cannot believe you,” Wen Qing said, since Wei Wuxian hadn’t yet caught his breath once from all the howling laughter he was doing. “Of all the irresponsible, ridiculous –”

Nie Huaisang wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do about it, and it only got worse when Lan Wangji showed up to visit and just – refused to leave.

That surely wasn’t related to the harem rumors, though of course the presence of an unbearably pretty man like Lan Wangji just made the rumors worse, especially since he was very obviously from a different sect than Nie Huaisang.

According to the rumors, there was intrigue now: a more beautiful concubine had appeared, challenging Nie Huaisang’s efforts to get the redeem the vile Yiling Patriarch through the power of love and a great deal of sex, and of course there would be all sorts of jockeying for position happening.

Jiang Cheng’s furious arrival to yell at Wei Wuxian (and to attend the party, because he really couldn’t resist a party invitation – he hated being left out) only convinced them all that there were at least three separate sects fighting for attention, as if Wei Wuxian were an emperor.

“I can’t – I’m dying –” Wei Wuxian sobbed with laughter, burying his face into Lan Wangji’s shoulder. “Lan Zhan, help. It’s too funny. I’m an emperor now. And I can’t even grow potatoes!”

“Radishes are more efficient,” Wen Qing hissed.

“The common people are really very strange,” Nie Huaisang opined from where he was drawing over in his corner. Wen Qing believed everything to be his fault, so he’d promised that he’d do something nice and calming and not disruptive like drawing; he’d bought himself some ink and a great deal of paper as proof of his good intentions. “They’ll believe anything.”

“Don’t you start,” she snapped. “You’re drawing porn. Of this!”

Wei Wuxian’s head snapped up. “You are? Is it any good? Wait – who is it of?”

“It’d better not be of me with him,” Jiang Cheng grumbled, serving himself some of the pork with radishes. “I’ll kill you.”

“Mostly Second Master Lan,” Nie Huaisang admitted. “He’s the only one staying still long enough for me to get a good view.”

That made Lan Wangji frown and come over – which, joke’s on him, Nie Huaisang has no shame about his excellent artistic skills.  

“Oh, well done,” Wei Wuxian said, peeping over Lan Wangji’s shoulder at the artwork. “Is that me with the legs in the air?”

“Yes. Can you pose later so I can get the face right?”

“Obviously yes!”

Lan Wangji’s ears were very red for some reason.

“Shouldn’t Wei Wuxian be the attacker?” Jiang Cheng asked, coming over as well. “Not that I care about any of this. But if the story is that he’s the emperor –”

“I can’t disappoint my readers by breaking up my romance with him,” Nie Huaisang explained. “And between me and Wei-xiong, I’m obviously more fit for the role of the pure maiden in distress – there’s a great deal of convention in erotic art circles, you wouldn’t expect it – and so I’m having Second Master Lan be the seducer instead, see? That way there is even more conflict.”

“I’m still going to kill you for including my brother,” Wen Qing said.

“I didn’t give him any sex scenes! He’s a wallflower! And you’re the Yiling Patriarch’s right hand man; what more do you want?”

“For my brother not to have fans that want to see him naked!”

“How do you even know about that?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“I read the mail,” Wen Qing said. “We’ve gotten an awful lot of it in the last week.”

“…is there any about me?” Jiang Cheng, who’d never met a competition he didn’t have to win, asked.

“Oh, yes, you’re very popular, Jiang-xiong,” Nie Huaisang assured him. “I included some falsified backstory about the two of you being childhood friends torn apart by Wei-xiong’s turn to evil and unorthodoxy –”

Both of them looked distinctly uncomfortable.

“– and now everyone wants to see you have a sandwich with the Wen sibilings.”

“Have a sandwich?” Jiang Cheng asked, distracted. “Are they hungry or something?”

“They certainly want to lick –”

“A sandwich means what,” Jiang Cheng yelled after Wei Wuxian finished whispering in his ear.

[barsformars]

How Scandalous

//

g - fluff, angst if you squint super hard, a lil suggestive at the end; royalty!au

p - crown prince!yeosang x warrior!reader

w.c - 1199

t.w - none

c - when the line between personal and professional lives are blurred, how can the crown prince show his true feelings for his subject and vice versa?

a.n - for @ficscafe royalty drabble event! it’s the way i finished this only a few days after the event was announced but i wasn’t sure if i was going to post it or not but like since it’s already written,,,, also just reminding everyone that reader is gender neutral!! it always is in my stories unless stated otherwise anyways! and yes female warriors were a thing in the past too for a lil while.

t.l - @closer-stars @jeongyunhoed @fromercury

//

"Your Highness, it's best you keep a straight face," you reminded, eyebrows slightly furrowed as you scanned your surroundings as discreetly as one could be doing so. The crown prince narrows his eyes at you before heaving out a heavy but silent sigh as he slowly lowered the corners of his lips. He would probably roll his eyes and argue with you if the both of you had any privacy at all right now but for now, he can only afford to show his annoyance with a purse of his lips that lasted no longer than a blink of an eye. After all, there are eyes and ears everywhere in the palace — especially around him — and one of his many duties as the crown prince is to always only act as he is expected to.

With a clear of his throat, Yeosang changes the topic to one that was more expected of this meeting, and thankfully it was also something he meant to talk about regardless of who was around. "Chief Choi says the new recruits are terrible," Yeosang shared as you refilled his tea cup. He takes a sip of the warm tea before continuing with a chuckle, "His skills are second to none and so are his high standards. They looked just fine to me."

"Shall I go join Chief Choi on the training now to make them look excellent, Your Highness?" Taken aback by your suggestion, the prince shakes his head as an amused laugh leaves him. He did not mean it that way but of course you would take it seriously, you have always taken pride in your duty as a warrior to protect him.

"No, that's alright, let's not torture the recruits. Besides, I need you for something else." With that, Yeosang rose up from his seat and gestured for you to come with him, a smirk apparent on his face. You wonder what he was up to, but you don't bother questioning him right now so you do as he asks of you. As the both of you descended the small flight of stairs leading up to the gazebo, the long line of servants visibly tensed up as they got ready to follow along, only for Yeosang to stop them from doing so. "Leave us alone from here on, I will return by myself when we're done."

"Yes, Your Highness." You don't miss the shaky breathing of the head eunuch in charge of the prince.

"You're going to get them into trouble," you said softly as the distance between him and the servants grew. Their biggest responsibility was looking after the crown prince and yet he has ordered them to shirk their duty off, putting their lives at risk as if they don't already do on a daily basis. Yeosang only shrugs it off as he increased his pace, forcing you to do the same.

As soon as the both of you turned right round the corner, Yeosang took a quick peek over his shoulders, grabbing your wrist and pulling you along as he ran up the small hill once he was sure there was nobody around. A smile blooms on your face, too, as you see just how pleased he was for you to finally be back from your month long expedition. He has missed you dearly, that much was obvious.

"Are we going to keep running?" You asked as you erupted into breathless laughter, everything was funny once you are free from titles that were meaningless between childhood friends. It is hard to draw a line between your professional and personal lives when they were meant to be intertwined — you can never be just his confidante nor just another one of his many subjects — but you try your very best to separate them anyways. Now, you throw the sword that was by your side to the back of your mind and choose to focus only on how Yeosang's hand has slipped from your wrist to your hand, and how he gave it a gentle squeeze as he slows down and eventually comes to a stop at the entrance of his private garden.

"We don't have to run from anything here," Yeosang reassures as he pushes the gates open. When the both of you entered hand in hand, everything in the world suddenly seemed a little less serious and a little more forgiving. The world is different here in his little private garden. Yeosang shuts the gates before ushering you further in, not that you didn't already know this place like the back of your hand. "Come, I have something for you."

Yeosang sits you down on the bench and walks over to one of the bushes nearby, reaching his hand into them and pulling out a silk pouch before you could ask him what he was looking for. He dangled it as he held it up beside his face which was beaming with happiness and excitement. If Yeosang was anywhere but here, you would have immediately told him to put on a poker face, but you take the rare chance to properly take in and appreciate his pretty smile. He can afford to be vulnerable in front of you.

"Give me your hand," Yeosang requests as he pulls out the contents of the pouch, revealing two beaded bracelets of the same colour. He gently slips one of them onto your hand before slipping the other onto his. "Matching bracelets, I thought they would be a nice idea."

"They are," you replied, your voice soft as you feel tears welling up in your eyes. Maybe you have missed him more than you would ever admit.

"Listen-"Yeosang reaches out one hand to caress your face as he bent his knees to look you in the eyes-"when I have more power, I will make you mine. I promise I will make you mine. Do you trust me?"

You stare back at him, the corner of your eyes drooping down as you processed his words. "Why does it sound like you're going to marry someone else first? Are you?" You feel your throat tighten at the thought of it. It was not a ridiculous idea at all. Yeosang could have been forced into a diplomatic marriage, one that he cannot refuse because as a crown prince, he serves not himself but the country. "That's not fair, th-"

Yeosang gives you a soft knock on your head for being such a fool. "No, no I'm not marrying anyone. Look at you jumping to conclusions. I just want you to know that I'm serious about you, so don't you ever for a second even dare to think I don't love you."

Feeling your cheeks heat up just from his words, you forced yourself to look away from Yeosang. "How scandalous...those words," you said, voice trailing off from the shyness.

"Oh come on, if you consider all the things we could do here, what I just said would be far from scandalous."

Your eyes widened in shock as you delivered a slap to his arm. "Your Highness!"

"What!"

[honey-dewey]

Moreno Family Movie Night

Pairing: Marcus Moreno/GN! Reader

Word Count: 1,658

Warnings: Mentions of the events of the movie Jaws, but this is 100% fluff

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell @star-wars-hell​

The prompt for this week’s Writer Wednesday was given, as always, by the lovely @autumnleaves1991-blog​, and the masterlists are created by @clydesducktape.

“What the hell do you mean you’ve never seen Jaws?” 

Marcus looked up from the breakfast table, eyes wide. You and him had been talking about childhood movies and he’d admitted to never seeing the classic movie. “I dunno,” he said. “I just never saw it.” 

You sat beside him, still slightly shocked. “You were, what, a teenager in the 80’s?” 

“Yeah.” 

“And Jaws came out in the mid-seventies.” 

“Yep.” 

You stared at Marcus. “And you haven’t seen it!” You said, probably a bit louder than you should have.

Marcus laughed, taking your hand. “Babe, is it really that much of a tragedy that I haven’t seen Jaws?” 

Nodding, you kissed Marcus’s knuckles absently, already looking up movie tickets on your phone. “Yes it is, Mr. Moreno. Yes it is.” 

Two days later, you had a plan. There was a beautiful vintage drive-in theater that was doing a marathon of summer movies, and Jaws just so happened to be on the list. You got tickets, getting a third knowing Missy would probably be joining you, even if she just slept in the backseat the whole time. 

Naturally, you told Missy all about your plan first. 

“Hey kiddo,” you said, poking your head into her room the day before movie night. She was doing homework, but looked up when you came in. “Wanna go somewhere special tomorrow night?” 

“Yeah!” Missy said eagerly, jumping up. “What are we doing?” 

You smiled. “I’m taking you and your father to see Jaws at a drive-in.” 

Missy hugged you, her homework entirely abandoned. “Really?” she asked. “Is it scary?” 

Laughing, you nudged her back towards her desk. “Well, when it was made, it probably was. But now? Not really. The special effects are, pardon my language, complete shit.” 

“That sucks,” Missy groaned, flopping back into her chair. “But it’ll still be fun!” 

You nodded. “Yep. Gonna be fun.” 

The night of the movie, you insisted on going out to eat, as a treat because Marcus had been working his ass off at work and deserved to relax for one goddamn night. He accepted, grinning as you took him and Missy to your favorite tiny little burger place, just outside the drive-in. The burger place was technically a food truck, but the burgers were so damn good you didn’t care one bit. 

Sitting at a picnic table with your food, you sat practically in Marcus’s lap, handing him his burger and passing Missy’s across the table. The night was warm but not overly stifling, with the setting sun in the background and the gentle sounds of the evening rolling over. It was peaceful, even with Missy shooting you amused glaces in between fries. You simply smiled at her, giving her the barest of head shakes when Marcus wasn’t looking. 

“So,” you said, stealing one of Marcus’s fries and smiling at him when he poked your side. “Missy, how was school?” You were trying to keep the conversation mundane, so as not to give away your plan. 

“Good!” Missy said happily. “I started a new project in science today. It’s all about animal classifications.”

Marcus nodded along as she spoke. “Really?” 

“Mhm!” Missy hummed. “I got this list of animals, and I have to make a poster classifying all of them.” 

“Sounds fun,” you said, taking another fry, despite Marcus’s playful nudging for you to not. “And how’s your Heroics stuff going? I know you said last week there was a fight.” 

While Missy told you about how her after-school activity was going, you checked the time, smiling. Half an hour. 

When you were done with dinner and conversation, you ushered everyone back into the car, not wanting to be late for the movie. The sun had fully gone down, and you had a tiny bit of trouble finding the movie spot, but when you did, Marcus knew what was going on instantly. 

“I swear to god, if we’re seeing Jaws,” he said as you showed the attendant your tickets. “Missy is in the car!” 

“It’s a PG movie,” you reassured, smiling at the attendant when they told you where to park. “Well, PG by 1975 standards, but that means it’s PG-13 now.” 

Marcus sighed. “Are you sure?” 

You nodded, laying a hand on Marcus’s thigh after you’d parked. “Hon, I watched this movie about a dozen times when I was like, seven. She’ll live. Plus, it’s only PG-13 because people get eaten, duh, and you can see the silhouette of a woman’s bare boob for like, half a second. It will be okay.” 

Reassured, Marcus began to fiddle with the radio, as per the instructions on the screen in front of you. The radio fizzed and hissed, sound going fuzzy until he found the right frequency, playing smooth waiting music. 

“Ten minutes,” you said happily, looking into the backseat. “Now is the time for bathroom breaks.” 

Missy didn’t get up, only shifted to the middle seat and scooched forward a bit so she could see. Marcus got out, but only so he could grab a few blankets from the trunk that he kept in there for emergencies such as forgotten ones at sleepovers or a car breakdown in the winter. As he distributed the fuzzy blankets, you managed to find a once lost bag of gummy bears, now unearthed from your center console. You passed Missy a generous handful, leaving the bag open in the console for you and Marcus. Just as Missy asked when the movie was going to start, the lights dimmed, and the message faded from the screen. A cool voice said through the radio, “Please enjoy your movie,” and then, it had begun. 

You smiled, taking Marcus’s hand. The movie brought back millions of memories for you, mostly memories of crowded couches and late nights with extended families. Even now, you could still remember crawling into your father’s lap and falling asleep there near the end of the movie, although it may have been the middle, but you couldn’t recall that detail now. All you knew now was that you had to make this very first viewing memorable for Marcus and Missy, just as it had been memorable for you. 

“Okay, the first attack is kinda super scary, so be warned,” you said softly. “Missy, honey, if you get scared, just tell one of us, okay?” 

Missy promptly shushed you, focused entirely on the movie. You smiled, turning back to the screen. 

Not even five minutes later, Missy and Marcus were gasping, meanwhile, you were unfazed by the frankly terrifying death that had occured. 

“I’m never swimming in the ocean again,” Missy decided, scooting back and trying to conceal a yawn. 

“I second that,” Marcus added, gripping your hand tighter. “You’re sure this isn’t scary?” 

You nodded, smoothing your thumb over the back of Marcus’s hand. “I promise,” you said. “That’s the scary bit.” 

Around the halfway bit of the movie, you heard Missy shift in the backseat. Turning, you smiled as she yawned widely and lay down, her eyes barely open at this point. “Missy,” you said softly. “If you’re tired, close your eyes. I have this movie on DVD, and we can always watch it later, okay?” 

Missy gave you an exhausted thumbs up before turning over and burying herself in her blanket. You leaned closer to Marcus, placing your head on his shoulder. He moved so he was closer to you as well, cuddling up as best he could with the center console in the way. 

Despite the late hour, you and Marcus stayed awake for the rest of the movie. It was hard, but eventually, the movie was drawing to a close, and you were finally ready to fall asleep, even if you were the one behind the wheel. 

“Babe?” Marcus mumbled as the credits began to roll, nudging you to see if you were still awake. “Hey, you up?” 

You nodded, stretching and pulling the blanket off of you. “Yeah. Did you like the movie?” 

Marcus yawned, looking into the backseat, where Missy was still stretched across all three seats, using a spare blanket as a pillow. “Should I wake her up?” 

“She has to buckle in,” you pointed out, starting the car and fiddling with the radio so it was playing actual musica again. “So yeah.” 

After Missy woke up, accompanied by a lot of groaning and complaining, you pulled out of the parking lot and began to drive home. Missy fell asleep again, sitting upright and leaning against the window, and Marcus very quickly began to do the same, his hand loosely holding yours as he drifted off. You smiled, the gentle sounds of your two favorite people sleeping mixed with the soft music coming from the radio lulling you into a place of peace. 

Home came too quickly. Despite how exhausted he was, Marcus carried Missy into the house, laying her in her bed and pulling her blankets around her. You stood in the doorway, waiting for Marcus. He smiled, giving you a gentle kiss before following you to your bedroom. 

“Tired?” you asked, watching Marcus stumble around the room looking for the pyjamas you were holding. He nodded, grinning at you. 

“Yeah,” he said softly, coming towards you and taking the pyjamas. “Good movie though.” 

“Really?”

Marcus nodded, wrapping you in a warm bear hug. “Mhm,” he hummed, the vibration of it in his chest rumbling through you. “The special effects were garbage, but it was really good.” 

You smiled, wrapped in Marcus’s hug, warm and safe, there was no place you’d rather be, especially after a night like the one you just had. Nothing could make it better than it already was like a Marcus Moreno bear hug. “Just wait until I make you watch the rest of them. In the third one, the shark’s brother or some shit is out for revenge.” 

Marcus groaned into your shoulder. “No. No, absolutely not. We are not watching that.” 

“Aww, but-” 

“Nope!”

[saphirered]

Lovely Caleb fic! Could I get a confession of love fix that involved Caleb kissing the hands of a bewildered reader?

Thank you for the request! I hope this is to your liking!

It’s rather late. Well, you think it is. It’s kind of difficult to tell in Rosohna’s eternal darkness. At least you were sure it’s been a long day. You find yourself wandering the halls of the Xhorhaus. The last few months have been crazy, hectic and you’d have to admit your life has been turned upside down but you wouldn’t change if for the world. You found friends, family even. Reminiscing you find your mind gravitate towards fond memories of your favourite wizard. Dragging him along on a little shopping spree for spell components, the excited rants he goes on when you ask for his advise on this new spell you found, the talks about nothing when you shared a watch, holding his hand while Yasha shaved his beard with her sword, giggling about a little prank you played on a very grumpy looking halfling shopkeeper in Zadash, drunken nights sharing a bottle after a successful job completed, him falling asleep with his head on your shoulder, caring for each other’s injuries, the rare dance in the tavern…

Not as insightful as Caduceus may be but you weren’t blind either. It’s clear Caleb seems more comfortable around you than anyone save for Nott maybe, a different kind of comfort still. You’ve been consciously picking up on a shift in his behaviour for a while now. Your favorite wizard has been getting closer and more affectionate towards you but you’ve known him for a while now and you can’t help but pick up on this. His recent shift in behavior gave you butterflies in your stomach, something more than friendship but you didn’t feel it was the right time to tell him how you feel. Besides, what his feelings don’t extend beyond care right? This is no different than his relationship with Beau or Nott. Love is a strong term and one you may not hand out so freely but you know yourself well enough these feelings you’re experiencing are love. You just don’t want to ruin your friendship because he’s not ready, not comfortable or doesn’t reciprocate your feelings in the same way after all. Caleb has come out of his shell and made so much progress, growing more comfortable and open around you and that’s extending to those around him too. You don’t want him to crawl back into that shell again. You value him more than that.

Quietly you get some dried herbs from a sleeping Caduceus’ stash and wander into the kitchen to make some tea. You’re pretty sure you’re the only one still awake as everyone was quite exhausted after your return. Trying to start a flame to boil the water proved more difficult than you had hoped. Growing frustrated with the flint and steel you slam them on the counter a little too hard. You cringe squeezing your eyes tight shut and listen. Okay… seems like no one woke up from that. You glare at the kettle half the mind to toss it out of the window. Stupid tea. Stupid fire. You take a breather leaning your head against one of the shelves above the counter.

“It looks like we had the same idea.” You almost jump out of your skin quickly covering your mouth to prevent a scream to escape from your lips. You see a bleary eyed Caleb looking about as disheveled as expected standing in the doorway of the kitchen. 

“Don’t scare me like that you idiot!” You toss a towel at him. It hits, draping over one shoulder and he just gives you a ‘really?’ expression as you feel the blood rush from the scare fade. 

“You’re having trouble, ja?” He says more than asks referring to the still cold kettle. 

“You have to make me feel worse about not being able to get a flame going to brew some tea?” You say in jest as you grab another cup for him. Caleb walks over taking your spot and with a snap of the fingers the flame is lit. 

“It is not that difficult.” He jokes back fully aware that your expertise lays not with fire magic. You have many other talents, he’s told you so himself many times praising you for them. You grab the towel draped over his shoulder, fold it neatly and put it back on the counter. 

“Your help is appreciated oh grand master magician.” You give him a side hug which he returns wrapping his arm around your shoulders as you wait for the water to boil. 

“Couldn’t sleep?” You ask watching drops of condensation build up on the outside of the kettle. 

“Ah, no. Uh, wandering thoughts.” Caleb sounds like he’s only half paying attention. Wandering thoughts indeed. 

“Wanna talk about it?” You offer as the kettle starts whistling and you remove it from the heat before it gets too loud and begin preparing the teapot. You take a step closer to the counter, Caleb’s hand falling from your shoulder to your lower back. 

“I… uh-“ He hesitates and you swear when you look over your shoulder for just a second you can see a slight blush creep up his cheeks. 

“Caleb, you know you can tell me anything, right?” He manages to get out a ‘yes’ under his breath so you grab a tray, put the teacups and saucers, the teapot and grab some biscuits from a jar hidden behind the vast array of herbs and spices to avoid a certain Tiefling from claiming them all. Balancing the tray on one hand you turn around and grab his hand, guiding him along into the living room. You put the tray on the table and make Caleb sit down on the couch as you sit down next to him. You can see him take a deep breath and he refuses to meet your eye. Though, that’s not entirely out of character for the wizard so you give him time and space as you pour the tea in each of your cups. With a wave of your hand you cool the hot water to a less scalding but still warm level. 

“I know. But in this case I don’t know if that makes this any easier.” You frown and grab his hands in yours. Almost absentmindedly he begins drawing circles on the back of your palms with this thumbs. While he won’t look at you you can see he’s trying to find the words.

“Should I be worried?” Many questions rush through your head. Was everything alright? Did something happen? 

“No. No. No need to worry.” He musters a quick half smile before it disappears. You hated seeing him like this. So much conflict and inner turmoil. You give his hands a soft squeeze. Whatever this is it must bother him a lot if he’s so affected by it!

“It’s alright. Take however long you need. I’m here for you no matter what.” He takes a deep breath as you finish your sentence. 

“I’ve had some revelations lately and I’ve tried so hard to push them away, deny them or hoping that maybe I was interpreting them wrong but I can no longer just brush them aside. I don’t think it’s fair…” Another deep breath.

“What’s not fair to who?” 

“This. All of it. What I’m doing. It’s not fair to you.” He has trouble forming a sentence. 

“Slowly. Just keep breathing.” You try to calm him down.

“It’s not fair that I freely take your comfort, affection, kindness and even companionship. I’m afraid my actions in return, they do not come from friendship but selfish motives instead. I don’t want this to end but I cannot treat my own actions as rooted from friendship when they are not.” He scrambles on stumbling every few words and you try to make sense of his words but you’ve known him longer than today so you get where he’s going. 

“Caleb…” You begin but he cuts you off.

“No, no I need you to hear this before I cower back and lose the courage to do this. You are heaven sent. You are patient and kind and every time you smile at me I feel my heart skip a beat. Every hug, touch or kiss feels like the warmth of the sun after endless winter. I thought perhaps I felt this way because this is who you are and what you do; making the lives of those you care about brighter where you can. I know you care about me as you’ve reminded me many a time, and I care about you a lot, but I do not think it ends with just care. My realisation showed me that you’ve brought about a feeling I thought myself no longer capable off; love.” He pulls your hands close to his chest. You’re bewilder, confused at this open confession but above all surprised he so openly confides in you. You think hard taking in every word.

“So I think it’s unfair to you when for me this kindness and affection from my side will always be out of love and I cannot in good conscious give you my love when you do not want it. I cannot ask you to feel the same but I also don’t think me returning your kindness and affection can ever be anything other than love. So please, I don’t want what we have, our friendship to end but I don’t want to take what you don’t have to give me…” 

“Caleb, I need you to listen to me very carefully.” You watch as his shoulders slump. So insecure when it comes to other’s feelings and opinions of him it hurts you every time he sells himself short. You look for the right words yourself. If he can muster up the courage then so can you!

“You can be so blinded by your own thoughts and insecurities you don’t even consider the fact that I feel the same.” He finally looks at you wide eyed freezing in place for a second.

“You underestimate your ability to be loved and if I can prove you different, if you will let me prove you different I will.” Caleb scans your face for any sense of insincerity, deceit or even jest but he finds none. He takes a minute but eventually pulls your hands to his lips pressing a long soft kiss to the backs. 

“Thank you. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this but you truly are a light in the darkness.” He kisses the backs of your hands again. 

“You were you; all you ever need to be.” You shift leaning into his side, head against his shoulder and his arm wrapping around you. Intertwining your fingers with his at your waist you grasp his other hand and bring it to your lips. That small kiss right where his wrist meets his palm makes him melt. He leans back on the couch pulling you with in a slouched relaxed position. If only the rest of the Nein could see you now. They’d go crazy… 

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Hold Me Close

John Constantine x Original Female Character, Angst/Hurt Comfort

A/N: So this little bit of self-indulgence turned into a thing, because it's me and of course it did. I'm still in the early stages of developing Evie and her relationships, so please let me know what you think.

Warning: Mentions of child neglect, lots of crying

Summary: After an emotionally draining day, Evie finds herself with some unexpected company.

Word Count: 2.6K

The Waverider was completely silent, a rarity on the best of days, and a blessed relief to Evie.

She sat in the kitchen, holding a warm cup of tea in her hands. She hadn't taken a single sip in the fifteen minutes since she made it.

All the emotions of the day were simmering to the surface. A tightness clung to her throat making it hard for her to breath. She needed to cry. She needed to sleep. She needed to scream. She needed so many things, all she could do was sit and stare into nothing.

"Are you ever going to drink that?"

Evie blinked. Looking up, she finally noticed John leaning against the doorway, fully dressed in his usual white shirt and tie.

"John? What time is it? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

She wanted to say something smart. On any other day she might have, but she was just too tired to be clever. Instead, she raised her mug to her lips and finally took a sip.

It was warm and did its job, loosening the lump in her throat, but it did little to help with the one in her chest.

"Need something stronger?" John suggested.

She shook her head. "This is about as strong as I can handle right now."

"Fair enough."

She expected that to be the end of it. But he surprised her, walking into the kitchen and pouring himself a drink.

"What are you doing?"

He shrugged. "Well, you know what they say, misery loves company."

"And what have you got to be miserable about?"

He gave her a cynical smile. "Oh don't you worry love, I’ll think of something."

He took a seat beside her and raised his glass in a toast.

Evie obliged, clicking her mug against the tumbler before drinking.

They sat in silence for a moment. It was comfortable, but there were questions hanging in the air that needed to be addressed.

"What are you doing here, John?"

"I told you."

She shot him a skeptical look.

He let out a sigh. "I don't sleep most nights. I saw you in here and..." He met her eyes, his expression softening. "I saw the look on your face when you saw your mum."

The tightness came back in her throat. Quickly, she turned back to her tea and took a long swig. All it did was stall the inevitable.

"How much did Michael tell you?" she asked, with a twist in her stomach.

"Not much," he admitted. "Just that his dad died before he knew him, didn't talk to his mum and that his sister was about the only parent he ever really had."

Evie huffed out a short laugh. It certainly sounded like the description Michael would give, and a more accurate one than she was willing to admit before.

"I take it there's a bit more to it than that," he continued.

She nodded. "Just a bit."

She took a drink, once again assuming a natural end to the conversation.

"You're just going to leave me with that?" he asked.

Her brow furrowed. "Why do you want to know?"

"You seem to know most everything about me, whether I like it or not,” he answered, casually. “I like to work on an even playing field."

Evie considered him for a moment. It seemed like a reasonable answer. Still she couldn't help but feel her problems were childish compared to his. There was a reason she kept them to herself. Nobody actually wanted to know.

She turned her head away, her fingers rubbing absentmindedly against the mug. If she kept her mouth shut for just a few moments, he'd forget the whole thing.

She could feel the pressure building behind her eyes. Her grip tightened. She willed herself to breathe.

"Evelyn..."

She stopped.

Looking down, she finally noticed rough fingers pressed gently around her wrist. She followed the line connecting the fingers to a hand, then to an arm, moving her gaze ever up until she dared a glance at the man they were attached to.

John’s expression was not soft, but his eyes held something she had not seen in a long time; a need to understand. How could she say no to that?

“My dad died when I was eight,” she began, swallowing the roughness of her voice. “My mum took it really hard. She might as well have been dead that first year. I’m not sure she even left her bed. Gran watched after her and didn’t want me or Michael causing trouble.

“Eventually though Mum was able to leave the house and Gran even got her a job at a pub not far from where we lived. But, it didn’t last long. Mum just...wasn’t there anymore. She’d forget to go into work or mess up orders or any number of other things until eventually they had to let her go. She didn’t work after that. Dad’s life insurance kept us afloat and Gran helped so, it wasn’t like we were starving. Even so, she would still...forget. By the time I was ten I was cooking most of the meals and made sure to stop by the shop on my way home from school, that sort of thing. And Mum would just...drift. It was like living with a ghost.”

Evie paused, giving herself a moment to collect her thoughts.

“I can remember my dad, before he died. I can see his face. I remember bedtime stories and how he called me his little Evie Rose. But, for whatever reason, any time I try to remember what my mum was like, I draw a blank. Every memory I have of her is as this...corpse. It was easy for me to believe she was always like that. I convinced myself she couldn’t help it. She didn’t choose not to be there. She was trying and I just needed to pick up where she couldn’t. That was my job.”

Her throat tightened. She sucked in a breath and let it out with a slow quaver.

“But seeing her today, before...everything. She was real. She was real and alive and...there.”

Warm tears spilled down her face. She wiped them away, trying and failing to keep them in check.

“I know grief affects people differently. I know it does. I can’t imagine losing the love of my life like that. But I was her child. Michael was just three years old. We were alive and scared and confused, and we needed her. I needed my Mom and she wouldn’t…”

There was no stopping the tears now. Anger and resentment and grief twenty six years in the making poured out of her. It burned her skin, even if she tried to hide it, ever aware of the man watching her in careful silence.

“I spent so long telling myself it wasn’t her fault. I blamed myself for not doing better by her. But she never cared. I know she was grieving, but at some point she decided her grief was more important than her own children.”

She stopped, forcing herself to fill her lungs with much needed air.

“And I would get so angry. I used to think Michael was just being selfish, that he only cared about himself. But he knew. He knew what she was doing was wrong. He just wanted me to see it too. God, I said so many awful things.”

Guilt weighed in her stomach as she pushed away her straggling tears. She could still feel the prickling behind her eyes, but she didn’t want to spill any more than she had. She had no right to them.

“I’m just a horrible mess of a person.”

A scoff came at her side.

She turned, to see John shaking his head.

“Something funny?”

“Aye, everything,” he said, sardonically. “Trust a Catholic to come to that conclusion.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh c’mon Evie, you’re not a horrible anything. You looked after your brother and your mum when no one else would. When you should have given up on her is a matter for yourself to deal with, but you’re not a bad person for holding out hope. As for Michael, I have a feeling he’s not as resentful as you think he is. Besides, he definitely had some of it coming.”

Evie couldn’t think of what to say, but the corner of her lip did quirk up, just a little. Still, guilt lingered and exhaustion was now taking the place of her anger. The prickling was back, reminding her of the tears still left to shed.

“Now, how about that drink,” John said.

Evie let out a long sigh, rubbing her hand across her face. "Not a bad idea. Honestly, what I could really go for is someone to just hold me for two or three...hours." She tried to make it sound like a joke, but the strain on her voice made her attempt at laughter come off as forced and awkward.

The look on John's face only made her feel worse. He had been uncharacteristically kind to her already. Now, she just made an embarrassing situation down right uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry I laid this all on you,” she said. “I should just go to bed.”

She stood quickly, not even bothering to grab her mug as she headed towards the exit.

She barely made it two steps when a hand grasped at her own.

“Wait.”

She turned.

He was still sitting. His eyes focused on their intertwined fingers. The expression on his face was unreadable. For a moment, she thought he’d let go and forget the whole thing. But then, he came to a decision.

Standing, he took a step toward her, never dropping his grip for a moment. He watched her, carefully checking she had no objections to how close he was.

Her stillness was his answer.

Reaching out his free hand, he cradled her head and guided her to him.

For a moment, neither of them knew what to do.

His hand slipped from hers, but found no place to land, as if he wasn't sure where exactly to touch her. All the same, the intent was felt.

Taking initiative, she leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him.

His clothes still held the scent of detergent with just a bit the tobacco smoke she secretly loved. She let herself breathe it in, enjoying the warmth against her cheek and the firmness of his body.

Slowly his hands found purpose. One wrapped tight around her waist while the other curled gently in her hair.

For a while, they just stood there, neither of them daring to break the quiet calm that had settled in the air.

"It's alright Eves," John whispered into her ear. "I've got you, love. It's alright."

It was only then Evie realized she was crying again. The tears and emotions leaked out of her, spilling over the side like an over filled sink. She was starting to shake, trying and failing to keep her breath in check all the while John held on, pressing her even closer into him.

"You're alright," he promised. "I've got you, Eves. You're alright."

The tears weren’t as violent as before. This was catharsis. The last breath of emotional release she needed. So, she let herself feel.

She cried for her brother. She cried for her father. She cried for what might have been and what was. All of it came out in gentle sobs made bearable by the man who wouldn’t let go.

She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, but after a while she had nothing more to give. Her breath returned to something manageable. Her heart, no longer quiet as heavy. Still, she couldn’t pull away from John just yet. She was too tired and he felt too good. She could see herself closing her eyes and staying right there until her legs gave out.

“Not that I’ve got anywhere to be,” he said, gently. “But were you serious about the two to three hours thing?”

She laughed, a real one this time; short, but bright and welcome.

“No,” she assured. “I wouldn’t do that to your reputation.”

He didn’t say anything back, but she took the hint.

With a great effort, she pulled herself from him, leaving her skin colder for it. Now that she had a proper view, a sudden spike of embarrassment shot through her.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, immediately reaching to brush away the obvious stain on his shirt.

John looked down as if just noticing himself.

“Oh believe me, I’ve been covered in worse. Besides, holy woman’s oughta be good for something.”

“I’m not that holy,” she said, with not as much annoyance as that sentence usually carried.

“But you are good,” he countered. “You can’t be anything else.”

Again, something was missing from this usual exchange. The irony had somehow disappeared. The way he was looking at her now, she could believe he meant them.

Then, something happened. His expression became pensive. His eyes shifted away as he took a small step back, putting some visible distance between them.

“You should get some sleep,” he said, his tone now back to its usual guarded self.

Her brow creased in confusion. “You sure you don’t want company?”

“I think if this whole exercise has taught us anything it’s that you need to stop worrying about other people all the time.”

His tone was curt, but there was something performative in it, making it land awkwardly on its intended audience.

All the same, Evie knew rejection when she heard it and felt the intended hurt in her chest.

Apparently it showed on her face as John gave a long sigh. “Look just, get some rest and you can worry about me tomorrow, yeah?”

She nodded, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave just yet. She didn’t know what she had done to make John’s mood shift so abruptly, but she needed to fix it. He had helped her, after all. It didn’t feel right to end the night like this.

With cautious determination, she took a step forward, effectively closing the gap he had created.

John appeared frozen in place, his brow creased in confusion.

Taking the opportunity, she stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek. She was met with rough stubble and the smell of whiskey, a combination she was surprised to find she liked. But couldn’t appreciate it as John turned his head, meeting her eyes.

“Now, why would you do something like that?”

Evie swallowed, a sudden dryness coming to her throat. His lips were much closer to hers than she anticipated.

“I just wanted to say, thank you,” she said, softly. “You’re a good man, John Constantine.”

He looked down at her, his throat and lip tightening as he shook his head. “No, I’m not.”

She smiled knowingly. “Yes you are.”

She kissed his cheek again, this time lingering just a moment as if touch would convey the truth of her statement more than her words could.

“Goodnight, John,” she whispered.

To her surprise, he didn’t push her away. His eyes lingered, floating between her eyes and lips and back again.

She held her breath, wondering if he would lean down and feel her lips for himself. She wondered if she would let him.

But he hesitated. A breath was drawn in and his gaze settled on her eyes.

“Sweet dreams, Evie.”

She nodded, feeling the moment slip away as quickly as it had come.

She settled back down on two solid feet, turned and walked back to her room without looking back. Only when the door closed did she allow herself to linger on the burning of her lips and the hard thumping in her chest.

She didn’t know what truly happened between her and John, but there was no use denying it. Something was different and time would only tell what that meant.

[andypantsx3]

war paint | 8 | impart

pairing: Bakugou Katsuki / Reader

length: 27,765 words / 10 chapters

summary: Desperate times force you to disguise yourself and join the kingsguard. When a suspicious string of crimes strike the palace, however, Captain Katsuki Bakugou starts paying extra close attention. (spin off of in cinders)

tags: mulan AU, secret identity, romance, reader-insert

warnings: aged up characters, some violence, eventual smut

As soon as you left your patrol the next afternoon, you hurried into the city to post your wages to your family, then rushed back up the steep climb to the castle. The captain hadn’t specified when you were due at his quarters, but you knew you were in for an earful if you kept him waiting. You couldn’t wait until your next half day of rest to send along your pay, however. The six months the creditor had given your father were rapidly dwindling and your parents needed all the money you could get them before the payment window closed.

On your way back, you raced up the steep incline, outpacing every merchant and townsperson set out on the same road, and arrived back at the top of the outcropping out of breath. Sero gave you a conspiratorial look from his post at the portcullis as you passed back into palace grounds, huffing and puffing.

For all your haste, however, Captain Bakugou still acted as though you’d delayed something like a small eternity.

“You’re late,” he grunted when you arrived, eyeing you as he let you into his spartan office. “Patrol let out a fuckin’ candlemark ago.”

You ducked under his arm where he held the door open. “I came as quickly as I could,” you panted, “I had, um, something to do in town.”

A scarlet eye roved over you. “Which was?”

You bit your lip, shifting uncomfortably. “Uh, post. To my family.”

Bakugou shut the door, turning to loom over you. “You kept me waiting so you could trade fucking love notes?”

You flushed, taking a small step back. “No sir! It was more urgent than that.”

Bakugou grunted and crossed the room, dropping into the chair behind his tidy desk.

The office was just as barren as the day before, papers meticulously sorted and everything in its place. The only clue to the fact that someone used this room at all was the red jacket of Bakugou’s captain’s uniform draped casually across the back of his chair. It left Bakugou in only the button up worn underneath and the sight of him was distressingly distracting - the pristine white of his shirt highlighting his sun tanned skin and drawing out the red of his eyes. The top button was undone and your eyes caught on the golden skin revealed there.

“Quit staring and sit,” Bakugou ordered you curtly, oblivious to your inner turmoil.

You sank apprehensively into the chair across from him, perching lightly on the edge. A silence fell over the room, and Bakugou studied you intently. You could feel his gaze almost like a touch where it brushed over you, and you fixed your eyes resolutely below his face, not wanting to look at him.

“You’ve been keeping secrets, princess, and it’s time to come clean,” he said finally. His voice was rough but resolute, and your heartbeat picked up behind your ribs.

What did he mean come clean? What was it that he thought he knew? Was he asking about your family, your reason for being here? The floating rumor that you’d lied about your age to gain access to the kingsguard? The fighting with Nishimura that was still ongoing?

“Look at me,” he commanded, and you slowly raised your face to his.

Again you were struck by how absurdly handsome he was, even as he was about to wring you out with the reprimanding of a lifetime. His serious expression called attention to the sharpness of his features - his straight nose, angular jawline, and thin mouth. His watchful crimson eyes were swept with thick blonde lashes, almost catlike in shape, and intent as always. The latent command of his presence roiled under your skin and the intensity of his focus stripped you bare - you felt seen in a way that unnerved you like nothing else.

“What secrets, Captain?” you asked carefully, picking idly at the fabric of your uniform pants.

Bakugou’s mouth curled. “What was so urgent with your family?”

You flushed under his attention. “My wages," you admitted, "I post them to my family every week. They’re in debt and they need to repay it by the end of this month.”

The truth of it tasted bitter in your mouth and your ears burned hot with shame. After these many months, you’d grown accustomed to hiding your troubles. Admitting to them was uncomfortable to say the least.

A blond eyebrow raised. “You are their only source of income? And your family has no sons?”

“I am an only child,” you replied. “They have no other help.”

A thoughtful expression crossed his features. “I see,” he murmured. His quiet tone was startling in comparison to his usual brash manner. “That explains it.”

“Explains what, Captain?”

“Why you are here,” he said. Something in his tone set you on edge, raising alarm bells in your mind.

“Captain, have I done something wrong?” you asked. Almost as soon as the words were out of your mouth, however, you realized they were the wrong ones. Something in Bakugou’s gaze sharpened and he leaned forward. The hair on the back of your neck stood up and a sense of foreboding settled heavily over you, like a blanket meant to choke a fire.

“How stupid do you think I am, L/N,” he said, placing a calloused hand on the desk before him, “to ask a question like that?”

Your nails bit into your thighs. No. He couldn’t know. Whatever he thought he knew, he wouldn’t be sitting here calmly, having this conversation if he knew what you were.

“I’ve trained a lot of soldiers,” Bakugou continued, his voice rough. “Hardly a one is as capable as you have proven yourself. But you and I both know that under normal circumstances, you would never be allowed here.”

A prickling fear crept over you. You opened your mouth to say something, make any excuse, but nothing came out.

“You know, they talk a lotta shit at court. About why someone like me would run the guard instead of marrying and repairing to Musutafu. Heard a lotta shit about how I wouldn’t know a woman if she pranced naked in front of me.”

His blood red gaze held yours and you found you couldn’t pull your own eyes away. “You think that’s true, princess?”

Your mind flashed back to that evening in the baths, how his eyes had picked over you, the curious tilt to his head before he grinned and came into the water. The press of his broad, wet chest against your back, his voice in your ear.

All his comments, the sword, his watchful behavior since suddenly snapped into place.

He had known. Fuck, he had known.

“No, Captain,” you choked out. A cold terror swept through you. What was he going to do now? Discharge you? Turn you in?

Bakugou tapped his calloused fingers over the wood of his desk, eyes never leaving you. “And what do you think I should do?”

You had shot to your feet before you even knew what you were doing, your mind was filling with only one thing.

“Please, Captain,” you begged, “I need the money. Please let me finish out six months, that’s all I ask.”

Bakugou was quiet a long moment, watching you carefully. His eyes tracked you closely.

“Only six months, huh?” he asked finally.

You started, surprised. “What?”

A smirk played about his mouth and he reached atop the neat pile of papers on his desk. Long fingers pushed a familiar half hand of parchment towards you, and you glanced down. The terms of your recruitment and your own deliberately messy signature stared up at you. “Says here you’re signed into a year and a day of service, princess.”

You could feel your eyebrows draw together in confusion. “Captain Bakugou, I don’t understand.”

His smirk widened and he stood, coming around the desk to you. “You think I would discharge one of my best soldiers before her term is up?”

The look he was giving you suggested that you consider your answer carefully. “....No?”

A predatory grin crept over his mouth. “No.”

You stared at him, bewildered. “Then why call me here, Captain? Why ask what you should do?”

Bakugou huffed a laugh and leaned into your space. You stumbled a step back, bumping clumsily into the chair behind you. Your hand shot out and to your horror you grabbed a fistful of his shirt to keep yourself upright, only succeeding in drawing him closer.

This close, you could clearly see how dark his eyes had become and you thought you might be able to count every one of his golden lashes. That mind numbing scent of smoke and sugar pressed in on you, and you felt like your brain was stuffed with cotton. Your fingers tightened on his collar and a large hand came up to press against your back, holding you steady.

“I meant what should I do,” he said slowly, “if I've wanted to kiss one of my soldiers for months.”

All thought fled from your brain like rats from the proverbial ship. You stared at him, speechless.

Bakugou’s face dipped closer and his hand slipped up your back, pressing you closer. “What then, princess?” he breathed.

He couldn’t be serious. You were many things, but an option to Bakugou was not one of them. Disguised as a boy you looked younger than your years, but when looked at through the lense of womanhood, you were too old to be a possibility to any man. More than that, you had quite literally disguised yourself as a boy, and had spent the last five months training and sweating and bleeding with this man. How could anyone, least of all a man who looked like Bakugou did, want you now?

A calloused thumb brushed over your back and an involuntary shiver went up your spine. Bakugou’s eyes roved over you, unblinking, and you watched as his pupils dilated slightly.

“Captain, you can’t be serious,” you said, holding completely still.

A crease appeared in his brow. “It’s Katsuki.”

You stared at him. “What?”

“My name,” he repeated, “is Katsuki. I am not your captain for the purposes of this conversation.”

You looked up at him in shock but his face remained even, his expression earnest. Did he mean it?

“Katsuki,” you repeated, testing it out. His fingers tightened on your back but he said nothing.

You took another breath and continued. “You can’t be serious,” you said again.

This seemed to irritate him, his grip tensing where he held you. “Why not?” he ground out, the corners of his mouth turning down into a frown.

“There are plenty of women in the castle,” you said. A pretty image of Mina floated to your mind. “Women who dress like women. Women who are younger, prettier.”

He growled. “I don’t care about the women in the castle, princess. I’m not asking just because you’re right in front of me.”

“What, then?” you asked, searching his face for some answer.

He fit his other hand against your waist to pull you impossibly closer. It burned at your side with a heat like a small sun, impossible to ignore. “You’ve got nerve, princess. It’s not any woman who would disguise herself and sneak into the guard. It’s not any woman who could best any of my men. It's not any woman who would start a fist fight with some asshole her very first day, and continue to be a pain in my ass ever since. I don’t want women in the castle,” he spat. “I want you.”

Heat licked up your spine. For a moment you thought he had lit off an explosion against your skin, before you realized with a flush that nothing of the sort had happened. This was your own desire.

Before you could think better of it, you leaned forward and pressed your mouth to his.

For a moment he stood frozen, and you wondered wildly if this was some kind of joke he’d chosen to play before discharging you, a momentary reprieve before he struck the killing blow.

But then his mouth moved and you didn’t have the capacity to wonder anything any more.

Katsuki Bakugou’s kiss was just as deadly as his swordplay. His mouth was hot and he tasted impossibly of smoke and sweetness. A rough hand came up to cradle the back of your head and press you closer to him as he pressed his tongue into the seam of your lips. You opened your mouth compliantly and he swept in like an invading army, letting out a low groan.

“Fuck, princess,” he breathed when you broke apart. You opened your mouth to reply but he was back on you before you could, pressing you backwards and bearing you down to the wood of his desk. He swept a careless arm out, shoving the papers from the surface. They fluttered to the floor in a whirlwind of dark ink.

“You should have seen you in the bath,” he ground out, swooping in for another kiss. “Any idiot would have known you for a woman.”

He pressed a hand to your waist and guided you back, settling into the space between your thighs. He bent to pluck another kiss from your lips, then started mouthing a hot path down the side of your neck.

Your hand came up to grab a fistful of blonde hair, and you felt your leg hook around the back of his thigh to draw him closer.

“Captain,” you said, but the glare of a red eye had you reeling to correct yourself. “Katsuki, I’m not sure you should want this--”

A warning bite at your shoulder cut you off. “Give me your name.”

Confusion swirled into the haze of emotions clouding your mind. “What?”

“Your first name,” Katsuki said, biting down again. You gasped and arched up into him. “I want to know your name.”

“Y/N,” you managed, before he took your mouth again. Then he kept you occupied long enough for you to quite forget what you’d been starting to complain about.

When you next broke apart, the sky outside the room’s only window had darkened and every nerve in your body felt as though it were on fire. You ached to get closer to him even though you were pressed against him everywhere, his weight all but pinning you to the worn wood of his desk. Your lips felt chapped and your mind swam with the weight of him, the feel of him, that scent of smoke and sugar that swirled around him like a mist, fogging up your mind.

“Y/N,” he said, pulling back from you. He held himself over you on the strength of his arms. “I want you to be sure you want this. If you say you don’t, I won’t discharge you. You can go back to being a regular soldier and finish out your contract.”

You pulled together just enough of your wits to process what he was saying. “I understand," you said slowly, looking up at him, "And if I did want it?”

“I’ll keep your secret,” he said, face dipping back down to yours. The scarlet of his iris was darker than you’d ever seen. “But I get to finish what I should have done in that bath.”

Heat swept through you and your toes curled, your fingers flexing where you still grasped his hair. Was he saying...?

“You can take a couple days,” he said, drawing further off of you, “Think it over.”

You shook your head, tightening your grip to stop him. “I know my answer now.”

And you did. After so many months of wondering after him, staring at him, learning about him, how could you not? Katsuki Bakugou was loud, brash, and infuriating but he also was fiercely protective, watchful, and -- in his own twisted up way -- kind. He’d found you a sword, trained you himself, thought you more capable than any man. He’d kept your secret, would keep it still.

There was only one answer.

“You want to finish what you started in the bath?” you asked carefully, tipping your head to look back at him. You let a small smile creep over your mouth. “I think I’m free tonight.”

[fellulahh]

Point of No Return - Part 1/???, Diavolo x MC x Lucifer

Evening was drawing in at the Devildom as MC found herself inside the palace walls with the brothers. The usual conversations were ago between the various demons; Lucifer, Barbatos and Diavolo having their mature discussions; Mammon and Levi bickering over something irrelevant; Beel and Belphie enjoying each other’s company and Satan attempting to have an intellectual conversation with Asmo.

MC was sat between them all, her mind wandering off as the many voices surrounded her. Her eyes fell on the plate of food in front of her; examining the curious culinary that was served to them.

As her face grimaced, she was quickly distracted from her daydream when Lucifer called her name.

“MC?” He repeated in a stern voice, having startled the human.

“Sorry?” She quickly answered, turning her head.

Lucifer cleared his throat, trying his best not to show any agitation at MC’s lack of focus. He didn’t want to be embarrassed - he could feel Diavolo’s amber gaze close by as he listened in.

“Lord Diavolo was just telling me of his plans to celebrate his reign - he’s interested in having some musicians perform on the night and I mentioned that you know how to to play the piano.” He informed her.

In all truth, as soon as Diavolo mentioned the idea of having performers, Lucifer immediately thought of MC.

He’d only ever heard her play a few times; the reason being that there are only two pianos in all of Devildom; one at RAD and the other in the palace. String instruments are far more desired by demons.

However, despite Lucifer only ever hearing MC play a handful of times, every time he did hear her play he found himself getting lost. In fact, discovering her love for music altered his opinion on the human. He’d never seen her with so much passion in all of her time in Devildom.

Rather than seeing MC as that human who gets in the way and humours his brothers, Lucifer saw her as his regal, mesmerising creature.

And so, when the topic was brought up that night in the palace, Lucifer didn’t hesitate to blurt MC’s name out. He did question whether he wanted to exploit MC’s talent because in doing so he’d lose that one thing only he had discovered about her.

But then just the thought of the beautiful music that she can create made Lucifer’s heart burst with pride. Why wouldn’t he want everyone to see how talented she is?

Collecting his thoughts, Lucifer continued. “He’s rather impressed by the discovery.”

MC furrowed her eyebrows, surprised by Diavolo’s interest.

“Yes.” The Prince spoke up before Lucifer could say another word, “in fact I am rather upset you never shared this information with me previously.”

Now MC was really stumped on what to say. One moment she was staring at her dinner and the next she was put on the spot in front of Lord Diavolo.

Meeting his eyes, MC found herself feeling unusually nervous. It wasn’t often that Diavolo’s conversations were directed only at her. Most of the time when they were all gathered with the Prince it was because he was requesting something from them all. But no, he was only interested in MC tonight.

“I apologise, my Lord.” She spoke up in a soft voice, “but I’ve never had the opportunity where I’d tell you.”

Diavolo found amusement in her words. A small smile found its way onto his lips as Lucifer sat in an ominous silence close by.

“Well here’s your opportunity, my dear.” He stated with a nod before standing from his seat. “Barbatos, entertain our guests will you while I escort MC to the piano.”

“Of course, my Lord.” His servant nodded.

Sheepish, MC remained in her seat as she could feel her cheeks growing hot. Was he expecting her to follow him?

Diavolo soon noticed the rosiness of MC’s skin and chuckled at her expression. “Come, MC. I must hear you play!”

The King was cheery as he grew more and more excited.

MC could feel her heart flutter with nerves. Lord Diavolo wants her to play for him?

As she managed to collect her thoughts, she removed the napkin from her lap and pushed out her chair from underneath the table. “Yes, my Lord.”

Copying her actions, Lucifer went to remove his napkin before he was stopped.

“At ease, Lucifer.” Diavolo spoke boldly with amusement in his tone, “I am sure MC will get into no trouble if she’s out of your protection for ten minutes.”

Lucifer’s eyes widened and he was almost offended that he was told to stay behind. The thought of Diavolo taking MC away didn’t quite sit right with him. But nevertheless, Lucifer couldn’t question his word.

“Yes, my Lord.” He spoke hesitantly, resuming his position at the table.

Satisfied with Lucifer’s response, Diavolo turned his attention back to MC who slowly made her way toward him.

“This way - I’ll show you.” He smiled.

MC quickly glanced at Lucifer as she walked past. Her lips parted as she noticed the stiffness in his expression. However, she didn’t turn back as her and the Prince left the room.

As they exited, Diavolo made sure to close the door behind them. Being away from company, he was able to relax.

Turning away from the door, he met eyes with MC who still looked uncertain. “Relax, MC.” He chuckled, “You don’t need to look so afraid.”

“I apologise, my Lord, but it’s not every day that the Prince of Devildom asks you to play something for him.” She spoke quietly as they began to pace down the red carpeted hallways.

“There’s nothing wrong with that I hope?” He questioned, “I apologise for putting you on the spot but with the way Lucifer was talking about your talents, I just had to see them for myself. He seemed very fond of you.”

MC’s eyebrow arched ever so slightly at the mention of Lucifer’s name. “He did?” She asked.

“Absolutely.” Diavolo smirked to himself, knowing of the way Lucifer’s heart turned soft when it came to the human.

Guiding MC through the palace, Diavolo eventually led her to a room she’d never seen before. Colossal windows covered one wall while various dusty paintings were scattered across the others. The room was lit merely by the glow of the moon until Diavolo flicked a switch.

“A little dusty I’m afraid.” He spoke, observing the various cobwebs that covered the furniture.

As the chandelier illuminated, MC eyes fell on the object that sat in the very centre of the room; a grand piano. She had a shocked expression as she gazed at the instrument; her feet unconsciously bringing her closer to it while Diavolo studied her curiously.

“My Lord.” She whispered, admiring all of the intricate details on it.

This piano was like none she’d ever seen.

“It’s beautiful.” She complimented, turning her head to glance at him.

“It was my Mother’s.” He informed her, joining MC’s side, “Although nobody has ever played it since she died, I still have it tuned regularly. Of course I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if it hadn’t been but perhaps you will.”

MC bit her lip, still marvelling at the gold embellishments that decorated the otherwise black casing.

“I couldn’t possibly, my Lord.” She breathed.

“Please, I insist.” He nodded, “It’d be cruel for only Lucifer to know of your talents.”

His warm smile gave MC the smallest thread of confidence. It was one thing to play for Lucifer but to play for Diavolo? That’s a lot of pressure.

“Okay, my Lord. Sorry.” She apologised before slowly taking a seat on the stool that sat in front of the piano.

Diavolo could feel his cheeks grow warm as he anticipated what his exchange student was about to show him.

But then, as MC took a deep breath and positioned her fingers on the keys, Diavolo’s smile faded.

The human seemed to drift off as her hands went back and forth. The silence within the room was replaced with a tranquil sound; the elegant tune filling Diavolo’s ears.

Despite Lucifer’s praises of MC’s ability, Diavolo was still astonished by what he was hearing. How could it be that the student he’d known for so many months kept such a beautiful thing hidden from everyone?

He began to find himself musing over MC; his head tilting as he watched her fingers tinker across the keys like they were made to do so.

Leaning against the piano, Diavolo continued to study the human that sat in front of him. His lips were parted as he felt the vibrations of the strings within the instrument. He hadn’t experienced the feeling since he was a young boy watching his mother play.

Much to Diavolo’s pity, the composition that MC was playing drew to an end. Her hands hovered over the keys as the last note hummed across the room before she finally released the pedal.

As the room grew silent, all nerves that had vanished from MC’s body quickly came back. Turning her head, her eyes flickered up to Diavolo’s; watching him expectantly.

“Simply incredible.” He breathed.

MC was startled by his expression. He’d lost that usual cheery grin of his and was unusually serious.

“Thank you, my Lord.” She nodded before slipping her legs out from under the piano to stand up.

“Not that I ever doubted Lucifer’s word about you, MC, but you have truly left me marvelled.” Diavolo admitted, “I only wish I could hear more but I expect Lucifer will be wondering where you are.”

MC chuckled at his comment, causing a small smile to appear on Diavolo’s face.

“Come. I must thank him for informing me of your talent.” He stated, walking toward the door.

Following him, MC tried to ignore the small blush that appeared on her cheeks as Diavolo smothered her with compliments.

—

As the pair returned to where the brothers were gathered, Diavolo immediately grinned at the eldest brother.

“Lucifer.” He greeted, returning to his seat. “Despite your kind words, they still didn’t prepare me for what I just witnessed. MC here is wasted in the House of Lamentation.”

MC smiled at the Prince’s words while Lucifer seemed to grow tense at the comment.

“You must perform for me, MC.” Diavolo insisted, turning his attention to the human, “What better way to celebrate my reign than having one of Devildom’s exchange students play for everybody?”

Although the request absolutely terrified MC, she didn’t want to disappoint either Diavolo or Lucifer.

“Of course, my Lord.” She smiled, “I’d be honoured.”

“Excellent. In that case then I’d like to invite you back tomorrow so I can hear more.” Diavolo stated.

“Perhaps it’d be best to practice at RAD - that way there’s no need to worry about getting to you after lectures, my Lord.” Lucifer spoke up.

“Nonsense.” Diavolo shook his head, meeting eyes with MC. “I’d like to have you here - the palace piano is far superior than the one at RAD.”

The human turned away, unable to return the Prince’s gaze. She’d received more attention from him in that one evening than she had in all of her time in Devildom. MC didn’t know how to react to it all; in fact she found it all overwhelming.

Diavolo on the other hand was intrigued by the curiosity that crossed his mind over the human. He didn’t actually have a clue about the two pianos.

In fact, he didn’t know if the one in the palace was more superior at all.

—

A/N: okie dokie so this is the first chapter I have wrote for the Diavolo fic. I have done a couple more but will need to adapt them slightly. I’m intrigued to see what you guys think so please please please let me know so I can decide whether it’s worth it writing more! Thank you

[mimirexx]

Dear giftee, i hope you find your easter gift and i hope you’ll like it! ✨

And a big thanks to @levihanweek for hosting this event!

You can read this fic either on AO3 or under the cut!

Sunsets At The Pond

It was only thanks to Isabel and Farlan that Levi decided to let Hanji get closer to them. It was the right decision because she became a very important person to him- even if she keeps getting on his nerves all. the. damned. time.

“I saw it, you know? The decisive moment!”

“The decisive moment?” Levi questioned in his calm tone, drawing his knife behind his back without anyone noticing and preparing himself for a massacre he was about to commit. “What are you talking about?”

“What I’m talking about?” The brunette in front of him repeated, her glasses catching the light for a moment. She was crouching a bit, her hands on her knees to look at Levi who was sitting on the ground.

If she did that while he was standing, he would behead that woman without second thought.

“It’s obvious that I’m talking about the moment when you brought down that titan!” Her shrill voice echoed in Levi’s ears, making him rethink his plans to murder that woman. For now.

Good she didn’t notice the real plan he and his friends had. That saved her life. Again, only for now.

“That was really amazing!” She exclaimed, holding up a fist as her lips curled into a joyful grin. “I was overwhelmed with excitement!”

Levi stared for a couple moments in silence, definitely not having expected that kind of reaction coming from anyone in the Survey Corps. They all despised them since they saw Levi and his friends as thieves and thugs- which itself wasn’t even that wrong.

“...Ah.” He sounded quietly and hid the knife again.

Levi lived in the underground ever since he started thinking, stealing has always been a condition of survival. How else would he get food on the table? It wasn’t like work in the underground really paid off, everyone there was corrupt and dirty.

Isabel and Farlan, his two only friends, were the first and only people he really trusted and cared for. They took care of and looked out for each other. The very reason Levi agreed to joining the Survey Corps was because they got captured and it would have costed his friends’ lives if he didn’t.

They’ve remained for themselves that far, didn’t exactly try to get close to anyone. That weird brunette with the glasses was strange and Levi didn’t like her. She could become a threat since she didn’t seem to be stupid and would get behind his intention to kill Erwin sooner or later. Maybe he needed to murder her before Erwin.

“I’m Hanji Zoe. You’re Levi, right?”

Levi blinked, then sighed with slight irritation. Were they getting friendly now? How annoying.

“Mhm.” He just sounded in response, not very interested to keep the conversation up.

He watched as this Hanji lady plopped down between Farlan and Isabel and began chatting with them. Isabel was a pure-hearted being, she warmed up to Hanji the fastest. Hanji even handed her a little pouch with sweets and that was enough to win over Isabel.

On second glance, even Farlan didn’t seem too repulsed by the person that was Hanji Zoe either. Only Levi had to fight with himself quite a lot.

~~~

It was two days later when Hanji suddenly barged into their room during the early evening with what she deemed an awesome idea: visiting a nearby pond to watch the sunset.

“No.” Levi denied without hesitation, “you’re just trying to get us in trouble.”

“I’m not, I promise!” Hanji defended quickly.

“Aw, c’mon, Big Bro!” Isabel began pleading as well. “I think that sounds really fun! And I’ve never been to a pond before!”

“I’m not in the base past curfew on a regular basis and never got caught this far. Nobody will see us, I promise.” Hanji added.

“No,” Levi repeated simply.

The young redhead didn’t like that answer in any way. She pouted, her eyes growing double their size, and folded her hands in front of herself to plead. “Please? I bet it’d be so fun. We finally got out of that stinky hole, I wanna explore the surface now. See the nature and animals and everything else!”

Levi glared but it was no use. He could never stay stern with Isabel when she looked at him like that. Damn her and her sad puppy eyes. He hated how she was abusing his soft spot for something so ridiculous.

After a long moment, he exhaled deeply. “Fine. But,” he added quickly and narrowed his eyes at Hanji in particular, “if we get in trouble because of you, I will not hesitate to slice your neck.”

“I have no doubt about that.” The brunette in question just smiled at Levi’s threat. That was a first. People usually got intimidated, that weirdo looked joyful as ever. Humans were strange.

And that was how Levi agreed on sneaking out to the pond with Isabel, Farlan and Hanji. They spent the whole night there while Hanji spewed things about nature like a waterfall and Isabel was listening with the most interest ever.

They all watched the sunset in the evening. Isabel was awestruck and so exhilarated. Levi could swear he never saw her happier in his life. Farlan was quite impressed too, his grin gave it away. Even Levi’s expression softened at the sight and he enjoyed their little trip as well.

By the end, it wasn’t even that bad. It was a nice change, Levi had to admit. On the bright side, it brought a smile on Isabel’s face so it definitely was worth it. He’d never forget about that smile.

~~~

After Isabel and Farlan died on a mission not too long after, Levi distanced himself from everyone. They were his family so it was really hard for him to accept their deaths. He needed space.

It turned out Hanji Zoe was a good influence for helping him process it. She stayed by his side even after several times of Levi shouting “leave me alone!” at her and made sure he wasn’t feeling too lonely while still giving him the space he needed. He never would’ve believed it, but she really was a big help.

One week after their deaths, Hanji convinced Levi to go to the pond again.

They snuck out before nighttime and sat in the grass in front of the pond, staring at the water quietly. There was no wind so the water was calm, just like the rest of their surroundings. The soft sounds of crickets and frogs in the distance filled the silence, having a good impact on the awkwardness. It wasn’t dead silent, at least.

“They were good people,” Hanji eventually spoke, doing something in the grass Levi wasn’t interested in to check. “I’ve lost important people too, I know how you feel. I’m really sorry.”

Levi usually would’ve snapped, would’ve told Hanji that she had no idea how he felt or what he was going through. But somehow, her words held so much sincerity that he couldn’t but believe what she said. She got to know Isabel and Farlan for a few days too and Levi was grateful they were remembered by a second person.

He stared up at the sky quietly and wondered where his two best friends were now and how they were doing. If they were watching him from above, he hoped they weren’t teasing him.

‘See? Told you Hanji was a good person!’ Isabel would probably say. ‘I think she could be one of us!’

Farlan would probably say something along the lines of ‘Don’t end up alone, Levi. Make friends and become stronger.’

He would become stronger so he never had to lose anyone again. He would become the strongest to protect these dear to him- which at the moment only was Hanji. He felt like they were starting to form some kind of friendship.

“And done.” Hanji spoke up after a while, pulling Levi out of his thoughts and making him look over. He tilted his head at Hanji in confusion, seeing she was hiding something.

“What’s done?” He asked with furrowed brows.

The brunette smiled and moved over a little to show what she was working on the whole time they’ve been sitting there.

Levi blinked down at what looked like two flower-boats. Hanji took waterlilies and arranged them on a big green leaf each with smaller flowers and decorations she made of their surroundings all around. One of the flowers was a deep red, the other a bright yellow which faded into a soft white. In the middle of each flower, Hanji placed a little candle.

“I thought that since we couldn’t give them an appropriate burial, we can at least say goodbye properly.” She murmured and looked up into Levi’s eyes.

He stared at the flowers in silence, taking a few moments to let it sink in. His heart was beating a little faster and he could feel a lump forming in his throat, could feel the tears pricking in his eyes.

He never would’ve expected anyone to do something for his fallen friends, so it caught him off guard for sure.

“You don’t like it..? I’m sorry, that wasn’t very sensible of me…”

“No,” Levi stopped her from putting away the flowers by taking a gentle hold of her wrist, careful to not mess up anything she built. “I… That’s… I would like to.. I want to... say goodbye.”

He was never very good with words but Hanji didn’t seem to mind. She just gave a small nod and carefully placed one of the flowers into Levi’s open palm. “I thought we could put them into the water and light the candle,” she suggested.

Levi nodded and looked down at the flower, treating it with the utmost care as they approached the pond and knelt down right in front of the water. It was starting to get darker now. With a gentle motion, Levi lowered the flower into the water while he made sure that nothing fell off. The flowers on the leaf swam on top of the water even after he took his hands away. Hanji was quite skilled when it came to building things.

Hanji did the same and then handed Levi a match. “Do you want to say something?”

“Yeah…” He muttered and stared down at the flowers. However, Levi remained silent. His heart was speaking and he did not want to say it out loud.

He was thinking back to the times where Isabel made him agree to dumb things, where she tried to hook him up with some random girl and how she always wanted to share her food with him. How she caused trouble for them so many times.

Back to the time he met Farlan, how he started trusting him as the first person years after his uncle left him, how Farlan always lectured him for being too rough and how Farlan always stood on his side and supported him, no matter what it was about.

Farlan and Isabel were the best friends he ever had, his family, and Levi would never forget about them. Without them, he’d be just another brat in the underground. He’d be a no one.

After a few minutes passed in which Levi remembered his friends, he gave a little nod to let Hanji know he was ready.

They both lit the candles inside the flowers and pulled their hands away to let them float further into the pond. The flower-boats entangled between a few leaves and other flowers on the pond before coming to a stop in the middle, the candles flicking and offering a little light in the growing darkness.

Levi watched their every move and soon felt an arm being wrapped around him. Without giving it too much thought, he let it happen and leaned into the embrace while his eyes stayed on the two flowers in the distance.

“...Thank you.” He mumbled and closed his eyes, a few small tears rolling down his cheek.

Hanji rubbed his arm and rested her head on top of his. “They were my friends too, you don’t need to thank me.”

Silence fell over them after that and neither of them made a move to pull away. Levi didn’t feel too uncomfortable with the touching either since he felt like he needed some comfort at the moment. Hanji didn’t seem to judge him and made none of the snarky comments she usually loved doing.

In her arms, he felt safe and comforted, and that was everything he needed at the moment to let out what was going on inside of him. To process everything. Hanji’s comment made him rethink many things and perhaps… perhaps Hanji wasn’t just anyone anymore.

They ended up sitting in the grass for a while and watched the sky turn orange and pink and purple before slowly fading into a very dark blue. A few smaller clouds could be seen faintly.

It was still weird to him how the sun went down and came up and turned the sky into such colors. It didn’t make sense, especially the pink colors. Yellow, orange, he understood. But pink? It was so weird.

A pink weird sunset. Nothing he expected the sky to look like before leaving the underground.

It was still beautiful in its own way, however. Just something he needed Hanji to explain to him some day.

Before the sun was fully up in the next morning, Levi straightened his back and stifled a small yawn. He looked up to see that Hanji had fallen asleep. Her body was supported by a tree from behind and a few leaves were entangled in her messy hair. Levi reached up to take care of it, pulling out each leaf and dropping it into the grass.

Somehow, he saw Hanji so much different now. She wasn’t just some science freak who didn’t shower often enough and was a constant pain in the ass- she was a very compassionate person with a big, big heart. A friend.

...His friend.

~~~

Going to the pond to watch the sunset became a habit. The two of them went there often, either to think of Isabel and Farlan or just to spend some time away from the base. They already went there so many times Levi lost count.

It was a nice place. Levi liked having it for themselves.

“When do you have the- Holy fuck. Get that thing away from me!” Levi’s eyes shot wide open as he attempted to create distance between him and Hanji, and especially what she was holding.

“C’mon, he just wanna be friends!” She laughed, holding up the frog in her hands and moving it dangerously close to Levi.

Levi “tch”ed angrily and took a step away whenever Hanji came closer. His eyes stayed on the frog, his frown deep. “I swear if that thing’s gonna touch me I will shove my foot up your ass so far you’ll be shitting from your mouth for a month!” He threatened in a very serious, deep voice.

But Hanji only laughed and began chasing Levi around the pond, not intimidated in the slightest. “Don’t be mean, Shorty! It’s rude not to say hello!”

“Fuck you!” He spat.

It only took a few steps for Levi to be unfortunate enough to slip on the moist ground. Since the sun already began to set and Hanji had the audacity to chase him with such a disgusting thing in her hands, he couldn’t pay enough attention to the ground. He shielded his fall with his arms, getting mud all over his sleeves and pants. When he looked down to see the mess that was created because of Hanji, his frown deepened.

“Tch! Look what you did!” He snapped, about to stand up and show Hanji a piece of his mind.

But Levi froze suddenly, his eyes slowly starting to widen.

“Oi…”

Hanji stared. Then began cackling and holding her stomach as her hysterical laughter filled the air. “O-Oh my God!”

“Get it off!” Levi growled. He shivered in discomfort when the frog, who dared to hop onto his head, croaked and moved its hands and feet to have more stability in Levi’s hair.

“Oh, God! I wish there was a way to capture this moment!” Hanji laughed, not making a move to help Levi.

The frog croaked again and Levi was frozen in place, his expression dark. The utter disgust he was feeling from having a slimy, dirty, muddy frog on his head was making him stiff. He couldn��t move in fear the frog might touch other places. The discomfort he was in was unbearable.

He shot Hanji a glare who was still laughing. The whole situation amused her a lot, much to Levi’s dismay.

But wouldn’t it have been for her laugh making his heart skip a beat, he long would’ve tossed her into the pond.

“Oi, Hanji, I’m serious.” He muttered and clenched his fists in the grass. “Get it off.”

Once Hanji calmed down a little, she reached up to wipe away a tear. “Oh, dear,” she still chuckled, a little breathlessly, and carefully scooped the frog back into her hands.

Levi exhaled deeply, feeling better now that the animal was gone but feeling disgusting nevertheless. He didn’t even dare to touch his hair.

“Sorry, but you looked too adorable with a frog on your head.” She hummed in feigned innocence. “I think Mr. Froggy has a crush on you~!” She sang.

“Tch.” The raven finally stood up and frowned deeply. “We’re going back. I need to shower.” He stated simply.

“Aw, man. Already?” She pouted.

“Yes. I’m not staying like this longer than necessary. And you will regret this.” He glared, then turned on his heels and began walking away from the pond.

If there was one thing Levi Ackerman hated, it was dirt. Any kind of dirt. Cleanliness was very important to him ever since he was a child, his mother taught him so. Though, he didn’t fully understand why he was spending time with the dirtiest and most unhygienic person in the whole military. How ironic.

“Wait for me!” Hanji exclaimed and gently set the frog down so she could catch up with Levi and walk by his side. “You gotta admit, the frog was pretty cute.”

That thing? Cute? There had to be something seriously wrong with Hanji. “It’s filthy. I don’t even want to know how many germs are on me now. Tch.”

“You’re gonna wash it off and that’s it, there’s no need to make it such a big deal.” She sighed softly, almost longingly. “I wish I could have a frog for myself. As a pet, I mean. But I don’t have a proper terrarium. Or a lizard! Lizards are cool as heck. You can cut off their tails and it grows back! Just like with the titan’s limbs! Did you know-!”

Levi stopped listening once the word ‘titan’ fell, knowing it resulted in an endless rant that he couldn’t escape. He just gave a little hum or grunt every now and then to give the impression he was listening when he really wasn’t. All that didn’t interest him that much. He already heard it at least ten times.

A short walk later, the two arrived back at the headquarters where Levi headed towards his room.

“Alright, see you tom- Huh?”

Levi grabbed her wrist firmly. “You’re gonna take a shower too.”

“Wha-? But Levi, I can just wash my hands and I’ll be fine!” She protested.

“You’re taking a shower,” he repeated more seriously and dragged her into his room.

“That’s not fair! I’ve got plenty other things to do!” She complained, trying to yank her hand back but Levi’s grip was too tight.

Levi rolled his eyes and entered the bathroom with Hanji in tow. “Just imagine we’re still at the water hole, it’s the same.”

Hanji puffed her cheeks and muttered, “it’s not.”

Seeing that she wasn’t fighting back anymore, Levi saw his victory and began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Wait, we’re taking a shower together..?” She questioned confusedly.

“Yes. I don’t trust you to take a proper shower by yourself.” He tossed his jacket and shirt into the hamper. “You’re not the first woman I see naked so just get over with it.”

“Hah! You’re smart but you’re also a pervert.” Hanji chuckled but did as told and began undressing as well.

“Whatever.”

When Levi was fully undressed, he stepped into the shower and turned on the water.

“At least let the water be hot, I know you prefer cold showers.” She dropped her clothes on the floor and took off her glasses, placing them onto the sink. Afterwards, she carefully got into the shower as well and reached out to test the water temperature.

Satisfied with it, Hanji moved her body under the stream of water and closed her eyes, humming in contentment.

“So you do like taking showers.” Levi observed as he began lathering his hair with a lot of soap.

It made Hanji chuckle. “Well, the water is nice. I just don’t like the process of getting into the shower and scrubbing your body and drying and getting dressed again. That’s the annoying part. I usually don’t have time for that.”

“I see.” Levi scrubbed his head furiously and thoroughly, wanting to get all of the frog germs out of his hair. He rinsed out the soap afterwards and repeated the process before he reached up to start washing Hanji’s hair.

Maybe Hanji just needed someone to take over washing her. If Levi had to do it, he would. After all, he was spending most of his time with her anyway. Might as well make sure she took a shower regularly.

Surprisingly enough, his fingers moved very gently on her head and massaged her scalp. He had to pull Hanji’s head down a bit to reach her better but the brunette complied and didn’t try to move away.

She closed her eyes and held onto Levi’s shoulders for support. “This feels good. You’re really good at this.”

Levi said nothing and soon let her move her head under the stream of water to rinse out the soap. He also took care of working the conditioner into Hanji’s messy, knotted hair and let her wash her body herself afterwards, keeping an eye on her to ensure she really washed herself.

When they were both sparkly clean, Levi stepped out of the shower and grabbed two towels, handing one to Hanji before he began drying himself.

Since Levi didn’t let her wear the clothes she wore earlier because they were full of ‘frog germs‘, he gave her some pants that were a little too big for him and a loose t-shirt. The clothes were a little too small for Hanji but neither minded too much. There was no way he would let her wear dirty clothes after he just cleaned her.

“Hey, do you mind if I sleep over?” Hanji asked while getting dressed and grinned. “We could have a sleepover!”

Levi stared, then sighed and rubbed his hair dry. After a while, he spoke up. “You have your own room for a reason, Four Eyes.”

“You never let me sleep over. I even took a shower just for you and you still won’t let me, that’s not what I’d call fair.” She huffed.

He rolled his eyes. “The world’s unfair, better get used to it.” He stated simply.

“Doesn’t mean we have to surrender to that unfairness. C’mon, I wanna sleep over today.” She asked again, putting on her glasses so she could give Levi a big pout.

In a way, Levi was reminded of the many times Isabel asked him for something and pouted just like that when she didn’t get it. And in a way, Hanji hit that very same soft spot in his heart with her childish little pout.

But he still couldn’t just give in so easily. “Go sleep in your own room.”

“That’s mean. I guess I’ll just go and sleep in the stables then, you don’t seem to care much either way.” She turned and took a few steps away from Levi, starting to head over to the door.

Levi remained silent, folding his arms over his chest and eyeing her. He raised a brow quietly.

Hanji slowed down, glancing back at Levi from the corner of her eye. “I said, I’ll just go and sleep in the stables then!” She repeated, a little louder.

But Levi showed no reaction.

“The stables where it’s cold and I will get sick because my hair is still damp!” She emphasized, taking another slow step.

“And where I will be alone the whole night with not even a blanket!” Half a step.

She gasped dramatically. “Where I will sleep for days because not even my friend cares about me!”

Levi’s eye twitched. What did he deserve this for? He cursed under his breath and sighed loudly and deeply. “For fuck’s sake- Fine. I’ll allow it this once. Stop that miserable acting.” He growled.

“Yay!” Hanji smiled and quickly hurried back to Levi.

Soon, Levi and Hanji were laying down on his bed. Levi didn’t face her because he found it too awkward to sleep face-to-face with someone else in the bed and instead faced his back to Hanji.

Just as he closed his eyes to sleep, he could feel an arm around him and soon felt Hanji’s body pressed against his own from behind. He glanced down at the arm first before turning his head at an angle to be able to face her.

“What’re you doing?” He questioned blankly.

Hanji smiled and gave him a squeeze. “Cuddling you. You’re so warm. And you have the perfect size for cuddles. I like that.” She hummed.

Levi stared for a few moments before just turning his head around again and closing his eyes. He reached down to rest his own hand on top of Hanji’s and had to hold back a little smile.

It was a good feeling to be held like that by someone who was important to him. He felt comfortable and warm, didn’t feel lonely in that bed for the first time. Hanji might be a pain in the ass for the most part but Levi genuinely cherished and appreciated her. So he ignored that comment about his height this time for the sake of keeping the good atmosphere.

“Just sleep, you big weirdo,” he mumbled.

Hanji chuckled and nuzzled the back of Levi’s neck. “Night, Levi.”

Yeah, Levi liked that too.

~~~

“Oh, Levi. Good I’m catching you,” Erwin spoke in the hallway, looking over a few papers he was holding. “I need you to-“

“Not now.” Levi cut him off quickly. He had one hand inside his jacket, the other one was pulling it closed and hiding what Levi had.

The blond looked up at that and raised a thick eyebrow in suspicion. “‘Not now’?” He repeated, “Do you have any plans?”

“No.” Levi replied flatly and narrowed his eyes.

Erwin’s gaze fell on Levi’s jacket and the hands trying to hide something. “What do you have there, Levi?” He asked, partly curious and partly confused.

The raven frowned. “None of your business,” he spat, “now move.”

Erwin chuckled heartily. “You’re always so full of surprises.”

“Whatev- tch!” Levi flinched a little and glared down at his jacket. His brows furrowed deeply.

“...Are you sure you’re not trying to hide something?” The blond grinned amusedly.

Levi shot him a glare and stomped past him. “Shut it. Go take care of your own things, Eyebrows.” He muttered as he began walking down the hall.

He let out a small hiss or curses every now and then, making some cadets turn and give him weird looks, but Levi ignored them and kept walking. What he was about to do was important, no matter how weirded out he was by himself.

Only when he reached Hanji’s lab, he stopped and exhaled deeply. He took a short look under his jacket to make sure everything was still fine before opening the door and walking inside. “Oi, Shit Glasses.” He called out.

The woman in question peeked up from under her desk and shot the other a bright grin. “Oh! Hi, Shorty!” She chirped happily.

Levi tilted his head a little. “The hell are you doing under your desk?”

“Hm? Oh! Funny story!” She chuckled and stood up. “I accidentally dropped my box with spiders while rearranging a few things in their terrarium. I already caught Daisy but Nine, Noodles and Sun are still somewhere around here.”

Levi blinked and looked around himself. “Who the fuck drops their spiders? I told you not to collect any shitty insects, tch…”

“You were the one who bought me the terrarium. So actually, this is your fault. Also,” Hanji adjusted her glasses, “spiders aren’t insects. They are Arachnids! Calling them insects is like saying birds are fish or-“

“Enough. Just catch them and be more careful, I don’t need one of your creepy spiders to crawl into my room.”

The brunette hummed and scratched the back of her neck. “I’m gonna catch them again but they’re really naughty today, they don’t wanna be caught. Especially Noodles.”

“Whatever.” Levi glanced down at the hand that was still hidden behind his jacket. It was now or never- and Levi honestly wanted to get over with it quick. “Talking about disgusting insects,” he trailed off.

Hanji faced him and looked confused. Until she saw that Levi was hiding something from her and curiosity took over her whole features. “Hey, whatcha got there?” She exclaimed, taking a few quick steps closer in hopes to see.

Levi stared up at the taller woman, into these big brown eyes which made him weak on the spot. Over the years, Hanji got a special spot in his heart and he couldn’t deny it anymore. He would kill for that woman, quite literally.

“Is it something for me?” She beamed.

“No, for your spiders.” Levi commented, rolling his eyes.

That made Hanji laugh. “Then show me already! I wanna see!” She bounced on the spot like a child, impatient and curious.

The raven sighed before pulling his hand out of his jacket and showing what he was holding for Hanji to see. He never expected that day to come but life was full of surprises.

In his hand, Levi held a small animal. It was a little bigger than the size of his palm with four legs and two round, black eyes. Apart from the stomach, its body was a yellow color with several brown dots all over the head, back, arms and tail.

The animal blinked up at Hanji who let out a big gasp and squealed. “Oh my God!” She exclaimed, “Is it really for me?!”

“No, I caught it for Erwin.” Levi commented and stared somewhere into the room. “Yes, dumbass, it’s for you. That fucker bit me ten times already so just take it…”

Hanji’s grin was huge as she carefully took the animal from Levi’s hands and petted its head. “Look how beautiful! You’re my new favorite pet!” She giggled.

Levi folded his arms over his chest now that his hands were empty and eyed Hanji and her new friend.

“How come you’d catch a living and crawling animal for me? No way you’d do it voluntarily.” She chuckled and let the animal crawl up her arm and to her shoulder.

Levi shrugged. “You once said you wanted a lizard.” He stated nonchalantly.

“Hm? Did I? I don’t remember.” Hanji tapped her chin in thought.

Actually, that was already more than two years ago. But Levi found it would be kind of embarrassing to admit he had been thinking of catching a lizard for Hanji for years. So he brushed it off with a simpler explanation.

“You did the other day so I looked for one, no big deal.”

Hanji’s grin turned into a soft smile. She stepped closer to Levi and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you. That’s the best gift someone ever made me.”

Levi exhaled, partly in relief, and reached up to place a hand against Hanji’s back in return. “Happy birthday, you big weirdo.” He muttered, giving her a pat.

Hanji tightened her grip for a moment before pulling away to face Levi. The animal got comfortable on Hanji’s shoulder and made no move to get away from there.

“You’re the best, so you deserve something too.” She placed her hands on Levi’s shoulders. “Close your eyes, I’ll get it for you.”

Levi narrowed his eyes in distrust before sighing. “Any tricks and you’ll regret it.” He warned, then gave in and closed his eyes as he stood still.

Nothing happened for a few long moments and Levi furrowed his brows. Her hands were still on his shoulders. What if Hanji did something stupid again? He couldn’t risk it.

“Oi, if you-“

He couldn’t even finish his sentence and already felt a pair of soft lips being pressed against his own. It took him a moment to process what was happening but once he did, he pressed against Hanji to return the kiss, feeling his heart flutter in his chest.

The kiss lasted for a good minute until Hanji had to pull away because the animal on her shoulder almost dropped to the floor. She managed to keep it where it was and gave Levi a silly grin.

The raven rolled his eyes but it was in a rather playful way, judging by the faint smile on his lips. Hanji was someone special, she meant the world to him.

“Oh, by the way!” She exclaimed suddenly and took the little animal into her hands to get a better look. “You didn’t catch a lizard, it’s a gecko! A leopard gecko, and quite a beauty on top of that! Different from lizards, geckos have-“

Levi faded out Hanji’s babbling and instead admired her face beam in joy and excitement. He brought a smile to Hanji’s lips and that was all he aimed for.

He felt happy.

“Noodles!” Hanji suddenly exclaimed, pulling Levi out of his thoughts. Once he remembered that was one of the names Hanji gave to her spiders and he saw that her gaze was on his shoulder, he widened his eyes and glanced down.

“Oi, fucking take it away right now!” He snapped.

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Rebirth

Chapter 3: You Look Taller

Summary: Steve is transformed into the world’s first Super Soldier, but after a bomb is detonated in the SSR lab, he is soon putting his new found strength to the test.

Warnings: Bad Language words.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Word Count- 7.5k ish

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

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

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

SSR Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 2

Steve didn’t sleep a wink that night. His mind was in overdrive, his body spiking with just about as many contrasting emotions one could possibly feel all at once. Excitement, fear, pride, concern, uncertainty, determination…and then there were his thoughts about Katie and what they’d done last night. He was conflicted about that as well. On the one hand it had been so wrong, to have rubbed one another to release through their clothes, without even courting so to speak. It went against everything his Ma had taught him about treating a dame with respect, instead he’d gone head and behaved just like Bucky normally did when he paraded around in his uniform, using it to pick up any woman he could.

But on the other, nothing had ever felt so damned right to him before in his life.

He still couldn’t quite believe it, although the evidence it had happened was plain to see in his pants which he’d hastily changed and hidden in the bottom of his trunk. What he was having trouble processing was why. Why a dame like that had picked a guy like him. He still wasn’t completely convinced she wasn’t acting out of pity. Pity that he was about to undergo some transformation and had never been touched that way before.

But then she’d admitted that she hadn’t either. “What was it you said about waiting for the right partner?”

Maybe she did actually feel something for him. And whilst it hadn’t been the most conventional beginning, perhaps it might morph into something else?

 With a groan he shook his head, who was he kidding? It was June, 1943 and they were in the middle of a war. He was about to be injected with some kind of serum that was either going to turn him into a soldier with enhanced capabilities or…well, he didn’t want to think about the 'or'. Either way, he knew what should be at the forefront of his mind, and a relationship with Katie Stark was not it.

He went about his morning routine as normal. Thanks to the SSR’s programme being covert, most people on the base completely ignored him as usual, which suited him fine. The last thing he wanted was people asking him questions about how he was feeling, because he simply didn’t know. This time, once he was dressed he ensured all his belongings were packed ready to be taken to his new barracks, wherever they were going to be and no sooner had he done that the door opened and he snapped to attention, saluting the soldier that had arrived along with Agent Carter.

“Hello Steve," she smiled at him.

“Good morning, Ma’am.” He said, his hand, dropping to his side and he relaxed as she instructed him to be at ease.

“Are you ready?” She asked.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Good, follow me then.”

Grabbing his hat he headed after her, walking in silence through the camp, his eyes focussed directly ahead. Eventually he was led around to the main office buildings, outside of which a car was waiting. Peggy walked around one side where the driver opened the door for her and Steve snapped himself out of his thoughts and climbed into the other side, shutting the door behind him.

 The two or so hour drive from New Jersey to their destination was quiet. Agent Carter made a little small talk, but for the most she was silent or conversing with the driver. That said, it seemed to fly by in comparison to when he had taken the trip the other way a little under a week ago. As he glanced at the buildings passing them by, one by one they started to get familiar.

“I know this neighborhood," Steve said absentmindedly as he looked out of the window. “I got beat up in that alley.” He continued watching his finger pointing out of the window, his eyebrows raised as he spotted another familiar landmark, “and that parking lot.” Another pause as his head dropped slightly, eyes on his hands which were clasped on his lap, “and behind that diner.”

“Did you have something against running away?” Peggy asked and Steve took a deep breath, shaking his head as he remembered his Ma’s words to him.

“You start running they’ll never let you stop.” He explained, once more glancing out of the window, “You stand up, push back. Can’t say no forever, right?” He gave a shrug and once more his eyes fell to his hands. He stared at them, and the longer he stared the more he thought back. 

Hands that had last night traced the soft curves of Agent Stark’s hips, breasts. The vision coming in so clear, nearly like a picture show and it caused him to swallow a little, his throat and mouth feeling dry and he couldn’t help but wish that it was Katie in the car with him, not Agent Carter. Whilst the pretty, British woman sat on the seat beside him had always been pleasant enough to him, there was something about Katie that just kept him grounded if there ever were a word to describe the way she made him feel. He never once felt jittery in her presence yet now, as he sat there being quizzed on something that was actually quite personal, he was starting to feel a little angsty.

 “I know a little of what that’s like. To have every door shut in your face.” Peggy spoke gently as she looked at him and Steve met her gaze for a second before she looked forward once more, and his mind strayed back to something Katie had said last night.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He looked down at his hands. “Katie…I mean Agent Stark told me about how people weren’t exactly open to the pair of you joining the SSR or the Army.”

“She did?” Agent Carter looked at him, her brown drawing ever so slightly into a frown.

 Steve nodded, “last night.” And no sooner had the words left his mouth his eyes widened as he realised he’d outed the fact Katie had come to his barracks. Peggy looked at him, an immaculately shaped brow arched slightly, rouged lips curling up into a smirk at one side as Steve began to babble out an excuse. “She came to check on me, along with Dr Erskine. I mean, well, just as he was leaving that is. There was…we just…”

 “You don’t need to explain. What you and Agent Stark do is nothing to do with me,” Peggy shook her head, the corner of her lips twitching as Steve hastily looked away, out of the window, his cheeks burning. “I do know one thing though...."

 “What’s that?” Steve’s head whipped round to look at her.

“She’s soft on you.” Peggy replied simply “That’s why she’s been torn ever since you got picked to be our candidate.”

“Torn?”

“In case it goes wrong.” Peggy shrugged, "Or you change in more ways than physically which means you’re no longer the man she…” Peggy trailed off, licking her lips taking a deep breath before she continued “…the man she clearly cares for.”

Steve met her eyes for a second before he looked away, his stomach now twisting in knots that had nothing to do with the procedure he was about to undergo. But the warmth and excitement he had initially felt at what Peggy had said died all too fast because of course it would be just his luck to finally meet a gal that enjoyed his company, liked him for who he was, a gal who he felt comfortable with and attracted to, just as he was about to undergo whatever the hell this procedure entailed before he shipped off to goodness knows where.

Fate was a cruel mistress sometimes.

The rest of the journey passed in silence, and it wasn’t long before the car pulled up at the side of a fairly busy street and Steve frowned, following Agent Carter’s lead, climbing out of the vehicle. He took a quick look around. There were plenty of people on the sidewalks in the summer sun, going about their everyday business, none paying him any attention.

“This way.” Agent Carter spoke and he spun to follow her, taking a look up at the fairly non-descript shop called ‘Brooklyn Antiques’ which she was leading him towards.

“What are we doing here?” he asked.

“Follow me.” Peggy completely ignored his question and instead walked into the shop, Steve behind her, placing his hat on his head.  The bell above the door rang as Peggy pushed it open, Steve pausing to shut it behind him as Agent Carter strolled into the dimly lit, crowded shop. It smelt of old leather, wax and furniture polish and was crammed full of all sorts of intriguing items that Steve would normally have found fascinating.

 But as it stood he was just plain confused.

Peggy stopped still as an old woman with grey hair, clad in a floaty dress and a pink cardigan emerged through a set of heavy drapes and stopped, smiling at them both. “Wonderful Weather this morning, aint it?” she spoke.

 “Yes, but I always carry an umbrella.” Peggy replied.

 At her words the woman gave an almost in perceptible nod and moved to the desk which held the cash register. Steve heard a faint buzz and then Peggy gently gestured once more for him to follow her. He did so as she walked through the drapes the woman had emerged from into a crowded store room of sorts which held photos, heavy gilded frames, basically everything his Ma would have labelled junk. He stopped besides Peggy as she looked at a huge book shelf which covered nearly the entire back wall and then to his absolute astonishment the book shelf simply opened towards him revealing that it was actually a set of solid steel doors.

 Steve’s mouth dropped open as he was now facing a huge corridor which was in use by a number of military and medical staff walking by. Agent Carter stepped in and he did the same, following her down, glancing every so often to his side at the Military Police Officers and soldiers, trying to figure out how the hell all of this was hidden from public sight on the outside. Eventually they reached a set of double doors which were pulled open and Steve found himself on the mezzanine balcony of a huge circular room filled with machinery, some kind of pod in the middle of the chamber he was looking over. It was full of doctors and technicians, all dressed in white lab coats and the entire room fell silent as everyone looked up at him. He immediately spotted Katie, stood by Dr Erskine. His eyes locked onto hers and even from the distance he was away he could see they were shining in the light of the lab.

 Agent Carter took a deep breath and tuned to her right, Steve hastily following her down the metal steps to the lower part of the chamber. He strode over to where Dr Erskine was waiting, file in hand besides Katie who smiled at him. 

“Hi.” She said gently and he smiled back at her, swallowing a little as his attention turned to Dr Erskine as the doctor spoke.

“Good morning.” He smiled, shaking Steve’s hand when suddenly a camera flashed as a photographer who Steve hadn’t noticed snapped a shot, causing Steve to blink a little. “Please, not now.” Erskine protested and the photographer made a hasty retreat, ushered away by Peggy as she followed him from the chamber, directing him away from the equipment and up the stairs to the side.

Steve turned to his right, looking at the pod, his eyes roving all the dials and the various components, his chest expanding as he took a deep breath.

 “Are you ready?” Katie asked softly and Steve nodded his head, turning back to her.

 “Good.” Erskine spoke. “Take off your shirt, your tie and your hat.”

“Maybe the hat first.” Katie quipped, pointing out the order Erskine had said the clothing items in was a little awry and Erskine looked at her, sarcastically. She met his stare with an equally sassy one of her own, a cheeky grin on her face as she shrugged.

 Steve did as he was told, handing his items of clothing off to a nurse who smiled, taking it away before Erskine directed Steve up the steps to the left of the pod. He climbed up, shuffled around slightly as Katie watched him lay down, his head on the leather headrest at the top.

“Comfortable?” Katie asked him.

“It’s a little big.” Steve joked, smiling and she gave a soft chuckle, reaching out to touch his arm. Her hand was surprisingly warm and she left it there for just long enough before she pulled back as Erskine appeared by her side, smiling. “You save me any of that schnapps?” Steve looked at him.

“Not as much as I should have.” Erskine almost grimaced, “sorry. Next time” at that he stepped back. “Mr. Stark, how are your levels?”

Steve glanced to his left and for the first time caught a glimpse of Katie’s brother up close as he strode towards them, clad in a smart pair of slacks, white shirt, tie and waistcoat.

“Levels at 100%.” Howard replied as he stopped besides his sister, taking a look at Steve. Now they were side by side, the resemblance between the two was clear to see. Same nose, cheekbones, but Katie’s hair was a lighter shade, her eyes a warm, striking green where Howard’s were a deep brown.

 “Good.” Erskine turned away as Howards eyes roved over Steve a little.

 “We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready,” Howard smiled, “as we’ll ever be.”

“He’s not a damned fish in a bowl, Howie.” Katie nudged her brother as he was still staring at Steve. Howard turned to face her, his eyebrow arched, before he gave Steve one last look and headed off towards some kind of machine in the far corner of the room.

 “Ass.” Katie shook her head before she glanced at Steve. “Are you sure you wanna do this?” She dropped her voice, “If you’re having any…” “I’m not.” Steve shook his head.

 “Okay.” She took a deep breath, and for a second looked as though she was going to say something else but she was interrupted by Erskine.

 “Agent Stark? Don’t you think you would be more comfortable in the booth?”

“Oh, erm, yeah, of course. Sorry.” She nodded and turned once more to look back at Steve. Again, she made to say something, but clearly decided against it. Instead she reached out, gave his hand a soft squeeze before she walked away. Steve watched her go and, as she approached the stairs, she stopped and looked back at him, her face softening once more into an almost shy little smile before she turned away again. 

Steve’s head rolled back round, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. His heart was racing now, and he wasn’t quite sure whether that was all down to the procedure or the fact that her hand on his had jolted another memory of their time together the previous night. Luckily, before he had time to dwell on it too much, there was a loud booming noise as Erskine loudly tapped a microphone.

“Do you hear me? Is this on?” Satisfied that it was, the doctor turned and looked up at the small group gathered to watch in the glass walled room on the level above the atrium. “Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace.”

As Erskine spoke two nurses pulled down the large rectangular shaped pads at either side of the chamber, laying them flush to Steve’s chest.

“We begin with a series of micro injections into the subjects major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change.” Erskine continued as the nurses retrieved the vials of blue coloured liquid, slotting them into the appropriate receptacles along the side of the chamber by Steve’s hips. “And then to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays.”

 Erskine walked back to Steve’s side as a nurse approached him with a syringe. She inserted it into Steve’s shoulder and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as she pulled the needle out of his skin.

“That wasn’t so bad.” Steve spoke, pleasantly surprised at how easy that had been. He wasn’t a huge fan of needles, having spent most of his childhood one way or another being stabbed by them for his various ailments, but he’d learned to cope with them.

However, his relief was short lived.

“That was penicillin.” Erskine looked at him and Steve felt not only apprehension creeping back into his system, but a deep embarrassment at being so dumb as to think it would be that simple.

Erskine then cleared his throat and spoke once more to the others in the room. “Serum infusion beginning in five, four…” at that two further pads like the one on his chest lowered, cuffing his arms a little “…three, two…” Erskine gently patted Steve’s shoulder “…one.”

 Steve felt the sharp cone-like spikes of the pads attached to his body piercing his skin and he could actually feel the serum as it flowed into his body. It was cold, like he’d dipped each limb into an icy lake, and the shock of it forced his eyes wide open.

“Now, Mr. Stark,” he heard Erskine say and, after a second or two he felt the pod move into an upright positions, the sides and top parts enclosing him inside. He gave a snort as he realised that the glass screen at the front, designed for whoever was in here to be able to see out of was a good 6 inches too high.

 Steve took a deep breath and then there was a little knock on the outside of the capsule.

 “Steven, can you hear me?” Erskine asked.

“It’s probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?” Steve joked, making light of what was happening, the sweat already beading on his brow. And, if he was honest, he probably could have happily peed right then, more out of nerves than anything else.

“We will proceed.” Steve heard Erskine say and then a few seconds later the capsule he was in was flooded with a warm light, as the Vita Rays were turned on.

  “That’s ten percent.” Steve could hear Howard’s voice. “Twenty percent. Thirty…that’s forty percent.”

As the count increased so did the intensity of the light and heat. What started off feeling like a pleasant dose of summer sun was rapidly becoming unbearable. Even the brightest sunlight he’d ever been in on Coney Island during the summer was nothing compared to this. He skin felt like it was on fire.

“That’s fifty percent. Sixty. Seventy.”

Despite his best attempts, the burning was simply too much and Steve couldn’t keep the yell of pain from bursting out of his mouth any longer as the vita rays washed over him. He was hot, hotter than he had ever been before. His skin was bubbling almost as if his blood was boiling similar to a kettle of water. He was vaguely aware of voices outside the chamber and herd Katie’s loud yell as it rang around the air.

“Shut it down.”

Erskine’s voice hit his ears as the doctor banged on the chamber he was in “Steven!”

“You heard her, shut it down!” Agent Carter’s voice was clear and then he heard Erskine once more as the Doctor frantically shouted. 

“Kill the reactor, Mr. Stark! Turn it off! Kill it! Kill the reactor!”

“No, don’t!” Steve yelled back, finally finding his voice. There was no way he was quitting, not after he’d come this far. He could take this. Pain was nothing, he felt it every day of his damned life. “I can do this!”

Famous last words. The heat increased, the pain increased, it was too much. Every muscle in his body was searing in agony and it felt like someone was lancing him with red hot needles over and over again…

But then suddenly it went dark. The pain was gone, the heat was gone and all Steve could feel now was an overwhelming sense of calm and tiredness even, like he’d just been on another one of those damned runs with the unit. His chest was heaving as he gulped in air, his head falling to the side as panted, waiting for his body to recover. After waiting, for what seemed like forever but was in reality mere seconds, he heard Erskine call out to Howard again and then the doors to the pod opened, the cool air hitting Steve’s perspiring skin.

He stumbled out of the pod supported by two people, he had no idea who, as his eyes were screwed shut, his head bowed as he took deep gulps of air. His legs felt heavy and he was a little unbalanced, as if his centre of gravity had changed somewhat, but as he took a shaky step forward he noticed how clear his chest was. His breathing wasn’t wheezy in the slightest and with every breath he took he felt stronger, less lightheaded. All in all, despite feeling completely overwhelmed he felt good.

“I did it.” He panted a little, his eyes still closed as he took a shaky step forward.

“Yeah, yeah. I think we did it.” Erskine’s voice came from his right, followed by Howard’s from his left which was laced with pride.

“We actually did it.”

“How do you feel?” Another familiar voice spoke and with a deep breath he straightened up and looked down at Katie before he glanced around the chamber and realised that for the first time in his life he was looking down at people.

“Taller.” He answered a little facetiously, glancing at Katie as she reached out to touch his chest, swallowing a little as she hastily withdrew her hand.

“You look taller.” She handed him a T-shirt she took off another member of the nursing staff. Steve took it with a thanks and moved to pull it over his head, his breathing finally evening out and he turned to face a doctor who approached him a little nervously.

“Mr. Rogers, we just need to-“

But whatever it was that they needed Steve never found out as at that point there was a loud explosion from the room over the atrium, showering them in glass. Instinctively, Steve pulled Katie towards him, curling his body around hers to shield her from the debris before he stood up tall as he heard Erskine yelling.

“Stop him!”

Then there was a gun shot and, as he wheeled round, he saw Erksine drop to the floor. Katie pushed past Steve whipping a gun from her hip taking aim as the culprit ran up the stairs with the two female agents in persuit.

Steve knelt beside Erskine, his eyes locking onto the doctor's as he struggled for air. Erskine opened his mouth, but shut it again, and Steve realised from the blood that was pooling around the doctors body, there was nothing he could do. Erskine raised his right hand, and simply prodded Steve’s chest gently, right above his heart, similar to the way he’d pointed at him the night before.

“Not a perfect soldier, but a good man…”

The words echoed in Steve’s brain as he watched Erskine’s eyes close as his head rolled to the right, his breathing stopped. Steve took a deep breath of his own and felt another heat radiating through his body, this one out and out anger as he raised his head slowly to look at the stairs the suspect had run up mere moments ago. His jaw clenching he sprang to his feet and ran off, taking the steps two at a time. 

As he sprinted through the facility he could hear gunshots and explosions from the street and as he emerged into the street he saw the woman from earlier led on the floor, not moving, a wound to her chest. Vaulting over her he saw Katie to his left tending to someone who was down on the sidewalk, whilst Agent Carter was stood in the road, un-moving, arm raised as she shot at a Yellow Taxi which was driving straight for them. He threw himself at Peggy, taking her out of the path of danger as the car sped past

“I had him!”  Agent Carter said with an air of annoyance as they both climbed to their feet.

“Sorry!” Steve yelled as he started to run after the car, surprised momentarily at the way his legs just seemed to move with little or no effort, covering far more ground than he was used to. He picked up the pace, tracking the car as he went, taking a short cut down a road to his left. But he was going too fast and, as he rounded a corner, he lost control over his new power and crashed straight through the window of a Bridal Wear store, taking out the display. He jumped back up, straight onto the street, tossing another apology over his shoulder as he cut down a narrow alleyway with a chainmail fence at the bottom.

The fence was ten feet tall, easily, and Steve picked up speed a little more with the aim of jumping as high up it as he could get before scrambling over the top, but as he took off from the floor he realised that he was going to clear it. He was going to clear a ten foot fucking fence.

Tucking his legs up, he landed easily and ran out onto a street full of cars, his hands held up, protests of “woah, whoa, whoa” slipping form his mouth automatically as they all skidded to a stop trying to avoid him. He spun to his left, spotted the cab and continued his chase as it weaved itself in and out of the traffic.

He was gaining on it now and he dug a little deeper, realising he had a lot more energy in his tank, his bare feet slapping the wet concrete of the ground. As he drew closer to the car he knew that the only way to get the vehicle to stop was by getting inside it, and to do that he needed to physically get hold of it first of all. An idea suddenly came to him as he saw a car in front of him and he approached he hopped up onto the trunk then the roof, and then to the car in front before jumping onto the back of a truck. With a final leap he flung himself at the yellow taxi landing flat on the roof, his hands gripping either side of the sills above the doors as it began to sharply weave side to side. It took a sharp turn to the left, then right, then left again, forcing Steve to adjust his hold as it tore down a narrow street before emerging on the road which led to the pier. This gave Steve a little time to steady himself and he rose tentatively onto his hands and knees before there was a loud bang and a bullet shot through the roof of the car. Another few shots came, Steve dodging them all as he slid down the side of the car, wrenching the passenger door open. But before he could climb in, the man shot at him, meaning Steve had to let go with his right arm to avoid taking the bullet straight in the chest, but by shooting at him, his target had taken his eyes off the road, meaning he hadn’t noticed the two trucks emerging in front of him. The taxi crashed straight into them and flipped over sideways, beginning to roll and Steve let go, tumbling forward onto the floor before he came to a stop.

Steve rose to his feet and headed forwards as his target crawled from the car. He watched as the man stood, pointing his gun towards Steve and shot, missing him, the various people screaming as the gun went off. Steve picked up the door of the car which was lying in the road and held it in front of him as the man shot twice, the second bullet coming through the door and grazing the left hand side of Steve’s abdomen. As he peered round the side of the door he noticed that the man had now taken a young boy hostage, his arm pinned around his chest as he dragged him backwards, the boy’s mother screaming and begging for him to stop. Steve tossed the door to the side, following him, his right hand clutching at the wound to his left.

“Get back!” The man warned with the boy dangling in his arms as he backed away. Steve dodged another bullet, flattening himself against the wall. The man ran off towards the dockside and Steve followed using a large iron buoy as shield from another incoming shot. He hastily followed, keeping his back to the damp brick of the shipping company building, and as he peered round the arch he saw the man raise his gun and press the barrel to the boys head.

Steve’s blood ran cold, “wait, don’t! Don’t!” He protested, approaching with his arms up. At that the man pointed the gun at Steve and pulled the trigger, Steve automatically flinching as he awaited the shot that never came because the gun was empty. As he had nothing else to do, the hostile dragged the boy towards the side of the docks and Steve realised what he was intending to do.

“No! Don’t!”, but it was too late. With a shove the kid went flying into the water and the man turned, sprinting away. Steve ran to the edge to see the kid treading water, looking up at him.

“Go get him! I can swim!”

Decision made, Steve sprinted after his target who had disappeared, but as he ran he noticed to the right in the water some kind of sleek, black submarine pulling away. With a spring off the edge Steve dove into the icy, cold water, swimming in the vessel's slipstream. Whether the sub wasn’t going that fast, or if it was his ability to simply swim faster, Steve had no idea, but he caught it easily, punching straight through into the cockpit, flooding it with water. He then wrenched the canopy open and pulled the man sharply upwards sending him flying straight out of the surface and onto the cold stone of the dockside where he landed with a thud.

Steve followed quickly, climbing a set of steps out of the water and as the man got up, Steve saw the flash of a blade in his hand. With a reflex that was purely automatic, he dodged out of the way aiming a kick to the man’s chin which sent him sprawling backwards. The knife flew from his hand, but so did a familiar vial which Steve suddenly realised was full of Erskine’s serum. It shattered on the floor, the blue liquid pooling on the damp cobbles as Steve gripped the lapels of the man’s jacket, pulling him harshly forwards.

“Who the hell are you?” He demanded.

 “The first of many," the man spoke in a thick accent. “Cut off one head-” at that he popped a tooth loose and swallowed it, looking at Steve, his jaw set, “-two more shall take its place.”

 Steve frowned, perplexed as none of that made any sense, until he spoke again, through the foam that had now started to bubble from his mouth.

“Hail HYDRA!”

With that the man gave a little grunt, his pupils completely dilated as he grew heavy and limp in Steve’s grip. Steve let go, the body falling to the ground as he straightened up, his chest heaving as he stared at the dead man on the floor.

Steve couldn’t help the disappointment flooding his system at the fact he hadn’t managed to capture him alive. But that said, whilst he hadn’t managed to find out who he was exactly,  he now knew who he was working for and at least they’d managed to stop the serum from falling into the wrong hands.

The serum.

At that Steve glanced down at his hands, which were both significantly larger, then to his forearms where the muscles flexed as he opened and closed his fists. With everything that had happened he hadn’t had chance to appreciate the extent to which the procedure had actually enhanced him. He’d run with a speed he had never thought possible, his lungs had stretched to a capacity that now, he thought about it, stunned him, his ability to swim the way he had, leap, the pure athleticism he had displayed in that short ten minute chase was astonishing.

His hands flew to his stomach to find a hard set of abs, his fingers tracing the definition of the planes of muscle under the wet t-shirt which clung to his body. His hands moved upwards almost tentatively, reaching the hard curve of his pecs and it was at that point a voiced broke through his stunned thoughts.

“Steve!”

He looked up to see Agent Stark running towards him. Behind her, Agent Carter and a few other soldiers and police officers were working to keep the now assembled crowd on the pier back. “Are you okay?  You’re bleeding.”

Steve glanced down at his shirt and noticed for the first time the blood on the white material. He shook his head.

“He shot me but it's just a graze, I’m fine.” He jerked his head towards the guy on the ground by his feet. “More than can be said for him…”

She glanced down at the body on the floor, blinking as if she was seeing the dead man for the first time before she dropped to her knees, her fingers pressing into his neck checking for a pulse.

“Did he drown?”

“No.” Steve said, and he quickly explained about the submarine and pulling the man from the water. As he explained about the vial of serum, he saw Katie’s eyes flick to the broken glass on the floor before her face darted back to Steve as he told her about the man having loosened his tooth and bit something. “I’m not sure what it was but…”

“He bit something?” Katie’s entire face changed into a look of shock, her eyes darting side to side as she wrenched the guys mouth open, her fingers jamming straight inside.

 Steve grimaced. “What…”

“Son of a bitch.” she pulled her hand back and knelt back on her heels, wiping her hands very ungracefully on the side of her skirt.

“I’m not…”

“Cyanide capsule.” She sighed, “a lot of the intelligence organisations provide them to their undercover agents and they keep them hidden in a false tooth. If you’re caught, you can effectively kill yourself before you’re taken and, well…”

“Tortured?” Steve finished for her. Katie took a deep breath and shrugged.

“Questioned was the word I was going to use but…” she shrugged, looking around. “He was clearly a Nazi Spy.”

Steve looked at her, nodding. “He was HYDRA.”

“HYDRA?”

“Heil HYDRA.” Steve looked down at the dead man, “last thing he said before he died.”

 Katie bit her lip, “fuck,” she mumbled, before she looked up at Steve. “Sorry, just, well Erskine warned Phillips not to be complacent about Schmidt but Phillips was adamant that Hitler was the big threat.” She bowed her head a little, her shoulders slumping and Steve took a deep breath as he realised that the Doctor was no longer with them having died in his arms little over ten minutes ago. It left him feeling hollow, sick even and from the looks of it Katie was feeling just as bad.

But now wasn’t the time.

“I err…” Steve cleared his throat a little, composing himself. “I’m not following? Why did Erskine differentiate? I mean, I thought HYDRA were Hitler’s deep science organisation?”

Katie glanced down once more before she turned her pretty face back to Steve, “Yes, they are. But Erskine always said Schmidt had ambitions beyond Hitler’s. Something Peggy backed up from her time undercover.”

 At that point she made to stand and automatically Steve offered her his hand. She took it and he made to pull her up, but with his new strength he was far more forceful than he had meant to be and she gave a little yelp of surprise as she was jerked straight into his chest.

“Easy Soldier.” She gasped, her hands falling to his biceps as she steadied herself.

“Sorry," he hastily apologised, his own hands settling gently on either side of her ribcage, the rough tweed of her uniform jacket prickly under the pads of his fingers. “I’m not used to…” He trailed off as he realised that not only was he looking down at her now, but his new large frame completely dwarfed hers.

“Don’t worry about it.” Her voice was equally breathy as his, her eyes still on his face and she gave him a little smile before she moved one hand upwards, gently cupping his cheek, almost as if she was checking something, which to be fair, she might have been. Steve had no idea what he looked like, he hadn’t seen a mirror yet. The only parts of him he’d managed to get a glimpse at so far were his arms and legs.

What he did know was that her touch was blazing on his skin, more than it had been the night before. He could hear her breathing too, and he could see every single detail on her face and her eyes. Not only were they green, but they were the most gorgeous shade of green he had ever seen in his life. He could see the dots of brown speckled throughout and the slight ring of amber surrounding her irises, reminding him of the sun. Full of warmth and power….

“Hey, you okay?” Katie frowned. 

“Yeah, erm, I just, I can see better.” Steve replied simply, as her hand gently curled in on itself as she dropped it to her side. “Has it…” he began to ask and Katie smiled, shaking her head.

“Still handsome.” She smiled, and Steve felt his neck flush with heat again before a voice cut through their moment.

“Did you get it?” Colonel Phillips was striding towards them. Katie moved back from Steve, turning towards her Superior, steeling her composure. 

“No,” she shook her head, before gesturing to the shattered vial on the floor. 

“Shit.” Phillips exclaimed with a groan.

“But neither did they.” Katie looked at him, before she turned to look at Steve once more, “And there is one upside to all this…”

“Don’t you dare tell me to look on the Brightside, Stark.” Phillips glared at her as she took a deep breath, realising her head, chin jutting defiantly towards him.

 “At least we know it works," she said simply.

 Phillips looked at her, then to Steve, before he gave a snort. “One isn’t enough.”

 Steve inhaled deeply, his frustration mounting but it was Agent Stark that spoke next.

 “Well, one is all you’ve got. I suggest you start treating him with a little more respect seeing as he just chased down a damned HYDRA operative through twelve blocks of Brooklyn, pulled him out of some underwater craft and took a bullet for his troubles.”

 Phillips’ jaw twitched at the way he was being spoken to and Steve grimaced slightly in anticipation of the incoming dressing down Katie was going to get, but it never arrived.

 “HYDRA?” Phillips blinked and Kate nodded.

“Yes, Sir.”

 The man took a deep breath and then turned to Steve, his eyes travelling up and down his body “Rogers, you hurt?”

“No, Sir.”

Philips inhaled again and then turned to Peggy “Agent Carter, I want a recovery unit down here for this so called underwater craft. You two…” he spun back to face Steve and Katie, “back to the lab so the Medical Team can assess you. If you are truly the only super soldier I’m getting, then the last thing I want is you to drop dead of complications.”

 “That means he cares," Katie looked up at Steve who glanced at her as he saw a smile tug at her lips.

 “You’re gettin’ on my nerves,” Phillips pointed at her, before he gave her a filthy look and turned to leave.

 “Is it authority in general you got a problem with or just him?” Steve asked after a moment or two and Katie let out a little chuckle.

 “Believe it or not I actually like Chester.” She smiled, “I just enjoy irritating him more. Come on, we’re attracting a bit of a crowd so…” She gently squeezed his hand before she began walking the same way Colonel Philips had done a few moments before, Steve following, pausing slightly as he felt a tug on the side of his T-shirt. He stopped and turned to find the kid who he’d last seen bobbing up and down in the muggy water of the docks grinning up at him.

 “That was swell!” The kid laughed and Steve raised his eyebrows.

 “That’s not exactly the word I would use…”

 “No, but the way you ran and jumped in and then threw him outta the water like BAM!” The kid smirked and Steve felt his neck growing warm at the praise, raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck. “What’s your name, Mister?”

 “Err Steve.”

“Marty!” A voiced called and the boy turned, Steve following his gaze to see a woman who had been stood talking to a police officer, hastily making her way over. “Come on.”

 “Ma’am.” Steve greeted her as she stopped in front of him, taking a breath.

 “You saved him.” She said, her voice cracking.

“Oh, no, I…”

“Thank you,” she stood on her toes and kissed Steve’s cheek before she dropped an arm round her son’s shoulders and turned him away, gently talking to him.

 Steve stood stock still for a moment, swallowing, before he turned to see Katie watching him, her eyebrow arched a little, smile spread across her pretty face.

 “A regular superhero,” she teased and Steve rolled his eyes at her as he fell into step besides her.

 “Hardly.” He scoffed, “I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.”

Katie stopped and turned to face him, shaking her head, “you still don’t get it do you?”

“Get what?” He frowned as she began to walk again.

 “How many other kids from Brooklyn do you know that would have just done what you did?”

“Well its hardly a fair comparison is it?” Steve pointed out as they walked down the side of the building, Katie nodding to Agent Carter as they passed “How many others do you know that just got converted into…well, a Super Soldier or whatever the hell they’re calling me?”

“You had no idea what that serum had done, other than make you taller,” Katie shot back as they moved back towards the entrance of the pier. “But you took off after that guy, without so much as a second thought for your safety.”

 “I just did what anyone would have done.” He sighed, a little uncomfortable at her praise.

 She stopped at the side of a black car and turned to face him, her face soft, “no, you did what that kid from Brooklyn would have done.” Her eyes remained locked onto his before they were interrupted by an Army official who handed Steve a blanket. He took it with a thanks, wrapping it around his shoulders, despite the fact that he didn’t feel cold in the slightest, in fact he felt a pretty strong sense of warmth.

 And as he watched Katie climb into the car he was pretty sure that wasn’t solely attributable to Erskine’s serum which was now coursing through his veins. 

**** Chapter 4

[trenchcoatimpala]

🥺 can you write a fic about Dean going through withdrawal in purgatory

He was drinking A LOT before that in the show, and he was definitely always drunk at that point, so I imagine when he got to purgatory he would have had the hangover of his life.

Destiel would be cool but also BeanDenny is absolutely welcome!

I love your fics and saw your post about requests so I thought why not give it a go

Hey anon! Thanks for the request :) I’ve often thought about Dean going through withdrawal in purgatory, so I was happy to write this. 

Read below the cut.

also on archive

The first day was hard. 

Dean trudged through the forests of purgatory, eyes scanning the trees warily for anything that might try to jump out at him. His body ached and he wanted nothing more than to collapse and let sleep take over, but he had to find Cas. The angel could have gone anywhere, he could be in trouble. Purgatory was no place to be alone. 

Dean still couldn’t figure out why Cas had left him, why he’d just up and vanished without an explanation. They’d stand a better chance if they stuck together. 

The longer he walked, the more his head began to hurt and his dry mouth called for something other than water. Eventually, he had to let his exhaustion drag him to the ground, where he sat under a tree, head leaning against the sharp bark, eyes fixed towards the gloomy sky. 

“Cas,” he whispered to the tree tops. “You got your ears on?” Dean paused, listening for the rustle of wings. When no sound came, he shut his eyes, drawing in a breath against the pound of his aching head. “Cas, buddy, please. Where are you? I’m gonna find you… I’m gonna...” he trailed off as sleep finally claimed him. 

The second day was harder. 

His headache hadn’t disappeared with sleep and he couldn't stop his hands from shaking. Dean forced himself to keep going, to stumble through the trees, grabbing onto their trunks to steady his unstable legs. Nausea rolled over him in waves and more than once he found his empty stomach heaving to expel a string of bile. 

His body screamed for alcohol that Dean couldn’t provide. 

But still, Dean pushed on, barely managing to fight off the monsters that got in his way, nearly losing his life twice. 

When night came, Dean didn’t even care to think about where he was stopping for the night, he didn’t survey the area or check for sleeping monsters, he just fell to the ground. 

“Cas,” he said in a whisper. “Please man, just come back.” 

The third day was the worst. 

Dean couldn’t move. He was pressed against a tree, energy completely drained from his body, queasy, head drumming with what could only be described as a migraine, and hands unfit to hold a gun. The only thing he could do was stay where he was, spit bile onto the ground and pray to Cas. 

It was probably midday when he saw him. 

The back of a dark head, a tan trench coat sweeping behind him as he walked. 

“Cas!” Dean called out, voice hoarse and degraded to a rasp. 

Cas didn’t turn around, he kept walking, each step talking him farther and farther away from Dean. 

“Cas, wait!” Dean tried to push himself to his feet but his legs didn’t seem to want to cooperate.

Eventually, Cas disappeared and Dean was left alone again, mind foggy, and heart aching for the angel to return to him. 

When Dean finally managed to get control of himself, it had been about a week. A week of crawling to streams and eating whatever he could find. A week of shaking hands, horrible headaches, and watching Cas, whom he’d come to understand wasn’t real, walk off in the distance, back always to Dean.

Monsters came and went, he managed to hide from most of them well enough, only fighting when he had to. But now that he’d recovered a bit, he knew he had to continue his quest for Cas, and the only way to find leads, as to the angels whereabouts, was to question the locals. 

That was how he found Benny. 

Dean was wary to trust him at first, a vampire is a vampire. But Dean had been a vampire once, and he’d met monsters that weren’t bad people, why not use Benny to find Cas. At the very least, it was nice to have someone to fight beside and cover his six. His hands would still often tremble when he held his blade, but Benny would pick up the slack, and he never questioned Dean’s issues. 

Dean didn’t notice the lingering touches at first. The squeeze of a shoulder with a hand that stayed for just a tiny bit longer than it should afterwards. There were also times when Dean caught Benny staring. His mind instantly wondered if Benny was sizing him up for a meal and would attack while he was asleep, but he quickly learned that those looks were filled with fondness. 

Sometimes he found himself wanting to lean into the touches, to run a hand over the beard on the vampire’s face just to feel the scratch of it under his fingers. There was so much pent up sexual energy building in Dean’s gut, and part of him wanted to jump Benny, slam him against a tree and capture his lips in a kiss. 

But there was always a voice in the back of his head, whispering one name over and over again: CasCasCas. 

His sudden feelings for Benny made his nightly prayers to Cas that much more desperate. He wanted to push those urges away because there was only one person -angel- that he wanted to be with, even if he was too much of a coward to admit it aloud.

As the days went on, and the hunt for Cas seemed to grow more and more futile, Dean’s want for a beer or a finger of whiskey dulled and Benny’s soft touches grew more frequent. 

Finally, Dean gave in. 

Benny kissed him hard and Dean let the vampire have his way. 

Two days later, they found Cas. 

Seeing him again, made guilt burn in his veins, like he’d somehow betrayed someone he’d never even been with. 

His attitude changed towards Benny, and even though there was hurt in Benny’s eyes, Dean couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge what they’d done. Being near Cas again reminded him of how much he’d missed him, how much he… 

Dean supposed that he hadn’t just gone through alcohol withdrawal, he’d gone through Cas withdrawal too. He’d been so used to the angel always being there, always a constant, always a shoulder to lean on. And being back in his presence made him want to reclaim what he’d been forced to give up. 

Maybe once they got out of purgatory he’d finally have the balls to tell Cas how he felt, or maybe he’d just disappear back into the bottle he’d been deprived of. 

Dean already knew which one he’d choose, but pretending it could go differently gave him the strength to climb up to the portal. But when Cas slipped through his fingers, the decision was made for him. 

The first drop of alcohol after purgatory sent fire burning down his throat, and Dean shut his eyes against the feeling he’d missed so much. The alcohol took away some of the pain, and he knew that no matter how long he went without it, he’d always end up running back, nestling safely against the curve of the bottle, warming his body against the flames that the liquid offered.

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[bridgyrose]

“We cannot allow her to remain!” James Ironwood stepped up to a podium, looking around at the collection of gods and goddesses among the masses. “Its in our laws that only those who are naturally born as gods can serve as one. Never those who were created!” 

“She was dying and I had to do something!” Blake stood up, looking at the god of war and famine with a gaze that could pierce anyone. “Where’s the justice in letting her die like that?!” 

Ozma let out a heavy sigh as he looked around the room, listening to each of the gods argue amongst themselves. “Quiet down.” He looked over to Blake, shaking his head a bit. “You knew the rules to creating someone like us. I know that we have a vacancy with our original god of death having disappeared-” 

“I didnt have a choice! If I had let her die-” Blake felt her voice leave her as a pair of blue tendrils formed out from the ground and pulled her back to her seat. 

Glynda rolled her eyes, moving her fingers and letting a small, purple orb spin around them. “Blake, you know the rules. You’re lucky we’re not punishing you for this. Now, do you think you can behave?” 

Blake let out a silent sigh and nodded, looking away from the other gods and goddesses. 

“Good.” Glynda flicked the purple orb at Blake, watching as it went down her throat. “Now, Ozma and I know you had good intentions, but this is a serious matter. We have the rules set for a reason: we cannot allow for another uprising like before. We need to be unified.” 

“But we cant just kill her,” replied Blake. “She’s a tortured soul and would know only unrest if we end her life.” 

“Which is why we are only going to banish her from our realm.” Ozma stood up and created a small necklace. “She will be banished until she can assist ten generations of souls to the afterlife. As for your punishment Blake, you’ll be the one to tell her, and to give her this necklace.” 

Blake’s eyes went to the necklace, a red gem hanging off a golden chain. “I… understand.” 

Ozma nodded and moved the necklace to Blake’s hand. “Then this meeting is adjourned.” 

Ironwood glared at Ozma. “You cannot be serious! We cant let Ruby continue existing-” 

“And with Salem gone and collecting souls for her own reasons, we need another god to help save these souls. As much as I hate to admit it, we need Ruby. And this will be her chance to prove her usefulness to us.” 

Ironwood huffed, folding his arms and watching Blake leave through the corner of his eye. “Then she better be worth it.” 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ruby fondled the necklace she wore as she waited for a bus in the pouring rain. The gem no longer shined brightly, dimming with every soul she moved from the mortal realm to the afterlife. She let out a sigh, keeping her eyes watching the street. “I thought I told you that you cant stay here with me.” 

“Maybe I want to see how you’ve been surviving down here.” Blake walked over to Ruby, keeping an umbrella over her. “Besides, they never said I wasnt allowed to visit.” 

“Visiting is one thing, but this…” Ruby shook her head. “If you’re going to stick around, then you’re going to have to follow some rules.” 

“And they are?” 

“First, don't use any of your powers. I still live with humans and they arent ready to understand that gods and what they call magic actually exist.” 

Blake gave a small nod. “I can do that.” 

“Second, I live with a few… troubled people. So I need you to understand that they may do or say things that normally would invoke your wrath and I need you to let it slide.” 

“I… cant make any promises on that.” 

Ruby let out another sigh. “And third, no matter what anyone says to me, I need you to let me deal with it myself.” 

Blake cocked her head to the side for a moment. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.” 

“The owner of the place I’m living at isnt exactly… friendly. And I dont need your protection.” 

Blake let out a small sigh. “Fine. But if anyone hurts you-” 

“That includes if anyone hurts me,” interrupted Ruby as the bus finally arrived. “Just… stick close and follow my lead please.” 

Blake nodded and followed Ruby onto the, watching as she paid the driver. The bus started moving just as she found a place to sit, looking through the window and watching the buildings pass by. It wasnt often she made her way down to the mortal realm, usually observing through whatever means she could. Cats, crystal balls, pools of water… but none of it gave her the same experience as being here. 

Ruby quietly put her headphones on, tapping her foot to the music that played. A sad smile crept across her face as she listened to the voice of an old friend that had died many years before. It was still the one thing she hated about this life: all she could do was watch those that she cared about move on with their lives without her, and eventually, she would guide them all to the afterlife. 

Blake slowly tapped Ruby’s shoulder, starting to look concerned. “Is… everything alright?” 

Ruby slowly moved her headphones off and nodded. “Y-yeah, everything’s fine. Just… listening to an old friend.” She smiled a bit, wiping her tear away. “Its been… strange watching those I become friends with grow old and eventually helping them to the afterlife. This one was a woman who went by Tock. Strange woman, but I cant say I didnt like being around her.” 

“Why get close to anyone if you’re going to outlive them? That would make things easier, wouldnt it?” 

“Easier, but lonely.” Ruby looked out the window, grabbing her bag. “Alright, we’re almost back to my place.” 

Blake nodded and followed Ruby off the bus, pausing when she saw they were stopped at an old building that looked like it desperately needed repairs. “This… is where you live?” 

Ruby nodded. “For the last ten years now.” 

“But you’re a god. Shouldnt you be living somewhere a bit… better?” 

“Unfortunately, the mortal realm requires money for that. And unfortunately, if I dont want to draw attention to myself, having a bank account and leaving it isnt exactly the best option for me.” 

Blake dropped it as she followed Ruby inside the building, looking around. As far as she could tell, the inside looked better than the out: the walls didint look like they were going to crumble, the paint looked a couple years old, and the carpet seemed to be freshly replaced. “This… seems a bit better…” 

“It’s really not as bad as it seems, once you get used to it.” Ruby slowly unlocked the door and opened it, immediately getting hit with a couple pillows being tossed at her. 

“You’re late,” replied a redhead as she walked over to the door. “Which means you better avoid Emerald until she calms down.” 

Ruby rubbed the back of her head. “S-sorry about that, Nora. Work ran a bit late and I met up with an old friend for a bit.” She stepped inside, setting her bag down. “Besides, Emerald will get over me being late-”

“You know she’ll hold this over you until you can make it up to her.” Another girl walked downstairs, smirking at Ruby. Her gold eyes glistened in the light as she moved a few strands of hair out of her eyes. “Who’s that?” 

“Oh, right, I forgot to do that.” Ruby smiled and took Blake’s hand. “Nora, Cinder, I want you to meet Blake. Blake, meet Nora and Cinder.” 

The redhead, Nora, walked over to Blake and looked her over. “She’s not one of us, is she?” 

“One of… you?” Blake leaned over to Ruby and whispered into her ear. “What does she mean by that?” 

Ruby sighed as she watched Cinder grab an apple and start peeling with a knife she had never owned before. “Remember how I told you I lived with a few troubled people?” 

“Yes, I remember that.” 

“They’re… thieves.” 

Blake frowned, immediately engulfing the room in a flash of light and leaving a couple coins where Nora and Cinder were standing. 

Ruby pinched the bridge of her nose, groaning. “This… is going to be a rough night…” 

[writingfromkitchenator]

Logan ~ To Break Reality

1,300 Followers Challenge!

Round 2

Masterlist

Requested by @yeoldenoodle

Words: 1,596

Warnings: Neutral Reader, reality shifting, minor talk of injuries, minor talk of abuse, safe end

You weren’t really sure when you first noticed it, in fact, it wasn’t until you said something strange in front of your friends that you even realised it was only something you could see.

It was an odd distortion, one that would fluctuate in your vision on occasion, but you could’ve sworn that it was as real as your own world and life.  The events you’d seen, the things that had happened to these people, it all seemed to have some sort of impact.  More than once you’d seen one of then injured, which was what had prompted your comment in the first place.

Since you’d mentioned it, it suddenly became more noticeable, and it wasn’t long until word got around to your family.  They took you to doctor after doctor, no matter what you said. Soon, you found yourself trapped where you didn't want to be.

Everyone that saw you became convinced that you had some sort of disorder and they all seemed convinced to leave it at that.

You fought against it at first, knowing yourself and what you were seeing were real, but eventually you knew that wasn't going to get you anywhere in this world. You told them what they wanted to hear, so you could get out, stop the foggy drugs, and start to try and understand this on your own.

Watching and learning what these people could do, made you think that there had to be a way to get through to them with your own strange abilities.

One seemed to come up more in the world that you could see than the others so you focused on him.  He was rough around the edges, but his heart was always in the right place, which was what mattered. He could also naturally heal, which you weren't sure why, but would be useful for getting you out of this mess you found yourself in.

In the quiet life you made yourself, you learnt to focus on what you could see. More than once already, you thought you'd had some sort of success, Logan pausing, as if he could hear you, but so far, had led to nothing concrete.

It was frustrating, but you had to keep trying.

Eventually Logan took his suspicions to Professor Charles Xavier, who only now raised his own thoughts on what he had been sensing himself.

You could have screamed in frustration, but you refrained.

With renewed effort, you focused on the two of them.  This had to be it, you had to make some sort of contact.

For a single moment, you managed to bring yourself into their existence.

"Help me."

They stared at where you appeared for a long time, neither of them sure what they had seen all too briefly.  This was out of the ordinary, even for them and everything that ever happened to them.

You paced, anger bubbling away in the pit of your stomach.  You didn’t know if you’d get another chance to do that, a headache pounding away in your temples, and it clearly hadn’t been enough for them to be able to make some sort of contact in return.

Exhausted, you started to sob, not knowing what else to do.

Stepping forward, Logan stepped up to where you had briefly appeared, waving his hand through the air, hoping to somehow break through whatever was blocking you from properly appearing.  He wasn’t sure why, but he was compelled to help, and although your appearance had bene so brief he got nothing more than a fleeting glance, he felt he owed it to you.

Charles was watching him. “How long have you felt this?”

“A while,” Logan admitted slowly, letting his hand drop, disappointed that there was nothing there. “There have been a few times where I swear I’ve heard their voice talking to me, but that was the first time…”

“We’ll see what we can do Logan,” Charles said gently.  “We’re not going to just ignore someone that needs our help.”

Having not played attention to this conversation, you did your best to ignore it all for a while. It wasn’t that you’d given up after one serious try, it was that this ability has dragged you down a lot.  You were alone and you hated being alone.

Then one night, the other world finally drew your attention again.

Logan was standing in a large white room by himself facing you, and you weren’t entirely sure what it was, but it felt almost like he knew where your presence was.

“I know you probably can’t hear me,” He said quietly.  “But I want you to know that we’re doing our best to help you, to get you out of whatever trouble your in.  We won’t stop until we’ve reached you.”

You approached, a little cautiously, and for the first time, everything seemed to sit still.  Your hand raised and rested on the barrier that kept you separated.  Usually, it wasn’t visible, but this time your hand caused a strange ripple through it.

This got Logan’s attention and he watched it on his side at it moved outwardly, before focusing back on where your hand was.  A little cautiously, he raised his own and carefully placed it against yours.

Your heart raced, you couldn’t feel his hand through the barrier, but somehow, this was a connection, even though neither of you could see the other.  It was remarkable enough that he could suddenly see the barrier.

As quickly as it come though, it suddenly faded away, leaving your hand hanging against nothing in the air.  Tears sprung to your eyes, but you knew there was nothing you could currently do.

Logan stood there for a long moment after the connection disappeared, his mind running through multiple possibilities.

Hank’s voice came over the intercom.  “Logan, we may have something.”

It had been a few more unsuccessful weeks when a noise startled you.  It was unclear what it was at first, broken and crackly it took you back as it sounded through your home.

“Hello?”

You stood, your drink spilling everywhere, your heart racing.  “H-hello?”

The voice crackled some more and you let out a slow breath and focused.

Slowly, it all swam into view.  There was the large white room again, only now there was three people there.  Logan, Charles and someone you hadn't seen before, but he was incredibly furry and blue.

"Can you hear me?" You asked, barely daring for a response.

"Yes," Logan stepped forward, his eyes hopeful.  "Are you alright? We've been fearing the worse."

The sob left you before you could really process it and you had to draw in a deep breathe. "You have no idea how good it is just to be able to talk to you.  How are you doing this?”

"A bit of science that we don't have time to explain." The blue man said.  "Right now, you are the only one with the capability of breaking through.”

You swallowed. "H-how?”

Charles' look was sympathetic.  “You are clearly incredibly gifted, and I know how scary this must be but I need you to focus here. If there is one of us that is easier, then focus on them."

Your gaze went to Logan, but you still couldn't help but shift a little uncomfortably.  “That is a lot of responsibility.  I’m going to kill us.”

"No you won't," Charles said gently.  "You have been breaking through more every day. This is just another progression.”

"You can do this."  Logan held out his hand.

This all felt so quick and sudden but the longer you stood there, the more you realised you didn't have a choice.

You focused on Logan and stepped closer.  The barrier shimmered before you, the only thing keeping you from their reality.  Reaching out, you began to push.

The strain was immediate on you and your body, you're arms shaking, your head throbbing.  Gritting your teeth, you began to push harder.

Your hands stung and a small whimper left you through the pain.  This wasn't meant to be broken like this.

Logan stepped closer, and before you can warn him, he touches the barrier too, his hands almost instantly blistering and bleeding. He grits his teeth though and just pushes harder, the wounds meaning little against the task at hand.

Violent ripples began to appear in the barrier, almost causing you to back off.

“Don’t,” Logan warned.  “Were almost there.”

It was the push you needed and jamming your eyes shut, you used everything you had to try and break through it.

Hand took yours, and you almost didn’t feel it until they started to pull, and with barely a gasp, the barrier cracked and splintered and let you go.

Arms were around you, holding you close as you shivered, your body not used to using your power like that.  Through half blurred eyes, you watched Logan’s hands heal before the sobs started.

“You’re okay,” He said softly.  “You’re safe now.”

You just nodded, not trusting your voice, clinging to him tightly, feeling the barrier re-seal behind you.

Logan gave a small smile, one you couldn’t see, glancing at Hank and Charles, who looked a little relieved.  “This is Charles and Hank, and I’m Logan.  We're all very pleased to finally meet you."

The sobs eased enough for you to find your voice.  I- I'm Y/N.  I'm so glad to- to finally be here."

He pulls you a little closer, and somehow you knew he wasn't going to let you go. You finally felt like you were somewhere where you belonged.