#would he call them out for the trackers and borderline stalking?

[heavysighing-dreamyeyes]

The thing about Jason Todd is, if you're in danger, there's nothing that he wouldn't do to save you. It's not an exaggeration. There isn't a line he wouldn't cross, a moral he wouldn't bend, a rule he wouldn't break, just to bring you home.

It's not out of responsibility, or even out of duty to the 'mission'. It's out of sheer devotion. Head-spinning, earth-shattering love that keeps him from sleeping, from eating, from even considering any form of rest until you're out of danger.

He'd run himself ragged, drive himself to the very brink of exhaustion and insanity, because his heart won't slow its rhythm until he sees you alive. His stomach won't stop churning, working over that pit of anxiety until he can check every inch of your skin for injury. His mind won't function normally, until he can count the rise and fall of your chest with his own eyes.

He knows this about himself, knows it all too well. There's nothing he wouldn't burn, nothing he wouldn't leave trampled and broken, just to get to you.

And he's hardly the only one who knows all this. So if Gotham's vigilantes keep a closer eye on you than they normally would, if there's a tracker or two that wouldn't be there otherwise, well, it's probably for the best. (And it's not like you'll notice anyway, even if he does)

[the-diabolist]

Wild

Request: Love, my love, oh what i would do if you give me a hunting Mason and a fighting y/n with hate fucking. I will do anything you want. Any art of any person. Again i love you 💚

I am exhausted xD enjoyyy! btw the self defense move I describe here is legit and everyone should learn it

c.w: Gender/body neutral reader, borderline dubcon, predator/prey dynamics, wound squeezing, grappling, fuck or die (basically), hatefucking (or dislike-fucking, whatevs), fingering, size difference, mild sadism, rough treatment, creampie implied. 2.5k

He'd sliced through the side of your leg with a crossbow bolt yesterday, and since then it'd been nearly impossible to lose him for long. At first, it'd probably been the blood trail, and now it was probably the limp giving you away. He was, unfortunately, proving to be a proficient tracker.

You hear the slightest shifting of detritus behind you and surge to your feet without even turning to look, ignoring the sharp pain in the muscle of your thigh.

The urge to cry rises within your chest for the first time since you were injured; he's finding you so quickly, you've barely been able to rest. You feel like he's constantly at your heels, running you down like a hound on a fox. Your nerves are shot from the constant strain. You're slowing down.

Luckily, he's not very fast himself - he's a big guy - and his style is more hunting-stalking than outright chasing. When you run, you're still able to put enough distance between the two of you to hide from him... for now.

You throw yourself into a cluster of bushes and fight to control your breathing. After a few minutes, you start to think you might be safe, but then you hear his footsteps again. Damn him.

"C'mon out," he calls, coaxing. "Know you're 'round here somewhere. Might as well get it over with, don'cha think?"

You don't move an inch. You barely even breathe. You can't see him, but he sounds close. You consider taking off again, but... your leg doesn't have much strength left in it, you think. And it's probably too late for that, anyway. It's probably too late for anything.

You scream when a hand crashes through the thin branches and scrabbles for you, finally closing in an iron grip just as you bolt from your cover. What's more, your leg buckles, and you collapse to the earth.

"Found you," he smirks, kneeling quickly in front of you and wrapping a hand around the back of your knee. He yanks, knocking you onto your back, and you start to panic; this is not a position you want to be trapped in.

Before he can grab your other leg, you pull it away, then lash out, sending your foot toward his face like a striking snake. He falls backwards a bit to dodge it, but manages to keep hold of your knee.

"Let me go, you mons--" you break off with a shout as he moves his hand further up your leg and squeezes your bandaged wound. You think you feel it reopen.

"Plannin' to make me? With that bad leg of yours?" He chuckles. Your hands frantically grab and pull at his, desperately sinking your nails in to try and force him to release you. Blood starts to seep through your clothes as you watch. He doesn't budge, and the pain is nearly blinding, so you instinctively send your fingers flying toward his face instead.

That gets his attention; the smile drops off his face as he leans away to protect his eyes, losing his grip on you in the process. You try to scramble away, but you can't get up fast enough - your leg is basically just dead weight now. He tackles you back down, slamming your torso against the forest floor, knocking the wind out of you. You begin to cough uncontrollably, and he takes the opportunity to climb between your legs and put his hands around your neck.

Luckily, you remember one thing in particular from your self-defense class, something you can do when placed in exactly this situation. You steel yourself; your wound isn't going to like this.

Your arms come up and cross over his, keeping them right where they are and locking into place, before you bring your legs up and hook your knees over his shoulders. He starts to resist, but you draw your feet back down toward yourself and he freezes, feeling the pain bloom in his shoulder joints.

You still as well; for a moment, the two of you just stare at each other, breathing hard.

"Hm. Full'a surprises, aren't you, little wolverine?" His smirk shifts into a grimace as you put just a tiny bit more pressure on his joints.

"Shut up or I'll dislocate your shoulders," you growl.

Silence falls for another few moments as you try to think of a way out of this. He's stuck for now, but so are you. Even if you do dislocate his shoulders, he's on top of you, and he's too heavy to just push off. Plus, he can probably still strangle you afterwards, if he can power through the pain.

He seems to be reaching the same conclusions as you.

"So what's yer plan with this little stalemate? Stay like this until you get too weak to keep me here? Gotta be a better option."

He's right. This is a stall tactic at best, and you both know it... but then why not just wait you out? Why negotiate?

"... Like what?" You ask suspiciously. Your bad leg is already starting to tremble from the strain. He eyes you analytically for a few seconds before he responds.

"Got another game we could play," he purrs, a low rumble, breath ghosting over your face. He smells like hearthfire and musk - despite everything else, it's not unappealing. "And if you play along, I'll give ya 24 hunt-free hours and a new pack of supplies."

That definitely sounded too good to be true. You're about to ask what the game entails when he rocks his hips against you, letting you feel how much he's enjoying the current state of affairs and leaving you in very little doubt about what he has in mind.

"Well, ain't that a pretty sight," he laughs, full and booming. "Didn't know yer eyes could get that big around. That's not even all of it, darlin'."

You don't know how to respond. You don't think you really have a choice; it's too good of a deal - life-savingly good, even - to pass up, and honestly... yes, the man is terrible, and he's trying to kill you, but now that he's so close, he's also kinda turning you on. For whatever twisted reason, his scent and his voice and the things he's saying to you are all conspiring to warm you up in some pretty specific places.

"... Okay," you breathe, sounding almost timid. You clear your throat, willing your voice to come out stronger. "As long as you throw in a first aid kit and a blanket."

"You drive a hard bargain," he chuckles again. "Good for you. Deal."

Now comes the part, you suppose, where you have to trust him not to kill you the second you release him. It's not easy; you lapse into silence as you try to gather the necessary courage. You remind yourself that this is your only chance, even if it's a slim one, and you drop your legs from his shoulders, allowing them to lay on either side of him. The instant relief in your injured leg is enough to bring tears to your eyes.

You watch him warily as he pulls away from you, sitting up on his knees. It seems he's making no move to kill you yet, anyway.

"Goddamn," he grunts, rolling his shoulders, trying to work out the waning pain. "Quite a trick. Where'd you learn that?"

"Self-defense class," you breathe, only half paying attention to the conversation, your mental preparations taking precedent. He nods in acknowledgement. "So... where do you want me?" You ask, only a little tentatively, to your credit.

"Just stay right there, honey," he says, shedding his coat, "I've got ya."

He unbuckles his belt next, and the sound sends an uncomfortable bolt of adrenaline through you, but it's nothing compared to the near-panic you feel when he starts unfastening and pulling off your pants. Having the man's hands on you is practically torturous, even though he isn't hurting you - because he has before, and he can so easily. Your body reacts to him the way you imagine a rabbit reacts to the cry of a hawk.

"Mm, look at you," he hums appreciatively once you've been bared below the waist, staring voraciously, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were excited."

Okay, well, other than that uniquely human reaction, you suppose. You feel your face heat up, ashamed and a little annoyed by your body's eagerness.

Then his fingers lightly brush over you, and your mind moves on to other things. You gasp, thighs tensing on either side of him. His touch gets firmer, stroking, making you buck your hips against your better judgment. He chuckles.

"Hurry up," you grumble through gritted teeth, "get it over with already."

"C'mon now, that attitude's no fun," he purrs, pulling his hand away from you in order to retrieve a small bottle from his pocket. "Besides, you don't want me movin' too fast, trust me."

He pops the cap off the bottle and upturns it, squirting some of the contents into his hand. He spreads it over his fingers.

Lube. Why does he have that on him?!

His fiendish preparedness aside, you can't deny the relief that washes over you at the sight. Based on what you'd felt of him earlier, you'd been worried about taking him without harm.

His hand dips back down and then lower, until slick fingers are circling your entrance.

"Go ahead, ask for it," he rumbles.

"Ugh, fuck you," you spit. He smirks, and starts sinking one large digit inside you.

It's a lot, even with lube; you can't help but squirm. He's going too fast. You start trying to push him away, but he doesn't stop until he's buried to the knuckle. You whimper; he groans.

"You said hurry," he reminds smugly.

"Fuck you," you reinterate.

You're still grasping his wrist as he starts to move it, sliding his finger back and forth - slowly at first, but steadily faster until the motion is smooth and easy, and you're biting back pleasured moans.

He slides in a second one and you're back to where you started, arching and trying to wiggle away from him. You really don't know where he gets off having such thick fingers. He seems to be enjoying the show, but at least he's prepping you well. You honestly hadn't expected as much.

"Ready for me?" He asks, once you've adjusted to the second digit.

You figure you ought to be, right? You're pretty sure your voice would come out breathy and tremulous if you tried to speak, so you just nod, eyes closing for a moment of rest.

You feel and hear him rustling around, dealing with his clothing, and then he's grabbing your thighs (thankfully avoiding your wound, which is still oozing a bit) and pushing them back until you're nearly bent in half. The position is very similar to the defensive one you were in earlier.

You feel him against you, skin to skin, as he lines himself up, and you gasp quietly, eyes flying open. Two fingers wasn't enough, you realize regretfully.

"Told ya that wasn't all of it," he chuckles, and starts pushing forward.

He doesn't rush, thank heavens, but he also doesn't go slowly enough. You writhe more than ever - you don't know what you expect, it's not as if you can get out from under him, or even make him stop, but the burning stretch is just too much and you can't stay still, can't keep the frantic little pathetic sounds from falling out of your mouth.

"Mmm, just like that," he says with a deep groan; your obvious discomfort must be turning him on.

"Ffff-fuh," you stumble, unable to summon up the energy and presence of mind for your usual rejoinder.

"Hm? That smart mouth o' yours finally struck dumb?"

You rouse enough to glare at him - that stupid smirk of his drives you batty - but then he sheaths himself as far as he can go and you let out a cry. He stills, gazing down at you as you try to even out your breathing.

"God, you're just annoyingly large in every possible way, aren't you?" You sigh, glare returning to grace your features.

"Thought you'd be able to handle it without whining, vicious little thing that you are," he purrs, "guess I overestimated you. Should I be more gentle with your delicate frame, darlin'?"

You snarl at him, baring your gritted teeth.

"You are such an asshole. Are you ever going to fuck me, or would you rather sit here jawing all d--"

You cut off as he moves his hips, pulling back almost all the way.

"Careful what you wish for," he says, and you realize what he's about to do a second before he does it. Your eyes widen.

"Wai--"

You nearly choke on your own tongue as he slams back into you mercilessly, jolting your body hard.

He follows it up with another, and another, until your hands scrabble uselessly across his back, nails biting into the muscle as you cry out and whimper in wild desperation, rocking helplessly with his thrusts.

He likes it. You can tell by the grunts and growls, the way his rhythm is already starting to stutter.

Luckily for you, you've moved from pain-discomfort to pain-pleasure, and every hard and deep roll of his hips is stoking the flame, pulling the coil in your abdomen so tight that you think each one is going to be the one to make you finally snap. He's so big; the sensation is overwhelming.

Goddamn it. You're going to come for this asshole.

"C'mon, give it to me," he growls, as if reading your mind. Though you can imagine it's not hard to guess how close you are, based on the sounds you're making.

"No," you manage to snarl, completely aware that you lack the fortitude to deny his request even as you speak. You amend your statement. "Make me."

"Easily," he hums, and it only takes another moment before he does just that.

You climax so loud that you wouldn't be surprised if people in the nearest town heard you. He follows quickly afterward, though much more quietly. A long, rumbling groan is all you get from him.

You lay together for several minutes, breathing hard, bodies too spent to move, until finally he pulls out slowly and sits up.

"There now," he says, smiling almost fondly, "that wasn't so hard, now was it?"

You roll your eyes.

[animeyanderelover]

13/25 for my 25 Anime special. This character was suggested.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessive behavior, obsession, stalking, manipulation, gaslighting, sabotage, blackmailing, jealousy, threats, sadism

Yandere Orihara Izaya Hc’s

📱He has already been shown as someone who is a rather obsessed individual so multiply that tenfold and you have one of the unhealthiest obsession someone could ask for. There is no kidding here, he wants to know absolutely everything about his s/o and uses every possible connection he can to gather all information. Blood type, family, favorites, likes and dislikes, shenanigans that lie in your past and your deepest and most shameful secrets. Izaya doesn't really care if he absolutely demolishes your privacy like this as long as he can feed his insatiable curiosity. He wants more than sitting in front of a computer and reading files about you, he wants to see you and every possible reaction he could get out of you for himself. Not only does he stalk you via cameras and trackers, he also follows you around and isn't afraid to bump into you by "accident". He's the borderline of clingy since he seems to always appear where you are.

📱You wouldn't quite recognize it but Izaya is actually really possessive. He knows that no one really trusts him and that he hasn't been able to form a proper and genuine bond with anyone so far. Even Shinra was rather nonchalant when he was in the hospital and Shizuo, someone Izaya refers to as a monster, has his friends who trust him. Maybe that is because Izaya has never let anything close to his heart yet, he only accepts everything. He's adamant to change that now though which is why he is extremely manipulative and isolating. He wants to achieve a certain codependence for him from your side and is willing to pull multiple cards to do that. Fake identities in the internet to keep you busy, rumors he spreads about your friends or about you in your friendzone and so much more. He is a man as cunning as he is charming and he is most definitely there even when your friends have been acting strange or you constantly get in unnecessary brawls with family and acquaintances.

📱Under that arrogant and mocking persona is because of the absolute lack of a real bond in his life so far, a rather jealous man. He is not fond of being the one who is being played with and he feels sadly exactly like that when he observes how close and open you are with others. Chances are that you've heard of him and are rather wary around him. Of course it's fun to work his way through your shell and make you more submissive but there is nevertheless a bitter taste in his mouth when he sees you being affectionate and nice with others. He longs deep down for something similar and his possessive and jealous behavior leads him to straining the bonds you share to the absolute maximum. How strong are those feelings if he would drag them through the mud and back? He lies in wait for everyone who sparks his jealousy and is the ususal jerk around them, only with a tad bit more poison behind his words and a bit more glee behind his eyes. He wants to have the strongest bond with his s/o and the stronger a relationship you have with someone else, the more ill will and envy he feels.

📱As a sadistic and playful guy who loves to observe humans and their reactions, he toys around with anyone who he views as a nuisance. You see, Izaya is someone who will do everything to get something that he wants. He enjoys pushing people back and forth after his music since one phone call would be enough to end up in a hospital or to ruin someone in less than one day. It's a treat to watch your trust in others deteriorate just as much whenever you are betrayed or left by someone and he relishes in the fact that he is always the one who is there to comfort you in a sickenly sweet manner. For the most part he lets others do the dirty work since he is more the mastermind behind it all but it doesn't mean that he won't pull out his knife and stab someone if he's in a risky situation. He's not strong like Shizuo but he is skilled and agile.

📱I'd say he wouldn't want control his darling to such an extent since he still loves observing his s/o. They are still full of surprises and sometimes go against his usually accurate guesses which is why they are his favorite and lovely human. Izaya just keeps a tight leash on you so you never stray away too much to the point where you think you don't need him anymore because he can't have that after all his work, can he? Obviously he won't shy away to lock you up with the reasoning that you shouldn't leave his side for a certain while now until things have cooled down a bit. It isn't unlikely that he sometimes drags you purposely into the chaos he has created but he never allows to let you get too close to the flames since he doesn't want you to burn yourself.

📱He grows very clingy the more he notices that you seem to crack under everything he has put you through until it feels like he always keeps you around him. He probably is aware of his obsessive tendencies regarding you but it's not like he cares greatly or has ever cared about something he did before either. He wants for once a lasting and real bond and even if he indirectly forces you to rely on him as long as you never know that everything is his doing your feelings are genuine enough. Safe to say that he doesn't let his guard down easily, always a bit warily around you since you might plan something. He doesn't mind the nice and entertaining surprise of you surprising him sometimes with your reaction but he won't let you win the upper hand.

[cynthiashiblog]

The Good, the Bad, and the Goals – My First Year in College

I’ve always heard that college will change you. I’ve never doubted it, but I also never gave it a second thought. Even with all my fussing and “research” into what I simply can’t live without in the dorms (amongst other topics), I believed whatever happens, happens – that’s how these things usually go. Well, so much for surprises.

The Highs

Orientations suck, they always do, but I’m so thankful for mine during my first week in college. Despite getting sucked into playing 20 different versions of “Hi! My name is ____ and my favorite ____ is ____,” I genuinely cherished that week as I acquainted the best friends I could’ve come to know. I had a great roommate, met my best friend who is now my current roommate, and became close with a group of people who I’ve learned I can depend on for anything. I’m surrounded by people I can rely on for late night conversations, last minute homework help, and curbing my spontaneous food cravings. As someone who never used to share much about myself to even my better friends, being closer to people I’ve known for only 12 months than people I’ve known for 12 years was unexpected. So I guess this is a long-winded way of saying I’m extremely thankful for them, and college would really, really suck without them.

Then, there’s my club. This was my first glimpse into the competitive nature of the high-achieving students that I’d be attending school with for the next four (now three) years. I felt uncomfortable with the application process, and even in my second semester I couldn’t muster enough courage to apply to everything I wanted. After applying to 10+ consulting clubs, it was really discouraging to only hear back from one club for which I was actually a promising candidate. Additionally, the level of prestige this club enjoys basically killed all hopes of getting anything on my part. All of that aside, the amount of joy I felt after receiving my acception call made the process worth it. I honestly couldn’t believe the result; somehow, my connection-less bum made it through 3 rounds of interviews without blowing my awkward cover. To make it all better, the friends I’ve made through the club are some of the most talented and welcoming people I know. It is thanks to them that I can attribute most of the things I now know about Berkeley, and I’ll always be infinitely grateful to them for taking me out of my shell more and more.

Finally, there was my new lifestyle. I decided what I wanted to eat and when I wanted to eat it. I handled my own expenses. I chose to sleep in or not sleep at all whenever I saw fit. I went to parties and danced like I had no shame. I can even skip a full week of school and no one would be there to scold me. (Actually, that last part isn’t true... my friends are good influences *sigh.*) I had a lot of fun, and I’m genuinely happy to say that I was never homesick as a result.

I love college. There’s no other word for it. Despite all the struggles and unwanted realizations of self-insufficiency (which I’ll detail next), nothing could drown out the amount of happiness I’ve accumulated since when I first arrived in California.

The Lows

My first semester was hell. Absolute hell. 

It’s not like I didn’t know things would be hard. My West Virginian upbringing didn’t expose me to much, and the education I received before college was average at best compared to the Californian training of other people around me. 

Or at least that’s what I liked to tell others I believed.

In reality, I just couldn’t fathom why I was performing so badly. It seemed like everyone around me was achieving this magical balance between getting A’s, doing 20-hours-a-week clubs, and going out with friends on Friday nights. Taking curved classes only further reinforced this idea as I struggled to achieve the same marks as the people around me. I was suddenly struck with the hard truth that other people were simply better. 

That’s the word I used: better. It took me months to figure out that “better” is not the correct word choice for this situation.

I knew I didn’t want to study chemistry anymore from week 3. I started skipping every class from week 4. Even then, I somehow found a way to be extremely sleep deprived, had no time to make plans with friends, and only went to mandatory outings for my club.

And that’s how I learned the long hinted fact that I fucking suck at time management.

Honestly, I don’t know what finally got to me – how often the mixture of existential crisis and imposter syndrome hit me, or my best friend literally knocking me on the head saying “you REALLY lack discipline.” It felt like all of my high school insecurities that I worked so hard to hide started spilling out of me uncontrollably, and all I could do was use my four limbs to cover the mess that was my first semester. My limbs and the sheer will to not sleep until shit gets done (yet still getting distracted by the poison that is YouTube).

That’s the thing – I wish I could say I fixed myself… but I definitely didn’t.

Goals

I was inspired to start a blog because of a few reasons:

The fact that my writing began to edge closer towards the style of a seventh grader instead of where it should be started to concern me.

I read my friend’s blog entries from when he was in high school, and little things like that inspire me.

A girl in my club has only one blog post in her entire blog. It’s in a format similar to this, where she reflects on one of the worst years of her life. This entry impressed so many people that it might’ve been one of the reasons why she was heavily considered for the club in the first place. @M if you’re reading this, I might’ve totally stalked your resume to get there, but I regret nothing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’ve always wanted to maintain an online reflection of sorts. Why not put it all in a blog then?

In M’s blog post, she mentioned a few goals she had for the year ahead. It was like a tracker to make sure she doesn’t fuck up in the next year. Here’s my attempt to do the same.

Goals for the 2019-20 Academic Year:

Attend more than half of my classes – I think I was borderline last semester, but I don’t really know. I’d like to be sure this semester.

Invest more and make better financial decisions – stick to budgets, spend less “just for fun” money, but pay for quality

Do work at least a day before the due date – I can already tell this will be a struggle. Procrastination is my enemy, and I inevitably always lose the battle.

Learn to say “no” – I’m not capable of handling 10 things at the same time no matter how often I tell myself I am

Give less shits – NOBODY cares as much as I do about the random shits that I care about, and that’s not because they’re careless

Future me will probably feel attacked reading these, but present me feels pretty good about what I just wrote, and that’s enough.

Growing up, I’ve always looked forward to college. Now that I’m finally here, it would be a tragedy if I didn’t make the most of it. Maybe if I set goals to work towards, I’ll finally allow myself to relish in the beautiful sunshine and neverending energy of California.

[master-sass-blast]

Strong as Stone --Part Twenty-Nine

Welcome back!

Last time, we watched our group visit various colleges and school in America! And Trump was impeached! Good times!

This time, we watch Okoye and her team track down General Ross’s stolen vibranium --or, at least, they try to.

Rating: T for mild language.

Pairings: Okoye x M’Baku and Shuri x OC.

@the-last-hair-bender, @skysynclair19

Don’t go into every match expecting a win. There’s no fault in being confident in your abilities, but arrogance is the greatest downfall any person will ever encounter. There will be times when your opponent will outsmart you, outfight you, or simply be a step ahead of you.

There’s nothing wrong with it happening. It’s life. It’s the way of the river. So, instead of beating yourself down when you lose, breathe deeply and focus on how to do better next time. Do what you can to put things to your advantage in the next match.

It’s a matter of whether you want to move forward or whether you want to stay where you are. In all things, my dears, I urge you to move forward.

“Do you know what you’re looking for?”

Okoye shook her head. “Not specifically, no. Shuri and Jhanvi tracked the cases into Northern Canada. We weren’t able to get a specific location, though. Agent Ross’s tracking device stopped transmitting during what we think was the last leg of the journey.” She folded another sweater and packed into her duffel. “We’ve got the possible location parsed out to about fifty square miles out in the forest. We’ll be searching around there for anything suspicious.”

M’Baku snorted. “So, you’ll be tramping around in the cold. In the forest.”

“Yes, my love. The irony of the situation isn’t lost on me either. Fortunately, I’m taking this.” She held up the hooded fur cloak M’Baku had given her, taking a moment to enjoy her partner’s smile before tucking into her bag as well.

“What happens if you don’t find anything?”

“Well, it’ll be a wasted few days and I’ll come home with complaints and tired feet.”

M’Baku chuckled. “Well, fortunately, New Year’s will happen right after you get back. You’ll get a good vacation after that --and I’m told I’m a good listener.”

“Hm. How are your foot rubs?”

“Utterly phenomenal.”

“Well, then it sounds like my bases are covered for either outcome.” She zipped up her bag. “I need to go. Everyone else will be ready soon.”

“Alright. Be safe, my love. I’ll see you when you get back.”

“I will.” She blew him a kiss, then hung up the call, slung the strap of her duffel bag over her shoulder, and walked out of her quarters at the palace.

She had a flight to catch.

“How, exactly, did I pull shit detail and wind up in Canada on a mission to hike around in the woods while winter is still going?”

Okoye smirked at Ayo. “Because you’re the next in line to be General, and it’s important that you possess a well-rounded array of experiences before I step down so that you can handle anything that comes your way. I’m just taking my mentor-ly responsibilities seriously, dear friend of mine.”

Ayo glared murderously at her while Aneka laughed. “Next time we spar, I’m going to aim a few ‘well-rounded’ blows at your head.” Okoye grinned --then went straight faced as the other member of the mission team boarded the ship.

Steve Rogers, alias Captain America.

She didn’t miss the tension in shoulders or the darkness swimming behind his eyes. He looks like he’s spent six weeks in a war zone. She supposed, though, that it would come with the territory. 

They were tracking HYRDA, after all; the same organization that had tried to kill Mr. Rogers and tortured his best friend for decades. 

It was natural that he’d be on edge. “Sorry for being late,” Steve said quietly as he stowed his bag in one of the wall panels.

“You’re fine,” Okoye said as she hit the control to close the bay door and start the launch sequence. “We’re still on schedule.”

He nodded by way of greeting to Ayo and Aneka, then asked “What’s the plan?”

“We’re searching the last known location Agent Ross’s tracking device,” Okoye said as she steered the craft towards the outer border of Wakanda. She hit the cloaking device as they passed through the holographic shield that surrounded the inner part of the nation and steered the ship up to higher altitudes. “With any luck, we’ll find the vibranium and whatever else HYDRA has there.”

“And if we don’t?”

She could hear the anxiety in his voice, just barely constrained as it thrummed under the surface. I hope that isn’t going to be a problem. She knew enough about Captain Rogers to know that he was a capable fighter and a good leader or team member --and that, when wound up, he could be a bit of a loose cannon. If he costs us this mission, or causes one of my friends to get hurt... Okoye pursed her lips and put the thought firmly out of her head. 

Going down that path wouldn’t yield anything productive. 

“Then we go back to Wakanda and draw up another plan.”

“And if that doesn’t work?”

Okoye looked up and met the man’s tense gaze. “We’ll find them, and we’ll take them out. Bottom line, we won’t let them get anywhere near Sargent Barnes. I promise.”

He relaxed a little at that, nodding and retreating back into the cabin of the ship.

Ayo walked up next to her, watching Captain Rogers while she did. “Is he going to be a problem?” she whispered in Wakandan.

Okoye sighed as quietly as she could. “Hopefully not.”

Cold. Bitter cold. Agonizing, bitter cold.

She’d acclimated better to the cold over the past year, thanks to her frequent trips to the Jabari lands.

But the Jabari lands had crackling fires. Steaming hot springs. Thick furs. And M’Baku.

Canada didn’t have any of those things.

Aneka’s teeth chattered as she peered out of the frost decorated window of the safe house they were staying in while they were on their mission. “People live out here? How is that even possible?”

“They go ice fishing, too,” Steve said as he brought in a stack of chopped wood from outside.

“Ice what?”

“They sit on frozen rivers, drill holes in the ice, and fish.”

Aneka’s eyes widened and she mouthed the word ‘insane’ before looking back outside.

Ayo walked up to her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around Aneka’s shoulders before glancing over to Okoye. “The sooner we’re out of this frozen hellscape, the better. What’s the plan?”

“We’ll spend the next few days searching the woods to the North of us. Most of it is accessible by car, but we’ll have to hike through some of it,” Okoye said as she set up a portable mini-heater on the dusty kitchen counter. “We --Captain Rogers... what are you doing?”

“Building a fire.”

Okoye exchanged a slow blink with Ayo and Aneka, then looked back at the Captain. “We... we have a heater. We don’t need a fire.”

“This cabin is drafty. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

Okoye shrugged when Ayo gave her a shocked look and mouthed the words ‘just let him do it’ to her second in command. “Okay. Well, we know the last place the tracker transmitted a location was in this area, and there aren’t any airports or any other places where they could easily leave the area.”

“Did it just run out of batteries?” Steve asked as he lit the kindling with a match.

“We thought about that, but when we tried to scan the area we weren’t able to. This area is protected by a dampening field of some sort.”

Steve grimaced. “Well, that’s suspicious.”

“No kidding. If we’re going to find any hints of where they are or where they’ve gone, it’ll be here.”

Two days of nothing.

Well, if you counted all the snow they’d trudged through, it technically wasn’t nothing.

But, if you were looking for positive results, it was an assload of nothing.

The roads hadn’t yielded anything telling, so they’d had to start hiking through the dense forests for any signs of anything suspicious. So far, there weren’t any bunkers, boot marks, or any signs of life in the dense woods.

“Maybe the just drove through here while the batteries gave out,” Aneka had panted at one point, breath clouding in the cold air.

“Maybe,” Okoye had agreed as she’d adjusted the hood over her fur cloak. “But that doesn’t explain the dampening field.”

They were back out in the thick of it again, tramping into the last quadrant they needed to search.

Okoye looked over at Captain Rogers as he hiked next to her. “Are you holding up alright?”

He nodded and gave her a mildly confused look. “You know I’m a super soldier, right? I was created to handle conditions like this.”

“Where I come from, it’s considered rude not to ask.”

He let out a small huff that might’ve been a laugh. “Yeah, I’m alright. You holding up okay?”

“Well enough. I’ll be glad when I’m out of here and back in Wakanda.”

“So will I. I didn’t think fur was a standard material in Wakanda.”

Okoye lifted her gloved hand to her cloak and smiled slightly. “It isn’t, except for the Mining and Jabari tribes. This was a gift.”

“From the Jabari Chief.”

Okoye shot him a mildly startled look. “And you know that how, precisely?”

“Princess Shuri brought his sister to one of Bucky’s sessions. They mentioned your relationship then.”

Well, that makes sense.

And, if she was being honest, she didn’t mind her relationship being public knowledge as much as she used to. She’d adjusted to the idea over the past year, and trusted that M’Baku would protect the more sensitive human side of her consistently.

That, and having two teenage girls be privy to most of the details makes total privacy borderline impossible. Immersion therapy.

“What the hell?”

The Captain’s startled tone broke her out of her reverie --and she stared, shocked. “How...”

Directly in front of them was a ten foot by ten foot patch of forest that was completely taken over by dense, dark green vegetation that stood nearly as tall as Okoye. The plants and weeds seemed completely unaffected by the harsh winter weather, and not one stray shard of frost clung to the leaves or stalks of the flora.

On a hunch, Okoye took off one of her gloves and stuck her bare hand into the vegetation. “It’s warmer here. That explains why there isn’t any snow or frost.”

“Yes,” Aneka agreed as she paced around the perimeter of the spot. “But that doesn’t explain there are plants growing everywhere.”

Ayo pushed back some of the vegetation and revealed a vent in the ground that was spewing hot steam. “Something tells me that shouldn’t be here.”

“Agreed. I think we may have found our base,” Okoye agreed.

“Awesome,” Aneka said. “Now how do we get in?”

“Over here.”

They followed Captain Rogers over to a mound of snow that, when they got closer to it, was definitely too large to be a drift.

He brushed off a side and quickly found a metal door and a keypad. “I think we’ve found our base.”

“I think we have,” Okoye echoed. “We need to update the King and gather up some supplies. We’ll come back tonight.”

“It was just... out in the middle of the woods?” Shuri snorted incredulously. “That’s not a very convenient location.”

“It’s not meant to be,” Okoye said. “It’s meant to be impossible to locate without coordinates. If it hadn’t been for the vent and the vegetation, I doubt we would’ve found it.”

“About that,” Shuri said, her projection wavering as she moved around her lab. “There’s something that’s bugging me. Why were plants growing? I mean, I would’ve bought a patch where snow or ice wouldn’t form, but plants?”

“They looked really healthy, too.” Dewani squished into frame with Shuri, looping an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders. “Which doesn’t make sense given the conditions.”

“I fail to see how it matters,” Ayo said in a polite voice. “We’ve found the base and we know how to get in. What do plants have to do with anything?”

Dewani and Shuri exchanged a long, uneasy glance.

“Well, large amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium can help plants to grow larger,” Dewani said tentatively, “but it would take a large amount of genetic modification to get them to grow out of season, added nutrients or not.”

Okoye stopped and raised an eyebrow as she eyed the two girls. “What is it?”

“Well,” Shuri said, “Phosphorus can be used to calcify organs. Potassium can be used to treat high blood pressure. Nitrous oxide is laughing gas…”

“You think they’re torturing and experimenting on people in there and that whatever they’re using leeched into the soil,” Steve surmised grimly.

“It’s one of the very few logical explanations,” Shuri said. “I doubt the HYDRA agents are hobbyist gardeners.”

Okoye grimaced. “So, we might be dealing with a group of genetically modified individuals with who knows what abilities in an underground bunker where they might also have access to vibranium and-or vibranium based weapons.” She drummed her fingers against the table as Ayo swore behind her. This just went unbelievably sideways.

They couldn’t afford to not head in. They needed to track down the missing vibranium and get it out of HYDRA’s hands.

But going on with the team they had now? 

Suicide, plain and simple.

“We’re going to need back up,” Okoye said. “Probably as much of it as we can get.”

“I can send out one of our stealth ships; I’ve been modifying the engines to work more efficiently so that it can fly at faster speeds. I could have a team to you in… six hours,” Shuri said.

“Good. I’m sending you a list of names and supplies we’ll need. This is a rush order; make sure everyone’s ready to go as quickly as possible.”

Shuri nodded. “I’m on it.”

Okoye sighed as the call ended and rubbed the back of her neck. “What is it about anything going wrong? Stanley’s law?”

“Murphy’s law,” Steve supplied helpfully.

“Right. Well, remind me to find Murphy and punch him once this all over.”

The cold was suffocating in the dark. Without the sun to warm the woods, the temperature had dropped nearly thirty degrees.

I should’ve brought M’Baku, Okoye thought as she crept through the darkened woods. He’d be right at home in all of this.

As soon as Shuri’s ship had arrived with the rest of the team --Djabi, two more Dora Milaje members, and the rest of Steve’s team save for Bucky and Scott Lang--they’d finished equipping everyone and departed for the entrance location. They closed in on the door quickly, walking as quietly as they could as the snow crunched under their boots.

Okoye nodded to Wanda and activated her spear as the Sokovian opened the door with her powers. 

When nothing leaped out of them, they filed down the stairs and into the bunker.

Here we go, Okoye thought as she turned on her night vision glasses. Bring it on.

Empty.

The damn thing was empty.

They’d searched the entire bunker --and it was smaller than expected, there was no way they missed something--to find nothing.

No vibranium.

No people.

No computers.

“They knew we were coming,” Clint Barton, alias Hawkeye, said quietly, eyes scanning the space like something was about to manifest from the walls --which, given their track record for weird happenings, wasn’t entirely impossible. “This happened recently. The dust still hasn’t settled.”

“What do you think they were doing down here?” Sam Wilson, alias Falcon, asked as he walked from empty computer bay to empty computer bay.

“If I know HYDRA,” Wanda said, accent thickening as she eyed the cells and stasis tubes, “they were experimenting on people. Again.”

Ayo turned her head to look at Okoye. “What do we do now?”

Okoye pursed her lips and sighed. “Take pictures of everything. When that’s done, we’re heading back to Wakanda.”

Halfway through the flight Aneka made the discovery.

“Agent Ross’s tracking device is transmitting again!”

They all rushed to gather around Aneka, staring down at the display projected by the younger soldier’s kimoyo beads.

“Why are they in the middle of an ocean?” Djabi asked. “Are they on a ship?”

Steve swallowed hard. “No. They’re at the Raft. They moved whatever they had in that bunker to a prison controlled by General Ross.”

Shit. Okoye hissed through her teeth. “There’s no way we’re getting that vibranium back without tipping off General Ross that we’re on to him.”

“No --especially since the only ones who know about the Raft are him, the crew that runs it, and us,” Steve agreed.

Okoye tapped at her kimoyo beads. “I’m contacting Jhanvi. I’m sure she’d like the challenge of hacking into an underwater base. We’ll have her watch and see just what they’re doing before we try and break in.”

“Why not head out now?” Aneka asked.

“Because I’d rather know if they’re making superhumans again before I send my people in there,” Okoye explained as she typed out a quick message to Jhanvi. Once she was sure the message had sent, she set her mouth in a firm line and went back to examining the pictures they’d taken of the bunker.

They’d catch General Ross and retrieve the vibranium. She was certain of it.

But will we catch him before he launches whatever he has planned?