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yoongsisbae · 3 years

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Christmas Lights Out! Agust D vs RM Super Hero Christmas Special! | MYG

You visit your hometown during the holidays. You and your childhood friend Joon reminisce and you learn more about your smooth tech talker business partner Yoongi. Can he win you over once and for all?

Yoongi x reader x Namjoon Superhero/Super Villain AU. Enemies to lovers to enemies to other enemies to lovers?! Slow burn romance. Love triangle-ish? Sequel to Your Friendly Neighborhood Superhero, RM

Hi friends, this was supposed to be lighthearted, but then it got HEAVY...so like yeah, typical story of mine lol. I almost pulled y/n's character back, but she's supposed to be kind of not good, so extra warnings

Warnings: smut, voyeur, fingering, rough sex, outdoor sex, graphic depictions of violence, crime, police brutality, fucked up villain shit, unhinged y/n, threatening school violence, character death, manipulation, angst

Word Count: 17.1k

---

“I’m going to visit my parents for the holidays, so don’t bother me.” You finish counting the final stack of money from yesterday’s “donations,” securing the loose bills together with a tie and place the stack inside your bag.

Hoseok looks up, dropping the bracelet he had been threading onto the table top. Working tediously on his new hobby kept his mind off the storm outside, his body busy so he can think about something else rather than the drop in barometric pressure and violent lightning nearing closer. “Does Tae know?”

You roll your eyes. “What is he, my keeper?” You grab another stack of bills, fanning out the money with your fingers.

The papers on the table scatter from a controlled gust of wind; a miniscule push of power by Hoseok. “You’re taking more than your share,” Hoseok warns.

You pout. “I have to buy Christmas presents! C’mon, you and I both know we’re the ones doing most of the work, just think of it as a holiday bonus!” You look at him hopeful.

Hoseok goes back to threading beads, shaking his head. “Don’t let the others hear you talk like that. We all contribute equally here, y/n.”

You pull your bag over your shoulder, belligerent, keeping the extra cash. “Yeah…” You agree, leaning over his chair, draping your arms over Hoseok’s shoulders, chin in the crook of his neck, studying his new art project. “But we’re the most powerful and you know it, Weather Man. Plus, I deserve compensation for being partnered with Jin last night.”

Hoseok scoffs, unable to hold in his laughter. “Oh really? I heard it was the other way around, that you spent most of the night thinking about ghosts to scare Jin,” he shivers.

“Jin started it,” you mutter, unable to tell Hoseok being in a confined space with the mind reader, who spent the night teasingly pressed up against you had sent your mind straight into the gutter, much to Jin’s utter amusement. So you decided to amuse yourself as well.

---

Taehyung’s latest undertaking involved flipping the vote of every legislator who opposed his new environmental preservation act, which meant overtime for the snarky mind reader who spent his time shadowing each legislator, listening and searching for a dirty little secret he could use against them, because the only thing more powerful than money is knowledge.

Bribing his competitors worked pretty well in the beginning, and the group liked the idea of using their own stolen money against them, but threatening them with a piece of information that could ruin their entire career…well, threats just worked so much better than bribes, and provided Taehyung with lasting allegiance.

Seokjin learned quickly that politicians are such egomaniacs they think mostly about themselves, which can provide him some good quality scandals, but the better ones, the life-ruining ones, those always seem to come from family. Which is how you ended up stuck inside a bedroom closet while Jin listened in on the thoughts of his latest target’s wife and children.

Apparently, Seokjin absolutely needed you there in case something went wrong. Jungkook had rudely materialized inside your apartment uninvited and hopped you to Seokjin before you could even protest. And protest you did, in your mind, torturing Seokjin in your own stubborn way.

And so that's how most of your nights now went, forced into helping Taehyung with his endeavors one way or another. At least it paid well.

---

“Are you going back home too?” You ask, using your telekinetic powers to help the bracelet’s string go through the bead when he misses.

“Probably not,” Hoseok sighs, leaning his head back against your shoulder. “Tae has to stay in the city, and I know Jin and Jimin are staying too.”

And truth be told, Hoseok doesn’t like visiting his hometown.

Before his friends helped him learn how to control his abilities, Hoseok’s emotions ruled his powers. The aftermath caused too many pained memories around his old family home. Hoseok prefers the safe company of his friends instead.

The memories still haunt him, a younger Hoseok in the kitchen of his old family home arguing with his mother, his own uncontrolled adolescent rage transferring to the lit stove, sparking a huge blaze that burned his mother. A faulty switch, they said, an ‘accident.’ But for Hoseok it was a reminder of how truly devastating his powers could become.

‘Jimin's staying?’ There goes your ride. ‘Ahh, that’s right,’ Jimin did say something about his new assignment. Your roommate was going undercover this Christmas, a present for a very unlucky daughter of one of Taehyung’s targets, because who would ever suspect a cute little puppy?

“We're having Christmas dinner at Mayor Kim's mansion, you sure you want to miss that?”

“Hmm I'll just get JK to hop me a plate,” you joke, standing straight. “Okay, well, see you next year!”

Hoseok grabs your wrist. “Hold on!”

His tone was sharp, you thought he was going to yell at you again for taking the extra cash, but instead he pulls a colorful bracelet from his tray, stretching it over your hand.

“Merry Christmas.” He places a reassuring kiss on the top of your wrist before shaking you away. “Be careful, Yoongi says back home isn’t like what it was when we were kids, it’s dangerous past sunset now.”

You see your name written out in beads. Even if Hoseok has become a lot more moody in his adulthood, you see the old him shine through sometimes, and after all the times he’s saved your ass on heists, you can’t help but appreciate him and his powers. “I’ll be fine.” You grumble, admiring the cute bracelet.

“I’m not worried about you, I’m worried about everyone else!” He yells after you.

“Hey y/n.” Min Yoongi enters just as you’re leaving.

“Hi and bye, see you next year!”

He watches your retreating figure and turns to Hoseok with a look of skepticism. “What is she talking about?”

---

You knock on steel, one two three times in a special pattern. A familiar pattern to alert the occupant inside that you were alone and meant no harm.

“Y/n?” A sleepy Namjoon stands in front of you in sweats and messy hair, scars littering his toned torso that make you instantly regret seeking him out. The cuts; a consequence of fighting Jimin in his tiger form. You heard about it afterwards, but seeing the evidence now...now that you’re here, you think you’ll have to find a way to heal him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! What? I can’t even check in on you anymore?” You lean on the door frame away from him with your arms crossed. You used to see Namjoon every day, then it became weeks, now your only interactions with him were becoming the times you ran into him as ‘RM,’ where he looks at you with such contempt in his eyes.

Joon keeps his arm placed by your head, blocking you from entering.

Namjoon frowns. “What does V want?”

Ever since you’ve aligned yourself with Taehyung, it’s been like this. Joon doesn’t trust you, which is fine, you’ve lied enough to him to know you deserve his ire. But the way he acts like you are now Taehyung’s lackey, or worse, girlfriend, is infuriating.

“I don’t fucking know! I’m not here because of Tae,” you say, irritated.

“Why are you here at two in the morning then?” He looks you over, eyes zoning in on your cleavage, and you don’t need to be a mind reader like Jin to know exactly where Namjoon’s mind went. He leans on his arm, pectoral muscles jumping, waiting for your answer.

“Not for that either,” you cough. “I wanted to know if you were going to go visit your family for Christmas.”

“Why? Planning to do something while I’m away?”

You ignore his accusations. “Oh so you are? Me too.”

Namjoon cocks his head to the side, “You are?”

You nod. “Yeah, err well I was planning to stay there until the new year. I felt like getting away,” you swallow down the rest of your words, looking away.

“You’re going by yourself?” He moves to the side, letting you into his apartment.

“Well, yeah? I mean, that’s also why I’m here. Did you want to go together? My parents still ask about you,” you add quietly.

“It would be nice to see them again,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck, hoping to relieve the awkward tension he was suddenly feeling.

“Okay, we should go together, yeah,” he says uneasily. If V’s most powerful super supporter was going to leave the city, it would only benefit Namjoon to keep an eye on you. Like the old saying goes, ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’ Namjoon didn’t know what you were to him anymore, but as long as you were with him, he felt reassured Taehyung wouldn’t try anything too villainous. And then…he’d get to spend time with you…

“When did you want to leave?” you ask, looking around his living room, missing the close connection you once had. This shouldn’t feel so cold and foreign to you, Joon shouldn’t-

“I was going to catch the first bus out this weekend.”

Catch a bus? A bus? Eh?

You were hoping to catch a ride with him by means of super powered flight. Of course Joon would choose not to use his powers, instead picking the most difficult means of transportation. You laugh to yourself.

“What’s funny?”

“Nothing, I know you don’t need a license, but you should at least learn how to drive, don’t you think, Joon? It might come in handy. What if ‘RM’ had to steer a careening delivery truck off the highway or something?”

“I would just stop it with my body.” Joon says, missing the point.

You frown, “What about the passengers?”

“Uhh I’d fly them to safety before impact!”

You glare at your old friend's simplistic viewpoint, crossing your arms. “Looks like you have it all figured out then.”

“It’s my job,” he pats your head, pushing you softly and smiling smugly.

You stumble backwards, trying to calm the heat in your cheeks. “Yeah, maybe it’s for the best that The God of Destruction doesn’t operate a moving vehicle.”

“Hey, you know I hate that nickname.”

“Yeah I do, that’s why I used it.”

Namjoon scoffs, leaning against his kitchen counter, his scars prominently on display.

“Here, let me fix that, I can’t stand looking at it.” You move closer, placing your palm against his torso. You expect him to stop you, but he watches silently.

“I’ve felt this before,” he mutters.

“Yeah, well you get hurt often, don’t you?”

“You know, I always thought it was from my own powers. That I had super healing powers or something,” he laughs bitterly. Now that you’re not around, and his muscles ache more than ever, he knows the truth.

You concentrate, “Your body is different. It’s a lot easier to heal you than other people, so maybe you do and I’m just speeding it up a bit,” His body radiates warmth against your palm, the energy at your fingertips adds to the heat.

Namjoon closes his eyes, feeling the pain in his joints slowly disappear as well. “Ahh how do you do that?”

“I don’t know, I just concentrate, if I concentrate enough I can start to get the physics of what’s going on, down to the molecules. When I concentrate I can feel your blood pumping through your veins…that sounds pretty gross, huh?” You tease, but Namjoon peers down at you with soft eyes.

“You could do so much good in the world, y/n.”

You look at him pointedly, not wanting to hear this speech again. “Yeah, I’ll just become the next Mother Teressa while I’m at it.” Doing this is draining, does Joon really think you’re willing to sacrifice your time and energy to fix everyone else’s problems? Martyrdom does not suit you.

Namjoon bites his tongue, keeping in his protests for now, already thinking of ways to persuade you once you’re out of the city and away from Taehyung’s clutches. He wants his best friend back, even though he will never admit it.

“Okay,” you stop, satisfied now that the redness was gone, the energy in Joon’s body already increasing now that his joints didn’t feel so tired, “I better go.”

Namjoon stops you, grabbing your hand before you can fully pull away and you look up at him confused. You’ve seen that apprehension before in him, unspoken pleas swirling in the dark irises of his eyes, desires he holds back. He wouldn’t, not anymore, you already know that, but part of you…hopes.

“See you this weekend then.”

You nod, stealing a kiss before you leave. Namjoon stiffens, acting unphased. Namjoon’s willpower is becoming as impressive as his powers. He doesn’t reciprocate, returning your affection now would feel like he’s accepting all the wrongful actions you’ve chosen. No, Namjoon is too good for that.

But you, you rather be bad.

---

“Here, I got it.” Namjoon carries both your suitcases and his as if they weighed nothing, packing each case in the bus’s cargo and offers to help other riders store their luggage too. You can’t help but smile, he’s never going to change. Despite everything, he will always be the helpful caring man you’ve fallen for. So you leave him to it, stepping on the bus to find your seat.

“Hey y/n.”

“Yoongi?!”

Yoongi stands up, smiling deviously. You realize to your horror his seat is directly behind yours.

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” you hiss. Min Yoongi is going to ruin everything, Namjoon will never believe a word you say now. He’s going to think you set him up and push you even farther away.

“I’m going home-”

“On our bus? Do you think I’m dumb? Did Tae put you up to this?!”

“‘Our’ bus? Finally made it official with him? You could do better.”

“Shut up, shut up!” You press Yoongi’s shoulders down, trying to hide him from view, but he’s too solid and too stubborn. You are truly panicking, completely forgetting you have the power to move him and the entire bus if you wanted to. The irony is not lost on Yoongi who can’t help but snicker at your distraught state. He smirks and his eyebrows raise, outstretching his neck in a lazy gesture for you to turn around.

“Y/n? What’s going on?” Namjoon takes in your frightened state and Yoongi’s smug demeanor, jaw clenching when he notices his old childhood classmate turned super villain, reminding him of the rift between you and him.

“I swear, Joon, I didn’t know-”

“It’s fine.” He stiffens, he could tell you weren’t lying…or perhaps you had just gotten better at it in his absence. “Hey Min.”

“So formal, Namjoon.”

You look between both men, able to feel the tension thick in the air. Oh, that’s right.

Yoongi’s feet are kicked out from under him as he falls back into his seat, glaring daggers at you for using your powers on him.

You quickly sit down, taking a calming breath in. “Um, Joon?”

Joon stands conflicted. If he was a lesser man he would punch Yoongi for the way he rudely treats you. Namjoon just thinks about it instead. He sighs, moving his glasses to rub at his eyes and hesitantly lowers himself in the seat next to you.

---

A bump in the road wakes you up. You lift your head up, see unruly brown hair, the top of Namjoon’s head pressed to your chin. You had fallen asleep with your head against the window’s glass, and Joon had fallen asleep against you. You look outside, where the scenery changed from the familiar gray block structures of metal and concrete into greenery and winding roads and you smile to yourself. Joon softly snores against you and it reminds you of your childhood, and the nostalgia of going back home hits you all at once.

You smile, happy, ignoring the pain inside you that aches in a steady rhythm.

---

“We’re here, y/n.” Joon’s calming deep voice wakes you up. “Let’s go.”

You yawn, stretching. Namjoon had woken up before you, watched you sleep softly against him, your arms protectively tight around his shoulders even in your slumber, and stayed still until he couldn’t any longer.

He insists on carrying your suitcase, he insists on walking with you.

“I’ll go with you, y/n. I’m walking that way.” Min Yoongi barges into your conversation. “I live closer to you, right?”

“She’s not going to her house, she’s going to mine.” Namjoon says defensively and drapes his arm over your shoulders, pulling you in.

“I…am?”

“My parents made us lunch,” he says sheepishly, confidence waning.

“That’s great!” you over-emphasize your excitement, trying to lift his mood. “I can’t say no to your mom’s cooking. If only she taught you a thing or two.”

Yoongi watches you leave with the undercover superhero, annoyed at the way he keeps you protectively close.

Everyone noticed the way you held your powers back around RM, even (not so) discreetly protecting him from the other’s attacks when he showed up to stop them. It had become a liability for Taehyung, who asked Yoongi to help find a way to put an end to your unwavering feelings for the superhero, hoping to stop the annoying Vendetta RM had taken up against him the closer you became with the group.

Taehyung had started to feel his own contempt for the superhero who kept getting in the way of his plans and kept holding you back from your potential. Yoongi agreed because Yoongi noticed it too. Unlike the others who worked to hone their abilities under Taehyung’s guidance, you didn’t use your powers in the same way, you stayed comfortable in minimal effort feats of power, getting away with it because your ability was so vast. But Yoongi wanted more for you.

---

Spending the day with Namjoon and his parents made you see how right your decision to come back to your hometown had been, you could go back to pretending you were normal and Namjoon and you were best friends again. Namjoon’s family was always so warm and welcoming to you. They loved you like a second daughter, and they definitely loved the fact that you now ran your own business.

Namjoon’s father wasn’t pleased Namjoon hadn’t found a suitable career yet, knowing how bright his son was. Namjoon had the grades to go to any college he pleased, to become a lawyer or a doctor, but Namjoon chose the life of a superhero instead.

His father didn’t know why his son decided to work odd jobs instead, he didn’t know of his super powers. His father tended to be as dense as Namjoon about things. But his mother, she knew why. She even sewed his first superhero suit, and though she couldn't talk about his accomplishments with her friends, she was the proudest of her son. She joked Namjoon should work for you, which you wholeheartedly agreed with, laughing at Namjoon’s disapproving face.

Namjoon’s mom knew her son had super strength from the very beginning. It was nearly impossible to hide his strength when he first acquired his power, and as she took care of the home, she noticed something strange immediately.

You will never forget that day, you were both working on homework in his family room, or well, Namjoon was working on his homework and you were stealing his answers, and when Namjoon left you to grab drinks you heard an ominous crash, running into the kitchen to see your childhood best friend holding open the refrigerator door which had been entirely disconnected from his fridge.

“W-We can explain!” you had yelled, hitting a stunned younger Namjoon who dropped the door right in front of his mother.

“Oh great, I’ve wanted a new fridge for years. Dear, please pull the door off the stove as well, I want a matching set.” She smoothed her son’s hair down, adding...

“Dear, you sometimes float when you sleep.”

Even though you never used your powers in the beginning, you always wondered, if she knew about you too.

---

By the time you left to go to your family’s home the sun had begun setting and Namjoon and his mother insisted he take you.

“I know you don’t believe me, but I didn’t know Yoongi was going to follow us.”

“It’s alright, this is his hometown too.” Namjoon sighs, always trying to defend.

“Well, I don’t like it. I feel like they are keeping tabs on me, it’s creepy. And why are you smiling about that?” You shove him using your hands and your powers and he stumbles.

“I’m not smiling!” Namjoon laughs.

“You are! You’re smiling. You’re laughing now!”

Namjoon laughs louder, and you can’t help but laugh along with him. This is what you missed, what you yearned for, what you killed for-

A loud yell pulls your thoughts away from Namjoon. Somewhere there’s a fight, you could feel it, three different bodies. You and Namjoon hear another loud yell, screaming for-

“HELP!”

“You can’t!” You grab Namjoon before he can fly away. “Don’t you think it would be a little suspicious if ‘RM’ suddenly showed up right before Christmas in this small town?” you hiss. “Remember the rumors the first time we left?”

“Y/n,” he warns, “I can’t just-”

Another cry for help echoes in the night.

“Ugh, I’ll handle it, okay?! Stay back!”

And off you run, to fix things, to protect Namjoon.

“Uh, excuse me?” Two men stand over a third. The last man has a bloody nose, frightened eyes, dirt covered clothes. You address him first. “W-What’s happening? Why are these guys hitting you?”

“I-I’m d-delivering f-food! T-They are trying to t-take-”

“-your bike?” He shakes his head no, shivering from head to toe. One of the men runs towards you, grabs you and drags you to their victim, screaming at you to be quiet.

“Your...wallet?”

“Y/n!” Namjoon turns down the alleyway you found yourself in, his large towering figure in the distance seen by all four of you.

“Give me a second please!”

The robber tightens his hold on you, thoroughly pissed off you’ve been ignoring him. The delivery man is shaking his head, and the other robber swings back to hit him. You lift a hand up and to the delivery man’s surprise, the robber stops his assault, arm suspended in midair.

“What t-the fuck?”

“What are you doing?! Hit him!”

“I’m s-stuck!”

The robbers bicker amongst themselves while you try to calm down the scared delivery man. “What are they trying to take?” You ask again, still being dragged closer.

“My w-watch! My w-wife-”

“Ohhh!” See, that you can work with. All it takes is a little tug with your mind.

“Here.” You hold out the man’s watch.

“WHAT THE HELL?” Frozen robber yells.

The robber currently holding you reaches for the watch, but you are too quick, pulling when he pushes, and he too stands, well, leans, frozen. You walk over to the delivery man, handing him his watch.

“H-How did y-y-you...”

You wave your hands dramatically, “Magic. I’m a pretty good magician, yeah?” Then you look over to the frozen robbers. “Um, you should probably leave before the magic wears off, right? Go home to your wife. Tell her you fought off two men for that,” You look at his watch, laying a hand on his shoulder soothingly, and he nods quickly before jumping onto his delivery scooter.

“Y/n! You can’t do that! Stop, it's stealing.” Namjoon scolds, now by your side. You have both robbers’ wallets, pulling out extra cash while the men stay frozen and watch you terrified beyond imagination.

“What? This money is probably stolen anyways,” you argue.

Namjoon grabs the wallets out of your hand, exasperated. “Why do you have to be like this? Why?!” he yells, upset. You never acted this way until you started working with V and it angered him. When in reality, you had used your powers all the time to get the things you wanted and only held back when you were in your old friend's presence.

“At least with my way we don’t have to call an ambulance,” you mutter, annoyed.

“I don’t-I don’t mean t-to” he stutters, hurt by your words.

“I know, I know.” You are instantly filled with regret, but your temper doesn’t permit you to apologize. “Why are you getting so mad?! These are bad men aren’t they?” You glare at the frozen pair, their arms and legs still stuck in odd angles in front of you.

“Because we have to be better than them, y/n! They steal from someone so you steal from them and then when does it end?!”

You want to argue, but the way he looks at you fills you with guilt. You sigh, “...fine, we’ll do it your way.” You retake the wallets with Namjoon’s permission, walking towards the frozen men, you pull an ID between your fingers.

“You heard the man, consider yourself lucky.” You put the wallet back in the robber’s pocket and flip the identification card over, tucking it in the man’s front pocket. “I know your names and faces now, and where you live, so don’t think about breaking any more laws, because next time, we do it my way.” You grab the man’s cheeks, pinching his face between your fingers, “And my way involves you losing the ability to move permanently,” you warn, patting his cheek.

After you return the other man’s wallet and ID, you let them go, turning to a very stern looking Namjoon as they scurry away out of sight. “I didn’t mean it, I just said it to scare them.” You cross your arms, “Don’t tell me you’re mad about that too.”

Namjoon sighs, the entire ordeal went better than he expected at least. He pulls you back towards the road. “No. I’m glad…you helped… Why did you let him grab you like that? Are you okay?”

“Well, going in fists first is your thing,” you say, hooking your arm in his. “And I’m fine. Why, you were worried about me? C’mon, I fought you, you really think those assholes could hurt me? What, were you jealous?”

Namjoon scoffs. “Shut up,” wishing he could quiet you with his lips instead.

---

Something feels off. You know your childhood room was tiny, but there was a strangeness about it that unsettled you. You are officially home now after having Namjoon over for dinner. Your parents had been ecstatic to see you both again, grilled you and Namjoon on your relationship status much to your annoyance, and Namjoon left with the promise to come visit again tomorrow.

You loved your parents, but you accept your relationship is better when you’re only around them in small doses, so after dinner you went straight to your old room to unpack. You needed some alone time, but right now you didn’t feel alone.

You look around, eyeing each of your old electronics still sitting exactly where you left them. An old cordless phone that is still connected to the wall. Your TV and CD player haven’t moved. You notice your old computer, the web camera is still attached. Your eyes narrow when the odd feeling increases tenfold. Yoongi wouldn’t dare.

You glare at the piece of old technology, facing your body directly at the computer screen, and decide to test your theory by putting on a show.

Slowly, very slowly, you unbutton your blouse, until your front is left uncovered.

Hmm. Yanking off the clothing, you stand in your bra, turning your head to the side, trailing your hands over your body teasingly. At this point, you’re hoping Yoongi is watching, otherwise, acting like this for absolutely no one feels dumb. You pull off your bra, standing topless in the middle of your old bedroom. Okay, maybe you are dumb.

Giving up, you pull on a nightshirt and start unbuttoning your pants when your computer screen light turns on, white text letters beginning to fill the blank screen.

‘NICE TITS.’

How do you murder someone six houses away?

You move closer to the web camera, talking directly into the speaker. “Yoongi, what the fuck are you doing?”

‘LET’S TALK.’

Then the screen goes black and a notification pops up on your cell with a location in the center of town.

---

An old electronics store. ‘How convenient for him,’ you think.

The lights were turned on but no one stayed inside and the doors were locked. You sigh and easily unlock the door with your powers. Your break-in triggered an alarm, but it was silenced almost immediately, and you knew somewhere lurked the tech talker.

“Stalking me? Got a crush on me now?” you yell inside the empty store.

“I just think it’s a shame you’re holding your powers back for a man, not very 21st Century woman of you.” Yoongi appears behind a tall shelf. “You think those punks are going to become newly reformed citizens just because you threatened them?”

“I knew it, I knew it, you’re spying on me!”

Yoongi moves closer, rolling his eyes. “I’m making sure you are not playing both sides.”

“I’m not on a side,” you huff, “I thought I made that clear.”

“And yet, somehow Taehyung is always the one you’re standing next to when things go south,” he smirks. “But yeah, you’re totally not picking a side.”

“If you think I’m so powerful, why are you trying to piss me off, hmm?” The dirt starts to vibrate around your feet.

“Maybe I like a little pain.”

You smile. Yoongi’s right, you’ve been holding back, but you have no problem letting go now. The shelves by your sides begin to shake-

The speakers around you screech, the sharp high pitched noise is the worst sound you’ve ever heard. And it doesn’t end, loud and persistent, ringing in your eardrums. You scream, falling to the ground. While Yoongi, prepared with earplugs, walks closer to you, boots on either side of your head.

“Come on!” he yells, “JK never shuts up about how powerful you are, is this all you got?”

“I could-” You hold your pounding head, trying to hold your thoughts together, unable to concentrate, only able to destroy a quarter of the speakers in the store. “-rip your body from the inside out if I wanted to.”

If Yoongi was startled by that statement, he didn’t show it. However, the sound thankfully stops and he pulls out his earplugs. “I don’t think you want to do that, but I’d like to see you try.”

You turn onto your back, breathing heavily. Looking up at him, flicking your arm so every remaining electronic falls to the ground and breaks. “Your power seems to have limitations. It kind of…sucks.”

“Think so?” He bends down and places his hands on the ground by your head. “I might have agreed with you if we were born in another century. But now? I can feel it all around us, even in the ground, can’t you?”

You concentrate, feeling the hard twisting wires running beneath your body, in the floor, up the walls. Electricity covers the building, the sidewalks, running into the ground. Telephone, internet, power. So much power.

“You think my ability sucks? Sorry to break it to you baby, but out of everyone, my power might be the most similar to yours.” You roll your eyes and cross your arms behind your head, too tempted to crash an appliance into his smug face. This man did not just call you baby.

“We both use energy, mine is just a specific kind.” His fingertips hover over your shoulder and you flinch from the static electricity. The tiny hairs on your skin stand up, charged by Yoongi’s presence.

His hand hoovers over your body, down your neck, and then-

You yelp, arms covering your chest, glaring while Yoongi laughs softly.

His laughter stops when the air becomes tight around your bodies. His feet leave the ground as he hoovers, trying to balance himself with nothing to hold onto.

You lift yourself up, dragging your feet first, until you’re upside down, slowly flipping your bodies around until Yoongi is the one who’s on his back as you both float in the air.

Yoongi might have been right, but you weren’t going to let him know that, or let him believe you were anywhere in the same league. You plant your feet to the ground with a satisfied smirk as Yoongi struggles in midair. He throws his head back, glaring at you.

You cross your arms triumphantly and lean closer to his temple, whispering so close your lips graze his soft skin. “Tell me, any cool tricks to get out of this?”

The lights flicker and go out, the soft glow of the advertisements outside barely reach your bodies, but it almost looks like Yoongi’s eyes glow with them.

You can feel the static pull on the ends of your hair, but you’re too stubborn to let him go now. Shit.

Invisible power danced around you, zipping through the air until you felt that power hit through you and out.

You knew the current of electricity that hit your bodies was Yoongi’s doing, but the explosions afterwards, the collapsing building, was that you?

---

“Idiot, wake up.” Yoongi’s sleeping form zaps you again.

‘Pain in the fucking ass.’ You have spent all night trying to wake him up after healing both your bodies and fixing the whole goddamn shopping plaza. The destruction was worse than anything you've ever seen Namjoon cause, and it frightened you...

You hated how frightened you were, it reminded you of the first time you tried out your powers. In the beginning you were always afraid, never purposely used your abilities, unlike Namjoon who dived head first into his powers, it took you years to tediously build up your telekinesis.

You’re exhausted, you’re scared Namjoon is going to find out it was you, and you’re worried Yoongi’s family will wake up and find you hovering over their son in his sleep like a crazy stalker.

Eventually, too tired to keep trying, you pass out next to the slumbering tech talker.

You only closed your eyes for a second, at least you thought you did. Jolting awake, you notice your position is now switched with the tech talker, your tired body under his covers while he sits hunched over next to you, head resting on his crossed arms.

He lifts his forehead up, holding out your cell for you, “Namjoon won’t stop calling, I texted back saying you were busy, but I don’t think he believed it.”

You snatch the phone out of his hands, glaring. Namjoon is the person you should be with right now, not waking up in Yoongi's room. You turn around burying your head in his pillow, thinking of an excuse for Namjoon, upset you had to start your vacation lying to him again. What happened last night felt like a nightmare.

You never had anything against the aloof tech talker until now. There was a point last night where you thought you had put Yoongi in a coma and he’d never wake up, but he looks down at you now so indifferently it makes you want to rip his hair out for crying over him.

So you do, yanking at his hair, twisting the strands tightly in your grip, you can feel the tears welling up in your eyes again. “We could have both died, you idiot!”

He winces, reaching for your hair too. He’s much stronger than you, yanking your body back down. “Y/n, why aren’t you using your powers to get out of this?”

You can feel angry tears escape you, frustrated and still so tired, not understanding the point he’s trying to make. “Because I don’t want to use them?! You and everyone else act like what happened is a gift, or a calling; an improvement to your shitty fucking lives. I never wanted any of this! It’s a fucking curse!” The entire property shakes in your rage. It’s too much, you feel everything. You can hear the worried cries from his parents waking up in the other room. “Let me go,” lowering your voice, you cry softly. Yoongi looks down at you, sharp eyes still searching for something, cradling your head.

“Calm down, don’t let your powers control you,” his words are stern but soft and he waits for you to stop crying. “Thinking it’s a curse or a gift, it’s not going to change anything, it’s part of you. You always hold back, we all notice it, you need to learn how to master your abilities.”

“Why?! So I can do all the things you and Taehyung tell me to do?” you cry, dizzy, unable to control the shaking in your voice and the shaking of the house.

His finger wipes the wetness off your cheek. “No, not for us, for you. You don't listen to us anyways,” he smiles. The affection from him, after everything...just upsets you more. You didn't want to accept it felt comforting, instead you shove him away.

“Why do you care so much?!”

“Why do you care so little for anyone who’s not Namjoon?!” he asks, irritated, “when all you do is fight?!”

You really want to shut Yoongi up, you really want to open up a hole in the ground and fall inside. You did revolve your life around Namjoon since you were children, after all, and honestly, in this moment, all you really want is Namjoon to come save you from Yoongi’s horrible truths. “You’re right, just p-please stop.”

“Promise me you’ll think about what I just said. Taehyung helped all of us master our powers, we can help you.” He wipes away your falling tears until you calm down, until you finally nod at him.

---

“What do you want now?” you stand in front of Yoongi in your pajamas and a jacket, freezing. You received Yoongi’s message to meet him at the park via your computer.

“Come sit,” he motions to the empty swing next to him, moving back and forth on his own swing.

“You know these late night hook ups are not doing it for me.”

“Still playing hero with Namjoon I see” he asks. He didn't like the fact that you spent the entire day with Namjoon, he had thought he had finally gotten through to you last night.

Did you and Namjoon go to the annual Christmas festival this morning, yes. It was for a good cause, you told yourself. The funds raised would help the town and the community. Did you also happen to use your powers to save a performer from hurting himself when he accidently fell off a horse dressed like a reindeer, yes. It made Namjoon smile at you, your favorite dimpled grin, for the first time in months, and you were discreet so no one could tell, you told yourself. Yoongi could tell.

“And so what if I am? It’s none of your business anyways,” you say irritated, sitting on the empty swing in a huff.

“Because you’re not a hero.” You know you’re not. But for some reason when Yoongi says it, it greatly offends you.

“Fuck you. Maybe I took your advice and decided to embrace my powers for the greater good.” ‘Ew.’ “You know, ‘New year, new me,’”

“Planning to become Namjoon’s little sidekick?”

You scoff, “He would be my sidekick if anything, you ass.”

“So...are you going to betray us then?” he asks, suddenly serious.

You roll your eyes, how many times do you have to defend yourself to Yoongi? “I never said that. You guys are so goddamn annoying sometimes.”

When you agreed on using your clean up business as a cover for Taehyung’s illegal operations, you didn’t think you would become as close as you are now to the group. On paper, your old classmates worked for you, and their superpowers made cleanups so much easier, but more often you were pulled into their hijinks, asked to help steal, spy...punish. You did it because the people you were punishing were the type of people who never faced the consequences of their actions. You did it because Taehyung’s goals were a beautiful fantasy you hoped he would someday accomplish, even if his means were violent. It’s not like the rest of the world wasn’t just as violent. It’s not like you weren’t violent, your own powers unfortunately thrived in chaos.

Yoongi scoffs, “Do you think I want to spend all my free time watching you in case you flip? I have better things to do.”

You glare at him. “Then fucking leave. I’m not going to stop Joon, I thought that was clear when we decided all this.”

“Yeah, well, we all thought you’d get over your childhood crush eventually.”

“He is not my crush, he’s my best friend.” You grit out, trying to calm yourself as little specks of sand levitate at your feet.

“Is that what Namjoon would call you now, his best friend?” The sand falls back into place as you swing quietly, defeated. He's right, you were best friends. What were you now? Have you just been living in the past? You can’t even say for sure if Namjoon even likes the person you’ve become now, much less consider you a friend.

Yoongi sees your fallen attitude, and he feels bad for pushing you, even if it needed to be done. He needed to make sure Namjoon didn’t turn you against them. He stands up and swings you instead, softly holding your shoulders with every push. “Listen, I’m not trying to make you feel like shit, but after listening to you guys all day…” he groans, “Namjoon doesn’t understand you.”

You and Namjoon didn’t always see eye-to-eye on things, but his convictions make him the person you’ve always admired, and maybe you needed something like Joon, someone who makes you a better person.

“Are you willing to change everything about yourself to make him happy?” You stay silent, letting him swing you back and forth. The swing creaks, and you don’t utter a word. “Like I said before, you can do better.”

“Oh yeah, who? Taehyung?”

He stops the swing abruptly, hands around your waist, pulling you back.

“No...” His warm breath tickles your cold cheek. You can see the clouds of your own heavy breathing forming.

“...let me go.”

He obeys, untangling his arms from around your waist and letting you swing forward with the momentum.

“I’m not only here to visit my parents. So if you’re going to keep up this good girl charade, don’t interfere with what I have to do.”

“Let me in on the details.” you ask, curious.

Yoongi shakes his head, pushing you higher “Ah ah ah. How do I know you aren’t going to tattle on me? How am I supposed to trust you now?”

You sigh, turning your head to your left. “Feel that?” you whisper.

“Saw them coming on the CCTV.”

“Oh look, outsiders! Don’t you know it’s not safe to be out after dark?” You and Yoongi turn to see a group of young men, clearly looking for trouble. How dare they call you and Yoongi outsiders. Kids these days.

“Oh, perfect timing! Since I can’t hit him,” you keep swinging, gesturing to your companion. Yoongi laughs darkly. The group look at you with a mixture of confusion and greatly misplaced overconfidence.

“Gonna help or just watch?”

“Go right ahead,” he yawns, stretching, “I’m not going to hold you back.”

---

“I like your style, y/n.”

“Thanks.” you stretch your neck, walking home with Yoongi. You hand him the stack of new phones you acquired (since you promised Namjoon no wallets). “Find anything useful?” You watch as the screens go haywire under Yoongi’s touch.

“Nah, just a bunch of punks.” He stretches again, massaging his shoulder. You notice when he winces.

“That’s still bothering you? You know, I can fix that for you,” you hum, hands in your pockets. “I’ve done it for Joon.”

“Alright,” he says, placing the phones on top of an empty bench, all except one. “I’ll take you home first.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever snuck a guy in my room before,” you laugh, holding the window open for Yoongi.

“Not even Namjoon?”

“We would usually meet in the forest when we wanted to sneak out. You know the one close to the school?”

“Yeah, I used to meet my friends there all the time.” he says, lying on your bed, making himself at home.

You sit on the floor next to him, remembering the night you and Namjoon saw the shooting star. “At night? Take off your hoodie.”

‘Yeah,” he says as he removes the offending material. You reach under his shirt, The moment your skin touches him you feel a shock of static electricity, yelping from the jolt.

“Is that a normal thing?” You ask, annoyed. He grunts in confirmation. You move your arm higher, following the length of his body until you settle on his collar bone.

You concentrate on Yoongi’s shoulder, where the muscles are more tense and tight. “Do you remember the night you got your powers?” Yoongi grunts again. If you weren’t trying to heal him right now, you’d smack him. “Were you in the woods then?”

“Yeah, just figured it out?” Yoongi adjusts his body, slumping into your covers. “Thought you were smarter than that.”

Your eye twitches. This man really likes to annoy you. Inside your own bedroom, while you are helping him, no less. “Did you find it?”

“Find what?”

“What caused the green light, Joon and I looked all night...”

“No, I was with Jin at the time. The moment we saw it, Jin started freaking out. He said he was hearing voices, he almost passed out from all the noise in his head. I would have thought he went crazy, but then I started hearing noises myself.”

“You did? How the hell do your powers work exactly?”

“So you can tell your superhero boyfriend how to take me down? Are you going to tell me how you do this?” He gestures to your position.

You lean on your free hand, watching Yoongi comfortably rest while you do all the work. Even if he annoys you so much, you can’t imagine a scenario where you would betray him like that.

“I don’t even know how to explain it, to be honest. It’s like when you look at a forest. You don’t think of anything particular, you see the whole forest for what it is, but if you start concentrating, it becomes all these tiny little pieces that fit together to make up what you see; animals, insects, rivers, trees. I manipulate one tree and then another, eventually I’ve changed the forest. I feel you the same way.”

“I can feel your energy too.”

“Really?”

“I studied about it when I first realized my powers. Human bodies create electricity. It’s small, but it’s there.” But you, radiate the most he's ever felt.

You always thought Yoongi’s powers were pretty limited, but you’re learning every day there’s more to him. “So could you take energy, could you drain a body?!”

“Damn y/n, that's dark. No, I don’t control things like that, the closest I can explain it is-I’m borrowing energy. It’s a flow, a line of communication I can tap into, with more sophisticated devices it can become a whole conversation, or as simple as, ‘off’-�� The lights turn off, plunging you into darkness. “-or ‘on’-” the computer monitor turns on, screen light filling the space.

“Hmm, still don’t really get it.” You press the computer button off with your mind. You understand the physical. You can feel currents of electricity but you can’t pick them up, move them like you would a tree or a desk. Even Hoseok’s lightning can knock you off your feet if you’re not paying attention. “You tell my lamp to turn on and off, are you saying my lamp could decide not to listen to you?”

Yoongi laughs. “You could think of it like that, it happened a lot in the beginning. I couldn’t control my powers. You could say I learned to be persuasive.”

“Same with Joon.” You’re tired. “Scoot over.”

You fit your body next to his on your tiny childhood bed. “What about the others? They were in the forest too, then? Do you know what happened to them?”

“Yeah,” he grunts, “Taehyung was with Jimin and Jungkook. They said they immediately felt the effects too, it was pretty crazy for them. Hoseok was all alone, he was biking along the forest when he saw it.”

“Oh shit.”

“He said he didn’t even know he had powers until he got upset one day. It took him awhile to even believe he was doing it.”

“Poor Hobi.” You look down at his bracelet still around your wrist.

“Yeah, he was in bad shape, luckily he crossed paths with Taehyung and the others, they helped him get control of his powers. I wish Jin and I had met Taehyung before moving to the city.”

You ask something that has been bothering you ever since you found out Namjoon and you weren’t alone in your abilities. “Why didn’t you ever reach out to Joon? That video was all people could talk about.”

“We figured it was someone from our class, but we didn’t know it was Namjoon! Jin had no control over his powers until we met up with Tae. He encouraged us to train our powers like a muscle. And no offense, but we all thought ‘RM’ was pretty dumb going public..”

“He was doing what he thought was right,” you frown, defending him. “You should have reached out, things could have been different.”

Yoongi scoffs, “And what about you? You were his best friend and you didn’t even tell him you had powers.” You guess he has a point there. “How did you hide it from him?”

You smile, Namjoon was smart when it came to books, other things...not so much. “The morning after, I felt different, but I didn’t think anything of it. Then after everything that happened with Joon, it scared me. I think my body just repressed everything out of fear, until...”

“Until?”

“Joon was being an idiot, really. He realized he could fly too, but he couldn’t properly land. He’d make massive holes wherever he went and run into trees and things. He was going to crash land into a car, I didn’t even realize it was me who moved it, I just wanted him not to get hurt.” you murmur, remembering how stressful those days were. “Once I finally came to terms that I had powers, Joon was already going out in a cape saving people like a real superhero. I couldn’t tell him then.” You had been too afraid he would have persuaded you to join him.

Yoongi flexes his fingers, sparks of electricity jump between his finger pads. You cuddle against his shoulder, sleepy. “It’s like you recharged me,” he says quietly. You hum.

“Now tell me your plans here, other than keeping an eye on me.” Yoongi stays silent. “Come on! I thought we were having a moment!”

Silence. “Or I could just break your arm and heal it again until you tell me,” you mumble into his shoulder impatiently.

Yoongi laughs at that, “Go ahead, I wanna see you do it.”

“Well now you just took the fun out of it,” you grumble. “Yoongi?” He grunts. “Do you ever think about what would have happened if you stayed friends with Joon? Became a superhero instead?’

Yoongi knows it’s not really him you’re asking for. “All that attention sounds like a nightmare. Also me in spandex?”

“Your hand runs down his torso, feeling his muscles as you pull your hand out from under his shirt. “I think you’d look pretty good.”

Everything is calm now, and you look at him without any resentment in your eyes, even though he was currently trying very hard to ruin your relationship with your oldest friend. Yoongi would second guess himself, if it weren’t for the fact that he could feel just how much energy was radiating off your body in that moment. “Would you give me a chance then, if I was a superhero?”

You snort. “What do you mean ‘chance’? I already got you in my bed,” you tease.

In your dark bedroom, you can only see Yoongi’s silhouette as he shifts his body to look at you. “I have a feeling I would piss a lot of people off if I decide to do what I’m thinking right now.” He teases you by running his fingertips along your arm. In the darkness, blue sparks emerge between your bodies.

“Whoa.”

“It’s coming from you, y/n.”

“Pretty cool-” You wiggle your fingers against his palm, watching sparks appear and dissipate. He grips your hand in his, so energized now, his powers were reaching to the satellites above the sky.

“I see now why they fight over you.”

“What are you saying, it’s not about my lovely personality? I’m offended.”

“If I was Joon, I would fight every day to be by your side.”

“You would lose.” you say dismissively.

He smiles, “I would still fight. You’d be worth it..”

You look up at him, “You just want me for my powers.”

“Yeah,” Yoongi agrees. “To have someone who wants to heal me just because she notices I’m in a bit of pain, someone as loyal and as beautiful as you, of course I’d want that.” There's more truth in his words than he wants to admit.

“That is definitely not going to work on me,” you lie, already feeling overwhelmed by his words.

Yoongi smirks, moving closer to you. “Okay then, maybe I just want to see these again.” His hand squeezes your breast, thumb rubbing your nipple through your night shirt.

Biting your lip, you arch your back into his touch. “Now that I believe.” You softly moan as he moves his body over yours, hands digging into your waist, pushing the end of your nightshirt up until your breasts are exposed.

His tongue runs along the curves of your breasts, sucking the sensitive nub into his mouth. The feeling is electric. Actually electric, small shocks of pleasure jolt through your body. He massages your breasts in his large hands, burying his face into your cleavage. You keep your moans quiet, but the bed creaks dangerously loud, a reminder you’re not alone in your apartment, you’re at your parents house, where the walls are paper thin.

“Y-You should go,” you hold his head in your palms, squishing his cheeks, and despite Yoongi’s sharp eyes, you think he looks cute.

His hand finds its way inside your pajama pants, dipping a single finger inside you, pressing into you until he hits his knuckles. “You sure?” Yoongi’s movements are skillful, and his touch, like his personality, gets straight to the point and doesn’t waiver; if he wants you to come for him, you will.

You groan in pleasure and bite down on the newly repaired muscle of his shoulder, testing him to see if he would pull away. But he looks into your challenging eyes with a challenge of his own, until you’re overwhelmed by pleasure, forgetting your indignation, eyes rolling back in pleasure instead, mouth releasing his shoulder, opening wider in a soft moan as your body shakes in rhythm to his fingers.

Namjoon was always careful, even if he didn't know his strength. Yoongi on the other hand, did not treat you gently, he took what he wanted, let pleasure rule above all. He may not be as strong as Joon, but he acted just as imposing and intimidating, an impressive quality that you’ve always liked about him. And now...

As he was brutally pounded your body into the carpet of your old childhood room, his dominance made you tingle. Or maybe it was his powers. Your skin felt hot under the rub of being pulled back and forth against his hard length. His tongue in your mouth stole your breath away, it felt so good, his soft lips and demanding touch.

“Y-Yes, fuck me harder.”

That was something Yoongi definitely had no objections to.

---

“Where are we going?” You follow Namjoon deep into the forest.

He carries four large bags, you follow behind him, telepathically moving tree branches out of the way that threaten to tear the plastic, your old friend not even noticing the way he bumps into the scenery.

“You don’t recognize this place?” he teases.

You did, yet still an uneasiness settled inside you even though you’ve taken this path a hundred times before. It was the path you and Namjoon used to take when you were kids.

“I remember.”

“Come on then!” He jumps on top of a familiar rock, one you used to lay on and watch the stars together on school nights. The sun beamed down on your old friend high above you, and he felt so far away. Yoongi's words were getting to you. Tired from the climb, you float your body next to his, peering into one of the bags.

“What’s this?!” You smile and drop down, seeing a garland of popcorn in one of the bags.

“We’re decorating a tree!” Namjoon smiles cutely. “When we arrived you seemed upset your parents had already set up theirs. You used to always help me with mine.”

You smile, wondering if he really missed you as much as you missed him. “Hmm yeah that was fun.” Tilting your head back you survey the massive trees. “This might be the biggest tree we’ve decorated yet.”

Namjoon hoovers above the ground, the sight makes you realize he really doesn’t use his flight unless he’s doning his RM superhero outfit. “Doesn’t look that big from here!” he yells.

This reminds you of the days you spent together before he took his powers so seriously. Your spirits are lifted up by how carefree he’s acting.

And so, you, lift, too.

---

You spent all day decorating the tallest forest tree with edible ornaments for the wildlife and zooming around the forest with Namjoon, lost in your own world. Namjoon helped of course, but mostly watched you, mesmerized by your powers.

When you were alone together you didn't worry about anything else, he didn't feel the weight of his responsibilities out in the forest, he didn't have to do anything, he just had to make you laugh.

Like now, your laughter filling the quiet forest. Namjoon picks you up, hands around your waist, so you lift his body up using your powers, and he flies you both higher, over the forest.

“It's cold!” You laugh, leaning into him, burying your face into his chest until he brings you both down again.

You chanced a kiss, warm in Namjoon's embrace. And deepen it when he kisses you back.

Namjoon kissed you pressed up against a tree, holding your body firm. He missed your soft lips and your hot mouth, he missed the curves of your body, the softness of your breasts and stomach, the heat of your sex, but most of all, he missed the throaty melody of his name moaned out by your voice.

He missed it so much that when he comes he doesn't stop, his hips thrusting into you until his name leaves your lips again. When Namjoon comes for a second time, he can feel the hot wet pulsing of your walls around him as you let go, your bodies wound tightly around one another too much like lovers, your eyes staring into his with so much love and desire he has to recatch his breath.

---

At the end of the day you both lied under the decorated tree, admiring your handiwork and watching birds flock to the edible decorations.

“This was fun,” you sigh, lying against his warm chest.

“Just keeping you out of trouble,” Namjoon jokes, but you don’t see the humor in it.

You sit up. “What do you mean?”

Namjoon can already tell you took his joke the wrong way. “Calm down, I was only kidding.”

“Do you think you have to keep me in check? You think I’m a danger to society or something? Is that why you brought me out here into the middle of the forest?” It was hard not to let your insecurities surface, with the fear that once you leave your hometown Namjoon will become cold and distant to you just like before.

“What?! N-No! We always used to come here!”

“You know, before you found out about my powers, I was constantly cleaning up your messes. I still do!”

If you wanted to go there, Namjoon would go there. “So it wasn’t you who trapped a dozen men inside the jungle gym last night. The fire department had to cut them out, it was all over the morning news, y/n. They could have frozen to death outside.”

“You’re being dramatic,” you mutter.

“What were you doing last night? Looking for trouble with Yoongi?! You could have called me for help, or you should have called the police-”

You snort. “Yeah, looks like the police have everything handled around here. It was never like this when we were kids. The police budget's tripled here and crime is the worst it's ever been, maybe RM should look into that before telling me I can’t-”

“Alright alright,” Namjoon pulls off his glasses, rubbing his temples. Another argument with you was exactly what he was trying to avoid. “I get it, I get it. You think you’re above the law.”

“THE POLICE THINK THEY ARE ABOVE THE LAW.”

Namjoon groans, “Your sound like V!” Namjoon yells back at you, slamming down his fist. “DO YOU THINK THAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO KILL PEOPLE?” It always ends up back to this argument, and you never are going to apologize for that. The impact from his fist crumbles the rock under his fist, creating a large crack down the middle and shaking the ground.

He looks at the broken rock, years of his childhood now blemished. “Shit. Fix it, y/n, please.”

“...no.”

---

“Wow, so you actually come out in daylight.”

You lean against your parent’s door in your pajamas. You were planning on staying in bed until the new year passed, and then your mom dragged you out of your room, talking excitedly about a handsome stranger asking for you.

“Get dressed, I want to take you somewhere,” Yoongi says.

“Why?” you ask skeptically.

“You’re a ‘good girl’ now, right?” Yoongi mocks, “We’re gonna go do some good around here. Hurry up!”

You glare at him, utter annoyance replacing your pathetic despondency. You turn around swiftly, headed to your room. “Wear something you don’t mind getting dirty!”

You walk silently next to Yoongi, curious as hell as to where he’s taking you.

“That festival you went to, did you know the town Governor holds that every year?”

“Yeah.”

“All those ticket sales, he’s supposed to use those donations to help our community, right?”

“Yeah…”

He leads you by the hand to a group of volunteer tents, introducing you to one of his friends. “Hey, has The Governor given any financial aid to you guys since winning re-election?” His friend just laughs at him instead of answering. Yoongi hands you a bucket full of tools.

“We’re here to actually help our community. You, beautiful, are going to help ‘fix-up’ these houses while I ‘fix’ their electricity.” He leads you into a run down neighborhood. The houses on the street look all but abandoned. “Most of these houses belong to senior citizens, really old, so they won’t notice when you use your powers. However-” he whispers. “Take this opportunity to work on your subtly,” he places your hands down to your sides. “Our powers come from our mind. I don’t have to say, ‘on’ and ‘off’ anymore, you shouldn’t have to move your arms for small things like this.”

---

You sigh, “You know, Joon would have loved to help with something like this. You should have let him come too, Yoongi.”

Yoongi nods. “I know. I did.”

“What?” The wistful smile on your face falls.

“Your friend tends to be rigid in his ideals, can we agree on that?”

“What are you saying?” you ask confused.

Yoongi pulls the end of his shirt up to wipe the dirt off his face. “A lot of these people are squatters. They refinanced their homes to pay off debt and couldn’t keep up with the interest.”

Yoongi sighs, “I gave them stolen electricity, y/n, something the power company can’t turn off. I let him know what I was going to do. He didn’t want to be a part of it, but he promised not to stop me. I’m sorry I kept it a secret from you, mad at me?”

“I’m not mad.” you say, stunned. “Did you really explain it to him? About why they can't pay?”

“Should I have to? I think it should be a basic human right, don’t you?” he shrugs, “You can try though, if you want. He’d probably see it differently coming from you,” he runs his finger across your cheek, wiping away dirt. “He doesn’t like me now that we’re close.”

“Joon isn’t like that.”

Yoongi could have told you Namjoon threatened him to stay away from you. But the way both of you have been acting recently, clearly upset with each other, he didn’t feel like upsetting you even more, screw Taehyung’s mission.

An old woman comes over to you and Yoongi, handing you a loaf of fruit bread she made as a thank you gift for fixing her home, the new insulation and heat will keep her warm this winter. You give Yoongi half. In many ways Namjoon and Yoongi still act the same as when you were kids, even when the most life changing phenomenon happened to all of you, Yoongi still finds ways to help those who can’t help themselves. Namjoon does everything in his power to do what he thinks is just. But you’re starting to realize you’ve changed a lot.

---

Knock Knock Knock. It’s become a habit to knock in the pattern Namjoon knows.

“H-Hey.”

You haven’t seen him in awhile, not since you blew up on each other. “Hey. Your mom wanted me to come over and help her make dumplings?”

“Oh. OH! Oh thank god, come inside, she keeps making me redo mine,” Namjoon whines, pulling you inside and dragging you to the table you used to do your homework on.

“Y/n! You came! Hopefully my son will cheer up now.” She gives Namjoon a stern look that makes you laugh.

Throughout your stay you tried to bring up Yoongi, but Namjoon dismissed all your attempts. You wondered if he really disliked Yoongi that much, and why.

When you walk home that evening, head full of questions; when you walked passed a fight, you almost didn't stop. But you did, regretfully.

You noticed the struggle outside a convenience store, a man and police guard fighting. The man looks very familiar-

“Hey! I thought I told you not to do that anymore!”

“Oh fuck no, no no no-”

“Stop struggling!” The guard yells, trying to secure handcuffs around the robber. You cross your arms over your chest, willing the robber's body to stop moving.

The police guard shoves the man into the concrete, screaming again, “Stop resisting!” But he's not resisting, because you are purposefully keeping him still.

The robber screams in pain. You see the items he stole scattered around the concrete. Food and...baby formula.

Fuck. What would the old you do? Mind your own damn business. What would Joon do? Let the police handle it? No, you can't believe he would do that. What would the you in this very pivotal moment do?

You search for the closest street camera, looking pleadingly for help. Pulling out your cell out, you start recording the officer. “Yoongi,” you mutter under your breath, “Help me out here,” hoping for once the tech talker was still stalking you via your electronics.

“Are you recording me?”

“Yep. It's almost Christmas, can't you just let him off with a warning?”

“Ma'am if you don't step back right now, I'll arrest you too!”

There is a loud sound, like someone pressed onto a car horn and kept their hand down, folllowed by the familiar sound of police sirens, the guard's car activated and blaring it's lights. Then the street lights and store loses power, bathing everyone in hues of blue and red. You mentally thank Yoongi.

“It's h-her! S-She's doing it!”

“First of all, no, second of all, I'm trying to help you out here, asshole.”

The police guard reaches for his gun and that's when you really do use your powers.

Now that the guard was knocked out, you release your hold on the robber. “Here,” you hold out your arm, baby formula in your hand. The robber swipes it, holding the can close to his chest. Struggling with what to do next.

“Crazy witch, stay away from me!”

And Namjoon finds this rewarding?

---

You were not spying on Min Yoongi.

You had just grown accustomed to his late night requests. And when he didn’t ask you to meet him today, you just wanted to make sure he was okay. So you might have searched for him using your telekinesis, but it wasn’t spying!

You went to the tallest point you could find and tried to “see” him in your mind, concentrating until you found a figure that took up a Yoongi-sized space, who moved in a distinctive walk like Yoongi, who radiated an insane amount of energy...

So that’s how you found yourself out for a midnight stroll, on the opposite end of town, close to the neighboring powerplant.

“There’s cameras everywhere, you think I didn’t notice you?” The tech talker turns around, staring in your direction. You step out from the shadows, not spying.

“What a coincidence that we just ran into each other like this.”

“Lucky me.”

“Well, what the hell are you doing across town, the night before Christmas lurking around like the Grinch?”

“Oh, just here to cause some trouble. Going to stop me, Miss Magician?”

“What do you mean ‘cause trouble’?” A powerplant and Yoongi in the same equation, sounds like an answer you’re going to regret solving.

“I’m destroying that.” He gestures to the plant. Yep, instant regret. “Now that you’re here, can you do it for me?”

“Yoongi, what the hell?!”

“Fine, make it difficult for me.”

“Why is it always the hot guys?” you sigh. “You’re absolutely insane, you know that right?”

“So you think I’m hot?” Yoongi smirks.

Your eyes narrow on him, “Don’t act like it’s a revelation. If you wanna destroy this powerplant, be my guest, but you think Joon won’t notice if suddenly half the town loses power on Christmas Eve?”

But Yoongi is not paying attention to you, he’s already walking towards the quiet building.

“You’re going to be ruining a lot of Christmases if you do this!” you warn.

Yoongi scoffs, hands in his pockets.

“Wait wait wait!” you tug on his arm, stopping him momentarily.

“Looks like your boyfriend is rubbing off on you after all.”

You clench your jaw, trying to calm yourself, “He’s not my boyfriend.” The lights flicker around you, and you’re not sure which one of you is to blame.

“Can you just explain to me why you need to destroy this powerplant?”

“Sure. This plant has been overcharging customers for years. Would rather pay fines to the government because they still make more off of scamming our community. I destroy it, a new company Taehyung has lined up takes over, and these selfish bastards get fucked-”

“Okay…Okay…can’t it be after Christmas then. You’re trying to fuck over the company, right, not the residents, don’t take away their Christmas! Please Yoongi, please.” Hoping to convince him, the last thing you need right now is to get stuck in another fight with Namjoon.

“Alright,” Yoongi relents, “But before the new year this power plant is shutting down.”

---

“Thank you, for the compromise,” you walk slowly through the town with the tech talker. “I mean it, thank you.” You didn’t want to fight with Yoongi too, especially on Christmas Eve.

“I take it Namjoon doesn’t compromise very often.”

‘Try never,’ you think. “Anyways, it’s past midnight, Merry Christmas, Yoongi.”

Yoongi grunts. But then he stops you, pulling on your elbow.

“What’s wrong?”

“Merry Christmas,” he says, pulling you into a hug.

“Ow,” you giggle, receiving a small shock of static electricity as his head moves away from your cheek. Yoongi laughs softly, unwilling to move away any further. His presence was something you were growing to enjoy, so when his nose nudged yours, you didn’t try to stop him or push him away.

Before your lips touch, you feel Yoongi’s familiar spark, pricking the delicate skin. His lips drag along yours, warming up your insides in the winter cold. You almost don’t notice the wind that shifts, a figure zooming into the night sky. Almost…Namjoon.

“You…d-did that on purpose…” you say, pushing Yoongi away.

“Yeah I saw Namjoon coming,” he says, yanking you back, “But I kissed you because I wanted to, y/n. Fuck, not everything has to do with Namjoon.”

His body tenses and he falls to his knees. You looked down at him, held him there, trying not to cry or scream or destroy everything in your radius. Namjoon had seen you kiss Yoongi. You and Namjoon weren’t together, so why did you feel so devastated?

Captive in your powers, he didn’t resist. He didn’t look afraid like your usual captives, Yoongi just watched you silently while your emotions swirled around inside of you, your own restraints tightening around your heart.

You want to go to Namjoon, but you knew you would only make things worse. Falling to your knees in front of Yoongi, you release him from your telekinetic hold. You don’t know what you expected him to do in that moment, but you hadn’t expected he would wrap his arms around you, pulling you into a comforting hug.

---

A soft rapting on glass wakes you up. You peek outside your curtains and see RM standing outside your window. It was Joon, in his signature superhero suit, transformed into RM.

“Joon? What’s going on?” you ask apprehensively. You jump outside, shivering, a light robe hastily pulled around your body. He stood stoic, you couldn’t see the anger he felt, but you knew Namjoon long enough to notice the glimpses, the cracks, in his demeanor. He stood, strong as a god, tortured with his thoughts.

“I wanted to give you this before I go back into the city.”

“You’re leaving right now?” he nods as you hold a small gift wrapped in green paper. “I have something for you too.” Placing a hand behind your back you pull Namjoon’s gift from your bedroom, it zips through the air and lands in your palm. It was a pocket watch. You engraved it yourself using your powers.

“I love it.” Your gift box held silver drop earrings, the ends came to a sharp point like two tiny daggers. “They’re beautiful.”

“My hero…” he reads the engraving outloud, voice breaking.

You bite your lip, unable to feel anything but sadness. You busy your hands by putting the earrings on. “How do I look?”

“I saw them and thought of you.” He touched the end of the earring with his finger, the sharp point pricking his skin. “Beautiful and dangerous,” he laughs sadly to himself.

You grab his hand, pressing your fingers on his, his cut is gone when you remove them. “Dangerous only when I want to be,” You try to joke with him, holding his hand, you notice his red knuckles, “What h-happened?”

He lost his temper, he lost control, he used his superpower for his own selfish reasons, he had wanted to destroy things, use his fists to release the anger he felt inside watching another man kiss you.

You shiver and wrap your arms around your body, and Namjoon surprises you by pulling you into a hug.

“I wish it wasn’t like this.”

“Y/n...I hate doing this alone. I hate fighting with you.” A naive part of him thought you would have changed your mind by now, want to be by his side.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry I upset you.”

He pulls away from you, “From now on, we should stay away from each other.”

“W-What? W-Why?”

“When I’m around you...I-I’ve done things I’m not proud of...you’re changing me. It was supposed to be the other way…I can’t do this with you anymore.”

Your heart felt divided, cracked by his words.

“Namjoon, I love you.” You proclaimed your love, even though you knew love wasn’t enough to save your relationship.

Yoongi watches from inside your bedroom. “Don’t do it, don’t do it,” he mutters under his breath, watching Namjoon fight his feelings for you. He wanted Namjoon out of your life for his own selfish reasons now. What can he do?? He uses all his power to form a strong electrical charge, red sparks flash across your ceiling behind you, lighting up your room.

“Just stay with me until the New Year, please,” you plead, eyes welling up with tears. Hoping to mend the last threads of your friendship. You can fix everything, why can't you fix your relationship with Namjoon?! But Namjoon has made up his mind, he received the message from Yoongi. The strongest man in the world can’t have any weaknesses, he can’t have you.

Sighing, Yoongi sends Taehyung a message now that you’re alone.

‘RM is headed your way. Y/n is with me. Keep him busy.’’

“How did you find me?” You continue watching the stars in the sky, lying on the familiar rock, the crack Namjoon accidentally created is now gone.

Yoongi lies down next to you. “I haven’t been out here in forever.”

Settling down by your side, Yoongi reaches over to touch your left ear. “Let me guess, a parting gift from your dear friend?” You hum. “It’s a tracker,” Yoongi says. “I tapped into it.”

“Is it?” you say, unphased. You probably should feel betrayed. You feel nothing.

“I just think it's strange, he wants nothing to do with you, but he wants to know where you are all the time.”

You stay silent. Right now you didn’t want to talk to Yoongi, you just wanted to forget about Namjoon.

“I’m just saying, those aren’t the actions of someone who wants you out of their life.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” You didn’t want to talk about it or think about it, and you knew the irony of coming to the place that held so many memories for you and Namjoon. But it was easier pretending to be back in the past, where you and Namjoon were best friends again and not enemies.

“I’m sorry,” You’re not used to hearing Yoongi without his usual detached drawl. His tone is soft and soothing, and you melt into the way he runs his hands along your arms comfortingly. “I know you’re hurt, but you’re not alone.”

Turning on your side, you look into Yoongi’s eyes, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

You held in your cries. You couldn’t let out your pain, but you could let go of your inhibitions. You rest your head against his, mouth moving closer. His lips, that’s what you wanted to feel instead of this sadness. His soft grunts of pleasure, that’s what you wanted to listen to instead of speaking about your pain. So you kissed him harder, ran our hands down his body, searching for a replacement for your pain, hungrily exploring him until you found it, moaning Yoongi’s name, your hand in his pants.

Your actions turned frantic, fingers tightly wrapped around his rock hard dick, slipping over his length, tasting his soft skin, licking his neck, taking what you wanted.

Yoongi wasn’t going to stop you, and pulled your hips down on him closer when you sat your body on top of his, not when it felt so good, and he had grown attached to the sweet flavor of your wildness and incredible power.

---

“Miss me?”

“Why don’t you just look into my mind and find out.”

“Oof, it’s like a Lifetime movie in there.”

You take a deep inhale, and then...throw Jin off the building.

“Ahh!”

“Shut up! You’re going to get us caught,” Yoongi hisses at Jin, who is currently suspended in mid air over the side of the building, trying to breast stroke his way back onto the rooftop. “y/n, come on, play nice for me.”

You roll your eyes, pulling Jin back. “I’ll let that one slide since you’re all mopey,” Jin says, fixing his jacket.

“I like the new look,” Jungkook materializes behind you and then materializes in front of you. It wasn’t a cape, but the long black coat you wore did look pretty cool. The dagger earrings Namjoon had gifted you dangle in your ears. You didn't care if they were trackers, you wouldn't part with them.

“Stop hopping around, you’re making me dizzy,” Seokjin complains.

“It’s kind of hard not to when I literally have to be in two places at once,” Jungkook appears behind Seokjin. Not only was Jungkook currently helping Yoongi, he had to keep Taehyung safe from a very irate RM, but he couldn’t tell you that.

“You and I could have handled it,” you whisper to Yoongi.

“Think of it as a team building exercise.”

“But not too loud,” Seokjin adds.

“What are we waiting for?” Jungkook pops up between you and Yoongi, draping his big arms around you both.

“Yoongi is pulling data files right now,” You say. The group plans to expose just how much electricity each house is using compared to what the company is billing the residents.

“Almost done. Jungkook hop through the building and send whoever is left inside back to their families, give them the night off.”

“Aye aye.” And Jungkook disappears again.

“And Jin, get the fuck off of y/n and do your job. Make sure we haven’t been spotted.”

“I can multitask,” Jins says, pulling you into a headlock. “Oh no he’s getting jealous.”

Jin relaxes his hold, hand nudging your chin, he points to a very flustered Yoongi. You smirk, “Are you?” The tech talker glares at the mind reader and Jin (telepathically) receives the message. He coughs, untangling himself from you.

Jungkook appears, letting you know he cleared the building. Only the guard, stationed at the front of the entrance, watching manipulated cameras Yoongi altered, remains.

“Ready?” Yoongi asks. You interlace your fingers, nodding. You extend your hand to Seokjin, “Want to watch the show or hop out?”

Seokjin hears your thoughts, the dull howls of anguish your brain manifests. The sadness you can’t escape and try to ignore, this current state of mind becoming your new normal. Just a glimpse into your mind makes him feel trapped in a hell.

“I’m staying. Can’t get rid of me so easily.” He holds your free hand and intertwines your fingers with his, laying a brief peck across your knuckles, trying in his own small way to lift your spirits. You roll your eyes, but smile at him, and inside you’re weeping.

Your eyes remain indifferent as you stare around at the powerplant you’re going to have to destroy, you didn’t really care about the mission, you were willing to flatten everything into the ground if they wanted you to, and part of you hoped they would ask.

Seokjin squeezes your hand, reminding you to focus. Your heels leave the rooftop, your feet leave the ground. You lift the men beside you too. Yoongi has gotten used to your levitation act, but Seokjin flounders next to you, that alone is worth using your powers on the pair. “Hop back in five, Kookie. ”

“Make it ten, gotta check on some things,” and the teleporter disappears once again.

You were used to fixing things, rebuilding buildings, never destroying one. Namjoon was The God of Destruction, not you. Namjoon… That's all you can think about again.

Steel snaps, machines fold in on themselves and explode, concrete disintegrates into a massive pile of dust, and when the dust clears the three of you overlook the massive hole where the large powerplant once stood.

Seokjin breaks the silence. “Goddamn.”

---

“Where’s Jungkook? He's late!”

“Put your hands up!”

The three of you turn around to beams of blinding light. Flashlights and guns point at you and your teammates. A pair of officers scream at you, aiming their pistols at you. “I thought JK said there was only one guard,” you hiss, holding your hands up.

“They were patrolling the area.” Seokjin says after listening to the policemen’s thoughts. “Damn unlucky...for them,” he mutters, hands in the air.

“Err it’s not what it looks like?” Jin speaks with a weary smile. Wearing all black had originally been a good idea, now the trio of you just looked way too suspicious.

“Get on the ground!!” Too quickly, the officers escalate the situation, hitting Yoongi and dragging him to the ground.

“Stop!” you yell when the officers attack Seokjin next, your temper quickly reaching it’s breaking point. You emotions already too wild, anger consuming you.

You catch Jin’s eyes, speaking in your mind, ‘Tell Yoongi to stop all the police cameras on my signal.’ He nods quickly, struggling on the ground.

You push down your anger, putting on your best impression of a helpless frightened woman. “What are you doing?! Please, please, don’t do this!” your voice quivers, on the brink of tears.

“Shut up and get down!” At your feet Yoongi yells loudly as the officer kicks him in the back. The second officer points his gun straight at you. And that is when you truly snap.

“Please, please don’t shoot...him.” you whimper, looking at the other officer. “Don’t shoot your partner…”

“What the hell are you-” he turns his head to his partner, who has his pistol pointed straight in his direction. “What the fuck?!”

“It’s not me! I c-can’t-”

“ What's wrong with you?! Put the fucking gun down!” The other officer draws his pistol again, aiming it at his frightened partner’s head.

You look at Yoongi. The signal he needed.

Two bullets fly as the cameras cut off.

The officer you controlled falls to the ground writhing in pain. Two intercepted bullets lodged in each of his legs by to your powers. “You should be thanking me. Your ‘partner’ was aiming for your head.” You kick him in the jaw and he falls unconscious.

You turn to the second man, paralyzed by fear and well, by you.

“Look at you,” you sigh, crouching down to look at him. “You’re so used to going unchallenged. You think you can do whatever you want because of it, hurt whoever you want, because you’re above the law, right? So how does it feel?” you ask, flicking his badge, “to have a taste of your own medicine?”

“You really shouldn’t have pissed her off, woman is not stable,” Jin quips, cradling his bruised ribs. The officer is red in the face, drooling from his struggle to free himself from your invisible shackles.

“What’s his name?” You ask Jin, looking straight in the eyes of the trembling officer. Jin says his full name. You reach for his pocket, pulling out his wallet.

“His address?” you ask, going through his cards, while Seokjin recites his home address.

“You missed the Apt number,” you flip his identification card between your fingers, “Number 1301.”

“Floor 3” Seokjin adds. A corner apartment.” He scrutinizes the officer’s wide eyes. “The keypad code is 64..50.” He laughs. “When you try not to think about something, your thoughts just become louder,” he taunts.

Your eyes narrow on the officer. “What is his wife’s name?” You can feel his body struggle against you when Seokjin answers.

“Does he have any children?”

“Wrap it up before more of them show up,” Yoongi warns you, he sends messages to the rest of the team, ten minutes have passed and Jungkook still hasn’t hopped back.

“Two, a sixteen year old and a five year old.”

You stand up, glowering down at him, speaking slowly to make sure the officer hears every veiled threat in your words. “What are their names?” Jin hesitates, wondering just how pissed you were, and searches your thoughts before he answers as the officer sits stunned and terrified.

“Where do they go to school?”

“Look at me, we know where you live. We know the names of your wife and children. We know where they go to school. The next time you’re there I could make you take your gun out just like I did right now…” you wait, emphasizing your point, “Or you could do us all a favor, find a way to explain that camera footage away and pretend this never happened.” You give him back the ability to speak and move his head.

He nods, too scared to speak. “Here’s your wallet back, I’ll keep this,” you hold onto his ID.

Jin stiffens, and then punches him in the face, knocking him out.

“What was that for?” You throw the officer’s ID into the pile of rubble, hoping your mind games worked on him.

“I didn’t want to hear his thoughts anymore.”

“Are we in the clear at least-”

“Whoa, what did I miss?” Jungkook materializes next to you.

“Let’s go!” Yoongi yells, the CCTV cameras alerting him you all needed to get out.

---

“What do you want? I told you not to bother me until after the New Year.”

It was Jungkook. He hopped himself beside you, you were back at Namjoon's spot, shunning everyone, watching the last of the decorations be consumed by wildlife. “Is this what you’re going to do? Mope around here while RM goes on a rampage?”

“A rampa-FUCK JUNGKOOK WARN ME.” you gasp, floundering on the floor trying to regain your sense of direction. “Is tha-”

“Warning!”

“Uggh.” You groan. “Yo-Yoongi?”

“Heal him. Hurry. He said you’ve done it before.” Jungkook had transported you to Yoongi’s passed out body, and then both of you to an abandoned building. “I’ll work on the decor.”

Yoongi had a black eye, swollen lip, gash over his temple. He looked thoroughly beat up. He moves, gaining consciousness.

“D-Did Namjoon do this to you?”

“No, it was probably some other overpowered pissed off superhero,” he wheezed.

“This won’t be pleasant.” You concentrate, using all your energy to repair his broken body quicker than you’ve ever done before, rejuvenating him so much so his entire being crackles with energy, energy you’ve given him.

“Whoa, I didn’t even have time to hop a table.” Jungkook appears, lying across two newly appears chairs, before disappearing and reappearing with aforementioned table.

“What happened?”

Jungkook appeared with a wide screen television and Yoongi used his powers to turn on it on to the news. A newscaster reports over the town wide electricity outage, and then the mysterious powerplant explosion, which left one police officer dead.”

‘DEAD? Jungkook, I thought you made sure-”

“I did!”

The face of that familiar officer’s partner flashes across the television. It was the face of the partner who you left with gunshots in his legs, very non-life threatening gunshots!

“Yeah, he was very much alive when I hopped them back to their police car.”

“So what the hell?!”

“Jin thinks his partner murdered him”

“He murdered his partner?! I definitely did not tell him to do that.”

“Well we're being blamed for it, RM figured out it was us who destroyed the powerplant.” Yoongi grunts. “RM blindsided me, used an EMP on me. Fuck, that shit hurt.”

“Jungkook, take me to Tae.”

---

The sunset seemed to shine brighter today. The motions of Taehyung's plan to fix what you had ruined in your hometown were progressing. Electricians from the all over the town and neighboring cities were working under the tech talker's supervision, an investigation into the Governor's spending was underway.

Which just leaves...

“Back already? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me.”

“Y/n, come with me.” RM floats high above you. Body tense, expression full of anger.

“Going to expose me to the world as a super villain?”

“I will do what needs to be done to make sure you don't kill anybody else.”

You roll your eyes. You didn’t want to explain what really happened, try to make him see your side of things anymore. If Joon wanted to think you were truly a villain, you were going to let him.

“I know you're stronger, but let's see who's faster?”

So you and RM fought like enemies. When you threw the rubble left over from the powerplant at Namjoon, you pushed down your worries because you knew he could take the beating. When he held you in his crushing grip, it wasn't a warm embrace anymore. It hurt more to think he wanted hurt you rather than the pain itself. Before you could make one of the worst decisions of your life, Jungkook appeared and teleported the pair of you across the town until you both landed hard on concrete at the feet of a crowd.

“I thought we agreed to a warning,” you wheeze, still restrained by RM. “Oh, I know you,” you grunt, immediately recognizing a face in the crowd. Actually, you recognized almost all of them.

There was Jungkook, Jimin, Taehyung, Hoseok, Yoongi, and Jin, along with the punks you dealt with that night with tech talker, the robber you helped escape among the crowd.

Yoongi had used the cell you gave him not only to keep tabs on the men, but reach out to them. He made a deal with them, in exchange for helping Taehyung, he would help them make money and they would all help make this town safer for their families.

“RM, let her go, it's not her fault,” Taehyung says calmly.

“Yeah, IT'S YOUR FAULT!” Namjoon charges Taehyung and you quickly freeze him.

“The officer died after we took the powerplant down, the reports were falsified, let us explain.” Seokjin says.

Namjoon breaks from your telekinetic hold momentarily as you struggled to hold him still, already brought to your knees fighting his superhuman strength, your shaking arms pressed into concrete, focusing your eyes on him, you finally release him when you feel him stop struggling.

Yoongi goes to your side, lifting your tired body up. “If you don't want to listen to us, listen to them,” Yoongi says.

You and Namjoon stay quiet as each man tells their story, the injustices they faced, especially at the hands of the police, constantly targeted, always fighting, always surviving, asking the hero to help them.

“Let's work together this one time, RM.” Taehyung says, keeping his distance. “There are criminals on both sides, we will help you stop your criminals, if you help us stop their criminals. Then if you want, we can go back to hating each other.”

You found out what happened to the dead police officer. Yoongi played you and RM the police car's dashcam audio. His partner shot him, killed him. His partner knew if he didn't cover up what happened, horrible things were going to happen, but he wanted to punish you, arrest you, get vengeance. They argued heatedly, the pain in the officer's legs made him angry and narrow sighted, and in the end, his partner killed him because he couldn't trust him.

Namjoon turned to you instead, you looked so different to him, yet there you stood, the dull eyes you had before glossed over with emotion again, his earrings shining in your ears.

“Are you really going to help me?”

“I'll stand by you, but I'm not wearing a cape.”

“No...” Namjoon utters, crossing his hands over his large chest. “No cape, no deal.” His gaze softens only for a second, only for you.

---

The whole town is out tonight watching the fireworks. One hour until midnight.

It didn’t matter what part of town you came from, sitting under the night sky and watching the magnificent light show put into perspective how tiny you were in this world, how spectacular living could be.

Somewhere in the crowd sits Namjoon and his parents, you could feel him close by.

You find the tech talker on his own, away from the crowd. You sit next to Yoongi. You check his expression, but he remains impassive, watching the fireworks quietly. You can see the bright colors reflected in his eyes.

“What are you thinking about?” you ask him quietly.

“I knew you would come sit here,” he sighs. The fireworks crackle and pop, loud booming noises followed by hundreds of sparks in the sky.

You scoff, ripping out the soft grass around you with your fingers and reattaching the strands, practicing with your powers, manipulating and “healing” the organic material, something new you were trying to master. Rainbows of colors light up Yoongi’s face. “Oh yeah? What made you come to that revelation?”

“Because,” he drapes his arm over your shoulder and leans in closer, knowing somewhere Namjoon was watching you. “We’re alike”

You laugh. “Oh, you also have feelings for our superhero?”

“I have people I love too, that I want to protect too, it’s safer for them if I keep my distance,” he says during a break in the display, when the night goes still and quiet again, “You did the right thing, letting him go.” After that night, to uncomplicate things, you decided you weren't going to ask for anything more from Namjoon, hopeful it would make your partnership easier.

“Great,” you sigh, leaning your head on Yoongi’s shoulder, resting your arm on his thigh. “We’re just a pair of lonely assholes.” The fireworks crackle again and colorful sparks fall down like rain, painting the night sky in dazzling light.

Yoongi smiles and holds your hand. You raise your eyebrows at him, “Why aren’t you kissing me?”

He scoffs, “You okay with that? With an audience?” You answer him with a kiss, pressing your body closer. He holds you while the fireworks around you explodes in flowers of light.

“Want to see something cool?” He whispers against your cheek, continuing to kiss you while his fingers play with yours, interlacing your hands together. “I’m gonna need a charge.” You feel his power pulling, energy flowing between your fingers. The loudest boom erupts from above, a firework exploding closer than the rest, making the crowd ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh.’

“Cute, but I’ll give you one better.” You use your powers to light a couple extra fireworks earlier than intended. The night sky illuminates with all the colors of the rainbows and the crowd cheers. You fall into a fit of giggles and Yoongi uses your distraction to pull you closer to him, tackling your body and laughing with you.

And poor Namjoon has to endure watching it all.

---

“Don't you think it's funny how he is the one up there? When we definitely are more powerful.”

You laugh at that. “Is that what you think?”

“You’ve never fought him, Jin. He does not give up,” Jungkook shudders.

“Hobi beat him!” Seokjin argues.

“It wasn’t easy,” Hoseok adds in a serious tone.

You bite your lip, “No, out of everyone, Joonie scares me the most.”

The start of the year meant a New Year ceremony from Mayor Kim. You watch Taehyung, surrounded by your new friends, as he gives RM a key to the city. It was a tradition now for the superhero, who was less than pleased it was Taehyung who stood opposite from him this year. Now that you were all back in the city, the agreement had dissolved. The crowd cheers loudly, unaware of their secret rivalry.

“You, scared?” Yoongi raises his eyebrow at you.

“She’s telling the truth,” Jin adds. “Can’t believe it,” he mutters.

“His heart is too big, he holds his power back, and that makes him the strongest. If you think I am the one holding back, you have no idea, because if Joon didn’t hold back, if he fought with all his strength...” You smile, “RM would be unstoppable, trust me.”

The group falls into uncomfortable silence at your words. “If I wasn’t here, you would all be toast,” you say smuggly.

You watch from the crowd, catching his eyes. He sees you and the rest of your team, frowning. Yoongi places his arm on your shoulder possessively, and your heart clenches at the glare Namjoon sends you both. You turn away, hugging Yoongi, keeping your back to the stage so the superhero can’t see your face anymore.

“You really believe that?” Jungkook asks, standing behind Yoongi, watching Taehyung shake the superhero’s hand, fake smile offering congratulations to another fake smile.

“Yes, I do.” You swallow, listening to the cheers of the crowd. “I believe in RM.”

---

I have my opinions on him, but I want to know, do you want RM to change or do you think it’s better that he stays “good” and y/n should be the one to change?? In the meantime, Yoongi and y/n are cute, right? Do you think Yoongi is the person who y/n needs right now or is he just manipulative? Dying to see another pair?

Naughty Girl Christmas Masterlist | Prequel

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hannagoldworthy · 3 years

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Renegade 6

(So, some filler. Barriss and Merrin are starting to hash out their relationship, peace between Death Watch and Black Sun is hard-won through an act of chemical warfare, Savage has a truly awful, no good, very-bad day, and Feral has given up on trying to understand anything that's going on by this point. There is talk of interaction between pregnancy hormones and Falleen pheromones, but nothing terribly explicit.)

For a week, the two organizations of Death Watch and Black Sun danced around each other, setting and breaking camp, squabbling over tent space, trading baubles for alcohol, eying each other distrustfully over cultural disputes involving masks.

Thankfully, Barriss seemed largely forgotten in the hubbub. And that was good, because she wanted to be left to her own devices as much as possible; it was hard enough to adjust to a medical swing-shift schedule again without being watched as if she was in a fishbowl.

She tried not to stomp as she finished up the last few duties before she was allowed off. Her feet were killing her after twelve hours of standing, and she just wanted to curl up on her cot in the storage corner of the med tent and go to sleep. However, she only managed an hour’s nap before she awoke again, shivering violently after a vivid dream of the Geonosian hive tunnels as they had been at night, cold and still. Barriss frowned; those nightmares were triggered either by an intense feeling of chill or exposure. And, as she was on a warm jungle planet, she had to feel exposed, which rang true, considering she was also in a camp full of potential enemies. Stars, but she missed being in the middle of a cuddle pile; she’d always felt safe when with her family.

Well, she was still exhausted, but she wasn’t getting back to sleep anytime soon…the tiny Ahsoka Tano in her head whispered that she might as well check what was cooking in the mess hall. Barriss swung her legs over the edge of the bed and inserted her feet into her boots, only to find that her boots were uncomfortably tight. With a sigh, she rubbed her feet; her extremities had always had a tendency to swell up a little under barometric pressure changes, so, on top of everything else, a storm had to be approaching. Grand…just grand. She tied her laces loosely, and set off to the mess tent, hoping they had something warm that she was permitted to eat so she could grab something and return to bed before any torrential downpour hit.

When she arrived, Merrin sat alone at a table, nursing what appeared to be a cup of hot cocoa and a massive headache. Barriss kept an eye on her as she went through the serving table, getting a promisingly spicy-looking vegetable soup and her own mug of cocoa, which proved to be the real kind, made with rich, ground cacao beans and not the instant stuff the Jedi Temple had had to make do with…where were they getting this stuff? Sliding into the seat across from Merrin, Barriss said her customary prayer, and began eating, knowing that Merrin would be willing to share if she wanted.

“…I don’t know how you can eat, with the rain coming,” the girl groused after a moment.

Barriss shrugged. “I weather storms better when I eat something hot.”

“You must file your horns, then,” Merrin replied miserably, pressing the side of her cup against her forehead instead of drinking it. “Must be nice…”

Barriss tried to wrap her head around the logic of that statement. “I don’t…have horns?”

Merrin seemed to be trying to understand her. “You don’t, because you file them. Obviously.”

“I’ve never had horns. Mirialans don’t have horns, we just have hair.”

The girl searched her face for evidence of dishonesty; upon finding none, she smirked, and then winced. “You would be considered a rare paragon of beauty on Dathomir. A select few women of my race are born without horns; the rest of us either file them down to nubs small enough to be covered by hair, or have them removed at birth.”

Barriss stopped moving in the middle of a mouthful of soup, suddenly feeling as if her stomach was full of heavy stones. “And which of those two are you?”

Moments later, the two hurried over to the medtent as thunder rumbled ominously in the distance. Barriss ushered Merrin into a cot and drew a curtain, sending a medical droid to fetch what she needed as she began to gently palpate Merrin’s head.

The girl had a circlet of eight tiny gray scars where horns should have grown, concealed in her white hair. The wounds had delved deep into the bones of her skull; judging by the nature of the damage, Barriss thought that they had been plucked or pulled out, like a dentist might do with teeth or a torturer might do with fingernails. Horror pooled in Barriss’s gut…someone had done this to Merrin when she was a baby.

“I was used to fighting through this on other planets,” the girl said by way of explanation. “It snuck up on me here, but I promise I won’t be as childish as I was being when you found me. I’m sorry that you had to see…”

Seized by a sudden maternal impulse, Barriss pressed a kiss to one of the worst scars, allaying the pain with a subtle application of Force Healing. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” she said, hoping her voice wasn’t too harsh from the onset of tears. “This is…where I come from doing this to a child at that age would be considered an unforgiveable cruelty. You deserve so much better than to have to feel like this for so long.”

Merrin stared at her with the same look on her face that Maul could get when abruptly shown affection for no apparent reason. “It is a warrior’s burden. I am not weak. I can handle it.”

“A warrior has enough burdens without having to endure needless suffering,” Barriss replied, taking the tube of gel she had sent the droid to retrieve. “I’m going to rub in a little of this on each scar, and you can take the tube with you and do the same when they ache again. Come to me when you are almost out, and I’ll get you more.”

Merrin allowed her to work for several minutes in silence. Then, her poor little shoulders shook with a sniffle she could not repress, and she clutched Barriss’s, stifling the sound of her sobbing in her waist.

Barriss stiffened at the unanticipated contact – Merrin never touched anyone if she could help it – but ran her fingers through the girl’s hair. “Shh,” she murmured, hoping she was doing this right. “You can stay here for the night on observation; I won’t leave until you’re feeling better.”

“Thank you, Mother…I mean…”

“It’s all right.” She’d been hesitant to let the child call her that, since she had failed so many others under her protection; but, for all her failings as a student, a general, and a doctor, she was fairly certain that she could not accidentally harm Merrin as much as Merrin’s former leaders and parents had purposefully. And, well, Barriss had somehow acquired a husband and in-laws almost completely by accident and still managed to do right by them as much as she could; she might as well lean into this relationship as well. “You can call me Mother if you want…just, not in front of anybody else, for now.”

Merrin smiled tearfully against her navel. “Mother Barriss…it has a nice ring, no?”

***

“This segregation is completely unnecessary,” asserted one of the larger Black Sun wives, bursting into the command tent in the middle of a strategy meeting, one week after the crime syndicate had been recruited into this shared enterprise.

Ziton Moj, the former captain of the guard and only active Black Sun Vigo, glared at her hard enough that his normally green face became blue as she stormed up to the table. “Ziidra, it is pouring rain outside! You should have more consideration for your delicate condition…”

“Shut it, squirt,” she spat, plunking what appeared to be a gigantic perfume bottle down right in front of Savage and shoving her index finger into Viszla’s visor. “You are the one who insists that we stay in separate camps for fear of pheromone contact. I can tell by the cowardly way you hide your face behind that metal, even though you have obviously been informed that we don’t gas our own people if we can help it.”

Maul found himself barely holding back a laugh at the perplexity with which Viszla stared at the large, pink-painted claw in his face, and received what appeared to be a look for his quiet entertainment.

“I have been told you consider it rude,” Viszla stated in the diplomatic way one would address a precocious child. “But, my lady, you’ll forgive me if we aren’t willing to trust the honor system on that.”

“I’ll do nothing of the sort. Has anyone told you why we consider it rude?”

Moj’s eyes widened. “Sis, please tell me you aren’t…”

“I said shut it.” Ziidra gestured to the bottle. “This is eau du Falleen, no doubt a rare sight in your prudish little beskar republic. It is made by distilling our pheromones considerably, to the point that they would have absolutely no effect on us during mating season. Outside of mating season, however…”

“Ziidra NO!”

The painted claws depressed the spritzer on the bottle before any further objection could be made, and chaos reigned in the command tent.

***

They were all of them disallowed from the medtent, save only for Moj, his closest lieutenants, and Savage, who had violently emptied the entire contents of their stomachs over everyone around them and who were currently being dosed with anti-emetics. Viszla, who had been directly across from Savage and thus took the worst of the barrage, folded his arms as the rain gradually rinsed his beskar, glaring at Maul, who had experience in dealing with the Black Sun and who had thus remained clean of both perfume and vomit.

From inside her ornamental, pink sapphire-encrusted re-breather, Ziidra grinned like the tooka that ate the songbird. “As you can see, dear sir,” she said, imitating Viszla’s patronizing tone perfectly, “Falleen pheromones cause immediate nausea in anyone who is biologically unreceptive to breeding. This includes Falleen outside of mating season and mammals which are with pup.” She nodded cordially to Maul. “Congratulations, by the way…both on the impending babies and the fact that you were able to land that gorgeous broad.”

Maul blinked. “Who?”

Ziidra frowned. “The yellow and black one? Is she not your woman?”

“He is my brother.”

“Aw! It’s sweet that you’re supporting him through his transition and his pregnancy!”

“MY WHAT?!” Several crashes rang out in the medtent as Savage got up in a panicked frenzy.

“Sit back down!”

“WHICH ONE OF THOSE WITCHES GOT ME PREGNANT!?”

“…What? Savage!” Barriss’s voice was steady. “Calm yourself, I’m sure that’s not…”

“YOU CALM YOURSELF! I’M NOT READY TO BE A MOM!!”

As a medical droid sailed bodily out of the medtent to land dazedly seven meters away, Ziidra regarded Maul closely. “I thought sexual dimorphism was expressed in your species by skin color and height.”

“It is, to a certain extent. Savage has a normal male color pattern, and the height is the result of…”

“KARKING WITCH MAGICK!” Savage thundered out of the tent, dressed only in the largest examination gown they could find. “Where the KARK are my clothes?!”

“Being laundered because they are saturated with the perfume,” Barriss replied, sounding every bit as weary with the situation as Maul felt. “Get back in here!”

“If they didn’t want me running around the camp BARE-ASSED to get some EXPLANATIONS, they would not have GOTTEN ME PREGNANT!” Savage roared hysterically. “MERRIN!”

“Savage, the weather could drown a…Savage!” As the incensed Nightbrother barged off without care for the mud or his bare feet, Barriss stared Ziidra down with a truly magnificent ferocity that Maul felt privileged to see. “This is your fault. You did this. And if you do it again, I will remove any and all significant Black Sun tattoos from your person when you go into labor, my gods as witness!” And then she trudged after Savage in the rain, muttering the entire time.

The Falleen noblewoman shot Maul another look. “That’s…actually a fairly creative, and serviceable, threat. How much would it be to buy her off of you?”

“She’s not for sale.”

“That’s a wise decision; she’d be worth a lot more than I would be willing to pay.” With one well-pedicured foot, Ziidra nudged Viszla, who had collapsed silently into the mud, the jolting of his body indicating he was laughing uproariously with his external vocoder muted. “Now do you see why we try not to do this to each other?”

Viszla held up an index finger, coughed a few more times, and then removed his helmet, revealing the redness of his face. He tried to keep his face sober for two seconds before falling onto his back, crying with laughter. “How is this my life?”

Ziidra rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky we aren’t in mating season, or else we’d have ended up in a territorial bar brawl with a body count,” she said, stumping over to where Viszla lay. “As it is, we are trying to avoid pheromones almost as much as you are. We are not going to try and control you…can you trust us at least that far?”

Viszla studied her extended hand, and slowly took it, allowing himself to be hauled to his feet. “For now. I’m still instructing my people to shoot to kill in the event that you betray that trust.”

She smiled predatorily. “Smart boy.”

Of course, that had to be the scene when the Pyke Syndicate envoy Maul had been expecting for days touched down just outside the camp. The odd little Oba Diahans filed carefully out of their ship, bowed low in greeting, and blinked owlishly when they did not get a direct response.

“Have we…missed something…?”

***

“I thought the greenie was a vegetarian,” drawled Gillespie, the old Mandalorian cook.

Merrin bristled, her hands lighting with green flame. “She is not a greenie, she is a Mirialan, and her name is…”

Feral laid a hand on her shoulder before she could do something irreversible to Gillespie’s innards. “He?” That earned a shake of the head. “She?” Another shake of the head. “Uh…they?”

“Close enough.”

“They, know her name, Merrin,” Feral continued. “And they know she never eats the meat, but she does eat the eggs.”

“Said vegetarian, not vegan.”

Feral winced in a way that he hoped looked like a placating smile. “I’m a carnivore; it’s all the same to me. Anyway, we were hoping that some more nuna chicken could be served instead of the mystery meat. Barriss can only eat meats of very specific animals if they are cooked in a certain way…”

“She slops down the beans and fruit and coffee just fine…I ain’t changing the way I cook for some prissy lady with expensive tastes.”

“MERRIN!!” Both Dathomirians jumped, and Merrin clambered behind Feral, putting him in between her and a thoroughly soaked, utterly irate Savage Opress, who for some reason was in a medical examination gown and nothing else. He jabbed a finger at Merrin, who gaped in horror at his state of undress. “You little…explain to me, RIGHT NOW, just WHY I am PREGNANT.”

Feral’s brain was kind enough to halt the flashback to Savage’s lecture when he had tagged along on a rancor hunt at the age of five. It was not kind enough to supply anything else to fill the resulting void. “…What?”

Merrin seemed just as confused. “Beg pardon?”

Gillespie threw a handful of some aromatic herbs in the air like confetti. “Congratulations, it’s an offspring. Get out of my kitchen.”

“I AM NOT LEAVING THIS KITCHEN UNTIL SOMEONE TELLS ME WHY I AM PREGNANT!”

Rook Kast chose that precise moment to enter the mess tent, raised her eyebrows, and brought up her commlink. “Hey, Saxxy, way to go!”

“What’d I do now?”

“Your boyfriend’s…”

“I DON’T HAVE A BOYFRIEND!” Savage squished the commlink on her wrist just enough to stop the conversation without hurting her. “BUT I WAS RAISED IN A CULT OF MEDDLING WITCHES WHO WOULD LOVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SCREW WITH MY BIOLOGY!”

“Savage, for pity’s sake…lower your voice,” Barriss groaned, rubbing at her temples as she, too, entered the mess tent. “You are not pregnant.”

He stared around him, wild-eyed. “You heard what she said…”

“She was mistaken. Falleen pheromones have a violent interaction with Humanoid Growth Hormone, which is, yes, something that occurs naturally in pregnancy, but it can be produced at other times as well.” Barriss laid a hand on his arm, and moved so that her face would be the nearest thing he could focus on. “Whatever the Witches did to you made you overproduce HGH…nothing more.”

Savage took a deep breath, glanced around him, and cringed. “I’m…I’m sorry.”

“Nah…I’d have probably reacted the same way, to be honest,” said Gillespie.

Barriss turned Savage, glowering at Kast as she unsubtly checked out the large Nightbrother’s displayed behind, and positioned herself to preserve his modesty. “Let’s just get you back to the medbay, Savage; you’re going to need another shower.”

“Don’t like showers.”

“Really? You’ve been taking a long one since you stepped out in this deluge. I’d think you’d be half drowned by now.”

Rook watched them go, and when they were out of earshot, she pulled out a backup commlink. “False alarm. Your boyfriend’s not knocked up, he’s just on steroids.”

“…Kast. I was brushing my teeth.”

“Oh good! That’ll make you a little less unappealing!”

“I am replacing your armor with the haunted beskar from my mother’s side of the family.”

Feral rolled his eyes and leaned on the table in front of Gillespie, intending to bring out the kicked-rancor-kit expression that had won him many extra meal portions as a boy. However, Gillespie shook their head fondly, and patted his shoulder.

“I can manage a bit more poultry…didn’t realize this was the sort of crap she puts up with.”

“Thanks.”

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lovemesomerafael · 4 years

Text

Destroying The Planet To Save It Chapter 18: Worst Supervillain Name Ever

Chapters 1-15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Read It On AO3

When it was time for the team meeting, those who were sitting around the breakfast table began to filter out toward the conference room on the floor below. Sam ended up having to double back and get Scott, who was still sitting at the table sipping coffee and staring into the middle distance, apparently unaware of the time or that everyone had left.

Steve was already standing and pacing, like he always did during meetings. Tony sat to the right of his chair, a large mug of coffee in his hand although he was already vibrating. He looked terrible. Pepper wasn’t there; she had a corporation to run, after all, and wasn’t integral to the purpose of the meeting. But Tony didn’t have the look of a man who had spent all night in the throes of passion. OK, he had that look too, but he also looked like a man who had been gut-punched. And recently.

“All right, let’s get started,” Steve said, standing behind his chair at the head of the conference room table. “You all know about the strange energy signature that was detected in several places around the world, followed very closely in time by what looked like natural phenomena. We know now that the phenomena aren’t natural. Sharon, let’s hear your analysis of the documents and notes Clint and Natasha found in the bunker.”

“They were in Spanish, in code, so the first thing I have to say is thank you, Anita, for breaking the code in, like, five seconds, and translating the documents.”

“It wasn’t hard. It was like having your password be ‘password’,” Anita shrugged. Everyone around the table had heard Natasha explaining how untrue that was, but no one commented. Director Coulson, however, made a mental note. A natural at decryption. Interesting.

Sharon continued. “Most of them are instructions for maintaining and running the machine. There’s a lot of technical description, procedures, that kind of thing. The things that stood out were parts that talked about some “resource” that is apparently part of the process. It’s consumed, kind of like fuel for the process, but it’s also involved in creating the phenomena, directing them somehow. That part is the scientists’ domain.”

“We’ll get to that,” Steve said, briefly lighting on his chair. “And the rest?”

“Like I said, the documents are largely technical in nature, having to do with the machine. Like a user’s manual. But there is one page, it looks like maybe an introduction to the step-by-step procedures, that’s different.” It’s kind of a rant, sort of a mini-manifesto, but there’s one paragraph that gives you the gist.” Sharon picked up her tablet and touched the screen. “It says, ‘I am the custodian of this planet. In being a part of my work, you are helping to protect Earth. We cannot afford to leave our safety to those who commune with enemies who would seek to destroy or enslave the human race.”

“Does that mean us?” Clint asked.

“That’s how Anita and I read it. Translation is always tricky, but she says the Spanish suggests that as strongly as her translation.”

“So there’s someone who thinks they’re some kind of hero, protecting Earth because we can’t handle it?” Sam asked. “That’s cold, man.”

“Worse,” Steve replied. “He thinks we’re part of the problem. Thinks we invite invasion because we ‘commune with’ people from other worlds.”

Scott mused, “OK, I’m all about communing with that Gamora chick, but there’s no way I’m communing with a Chitauri.”

“Oh, hell no!” Sam winced.

“I’d commune with Thor,” Natasha offered.

“Well, who wouldn’t?” Tony asked.

Steve stood. “Can we focus?”

The laughter around the table quieted, but no one looked particularly sorry.

“Dr. Banner. You’re up.”

Bruce stood like he’d been called upon to give a book report in class. In his quiet, calm voice, he said, “The machines are built around a central feature, we’ve been calling it an ‘orb’, which is made of some material that’s not found on Earth.”

“Can you say irony?” Wanda muttered.

“The orbs amplify energy. So what the machines do, in essence, is take in a metric crapton of electricity, and turn it into about three billion metric crapons of a different kind of energy.”

“Let’s just take a moment to appreciate that science has chosen to label a unit of measure the ‘crapton’.” Bucky said.

“Or the fuckton, your pick,” Bruce replied.

Sam added, “I like shit-ton.”

“Focus,” Steve growled, and Bruce went on.

“That energy is directed somewhere and converted somehow into the phenomena we’ve seen. The earthquake no less than the weather phenomena. In the case of the earthquake, the core samples Director Coulson sent me confirmed that the energy was just directed into the earth rather than the atmosphere. There’s residual energy in the samples as far down as they drilled. Catherine?”

Bruce sat back down next to her as Catherine began. “There have been thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes so far, all following a spike of that energy, and all with very similar signatures. They’re not like the real thing in several ways. They’re destructive, sure, but they’re smaller than they should be, and they behave in ways they couldn’t if they were natural. They come out of nowhere, and they dissipate almost as fast. They’re also sort of… fake-looking, if you’ll forgive my non-scientific terminology.”

“We forgave crapton,” Natasha noted.

“It’s almost like someone who didn’t know much about weather was trying to conjure up their idea of a storm.”

Tony rested his elbows on the table and let his head fall into his hands.

“That storm seemed real enough to me,” Joss said. “I distinctly remember it being enough to tear apart a Quinjet.”

“Yes,” Catherine agreed. “The storms are real. But if you follow the analogy, most people would know in general how a storm should behave. They’d know there should be lightning, and wind, and rain. They’d know a tornado should rotate and suck things up, and that a hurricane rotates around an eye. But not many people know the details of how storms work, and that’s what’s off about these storms. Then there’s this.” Catherine touched the screen of her tablet and a series of photographs appeared on the wall above Steve’s head.

“What do you notice about these hurricanes?”

“Wait,” Scott said with a confused frown. “Those are two different hurricanes?”

“Exactly,” Catherine cried, pointing at him. “The one on the left is Hurricane Katrina. The one on the right is the typhoon in the Phillipine sea. The only difference is that the fake one was much, much smaller. The shapes are identical. And the inner workings of these fake storms are completely banjaxed. They have windspeeds that don’t make sense, they rotate the wrong way, they form basically instantaneously, last a short while and then fall apart… In short, they cannot be natural.”

“And the energy?” Steve prompted, leaning far back in his chair with his legs out before him.

“Storms, all weather really, are energy. In nature, the energy is created by things like differences in barometric pressure and temperature, the presence of moisture, etcetera. Shoot enough energy into an atmosphere and direct the air molecules to begin to move in a particular direction, and you get weather. That’s the simple version of what these machines do.”

“The earthquake was like that, too,” Bruce added. “Not on a fault line. Waves traveled wrong. Shape of the curve as the energy dispersed was wrong. The earth shook, but that was about it. There was no tectonic movement at all.”

A silence descended over the room as the group digested that information. Tony sighed. It was time. “Catherine’s analogy is more appropriate than you know. The phenomena are someone’s idea of storms and earthquakes. Sit down, Rogers. You’re not gonna like this part.”

That got everyone’s attention, and because Tony was looking at Vision, soon everyone else was, too. They watched Vision stand as Bruce had, leaning a bit forward with his weight on his fisted hands on the table.

“Dr. Banner has explained that the machines simply create energy, which was used to create the earthquake. And Dr. Mulready has explained that energy can create weather. We did not know precisely how the energy was directed - ‘aimed’, if you will - to create the phenomena. As Agent Carter stated, the process involves some “resource” that creates and directs the phenomena and is consumed in doing so. Thus, the phenomena last only as long as the resource does.”

There were nods around the table.

“I was tasked with determining what that resource might be. And, I’m afraid, I have.”

Nobody breathed or even blinked. Not one person around the table wanted to hear whatever Vision was about to say.

“There is an eighty-seven point eight two four nine six per cent probability that the resource is, in fact, a human.”

Steve looked stricken. Clint spoke for all of them when he whispered, “Fuck.”

“Indeed,” Vision agreed. “The energy is directed into a person, who then simply uses their mind to imagine a phenomenon into being. We believe that the resource is coached, probably using various media such as pictures and video. That would explain why the hurricane was identical in shape to Hurricane Katrina.”

“Why would someone do that? Agree to get zapped with-“ Bucky began.

Tony growled, “Nobody said they agreed. Or that they knew they’d be ‘consumed’ in the process.”

That got another whispered expletive, this time from several of those around the table.

Wanda asked the next question. “So who’s doing this? Do we know that?”

“Oh, yeah,” Sam answered. “We know.”

“Go, Sam,” Steve mumbled, waving a hand at him. Vision sat, looking miserable, if that was possible for him. Wanda took his hand and bumped his shoulder with hers.

“Jarman Arias. We know he’s behind this because of what we found in his villa.” Sam projected a photograph of a closet in which one suit of clothing was hanging, almost as though on display, placed in what appeared to be a lighted case designed specifically for storage of that one outfit.

“Oh, Dr. Strange is gonna be pissed,” Scott muttered.

“Right?” Natasha said, agreeing. “That’s way too close to his look.”

Joss cocked her head. “What is that, like a uniform or something? Like Captain America’s suit?”

“That’s what we think,” Anita answered.

Tony asked, “That ‘C’ on the chest. Is that for-“

“Custodian,” the entire table said simultaneously.

“You gotta be kidding,” Tony sneered. “That is, like, the worst supervillain name ever! This douchebag made himself The Janitor?”

“English isn’t his first language,” Anita reminded him.

“Obviously,” Tony replied. “Dude needs a publicist, STAT.”

“The cape is cool, though,” Bruce noted quietly. “Purple. Good color choice.”

Clint snorted. “Thought you’d be partial to green.”

“Focus!” Steve shouted as he stood and began pacing. “OK, so this asshole thinks he’s the custodian of the planet, and he’s out there creating destructive weather and earthquakes?”

“Can Captain America say ‘asshole’?” Joss asked under her breath.

“He just did,” Bucky whispered back.

“Why?” Steve continued. “Why would he do that? How does that protect the planet?”

Bucky answered, “Seems pretty obvious, Steve. He’s trying to protect the planet from invasion, right? He doesn’t have weapons, and he knows he can’t outgun us, anyway, if we were on the side of the invaders. So he builds a system to create weapons we can’t fight.”

Steve nodded and heaved a great sigh. “Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re right.”

For a few moments, no one spoke. Finally, Tony launched himself out of his chair. “Welp, on that cheery fucking note, who’s ready for a break?”

Apparently, everyone was, because they all pushed their chairs back and stood.

“Meet back here in fifteen,” Steve called out. The only person who responded was Bucky, who muttered, “Got it, Cap” out of long, ingrained habit. Everyone else simply went their own way. For the first year or so, the fact that his orders were only verbally acknowledged about half the time had driven Steve nuts. One of the countless reasons he was grateful to have Bucky back was that now at least someone always responded, to let him know he’d actually spoken. But he’d learned to let it go, because although they didn’t acknowledge him, he knew that, without exception, every member of the team would be back in their seats fifteen minutes from now.

Steve wandered over to a credenza along one wall where coffee service had been laid out. Tony was just finishing filling his cup. Steve knew he’d drink at least two during the break, and bring another back to the table with him.

“You OK?” Steve asked, putting his hand on Tony’s shoulder.

“You know, I’ll fight sentient earthworms any day of the week, but this shit, sacrificing people like that? That’s seriously fucked up.”

“I know. We’ll stop him, Tony. We’ve put it together now. All we need is a plan, and that’s what we’ll work on next.”

“We’re not just gonna flip this guy the finger, Cap. This motherfucker goes down.”

Steve nodded, meeting Tony’s challenging gaze. “We’ll get him.”

Tony lifted his cup to his lips as he turned away.

“Hey.”

He turned back to Steve.

“This one is big. I’m glad we’re together on this.”

Tony skipped a beat. “I don’t need you to blow smoke up my skirt, Rogers.”

“It’s only blowing smoke if I don’t mean it.”

“Yeah, all right.” Tony sighed and turned away again, muttering. “You’re still an asshole.”

Steve grinned.

Wanda and Joss found themselves side by side, walking the hallway to stretch their legs.

“You have a nice walk last night?” Wanda asked.

“Yeah. It felt good to get out. Reminded me I’m way overdue for a workout. It’s been a weird couple of weeks.”

“You get used to weird around here.”

“I guess so. Robot armies?”

Wanda shrugged. “It’s the job. So you and Bucky…?”

Joss didn’t say anything to that.

“OK, none of my business. I get it.”

“No, no, Wanda, that’s not it. It’s just… Me and Bucky nothing.”

“Well, get after it, girl!”

“Not gonna happen,” Joss sighed.

“Why not? I’m not imagining all that heat between you two. Don’t tell me you’re not interested.”

“Oh, trust me, that’s not the problem. He’s pretty much every dream I ever had. I get the feeling that once I let him into my heart, he’d stay there. The problem is he’s… Bucky Barnes. And I’m nobody. I don’t think he’d stay interested for long. And there I’d be, with the worst case of ‘the one who got away’ in recorded history.”

Wanda stopped walking and stood, hands on hips, staring at Joss. The scowl on her face said clearly that, if there’d been a truck nearby, Joss would probably need to duck.

“What?” Joss asked, confused.

“I get that you haven’t known him long, but let me tell you something. If that’s what you think of Bucky, then I agree. You should keep your distance. Because he seriously does not deserve that.”

“I… Said that I think he’s-“

“Shallow? Insincere? A womanizer?” Wanda spat. “Yeah. I heard you.”

“No! I didn’t mean it like that at all! The problem is me. I’m so ordinary, and he’s-“

“Look, Joss, I like you. I thought we were sorta becoming friends. So I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and believe you didn’t mean it like that. But I can guarantee you, if I heard it like that, so did Bucky.”

Joss stood, stunned, instantly seeing that Wanda was right. No wonder he had been so angry with her the day before! Oh, no. She suddenly saw how incredibly unfair she’d been to Bucky, who had treated her like a princess since the moment they’d met. In fact, he’d continued to treat her that way even after she’d essentially called him a sleazebag. Memories of his good-night hug from the night before had been distracting her from the meeting all morning. How the hell had he managed to make himself hug her when she’d treated him like garbage?

When they returned to the conference room, Joss was immediately aware of Bucky standing just outside, laughing with Sam and Clint. She saw him look at her and the small smile he gave her made her want to hide in shame. She made herself return it anyway.

Once the group had begun to seat themselves again, Bucky took his place next to Joss and looked closely at her.

“Everything OK?” He asked softly.

Joss felt the concern in his voice as an actual, physical pain in her chest. She looked into his grey-blue eyes and tried to hold back a tear. “Yeah, I just need to tell you something after this.”

Steve began to speak at that moment, and the meeting resumed. They ate a working lunch right where they were at the conference room table, planning, arguing, suggesting, and tweaking until by late afternoon, they finally had the rough outlines of a plan.

When the meeting was over, most of the team went to the gym floor. Those who didn’t went to the pool and spa floor, which was just under the roof. Since Bucky went to the gym and Joss went to the pool, they didn’t have a chance to talk even after the meeting was over.

At first, Clint thought that Natasha must be swimming laps with the others, since she hadn’t been in the gym. But when everyone had finished their workouts and sparring, and were leaving to shower before whatever dinner plans they had, Clint went up to the pool floor to find she wasn’t there, either.

He didn’t know what made him check the roof, rather than her apartment. Whatever had prompted the instinct, it was a good one, because she was there, standing stock-still looking out over the city. He knew that she was aware of him behind her; she was too good a spy not to be. Still, she didn’t turn around.

“Tasha?” He came to a stop half a step behind her, not touching her. Nonetheless, he could feel the tension in her body.

“I just needed a minute,” she said.

“Figured that. I kind of watched you spooling up while we were making plans. Can’t say I know what it’s about, though.”

“Can’t you?”

He took the last step and pressed his chest against her back, reaching out to place his hands on hers where they rested on the safety railing that surrounded the roof. “No. I can’t. Do you want to tell me?”

She took a long time to answer. When she did, she turned around within the circle of his arms and put a hand on his cheek. He was shocked to see that there were tears in her eyes.

“This plan is too risky.”

Clint would have bet anything, and felt entirely safe, that he would never have heard Natasha Romanoff utter those words about an impending mission.

He looked at her as he wiped the tears from her face. “No riskier than half the shit we do. Putz like Arias? We’ll kick his ass and still have time to go get ice cream.”

“Even a putz can get a lucky shot. Or use one of those machines to send a tornado after you. He could cause an earthquake; you could be crushed by something. And who knows what else this guy’s got?”

“So it’s me you’re worried about. Well, that’s new,” he grinned.

“No,” she said, her eyes wild. “It’s not.”

“Tasha, nothing’s changed just because we’re finally together. There’s no more danger than there ever was.”

“And you’re no less of a reckless dumbass. That is not comforting, Barton.” She shoved away from him.

“Stop. It’s a good plan. A great plan, especially the parts I thought up.”

“You are gonna get your ass blown into confetti!”

“Well, not if I have anything to say about it. I like my ass. We both do.”

“Fuck! You’re impossible!” She began to crunch her way across the roof to the door.

“Tasha-“

“Leave me alone. I’m losing IQ points up here with you.”

The door slammed behind her, leaving Clint standing alone on the roof of the tower. He could have followed her, if he’d felt the need to swallow some of his teeth. He didn’t. Instead, he stayed where he was, looking out at the hazy sunset and thinking how gorgeous she was when she was upset.

Even if he did follow her, he couldn’t help her. Not with this. This was something they’d been through a thousand times before, in different permutations. Usually, it happened after the fight, when she’d get in his face, screaming about some damn fool thing he’d done and how stupid, reckless, unnecessary, insert-your-own-adjective-here it had been. He’d listen, and apologize, as insincere as they both knew the apology was, and eventually she’d yell herself out, dissipating the fear that was the real problem. Sometimes, like now, she’d stalk off, saying that she needed to get away from his stupid face, or that she was going somewhere with fewer idiots, or something along those lines.

The first few times, he’d tried to follow her, wanting to stay with her until she’d forgiven him. It hadn’t taken him long to learn that wouldn’t work. He’d followed her once, just to see where she went and what she did when she stormed off after one of these blow-ups.

It was a mistake he’d never make again.

They’d been in Rome, staying in a massive townhouse with several other team members, and he’d had no trouble following her, jumping nimbly from rooftop to rooftop as she stumbled blindly through the narrow alleyways of the neighborhood until she found a small, dark space between two ancient buildings. She leaned her head against it and, from where he watched, he could see that she was holding her arms tightly across herself, gasping for breath as though panicked. She shook so violently he could see it from the rooftop. She stood like that for a long time, finally allowing her terror free rein, before finally calming enough to turn her back to the stucco wall of one of the buildings and sliding down until she was folded in on herself, crouched in the dark alley. Her wrenching sobs nearly forced him from the roof to her side. The only thing that stopped him was the sure knowledge that she would view his witnessing this most private moment as a massive violation of trust. He couldn’t take the chance that their relationship might not survive that.

This time, on the roof of Stark Tower, was the first time she’d been overwhelmed like this before the mission even started. Nonetheless, all the signs were still the same. Clint told Natasha he loved her by caressing and kissing her, and saying the words over and over. Natasha? Natasha told Clint she loved him by doing this.

Sharon watched Steve as they ate dinner, just the two of them in his apartment. They were both in the mood for a little quiet privacy after so much team time in the last day. Steve was different tonight, she thought. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something about his eyes, and the set of his shoulders, that she couldn’t remember ever having seen before.

“You’re staring at me,” he grinned.

“You’re gorgeous.”

Steve blushed adorably and looked down at his plate.

“I was just thinking that there’s something different about you tonight.”

“Is that bad?”

“I don’t think so. It feels like it’s something good. I can’t explain exactly what it is, though.”

“I probably can,” he said, looking up at her. “I’ve been waiting. Just standing back, letting everyone else do what they do, not being able to help. I’m no good at that. But now that we know what we’re up against and we can finally make plans to do something about it, I feel like I’ve been in the starting blocks and somebody finally fired the damn gun. Now I can run. This stuff, plans and strategy and tactics, this I know how to do. It’s a big relief.”

“That makes sense. You’ve been saying how hard the waiting’s been. And?”

“What makes you think there’s more?”

“I’m a trained operative, Captain Rogers, don’t insult my intelligence. Plus, you know, I’ve been studying my target for a while, so…”

For a moment, they just shared a smile across the candlelit table. “Well, you’re apparently very good at your job. There is something else. I had a talk with Coulson yesterday. He said pretty much word for word what you’ve been saying, about how I need to trust the team more, not feel like I’m carrying all the load. You guys practice that?”

Sharon smiled and chuckled. “I can neither confirm nor deny that assertion.”

“Well, you’re both right. And today, looking around at everybody, I realized something. I can trust them. I do trust them. And you’ve been right all along. They feel the responsibility the same as I do. We all do. We’re all carryin’ it. And if I wasn’t here, they’d just keep on carryin’ it.”

“Yes. They would.”

“And they’d get the job done. Even with someone other than me holding the shield.”

“Even…?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not ready to put the shield down just yet. I’m just saying that I’m only one part of a very powerful team. It’s not all on me.”

Her smile was radiant, even if her eyes were a little moist. “I’m very glad to hear you say that.”

“Me, too.”

“I’m also very glad to hear that you’re not going to put down your shield just yet.”

“Why?”

Sharon winked. “Because I’m kind of in the mood to make love to Captain America.”

Steve took his napkin from his lap and tossed it onto his plate. As they both stood, Steve said, “I am one hundred per cent on board with that plan.”

He drew Sharon to him. He kissed her for a while, then pulled back so he could look at her. “There’s one more thing I realized today.”

“What’s that?”

“I realized that… I love you.”

Sharon’s smile was so wide it actually made her cheeks hurt. She didn’t even try to keep her eyes from filling with tears. “Steve...”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you cry, I just-“

“No, it’s… I’m fine, I’m just so happy! I love you, too, Steve. I love you so much…”

She probably smeared makeup on the shoulder of his shirt, but neither noticed, nor would they have given a shit if they did.

#The Avengers #Captain America #The Winter Soldier #Bucky Barnes #Bruce Banner #Steve Rogers #Natasha Romanoff #Vision #Wanda Maximoff #Scott Lang

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