#Hughie Campbell imagine | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

stinkysam · 1 month

Text

Hughie Campbell - Stay out of it.

Warning : nsfw, top!reader, spit as lube, no protection

Genre : smut

Synopsis : “Could you write male reader having sex with hughie to "help him relax"?” -anon

Reader : male (you/yours)

Hughie couldn't sleep. Recently, he's been thinking about the past months with the boys.

Since Robin’s death, his life has been nothing but gore and murder, with an occasional good day thanks to you. And being with the boys made sure death and blood were the only constant to get his revenge. Though at times, he wasn't sure he really wanted it.

He had killed Translucent, was wanted by the government and his dad kept calling him, probably to know why his son's picture was displayed on the news, calling him a terrorist.

His mind was racing, Butcher was gone and the group found itself frozen in place, not really knowing what to do in his absence, so he got up from his shitty bed and left their hiding place, making sure his hood covered his face as he walked into the rainy night.

He walked and walked, his shoes taking in the water through his destroyed soles, socks wet, making footprints on the dry carpet that leads to your apartment's door, and knocked a few times, waiting for you to open.

“Hughie ?” You said quietly, voice hoarse with sleep as you watched him through the peephole before unlocking and slightly opening the door “What are you doing here ?”

He smiled briefly, waiting for you to let him in but you stood your ground, you had seen the news. He stared at you, a bit surprised by the cold demeanor, but that was to be expected. After all, you didn't know.

“You're wanted by the government.” You added.

“I- please, I'll explain everything, but let me in.” He said, tilting his head to the side, removing his hood, hoping you would listen to him. “It's about supes.”

You frowned, confused, before sighing and pushing yourself from the entrance, allowing him in. Hughie thanked you quietly as he walked in, closing behind himself, thanking you again.

“Remember when I told you my ex-girlfriend died ? It wasn't… a natural death.” He started and you looked at him, more confusion blooming in your mind as you sat at the table in your kitchen, trying to understand what Robin's death had to do with supes and him being a terrorist.

He sat in front of you and continued talking, telling you everything from the beginning, Robin’s actual death, meeting Butcher and Frenchie and killing Translucent before meeting M.M and later Kimiko and Starlight, all while being shown how little supes care for human life or how dangerous they are, and mainly how dangerous Homelander is.

You remained still as you listened carefully, slowly understanding all the secrets he had refused to share, the secret phone calls or texts, why he suddenly stopped going to work and what he did when he wasn't with you. Why he always changed the TV’s channel each time there was something about supes ; documentaries, interviews, movies, music videos, ads.

You didn’t know how to react, not expecting anything of this in the slightest. You thought he had killed Robin or something like that, hence why he was wanted by the government. You looked to the side, thinking.

“Are you safe ?” You finally asked, wondering where he stayed.

“Yeah, Frenchie found us a hiding place in the back of some small store. It’s mainly for smuggling but-” He shrugged and smiled. “It’s safe.”

You nodded as the silence fell once more before noticing how dark his clothes were. Fuck, it was raining outside.

“Do you- uh, want to take a shower ? You're soaking wet from the rain.”

Hughie looked down at himself, his clothes were still damp, sticking to his skin. He nodded awkwardly and you stood up, walking to the bathroom.

“Come !” You said, pulling a small and a larger towel from the compartment under the sinks, placing them on the surface next to the bathtub before walking out. He thanked you as you closed the door and he undressed himself before getting in the bathtub and turning the water on.

The water was hot on his skin, a bit too much, he lowered the heat a slightly, rubbing his head with your shampoo.

Hughie sighed, now wondering if it had been the right idea to tell you everything. You could lose your life if you decided to work with him, and knowing you, he knew you would refuse to stay back and watch, preferring to fight for some sort of justice with him.

You knocked at the door.

“I have some clean clothes for you !” You said loudly for him to hear through the sound of the running water.

“Okay, you can come in !” He replied, instinctively hiding his dick as you pushed the door open, quickly putting a small pile of clothes on the closed toilet before walking out, closing behind yourself.

When Hughie walked out with the clothes you gave him, you were laying on your bed, still thinking, slowly digesting the news. You called him, letting him know where you were and he quickly joined you, laying on his stomach, facing you.

“Are you… mad ?” He asked quietly, trying to know what you were thinking.

“No.” You shook your head. “You told me the truth, it's just… a lot.”

“Maybe I shouldn't have told you, it's just- Butcher is God knows where and the team refuses to listen to me, only Annie tries to help me but it's super dangerous for her, Homelander is so close, he could find out and kill her at any moment.” He ranted, and your hand went to his back, rubbing him soothingly.

“Annie ? Starlight ?” You asked, not knowing the supe's real name.

“Yes.”

“Maybe it's a sign for you to stop ?” You tried, not believing in your own words and knowing he would continue anyway.

“A sign ? I thought you didn’t believe in them ?” He said and you shrugged.

“Sometimes I do. When it suits me.” You said with a laugh. He smiled, humming, thinking. “Why did you tell me ? If it's not to look for a way out ?”

“I like you. And I don't want our relationship to have… secrets. I don't want to ruin things because I didn't tell you about this part of my life.”

“But you don't want me to meet the group ? Right ? Too dangerous ?”

“Yes. I want you to know but I don't want you to get hurt or die because you helped us. So I'm asking you this, please, go back to your job tomorrow and live your life normally. I promise I'll try to stay out of trouble.” He said, his hand moving to your face, caressing your cheek. “Though nothing is happening at the moment so saying out of trouble will be easy.”

“So you just want my support, but from a distance.”

“...Yeah. You promise me you'll stay out of this ?”

You sighed, thinking. You couldn't really sit there and let him face danger alone. But he wasn't alone, he had the boys with him. And they knew how to use guns, they knew how to defend themselves. Maybe if Butcher never comes back, the group will slowly dismantle itself and Hughie will stay out of danger ?

“I… can try…” You said, unsure. But Hughie didn't seem to want that for an answer.

“No, I really want you to stay out of it. I can't lose you too-”

“Okay. I promise I'll stay out of it.” You replied. Though you had agreed, you weren't sure if you could live with that choice.

“Okay. Thank you.”

Though he seemed to relax, Hughie was still stressed, still wondering if it was the right thing to do, playing with his fingers as he imagined the worst case scenarios. He was starting to stress you out even more than you already were.

You sat up and scooted closer to him before beginning to rub his back over his shirt.

“I told you, I promise I'll stay out. You have nothing to fear.” You said, your fingers moving up and down his spine, playing with the bumps of his vertebrae. “Nothing will happen.”

You leaned down and kissed his shoulder, your hands rubbing them and massaging his back, hearing him groan while slowly relaxing, eyes closed and mouth slightly open. Your hand slid under his shirt, feeling his hot skin on your palms, still a bit moist from the shower, as you continued to massage him. Your fingers tickled lightly his sides as they moved from his shoulder-blades to his hips while you planted kisses on his back, moving his shirt up so your lips could touch his skin, making a trail of kisses on his spine.

You continued like this for a few minutes, Hughie letting out small sighs as you caressed him gently until he slightly moved his hips, resting on his side.

“Something's wrong ?” You asked and Hughie began to stammer, that's when you saw his ‘problem’.

“No. It's uh- There's- I'm… hard.” He said, feeling embarrassed before quickly apologizing. “It's just- it feels really good and-”

“It's fine.” You cut him off, chuckling quietly. “Want to do something about it ?” You asked, moving your hands lower, fingers pulling at his boxers.

Hughie nodded, turning around to lay on his back as he looked at your left hand, now resting on his bulge. You squeezed it lightly, running your hand against him before sliding under his pants, stroking him. He exhaled, his head falling back as he let you touch him, bucking slightly into you, feeling his dick harden more and more, pulsing at your touch.

Your thumb rubbed his tip, playing with the slit, your palm moving up and down on his length. He whined, moving his legs to roll his hips.

With your free hand you pushed his pants away as you continued to jerk him slowly. You moved his legs and put two of your fingers in your mouth, coating them with saliva before teasing his hole. He tensed up a bit before slowly relaxing, allowing you to push a finger inside him.

Hughie groaned, grimacing as your index was fully in, his ass clenching around you and his cock jumping in your hand. You began to move your finger at the same pace you were jerking him, slowly, giving him time to adjust to the sensation. He whined and sighed, nodding at you so you could move faster, you curled your finger inside him, earning a loud moan.

He moaned again when you added a second finger, his legs closing, thighs squeezing your wrist as you continued to caress him, beads of pre-come gliding down his length.

You moved your fingers in and out of him, curling them against his sweet spot each time, ripping pretty moan after pretty moan. He opened his legs again, bucking into your hand, wanting more.

You pulled your fingers out of him, making him whine and pushed your pants down before jerking yourself a couple times, sighing and aligning yourself between his legs, your tip pushing against his hole before slowly entering him. Hughie hissed, you felt him clench around you as you leaned down to pepper his face with kisses, helping him relax as you bottomed out.

After a bit you began to thrust into him, kissing his jaw and neck as he wrapped his arms around you, keeping you close. He moaned your name quietly, cursing under his breath each time you pushed yourself in, your tip hitting deep inside him.

You wrapped a hand around his dick, jerking him, thumb playing with his tip, rubbing his frenulum and corona of glans, more pre pooling out, slowly gathering on your hand.

Hughie rolled his hips, trying to fuck your hand while you fastened the pace, your body slapping against him.

“I'm close-” He moaned, eyes closed in pleasure as you continued hitting his prostate. You hummed, pulling him into a kiss as his mouth opened abruptly to let another moan out as he came, ropes cum spurting on his stomach and your hand.

His ass clenched tightly around you, allowing you to come inside him, your hips stuttering a bit before slowing down and stopping.

Hughie sighed, catching his breath as you did the same and pulled out, walking out of the room to grab a washcloth to clean him.

He watched as you wiped his stomach and his ass before throwing it in the basket of dirty laundry, laying down next to him once more.

Your hand landed on his chest, caressing him softly as he smiled at you before moving closer, wrapping his arms around you.

You kissed him, pulling away to turn off the light and went back into his arms, content. As you fell asleep you remembered your discussion, feeling still torn with your decision to not interfere. You don't know how long you'll be able to keep your promise.

#male reader #m!reader #hughie campbell x male reader #hughie campbell imagine #hughie campbell #hughie campbell the boys #the boys tv #the boys #the boys imagine #the boys x male reader

90 notes · View notes

imagines-for-the-fangirls-soul · 6 months

Note

Hi ! Can I request a The boys short of all of them playingMario kart with reader ? Thank you !

Hello! For sure! I'm gonna do these as headcanons cause I think that will work better!

MM:

He is an expert Mario Kart player, from constantly playing with his daughter

He knows all the secret paths, the best vehicles to pick, and he absolutely has a favorite

(It's Bowser)

He does not like to lose AT ALL

The only person he's ever lost to is his daughter, and that's only because he let her

He will stew and stew and stew when he loses. He will walk away, swear he's not playing again, and within minutes is back to reclaim his territory

When just the two of you play, he will sometimes reveal what he knows, but only if he has a big lead

Hughie:

Hughie has played Mario Kart pretty much his whole life

That being said, he's not the greatest. He wins every once in a while, but only when he gets lucky, or plays someone truly terrible

His favorite is Yoshi, and will always be Yoshi

When he loses, it's no sweat. Sometimes he singles out someone he wants to beat, but winning is not usually his end goal

He becomes the person who teaches the older Boys how to play, and they quickly all beat him

You tease him because for someone his age, he should be so much better than he actually is

Kimiko:

Kimiko had never played Mario Kart before joining the boys

But after Hughie taught her how to play, she is easily the best of all of them

(Much to the chagrin of many of the more experienced members)

Her favorite is any of the princesses, but she has a love for Daisy specifically

She is an aggressive player, and focuses most of her energy on taking down her other opponents

She is a MONSTER with green shells. Sometimes she'll fall behind just to get green shells and take down the other players

The others want to beat her, but are always a little bit terrified of what would happen to them if they ever did (It's a good thing they never get that close)

When you play against Kimiko, it's not even close, so you usually just assist her in taking the others down

Frenchie:

It's no shock that Frenchie's favorite power up is the bomb

In fact, when he *doesn't* get that one, he becomes extremely angry, and has been known to throw his controller

He isn't prone to picking the same exact character, but he often finds himself playing as Toad

He had not played before, but he is usually the one to suggest they start playing (Usually with controllers in hand and the game already up)

Frenchie does not like to lose, but typically he loses his temper before the game is even over, and the computer ends up finishing for him

You have had to talk him down more times than you can count, and he listens, because you're the one who wants to play with him the most

Billy:

Billy does not like Mario Kart and he does not understand it

Hughie has tried to show him multiple times, but each time he just becomes angry and ends up storming out

He thinks all of them are childish for enjoying the game so much, and thinks it is just a violent mess of color

The few times they get him to play, he always picks Mario, because "the name is Mario Kart, who the bloody hell else would I play as"

He is the second most offender for throwing the controller

He also threatens to destroy the game any time he is annoyed with them all, but he hasn't done so yet

He does not like when you tease him for being old for not liking the game

"MM and I are around the same age"

"Well one of you acts 80, the other doesn't"

#the boys #the boys imagine #the boys headcanons #billy butcher #billy butcher headcanons #billy butcher imagine #hughie campbell #hughie capbell headcanons #hughie campbell imagine #kimiko miyashiro #kimiko miyashiro imagine #kimiko miyashiro headcanons #mothers milk #mothers milk imagine #mothers milk headcanons #frenchie #frenchie imagine #frenchie headcanons #anonymous

95 notes · View notes

krtsvig · 11 months

Text

CAN PEOPLE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE WRITE MORE HUGHIE CAMPBELL FICS AND SMUT PLEASE I’M BEGGING THERE ISN’T ENOUGH

#hughie campbell #hughie campbell x reader #the boys #jack quaid #the boys imagine #the boys hughie #the boys season 3 #hughie campbell imagine

161 notes · View notes

nouearth · 1 month

Text

the scenarios running through my mind with this single gif right now, UHHH.

hughie's first time with reader? nerd!reader and nerd!hughie puzzle night turns into something more? childhood best friends where reader is pining for hughie, but he keeps talking about his new relationship?! hughie suggesting something to spice up his and reader's sex life?!

#✰ : nou.rambles #i need help #i'm going to be sleeping soooooo well tonight hehehehe #idk if im smutted out #but lowkey feeling the pining angst idk #i have such a fat crush on jack quaid it's so serioussss #hughie campbell #hughie campbell x reader #hughie campbell imagine

24 notes · View notes

seancekitsch · 2 years

Note

Requesting Hughie x Reader where Hughie plays along to the reader's kink of being tied up and blindfolded. He's nervous at first, but melts and loves it as the reader kisses and straddles him.

this is just “hughie campbell gets pampered with a blowjob” lol

This was… not Hughie’s first, second, or third choice of how tonight would go, but honestly he’s warming up to it. Hughie balked a little at the idea when you presented it, but the feeling has grown on him. Hughie has settled into the padded restraints chained to your headboard. They’re nice and plush, and won’t bruise, but they do the job. Hughie silently thanks you for not having just handcuffs. He doesn’t know if he could handle the shit from anyone who would recognize his bruises afterwards. He’s always been ready to let you take the reigns since your first encounter; the way you took charge taking space in his brain now.

It was when you put the blindfold over his face that he started to panic a little.

He realizes that maybe he shouldn’t have, as he did tell you that you could do anything to him once the cuffs were on. And Hughie repeated three times that he really meant anything.

His panic was more of a fight or flight that’s resulted in the past two years fighting Vought and less about him not trusting you. He trusts you, and so he calms himself as much as possible and fights all urge to continue to panic.

“You okay?” you had asked, “You know you can say something or kick in morse code, right? I’m not making you do this. You can tap out.”

Hughie almost felt his heart break at the unsure-ness of your voice. As unsure as he was, he didn’t want you to be. He knew to tap out if he had to, but he wanted you to go into this ready and excited.

“I want this,” he assures you, and he means it. As unsure as he was, he thinks he’ll like it when he sees -or feels- how much you like it.

“Okay,” you breathe, a little unsure, but gaining confidence as you begin.

You start with kisses on his lips, which he happily returns. Then with kisses along his cheeks and jawline, which he smiles and leans into. You kiss down along one side of his throat, taking the time to kiss from ear to collarbone. And then you kiss the other, taking the same amount of care and time.

You kiss down his bare chest, taking the time to tease both of his nipples and nuzzle your nose in his chest hair. Hughie shudders, and sighs deeply in appreciation for all the care. You’re so gentle with him, no matter how kinky things might get. You treat him like something that should be cared for, which sometimes even he forgets he is.

“You still with me baby?” you purr, the feeling of your soft lips dragging across his navel being absolutely heavenly to him.

“Y-Yeah, I’m here, Fuck,” he sighs, his eyebrows knitted together under the little satin sleep mask you put over his eyes. You throw you’d head back and laugh at his already flustered state.

“Good,” you whisper, your voice doing that sultry thing Hughie fucking loves.

You kiss down his light happy trail, the soft little curly brown hairs that look so lovely on his body, kissing your appreciation for this little detail on him.

“So handsome,” you breathe against his skin, hot and all too close.

Hughie feels your hands finally touch him, and your warm hands finally lay themselves on his thighs, your palms gently pushing them apart. He relents, and lets you part them.

Its your tongue that he feels next, hot and wet and everything he needs. Hughie gasps, almost pulling at his restraints when you finally give a testing lick to the tip of his cock. He’s painfully hard, he knows that. Your hand slips off his left thigh and grasps him gently at the base, not enough to make him embarrassingly come early, but enough to make him buck his hips into your fist. You hum appreciatively. You love eager Hughie, so willing to please and be pleased. You lift up his cock slightly, just enough to duck your head down and to lick him from the base to the tip on the underside, your lips and chin just barely teasing his sack on the way.

Its fucking hot, the way Hughie’s already desperate for you. He tries hard to keep his hips down for you, he tries to keep his squirming to a minimum. But he can’t hide from you like this, the way his chest is turning pink, the way sweat is already starting to shimmer on his skin, the way his jaw is clenched.

You make your way up to the top, paying close attention to the little ridge right below the head, before wrapping your lips around the head itself.

The moan Hughie lets out is loud- and easily the sexiest thing you've ever heard.

"Fuck, you're so good at this. How are you so good at this? Wait- I don't wanna know. Fuck, just keep doing that, yeah," Hughie starts babbling, pulling again at his restraints as you take him all the way in to the back of your throat. You hold him there for a moment, nose ticking the little patch of neatly trimmed hair there, before you swallow around him. He lets out another one of those pornographic moans, and you think maybe its your new favorite noise. You swallow again, and then pull your mouth back up to the tip and blow.

“God yes, please,” Hughie begs, and you have half a mind to take off the blindfold. You want to see his pretty eyes. Do they have tears in them right now?

You can't check, you won't. Instead, you start to bob your head up and down on his length, feeling yourself grow more aroused by the chorus of pretty groans and half-words falling from Hughie’s lips.

“Not gonna- fuck,” he pants, “Not gonna last much longer if you keep doing that.”

You pull yourself off of him just long enough to respond.

“Then don’t, let yourself enjoy it.”

He throws his head back as you dip your mouth back down onto him. You decide to up the ante, your free hand not gripping him at the base coming up to tease his balls, massaging them between your fingers.

“Fuck!” he nearly shouts, now very much struggling to stay still under your touch. His thighs are shaking, and you know he’s gotta be ready to come. So you hollow out your cheeks, making your mouth as tight as possible and you ease up on your motions, letting him haphazardly thrust up into your face while you squeeze him. You let him keep going, continuing your ministrations and now adding your tongue, letting it lazily swirl around his head as he thrusts between your lips.

And then his hips stutter, and you take back control. You hold Hughie’s hips down with force, keeping your mouth on him as you swallow around his length one more time. You feel hot, his release immediately coming in spurts, salty and delicious, maybe with a hint of pineapple. Did he eat a lot before this to try to make it taste good for you? You could see him doing that. You swallow all of his release happily, humming around his cock in praise as she shakes and whimpers. God, if his moaning is hot, his whimpering is even hotter. You want to get addicted to this sound, to hear it in your dreams and every day. You know his whimpering will get stuck in your ears and you'll be thinking about it at the most inappropriate times and places. Good.

You work him through his release, only taking your mouth off of him when he starts to soften, and his heaving breath starts to even out.

“Holy shit,” he sighs, still trying to catch his breath. You crawl up the bed, careful not to overstimulate him with any harsh movements, gently coming back up.

You kiss his cheek as you pull the satin eye mask off of his face, and his eyes are still shut. Good boy.

“Enjoy yourself?” you giggle, and he finally cracks an eye open as his smile grows.

“Can we do that again?” he asks, and leans over as much as he can to kiss you on the mouth.

Fuck yeah.

#hughie campbell x reader #hughie campbell imagine

262 notes · View notes

stranger-nightmare · 2 years

Text

𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 | 𝐏𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥

requested by my lief

A/N: we’re taking Queen Maeve’s comment about Hughie’s energy just screaming ‘raw dog me, I’m a bottom’ and were rolling with it besties, enjoy!!

“Aw, my poor baby,” you coo mockingly. “Rough day at work?”

Hughie just nods silently, his head shifting where it was buried in your lap. You hum gently and stroke his hair.

“You want me to take care of you, hmm?” You ask invitingly, knowing exactly what it was he wanted; what he needed.

He looks up your with his puppy-dog eyes, nodding again and murmuring a soft ‘please’ against your stomach. You stroke his face again and lean down to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

“Okay baby,” you whisper, “why don’t you go get ready for me on the bed, yeah? And I’ll go get dressed.”

Hughie nods again before quickly getting up and padding his way over to the bedroom. You follow suit quickly after. Hughie strips immediately and moves to climb onto the bed, situating himself on all fours, his ass facing towards you as he looks back at you with need etched on his face. You smirk to yourself as you grab the strap and harness from the bottom of the cupboard, quickly shedding yourself of your own clothes and equipping yourself with the black harness and purple strap-on. You quickly spread some lube onto the dildo before making your way over to where Hughie was waiting for you.

“Hmm, that’s a good boy,” you hum as you reach the edge of the be.

You continue to hum gently, soothing and reassuring Hughie as you caress his hips gently, pulling him back so that he was lined up with your hips where you stood at the base of the bed.

“You ready baby?” You ask gently as you rub the tip of the dildo between his cheeks.

“Yes, please. Please. Need you,” Hughie mumbles pathetically, pushing his hips back against your strap.

“Don’t worry babyboy, I’m gonna take good care of you,” you coo as you slowly start to push into him.

Hughie whimpers and mewls, his arms giving way as he collapses onto the mattress, his ass lifting even higher as you start to fuck into him. You smirk to yourself lightly as you look at him, a whimpering and fucked-out mess already, and you’d barely even begun. You were going to fuck the living daylights out of this boy. This man who was willing to stand against Homelander despite being only mortal himself. This man who knew no fear when it came to protecting those he loves.

And he was a complete wreck under your touch.

If only the boys could see Petite Hughie now...

Main Masterlist // Kinktober 2022 Masterlist

#stranger nightmare #kinktober 2022 #hughie campbell #hughie campbell smut #hughie campbell imagine #hughie campbell x reader #hughie campbell x you #hughie campbell x y/n #the boys smut #hughie campbell x female reader

227 notes · View notes

hughiecampbelle · 1 month

Text

Imagine being the only teammate Soldier Boy doesn't want to kill:

"You don't want to go after y/n?"

"They had nothing to do with it." Ben shrugs, taking another sip of his drink. Hughie couldn't imagine a good enough reason. He'd killed Crimson Countess, the woman he wanted to have children with. What could be so special about you? They'd all done their research about his old team. They weren't flashy and they definitely weren't doing well these days. Maybe except for Noir, but he didn't speak, he didn't have any emotions, he was Voughts puppet. He was Homelanders puppet. The twins became nobodies, Gunpowder was dead, Mindstorm was a mystery, and Countess had been singing about apes. Every one of them had had trouble moving on from the spotlight. Every one of them except you. You'd moved on, shed the suit for a typical small town life. You seemed happy. When Ben had read the stories about you, how you learned to live your life on your own, he had smiled. He was glad you got out. You deserved it.

"How do you know?" Hughie asks. What they had found about you was limited, but there were plenty of rumors about an ongoing relationship between you and Ben behind the scenes. Whenever you were spotted together without your team, headlines spoke about a forbidden love. While neither of you ever accepted it, you never denied it either. Even now, you only spoke lovingly about Ben. You brought flowers to his statue once a year and lit candles. You truly had mourned him. You were still mourning him. As far as Hughie could see, it was real genuine emotions. They had yet to talk to you. Ben forbid them. He didn't want to disrupt your life. He was adamant that you knew nothing about what happened to him. You were knocked out with Mallory when the team came for him.

"Because they're the only person who ever cared about me."

#soldier boy #soldier boy imagine #the boys #the boys imagine #hughie campbell #hughie campbell imagine #ennasfavorites

294 notes · View notes

corrodedseraphine · 2 years

Text

stray heart | hughie campbell x fem!reader | one shot

Pairing: hughie campbell x fem!reader

Summary: After the mission is accomplished, the whole group allows themselves an evening of relaxation and celebration. In the course of it, you find out that too long-hidden feelings and wine are not a good combination.

The one shot is also avaliable on Ao3

5 226 words

Songs which I used here: Green Day - Stray Heart and Ed Sheeran - Tenerife Sea

hughie campbell masterlist | general masterlist

"I can't believe we managed to kill that asshole!" you shouted as you entered the house. For weeks the whole team had been hunting one of the supes, and today you finally managed to get rid of him.

"Let's not forget that he almost killed you too." Hughie sighed, extinguishing your enthusiasm.

"If it weren't for Kimiko you would have been lying dead a long time ago!"

"If it hadn't been for her distracting that cunt, we never would have caught him." interjected Butcher.

"You acted like a real badass!" Kimiko added, handing you the phone on which she had written the message.

"We... deserved a reward!" exclaimed Frenchie. "I will prepare the most wonderful supper, feel invited!"

"And I have to risk being poisoned?" M.M. laughed.

"That was a blow straight to my poor heart, bastard!" shouted Frenchie putting his hands to his chest. "Still, in two hours I invite you, dress up as if you were going on a date with the president or receiving an Oscar. This evening belongs to us!" After these words, you all dispersed to separate rooms to freshen up a bit and change clothes. From the moment you discovered that Neuman also had superpowers you knew that you had to be more careful, so a change of residence seemed to make sense. Together with Kimiko and Frenchie, you moved into a small house on the outskirts of New York City that you had inherited from your grandmother. Hughie, Butcher and Marvin had their own apartments, but you still spent most of your time at your place. It was a base of sorts, since no one knew of its existence. At least that's what you hoped.

After taking a shower, you started looking through your clothes. You didn't have a lot of them with you, but there were a few summer dresses. You liked the idea of Frenchie. After days of hunting supes, running and playing with death, you really deserved one evening of pleasure. You looked at the mirror standing against the wall. The reflection in the mirror showed you a person you couldn't recognize. Scuffed up eyes, bruises and cuts almost all over your body, scars that will probably never disappear again. A wreck of a person stood before you. You never thought of yourself as someone who could be called beautiful. Now you knew that you were far from beautiful. Especially when Annie appeared nearby. She was your friend, no doubt, but no matter how hard you tried you couldn't stop the feeling of jealousy. She had everything, a beautiful face, hair and a perfect figure. Something that, in your mind, you would never be able to match. When you were alone it didn't bother you so much, you had long accepted the fact that you wouldn't be like her. However, the green monster in you was awakened every time you saw how Hughie could not take his eyes off her. Every time you looked in his direction, his eyes were on her. For months you defended yourself against the thought that you felt something more for him. However, it was all stronger. Every night you lay staring at the ceiling wondering what to do so that he would finally give you the attention you so desperately craved. You prayed that for once he would look at you the way you looked at him. Every night before you went to sleep, you made up fake scenarios in which he would finally see something more in you. For a long time now, you no longer had the strength to hold back the storm of emotions that was inside you when he stayed intimately close to you. The warmth that filled you from the inside whenever you saw his smile, or heard his laugh. The chills that ran through your body every time you accidentally touched each other. Even a gentle flick of his hand was enough, nothing more. The way you are always there for each other and no matter how messed up the situation becomes you never leave each other. Every time one of you nearly died in the middle of the action, afterwards you threw yourselves into each other's arms feeling grateful that you made it. When you were still living in the basement under the pawn shop, every time you were haunted by nightmares and couldn't manage to sleep he always let you sleep with him. He told you silly stories just to occupy your thoughts with something and let you fall asleep peacefully. Even if at first you fell asleep with your backs to each other, in the morning you woke up in his embrace every time. You missed it so damn much. Along with the nostalgia, you also felt pain each time you were reminded that he would always see you as a friend. You sent your reflection a sad smile and began to change into a dress, and later decided to put on some makeup, hoping that maybe without the visible bruises and the cut wound on your forehead, Hughie would see at least some beauty in you. In the meantime, you heard a quiet knock on the door.

"Come in!" you shouted and saw Kimiko enter the room uncertainly. You grinned at the sight of her. The two of you had grown very close over the past few weeks.

"I need help." she signed. When you moved in together you began to teach her how to write and use the phone, and in return she taught you and Frenchie her language. So far you only knew basic phrases, so she communicated with you over the phone most of the time.

"Is something wrong?" you asked worriedly, and she shook her head negatively.

"Frenchie told us to look nice, and I don't know how to do it." she handed you a device.

"Let me just finish my makeup quickly and take care of you, 'kay?" you grinned. She answered you with the same. "In the meantime you can look through my clothes, maybe you'll find something you like."

Excitedly, she ran over to the clothes and started browsing. Every now and then she changed the idea by showing you more and more strange combinations, and when it was time for makeup she couldn't sit still as the brushes tickled her skin. When you were finished, you both stood in front of the mirror.

"You look beautiful." you said. She was wearing a slightly oversized red dress with open shoulders. It perfectly matched the red lips. At first she didn't want to agree, but you persisted and after a moment, she agreed. You could see little happy sparks in her eyes. She momentarily infected you with all the positive emotions that were from her.

"You too." she replied. You were dressed in a cream-colored floral dress with a large neckline, and a silver necklace sparkled around your neck. Kimiko insisted that since she had painted her lips such a conspicuous color you must too so you decided on a strong, bright pink. For the first time in a long time you looked at yourself in the mirror and saw someone you didn't want to look away from right away. Satisfied, you left the room. It turned out that everyone was just waiting for you.

"Ah! belles femmes!" shouted Frenchie. He was dressed in black pants and a shirt over which he wore a gold jacket. "Do you see, you yahoos? The girls understood the assignment! They look like a million dollars!" he excitedly grabbed both of you by the hands and pulled you towards the table. "y/n" he kissed your hand and pushed back the chair. When you sat down he squatted you back down. "mon cœur" He did the same with Kimiko. "I knew I could count on you. As punishment, the rest of you should only get a piece of dry bread and a glass of water, the feast should be for those who can appreciate the situation." He rolled his eyes. You were amused by this. In fact, Hughie, M.M and Butcher were sitting at the table in jeans and T-shirts.

"I think this one time we can forgive them," you laughed looking ahead.

"Frenchie is right, you do look beautiful." Hughie commented looking straight into your eyes. You felt a strange nervousness. You can't remember the last time you received eye contact.

"Ha, a homeless person would dress better than you!" Frenchie continued his dramatic performance pretending to be offended. However, at some point you zooned out completely focusing on the person sitting in front of you. Even in a simple T-shirt, he looked good. He didn't need a suit to impress you. He might as well have been sitting there now in a stretched out tracksuit, and you could still admire him for hours.

"Do I have something on my face?" his voice snapped you out of your reverie.

"Oh! N-no..." you choked out. You felt your cheeks burning from the embarrassment of being caught staring at him. You quickly got up from the table and went to the kitchen with the intention of helping to bring down the food. Once everything was set up on the table you turned on the music in the background and got busy eating. You were so hungry that no one even tried to talk. Only when your stomachs were finally full did Frenchie get up from his seat.

"I propose a toast, to a successful mission!" he grabbed a bottle of red wine and poured for everyone. After the first few sips, you felt your muscles gently relax. You sat like this recalling the course of the last mission. The wine was pouring at an amazingly fast tempo, thanks to which even Butcher seemed to be relaxed and joked with you like never before. The mask of the tough guy was put away for a while, you could even tell that he was enjoying sitting with you at that moment. At one point, a familiar tune reached your ears.

I lost my way, oh baby, this stray heart

Went to another

Can you recover, baby?

Oh, you're the only one that I'm dreamin' of

Your precious heart

Was torn apart by me

"I love this song!" Kimiko signed.

"Then let's dance," Frenchie pulled her by the hand to the middle of the living room where they began to move and jump to the rhythm of the music. "Petit Hughie! Invite y/n to dance!" he shouted. "Be a gentleman!"

And you, you're not alone, oh-oh

And now I'm where I belong

We're not alone, oh-oh

I'll hold your heart and never let go

The boy looked at you with uncertain eyes, and you responded with a slight smile. He drunk up the rest of his wine and extended his hand toward you sending you the most charming smile you had ever seen. It's a good thing you were still sitting at the time because you were sure your knees would have bent momentarily. Joining "the dance floor," you got close enough to smell his cologne. You had a feeling that your head was spinning, you didn't know if it was because of his presence and that smell or because of the wine. At that moment it was all the same to you, all that mattered was Hughie all the time smiling broadly at you as you moved to the rhythm of the music.

Everything that I want, I want from you

But I just can't have you

Everything that I need, I need from you

But I just can't have you

"I never thought I would dance to Green Day songs." he laughed, moving closer to you.

"I didn't either. But tonight we can do whatever we like!" you laughed feeling happy. He grabbed your hand and turned you around a few times.

"Everything?" he asked having his lips right next to your ear.

"No limits," you answered on the inhale.

I said a thousand times, and now a thousand one

We'll never part

I'll never stray again from you

This dog is destined for a home to your heart

We'll never part

I'll never stray again from you

Not wanting to interrupt the touch, you placed your other hand on his shoulder and he placed his own on your waist. A familiar shiver ran through your body, but you hoped he didn't notice.

You're not alone, oh-oh

And now I'm where I belong

We're not alone, oh-oh

I'll hold your heart and never let go

It's been a long time since you were as close to each other as you are now. Again you could feel the warmth that you so badly missed. The closer you got to the source, the more all the rest seemed distant to you. Suddenly everyone who was with you in the living room dissolved into nothingness leaving you alone.

Everything that I want, I want from you

But I just can't have you

Everything that I need, I need from you

But I just can't have you

"Everything that I want, I want from you..." you sang softly. You lifted your gaze meeting his bright eyes. Soft wrinkles appeared at their corners when he once again smiled. Then it occurred to you that despite the countless times you had cuddled and slept in the same bed, your faces had never been as close together as they were now. With your gaze you wandered over his face until you finally stopped at his lips.

Everything that I want, I want from you

But I just can't have you

The words of the song rumbled in your head as you decided to close the minimal gap that was between you. His lips were exactly as you had imagined. Warm and soft. The kind you might never have pulled away from again. However, a shocked Hughie violently drew in air and put his hands on your shoulders gently moving away. The confusion on his face terrified you and before he could say anything you panickedly ran out of the house.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked looking around the room.

"I'll ask it another way, what the hell are you still doing here?" asked M.M. Kimiko aggressively signed to him, telling him he was an idiot and ran off after you. "You've been playing cat and mouse for months. You stare at each other as if you were the eighth wonder of the world, but only when the other one isn't looking, like in some damn kindergarten, Hughie."

"We can feel your hearts getting off the hook, Petit Hughie." interjected Frenchie.

"After all, we're just friends!" he said sitting down on the couch wiping his sweaty palms in his pants.

"And you want to be just friends?"

"No...but that would ruin the whole relationship between us. W-what if it doesn't work out between us?" he combed his hand through his hair.

"I've never seen anyone look at someone with so much love in their eyes as she does at you! With that kiss she gives you her heart on a tray, and you threw it on the floor and trampled it!" At the sound of these words, he felt a strange pain in his chest. And the thought you feeling rejected only intensified it. He remembered the moment when he first felt that you meant much more to him than he would have expected.

A quiet knock on the door rang through the room. Puzzled, he looked at his watch, which showed three o'clock in the morning.

"Yeah?" he asked loudly and turned on the lamp. The door opened and there stood you with a far too large t-shirt and fabric shorts that revealed your bruised legs. When he shifted his gaze to your face he noticed swollen and glazed eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, sitting up straight.

"I can't sleep... I don't even know why I came here... These nightmares don't let me rest, I can't handle them alone." The sound of your breaking voice awakened in him the desire to protect you from all the evil of the world. He never wanted to hear it again. Without thinking, he quickly jumped out of bed and took you in his arms. You stood like that for a long moment, until he felt you shivering.

"Shit, are you cold? Come on, cover yourself." He pulled you to the bed, where you sat with your legs crossed, which he immediately covered with a quilt, then he went to close the door and when he returned, he sat down opposite you. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know... every time I close my eyes I see blood. Blood everywhere. Blood, guts and limbs scattered all over the room. And then I'm in a completely different place, tied to a chair when Homelander makes me choose who to kill first. There you all are M.M, Kimiko, Frenchie, and Butcher. He makes me watch as he slowly kills each of you. Every night I'm afraid to go to sleep because I know I'll have to relive it all over again like I'm in some kind of cursed hell loop!" tears began to run down your cheeks. The sight of you at that moment was breaking his heart, he couldn't explain why, but he couldn't stand it and felt an incredibly great need to hug you and take from you all the pain you were feeling.

"Y/n, listen to me please." he began, grabbing your hands. "I'm here, okay?" he started moving closer. "We're all okay, I think even Butcher, who is rambling God knows where, is okay. After all, a bad things never dies." A quiet giggle came out of your mouth hearing the last sentence. However, his touch also made the fear slowly begin to retreat. "Everything will be fine, I promise. You're not alone in all this, you know. You're always welcome here, even in the middle of the night." he assured. Unexpectedly, you took your hands from his and shifted so that you could hug him. A pleasant warmth spread over his body, and a smile crept onto his lips.

"Thank you." you whispered.

"You're welcome, that's what ... friends are for." the last words didn't want to pass his lips. Until now he had no problem calling you his friend, but now he wasn't quite sure if what he felt for you at that moment could be described as a purely friendly reaction. He wanted to kiss every tear from your face ending with your lips. He quickly shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts. Unfortunately, feeling his sudden movement, you moved away, and the warmth in which he could have drowned just a moment ago was replaced by a cold longing.

"I should go back, I'm sorry I woke you up." You said getting out of bed.

"No!" his mouth was faster than his brain. "I mean..." he grunted. "You can stay here if you want, I haven't been sleeping very well lately either." He scratched his neck nervously while watching your reaction. He was relieved to see the corners of your mouth lift up and you were next to him again. "Maybe in company we can get over it." Without a word you both lay down with your backs touching.

"I can't stop thinking about it, Hughie..." you whispered.

"Maybe you want to listen to music?" he suggested, remembering how he always played his favorite playlist during sleepless nights and focused only on it.

"Will you pick something for me?" you asked uncertainly. You had several songs in your head that you could listen to, but you felt that you wanted him to choose one. Something special, something just for you. After a while, a quiet melody reached your ears.

"Just don't make fun of me!" he laughed. He didn't care if you laughed at him. At that moment, all he cared about was driving all the bad thoughts away from you and putting you to sleep. "And um- try not to think too much, okay? Just focus on the song." he instructed.

You closed your eyes focusing on the pleasant sounds of the guitar and Sheeran's soothing voice. You smiled to yourself, wondering if the choice of singer was intentional. You had mentioned several times in the past how much you liked him. There was a veritable storm going on in Campbell's head. He wondered if he had not exaggerated, if the choice of just this song was too obvious and if it would scare you off. What he didn't know was that you would never in your life be able to believe that he could dedicate any love song to you under any circumstances. Focusing only and only on the song, just as he told you to, you fell asleep with the conviction that he had chosen it only because it was peaceful and soothing. One that allowed you to feel safe enough to fall asleep. Nothing more.

Should this be the last thing I see

I want you to know it's enough for me

'Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need

I'm so in love

So in love...

Listening to the words of the song himself, he wondered if what he was feeling now could be called falling in love? Tonight he felt as if these feelings fell on him suddenly and powerfully. But he didn't want to defend himself against them. There was something about you that made him want to go further. Unfortunately, he didn't know how. Nor did he know how to find out if you would feel the same. So he decided that for the foreseeable future he would act as if nothing had ever changed. Good old friend Hughie. Except for tonight. Making sure you were definitely asleep he gently put his arm around you pulling you closer. "Fuck it." he thought and dipped his nose into your hair sniffing it. Intoxicated by the fruity scent, he couldn't stop the thought that he wanted to be like this forever. Cursing himself in his soul for his selfish attitude, he prayed that the nightmares would haunt you more often, if that was the only way to spend the night with you by his side.

"Jesus Hughie, quit being a pussy and run for her you moron! I'm not going to buy you chocolate ice cream for a broken heart later!" Said Butcher while topping up his wine. "Go before it's too late."

"But what should I tell her?" he asked panicked.

"The truth!" the loud voice of M.M brought him down to earth a bit. Without waiting any longer he went out in front of the house to look for you.

You were sitting on a bench looking up at the sky. Kimiko silently sat next to you holding your hand. The makeup you had put so much effort into was already smudged by tears. You felt ugly again. In the simplest sense of the word. Simply ugly. You knew that when you got home and looked in the mirror you would feel bad.

"He's a douche." Kimiko signed.

"Nice, you say, but it's not true." you said sending her a sad smile. "We can't blame him for not feeling the same way I do."

"But..." sadness and sympathy were painted on her face.

"It's okay." interrupted her by grabbing both her hands. "I've made peace with it, you know? I'll never be beautiful enough or my character equal to Annie's." She sent you a questioning look.

"Every time I look at him, his gaze is on her. I am not surprised at all, probably for him she is a walking ideal. You don't even know how much I would give to have him look at me like that even once..." You sighed, returning your gaze to the stars.

"You don't even know how many times I looked at you with such admiration that it hurt." you heard a voice say. Kimiko immediately stood up and walked towards it. "Kimiko, please let me talk to her." he said. Under the influence of his voice, you became still. You didn't dare turn around. After a moment, however, out of the corner of your eye you saw him sit down next to you.

"You don't have to be here Hughie, I can handle it." you said quietly.

"But I want to. I want to be by your side." he grabbed your hand. Feeling his touch, you felt another wave of tears come to your eyes. "Do you know why you keep catching me staring at Annie?" He continued. "Because you are always next to her. And when I see that your sight wanders in my direction I panic and stare at her. It's not that I don't like your eyes! No, I love your eyes and could stare into them for hours! Sometimes I feel like you hide all the stars in the sky in them, especially when you talk about something you like, they get so glassy and shiny then." he laughed nervously.

"Hughie, you don't have to lie, you know that?" the words struggled to pass through your throat.

"What are you talking about? I'm just trying to tell you that I love you, and you think I'm lying?" you could sense the irritation in his voice, but that's not what you focused on. His confession completely caught you off guard.

"Y-you love me?" you howled.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "From the moment you first came to my bed in the middle of the night in that damn basement! Wasn't it obvious? The song I played?"

"I... I thought you only played it because it was peaceful and was able to put me to sleep," you said.

"From that night I started to create a special playlist that I could play to you every time you came to see me again." he confessed.

"Why didn't you ever play it?" you asked disappointedly.

"I was panicking. Every time I wanted to do it I thought that if you guessed that I felt something more you would run away from me and never come back. That's why I preferred to tell you silly stories not at all related to my feelings." you answered nothing. You still couldn't believe that everything he said was true, and then, as if reading your mind, he went on. "Why is it so hard for you to believe that I can love you y/n? I know I didn't show it. I was a coward. I always waited for the right moment to tell you, but it never came. But I'm here now and I have to finally get it off my chest because I can't take it anymore! You did something today that I should have done months ago. Something I've dreamed of every time I've seen you!" He squated in front of you forcing you to look at him. "Now I know what a big mistake I made keeping it a secret all this time. You deserve the truth, y/n. You deserve to know that you are the most beautiful in the world and about how I feel about you."

"But... I'm not like Annie. I will never be. I don't have a perfect figure, most of my body is bruises and scars that I won't get rid of too soon because I'm not one of the supes and I don't have the ability to heal myself." you let out a torrent of words. " For the rest of your life looking at my face you will see this nasty scar." you said pointing with your hand to your forehead.

"They make you even more beautiful." he commented without thinking.

"What are you talking about?"

"Every scar makes you more beautiful. And this one here?" he said putting your hair behind your ear. "It will always remind me how without hesitation you threw yourself at one psycho with superpowers just to save me and M.M from being sawed through by a laser in that asshole's eyes. If you hadn't distracted him then we would have been long gone. This is a reminder that in addition to your beautiful appearance, you also have a beautiful inside. And about not messing with you, because if you weren't scared at that time, that means you could easily kick my ass."

"I was terrified Hughie..." you said.

"I am so sorry for my reaction. I shouldn't have pulled away from you, but I was in complete shock."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"No, I'm glad you did. Now I have confidence that you feel the same." A familiar charming smile appeared on his face. The one that always made your heart melt irrevocably. The one that always infected you and made you smile too. "I love this view."

"What?" you asked.

"Your smile. I sometimes feel that it's your superpower. All you have to do is smile and everything bad disappears."

"Stop it, I probably look awful," you jokingly regarded him in the shoulder. "With that smeared makeup? As if some psycho clown escaped from the circus."

"As for me, even with smeared makeup you look awfully beautiful." Feeling the atmosphere between the two of you improving, he stood up and pulled you behind him. You were now standing facing each other. With a gentle flick of his hand, he rubbed your cheeks wanting to get rid of the mascara marks. "Damn. I think I smeared it even more." he laughed. He heard your giggle in response. You stood there with your head facing up and watched him. In the moonlight, he looked as if he wasn't real. He looked fairy-tale, almost mystical. As if it was just another dream starring him. "Still beautiful." he whispered while hugging you close. Both of you wanted to stop time in that moment. Your hearts, after a moment, synced up beating just as hard as if they wanted to tear your ribs apart and merge into one.

"If this is a dream, I never want to wake up again." you muttered into his chest.

"Y/n." he said quietly. "This is not a dream, please believe me that everything I said is true. If you don't believe me I will never forgive myself for how I lost the greatest person in the world through my own cowardice."

"I believe you, Hughie." you replied touched. Was that really it? Was this really the evening in which your dreams came true? You thought back to all the fake scenarios you created in your head with him in the lead role. None of them could match the beauty of that moment. Nothing could.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked even more quietly. You nodded, and as he slowly began to lean toward you, unable to wait you stood on tiptoe connecting your lips. This time no one pushed anyone away. On the contrary, you desperately tried to be as close to each other as possible.

"Everything that I want, I want from you," you sang softly pulling away from his lips.

"And you can have me. You have all of me." He assured again finding your lips with a smile.

149 notes · View notes

cainsau · 2 months

Text

Midnight || The Boys Imagine

(Platonic) Hughie Campbell x GN!Reader

Summary: You left something at the office, so you go back there, not expecting Hughie to be there too, crying quietly in the dark.

Warning: [Spoilers?] I like to imagine that he's crying about his dad (in S4E5), but there's really no mention of it, so it could be about anything if you want

Author's Note: The fic writer's curse is so real, i literally got a fever while writing this lmao

You never believed in ghosts, and you're not scared of them whatsoever, but it's a different story when you actually get to encounter one. For example: the faint cries from the other side of the door, you hate to admit, makes your heart beat faster. It takes a while for you to gather up enough courage and enter. Fortunately, there are no ghosts in sight, only Hughie, and yet your stomach still drops when you realize he's sobbing into his jacket near the window.

"Hughie?"

He takes a glance at you, and quickly tries to wipe the tears off his face.

You're reminded of an article from somewhere, stating that in this situation, some people would want to be left alone, while others would want to be comforted by another person. You try to guess which type he is, probably the former since he's sitting alone in the dark like that, but your body doesn't care and moves on its own, taking you closer to him.

"Are you okay?"

"No, not really, to be honest." He chuckles.

"Yeah, that was a stupid question. I don't know why i even asked." You let out a small laugh along with him.

He gives you a sad smile and tries to change the subject, "So, what brings you here?"

"Right." you head to your desk awkwardly, "I forgot something," you then pick up the thing you came for, showing it to him, "My charger."

He chuckles again, but it sounds a lot like sobbing. You're not sure whether to laugh with him or not. "You forgot your charger and decided to pick it up in the middle of the night? Seriously?"

"Well, yeah," You look down, at the rolled up charger in your hands, "My phone was gonna die. I didn't want to miss any emergencies."

You meet his eyes again. They sparkle with sorrow, reflecting city lights from outside the window.

"And this qualifies as an emergency, i believe." You say as you step closer, "Do you want to tell me why you're here like this?"

He stays silent, thinking about it for a moment.

"Or I can leave, if that's what you want."

Still no answer.

You take a deep breath. To be honest, you're worried about him, but if he doesn't want to talk about it, then you can't force him to.

"Okay, i understand." You say as you take a step away.

"Wait." He stops you, his voice cracking, "Actually, can you.. can you stay?"

"Of course."

So, you carefully sit down next to him, your legs crossed and your back against the window. He's still breathing irregularly, wiping away tears with his jacket sleeves every now and then. You can't rush him, so you wait for him to talk more, but he doesn't say anything.

In order for you to say the right things, he needs to tell you what's going on, but without such information, all you can do is gently pat him on the shoulder while he weeps. Since he doesn't thwart your hand away, you assume he's not bothered by your attempt to comfort him, which is good. But, you wish you can do more for him.

After a moment of silence, you decide to speak. "It's okay. Everything is going to be alright. It must've been such an exhausting day for you."

"I just-" he stutters with a sob, turning to face you, "I just wish things were different."

"I'm sorry." You feel a pang in your heart as you listen to his words. "I can't pretend to know what you're going through." You reply, "But, just know that i'm here for you, and i will always be, yeah?"

He nods, and pulls you in for a tight hug, whispering, "Thank you."

122 notes · View notes

eternal-armin · 2 years

Text

something in the way.

after nearly destroying the group during a mission, you're incredulous that hughie still wants to help you. reader: masculine. cw: descriptions of pain, near-death experience.

the world around you was silent. too bleary to see through the tears welling in your red and puffy eyes. it wasn't just the physical pain that had you frozen and crying, but it was certainly a large fucking part of it. it felt like lava was lapping at your body, like you were made of needles, like you were filled with hot, heavy sand and broken glass. all you could do was stare into space, trying to escape into the back of your mind but just getting nauseated when you tried. you sat like that for hours, just resting weakly against the couch cushions, trying not to put too much tension in your body in a fragile attempt not to worsen the pain. it was a way of punishing yourself, maybe. it was all your fault.

you had been properly taken care of, m.m. was sure of that, but because of your issues with other... stuff, you couldn't take too many painkillers. you were stuck between two identical hells, maybe even three or four, trapping you into a little bubble that was slowly closing in on you, making it hard to breathe or think.

someone sat beside you, eyes focused on you with a subtly sweet and deeply worried gaze.

"i-i, uh, got you some food. in case you were hungry." hughie's voice was quiet. even just looking at the sandwich he set down on the coffee table, cut diagonally in half with your perfect ratio of ingredient to ingredient, made you want to vomit. usually you liked food. you ate to live, however indulgences weren't uncommon. but thinking about food at all, even crackers—hell, even water, made your head hurt and your body shake. shake more, anyway.

you sniffled, shaking your head slightly. you regretted that quite a bit. "thank you, but i really don't think i can eat right now." never before had you sounded so completely and utterly defeated.

hughie nodded, which faded into shaking his head. "no. no, no, yeah, that's fine. that's... perfectly understandable, actually. i don't blame you. but, uhm, i-if you can, eventually, i'll be here. just holler, and..." he trailed off, realizing he was just going to sound dumb if he kept rambling and repeating the same thing. he summoned a smile for you. and for half a second, you just barely managed to return it. "...yeah. do you want to talk about it?"

you pressed your lips into a fine line, but you nodded, ever so slightly. you were desperate to talk about it with someone, because god knows that if you didn't, you'd implode. it would haunt you until you died of some equally terrible and traumatic thing. being able to talk about it with hughie just seemed to be good luck; there was no one else in this goddamned place that you had the stomach to even look at. maybe you never could again. but would you complain about it? "i'm sorry."

"sorry? if anyone should apologize, it isn't y—"

"hughie, i fucked it up. all of you would be fine if i hadn't gone with you."

you weren't one to interrupt. you were unpredictable and eccentric and completely weird, but you were decently respectful. that one little detail shut hughie up immediately, mostly out of surprise, which was evident in his wide eyes. you glanced at him, then back down at your knees, bandaged under clean sweatpants. it gave you shivers just to think about how much that had hurt. the getting out of pants, the bandaging, the pulling on of new bottoms.

"i nearly got you killed, hughie. you shouldn't be making me food. you shouldn't be concerned about me. you shouldn't even be able to look at me. i-i don't deserve that—" you were cut off by a hiss of pain. the emotion seeping into your body and voice made you move, sending strikes of fire through your veins. you grew a bit paler, flushed, unable to say or hear anything until your body found that ever-delicate and ever-illusive equilibrium.

you barely felt hughie helping you settle back. partially because you felt like you were being cooked from the inside out, partially because his touch was so gentle. it was a shame that you weren't very familiar with it. hughie was perhaps more inclined to you than you realized; he could wait and recognize when your breathing had calmed, when the pain stopped clouding your glazed eyes. you needn't say a word or move a muscle.

"i don't care if you nearly got me killed because i'm pretty sure i'm alive right now. and i'm also not the one paralyzed by pain." that came out almost condescending and snarky, something that hughie would never intend. he mumbled a very sincere "sorry" under his breath. for some reason, that was enough to make the world feel a little brighter and your body more your own. "i-i really—i really do want to help you. it doesn't... matter if you screwed something up. you did something, you messed it up, and you can't take it back, so i can't hold it against you."

hughie was too good for you, that was sure.

hughie was too good for anyone. so why was he here, with you, in this dump, thinking that you were somehow on the same standing as he was? out of the two of you, he had no powers, he wasn't very physically strong, and he had formed no apathy toward the dark shit in life, and yet he was leagues above you. he was the sweetest, kindest, most sympathetic person you'd ever met—a low bar to cross, but credit where it's due—and you hated him for it.

not literally. you could never hate him. your heart wouldn't be able to handle that.

"you can't just coast through this world forgiving people." your voice became a bit quieter and a bit more hollow. and for a moment you wished you could say the same to your younger self, because he needed to hear it, too. "when someone does something unforgivable, you don't need to... stay around them. you can't just not hold it against them." you spoke very carefully, keep your emotion under wraps. "you could've—you would've died. to my own recklessness. i don't want you to be around me." your voice began to crack.

out of everything today, and everything yesterday, hearing your voice break like that haunted him.

hughie didn't yet have a response. not that he was in much of a rush. his gaze lingered on you, on every aspect of your expression, from the tears in your eyes to the very slight frown on your lips. he slowly leaned back against the couch. the subtle show of solidarity and unconditional empathy made you feel a lot better. in any other universe you would've moved to lean against him, but no, you were stuck in this dumbass place where merely blinking made you break a sweat.

"maybe i'm just naive. or dumb. or something. but i really, really don't think that anything is... unforgivable, and you—you definitely aren't. i mean, come on." he began to chuckle through his words. "you're you. this world would be a whole lot worse without you in it. hot take, i know, but i'm gonna stand behind it."

he watched you very carefully. saw how the frown faded and how the smile began, so soft and so slight that it was damn near unnoticeable. but it was still very pretty.

"like it or not, i'm—i'm staying. right here. i'm staying until you can eat and heal and move. i don't care how long it takes. i can get comfortable anywhere." as if to accentuate his point, hughie adjusted beside you, and settled. as envious as you were, you found it rather comforting. in some weird way.

"hughie," you began.

"nope. don't even say it. you're worth it and i'm staying. you can be mad at me all you want later, but i'm not leaving."

"how dare you."

"horrible, right?"

you giggled. it was a slight noise, and very short. hughie treasured it in its fractured entirety.

you hadn't really noticed, but talking, reigniting the charming friendship you were so fortunate to share, made the pain fade away quite a bit. it tamed the emotional agony you had been steeping in. you could move freely, just a bit, and food no longer made you want to throw up. but you couldn't be too careful.

"can you get, like, a bucket or something?"

"wh—... oh. oh, uh, yeah. yeah, i can." hughie hesitated to leave you, even if he was only gone for a few seconds. you could hear him running to and from. and it cracked you up. "you're gonna try and eat?" he sounded so utterly excited. cautiously but utterly excited.

you nodded, smiling with the same cautious hope. he lifted the plate and rested it now on your lap, glancing at you every other half-second to be sure the pressure wasn't painful, and it wasn't at all. that was such a great relief. you would eat on your own. it would be less awkward that way. you had to keep some sense of your dignity, right? and not be completely dependent on someone else.

who would have thought that eating would be so stressful? maybe just because you were terrified of throwing up. how it felt, mostly. you'd do anything to avoid it in your life. and with this level of pain and internal turmoil, keeping down food or drink may be impossible, even after hours of snail-slow healing.

hughie gave you a bright encouraging grin and a nod. you broke into a smile yourself. there was just something about that look.

"i... can't tell what that expression means."

"i have a proposition."

"... okay," you said, dragging out the word with obvious suspicion.

"if you can get down food and eat enough to heal, then i will take you to your favorite restaurant or bakery."

"don't you dare."

"[y/n], you have no choice." his smile was very contagious. "with all due love and respect, you have absolutely no choice."

"love? that's new."

"nah, not really," he shrugged. he cleared his throat lightly, and, despite some very weak pangs of pain throughout your arm, you could manage to take a bite. your preoccupation with why on earth would he want to buy me food after what i did? distracted you from the pain. the taste and texture was strange and disgusting twisted from usually being comfortable and easy to eat, but you got it down. you put the sandwich back on the plate in a temporary surrender. the nausea did not get worse. maybe it got better—you hadn't really eaten much in the last day, give or take, your stomach was probably about to start digesting itself.

hughie's reassurance turned into a gentle pride. he did not underestimate how stressful even the small things can be.

"i... am very, very proud of you."

"don't patronize me, hughie. it was a bite of a sandwich, not exactly a marathon." your voice held a bit of giddiness itself. you were sounding more like you, not as hollow or weak in tone. now you felt desperate to eat, because the more food you could eat, the quicker you could heal—otherwise, you would be running on fumes. or until those, too, were extinguished.

"yeah, it was a bite of a sandwich when you can barely move and you're not healing properly. i think that's something worth being proud of. even like—e-even just a little. just a little pride. okay?"

with hughie's words of encouragement and your own thirst for control over your body, you finished the food. and, much to your delight, your nausea was quelled and you did not throw up. now that you had food and water in your stomach, the gashes, bruises, scrapes, and all those internal injuries which lit you on fire were mending. it was incredible to watch the more shallow injuries leave your skin, a time-lapse at 300% speed. hughie was entranced by it, and was able to admire it without being judged by you.

never before had you been so happy to feel alive. you put the plate back on the coffee table, and you stretched. the good kind of stretch that steals your soul for a while and makes you shake like an earthquake. for a while, your tired nerves still hissed at you, an aching reminder of what you had done and what it felt like. your smile was a little less slight this time around, and without having injuries to watch heal, hughie was staring at it. at you. your smile, your eyes. the pain fading from your expression. you settled back, slouched, against the couch, pulling up one leg to take off the unneeded bandages and repeating the process with the other. your movements were slow and sluggish, more like you were drunk, and not recovering from torture.

"... do you feel better?" hughie panicked for a second. dumb question, right? but when you looked at him, with that glint of pure glee and its paired smile, those feelings of social panic fizzled out. he really did admire that look. there was nothing in the world he would rather look at.

"thank you for this." how someone like you could speak with such admiration toward hughie made him feel concerningly good. "i really need to start saying that more often, don't i? it's the least you deserve, saint hughie."

"i'm—i'm not a, uh, a saint."

"could've fooled me."

#the boys #hughie campbell #the boys tv #hughie the boys #hughie x reader #hughie campbell x reader #hughie campbell imagine #hughie x male reader #the boys x you #the boys x male reader #the boys x reader

122 notes · View notes

stinkysam · 2 months

Text

Requests OPEN for Fenchie* and Hughie from The Boys !

*preferably

RULES + check pinned post for more

#mlm #male reader #m!reader #gn!reader #gender neutral reader #the boys #the boys tv #the boys imagine #the boys x male reader #frenchie #frenchie imagine #frenchie x male reader #frenchie the boys #hughie campbell #hughie campbell imagine #hughie campbell x male reader

5 notes · View notes

amazingmaeve · 2 years

Text

hughie campbell back to the boys masterlist

A MESSAGE —

⚔️ currently I don't write for any ships but when I do I'll tell you guys which ships.

⚔️ also I do my best to write all the readers /ocs so that anyone can relate but if you want me to write a story with the reader being POC just tell me when you request!

⚔️ also some of these fics will be dark since they involve homelander who as we know is a very dark character. so ill be putting warnings for those don't worry.

⚔️ feel free to request for hughie campbell!

🌧️ = angst | 🤍 = fluff | 💋 = smut | ♟️ = dark

#hughie campbell x reader #hughie campbell smut #hughie campbell x you #hughie campbell headcannon #hughie campbell imagine #hughie campbell #the boys x reader #the boys x you #the boys imagine #the boys headcanons #the boys smut #the boys #HUGHIE campbell masterlist

35 notes · View notes

happy74827 · 3 months

Text

A Smile From Hell

[Homelander x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: Despite the amount of unpredictability The Homelander has, he still catches you off guard with something as small as a smile.

WC: 3576

Category: Angst, Supe!Reader {TW — Homelander for obvi reasons}

In honor of Season 4’s weekly releases, this one is for the Antony Starr girlies (and you @summerrivera777777)

『••✎••』

John fucking terrified you.

He terrified everyone, really.

He had the power to level an entire city block with a glance. He was strong enough to crush a man's skull with one hand and fast enough to catch a bullet. He was an unstoppable force of nature. He was The Homelander, and he was a threat to anyone who stood in his way.

But, the thing was...

You knew everything about him. Everything.

And he absolutely despised that, but there was nothing he could do to change it. You had seen him at his most vulnerable and pathetic. You had seen his humanity, it’s amazing he still has any after the way Vought has abused him, and you had seen his inhumanity.

Jessica, or Sister Sage, had confronted you on several occasions, trying to get you to tell her your secrets. She wanted the upper hand on her arch nemesis, the only one in the world who was a threat to her. It was her mission to end the reign of the superhero she hated most, and she was willing to do anything for it.

You could see right through her, and you didn’t need magnificent amounts of intelligence to do so. You could see the fear in her eyes. You could see the doubt in her face, hear the strain in her voice, feel her uneasiness when she was near him.

John knew it, too. He just simply chose to ignore it. He had grown used to being the scariest man in the room. It’s been that way his whole life, and it seemed it was going to stay that way.

But, despite all that fear, she came to you for answers. Again.

And this time, the question was a simple one. It was so simple, yet completely understandably complicated.

How are you allowed to live?

That was a question that stumped you. It took you a long time to grasp the meaning of it, the specific answer she was looking for.

After a few clarifications, you finally understood what she meant.

She wanted to know why John allowed you to live. She wanted to know why he hadn’t killed you. She wanted to understand why you were the only person alive after calling him by his name.

Not his stage name, his real name.

For being the most intelligent person on the planet, you’d think that she’d be able to understand it. I mean, the answer was right there, in front of her face. She didn't need to be a genius to figure it out; all she needed was a little more insight.

A little bit of understanding.

"Respect," you said, your voice soft. Your words were clear, though, and she heard them perfectly.

The confusion on her face was evident, as was her disbelief.

"What?"

"It's respect. Anyone I respect is someone that deserves my respect."

She snorted.

"Right," she said. "Like he could actually respect anything other than himself."

"He's capable of it if that's what you're thinking," you told her. "And this isn’t about him respecting me; it's about me respecting him."

She narrowed her eyes at you, her suspicion rising.

"Why would you respect him?" she questioned. "You're not blind; you know exactly who he is."

Yes, you did. You knew more than most, and compared to The Seven now, you probably knew the most. His actions? Completely unredeemable. He was, in fact, a monster; there was no arguing that. He was a horrible, twisted, monstrous individual; no one would deny it.

His actions weren’t excusable, but he had an explanation. A reason for why he was the way he was.

He wasn’t born a monster; he was turned into one. That… that was the respect part. You respected him because you respected his story. You respected his pain. You respected his anger.

You respected his past; anything after that was on him.

"I don’t like using stage names to those I respect enough, so I call him John. He allows it because he knows I don’t mean it the way others would if they used his name; it doesn't hold the same power with me."

She rolled her eyes at you.

"Same goes for you, Jessica; I have no desire to call you Sister Sage."

Her flinch was barely visible, but you still caught it. Again, what is intelligence if not knowing the chances of a particular outcome?

"I’ve noticed you don’t call Deep or that fire chick by their real names."

You just smiled, leaving her to solve that answer for herself, and it didn’t take long at all. You knew the exact moment she came up with a conclusion. She was quite predictable, in that regard. Maybe you should’ve been the big-brained hero instead.

And now, you really should’ve been because when you turned down the hall, catching wind of the elevator doors opening, you knew he had listened to it all.

But you didn’t say anything, and you really didn’t say anything after a simple glance at him.

He was completely drenched in blood, a look that would terrify even the toughest of men. But not you, oh no, you were very used to that. He’s done a lot worse.

Besides, you were too distracted by the fact that the blood wasn't his. Too distracted by noticing how this time was different. He was smiling, but it wasn’t his usual cruel smile. This time, it was genuinely happy.

Relief, almost.

It reminded you of the night you two bonded. No, not that type of bond. The bond that told you both that you weren’t alone.

He had a friend, but he wasn’t really your friend. You don’t believe you could ever consider him one. Not really, not with the things he has done.

But, still, you were the closest thing he had to a friend. You were the closest he had to an equal, a person he could relate to. Jessica carried the same intelligence (obviously a lot more), but the similarities between the two of them stopped there.

You had a similar history but different outcomes.

And that reveal between the two of you happened that night. This was way back, even before Starlight joined. Back when The Seven was in its prime.

Stillwell threw a party, something she always loved to do before Teddy became her focus. It was the usual: people in fancy dresses and suits, lots of champagne and liquor.

The difference, however, was the main focal point. Usually, given Vought’s status, all of The Seven members were the main event. Everyone was mandated to wear their hero outfits. It was a great way to advertise and get people to buy more of the products.

The theme this time, however, wasn’t about the group. It wasn’t about any of you. For the first time in a long while, John wasn’t in the spotlight.

Due to this, Stillwell banned everyone from wearing their costumes. No capes, no spandex, no leather, no masks. Just suits and dresses.

It was nice, actually. A little break from the norm. It felt good to go a night without the tight leather on your skin. You were actually surprised at how well it was received.

The rest of the members of the group seemed to be having a wonderful time as well.

Except for one.

He was standing in the corner, glaring at everyone. Madelyn had an entire argument with him about the suit. You weren’t there, but you knew exactly how it went.

His costume was a part of him. It was a symbol. It was a mask. A representation. An embodiment of who he was. Without it, he was a naked target.

Madelyn clearly did not give a single shit. In the end, the argument resulted in the two of them getting into a screaming match, causing him to storm off in a fit of rage.

So, there he was, standing alone, seething at anyone who passed him. Madelyn won; of course, she did, and she didn't even bother trying to apologize. She wasn't sorry.

She was just mad that he refused to listen in the first place.

But, hey, that wasn’t your problem. You were enjoying yourself. The night was going pretty well; the alcohol was flowing nicely, and the music was just right. You were dancing and laughing and having a great time.

But, of course, things weren't always easy for you.

You weren’t expecting it to last long; you weren’t one to have good luck. You knew, deep down, that the night was going to come crashing down on you. You were just waiting for the ball to drop.

The ball dropped the moment you decided to go cheer up the sourpuss.

It was obvious the way his shoulders tensed, and his head tilted ever so slightly. He knew you were approaching. He was aware.

"Don't," he said.

He was clearly angry, and you weren’t smart enough not to push. This is where Jessica’s powers would have benefited you greatly.

You ignored his warning, walking up beside him, mocking his stance.

"You okay?" you asked, your tone soft and light, a hint of playfulness.

His eyes flicked over to you, and the glare he gave was terrifying. His eyes were so intense, and his teeth were clenched. You could see his jaw tensing.

He was a volcano, ready to erupt.

You could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

"I'm fine." Humorously enough, it sounded like the opposite.

"Really?"

He turned his head to look at you, his anger increasing by the second.

"Don’t you have anything better to do?"

You shrugged. "Yeah, but I'm choosing to talk to you."

He looked away from you, grumbling, "And why's that?"

"Because you’re ruining the party," you answered. "Miserable face and all."

He rolled his eyes. He actually does this a lot, believe it or not. It's the only expression he has besides anger that isn’t fake.

"And why do you care?"

You shrugged again. "I care about enjoying myself, and I can't do that when you're moping."

He turned his head towards you. He was not amused.

"Go find someone else to entertain yourself with.” He pointed behind him. "I’m sure Deep will be glad to show off his fish facts."

That one caused you to make the same face he had moments ago. The absolute look of disgust on your face was enough to bring a smug grin to his own.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Don't make me throw up, John."

The name.

It was a simple slip-up, nothing more. But, of course, it meant so much more. This was before everything, so it doesn’t seem likely that a slip-up like that wouldn’t result in consequences, but it secretly was a turning point.

He could've killed you.

He could've easily grabbed you and thrown you across the room, and no one would be able to comprehend what had happened until after you were unrecognizable.

He didn't, though.

No, instead, he stared at you, his face blank, and his mind processing. You were nervous, of course. You had no idea what was going on in his head.

After a minute, a look of realization came upon him, and you could see the exact moment the gears started turning.

Then, a simple hum fell from his lips. One said he wasn’t expecting it but was deciding whether to accept it.

Then, after a few seconds, his face relaxed. His jaw was unclenched, his eyes softened, and his eyebrows relaxed.

"Let’s have a chat."

Uh oh. That’s a code red—a sign of danger.

You were so done.

And yet, for some odd reason, you followed him. You don’t know why. It was a stupid move, in your opinion. You should've run while you had the chance. You should’ve listened and just punched fishlips or something.

You didn’t, though.

You followed him, allowed him to fly you somewhere private, and just waited. You waited for your imminent doom. You were going to die; you were sure of it.

But, for some reason, your death never came.

Instead, the two of you landed on the tower’s roof, the cold New York air hitting you hard. He had set you down on your feet and went all the way to the railing.

You stood awkwardly, waiting for him to turn around with those beams in his eyes, but they never came.

He was just looking out into the city, his back turned to you, his hands on the railing.

After a few minutes of silence, he turned his head, looking at you through the corner of his eye.

"Aren't you going to ask?"

Ask what? What was there to ask?

There were plenty of things to ask, actually, and yet you had no idea what the right thing to ask was. Because, again, even here, he was unpredictable and unreadable.

You didn't want to anger him; you knew that for sure. But you were also tired of his mind games. It was a constant battle of wit, and you were sick and tired of being left in the dust.

So, you chose something simple to say. Something easy, yet not so simple to answer.

"Are you going to kill me?"

You wouldn’t be surprised if he turned around with a smile and answered yes.

He didn’t, though. Oh no, he stayed turned, staring into the city, his eyes searching. Searching for what you didn't know.

"No."

Simple and clear.

You didn't respond, and he didn't elaborate. It was silent, and it was cold, and it was a tense moment.

But you didn't leave. You just watched him, watched his movements. The way his shoulders hunched over, his head tilting down, the grips on the railing, the way his hair slowly became unstuck due to the wind.

You always thought his hair looked better when it wasn't slicked back, but this is the first time you've ever seen it that way. It was… it was nice.

Then, his shoulders relaxed, and his head straightened. He didn’t turn around, and he didn’t speak. He just looked over his shoulder at you, his eyes piercing yours.

Even with a few strands of hair on his face, his eyes were so sharp and clear. So blue. So cold.

It felt like they were reaching deep into your soul.

It was terrifying. He was terrifying.

"Do you remember your parents?"

The question took you by surprise. It wasn’t what you were expecting, but then again, this whole encounter was the definition of unexpected.

"Yes. Why?"

His eyes scanned yours as if looking for a lie. Then, he turned back around, leaning on the railing.

"I can't remember mine," he said. "Sometimes I wonder if I even had them."

Oh. Oh. This was huge. This was a big one. You had to search deeply even to find out his actual name. Now, here he was, telling you of his past.

Of all people, he chose to tell you.

You didn’t know how to feel about that.

You were honored, yes. You were excited, definitely. But, most importantly, you were worried. Is this him letting you in? Or is it him preparing you for your demise?

It was an unknown territory, a field of landmines. You knew a lot about his past already, but now he was aware of the fact that you knew. He knows, and yet he is still giving you the information.

Why?

"I mean, it doesn't make sense. Everyone has parents, right? And I couldn't have been born out of nowhere. So, I must have had parents. A mom, a dad, some form of guardians."

His face was scrunched, and his eyebrows were furrowed. You could see the way his brain was working. He was really thinking about it, wondering how the pieces fit together.

He was struggling to make a connection, and he was mad at himself for not having it.

"I'm assuming your childhood wasn't the best," you said. You knew it was a risky move, joking about his past, but so far, he seemed to like the boldness and humor.

And he did, in fact, let out a snort.

"Understatement of the year."

You smiled but quickly stopped. It was a serious conversation, and smiling probably wasn’t the appropriate reaction.

Silence filled the space again, and he was back to thinking. He was trying; he was really trying. But he just couldn't.

It wasn't the fact that his parents were a mystery; he's come to terms with that. It was the fact that he couldn’t remember anything.

All he remembered was the torture, the pain, the experiments… nothing about how he got there. Nothing about the people before the scientists. Nothing about a home. And the fact that they were currently building a fake one for him made him so angry.

It was a mockery—a complete joke.

He felt all of these emotions and yet couldn't express them.

And he was frustrated. He was pissed off and tired and angry and sad and empty and-

"Did you rip off your tie?" Your eyes had caught sight of his bare neck, the black fabric missing.

It was the only way to pull him out of his head, and, to your surprise, it worked. You could see the moment he snapped back to reality, the moment he was pulled away from his mind.

"Yeah," he answered. "It was suffocating me."

You could tell.

His hair became more unkempt due to the wind. The strands of hair on his forehead were getting in the way, and it was getting annoying. Not for you, no, but for him.

For you, it was… humanizing. It made him seem a little less like a god.

He lifted his hand, his fingers gently combing through the locks. It was a struggle, a normal struggle that you've had with your own hair.

Plenty struggle with deviating the locks away from their desired location. You've had your own fair share of moments.

But this was the first time you'd seen him experience it. The first time witnessing him do something so simple and basic.

Such a human thing. It had you wondering what else he was capable of.

He sighed, his hand dropping back to the railing. Again, it is a normal thing to happen. But, it had you smiling, the corners of your mouth curving ever so slightly.

The action did not go unnoticed.

"What?" he asked, not even bothering to turn around.

You shrugged. "I've just never…"

Your mind kept changing images. His hair, his eyes, his shoulders, his jaw, his nose, his ears, his neck, his hand, his lips, his chin, his cheekbones, his eyebrows, his skin…

Everything is listed in your mind, including the little imperfections and details that make him, well, him. This was the first time you saw him anything other than perfect.

The perfect monster he was, the god of all men. The man of the century, the one to take the world by storm. The strongest, the smartest, the best.

The symbol, the image, the mask.

The facade.

This was the first time you saw him as just a person. A human being. Just a regular guy.

"Sometimes I wonder how different life would be if you were…"

Normal.

The word was at the tip of your tongue. You could've said it; you should've said it. It was the truth. It was obvious.

But you couldn't.

He knew where your sentence was going, though. Of course, he did.

"If I was… what?" He still wanted to hear it. He was looking for validation, and he wanted it from you. His eyes were on you, his body turned, but there was this one odd thing.

A smile.

It wasn't his usual one. The one you were used to. The one that made everyone scared and uneasy. No, this was a real smile.

A soft, small one, but still a real smile.

A true smile. As if he knew the words you were going to say, as if he knew your thoughts, and he found them amusing.

You found him amusing.

And just because of that, you didn’t give him the validation.

"It’s fucking freezing out here," You coughed in hopes of successfully changing the subject. "I’m gonna get a jacket."

He was going to argue, but you were already walking off, telling him you’d take the emergency ladder down.

Nothing was spoken about that night. No words were exchanged.

But something had changed. Something had shifted. You weren’t quite sure what it was, but it was something.

So, seeing that genuine smile again in that elevator was a shock.

He had the same face as he did on that roof. It was that smile. That one specific smile.

Capable.

That's what it was.

He was capable.

He was capable of feeling and being human. He was capable of being something other than a monster.

He was capable.

All he said to you when you walked by was a simple goodnight. Something so small, yet so big. This time, those words seemed to have a little more meaning.

So, just to raise his unsettling mood, you winked and said, "Goodnight, John."

Again, a smile.

The smile.

It was hard to continue walking, and it was even harder not to turn around. But you did.

You did it knowing you were going to have a hard time sleeping. Knowing that, no matter what, you weren’t going to forget that smile.

The demon that still had a little bit of humanity in him.

A demon that was capable.

2K notes · View notes